The Government has announced a boost for major events and tourism projects, with the Restaurant Association welcoming the $70 million investment. This investment will be much-needed injection into the New Zealand economy and a vital boost for our hospitality businesses currently navigating some of the toughest trading conditions in years.

The package, announced on Sunday 14 September, includes:

• a $40 million Events Attraction Package to secure large-scale international events from 2026.
• a $10 million Events Boost Fund to support existing events and attract international opportunities.
• a $10 million Regional Tourism Boost Campaign to incentivise international visitors.

The investment aims to attract more large-scale events to New Zealand, allowing us to better compete with Australia and other international markets. This will help support local jobs, stimulate economic activity, and bring vibrancy back to city centres and tourism hotspots.

Major events create vital flow-on effects, filling restaurants, bars and cafes with domestic and international visitors and with our industry currently facing rising costs and reduced consumer spending, this funding provides much-needed stimulus to drive foot traffic. This is exactly the kind of support our industry needs right now. From global sporting tournaments, to major concerts, these events bring diners and economic activity to struggling city centres.

In addition, the Regional Tourism Boost marketing campaign fund is a welcome boost to support regions to attract more international visitors to travel, stay and dine in New Zealand in 2026.

The Association looks forward to working alongside event organisers and government partners to ensure that hospitality businesses can fully capitalise on the opportunities this funding unlocks.

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More reading:

• Restaurant Association Press Release – Restaurant Association welcomes $70M events sector boost as vital lifeline for hospitality
• Government Press Release – Next level boost for Major Events and Tourism
• MBIE – More information about the Tourism and Events package

The Restaurant Association is welcoming the Government’s $70 million investment into the events sector, calling it a much-needed injection into the New Zealand economy and a vital boost for hospitality businesses currently navigating some of the toughest trading conditions in years.

“This is exactly the kind of support our industry needs right now,” said Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association. “Major events have a proven flow-on effect for the hospitality sector, filling our restaurants, bars and cafes with both domestic and international visitors.”

The investment aims to attract more large-scale events to New Zealand, allowing us to better compete with Australia and other international markets. The Restaurant Association says this will help support local jobs, stimulate economic activity, and bring vibrancy back to city centres and tourism hotspots.

“We’ve seen firsthand the power of major events, from top music acts to global sporting tournaments like the Women’s Football World Cup and the Rugby World Cup. These events don’t just bring fans, they bring diners, spenders, and stories that ripple across our entire sector.”

With hospitality businesses under pressure from reduced consumer spending and rising costs, the Restaurant Association says this funding couldn’t come at a better time.

“Operators are doing it tough right now. Rising costs and lower discretionary spend are creating significant headwinds. Stimulus that drives foot traffic and brings in high-value visitors is a welcome move,” Bidois said.

She added: “This is also part of the wider roadmap we’ve been collaborating on with government, so it’s encouraging to see cross-sector planning coming to fruition. Strategic investment like this plays an important role in getting our economy, and our industry, back on track.”

The Association looks forward to working alongside event organisers and government partners to ensure that hospitality businesses can fully capitalise on the opportunities this funding unlocks.

August 2025

 

Tēnā koe,

Restaurant Association of New Zealand feedback on the Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime’s options paper on anti-social behaviour around retail settings

The Restaurant Association of New Zealand (the Restaurant Association) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the options paper on anti-social behaviour provided by the Ministerial Advisory Group – Retail Crime (MAG).

Since 1972, the Restaurant Association has worked to offer advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry, covering the length and breadth of the country. We’re passionate about our vibrant industry, which is full of interesting, talented and entrepreneurial people.

We agree with the MAG that the status quo is inadequate to address the recurring anti-social behaviour being experienced in and around retail settings, and that continuing with the status quo is unlikely to achieve the MAG’s overarching aim of creating a zero-tolerance response to retail crime.

Feedback from our members

The Restaurant Association conducts regular surveys of our membership, and in recent years has conducted periodical snapshot surveys on safety and security. In the six months to March 2025, 36.4 percent of those who responded to our survey indicated that their business had been the victim of a crime — a slight increase from our survey conducted in 2024 (33.3 percent).

