30% jobless rate foreseen in Q’town
ABOUT 4500 people have lost their jobs in the Queenstown Lakes district, and unemployment could hit 30% over the coming months as the Covid19 crisis continues to bite, Mayor Jim Boult says.
He had been keeping a rough tally of the figures after his conversations with employers who had laid off staff.
‘‘The difficulty is that until the [Government’s] wage supplement ceases, you’re not really going to know who’s got a job, going forward, and who hasn’t.
‘‘The reality is business in Queenstown — no matter what you’re doing — is going to be a bit of a bloodbath for a while.’’
A large proportion of jobs in the hospitality sector had ‘‘disappeared’’, and retailers and accommodation providers were being hit hard.
‘‘I would suspect we’re looking at 25%30% unemployment.’’
Some layoffs were the result of businesses going under, others from businesses ‘‘necessarily downsizing’’ to survive, he said.
About 6800 people had registered with the council’s emergency operations centre, which had provided about $600,000 worth of grocery vouchers so far and was referring applicants to social service providers for other kinds of assistance.
About 75%85% of applicants were migrant workers who had no income, and many faced the prospect of losing the roof over their heads when the lockdown ban on evictions was lifted.
The council had asked the Government to provide them with social assistance.
‘‘If we don’t ensure they have enough money to provide themselves accommodation, to put a meal on the table or to pay their electricity bill, they’re going to be on the streets.’’
Brazilian Gui Ferreira said he lost his job as a cleaner on March 20, six days before his work visa expired.
The 28yearold from Sao Paolo, who has lived in the resort for two years, said his former employer had been about to support the renewal of his work visa, but the loss of the small company’s biggest contract forced him to make him and other workers redundant.
His ‘‘very upset’’employer told him it was the most difficult decision he had made in 10 years of business.
Mr Ferreira said he booked a flight home for March 24, but it was cancelled at the last moment, and a second flight was also cancelled.
He was stuck in New Zealand with no income and no way of getting home, and although fortunate to be now living with his aunt and uncle, he was slowly using up his savings.
Salvation Army Queenstown director of community ministries Lieutenant Andrew Wilson said in a statement it had seen a 600% increase in requests for help since the lockdown began, mostly for food and winter clothing and bedding.
But shortterm welfare would not resolve the resort’s growing ‘‘refugee crisis’’, and it had called on the Government to allow unemployed migrants access to the unemployment benefit.
Happiness House manager Robyn Francis said the community support centre was helping laidoff migrant workers with services such as food parcels and meal and firewood deliveries.
But it was also helping New Zealand citizens and permanent residents who had lost their jobs and had applied for the unemployment benefit.
They were middleincome families, paying high rents, who had just managed to make ends meet on the wages from their tourism or hospitality jobs.
‘‘We think12%20% of the population here are going to be in hardship.’’
'The reality is business in Queenstown - no matter what you're doing - is going to be a bit of a bloodbath for a while. Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult 'There's some big icons, and big, big parts in the Dunedin sector are either gone or are going to completely change. So, we're going to start that conversation - there's still a long way to go. Enterprise Dunedin city marketing manager Malcolm Anderson
IN his six months away, the South’s top police officer has been in the thick of responses to a national tragedy, and a national epidemic.
Superintendent Paul Basham returned to his role as southern district commander on Monday, after a sixmonth secondment to police national headquarters in Wellington.
He took on the acting assistant commissioner role to focus on a ‘‘revamp’’ of police intelligence work, but soon found himself working as part of the response to the Whakaari/ White Island tragedy, and the Government response to the Covid19 outbreak.
‘‘There’s something about being joined to a collective purpose which is for the good of all New Zealanders, it’s really motivating and really inspiring,’’ he said.
‘‘For the first two weeks, when we were really staring down the barrel of a real crisis
. . . being part of that and being able to work with some really clever people, who were highly motivated to make sure the country survived, was a real privilege.’’
Some of the initiatives in Wellington as part of that work were starting to filter down to district levels, he said.
They included an increased focus on looking after the most vulnerable members of communities.
During his time in Wellington he also developed a better understanding of how central Government worked, which would help in his current role, he said.
‘‘It was a real education for around how the Government works in Wellington, and the benefit of having really good mutual relationships, or partnerships.’’