Mount businesses need strong summer after landslide hits trade

The Mount Business Association is seeing signs of improvement for traders heading into summer, after a tough start to the year.

Association general manager Jay Banner said foot traffic took a hit in the weeks after the Mauao landslide tragedy. However, businesses had told him it was getting better, especially with the weather warming.

"Retailers and hospitality operators, particularly in Mount North, were significantly impacted, but many are having some really good trading days of recent."

The January 22 landslide killed six holidaymakers and closed damaged attractions including the campground Mount Hot Pools and Mauao walking tracks – which were hit by many slips.

Authorities are aiming for a partial summer reopening of the repaired tracks, but the future of the pools and campground is undecided.

The business association comprises 280 businesses in retail, hospitality, services and professional sectors along Maunganui Rd between Pacific Ave and Tawa St. It does not include the northernmost section of the Mount, closest to the slip.

Banner said trade was still down in the association's area compared to last year, with its latest spending data showing a 2.9% decrease for July.

"The weekends have seen strong foot traffic, but we are still noticing a dip in midweek foot traffic.

"Many have told me spend has held up better than expected because locals have kept coming."

July was an improvement on April, when spending was down almost 20% year-on-year. January to August was down 11.6%.

Banner said accommodation providers had a significant drop in bookings after Mauao closed, but were experiencing renewed interest as awareness grew that Mount Maunganui was open for business.

He said businesses most affected were those reliant on people walking the Mauao tracks, but the "entire community has been impacted".

Tommy Bahama manager Brigid Clarke told Local Democracy Reporting last month the impact of the landslide and Mauao's closure on trade had been "devastating".

"We had to restructure the whole business."

This involved reduced opening times and staffing for the apparel store.

Solera owner Nick Potts said he noticed a decrease in foot traffic immediately after the slip.

The restaurant was not reliant on Mauao visitors, however, and had not seen much of an ongoing impact.

"The last 12 months have actually been really good for us."

Banner said the association had been running events to help connect businesses and the community.

These included Yoga in the Park, Pilates on Mount Main Beach, a Latin festival and a school holiday scavenger hunt for children.

The association received funding to support its events and promotional activities after the slip, including $25,000 from the Western Bay Emergency Response Fund and $40,000 from the Mayoral Relief Fund.

He said businesses needed more support and advice after the tragedy than previously.

"Confidence is building, but businesses definitely need a strong summer.

"The key message we want to get across is that Mount Maunganui is open, vibrant and well worth visiting."

The beaches, retail, hospitality and accommodation were open as usual, and the association encouraged people to explore and support local businesses.

Banner last month shared the association's monitoring report for the first half of the year with Tauranga City councillors.

The report said Mauao's closure resulted in declining visitor numbers and spending.

Trading conditions became "extremely difficult", especially for the first couple of months after the tragedy, with revenue falls of up to 25% reported.

"Over the past six months, several long-standing Mount Mainstreet businesses have closed, contributing to a higher-than-usual vacancy rate and longer re-tenanting periods for retail and hospitality spaces," the report said.

Activity had increased in recent weeks, with the old cinema building sold and new businesses moving to the Mount, including clothing stores and a luxury yacht broker.