Of note however is the significant increase in anti-social behaviour being identified as a crime experienced by our members – where burglary or robbery made up the majority of identified crime (37.5 percent) in 2024, anti-social behaviour became the largest type of crime experienced by our members (28.57 percent) in 2025, more than double its prevalence in 2024 (12.5 percent). A summary table of the types of crime experienced by our members is available at appendix 1.

Option 1: move-on orders

The Restaurant Association supports the creation of a legal framework for ‘move-on’ orders, including the proposed grounds, safeguards and limitations. It is important that these orders are developed properly to ensure that truly anti-social behaviour is able to be addressed swiftly, in a manner proportional to the behaviour being exhibited.

We also support the enablement of trained Council by-law enforcement officers to issue move-on orders. Consistent feedback from members is that it is common for police to not attend call-outs, or where they did attend, there was little that could be done because of their delays.

Further, we recognise the reservations expressed by some Councils that move-on enforcement by their officers could result in increased violence against their staff. We note that a further option being proposed is to provide additional powers for Councils, and submit that while additional powers and training can and should be provided, it should not be required of Councils to act. The responsibility for addressing crime first and foremost should rest with police, and the issues experienced by businesses when engaging with police should be addressed directly, rather than creating a pseudo-police force by requiring Council officers to act.

Option 2: new criminal offences

The Restaurant Association strongly supports the introduction of a criminal offence for assaulting, threatening or abusing a retail worker, as well as allowing for aggravation of that offence where a retail worker is enforcing a statutory restriction.

As the largest representative body for the food and beverage service industry, we take our role in the responsible service of alcohol seriously. However, it is not uncommon for service staff to be at best criticised, and at worst abused, for simply doing their job — for example, stopping service of alcohol in line with requirements in the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act.

We agree that creating this criminal offence would be a powerful signal that any abuse towards our staff is not tolerated, and reinforce industry efforts to holistically reform perception of service industries, which are often seen as unskilled, low-value or low-status.

Option 3: additional powers for councils

As mentioned above, we support the enablement of Councils to enforce their by-laws, with the caveat that discretion on whether or not to act must rest with the Council, and the ultimate responsibility for enforcement must remain with police.

Option 4: geographic bans

The Restaurant Association recognises the intent behind this proposal, however at present there is not enough detail on how a designated or pre-defined zone would be determined, and are concerned that this proposal takes a blanket approach to solving an issue caused by a minority of individuals. We submit that time and resources would be better invested in ensuring more targeted measures are effectively implemented.

Option 5: government action plan

The Restaurant Association supports the development of a government action plan to address anti-social behaviour in retail settings, and submits that the priority for any such plan must be on measures to prevent and address the root causes of anti-social behaviour, rather than focusing on a punitive approach once the behaviour has already taken place. We also question whether this is the best use of time and resources, given a plan on its own will not be effective, and the wider set of actions required to put such a plan in place would detract resources from the more targeted measures that require effective implementation.

Option 6: court-issued civil orders

The Restaurant Association does not support the adoption of this proposal at this time. There is no evidence available to support its efficacy, and the lengths of time required to process court orders render them ineffective in urgently responding to anti-social behaviour.

Conclusion

While the options proposed address anti-social behaviour in retail settings after the behaviour occurs, we submit that further work should also be undertaken to prevent such behaviour from happening in the first place. Feedback from our members regularly calls for greater preventative measures, in particular through increased foot patrols and presence from police, particularly at night, and more comprehensive coverage of CCTV monitoring.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the MAG’s anti-social behaviour options paper. We would be happy to discuss any part of this submission in more detail, and to provide any assistance that you may require.

Ngā mihi nui,

Marisa Bidois

Chief Executive

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Ministerial Advisory Group for Victims of Retail Crime

More submissions by the Restaurant Association can be accessed here.

New Zealand is increasingly experiencing what economists describe as a two-speed economy. While some sectors and regions are thriving, others, especially consumer-facing industries like hospitality — are still facing significant strain in many cases.

