|
Job Summit Hailed a Success
The Bay of Plenty Regional Job Summit has been hailed a resounding success by the 160 stakeholders who attended. The Ministry of Social Development's Rotorua office was given the responsibility of convening the forum as a follow-up to the National Job Summit held in Auckland in March. A steering committee from Rotorua District Council Economic Development, Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, Work and Income, Environment Bay of Plenty, NZ Trade and Enterprise and Waiariki Institute of Technology developed a comprehensive programme of presentations and workshops.  The objective for the day was to identify a series of action plans relevant to job retention in the Bay of Plenty that could be introduced in the next three to twelve months.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia's New Zealand economist Chris Tennant-Brown provided a background to the global trends that gave rise to the current economic situation and its impact on the domestic economy. There are no consistent forecasts on when New Zealand could expect a return to economic growth.
Phil O'Reilly, CEO of Business New Zealand, was unable to attend the Summit due to fog at Rotorua Airport. Michael Barnett, CEO of the Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce, stood in with a presentation on the outcomes of the National Job Summit and emphasised the importance of focussing on Bay of Plenty solutions to build on the national initiatives. He came up with various ideas related to retaining investment, and income and jobs retention. He emphasised that, for initiatives to work, money was less important than commitment.
Lionel Crawley from NZ Trade and Enterprise provided a profile of business in the Bay of Plenty and listed local business sectors that could provide opportunities for economic recovery. The strength and resilience of the exporting sectors of farming, forestry and tourism could enable the Bay of Plenty to lead New Zealand's recovery.
 Providing another persepective, Dr Pim Borren, CEO of Waiariki Institute of Technology, emphasised the need to identify all public, private and iwi sources of capital; the need to upskill the labour force; the need to create an environment where ideas and innovation thrive; and the role that tertiary institutes can play in contributing to the recovery. He emphasised the importance of international education as NZ's fourth largest export industry.
To set the scene for consideration of Maori economic development, Wira Gardiner talked about the different dimensions of assets held by Maori and the challenges in utilising these assets. He used recent developments within Ngati Awa as an iwi asset development case study.
Mayor John Forbes of Opotiki gave an enthusiastic presentation on the role that local authorities can play in economic recovery with a case study on aquaculture and mussel farming. He talked about the huge business development and employment creating potential of aquaculture if local bodies provide a supportive environment.
After a paper bag lunch, the participants rolled up their sleeves for a series of workshops to address four key areas: promoting collaboration, helping firms survive, business funding and investment, and Maori economic development.
The recommendations from the Maori economic development workshop, facilitated by Wira Gardiner, were:
- Support local and central government to facilitate the aquaculture project in Opotiki
- Grow the governance talent of Maori trustees and directors
- Encourage central government to review the ceilings on training and education to allow additional participation
- Facilitate the access of multiple owners of Maori assets to funding sources and thereby unlock the potential of that resource
- Develop the public/private partnership model into a private/iwi partnership model through success stories, champions, and mentorship.
 Roger Gordon, CEO of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, presented the outcomes from the workshop looking at promoting collaboration and alternatives to improve skills and job retention:
- Develop mentoring schemes and provide support and help with identifying early warning signs for SME managers not familiar with operating in troubled times
- Develop a web-based centralised database of surplus resources such as personnel, equipment, storage, office space, vehicles, and freight containers
- Introduce job skill assessment during the transition from recession to growth and utilise spare current capacity to develop skills to contribute to increased future capability
- Encourage cooperation between various land-based sectors to provide continuous employment opportunities for the casual and seasonal workforce
- Encourage regional cooperation between private business interests to make available surplus places on in-house training programmes to other companies
- Employers and ITOs to work together to facilitate apprentices working with multiple employers to meet work demand were it exists and protect future industry capability provided by developing apprentices
- Use spare labour capacity to introduce workbased numeracy programmes available through the tertiary sector to upskill the existing workforce
- Coordinate business support services such as Enterprise Training, Business Mentors NZ and BIZ Info to optimise their contribution to the SME sector.
- Use the capabilities of the Third Age to mentor and support the SME sector; provide super payment top-ups for the Third Agers involved
- Increase flexibility in employment contracts and relationships to allow more flexible working hours and contract conditions.
Dr Margriet Theron, Past President of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce and member of the BrightEconomy Advisory Board, presented the findings of the workshop considering strategies to help firms survive and maintain a competitive edge:
- Increase the financial and business literacy of small businesses
- Raise the awareness of resources that are available at the Chamber of Commerce, NZTE, EMA, BizInfo, and Government Agencies such as IRD
- Encourage collaboration between local and central government agencies and the private sector, especially around resource management consents
- Maintain capacity in the construction and other sectors during the recession by bringing forward major infrastructural projects
- Unlock the cash reserves in our community, in the private, public and iwi sectors
- Economic development agencies to adapt their roles to current needs by providing more start-up mentoring and by including the NGOs in their networks
- Use existing resources such as customer data bases innovatively
- Follow the example of Te Puia by doing active international marketing; building up lasting relationships with clients.
- Provide interest free loans to apprentices, as for other students; and encourage the best apprentices to extend their tertiary studies to the next level or into management training
Cheryl MacGregor from EBOP and Annabel Schuler from Waiariki Institute of Technology presented the outcomes of the business funding workshop:
- Encourage more pro-activity from banks
- Establish a BoP Community Bank or similar with possible support of local government and iwi
- Establish BoP Research Centre of Excellence that looks at a variety of relevant topics for new commercial initiatives
- Established a funding support agency to help businesses in BoP to access funding
- Investigate areas where BoP can make a strategic difference.
All of the above presentations are available on www.bopsummit.com or the website of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, www.rotoruachamber.co.nz
The organisers of the Bay of Plenty Job Summit will select a number of the action points and allocate responsibility for their development and achievement to an organisation or to a partnership of organisations. In making the selection among the 29 action points, the organisers will be on the look-out for SMART objectives: those that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.
The outstanding impression from the day was the commitment of the public and private sectors and local, regional and central government agencies to come together to contribute to the strategies to maintain employment.
This is a different from the action taken during previous economic recessions or depressions. Individual contributions during the workshops were very positive and solution-based, reflecting a commitment to the economic future of the Bay of Plenty.
Back to the Top
New M2M Programme Directory Released
The Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Member to Member (M2M) discount programme adds considerable value to your annual subscription fee. The first 13 pages of the 40 page directory features a host of special 'member only' offers from the New Zealand Chamber's national alliance partners. These include special deals from Shell, Vodafone, Liquor King OfficeMax, Ford and Orix and well as offers from our local Chamber sponsors, Radioworks, Distinction Hotel, Radio Network, Westpac, Ricoh and e-c Solutions
The rest of the directory lists over 200 distinct offers from Rotorua Chamber of Commerce members that are only available to other Rotorua Chamber members.
There are some great M2M deals on accommodation with up to 50% off rack rates from 14 commercial operators in the city, and great discounts on advertising on TV, radio and newspaper.
On a personal note, the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce membership card can be presented to gain substantial discounts on dry cleaning or when buying a lingerie gift for that special person.
Dining, food and beverage offers provide substantial M2M savings or value add offers at over 20 restaurants, takeaways, bakeries and cafés. Members can even get a discount on their meat purchases.
In addition, there are special deals on business services from a host of professionals, insurance companies, banks and consultants.
An additional benefit is that employees of Chamber of Commerce Full-Member organisations can be issued with a membership card. All that they need to do is present the card to get the M2M offer.
All member organisations receive a copy of the directory. Some members then publish the directory on their intranet. There is a designated page on the Chamber website called b-Ahead that features an electronic search function for offers and a down-loadable copy of the directory.
If used to its fullest, the M2M programme can return benefits to members far in excess of the annual investment in their Chamber subscription.
Back to the Top
Annual Golf Tournament a Great Success Again
The 8th Annual Chamber of Commerce Newstalk ZB Golf Tournament was held on Friday 20 March, and what a great day it was. For the fifth year in succession the weather was superb, a fine day amidst a spell of rain.
