A survey by the Fiordland Business Association (FBA) has quantified alarming staff shortages for the coming summer tourism season, and serious concerns about mental wellbeing as a result.

Thirty-two businesses, collectively looking for more than 244 staff for summer, answered the survey questions. Of those, 28 said the staffing crisis was already causing them to reduce operating capacity, which was affecting turnover.

One respondent, looking to fill 40 vacancies, said they had never invested more resources into efforts to find summer team – “yet they're not yielding enough applicants, let alone suitable ones.

People don't need to work like they did 3 years ago with the endless amount of government handouts keeping them afloat”.

Multiple employers said they were already blocking out rooms, reducing hours or even closing for one day a week. One said it was “heartbreaking” how many rooms they’d had to block to arrivals over winter due to staff shortages.

“[It] Probably cost us $200,000 in lost revenue at least.”

Another said the crisis was pitting businesses against each other.

“We're seeing a new level of ruthless desperation rear its ugly head in fellow business operators as they poach our staff while at work.”

Fiordland Business Association chair Nathan Benfell said everyone in the community was acutely aware of the staffing problem, but it had still been sobering to see such a significant number put on it – especially when this represented just 32 businesses in the area. The Fiordland Business Association has around 90 members.

But even more worrying was that 21 of the 32 who answered the survey said the issue was already affecting owners’ and managers’ mental health.

“And three-quarters believe burnout and stress will affect their team’s wellbeing if these staffing issues can’t be sorted,” Benfell said.

The situation was summed up succinctly by one employer.

“As the much-needed visitors finally make it back into our area, they're finding themselves in a town operating at diminished capacity by an exceedingly stressed-out bunch of business owners/managers. It's hard enough to keep our own heads on straight, let alone keeping up the spirits of all those around us and keeping the doors open,” they said.

Benfell said local businesses were showing a lot of ingenuity and flexibility when it came to . He urged the Government to do the same by fast-tracking working holiday Visas to ease the pressure on tourist operators this summer. He said anything that could be done to minimise costs associated with the process would also be welcome. 

“This situation is not going to be remedied quickly and the Fiordland Business Association would be keen to see an option for young travellers keen to work in New Zealand able to apply to extend their stay from two to five years.

This would be a win-win for everyone because these young people would be active contributors, paying taxes in New Zealand, at the same time as they enabled New Zealand tourism businesses to fully open to the world again.”