Kate Hawkesby: Dire straits for Queenstown hospo is heartbreaking

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · Aug 28, 2022 · 2m

“All I do is cry” was the quote that broke my heart over the weekend.

The ODT had a story about the state of Queenstown at the moment, and it talked to café and restaurant owners who’re still in dire straits over lack of staff. They claim there’s no light at the end of the tunnel, and that this is worse than Covid was.

Hospitality NZ’s regional manager was quoted as saying that it’s such a pressure cooker situation that, ''It's becoming a luxury for our operators to open at the moment.'' Imagine that. A luxury to even open your doors.

As a business, that has to be soul destroying. They’re…