On one side, exporters and primary industries continue to benefit from strong global demand. On the other, many operators in our industry are battling reduced discretionary spending, higher input costs, and declining city foot traffic. The result is a widening gap in performance that carries risks for both businesses and communities.

How hospitality is being affected

Business are being impacted by tighter household budgets. With rising rents, mortgages, and everyday living costs are putting pressure on household finances. Dining out, socialising, and discretionary leisure activities are some of the first things New Zealanders cut back on. The silver lining here is that we have OCR cuts which means lower interests rates but we wont necessarily see that impacting households immediately.

Most members are saying revenue is down and costs are up

Operators are experiencing falling revenues at the same time as costs for wages, food, rent, utilities, and compliance continue to climb. For many businesses, this squeeze is unsustainable.

City centres under pressure

Office occupancy in Auckland and Wellington remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Fewer people working in the CBD translates directly into fewer weekday customers. In some reports occupancy is down 35-40%, meaning less office staff out for lunch or after work drinks. Concerns about parking costs, transport reliability, and safety are further discouraging people from spending time in central cities.

Regional differences emerging

Not all areas are affected equally. Regions such as Canterbury and Otago, and suburban or neighbourhood venues, are showing stronger resilience. Local patronage and tourism are helping support businesses outside the major centres.

Tourism recovery uneven

International visitor arrivals reached 3.38 million in the year to June 2025, an increase of 162,000 on the previous year. Spending rose to $12.2 billion, up 9.2 percent year-on-year. However, in inflation-adjusted terms, international spend is still only around 86 percent of pre-COVID levels. While hotspots like Queenstown and Rotorua are thriving, Auckland and Wellington are yet to see the full benefits of returning visitors.

Shifts in consumer patterns

Many New Zealanders are choosing to dine closer to home. Suburban and local venues are benefitting, while city-centre operators are seeing reduced evening and weekend foot traffic.

Why this matters

Our industry, hospitality, is more than just an industry — it is a marker of community wellbeing and vibrancy. Cafés, bars, and restaurants are where people come together to connect, celebrate, and build memories.

If parts of the economy thrive while others struggle, the gap creates long-term risks for jobs, communities, and local economies. Workers in vulnerable sectors face insecurity, while the social and cultural fabric of our towns and cities becomes weaker.

What needs to happen

For hospitality to remain strong, and to ensure our cities and communities continue to thrive, we believe the following are essential:

• Councils and central government must recognise hospitality’s unique exposure to economic shifts. Smarter fee structures, investment in major events, and immigration settings that match industry needs are critical.
• Policymakers need to understand that while some sectors can absorb higher costs, hospitality cannot simply pass them on without losing trade and in some cases our ability to pass costs on has recently been stopped!
• We need initiatives that draw people back into our city centres, promote domestic tourism, and support local events. When people come together, hospitality benefits.
• Long-term investment in training, development, and pathways is needed so we can attract and retain skilled people.
• Digital enablement is important, helping small operators adopt tools that improve efficiency and competitiveness will be essential for sustainability in a tight market.
• Reviewing the regulatory environment to ensure that fees and the costs of doing business are reasonable and not cumbersome.

Positive signs ahead

The signs of a two-speed economy are clear. While exporters thrive, hospitality is grappling with softening demand and rising costs. International tourism is slowly rebuilding, but unevenly across regions.

However, there are some positive signs ahead.

The current government has sighted its intention to invest in more events, invest in tourism and see it as a priority. We are already seeing Queenstown and Rotorua surpass pre-Covid numbers. 

The Reserve Bank’s OCR cut to 3.00% is the first in three years, signalling a shift toward easing household pressure. Economists expect further cuts in late 2025, potentially bringing the OCR down to 2.5%. Lower rates should gradually help households and businesses free up cashflow, supporting discretionary spend.

Areas like Nelson, Canterbury, and Queenstown-Lakes are showing strong hospitality growth (Nelson up 17% in Q1 2025, Queenstown +13.4%).

Suburban and neighbourhood dining remains robust, as New Zealanders continue to support their local venues.

