Dear Member of Parliament for Mt Albert (PS this includes Grey Lynn), the Prime Minister.
What the business community in Grey Lynn and Around needs right now ….
Priority One: Those who are not vaccinated urgently get vaccinated. If this requires some incentive, then go for it, even if this includes some limits on the activities they previously enjoyed. The impact of what is now the longest lock down is taking its toll – mentally, physically and financially. Business resilience is dangerously low.
Priority Equal One: We need immediate support and we need Auckland’s case to be clearly articulated and understood by the decision makers in Wellington. We need and want measures tailored to Auckland’s situation. And we need the leaders of Auckland City to articulate our pain and raise potential solutions. Your absence from your electorate is sorely missed – we need an electorate representative working for us.
The measures presently in place are designed for a short sharp lock down but for the businesses of Grey Lynn and for that matter SME’s throughout Auckland we need an Auckland specific subsidy including;
· an immediate cash grant to ensure we can reopen the city with a flourish and not a whimper,
· a separate grant to cover unavoidable overheads for the next three months (rent, power, internet, telephones, rates),
· a higher level of wage subsidy to reflect the much higher wage rates now being paid to retain and reward our qualified staff.
Just to be clear on that last point, recent work visa requirement has pushed up wages for many people on work visas to $27 an hour and the $600 subsidy per employee ($15 per hour) is not adequate. Businesses have effectively had zero or little income since 17 August; they cannot afford to top up the wages of their staff.
Priority Two: What of 2022?
Businesses in Auckland have cone fatigue, so please Auckland Council and Auckland Transport think about more efficient ways of undertaking infrastructure change. If you are going to disrupt business because you have urgent infrastructure work talk to the Business Associations and the community before the plan is too far down the track. If the disruption is prolonged then build compensation into the cost of the disruption and provide some recovery grants, publicity and marketing. We need a fantastic fabulous celebration after the work is done.
Stop the continual loss of parking. We can support the introduction of cycleways and improved pedestrian access but the ability to park outside our businesses is our life blood. It’s just the reality. We must consider the impact of changes on all of us before they are made. Even the smallest of projects can cause quite severe disruptions for all of us – just don’t turn up and disrupt on a random basis without planning it with your constituents and community first.
Businesses simply don’t have reserves anymore.
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Published 5 November 2021