January Newsletter

Welcome to 2023! I hope everyone had a restful break and is back, refreshed, and ready to deal with the year ahead.

Just 25 days into the year and we have a new Prime Minister who has stated that his top priority will be the cost of living. There are a lot of factors that influence the inflation statistics but the two top contributors in my opinion would be the cost of food, up by 11%, and transport costs, up by 8%. These figures will continue to have an impact on us, especially if the fuel tax subsidy comes off at the end of February, further increasing the cost of transporting goods around the country, and making it more expensive for businesses who travel a lot in their line of work.

Here at the Chamber, we have started the year as we mean to carry on.  We held our first BA5 networking event last week, hosted by Superior Excavation in Mill Road.   They have been in business for many years and have recently added landscape supplies to their portfolio.  If you’re thinking of doing some landscaping around the house, drop out and see the team at Superior Excavation, they have plenty of different options for you.

Our event calendar is filling up fast with BA5’s already booked for most of the year. We have four Women in Business events planned for Whakatāne and are looking to host one in Ōpōtiki.  In March we are hosting the Whakatāne Mayor, Victor Luca, and CEO Steph O’Sullivan to update the business community on their plans for the next couple of years. Keep an eye out for more information on our corporate golf day in May. It should be a fun event and plenty of great prizes up for grabs.

We have been asked to take part in the BOP Business Growth and Support Conference 21 – 23 February. This is a virtual conference hosted by Digital Boost / Connected, and joint initiative between MBIE and MSD.  I will be presenting the EBoP Chamber webinar and will be talking about how we support businesses in our region. More details can be found below in the newsletter.

Mark Saturday August 12 in your calendars for the 2023 HEG Business Excellence Awards. More information on how to enter your business will be coming out in the next few weeks.  The awards are a great way to get feedback on your business processes and receive recognition for the work that you do.

And finally, we have a short, anonymous survey (five questions) and would appreciate if you could take a few moments to give us your feedback on the current business environment.  Follow the link to the survey. https://s.surveyplanet.com/u6keh6fg


Take care of one another. 

 
Kind regards, 
 
Andrew Watson 
General Manager 

Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce