Culum Manson with Kylie Mooney of Meredith Connell at 136 Fanshawe St. Photo / Alex Burton
Culum Manson with Kylie Mooney of Meredith Connell at 136 Fanshawe St. Photo / Alex Burton
The difference between Covid 19 alert level 4 and 3 has a multi-billion dollar effect on business and for many companies that means preparing to get back to work as soon as possible.
For example, in the building and infrastructure sectors, it governs whether around 300,000 people workers with a$46 billion annual output can return to work.
New Zealand will spend the long ANZAC Day weekend in lockdown, moving to alert level 3 just before midnight on Monday, April 27, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced today.
The announcement means from next Tuesday, not only essential industries but all businesses deemed to be capable of operating "safely" will be permitted to do so.
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has welcomed the move to alert level 3 lockdown from next week, saying many New Zealand businesses would be relieved to open back up, but it warns that it is a long way from business as usual.
"This seems to strike a good balance between our country's health and the economy, but people must be vigilant and stick strictly to Health and Safety guidelines," EMA chief executive Brett O'Riley said.
"We know that companies with international connections got an early start on some of their crisis management and business continuity, so they're all ready to go.
"For others, it's now a matter of nailing down their process to be most profitable with what they can do, and ensuring their plan to keep their people safe is watertight."
O'Riley said the retail sector, a large section of the EMA's membership, were disappointed that there were limited ways for them to work at alert level 3 unless it's contactless, leaving no room for other options.
Retail NZ said it was disappointed that the nation would remain in lockdown for a further week before moving to level 3.
Rick Herd, chief executive of Naylor Love - one of New Zealand's largest builders with around 700 staff - said the company would be mobilising to get people back to the sites starting April 27.
"We have 150 sites around New Zealand and we need to return to work. It would have been painful for us to remain on level 4 for longer. We have a $1.4m weekly wage bill.
"We're all set up. We have protocols established for new site safety measures and we're making sure the work force is all ready and geared up to go."
Culum Manson of multi-billion dollar developers Mansons TCLM says work stopped at projects worth more than $500 million towards the end of March when the level 4 alert was instigated.
"Our contractors and suppliers are as keen as we are and have a revised, coordinated programme to achieve this. Health and safety protocols which exceed those required by the alert level 3 requirements are in place. These were already in motion prior to the lockdown and have been refined further during the lockdown period," Manson said.
"Understandably we are keen to get back on the job and deliver for our customers," Manson said.
For the retail and hospitality sectors, a move to alert level 3 will enable many to start up operations again after a period of no trade. Many businesses will be able trade online as long as they are ensuring distancing between workers.
Rachael Challinor, owner and operator of Remuera retail store People Like US, says moving to level 3 will allow her business to earn about 30 per cent of its regular income - a welcomed lift from virtually nothing over the past few weeks.
The retailer, which sells athleisure clothing, has not been able to trade during the lockdown so far as the items it sells have been deemed non-essential.
"My take on the move to level 3 is that we will be able to use our online business at least because level 4 for us following the rules has been a complete shutdown," Challinor said.
"It's the only hope we've got to save our business," she said. "No small business can not operate without any form of revenue for four to six weeks."
Rachael Challinor - waiting for alert level to change. Photo / file
Challinor had been unable to access her bricks and mortar store over the past few weeks. It had, however, made a few sales via its online store with the note that it will deliver post-level 4 lockdown.
Greg Cornes, owner of Auckland cafe chain Goodness Gracious, which employs 20 staff spread between three locations, wanted the level 4 lockdown to be extended for a couple more weeks.
He said he would "hate to be chopping between levels" which would cause more disruption to the business, if the number of Covid-19 cases were to increase again.
Under level 4 lockdown, Goodness Gracious had been selling coffee beans and bagels online, with orders sent out directly from its suppliers. A move to level 3 would allow his kitchen staff back into the cafes and the menu for online orders to be extended.
"For us, level 3 [will be] an extension of a service that we were already operating in terms of online and app ordering; the full contactless component, you could liken our service to a drive-thru type scenario where customers are placing an order online or via an app and then when they come to pick up it would be a communication as to what car they are in or a pick-up window," Cornes said.
"It [will] almost be like operating in a new foreign city. Most people expect that they will have a little flurry to start off with because even for someone to leave their house, drive up the road and grab an order will be a huge novelty to have that ability. I think there will a surge comparable to what then comes for the next few weeks - it'll be a great indicator of the busiest you could possibly hope to be."
