Working Holiday Visa Changes A Boon For Tourism Industry

Tourism employers around Aotearoa New Zealand will be
celebrating today’s announcement that steps are being
taken to support tourism workforce recovery, Tourism
Industry Aotearoa says.

Immigration Minister Michael
Wood has announced that:
 

• the visas of
  working holidaymakers already in New Zealand with visas
  expiring between 26 August 2022 and 31 May 2023 will be
  extended by six months
• new visas will be issued to
  existing Working Holiday Visa holders who have yet to
  arrive, allowing them to enter New Zealand by 31 January
  2023
• the number of visas permitted under capped
  Working Holiday Schemes will be doubled – a one-off increase
  to recognise the spots that were unused last year due to the
  border closure. This will give the ability for up to an
  extra 12,000 working holiday makers to be able to enter and
  work in New Zealand.

Minister Wood also
confirmed the sector agreement for seasonal snow and
adventure tourism, which gives access to migrant workers in
important seasonal snow and adventure tourism roles at
$25.00 per hour. The wage threshold will be increased each
year until the sector agreement ends in
2025.
 

“This is very positive news for the
tourism industry, we need great people joining tourism so we
can gear up for the summer season,” TIA Chief Executive
Rebecca Ingram says.

“We are hopeful this will help
to relieve some of the immediate pressures on employers. And
there are added benefits – while not all Working Holiday
Visa holders will work in tourism and hospitality, they will
all want to enjoy tourism activities and experiences while
they are in New Zealand.”

A recent survey
by TIA found that 75% of tourism businesses are currently
recruiting across more than 30 different role types –
everything from bike mechanics to marketing and sales roles,
operations managers and sea kayak guides. But 59% of
vacancies were receiving less than five
applications.
 

While most tourism employers
would prefer to hire New Zealanders, half of the survey
respondents expected they would need WHV holders to fill
some roles this summer.
 

“TIA has been
working closely with the Backpacker, Youth and Adventure
Tourism Association (BYATA) to highlight to the Government
the challenges facing tourism businesses. We are grateful
that Ministers have listened to us and put in place measures
to support the recovery of the tourism industry workforce
this summer,” Ms Ingram says.
 

There will
still be plenty of opportunities for New Zealanders
interested in working in tourism, she says. Tourism has
fantastic career opportunities in every part of the country
and an enormous variety of roles are available for those
interested in joining the industry at this defining
time.
 

Meanwhile, the tourism industry is
also reviewing the Better
Work Action Plan released for consultation last week.
The Plan has the long-term objective of building a more
sustainable workforce model for the tourism industry and
individuals who choose to build their career in
tourism.
 

View
the results of TIA’s workforce
survey.

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