Cruise ship ban extra challenge for Devonport businesses

The sudden loss of tourism paired with the lockdown "hit hard" for Devonport businesses which now need all the support locals can give.

The village has seen revenue drop due to cruise ship season ending three weeks earlier than anticipated, said the Devonport Business Association.

Many businesses have faced challenges, says Shaulyn van Baaren, the association's improvement manager.

“Winter is when the cruise ships slow down so it tends to be quieter in the village, they were preparing for that, however the three weeks that they lost also created some challenges for them”.

Mrs Baaren says there is no short-term fix and the local community can help by supporting long term.

“I’m encouraging the community to take a look at what it is they can contribute and then take a look at doing that in the long term.”

But one local Devonport business owner said she was pleased when cruise ship tourists stopped coming.

Devonport Village main road, Lake Road in Devonport, Auckland. Photo: Ella Stewart

“I was kind of pleased because I was concerned about them coming in and giving us Covid, and then me giving it to my mother.” says Treena Nixon, owner of Miller Road Fragrance Studio.

Mrs Nixon says while she made no sales online over lockdown, it gave her some much needed time to work on admin while being supported by the government wage subsidy.

“I actually did well from being able to catch up some stuff and especially the fact that we had the wage subsidy to cover my staff”.

The fragrance studio saw a record number of online sales after they opened up for click and collect services for Mother’s Day.

“The locals were really supportive, which is great,” Mrs Nixon said.

No Devonport businesses have closed indefinitely due to COVID-19.

AUDIO: Click here to listen to Shaulyn van Baaren from the Devonport Business Association talking about how to support local.