Each year the level of support is incredible. Holes and prizes were sponsored or donated by the following. The numbers in brackets indicate double contributions:
Agroventures Autohaus Rotorua Bayleys / Eves Realty
BNZ Complete Communications Davys Burton
Distinction Rotorua Hotel G B Teat Ltd Galaxy United Travel
Heritage Rotorua House of Elliott Konica Minolta
Konica Minolta (2) Millennium Hotel (2) National Bank
NZ Golf Gazette NZ Guardian Trust (2) NZCU Credit Union
Off Road NZ OfficeMax NZ Ltd OfficeMax Tauranga
PhotoArts NZ Ltd Richmond Foods Ltd Rydges Hotel
Skyline Skyrides Speedy Signs The Lewis Plumbing Company
Unison (2) WatchDog Security Westend New World
Westpac Wild Rice Waiariki Institute of Technology(2)
The support of Newstalk ZB each year is very generous. They gift each sponsor a $250 advertising voucher and all go into a draw for $1,000 additional advertising. The winner of this for 2009 was PhotoArts Ltd.
In addition, Newstalk ZB provide a guest speaker for the prize giving. Brendon Telfer unfortunately suffered a serious health setback and was unable to be present. Kevin Hart, Radio Sport's Country Sport Breakfast Host stepped up at the last minute and gave an interesting and entertaining speech.
And now to the golf ….. well …… probably for some, the least said the better!!
There are two concurrent competitions run on the day. A medal tournament in three divisions attracted 30 golfers who enjoy the challenge of a “real” round of golf. The other 17 teams of four enjoyed the fun of an Ambrose Tournament. The round was punctuated by a number of sponsors' tents and competitions that added variety to the day.
The results of the medal round
Senior Men Junior Men
Best Gross Alan Mitchell Best Gross Rod McNaughton (88)
Best Net Tony Markham (66) Best Net Ray Bernie (70)
Most Golf Chris Erskine Shaw (??) Most Golf John Dunlop (too many!!)
Ladies
Best Gross Caroline Kopu (85)
Best Net Margaret Erskine Shaw (76)
Most Golf Debbie McDonald
Closest to pin Longest Drive
Men Martin Lobb Men Jared Christoffersen
Ladies Sue Taylor Ladies Sue Taylor
All 17 Ambrose teams managed to take a prize home. The great thing about the Ambrose is that there is no pressure on any individual and no worry about letting your mates down with a bad score. The Winner of the NZ Guardian Trust Trophy for the lowest Ambrose team score was GJ Gardner Homes. They triumphed in a count back against the Red Stag Timber team as both teams scored 61. The winning team took away the trophy plus a voucher for a Thai Banquet for 8 persons at Wild Rice Restaurant plus a gift pack of wine to enjoy with their dinner. These two teams were closely followed by National Bank (62); BNZ (63) and Team Te Puia (last year's champions unable to match their golf from the previous year with a 66).
The day was a great success and the Chamber of Commerce and Newstalk ZB would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by John Weston, the golf professional at Arikikapakapa Golf Course, Don Blackledge, Rotorua Golf Club, and the caterers who put on a great BBQ to finish the day.
Back to the Top
Facing New Zealand's Economic Challenges
Talk given by Prime Minister John Key at a Rotorua Chamber of Commerce Business Lunch on 12 March 2009
 Every day that I am on the road, I talk to people who are worried about their jobs, our economy, and what the future holds.
We are experiencing a global downturn on a scale not seen in over a generation. This has big implications for our small, open economy, falling export volumes, lower growth rates, struggling businesses, and climbing job losses.
Despite this, I believe we are in a much better position than many people think.
Yes, we are in for a rough patch. But while we've spent lots of time dwelling on our problems, we've not spent enough looking at our opportunities.
I'm confident we can come through this recession more strongly than many countries, and that these tough times can be a springboard for better times ahead.
There are five reasons for this.
First, our banking system is in better shape than many countries. Our banks have been relatively conservative, and thanks to the Government's retail and wholesale banking guarantees, the credit lines are not broken.
In many parts of the world credit has dried up. Here, credit has continued to grow. In the year to January, credit to households grew by 4%, to agriculture by 23%, and to other businesses by 12%.
This gives us a head-start in the fight for economic growth.
 Secondly, our monetary and fiscal policy settings have responded well.
The Official Cash Rate had a long way to fall and has dropped quickly. The cuts have flowed through into fixed and floating mortgage rates.
