Editorial: Buying local is the right choice

Kelly Makiha

Our new-look Rotorua District Council is certainly making the right noises to get local businesses back on side.

This week Mayor Steve Chadwick announced changes to the Rotorua District Council procurement processes that will give local businesses more opportunity to competitively bid for council business.

It means the council will be looking more favourably at Rotorua options, but not at the expense of getting the best deal.

The thinking behind giving local businesses preference is easy to understand.

It keeps our biggest ratepayers happy in the knowledge the council is looking after them and if local businesses are thriving they are employing more staff who in turn will spend more money locally.

However, Mrs Chadwick has already warned that ratepayers' money won't be frittered away on more expensive contracts just because the deal is local.

She said they still needed to make prudent financial decisions - something that is certainly good to hear given the council has been criticised in recent years for some of its financial decisions.

This new policy could be taken further. Rotorua Chamber of Commerce executive member Jonathan Temm has suggested retailers follow the council's lead and "buy local" where possible.

He said the chamber would be encouraging its members to adopt a similar stance to the council's where possible.

He would also like to see an open communication policy where if a local contractor missed out, they are notified and given the opportunity make their bid more attractive.

As residents we could take that even further and develop a local campaign for everyone to think harder about buying locally.

Every little bit helps. I used to suggest a nice shopping road trip to Bayfair when my mother came to stay. She once said to me "why do we do that? You have such great shops here". She was right and we no longer do those trips.

A good day's shopping in Rotorua means stopping off for coffee or lunch in local cafes - meaning not just the clothes and shoe shops benefit.

If we all had a "buy local" mentality, it would go a long way to helping our city grow and be even better.