Tourism & Hospitality workforce strengthened through Wānanga

• The Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga will take place in Auckland on 17 & 18 November
• It will bring together the Tourism & Hospitality industry, associations, educators, unions, local and central government
• The Wānanga will identify both short-term and long-term solutions for workforce challenges
• Attendees will work together to develop a unified vision

On 17 and 18 November, great minds from around New Zealand will attend the Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga in Auckland to address workforce challenges within Tourism & Hospitality.

The two-day event will develop solutions to improve and build the workforce.

Statistics show that four out of ten Tourism & Hospitality jobs were lost in 2020, equating to 90,000 workers displaced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that 80,000 new workers will be required by the time New Zealand fully opens its borders to international visitors; despite this, hundreds of operators are struggling to hire experienced staff.

“You only need to read recent headlines to know the hardships our industry is going through,” says Go with Tourism Programme Director Matt Stenton. “The Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga is our opportunity to provide Tourism & Hospitality with the direction we need to future-proof our workforce and make ours a sector of choice for New Zealanders, who deserve good careers.

“The outcome of this event will be solutions that will unite the industry, will support our education system and any pathway into employment, and will align with our government’s current vision. These will form plans that will represent a unified voice of all who have a stake in the Tourism & Hospitality workforce.

“He waka eke noa! We’re in the same boat, so we invite everyone to pick up a paddle to reach our destination.”

Key topics that will be addressed at the wānanga include:

• How New Zealanders perceive Tourism & Hospitality careers
• Tourism & Hospitality curriculums in schools and tertiary institutes
• Onboarding, reskilling or upskilling staff
• Remuneration and work/home life balance
• Support for staff who move across the country for their role
• How to become less reliant on migrant workers

The Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga will be invite-only and participants will work together across two business days. Day One will involve a full day of collaboration, debate and conceptualisation; Day Two will see solutions presented to Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash and senior industry leaders.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash supports the wānanga; “It’s a great opportunity for people to come together to develop positive solutions that will inspire and encourage people to choose tourism or hospitality as a career.

“There’s an incredible variety of roles in the sector, and it’s important to have a workforce that’s skilled, rewarded and valued. Increasing the capability of the workforce is one of the goals of the New Zealand Aotearoa Tourism Strategy, and I look forward to seeing the outcome from the wānanga.”

Solutions developed at the Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga will be collated into two action plans. One for long-term goals; the other will focus on immediate action and will be tasked to the industry one month after the event.

The Go with Tourism Workforce Wānanga is sponsored by the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment and supported by Auckland Unlimited. The event will be carbon offset, thanks to a partnership with Tasman Environmental Management and their technology partner Tomahawk.

The wānanga will go ahead no matter the alert level, with organisers currently preparing a COVID-friendly online plan.

For further information, please visit the official webpage for the event: bit.ly/WorkforceWānanga21

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