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Helping thousands of foreigners stranded here by Covid-19 has cost close to $ 7 million in the last 10 weeks.
Chilean Constanza Capurso is among 6,100 people assisted through the Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri program that provided her with food vouchers and helped pay the rent for her apartment on Mt Maunganui.
The 29-year-old nurse arrived in New Zealand just days before the March shutdown began and is deeply grateful for the financial help.
His CSR temporary work visa allows him to stay until January, but with only two or three days of work a week in the kiwi industry, covering living costs became impossible.
“Now it is very difficult to return to my country … and the tickets are very expensive.”
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Under the social assistance program that began on July 1, Te Tari Taiwan’s Department of Internal Affairs has provided $ 3.5 million to cover accommodation costs and electricity bills for those suffering from severe financial difficulties.
The Red Cross has contributed $ 3.4 million for in-kind support, such as food, medicine, warm clothing and bedding.
Red Cross
Chilean nurse Constanza Capurso had enough to cover her return ticket when she arrived in New Zealand, just before the close of March. She estimates that a return flight will now cost around $ 2,000 and is grateful for a welfare program that has helped her pay for food and lodging until she can get more work.
The top three nationalities that helped come from Tonga (1226), India (624) and Argentina (441).
Most are work or CSR visas, but they also include 1051 on visitor visas, 1056 on student visas, and 42 on temporary visas.
The Red Cross said that there was anecdotal evidence of extreme hardship or homelessness and that it had contact with people living in tents, vans or cars.
To be eligible, applicants must show that they had no savings, other than those needed to purchase a ticket back to their home country, insufficient income to cover basic living costs, and that they were unable to access support from sources such as their family. , religious groups. or embassy.
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The horticulture industry is crying out for more seasonal workers with thousands of needs to pick fruit in the coming months.
Those who need it can apply online and the support is initially four weeks, but can be extended.
The horticulture industry is experiencing a severe shortage of CSR workers due to border restrictions and it is estimated that around 10,000 seasonal workers will be needed starting next month to prune and pick $ 1 billion worth of fruit in Hawke’s Bay.
Capurso said she and two other Chilean friends were prepared to move to Hawkes Bay if they couldn’t find enough work in the Bay of Plenty.
He originally intended to travel to Australia and Thailand, but due to the pandemic, he was likely to return to Chile.
