Immigration concerns in resort

Queenstown business owners are waiting anxiously for the new Government to flesh out its plans for slashing immigration numbers.

They say finding and keeping staff is already a challenge, and hope the resort gets treated as a special case.

Labour's election promise to cut net migration by 20,000 to 30,000 a year from the present level of 70,000 has been retained in its coalition agreement with New Zealand First, but with a proviso to ''ensure work visas issued reflect genuine skills shortages''.

Watertight Group owner Michael Burgess, who employs more than 150 staff in seven bars and restaurants in the resort, said he hoped the Government showed some ''some intelligence'' in its immigration policy and assessed the skill shortages in different parts of the country.

''Certainly, Queenstown has different needs to perhaps Whanganui.''

He had been told 40 chef positions were being advertised in the district last week, which was ''pretty desperate''.

''Getting staff's hard currently, and it looks like it's only going to get harder.''

Millbrook Resort director of operations Brian Howie said it was a ''waiting game'' for hoteliers before more details emerged.

''But the numbers of around 20,000 or 30,000 they're talking about is a significant number of people who will no longer be available to us.''

Mr Howie, who is also Tourism Industry Aotearoa's hotel sector regional representative, said the sector had worked hard to explain the resort's needs to the previous government.

''That process has to start again.''

Queenstown Chamber of Commerce president Richard Thomas said the resort would be ''crippled'' without foreign workers.

Mr Thomas said the chamber was counting on the Government taking a regional approach to immigration, but was ready to lobby the area's two new MPs - NZ First list MP and Clutha-Southland candidate Mark Patterson and National's Hamish Walker - as well as immigration minister-designate Iain Lees-Galloway if necessary.

Queenstown immigration adviser Martin Guich said he was fielding many inquiries from people concerned about changes to immigration settings.

He was advising those working on visa or residency applications to get them into the system.

''If you meet the criteria, get it started.''

As an employer, he was ''struggling to find and retain staff''.

''I hear it from employers all the time that 'I can't find any Kiwis or I can't find anyone to work'.

''You think there must be some exaggeration, but as a business owner now I'm having to sponsor people because we can't find enough people to work.''