Understanding how the business community is feeling is an important part of our everyday work at the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. Whenever we are talking to businesses we are keen to hear about their business, their challenges and how we can support them more.
Getting a wide view of the current business environment is also important and this is why once a quarter we ask you to spend a few minutes completing our Business Confidence Survey.
And the GOOD NEWS is we have made the survey a lot shorter. We got some feedback about the time it was taking, and we have listened. We hope this will encourage you to spend a few minutes (only 3) helping us by completing the survey.
In this issue of the Hutt Valley Business Weekly we are pleased to include:
- Business Confidence Survey - 3 Minutes To Complete
- Vaccine Passes No Longer Required & Mandates Removed
- Immigration Update For Employers: Employer Accreditation Scheme, Resident Visa Update & Special Ukraine Policy
- Financial Support For Businesses & Staff
- Local News & Updates
- Upcoming Events
- Exclusive Event - New Members Function
- Nicola Willis - Leadership & My Journey From Corporate To Politics
- Upcoming Training
- Free Marketing Workshops in Upper Hutt & Lower Hutt
- Member Offers
As always if you need support or assistance please do not hesitate to let me know at patrick@hvchamber.org.nz or 021 248 1203.
Business Confidence Survey -
3 Minutes To Complete
Your views are very important to us so we would like to hear from you about how you are feeling about the current environment for your business, and how you think things will be across our region and across New Zealand. We would like to hear about your challenges and your opportunities.
We know nobody likes filling out long surveys so we kept it short. You can take part in our Business Confidence Survey here.
COVID Update: Vaccine Passes No Longer Required & Vaccine Mandates Removed
From 11:59PM on Monday 4th of April, vaccine passes will no longer be required to be used as part of the COVID-19 protection framework. “There will be some businesses, events or venues who may still wish to use them for their own reasons and they can if they wish to do so … but for now they will no longer be mandated.”
Vaccine mandates will also be removed for those in education, police, defence force and businesses required to use vaccine passes from Monday 4th of April at 11.59pm.
Indoor capacity limits will be doubled from 100 to 200.
To read more about the changes click here.
Immigration Update For Employers
Patrick McKibbin CEO of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce & Industry sits down with Immigration Specialist, Chairman of NZAMI and Woburn International CEO, June Ranson. They are accompanied by Immigration Specialist, Shaun Redpath to discuss the latest immigration changes affecting New Zealand employers.
The following areas are covered:
- Current timelines for visa holders entering, re-entering New Zealand
- How you can help an employee that has a visa that is due to expire.
- Employer Accreditation Scheme, how this works, what it costs and how it impacts current employees on visas.
- 2022 Special Ukraine Policy - Sponsoring Ukrainian workers
- 2021 Resident Visa Update
To watch the video click here:
Apply Now - New Financial Support For Businesses Affected By Omicron
The key parts of the targeted support for businesses affected by Covid include:
- As part of the Covid Support Payment, each COVID Support Payment will be $4000 per business plus $400 per full-time employee, capped at 50 FTEs or $24,000. Applications for the first COVID-19 Support Payment (CSP) opened 28th of February.
- A 3rd COVID-19 Support Payment (CSP) will open on 28 March. The option for businesses to compare their income drop to a typical week in 2021 is now available
- Self-employed people who have received the Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s one-off emergency grant for self-employed people will be able to apply for the 2nd and 3rd CSPs.
- Changes are also being made to the Small Business Cashflow Loans Scheme to increase the amount of funding available to eligible businesses through the introduction of a ‘top up’ loan. The top-up loan will allow those firms that have already accessed a loan to draw down an additional $10,000 with a new repayment period of 5 years and the first 2 years being interest-free. Opened on 21 March.
- Any businesses struggling to pay tax because of the impacts of COVID should log on to myIR to see if they can delay starting payments to a later date, or if any part of the tax could be written off. IRD can help with both GST and provisional tax due.
To find out more: click here.
Financial Support Available For Workers In Self-Isolation
There are also, two different payments available when workers need to self-isolate because of COVID-19 or are waiting on a test result and can't work from home. These are the:
- COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme
- COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment.
Employers or the self-employed can apply for these payments to help pay wages. There are no revenue tests.
To find out more about these payment options, click here.
