tourism better work action plan

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Better Work plan to strengthen tourism workforce

• Better Work plan to address on-going challenges in the tourism workforce
• Tourism and Hospitality Accord to set the bar for employment standards
• Fit-for-purpose employment and education to improve skills and attract workers

The Government is backing industry to build back a better, stronger and more resilient tourism sector, Tourism Minister Peeni Henare said today.

“New Zealand continues to be one of the world’s top tourism destinations, and with the borders open, international visitors are returning. We need to support our sector to rebuild a more resilient future that leaves people, communities, and the environment better off than before,” Peeni Henare said.

“This includes making sure our tourism workforce is skilled and supported, through education, good career pathways, pay and working conditions.

“We all want tourism to be a good career option, and that starts by ensuring it is.

“The Better Work plan includes the establishment of a Tourism and Hospitality Accord. This will be a voluntary employer accreditation scheme that identifies those businesses in tourism and hospitality who are treating their staff well.

"Businesses who join the Accord will be able to demonstrate that they are good employers, which will help them to attract quality staff.

“There will be closer collaboration between industry and education providers, to ensure the right skills are being taught to fill the jobs the sector needs. 

“And we will test whether employee-sharing can reduce the unstable and seasonal elements of tourism.

“We want to turn around the negative perception – and reality for some – that working in tourism doesn’t pay well and the work can be unstable and low paid. This Action Plan will help to improve conditions so that tourism is a job of choice that is fulfilling and desirable for people here and those coming from abroad,” Peeni Henare said.

The work to transform the tourism sector has been developed as part of the Industry Transformation Plan, a partnership between industry, unions, Maori and government.

“It is time to be excited, to look ahead to the future of the sector, and to rebuild the industry to be more resilient and more sustainable for both visitors and workers,” Peeni Henare said.

For a copy of the Better Work Action Plan and information about indicative timelines, please visit this link. https://www.mbie.govt.nz/immigration-and-tourism/tourism/tourism-projects/tourism-industry-transformation-plan/phase-1-better-work-he-mahere-tiaki-kaimahi/

This is the first phase of the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan, announced in 2021.

Notes for editors:

• The plan contains six Tirohanga Hou (new outlook and ways of thinking) which are underpinned by 14 initiatives to achieve transformational change.

Latest news

Better Work Action Plan for tourism launched

posted on 3 Mar 23

The Better Work Action Plan (Action Plan) for tourism was launched in Queenstown on 1 March 2023, as part of the wider Tourism Industry Transformation Plan (ITP).

The Action Plan has been created in partnership with representatives from the tourism industry, unions, government and Māori (the Better Work Leadership Group), and aims to address issues affecting the tourism workforce that make it difficult for the industry to attract and retain quality employees.

There are 6 proposals, or Tirohanga Hou (meaning new outlook and ways of thinking) in the Action Plan which are underpinned by 14 initiatives to address these challenges.

The Better Work Action Plan has been created in partnership with the tourism industry, unions/workers, government, and Māori through the Better Work ITP Leadership Group over an 18-month period. Restaurant Association CEO, Marisa, is part of the Leadership Group.

To read a copy of the Action Plan, visit:

He Mahere Tiaki Kaimahi – Better Work Action Plan  – Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment 

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Tourism action plan: operators upbeat on proposals but want more than talk.

Tourism operators say a new plan to address the industry's workforce woes is spot on, but they want the rubber to hit the road, not just rhetoric.

Tourism Minister Stuart Nash unveils the draft Better Work Action Plan at the Tourism Export Council's conference in Nelson. Photo: RNZ / Tess Brunton

Historically, the tourism and hospitality industries have copped a bad reputation for offering low wages, long hours and uncertainty.

Today, Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash unveiled the draft Better Work Action Plan - a vision of how to change that perception, improve conditions and strengthen the workforce through regenerative tourism.

The industry was often a stepping stone, not a destination for many workers, Nash said.

"Many New Zealanders start their careers in tourism or a hospitality job, often the students or temporary jobs before they find 'a real job'.

"But we have done - I believe - a poor job of creating an aspirational career pathway in tourism for young people when they're considering their employment options."

Speaking at the Tourism Export Council's conference in Nelson, Nash said it was time that changed and this plan would help them do that as part of an overall tourism transformation.

The plan includes a Tourism and Hospitality Accord to set employment standards, better education, adopting technology to better future proof the industry and improve workers' experiences, developing cultural competency, and using seasonal fluctuations in demand to upskill people and provide more consistent work.

