Auckland Bank Branches Holding Back Workers From The Regions

The Backpacker Youth Adventure Travel Association (BYATA) of New Zealand is asking major banks in Auckland why they continue to hold back young, international working holiday makers from receiving bank accounts, delaying their ability to fill thousands of available jobs both in Auckland and across nationwide regions.

Sharyn Hight – Manager of BUNAC is one of New Zealand’s leading youth travel companies and brings in over 3000 young people to New Zealand each year, has confronted this issue head on:

“I have approached all of the major banks in Auckland they have told me that Work Holiday Visa holders are low value customers and not a priority. They are focussing on migrants and are swamped”

Feedback to BYATA is that the banks in Auckland and across major youth centres such as Queenstown consider these young international workers as low value and, as such, assign them low priority for processing account opening. Without bank accounts, workers are unable to apply for IRD numbers, or accept employment.

BYATA is calling on the major banks of New Zealand to exercise the famous New Zealand hospitality to these visitors and simply speed up the process, so that they can get out there and work.

Chairman of BYATA Chris Sperring is flabbergasted by the position of these banks; “given how straight forward and easy it is to set up a bank account, delays are unacceptable when kiwi businesses are crying out for staff and it could be their own bank that’s the hold-up in getting someone onboarded.”

With regional workforce pressures in every industry, these delays are hurting small New Zealand businesses who are unable to hire these available workers and capitalize on the increased incoming summer trade.

© Scoop Media