Fivestep border plan is ‘too little too late’

WITH New Zealand’s borders reopening tentatively from today, employers and businesses are bracing themselves, warning that an already critical shortage of workers will have longterm economic effects.

They say New Zealand needs to act swiftly and collectively to fill vacant positions and attract new skilled workers to the country in what is shaping up to be a cutthroat global race for talent.

International recruiters and employers have been shouldertapping skilled workers but many Kiwis have been reluctant to leave in a Covidaffected world and while New Zealand borders were so restrictive.

With that constraint gone, employers are expecting staff to head off in droves on their delayed OE. Those in industries like construction, healthcare and technology/digital say there is a danger that the shrinking pool of skilled workers left behind will be spread too thinly if vacancies cannot be filled.

In the construction industry, employers warn about an inability to complete, or even start, major projects in both public and private sectors; rising costs caused by delays; poor workmanship; and a resulting lack of growth and innovation in the industry.

They warn the Government’s fivestep border reopening plan, which runs through until October, could be too little too late.

Rick Herd, CEO of construction company Naylor Love, said if New Zealand doesn’t get this right, the economy and the country’s progress would suffer.

There were shortages in every sector of his industry, he said.

The Government’s insistence that industries train up workers from New Zealand’s unemployed pool, rather than importing immigrants, was not a solution, he said. Many unemployed were unemployable.

‘‘The bureaucrats and immigration think we can train people locally. We can but we just can’t train them fast enough. Even training organisations are short of trainers.

‘‘Let’s face it, a lot of Kiwis don’t want to be painters, or carpenters or tile layers. So, the best we can do is bring them in from overseas as a shortterm solution. The Government doesn’t seem to get that.’’

Ryman Healthcare has a team of recruiters working to keep up its workforce of 6500 across New Zealand and Australia, including village managers, designers and architects, IT specialists, builders, and, crucially, nurses.

The Aged Care Association estimates the sector is short of at least 1000 nurses in New Zealand at a time when the Omicron outbreak is adding to pressures.

A spokesman for Ryman said the company was in expansion mode, currently building 15 new villages which needed new teams. Skilled construction workers had been in short supply for some time, he said.

The fivestep plan means from today fully vaccinated Kiwis will be allowed in from Australia. From midMarch (step 2) vaccinated New Zealanders from anywhere in the world will be allowed home, along with other eligible travellers. Vaccinated skilled workers earning at least 1.5 times the median wage for roles longer than six months, and those on a working holiday scheme, will also be allowed in. Step 3 from April 13 will allow in vaccinated people from anywhere in the world including temporary and student visa holders who have a valid visa, and up to 5000 international students for semester two.

In July (step 4) vaccinated people from Australia and countries that do not need a visa or visitors who already hold a valid visitor visa, and travellers arriving under the Accredited Employers Work Visa categories, will be allowed in.

In October (step 5) all visa categories will reopen including visitor and student visa holders.

Helen Davidson, chief executive of the Association of Consulting and Engineering (ACE) said members were pleased to see the fivestep plan introduced. ‘‘But it’s not the silver bullet.’’ —

❛ The bureaucrats and immigration think we can train people locally