Brian Watson

And the best beer is fresh beer, right, in kegs.

Right.

Yes.

And it feels like every week we're getting a new main freight, oh, look, the fuel surcharge is changing.

And to be fair, actually, it's gone up, it's gone down, it's gone up again, it's gone down, it's gone up again, it's gone down again.

And so it's just, you know, I think they're reacting to as much information as they have as well.

And we are trying to absorb some, but in some cases you just have to pass on what you can because it's difficult and supermarkets won't let us pass it on straight away either.

We have been working, you know, and sort of lobbying the government to be able to, as a guild, to be able to pause or reduce draft beer excise, to be able to give hospitality a chance.

It's hard work.

The government has its view of excise and we have our view of excise as well, which is different.

Well, look, it depends on who you speak to.

The market is changing.

There's a decline in alcohol consumption around the world, potentially in the Western world, and it's driven by people making better choices for themselves.

However, beer's not going away anytime soon.

You know, it's a staple of New Zealand culture.

And not only beer, but, you know, the pubs in which they're consumed, it's part of the fabric of New Zealand society.

So, you know, that was why, as a Guild, we've been trying to work with the government to say, come on, give the hospitality industry a break because they need it.

They've had a hell of a hard time since they were shut down during COVID.

And we know that you need the money, but it'll pay back more through what you can do for the industry as well.

How receptive has the government been?