Article for Daily Post Tomorrow is the closing day for submissions on the proposed changes to the Electoral system for Rotorua District Council. The proposal is for the number of Councillors to remain at 12 plus the Mayor, and a major change to move to the election of councillors in an At Large system. more...
WORLD CUP 2011 Here we Come What a great result for Rotorua. Not only will we get the economic benefit of three games but as the No.1 tourist destination in New Zealand of New Zealand, strong promotion should see most of the international visitors coming to our city. So September and October should be very strong months for us. more...
Strategy for Difficult Times What a tremendous seminar last week with Steve Pinder (Westpac), Stephen Graham (BDO Spicers) and Rod Meharry (PhotoArts). In the first of a two part series, each shared a number of key strategies to help the participants through these challenging times. Part two is this Thursday with Bryan Goldsack (Damar Industries), Judy Holden (RDC), and Peter Stokes (Bottom Line Consultancy). more...
Media Comments There were some interesting media comments regarding Sunday trading in the Rotorua CBD last week. I felt that the remarks about Shop Rotorua were a little unjustified. more...
Get Strategic projects ready I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Stephen Joyce, the new Minister for Transport and IT and the Associate Minister for Infrastructure. It's not often that you see a first time parliamentarian being given the responsibility for an important ministerial portfolio. It was refreshing to see the approach of a Minister with a strong and recent background in the business world. more...
Chamber indicates strong preference for voting system Last week the Chamber conducted a quick survey of its members to determine their opinion on which election system they preferred, a ‘ward' system or an ‘at large' system. It was a simple choice, one or the other. The survey did not seek opinion on the number of councillors, community boards, Maori wards or the reasons for their choice.. more...
Planning for a Challenging Year Ahead There is no doubt it is going to be a challenging year ahead. There are various opinions on how long this soft economic climate is going to last. However, irrespective of its term, the key to survival is the application of a sound management planning process so you can optimise your organisational performance. more...
Setting a goal for growth for 2009 and beyond The Chamber of Commerce is committed to encouraging growth for Rotorua. There are many ways to define growth. Amongst a number of monitors there are factors such as growth in gross domestic product (GDP), increase in average wage of the population, and increase in population. more...
The Eat Streat and Pedestrianisation of Tutanekai Street A number of times since December I have taken the opportunity to go to our great new facility, Eat Streat, and enjoy ‘al fresco' dining. It seems to beamorehealthy option enjoying the fresh air and sunshine whilst taking some sustenance. more...
How to get through these challenging times There is no doubt that 2009 is going to be a challenging year. As I mentioned last week there are going to be some positive factors that are on the PLUS side of the ledger. more...
Some positive signs on the Horizon In his address to the NZ Chambers National Conference, Brendan O'Donovan identified a couple of bright specks on the bleak canvas for the next year. The drop in the OCR to a possible low of four per cent will see a considerable reduction both in the cost of mortgage finance and in business borrowing. more...
What a Weekend The weekend started with the business event of the year. The Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence. This event is an evening can be justifiably be proud. more...
