Trading site aims to cut hardship

Wayne and Sharon George are on the road promoting their new website. Photo / Supplied

A Whangarei couple has moved from milking cows to setting up a website where people can exchange goods and services without using money.

Wayne and Sharon George see their website, named Swap or Trade It, as a help for struggling Kiwis who they say are slipping through cracks extending from the poverty line.

"We need to give people more options for how they can turn what they already have into food and clothes for their children," Mrs George said.

The couple had seen a lot of hardship since they started driving around in a bus promoting their website.

"Many Kiwis have spent decades engaging in hyper consumption, getting themselves into huge amounts of debt," Mr George said.

"When the financial crisis hit, these people found themselves in a tough spot and some haven't been able to get themselves out of it."

Mr George said those struggling financially were often too embarrassed to ask for help.

"As a nation, we can be very proud ... so we suffer in silence."

The Swap or Trade It website, launched on August 1, is based on an international movement called Collaborative Consumption, and the service supports a shift in consumer values from ownership to access.

There are now 600 Kiwis registered on the site, and nearly 14,000 people have liked its Facebook page.

The Georges decided to create the Swap or Trade It website after they tried to trade their herd of cows for a new business opportunity.

"I had been milking cows for 18 years and I wanted a change, but when we listed our herd on a website, offering a trade, we were told this wasn't allowed," Mr George said.

"Within four days we had been offered baches, logging companies and even an aeroplane in exchange for our cows.

"We discovered there was a need in the market for a service which enabled people to list their skills, knowledge or unwanted items on the site."

The couple swapped their way through a Holden ute, four-berth caravan and a couple of quads to acquire the bus in which they are now touring the North Island and promoting their new business.

www.swaportradeit.co.nz