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Business, social service and civic leaders in the Queenstown Lakes are calling on the Government to allow laid-off migrant workers due to Covid-19 to get the unemployment benefit.

• 30% jobless rate foreseen in Queenstown

Queenstown branches of the Salvation Army and Citizens Advice Bureau, and the Queenstown and Wanaka Chambers of Commerce, have asked Minister of Social Development Carmel Sepuloni to extend the benefit to migrants on essential skills, working holiday and student visas until they are able to be repatriated or placed in new roles.

Queenstown Citizens Advice Bureau manager Rachel Reece said it was concerned about the number of migrants contacting them ‘‘desperate’’ for support.

They were ‘‘struggling to put food on the table, let alone pay their rent’’.

The community was rallying to support such people, but resources were now stretched to breaking point.

Queenstown Chamber of Commerce chief executive Anna Mickell said the collapse of the resort’s tourism industry meant its short-term migrant workforce had no way of working to support themselves or easily getting home.

‘‘The unmet needs of migrants who are now unemployed is currently being met by many landlords and boarding house operators, who are providing free or reduced rate rentals with little expectation of being able to recover this income, and Civil Defence-funded supermarket food vouchers.

‘‘This is particularly concerning, as many of these landlords are mum and dad investors who are supplementing their income to pay their own home mortgages.’’

Mayor Jim Boult said the unemployment benefit would help migrant workers keep their heads above water.

"Due to their visa conditions, migrant workers are some of the worst affected by the lockdown around the Covid-19 outbreak.''

The council’s emergency operations centre had received more than 7000 requests for welfare assistance, Mr Boult said.