New Service Launches to Help Cash Strapped Kiwis

Media Release: September 5, 2013

New Service Launches to Help Cash Strapped Kiwis

Cash strapped Kiwis will now be able to swap their spare time for consumer goods with the launch of a new service which facilitates transactions with and without cash and allows Kiwis to swap or trade products and services.

The new initiative is based on an international movement called Collaborative Consumption which supports the shift in consumer values from ownership to access.

Described as one of the 10 ideas that will change the world* the growing movement allows participants to share and swap access to products or services, rather than having individual ownership.

SwaporTradeIt.co.nz supports this new economic model which allows Kiwis to match their needs without having to pay for them.

Members list their skills, knowledge or unwanted items on the site and swap it for something they would rather have.

Former 50/50 share-milkers Wayne and Sharon George created the website after their own experience seeking a lifestyle change.  George says when she listed her and her husband’s herd of dairy cows they were offered goods as diverse as a plane, a panel beating business and holiday home.

George says the new website brings back to life an age-old process of how we used to do things when times were hard and cash was scarce. It will also enable Kiwis to help the environment by encouraging them to recycle, she says. George is confident the site will resonate with Kiwis and has been buoyed by the strong support the company has received to date.

More than 12,000 New Zealanders joined the Swap or Trade It Facebook site before the website’s launch.

“With Swap or Trade It, you can swap or trade your skills, knowledge or the things you no longer need for things you want or need. So you could trade a book you've read for a movie you want to see. Offer someone free lawn-mowing in exchange for borrowing their trailer or swapping your second car for a boat,” says George.

Swap or Trade It is a great way to get the things you want, without having to pay for them. And it's a great way to get rid of things you don't need, knowing that someone else wants them and that you are helping the environment with sustainable consumption, she says.

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ENDS

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