Don't just buy local - buy Māori

North Drift café manager Amy Tepania (centre) and staff are smiling again after an uncertain couple of months. Picture / Supplied

Te Hiku communities are being encouraged to go one better for the local economic recovery effort than to buy local. And that's to buy Māori.

The government, and others, are encouraging support for small and medium-sized enterprises, a message that is especially critical for the accommodation and food services sector, whose largest contributor of revenue, foreign tourism, expected to be lost for some time to come.

Economic research company Infometrics is predicting that foreign tourism will fall by 91 per cent this year, while domestic tourism will fall by 21 per cent, a slump that will create substantial job losses, which will impact on people's expendable income and ability to take paid holiday leave.

In a presentation on economic foresights for Māori and the economy, senior economist Rob Heyes said that nationally up to 40,000 Māori could lose their jobs between over the next two years. The outlook was particularly grim for Māori employed in the accommodation and food services sector.

"We're forecasting almost 7000 Māori losing their jobs in accommodation and food services over the next couple of years," Heyes said, adding that Māori tended to suffer job losses to a greater degree than non-Māori in an economic recession.

"We put that down to the fact that Māori tend to be younger and have lower-skilled jobs than non-Māori, and it's those types of jobs that tend to be cut first," he said.

"In accommodation and food services, we think that Māori employment will decline by about 30 per cent over the next couple of years, whereas for non-Māori it's probably closer to about 27 per cent."

Northland Regional Council economist Darryl Jones said the total number of businesses in Northland had fallen by seven per cent between 2009 and 2013 as a result of the GFC-induced recession.

"In terms of the Covid-19 crisis, it is projected that the number of people employed in Northland will fall by 10 per cent, or around 7500 people, between 2020 and 2022," he said.

In addition to the decline in accommodation and food services, he expected some of the greatest impacts in Northland to be felt in construction, retailing and road transport.

Supporting the Go Local! campaign, launched by NZME across its regional media as a public call to action to support local businesses, was one way that the buying public could contribute to the ongoing local economic recovery.

For Facebook page Tautoko - Te Tai Tokerau administrator and social designer Kaye-Maree Dunn, supporting local economies began with supporting Māori businesses.

"Tautoko is a national movement led by Rawiri Bhana, who wanted to ensure that whānau would be able to buy Māori, spend Māori and support Māori enterprise, especially during Covid-19 and beyond, as we prepare for being hit with a considerable recession," she said.

The page now had almost 4500 members, who had come together to celebrate what Māori were known for doing best - being innovative and creative in seeking solutions to difficult situations.

"I think Māori businesses in this space will need to adapt to change, and see if they have the ability to continue to trade or if they have to make a decision to wind up, as they will need capital to get through," she said.

"If they can pivot, then the focus is going to be on the local domestic market, hyper-local approach. How can affordable packages be developed to attract local tourism, and most importantly, how can we extend beyond the Māori economy - Māori buying Māori - and moving to a place where New Zealand is buying Māori?"

For North Drift manager Amy Tepania re-opened the Ahipara café in level 2, the predominantly Māori staff of seven having survived since alert level 4 by accessing the government's 12-week wage subsidy, which had since been extended for a further eight weeks from yesterday. She had also picked up additional income from registering on sosbusiness.nz, an online, non-profit initiative set up to support small businesses by enabling customers to buy vouchers or make donations to café all over the country.

The website has since partnered with Anchor to offer promotional incentives.

"We did pretty well for not being café open. We sold quite a few vouchers," she said.

She had also used the time in lockdown to re-evaluate the direction her café was taking, concentrating on building up its presence on social marketing platforms. Doing business differently for her had meant working with a graphic designer to change the café's branding and exploring how it could operate digitally.

"But we have to be mindful that we've got some old school people here in Ahipara who don't use social media, so we have to make sure that we're going to continue getting them coming through the door," she added.

The weeks of closure have prompted her to re-evaluate the business as the only eatery that sold café-style food in Ahipara, reinforcing its advantage in the community, and the future, without foreign tourists.

"I need to keep the little café open because it's in a great spot," Tepania said.

"Cafés should be looked at as a place to go to for a treat. Some people go 'Oh my gosh, it's so expensive,' but you're not eating there every day. It's a hub. We have a group of ladies come in and they change the whole café around, but it doesn't bother me because they are happy. They're my regulars and I really value them."

She had also come up with a new menu and new promotions, and was exploring the feasibility of offering the likes of gourmet pies and a takeaway family meal service for whānau who want the convenience of eating hearty, nutritious food without having to cook it.

Meanwhile Dunn said Tautoko - Te Tai Tokerau was continuously sharing stories of inspirational Māori social enterprise and community development initiatives in Te Tai Tokerau, knowledge about the maramataka Māori, and how that affected movements, and information on business and community opportunities to help kick start local economies.

The latest information included the TSB Good Stuff grant, free apprenticeship training with NorthTec, and other support opportunities offered by 0800POUTAMA, Northland Inc and Muriwhenua Business Support.

For more information go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/542729083097628/