Today's very exciting thought bubble is about my wardrobe, importing cheap goods and low wages in New Zealand... because that is the way my head rolls.
Today's very exciting thought bubble is about my wardrobe, importing cheap goods and low wages in New Zealand... because that is the way my head rolls.
Today's outfit included a pair of Minnie Cooper boots I've had since 1990. They keep coming back into fashion, so every time they do, I bring them out again. They're just as amazing as they've always been. I've had them resoled a few times, but they were worth every nickel and dime I saved to buy them at the time (yes, I saved up to buy them...).
Because it was raining when I went to the shops, I also put on my Workshop duffle coat from my Cassandra's Ears days, so that dates back to the late '80s.
To finish it off, I wore a beautifully knitted jersey Mum made for Dad, which I nicked when I went to Otago to study because it was so cold! I only just found it again recently in a box. So we're talking over 40 years old and it is still impeccable.
Then I looked over at my desk. Sitting there is a stapler from Dad's old panel shop, a pair of scissors, and a Sellotape dispenser that were probably made in the 1950s. They're all still doing exactly what they were designed to do.
I'm not telling you this because I live in the past. In fact, I quite like the present, and life is good.
This post is really about all the things we used to make in this country before the laws changed and we were allowed to import goods from countries that don't have the same human rights, environmental standards and wage protections we have (not to mention some of the goods we now have in our supply chains).
The reality is that New Zealand's small businesses are competing on a very uneven playing field. And when people are facing a cost of living crisis, they naturally buy the cheaper option.
To this day, I still try to support local businesses, even when they cost a little more. Mainly because I believe in a higher-wage society and in putting energy back into our own economy. I've also found that when you support others, that support has a funny way of finding its way back to you.
And, of course, quality often means longevity. Value isn't always about the cheapest price—sometimes it's about buying something once and still using it 40 or 50 years later. Jan Hellriegel Music & Words
So here's my question...
What's something you bought years ago that you're still using today?