northland chamber

14 December 2010

Media Release

THE CHAMBERS YEAR 2010
I would like to take this opportunity to thanks you for your support this year. The Chamber’s relationship with the Northland’s media is very important and we value your contribution. To give you of an indication of the work the Chamber has undertaken this year I have provided the following summary.

As a membership organisation and rely on the support of our members and the media to operate and to act as their regional representative on things related to business. This means we must continually examine what our role is and how we can remain relevant to those people within the community who we claim to represent.

Part of this process is looking at what it is we actually offer to our members and strengthening our relationships with them and with other key stakeholders in the community. I have personally met with almost a quarter of our members in the last twelve months with the view of establishing what they seek from the Northland Chamber of Commerce and how we can best support them in their business endeavours.

Over the last twelve months we have undertaken 39 event and numerous other activities which are of direct benefit to our members and the wider business community. These have included the Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards, the Department of Labour Northland Workplace Productivity Study, coordinating Business Mentors New Zealand, 18 Business After 5s, the Small Business Update Seminar and many others.

These have provided a range of opportunities for Northland business to improve their performance and widen their networks.

We offer our members many savings for their businesses on various Chamber discounts and member to member deals and given them opportunities promote their businesses to other members. The Chamber network has been used to support and promote various events or programs being undertaken by Northland charities and not for profit organisations. The Chamber network also enables Northland business to undertake business elsewhere in New Zealand and overseas through the global network of Chambers of Commerce.

We have advocated on behalf of our members on a range of issues that we believe impact of their ability to do business or Northland’s economic development. This year we have spoken out for our members on:
• Various council’s Annual Plans
• Regional Policy Statements
• Regional Land Transport Strategies
• LTCCP
• Commercial Rates
• Local Government reform
• Support for the Hatea weir lock
• and many other issues.
In all instances we have tried to present a clear and positive perspective on what we believe will benefit Northland’s business communities.

The Chamber looks forward to continuing to adapt to the changing needs of our members and continuing to strengthen our relationships with various stakeholders throughout Northland. I hope the December proves to be a prosperous time for Northland and that the economic outlook in the New Year provides some sign of cheer for our region’s businesses.