While recent unemployment figures showed marginal improvement, the reality remains unchanged for businesses struggling to fill vacancies, BusinessNZ’s Kirk Hope says. “NZ’s immigration system needs to be more welcoming to international skills and workers during a global war for talent. We are in desperate need of skills across all sectors at all levels and businesses are taking extensive measures to grow our own skills in the workforce. BusinessNZ looks forward to the Govt working closely and at pace with industries to ensure we’re getting the skills we need, where they’re needed.”

The race to alternative energy is speeding up because of the war in Ukraine, BusinessNZ’s Tina Schirr says. Returning from meetings in Germany with EU energy leaders, Schirr says energy shortages are challenging for many businesses there, including industrial users facing possible gas rationing. Policy makers are introducing interim measures to reduce demand and support vulnerable consumers, while speeding up development of renewable energy, including work to speed up consenting for infrastructure which to date has been the main barrier.

Meanwhile, NZ energy companies are also calling for improved consenting processes. Commenting on the Natural and Built Environments Bill (the proposed replacement for the Resource Management Act), Genesis Energy says demand for electricity will not be able to be met unless challenges in consenting for transmission infrastructure are addressed. Genesis supports reforming the RMA but says the direction of the Natural and Built Environments Bill would delay the development of renewable energy infrastructure.

The NZ energy sector supports the transition to a net zero economy and believes the Emissions Reduction Plan is an important milestone towards it - but the Plan is not clear enough, lacking cost-benefit analysis and without detail on its economic assumptions, says the BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC). BEC’s submission to Parliament says many businesses will have to invest significantly in new capital assets to achieve emissions reductions, but they may not have enough information to make such investments with confidence.

BusinessNZ says changes to skill standards should be delayed until other education reforms are bedded in. NZQA is proposing a new system of skill standards, within a curriculum to be set by training providers, for work-based learners. BusinessNZ is concerned this could result in skill standards becoming academic and disconnected from the workplace, and training becoming less responsive to industry needs. Minimising disruption from the reform of vocational education and improving recognition of international qualifications to support the immigration system are higher priorities than skill standard changes, BusinessNZ says.