Principal Policy Advisor | Tourism

Discover a career with purpose at MBIE

• Actively shape and lead policy advice on the Government’s role in tourism in Aotearoa.
• Apply your expertise to system-wide issues in a fast-paced environment, while mentoring and coaching team members.
• Permanent full-time | Wellington CBD location.
• Salary: $132,417 - $160,472 plus KiwiSaver and Wellness Benefits.  

Tēnei tūranga - About the Role:

Tourism is a vital pillar of New Zealand’s economy, as our second largest export earner and supporting over 6.4% of total employment. With $44.4 billion in total tourism expenditure in the year ending March 2024, the sector plays a key role in New Zealand’s regional development, international engagement, and sustainable growth.

The Government has set an ambitious goal to double the value of tourism exports over the next ten years and is currently undertaking a review of the tourism system to support this goal. As a Principal Policy Advisor in this space, you will play a leading role in delivering on this work programme, across issues such as how to best drive demand from international visitors and ensuring the system has the right infrastructure and funding in place to support long-term growth for our people and places.
 
This role will suit candidates who are comfortable dealing with ambiguity and working at pace delivering advice to Ministers. We work closely with a range of other agencies and industry stakeholders. There is also the opportunity to support the development of team members through coaching and mentoring.

About the Team

In the Tourism Stewardship and Systems team, we develop a deep understanding of the costs and benefits of tourism in New Zealand. We think strategically about the role of Government in supporting the growth of tourism in New Zealand and how the horizontal system settings – including funding and infrastructure – should be set up to support our long-term goals. We use a wide spectrum of policy levers including coordinating and influencing, funding and regulatory change. One of our primary roles is to advise on how central government can invest the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy effectively to support the tourism system. 
 
This role sits in the Tourism and Hospitality Branch, within the Labour Science and Enterprise Group of MBIE. Our work drives Aotearoa’s economic transformation and shapes economic development thinking to create a more productive, sustainable, and inclusive economy. In an ambiguous and complex environment, we work in partnership to actively provide respected and frank advice, to influence and coordinate, and deliver policy solutions that work.

 
The Principal Policy Advisor is responsible for:
•    Partnering with the policy manager to drive the strategic policy agenda and set the direction for the team’s policy domain 
•    Providing authoritative policy advice and leading programmes of work and project teams on complex and sensitive areas

•    Effectively influencing on domain topics through engagement and communication with senior stakeholders.

Why work for us?

Developing our policy staff is a key focus for MBIE.  We have a culture where policy staff are empowered to bring fresh perspectives to issues and to think ‘outside the box’.  Being the largest ‘policy shop’ in New Zealand, MBIE offers significant opportunity for developing experience across a broad variety of areas. We encourage excellence and proactively support development through on-the-job learning, training courses, conferences and seminars, development programmes, secondments, rotations to other branches and study opportunities.

Ngā pukenga me ngā wheako e hiahiatia ana -

Skills and Experience Required
 

Experience in economic development policy would be valuable, as would experience in interpreting data and applying quantitative skills to produce insightful and evidence-based policy advice. Most important is the ability to think analytically and strategically through issues. An ability to engage effectively with sector stakeholders to influence outcomes is critical.

For the role of Principal Policy Advisor, you will have advanced policy skills and ideally you will:

• Be able to understand the strategic context, current policy agenda and priorities; be able to see policy issues in the wider context and applies foresight and judgement to identify what is important for the policy area in the medium and long term.
• Build requisite knowledge for different policy issues quickly.
• Draw on expert knowledge of the policy area as well as broad knowledge from other policy domains to critically assess information from a wide variety of sources and identify implications for policy analysis and advice.
• Have or want to improve your cultural capability and knowledge of te ao Māori, te reo Māori and how Te Tiriti o Waitangi informs our work.
• Have the intellectual capability to work with multiple complex ideas in parallel as well as being able to integrate multiple concepts and pathways and deal comfortably with ambiguity.
• Have the ability to manoeuvre comfortably through complex policy advisory processes and Cabinet requirements to achieve the desired outcomes for complex, sensitive or risky policy issues.
• Be an expert user of policy project management processes, have skills and experience to manage policy conflicts and understand how to assess risk and develop risk mitigation strategies.
• Be skilled at drawing on experience, evidence, wisdom, judgement and expertise to build policy capability of staff.

**At time of application, you must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.**

Ētahi kōrero mō MBIE - About MBIE:

MBIE's goal is to create a resilient and high-performing economy that delivers real and ongoing quality of life for all New Zealanders.

We do this by working with others to create an environment that supports businesses to be more productive and internationally competitive, enables all New Zealanders to participate in the economy through improved job opportunities and by working to ensure quality housing is more affordable.

People are at the heart of our mahi, our way of working is guided by our values which shape our behaviours.

• Mahi Tahi – Better Together
• Māia – Bold and brave
• Pae Kahurangi – Build our Future
• Pono Me Te Tika – Own It

Our aspirations are echoed in our Māori identity – Hīkina Whakatutuki – which broadly means ‘lifting to make successful'.

MBIE recognises the partnership founded under Te Tiriti o Waitangi between Māori and the Crown and is committed to giving effect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi. We will do this through enduring, meaningful and effective partnerships with iwi, Māori, other Māori groups/organisations and the Crown, as this is critical to enable economic and social development, both for Māori and for wider Aotearoa New Zealand. We are committed to continuing to partner with iwi in order to find new sustainable solutions to address long standing systemic and cross-cutting issues facing Māori and wider Aotearoa New Zealand and we are also committed to identifying opportunities for iwi to lead and creating an enabling environment for iwi to leverage these opportunities.

E mōhio ana a Hīkina Whakatutuki i puea ake te kōtuinga I waenganui i a ngāi Māori me te Karauna i Te Tiriti o Waitangi, ā, kei te whai ia ki te whakaū ake i Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Mā te whai kiko o ngā kōtuinga ahungaroa o ngāi wi, o ngāi Māori, me ētahi atu rōpū Māori ki te Karauna, katutuki tēnei. He āhuatanga nui tēnei e āhei ai ngā mahi whanaketanga ā-ohanga, ā-pāpori hoki ki a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui. E whai tonu ana mātou ki te kōtui atu ki ngā iwi mō te rapu huarahi hou ki te whakaara i ngā kaupapakua roa nei e tāmi ana i a ngāi Māori me Aotearoa whānui, ā, e whai ana hoki ki te tautohu i ngā āheinga kōkiritanga mā ngā iwi, me te tautoko i ngā iwi kia whai mana ake ai ēnei āheinga.

Me pēhea te tono - How to Apply:

Click here to view a position description. 

When you are ready to apply, please submit your CV and cover letter telling us why you're the perfect fit for this role. All applications must be submitted via our online process.

Email Fati Tagata at [email protected] quoting ref MBIE/19000 if you have any further questions.

Applications close on Tuesday 10 February 2026.