There are concerns about what effect, if any, extensions to working holiday visas will have in Queenstown given the housing crisis.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced last Tuesday working holiday-makers already in New Zealand, with visas due to expire between
now and September 30, will get a six-month visa extension.
That’ll affect about 7500 people.
They’ll have open work rights, meaning they can work for the same employer for more than three months, where maximum work durations
currently apply.
Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce CEO Sharon Fifield says local businesses seem to be finding it easier to get labour, thanks largely to the working holiday-makers.
And while that’s assisting our economic recovery, ‘‘obviously, housing is a big issue’’.
‘‘If they have to leave [because] they don’t have anywhere to stay, that is an issue.
‘‘More working holiday visa-holders, if they’ve got nowhere to live, is that just more people sleeping in cars?’’
Anecdotally, hospo employers are battling to keep staff for more than about a month because they can’t find rental accommodation.
Fifield says the Chamber’s hearing the stories, ‘‘but we don’t know the extent of it’’.
‘‘A lot of workers on visas are hidden — they can’t find housing, but they can’t go to [the Ministry of Social Development] for support.
‘‘So how do we tell that story? How do we quantify it?
‘‘We need to ask employers how many staff are they losing because of the housing issue … to quantify it, which will be the next step for
us.’’
