Chamber Releases Its Manifesto for Candidates’ Consideration
The Rotorua Chamber of Commerce has released its 2007 Local Authority Manifesto containing its recommendations to Rotorua District Council to enhance the business environment for the next three years.
According to Roger Gordon, Chief Executive Officer of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, “The local authority elections will be held in October and we will be electing a new group of representatives to provide leadership for our community for the next three years. It is important that the Chamber of Commerce, as the main organisation representing business in Rotorua, ensures that this new Council understands the issues that are important to our members and the actions that need to be taken to enhance the business environment”.
To develop the manifesto, the Chamber surveyed its members to identify the key issues and their relative importance. Through input from stakeholders in the organisation, a list of action plans was drawn up for each of the areas of concern. The combined outcome of these action plans is to enhance the current business and economic environment in Rotorua.
“We will be sharing this manifesto with each of the declared candidates for the four ward seats and with all of the Mayoral candidates. Each candidate will be asked for their views on each of the issues and for an indication of their level of support on each action plan. This feedback will be shared with the membership of the Chamber and the public.”
The key issues and the action plans identified for each area are as follows.
A business friendly and supportive approach to development proposals
KEY ACTIONS
- Improve communication, open meetings, friendly cooperative staff and a more helpful website that contains the right information and contacts and is clear and easy to use. Make it easy for people to find out about requirements and costs.
- Develop a clear, positive vision through the District Plan, setting out how it will be achieved, and communicate that. Change the perception among those surveyed by the Chamber that Rotorua is an expensive and difficult place to do business.
- Review and remove unnecessary barriers in Council's policies and procedures and improve certainty and clarity.
- Appoint an adviser outside the regulatory process to liaise with business and major developers on processes and opportunities to reduce time and costs.
- Review consent processes to ensure they reflect best practice, are customer focused and meet legislative time requirements
A well defined plan and the provision of suitable infrastructure for strong business growth
KEY ACTIONS
- Identify and classify through the District Plan prime commercial development precincts that meet the needs of industrial and technology business parks.
- Provide encouragement for organisations to establish and develop industrial and technology business parks that meet business needs.
- Increase the priority of roading developments that will provide a safer, more efficient transport network for businesses in Rotorua. Maintain progress on direct route to Tauranga and Victoria Street bypass.
- With Rotorua Regional Airport to gain trans-Tasman capability, consider lobbying Transit NZ to rapidly upgrade highway links between Tauranga and Rotorua. This would also promote a twin city concept of Rotorua and Tauranga.
- Maintain pressure on Transit NZ to re-establish construction of the Eastern Arterial Highway in its ten-year plan.
A commitment to improving the Lakes Water quality
KEY ACTIONS
- Actively support EBoP in achieving the action plans for the restoration and preservation of the lakes.
- Continue to build sewerage schemes around the lakeside settlements
- Support EBoP in obtaining a reasonable financial contribution from Central Government.
- Ensure preservation and restoration of the lakes become a principal driver in the Rotorua District Plan by allowing innovative land use change from intensive farming to more sustainable alternatives.
- Encourage the tourism industry to widen its focus from Maori culture and volcanic activity to all Lakes District recreational experiences.
Strong leadership uniting stakeholders to achieve growth
KEY ACTIONS
- Have a strong vision for the future of Rotorua that can be captured in media and conceptual statements that can create a visual image.
- Articulate this vision with passion to all stakeholder groups.
- Actively encourage a cooperative and unified whole of community approach to achieving that vision.
- Provide leadership to maintain momentum towards the vision.
A clear, integrated and coordinated vision for Inner City Rotorua
KEY ACTIONS
- Create a clear vision for the future of Inner City Rotorua.
- Clearly convey this vision and the principal concepts to Rotorua residents so they can understand it and embrace it.
More involvement of business through consultation on relevant issues
KEY ACTIONS
- Commission an annual business ratepayer satisfaction survey on aspects of Rotorua District Council’s performance relevant to business.
- Establish a Business Forum chaired by the Mayor that comprises all 12 elected Councillors and 12 representatives from across all sectors of Rotorua business.
- Use the BrightEconomy Advisory Board in developing business-related Council policy, rather than to comment on policy already formulated.
Development of a broadband infrastructure strategy
KEY ACTIONS
- Investigate methods of optimising the regional broadband network and improving intra-region connectivity from the region to the main Auckland-Wellington broadband highway.
