In the aftermath of this year's Canterbury earthquakes many business leaders are wanting to find ways to make a long term contribution to the region's recovery. In response to this, Make It Your Business, a not-for-profit website was launched that enables organizations to help drive the recovery of Christchurch, by facilitating the matching and introduction of companies to Christchurch suppliers and then records these relationships with public pledges and case studies.

Make It Your Business founder, Kieren Cooney, explains "The companies that are supporting Make It Your Business are not spending any more money than they had already budgeted for in the running of their business, they are simply pledging some of this intended spend to specific Christchurch suppliers that they have chosen.  By redirecting part of their annual spend to Christchurch suppliers, they are putting their resources where they can make the biggest impact." 

Cooney continues, "This is not a hand out, it's a hand up. It's not charity - it's good business, because let's be clear: Christchurch’s challenges are New Zealand’s challenges. Christchurch’s economic recovery is not only an issue for Christchurch it is an issue for New Zealand. The Canterbury region contributes 15% of New Zealand’s GDP, and is more than 50% of the South Island’s GDP.  New Zealand’s relatively small economy and considerable internal trade means that any damage to such a large and important part of the economy adds pressure to New Zealand’s overall economy." 

So how can New Zealand Expats and Business Leaders become involved? 
Cooney says "If you would like to make Canterbury's recovery part of your business, you can start by either registering your business as one that would like to do business with Canterbury suppliers, or by searching for a Christchurch business that could assist in the running of your business. For example, if your company spends 1M a year on printing, why not pledge 200,000 to a Christchurch based printing business? If your company needs a new website, why not use Make It Your Business to find an appropriate business in Christchurch and pledge them the project?"