Page 64 - Print 21 Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Association News
The Covid rollercoaster
PrintNZ CEO Ruth Cobb describes the journey so far from the Land of the Long White Cloud, and says it is a rollercoaster ride.
Every week I get at least one email that asks me if things are back to “normal” now. I think we are a long
way off from being able to use that word yet, and even wonder how we are going to know when we are there.
We are definitely still on the rollercoaster journey that has come to us courtesy of Covid-19.
Support by way of the wage subsidy and small business cashflow loan has applied some much needed oil to the wheels and allowed us to continue
on, but they are all short-term maintenance, and at some stage our businesses are going to have to reach a point where they are self-sufficient again.
We did the hard yards in the queue, waiting through Level 4, until finally it was our turn. We were in our cars at Level 3, ready to get back to work and start the slow climb out. There was the initial excitement
of getting back to business, but that first part of the ride is always the slowest, giving time to take stock of what is happening and what is yet to
Ruth Cobb, CEO, PrintNZ
“There are still large gaps in our economy, particularly in tourism, events and education – all substantial users of print.”
have some unexpected twists and turns.
While we got back to work at Level 3 and the ride began there was plenty of uncertainty about work levels. Many businesses had a backlog that didn’t get completed during the short notice period prior to Level 4, and this created a small bubble of work, but then reality hit. Many of our customers were still unable to open and those that were open weren’t buying, so work levels were well down.
At Level 2 more businesses opened up, and there was a slight lift in work, as those businesses adapted themselves to their new ways of operating, and the changes that were required to do that, but that seems to have levelled out for the time being.
At Level 1 while all businesses are able to open and join us for the ride, it is going to be a long wait. There are still large gaps
in our economy, particularly in tourism, events and education
– all substantial users of print. For them, they are barely off the platform, and their journey is more likely to resemble the pace of a merry-go-round.
sweep of 24 days with no new cases and everyone thinking this had been eliminated from our country. We all started to feel the thrill of it, but little did we know that we were about
to hit another steep incline, when it was discovered that the reason there were no new cases was because they weren’t testing the people most likely to have the disease – those returning from overseas.
This gave us a bit of a jolt as we started the uphill climb again, albeit it a shorter
one than when we were in Levels 4 and 3, but a setback nevertheless.
As always, safety is of utmost importance. We are all strapped in for the ride and need to ensure that we keep it that way for the duration, protecting not just ourselves but those around us as well.
As with any rollercoaster ride, there are people at the front and people at the back; they get to the highs and lows at different times. But one thing is certain: we can’t get off the ride, so we are all in this together and will collectively get to the end.
come. And while you think you can prepare yourself for the ride as it starts out, you know it will
In the meantime, Covid-19 seemed to be on a speedy downhill track, as we had a
And thank our lucky stars that we are not having to ride the big dipper in the US. 21
64 Print21 MONTH/MONTH 2000