Waikato Business News August/September 2021

More documents

Recommendations

Info

12 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/September 2021 Q&A with Joseph Daoud CEO and founder of It’s Simple How COVID is impacting the first home buyer and what do they need to take into consideration when applying for a mortgage in the pandemic? While we are extremely lucky to live in a country with so many benefits when purchasing our homes such as the First Home Owners Grant and Stamp Duty Relief, it is impossible to say that this pandemic has not affected those looking to purchase their first home. With a decrease in hours and a shift in mindset, many first home buyers are now finding difficulty with purchasing their first property. Things like underemployment and fear of deflation have reduced consumer confidence, while those who have acquired wealth in the past are continuing to drive prices up since they cannot spend money externally from Australia. Many suburbs are setting records with regard to their purchases, and the first home buyers are being left behind. Considerations that home buyers need to make with current lending conditions The major consideration for anyone purchasing a property is whether their employment income has been affected by covid. Banks are now asking for commentary on if employment has been affected at all, and will it decline if hours have been reduced due to the pandemic. Buyers need to consider if they have the capacity to purchase, and should really speak to a broker or lending specialist before making any offers. Will applying for government support grants have an impact on an individual’s lending approval? As with the support grants these are dependent on client income and revenue. A business can only apply for a grant if it has experienced a loss in revenue, and an individual can only apply if they have experienced a loss in hours. By applying for these grants, while the income may be good, it will affect the approval as it will affect the borrowing capacity. Background Joseph Daoud, aged 30, is the founder and managing director of It’s Simple, a platform that connects people to the right financial lender for their specific borrowing needs, and educates clients about home loans through the entire process. Before founding It’s Simple, Joseph was working at Macquarie Bank in home loans. By the third month in the role, Joseph was one of the top home loan specialists at Macquarie Bank. He had closed more than $20 million in loans in one month and was skyrocketing to his career success. Six months later he closed $31 million in one month. He found that helping borrowers with home loans had quickly become second nature to him. He had a knack for making the whole process stress-free and seamless for the client. His clients would often say ‘Thanks for making it so simple, Joseph’ which is where the name for his company came from. In 2018 Joseph’s dad had a heart attack. Joseph left this position at Macquarie Bank to take over the family business in construction and property management. Joseph learnt about managing and building hotels, apartments and heritage buildings. With the help of his brothers and team, Joseph was able to complete the final projects and his dad was able to retire. Joseph kept working in property management and started working on a financial business as a side gig with a mate. There were delays due to the COVID pandemic but they finally launched It’s Simple in February 2021. They had built up a whole business and became visible in the market without any referrals. It’s Simple grew quickly. Joseph left the property management role to work on It’s Simple full time. He tripled the team by May 2021. And in July 2021, It’s Simple settled $12million. He believes that they are well on the way to hitting $144 million in lending. They had also become educators on home loans through their online tools such as their Facebook group ‘The Homeloan University’ which boasts more than 3000 members. It’s Simple makes sure their client is getting the right advice on their home loan and connects the borrower with the right lender. The team at It’s Simple follows Joseph’s philosophy that borrowing money shouldn’t be intimidating or confusing. Joseph has a down-to-earth nature and believes in transparency which helps build client relationships. He promotes this attitude through his business, client contact and entire life. About It’s Simple It’s Simple believes every Australian deserves to own their own home and homeowners should get to spend their hardearned on what matters most. Purchasing a home, an investment property, or refinancing your current mortgage can be daunting. The policies, regulations, and mind-boggling jargon around lending make it more difficult than it needs be to obtain finance, especially for first home buyers unfamiliar with the ins-and-outs of loan finance. It’s Simple is on a mission to make the lending process seamless and less intimidating. Locked-down Hamiltonians flushing ‘wet wipes’ and other debris, increasing pipe blockage Hamilton City Council are urging Hamiltonians to not flush ‘wet wipes’ and other debris down their toilets as the wastewater system deals with increased pressure during Alert Level 4. Workers at the Pukete wastewater treatment plant have noticed an increase in blockages since the nationwide lockdown was announced on 17 August, including 22 in pipes and 10 wastewater pump faults. One of the biggest contributors to these blockages is fabric wipes and other materials, which are being flushed down people’s toilets. “Blockages caused