Kia ora , One of the things that struck me yesterday when we held a presentation on ‘Climate Change and your Business’ was that there are many reasons why a business needs to continually review how they are doing things. This review, and then adapting or changing, is important. Feedback is an important part of this process. We were blown away by the response to the 2degrees Wellington Regional Business Excellence Awards this year. More entries, more people at the finalist function, and a full house for the awards. This is great, but how did we do and how can
we improve? We did really well with 97% of people saying their overall experience at the 2degrees Wellington Regional Business Excellence Awards was awesome or really awesome. The general sentiment on the venue, the food, and value for money was very positive too. But there were definitely some areas for improvement, and for me, this is vitally important for our work and how we can do things better in the future. We will listen, we have listened, and we will continue to do the best job we can for the business community in the Hutt Valley. If you ever have any feedback, please do let me know at patrick@hvchamber.org,nz. It is important to our work.
In this edition of the Hutt Valley Business Weekly: - Chamber Updates
- Thank You: 2022 2degrees Wellington Regional Business Excellence Awards
Climate Change
and Your Business - RiverLink
- Riverlink Parking Surveys – Request for Quote
- Jobs and Skills Hub: Operations Manager Role
- Local & Regional News
New to R&D Grant: Building your R&D capability for the future Hutt Valley Researcher Wins 2022 Pickering Medal Open Evenings: Come and Chat with the Weltec and Whitireia teams! - National News
- Planning for the Proposed New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme
- Resource Management System Reform
- Events & Training Workshops
- Thu 1 Dec 22: 'Our Hutt Christmas' - On Tomorrow
- Thu 16 Feb 22: Women In Business - Inspiring Stories From Exceptional Leaders
- Member Offers
- From Kāpuhipuhi Wellington Uni-Professional, Cupcake Sweeties and Cutlers Bar & Entertainment
Thank You: 2022 2degrees Wellington Regional Business Excellence Awards
We are still buzzing about the 2degrees Wellington Regional Business Excellence Awards. It was a fantastic night out and we are very happy for our 2022 winners. A massive thank you to our sponsors and supporting sponsors for helping us bring these awards to life. Whether you joined us on the night as a guest, entrant, finalist or winner, from us at the Hutt Valley Chamber, thank you for helping us celebrate our businesses in the Hutt Valley and Wellington Region. Want to see the official photos and videos of the Awards night? The photos are on our website, here. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram to be notified as soon as we share the official videos, highlights and all the photos of our awards.
Climate Change and Your Business
With everything a business has to deal with, particularly over the past few years, it is not always easy to think about how your business should be measuring and taking action around the environment and climate change. Thanks to the Hutt City Council this week businesses had the chance to hear about the why thinking about this now is important, and some ideas on how to do this. The businesses heard from: - David Laing General Manager at EKOS on how small-medium businesses might measure, reduce, and offset carbon emissions
- Tom Williams, Head of Sustainable Finance at Kiwibank about how sustainable business loans can support your business
- Jörn Scherzer, Head of Climate & Solid Waste at Hutt City Council on some of the potential challenges the Hutt City faces as a result of climate change.
It was clear business has a critical role to play in tackling climate change. In many cases, customer preferences are shifting to reflect this. This session provided information, tools and tips for a business thinking about their action to tackle climate change. There were a couple of key take outs from the session: - Measuring your business impact is getting easier, with a range of tools to help understand your business impact. EKOS and Kiwibank talked about tools they provide.
- Measuring and taking action, even small ones, can have a positive ROI for your business.
- If you are exporting to countries around the world measuring and reporting is likely to be a requirement in the not too distant future.
If you would like more information, please contact patrick@hvchamber.org.nz. We will run further sessions in this
area in 2023.
Riverlink Parking Surveys – Request for Quote
The Riverlink project will result in a net loss of car parks in Hutt City, with parking spaces impacted due to the construction of the stop banks along Te Awa Kairangi on the area currently used as the existing Riverbank car park. Additional changes to road alignments on both sides of the river impact a smaller number of on-street parking spaces. As a result, there are concerns about where those vehicles will be parked, the subsequent increase in congestion, and pressure on car parks elsewhere across Lower Hutt. In response, there is a need to undertake a review of all public parking (on and off-street) in Lower Hutt central city and implement changes to the time restrictions and pricing structure to deliver the appropriate balance between parking supply and demand, with separate
consideration for short and long-term parking. The RiverLink project is seeking quotes from interested suppliers to undertake a review of all public parking (on and off-street) in Lower Hutt central city. This is required to enable the implementation of changes to time restrictions and pricing structure to deliver the appropriate balance between parking supply and demand, with separate consideration for short and long-term parking. If you are a supplier that might be interested in undertaking this work please email patrick@hvchamber.org.nz and he will send on the scope of work document. Quotes need to be completed by
8th December 2022.
Jobs and Skills Hub:
Operations Manager Role
Be part of the success of the Lower Hutt Jobs and Skills Hub. MSD have an opportunity for an experienced people leader to lead the Jobs and Skills Hub as Operations Managers in Lower Hutt. The Lower Hutt Jobs and Skills Hub is a one-stop, no-cost recruitment, and training facilitation service to support the Hutt Valley communities construction and infrastructure sectors. The Hub will support the major construction projects, particularly RiverLink, that create employment and skills development opportunities for our community. The purpose is to drive a rapid and sustainable shift that delivers the right people, at the right time, with the right skills, to meet New Zealand’s current and
future construction needs. As operations manager, you will lead the team to do this mahi. You will create a culture of innovation and collaboration within your team to achieve sustainable employment outcomes. You will partner with industry and other like-minded stakeholders to leverage opportunities that can create solutions that contribute to this purpose. For more information on this role and to apply use this link.
New to R&D Grant: Building your R&D capability for the future
Building your R&D capability for the future Callaghan Innovation has just launched their ‘New to R&D Grant’ . This has been specifically designed to help you and your business become a long-term R&D performer. It is not for one-off projects - because if you want to continue to differentiate your product or service from your competitors’ and tap into new markets, you need to keep innovating. Find out more here.
Hutt Valley Researcher Wins 2022 Pickering Medal
The Hutt Valley is very lucky to have a broad range of science, innovation and technology companies. It is said that we have 400% more researchers than anywhere else in Aotearoa. It is absolutely fabulous that one of these talented researchers was recognised this week for his amazing work. Deputy Director Professor Rodney Badcock from the Paihau Robinson Research Institute (Petone) was awarded the 2022 Pickering Medal from Te Apāragi Royal Society. The Pickering Medal aims to recognise excellence and innovation in the practical applications of technology. Rod has received this medal for his significant contributions to superconducting technologies for electric aircraft. Huge Congratulations to Rod for this recognition. Rod said, ‘This was only possible because of the team, the local supporting companies and the local ecosystem’. Go Rod, his team, the whole Paihau Robinson Research team and of course the amazing Hutt Valley. You can read more about this here.
Open Evenings: Come and Chat with the Weltec and Whitireia teams!
Come along to either the Petone or Porirua Open Evenings and find your dream career. The teams will be able to sit with you and plan out a programme of study which will be tailored to suit your goals. There are a number of different entry points into their programmes and courses. From academic achievement to special admission and discretionary admission. What matters is what the learner wants to achieve, not what they started with or where they are now. When it comes to choosing the right programme, they will encourage everyone to start the discussion with them, with a destination in mind. Petone Come along to our Petone Open Evening and find your dream career. It is being held in The Hub at our Petone Campus from 4-8pm. Porirua Come along to our Porirua Open Evening and find your dream career. It is being held in our Learning Street in our Wikitoria Katene building from 4-8pm.
Opportunity for Hutt Valley Based Businesses - Graffiti Removal
Hutt City Council invites Registrations of Interest for the rapid response and removal of graffiti from the region.
We are looking for a supplier that has the capability and capacity to remove large volumes (Approximately up to 16,000m2) of graffiti annually, from within the HCC region. Suppliers are encouraged to subscribe on GETS for full access. If you would like to see the documents and don’t have access to GETs please contact patrick@hvchamber.org.nz
Planning for the Proposed New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme. Survey of Employers. Have your say.
ACC is leading the planning for the development of a proposed New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme. The intention is that the Scheme could play an important role in supporting workers and employers during economic shocks and changes. Research is being conducted with workers and employers to inform the scheme development. One element is a survey of employers to better understand experiences of dealing with redundancy situations , or when staff have their ability to work impacted by a health condition or disability. These could be in employer/managers current role, or in a previous role, or organisation. To help inform the planning ACC would appreciate you participating in the survey – (or passing this on
to the most appropriate person in your organisation if that is not you). The survey takes around 5-10 minutes and is confidential. Access the Survey Here
Resource Management System Reform
The Government has announced they plan to repeal the Resource Management Act (1991) and enact new laws to transform the way we manage the environment. They have identified 5 objectives for the new system. These are: - To protect and, where necessary, restore the environment and its capacity to provide for the wellbeing of present and future generations.
