Commerce Comment — Spring 2022

For all enquiries please contact:

Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce

Mahitahi Colab

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology 322 Hardy Street, Nelson PO Box 1121, Nelson 7040

Phone: 03 548 1363

Email: britt@commerce.org.nz

Web: www.commerce.org.nz

Chamber Board:

President: Peter Pattullo

Vice President: Manoli Aerakis

Board Members: Chris McGeown, Nigel Andrews, Aaron Shields, Lees Seymour, Venus Guy, and Sharon McGuire.

Design: Tizza Design

Cover Image: Maruia River Retreat

From the CEO

with local body elections just around the corner, we have produced a series of interviews with some of the mayoral candidates for both NCC and TDC.

This way we have been able to delve deeper into issues that are bubbling away and give people a better sense of the individuals putting their hand up for the top job.

We sought their feedback on civic investment, leadership styles and amalgamation. For council candidates we are providing a platform for their own video messaging, given that there are 90 of them across the wider region, this is the most expedient way to give them all airtime. Only a small number took us up on the offer.

A few people have asked why we have not delivered a ‘live’ event this year and the reason is as I have explained above, we wanted to have an opportunity to ask questions and hold more of a conversation. There is also an element of this not being our first rodeo and while some people find live events useful, previous experience has shown us that these can quickly become ‘anti and ranty.’ By that I mean a small number of loud negative voices dominate the room and some people don’t ask the questions they want to hear, and some candidates don’t get enough chance to speak. There are live events for people who want to meet candidates and you can find details of these on both councils’ websites.

And just for good measure, in this issue we have asked some of the ‘out-going Nelson City elected representatives, “What makes a good councillor?”.

In recent months I spoken several times about the Chamber and the work that we do. In the process of developing the presentation I had one of those ‘penny drop’ moments. The very first meeting of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce was held on 18th February 1858 at the Trafalgar Hotel, and since that time the organisation has operated in some way, shape or form. This means that we have lived through, and survived, recessions, depressions, multiple conflicts and at least one other serious pandemic – and we are still here. All of which reminds me that there have always been challenges facing businesses and communities and life moves in cycles. So even though it can feel like an on-going battle with an uncertain economic landscape we have been here before, and there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Finally, for those who have missed it, I would like to welcome Kim Odendaal to the team. Kim has joined us from Hospitality New Zealand as our Membership and Partnership Manager. Her job is to get to know you, understand what you like about the Chamber and what are our ‘opportunities for improvement’ – as we know, there are always some.

Ngā mihi,

AliBoswijk Chief ChamberExecutiveofCommerce

Specialist Marketing for River Retreat

Maruia River Retreat is a new business amongst very old trees. Based on a 150 hectare nature estate set amongst pristine forest, General Manager Cristina Holopainen believes it’s a special place and sought specialist digital marketing advice to attract visitors so they can find this out for themselves.

The Chamber’s Regional Business Partner Network (RBP) is supported by MBIE and is a funding source established to help businesses grow.

Cristina was recommended to get in touch with Sandra Crone, our resident RBP advisor to see if her business met the criteria for funding assistance.

“Sandra was very helpful. She made me think about really identifying specifically how the engagement [with the service provider] could contribute to my business goals. So it was a real discernment process.”

As well as the initial conversation, Cristina answered a few questions to establish suitability, not just for the funding but the right provider.

Every request is different but there are a large number of providers across the country who are experts in their fields. Some of the more common areas for

assistance include marketing, business planning, finance, governance and sustainability.

In Cristina’s case, she wanted to work with a RBP registered provider who understood Facebook marketing. Although she had a marketing background herself, she recognized the digital platform was a niche channel that she could learn more about.

After the initial meeting, the process was pretty quick. Cristina already had an idea of who she wanted to work with which helped with timeframes.

Does Cristina now recommend the RBP service to other businesses?

“Oh yes for sure. I actually think that funding always helps businesses like ourselves who …make the effort to learn and to respect the money that’s being given to them.”

