An Invercargill lawyer has been purchasing vouchers at local businesses to help them get back on their feet after COVID-19, and then re-gifting the vouchers to her staff; her only ask is that they spend it all and spend it within 60 days. 

Liz Henry, of Mee and Henry Law, said she felt she needed to do what she could to help revitalise the local economy, support local business owners and say thank you to her staff who had worked hard as the company navigated its way out of lockdown and into the 'new normal'. 

As a business owner, she's seen first-hand the drastic effects COVID-19 has had on local businesses, saying her practice saw an 82% drop in revenue in April this year, compared to last.  

However, this has not stopped her wanting to help and she has been buying up vouchers with her savings.

"We're putting the income back in from last year... and I've forfeited [some] of my income to do this… but you have to start somewhere," she said. 

So, she sat down with her staff and together they drew up a list of local businesses that they wanted to help out. 

Mrs Henry then visited those businesses and purchased vouchers from them, which she then gifted to each of her 13 staff members. 

So far, the 'Level 2 Kickstart Local' project had been a big hit with local businesses since it started.

"A couple of examples are the Shoe Clinic, Skelts Jewellers, ComplEat Wellness in Windsor, so we just went in a told them what we're doing and then we followed up with a letter so they knew what we were doing," she said. 

Mee and Henry receptionist Maree Jenkins said she and the other staff were over the moon about being treated to the shopping trips.

"She's just been so generous – and we're reaping the benefits."

Mrs Henry said the biggest message behind doing this was to "spend local to keep businesses paying wages".

She said by spending local, this not only helped local businesses get back up and running, it also kept more money in the local economy, which would attract more investment from other business owners. 

"If we increase our local spend, we look like a more attractive proposition to bring in some of those chain stores and things who are currently leaving us in droves," she said.

Just this week, H&J Smith announced it was closing its Te Anau and Balclutha stores as well as downsizing its Gore department store. 

She said the maths was simple; "If every employed person in Southland spent or re-directed $50 of their weekly (discretionary) income per month at a local business, this would create a further two and a half million [dollars] into the economy just like that."

She said local spending created buoyancy in the local market, by keeping our dollars circling around the economy more times than they would have.

"Every time we re-direct our money to non-local providers that dollar drops, that money's gone, and it doesn't get reinvested in the local economy.”

Mrs Henry said attracting new business with local spending was also vital to ensure projects like the City Block development, which she said would have higher rent prices, was successfully tenanted in the future.

As well as the Level 2 Kickstart Local project, Mrs Henry also started the 'Level 3 Kickstart' fund, where she spent $500 at several local businesses during Alert Level 3 and then donated the purchased product, with the help of the businesses, to local community groups and members who needed it.

"The idea was to get some money into those businesses’ pockets to help kick start their venture into Level 3," she said as well as provide benefit to the community.

Once she bought the product from each business, she then found a home for it to go to.

Pita Pit delivered their food to Spirit Army volunteers. Good Fix Cafe prepared and delivered 63 meals to Southland health workers on the front lines during Level 3. And South City Pharmacy put together 'COVID packs' with their purchased product made up of items like hand sanitiser, vitamin C, Panadol, masks, which were then given to Age Concern Southland to deliver to vulnerable people who needed it.