El Greco restaurant cleans up after the devastating floods in Auckland. Video / Brett Phibbs
The embattled hospitality sector is reeling from the Auckland Anniversary weekend floods and freak weather.
And the impact has extended beyond the country’s biggest city.
In Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, where the late January long weekend is usually busy, many Restaurant Association members reported a big downturn sinceFriday’s record-breaking Auckland rainfall.
The association said 54 per cent of all respondents in a new survey experienced material damage to their businesses due to the weather.
More than half of roughly 70 respondents reported having to close because of damage to buildings.
Other problems stemmed from staff being unable to travel to work, road closures and reservations getting cancelled.
Volunteers make sandbags at the Kumeu Playcentre in west Auckland in anticipation of flooding predicted to strike again on Tuesday. Photo / Supplied
“Other issues include interruptions to the supply chain causing shortages of food,” the association added.
“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,” Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said today.
“In particular, businesses are looking for additional support negotiating with landlords and insurance companies to get back on their feet.”
The association met with local and central Government officials on Sunday to discuss serious issues facing hospitality firms and recovery efforts.
“This discussion included what support businesses may be able to access, including financial support through the Mayoral Assistance Fund,” the association said.
“We would like to remind all hospitality businesses that the Association is here to support them through this,” Bidois said.
“We will continue to keep members posted via the Restaurant Association website and social media channels about any further discussions and updates we receive.”
The sector was already facing challenges in recent months from worker shortages, supply chain disruption and inflation.
