Quick answer
Hawke's Bay main-street businesses usually fund summer stock and staff, refits, equipment and the winter trough with unsecured funding sized on turnover (typically $5,000 to $500,000) or property-secured loans from $20,000 to $5,000,000. The region received about $801 million in visitor spending in the year to March 2025, with large summer peaks and a winter trough each year.
Key points
- Hawke's Bay received around $801 million in visitor spending in the year ended March 2025.
- Visitor spending has grown about 2.7% annually over five years despite major setbacks.
- The region has strong summer peaks and a winter trough, though the pattern is slowly evening out.
- Food and wine are central to the region's identity — and to many main-street businesses.
Hawke’s Bay wears its main streets with pride. Napier’s Art Deco centre, Hastings’ civic heart, Havelock North’s village of cafés and boutiques, and the small-town streets of Central Hawke’s Bay all draw locals and visitors. Food and wine run through everything — from cellar doors and orchard stalls to restaurants that build menus around what’s growing down the road.
The region has also been through a lot in recent years. That history, and its strongly seasonal visitor economy, shape how local businesses borrow.
What’s shaping trade in Hawke’s Bay?
A sizeable visitor economy. A review of the Hawke’s Bay visitor economy published by Hastings District Council in December 2025 found the region received around $801 million in visitor expenditure in the year ended March 2025, including about $197 million from international visitors.
Resilient growth. The same review reported visitor spending growth of about 2.7% annually over the previous five years, despite COVID-19 and natural disasters. In Wairoa, where infrastructure damage and disrupted road access from Cyclone Gabrielle took a toll, growth was much slower.
Summer peaks, winter troughs. The review described the region as traditionally having large peaks of visitor spending in summer and a trough in winter, although the pattern has been slowly improving. For main-street hospitality and retail, that means a busy summer that has to fund a lean winter.
Food and wine identity. The region’s branding around food and wine is central to how it attracts visitors, which matters for every café, restaurant, deli and gift shop on the main streets.
What do Hawke’s Bay owners usually fund?
- Summer staff and stock. See funding summer staff — and note Employment New Zealand’s rules on when pay-as-you-go holiday pay (8% of gross earnings) can be used: only for genuinely irregular work or fixed-term agreements of less than 12 months.
- Restaurant and cellar door fit-outs. See restaurant and hospitality finance.
- Tourism businesses — tours, bike hire, accommodation-linked services. See tourism operator loans.
- Winter gaps, when fixed costs continue but visitors thin out.
- Recovery and resilience. See recovering after disruption.
How lenders look at a Hawke’s Bay business
| What helps | Why |
|---|---|
| Twelve to twenty-four months of statements | Shows the summer peak and winter trough |
| An explanation of past disruption | Cyclone impact and recovery since |
| Forward bookings or event calendars | Evidence of next season’s demand |
| Clear plan for winter | How fixed costs are covered |
Unsecured options — typically $5,000 to $500,000 for trading businesses — suit seasonal stock and staff. Property-secured business loans — $20,000 to $5,000,000 — suit fit-outs, purchases and longer-term recovery, using residential or commercial property as security.
Thinking about the season ahead? Start an enquiry. There’s no credit check to ask.
An illustrative example
Illustrative only. A Havelock North restaurant does most of its trade from November to April, with wine-tourism visitors and summer events, and runs leaner from June to August. The owners want to refresh the dining room and add a covered courtyard before summer.
They schedule the work for winter, fund it with a property-secured loan so repayments stay manageable in the lean months, and use the cash gap estimator to check their winter buffer covers wages, rent and the provisional tax instalment due on 28 August.
Local help worth knowing about
- Hastings District Council and Napier City Council — consents, licensing and economic development research.
- Hawke’s Bay Tourism — the regional tourism organisation.
- Business Hawke’s Bay — the regional business and economic development network.
What has the region learned about resilience?
Hawke’s Bay businesses know better than most how quickly trade can be interrupted by events outside anyone’s control. A few habits make recovery faster when something goes wrong:
- Keep records off-site. Cloud accounting and POS systems mean your trading history survives even if the premises don’t.
- Know your insurance. Check whether you have business interruption cover and what it requires you to prove.
- Keep a cash buffer. Even a few weeks of fixed costs set aside buys time to make good decisions.
- Know who to call. Inland Revenue can remit penalties and some interest for taxpayers affected by declared emergency events, and councils and regional agencies often coordinate business support after major events.
Our page on recovering after disruption covers the funding side of recovery in more detail.
What should a Hawke’s Bay owner have ready?
- Twelve to twenty-four months of bank statements
- Your lease or property details
- Quotes for any fit-out, equipment or stock
- A short explanation of any disruption and how you’ve traded since
Which Hawke’s Bay main streets do we hear from?
Enquiries come from right across the region: Napier’s Art Deco centre and Ahuriri’s waterfront, central Hastings, Havelock North village, Taradale, Clive, and the smaller main streets of Central Hawke’s Bay such as Waipawa and Waipukurau, as well as Wairoa. Each has its own mix of locals and visitors, and the summer-heavy pattern is stronger in some than others. Tell us where you trade and who your customers are, and we’ll take it from there.
See what your Hawke’s Bay business could qualify for
From Napier’s Deco streets to Havelock North and Waipukurau, start your 60-second enquiry. Asking doesn’t affect your credit file, your details stay with one team rather than being sprayed around, and someone who understands seasonal regional trade will call you. Please be accurate about your season and your numbers so we can match you properly first time.
Frequently asked questions
Do you lend to businesses in Havelock North, Waipawa and Wairoa?
Yes. We help main-street businesses across Hawke's Bay — Napier, Hastings, Havelock North, Taradale, Clive, Waipawa, Waipukurau, Wairoa and more.
Can I borrow to get through winter?
Yes. Winter gaps are expected in a seasonal region. Twelve months of bank statements show the pattern, and the cash gap estimator helps you size what you need.
My business was affected by Cyclone Gabrielle. Will that count against me?
Not on its own. Lenders understand the cyclone's impact. Explain what happened and show how you've traded since — recovery is what matters.
Can I fund a cellar door or food business fit-out?
Yes. Fit-outs for hospitality, cellar doors and food retail are common. Unsecured or property-secured options can suit, depending on size.