Editorial: Loyalty, is it forgotten?

Simon Waters

THERE has been a subtle but intriguing tug-of-war taking place.

It surfaced after Whanganui food vendors were called "a hot dog on a stick" by the NZ Masters Games chief.

A derogatory term and, not surprisingly, it touched a nerve, prompting a terse response from those on the receiving end.

Tensions had been brewing since Mainstreet brought in out-of-town vendors to run a once-a-month food festival.

That added vibrancy and culture and Mainstreet is to be congratulated. But the absence of local vendors was an underlying unease.

Since back when Palmerston North opened its Plaza and Whanganui people were being potted for shopping there, that unease has pervaded many an industry - retail, security, education, IT. And exacerbated by the advent of internet shopping.

Which leads one to ponder: Where's the loyalty?

Yes, we live in a global economy, of diverse cultures and broader outlooks. But there is nothing old-fashioned with being ... not parochial in outlook, but loyal.

It makes economic sense to spend money in town and not out. Yet so many contracts, shoppers and money disappears to out-of-towners - that's pretty stupid, Whanganui.

At the risk of trotting out a "buy local" campaign (they never worked, by the way), we should perhaps integrate a more local-centric consideration of the way we do things.

We do things more supportively here in the River City - at least we always used to. If there is to be more argument let it be in the pursuit of a community that values its own members as much as it recognises that we need to shop in Palmerston North occasionally.

In short, there is room for both local and out-of-town food vendors - but locals prepared to step up and provide quality services at competitive rates should be looked to first.

It's called loyalty.