The kickstart funds would be available once there was more certainty about the border opening date, Mr Nash said.
"The kickstart grants would be worth two weeks of pre-Covid revenue and are designed to help businesses scale up or come out of hibernation, as international tourism returns," he said in an email to the Otago Daily Times this week.
Concerns had been raised at a Lake Wanaka Tourism meeting attended by National Party members Todd McClay (tourism spokesman) and Jacqui Dean (Waitaki MP) last Friday.
After the meeting, Lake Wanaka Tourism chairman Mat Woods said businesses needed certainty about when the border would reopen so they could employ a workforce.
They also needed kickstart funding released, Mr Woods said.
Mr Nash has also forwarded the Otago Daily Times details of the several types of funding received by Wanaka businesses since the pandemic arrived in 2020.
It included a special $20 million Economic Transformation fund for Wanaka and Queenstown to help diversify the economy, develop alternative industries and attract more private sector investment.
Mr Nash said this fund would focus on tech, digital and screen projects.
Wanaka businesses could also apply for a $4000 Covid support grant (including $400 per fulltime employee per fortnight), he said.
Mr Nash confirmed more than $10 million had already been paid out to Otago-Southland businesses between February 28 and March 3.
Further $5000 specialist business advice grants were also available, along with additional $5000 grants to help implement the advice.
The Government had spent $1.7 million in the four months to December supporting 418 businesses in the Queenstown Lakes area through the specialist business advice scheme, and another $980,000 had been spent implementing the advice.
Lake Wanaka Tourism had received $1.7 million in Government support since 2020, and the Queenstown Lakes District Council had received $781,784 from the Tourism Infrastructure Grants fund in July 2021 to pay for Wanaka lakefront improvements, including pedestrian pathways and upgrades to boat ramps and the jetty.
The Government had also granted $432,000 to the council for an upgrade to the Wanaka Tree car park, including bus parking, Mr Nash said.
In 2020, several Wanaka tourism businesses received direct support through STAPP grants and offers of loans, ranging from $215,000 (Wanaka River Journeys) to $2.4 million (Cardrona/Treble Cone skifields).
Mr Nash said zero interest small business cashflow loans administered by the Inland Revenue Department were also available.
"As we get closer to actual dates of border openings, Tourism NZ marketing will switch to actively encouraging bookings. I expect the ski season to be a big focus of marketing and that will be an exciting time for Wanaka. . . new domestic campaign will shortly be launched to encourage more travel during autumn," Mr Nash said.
Domestic spending was up 17% in Wanaka compared with the previous year to January 2021, and up 61% on pre-Covid spending in the year to January 2020.
"The challenge for all tourism destinations in New Zealand is to keep working hard to maintain their domestic appeal once borders reopen. Domestic tourists made up 60% of the total tourism market pre-Covid and have always been the bedrock of the industry."
