Supporting hospitality as an economic driver and global attraction crucial for Budget 2025

The Restaurant Association will be looking for signs that Budget 2025 is providing targeted support for hospitality, empowering our sector to drive economic growth and positioning New Zealand as a beacon for international visitors.

“Aotearoa has earned a reputation on the international stage for its culinary excellence and diversity,” says Marisa Bidois, CEO of the Restaurant Association.

“Our food and beverage story is a crucial part of New Zealand’s tourism offering – but our businesses need targeted action that allows them to focus on providing the hospitality for which they are globally renowned.”

The Restaurant Association’s budget priorities for 2025 focus on three key areas:

Tourism marketing: allocating a portion of the annual international tourism marketing budget to highlighting food and beverage tourism.

Immigration reset: policy changes must be progressed quickly, to create a system that recognises the unique skills required in hospitality and provides clear pathways for workers to enter and grow within the sector.

Workforce development: building a highly skilled domestic workforce is essential. The Association wants to see greater support for training programs developed and delivered by industry experts.

“The ever-changing regulatory environment has added to the pressure our industry has faced in recent years, and we’ve appreciated working closely with Ministers to identify how our regulatory environment can be simplified – without sacrificing quality or safety,” Marisa says.

“Anything the Government can do to make doing business easier will be a win. A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for a sector as diverse as ours.”

Marisa acknowledged the Government’s recent investments in tourism, events and other targeted funding announced by the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality.

“We applaud the Government’s commitment to growing tourism through initiatives like the Tourism Boost package,” Marisa says.

“We want to see this momentum continue and grow, ensuring that New Zealand’s hospitality and tourism sectors can once again become leading contributors to our economy.”