North Haven Hospice Shop worker Clint Baker and other volunteers prepare for possible flooding, using plastic bags and tape. Photo / Michael Cunningham
North Haven Hospice Shop worker Clint Baker and other volunteers prepare for possible flooding, using plastic bags and tape. Photo / Michael Cunningham
After news broke that Northland had entered a seven-day state of emergency, a flurry of Whangārei stores closed shop and barricaded their businesses against the incoming weather.
For most, it was a precautionary measure to keep staff and stock safe, but it was also clear customers were few far andbetween as the weather descended.
Owner of Paper Plus in Whangārei, Barry Wienand, told the Advocate he chose to shut early after the announcement because “it’s better to be safe than sorry”.
“We want the staff to get home safe,” he said. “You can replace the stock, you can replace the store, but you can’t replace the people.”
Barry Wienand, owner of Paper Plus in Whangārei closes early to get his staff home safe. Photo / Michael Cunningham
He said you can never be too cautious - an echo of the advice Civil Defence Northland has been pedalling in recent days as they asked Northlanders not to take weather warnings lightly.
“[...] and nobody is in town anyway, everybody’s heading to higher ground,” Wienand said.
“It’s not always great to shut the doors, there’s no revenue as an owner, but as I say, this [stock] can all be replaced - it’s people that we worry about.”
Wienand said the shop next door had been impacted by flooding in the past, but Paper Plus had been lucky due to a good drainage system at the back of their shop.
“Civil Defence has advised everybody to get dry and stay home if we can, so we’re trying to get all out volunteers to go home as quickly as they can to keep everyone safe,” said Baker.
