[ad_1]
A Queenstown company asks young people from the northern islands to cross the Cook Strait and spend their Overseas Experience (OE) in the south.
Kiwi OE Managing Director Blair McNaughton said his hiring companies were experiencing severe worker shortages in some regions.
A job fair in October advertised 8,000 jobs in Otago and drew just 274 people.
Meanwhile, many people were missing the traditional Kiwi OE as international borders remained closed due to Covid-19, he said.
READ MORE:
* Thousands of jobs go begging because unemployed Kiwis don’t accept them
* South Canterbury companies are looking for hundreds of workers
* ‘This Just Can’t Happen’: $ 9.5 Billion At Risk As Horticulture Industry Struggles To Fill $ 25 An Hour Jobs
Debbie Jamieson / Stuff
Queenstown businesses look forward to a busy summer with many kiwifruit visitors.
His new business aimed to help young New Zealanders gain the experience of traveling and socializing with new people, while helping alleviate a labor shortage.
The company hoped to attract work-ready people to places like Queenstown with the promise of a job, a place to live, a few weeks’ rent and “some epic Queenstown activities.”
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said it was a great idea.
“If you’re in Auckland and you’re paying to go abroad and now you have nothing else to do, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to spend a couple of months in Queenstown working and having a good time.”
Employers in all industries, including tourism, hospitality, construction and retail, had few workers, he said.
“It is a reflection of the fact that many people have left the district, including 1,500 migrant workers and some Kiwis.”
The level of tourist activity in the district had declined due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but other industries were busy and many expected a flood of visitors from New Zealand in the summer.
The Queenstown Lakes District Council had written to Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern seeking changes to work visas that would allow current visa holders to work longer or in different industries.
“We are not looking for permanent changes, only for six months,” said Boult.
The council will host the Central Lakes Job Fair on November 26 to help employers with openings connect with job seekers.
Employers include Accor, Millbrook, Real Journeys, Amisfield, and Altitude Brewing.
New Zealand Immigration representatives would also attend to assist with visa related questions.
