New Zealand has been one of the great case studies for how to effectively stamp out Covid-19. With no community transmission cases for over 100 days local businesses were showing signs of bouncing back after the lockdown period. For our small family owned tourism business in Hawke’s Bay the support from locals and domestic tourists visiting Hawke’s Bay over the last few months has helped with business confidence during a time of so much uncertainty.

A second wave of Covid-19 has always been a possibility for New Zealand. Despite the effort to close the borders it seems this tricky virus has slipped through the cracks. Once again, it is time for every New Zealander to dig deep, follow the government guidelines and do our bit to keep everyone safe and help local businesses survive.

Tourism and Hospitality businesses are on the front line, but most small/family owned businesses are expected to be impacted by a second wave. Below is a list of things anyone and everyone can do to help out.

The first thing to say here is this is written from the perspective of Bay Tours and Charters – which is a small family owned tourism business based in Hawke’s Bay. This article’s intention is not political, instead it is a way to share ideas to help similar businesses around the country.

So please like, comment and share this article within your circles. Together we can make a difference by spreading the word!


Shop Local and support small businesses & book direct!

Smiling cafe worker

Support local Hospitality businesses and boutique shops by dining and shopping following level 2 guidelines outside of Auckland (at the time of writing) and by purchasing from your favourite local online if you live in Auckland.

Remember all of the local shops have been through this level before and should have different products they can sell online with zero contact if necessary.

One of the biggest trends that we observed during the first lockdown was an increase in online sales of food deliveries, vegetables and wine. Most Hawke’s Bay wineries deliver wine straight to your door if you order at least 6 bottles, by buying directly through the winery 100% of the profits will go to the wineries. We have created a list of Hawke’s Bay wineries you can buy direct from. Click the link here


Write a review and help boost awareness

Leave reviews for local businessesThis one won’t cost you a penny but can have one of the biggest impacts. Everyone reading this article has a favourite local restaurant, cafe or bar, a hotel they love to stay at when visiting another region or have been on a great tour lately. Writing an honest review about your experience will have a huge impact.

Sharing your review will not only increase the awareness of the local business and help visiting tourists find that business in the future but it will also provide a much needed morale boost. There are plenty of places you can leave a review online – try Facebook, Google or Tripadvisor. It won’t matter where you write it, the most important thing is that you DO write one.


Interact with their social posts

Social Media engagement for small businessesIt may seem pretty trivial but by commenting on and liking social posts from local tourism businesses and organisations such as Tourism Hawke’s Bay you will help extend the reach of their posts, introducing new audiences to their brand. It won’t cost you a thing to share interesting articles or tag friends in relevant posts.

Bonus points for you if you upload an image eating at a restaurant or tasting wine at a winery cellar door. Plus don’t forget to tag the relevant companies! While you are here feel free to follow our instagram page for updates on the Hawke’s Bay wine and tourism industry – here


Buy gift Vouchers & Book tours for next summer 

Sales and discountsYou might not feel like doing a wine tour or visiting a NZ region right now but the regions will certainly appreciate the added cash flow. This in turn will help small businesses pay staff and increase their spend in the communities.

You would have noticed that prices for domestic tours dropped in order to encourage more New Zealanders to participate over the winter months. If you are prepared to book for the future you will once again find yourself great deals and at the same time help the business offering the special deals tremendously.

We urge other local businesses to use gift vouchers and discounts to increase cash flow and reward supportive customers.


Be kind and look after your community

This is the most important thing to remember! We all need to stick together as a community and do what’s right. The health of our most vulnerable matters the most. So make sure you are up to date with reputable sources of information such as World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health.

3 Comments

  • Great post – very good points and you’re right we all need to rally together and help our local businesses

    • baytours says:

      Thank you Yvonne. It certainly is a troubling time for a lot of the community but with support we can all get through it.

  • This article gives detail about 6 things you can do to support local new Zealand businesses during covid-19 and this article shared so much information regarding the same… I enjoyed reading while going through this article and this is the best link for gaining all the information about it.

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