Well done, you’ve survived the year! 🎉
Everyone has their own story and view of the economy right now. We’ve each faced our challenges, surprises, and rising costs.
The good news is that our exporters are still going strong, and interest rates are lowering. Hopefully, our region can get back to building more houses in 2025, as our long-term population growth rates appear to be unwavering.
Reflecting on what the Tauranga Business Chamber has achieved in 2024, I’m incredibly proud of how dedicated and passionate our small team is in delivering for local businesses.
I’m delighted to present a summary of our 2024 calendar year:
💫 We hosted over 2,300 attendees across 40 events this year. Highlights for me were the nearly 400 who attended our Business Women’s Network Speaker Series, our sold-out Chamber golf tournament, various Ministerial visits, and our many networking sessions.
💫 Ahead of the local elections, we held a Tauranga mayoral candidates debate, which also had over 2,000 streams on YouTube. A special congratulations to our Chamber audience for picking the quadfecta of the Tauranga Mayoral election this year. Our Chamber poll in June picked the top four mayoral contenders in the same order as the final results. 🏆
💫 We certified over 9,000 exporter shipments with their international certificates and documents.
💫 We also supported more than 600 businesses with business capability support, 1:1 start-up guidance, and digital skills. We continued to partner with Callaghan Innovation to facilitate $1.3 million of various funding into 78 clever local innovative businesses.
💫 We had plenty of eyes watching our communications, with over 90,000 website views and a combined social media and e-newsletter following of 14,000. 📈
💫 We also advocated for local businesses at SmartGrowth, local council Long Term Plans, infrastructure delivery, more local housing, local and central government transport plans, Easter Sunday trading, and health and safety and immigration reforms.
That’s a lot of achievements for a team of six – and I thank them immensely.
Because of our size, we live in the world of the small & medium businesses that we champion for.
The rising costs of doing business are a challenge for almost every organisation, and we’re no different. In October, we relocated our office to 58 Cross Road, Sulphur Point.
It’s a bigger space, which is still centrally located, with ample parking, and at a more affordable price. We also have meeting rooms for hire if you need something handy in the New Year.
We could not achieve all of this without the loyal support of our members, and our sponsors: Farmer Autovillage, