Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern sat down with Bay of Plenty Times. Video / Mead Norton
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the Government is making it easier for employers to advertise jobs offshore after Bay of Plenty businesses have been struggling to recruit staff locally.
And in the Bay of Plenty, hospitality business owners said a "diabolical" labour shortage had forced some restaurants to drastically reduce their opening hours, while a survey revealed 86 per cent of Tauranga businesses in the sector were not fully staffed.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Labour List MP Jan Tinetti. Photo / Mead Norton
Ardern spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times exclusively yesterday about what the Government was doing to address staffing shortages.
She said a "big focus" for the Government was addressing a "skills shortage" that was being experienced not only in New Zealand, but overseas, too.
"Over the course of Covid [...] people, it seems, have either gone home or changed their plans around moving internationally to take up work and skills opportunities.
"So, that means that New Zealand is now in a very competitive environment where the world is crying out for skills."
Ardern said the Government had made changes to the immigration system, such as creating the Green List.
"For those skilled jobs, we really want to bring people in - people will know that they're on a track to residency straightaway," she said.
"The second thing that we've done is [we've] tried to make it easier for employers who want to and need to advertise offshore for jobs.
"There are now 70,000 roles that have been approved for employers to bring skilled migrants into New Zealand."
She said it needed to "attract people in" by "making sure that we project on the world stage what a wonderful place we are, with great working conditions, great lifestyle; great place to raise kids".
Labour MP Tāmati Coffey pictured with Jacinda Ardern and Merewhiua Bennett in Tauranga yesterday. Photo / Mead Norton
Asked if the emergency housing situation in Rotorua was a "failed government experiment," Ardern referred to Rotorua Labour List MP Tāmati Coffey to respond.
Coffey said using emergency housing motels for the homeless was "the right thing to do" when Covid-19 hit.
"A lot of our homeless were living in overcrowded homes; they were living in Kuirau Park in the middle of the city. It was incredibly visible when Covid hit.
"We're going through a process now where we've realised that maybe all along Fenton St, you know, that concentration into one space isn't the right approach."
Coffey said it was focused on working towards managing people out of emergency accommodation "because nobody believes that motels are the right place to raise a family".
He said he was "pretty stoked" there had been a reduction in the number of motels used.
She said this was a result of direct Government investment and partnering with the community to deliver important resources. It had also led to more than 100 people being employed.
Ardern also visited a Youth Development Trust which had received Government funding through a programme set up to reduce the amount of youth unemployment.
"We see again some of the lowest Māori unemployment rates that we've seen as a nation through an economic crisis.
"So, I really stand by what we're doing alongside community, and I stand by the candidates that we [Labour] have."
