Latest news with #MarisaBidois
RNZ News
23-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
What are people being paid in hospo?
Photo: 123RF People working in hospitality have been getting paid a rate that is closer and closer to the minimum wage over the years. The Restaurant Association has produced its latest remuneration report, which shows what people are being paid on average around the country. But economists say it also highlights how little many hospitality jobs are paying. A bar manager is now being paid an average $32.20 an hour, a barista $26.91, a breakfast chef $29.23. Café managers are earning an average $29.86, chef de partie $29.63, and duty managers $29.16. General managers are earning $44.85, head chefs $36.81 and kitchen hands $25.03. Sommeliers are getting $30.30 on average and wait staff $25.52. The minimum wage is $23.50. "Our latest remuneration survey reflects a sector that is steadily moving forward," said Marisa Bidois, chief executive of the Restaurant Association. "Despite continued cost pressures and tight operating margins, hospitality businesses are prioritising wage growth and creating structured pathways for career progression." The average hourly wage across the industry was $27.84, she said, up 2.54 percent from the previous year. Salaried roles edged up to an average of $83,415. She said the report showed clear wage progression in both kitchen and front-of-house roles. Entry-level positions started close to the minimum wage, but moved up. Head chefs were earning up to $46.62 an hour and general managers averaging $133,208 annually. Front-of-house roles follow a similar path, with senior management roles reaching $45 an hour or more, she said. Caterers and bar operators were earning some of the highest hourly rates, at $32.95 and $30.90 respectively "Whether you're starting out or already in leadership, there are opportunities to grow and earn more," Bidois said. But Craig Renney, policy director and economist at the Council of Trade Unions said the average rate of wage growth cited in the report was less than the rate of inflation. "At best most workers are standing still." He said the sector had been hurt badly and had not fully recovered since Covid. "We don't have the same number of tourists and people are keeping their hands in their pockets. Everyone has concerns about whether they will have a job." He said it was concerning that people with skills, such as pastry chefs and sommeliers, were still earning only about $30 an hour. "That suggests there is very little return to education or training." People such as bar managers had legal obligations to consider, too, but were not getting much more than the living wage, he said. But he said there were not many restaurants in New Zealand that were sufficiently expensive to pay higher wages. Bidois said, for the first time, operators had reported that wage costs had reached an average 40 percent of outgoings. Renney said there had been little growth in the number of filled jobs in the sector. Since 2019, the number had only increased 4.3 percent. That was about half the rate of all sectors. Gareth Kiernan, chief forecaster at Infometrics, said accommodation and food services wages had not kept pace with an economy-wide increase in wages since the 1970s. "The exception was the very tight labour market during Covid-19, when hospitality wages rose faster - you can even see a little bit of this before the pandemic in 2018 and 2019. Essentially, prior to this point in time, employers in the industry didn't need to pay much because there was a relatively good supply of people to do the work." He said, apart from a rally between 2020 and 2022 due to those issues, average hospitality wages had been generally getting close to the minimum wage over time. "Hospitality pay rates, in relative terms, have actually improved between 2017 and 2022, but this lift is likely to have been driven by the very tight labour market more than anything else, and wage growth has slipped back over the last two or three years as the economy and spending growth have weakened and the unemployment rate has risen. "Putting current cyclical conditions aside, demographic projections suggest that the labour market will remain relatively tight over the medium-term as the population ages, which could create conditions for better wage growth in hospitality than prevailed between the 1980s and mid-2000s. "If the labour supply remains tight across the whole economy over the medium-term, then all industries will need to compete harder for labour, but the squeeze could be tightest in lower-paid industries such as retail and hospitality unless their pay rates lift significantly. "The alternative to paying a lot more for workers is to invest in labour-saving capital instead - we've seen this occurring in retail and hospitality over the last couple of decades already, and there was additional pressure during the pandemic, where QR codes for ordering etc reduced the need for wait staff, for example - so increasing wages is not the only part of the puzzle."
RNZ News
11-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
More NZers dining alone: Restaurant Association
food life and society 20 minutes ago New Zealanders are getting an appetite for dining alone, the Restaurant Association says. Chief executive Marisa Bidois spoke to Tuwhenuaroa Natanahira.
