If you’re a New Zealand-based Member, we know you’re probably curious to see the State of the Nation Special Report data that’s most relevant to your country.
We’re happy to oblige!
On this page, you’ll find figures, information and analysis based on the data collected from just our NZ Members who took part in this year’s survey.
The skills shortage is still the biggest challenge Members face in running their businesses. In fact, slightly more so than Australian Members-56% compared to 51%.
Almost one-quarter of NZ Members said they were concerned about running an efficient business.
Overall, NZ Members were more worried about the impact of the lack of qualified staff on the industry than their counterparts across the Tasman (65% compared to 60%).
Members reported it was taking an average of almost seven months to fill a qualified technician role. Finding a diesel mechanic took 7.6 months, a panel beater 7.3 months and an auto electrician 9.6.
Experts, including the OECD, suggest labour shortages have been caused by the pandemic. In NZ’s case, that includes the long border closure, which limited immigration. On the other side of the same coin, with restrictions now lifted, many New Zealanders have moved overseas.
According to official figures, the proportion of New Zealanders in employment is close to 70%, which is the highest level since records started in 1986 and greater than comparable OECD countries.
NZ Members were much more worried than Australian Members about environmental considerations (21% compared to 10%) and EVs (31% versus 23%).
Last year the NZ Government passed legislation that set standards for EVs, as the country towards cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 41% by 2030.
As a result, the EV market share has rocketed from 4% to 20% of new car sales this year.
Once again, financial considerations seemed to be on Members’ minds.
NZ Members were less worried about:
When it comes to apprenticeships, the landscape in NZ is similar to Australia, although NZ Members find it less of a challenge to find an apprentice.
However, NZ Members were a lot less likely to believe automotive apprenticeships were less attractive than apprenticeships in other industries (52% for “less” or “a lot less” attractive in NZ, compared to 63% in Australia).