In the US and UK, fixed rate mortgages are down only around 1.5%, but here they're down more like 2 to 3%, with floating rates down up to 4%.
Economists predict that if our rates hold at current levels, the cost to households of paying off their mortgages will drop by about $4 billion. That's $4 billion freed up for growth-enhancing investment.
On top of that, our fiscal stimulus, including tax cuts and increased government expenditure, is among the biggest in the world.
What's more, our stimulus is likely to get more bang for the buck than the package in, say, the US, because it's going into the productive economy through tax-cuts to workers and more infrastructure spending, rather than into financial bail-outs. That's good for consumer and business confidence.
Thirdly, what we sell to the world is still in demand.
In tough times people still eat, but don't buy so many luxury cars or electronics.
Some exporting countries have been hit hard. In Japan, for example, car exports have dropped 70% in the past year.
But our export base is still largely driven by commodity products. Prices for our goods have fallen but demand is still there, and the exchange rate is acting as a buffer. Producers of things like sheep meat, venison, and niche manufacturing goods are getting better incomes with a lower dollar.
The lower dollar also makes New Zealand a more attractive destination for overseas tourists, particularly those from Australia. As the recession bites across the Tasman, our neighbours are more likely to holiday closer to home. This will be good for New Zealand, which is a genuine short-haul destination for people living in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
Fourthly, we are well-positioned in the world.
The US and the UK are being particularly hard-hit by the downturn, but Australia and parts of Asia may be coping better, and may recover more quickly.
Australia and Asian countries are among our biggest trading partners. We have free trade arrangements with many of them and are negotiating agreements with others. If Asia leads the race to economic recovery then we are well-placed.
Finally, New Zealand's macro-economic settings mean we are able to react quickly to the crisis and adapt to a changing global economy.
Our firms have had to favour efficiency over subsidies for some time. Most of our workers have been employed in more than one job, career, or industry, and have transferable skills. Many skilled Kiwis who have chosen to work overseas are likely to return.
 These five factors: the health of our banking system, our monetary and fiscal policies, our export-base, our position in the world, and our capacity to adapt are a good base for recovery.
As Prime Minister, I am determined to build on these strengths so that when the world starts growing again, we are running faster than the countries we compete with.
But just as important as these factors is our attitude.
We're not a country of whiners, slackers, or selfish individuals. We're a gritty nation with the smarts and determination to weather this storm. We know how important it is to look after each other and give back to the communities that make us.
In short, we have what it takes to rise above our predicament.
When you look at the events that have unfolded throughout the rest of the world, what you see is a draining of the faith institutions and people have in each other.
There's a sense that their bigger homes, their financial institutions, their economic growth, have all been built on a house of cards. And, as the house of cards has fallen, the trust in each other has eroded.
I don't feel that here. Instead what I sense is an unshaken belief in our strengths as a country - our capacity to produce food, our beautiful landscape, our natural ingenuity, our ability to find practical solutions to problems.
I sense that in these tough times, New Zealanders are pulling together.
And it's this, more than anything else, which is the best prospect for our jobs, our economy, and our future.
Back to the Top
Chamber Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Indian Chamber
On Wednesday 8 April 2009, Chamber of Commerce President Michelle Pleydell signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce from Bangalore, India.
Mr Muralidhar, the President of the Federation, signed the agreement on behalf of the visiting delegation. The ceremony was a colourful affair with all of the ladies of the visiting group dressed in their national costume.
The MOU identified the following objectives:
- Encourage, stimulate and formulate development activities, investment opportunities, trade and industry
- Facilitate continuous exchange of data and business information
- Provide assistance to members of trade and economic groups visiting each other's country
- Promote participation in trade fairs, exhibitions, seminars and business summits
- Identify specific areas of focus and business sectors for study, investigation and implementation
- Undertake projects intended for mutual benefit of the two Chambers.
With the recently announced New Zealand Government initiative to develop a free trade agreement with India, this move by the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce places us in a strong position to optimise the opportunities for bilateral trade between the two regions.
As a result of the signing of the MOU the possibility of a visit by members of the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce to Bangalore is being discussed. A number of members of the Chamber have already expressed an interest in joining this trade delegation.
