After almost two years operating under the Alert Level system, it is understandable that it would take the public some time to get used to the traffic light framework and what this means in practice for businesses and public safety. However, with this Omicron outbreak hospitality finds itself in a dire situation, where resistance to the Red requirements and Omicron customer hesitancy is putting our industry at the brink of collapse.
The Red level and Omicron outbreak has been interpreted by many as a new lockdown and it is difficult to break through this very real concern of the public. So we need to see some response from government to save our hospitality industry.
At the Association we are doing all that we can to voice the concerns of hospitality owners across the motu to officials and propose the solutions that we believe will best address those issues.
We are engaging with government, asking for the reintroduction of the support provided to businesses under the Alert level system. In particular these key asks:
- targeted financial support to see the industry through the next 3 months
- allow policy for rapid antigen tests to be used in hospitality for “return to work” strategy
- facilitate commercial rent reductions that go further than existing legislation as current solutions have been largely unworkable for the industry
- support councils to provide reductions of or flexibility in payment of bills for rates, licensing and administrative fees, as well as simplifying application processes
- extend the IRD interest-free and Government-backed loans scheme
- implement a voucher scheme to encourage patronage
What else is the Association doing to address the situation?
- we have organised an emergency update for Wednesday, 23 February, 3pm, bringing together operators and government representatives to talk and discuss urgent solutions
- we have created a letter template for members to write to their local MP, highlighting their own story and need for support for the industry
- our DineOut HelpOut marketing campaign is underway – helping to highlight what the industry is doing to keep diners safe and tackling customer hesitancy head on
- we have created social tiles, signage and information for members to share through their own channels highlighting we are open for business
- the Association met with Treasury to discuss options for targeted support
- we have formally communicated with the Minister of Finance to discuss the government’s Covid-19 response and requests for support for the hospitality industry, as well as the Covid-19 Response Minister regarding improving government comms of the traffic light setting (we have seen some changes in the narrative from government about their Covid-19 response and considerations for our sector as a result)
- worked with Auckland representatives, MP Chloe Swarbrick and MP Helen White, to support raising awareness of industry issues with Ministers
- over 100 media interviews have been conducted, discussing the issues for the industry over the past 6 weeks
- we have arranged for members to speak with media to highlight their stories
- we have had 25+ meetings with government officials discussing our concerns over the past 6 weeks
- we are reaching out to MP’s and relevant Ministers to engage and highlight our industry’s dire situation
- our team are focused on calling and visiting members, offering advice and support where we can and letting them know the actions we are taking
- more than 20 member resources have been created over the past month, including advisory and a secondment agreement template, managing covid cases in the workplace and many more assisting navigating the traffic light framework
- we are surveying members and pulling real-time data, including weekly sales data through Dot Loves Data, so that we have the most up to date insights to share with government officials and media
We have been overwhelmed with the conversations we have had with so many operators over the past month and we know the situation is at a point we have never seen before. We are listening to you and know that you are exhausted. We want you to know that we are not sitting back letting the consequences play out. We are actively using every channel we can to get the support that you need and be here to help you in any way that we can. If you need to talk, please contact our team.