LOCAL
Finding Staff To Support You Through Omicron
We expect that many businesses will have developed business continuity plans to support your business through any disruption created by the Omicron variant. You may be splitting your teams in some way if you can, or simply planning for the disruption of staff needing to isolate. This may mean you need staff for short periods of time to provide some cover. We can help with this.
The Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Jackson Street Programme have worked with the Ministry of Social Development to come up with a way to help:
- Match employers with someone on the Jobseeker benefit for whatever length of time required. i.e. a day, a week or more
- Streamline the process with only a few details required
- Eligibility for the MSD Wage Subsidy if the employment turns out to be longer term.
To view a summary of this opportunity click here.
2022 Civic Award Nominations Are Now Open - Nominations Close April 8th
Nominations have opened for the Hutt City Council’s Civic Honour Awards. There are some fantastic volunteers in Lower Hutt and this is a great opportunity for the Hutt City Council to acknowledge and celebrate the work that they do in our community.
There are two types:
- Community Services (Civic Honour): recognises outstanding, long-term voluntary community service in Lower Hutt. There are 7 categories
- Youth Services: recognises outstanding voluntary community service in Lower Hutt from those aged 15-25
To find out more and to fill out a nomination form click here.
Alternatively, you can visit hutt.city/civicawards.
Spread the word and nominate someone you think deserves one of these awards. Nominations end on April 8th at 5pm.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Exclusive Event - New Members Function
As we approach the end of the first quarter we would love to acknowledge and say a massive welcome to our newest Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce members this Thursday 24 March 2022 from 5:30 - 7:30pm with our new member's function. An opportunity to meet other new members, meet the Hutt Chamber team, share stories and publicly acknowledge your organisation as a member of the Hutt Valley Chamber. Food and drink provided.
Are you a new member but haven't registered for this event yet? Call us on 04 939 9821.
If you aren't already a member and would like to become one, fill out this quick form and our team will be in contact. For more info, contact Annette annette@hvchamber.org.nz or ring 04 939 9821.
Nicola Willis - Leadership & My Journey From Corporate To Politics
As part of our Gibson Sheat Political Series, the Hutt Valley Chamber is hosting a breakfast with Nicola Willis, National's Deputy Leader & Finance Spokesperson.
- This is an opportunity for Nicola to engage with our Hutt Valley business community.
- You'll have the chance to hear why she decided to make the transition from corporate to politics and what she learned along the way.
- You'll be able to listen in on National's plan to support businesses & our local community through current challenges.
- You'll get to have your questions answered as part of the Q&A
When: Tuesday 05 April
Time: 7:30am - 9:30am
Where: Silverstream Retreat, 3 Reynolds Bach Drive, Stokes Valley
Price: From $45 + GST
UPCOMING TRAINING
Keywords, Google Rankings And Driving Traffic To Your Website - A Free Workshop
Our Silver Partner, Synthesis Marketing, will take you through the key steps you can take to make your website work harder and smarter for your business. Whether you are product or service focused, use websites to sell online or to generate enquiries, this workshop will give you hands-on tips and tools aimed at driving more traffic to your site.
Topics to be covered include:
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and the keywords that matter to your business
- Paid online advertising
- Writing content that works
- Understanding website backlinks
- The value of Google’s “Near Me” searches
- Making gains by linking website and offline marketing
- Free resources to boost your efforts
When: Tuesday 29 March
Time: 5:00pm - 7:30pm
Where: Hutt Valley Chamber, Level 3, 15 Daly St, Lower Hutt
Price: No Cost
Smash Your Revenue Goals In 2022 - Free Marketing Workshop In Upper Hutt
Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Digital Partner - Synthesis Marketing brings their marketing workshop to Upper Hutt in partnership with the Upper Hutt City Council.
This in-person workshop was a success last month at the Lower Hutt session and due to high demand will be run here in Upper Hutt.
The specific areas covered will be:
- Top 5 marketing trends to watch.
- Marketing in a Covid and post-Covid world
- Setting meaningful objectives for the year.
- Defining marketing’s role in your business.
- The fundamentals of a smarter marketing plan.
- Differences between strategies and tactics.
- Tips for a successful action plan.
- Free resources to help keep your marketing effort on track.
When: Tuesday 12 April
Time: 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Where: Central Library, 844 Fergusson Drive, Upper Hutt
Price: No Cost
Future Events & Training
We have several more events and training workshops coming up throughout the year. These will include:
- Business After Five networking events
- Gibson Sheat's Political Series
- BNZ Technology & Innovation Series
- Business Safaris
- Women in Business Events
- Learning & Development workshops from our partners
Plus many more!
