Veronika Vermeulen, owner of Aroha New Zealand Tours “The country’s $40 billion tourism industry is grateful for the Government’s support. We appreciate its renewed focus on tourism’s recovery and its desire to transition to a more sustainable footing. However, many of the smaller, family-owned businesses now urgently need operational support if they are to actually survive into 2022 and beyond,” says Veronika Vermeulen, owner of Aroha New Zealand Tours. Small businesses are the backbone of New Zealand and, she says, the same applies to tourism. Hundreds of guides, for example, connect overseas visitors with New Zealand’s culture and landscapes as key ambassadors. Many, however, have been forced into other work with no clear pathway back to tourism meaning a big loss of experience and knowledge.