- To better enable development within natural environmental limits including a significant improvement in housing supply, affordability and choice, and timely provision of appropriate infrastructure
including social infrastructure.
- To give proper recognition to the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and provide greater recognition of te ao Māori including mātauranga Māori.
- To better prepare for adapting to climate change and risks from natural hazards and better mitigate the emissions.
- To improve system efficiency and effectiveness and reduce complexity while ensuring local input and involvement.
You can read more about these 5 objectives here. How can you have your say into this significant change? Let us know what you think and how this might impact your business. We will make sure we feed this into the work as it develops. Email me at patrick@hvchamber.org.nz with any feedback you have. We will keep you informed about this change as it happens over the next few years.
'Our Hutt Christmas' - Christmas In The Hutt Valley For The Whole Family
When: Thursday 1 December | 5pm - 9pm
Where: High Street (South of Margaret St)
Cost: None Bring the whānau and come along tomorrow (December 1st) to the south end of High Street for the return of magic late-night shopping, but with a twist. Many of your favourite shops and cafes will be open late, and there
will be a sprinkle of market stalls and food trucks too! The Southend will be alive with Christmas jingles and entertainment,
decorative retail windows and street art trees lining the footpaths.
Women In Business - Inspiring Stories From Exceptional Leaders
When: Thursday 16th February 2023 | 9 - 11am
Where: Silverstream Retreat
Cost: Members $35 | Non-Members $45 There are many views on what makes a great leader. What is often more fascinating, and inspiring is to hear how people became leaders and what they learnt along the way. For some being a leader comes naturally, while for others it requires more work. This could include surrounding yourself with great mentors and support as well as understanding your own strengths & weaknesses and how you can leverage that to your advantage. Be inspired. Join us to hear from three leaders in our community about their journeys and experiences. Featured Speakers: - Ana Lyubich, Founder of Excio
- Jo Jensen, Founder of Strictly Savvy
- Paula Clarke, Founder of Go Architecture
- Vikki Lust, Owner of Belle La Vie
Continue Your Career and Personal Growth With A Discount For 2023 Courses
Now is the perfect time to start planning the next step on your professional development journey. Kāpuhipuhi - Wellington Un Professionals have a great selection of short courses to support you, from project management to practical data analysis and moving into management to Te Reo Māori. There is something for everyone. Enrol now and take advantage of their 15% special discount available for 2023 enrolments. This discount only applies for bookings made before the start of next year, 1 Jan 2023. Just click on the course that works for you and the discount will be automatically applied. View the list of available courses here.
Get Your Corporate Christmas Gifts Sorted With Christmas Cupcakes and Edible Treats
Make your Christmas gift-giving easy this year. Send Christmas Cupcakes, Macarons, Cookies and Brownies which can all be personalised with your company logo/brand to promote your business as well as deliver festive cheer to your clients, team, friends & family. Bulk pricing is available and a 10% discount is available via the Chamber app. If you would like to learn more please feel free to visit the Cupcake Sweeties website or email info@cupcakesweeties.co.nz; You can also call us on 04 577 2962 or visit us at Cupcake Sweeties 221, Waiwhetu Road, Fairfield, Lower Hutt. By ordering through Cupcake Sweeties you are also supporting a small business in Lower Hutt!
Cutlers Christmas Cabaret – 10 December 7pm
A full Night of entertainment organised for you! Only at Cutlers in Lower Hutt. Full Mouth-watering selection of buffet dining, Outrageously entertaining London cabaret style floor show, with a live band. Don't miss out. Book your office party or work drinks now! Large or small groups welcome. One night only! Book Tickets at the bar or online at Cutlers Christmas Cabaret Tickets, Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite
Want More Member Offers? To see a list of all our member's offers visit our Members Marketplace on our website to see a variety of deals we have from our members for both members only and anyone.
Do You Have A Role That You'd Like To Get Filled?
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
Thank you to all our Partners As always, special thanks to all our Members and Partners for your ongoing support.
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