Business Voice

Business Voice - 15 November 2023

IT’S AWARDS SEASON!

As many of you would know, our region received two outstanding national awards last week.

The Centuria Taranaki Garden Festival was judged as the country’s favourite event at the NZ Annual Event Awards.

Business Voice - 1 November 2023

TARANAKI’S YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

Last week at the Young Enterprise Scheme Regional Awards evening we celebrated and recognised the hard work of 145 students from 9 schools around the province.

Business Voice - 18 October 2023

Sport all the way…..

Such an epic weekend!

Taranaki beating Canterbury in a home semi-final was sweeter than the dessert I ate on Friday night!

Business Voice - 4 October 2023

Election day…is not far away

The battle for who will form the next government is heating up.

It’s all go – billboards proliferating fences and every vertical piece of advertising real estate...

Business Voice - 20 September 2023

From the diary of the Chamber CEO

Here is a snapshot from the CEO’s diary over the last fortnight.

Week 1
A catch up was held with the Ngāti Maru CEO... 

Business Voice - 6 September 2023

Umm, Well….it’s the way we should all be!

Wellbeing is a word that is increasingly used in many aspects of our lives. Many problems that seem connected to depression, tension, anxiety, stress, fatigue and so on, are bundled as wellbeing issues.

Business Voice - 23 August 2023

The carpark saga…compounded!

First, it was the closure of 268 spaces in the downtown carpark, which has been out of service for over three years. Now, a rushed plan to increase cycleways and pedestrian routes, could potentially lead to over 800 carparks disappearing in North Taranaki.

Business Voice - 9 August 2023

Ways to tackle that dreaded ‘R’ Word…..

Restructures resulting in Redundancies can feel devastating. We are aware of several organisations in Taranaki going through restructuring and we realise that it’s a difficult time for those who are impacted.

Business Voice - 26 July 2023

Come on Council…… please stop the rate increases!

Waking up this week to headlines that state ‘Ratepayers may bear brunt of insurance cost increases’ was not the best start to the week...

Business Voice - 28 June 2023

Tighten your belts….again!

The decision by NPDC to adopt the 2023/2024 Annual Plan and increase rates by 12.4% was never in doubt...

Business Voice - 14 June 2023

A cruel joke?

I was absolutely horrified to see the headlines in Saturday’s Taranaki Daily News about the rate ‘shocks’ ahead for some.

Business Voice - 31 May 2023

Food for thought…

The origin of the following words is unclear. One thing which is clear though, is that they provide great food for thought and ideas to influence government policy.

Business Voice - 17 May 2023

Are you just going to stand back and watch?

I take pride in being an optimist and seeing the positive side of things. However, the stark reality is that things are crumbling around us.

Business Voice - 3 May 2023

Nobody wants to rock the boat

It’s election year again! Gosh, that comes around too quickly.

Business Voice - 19 April 2023

SKILLS SHORTAGE

Almost every sector in the country, from farming to pharmacies and hospitals to hospitality, is in dire need of skilled labour. 

Business Voice - 5 April 2023

TARANAKI MAUNGA

Returning the official name of a place to its original name is a powerful reminder to all that we live within a cultural landscape.

Business Voice - 22 March 2023

CYCLONE GABRIELLE AND WORLD EVENTS

The first quarter of 2023 has been very eventful within Aotearoa New Zealand and in the global arena.

Business Voice - 8 March 2023

Young Enterprise Scheme in Taranaki Kickstarted

Tīmatanga or kickstart of the 2023 Young Enterprise Scheme in Taranaki high schools was held last week at the Plymouth International.

Business Voice - 22 February 2023

Taranaki women…..what about a career in the trades?

On Wednesday 8 March we celebrate International Women’s Day.

Business Voice - 8 February 2023

Taranaki - like no other

How fortunate we have been this holiday season. Our province escaped the dreadful weather...

