By Kevin O’Leary, General Manager, Business North Harbour

The effects of the extended lockdown that our communities are facing will unfortunately for some businesses prove to be a bridge too far. The lengthy period in Alert Level 1 which we all enjoyed until mid-August now seems to be a distant memory and as I write this article, a return to such halcyon days appears to be some distance away.

Even prior to these latest somewhat crippling restrictions, many businesses were still operating below their optimum capacity for several reasons, two of the main issues being a shortage of labour and problems with the supply of goods.

Consequently, some were struggling to find suitably skilled or qualified staff, while others were unable to secure goods for sale to consumers due to various issues in the supply chain.

This meant that their journey to sustainable financial recovery was taking far longer than originally expected as their ability to generate the revenue required to ensure their long-term viability was being compromised.

The length and severity of the current lockdown coupled with these ongoing issues has already taken its toll on some businesses and sadly will continue to do so. Businesses need immediate help to enable them to operate, reduce financial burdens and keep the economy moving. Business North Harbour (BNH) has been proactive in its support for our members, writing to local MPs and government Ministers to highlight these issues and advocating for action to be taken to mitigate their effects.

There are a couple of things that we can all do to help get us out of the current lockdown and support local businesses.

Firstly, it is obvious that the Delta virus is here to stay for the foreseeable future. The Government has stated that the only way we can avoid further lockdowns is to maximise vaccination rates, so I would encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated, to build upon the success of the Super Saturday vaccination event. In addition, I would also encourage you to support your families and friends to get vaccinated, so that we can minimise any future disruption to businesses and our communities, due to the pandemic.

Secondly, BNH is planning to hold our annual ONE DAY SALE on Saturday 4th December where wholesalers, distributors and retailers offer huge discounts to customers in preparation for Christmas (visit www.businessnh.org.nz/onedaysale for more information). As we hopefully start to see businesses re open prior to this, I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity and to keep supporting your local businesses moving forwards as together we look to recover stronger.

Phone: 09968 2222
Mobile: 027 479 9563,
Email: kevin@businessnh.org.nz

SOURCE: Channel Magazine