Snap lockdown means butcher has $50,000 worth of meat he needs to sell … ASAP

Thursday, 19 August 2021

Meaters of Marlborough had all staff on board on Thursday to prepare orders for their first delivery run.

The front doors might be shut, but inside it's all hands on deck.

The masked men and women of Meaters of Marlborough – all 15 of them – were busy on Thursday preparing orders for their first home deliveries on Friday.

Butchers were not classed as an essential service at alert level 4, but after lockdown last year, they were allowed to do a contactless delivery service.

Meaters of Marlborough owner Mike Newman said it was their only form of sales, and they were grateful for it.

Meaters of Marlborough owner Mike Newman has $50,000 of meat sitting in his store, as he didn’t have time to cancel orders before lockdown.

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“This lockdown happened very quickly, and we didn't have time to cancel a lot of our carcass meat and associated products arriving from the south.

“Therefore I have around $50,000 with me sitting here at the moment, which has to be paid for next week,” he said.

Newman decided to offer free deliveries to customers right across Marlborough, from Blenheim to Picton to Seddon.

Retail Meat New Zealand is pushing for butchers to be allowed to do click-and-collect at alert level 4.

“We have not increased one item to cover for delivery expenses, and we won't.

“We feel that it's tough times for a lot of people out there at the moment.

“And if we can offer them just something for nothing, as [in] a no-delivery fee, we feel that's a little bit of sunshine,” he said.

By not charging a delivery fee, Newman hoped they might reach a few new customers, maybe “young mothers, busy families, and the elderly”.

“We may have to reassess what we can safely do, but at this stage we certainly are abiding by all the rules.

“And we are very proud and making sure that our customers feel safe with us, coming to them,” Newman said.

Retail Meat New Zealand general manager Antoinette Bisset said changes had also been made for butchers under level 3.

“Butchers are going to be allowed to have people into their stores on a one-on-one basis.

“In level 3, they have got some pretty strict Covid-19 protocols to follow.”

Bisset said level 3 was now a lot better for butchers to be able to survive than level 4.

“Unfortunately we didn't foresee us going back into level 4 like this, which does make it harder on the butchers,” she said.

Watery Mouth cafe owner Juliet Partington said not having much notice before lockdown was very tough.

Bisset said they were dealing with the Ministry for Primary Industries on a daily basis, trying to push to see if butchers were able to get a click-and-collect service at level 4.

“But we are not the only industry that is struggling and the government is getting a lot of that type of request, so we don't have any indication of when that could happen,” Bisset said.

Across Blenheim, a lot of businesses were still in limbo on the second day of lockdown on Thursday, especially in the hospitality industry.

The Marlborough Chamber of Commerce is keeping businesses up-to-date on the support available, says general manager Pete Coldwell.

Watery Mouth cafe owner Juliet Partington said not having much notice before lockdown was “tough”.

“With the first lockdown last year we had at least two to three days to get rid of stock and things like that.

“If we go back to level 3, I don't think I will do click-and-collect if it is only for a week because it is a lot of work.

“If it is for another month then I would do it again, but there is so much uncertainty, it is scary,” Partington said.

Partington said she was waiting for some news regarding subsidies.

Herb and Olive cafe co-owner Richard Barton was having a very “positive” winter before Auckland’s latest Covid-19 outbreak.

Wage subsidy applications were to open on Friday for businesses that had experienced a revenue drop of at least 40 per cent.

Businesses could also apply for the resurgence support payment for other business costs, if their revenue dropped 30 per cent.

Marlborough Chamber of Commerce general manager Pete Coldwell said they were helping businesses to get a clearer picture of what support was available to them and how to get it.

“We see our role as one where we link the two together, so the businesses know what support they can get.

“On the basis of we don't know if it is a three-day lockdown or significantly longer, we are putting plans in place that will cover in case it is a week lockdown or a longer one,” Coldwell said.

Herb and Olive cafe co-owner Richard Barton said it was a relief to have support.

“Being the second lockdown, luckily we have that business support sorted out.

“It was going very well before that, it has been a really positive winter.

“It is a bit of a kick in the guts to have this happening right now,” Barton said.

“We were looking at doing a lot of things like an outdoor seating [area] … but those sorts of things always put a bit of a doubt in your mind when you are investing so heavily into a business, but I suppose you have to go ahead and continue.

“You just have to wait and see,” Barton said.