Coronavirus: Ad blitz to lure Kiwi workers

Young New Zealanders will be encouraged to travel to Australia over summer to help fill labour shortages as part of an advertising campaign.

Tourism Australia will launch a new campaign urging young Kiwis to take a working holiday in Australia this summer.

Young New Zealanders will be encouraged to travel to Australia over summer to help fill labour shortages on farms and in regional tourism towns, as part of an advertising campaign to try to offset the impacts of the international border closure.

On Thursday Tourism Australia will launch an ad blitz across the ditch asking Kiwis to “pick your way to paradise by working on Aussie fruit farms” and “be a tour guide, then be a tourist” as the horticulture industry faces a worker shortage of 26,000 employees by March.

Trade, Tourism and Investment Minister Simon Birmingham said the border closure had been critical in the fight against COVID-19 but industries reliant on seasonal workers or backpackers were struggling to fill thousands of jobs. There were 135,000 backpackers in Australia last December compared with just 52,000 this month.

“Whilst our priority is always getting Australians to fill jobs, the reality is that many businesses within our agricultural, tourism and hospitality sectors are still battling to find enough workers,” Senator Birmingham said.

“This campaign aims to encourage young Kiwis to take a working holiday in Australia this summer, which will not only provide a tourism boost but also help fill some of the … workforce short­ages that some businesses are facing, particularly those across regional areas or in our popular tourism destinations.

“We want young New Zealanders to cross the ditch, have a cracking time exploring our incredible country, earn some cash, spend that cash, and support our farmers or tourism operators at the same time.”

Government sources expected the campaign could lure thousands of New Zealanders to Australia for a working holiday although some agricultural industry sources were more sceptical.

They noted just 148 Australian jobseekers had accessed assistance payments of up to $6000 to temporarily move into the regions for at least six weeks and take up agricultural work, questioning why New Zealanders would be any different.

Kiwis are granted special category visas and are able to live and work in Australia for as long as they remain a New Zealand citizen.

As of October 16, New Zealanders have been able to fly to Australia without having to go into hotel quarantine.

Australian Tourism Industry Council executive director Simon Westaway said at least 600,000 New Zealanders already lived in Australia or were on an extended visit, so the ad campaign was a “backable and bankable” opportunity.

“Through the existence of the current micro-travel bubble that exists with New Zealand, we need to put our best foot forward and encourage Kiwis to discover, explore and undertake vacant seasonal work here which supports our regional communities,” he said.

Taxpayers will fork out $3.3m on government advertising spending in New Zealand over the next couple of months.