It is with a heavy heart and profound empathy for the difficulty and uncertainty small businesses throughout New Zealand are currently facing that we have decided not to hold The David Awards 2020.
We know that small businesses will be facing enormous challenges and that what the future holds will differ for each of you. For some, the painful reality is that nothing will save your current business. For others, Covid-19 presents opportunities which didn’t previously exist and you may be struggling to adapt and keep up. Many will fall between these two extremes, but wherever your business sits, we have no doubt you have far bigger things on your mind right now - and rightly so - than entering awards.
What we also know, from more than a decade of small and home businesses sharing their challenges and successes with us, is that small businesses are agile, resilient, creative and very necessary to New Zealand. Every year entrants have demonstrated how, after immense adversity, they have picked themselves up and dusted themselves off, taken a long, hard look at their situation, the challenges and opportunities, adapted what they are doing and stepped up to the mark. Their nimbleness, determination and perseverance have been invaluable in equipping them for the fray. And they have come out the other side stronger, wiser and having found ways to conquer the obstacles or circumvent the roadblocks they encountered along the way.
Like you, many of the judges and organisers of The David Awards are fighting fires in their own businesses and employment situations. We understand not only the stress of steering a business through this time of change and upheaval, but the huge toll it takes at a personal level too.
We would, however, like to share an observation with you. The high number of business failures in the small and home business sector is often cited - and misinterpreted - as a sign of how fragile this sector is. We say to you it is actually a sign of its resilience, because if one bothers to dig a little deeper the picture which emerges is not one of a business failing, but often of a business morphing into something else. Something which is built of sterner stuff and based on a little more experience.
We know you need time to evaluate, plan, tackle the challenges and even heal. In recognition of the extraordinary times we are facing together at present, we are dedicating The David Awards 2020 to all small business owners throughout Aotearoa.
And we want you to know each and every one of you is a true “David” in our eyes.
You are not alone, we know you are resilient and there is light at the end of the tunnel, whether you can see it now or not.
We salute you.
Finally, we encourage you to draw on help which is available.
Overview of support for employers and the self-employed.
Overview of other financial support.
Overview of some mental health support and tools here and here.
Official Covid-19 information.
We expect to be back bigger and better than ever in 2021 and look forward to hearing some amazing stories of triumph and fortitude then. In the meantime, be kind to yourselves and each other.
Kia Kaha.
Heather and the Team at The David Awards.
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