Hi,

“All I can say is if I had any idea what good value for money we would be getting I would have signed up ages ago!!!”
Colleen Upton, General Manager, Hutt Gas, and Plumbing

We love welcoming new members like Hutt Gas and Plumbing to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and getting this kind of feedback.

Next week, we will have the opportunity to welcome new members who have joined recently. New members are coming from all across the Hutt Valley and all sectors which is really pleasing for me and our team.

In this issue of the Hutt Valley Business Weekly we are pleased to include:

• A Big Welcome To All Our New Members
• First Public Sailing of Ika Rere
• CentrePort’s Extended Container Wharf Goes Live
• Financial Support For Business Affected By Omicron
• Local News & Updates
• Upcoming Events
  • 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.

A Big Welcome To All Our New Members

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 incredible business community can only be made possible with our amazing members that make this network what it is. We look forward to seeing you at our events in the near future and working alongside you to support your continued growth and journey.

In alphabetical order:

If you would like to become a member fill out this quick form and our team will be in contact.

First Public Sailing of Ika Rere

Chamber member, WEBBCo, celebrated their first public sailings aboard Ika Rere recently.  Three times a day, the 19m fully electric passenger ferry built by WEBBCo, transported commuters across Wellington Harbour, from Queen's Wharf to Day's Bay. She's now been hauled out for cleaning and a couple of small remedial jobs before she enters full service later this month. 

She is the first of a kind in the Southern Hemisphere, possibly the world. WEBBCo is leading the way for maritime electrification and zero-emission public transport in Wellington and New Zealand wide.

To read about the partnership with East by West to create the Electric Passenger Ferry click here. To watch the video click here.

Photo by Simon Hoyle - Southlight Studio for WEBB

CentrePort’s Extended Container Wharf Goes Live

A major milestone in the regeneration of CentrePort with the Thorndon Container Wharf (TCW) Reinstatement Project. You can see a video about the project here.

On 10th of March 2022, the 262-metre operational length of TCW went live. The 'Tianjin Bridge' was the first ship to benefit from the expanded operational length.

The project has expanded the operational length of our ship-to-shore cranes from 125 metres to 262 metres.   This significantly improves productivity as the cranes can now work the entire length of the ship without having to move the vessel as previously required, and will enhance our container services capacity.

You can read the full article here.

The 'Tianjin Bridge' was the first vessel to utilise the new 262m operational length

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 2nd COVID-19 Support Payment (CSP) will open on 14 March and a 3rd payment will open on 28 March. The option for businesses to compare their income drop to a typical week in 2021 will be available from 14 March.
• 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. Opens 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:

1. COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme
2. 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

What The Upper Hutt City Council Is Doing To Help Promote Your Business

The Upper Hutt City Council Marketing team created a PDF and put together all the support they can offer you if you're starting a new business or creating and promoting an event within Upper Hutt and Wellington. 

They will also work closely with you and their business economic team to figure out which tactics best suit your requirements

To have a read of this PDF click here.

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

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 & Spokesperson for Housing & Social investment.

• 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 - A FREE Marketing Workshop In Upper Hutt

Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Digital Partner - Synthesis Marketing brings their FREE 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. 

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:

1. 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.
2. Stand by until we announce our winner - 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: Ticket sales are on from 16 February to 09 May 2022.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Job Vacancies

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 more of 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.

For more information on our memberships or how you can become a member email annette@hvchamber.org.nz or call 04 939 9821.

Thank you to all our Partners

As always, special thanks to all our Members and Partners for your ongoing support.