The minister for Tourism and Economic and Regional Development, Stuart Nash, visited Te Anau yesterday (18th March) to meet with business owners and learn firsthand how New Zealand’s COVID 19 border closure has affected business in the Fiordland region.

During his visit, Mr Nash was informed that a significant number of businesses had already been forced to close and that liquidators were involved in several others.

He acknowledged that Te Anau, with its dependence on international tourist traffic, had been one of the small communities that had borne the economic brunt of New Zealand’s border closures almost a year ago.

Advertisement: Te Anau Signs

Advertise on the Southland App

This was Mr Nash’s first visit to the area as Minister of Tourism where he met with 10 representatives of small independently owned businesses from the district and later met with the executive of the Fiordland Lobster Company. His visit was rounded off at the local branch of Rotary International where he was guest speaker.

The minister’s visit was initiated by an invitation issued last year by Southland District Council deputy Mayor Ebel Kremer, who also chaired the business meeting.

Mr Kremer said he was impressed by Mr Nash’s willingness to come and listen to the reality of the struggle businesses were facing in the Fiordland region and he was confident that the group had been heard.

Advertsiement: Mr Green Lawnmowing

Advertise on the Southland App

Mr Kremer said he emphasised to the minister the importance that places like Te Anau survive as a community to be able to provide tourists with infrastructure and service once the border reopens and added if businesses disappeared then the community would disappear as well.

He said Mr Nash clearly indicated that he understood the concerns of small communities and the fear of diminishing population because of the direct impact on businesses dependent on international tourists, as opposed to cities like Auckland that would sustain population because of a more robust and diverse marketplace.

Mr Nash said New Zealand would be an expensive destination for international tourists in the future and he outlined his vision and plan for tourism in New Zealand at a conference in Queenstown today (19th March) with an indication that tourist numbers would be contained by cost.

Advertsiement: Fiordland Marine

Advertise on the Southland App

“I want to take another look at pricing strategies across public assets like national parks, so that the heavy pressure of international visitors is more financially sustainable. There is scope for a fresh look at existing levies like the International Visitor Levy to help ensure the true cost of tourism is priced into the international visitor experience.

“I have been upfront that mass-scale international tourism is unlikely before 2022, but we are working hard to open a trans-Tasman bubble in 2021.”

Fiordland Lobster Company Chief Executive, Alan Buckner, gave credit to the government for the support his company had received through the wage subsidy and discounted air-freight costs, however he raised the issue of the Covid-19 vaccine rollout with the Minister.

He said while he understood and supported the government’s vaccine allocation priority criteria, he hoped the Minister would advocate on their behalf for an early inclusion of selected commercial exporters who depended on travelling to their international markets.

Advertsiement: Redcliff Cafe

Advertise on the Southland App

Mr Buckner said as one of the largest seafood exporters in New Zealand and Australia, the Te Anau-based business found it difficult to manage their international markets without being able to travel internationally easily. 

The Fiordland Lobster Company supplied one third of the total lobster caught and exported out of New Zealand and 20 percent of the fishery caught in Australia.

Mr Buckner said he would normally travel to Australia at least once a month to oversee the company’s operation there and was now, like a lot of other operators, having to rely on technology like Zoom to run the business from a distance “but it’s not the same as being there”.

He explained to the Minister that another problem was getting experienced people onto the ground into places like China, which was a crucial part of doing business there. But Mr Nash pointed out that even if the vaccine was made available to selected businesses, there would still be a problem of reentering New Zealand where managed isolation quarantine (MIQ) was still a requirement regardless.

Advertsiement: Fiordland Joinery

Advertise on the Southland App

The idea of a trans-Tasman bubble being possible by the end of April announced by the government yesterday (18th March) was good news for tourist operators in Fiordland.

Te Anau Top10 Holiday Park owner Brad Molloy said the trans-Tasman bubble was a point the business group raised with minister and that even in winter 45 percent of travellers to Milford Sound were traditionally Australians.

Mr Molloy was also impressed by the minister’s willingness to listen and discuss the issues important to the group.

“The cost of individual businesses [operating in Fiordland] was already horrific and they have to put the brakes on loading more costs onto businesses.”

He was referring to the new paid holiday rules and increased minimum pay due to come into force next week.

While the meeting was held under confidential agreement, Mr Molloy and The Ranch owner Daniel Anderson both indicated they were satisfied with the minister’s understanding of their situation and both were confident that Mr Nash would advocate on the region’s behalf within caucus.

Mr Molloy was however sceptical of the idea of charging tourists more for access to New Zealand’s public infrastructure and public lands. He said he hoped a plan would emerge that would be seen to be fair and acceptable to everyone.

Minister of Economic and Regional Development Stuart Nash (centre), at the Fiordland Lobster Company in Te Anau on Thursday flanked by company CEO Alan Buckner (left), and CFO Phillip Grubb. PHOTO: Jan Ludemann