Despite budget pressures, New Zealanders still see cafés and restaurants as affordable luxuries compared to overseas travel or big-ticket items.

Industry research shows dining out remains one of the last discretionary spends to be cut entirely, meaning demand won’t disappear — it will rebound as confidence returns.

The Bottom Line

The current environment is undeniably challenging: consumer demand is tight, city centres are slow to recover, and costs continue to rise. But there are real reasons for optimism — tourism is climbing, interest rates are easing, events are returning, and locals are still showing up for their neighbourhood venues.

By weathering today’s pressures and preparing for the opportunities ahead, our sector can remain the beating heart of New Zealand’s communities.

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Further reading:

• Inside Economics: The RBNZ’s dilemma – a two-speed economy and a one-speed OCR – NZ Herald
• ‘It will come’: PM promises brighter economic future for cities – Stuff
• Mixed Start to 2025 as Hospitality Sector Grapples with Flat Sales, Cost Pressures and Regional Divergence
• Restaurant Association Applauds Government’s Long-Term Tourism Strategy and Continued IVL Investment
  

Your online presence is now your front door, often the first (and sometimes only) impression a potential customer will have of your business. With more diners searching, booking, and deciding where to eat online, sharpening that visibility can directly lift your bookings.

Here are three quick wins you can put in place right now to lift your bookings with smarter online visibility: 

1. Optimise your Google Business Profile  

• Make sure your opening hours, menu links, and contact details are up to date. 

• Add fresh photos (interiors, dishes, people) — profiles with recent images get up to 40% more clicks. 

• Encourage happy customers to leave reviews. Even one or two new reviews a month boosts search ranking and trust. 

We also have a resource on optimising your google profile here.

2. Streamline Reservations 

• Check that your booking link is front and centre on your website, Google profile, and social channels. 

• Remove friction: one click should take a customer straight to your booking system. 

• If you’re not using online reservations and you do take bookings, consider adding one – many diners won’t call to book. 

3. Make Dinefind Work Harder 

As a Restaurant Association member, your Dinefind listing is a powerful way to be discovered. The traffic to this website is substantial and it can help with your overall google rankings. 

 Review your listing: 

• Is your description engaging and accurate? 

• Do your images show your venue at its best? 

• Are your specials, events, or key features highlighted? 

Small tweaks to your online presence can turn browsers into bookings. 

Take 15 minutes this week to update your Google profile, booking links, and Dinefind listing — it’s time invested that pays back with more guests through your door. 

Update your Dinefind listing now.

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View more Marketing Resources here.

You may be aware that the Government has announced its intention for the work-based learning divisions of Te Pūkenga, which includes ServiceIQ, to temporarily transition to new Industry Skills Boards, upon their establishment on 1 January 2026.

Within two years, work-based learning is required to transition out into a new format – and industry and employer voice is a key factor in determining how this will look.

What’s Changing by 2026?

• Te Pūkenga and workforce development councils (WDCs) will be disestablished: The mega-polytechnic structure will be disestablished. From 1 January 2026, a new system will take effect.
• Industry Skills Boards (ISBs): These will be set up from 1 January 2026 and will be statutory standard setting bodies. They will be responsible for developing qualifications, endorsing programmes and moderating assessments over key industry sectors. They will also have a workforce analysis function for their sectors and provide investment advice to the Tertiary Education Commission.
• ServiceIQ’s current structure as part of Te Pūkenga’s Work-Based Learning (WBL) division will transfer under ISBs for up to two years beginning 1 January 2026.

It is important to note that ServiceIQ will be continuing to deliver training and enrolling new trainees and apprentices in 2026. (Please continue to work with your ServiceIQ sector advisor to sign up new trainees and apprentices.)

While there is a 2-year transitional period, it is important that industry and employers are starting to think about what their future of work-based learning needs are and how this might best be delivered.

Key options include:

• Industry collaborates to establish and own a new Private Training Establishment (PTE) to deliver the ServiceIQ work-based learning programmes.
• An existing Private Training Establishment acquires ServiceIQ and either fully absorbs or retains the ServiceIQ identity and delivery.
• An Institute of Technology or Polytechnic (ITP) acquires ServiceIQ which operates as a business division of the ITP.