Minister of Tourism Stuart Nash says there is buy in for the plan from employees as well as employers. Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee

Some of the ideas, including the accord, were developed following a workforce wānanga hosted by Go With Tourism last year.

It has been a collaboration between businesses, unions, government and local iwi, Nash said.

"This isn't a situation where government has sat in the Beehive and said 'thou shalt do this'. This has been a bottom up thing and the unions and the workers have done an incredible job, so it's not just buy in from the employers, it's also buy in from the employees as well.

"Hence the reason we've worked so hard to come up with something that I think will make a big difference because it's had feedback from all the sectors."

iFly Queenstown owner Matt Wong said the plan set the industry on the right course.

"I think the action plan is pretty much spot on with what we're thinking as an industry anyway.

"We've all been thinking about it probably for the last couple of years or so, and now that we've got some major issues with our labour force, it's quite a timely reminder that actually as an industry we probably need to mature a little bit and address some of the labour issues that we've had for quite a few years."

Wong wanted to see action as soon as possible but said he realised it would take time for everyone to get up to speed.

He was excited to see technology and innovation play a greater role addressing workforce issues.

"Looking at how we can integrate technology, which is already being used in other industries anyway, but use it to enhance and replace some of those lower wage jobs, lower skilled jobs that aren't necessarily needed for a human being. But they're actually enhancing some of the upper management levels as well and upskilling people."

There were other areas which could use more attention, he said.

"I'd love to see a lot more development opportunities for middle management and leaders in the tourism industry to help them get through implementing a lot of these changes in regenerative tourism into their businesses and make sure that execution part of the industry transformation plan is done really well.

"So it needs support on all layers, not just necessarily those coming into the industry for the first time."

Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button said it was a great plan in theory but he wanted to see action.

Rotorua Canopy Tours general manager Paul Button Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae

"All of that stuff is really nice to have on paper and clearly they've got a lot of really good brains involved, but now it's just the rubber has got to hit the road. It's just about the implementation," Button said.

"Because if you implement every one of those action items, it will be incredible. What an amazing industry to be a part of."

He believed it could make a difference if it was done well.

"A lot of this plan relies on good business, it relies on healthy business. The micro-credentials are great. I know there's a lot of talk around particularly the polytech merger about that."

Feedback on the Action Plan closes middle of next month, with the final plan expected to be released before the end of the year.

Copyright © 2022 , Radio New Zealand

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Introducing a better work plan to strengthen tourism workforce.

Tourism minister Peeni Henare launched the Better Work Action Plan to strengthen New Zealand's tourism workforce

March 2, 2023, 12:20 p.m.

The Better Work Action Plan aims to address the ongoing challenges in the tourism workforce, says new Tourism Minister Peeni Henare. Introducing a new accreditation scheme in The Better Work Action Plan will allow employers to prove their worth, set a standard, and attract more workers.

Tags: Better Work Action Plan Tourism

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Tourism Draft Better Work Action Plan workshop - Open to all

Mon aug 22 2022 at 12:00 pm to 02:00 pm, claudelands events centre | hamilton.

Better Work is the first phase of the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan. The Tourism Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) is a partnership with the tourism industry, Māori, unions and government to transform tourism in Aotearoa to a more regenerative model. Better Work was chosen as the first phase because, to make any transformational shifts in the tourism system, we must look at the foundation of the system – people. Investment in those who work in tourism is fundamental to the achievement of other transformational shifts.

The Better Work Leadership Group has met five times over the past eight months to produce the draft Better Work Action Plan. The draft Action Plan outlines the current state of the tourism workforce, including identifying systemic challenges facing the tourism workforce. It outlines the Leadership Group’s vision for the future of the tourism workforce and a set of practical actions that will help achieve this vision.

Read the draft Better Work Action Plan at https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/23385-he-mahere-tiaki-kaimahi-draft-better-work-action-plan

What we want from you

Whether you are an owner, operator, employee, union member, Māori, local government or member of the public, we want to get your input on this piece of work as it will shape the future of Aotearoa New Zealand's tourism sector.

We are seeking feedback to understand:

• Which Tirohanga Hou (actions) in the draft Action Plan are most important

• How the Tirohanga Hou (actions) should be prioritised

• Whether anything critical has been left out of the draft Action Plan

We also want to hear any other comments you may wish to make on the draft Action Plan.

