Hospitality New Zealand Welcomes Move To Allow Skilled Chefs Into NZ

Hospitality New Zealand welcomes the relaxation in immigration settings to allow skilled chefs into New Zealand and the extension of the median wage concession for a further year.

Chief Executive Julie White says removing the qualification requirement for chefs under the Accredited Employer Work Visa is an excellent move.

“This will allow hospitality businesses to bring in chefs who have trained in some of the best kitchens across the world.

“This is a significant move for the industry, which has been starved of the highest-quality chefs.

“Till now only chefs with the equivalent of New Zealand’s level 4 cookery qualifications have been allowed in, but very few were applying because that qualification is not relevant for overseas skilled chefs.

“Under the existing system, someone like Jamie Oliver, who has a qualification in home economics, would not have met the criteria to enter New Zealand to work as a chef, but now he could – as could others who have worked under Michelin Star chefs.

“This will hopefully save businesses that might otherwise have been forced to shut.

“Hospitality New Zealand has been talking to the Minister and officials for months about including relevant industry experience in the migrant chef criteria settings, and it’s great they have heard us.

“But we still have a shortage of skills and we are still competing with overseas markets for them

“The extension of the transition towards the full median wage for hospitality and tourism businesses exception will also help them further manage their way out of the damaging effects of Covid and the border closures.

“However, increasing the median wage into the immigration system from February will counter some of that as it will feed inflation and put further costs on food, wages and rent.

“Is this really the right time to be doing that?”

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