Hi

This week our CEO Helen Down leaves the Hutt Valley Chamber, with her last day this Friday, 30 July. She will be missed. Here at the Chamber it will be business as usual, with our President, Mark Skelly stepping in temporarily to take the helm while the search continues for our new CEO.

Other big news this week is the return of the annual Wellington Region Business Excellence Awards. Entries will open soon for a range of categories, with the gala event scheduled for Friday, 19 November. Take a look at previous years winners and celebrations here. This year we are also incorporating the Wellington Region Business Hall of Fame into the Excellence Awards. More on this to come.

COVID-19 & Business Updates

Resurgence support payment for reduction in revenue as a result of Alert Level 2 change on 23 June - applications close on 29 July
Current air travel updates from NZ Government
Sick leave law changes now in effect

For all current updates, visit www.hvchamber.org.nz.

Upcoming Events

*Tech After 5: 28 July 2021, 5:30-7:30pm

BNZ Partners Centre, 45 Knights Rd, Lower Hutt
*LAST CALL FOR BOOKINGS

We are extremely proud to showcase these three fabulous local businesses who are leading the way worldwide in technology and innovation.

Hear from Nick Long from The Paihau-Robinson Institute, part of Victoria University. They are currently developing technology to revolutionise spacecraft propulsion
Wellington is on track to become the first city in the southern hemisphere to boast its own Kiwi designed and built fully electric marine transport, thanks to Wellington Electric Boat Company. Hear from Managing Director, Fraser Foote
NZ's Young Engineer of the Year 2019 Terry Miller of EIGHT360, will introduce you to his world-unique NOVA platform, giving defence and commercial organisations an immersive virtual vehicle experience

This is a fantastic line-up of Hutt Valley businesses, brought to you in conjunction with Platinum Partner, BNZ as part of the Hutt Valley Chamber's Manufacturing and Technology Programme for 2021.

This is a popular, always very inspiring and interesting evening, uncovering some of the hidden gems of our local business community. There is no cost for members, with a small charge for non-members. Book today.

BNZ Tech Series - book here >

Women in Business Lunch:
Leadership in a Covid World

12 August, 12:00pm-2:00pm

The Women in Business Lunch has been postponed due to recent changes to alert levels. It will now be taking place on 12 August at the Lower Hutt Events Centre. We do hope you can make it.

Reconnect over an informal lunch with Keynote Speaker, Kristen Lunman, Co-founder and General Manager of Hatch. Kristen challenged the status quo by opening up US sharemarkets to all New Zealanders with her modern investment platform, Hatch.

Nominated for the NZ Women of Influence Innovator of the Year awards in 2018, Kristen is passionate about providing New Zealanders with faster and more affordable access to world-class financial tools. Kristen is a strong advocate for financial independence through smart investing. Book now to join us for this relaxed lunch.

Women in Business Lunch >

Upcoming Training & Development

Driving Traffic to Your Website: 4 August 2021

Silver Partner, Synthesis Marketing is running the first of a series of workshops aimed at helping SMEs with their digital marketing.

This first workshop will focus on driving traffic to your website. You'll gain an understanding of:

Making gains by linking website and offline marketing
Search engine optimisation (SEO) and the keywords that matter
Paid online advertising
Writing content that works
Understanding website backlinks
The value of Google's "Near Me" searches.

Places are limited, so book today. There is no charge to attend this event. Find out more and register here.

Register here >

Business Training Programme Launch:
6 August 2021 @ 10:00am

Come along to the programme launch and gain access to credible qualifications at no cost, thanks to Platinum Partner, Open Polytechnic. Certificates are available in Business, Management, and Administration & Technology.

Upskill yourself or your team through this brand new programme run in partnership with Open Polytechnic and Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. To find out more, book here

Book here >

In case you missed it ..

Work Well, Be Well Livestream, 23 July

A healthy team has a significant positive impact on business productivity. Employee wellness programmes (or wellness plans) are a form of health benefit many employers now provide.

As a published author, experienced teacher and workshop facilitator, Chamber Member Victoria Fraser has taken her skills around the world. In this livestream replay from Friday, she will walk you through the how and why of wellness plans for yourself and your employees.

See the slides below.

New Members Function, 22 July

It was fantastic to meet our new members and personally welcome you to the Hutt Valley Chamber, at this fun event run in partnership with Gold Partner, Spark Business Hub Hutt-Porirua. Read more and see all the photos here.

New Members Function >

Helen's Official Farewell, 21 July

Over 120 people attended the official farewell for our CEO, Helen Down, including local politicians and plenty of familiar faces from the local business community. Many of you have come to know Helen over the years and thank you for joining us on this occasion. It was an evening full of surprises, including a fun "Who Knows Helen Best?" quiz and plenty of parting words and gifts. Find out who won the quiz and see all the photos here.

Helen's Official Farewell >

Could You be our Next Hutt Valley Chamber CEO?

If you think you've got what it takes, we would love to hear from you!

Could you be the person we're looking for? Or perhaps you know someone who would be perfect for this interesting, diverse and rewarding role?

As our Chamber CEO, you would be inheriting a fabulous team, a strong balance sheet and have the pleasure of working with an inspiring and engaged local business community. There are excellent business support programmes in place, along with several contracts for services. Plus there are plenty more opportunities in the pipeline to develop. This is an intense but fun role. Are you up for the challenge? Take a look at the job description here.

CEO Role At Hutt Valley Chamber >

Sales Role - Work from Home Part-time

Chamber Member, the Home & Interiors Show is a well established, high quality home exhibition running annually at the Lower Hutt Events Centre, 18-20 March 2022 (with a show in the Wairarapa in October).

With many people investing in their homes, the show is a much needed connection point for the homeowner and home industry businesses.

Are you a dynamic, locally based sales person available to work on a seven-month contract? An experienced, sales person who is able to work from home on a part time basis with an excellent network in the industry would be perfectly suited for this role. If you are interested, please email info@homeandinteriors.nz for further information.

Email the Home & Interiors Show >

We'll have more for you next week. In the meantime, do please forward this Hutt Valley Business Weekly to your other businesses colleagues so we can keep them up to date as well.