Alternative ways to add your input

If you cannot make the in-person workshops, there are online workshops available too. The contributions coming from both online and in-person workshops are equally important to us. Alternatively you can complete an online survey at https://www.research.net/r/betterworkactionplansurvey

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Claudelands Events Centre, Gate 4 Brooklyn Road, Hamilton, New Zealand

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How to Develop an Effective Tourism Strategy for your Destination

Written by Chris Seek on September 16, 2019 . Posted in Blog , Strategic Planning .

“Why do we need another plan?”   We hear this question a lot at Solimar when asked to help a tourism destination develop a national, regional, or destination specific sustainable tourism strategy. We know that most of the destinations we work with have a cabinet full of previous studies and plans that were developed but never implemented. So, we understand and empathize with tourism stakeholders that may be reluctant to spend more time in consultation meetings to discuss the challenges and actions needed for the tourism industry.   As a sustainable tourism consulting firm, we believe strongly that every tourism destination needs a tourism strategy, or a long-term tourism plan that unites the industry and the government to puruse a shared vision for sustainable tourism development and management.   But the question is how do you develop a tourism strategy that is implemented and doesn’t just end up on the shelf?

Based upon our tourism planning and implementation experience in more than 500 destinations around the globe, we know that tourism strategies often fail, but rarely because of a lack of good ideas. In our experience, we believe the process is just as important as the end tourism strategy.   We see the keys to successful strategic tourism planning include:  

• Buy-in and consensus, from the wide range of public and private sector stakeholders that will be needed for successful strategy execution. Solimar uses a variety of tools and proven approaches for achieving that buy-in and consensus.
• Detailed action plans that clearly define timelines, responsibilities, and the human and financial resources that will be required for plan implementation. Unlike most tourism planners, Solimar implements most of the tourism development strategies that we develop. That experience gives us valuable perspectives in defining action plans that are time-bound, practical and achievable.  
• A focus on demand-driven solutions. While policy frameworks, training, and infrastructure development are all important components of a comprehensive tourism development plan, increased demand is the primary and ultimately the only sustainable driver of more frequent and affordable airlift, product diversification, and improved service delivery.  

Solimar’s sustainable tourism strategic planning process is centered around helping tourism stakeholders answer 4 main questions:

• Where are we now? –   what is the current situation with our tourism industry?   How is the industry performing? How do we compare to our competition? What are our tourism assets? What tourism services are available for visitors? Who is responsible for tourism policy, management, marketing, investment, etc? How is the industry organized?   But most importantly – what are the main challenges that are preventing our industry from reaching its full potential?   Through a careful review of tourism statistics, previous studies, online research, and interviews and surveys with tourism stakeholders we are able to develop a tourism sector analysis or a tourism situation analysis that sets the foundation for the tourism strategy.
• Where do we want to go? – the vision statement is one of the most important components of a tourism strategy. The objective of the visioning process is to build consensus around a shared vision for the future of the tourism industry in the destination.   Solimar uses a variety of different approaches to create a shared vision but this is mainly achieved through a participatory planning workshop where stakeholders come together and think into the future and describe a tourism industry that they would like to see for their destination.   How has tourism changed from today?   What is improved?   What remains the same?   Asking tourism stakeholders to describe their desired future of the tourism industry shows that while stakeholders have many different opinions about what needs to be done and what should be prioritized, they often share a common vision for what they want tourism to look like in the future for their destination.
• How do we get there? – Once a shared vision is agreed upon , the next question is how the vision will be achieved and how best to organize action plans to be implemented. While every tourism destination is unique and has its own challenges and priorities, most tourism strategies tend to prioritize 5-6 main pillars of the strategy that we call strategic objectives or strategic goals.   These tend to be focused around improving Policy/Coordination, Marketing, Product/Destination Development, Workforce Development, Sustainability and other topics that flow from the participatory planning process.   After defining these main pillars, the next and most important step of the strategic planning process is to define the specific strategies to be implemented to achieve these goals.   Individual s trategies are the main components of the document and what provides the direction for the industry to realize the vision. Through stakeholder interviews and outcomes from the tourism planning workshop these strategies are identified and grouped under the corresponding goals. A description of each strategy is important to help everyone understand what is being proposed and why.   The last and very important step is the creation of detailed action plans.   These action plans are developed through working groups that include the public and private sector, conservation and community organizations, and other stakeholders. The key to action planning is aligning the action plan updating and reporting with the government’s own annual work planning and budgeting.
• How do we know we’ve arrived? – Indicators are an important tool in a strategic plan to define quantifiable targets that can be used to measure the results of the strategy implementation process. Indicators should include not only economic performance, but also sustainability and other policy focused metrics that demonstrate progress towards realizing the vision and communicate progress.

A wise man once said “Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination”.   Tourism is not the type of industry you want to allow to set sail without a clear direction and someone at the helm. Sustainable tourism planning provides an important tool to bring tourism stakeholders together and define in their own terms how tourism can and should contribute to a desired future for their destination and community.

If you are a tourism manager or someone interested in learning more about Solimar’s strategic planning process, click here for an informational video that discusses our methodology in greater depth.

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A shared roadmap to develop the workforce

The service sector is fundamental to new zealand and new zealanders. the future of the service sector is exciting and has people at its centre..

Ringa Hora has worked with people from across industry to develop a shared roadmap to transform the Service sector workforce from its current state to the future that we aspire to.

The Workforce Development Plan looks across the Service sector and sets out the major factors shaping the sector and an overarching vision for the future.

Against that context, this Action Plan focuses on the characteristics and dynamics of the Tourism industry and its workforce.   It describes what the future could look like for this workforce, the current challenges faced by the industry, and sets out the actions we can take to tackle this wero | challenge.

Download the Tourism Workforce Action Plan

Future Vision for Tourism

Ringa Hora’s Service Sector Workforce Development Plan is based on four aho | strands. Each of these aho will strengthen the workforce, but when woven together, as a taura whiri | rope, we can achieve real transformation of the workforce:

• Māori succeeding as Māori
• Attracting and retaining the future workforce
• Developing broad skills for the future
• Creating mana-uplifting jobs and opportunities .

For Tourism services, this means ensuring that the future of the Tourism industry is one where it is recognised for providing skills for life; one where it effectively upskills the workforce and prepares them for the future of tourism. This includes a workforce which is regarded as culturally competent, authentic storytellers; is able to adopt new and emerging technology to help their businesses grow; and one where everyone working in the industry is proud to be working within the sector and has meaningful mana-uplifting mahi.

About the industry

At its core, Tourism services is an industry where people interact and experience a variety of activities, predominantly leisure and recreational activities, entertainment, hospitality, retail, accommodation, and travel.    

The industry is cross-cutting and crucial to the economy, attracting visitors and showcasing New Zealand on both a global and domestic scale. The industry was severely impacted by COVID measures and border closures, but is now bouncing back with the return of international visitors.   Tourism contributes approximately $10b to the economy and it is only growing, with a predicted annual growth of 5.7 % between 2023–2028.

As an important economic growth driver, the tourism industry has been signalled as a Government priority in its economic strategy through the Tourism Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) and the subsequent He Mahere Tiaki Kaimahi | Better Work Action Plan.

Demand for tourism offerings is evolving. Customers are increasingly demanding more meaningful, connected experiences. As a result, there is a shift to smaller volume, higher yield tourism products. Māori tourism is already operating in this space with their histories, stories, world views and cultural experience forming an integral part of New Zealand’s identity.

Top of mind

To help us get to the future state, we need to understand and tackle the challenges that the Tourism Services sector faces, while also seizing the opportunities that already exist or are on the horizon.   We’ve heard that the factors which have a significant impact on the Tourism Services industry, including its approach to workforce development, include the need to attract and retain staff with skills that reflect industry needs, ensuring that these skills are developed and recognised in fit-for-purpose qualifications and training, supporting cultural competency and pursuing innovation.

Rebuilding capacity and capability

The industry was significantly impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns which caused the industry to lose a significant share of its workforce.   The Tourism industry is now rebuilding and is projected to grow 5.7% annually between 2023 and 2028, but is struggling to attract and retain enough people with the right skills.

The Tourism Industry Association 2022 Workforce and Industry Readiness survey indicated the industry needed to fill approximately 1,400 roles. However, there is a general lack of applicants, with 61% of job applications receiving fewer than five applications per role.

Promoting career pathways and using seasonality to the industry’s advantage

Currently, many workers enter the industry short-term and are unclear how they can progress and develop their career in the industry. Showcasing pathways within the industry is fundamental to retaining these workers longer term and reducing industry churn. Some short-term employment patterns reflect seasonal peaks and troughs characteristic in the industry.   However, these peaks could be used to the industry’s advantage by upskilling people to work across related industries and reducing barriers for people holding multiple jobs across the year.    

