The hospitality industry is counting the cost of this weekend’s weather emergency which has caused significant issues for many hospitality businesses across the North Island.
A survey by the Restaurant Association has shown that 85 per cent of respondents have been impacted by the current weather situation.
Of those that responded to the survey, 75 per cent have seen a significant downturn in trade, particularly in Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty areas where the Auckland Anniversary weekend is traditionally busy.
Fifty-four per cent of respondents have experienced material damage to their business as a result of the weather.
Fifty-five per cent have been forced to close their doors due to damage to their building while staffing shortages, road closures and reservation cancellations, have also adversely affected many operators. Other issues include interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food.
“It’s clear that this weekend’s weather has caused widespread issues to our businesses,” said CEO Marisa Bidois.
“We’ve been taking calls all weekend from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again.
“In particular businesses are looking for additional support negotiating with landlords and insurance companies to get back on their feet.”
On Sunday January 29 the Restaurant Association met with local and central government, including Ministers Nash and Robertson and Auckland Mayor Brown, along with other key officials to update them on some of the most pressing issues for hospitality businesses and how they can support the recovery efforts.
This discussion has included what support businesses may be able to access, including financial support through the Mayoral Assistance Fund.
“We will be providing our feedback on the best way to administer the Mayoral Assistance Fund and we will keep our members updated as we receive more information on how to access this fund,” says Marisa Bidois, Restaurant Association CEO.
The Restaurant Association has put together an emergency response advice guide which can be downloaded here.
The guide includes information and links on employment relations, food safety measures, insurance assistance, support and financial assistance, health and wellbeing and more.
Businesses can keep up to date with developing information in their area using the following links:
· the Civil Defence website here and the Civil Defence Facebook page here
· Local updates for
o Auckland: www.aucklandemergencymanagement.org.nz and on the Auckland Emergency Management Facebook.
o Waitomo: www.waikatoregioncdemg.govt.nz and on theWaitomo District Council Facebook.
o Thames / Coromandel: www.tcdc.govt.nz/Our-Community/Emergency-Management Unit andThames-Coromandel District Council Facebook
o Bay of Plenty: www.bopcivildefence.govt.nz/ andBay of Plenty Civil Defence Facebook
Bidois says: “We know that many businesses will be anxious, particularly with more rain expected. We would like to remind all hospitality businesses that the association is here to support you through this.
“If you or your business is affected by the situation and you have business or employment-related queries, the Association has a number of resources available to members to assist, including the below emergency response information guide. If you need to access our Helpline support and are not currently a member we can organise this for you asap – or you can join the association here.