To stay up to date with all our events & training, keep an eye out on future issues of the Hutt Valley Business Weekly. You can also follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook to see these events as they come up.
MEMBER OFFERS
Members Offer: Rapid Test Kits - RATs
Our Hutt Valley Chamber member and government supplier, Survive-It, are offering you a special deal on Rapid Antigen Tests.
Product Details:
Assure Tech Nasal Swab Rapid Test (20 per pack)
*Number of packs available for Chamber members – 300 packs of 20*
Price:
$185 / 20 pack box (Plus GST)
How To Order:
Please email Patrick at patrick@hvchamber.org.nz with the order quantity and we will connect you to Survive-It to finalise the order.
Members Offer: N95 / P2 Equivalent Masks
Our Hutt Valley Chamber member and government supplier, Survive-It, are also offering you a special deal on N95/P2 equivalent masks.
How To Redeem:
To redeem your special offer contact Steven. Email steven@survive-it.co.nz and mention to him you are a member of the Chamber.
Product Details:
Mask product details and specs: View product details.
Members Offer: Rapid Test Kits - RATs
Our Hutt Valley Chamber member Medent Medical, are offering you a 10% discount on Rapid Antigen Tests.
Product Details:
Healgen SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Nasal (Box of 1 test)
Healgen SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Nasal (Box of 20 tests)
Discounted Price:
Box of 1 test: $6.96 + GST
Box of 20 tests: $116.217 + GST | *$5.82 + GST each test*
How To Redeem Offer:
To redeem your special offer contact the Medent Medical team and let them know you are a member of the Chamber. Phone 0800 263 3368, Fax 0800 5277 499 or order online here.
Jussi Luukkonen At Your Service
We are delighted to welcome Jussi Luukkonen. A member of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. He is a Leadership Coach, Facilitator, Speaker and Author. You can read more about him on his website here.
He is currently running a promotion for our members with a 10% discount on his services which includes: Coaching, Workshop Facilitation and Presentation Skills.
For more info call 021 999 652 or email jussi@jussiluukkonen.com.
Wrap Up the Financial Year and Win
Our Hutt Valley Chamber member Speedy Signs are experts in signage and have been providing cross industry-wide solutions for over 30 years.
They are going to transform one lucky business vehicle into an amazing mobile billboard as part of their 'Wrap Up The Financial Year' competition.
How To Enter The Draw:
- Place your order - Place your order for $500 worth of signage (or more) with Speedy Signs before 31st March. To be eligible for the vehicle wrap draw, your order must be paid in full. T&C's apply.
- Stand by - Sit back, enjoy your new signage, and keep an eye out for their winner’s announcement – who knows, it could be you?!
Click here to visit their competition page for full details and T&C's.
Would You Like To Win A Car AND Support The New Wellington Children’s Hospital?
This is YOUR chance to win one of three great prizes with the first prize being a brand new car all the while raising funds to help support the build of the Wellington Region Children’s Hospital.
FIRST, SECOND & THIRD PLACE PRIZES
How To Purchase Raffle Tickets: Email Gaylene at gaylene@jdicoach.co.nz or text her on 0214 688 04 with your details and she’ll be in touch.
Valid Dates: Tickets are on sale from 16 February to 09 May 2022.
EMPLOYMENT
Are You A Member And Have A Role That You'd Like To Get Filled?
Contact Andrew our Employment Coordinator. You can reach him on: andrew@hvchamber.org.nz or call 049399821.
If you have a job suitable for a student get in touch with our Education to Employment Coordinator Amanda Walters at amanda@hvchamber.org.nz or call 049399821.
To view our vacancies, click here.
MEMBERSHIP OFFER
Are You Or Your Business A Member Yet?
Your membership includes exclusive offers, members-only events, networking opportunities with local council and other businesses, promotion across our social media channels, website, email and network, FREE employer services, FREE weekly meeting room hire, plus many other benefits.
If you aren't already a member and would like to become one, fill out this quick form and our team will be in contact. For more info, contact Annette annette@hvchamber.org.nz or ring 04 939 9821.
Thank you to all our Partners
As always, special thanks to all our Members and Partners for your ongoing support.
