A year of made in New Zealand
Home » Blog » Sarah Marquet » A year of made in New ZealandNew Good blogger Sarah Marquet has set herself a big challenge: buy only New Zealand-made for a full year.
Kia ora! I’m Sarah, I was born and bred in Christchurch, and still live here. With $160 in my pocket each week I am ‘living New Zealand made’. That's right: I only buy products made here in New Zealand. I started on Waitangi Day, and my aim is to last until Waitangi Day next year.
It’s a wee experiment to see whether it is possible for someone on a budget to survive on New Zealand-made products. So far, it’s had its ups and downs.
Some of the things I usually buy, although manufactured here, have offshore parent companies. At first I decided they don’t count as New Zealand-made, but then I did some reading and realized that New Zealand needs to encourage offshore investments. We already borrow too much from other countries! However, even Coke is made here. Does that mean it’s okay to buy? Sure, the factory provides jobs to locals, but when there is a New Zealand-owned alternative (such as Phoenix) I think they should always come first.
For things other than food, it is proving to be rather hard to find New Zealand-made versions. For example, I need a dictaphone. Where would I get a New Zealand-made one? I figure for things that I do actually need (rather than want), secondhand items are acceptable, so I’ll hit up Trade Me, Sella, op shops and the like. The only problem with doing that is that people increasingly run their businesses through Trade Me, meaning that goods are often brand new—though it’s usually pretty obvious if the seller is an individual person or a business.
I can foresee a few other dilemmas, too. What do I do if I find I need something that isn’t made here, and I can’t get secondhand (lightbulbs, for example)? Do I wait out the year without them (use candles, maybe?) or do I carefully select which country I choose to buy them from?
And what about New Zealand-made things that fall outside of my budget? Sure, I can save for the Kiwi-made option, but what if I need it asap or could never save enough from my budget?
I currently flat with four others, so I anticipate this getting difficult, especially when it comes to buying things with the flat account like cleaning products. Kiwi-made versions are generally more expensive, so do I go ahead and buy them even though it’s communal money?
The rules
- Buy New Zealand-made products
- Choose New Zealand-owned businesses over offshore companies (even if they manufacture here)
- If there is no New Zealand-made version or the New Zealand-made item is too expensive, go secondhand
- If that fails too, consciously choose where the profits go
Hopefully I inspire some of you to look for New Zealand-made alternatives to your regular purchases. Please leave your thoughts, advice and comments. I would love to hear them.
Fri March 12, 2010 @ 10:03 AM
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