Developing fit-for-purpose education and training

As the Tourism ITP highlights, people are the foundation of enabling the Tourism industry, and fit-for-purpose education and training is a priority that can promote transformational shifts. However, the number of tourism learners across tertiary education organisations in Aotearoa declined by 55%, from 4,625 in 2017 to 2,090 in 2021.

Industry is already reconsidering how qualifications and training are delivered, with a growing push for micro-credentials. These micro-credentials could cover topics like business management, leadership development, customer service, storytelling and many others.

Addressing the need for cultural competency and ensuring authentic storytelling

Improving cultural competency will build a better workplace culture for employees, where their cultural values (including Te Ao Māori values) are understood and respected. This will promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace more long-term.

In addition, this will enable the industry to tell more authentic stories. The industry contains many genuine, knowledgeable storytellers who have a connection to their whenua and who can genuinely incorporate Te Ao Māori views and perspectives into their offerings.   There is scope to spread this knowledge further as there are still cases of businesses sharing stories and history without consideration for their cultural significance.

Recognising the need to lift technology uptake and innovation

Technology changes are impacting the way businesses run; with innovations such as the growing use of Artificial Intelligence and virtual reality.   Early adoption gives the industry an advantage and is critical to progress. There are a range of opportunities to increase adoption of technology across the Tourism industry to boost business efficiencies and lead to better work, as well as to stimulate more innovation.

About the Workforce

The heart of Tourism Services is person to person interaction and connections formed with people, places and experiences unique to Aotearoa. The Tourism industry employs around 145,000 people. 

The industry workforce is youthful, with 27% of workers under the age of 24 and a total of 48% under 34 years old. This means the Tourism industry is well placed to uplift our rangatahi and provide them with the opportunity to gain skills and experience which will help them progress within their chosen career.

Embracing and celebrating diversity makes businesses more attractive to potential kaimahi and customers, as well as creating economic and social benefits for employers, the workforce, and the wider community.    

Using workforce participation data as a starting point shows that there is work to be done in the Tourism Services industry to realise the aspirations and potential of Māori, Pacific peoples, and tāngata whaikaha | disabled people:

13% of the workforce identify as Māori

Connecting people through Māori tourism attracts visitors and embraces people who are regionally and locally based. Māori tourism is manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga in action. NZ Māori Tourism identified 537 Māori tourism businesses in 2020, from small and medium businesses through to larger entities and iwi owned enterprises. More than half of the Māori tourism sector are arts and recreational services, or accommodation and food services industries.

6% of the workforce identify as Pacific Peoples

There is a relatively low proportion of Pacific peoples in the industry. Many Pacific peoples in the industry have been disproportionately impacted by tourism job losses in recent years.   Helping employers recognise, value and build skills in public speaking could help fill the skills shortage of guiding and storytelling. Upskilling the Pacific workforce already in the industry will support retention and promote progression into leadership and management roles.

2.1% of the workforce identify as Tāngata whaikaha

Tāngata whaikaha includes physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which can impact a person’s life to varying degrees and in different ways.   We acknowledge that data on tāngata whaikaha is limited and it is important that we create more growth opportunities within the sector for our tāngata whaikaha workforce.

Industry snapshot

Explore the Tourism industry workforce demographic, business, and economy statistics, and education and training data.

Putting this into action for Tourism

Transformational change in the Service sector workforce will take time but to achieve that change we need to start taking action now. The Tourism action plan includes the key areas of focus, medium-term actions and short-term initiatives. These initiatives and actions can be thought of as individual threads that weave together to achieve workforce transformation.

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Go with Tourism releases workforce action plan

10th December 2021 By Staff Reporter | [email protected] | @tourismticker

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11 Jun 2024   Accom, food services roles rise – Stats NZ

6 Jun 2024   Govt amending Holidays Act

5 Jun 2024   Tomahawk engaged for GwT tech development in Aus

22 May 2024   Tourism, hospo job ads decline – SEEK

23 Apr 2024   Business obligations for Anzac Day

10 Sep 2024   IVL / T&H Minister / TNZ

Ivl: “strong” opposition to levy funding tourism new zealand, 10 sep 2024   interislander / kiwirail, kiwirail to pay $433k over interislander drifting near wellington, 10 sep 2024   roundup, tuesday 10 september, 9 sep 2024   qldc / skyline enterprises, “we are disappointed” – skyline responds to qldc legal action, 9 sep 2024   dia / skycity, skycity’s five-day closure starts, $5m impact expected, 9 sep 2024   china / perspectives, perspectives: china’s recovery has been slower but there are good signs of growth – li.

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