Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Zizi Sparks: School holidays boosted business but they still need help

Rotorua Daily Post
24 Jul, 2020 10:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

New Zealanders flocked to Rotorua attractions, like the Whakarewarewa Forest Redwoods Treewalk, during the school holidays. Photo / Rotorua NZ

New Zealanders flocked to Rotorua attractions, like the Whakarewarewa Forest Redwoods Treewalk, during the school holidays. Photo / Rotorua NZ

digibanner2

COMMENT:

"How do you live here? It's so busy."

That's what a friend visiting Rotorua asked last weekend.

They were having a nice weekend away and their visit to town coincided with the school holidays.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Like seemingly every other person from Auckland, Hamilton or Tauranga, they'd chosen Rotorua as their weekend destination.

Hotels around Rotorua, Tauranga and the wider Bay of Plenty were booked out for two weeks and finding a place to eat dinner was a challenge.

I tried four different places last Friday before successfully booking a last-minute table.

According to Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard, some of the upper-end hotels had up to 96 per cent occupancy and Hennessy's Irish Bar had to turn people away because it was fully booked.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The CBD and tourist destinations were pumping; the Bay of Plenty was the place to be.

But the school holidays are over. Town has quietened down again, the Redwoods are emptier, restaurants quieter and the "no" in the no vacancy signs is no longer lit up.

Discover more

New Zealand|politics

'Sabotage' questions after Chinese activists killed in fiery crash

23 Jul 01:29 AM
New Zealand

Footage captured of motorcycle crash during police pursuit

23 Jul 04:15 AM

One hurdle to go for wastewater outsourcing proposal

23 Jul 04:35 AM

Marc Spijkerbosch - The art of destruction

31 Jul 01:07 AM

All that is left are businesses hit hard by Covid-19. The two-week school holidays were a high point in their economic recovery but, just because they are over, it doesn't mean local businesses have stopped needing our help.

We've been told time and again the Government's wage subsidy has been a huge help to struggling businesses but it's due to end in September and that could mean more lost jobs.

Earlier this month it was revealed the subsidy had cost about $12.3 billion to June 26 and covered some 1.7 million employees.

Hundreds of people have already lost their jobs; supporting local businesses may save others.

So, although the school holidays may be over, the time to support local businesses is not.

This weekend, keep the momentum going. Go out for dinner or be a tourist in your own backyard or nearby city.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Me? I'll be hitting the slopes, or more likely drinking wine, in Queenstown.

Save
    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua woman honours late uncle, cousin with Run the Forest tribute

Rotorua Daily Post

'Changed a generation': Why three Rotorua principals have been celebrated

Rotorua Daily Post

'Visible police presence': Multiple arrests made at Rotorua gang tangi


Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua woman honours late uncle, cousin with Run the Forest tribute
Rotorua Daily Post

Rotorua woman honours late uncle, cousin with Run the Forest tribute

The event on August 9 has had a record early sell-out with 4500 participants.

02 Aug 02:17 AM
'Changed a generation': Why three Rotorua principals have been celebrated
Rotorua Daily Post

'Changed a generation': Why three Rotorua principals have been celebrated

01 Aug 06:04 PM
'Visible police presence': Multiple arrests made at Rotorua gang tangi
Rotorua Daily Post

'Visible police presence': Multiple arrests made at Rotorua gang tangi

01 Aug 09:56 AM


Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture
Sponsored

Kiss cams and passion cohorts: how brands get famous in culture

01 Aug 12:26 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP