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s a h Y R T S U The I N D s i t u b D E been BA T T E R D E T A E F E D T NO The Restaurant Association continues to fight for the resources needed to rebuild in 2021 and beyond.
By Marisa Bidois, CEO, NZ Restaurant Association marisa@restaurantnz.co.nz or 0800 737 827
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e are now more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and despite our current challenges, the industry continues to show its strength in weathering our ongoing alert level changes and other COVID demands. The Association is still fighting for better outcomes for our industry, continuing our advocacy that, over the past year, has helped support the industry and is building a foundation for recovery in 2021. Over the last year, we have been focused on the industry’s needs, providing access to numerous resources which businesses have relied on to help them navigate through the crisis and in the future will help them to trade into recovery. Our ongoing commitment as the voice of the industry has also helped to secure several recent wins, including:
Creating the Springboard Training Programme
Conceptualised by the Restaurant Association and codesigned with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), the Springboard programme is a pilot training programme with a core objective to help bridge the hospitality industry’s skills shortage
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gap and create a robust, capable, domestic workforce. We aim to ensure a sustainable hospitality industry future, with employees who are growing their skills and adapting to an everchanging environment. This training programme is designed and delivered by the Association and is built on a flexible training model that engages all employees in online, webinar-based training. The programme maximises learning through short, sharp, practical sessions, with an array of guest speakers who are experts in their fields. Springboard is an opportunity for employees to build on their existing foundations by learning essential, relevant industry skills.
Tautoko Hāpai Ō – Hospitality Workers Support
There would be no hospitality sector without our teams. Our workers (kaimahi) make services run smoothly, keep kitchens stocked, problem solve at a moment’s notice and create lifelong memories for patrons: workers are an integral part of all hospitality operations. Following support from the government’s COVID-19 Workers and Workplaces Assistance Fund, the Restaurant Association launched a worker support service at the end of 2020 named Tautoko Hāpai Ō – Hospitality Workers Support initiative. The service ensures hospitality workers can access support through an online resource portal, as well
as employment opportunities and specialised advice if they are at risk of being displaced. The service aims to support and help reconnect employers and displaced workers to employment within hospitality.
Challenging the Wage Subsidy Criteria
In March 2021, the Association challenged the eligibility criteria for the latest wage subsidy, which originally required an unfavourable date comparison test for eligibility. After bringing the inequity of the proposed criteria to the government’s attention, this resulted in the requirements being changed to allow a turnover comparison against a similar 2020 or 2019 period. The end result was that many more affected businesses became eligible for this much-needed support.
December 2020 Immigration Changes
Following extensive meetings and appeals to the Minister for Immigration, the Government made a welcome announcement in December 2020 that migrant workers in New Zealand would be able to stay and work here for longer, following adjustments to visa settings. Current border closure restrictions continue to significantly impact our industry and have kept the door closed to the return of the international workers who play a big part in our industry. The Restaurant Association continues to call for the
government to further revise and amend immigration policy and look for swift, pragmatic changes that can better support the industry in the short term.
Designing Free COVID-19 Industry Operating Guidance
The Association stepped up to provide hospitality businesses with pandemic operating best practices, including government-approved guidelines for operating at level 3 and level 2. This guidance continues to be updated and re-released as necessary when new public health orders come into force at ongoing level changes. They have provided critical support for businesses required to interpret the complex additional requirements needed to operate through these levels. Unfortunately, we don’t expect the industry to fully recover this year, but there is optimism with international travel set to reopen between New Zealand and Australia and some of our pacific neighbours. The businesses we represent will continue to be an essential part of people’s daily lives and the Association will continue to aggressively promote the resources we see as necessary to rebuild the industry in our near future, celebrating our wins for the industry and striving for more. The latest information on our advocacy efforts can be found at www.restaurantnz.co.nz/advocacy
