Mount Maunganui restaurant Fox’s Hawker House closes up, in liquidation

Luke van Veen (left) and Lisa Kerr, pictured in 2022, at Frosty & Fox. Photo / NZME

Mount Maunganui Asian-fusion street food dining restaurant Fox’s Hawker House has closed and gone into liquidation.

The restaurant was originally opened as Frosty & Fox in December 2020 by Luke van Veen and Lisa Kerr.

Kerr told the Herald the lease was up and she wasn’t going to renew it.

“It’s just so hard to make any money out of hospo at the moment. The last couple of years the costs are just killing everything.

“Our wages have probably gone up probably 30%, our cost of costs, the rent... it’s just so hard.”

Kerr said there were visibly fewer people on the street now.

“People don’t dine out as much as they used to. Everybody’s struggling a little bit,” she said.

Kerr said she believed hospitality would come back eventually, but not in time for Fox’s Hawker House.

A post on the restaurant’s website said: “It is with a very heavy heart that we share that Fox’s Hawker House is now closed.

“Over the past five years, you’ve welcomed us, supported us, and made our journey truly unforgettable. Being part of the Mount Hospitality community has been an absolute joy, filled with ups and downs, laughter, and incredible memories.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of our story.”

Liquidators Derek Ah Sam and Lynda Smart, of Rodgers Reidy, were appointed to LLCoolJ Hospo Group on January 30.

Companies Office records show Kerr is the sole director of LLCoolJ Hospo Group.

The company is owned by CLM Trustees 2018 Limited (49.90% shareholding), CLM Trustees 2017 Limited (49.90%), Lisa Kerr (0.10%) and Luke van Veen (0.10%).

Covid restrictions and weaker consumer spending due to cost-of-living pressures have weighed on hospitality businesses up and down the country.

According to credit agency Centrix, the hospitality sector experienced the largest rise of annual liquidations in 2025, increasing 50% compared with the previous year.

Hospitality was the second-largest contributor to liquidations last year with 376.

A Restaurant Association report showed national hospitality sales for the third quarter of 2025 grew 5.9% year on year to reach $4.05 billion.

But the improvement in revenue growth had not translated into proportional margin improvement, with cost pressures remaining “elevated”, the report said.

The first liquidator’s report is due on February 9.

Mount Maunganui main street businesses pleaded this week for customers to support them.

Businesses spoken to by Local Democracy Reporting said it had been quiet and depressed in the downtown area in the aftermath of the deadly Mauao landslide.

A noticeable drop in foot traffic was reported by several businesses, with one saying they had seen 30% fewer customers.