Triple threat for multi-business owner

Owner and manager of three local eateries, Liz Hutchin, says she is grateful to open two of her takeaways under Level 3 – Thai Oasis and Mangawhai Pizzeria in the Village – with ice cream parlour Dizzy Lizzy’s to remain closed until Level 2.

“These are crazy times we are all facing… it is sad to hear of businesses closing down and also the many lives lost,” she says. “Level 4 has been bitter sweet for me and I'm sure for most local owners and everyone else around the country, it’s given a forced break – which I so needed – but at the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘how do I respond to this pandemic!’“

Although giving ‘full credit’ to Prime Minister Jacinda Adern for taking the 'bull by the horns' in locking down the country, Hutchin is concerned about the reality business owners face

regarding paying suppliers, rent, GST and Kiwisaver paye, ‘to name a few’, as well as trying to find innovative ways of working during this ‘new normal’.

“The subsidies have been a lifeline to help our employees get through and also to give us reassurance moving forward,” she says. “However it is one thing to help employees stay employed in the front end but the 'back end' needs to be looked after as well so our businesses stay afloat.”

Loaning from a bank she says is not an option as the money will have to be paid back with interest and ‘I would be just going backwards’.

New Zealand has just over 485,000 small businesses, employing 29 per cent of the working population and creating 26 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

“That's pretty amazing for our small country… and these statistics clearly show we need help if we are to get the economy back to some sort of normality. It is the community, and the general positivity through local Facebook, that has kept the small businesses ticking along.”

Taking one day at a time; Liz (second from right) with Dizzy Lizzy staff Tia, Tori, and daughter Ayla. PHOTO/SUPPLIED