Staff housing information series to be run for business leaders

A free three-part Staff Housing Information Series run by the Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce aims to provide more detail about purchasing, leasing, and managing worker accommodation to help business leaders with decision-making.

The series kicks off on 4 April with Kelvin Davidson, Chief Economist from Core Logic, and Anita Vanstone, Queenstown Lakes District Council’s Strategic Growth Manager.

Kelvin will talk about the real estate market, particularly for those looking to invest in worker accommodation, as well as giving a wider New Zealand perspective, current trends, and what’s happening in Queenstown.  Anita will provide more detail about the district’s housing strategy and context about how it affects people’s businesses.

With funding support from Te Hau Toka Southern Lakes Wellbeing Group, the Chamber has expanded the information series beyond its usual membership to anyone interested across the Southern Lakes region. 

While in-person event numbers will be limited due to the venue size, livestreams and session recordings will be made accessible to all. Participants are also encouraged to submit any specific questions they’d like answered to membership@queenstownchamber.org.nz ahead of each seminar.

Queenstown Business Chamber CEO Sharon Fifield says that staff housing and workforce shortages are two key issues keeping people up at night so it’s important they have the best possible information from a range of experts to help them formulate strategies.

Queenstown Business Chamber CEO Sharon Fifield

“We know staff housing and workforce shortages are creating huge stress, both for businesses and for renters.  And they’re not just local issues – people across New Zealand and the world are struggling with them as well. 

“We need a multi-faceted approach to resolving the housing shortage because the problem is huge and too big for one person or entity to fix.  Small changes, when added together, will make a difference but it will take a community effort from a lot of different industries to get some traction.

“Knowledge is power and this series is something proactive we can do as a Chamber to provide business leaders with relevant information and tools to empower them to make decisions.  Many are already investing in staff accommodation to attract and retain staff and this information series will give them a good level of detail to help with planning and financial decisions.”

Te Hau Toka Chair Adell Cox says that her group recognises the pressure people are under and wants to do what they can to help support their wellbeing.

“We know that the constant stress and pressure around staff housing and workforce shortages is putting a huge strain on people’s mental health so we’re supporting a range of industry initiatives across the Southern Lakes region to ensure people have equitable access to relevant information. 

“Ultimately, if the information helps people to resolve some stressors like attracting and retaining staff or finding a place to live, it will have a knock-on effect to improving overall mental wellbeing - not only for business leaders and their staff, but for the wider community.”

Mental health resources will be available at the seminars, including more information about the new nationwide First Steps programme which provides wellbeing support for business leaders and owners.

For more information, including the dates, times and how to register for the events, visit Queenstown Business Chamber of Commerce Chamber. View the Chamber’s labour market here.