The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry was established in 1916 in Bangalore. Today it has a membership of over 2,400 drawn from trade, commerce and industry, spread all over the state. Karnataka is the 9th largest Indian state and with a population of over 50 million. It was also the fastest growing state in India over the past decade in terms of GDP. With GDP growth of 56.2% and per capita GDP growth of 43.9%, Karnataka now has the 6th highest per capita GDP of all the states.
Karnataka has a similar focus on agriculture as the Bay of Plenty with over 50% of the workforce engaged in agriculture and related activities. It is the manufacturing hub for some of the largest public sector industries in India, many of which are based in Bangalore, the capital city. Many of India's premier science and technology research centers also have their headquarters in Karnataka.
Since the 1980s, Karnataka has emerged as the pan-Indian leader in the field of IT with nearly 2,000 IT firms in the state. Two of India's biggest software firms, Infosys and Wipro, are headquartered there. Bangalore has earned the title of Silicon Valley of India.
Karnataka also leads India in biotechnology. It is home to India's largest biocluster, with nearly half of the country's biotechnology firms based in the State.
Many members of the delegation are also members of Rotary International. Rotorua Chamber's CEO Roger Gordon and Past-President Dr Margriet Theron are both members of The Rotary Club of Rotorua. The evening function concluded with a photo being taken to acknowledge the strength of this association between Rotorua and Karnataka.
Back to the Top
New Kiwis
At the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, we know recruiting great staff with the right skills becomes even harder when they're needed most when productivity and efficiency is more critical than ever.
Among a variety of services, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce's employment division has two recruitment resources to connect employers with highly skilled and qualified job seekers at no cost. Rotorua members can access these two services.
The New Kiwis programme links skilled migrants living in New Zealand with employers. These highly qualified candidates are professionals in a variety of fields. No matter what industry, visit www.newkiwis.co.nz to fill your vacancy now.
In some cases you may find the specialist knowledge and experience you require is scarce in New Zealand.
The NZRecruitme website houses a pool of talented candidates from overseas wishing to return home or immigrate to New Zealand. These candidates have a number of offshore contacts and a wealth of international market knowledge to bring to your business. Simply visit www.nzrecruitme.co.nz to tap into a world of skills and experience.
Get the solution to your recruitment problems at no cost. Search through candidate
profiles and CV's to create your own shortlist instantly visit www.newkiwis.co.nz or www.nzrecruitme.co.nz or call the Auckland Chamber of Commerce on 0800 18 23 23.
Back to the Top
Regional Tertiary Needs Feature Again For The Waiariki Region
 For the last two years Waiariki Institute of Technology has provided a snapshot of the tertiary priorities for the Waiariki Rohe to the government's tertiary funding body (TEC) in June each year. Workshops were held in Tokoroa, Taupo, Turangi, Whakatane, Rotorua and Kawerau. We consulted with the non-assessed Adult Community Education Sector, public and private trainers, Industry Training Organisations, employers, local government and industry. The current “Regional Statement of Tertiary Priorities” has been available to the public since June 2008.
Tourism, land based industries, foundation literacy and numeracy, work and life skills, trade and customer service skills as well as professional management skills have featured highly in Regional Statements for both 2007 and 2008. New industry sectors also have been anticipated such as geothermal applications, sustainable eco-friendly building practices and the aquaculture sector. While the region has no University, both the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic with its close relationship with Waikato University and Waiariki Institute with is pathways to more than six NZ Universities, as well as its own applied degrees in Applied Management, Nursing, Social Sciences, Tourism and new strands planned for Forestry, Land Management, Early Childhood and more, cater for the higher level needs. The region's Private Training Enterprises, others in Auckland or Wellington and the three Wananga, also provide vocational education and training in a wide range of subjects, as does Waiariki Institute of Technology itself.
In 2009 the recession has impacted on New Zealand and on the local tertiary sector. The Bay of Plenty Employment Summit, reported elsewhere in this Chamber Tabloid, has already confirmed the need for transferable job skills and increased flexibility in apprenticeship training. Waiariki Institute again will report to TEC in June, with a revised Regional Statement. This year we need to capture short term priorities resulting from the insecure work and jobs environment, as well as medium term ones which anticipate new employment which may emerge from a reorganisation of export markets, as world trade patterns adjust to recession, as well as from Treaty Settlements. To capture these new needs, Waiariki is working with the business community through the Chamber.
