Essential workers a lifeline for businesses

Motels and backpackers in Blenheim have emerged from coronavirus lockdown better than expected as international guests were largely replaced by essential workers.

Several Blenheim business owners reported a financial hit due to cancelled bookings, but found a lifeline in vineyard workers arriving in Marlborough for grape harvest.

Ellena Court Motel manager Jennie Latter said about three-quarters of her motel units were occupied by vineyard workers by the time level four started.

‘‘It’s amazing how quickly we all adapted to the challenges,’’ Latter said.

Motel units were easily converted to bubbles as each had a kitchenette and bathroom, and signage ensured only one bubble entered common spaces at a time, such as the laundry or office, she said.

Most of the vineyard workers had moved on. International guests made up about half her bookings, so she was a bit worried about the next few months, especially with many sporting events and conferences cancelled.

‘‘It will be interesting to see how Marlborough does with the domestic market.’’

Colonial Motel owner Peter Etheredge said he lost $23,000 worth of bookings when lockdown started.

But the motel was quickly filled with harvester drivers from Temuka, Timaru and Hokitika who worked through lockdown until harvest finished mid-april, Etheredge said.

After that, emergency housing clients and people who missed the last ferry to the North Island kept him at about 70 per cent occupancy, he said.

Since alert level two, his clients were mainly workers and corporate travellers.

‘‘We’ve been lucky, we could have had nothing ... There may be others who were not so lucky.’’

A woman in Marlborough is saddened she can’t work, despite multiple job opportunities, as her visa conditions do not allow it.

Gwen Di Schiena, from Italy, moved to New Zealand to work in an administration role in Marlborough’s tourism industry.

Di Schiena is on an essential skills visa, with conditions that attached her to her employer, job title and region.

Di Schiena was on a seasonal contract until the end of April. She planned to travel New Zealand for a month and then go back to Italy for winter.

She intended to return to New Zealand in about September to start a new contract at the same company, if she was granted a new visa.

Because of the coronavirus