Key Points:
- Government has announced new seasonal work visa pathways but largely excludes hospitality roles
- Visa launch delayed to December 8th, creating more uncertainty for summer planning
- Hospitality faces workforce shortages heading into peak summer trading period
- Ongoing immigration policy concerns remain unaddressed
Hospitality business owners have been holding their breath for some good news about workforce solutions. Unfortunately, the Government’s announcement about new seasonal work visa pathways isn’t delivering the relief our industry desperately needs.
The new Global Workforce Seasonal Visa (GWSV) is an up to three-year visa for highly experienced seasonal workers in roles such as rural contracting, sheep scanning, winemaking, and snow instruction. It enables skilled workers to return for subsequent seasons on the same visa. The Peak Seasonal Visa (PSV) is a visa of up to seven months for short-term seasonal roles such as meat and seafood processing, calf-rearing, and wool handling.
With these new Visas largely excluding hospitality, the Association, alongside our members, is feeling frustrated that our industry has again been sidelined when it comes to immigration policy.
Summer is approaching, staffing headaches remain
As we prepare to gear up for what should be our biggest trading period of the year, the exclusion of hospitality roles from the new seasonal visa pathways feels like a significant missed opportunity.
As summer arrives, we can expect a surge in visitor numbers and locals eager to make the most of outdoor dining and seasonal hospitality experiences. No operator wants to be scrambling for staff during their busiest period. The seasonal nature of our peak trading makes hospitality a natural fit for seasonal visa schemes, yet the Government hasn’t recognized our sector among those needing support to fill critical roles when New Zealand workers aren’t available in sufficient numbers.
We’re also unsure why the launch date for these new visas has been pushed to December 8th. For employers, this is well into the busy season when you would need your team locked and loaded, not still trying to navigate visa applications.
The bigger picture problems
This latest setback highlights something the Restaurant Association has been advocating about for some time – our immigration policy settings just aren’t working for hospitality.
The reality is that many hospitality businesses rely heavily on seasonal workers to meet customer demand, especially during summer. Local workers alone often can’t fill the gap, particularly for the volume of roles needed during peak periods.
What are the solutions?
The Restaurant Association is pushing for concrete solutions:
- We would like to see Immigration New Zealand expedite the review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme, particularly with respect to the tiered accreditation system, which remains under review.
- We would also like to see an update on the Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa and clarity around the consultation process for the Skilled Migrant Category review.
While the Association continues to advocate for workforce solutions that support our industry, the immediate reality for many hospitality operators is another challenging summer ahead. We urge the Government to give equal attention to the workforce needs of the hospitality industry and remain committed to collaborating with the Government to ensure that the industry’s workforce needs are addressed. In the meantime, we will continue to advocate for immigration policies that allow businesses to thrive while prioritising job opportunities for New Zealanders.
Read the Government announcement about the new Global Workforce Seasonal Visas here.