Local leaders say support of local businesses vital in next months

Go Local or risk permanently empty streets in the town as experienced in Stratford during Alert Level 4.

Local leaders are backing the Go Local campaign launched in today's Stratford Press.

Matthew Dimock, chair of the Stratford Business Association says it is vital people choose to buy local in the coming months.

"Buy local initiatives are extremely important after the lockdown eases. The businesses that have managed to come through and have not closed will be cash-strapped and need local support."

Not all businesses will come through he says, predicting some businesses will find themselves financially unable to re-open.

"The economy is going to be a very different place from where it was before the lockdown."

Shopping locally will be key to helping New Zealand as a whole out of any coming recession he says.

"If we want New Zealand to do well as a whole then we need to keep profits in New Zealand. It's about keeping profits local. There's no point buying everything from big multinationals that are just going to shift all of their profits straight overseas, that's not going to help New Zealand out of this recession."

Shopping locally helps create more jobs in the community as well, and it is something the Stratford Business Association actively supports.

"The Stratford Business Association has a buy local procedure of course and tries to source everything locally."

Stratford District Council chief executive, Sven Hanne, says buying locally is also encouraged within Council.

"Council spends a large portion of its operational and capital budgets with local suppliers and is a long-standing supporter of the Stratford Business Association. This support stretches from promotion to staffing as well as often purchasing Business Association vouchers as prizes for competitions to ensure money is spent locally."

When it comes to tenders and contracts, Council has a policy in place to help ensure local contractors and businesses can be considered, he says.

"Council has a local procurement policy which has existed for many years. It aligns really well with the Go Local initiative being promoted by the Stratford Press when it comes to offsetting the economic impacts of Covid19 and throwing a lifeline to businesses struggling with the effects of four or more weeks of lockdown."

Sven says the local procurement policy means Council doesn't have to use a provider with the lowest price if a local provider is close enough to the price offered.

"Through the policy, a local provider can be used even if their price is up to is five per cent higher than the lowest price available, with a maximum difference of $50,000."

Stratford mayor Neil Volzke says the campaign is a great way for the community to work together to support businesses.

"The 'Go Local" initiative is a really effective way for the community to help local businesses get back on their feet following the lockdown period. It is vital we keep and save as many jobs as we can, because once gone, many jobs will never come back."

Spending locally is key to the district's economic recovery, he says.

"If people in this community spend their money locally, that will help stimulate business activity across the Taranaki region and speed up the recovery. Spending with locally owned and operated businesses has an even more positive effect, by keeping the money here and promoting further re-investment."

Neil says he encourages people to think about where they spend their money.

"While it is popular with some people, on line shopping does not help local business and takes money out of circulation within our region. Please think twice before spending your dollars, because ultimately some one's job depends on it."