The Ski Areas Association of New Zealand (SAANZ) has sent an urgent appeal to the government on behalf of ski areas around New Zealand to approve a scheme to bring critical international workers into the country ahead of the winter ski season.

Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone ski areas general manager Bridget Legnavsky said time is running out on the “urgent but solvable workforce issue”.

“All NZ ski areas are currently in the recruitment phase, and we’ll need to secure visas from Immigration NZ for these workers as soon as possible so we can book managed isolation for early to mid-June.

“We’re not talking huge numbers of international workers – getting 100 highly-skilled staff across the border will enable Kiwi ski areas to operate,” she said.

Specialised roles within the ski industry such as ski patrol, ski/snowboard instructors, lift technicians and snow groomers are essential for the safe operation of ski areas, SAANZ said. These roles are generally filled by a small number of workers who travel between hemispheres for the ski season – workers who are now unable to enter New Zealand due to the Covid-19 border closures.

Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone GM Bridget Legnavsky PHOTO: Supplied

SAANZ said without key international workers, Kiwi ski areas face three scenarios (or a combination of these); some will be unable to operate at all in 2021, others may only be able to operate for 50 per cent of the season, and others may only be able to offer 50 per cent visitor capacity.

The association said the implications of not securing these workers goes beyond New Zealand ski areas. With only domestic visitors, the 2020 Southern Lakes ski season exceeded 600,000 skier days, pouring approximately $169M visitor spending into the local economy. That level of spending was enough to support as many as 3,025 seasonal jobs in the Queenstown Lakes

region alone.

The New Zealand ski industry has collaborated on a sustainable workforce strategy, which it has shared with MBIE, but SAANZ is still waiting to hear on the status of their critical workers.

The concerns are shared by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, which is supporting SAANZ in their endeavours to secure key staff for the winter. Bridget said she hopes their letter, along with talks with tourism minister Stuart Nash this week during his visit to Queenstown, will result in quick action from MBIE and Immigration NZ.

“This is now urgent – these workers are sitting in limbo and our industry can’t afford to wait much longer. We need them in order to fully operate this winter, and our communities are relying on us to be able to bring visitors to spend in our regions,” she said.

“If we can get film crews, entertainers and sporting teams into New Zealand, surely the same could be done for an industry that is vital for recovery in their surrounding communities.”