Auckland businesses feel beat up as economy stalls

The Employers and Manufacturers Association says Auckland businesses are feeling beaten up, after months of bad weather, high costs, soaring interest rates and flagging sales. It's symptomatic of a slowdown which has tipped the economy into recession after two quarters of negative growth. In Christchurch by contrast, the latest survey by the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce shows 78-percent of members are upbeat, while those expecting the economy to worsen over the coming year has dropped, from 48-percent in the December quarter, to 39-percent now. Allan McDonald, Head of Advocacy and Strategy for the Employers and Manufacturers Association, and Leeann Watson, the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce, spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.