The network is made up of 14 Regional Business Partners around New Zealand and is supported by Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment and Callaghan Innovation to support business innovation and growth for business.

Does your business qualify for funding assistance? Contact Sandra at sandra@ commerce.org.nz to find out more.

“Funding always helps businesses like ourselves who make the effort to learn and to respect the money that’s being given to them.”

Helping succeed.businessyour

What is productivity?

New Zealand’s poor productivity is highlighted in a new report showing people are working longer hours and producing less compared with other OECD countries.

The Nelson-Tasman region is 22.4% less productive than the New Zealand average — and it’s costing the region $1.67 billion per year.

Increasing productivity is about getting “more output for less input, rather than by making people work harder, wearing out plant and machinery, or depleting natural resources.”

Essentially, it is working smarter, with greater financial and knowledge capital employed per worker.

It’s not about who’s sent the most emails or spent the most time sat at their desk. It’s about who’s smashing goals, who’s getting praised by clients, who’s raising the team as a whole.

Have your team known for more than just clocking in and clocking out.

Have your team recognised for the value that you provide to your

Butcustomers.thisdoesn’t happen by accident.

Starting with the right discussions and fresh thinking around solving your unique business problems with digital enablement is a great place to begin to increase your productivity.

A Better for Business (B4B) survey of 2,000+ small business in December 2020 found that the top barriers to being more digital were:

• Concerns about information security/fraud

• Lack of skills (individually or staff skills)

• Can’t afford it now

How can I fund Digital Transformation and develop better productivity outcomes?

In September 2020, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) launched a $20 million digital package

to support small businesses and tourism operators to transition digitally in the COVID-19 world. The initial funding period was to 30 June 2021.

Following evaluation of the pilot programme and its resounding success (measured as positive impact for people participating in Digital Boost Educate), funding for the Digital Boost programme was provided during Budget 2021 for an additional two years, through to 30 June 2023.

Government has a vision for New Zealand to have the most digitally engaged small business sector in the world.

We want to support more small business owners to digitally transform their operating models, not only through the adoption of digital hardware and software, but through process changes, new skills and capabilities, access to capital and having clearer insights into their business through data.

Who can help me unleash the capability and productivity gains from digital?

BlueBerryIT is the team to help unleash the Digital Transformation potential in your business. They can work with your business to analyse problems; develop, implement and support the use of digital tools; and create new innovations to support what your business does what it does and help take it to the next level. The result? A more capable and efficient workforce, and the opportunity for previously unthought of revenue streams or greater business efficiencies. Contact them today.

Source: Infometrics Regional Economic Profile 2021

Is seagrass the answer to climate change?

ecosystemchangetoinOneFortyOnecompanyinvestsseagrassrestorationhelpfightclimateandimprovehealth.

Forestry

Trans-Tasman forestry company OneFortyOne has partnered with the Cawthron Institute, Port Nelson, and the Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund to launch a seagrass restoration project that aims to fight climate change and improve eco-system

Thishealth.project

will be the first of its kind in New Zealand and will become a blueprint to help enable future largescale restoration of seagrass meadows, which offers significant benefits for biodiversity and fisheries enhancement, water quality improvement and climate change mitigation.

As a business that is built on plant life and sustainability, the sponsoring of such a project seemed like a no-brainer to the OneFortyOne team.

Kylie Reeves, Communications Manager for OneFortyOne, explains the significance. “As foresters, we get really excited about plants. And this project uses a very similar kind of science.

“From a ‘plant geek’ perspective, it is really exciting because, if it works, any group of people can apply these methods to similar parts of the coastline around New SeagrassesZealand.”areplants that live in coastal sandflats in estuaries and harbours,

and further out to sea in underwater meadows. They support ecosystem health in coastal areas and are an important resource in efforts to mitigate climate change.

To be trialled right here in Nelson, Kylie says the idea that it is a New Zealand first being led from Nelson was also a huge drawcard for the company.

