Tourism businesses have been hit hard by Covid, and a Bay of Islands Marketing Group-commissioned post-Christmas survey has some astonishing results. Photo / Stephen Western
Tourism businesses have been hit hard by Covid, and a Bay of Islands Marketing Group-commissioned post-Christmas survey has some astonishing results. Photo / Stephen Western
Businesses on the edge need lifeline: survey
Industry leaders have been working with Far North District Mayor John Carter, Northland Inc chairwoman Nicole Anderson and others to request support from the Government to help Far North businesses through Covid.
They want to build on the collaborative work they have allbeen involved in for the past couple of years.
To that end, the Bay of Islands Marketing Group recently commissioned Fasttrack Digital to complete a survey on what kind of government help businesses in the area need in order to survive.
The survey was to understand how business performed over the Christmas period and their expectations for the next 12 months. It came on top of a similar survey completed before Christmas.
They received 120 submissions from Northland tourism businesses. The breakdown of responses was 34 per cent accommodation, 21 per cent food and beverage services, 17 per cent tourism and passenger transport, 14 per cent other retail sales and 11 per cent cultural and recreational activities. The survey didn't say what the remaining 3 per cent covered.
The results showed only 14 per cent are trading normally and 63 per cent cannot cover their expenses, let alone wages, and 2 per cent had closed.
A massive 91 per cent of businesses have seen an increase in costs and have not been able to pass them on, and over 50 per cent of respondents said they will close the doors within six months without significant support.
Bay of Islands Marketing Group said there are seven large businesses with 30-plus employees who are critical to the regional infrastructure and these need financial support to survive. It said tourism is such an integral part of Northland that it cannot be left to fail.
Far North District Council staff at work. Although the award they won was for working from home, they do get together to book desks or collaboration spaces as required.
Workplace gong for council
A hybrid working model that has enabled the Far North District Council to continue delivery services during Covid-19 restrictions has been named the country's Best Workplace Flexibility Programme at the annual HRD Awards.
The HRD Awards are orchestrated by Human Resources New Zealand in partnership with MAS Life Insurance. FNDC nudged out runners-up AIA New Zealand and McDonald's Restaurant (NZ) in third place.
Council CEO Shaun Clarke said the flexible approach to work evolved from the organisation's response to the first lockdown in 2020 that had most council staff work from home.
"Rather than rush back to the office at the end of the lockdown, we opted to learn from the experience. We formed the Creating and Enabling Great Workplaces Project Team to expand the idea of flexible working for resilience in the business continuity and developed our hybrid working model in partnership with staff."
Around 85 per cent of council staff now voluntarily work from home, connecting with colleagues and customers via online meeting applications such as Teams and Zoom.
They can also book desks or collaboration spaces in the office as required and the remaining staff either have customer-facing roles or have chosen to continue working from the office.
The council's hybrid working model is in the running for two more awards this year. It is a finalist in the New Zealand HRNZ Awards run by the Human Resources Institute and is shortlisted in the Australian Financial Review Best Places to Work List.
Racquel and Tu Ao try their hand at sieving as part of the archaeological excavation that took place at Oneroa/Long Beach last week. The area has now been declared wahi tapu (sacred place).
Long Beach area a sacred site
The excavation that occurred last week over four days at Oneroa/Long Beach in Russell did not uncover any further kōiwi (human remains).
It did, however, reveal archaeological features that included flaked obsidian (volcanic glass) and chert. Both types of rock could be flaked for use as cutting tools.
Another example of the flakable rock that was uncovered in the excavation may be bowenite, a type of pounamu from the South Island. James Robinson, the lead archaeologist on the excavation, said all the materials are exotic to the area so people must have brought them there from other parts of the country.
"Although we didn't find kōiwi, the features we did find have confirmed the early nature of human activity in this area."
The excavation was a collaborative venture by Far North District Council Facilities Operations Team, Northland Regional Council (NRC), Russell Landcare Trust and Kororāreka Marae. The area of the beach concerned has now been declared wahi tapu (a sacred place) by Kororāreka Marae as a result of the excavation.
Wahi tapu will run from the white marker post to the right of the fig tree on the beach line to the start of the spinifex grass. According to Kororāreka Marae chairwoman Deb Rewiri, it's possible other remains may still be present further inland from the beachfront.
"Kōiwi that have been recovered from the area in the recent past and have been reinterred at Russell Cemetery and eventually, two pou will be installed at the beach identifying the site," she said.
The parties concerned are discussing options to co-fund permanent fencing along with signs explaining the site's significance.
Irish comedian Alan McElroy is performing in Kerikeri on St Patrick's Day, March 17.
Jokes and jigs at Turner Centre
On St Patrick's Day, March 17, Irish comedian Alan McElroy will perform at the Turner Centre alongside Irish instrumental group Sona.
McElroy has been domiciled in Auckland since 2010, and was recently nominated for the Best MC at the NZ Comedy Guild Awards. He has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at Electric Picnic in Ireland and has performed to sell-out crowds in Melbourne and Sydney.
His day job, as it were, is conducting comedy pub quizzes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It pays the mortgage, he says.
He's also done a bit of acting. He appeared in Shortland Street as a "dodgy Irish builder who burnt down the bar and Dr Chris had to decide whether to save him or not". Dr Chris did save him in the end and then Alan disappeared from the screen.
He has been to the Far North a few times, he did a gig in Kaitāia and in Paihia, but it's his first time in Kerikeri. At the Turner Centre he is performing with Sona, which translates to "happy" in Irish.
The group comprises multi-instrumentalists Emily Roughton and brothers Caleb and Chabb Chia, together with dancers Laura and Claire Robertson. These five artists are well known in the New Zealand traditional music scene and are regular performers at the Auckland Folk Festival.
They grew up playing music together. Expect fiddles, flutes, guitars and the Irish harp playing jigs, reels polkas and slides.
The Embassy of Ireland is supporting the show: Thursday March 17, 7pm @ The Turner Centre. www.turnercentre.co.nz
