Shane Jones's employment scheme faces uphill battle

Northland MP Matt King supports working for the dole, but doubts it will happen under the current government.

A National MP says plans to make unemployed in Northland take on work will struggle for political support - and to turn around poor attitudes and drug use.

Northland MP Matt King is wishing Regional Development Minister Shane Jones the best of luck with his proposal to put the unemployed to work, but expects him to be disappointed.

"I agree with working for the dole in principle, for all sorts of reasons, including the instilling of a work ethic," King said, "but I want to know how this is going to work.

"Mr Jones is right when he says there have to be sanctions [loss of benefit for those who refuse to work], but Labour and the Greens are dead against that. It won't work without them though."

Meanwhile, he was well aware of Northland employers who were "screaming" for workers.

Two in particular, one of them in Kaikohe, had good connections with Work and Income but could not find the people they needed, attitude and drugs being the major problems.

"These people will provide training, equipment, transport — all workers have to do is turn up and work. They will earn reasonable money too, but they can't be found," he added.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the work scheme would pay at least the minimum wage, but she was not endorsing Jones' wish to compel young beneficiaries into work, and cutting their benefit if they refused. Cabinet, she said, would work through "those details."

Jones said he would take four projects to Cabinet for his Working For Your Country scheme before Christmas, giving beneficiaries a chance to get off the couch and and work in industries such as tree planting, riparian planting or developing railway tourism.

"In order to plant one billion trees, in order to deliver on riparian planting, in order to prepare a workforce for recapitalising the railways, the ne'er-do-well nephs [nephews] will be required to take those jobs," he said.

"If they are unwilling, then I will spend every thinking and waking moment ensuring they do not fall back on the dole and be permitted to do [nothing] while the rest of us are out there working."