As we enter the second week of the Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown, and more and more people are turning to The Southland App for their local news and information, we thought it was time we properly introduced ourselves.

We are Kirsty (Macnicol), and David Pickett, owners of The Southland App. We are also publishers of the multi award-winning Advocate South weekly newspaper, publication of which is currently suspended due to the lockdown.

Many of our Southland App users may never have heard of Advocate South, which circulates 15,000 copies per week around the Southland district. It is the only Southland owned and operated commercial newspaper in our province and enjoys a very loyal following among readers and advertisers alike. We pride ourselves on delivering accurate and reliable news and it’s those same values that we embraced when we launched The Southland App less than two years ago.

As an established news and media outlet, we are providing an essential service. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has repeatedly stressed that the media play an important role in informing New Zealanders at a time when reliable and fast information is vital. The distribution of public health messages to the New Zealand public is critical in order to keep the public informed. All news and broadcast media organisations are able to continue their services, but must take all practical steps to reduce movement and ensure safety of staff and public. Where a media organisation can provide a service digitally but would normally provide a printed product, it is encouraged to favour the digital model.

This is what we are doing. We have refocussed all our efforts into The Southland App. We are striving to provide daily updates on the issues that affect you as Southlanders and, every day, we are attempting to add services and features that deliver the news and information you need in an environment that is changing, not just by the day but sometimes by the hour.

We are a very small team and our staff are working remotely, in trying conditions. We are very proud of and grateful for their efforts.

We are also extremely thankful to the advertisers who continue to support The Southland App. Just like our weekly newspaper, our service is provided at no cost to users, which means the costs are met by the businesses that choose to advertise with us. In such uncertain economic times, this business model is fragile. We strongly encourage all users of the Southland App to take note of those local companies that maintain a presence here and reward them with your patronage when they are able to start trading again.

And there are a lot of you.

In the past week, we’ve seen a whopping 300% increase in screen views. 

New users have been downloading The Southland App at the rate of one every 15 to 30 minutes. We welcome you to our fast-growing Southland App community.

Like so many other businesses in Southland at this time, we are worried about our future. We worry for our staff, our family and our friends, and we worry about what the world will look like when we finally emerge from this surreal situation. But we can all make a difference in our own small way with the shopping choices we make when we come out the other side. There has been no better time for Southlanders to support Southlanders.

On the surface, the first week of the lockdown may have felt like a bit of a holiday for many; a chance to catch up on odd jobs, housework, gardening, exercise. But for many others it is a very vexing time because any attempt at forward planning feels like staring into a crystal ball – and even the crystal ball doesn’t have any answers. You are not alone. Support is available, whether it be mental, physical or financial. 

Please also remember that Emergency Management Southland now also offers a Southland support centre where you can access the support you need. You can call them between 7am and 7pm, seven days a week on 0800 890 127, or email [email protected]

We at The Southland App pledge to do our utmost to ensure that we continue to give you the accurate and reliable information you need. Our COVID-19 button provides direct links to the official government websites. We’re also looking at ways we can provide access to more localised support and information so please keep checking our “Community” button for more to come there.

On the theme of community, we’re also adding new ways we can stay connected throughout this isolation. We now have a Shout Outs section under Community so please send in your congratulations or thank you messages. This service is being provided free of charge during the Level 4 lockdown.

Another free service we’re about to add is a “Tips & Ideas” section. We’re asking users to email us with ideas to make self-isolation easier. This could be anything from a cost-effective or easy-to-prepare recipe, a craft project to keep the kids entertained, a book or movie/TV series review, household management tips, home-based exercise ideas. Please also try to send a photo along with your idea. Send these to [email protected] and put “Tips & Ideas” in the subject line.

We have also been making contact with Southlanders based overseas and will soon be bringing you their stories of where they are, what they’re doing and how life has changed for them during this pandemic. If you know of a Southlander living abroad, please let us know so we can make contact with them. (Email as above or find our additional contact information under the About Us button).

One final request. We know that there are some members of our community who do not have access to a smartphone (currently the only means of accessing content on The Southland App). If you know someone who is missing their local news and information, how about arranging to call them on a regular basis and reading them some of our stories and notices so they are kept up to date with local happenings? Make sure they know that if they have a question, you may be able to find the answer for them via The Southland App. Please encourage your friends and family to download The Southland App and to share its content with others.

Please stay safe Southland, and thank you for your ongoing support.