Businesses suffer from Mauao closure

People could lose their jobs unless Mauao's walking track is quickly reopened after the closure sparked a dramatic drop in trade for some local cafes.
Cafe owners spoken to by the Bay of Plenty Times say business has already plummeted up to 30 per cent and waiting up to four months for the track to be reopened is "unthinkable".
One owner has even put together a list of 25 regular customers willing to get their hands dirty to speed up the clean-up process.
Washouts and major slips from a devastating storm at the end of last month forced the closure of all the tracks on and around Mauao, with the popular base track expected to be blocked off for several months.
Tauranga City Council is confident it can get the base track partially opened within a fortnight, but sections of Mauao will remain closed for several months.
Slowfish Beachfront Cafe owner Brigitte Van Weele said trade at her cafe was down at least 25 to 30 per cent and many of her customers were regular Mount walkers now staying away.
Miss Van Weele said one morning last week she only sold six muffins when she would normally sell 60 muffins and coffees.
She usually had about 30-40 regulars turning up at 9am on Saturday mornings but this week they failed to showed up.
"People are starting to get quite agitated and annoyed about how long it's taking to get some urgency into the clean-up," she said.
"We rely on the summer trade to get us through the quieter winter months and even with the surf lifesaving this weekend, trade was down."
Last year, 5000 people used the tracks daily in January alone, Miss Van Weele said.
"So just figure what the economic impact will be on the township and employment if Mauao does stay closed for several months."
Businesses at the Mount were all built around Mauao as the major drawcard and every retailer and cafe relied on it being open, she said.
"But it is not just cafe owners who are hurting, the closure is having a ripple effect on our suppliers, as the amount of deliveries we need gets reduced.'
Miss Van Weele said she already had a list of 25 regular customers prepared to help council's contractors to speed up the clean-up process, and in return she was prepared to give volunteers a packed lunch when they turned up at her cafe with their muddy boots.
Deckchair manager Emma Thornally said the midweek period from Tuesday to Friday was definitely a lot quieter, with business down at least 20 per cent.
"Everyone along Marine Parade is quite concerned and so are our customers, and it is unthinkable if this situation continues for months.
"We try to use local suppliers and they must be hurting. It's got to have a ripple effect for sure."
She said the cafe owner was already having to reassess the number of hours staff were being offered and job losses could not be ruled out.
Hot Spot Superette owner Rupal Mehta said business had been quiet in the mornings and estimated trade had dropped about 25 per cent.
"Our customers aren't happy about the closure, and neither are we."
Next door at Copenhagen Cones, manager Shannon Peters said there had been a noticeable drop in sales midweek.
Sidetrack Cafe owner Petra-Lee Osborne said business was definitely down, and of the regular Mount walkers who made up 50 per cent of her clientele, about half were not popping in for their coffees and food any more.
"There are a lot of disgusted people questioning why the clean-up work is not happening more quickly. It's people's livelihoods that are being affected."
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby said he knew it was imperative that the council and its contractors worked with speed, but said the work had to be done with due care and attention to make Mauao safe when it reopened.
Mr Crosby said it was not only debris on the tracks that needed clearing but there were major slips above the tracks and around the rocks, and several days after the slips groundwater streams were still flowing, which indicated that the land was still saturated and unstable. "I accept there will be a negative economic impact on nearby cafes as a result of the track closures, due to the popularity of the walking tracks and the large volume of users, who may use the cafes before or after a walk or a run."
Mr Crosby said he and the city councillors were being kept up to date with issues around Mauao on a regular basis, and he was sure that if extra resources were needed to speed up the clean-up, they would be forthcoming.
If there was an opportunity for members of the public to also get involved in the repair process then council could facilitate that, he said.