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FOUR LUXURY LODGE-BOUND VISITORS LEAVE THE COUNTRY
(New Zealand Press Association Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Wellington, March 13 NZPA - Four people with visitors visas who were headed for a luxury lodge at Te Anau when refused entry at Christchurch Airport have left the country.
Takaro Peace Resort owner Joel Sutton said the three women and a man who lived in Britain, were of various nationalities including one American and one from England, and were paying guests at his lodge.
But Department of Labour immigration manager Steven May said that during half hour interviews with each of the people, ``they made no mention of being paying guests of the lodge''.
``Information gathered during these interviews indicated they planned to work during their time in New Zealand,'' he said.
People who wanted to work in New Zealand needed to go through the appropriate channels and apply for a work permit.
The four were stopped at Christchurch Airport yesterday, and Mr Sutton said they left to return to Britain about 2pm today.
The lodge owners hired a lawyer in a last ditch bid to try to resolve the problem , but dealing with the matter through the legal system would have been a long, drawn out process, Mr Sutton said.
His resort was in the news last week after police raided the property and arrested and deported 12 Eastern European overstayers who were working there for food and board.
Today Mr Sutton said his main priority now was to re-establish a dialogue with immigration officials.
Representatives of the Labour Department would be visiting Takaro tomorrow.
``I don't want to put anyone's back up...I need to show immigration (officials) that we've got a fantastic business,'' he told NZPA.
``I just want to show them what we're doing here and I want to get their support, because this has just gone kind of crazy.''
Visitors came to Takaro mainly from big cities such as London and New York to relax and unwind, which they did through a combination of pristine nature, world class spa treatments such as massages and guided relaxation sessions, and fantastic food.
But the tourism industry had a large workforce shortage , including a ``huge'' lack of trained staff in the spa industry.
``I just need immigration (officials) to understand the serious problem we have in recruiting skilled staff in New Zealand for this industry, and how we need to work together to ensure my business and other businesses in the same area can actually function,'' Mr Sutton said.
The four people stopped at Christchurch Airport yesterday would have to be reimbursed.
``To be honest with you that's a minor cost compared to the major financial impact this whole affair's had on my business. I'm having bookings cancelling all over the place,'' Mr Sutton said.
``I'm having people wondering if we've got staff, wondering if they're going to be raided in the night, wondering if they're even going to get into the country.''
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