Project co-leader Dana Clark, restoration ecology team leader at Cawthron Institute, says: “Unfortunately seagrasses are being lost at an alarming rate

“Restorationglobally. projects around the world have achieved success by directly sowing seed into the wild and we plan to trial a similar approach with the aim of identifying the most effective method for New Zealand’s unique environment.”

Up until recently, it was thought that seagrass flowering was very rare in the New Zealand species of seagrass, but recent research by Cawthron Institute has revealed that isn’t the case. New Zealand’s species of seagrass does have flowers, but they are difficult to spot.

Last summer, Cawthron scientists found lots of seeds and flowers in the Nelson Haven and managed to get one of the seeds to germinate for the first time in ThisAotearoa.suggested it might be possible to restore seagrass meadows in New Zealand at the scales required to achieve

meaningful carbon sequestration results using seed-based techniques.

The amount of carbon a seagrass meadow stores can vary depending on the species and the environment it is situated in, but overseas studies have shown that some meadows can sequester carbon up to 27 times faster than forests on land.

Cawthron Chief Executive Volker Kuntzsch says they are happy to be working with Port Nelson and OneFortyOne on an environmental project like this that ticks all the boxes.

“We’re building local knowledge and capability, we’re having a widecouldAotearoachangepromisinginvestigatingbiodiversity,ecosystemimpactenvironmentalpositivebyimprovinghealthandandwe’reareallyclimatesolutionthatNewZealandembraceonascaleifsuccessful.

“We’re also very grateful to the Westpac NZ Government Innovation Fund for recognising the national impact that a project like this could have by developing scalable methods for restoration.

“It’s about building our body of scientific knowledge and then teaching people how to apply it.”

This suggests it might be possible to restore seagrass meadows and achieve meaningfulsequestrationcarbonresults.

“We believe regular cow’s milk will soon be outcompeted by identical or superior products produced by precision fermentation. This is a risk for the New Zealand economy if we don’t respond appropriately.”

EngineeringKernohan

AND PRECISION FERMENTATION

As we enter into a new age in food technology, the pair are looking to be a part of that too. Paul explains how the inefficiencies and environmental factors that affect traditional agriculture, including the dairy industry, is seeing a natural evolution of alternatives.

“We believe regular cow’s milk will soon be out-competed by identical or superior products produced by precision fermentation. This is a risk for the New Zealand economy if we don’t respond appropriately.

“Matthew and I started talking about long term industry trends and we got interested in alternative proteins and the environmental benefits, however we saw a potential bottleneck in terms of engineering capacity and know-how.

Alternative proteins are the food source of the now, and Kernohan Engineering is a 50-year-old business keeping up with the play.

The business first began as a blacksmith, owned by Ken Kernohan before it was bought in the early 1970s by Brian Kidson who had a construction business at the time.

He saw opportunity for expansion, delving into the marine industry and projects that included salvaging a sunken Interislander ferry in Samoa, the Queen Salamasina.

Son, Matt Kidson, says his dad was an entrepreneur who could see opportunities when they came up. He was also ‘old school honest.’ Customers could rely on Kernohan Engineering and this reliability and upfront approach are key reasons why the company is celebrating fifty years of Kidson ownership this year.

Kernohan Engineering has expanded in that time, both in staff numbers and by square footage with the business now operating out of three sites on Vickerman Street.

Paul Miller, CEO, joined the company in 2020. What could he see in the business?

“I think there’s a good strong foundation in terms of culture. A really positive workplace environment with a lot of mutual respect between staff within the company, and a really strong health and safety focused approach to work, which I valued particularly.”

“We felt that it would be a valuable area for the company to develop some expertise and so started developing partnerships with other businesses in this space and we’ve come up I think, with a good business plan on the back of that which will allow us to grow the business in this emerging area in a way that is aligned with our purpose and values.”

Kernohan is already accredited Climate Positive, taking their commitment to sustainability seriously with company e-vehicles and waste minimization both integral components of their everyday business model.

