Source: Radio New Zealand
Vicky Shen says she will have to reduce staff hours to stay afloat after a nearly 70 percent drop in her business. Bill Hickman / RNZ
Businesses on Wellington’s South Coast are doing it tough since the failure of the Moa Point wastewater plant forced the closure of some of the capital’s most popular beaches.
An association of local businesses, Destination KRL, said hospitality and other water-dependent employers had lost – on average – more than half their customers in the last two weeks.
They have called for support from Wellington City Council.
Worst timing possible
On a warm, still summer evening at Wellington’s Lyall Bay, the usually bustling beach is deserted.
Co-owner of nearby Botanist cafe Maria Boyle said the sunny weather – especially following a storm in the capital – would usually see her cafe packed with customers.
“With this weather everybody gets out, they’re excited, the weather’s nice. We would be completely full right now and we’ve got, maybe, a quarter of the amount of tables we’d normally have.”
Maria Boyle of the Botanist cafe her daytime customers have halved since the plant failed. Bill Hickman / RNZ
She said daytime customers had nearly halved since the plant failed.
Boyle said – for her business – the closure of the beaches could not have come at a worse time.
“We essentially rely on this busy summer trade to get us through winter. Last winter was the worst winter we’ve ever had. For this to happen – after the last two years of terrible hospitality – it’s a disaster.”
Further down the beach, local fish and chip shop Seaview Takeaways had been feeding beachgoers for nearly 34 years. Owner Vicky Shen said in the last two weeks they had lost nearly 70 percent of their business.
She had planned to cut staff hours to stay afloat.
“I have to deal with it. So I will cut down some hours of my labour. I will do it myself. So I will work longer myself – so that’s very difficult – but otherwise I can’t afford it.”
Surfboard maker Jack Candlish of Verdure Surf builds his boards within sight of the city’s most popular surf break – right next to Wellington Airport and Moa Point.
Surfboard builder Jack Candlish says he’s considering relocating if the closure of the beaches “drags on”. Bill Hickman / RNZ
He usually sold just over a third of his boards to locals, but said he had not received a single local inquiry since news of the contamination of the surf spot broke.
“If it drags on much longer we’ll probably look at relocating. It’s something that we’ve already thought about doing but this has been a bit of a kick to, kind of, fast-track that process.
“We might as well be in Palmerston North as far as I’m concerned, when the beach isn’t even accessible.”
Another massive mountain to climb
Steve Walters of Destination KRL said he had heard from about 30 businesses in the area reporting dramatic losses over the last fortnight.
He said people in the beachside suburb paid some of the highest rates in the country, and if a solution could not be put in place quickly the council should step in to help.
“We’ve got government workers being reduced in this town and people being pretty tight with their money. Now on top of that a combination of entities have failed in providing a service which these businesses have paid for, so they’re feeling ‘we’ve just suddenly got another massive mountain to climb’ and they need support to get over that.”
A spokesperson for Wellington City Council said they had been in touch with business leaders in the area and were looking at how best to support affected businesses. But the council could not provide details of any plans at this stage.
“We appreciate the Moa Point plant failure will be having an impact on the South Coast, in particular some of the businesses in Lyall Bay,” a spokesperson said.
“We want to encourage Wellingtonians to get down to Lyall Bay, especially on a good day, and pay the cafes and other businesses a visit and spend some money.”
Wellington Water said it could be months before the plant was back in operation.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
