Director Norcombe Barker said the castle employed 106 people during its peak season, but had had to let ‘‘a large number’’ of staff go.
The ‘‘devastating’’ decision was not taken lightly, Mr Barker said.
‘‘We were faced with the possibility of losing Larnach Castle altogether.
‘‘We made the decision we wouldn’t mothball it. We would lose a lot if we gave up so easily, but because the future is so uncertain, we are having to restructure.’’
He declined to give the number of staff who had lost their jobs, but said a reshuffling in roles had occurred.
‘‘Some of our staff have been redeployed - it’s not so much a matter of roles staff are in, but more focused on getting tasks done now.’’
The Government wage subsidy had provided some relief for the castle, which had claimed $529,000 for 97 employees.
‘‘The wage subsidy gave us breathing room,’’ Mr Barker said.
‘‘It’s never something you want to have to do. The staff have been very good about it all.’’
Larnach Castle was expecting to continue operations on about 10% of its normal income, but a transtasman bubble and increased domestic tourism provided hope, and Mr Barker said he would remain positive about the future.
‘‘We had our first day back yesterday [Monday] and I was quite surprised by the interest we got from locals. There is that glimmer of hope.’’
The castle was working with other tourism operators to provide deals for locals, and was looking forward to its 150th anniversary next year.
