We hope that you all have stayed safe in the midst of Cyclone Gabrielle. We wanted to reach out and let you know that we are here to support our Buy Kiwi family in any way we can!
Now, more than ever, it is time to support our fellow Kiwis by shopping with Kiwi-owned businesses. This will help to boost our local economy, keep jobs in New Zealand and will help to recover faster from the impacts of the recent weather events.
Since launching Buy Kiwi in January, we have had a lot of questions about the difference between a kiwi-owned & kiwi-made, & why you can find imported products on Buy Kiwi. We wanted to take this opportunity to provide some clarity and insight on the above and explain why Buy Kiwi supports kiwi-owned & kiwi-made.
Kiwi-owned businesses are those that are owned by Kiwis – we do extensive checks to ensure the businesses are truly kiwi-owned. Maybe you have been “tricked” before where you thought you were buying from a kiwi-owned company because your thought the brand was a kiwi one, or from a “.co.nz” website, only to find out it was really an overseas company masquerading to be kiwi- this actually happens a lot more than many of us are aware of.
Besides this being quite sneaky, there are two big issues here:
1/ Your hard-earned dollars are being sent to overseas companies, not staying in New Zealand to help our country thrive & prosper.
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2/ It is highly likely you have little to no legal recourse as a consumer, even if you are buying from Australia- this is what the Australian regulator states:
“The consumer will also not be covered by the Australian Consumer Law if the transaction between the business and consumer occurred entirely overseas, for example when the consumer was also overseas.”
When you purchase from a kiwi-owned business in New Zealand, you are protected by the Consumer Guarantees Act. And when you purchase from a kiwi-owned business via Buy Kiwi, you have even more protection via our Buy Kiwi Buyer Guarantee as well as having the confidence that we have vetted the business to ensure they align to the Buy Kiwi values.
The fact is New Zealand does not produce all of the good and/or services we need or want. And there are many innovative kiwi businesses that have sourced fantastic products and brought them to New Zealand, which is also why you will find imported goods on Buy Kiwi. By supporting these businesses, we minimise the amount of New Zealand dollars being sent to overseas companies and maximise the benefits of helping Kiwi businesses thrive.
Our message is: be deliberate where you spend your hard-earned dollars – for the good of New Zealand and for the protection you get as a consumer.
Kiwi-made products & services are those that are produced in New Zealand, often using local materials and labour.
New Zealand produced products and or services can be recognised by the Buy Kiwi logo™ being list on the product display section. New Zealand produced is defined as at least 80% of the product is made in New Zealand or at least 80% of the service is produced in New Zealand. We intend to keep growing our product range here so please come back and check regularly.