RNZ News
05-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New report shows growth in some regions despite tough first quarter for hospitality industry
Several regions posted standout results including Nelson with a near 17 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, followed by Queenstown-Lakes at 13 percent. Photo: 123RF The hospitality industry has had a tough start to the year, with flat national sales growth, rising operating costs and workforce shortages. The Restaurant Association's Hospitality Industry Report for the first quarter ended March indicates total sales rose just one percent to $4 billion over the year earlier. Sales were also down 5.9 percent on the fourth quarter of 2024, which included the busy festive and function season. "The summer trading period was softer than expected for many operators, and long-standing challenges like high fixed costs, wage pressure and staff shortages continue to weigh heavily," Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said. "While inflation may be easing on paper, our members are still feeling significant cost strain on the ground." However, several regions posted standout results including Nelson with a near 17 percent year-on-year increase in revenue, followed by Queenstown-Lakes at 13 percent. On the flip side, Auckland saw marginal growth of just 0.4 percent and other regions, including Marlborough and Hawke's Bay, reported declines. "This data reinforces the fact that a one-size-fits-all recovery approach won't work," Bidois said. "Tailored, regionally responsive strategies are vital." She said staffing also remained a challenge, particularly for senior roles, with 72 percent of businesses reporting difficulty in filling those positions. While entry-level roles were becoming easier to fill, she said workforce shortages and visa processing delays continued to constrain growth for many. In response, she said the Restaurant Association was progressing at pace with the 65-point sector action plan, which had a particular focus on workforce development, business sustainability and long-term competitiveness. "Hospitality businesses aren't standing still - they're adapting, innovating, and working hard to stay viable," she said. "To unlock the next phase of growth, we'll continue working with government and our partners to progress our action plan and ensure the value our sector brings - culturally, socially, and economically - is fully recognised." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
30-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hospitality Industry Welcomes $2.6 Million Investment In Regional Events
Press Release – Restaurant Association of NZ With a year-long outlook and a focus on supporting regional events, the Regional Events Promotion Fund is a positive step towards encouraging domestic tourism and bolstering regions and industry across Aotearoa. The Restaurant Association has welcomed the Government's investment of $2.6 million in 152 events through the second round of funding from the Regional Events Promotion Fund. 'Each of our regions have a unique food and beverage story that is vital to New Zealand's overall appeal as an international destination of choice.' says Marisa Bidois, Chief Executive of the Restaurant Association. 'From Northland's recognition in National Geographic's Best of the World 2025, to Hastings' nomination as a UNESCO city of gastronomy, it is clear that our regions being strong and resilient is a key part of maintaining our tourism brand on the global stage,' says Marisa. With a year-long outlook and a focus on supporting regional events, the Regional Events Promotion Fund is a positive step towards encouraging domestic tourism and bolstering regions and industry across Aotearoa. 'All events play a critical role in attracting visitors to our regions and bringing our town centres to life, however there are a number of investments supporting food and beverage specific events across the country over the coming year, which we are particularly proud to see.' Coupled with the Government's regional tourism boost, the Regional Events Promotion Fund gives regions an opportunity to shine and share their unique stories. 'We look forward to supporting our industry to make the most of these events over the coming year, and to put our regional food and beverage stories front and centre of our tourism offering as a country.' Note: The Restaurant Association is the link between good food, and good business. It supports New Zealand's diverse and creative hospitality businesses to deliver first class experiences to diners. Since its humble beginnings in 1972, it has worked to offer advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry. The organisation now represents, advocates and cheerleads for more than 2500 hospitality businesses within New Zealand. It offers 24/7 advice and assistance on key industry issues, from property lease advice to wellness in the workplace. The Association provides its members with industry-wide accreditation programs which set best practice standards and help them measure how they're tracking. It also works in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development to deliver the Hospostart and Springboard training programmes.
Scoop
29-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Hospitality Industry Welcomes $2.6 Million Investment In Regional Events
The Restaurant Association has welcomed the Government's investment of $2.6 million in 152 events through the second round of funding from the Regional Events Promotion Fund. 'Each of our regions have a unique food and beverage story that is vital to New Zealand's overall appeal as an international destination of choice.' says Marisa Bidois, Chief Executive of the Restaurant Association. 'From Northland's recognition in National Geographic's Best of the World 2025, to Hastings' nomination as a UNESCO city of gastronomy, it is clear that our regions being strong and resilient is a key part of maintaining our tourism brand on the global stage,' says Marisa. With a year-long outlook and a focus on supporting regional events, the Regional Events Promotion Fund is a positive step towards encouraging domestic tourism and bolstering regions and industry across Aotearoa. 'All events play a critical role in attracting visitors to our regions and bringing our town centres to life, however there are a number of investments supporting food and beverage specific events across the country over the coming year, which we are particularly proud to see.' Coupled with the Government's regional tourism boost, the Regional Events Promotion Fund gives regions an opportunity to shine and share their unique stories. 'We look forward to supporting our industry to make the most of these events over the coming year, and to put our regional food and beverage stories front and centre of our tourism offering as a country.' Note: The Restaurant Association is the link between good food, and good business. It supports New Zealand's diverse and creative hospitality businesses to deliver first class experiences to diners. Since its humble beginnings in 1972, it has worked to offer advice, help and assistance in every facet of the vibrant and diverse hospitality industry. The organisation now represents, advocates and cheerleads for more than 2500 hospitality businesses within New Zealand. It offers 24/7 advice and assistance on key industry issues, from property lease advice to wellness in the workplace. The Association provides its members with industry-wide accreditation programs which set best practice standards and help them measure how they're tracking. It also works in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development to deliver the Hospostart and Springboard training programmes.
