Gastro bug ‘a huge hit to take’

The losses are mounting up for Havelock North businesses still reeling in the wake of a gastro bug that affected a third of the town’s population.

One motelier who has run at about 80 per cent occupancy at this time of the year for the last 10 years is currently sitting on 31 per cent occupancy, Hospitality New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay president, Shaye Bird said. ‘‘That’s a huge hit to take.’’ One pub owner was $20,000 to $30,000 in the red, despite having successfully run his business for 18 years and never requesting a handout.

At lunchtime yesterday, a bus crammed with hungry mouths from Napier headed to Havelock North on a food crawl, in an effort to help lift the town’s business district out of its post-campylobacter slump.

‘‘The idea was to fill the bus with Napier hospitality people, head to Havelock North and put some money in their tills,’’ Bird said.

‘‘The message we want to send is that Havelock North is very much open for business.’’

Two deaths have been linked to the outbreak. Both were elderly women who contracted campylobacter, but their deaths were caused by other medical problems.

The tragedy has been worsened by the ‘‘devastating’’ hit businesses have taken, Bird said.

‘‘Many of our members in the area [have] suffered significant cancellations or loss of business since the campylobacter outbreak occurred.’’

Bird said it looked like they’d fill a 48-seater bus, donated for the occasion, which had been titled ‘‘Super Sunday in the Village’’.

‘‘We haven’t been affected at all in Napier, but a lot of these people [affected] are friends in the industry. They have made the best of a bad situation.’’

Restaurants, bars and cafes that took part in the ‘‘food crawl’’ included: Deliciosa, Loading Ramp, Namas-kar, Pipi and Hugo Chang.