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Hospitality New Zealand has released its 2026 Election Manifesto, calling on all parties to commit to six policy priorities ahead of the election: immigration settings, skills and training, a reduced keg tax, cumulative PAYE for multi-employer workers, a national short-term rental register, and a consistent national visitor levy.
Kristy Phillips, chief executive of Hospitality New Zealand, says “Hospitality contributes billions of dollars to the New Zealand economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs.
“Most of our members are small business owners: people who employ locally, invest in their communities, and deliver the manaakitanga that defines New Zealand’s visitor experience.
“Ahead of the 2026 election, Hospitality NZ is calling on all parties to commit to a policy environment that can create the settings these food and beverage and accommodation businesses need to grow, attract and retain talent, and remain financially sustainable.”
One levy, not fifteen
The industry funding priority is the one with the most direct consequences for accommodation operators and for the councils that have spent the past two years pursuing bed taxes of their own.
Kristy says, “There is a clear funding issue nationwide to invest in the infrastructure communities need, and the growth of tourism has played a role in the pressure felt across the local government sector in particular. We don’t see a national accommodation levy as replacing the IVL, but it would override the council bed taxes various jurisdictions are hoping to put in place.
“What is key is any levy is applied across all accommodation types and implemented nationwide, so we don’t have different rules and structures for difference councils. We wouldn’t be supportive of the government enabling councils to keep their own levies on top of a nationally applied one.”
A national number
Unemployment reached 5.6% this month, the highest reading in over a decade- an awkward number for an industry asking for more enabling immigration settings.
Kristy says, “What we’ve seen is while national unemployment figures have risen, that isn’t felt consistently across the country. Parts of the South Island for instance are continually crying out for staff and struggle to find the people they need to operate their businesses.
“Particularly for skilled roles, immigration settings do not practically enable migrant workers to achieve residency either through not recognising their prior work experience as equivalent to a formal qualification, or through setting qualifying wages at a level over and above what is reasonable for hospitality businesses to cover.
“We’re not pushing for carte blanche liberalisation of visa settings. We’re asking for immigration settings to enable those skilled migrants who have called New Zealand home for a number years to be able to stay on if they choose to and continue to contribute to the sector and the wider economy.” she says.
The manifesto asks for practical residency pathways for experienced hospitality workers, and for work experience to be formally recognised across visa settings.
Kristy says “Many experienced workers have no clear way to stay in New Zealand long term, even after years of working in our kitchens, bars and accommodation businesses, as a result of immigration settings that prioritise formal qualifications over work experience.”
Perception, productivity and pay
The manifesto doesn’t address remuneration- important to note when Employment Hero’s July data put hospitality and tourism wages up 2.5% year-on-year against national wage growth of -0.4%, one of only two sectors in positive territory.
Kristy says “Staff retention within hospitality can be a challenge for a myriad of factors, as with most industries. We know there are perception issues for careers in hospitality, but there are many opportunities for staff to grow, train, and progress through the ranks.
“We also know there are low productivity perceptions attached to hospitality. However, productivity in the sector, which is profitability and wages relative to hours worked, has jumped in recent years. Over the decade to 2024, productivity has increased by 1.6%pa, much higher than the national average of 0.5%pa.”
“We are focused on how we build our pipeline of talent into the industry – there is a perception shift that is needed, and as the industry association, Hospitality NZ is focused on how we can change views of working in hospitality.”
“But there are also challenges to the training regime starting from secondary school through vocational education courses that impact our ability to build that pipeline of talent. We’d like to see the government manage the training pipeline in a way that makes progression obvious and provides industry with the skills needed to take hospitality forward.” she says.
Not a subsidy
Specifically, the manifesto seeks alignment of New Zealand’s keg-specific rate with Australian settings, alongside a review of automatic CPI indexation.
Kristy says “New Zealand’s excise tax on draught beer is significantly out of step with Australia and the UK.
“Keg beer sold through hospitality environments already pays a disproportionately high rate relative to packaged beer, placing direct pressure on hospitality venues at a time when they can least afford it.
“This isn’t a call for a subsidy. It’s a call for alignment with similar markets to our own, and a recognition that fair tax settings are essential to sustaining a viable hospitality sector.”
What comes next
Still to come is the 2026 Hospitality Summit Report, and the Ministry for Regulation’s Hospitality Sector Regulatory Review.
Kristy says “Together, this manifesto – and the 2026 Hospitality Summit Report and Hospitality Sector Regulatory Review being conducted by the Ministry for Regulation that are due to be released in the next month show the breadth of issues impacting our sector.
“They outline the key actions that will better support hospitality over the next term to deliver to its full potential for the benefit of New Zealand.”
The full Hospitality NZ Election Manifesto 2026 is available to read here
