Long-time Queenstown hospo operator Dave Gardiner says in 16 years of business, he doesn’t think he’s ever had to deal with anything as frustrating as the new accredited employer work visa process.
Gardiner, owner of Lone Star, says he’s been trying since August to get two migrant chefs into his business, to enable him to operate the Brecon Street restaurant at 80%.
‘‘At the moment, I’ve got two [chefs] and one’s on holiday.’’
He managed to find two overseas applicants, offered them both fulltime work and has a property sitting vacant waiting for them to move in to.
One put their visa application in on November 2, the other followed on November 13.
Gardiner says based on Immigration New Zealand’s (INZ) own timeframes — indicating complete visa applications should be processed within 20 working days, and 95% should be processed within 28 — he’s in ‘‘the worst 5%’’.
‘‘I’m just sitting in limbo.
‘‘The last three months have been the worst we’ve ever had.
‘‘I don’t think I’ve had to deal with anything as frustrating as this in 16 years of business.’’
Gardiner wrote to INZ in November seeking for his visas to be escalated because the situation’s causing ‘‘tremendous anxiety and stress in the workplace’’, and impacting the wellbeing of other staff, many of whom are Kiwis — that was accepted on November 15, but it wasn’t until late Tuesday afternoon one of his chefs was granted a visa, there’s still been no movement with the other.
Without both the migrant chefs, Gardiner says he can’t open the upstairs restaurant, can’t open for lunch, can’t do takeaways, nor prepare about 30% of the menu.
Further, his opening hours are limited to between about 5pm and 8pm five nights a week, which has a negative impact on the staff he’s managed to hang on to, including Kiwis.
‘‘The whole immigration setting, they would argue it’s about protecting Kiwis, it’s about growing the lower-wage economy … giving Kiwis jobs first.
‘‘When you haven’t got the foreigners to supplement, you’re actually affecting the Kiwis because it starts impacting operating hours, level of service, everything.
‘‘You can’t have one without the other.’’
Phew, chef here, finally
He’s arrived.
The chef at the centre of a national furore — deemed ineligible by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to enter the country, despite having 10 years’ culinary experience, including three years at culinary school — is in Queenstown.
His employer, whom Mountain Scene has agreed not to name, says the chef, who’s worked in internationally-renowned hotels for the past seven years, finally started work in the resort last Monday.
In September, Scene reported the chef was rejected by INZ be cause he didn’t have what it considered at least the equivalent of the NZ certificate in cookery Level 4.
Following mounting public pressure, Immigration Minister Michael Wood recently announced that requirement had been dropped, opening the door for the Queenstown business to try and get the chef through again.
The application was accepted, this time, and the chef managed to get his visa approved in time to arrive in the resort ahead of the busy summer season.
The employer says it’s ‘‘unbelievable’’.
‘‘He’s obviously chuffed to be here [and] we’re pretty excited to have him here.’’
They still need more, though, describing chefs as “mission critical” roles.
“You can’t just subsitute [them] with someone just standing in.”
