Many small business owners in Gisborne say they're having sleepless nights as they wait in limbo for answers from Immigration NZ over labour issues.
Some business owners are saying that current rules under Covid-19 restrictions mean they cannot get the skilled workers they need. If the workers they have want to go home to family, they say it will be a disaster.
Hundreds were at a public meeting today venting their frustrations.
It is especially tough for a company like Gisborne Hydraulic Services to find staff. There is no qualification for hydraulic machinery operation offered in New Zealand.
Ali Smith and Natasja Paulson run the small business of 13 people. They are unable to grow with the border rules as they currently are.
"There's a handful of people who can do it, and they end up going from one business to another to another. It's not filling the gap of our growing industry," Smith said.
If they look overseas, they can find the appropriately skilled people, but Covid-19 has put a halt to that. It has also increased the risk valuable workers might leave New Zealand to return to family overseas.
Paulson said they were in limbo.
"They arrived here prior to Covid-19, and the goalposts are changing, we don't know what the goalposts are."
Morale was down at their business, she said.
"As much as you try and they try and bring their best game and a smile on their face, it is constantly ticking in the background and we've noticed it.
"We try and do the best we can but certainly, there's a black cloud hanging all over the place."
Pietru Van Vurren, originally from South Africa, is one of their skilled workers. He came to New Zealand for a better life.
But his residency application is not moving forward and it is worrying his family. He says his son is taking it especially hard.
"At the moment he's so stressed, he's actually on medication to help him sleep because he can't sleep at night because he's stressed, he doesn't know what his future is holding for him.
"I'm averaging four hours because I'm looking at all possibilities, yet there's no answers. It's just a waiting game and nobody can carry on with their lives, we're basically stuck."
As Natasja Paulson said, they cannot do without their workers.
"Our three guys are an integral part of what we do here and so we can't really plan too far forward because we don't know where they're at."
Nearby at Total Parts and Services, owner Dave Scammell is in a similar mood. He is facing a myriad of challenges with his immigrant workers.
Some want to leave because their families cannot get here. He said it could spell disaster. .
"It's graphic because these guys are seriously skilled guys that we've recruited from key businesses or roles that they've been in previously, and they are some of our leading technicians that we rely on heavily every day."
On Thursday the Gisborne Chamber of Commerce held a public meeting, attended by about 200 people sharing similar fears and frustrations.
National Party leader Judith Collins was there, along with small business spokesperson Todd McClay, immigration spokesperson Erica Stanford and agricultural spokesman David Bennett..
Collins said New Zealand should be embarrassed with the way it is treating migrants.
"We are going to continue to ask the Prime Minister about it. The fact that she always wants to talk about being kind and is actually very unkind to our migrants and their families is an absolute national disgrace."
Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi has been approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of this report.
