Commerce Comment April/May 2012 - Nelson Tasman Chamber of ...

Annual Report: 2011 in Review
2011 has seen the Chamber position itself more
closely at the centre of business activity in the
region. As a result, membership has remained
strong (at around 500 businesses), the levels
of attendance at functions and events has
remained high, and we introduced a new series
of workshops and information sharing sessions
for business owners.
The attached graphs illustrate the strength of the Chamber – with
a stable membership (44% of our members have been with the
Chamber for over 5 years) representative of the businesses in our
region (83% of members are true “SME” businesses, with less than 11
full time staff). Levels of engagement by members continues to climb,
with the attached graph showing average attendance levels at the
BNZ Partners Business After Five reach 87 business people!
There was plenty of fun last year, including over 700 businesses
participating in the Long Lunch down the centre of Trafalgar
Street. And there has been plenty of hard work on key issues
facing the region. The refocusing of our advocacy work through an
Infrastructure Group (chaired by Gary Stocker, Knapps Lawyers) and
the on-going work of the Regional Issues Group (chaired by Mike
McMellon, Pitt & Moore) has seen significant challenging of local
government priorities and a clearer voice for business.
A key issue has been the Local Government Commission’s
examination of the call for a combined Nelson Tasman District. The
benefits of amalgamation from a business point of view are clear –
certainty and consistency of decision making based on one regional
plan will lead to cost savings for business owners, better take up
of regional opportunities and minimisation of duplication of effort.
Whatever the final governance arrangements, the Chamber will
continue to advocate strongly for business and work to achieve a
more business friendly environment.
The late Sir Paul Callaghan, the keynote speaker at Aspire 2011,
inspired conference attendees to ensure our region is a place where
talented people choose to live. That challenge has underpinned
much of the Chamber’s advocacy role this year as we have focused
on ensuring Council use of rate payer funds is focused on creating an
environment conducive to business investment and prosperity.
The redesign of our website in 2011, commerce.org.nz makes it easier
for members and the wider business community to access the latest
business information, identify where to go for advice and find out
the services offered by our members. The business directory has
emerged as the most visited page and the upgrade listing available
makes those members stand out.
Another significant development in 2011 was the partnership with
the Marlborough Chamber of Commerce and the Nelson Regional
Economic Development Agency, to become the Regional Business
Partner for the Top of the South. Our role is to work with business
owners to improve their business capability and achieve their
growth plans. Over 100 businesses took advantage of the free
business assessment and the “Where to” Workshops and we issued
38 vouchers for business capability training. Our sincere thanks to
the experienced business people who have shared their expertise
at these workshops – Mike McMellon, Rob Lane and Nick Mason
from Pitt & Moore, Chris Butler from CB Marketing, Ian Williams,
Summary of 2011 Membership Length
Average attendance at bnz partners
business after 5
one to
five years
37%
Less than
one year
19%
100
80
60
40
ten+
years
six to
ten years
26%
20
8
18%
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