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National | Business

Hamilton business needs help to keep smoking hot

Jared MacDonald (Ngāti Porou) AKA Texas Pete owns popular barbecue restaurant Texas Pete's in Hamilton. He explains the repercussions the COVID-19 Lockdown has had to his business.

"What we need is money to help to pay for the rent. And I'm not talking in a year, or in a month. I'm talking rent that was due yesterday. I wasn't able to pay my rent on the 20th, but I, fortunately, was able to work out a deal with my landlord," he says.

"When the Prime Minister says it's a marathon, she's not just talking about wiping out the virus, all businesses are in a marathon in terms of keeping their businesses surviving and profitable and keep a positive balance sheet."

Texas Pete says that his barbeque house is not the only business going through these difficulties.

Source / Facebook

With the current government debt at 19% of GDP, accountant Renata Kahuroa (Ngāi Tāmanuhiri, Ngāti Kahungunu) is asking wondering why they are not reaching into the honey pot to help a small business to pay their 'overheads.' The government has borrowed to pay for the wage and leave subsidy, and Kahuroa believes that they could do the same to help businesses.

"The government's been saying that they are in a unique position in the world," Renata says.

"But the real unique position in the world is that they can take care of the public health outcomes, and be able to support the economy ... we can do both. "

Although he acknowledges the assistance from the government with the wage subsidy going to his employees, MacDonald says it doesn't do anything for the actual business itself.

"I'm just the middleman, it all goes to my workers. I don't get to control it essentially, it just gets paid to them.

"So that doesn't necessarily help much," he says.

Having to write off five thousand dollars worth of produce during the first-week flock down due to limited freezer space - Macdonald says he has to pay for that again in preparation for their re-opening next Tuesday.