The Christchurch earthquake will create economic opportunities for Dunedin and the rest of the South Island, says Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive John Christie.
Dunedin businesses may be extra busy in the short term, particularly if Christchurch businesses had Dunedin outlets they could put work through.
Especially in the short term, help in many cases would be given as part of the goodwill effort.
Dunedin outlets may need to co-operate with sister Christchurch operators for weeks or even months if systems or infrastructure were affected, Mr Christie said.
Long term, Mr Christie expected the estimated $2 billion rebuild would present huge opportunities to both Dunedin businesses and unemployed people in Dunedin.