If readers have views they wish to see reflected in the 2009 Regional Statement of Tertiary Priorities to TEC, they can email these to regionalmeetings@waiariki.ac.nz or to the Chamber of Commerce.
Dr Chris Asby
Project Manager
Waiariki Institute of Technology
Back to the Top
Building Blocks of Success
Be a Better Manager
Here are 10 things you can do today (or tomorrow) to become a better Manager in your business:
- Take one of your employees out for a cup of coffee and spend some quality one-on-one time. Be sure to ask what you can do to improve the operation and make it a more enjoyable place to work. Also ask what you can do to help them develop.
- Watch and listen to your staff interact with clients/customers and then give them feedback. First tell them three things they did well then tell them three things they could have done better. Always end a feedback session expressing your confidence in them and your appreciation for their efforts.
- On sporadic occasions, create a fun one-day contest that involves the whole staff. Here's one that is fun to do and fun to watch. First, pick an area of focus. It could be selling products over a certain price point. Or it could be selling add-ons or complete solutions. Some of my favourites are exhibiting a desired behaviour; selling skills, specific manufacturing skills, customer service skills and that special act that enhances the company’s image. The winner gets to take home a large bunch of lowers or something like a gift certificate for a local restaurant.
- Always, always, always, thank your employees for their contribution and efforts when they're leaving for the day.
- Spend 20 minutes each day working on your own development. Whether it's by reading a book, a magazine or a newspaper, you must drive your own development. To develop as a leader you must always be expanding your own knowledge base.
- Tidy up your office and keep it that way. You can't expect your employees to have spotless work spaces if you don't.
- Be the first one to clean this morning or at closing. It's amazing how much your staff respects you when you join in with the basic jobs like cleaning. I know you have a lot of other things to do, however, working side-by-side with your staff is invaluable.
- One of the biggest mistakes managers can make is to spend hours working in the office and then come out on to the sales/factory floor and try to take charge. The best thing you can do is to ask your staff how you can help. In the retail environment, for example, I've frequently seen a manager come out from his/her office, see a customer in the store and ask an employee whether they've been helped. You know the employee is dying to tell the manager "If you'd been on the floor you'd know that we've approached him twice.” Come out to help - not to take charge.
- When engaging a customer/visitor be the reference standard. Successful managers know that there is no such thing as "Do as I say and not as I do". If the reference is to welcome every customer/visitor then the manager should ensure that this reference is maintained, starting with him/herself, whenever available.
- Repeat the first nine things every day!ocks of Success Be a Better Manager
Back to the Top
Community safety… a safe investment for business and Rotorua
In a time of economic recession and future uncertainty many businesses are looking to safeguard their investments for survival. In this vain, RDC in partnership with local agencies and the community are pursuing Safe Community Designation (SCD), as a long term investment in the safety of our community.
SCD is an internationally recognised accreditation process administered by the Safe Community Foundation NZ and endorsed by the World Health Organisation. There are currently 151 internationally designated communities with nine NZ communities: Tauranga, Wellington, Waitakere, Christchurch, New Plymouth, Whangarei, Porirua, Waimakariri and North Shore.
Achieving accreditation requires Rotorua to demonstrate that it has partnerships, programmes, evidence and strategies in place to make our community a safer place. In essence this is a strategic investment to improve our understanding and efficacy around safety in Rotorua, with the long term view of reducing the unnecessary social and economic cost of unsafe behaviours on our community. Here are a few facts to put these costs in context:
- In Rotorua, road traffic accidents bore a social cost of over $92 million in 2007
- In Rotorua, injuries kill on average one person every fortnight
- In Rotorua, every year over 1,000 people are hospitalised for injury and over half of these people are of working age, costing employers over $2.5 million annually in replacement and productivity costs
- In NZ injuries cost in excess of $18 billion annually in economic and social costs
- In NZ injuries are the leading cause of death for ages 1-34 years and the second leading cause of hospitalisation
- In NZ, Injuries claim more potential years of our lives than cancer and heart disease combined
The important point to consider here is that many of these costs are preventable and SCD is a proven strategy for reducing the impacts of these issues. For example, after safe community designation, Wellington recorded a 30% reduction in road traffic crashes and Waitakere reduced fatal injuries by 30%. If similar results can be achieved in Rotorua it would significantly reduce the economic and social costs to our community and healthcare system. More importantly however, our families and community will experience a better quality of life and have a better chance of achieving their potential.