The Restaurant Association has been engaging with ServiceIQ on the key options and ServiceIQ has also been holding engagement sessions to discuss these options at a high level and gain insight on a preferred direction of travel. If you would like to talk with ServiceIQ about these options and your views on the future direction of ServiceIQ, please contact Clare Savage at clare.savage@serviceIQ.org.nz.

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Further information:

• https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/better-path-apprentices-and-trainees

• https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/strategies-policies-and-programmes/tertiary-and-further-education/redesign-vocational-education-and-training-system?utm_source=chatgpt.com

• https://www.serviceiq.org.nz/news/news/serviceiq-government-announcement-for-work-based-learning-divisions

• https://ringahora.nz/future/

Winter’s grip is starting to loosen, and before we know it everyone will be talking about spring menus and outdoor dining like it’s breaking news. Instead of being part of the September scramble, take your time to get sorted now and you’ll be a step ahead.

The breakfast and brunch opportunity

As the weather improves, Spring mornings bring out the weekend warriors, the early dog walkers, the “let’s grab coffee somewhere nice” crowd. Think of ways to maximise the opportunities to attract these early morning diners – these are often your regulars coming out of winter hibernation, eager to rebuild those weekend habits they’ve been missing.

Beyond the obvious outdoor prep

Your outdoor space refresh checklist: Yes, clean the tables and check the umbrellas – but while you’re out there, think about whether you are maximizing all of your outdoor dining opportunities. Refresh your memory on the space in Spring at different times of day: where does the morning sun hit? Which corners stay calm when the wind picks up? While Spring weather is still changeable, do you need to invest in those heaters you’ve been meaning to purchase? Source them now and you might have the best choice of stock and reasonable prices (check out RA partner, Bunnings, for options).

Quick outdoor audit:

• Plan storage for cushions, blankets, and weather protection
• Test all furniture stability after winter weather
• Check drainage – spring rain reveals every pooling problem
• Assess wind barriers and natural shelter points
• Consider sight lines from inside to outdoor diners
• Review outdoor lighting that will be in use for those longer Spring evenings

Sound strategy matters outdoors. That playlist that works perfectly inside becomes background noise in an open space. Spring outdoor dining needs a soundtrack that carries without overwhelming conversation.

Booking behaviour shift

Spring may trigger an urge to dine out more frequently again, but if you take reservations expect Spring bookings to be more spontaneous than Summer ones. Spring dining is often “it’s a nice day, let’s do something special.”

This means your booking system needs to handle last-minute requests gracefully, and your staff need to be top of their game at juggling walk-ins with existing bookings.

The community connection window

Winter isolates people; spring reconnects them. Watch for the subtle changes – longer conversations at tables, groups lingering over coffee, people choosing communal seating over corner booths. Your space can either facilitate these reconnections or miss them entirely. Small adjustments to layout and service style can make all the difference.

Cash flow reality check time

Unless you are in one of Winter’s hot spots, you’ll be hanging out for Spring’s busier months, but you can also be facing higher costs – increased wages as you grow your team size up again, marketing pushes, maintenance catch-up. Build these increased costs into your pricing and cash flow planning now, before you’re in the thick of it and making reactive decisions.

The technology tune-up

Now’s the time for a tech health check:

• Update all software and clear out old data that’s slowing things down
• Make sure your EFTPOS system is still processing restaurant gift cards. Did you move terminals around over Winter, as this may have an impact — the last thing you want is to discover an issue on a busy night. If you’re unsure, get in touch with the Association.
• Run stress tests on your POS during a busier service
• Review your booking system’s peak-time performance
• Security system review – are your security cameras working as they should? Check your backup systems as Spring’s increased activity means more security risks

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Get ahead now

Start your prep now, then while everyone else is reacting to the first warm weekend, you’ll already have your outdoor spaces optimized, your team trained, and your systems ready. These Spring preparation checks aren’t about doing everything – but about tackling key things that actually matter before the rush hits.

