Restaurant Association of New Zealand's survey discloses the impact of the Auckland floods on hospitality businesses across the North Island.
The survey found that 85 percent of respondents were impacted by the severe weather.
75 percent of respondents stated that they had seen a significant downturn in trade over the Auckland anniversary weekend, especially in Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel.
54 percent of respondents said they experienced material damage to their business due to the extreme weather.
55 percent of respondents stated that they had to shut their doors due to damage caused to their building.
68 percent of respondents reported that their staff were unable to travel to work.
20 percent of respondents noted that they received reservation cancellations.
Shortages of ingredients due to interruptions in the supply chain was also reported in the survey.
CEO of Restaurant Association of New Zealand Marisa Bidois commented that the weekend's severe weather has clearly caused widespread issues to many hospitality businesses.
"We've been taking calls all weekend from members looking for support and targeted communication to help them work through the situation and get back and running again. "
Many members were specifically looking for additional support in negotiating with insurance companies and landlords to facilitate recovery from the storm.
The Restaurant Association of New Zealand has published an emergency response advice guide for businesses on their website, including information on employment relatoons, food safety, insurance assistance, support and finance assistance and wellbeing.
"We know that many businesses will be anxious, particularly with more rain expected. We would like to remind all hospitality businesses that the Association is here to support them through this," added Bidois.
First established in 1972, the Restaurant Association aims to offer advice, help and assistance to New Zealand's hospitality industry. Currently, the organisation represents and advocates for over 2500 hospitality businesses across the nation.
