Politics

Shadow tourism spokesperson Todd McClay calls it “little more than hot air” that does not help struggling operators.

National’s tourism spokesperson Todd McClay has criticised the length of time the government is taking to launch the $54m Innovation Programme for Tourism Recovery.

Fiordland businesses are suffering at the hands of the government’s changes to the working holiday visa and skilled migrant categories, says National Party Southland MP Joseph Mooney.

McClay said the wait time for visitor visas is now so bad that INZ has removed the standard processing times from its website.

ACT Party leader David Seymour is calling for the government to remove all vaccination requirements because he believes they are preventing visitors from returning to New Zealand.

A new national register of self-contained vehicles accessible by the public will be established, says Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.

The National Party has criticised the government’s Industry Transformation Plan for tourism as having little impact on the current staff shortages the sector is facing.

The National Party is calling on Stuart Nash to rescind his “damaging” comments about backpackers, who the tourism minister has implied are not valuable visitors for New Zealand.

The National Party is calling on the government to add a six-month extension to all working holiday visas that are due to expire this year.

Immigration Minister Michael Woods must listen to businesses that are struggling to find labour and urgently address the country’s critical worker shortages, says National Party immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford.

National Party Covid-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop is calling on the government to drop pre-departure testing requirements for incoming visitors “right now”.

The government and Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi have put a “handbrake” on the tourism industry because of their failure to attract skilled workers from overseas, according to the National Party.

ACT party leader David Seymour is calling on the government to explain why it has chosen to stagger the border reopening.

The Auditor General’s Report on the Strategic Tourism Asset Protection Programme confirmed that this Labour government has been biased and unfair, says National tourism spokesperson Todd McClay.

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The government needs to bring forward isolation-free travel for vaccinated and tested visitors before more tourism businesses close, says National’s tourism spokesperson, Todd McClay.

National Party’s tourism spokesperson says the minister won’t decide how the sector is shaped in the recovery – industry will.

The government is abandoning the NZ tourism industry, says the National Party’s Todd McClay.

Kiwis need to know what support is available for struggling industries, when gathering limits on hospitality will be removed, and when vaccine passes will no longer be required, says the National Party.

The National Party has criticised the government’s Omicron response, saying New Zealand needs to reopen to the world.

The ACT Party is calling on the Government to end its “ban on travel” to New Zealand.

The government’s priority should be saving tourism businesses struggling to pay their bills and survive, rather than passing regulation on campervans, says National’s tourism spokesperson Todd McClay.  

MIQ should be scrapped for double-vaccinated arrivals now, says the National Party.

Rotorua MP Todd McClay has fallen out of the National Party’s shadow cabinet following new leader Chris Luxon’s reshuffle.

The government’s proposed restrictions on freedom camping do not do enough to protect, says National MP Maureen Pugh.

The Botany MP has taken the top job with Nicola Willis elected deputy leader.

Tourism and hospitality businesses need more details from the government about its proposed ‘traffic light’ system, says Todd McClay.

The government’s tourism Industry Transformation Plan shows it is unaware of the harm being done to the sector, says Todd McClay.

New Zealand should follow Australia’s lead and scrap managed isolation and quarantine for fully vaccinated travellers, says National’s Covid-19 response spokesperson Chris Bishop.

The Department of Conservation’s decision to end the waiver for concession fees at the end of this year will force some operators out of business, says the National Party.

The Back in Business plan also includes $100 ‘dine & discover’ vouchers to help hospo, accom, and tourism.

Tourism operators around the country need more support and more specifics as the loss of the Auckland market renders businesses untenable, says Todd McClay.

Opposition parties have released border re-opening plans that focus on a move away from eradication to containing Covid-19 but refrain from setting specific dates for lifting border restrictions.

The extension of Copvid-19 alert level 4 settings for Auckland and level 2 elsewhere into next week will be the final straw for many businesses, says National’s Todd McClay.

The ACT Party says progress on proof of Covid-19 vaccination for travel purposes is too slow and will run into problems with verification due to the lack of requirement to show identification during the inoculation process.

The National Party says the government does not understand the severity of conditions under the new level 2 rules that hospitality businesses face.

National Party spokesperson for tourism Todd McClay says the details of business support for some South Island regions released yesterday provide nothing new for struggling tourism operators.

A range of opposition spokespeople for portfolios related to tourism have been announced by the National Party following a reshuffle.

The ACT Party is proposing a fund for insuring major events as the effects of Covid-19 continue to threaten the sector.

Tourism minister Stuart Nash has taken three briefings specifically related to bed taxes, says the ACT Party.

The tourism minister defends his TPS speech and says he did announce new support for the sector.

Around 42,000 Kiwis have signed the National Party’s call to open the trans-Tasman bubble petition.

Talks have moved from a joint decision making framework with Australia to “more of a unilateral approach”.

The National Party has launched a petition calling on the Government to get a move on with the trans-Tasman travel bubble.

The trans-Tasman bubble has been urged to open by opposition leader Judith Collins and Australian PM Scott Morrison shares her remarks.

Party leader Judith Collins says it will also help open up NZ’s stretched MIQ facilities.

The Government must provide targeted support for struggling Fiordland and Glacier Country operators, says the National Party.

Tourism minister Stuart Nash faced criticism in Parliament over his “very hard conversations” comments directed at tourism operators.

A Matariki public holiday could cost almost $450m, according to figures obtained by ACT leader David Seymour.