Wage subsidy data reveals scale of tourism hurt

Businesses with 'bungy' in their name had 44% fewer employees in August 2021 compared to March 2020. (Image: Deposit Photos)

Andy Fyers

Wed, 01 Dec 2021

As New Zealand entered its first covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, businesses scrambled to use the hastily arranged wage subsidy scheme as they feared an economic meltdown. Altogether they claimed $10.9 billion in the first 12-week iteration of the scheme – and that doesn't include the thousands of businesses that later repaid it.Fast forward to August 2021 and the start of a new outbreak, this one as a result of the more contagious delta variant.Having weathered the initial outbreak many times better than even the most optimistic...

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