visas

By PHILIP CHANDLER A Queenstown food operator’s outraged 12 ‘‘heavyhanded’’ Immigration New Zealand officials simultaneously raided four of his outlets this week, only to find his foreign staff all had valid visas. Organic Thai takeaway owner James Porteous says the agents,...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is rumoured to be making an imminent announcement regarding working holiday and supplementary seasonal employer (SSE) visas. While details are scant, Mountain Scene understands INZ may announce SSE visa holders can move to working holiday visas,...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH All they need now is snow. Twenty-seven border exemptions have been granted for critical skifield workers in the Southern Lakes — with three pending — enabling skifields to open at 100% this season. In March the Ski Areas Association...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH A QUEENSTOWN travel agency’s done a Covid-induced pirouette, hoping to do its bit to help. While xtravel co-owner Victoria Keating says shifting to focus solely on repatriation flights may have started as a way to help the business...

By TRACEY ROXBURGH Horror stories are starting to emerge in Queenstown as businesses continue to face staff shortages. While the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) this week added more occupations to its ‘‘under-supply’’ list for the Queenstown Lakes — including jobs...

By PHILIP CHANDLER Thanks  to government funding, Queenstown's mayor's hopeful construction of the first phase of the resort's long-awaited CBD arterial bypass will start in the second quarter of next year. In a wide-ranging interview, Jim Boult talks about the government's...