Why it’s vital that Wellington regains its hospo mojo

Tuesday, 25 February 2025

The late and much-loved Matterhorn circa 2010, a lynchpin of Wellington hospitality’s glory days.

Steve Armitage is the chief executive of Hospitality NZ.

Join the conversation about Wellington’s hospo scene in the comments below.

OPINION: Wellington has long been home to some of the finest hospitality our country offers to visitors and locals. This wasn’t always the case, though.

In the late 70s and 80s, our capital city had a reputation for being a bit of a ghost town after dark, particularly in the central city. While there were a handful of stalwart pubs and restaurants, the options for more sophisticated or late-night dining and drinking were scarce.

By the 1990s though, Wellington had begun to reinvent itself. Urban renewal and investment from central and local government, and the private sector, saw the city flourish as a creative capital, with the rise of film, theatre and music scenes.

Hospitality played a big part in changing the mood of the city, with bars, cafés, and restaurants springing up and helping create a thriving city centre. Wellington’s café scene flourished in the 1990s, led by institutions like Midnight Espresso, Deluxe and Fidel’s.

As Wellington’s food and drink scene expanded, it provided a platform for local musicians, artists and performers. People came for the flat white or a beer, but the conversation, connections and creativity kept them coming back.

By the late 90s, Wellington had shrugged off its grey reputation and become known as New Zealand’s most sophisticated and vibrant dining and nightlife city. Places like the Matterhorn and Logan Brown, and later Chow, helped cement the city’s reputation as a hub for food and drink – a far cry from its quieter past.

After nine years of serving Wellington, Egmont St Deli & Diner is closing its doors, yet another indicator of the constant blows hitting the city’s hospitality industry.

It’s easy to underestimate how profoundly hospitality shapes a place. A good bar or restaurant draws people in, stimulates conversation, forges friendships, and sustains a sense of belonging.

Beyond this, hospitality became and remains a critical part of Wellington’s economy. In the year to March 2024, accommodation and food services in the Wellington region employed over 20,000 staff, or 6.4% of the region's workforce, and generated $885.2 million. Our sector also supports a range of businesses, from local suppliers to cultural events and entertainment.

But despite hospitality’s importance, challenges have arisen. The difficulties Wellington’s hospitality sector has faced in recent years have been the subject of much media attention recently. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the vibrant days of Wellington are a thing of the past.

Many column inches have been devoted to the impact of Covid-19 and economic downturns, job losses and working from home, all affecting foot traffic, staffing and business viability. Road works and the Golden Mile revitalisation, and concerns over safety, have also been singled out for having a negative impact.

It’s no wonder some observers worry that the “vibrant days” of Wellington might be history. But this isn’t the first time our capital has faced adversity. It emerged from its ghost-town years through collaboration, creativity, and visionary leadership. There’s no reason we can’t do so again.

Hospitality is integral to revitalising Wellington, as it is for major city centres across the motu. A thriving hospitality sector benefits retail, tourism and cultural events. A vibrant night-time economy, with hospitality at its centre, can also address concerns like safety, by increasing foot traffic.

A strong and thriving hospitality sector doesn’t happen overnight. We need to be optimistic about Wellington’s future, imagining a revitalised city centre with vibrant streets, buzzing restaurants and a bustling nighttime economy.

Elements Cafe in Lyall Bay closed at the start of 2024, in what proved to be a particularly tough year for the capital’s hospitality scene.

But to achieve this, we need policies that streamline permitting processes, improve transport modality into hospitality precincts and support events that bring people together. Valuing and nurturing a strong hospitality scene requires investment, supportive regulatory settings and long term confidence and certainty for both established operators and newcomers.

The role of hospitality in restoring vibrancy can and should also be front and centre as we approach the upcoming local government elections later this year. The hospitality sector needs a seat at the table, working alongside Wellington City Council to guarantee that local businesses are heard and their needs integrated.

We need to create a regulatory environment that nurtures growth to enable hospitality to be the beating heart of a thriving, future-focused capital.

Wellingtonians and visitors can also play a part by supporting local venues, advocating for progressive city planning, and remembering the transformative power a thriving food and drink scene has on our capital.

As the 2025 local government elections draw closer, we urge candidates to share their visions for supporting hospitality, whether through streamlined regulations, improved public transport, or direct event funding.

Yes, Wellington is facing headwinds. But history shows that through innovation and cooperation Wellington can change for the better. We’ve done it before, and we can do it again.

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