May 04, 2022
Māori tourism facing worker shortage
The chair of New Zealand Māori Tourism wants to see immigration change so operators have enough workers for an expected major pick up next summer.
Dale Stephens says winter is generally a quieter period for Māori tourism, and he knows many ventures will stay in their Covid-induced hibernation.
Come spring they will be looking for staff, and with New Zealand’s 3.2 per cent unemployment rate many of those workers will need to come from overseas.
“What we know is the immigration settings at the moment are inappropriate for what we are trying to do. We can’t grow our economy and get high value and high turnover and revenue coming in if we haven’t got the people to maintain it,” Mr Stephens says.
The primary sector, health, and aged care also rely on migrant workers who are not currently available to them.