2008 New Zealand Chamber election Wish List…………

The Northland Chamber of Commerce is part of an umbrella organisation serving the interests of 30 chambers of commerce nationwide. These, in turn, represent over 24,000 businesses around the country. While many of our members are SMEs, our membership includes most of the largest corporations in New Zealand.

The chambers exist to promote, support, and encourage sustainable, profitable businesses. Businesses are the lifeblood of the economy. They provide employment, pay wages, produce goods and services, and determine the depth of the tax base. In so doing, they enable the government to build infrastructure and to provide benefits. If business is flourishing, everyone benefits; if business is in recession, peoples’ standards of living suffer. For businesses to flourish, they require an environment that is supportive, and a culture that encourages, rewards, and celebrates success.

The Northland Chamber is non-partisan. It does not support any political parties but it does support policies that enable businesses to flourish and promote the interests of New Zealand as a whole.

With the general election approaching, the purpose of this manifesto is to outline what we think those policies should be. We hope that political parties will adopt them as much as possible. The manifesto touches on the following areas, to give a picture of where The Northland Chamber stands on each issue, and sets out actions we would expect the incoming government to implement:

To achieve sustainable growth, government policy must be actively probusiness. The government cannot run the business sector, but it can support it and remove barriers to its success. The chambers of commerce throughout New Zealand intend to scrutinise parties’ policies and compare them with this set of policies, which we think provide the best platform for the New Zealand economy to grow.

Some of the Recommendations from the New Zealand Chambers manifesto which can be downloaded from the http://www.northchamber.co.nz/ website.

1. Monetary Policy, Interest Rates and Exchange Rates
The Chamber supports existing monetary policy with its focus on controlling inflation but feel that Government needs to review policy settings that are pushing up prices.

2. Role and Size of Government
The incoming Government to urgently undertake a review on all Government spending and eliminating waste; Top personal tax rate to align with company rate; Supports the Regulatory Responsibility bill

3. Labour Market
Support policy that increases productivity; Review holidays act; Lift immigration quotas for skilled and business migrants;

4. International Economic Activity
Include business community in trade negotiations; Prioritise more bilateral Free Trade agreements; review remaining areas of industry protection in NZ

5. Economic and Regional Development
Review policies and decide which initiatives can best be delivered by private sector and public sector

6. Transport and Infrastructure
Encourage more private sector investment in Infrastructure;

7. Local Government
Recommend Government act sooner on the recommendations contained in the 2007 Local Government Rates Inquiry

8. The Environment
Review the RMA with a view to streamlining of processes around containing consents

The Northland Chamber of Commerce is the networking, education, advocacy and marketing group for Northland business, and is part of a nationwide network of 30 and a world-wide movement of 21,000 chambers. Subscription to the free fortnightly chamber e-news can be arranged on info@northchamber.co.nz. Enquiries to 09-4384771 or www.northchamber.co.nz, www.kaiparachamber.co.nz and www.farnorthchamber.co.nz

You can have a say on this by going to the Northland Chamber of Commerce Feedback website on www.northchamber.blogspot.com

Want Motivated Loyal Ambitious staff??

The Northland Chamber of Commerce has often bemoaned the lack of suitable staff available to Northland Business over the last few years. As the Economy has boomed the availability of staff has decreased accordingly.

We were absolutely thrilled to be involved in the employers evening as part of the ‘our stories’ exhibition at Rathbone house.

Employers were able to testify about hiring people with disabilities. The overwhelming message we heard was that these people are Hard Working, Ambitious, Loyal and quite often outshine some of the more able bodied people.

Kyle Donavon from Donavon’s talked about employees that were hard working, flexible and willing to carry out the most basic of tasks with a sense of value and importance which reflected the employee’s personal pride in work. Sick leave was a rarity and punctuality couldn’t be faulted.

We feel that as the Economy starts to restrict and more and more Compliance around employing people is pushed onto employers that there is an even more compelling reason to call Karen at IDEA or Johnny at the Tiaho trust to enquire about hiring people who live with disabilities. You will find that these employees are also very flexible and often relish the opportunity to work say part time or carrying out some of the duties that others may not find so appealing. There is also a lot of assistance to help you as an employer make the decision to hire disabled people including financial assistance.

On another note the Westpac Northland Business Excellence awards is well under way. Check out the website at www.northlandbusinessawards.co.nz and send through your recommendations of busienses that you thionk may be an excellent business and well deserving of an entry in this years awards.

The Northland Chamber of Commerce is the networking, education, advocacy and marketing group for Northland business, and is part of a nationwide network of 30 and a world-wide movement of 21,000 chambers. Subscription to the free fortnightly chamber e-news can be arranged on info@northchamber.co.nz. Enquiries to 09-4384771 or www.northchamber.co.nz, www.kaiparachamber.co.nz and www.farnorthchamber.co.nz

You can have a say on this by going to the Northland Chamber of Commerce Feedback website on www.northchamber.blogspot.com