A residency pathway for migrant truck and bus drivers is being hailed as a welcome relief for struggling transport companies.
Immigration Minister Michael Wood announced a suite of measures on Monday aimed at tackling the labour shortage and attracting more high skilled workers to New Zealand.
Among the proposals was a limited residence pathway for bus and truck drivers.
Cabinet has agreed in principle to develop a sector agreement to support workforce needs and officials will consult with transport sector representatives in the development of the agreement.
Alongside bus and truck drivers, sector agreements are also being introduced for construction and infrastructure, tourism, hospitality, the care workforce, meat processing, seafood, seasonal snow and adventure tourism sectors.
“We understand that labour shortages are the biggest issue facing New Zealand businesses, and are contributing to cost of living pressures too,” Wood says.
“These measures are about addressing those shortages and providing greater certainty to businesses as they recover from the pandemic.
“The agreement will support our work underway to improve better wages and conditions for bus drivers and local workforce development.
“This will help relieve the national driver shortage, helping Kiwis and goods get to where they need to go,” he says.
‘Can’t find drivers’
Road freight body Transporting New Zealand says it’s “delighted” the Government has offered some relief for transport companies who are doing it tough.
The organisation recently met with Minister Wood to discuss the impact of labour shortages on the trucking industry and wider economy.
“Many transport companies have trucks parked up at depots because they can’t find drivers,” chief executive Nick Leggett says.
“That’s a major drag on economic productivity, it’s one of many factors driving up inflation, and it’s tough on drivers.
While Transporting NZ is pleased with the announcement, the terms of the residence pathway still need to be developed, Leggett says.
“As always, the devil will be in the detail, and we’ll be working with government officials and other industry participants to ensure this residence pathway delivers for the sector.”
‘A good start’
Other representatives of the freight, waste management, and bus and coach sectors are also welcoming the changes to immigration settings.
Representatives of the three sectors had written to Wood in October to share their concern at a combined shortfall of more than 9000 drivers.
Waste Management Industry Forum chair Simon Bridges says it’s pleasing the Government listened to the industry’s call for help.
“This change won’t fill all the vacancies, but it’s a good start. Without it, it’s almost certain that our three sectors would’ve been forced to cut back services, which would have been disastrous for New Zealand’s economy, and for our living standards,” Bridges says.
National Road Carriers Association chief executive Justin Tighe-Umbers says the inclusion of a pathway to residence in the scheme is exceptionally important.
“What we know is that offshore drivers place huge value on the possibility of a long-term future in New Zealand.
“They’re not just looking for a place to work for a year or two – they’re looking for a stable and secure environment where they can raise a family.
“If we’re going to compete for migrant drivers, a pathway to residence must be part of the deal; otherwise, those drivers will pursue opportunities in other developed economies.”
Recruiting locally
Meanwhile, Bus and Coach Association chief executive Ben McFadgen says efforts will still be made to recruit drivers locally.
“All three of our sectors have been working really hard to fill the gap locally, and we’ve all committed a great deal to local recruitment and training initiatives.
“The problem is, building up a largely non-existent labour pool will be a slow process. Today’s decision means we can take immediate steps to tackle the problems we’re facing, while we wait for local recruitment initiatives to bear fruit.”
The three sectors look forward to working through the details of the agreement with the Government, and to then giving effect to the changes as soon as possible,” McFadgen says.
Roles added to Green List work to residence tier from March 2023
- Civil construction supervisors
- Gasfitters
- Drain layers
- Skilled crane operators
- Skilled civil machine operators
- Halal slaughterers
- Skilled motor mechanics
- Skilled telecommunications technicians
- All secondary school teachers (in addition to the specialisations already on the Green List)
- Primary school teachers
Roles added to Green List straight to residence tier Registered nurses (on 15 December 2022)
- Midwives (on 15 December 2022)
- Specialist doctors not already on the Green List (on 15 December 2022)
- Registered Auditors (from March 2023)
