LEADER COLUMN APRIL 2013

Business is a competition between various enterprises vying with each other to give the customer better a service or product for their money. Their main function is to be efficient producers of goods and services responding to market demands. In the process of doing this there are often other benefits to society and the community. Business assists in the provision of an economic environment that allows us to live and work where we chose. Many businesses support a wide range of community and not for profit initiatives. Northland businesses face many obstacles that make their tasks possibly more difficult than it should be. These are often as a result of additional compliance costs placed upon them by central government and territorial authorities, external economic conditions beyond their control and the challenges of finding a workforce with the skills they desire. Councils rely on their local business sector to generate jobs, invest in the local economy and support the industries that benefit their whole community. New Zealand Chambers of Commerce Northland strongly believe local government can make an important contribution in providing a ‘business friendly’ environment – responsive regulatory and consent regimes, low competitive rates - efficient infrastructure, positive promotion of the local area, attracting tourists and events. While the obstacles mentioned above are often beyond the direct influence of business owners, they do have control over how their businesses respond to their environment they operate in and deliver their product or service. When a business owner has made an investment –often underwritten by their personal assets- to pursue a commercial activity it would be prudent to reduce the risk or ensure that the enterprise has the highest possible chance of success by controlling the controllable. The 2013 Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards can be part of this process. It is an important business development opportunity which compels business owners to examine how their business works. By completing the process a business owner must critically review how they plan and lead their business, how the respond to their market and their workforce and how the record and modify their responses to an ever-changing environment. New Zealand Chambers of Commerce Northland urges all Northland businesses to seriously consider entering and we are willing to do all we can to assist businesses in the process. It is free to enter and is open to any Northland businesses not just those who belong to the Chamber of Commerce.