We’ve been alerted of an investment scam doing the rounds that’s allowing scammers to gain access to people’s phones.

An investment scam warned about by the Financial Markets Authority is encouraging people to download apps which require them to turn off their phone settings that prevent unsupported apps and software being installed.

What’s Happening

Scammers are setting up a series of WhatsApp groups. These appear popular, but are mostly filled with bots. They are sending bulk messages inviting people to join the WhatsApp groups. In these messages, the scammers often falsely claim to be an employee of a New Zealand bank, investment firm, or other financial service provider and share information about investment opportunities.

People are encouraged to invite new recruits (often friends or family) and they receive rewards for each person they recruit.

New Zealanders are being encouraged to download apps which require them to turn off their phone settings that prevent the installing of untrusted apps and software.

What this means

Allowing the installation of untrusted apps onto your phone could give a stranger full access to your phone. Access could include remotely accessing your phone to control your camera, send messages and record conversations, install further applications, steal your personal (including contact list/messages)and banking information and view your images.

What to look for

Be wary of any app which requires your settings to be changed to install something.

Anyone asking you to turn on settings that allow for the installation of apps from unknown sources. These settings could look something similar to:

• ‘Install unknown apps’
• ‘Allow unknown sources’

Anyone asking you to install apps that do not come through official app stores eg: Google Play Store and iOS App Store. This could for instance could be someone asking you to install an app by scanning a QR code, clicking a link, or from a file they’ve shared in a group chat.

What to do

Prevention:

• Don’t turn on or allow your phone to install unknown apps. These will be disabled by default when you buy your phone.
• Don’t allow anyone else to change settings,
• Don’t let anyone convince you to change settings.

Mitigation

• Back up important documents into a safe offline storage
• Factory reset your device in your phone settings
• Change the passwords on the reset device or on a known safe device.
• Check to see if there’s any devices that don’t belong to you logged in, in the account settings of the account (eg: Facebook). If there is, log out any devices you do not recognise.
• Turn on two-factor authentication

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If you think you have been affected or if you have been given a link/copy of a QR code, report to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

August 2025

Tēnā koe,

Restaurant Association of New Zealand submission on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill

The Restaurant Association of New Zealand (the Restaurant Association) welcomes the opportunity to provide feedback on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill (the Bill).

Since 1972, the Restaurant Association has worked to offer advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry, covering the length and breadth of the country. We’re passionate about our vibrant industry, which is full of interesting, talented and entrepreneurial people.

The Restaurant Association supports the intent of this Bill, which seeks to give businesses the confidence and support to grow, hire, and innovate; as well as reducing compliance requirements and associated costs – particularly as they relate to small-to-medium-sized businesses. 

Providing greater certainty for contracting parties 

The Restaurant Association acknowledges the intent of supporting greater labour market flexibility by providing certainty for contracting parties, however we are concerned that the amendments proposed in subpart 1 of Part 1 of the Bill only defines a specified contractor as a natural person (person A) entering into an arrangement to perform work for another person (person B). This clarifies contracting arrangements when it comes to ridesharing services (where there are only three parties — person A, person B, and the service user), however, we would like to see greater clarity that excludes product providers (e.g. restaurants in the case of food delivery services) from any role in the employment of a specified contractor.

It is our position that restaurants who opt to use food delivery services like Uber Eats or Delivereasy are requesting a service to be provided by person A and person B, rather than engaging in a contracting relationship, and this should be clear in legislation to avoid any doubt.

Strengthening consideration of and accountability for employee’s behaviour in personal grievance process 

The Restaurant Association strongly supports the proposed changes to personal grievance remedies. We have heard countless times from our members that, even when an employee is at fault and is dismissed for actions such as theft or harassment — both considered criminal offenses in many cases — it is the employer, not the perpetrator, held liable to pay thousands of dollars in remedies. 

