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Mike Yardley: Will Auckland hospitality survive to see vaccine certificates?

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Thu, 7 Oct 2021, 10:02AM
Photo / 123RF
Photo / 123RF

Mike Yardley: Will Auckland hospitality survive to see vaccine certificates?

Author
Mike Yardley,
Publish Date
Thu, 7 Oct 2021, 10:02AM

At last count, Auckland’s bleeding hospitality sector has haemorrhaged nearly three hundred million dollars since Delta came to town.

That’s just Auckland alone, according to Infometrics.

And the clamour to rescue the sector from complete carnage and resuscitate it is intensifying.

There’s still no resolution on allowing hospo to expand their outdoor dining footprint.

There’s still no action on changing up the resurgence payments from a three weekly pay cycle to weekly.

The inertia by Wellington and the intransigence to help save business from buckling is atrocious.

Why is it that so many questions to the Beehive, so many requests or pleas for action are met with the same blank response.

We will look into this. We are looking into this. We are still looking into this.

The Beehive must be transforming into the Hall of Mirrors. A lot of looking. But where’s the practical action?

Step Three in the Road Map can’t come soon enough to save Auckland’s hospo scene. But just what it will take to reach Step Three is anyone’s guess. There is no clear, coherent signposts, or measurements to benchmark.

Does the Government really get it? The desperation? Do they truly have a grasp on the burn businesses are feeling, and the despair at the lack of clarity?

I’m totally onboard with vaccine certificates, and they will embolden businesses.

They will help expedite a quick rebound. But that’s if they can ride out the current storm of lockdown. How many weeks can many of them hang in there?

Pragmatic solutions must be unlocked to tide them over. And one of the best ideas for immediate interim relief, has come from ACT.

David Seymour says if Aucklanders are allowed to have picnic in parks with food bought from supermarkets, then the Beehive should also allow restaurants to open for alfresco dining.

Let restaurants who have an outside dining option open to seated customers. How could you possibly argue with that?

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