- Include a requirement for broadband access capability in reticulation of utilities to new subdivisions or replacement of existing utilities.
- Facilitate the extension of broadband capability to the rural areas of the Rotorua district.
Encouragement to establish new businesses
KEY ACTIONS
- Continue the work of the BrightEconomy Advisory Board in addressing the negative responses of the perception survey.
- Continue the work of Destination Rotorua Economic Development in positioning Rotorua as a place to work, live, play and invest.
- Create a positive retail environment in the CBD to attract the interest of new retailers by adopting a CBD revitalisation strategy.
- Develop a strategy that will incentivise existing property owners in the CBD to invest in refurbishment and/or redevelopment.
- Develop a strategy to attract, incentivise and facilitate the establishment of new businesses to Rotorua.
A proactive approach to environmental sustainability
KEY ACTIONS
- Encourage and facilitate recycling from all households.
- Encourage and facilitate sustainability in the construction sector.
- Research and facilitate conversion of waste products into fuel.
A coordinated energy strategy for the District
RECOMMENDATION
- Develop an energy management strategy that includes an energy management policy and plan for the Rotorua District Council.
- Adopt best practice for energy use by the Council and publish details to establish the Council as a positive role model in energy management.
- Support and actively enable new local energy management initiatives.
- Set strict carbon reduction targets for the Rotorua District and develop an action plan for their achievement.
- Develop and support renewable energy generation initiatives including hydro, solar, geothermal and bio-fuels.
- Develop work started by the BrightEconomy Board on local energy resources.
Reduced size and cost of local government
KEY ACTIONS
- Review Council units that provide private goods and services to the public to ensure they operate effectively and efficiently. The review should consider different management models and the benefits of divesting commercially viable activities to private enterprise while retaining a return on the investment.
- Reduce the size, scope and cost of local government by focusing on core activities of local government.
- Desist from moving into areas of commercial operation that compete directly with private interests and expose Council to commercial risk.
For more information:
Roger Gordon, CEO
(07) 349 8355 or 0275 381228
Christa George, President
07 3468845 or 021 2777334
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TICKETS FOR THE 2007 GALA PRESENTATION DINNER
GO ON SALE MONDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2007
The Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards is once again reaching its climax. The finalists will be announced on Monday 3 September for all of the ten categories. The finalists have 19 days to prepare their presentations to the panel of judges over the weekend of 22 and 23 September.
The overall number of entries across all categories has once again reached a record at 7 per cent more than last year. The competition for the Westpac Business of the Year will be fierce!
The Rotorua Chamber of Commerce is pleased that Event Impressions and Audio Visual Techniques are supporting the awards to produce a spectacular event.
The event team have each year provided a themed gala evening which gets better and better. It started in 2004 with Mission Impossible; 2005 was memorable with “A Touch of Excellence” and who will forget the spectacular 2006 “Shimmer and Shine”
Thanks to Event Venues this year's event will be in the Unison Arena at the Energy Events Centre and will undoubtedly be a showcase of Rotorua's capability to host a major awards function. Event Venues will host potential clients to the event to drive additional future business.
Last year, demand for tickets for the Gala Presentation Evening was high and the full house sign went up within seven days of tickets going on sale. The Chamber is anticipating an increased demand with the evening being hosted in the city's new events centre.
Tickets will be available through the Chamber of Commerce's website www.rotoruachamber.co.nz.
Event Impressions are managing the ticket sales and logistics for the evening.
For additional information and reservation special requests they can be contacted on 348 4045.
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Energy Management and Cost Savings
One of the key points in any management process to achieve savings after an Energy Audit has been completed is to prioritise work and take action to ensure changes are made or systems set up within a specific timeframe.
It is surprising and frustrating how often the process stalls at this stage and implementation action becomes too hard for many clients or audit beneficiaries to take the next step.
This situation arises for many reasons some of which are;
- Not enough time available for the person or persons to set up and drive and/or do the work (They are far too busy attending to their normal work load).
- Not knowing what to do next.
- Not having sufficient funds available within the present or immediate future budgets.
- Insufficient other resources to assist.
- Insufficient understanding of the processes and procedures to be followed.
That is, not having an Energy Manager and management experience and expertise within particular businesses’ own resources and/or services to allow constructive progress to be made.