Branching into plant-new food technology is another example of their focus on reducing the carbon journey, one that is likely to see the business still going strong another fifty years from now.

Is time

What is LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a social platform for businesses and professionals. As a professional networking site, it is designed to help people make business connections, share their experiences and resumes, find jobs and get businessfocused news updates.

How many people are on LinkedIn?

There are currently over 850m users worldwide. 190m in USA, 13m in Australia and 2.3m in New Zealand.

Benefits of LinkedIn

• It’s purely for business so you are free to talk about your business and career as you wish.

• It has many useful free features

• Great for connecting and networking

• Useful recruitment tool

• Good source of industry news

• You can advertise on it - pinpoint targeting allows you to speak directly to decision-makers

• Has critical mass – it’s the biggest network in the world

LinkedIn for free

You can set up a LinkedIn profile page as an individual, to promote your personal brand. You can do the same for your company brand too, and it will only cost your time to do it.

Once you have set up your profile, you actively go out and invite people you

know (or want to know) to connect to your network. Once you are connected to a person you can direct message them. You can also post news items on your news feed. People in your network can like, comment on or share these news items you post.

Paid LinkedIn services

If you are prepared to part with some cash, there are several ways you can get your message to a wider audience on LinkedIn.

The big advantage in advertising on LinkedIn is the pinpoint targeting available. You target people by country, region, job title, industry, interest group and more.

Amplify your message

Boosting Posts: If you write a news post that you want to send beyond your network, you can boost it to a wider audience.

Advertising: LinkedIn offers a wide variety of advertising formats to get your message out there. LinkedIn Campaign Manager offers several ways to build an ideal audience to advertise to.

Once you have built an audience you can integrate text, motion, video, and static images for added impact. You can set

budgets and timelines, and get excellent data on your campaigns too.

Direct Messaging: If you pay for a premium subscription, LinkedIn allows you to direct message people outside your network. If used respectfully, this can be an effective prospecting and sales tool.

Sales Tool: Another useful paid tool that LinkedIn provides is Sales Navigator. This handy prospecting tool gives you more information than you would normally get about LinkedIn members and allows you to create ideal prospect lists to make direct contact with.

Recruitment Tool: LinkedIn was started as a platform to post resumes and find jobs. Because of this, the recruitment tools on LinkedIn are excellent. They provide a great way of attracting and filtering prospective team members.

If you are in business and are looking to grow and expand, then LinkedIn is a great platform to start with. If you haven’t already, make a start, and set up a profile today.

Tony Downing Owner and Director Downing Creative Marketing www.downing.nz

Fair Trading Act unfair contract terms provisions now apply to small trade

Sarah Rees

On 16 August 2022, amendments to the Fair Trading Act 1986 came into force which extend the existing unfair contract terms provisions applying to “consumer contracts” (i.e., business to consumer) to “small trade contracts”(i.e. business to business).

The changes are intended to help protect small businesses which have little ability to negotiate the terms of largely onesided standard form contracts presented to Broadly,them.

“small trade contracts” are •contracts:between

two or more parties which are engaged in trade;

• which comprise or form part of a trading relationship valued at less than $250,000 (including GST) per year at the time the relationship first arises; and

• which come into existence (or are varied/renewed) on or after 16 August 2022.

Contracts will be considered part of the same trading relationship if they are between the same parties or related parties and are on the same or substantially the same terms, disregarding subject matter and any upfront price.

The provisions in the Fair Trading Act 1986 relating to whether or not a contract term is an “unfair contract term” require an assessment of whether a term:

• would cause a significant imbalance in the parties’ rights and obligations;

• is not reasonably necessary in order to protect legitimate interests; and

• would cause financial or other detriment if relied upon.

The Commerce Commission has issued

guidance as to the types of contractual terms a court may regard as unfair.

Examples include unilateral rights to vary the terms, assign, terminate, limit performance, limit liability or limit the right to sue.

