Buy local to bring change

Jeremy Tauri.

People often ask me what can be done to make the area they live in more vibrant and successful.

We all want to live in communities where there are lots of opportunities for young people, great things to do in our spare time and fun things to spend our cash on.

Lots of people in small centres feel they are missing one - or several - of these ingredients, but they're not sure what to do about it.

What many people don't realise is that there's one simple thing that people all around New Zealand could do to help their local communities: Support local business.

It's so simple but yet very few people really do it.

I often hear people bemoaning the state of our city's CBD, telling me it's awful that there are so many empty shops, or that the shops that are there aren't the ones they want to see - but then they go home and buy a $5 T-shirt from ASOS or a dress from Boohoo instead of supporting a local retailer who is trying to pay rent, staff costs and make enough money to live on.

If you want to transform your local centre, you need to take action yourself. If you'd like to see better shopping, support the stores that are there.

If you're looking for a present for someone, search through your local markets and buy from a craftsperson. You could buy your fruit and veges at the local farmers market or from a co-op, to support local growers.

Local businesses cannot compete with online behemoths, so they need the support of those who value their contribution in their communities.

A lot of researchers have predicted that the future of retail is big and generic online, and niche, specialist outlets offering something a bit different on towns' main streets.

That sounds okay to me - but if we want to see it in practice here, we have to vote with our wallets.

I challenge you to see how many local businesses you can choose to support this year, instead of sending your money overseas.

- Jeremy Tauri is an associate at Plus Chartered Accountants.