This has lead the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), who help fund many efficiency enhancement projects, to recognize this inability of businesses to make the gains identified, so they have set up a pilot project to fund 50% of an Energy Manager Services costs, to allow outsourced Energy Manager Services to be trialed for a range of businesses nation wide.
Various proposals were requested from Energy Management Service Providers nationwide and five proposals were chosen. Power Solutions Ltd partnered with New Plymouth District Council in this regard and were successful in gaining one of these five funding allocations.
So for a period of two years PSL and New Plymouth District Council will be working together to get a formal energy strategy, action plans, management processes and systems in place to allow savings identified via earlier executed Energy Audits and other similar reviews, in place for their ongoing benefit.
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REKTIFY - The Aerosol Art Programme
Over the past several months Rotorua has seen a significant increase in vandalism around the central business district and surrounding suburbs.
As a response to this problem, the Rotorua Community Youth Centre has come up with what we believe to be a solution to many of the issues surrounding this offending through the launch of the REKTIFY Aerosol Art Programme.
Through discussion with local young people and reviewing international studies on these issues, we have formed strategies and activities that will engage offenders and graff art enthusiasts in a positive way through the REKTIFY Aerosol Art Programme.
The following were identified as key reasons young people engage in this negative behaviour. By acknowledging these reasons we have developed strategies to deal with many of the underlying issues and through engagement and communication we have structured a programme that attempts to replace the negative issues with positive outcomes.
- Pleasures in risk taking. Replacing the thrill of taking negative risks with the pleasure and pride of achieving success through their passion for art.
- Reacting to peer pressure, discrimination, anguish or abuse. Provide a team environment where all participate and work together for a common goal. Provide mentoring and leadership that will offer alternative methods of expression.
- Lack of activities. Provide a programme that requires active participation in an organised and structured environment.
- Defiance of social norms. Educate the participants in the realities of living in a social environment.
- The need to assert their identity. Contribute to the community through their artistic expression.
The programme aims to:
- Work with young offenders and those with an interest in aerosol art in the community by developing their self esteem, confidence and responsibilities as members of society.
- Provide an organized environment to promote positive messages through aerosol art and the visual arts.
- Contribute to the wider community of Rotorua through channelling destructive attitudes and behaviours into positive creative outcomes.
The programme will run every Wednesday evening for eight weeks and will introduce young people to the foundations of hip hop culture and aerosol art, develop the skill levels of each participant through aerosol art design principles and finally produce a mural art piece to present to the community.
The programme was the initiative of a young man who was impacted greatly by a similar programme. This helped him turn his life around and develop his artistic abilities, to where he now makes money from his work and wants to contribute to society through the REKTIFY aerosol art programme.
While we do not believe that this will stamp out vandalism entirely, for some offenders it will engage them in positive creativity and give them an appreciation for this art form to the point where 'tagging' and vandalism are offensive to them much like the young man who developed this programme.
Although the Rotorua police have officially endorsed this programme we still need the support of Local Council and the business community. The programme comes with a very minimal price tag compared to the great expense this vandalism is currently costing the community. We require financial support and some large walls or buildings that people may like to see some colourful artwork on. Anyone seeing value in the programme is encouraged to contact the Rotorua Community Youth Centre to discuss ways that we can work together to combat this epidemic.
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Spam You can manage the deluge....
In this article we'll look at Spam note the lowercase “p” “a” and “m” otherwise known as “UCE” or unsolicited commercial email.
We won't be talking about SPAM™ (note al caps) - which is a registered trademark of Hormal Food LLC. As an aside - did you know that SPAM™ was invented in 1936 and was originally known as “spiced ham”…? In 1959 the billionth can was sold and in 1994 the five billionth can was sold.
Spam is a major problem for NZ businesses for three main reasons: -
- it takes up staff's time to delete it
- you've often paid for the delivery of Spam to your computers
- porn or race based Spam could infringe an employee’s human rights if you as the business owner haven't taken adequate steps to prevent your staff from viewing objectionable material.
NZ Anti-Spam Law
On 5 September 2007 New Zealand sees the institution of the “Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007” which affects every NZ business in two ways:
- If you have a client list or direct email database now or want to create one in the future; and
- You wish to reduce the occurrence of getting on other NZ based businesses’ direct email lists.
If you have a list now and you want to use it after 5 September you need to be able to prove that everyone on the list has given you permission to send them a commercial email.
Permission can be in one of three ways: -
- Expressed e.g. opted in from your web site
- Inferred e.g. from other contact or business (e.g. given you their business card)
- Deemed e.g. been published on a web site without a “no spam” statement
You also need to have your full name and contact details displayed on any emails that you send out as well as honouring an “unsubscribe” request within reasonable time.
You are also prohibited under the act from charging to be removed or using any automated software for the creation of lists.
So how to you minimise NZ based Spam in the future…?
One of the first things to do is to place a “Do not use this email contact for Spam” on your contact page on your web site. This will prevent companies visiting your web site and adding the email address to their email list.
You could also remove any email address from your web site altogether and provide a fill-in form in its place. Many overseas and larger companies are already practising this and some consumers are finding it difficult to talk to a “human” within the company so only do this if you are particularly bothered by this issue.
Also you may think about removing your email address from your business card or perhaps decide to not give out as many.
The new NZ act applies only to “electronic messages” from NZ based companies and so does not cover overseas companies or (surprisingly) fax outs.
So we will probably still see a similar amount of Spam emails into our inboxes. Shame…
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Rotorua Local Air Management Area (LAMA)
Environment Bay of Plenty has raised the issue of the air quality in Rotorua and what needs to be done to address this problem before the notified deadline of 2013.
During the winter months Rotorua air is polluted with fine dust particles that are known as PM10. The PM stands for particulate matter and the 10 is the size (10 micrometres). These particles are small enough to be inhaled into the bronchial tubes in your lungs and are linked to a range of health impacts including respiratory troubles, heart problems and premature death.
Because of this health risk, the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) has set a standard of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air for PM10 as the maximum concentration in the air. If an area records an exceedence of this standard for more than one day in a year, then the regional council is required to declare a local air management area or LAMA, as they are more commonly known. The urban area of Rotorua was declared a LAMA in 2005 because there are regular exceedences in winter.
To complicate matters, MfE have set the deadline to accomplish the maximum of 50 ug/m3 at 1 September 2013. Currently, Rotorua exceeds the standard 25 times during the winter months, sometimes by levels of more than twice the standard. We have six years to lower the level below the standard, and if we don't, air discharge permits to industry within the Rotorua LAMA will not be granted. While this is hardly fair, considering industry isn't the major contributor, this is how MfE have chosen to enforce the National Environmental Standards for Air Quality.
When it comes to pollutants, it's easy to point the finger at industry. While dust emissions from industry do contribute to the level of PM10 in the LAMA, they are only responsible for 24 percent of the total emissions. The second alleged offender is vehicle emissions. Once again, there is a contribution but only 12 percent of PM10 in Rotorua is from vehicles. Commercial businesses contribute 4 percent. Within Rotorua, the main contributor is domestic heating in the form of open fires, woodburners and multiburners. Home heating contributes 60 percent of the total PM10 in the LAMA. This makes the problem a community one, with no immediate or easy solution.
It seems impossible, but there is already evidence that a change can be made. Christchurch, the “flagship” city for bad air, has seen a marked improvement in the last three years. They have introduced strict new rules for woodburners and provided incentives and subsidies for converting to cleaner heating. In 2004 they recorded 31 exceedences of the standard. This year, they have recorded only 11 to date. This is a significant improvement and is hugely encouraging for the rest of us.
Environment Bay of Plenty are looking at a similar approach. In the next months the regional council will release an action plan which will give general direction on how to solve the problem. Following the release of the action plan, more detailed initiatives will be developed that will address each contributor. As domestic heating is the primary cause of the exceedences, the first initiatives will concentrate on this area.
We need to get behind these programmes. It is our city which will suffer if we don't succeed. Remember, we need both clean air and warm homes for good health. Having a cold, damp house is not the answer. So if you have a fire as your main source of heat for your home, continue to use it., but think about what you can do now to reduce your emissions. And the best thing is, they won't cost you anything. First of all, ensure you get your wood in early and store it in a dry place for seasoning. If your wood is green and/or wet, it increases emissions. Second, burn smaller hotter fires and don't overload your burner. Finally, don't dampen your fire overnight. This will cause it to smoulder for hours which will dramatically increase the emissions. Instead, let it burn out and re-light it in the morning.
Check out Environment Bay of Plenty's website where there is more information on air quality matters. This will be updated regularly as initiatives and programmes are proposed.
