Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult commended yesterday’s announcement to allow 275 experienced ski sector workers into Aotearoa New Zealand but is asking for a big picture approach.

“First and foremost, I am delighted that, in his capacity as Minister of Tourism, Minister Nash has advised of the decision to open our borders to much-needed, skilled workers ahead of the ski season. Like many other parts of the country, Queenstown Lakes has been doing it tough over the last couple of years and our visitor and hospitality sectors need the upcoming winter ski and snow sports season to be a success. And for that to happen they desperately need folk who can hit the slopes running. I’m sure many local business operators will be breathing a sigh of relief having been wondering where the staff are coming from as visitors return. So, I thank the Minister for making this happen,” said Mayor Boult.

However, the Mayor added that there needs to be a more joined up or strategic approach to immigration policy.

“The Government has done a fantastic job in keeping us safe and limiting our exposure to COVID-19 and the high numbers of deaths seen overseas. But these latest moves all seem a bit piecemeal. In the morning we get announcements about farm workers, folk to support the meat industry, then there’s forestry, and later in the day we get ski workers. This seems to follow a trend of drip-fed changes and many businesses are struggling not knowing what the big picture is.”

“I think it’s time Government paused with what seems like some fairly reactive decisions and took the time to present a comprehensive strategy in the form of immigration policy changes that support our whole country’s economic recovery and future stability and resilience. COVID-19 has shown we are extremely vulnerable in many industries and simply turning the tap off is detrimental to our business community and therefore our wider community’s wellbeing and economy. Any new policy around sector or regional exemptions needs to reflect the seasonality of many Kiwi industries or those that rely heavily on higher volumes of transient workers and support them to transition into a higher-volume Kiwi workforce meeting new median wage thresholds.”

“As a nation that has a lot of seasonal industries and has historically relied heavily on overseas workers, it’s time to think differently and have a shared understanding of what that looks like. People need to know the big picture and be able to plan for what’s coming,” added Mayor Boult.

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