Weekender, June 20, 2020
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SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2020 SHELLING OUT: With overseas trips cancelled due to Covid-19, people in Gisborne are spending up large on new cars. RECESSION, WHAT RECESSION? Earlier this week it was confirmed that New Zealand is effectively in recession, with a 1.6 percent drop in GDP in the first quarter of the year — before the real Covid economic pain hit in this current quarter. However, Andrew Ashton finds out it might not last long, if the rest of the nation echoes a seeming spending bonanza in Gisborne. recession was forecast even before seemed to be doing well, and he highlighted one eye on the horizon — but in reality, at on the horizon.” New Zealand came out of Covid-19 the importance of not “talking ourselves into the moment, most major industries in the Enterprise Cars’ new vehicles sales Level 4 lockdown but that has not a recession”. region are doing at least OK, and some are manager Steven Shields said demand for new A stopped Gisborne residents from “On the one hand, I think it is great that experiencing booms. cars had been a fraction better than before partaking in a high-end spending spree, with people are seemingly concerned and they “I suppose a lot of people must be feeling the Covid-19 lockdown. new cars and spa pools at the fore of a host are getting out there, shopping locally and safe in their jobs, which is a good thing, and “It’s good. We’re certainly not unhappy of big-ticket items being lapped up. not talking themselves or the economy interest rates are low and getting lower so with the way things are panning out, so far,” Gisborne Chamber of Commerce president into a recession before we need to. On the this all helps. said Mr Shields. Paul Naske said key industries in the region other hand, I think everyone should keep “Long may it last — but let’s keep an eye CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 You have probably heard it before “It’s my life, my funeral.” So shouldn’t you have some say in it? A “goodbye” doesn’t have to be a fuss, doesn’t have to be big, it just needs to be meaningful. Start the conversation — talk about your ideas and wishes with family and give yourselves the gift of peace of mind. Then give us a call, we can discuss and document your wishes, you can come in to see us or we can come to you. We can also advise you on prepayment — for that nancial peace of mind. Goodbye is as important as hello. A meaningful Evan’s Funeral Services Ltd. Ph 06 867 9150 Fax 06 868 5312 funeral supports healthy grieving. 171 Ormond Road, Gisborne. Email o [email protected] 32768-01 Saturday, June 20, 2020 2 LEAD TAKING THE PLUNGE: Spa & Pool Warehouse customers Lynda and Phil Collier pick out the colour options for a spa pool with shop owner Simon Hall. Picture by Liam Clayton Buying big-ticket items in place of overseas trips From page 1 some good buys to be had so a lot of people prior to the Covid-19 lockdown and we Hall said he had already sold ive spa pools are taking advantage of that as well.” received no cancellations so we can only be and put that down to a combination of “Obviously, there are a number of people Gisborne Motors’ new cars sales manager optimistic about the future.” post-Covid deals and people having money who may have planned overseas holidays Rod Husband agreed things were much Houses are another big-ticket item in to spend after cancelling overseas trips. and obviously can’t travel at present, so better than had been expected. demand. “Once we were able to open the doors have decided to buy a new car and thought “It has been extremely busy the whole Last month four houses worth $1m or again, we deinitely moved all our stock. For ‘hey, while we can aford it, let’s do it’. month, both for quoting and for vehicles more were sold in the district. hat doubles us to sell ive spa pools in a week and a half “here’s also the possibility that new cars that have been sold. It’s probably running the region’s previous monthly record for is pretty good-going. will increase in price due to supply issues. above an average month for us here. $1m-plus sales. “Most deinitely, ‘staycation’ seems to Factories have been shut for a period of “A lot of it is business-related but we have “We just sold an apartment down on be the new word. People have had trips time and those factories also have to recoup noticed there have been Customhouse Street for cancelled and got refunds, so they are some of the costs they have incurred. So, two or three private sales to We were able to $925,000 and have just spending the money on something else to that’s going to mean a potential increase in people who would normally listed another property make them feel happy. It’s a bit of a shot in prices. take a world trip or a boat pay for a forklift so which will probably reach the arm. We were able to pay for a forklift “he other aspect of that is freight costs. cruise and aren’t able to do that goes back to $1m. We’ve already had so that goes back to someone else in the Freight costs have all gone up, so if you so, so they have put their someone else in the strong inquiry on that,” local economy — that’s how it works.” want to buy some item from overseas, it’s extra bit of money into a Gisborne realtor Bronwyn Mitre 10 Gisborne owner/operator Geof going to cost more because the freight is new vehicle — which is local economy — Kay said. Taylor said high-value items were lying of not as regular. All those things are showing helpful for the industry.” that’s how it works. “I wouldn’t say people shelves there too. signs of increase in expense, which mean Mr Husband said Hawke’s are just going shopping for “We have seen an increase in the sales of now is probably the best time to get into it.” Bay colleagues within high-end buys but we are high-value power tools and a lot of inquiries Mr Shields also pointed to low interest the Ford Motors Group were also doing still getting a great deal of interest. from people looking to upgrade their rates at banks and car inance also being “extremely well”. “We now have buyers who are waving $2m kitchens or bathrooms. low. “Sales and inquiries are deinitely way around, which is interesting for Gisborne.” “We are putting this down to either “Everything is showing positive signs and above what we anticipated coming out of A lot of the lower-end property was selling people having saved money during the we are more than happy.” the lockdown.” because people did not think they were lockdown and looking to spend now, or not Also spurring sales on was the exit of White Pointer Boats’ managing director getting good returns by just keeping it in travelling overseas so they are spending Holden from the New Zealand market. Rex Briant said it was hard to tell if the bank “and we’ve really had a ield day that money in those areas instead. “We’ve been having a Holden inal there was a rise in sales for boats but down there over the past four weeks”. “Sales of wood-ires are higher than last clearance sale and on that too, the pricing is he was pleased to see there had been no “I think people just want the economy to year and all products related to gardening really good and we are powering through a cancellation of existing builds. be OK — we all just want to do our bit and continue to move fast. It seems there are a heap of stock. We are very close to the end “It’s not a high-production game . so shop local.” lot of people focused on how their gardens and people are smelling blood. here are it’s hard to gauge. We had a lot of orders Spa and Pool Warehouse owner Simon are looking.” SaTurday, June 20, 2020 3 PROFILE WALKING THROUGH WALLS: Te reo Maori is a window into the Maori world view, says Gisborne Girls’ High School teacher Laurie Harrison, who has devoted himself over A WAY OF SEEING many years to learning Gisborne Girls’ High School social science teacher Laurie Harrison is widely known for his the language. love of te reo Maori, a love that was born out of a political bent ignited in South Africa. Picture by Paul Rickard here was also the suring, travel and interesting encounters, as he tells Mark Peters. orking on the railway and was happening in New Zealand, he says. qualiication for luency in te reo. “I saw Vietnam vets a little older than me suring in South Africa was a “In New Zealand, te reo Maori was still not “I wanted that qualiication really badly. and their brains were fried from trauma or game-changer, says Gisborne an oicial language. In schools it was called a Part of it was you had to speak to various drugs.” WGirls’ High social science foreign language.” kaumatua and kuia around Gisborne and He even met some of the draft dodgers, teacher Laurie Harrison.