If a court determines that a contract term is unfair, it will be an offence (punishable by a fine of up to $200,000 for an individual or up to $600,000 for a body corporate) for a person to include, apply, enforce or rely upon the term in a small trade contract. It will not be possible to contract out of these provisions.

In light of the above, it is recommended that businesses review the terms of their standard form contracts and the relationships with their “small trade” clients.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is of a general nature and is not intended as legal advice. It is important that you seek legal advice that is specific to your circumstances.

“The changes are intended to help protect businesses.”small

IT’S NEARLY VOTING TIME

What makes a good councillor?

Now that you’ve received your voting papers, it’s time to think about who should get your vote. We asked four departing councillors what qualities you should be looking for when you make your choices.

Judene Edgar

We need well-connected and empathic leaders who listen and engage well with all sectors of the community and regularly expand their knowledge by attending events and meeting with business and thought leaders.

While they need to demonstrate strong principles and policy direction, they must be prepared to listen, change, adapt and to include others’ perspectives into their thinking and decision-making. They must be dedicated to Nelson and able to fully commit to their local government role. They need to be both detail-oriented (to learn legislation and the mechanics of local government), but with a strong strategic viewpoint, keen to support change to position Whakatū Nelson well for the future.

Nelson needs team players, willing to compromise when needed, support others on their journey, and uplift the mana of Council and its critical role in the region, particularly around a regenerative economy, climate change, housing, city central investment, transportation and building resilience.

Gaile Noonan

Yvonne Bowater

An elected member should have governance experience and understand the difference between governance and management.

Diversity of work, life, governance and volunteering experience is important. They need to be independent thinkers that are committed to reading and considering all of the reports and information with an enquiring mind and listening to the community. They need to understand and accept Council processes and work collaboratively with others to achieve good outcomes. A positive, can-do attitude and ability to work well with others and demonstrate respect for your colleagues is important to help create a strong team. A genuine interest in working with, supporting and helping the community is a must.

Someone who can listen. Who can read masses of reports and then focus on the recommendations of staff (elected members MUST consider staff advice), listen to other elected members and come to a conclusion in order to vote. Someone who can bring their reasons to the table when voting but can accept that the majority decision has been made. If it doesn’t go their way — that they can let that go and not be tempted to raise it again unless new information is introduced. Someone who is well connected to the community so they can gauge the views of the community and bring those to the table.

Additional qualities for Mayor: An ability to guide all elected members to a common decision (much easier said than done) as this requires members.staff,workmembers.concerns/questionsaddressingofelectedSomeonewhocanexceptionallywellwithexternalparties,andelected

Brian McGurk

It’s easy to be against something or offer simple slogans.

Resolving public policy issues are difficult, and implementing the solutions even harder. So prepare well. Be clear about the issues, understand the interests and motivations, identify the choices and actions needed to move in the direction of making changes Find a path between naïve idealism and bitter realism. Make those efforts to effect the change knowing they will be challenging.

Mayoral candidates answer key issues

Not sure who should be mayor? Our CEO, Ali Boswijk interviewed leading candidatesmayoralonthe region’s hot topics.

To watch full interviews with the Nelson and Tasman candidates, visit the Mayoral page on our website

Supporting our communities

NBS provides meaningful financial support to the community through sponsorships and grants to hundreds of sporting, arts, health, educational and environmental organisations. Last year we sponsored over 200 community groups and organisations, distributing over $1 million in sponsorship funds.

In the Nelson-Tasman region we proudly support organisations such as the Tasman Rugby Union, the Nelson Giants, the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust, Nelson-Tasman Hospice and the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We continue to back a huge range of other community and sporting groups including the Fifeshire Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, the Nelson Mountain Bike Club, Nelson Netball and many local bowls, golf and rugby clubs to name but a few. the support of our clients, the on-going achievements of NBS wouldn’t be possible. We very much appreciate your continued support. ”

Left: NBS Chief Executive Officer Tony Cadigan with Walk With Us trustee Jenny Bates and Stirling Sports owner Wyatt Crockett. Photo: Nelson Weekly Sara Hollyman

Nelson Building Society (NBS) was established in 1862, and 2022 sees us celebrating our 160th anniversary. extremely proud of our heritage, along with the contributions we’ve made to our clients and the communities we serve. We look forward to assisting our clients achieve their financial goals by continuing to provide a competitive range of banking services to locals, for generations to come.

Make skyrocketbusinessyour

You need skilled staff, but first, they need the training. We see the problem, and we have a solution.

Aquaculture, horticulture and viticulture businesses in the primary industry sector are seeing the rewards of partnering with NMIT to help develop a skilled workforce across Te BusinessesTauihu.

challenged with staff shortages, thanks to NMIT, can now upskill staff with a range of study options from basic primary industry skills to business Managementmanagement.canfindit challenging to understand the best approach to training staff. There may be limited resources available in the workplace to support

NMIT’stomayuniqueaccommodatinglearningeffectiveandlearningstylesalsobedifficultachieve.primaryindustry managers and team leaders are also supported with programmes designed to build their business and management skills so our regional workforce thrives.

New programmes available to start now include:

• New Zealand Diploma in Primary Industry Business Management

• Leadership for Primary Industries

• Project Management for Primary

NMITIndustriesPrimary Industries Curriculum Manager Pam Wood says having national industry training partners onboard brings substantial student benefits.

“When students are working, as well as studying online through NMIT, pastoral care is very important,” says “WithPam. our partners involved, there is someone there to walk the students through their study on-site, helping when needed, and ensuring they are

Pastoralsuccessful.”caremay

include meeting onsite for 1:1 support or supporting study as a class.

Study no longer needs to be daunting as learners don’t have to go through it alone.

Learner confidence is boosted as employers are involved with their training at NMIT. Business owners and managers can focus on their productivity goals, relieving themselves of the stress and confusion that training staff Educationrequires.shouldn’t be boring, and upskilling staff should be a positive Withexperience.NMIT, students can learn and work, becoming confident in their abilities to make a difference for our region.

See nmit.ac.nz/industry-hub for more information.

UPSKILL WITH NMIT

“Study no longer needs to daunting.”be

Challenge Three: Nayland business Only Popcorn take out the top prize

Nayland College YES team Only Popcorn were the winners of Challenge Three and will use their $100 prize to boost their production.

The third challenge is where students demonstrate their promotional strategy.

Only Popcorn have created an Instagram, website, promoted their product at several school markets, have created posters and secured a local business to stock their product.

Louis Picot is mentoring the team and they are using The Food Factory to produce their product.

“Having a good idea is simple, doing something about that idea is the difficult thing,” Louis said.

“From Day 1, Only Popcorn not only showed passion for their product- but agility, commitment, proper utilisation of the wealth of knowledge around them, strong brand ethos and the most impressive teamwork I’ve seen not only in the classroom, but most corporate offices.

“Working with them has given me a real sense of hope in the future of FMCG in ToAotearoa.”placeyour order, visit their online store.

YES students are now moving on to their Sales Challenge. Several teams will

be selling their products at the Nelson Market on Saturday 3rd September.

If you are at the market, drop in and see us, show your support, and check out their products. out all our YES student it Up Dawg Juice Monkey

SnapsSocial

Cashflow Management

Presented by: Michael Parker, Crux

Date: Wednesday 5 October

Time: 09:30 - 11:30

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

Learn to Network

Presented by: Stephen Caunter, ANZ

Date: Wednesday 19 October

Time: 17:00 - 19:00

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

Business Planning

Presented by: Justine Kennard, Business Studio Innovators

Date: Wednesday 16 November Time: 09:30 - 11:30

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

Your Brand. Your Why.

Presented by: Chris Hall, Business Box

Date: Wednesday 23 November Time: 15:00 - 17:00

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

In partnership with:

Other Workshops Not to Be Missed

Health & Safety from a Management Perspective

Presented by: Helen Mason, Coolspring Consulting

Ensure you have a high standard of health and safety practices in your workplace. This half day course is an ideal opportunity for senior managers/business owners to understand their health and safety responsibilities to their business, learn to implement a practical health and safety system and make their workplace safer and more productive.

