A survey of the tourism and hospitality workforce shows more than half these workers earn less than the living wage ($27.80), while 23 percent have reported experiencing bullying or harassment.

Wānaka Business Chamber general manager Glenn Peat said the results highlight some critical issues, and local feedback echoes the concerns raised. 

“It’s troubling to see the prevalence of bullying within these sectors, particularly given how significant they are to Wānaka’s workforce and our local economy,” Glenn told the Wānaka App.

“From a local perspective, while many of our businesses in these industries provide great opportunities and are seen as pillars of our community, the feedback we’ve received echoes the national concern. Ensuring that these workplaces are not just thriving but also supportive and safe for everyone is very important.”

While the survey results showed some improvements for this workforce, such as improved training opportunities, they also showed continued areas of concern such as bullying. 

Glenn Peat

The survey results showed that just over half of all respondents (51.0 percent) reported earning less than the living wage. This increased to 71.8 percent for front-line workers and 30.0 percent for managers and supervisors.

There was also no change in the number of respondents who reported experiencing bullying or harassment (23.0 percent) from the 2022 survey, while reports of witnessing bullying or harassment (32.4 percent) remain very similar to 2022 (33.9 percent).

Other results found only 58.4 percent of respondents felt they could always take sick leave when they were unwell; and only 50.5 percent of respondents stated they could always take their contracted breaks.

Improvements since the 2022 survey included the percentage of respondents stating that ‘training opportunities are good’, which increased from 40.5 percent in 2022 to 57.2 percent in 2024.

Respondents being paid less than the minimum wage ($23.15) fell to 0.9 percent in 2024 from 7.5 percent in 2022, and overall job satisfaction increased to 67.5 percent in 2024 from 62.2 percent in 2022.

Improvements were also shown in reported compliance with sick leave, holiday pay, opportunities for promotion, and receiving supportive feedback from managers.

Tourism and Hospitality Minister Matt Doocey said there was “clearly… room for improvement with the results showing job satisfaction is low and the levels of bullying and harassment in the workforce have not improved”.

He said he would work through the survey data with hospitality leaders.

Glenn said the Wānaka Business Chamber was “looking to actively work with” its members to address issues raised by the survey.   

“While disappointing, this survey is a great tool for all of us,” he said.

“It not only sheds light on the areas needing urgent attention but also offers a chance to rally together as a community to support positive change in our predominant industries.”

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment commissioned Dr David Williamson from the Auckland University of Technology to conduct a follow-up survey to the landmark He Tangata 2022 tourism and hospitality workforce survey.

Find the Workforce Survey results here.

PHOTOS: Supplied