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Steve Armitage: Hospitality NZ chief executive on what makes a good gastropub · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talks Be follow
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: We've been talking about the greatest pubs in New Zealand.
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  Speaker 2: It is a pleasure to chat to Steve Armatage, the
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  Speaker 2: chief executive of Hospitality New Zealand. Get a Steve.
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  Speaker 3: Good afternoon, gentlemen.
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  Speaker 4: Tell us about these Gastro pub awards.
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  Speaker 3: Oh well, look, can I first of all just thank
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  Speaker 3: you both and your listeners for the love that you've
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  Speaker 3: been showing towards gastro pubs and pubs up and down
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  Speaker 3: the country. It's just been music to my ears. And
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  Speaker 3: I know a lot of our members will be appreciating
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  Speaker 3: the RFI that is being expressed towards them over the
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  Speaker 3: course of the afternoon, so that's amazing. But it was
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  Speaker 3: a great occasion last night. But people are so dedicated
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  Speaker 3: and committed to their craft that they're almost apologetic being
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  Speaker 3: away from their businesses for a night, so you could see,
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  Speaker 3: you know, the recognition sometimes set a little bit uneasily
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  Speaker 3: on their shoulders. But it was great to hear you
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  Speaker 3: talking to one of the co owners from the Fat Duck,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, there's such deserving winners.
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  Speaker 4: When Steve wind does a pub become a gastropub and
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  Speaker 4: not just a pub that serves food, A.
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  Speaker 3: Gastro pub probably sways more towards being a bit of
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  Speaker 3: a hybrid between a restaurant and a pub. There's usually
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  Speaker 3: some elements on the menu that traditional pub goers might
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  Speaker 3: think a little bit fancy, and certainly, if you look
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  Speaker 3: at the winners last night, a really strong reflection in
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  Speaker 3: the menus of local produce and particularly strong offerings around
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  Speaker 3: seafood and game, which were signature dishes for New Zealand.
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  Speaker 3: And so some of that authenticity coming through in the
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  Speaker 3: way that they're presenting their food and the passion that
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  Speaker 3: they're bringing to the plates as a key to winning
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  Speaker 3: these type of accolades.
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  Speaker 4: Right, So a deep friar and some you know, some
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  Speaker 4: chips and a bit of a steak isn't enough to
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  Speaker 4: make you a gestro.
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  Speaker 3: Pub, not not on this particular occasion. But of course
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  Speaker 3: those have a place. We've all been into those those pubs,
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  Speaker 3: and they do a huge amount of work within their
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  Speaker 3: respective communities. There's nothing wrong with that, absolutely certainly about
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  Speaker 3: those that are going the extra mile in showcasing the
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  Speaker 3: talent that they have, particularly in their kitchens.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, what is this something that makes New Zealand pubs
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  Speaker 2: and gestro pubs unique in the world, Steve, We love
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  Speaker 2: our pubs, clearly over the last hour we've heard that
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  Speaker 2: and there is something sort of quintessential about our Kiwi pubs.
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  Speaker 2: But how would you sum up what makes it it
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  Speaker 2: kind of special to New Zealand culture.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think that we are unique in having a
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  Speaker 3: pub culture, you know, that's certainly part of the thing
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  Speaker 3: the colony. I suppose we've picked that up from our
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  Speaker 3: British heritage and the history that you see, you know,
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  Speaker 3: when you go into a pub in the UK. Some
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  Speaker 3: of those pubs have been around for literally hundreds of years.
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  Speaker 3: But what I think we have that is a little
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  Speaker 3: bit different, is much more a stronger focus I think
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  Speaker 3: on people, you know, and that's come through really clearly
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  Speaker 3: in the comments I've heard from your callers throughout the
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  Speaker 3: course of today. There's there's often been references to the
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  Speaker 3: people on both sides of the bar. It's not just
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  Speaker 3: the people who are providing the establishment, it's the characters
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  Speaker 3: and the personalities are that are the frequent customers that
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  Speaker 3: are coming in the door that I think create that
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  Speaker 3: appeal and that sense of community, and ultimately, you know,
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  Speaker 3: all of our experiences in a pub are based on emotion.
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  Speaker 3: There's highs and lows, sometimes both ends of the spectrum
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  Speaker 3: on the same night. But you're ultimately creating memories that
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  Speaker 3: you refer back to. And I heard Matt talk about
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  Speaker 3: the Chopper and Rewalker and a lot of emotions back
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  Speaker 3: for you, but in many of the listeners. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: that's that's what's at the heart of it, is creating
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  Speaker 3: that sense of connection and those memories that you take
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  Speaker 3: forward and pass on.
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  Speaker 4: Well, to be fair, I don't have a lot of
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  Speaker 4: memories of that night, but generally I would hope to
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  Speaker 4: leave with some memories. So are we're talking to Hospitality
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  Speaker 4: the New Zealand Chief executive Steve Armitage. How is hospital
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  Speaker 4: going to New Zealand at the moment, Steve, Look, it's.
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  Speaker 3: Still it's still tough going. I think summer has been
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  Speaker 3: pretty pretty positive though. We've seen definitely an influx of
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  Speaker 3: international visitors, particularly noticeable uptake and American tourists have been
• 4:04
  Speaker 3: passing through New Zealand. So most regions are reporting that
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  Speaker 3: business has been up on previous years.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, well that's great news.
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  Speaker 2: Fantastic, Steve, thank you so much. Great to chat with you,
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  Speaker 2: and as Steve see, go and support the pubs, not
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  Speaker 2: like we need to be told, but get behind them
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  Speaker 2: because it's what makes us country beautiful.
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  Speaker 4: Get stuck into the Fat.
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