So just how does the SCD process make a difference? One of the key strategies for achieving safer communities is a focus on more effective collaboration and partnerships amongst the community to address safety issues. This ethos is reflected by the governance group of Rotorua's SCD project which includes RDC, ACC, Police, MSD, Lakes DHB, Toi te Ora Public health, Iwi representatives and Castlecorp. SCD acknowledges that effective long term solutions require a collaborative approach across the whole community; individuals, families, businesses, social services and government agencies. Project leader, Arapeta Tahana Jnr, states that “whilst there is already a considerable degree of collaboration happening in Rotorua, there is room for improvement and broadening the scope of our partnerships”.
To this end, project leader, Arapeta Tahana Jnr is keen to have input and involvement from the business sector in the project. “It's important to the project that we consider the views of our business sector and look for strategies that benefit the whole community”. Greater involvement from the business sector in safe community initiatives is a growing trend nationally, simply because, safer communities are good for businesses and the people they employ. Arapeta will be liaising with the Rotorua Chamber of Commerce over coming months to engage and gain feedback from the business sector.
For more information about Rotorua's pursuit of Safe Community Designation, please contact the project leader, Arapeta Tahana Jnr on 3500209 x8172 or arapeta.tahana@rdc.govt.nz
Arapeta Tahana Jnr
Safe Community Designation Leader – RDC
Back to the Top
Fashion Tourism comes to Rotorua
Global tourism is the Rotorua economy's mainstay, even in this time of recession.
 Fashion Tourism may not be what visitors had in mind when they visit Rotorua, but one of the Chamber's newest members has discovered that this is a valid part of what the city can offer. A unique small boutique with European high fashion has opened in Haupapa Street. Walk from the new Library Front towards Tutanakai Street and look across the road, before Pig and Whistle, you will see this new gem of Rotorua spirit.
This walk has been made by people from across the globe; Australians, Europeans, South Africans, South Americans, Turks, Russians, Chinese and Japanese as well as Kiwis from many parts of NZ. In part of what was once the Graeff Family bakery a business which provided quality bread to the local community from the 1930s to the 1980s, Fashion Fields 21 operates. Its owner, Abadan (Ava) Asby, opened her door in January. Her shop is now noted for the well dressed mannequin, placed daily outside the shop door of 1160 Haupapa Street.
Outfits vary from a belly dancing costume to ladies skirts, suits and tops. Venture inside and browse, and you will find not only ladies fashion made in Istanbul, with labels destined for Paris, Milan, London, and Moscow, but also works from local artists Kristain Lomath, Jane Keaney and Duan MacLean. You will find knitted marae slippers from Ava's home, Turkmenistan and handmade pottery from Malaysia.
Ladies with a special occasion in mind, or who want to be admired for wearing something unique, from a Cashmir winter coat to a three piece suite, or a lightweight or winter fashion top, or even a ball dress for the school ball season: stop at the 15 minute parking outside Fashion Fields to browse this exciting boutique. Then come back and spend some serious time. Parking meters are plentiful in this part of town!
Enjoy the adventure of Fashion Tourism.
Fashion Fields 21 Ltd,
1160 Haupapa Street,
Rotorua Central, Rotorua 3010
Back to the Top
Chamber Presents Free Seminar To Help Its Members Through These Difficult Times
Over two successive Thursdays at the beginning of March, the Chamber organised a free seminar for its members. This seminar was possible through the contribution of six key members who gave freely of their time and knowledge. They were:
Stephen Graham, Partner, BDO SPicers
Steve Pinder, Regional Manager SME, Westpac
Bryan Goldsack, CEO, Damar Industries
Peter Stokes, Partner, Bottom Line Consultancy
Rod Meharry, Director, PhotoArts Ltd
Judy Holden, Manager, Human Resources, Rotorua District Council
Each presentation covered six key principles that participants could incorporate into their own Strategy for Difficult Times.
