“People have hung on and you can clearly see that in the way they are carrying themselves,” he said.
But there was also a feeling that the bottom had been hit and things could only pick up. The return of tertiary students to the city was noted and such things provided optimism until disposable income increased, he said.
The South had a strong voice in the sector and frustrations on a variety of issues were aired, including the Dunedin City Council’s local alcohol policy.
Businesses needed certainty on how to prepare for the year ahead and they were frustrated with the lack of clarity and communication. “We need to know what’s going to happen here, particularly as we head into local body elections,” he said.
Forsyth Barr Stadium was a facility the South should be incredibly proud of but the lack of content had been emphasised. With Christchurch’s new stadium due to open next year, the going was “going to get tougher”, he said.
Rather than regions with such assets competing against each other, they needed to to find a way to work together to be more relevant in the international market and ultimately improve each other’s balance sheets.
Dunedin was also a city which had a legacy of music, and music and hospitality went “hand in hand”. While he had seen signs of that during his visit to the city, he believed that needed to be brought more to the forefront.
Mr Armitage has been in the role for just over 18 months and still found the range and breadth of issues he navigated day-to-day surprising.
The organisation represented every segment of New Zealand’s hospitality sector, from restaurants and cafes, clubs and bars, to luxury lodges and bed and breakfast operators.
Prior to the appointment, he was managing director at Daylight, a strategic consultancy specialising in major events, tourism and business events for the betterment of local communities, visitors and businesses.
He was previously general manager destination at Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (now Tataki Auckland Unlimited), the region’s cultural and economic growth agency, where he had oversight of tourism marketing, destination management, major events, business events and international education.
He oversaw the development of Auckland’s major events portfolio, including the Cricket World Cup, 36th America’s Cup, Fifa Women’s World Cup and Rugby World Cup. He had previously worked in the government as a strategist advising on a range of portfolios, including tourism.
Having been involved in the visitor sector for about 20 years, he had seen the good times — including when the 100% Pure Brand hit the world stage and New Zealand being one of the most appealing destinations in the world. While the country had not hit those heady heights for a while, he did not doubt that it could get back to those days.
It was a privilege to be involved in the sector and he was very conscious that all the members were his bosses. It was a responsibility that did weigh heavily some days, particularly when businesses were “right on the edge”.
But while closures tended to dominate the headlines, there were also places opening all the time and there were still more hospitality businesses now than pre-Covid 19.
Hospitality was a sector “where reinvention is almost a part of it” and a very clear value proposition was needed. “I have to marvel at how well people have gotten down and played what’s in front of them. I’m incredibly proud of the fact, generally speaking, people within the sector have found a way,” he said.
A lot of goodwill and support was demonstrated for the sector coming out of Covid-19 but it could not continue to ask the government for handouts. “We need to demonstrate we are a sector which has a clear plan, which is what we are working on, and don’t need to be reliant on local government and central government.”
Conversations with the government were “heading in the right direction” and it was positive to see hospitality properly recognised in 2023 with the title change to minister of tourism and hospitality, a position held by Louise Upston.
Late last year, a hospitality summit was held at Parliament, involving both Hospitality New Zealand and the Restaurant Association of New Zealand, looking at how the government could better support the sector. Some 40 recommendations were with the government and an announcement was hoped for in the next few weeks, he said.
The sector still had not found a way to successfully appeal to young people as a career, and there was a heavy dependence on international students and immigration support. The narrative needed to be shifted; for those prepared to put in time and effort, they could quickly rise up the ranks and there were a broad range of roles.
