May/June 2020 - BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS

10 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS May/June 2020
Resilience and recovery
Robyn Parker’s craft
business: now focused
on eCommerce.
Photo/Supplied.
A snapshot of where the
Bay business community
is at, with thanks to the
Tauranga Chamber of
Commerce for its insights.
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Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern has warned that
overcoming COVID-19
in New Zealand would be a
“marathon, not a sprint”. The
same could be said of the region’s
economic recovery,
says Tauranga Chamber of
Commerce chief executive
Matt Cowley.
The announcement of an
exit from Level 4 lockdown
to a “recovery” state of Level
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3 this month was the starting
line for many local businesses
who were unable to trade for
the five-week period. And so
begins the process of recovery
and adaption to an economic
climate shaped by COVID-19.
For businesses looking to
kickstart their own recovery,
Cowley advises owners not to
save their company on their
own.
“It’s tough and businesses
owners cannot be across everything,”
he said.
“They should reach out for
support, including their accountant,
bank, business mentors,
and any government-supported
resources, such as the
Chamber’s Regional Business
Partner Network (RBP)
programme.
“It is reassuring to bounce
ideas off other knowledgeable
people to assist in decision
making.”
Helpline for recovery
Since lockdown began, the
Chamber’s RBP programme,
or Biz Hub helpline, has been
in contact with nearly 600
businesses in the Bay, all seeking
business advice, direction
and support.
What began with queries
regarding short-term cashflow
issues and access to the
wage subsidy, have shifted to
a long-term focus – advice for
businesses that can’t trade on
how to diversify their offering,
business continuity planning,
marketing and sales training,
and more.
Business advisor Kirstin
Mead said:”People were really
grateful to have this business
support available, to be able
to speak with an experienced
business advisor who can help
them get the right support for
their business.”
Mead said there were a
number of ways businesses can
adapt, including digital transformation
to allow for eCommerce,
buying local as both
a member of the public and
also in a business-to-business
capacity, and taking charge
of the new ways of working
around health and safety (eg
social distancing) to be ready
to hit the ground running when
doors can fully open.
Chamber engagement
co-ordinator Anne Pankhurst
has been with the Chamber
As we cascade
down the alert levels,
our long-term view
on the horizon should
increase.”
– Matt Cowley
through a number of regional
crises, including the Rena disaster
and the Global Financial
Crisis. Her advice to businesses
looking to rebuild is
to take the time to review and
reset their business model.
“The recovery could be
long and so doing business as
it was, is likely to change,” she
said.
“Those businesses that
think strategically in this time
will be best placed to come out
of this crisis. Those that don’t
expect to return to business as
usual will recover quicker.”
Adapt to survive
But many local businesses profiled
here and elsewhere in this
issue have demonstrated just
how flexible they can be. For
example, Greerton retail business
owner Robyn Parker was
devastated when the doors of
her craft store closed in March.
Uncertain about the future of
her business, she found solace
in attending regular webinars.
“Mentally, they helped
a great deal, as I felt like we
weren’t alone in this,” she said.
“The webinars helped me
turn around our thinking to
make the most of this time. I
learnt how to use Zoom and
FaceTime, and begun using
video calling to help my customers
with their crafting
problems.”
Taking her newly acquired
digital skills to the next level,
Robyn is working with website
provider Zeald to develop
an eCommerce site and has
created an online community
of her customers that she never
imagined would be possible.
Mount Maunganui café
The General also saw trade
turn down during lockdown.
Owners Malika Ganley and
Aaron Winter have made the
decision to also stay closed
during Level 3, as it is not viable
for their business to open,
and hopes for the Level 2 announcement
to be soon.
“There is no doubt it will
affect the way our business
was running [compared to]
pre-COVID, but we are using
this time to work on refining
the business.”
The pair were granted capability
funding through the
RBP programme and are now
working with business growth
centre The Icehouse to review
their current operations and
plan for next steps.
“They have been encouraging,
inspiring and have set us
on a very direct course with
where we need to be heading.
This coaching is exactly what
we needed and will play a big
role in us hitting the ground
running.”
Regional recovery a
process
Like individual businesses,
the region also needs a plan
to adapt to survive. Cowley
said the Bay’s recovery would
be a transition as the business
community addressed the immediate
crisis, while looking
to reposition itself.
“For example, New Zealand’s
border restrictions will
restrict the country’s supply
of international seasonal and
skilled labour,” he said.
“We will have to use our
existing labour force better,
and make it easier for people
to retrain to fill job vacancies.
The region would benefit from
coordinating supply chains as
the border restrictions are causing
air freight fees to increase
for importers and exporters.”
The region would also
benefit from reconsidering its
long-term economic plan, he
said.