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Association of Administrative Professionals NZ
Over a hundred delegates from New Zealand and Australia were “shaken AND stirred” in a full three day experience with an eclectic mix of plenary sessions. A powhiri led by Ngati Rangiwewehi, mixed with technology, opened the conference. It was a first hand experience to see Maori culture at its best for most of the delegates. A welcome message by our Mayor, Kevin Winters, followed. The conference theme, Bond 007 inspired the sessions with names of Bond movies such as The World is Not Enough (High Performing Teams), Live and Let Die (Networking), Dr No.(Delegation and Motivation), The Spy Who Loved Me (Prickly Personalities), Goldfinger (Career Intelligence), The Living Daylights (Feng Shui in the Office) and Die Another Day. It was our chance as admin professionals to show the world that we have class!
Ann Andrews, our keynote and international speaker and author of “Shift Your Butt”, “Finding the Square Root of a Banana” and “Did I Really Employ You?”, delivered a great topic on her passion for “High Performing Teams”. Ann's presentation included Working Styles, The Technicians, the “doers”, the Managers, the Systems Creators and the Entrepreneurs (creators of ideas and concepts). She presented a matrix of a job life cycle: The New, The Happy, Quit or Stay, the Bored and APITB (a pain in the Butt). Ann suggested that, if you would do things differently and if money was no object, then perhaps you weren't in your “perfect” job.
And that was not all! A fashion show extravaganza, A View To a Kill, gave delegates a sneak preview of our upcoming models and a couple of delegates modeling the wonderful garments sponsored by Kooky Fashions. There were several exhibitors: The Gift Station, Waiariki Institute of Technology, OfficeMax, Stella Hospitality Group, Meeting Newz (Promag Publishing), Wotif.com and Xquisite Limousines.
The Casino Royale dinner event saw a who's who of AAPNZ strut their stuff amongst the glitterazzi of Rotovegas. Our very own James Bond (aka Temuera Morrison) who arrived in Xquisite limos took to the red carpet flanked by a bevy of beauties. A selection of cocktails were served prior to dinner which gave delegates time to catch up and to also sit back and enjoy the sound of the saxophone playing in the background. The dinner banquet setting organised by Event Impressions, depicted the scene from the Bond movie Casino Royale and delegates enjoyed the sumptuous dinner prepared by Millenium Hotel and danced the night away to the beat of the band, Count Me In. To wrap up the weekend after poroporoaki and a standing ovation, a mystery tour concluded the conference with a short city tour on our Duck Tours and lunch on the Lakeland Queen before delegates headed home.
Project Manager, Alexis LewGor, says one comment received that sums it all up was:-
“Well done, Rotorua. You made us feel very welcome. Your city is exciting and friendly. What a stellar Conference, one that will be hard to beat”
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Successful Promotions for Retailing
Over the past month a number of successful promotions were staged in the CBD around the huge Young Farmers Contest in the city.
Operation Moo Cow
Operation Moo Cow was a great success. 200 Promotional Packs supplied by the National Bank Young Farmer Contest were distributed throughout the CBD. They included balloons, stickers, flyers, coaster and a cute Stress Cow. This was a major success with stakeholders giving them the opportunity to fully support an event in a professional way. The media supported Operation Moo Cow with another load of fantastic advertising prizes. The winners for Operation Moo Cow were:
RETAIL
Elite Award and Best Creative Rural Window -
POLLARDS MENSWEAR Hinemoa Street.
Best Farm Animal Window -
LITTLE MONKEY KIDS Eruera Street.
HOSPITALITY
Elite Award and Best Dressed Theme Young Farmers Rural -
LEWISHAMS RESTAURANT Tutanekai Street "The Street".
Best Specials and Beverages Theme -
Young Farmers Rural - SEISMIC GASTRO BAR in Whakaue Street around the corner from "The Streat".
There were also 10 highly recommended entries:
- EGO HAIR SALON in Arawa Street;
- GRACE Clothing Designs in Eruera Street;
- WEBBS/SOLEOUT Exquisite Shoes in Tutanekai Street;
- MCKENZIE COUNTRY Clothing in Tutanekai Street ;
- LIVING COLOUR Florist in Eruera Street;
- FINN’S Fashion Store in Tutanekai Street;
- SIROCCO'S Restaurant in Eruera Street;
- FREO'S Restaurant in Tutanekai Street "The Streat;
- SEISMIC GASTRO BAR in Whakaue Street around the corner from "The Streat";
- FREO'S Restaurant in Tutanekai Street "The Streat”.
