One Mahurangi – Busting the lockdown blues

As I write this sitting at home during a Covid lockdown, nearly everything I read seems to reinforce how down people can get during this time. It made me down to read it all! Perhaps we need to think back to the first big lockdown in 2020, and while no one can forget the challenging impact it had on a lot of our businesses, especially in the hospitality sector, the overall experience also had some positive outcomes.

During the lockdown period of 2020, many business owners took the time to look at their business from what is often referred to as the “helicopter view”. In other words, they looked at their business from above and from the outside, rather than being bogged down with the stress of everyday work life.

The positive result of this outside perspective was that many businesses changed the way that they did things.

They tried something new. Many businesses now offer their products online and for some an online presence is now a substantial part of their business operation.

We had other businesses who came up with new products and services that were specifically designed with lockdowns in mind. Furthermore, other businesses challenged their staff and themselves to come up with new and innovative ways to market their businesses.

We found that often landlords were some of the first to step up and offer help because they realised that helping a good tenant out is better in the long run than short-term financial gain. I heard of very few landlords who during that time didn’t assist their tenants.

I believe that one of the best outcomes of that first lockdown in 2020, and one that has had long-term effects, was the community engagement that we saw in our local region. Many of us got to know neighbours as more than someone to just wave to now and then – we really did have neighbours helping neighbours, and for a lot of people those relationships have endured. In Warkworth, we had the Caremongers start up to assist the elderly and those who are immunity compromised with shopping, and it was great to see that leap into action again with this latest lockdown.

We had people suddenly realising that “Buy Local, Support Local and Employ Local” wasn’t just a header we could put on our emails. It became a way of life for our community members to help our local businesses survive. There were people shopping locally that had previously done their shopping in Auckland, close to where they worked.

These days, people are more aware of their local business community and often choose to spend their money closer to home, in our town.

When we get all down about the lockdown, remember that out of adversity opportunity often comes. We have been here before, we are resilient and resourceful, we can use this time to once again find new ways of operating successfully in the face of challenges.

Lockdowns are never easy, but we can all do the right things: stay socially distant, wear face masks, and scan in.

For business owners and staff, look at what you can do to future-proof, or lockdown proof your business. As our logo says, we are “Stronger Together”.

Visit the One Mahurangi website for Covid-19 Business Support information: www.onemahurangi.co.nz/covid/