95bFM A recent report shows the impact various city upgrades are having on local businesses
19 April, 2025
Interview by Amani Sadique, adapted by Vivek Panchal
Retail NZ’s Carolyn Young urges for better support for local businesses, following findings from a recent report into how retailers are being affected by city developments happening across the country.
A recent report as a part of the New Zealand Institute of Economics' (NZIER) Public Good Programme has raised concerns regarding the impact various development projects across the motu have on local businesses.
These projects include Auckland’s City Rail Link, Wellington’s ‘Let’s Get Wellington Moving,’ project, and developments to Tauranga and Dunedin’s CBDs.
Dust from building sites, a lack of adequate parking, and no public thoroughfare are just some of the issues that local retailers face, resulting in businesses struggling — or failing, to stay afloat.
Chief Executive of Retail NZ, Carolyn Young, told 95bFM’s The Wire that local businesses are having to make adjustments to how they operate due to these challenges.
“A number [of businesses] have closed and a number have talked about laying off staff or changing opening hours to accommodate the challenges with construction.”
Young says these infrastructure projects are not something that can be avoided — especially in New Zealand where she says most of the pre-existing systems around water supply and technology are outdated.
Despite the ability of affected retailers to apply for support from local city councils, Young says certain criteria are restricting businesses’ ability to receive help.
[Wellington City Council, for example, have] offered businesses $1,500, but it wasn't a straight offer of cash. It was an offer of funding for specific purposes if your business met[s] certain criteria, so it was quite a bit more restrictive and not everybody was able to access it.”
“It just really depends on what that council has negotiated, whether the government's been part of that; has it been done from the start, or was it done part way through the project.”
Young believes the key to helping retailers and other affected businesses is taking into account costs when construction is going on and putting appropriate funds in place to help businesses financially.
“Some of that funding would be directly for businesses and other parts of funding would be how you support and promote the area, make sure that it's easy to access, and there's better availability of parking than what there has been historically,” she says.