Date: Tuesday 1 November

Time: 10:00 - 13:30

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

Creating & Unleashing Your Brand

Presented by: Gareth O’Connor, Harvey Cameron

In this workshop you will be given practical guidance on how to create a brand for your company. You will also be given simple yet powerful tools and frameworks that you can put to use ensuring you present yourself, your company and your products in the best possible light to appeal to more of your target and current customers.

Date: Wednesday 9 November

Time: 15:00 - 17:00

Venue: Mahitahi Colab, NMIT A Block 322 Hardy Street, Nelson

Upcoming Events

Save the date in your calendar for our wide range of professional events.

29SEP

Findex Business After 5: China Week 2022

When: 17:30 - 19:00

Where: Trafalgar Centre

05OCT

19OCT

Starting Block Workshop: Cashflow Management

When: 09:30 - 11:30

Where: Mahitahi Colab

27OCT

Starting Block Workshop: Learn to Network

When: 17:00 - 19:00

Where: Mahitahi Colab

Speaker Series: David Seymour, ACT Party Leader

When: 12:00 - 13:30

Where: Trailways

05NOV

TEDxNelson 2022: Connection

When: 09:30 - 16:15

Where: Annesbrook Church

09NOV

Building a Better Business

When: 09:00 - 11:00

Where: Mahitahi Colab

09NOV

NOV16

Health & Safety from a Management Perspective

When: Nov 1st-2nd

Where: Mahitahi Colab

More Events

23NOV

Creating and Unleashing Your Brand

When: 15:00 - 17:00

Where: Mahitahi Colab

Starting Block Workshop: Business Planning

When: 09:30 - 11:30

Where: Mahitahi Colab

Starting Block Workshop: Your Brand. Your Why.

When: 15:00 - 17:00

Where: Mahitahi Colab

See our full event schedule online at commerce.org.nz/events.

Sentient Clan Services

in March this year, Karen Howieson of Sentient Clan Services became Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce’s first client for the Ministry of Social Development’s (MSD) Self-Employment start up payment and Flexi-wage for selfemployment scheme.

The Chamber became a provider for the MSD scheme in February which is designed to support people meeting certain criteria who are starting up a new business or needing help to become self-sufficient in an existing business.

“Given our role as a support agency for small and mediumsized businesses the Flexiwage scheme is a good fit. Having the opportunity to work one-on-one with people at the crucial start-up stage and immediately connect them to a wider business network helps to give them then best possible conditions to succeed,” says Chief Executive, Ali Boswijk.

Karen collaborated for three months with the Chamber’s Stephen Broad-Paul. Together they completed a business plan and full financials in support of Karen’s application. With over 18 years of experience in working in the animal assisted therapy area, Karen’s new business Sentient Clan Services incorporates EASTt (Equine Assisted Somatic Training for transformation) into its

“Workingpractice.alongside

MSD and the Chamber of Commerce has assisted my business to get off the ground. Creating the container for me to realise my potential and to harness it, helping people to embody theirs and to create capacity through my coaching with animals or personal growth online”.

Karen uses the calming influence of horses and dogs to assist people process trauma and/or mental health issues as well as individuals who wish to grow personally and professionally.

Options include emotional intelligence and violence intervention courses for groups; equine-assisted therapy for individuals; canine-assisted therapy for individuals and training people to be animal-assisted therapists.

Working with Karen has been as rewarding for Stephen as he expects it to be for her clients.

“It is an absolute pleasure working with Karen, the work she does is crucial in helping people to have greater selfconfidence, self-esteem and aids participants in self-discovery and the development of life and social skills through interactions with horses.

“I have observed Karen’s business skills and her confidence has grown from strength to strength, since I have been working with her.”

