Foreign Labour Still in High Demand

Foreign Labour Still in High Demand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The government’s review of the walk-up work permits for foreign workers in Queenstown could have a major impact on the sustainability of many tourism industries according to the New Zealand Hotel Council CEO Mark Oldershaw.

Mr Oldershaw issued a warning to the government today stating that any review of the current scheme must proceed with caution as many hotels and associated industries were reliant on foreign workers to cover the shortage of staff available locally. “This is no longer a seasonal issue” Mr Oldershaw said. “Queenstown has quite rightly positioned itself as a year round visitor experience and as such it requires a full staffing capacity to match that experience. I am aware of a few smaller tourism ventures in the area that have been forced to substantially reduce their trading hours due to some severe labour shortages.”

Immigration Minister David Cunliffe has ordered a review of the 2004 policy granting walk-up work permits for foreign workers. Nearly 3,000 walk-up visas were issued in 2006 with a vast number of these being issued to Brazilian workers.

“Ideally our member hotels would love to offer a complete New Zealand experience, including ensuring that all service staff are Kiwis. The reality however, is that this is no longer possible and policy makers need to be made aware of the chronic shortages of labour across many sectors that now exists” said Mr Oldershaw. “To be honest this is bigger than just a Queenstown issue however the local Queenstown economy has been fortunate in that government has allowed the fast-tracking of work permits to meet some real labour needs”. “The overwhelming majority of staff employed under this scheme have been a great asset not only to the local tourism and hotel industry but have helped ensure that New Zealand remains a premium visitor experience”.

Mr Oldershaw also pointed to the demise of foreign seasonal-worker schemes for the pip fruit industry.

“The New Zealand Hotel Council is currently considering commissioning some extensive research in to labour shortages, and international best practice on labour management within our sector” said Mr Oldershaw. “It is important that we take the lead and ownership in ensuring that the hotel and hospitality sector continue to offer sustainable and rewarding career options for our future stars. The hotel sector that we want to portray is a fine mix of quality product and quality people. We might all need to accept however that the new face of New Zealand tourism is multi-cultural.”

ENDS

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