A sign outside an orchard in Napier in late 2020. Photo / Warren Buckland
A sign outside an orchard in Napier in late 2020. Photo / Warren Buckland
The staged reopening of the New Zealand border could see a much-needed injection of staff into Hawke's Bay, but a horticulture leader says it will be too late for many businesses in desperate need of workers.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday announced a phased border reopening that will beginon Monday, February 28 - starting with vaccinated Kiwis returning home from Australia.
It will progressively allow more people into New Zealand and see the MIQ system essentially scrapped except for "high-risk" unvaccinated travellers.
Travellers will have to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival and that will drop to seven days from March 14, with further reductions possible in the future for self-isolation.
Applications for the Working Holiday Visa scheme will open again on March 14, in a move set to address chronic staff shortages in the horticulture, hospitality, wine and tourism sectors.
However, working holiday travellers will not actually be able to enter the country until a later date, once applications have actually been processed and approved.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made the border announcement on Thursday. Photo / NZME
New Zealand Fruitgrowers director Leon Stallard, based in Hawke's Bay, said by that time it would be too late for apple growers in need of pickers.
"We will start harvesting apples in a couple of weeks and by the time [those travellers] get here we will have finished our harvest."
Apples are generally picked from mid-February to late April and grapes have a similar window for picking in Hawke's Bay.
He said staff shortages were a problem across the board in the horticulture sector.
"Unfortunately, we only get a certain window to harvest our crop.
"Mother Nature just carries on as normal and does not realise there is no one there to pick it."
Meanwhile, Hawke's Bay Tourism CEO Hamish Saxton said the phased border reopening was fantastic news for the region.
"This is the news that many within Hawke's Bay's visitor economy have been waiting for," Saxton said.
"The first stage of the opening will see a wave of families and friends reunited ... [and] as we move through the stages of border reopening, the next big thing for our industries will be the return of those who can bolster our workforces.
"Hospitality, tourism and our food and beverage producers are in desperate need of skilled workers so, again, having a date to hold on to will provide considerable relief.
"From July at the latest, our industry can once again welcome international manuhiri, who are vaccinated, to the region, which is fantastic news."
Prime Minister Ardern said the Covid pandemic had highlighted "our unsustainable reliance on temporary migrant labour" in making the announcement on Thursday.
A full list of dates and details can be found here for the phased reopening.