Business Voice - 23 November 2022

Taranaki’s Excellent Businesses

The Taranaki Chamber of Commerce has organised the Business Excellence Awards for 28 years.

Business Voice - 9 November 2022

An amazing environment for community and business to thrive

How fortunate we are to have an abundance of diverse events in Taranaki!

Business Voice - 26 October 2022

Wonderful Weekend

The hospitality sector did brisk business as the region enjoyed near perfect weather over Labour weekend...

Business Voice - 12 October 2022

CONGRATULATIONS

Our heartiest congratulations to all the successful candidates at the Local Government elections over the weekend...

Business Voice - 28 September 2022

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Local government has a huge effect on local businesses and indeed on the local community. Your voice is conveyed through your vote... 

Business Voice - 14 September 2022

Phew! Breathe easy! No more masks! 

The COVID-19 Protection Framework (the ‘traffic lights’) is gone. Masks will not be required anywhere, except when visiting certain healthcare facilities like hospitals, GPs, pharmacies and aged care residential facilities. 

Business Voice - 31 August 2022

The Global Economy and its effects on New Zealand

At the end of last week, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments about inflation sent the US stock market plummeting. Billions of dollars were wiped out from the US economy...

Business Voice - 17 August 2022

Vote 2022

Every three years we have the opportunity to choose who we want to represent us on our local councils - but voter turnout continues to decline with around just 45% taking the time to vote in 2019...

Business Voice - 3 August 2022

LOCAL BODY ELECTIONS

Nominations are now open until 12 August for our Local Body Election candidates. There are changes to how we elect our Councillors from this year, with the opportunity to elect At Large and Ward Councillors...

Business Voice - 20 July 2022

Inflation soars to 7.3% - the largest year on year jump in 32 years!

So what exactly is inflation? The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a measure of inflation for New Zealand households...

Business Voice - 6 July 2022

Taranaki benefits from Project Maunga

Last Friday the Taranaki District Health Board ceased to exist with the creation of the new national entities Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand and Te Aka Whai Ora – the Māori Health Authority...

Business Voice - 22 June 2022

Housing in the CBD

A complex issue that will impact on our CBD is the likelihood of more medium density apartments. Soho Development Ltd is building a 45 unit complex on the corner of Leach and Cameron Streets...

Business Voice - 8 June 2022

What does the future look like for our CBD?

A vibrant CBD is critically important for New Plymouth and Taranaki. For many tourists coming into Taranaki, the CBD along with our airport is their first impression...

Business Voice - 25 May 2022

The Budget had little in it for businesses apart from the creation of a $100 million Capital Growth Fund. Innovative businesses can borrow from it, however the details are sketchy...

Business Voice - 11 May 2022

Taranaki businesses holding their breath!

There's been an alarming spike in ram raids across NZ, and small businesses are often the victims. Stolen cars, in bulldozer like fashion, are driven through the front windows of businesses...

Business Voice - 27 April 2022

Overall April was a positive month for many businesses. The first ever OUTfest Taranaki festival earlier in the month brought in visitors and was a big success...

Business Voice - 13 April 2022

There is nothing like the thrill of a competition to get the adrenaline pumping. That excitement characterises the success and popularity of the annual WITT Top Shop Awards. 

Business Voice - 30 March 2022

RATS! Come on! Productivity can be increased despite rampant spread of COVID-19!

Everyone is dealing with the Omicron spread in Taranaki in their own way. Businesses, schools, households and each one of you have a found a way to deal with it...

Business Voice - 16 March 2022

Main Streets in Taranaki towns are looking deserted. Businesses which rely on foot traffic have been hugely impacted ever since the Omicron variant started doing the rounds.

Business Voice - 23 February 2022

Give us RATs for the good of families, business and the economy

The current stay at home isolation rules are breaking the backbone of our economy as SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are being further crippled by worker absenteeism...

Business Voice - 16 February 2022

Welcome to the first column of Business Voice. This new column gives businesses, especially small businesses, an opportunity to make their voice heard...