Today (Friday April 9) is the inaugural Small Business Day, and Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA) chief executive Chris Roberts says it is the perfect opportunity to rethink what it means to support local.

“While many of us have pledged to ‘buy local’ to support our neighbourhoods over the past 12 months, we don’t always consider experiences as part of that,” Chris said. 

“Everywhere in New Zealand there will be a local tourism operator who would love to share their activity or product with you. Supporting small tourism businesses means directly protecting local jobs, livelihoods and families.”  

Innovation company Indigo, in partnership with Xero, came up with the idea to give small businesses a day all to themselves after the challenging past year. 

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“We hope that Small Business Day will be the start of a nationwide movement for us all to choose small. 2021 is just the beginning,” Indigo co-founder Pat MacFie said. “...Buying from a small business means supporting local families and that creates ripples across the community.” 

The day will be supported by a competition rewarding shoppers and businesses that get involved with $200,000 in prizes.

If you share a photo (or screenshot) of your purchase from a small business on social media (by tagging @smallbusinessdaynz and using #choosesmallnz) you could win a share of $100,000 in instant prizes and more. Find out more here.

Chris Roberts said many New Zealanders depend on the tourism industry for employment, and in some regions, such as Queenstown Lakes, tourism is a significant contributor to regional GDP. 

“The importance of the tourism industry to the wellbeing of communities up and down the country has never been more apparent than now.”  

The industry is largely made up of small, locally owned operators, many of whom have been severely affected by the closure of New Zealand’s borders. 

Chris said while they will be breathing a sigh of relief at the opening of the trans-Tasman travel bubble on April 19, we won’t return to pre-pandemic levels of business overnight.

“I encourage everyone to continue supporting local—wherever you may be,” he said. 

PHOTO: Supplied