Immigration Minister Michael Wood has announced measures targeted to support the hospitality and tourism sectors and have adjusted the requirement to recruit chefs as requested by industry.
Support is also being provided to the wider tourism and hospitality sector, by extending their exemption to the median wage threshold to give them more time to transition.
“As the world recovers from COVID-19, labour shortages continue to be a persistent ongoing global symptom,” Wood said.
“We are listening closely to the concerns of the hospitality and tourism sectors and working with them to take practical steps to support them with these challenges where we can, as businesses work towards more productive and resilient ways of operating.
Julie White
Hospitality New Zealand has welcomed the news, with Chief Executive Julie White commenting that removing the qualification requirement for chefs under the Accredited Employer Work Visa was an excellent move.
“This will allow hospitality businesses to bring in chefs who have trained in some of the best kitchens across the world. Hospitality New Zealand has been talking to the Minister and officials for months about including relevant industry experience in the migrant chef criteria settings, and it’s great they have heard us.”
Wood also announced that the new median wage of $29.66 per hour will be adopted into the immigration system on 27 February 2023. All wage thresholds indexed to the median wage, such as sector agreements, will also be updated.
“The Government is focused on moving New Zealand to a higher wage economy, increasing the skill level of migrant workers, and encouraging employers to offer competitive wages and improve career pathways for New Zealanders. This policy is beginning to work, with clear evidence of better pay and conditions in a range of sectors, which will create a more sustainable labour market for everyone,” he said.
“Updating the median wage thresholds regularly is necessary to ensure the Government is delivering on its immigration rebalance goals and that existing policy settings are maintained in line with market changes.”
While White agreed that the extension of the transition towards the full median wage for hospitality and tourism businesses exception will help them further manage businesses way out of the damaging effects of Covid and the border closures, increasing the median wage into the immigration system from February will counter some of that.
“It will feed inflation and put further costs on food, wages, and rent. Is this really the right time to be doing that?”
The current wage threshold will be in place until the new median wage is incorporated in February 2023.
