Lakes Lodge owner Nick Berryman. Photo / Andrew Warner
Nick Berryman calls a spade a spade.
If you ask him about Covid-19's effect on Lakes Lodge he says "the business is f*****".
"All the weddings have gone and a lot of corporate groups have gone because of the uncertainty."
The wedding and event venue, that has been running for 11 years, was "coming out of our absolute best season ever" when the pandemic reached New Zealand.
He lost six weddings and five conferences in lockdown.
He had two new conferences booked after New Zealand returned to alert level 1 but has lost those too after the second outbreak this month.
"That was just crippling, this second time was pretty hard to accept."
The business has had five months of no income and the 10 staff he had are either on reduced hours or have been made redundant.
"That's affecting those families that are looking for other work. Some of them found it. Some of my team haven't been able to make payments on their car ... The flow-on effect is devastating."
Most weddings were on hold because of the closed borders preventing family and friends attending, and the limits on gathering sizes.
At alert level 2, big events cannot go ahead because of a restriction on gatherings of more than 100 people, and at level 3 funerals and weddings are limited to 10 people.
But insurance, wages, and maintenance for venues like Lakes Lodge "keep on piling up every week".
Berryman has been left questioning the future of the business.
"Hopefully from October, we will start to see more bookings coming in."
Restaurant Association Rotorua branch president Sharon Wallace has a catering and hospitality training business.
She was "slammed with weddings last year" but getting bookings for any event is "really hard at the moment" because of Covid-19 and the second scare "hasn't helped".
"It could move and change any week you just don't know ... And a lot of our core business is from overseas, Aussie or English couples living over there and wanting to get married here."
In Wallace's opinion, "hospitality has been lost in the scheme of things" in central government support.
"We have been forgotten about, I feel, but not intentionally."
She has been involved in catering for two dinners hosted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and at the most recent event, she told Ardern "please do not forget about hospitality".
Tauranga wedding celebrant Kate Lovell has had clients across the Bay of Plenty, into Waikato and even in Auckland.
But her bookings have been "hugely affected" by cancellations and postponements, especially couples flying in from Australia and the United Kingdom, or those with families living offshore.
"And of course at this stage, we have no clue when our borders are going to be open again ... The unknown at the moment is quite a scary thing; no-one wants to lose any more money."
The solo mum of two is also studying to be a counsellor, so has relied on her student financial support rather than accessing the wage subsidy.
Despite the hard times, she thinks "the Government's done an amazing job".
"I take my hat off to them."
Hitched Rotorua Wedding Show managing director Pete Duncan had to postpone the ninth annual show set down for August 17.
"The restrictions around 100 people eliminated our ability to do anything," he told the Rotorua Daily Post.
"Hitched has close to 1200 people in each day."
However, wedding industry businesses from across the Bay of Plenty contributed to a $45,000 wedding package this month to promote the industry and give a local family a boost.
The competition was organised by Tahlia Dredge from Captured by Tahlia and the wedding will be held at Black Barn Tuahiwi.
#THEBIGDAYGIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!!#THEBIGDAYGIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!! **turn volume up** WOW!! Thank you to every single couple who entered our $45,000 wedding giveaway. You ALL deserve the wedding of your dreams and we feel humbled to have read your love stories as well as the rocky roads you may have taken to get there. We have been through an overwhelming range of emotions trying to choose our winning couple, but, we did finally make our decision... so... We are super excited, and thrilled to announce our 2020 winning couple is.... Amie & Andrew!!!! They will be getting hitched on the 19th of November at The Black Barn Tuahiwi, Lake Tarawera, Rotorua!! Our incredible wedding vendors involved are excited & eager to bring your wedding vision to life in just 3 short months! We have witnessed the effects that Covid-19 has taken on many couples and we would have loved nothing more than to give so many of you the day of your dreams. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for entering, and we wish you all the best for the future. Remember to be kind to yourselves and please get in touch if any of us can be of service when the time comes for you to have your own special day. CONGRATS TO OUR WONDERFUL WINNERS AND THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR AMAZING VENDORS! Black Barn Tuahiwi Captured by Tahlia Terrace Kitchen Terrace Catering Bad Panda Productions Twelve Tables Gown & Altar On My Hand Planning, Styling & Flora Mirror Magic Photobooth House of Florence Florals Pollards Mens Apparel Royal Laboratorie Event Hire & Design Queensberry Will Johnston - Celebrant & MC Blak Tble. Matt Barnard Croucher Brewing Bidfood Rotorua Final Touch MakeUp Artistry - NZ Volcanic Hills Winery Jorja Rose Hair Design Sage and Grace LV Body & skin Sharon Wallace Liquor King cwentertainment_ A Splendid Afternoon Skyline Rotorua Off Road NZ Ryan Romanes Studio Rotorua NZ NZME Rotorua Secret Spot Hot Tubs
Posted by Captured by Tahlia on Tuesday, 18 August 2020
A Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment spokeswoman told the Rotorua Daily Post the Government had "made broad-based support available to businesses across New Zealand ... through the wage subsidy schemes, small business (cashflow) loan scheme, and business tax relief".
She said the $400 million Tourism Recovery Package would also have flow-on effects for the likes of the hospitality industry.
"In addition, the $50m Regional Events Fund will go to the regions to supporting the development and running of events."
A newspaper has been saved, paving the way for several similar deals for other towns.