Festival Day in the City Focus
Held on Wednesday 4 July, this Festival Day featured a programme of interesting and fun activities to support the National Bank Young Farmers Contest. The entertainment included: continuous gumboot throwing competition in three categories: female, male and child; sheep shearing demonstration, dog and ducks demonstration; huntaway barking demonstration; lamb feeding for kids; and sheep hair dressing competition. A feature of the day was a Young Farmers competition task to compete for points to wards the Young Farmer of the Year title.
Free CBD Shopping Shuttle Young Farmer Contest and Free Day and Night Fenton Street Shuttle
A free shopping shuttle for the CBD sponsored by Rowlinson Honda and a free Fenton Street shuttle sponsored by Motel Association of New Zealand and Environment BoP both ran on Friday 6 July 2007. These shuttles circulated the spectators and participants around the CBD and the MANZ shuttle brought visitors from the motels down Fenton Street to the event and to the CBD.
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Rotorua Retailers Promotions Plan
Future Promotions
Duty Restaurant Trial October, November, December
This trial will begin in October and continue through November and December. Two Restaurants every evening somewhere in the CBD will have their Kitchen open until 10:30pm.
Promotion for the Duty Restaurant Roster will be as follows:
- A weekly roster in the Thermal Air and Weekender
- A monthly roster in the Lakesider
- A pdf file of the monthly calendar emailed to accommodation providers and businesses in Rotorua.
- All duty restaurants will receive signage and mini calendars to promote to their clients locally.
Remember if you are feeling peckish later in the evening, support the Duty Restaurants.
Late Night Shopping/Dinner Shuttle Trial 6pm-9pm Friday Nights
October, November, December
Hospitality and Accommodation providers are already very happy with this concept. A dedicated cell phone will be aboard this shuttle so that accommodation providers in Fenton Street will be able to contact the driver to pickup guests directly from their receptions. The service will be complimentary between 6pm and 9pm. The public and tourists may also flag down the shuttle on route. This shuttle service will be doing a 'wiggley' route through the CBD and in doing so will provide an opportunity to promote late night shopping. Any retailers that decide to extend their hours will be included in the same medias as the Duty Restaurant Roster.
Blue and Gold Day
City Focus Saturday 15 September 10:30am-1:00pm
Rugby is back in town! Let's get it back on the map in Rotorua. Local children will be making decorations at City Focus for Official Privilege Businesses to decorate their venues in the Blue and Gold of the Bay of Plenty Steamers.
Craft Warehouse and Roz Craft are interested in teaching children to make the decorations and then the following week dressing the city to add atmosphere to downtown shopping.
Privilege BoP Businesses
9 Days leading up to the BoP v Wellington Game played on the 28 September 2007
This game takes place on a Friday. To capitalise on this the idea is to encourage people to go out for dinner after the game, stay over, go shopping, take in a few sights and hopefully stay another night. Retailers, restaurants and accommodation can be Privilege Businesses for the event by way of allowing supporters using their BoP ticket to access these businesses with a special privilege when they show their ticket during the weekend of the game. The privilege would be at the discretion on the business.
City Ride buses will be advertising this event thanks to Dave Reesby a big Rugby Fan!! This will be a unique and rare opportunity to have your business on the back of a bus for 9 days!!
If you would like to be a Privilege Business or if you are interested in having your business on the back of a bus, contact Cath Weston.
Rotorua Retail Promotions Coordinator
Ph: 07 3457775
or 0274578777
or cathweston@slingshot.co.nz
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KiwiSaver
KiwiSaver is going to see Kiwis investing more in Kiwi businesses. We've received many reports from companies as diverse as Air New Zealand, Gallagher Animal Management Systems, Pacific Steel and Coca-Cola saying that they will adopt KiwiSaver because they want to do the best for their staff and for New Zealand.
New Zealand stock exchange chief executive officer, Mark Weldon, says that the cost of the employer contribution was “far outweighed by the value it brings to our talent recruitment and retention”.
The Labour-led Government is also providing tax credits to help employers with their contributions. Many smaller employers are also taking advantage of this. They say that KiwiSaver allows them to offer their staff a comprehensive and attractive workplace superannuation savings scheme that they could not otherwise provide. They realise that KiwiSaver will help employers to attract and retain high quality staff in a competitive international environment.
