Restaurant Association chief executive Nicola Waldren said she wants a Government that works with the sector. Photo / Jason Dorday
It’s a family affair for Waldren, whose father Neville Waldren was the founding chief executive of the organisation.
“That’s really how I came to be part of the industry and how I came to the association in the first place,” Nicola Waldren said.
“It wasn’t ever my intention. I think I came to help out one day and they’ve found it difficult to get rid of me ever since. But I think that love for the industry really came from him.”
Waldren has worked for more than 20 years in various roles at the Restaurant Association, with time spent as a membership communications manager, and later general manager of the organisation.
With her family connection and deep ties to Bidois, Waldren said she’d like to be in a position to build on the legacy created by her predecessors.
“One of the things that is really important is that our industry continues to be recognised and respected by decision makers. I think that’s something that Marisa really built up over many years, and that’s one of the biggest priorities for me to continue with.”
Bidois, with her counterparts at Hospitality New Zealand, was successful in her bid for a dedicated ministerial role, with Louise Upston taking on the portfolio alongside tourism as the Minister for Tourism and Hospitality.
It’s been a positive development, Waldren said, with key changes for the sector occurring over this Government’s term, including to visa rules, Easter holiday liquor sales restrictions and the imminent arrival of the Michelin Guide, to which the Government has dedicated $6.3 million to bring to New Zealand.
Restaurant Association chief executive Nicola Waldren said the organisation was doing what it could to support businesses. Photo / Jason Dorday
However, despite the changes, the experience of hospitality owners across the country has been mixed.
Data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) showed that 2025 recorded the highest number of liquidations in 15 years and the largest number of company removals in nearly a decade.
For the hospitality industry, recorded liquidations in March 2026 were up 49% compared with the previous year, with 399 recorded, according to the Centrix April Credit Indicator report.
Waldren said it was hard to see so many businesses close over the last year.
“It often is that build-up of what we’ve been going through for a number of years. There comes a point where you can’t wait for the better times to come, and some decisions do have to be made.
“It is really devastating because for hospitality owners it’s their life and soul that they’ve put into their businesses. We employ a lot of people, so that’s large teams that are affected and families’ livelihoods. It’s definitely hard to see and hear those numbers.”
Waldren said members had described the start of the year as a time of sales growth, reflected in the organisation’s data which showed total spending increased by 6.5% to $4.26 billion over the first quarter of 2026 compared to the previous corresponding period.
However, there is a clear regional difference in that performance, with Queenstown-Lakes growing by 21.9% compared to Nelson, which had spending fall over the first quarter by 13.1%.
But despite the lift in overall spending, it hasn’t resulted in higher earnings, according to Waldren, with energy, insurance, food and other operating costs eating into bottom lines.
“Some of the world events this year have imposed cost changes that we really weren’t planning for this year. Even where there’s been sales growth, it hasn’t necessarily translated into better margins.
“There is some change that we can see happening, we just really need to see that more fully across the industry and across the country. That’s our hope.”
Despite the number of hospitality businesses that have closed, the number that have opened over the past year is also relevant, with 3555 opening their doors according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
That’s nearly 10 times the number that have liquidated, and something Waldren believes highlights the opportunity that still exists in the sector.
“That’s one of the things that makes the industry so incredible and so diverse. There’s always exciting new openings and New Zealand is spoilt for choice in the options that we’ve got.
“That’s something that’s really important in terms of our role and the Government’s role of creating an environment or settings that really do encourage people to want to open businesses and grow within the industry. We’re really invested in helping tell the story about why it’s an important industry to join.”
The opportunity presented by the arrival of the Michelin Guide is precisely this, with Waldren describing its introduction as a game-changer for the industry.
She said New Zealand has always had world-class businesses and chefs, but Michelin was an internationally recognised and respected benchmark the sector needs.
“The other really important thing is that this isn’t a once-off. We’ve got a big opportunity this year, but I’m really interested to see how we can leverage that and build our culinary tourism story.
“We’ve got an opportunity next year and the year after that, so this is the start of something really quite exciting.”
The Michelin Guide’s June 30 launch event will reveal whether any local restaurants have been awarded the coveted one-, two- or three-star status.
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
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