Session 1: Stephen Graham
Know your products and customers
Know your suppliers and financiers
Identify expenses and costs
What works for you; get a bang for your buck
Conduct a simple SWOT analysis
Know where you want to go, identify who you need to involve
Session 2: Steve Pinder
Know what is important to the bank
Strategies the bank are looking for in operations
Characteristics of companies that are in trouble
Characteristics of companies that are managing well in difficult times
Early warning signs
Communicate with the bank; when and what
Session 3: Bryan Goldsack
Know what to do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis
Importance of a business plan, budget, cash flow plan
Look for opportunities
Look at processes and the structure of the business
Run your business; do not let your business run you
Seek external input
Session 4: Peter Stokes
Develop a customer-focused operation
Seven dimensions of customer service
Develop real sales skills
Sell the magic story
Session 5: Rod Meharry
Keep on marketing
Develop a marketing strategy for difficult times
Identify sales opportunities; know how to market to them Measure the effectiveness of your marketing
Know what is working
Marketing on a shoestring
Session 6: Judy Holton
Managing staff through difficult times
Staff communication, morale, and team culture
Optimise the staff's contribution
Alternatives to redundancy; retain capability
Work within employment legislation
Current government initiatives.
The response to this seminar was tremendous. Feedback endorsed the value of Chamber membership when members participate in this type of activity.
The presentations are available on the Members' Only page of the Chamber's website.
Back to the Top
A Drawn-Out Recession
The New Zealand economy, still wearing the bruises from the domestically driven recession of 2008, has had to contend with a deeper, globally driven downturn in the first half of 2009. New Zealand's major trading partners are expected to contract by 1.8% this year, which would mark the worst slowdown since at least the 1970s. The pace of the downward revisions to world growth forecasts has been breathtaking: just six months ago, these same countries were expected to grow by 2.5% this year. Policymakers are taking drastic steps to try to revitalise their economies, but the drop in global production and trade now has some real momentum.
Back home, the indicators for the New Zealand economy speak for themselves: consumer spending remains soft, business confidence is non-existent, unemployment is creeping higher, and house prices continue to fall, albeit at a slower pace. Meanwhile, our latest GDP figures show that the economy shrank by 0.9% in the December 2008 quarter, and we estimate that there was a similar decline in the first quarter of 2009. The business environment is undeniably tough at the moment.
Importantly, recent business surveys provide little hope of a significant turnaround any time this year. The March Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion (QSBO) was, on balance, even weaker than the horrendous details of the December 2008 survey. Firms' expectations of domestic trading activity picked up slightly from December (from -41% to -39%), but both reads are easily the two worst on record for this survey. Investment and employment intentions also fell to new record lows, indicating that firms are still deep within the retrenchment phase. Profit expectations remained extremely weak, with a net 45% of firms expecting profits to fall in the next quarter.
So, on balance, we believe the economic data provide little support for the RBNZ's predictions that the New Zealand economy will pick up smartly from mid-2009. There is a catch though: the RBNZ's forecasts still depend on much easier financial conditions, over a long period of time. And most of that is expected to happen through a much weaker exchange rate.
As if on cue, the New Zealand dollar has soared in the last month, up by more than 13% against the US dollar. On top of this, wholesale interest rates have actually risen since the RBNZ's statement, as the 0.5% cut to the Official Cash Rate (OCR) was less than the market was anticipating. It's a classic case of Murphy's Law: just about everything that could go wrong with monetary settings, has gone wrong.
To us, the weight of recent data seals the economic case for a 0.5% cut at the 30 April OCR review. The big unknown is how much weight the RBNZ will place on the perceived need to “retain competitiveness in the international capital markets”, as noted in the March Monetary Policy Statement. In short, this translates to maintaining a margin over interest rates in Australia, our closest peer and one of the dwindling number of countries that have not resorted to a near-zero interest rate policy. The RBA's 0.25% rate cut in April leaves both countries with a cash rate of 3%, though longer-term market rates are higher in New Zealand.
In our minds, this is hardly a matter of concern for policy rate decisions. If investors demand a premium for lending to New Zealand, then they will get one. But it leaves the RBNZ with a stark choice: either take their chances with lower interest rates, or accept a more drawn-out recession and/or a slower recovery.
Back to the Top |