We're ahead of the targets set for KiwiSaver enrolments too. With nearly 92,000 people enrolled with Inland Revenue, and only 3,000 people opting-out to date. Treasury forecasts predict 345,000 people will have enrolled in KiwiSaver by the end of the first year. It proves Labour-led Government’s goals of increasing investment in New Zealand businesses and getting Kiwis saving for the future can work in tandem.
We are still waiting for National to state what its policy is, but John Key seems determined to avoid that question. So, what we do know is that National and John Key voted and vehemently debated against KiwiSaver.
To create a strong economy we know that a competitive and vibrant business sector is vital. That is why the Labour-led Government, in Budget 2007, cut the corporate tax rate from 33 to 30 per cent. More than $2 billion will be returned to business over four years to help them reinvest in their businesses. This improves the rewards for innovation and risk taking and it puts New Zealand in a more competitive position with other OECD countries. And what would National have done? Again, they won't tell us.
Recently, Standard and Poor's noted the country's 'strong fiscal position' provides a strong buffer to any potential external shock, and helps to offset the risks of the large current account deficit.
This Labour-led Government is not about flash-in-the-pan tax cuts. We are about investment. We are backing businesses conducting Research and Development by giving them a 15 per cent tax credit, and investing $630 million in Research and Development. We are also backing our exporters overseas, by working with them to expand their key international markets.
The economy is a quarter larger today than it was when Labour came into office. There are 350,000 new jobs. Our unemployment rate is now at 3.6 per cent, the lowest it has ever been. It is one of the lowest in the world.
Right here in the Bay of Plenty, unemployment has dropped from 8.1 per cent in 1999 to 3.8 per cent today, and 3000 more people are in jobs and off the unemployment benefit in Rotorua. We all see the positive impact it's having on our local economy.
We admit there are challenges facing the economy. But whether it is KiwiSaver, improved training, expanded export markets or support for R and D, we're committed to working hard. Working hard with you to make the New Zealand economy as successful as we all know it has the potential to be.
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First Birthday for Employment Choices Programme
Motivation, self-confidence, work skills, interview skills and how to produce a winning CV are just some of the aspects covered by the week long intensive Assessment and Training Programme Employment Choices, now in its second year.
Vetted by Work and Income and the Chamber's Employment Choices facilitator Denise Emery, candidates come from varying backgrounds to take part in this unique programme designed for reintroduction into the workforce.
Returning to the workforce can often be a daunting task, sometimes resulting in highly skilled individuals being overlooked when applying for vacancies, primarily due to inadequate CVs, out of touch interview skills and misinterpretation of employment advertisements and job descriptions. These issues can be addressed and conquered through participation in the programme.
Understanding these issues, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce first developed this programme in conjunction with Work and Income to provide a stop gap for the increasing skills shortage being experienced by employers nationwide.
Initially operating in Auckland, and then in Rotorua, the programme now runs in nine centres in New Zealand, under the “Chamber of Commerce” banner, taking advantage of the Chambers' unique relationship with Business New Zealand.
The success of the programme nationwide has seen the Ministry of Social Development and New Zealand Chambers of Commerce undertake a formal partnership agreement looking at providing more services and programmes to take advantage of the Chambers' far reaching network.
Initially administration based, the Rotorua programme was diversified to recognise the local labour market (Administration, Hospitality and Retail), with excellent outcomes achieved to date for over two dozen employment hopefuls. Candidates have been successfully placed in positions as varied and diverse as a Court Registrar, a Work and Income Case Manager, a Health and Wellbeing Consultant, a Mental Health Worker and general administrative roles.
These women and men then go on to become mentors for those coming through the next intakes and in some cases facilitate workshops for the programme.
Having completed a rigorous pre-interview stage, successful candidates are then exposed to the knowledge of their facilitator through the five day intensive training and assessment to provide them with the necessary tools to obtain sustainable, fulfilling employment which in turn equips them with much needed self-confidence, personal development and financial security,.
Providing free Recruitment services to Rotorua Businesses, the Employment Choices programme is unique in that it provides six months free career support and career planning for each participant.
The true worth of the programme is in ensuring that re-entry into the workforce is a smooth transition for all involved, resulting in a win-win situation for employer and employee as well as the Chamber's ability to provide further benefits to its members.
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