8. Question No. 8—ImmigrationMARJA LUBECK (Labour) to the Minister of ImmigrationQuestion No. 8—Immigration8. MARJA LUBECK (Labour) to the Minister of Immigration: What work is the Government undertaking to tackle skill shortages and help Kiwi businesses fill job vacancies?Hon MICHAEL WOOD (Minister of Immigration): The Government is taking steps through the immigration rebalance to respond to the global shortage of labour and skills that many Kiwi businesses are facing. We've listened to concerns from key sectors and worked with them to develop practical solutions to relieve some of these workforce pressures. That's why on Sunday I announced that the Government is firstly implementing agreements with key sectors including meat processing aged care seafood construction and adventure tourism to allow time-limited exemptions for the new median wage requirements for businesses hiring skilled migrant workers as they transition to new settings. We've also doubled the cap on working holiday schemes to allow an extra 12000 working holidaymakers to come to New Zealand over the next 12 months and extended the visas of onshore working holidaymakers by six months. These changes to the immigration system that the Government is delivering will ensure that we help to lift wages and conditions for workers while also supporting businesses as the world recovers from COVID-19.Marja Lubeck: What reactions has he seen from industry to the Government's work to address skill shortages?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: A very positive response. I was joined by Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Rebecca Ingram for the announcement. She said they are very positive news for the tourism industry" and "They are hopeful that this will help to relieve some of the immediate pressure on employers." Chief executive of Hospitality New Zealand Julie White said that the changes to the working holiday scheme would "make a big difference to hospitality businesses struggling with enough staff" and "The changes will kick in in time for the upcoming summer season." Our Government is very pleased to have worked closely with stakeholders to make these changes within our immigration rebalance and I thank them for their support.Marja Lubeck: What is the purpose of the sector agreements?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Sector agreements are time-limited agreements with particular sectors within the context of the immigration rebalance. The immigration rebalance recognises that we need to send the right signals to lift pay and conditions across our economy before migrant workers are recruited but we recognise that some sectors will need some time to apply the median wage threshold within the Accredited Employer Work Visa. So over a two- or three-year period there'll be transitional wage arrangements which still lift wages for workers in those sectors but also requirements and expectations to improve skills training and workforce development. These will be good for the businesses concerned and good for the workforces concerned.Marja Lubeck: What other actions is the Government taking to address skill shortages?Hon MICHAEL WOOD: Beyond the suite of measures announced on Sunday the Government is getting on with the job of addressing skill shortages. As I said we've opened the borders allowing working holidaymakers and other workers to return to our shores; we've implemented the new Accredited Employer Work Visa allowing businesses to hire skilled migrants; and we've made changes to investor visa settings to ensure that investors who want to come here are actively supporting the New Zealand economy. Our immigration rebalance is supporting New Zealand to get the skills that it needs but is also supporting better pay and conditions for workers and ensuring that we develop domestic workforces to support sustainable businesses in the future."