The Restaurant Association recognises that it is a minority of employees that try to game our employment relations system — just as it is the minority of employers who need to be held accountable for genuine grievances caused. However, our employment relations system has become hyper-focussed on building up processes and penalties that try to weed out the minority of bad employers, which have in effect negatively impacted the vast majority of employers who follow the law, while simultaneously refusing to take any effort to ensure that employees are held accountable for their actions when required.

The Restaurant Association believes that these proposed changes will help to rebalance the employment relations system, which is long overdue and will in our opinion help to prevent further frivolous personal grievance complaints being made.

Wages and salary threshold for unjustified dismissal personal grievances 

While we support the intent of the amendments proposed in subparts 3 and 5 of Part 1 of the Bill, the Restaurant Association has long held the view that across regulation, using wage and salary rates to define seniority is an arbitrary measure of seniority that does not adequately give effect to the desired policy outcomes. 

We understand that the proposed amendments are intended to remove the ability for personal grievances for unjustified dismissal to be raised for employees earning above a certain threshold (in this case, above $180,000 per annum), however we submit that a more suitable measure against which to remove this ability is to define seniority in legislation to ensure that equivalent roles are treated similarly, regardless of industry.

Revocation of 30-day rule and reinstatement of related information requirements from 2015–19 period 

The Restaurant Association supports the amendments proposed in subpart 4 of Part 1 of the Bill, which will remove the administrative requirements placed on employers. It is not a business’ responsibility to manage the administrative, recruitment and engagement functions of a union — that responsibility rests with the union itself. In our view, these proposals will require unions to engage more collaboratively with employers, rather than demanding information from a business without any course for the protection of employee information.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the Employment Relations Amendment Bill. We would be happy to discuss any part of this submission in more detail, and to provide any assistance that you may require.

Ngā mihi nui,

Marisa Bidois

Chief Executive

Restaurant Association of New Zealand

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Read the content of the Employment Relations Amendment Bill here.

More submissions by the Restaurant Association can be accessed here.

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

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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.

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Read the Government announcement about the new Global Workforce Seasonal Visas here.

Media release

The Restaurant Association has expressed disappointment at the Government’s announcement regarding the new seasonal visa pathways, noting that the hospitality sector has been largely excluded, leaving the industry to contend with ongoing workforce shortages during the critical summer season

“While we acknowledge the introduction of these visas as an important step for some industries, it is troubling that the hospitality sector has been largely excluded from these provisions,” said CEO Marisa Bidois.

“Our industry has been advocating for solutions to address critical workforce shortages, and the exclusion of roles within hospitality from these seasonal visa pathways, particularly as the country enters the busy summer trading period, is concerning. The lack of recognition for the diverse needs of the hospitality sector highlights the ongoing challenges we face in recruiting and retaining skilled staff.

“We are particularly disappointed that the new visas, scheduled for launch on November 1^st, will now not be available until December 8^th adding further uncertainty to our industry’s planning for the peak summer season.”

“The Restaurant Association has raised immigration policy settings as a top concern for members in recent years. We have been actively engaged with officials to review our workforce needs and priorities within the immigration system. Despite these efforts, we are yet to see meaningful progress on addressing key issues that directly impact our businesses, including the upcoming expiration of several key visas and the broader policy review.

“While we understand that the new visa pathways are designed to support certain industries we urge the Government to give equal attention to the workforce needs of the hospitality industry. Many of our businesses rely on a seasonal workforce to meet customer demand, especially during summer, and are facing significant challenges in filling these roles with local workers.

“In light of this announcement, 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.

“We remain committed to collaborating with the Government to ensure that the hospitality 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.”

5 August 2025

Hon. Scott Simpson
Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs
Parliament Buildings
Wellington

Tēnā koe Minister Simpson

Hospitality industry response to the ban on surcharges

I am writing to you on behalf of the Restaurant Association of New Zealand (the Restaurant
Association), the largest representative body for restaurants and cafés in New Zealand, regarding your
recent announcement of a ban on surcharges for in-store payments.

Over the past year, we have been actively engaged with officials from the Commerce Commission on
reforms to our retail payments system, so we were shocked to find out about this policy shift through
the media despite having met with officials from the Commerce Commission less than a week prior to
the announcement being made.