Visit Sentient Clan’s website at www.sentientclanservices.com and watch the video to meet Karen and find out more about what she does.

For more information on the Flexi-wage scheme, talk to the friendly team at the Chamber.

“It has created the container for me to realise my potential and harness it.”

WATCH VIDEO

Meet our Members

Introducing some of the newest members to our business community.

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It’s super convenient at our locally owned private studio in ContactRichmond.usnow

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E: christopher@hiho.co.nz

T: 021 471 358 W: hiho.co.nz

Specialists in growing SME and FMCG businesses, Love NZ Fresh is ready to assist your business. Principal and Director Brian Olorenshaw has over 30 years business experience, from start-ups and scale-ups to larger enterprises. Having had skin in the game with several businesses gives him a breath of skills and practical knowledge that he is happy to share.

Core areas of assistance include marketing plans, business plans and advisory boards. Ready to find out more? Get in touch today for an initial free consultation and receive a copy of “Small Business: Learnings for Success.”

E: olorenshaws@xtra.co.nz

T: 021 901 143 W: lovenzfresh.co.nz

Established in 2011, MAAB International Limited is a family-owned business specialised in investment and international trade of healthcare products. MAAB’s portfolio includes: Peptest®, the world’s first noninvasive diagnostic test for reflux; ClearSky®, a range of intelligent medical device for diagnosing and monitoring neurodegenerative diseases, and MAAB Probiotics®, probiotic OTC drugs and dietary supplements.

MAAB is trying to bring these innovative technologies into New Zealand and for that we are keen to work with businesses and healthcare professionals with shared passion to make a difference in patients’ lives.

E: info@maab-group.com

T: 027 887 1774 W: www.maab-group.com

Harry Pearson at Storage Nelson is your storage expert for all your storage needs.

At our Venice Place yards in Stoke, we offer self-storage in water tight, vermin proof shipping containers. We also have dedicated space for vehicle, campervan, caravan and boat storage, in a fully fenced yard featuring security lighting and cameras.

Park and Fly Nelson is located at 107 Bolt Road, which is only 15 minutes’ walk from the airport. This is Nelson’s most affordable and best long term off-airport car parking option, and parking is easily booked through our website. Book early to avoid disappointment.

E: storagenelsonnz@gmail.com

T: 027 407 2074 W: storagenelson.co.nz

Operating out of Serendipity’s purpose-built equestrian facilities in North Nelson, EquineSELF offers unique opportunities for personal development, where horses are the lead facilitators.

Our aim is to give you the ultimate team-building, leadership or personal development experience by interacting with the horses and letting them do what they do

Experiencebest.how

powerful metaphoric learning is while working with a herd of horses in a beautiful country setting.

E: info@equineself.nz

T: 027 305 2879 W: equineself.nz

Events are curated, they are strategically planned and designed to leave a lasting impression, which can all be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start.

We work along-side clients, by offering expert knowledge in event planning, marketing, vision and strategy, resulting in a stress-free experience and clients enjoying themselves at their own events.

Elevated Events brings communities together by delivering engaging, memorable, and inspiring events for every occasion. Get in touch for a free consultation to kickstart the planning process.

For 30 years Wardrobe World has been creating custom designed storage solutions for customers across New Zealand. Wardrobe World Nelson is locally owned and operated, we provide storage solutions for bedrooms, laundries, garages, offices and almost any other space that you need organised. Our range of products include New Zealand made melamine panels, ClosetMaid’s PVC coated ventilated wire system, New Zealand pine slatted shelving, and sliding doors.

We offer a free in-home consultation service and will put your ideas into bespoke workable plans. We take care of every element of the process, from design through to installation.

E: nelson@wardrobeworld.co.nz

T: 021 847 337

Are you making the most of your membership?

You and your staff can access big savings with our national partners.

There are plenty of special member-to-member offers from local businesses too!

Don’t forget about the Stocard app!

The Chamber has now gone digital. With just a few simple steps, your membership card can be loaded into Stocard and taken with you, or your staff, anywhere.