by foreign objects like wet wipes can create wastewater overflows and damage to our pipes, pumps, and other infrastructure,” said Emily Botje, City Waters Unit Manager at Hamilton City Council. “Blockages and failures at pump stations caused by these materials take essential staff out of their home bubbles and away from managing and maintaining the city’s wastewater network.” While many brands of wipes are marketed and labelled as ‘flushable,’ they contain plastic and other non-woven fibres. These fibres don’t break down in the same way that toilet paper does, so they collect and clog up the city’s pipes and pumps. Everything put down the drain or flushed down the toilet is transported through the hundreds of kilometres of underground pipes and over 140 pumping stations that make up Hamilton’s wastewater system, before being pumped through to the treatment plant at Pukete. Throwing wipes and other items in the rubbish, rather than flushing them down the toilet, can help to prevent blockages and in turn, protect our environment. Some everyday items that should not be flushed include wet wipes, nappies, sanitary items, cotton buds, oils and grease, food scraps, paper, plastics, paints and paint rinse water. +++++++ +++++++ +++++++ +++++++ +++++++ Procuta Associates Urban + Architecture Contact us 07 839 6521 www.pauaarchitects.co.nz
HR AND RECRUITMENT Do you Have a Plan to Navigate the Skills Shortage? Neazor Brady is urging businesses to act now to mitigate the escalating skills shortage crisis. New Zealand has been struggling with a skills shortage for many years, which is expected to continue to worsen. With the hiring of migrant workers blocked by the covid border closures, baby boomer workers starting to retire, and a drop in unemployment to just four percent in the June 2021 quarter - many businesses are struggling to find and retain skilled staff. The competition for skilled workers is fierce and employers need to put a plan in place now to ensure they have the staff they need to continue running their business. Neazor Brady Partner, Connor Brady says, “The competition for skilled workers is fierce and employers need to put a plan in place now to ensure they have the staff they need to continue running their business.” Neazor Brady have made it their mission to help New Zealand employers future-proof their businesses by providing innovative skill shortage solutions. Their highly experienced team of HR specialists and Licensed Immigration Advisers offer a unique blend of comprehensive workforce planning, employment compliance, and immigration expertise, including 15 years specialising in work visas. This allows them to develop customised skills shortage solutions for businesses to help them attract and retain the staff they need, support their migrant workers, and become an employer of choice. Connor says, “Employers need to be aware that the competition for skilled workers is not just from other Kiwi businesses. We are hearing numerous stories of migrant workers who are tired of waiting to get residency in New Zealand now looking to immigrate elsewhere, and many Kiwis are also looking for opportunities where they can get higher pay and cheaper housing. Canada has opened their Connor Brady doors to migrants and announced plans to secure 1.2 million new permanent residents, and Australian businesses are also increasingly looking to New Zealand to fill their own skills shortage. Add that to the rampant poaching of skilled workers that we are seeing within New Zealand, and the picture is clear that we need to take action.” Neazor Brady develops mitigation strategies for business to help them support and retain staff who might be vulnerable to being poached or deciding to move overseas. They also work with businesses to develop and implement plans to secure their future workforce and create an attractive working environment. If your business is feeling the pain of the skills shortage, Neazor Brady invites you to book a free no-obligation consultation to discuss potential solutions. Book your consultation today at: enquiry@neazorbrady.co.nz WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/September 2021 SKILL SHORTAGE SOLUTIONS FOR NEW ZEALAND BUSINESSES Are you struggling to attract and retain skilled staff? LET’S TALK. Are you facing these problems? • Skills Shortage Problems • Competitors Poaching Staff • Employees Going Abroad • Visa Problems • Increased Wage Demands • Unable to Fulfill Contracts • Staff Bearing Extra Workload • Increased Stress 13 GET IN TOUCH NOW Act now to secure your workforce and your business. Combining HR specialists with Licensed Immigration Advisors, we’re uniquely skilled to help you through this process. Book your free consult by calling 07 839 6666 or email enquiry@neazorbrady.co.nz Catherine and Connor offer unique skill shortage solutions for businesses.
Page 1 and 2: AUGUST/SEPTEMBER VOLUME 29: ISSUE 8
Page 3 and 4: WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/Septem
Page 11: WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/Septem
Page 15 and 16: HR AND RECRUITMENT WAIKATO BUSINESS
Page 17 and 18: CONFERENCE AND EVENTS WAIKATO BUSIN
Page 19 and 20: CONFERENCE AND EVENTS WAIKATO BUSIN
Page 23 and 24: PINK WALK WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS Aug
Page 25 and 26: PINK WALK WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS Aug
Page 27 and 28: BLUE SEPTEMBER WAIKATO BUSINESS NEW
Page 29 and 30: BLUE SEPTEMBER WAIKATO BUSINESS NEW

Waikato Business News August/September 2021

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?