While we are supportive of efforts to make payments clearer and more affordable for consumers — our
customers — we are extremely disappointed by the ongoing commentary which perpetuates the
incorrect narrative that surcharges are a way for businesses to “swindle” their customers for more
money, and the misleading insinuation that businesses have nothing to worry about as a result of this
announcement.

Capping interchange fees

We are concerned by your answers to patsy questions about the impact of these changes on small
businesses in the House last week. Your comments suggested that, because the ban on surcharges is to
be implemented in conjunction with the Commerce Commission’s decision to cap interchange fees,
there is no need for concern.

While the fees that businesses pay to banks will be reduced, they have not been removed entirely —
under your current proposal, business will be left with three options: increase prices across the board,
impacting all customers; restrict the use of certain payment methods, potentially limiting their
customer base; or absorb these fees as a cost of doing business, eating into already slim profit margins
(an average of four percent across the hospitality industry).

The decision of the Commerce Commission to cap interchange fees also included an intent to monitor
the impact of regulating such fees, to ensure that surcharging was reduced by a commensurate
amount. In our opinion, this would have been the appropriate process to follow.

Promoting understanding of our payments system

Throughout our engagement with the Commerce Commission on the retail payments system, we have
stressed the importance of taking a holistic approach to reform — including through addressing
surcharging at the appropriate time to prevent undue negative impacts on both retailers and
consumers.

Our members were clear throughout consultation on changes to the retail payment system that if there
was a way they could remove surcharging for certain card payments without having to absorb the costs
themselves, they would do so. The idea of mitigating the provision of outstanding hospitality service by
ending the experience with a conversation around surcharging and potentially leaving a bad taste in
our customers’ mouths is not one that our industry signs up for voluntarily — it is out of necessity.

Regulating payment providers

To date, it has been our business who have had to constantly explain that the fees they are charged by
payment providers are the reason surcharges exist. While often uncomfortable conversations, they also
lead to giving customers a choice between using a payment method that incurs a surcharge, or those
that do not. The decision to ban surcharges removes that choice for consumers.

Further, throughout engagement with the Commerce Commission, it was clear that further work was
needed to ensure payment providers did not simply increase other fees paid by retailers to cover any
shortfall in their income. As it stands, the ban on surcharges leaves retailers in the lurch, required to
either increase their prices to cover costs or absorb the cost of fees, while there is no guarantee that the
actual fees they pay across our entire retail payments system will actually decrease. This must be
addressed before any further action is taken to ban surcharges.

It is important to also note that while the benefits of a cap on interchange fees are intended to be
passed on through a reduced merchant service fee, the interchange fee is only a portion of the amount
charged to retailers. The full merchant service fee is not being capped — only the interchange fee
portion of the merchant service fee — meaning businesses are still left with large fees that they will not
be able to recuperate through surcharges.

Evidence-based policy

You referred several times to overseas evidence, indicating there would be no need for businesses to
increase prices following the ban on surcharges. Notwithstanding the points we have already raised,
we submit that the Government would have been better off to wait for the reduced interchange fee
decision to take effect and gather domestic, real time evidence to determine if there was still a need to
regulate surcharges — and if so, in what form such regulation would take.

For example, it is unclear whether your current proposal to ban surcharging includes surcharging
during trade on public holidays, which goes towards covering increased wage costs provided for under
the Holidays Act. While we would advocate against such a blanket ban being implemented, any
exceptions will only add to the confusing regulatory system within which our small businesses already
operate.

I would value the opportunity to meet with you in person to discuss how we can work together in
future on this and other matters of shared importance. We remain willing and ready to collaborate on
critical work in the Commerce and Consumer Affairs portfolio, including the work initiated by your
predecessor to amend the Companies Act, which was expected to be introduced to Parliament in the
first half of this year.

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly if I can be of any assistance. I look forward to hearing from
you.

Ngā mihi nui,
Marisa Bidois
Chief Executive
Restaurant Association of New Zealand

cc Rt Hon Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister
Hon Louise Upston, Minister for Tourism and Hospitality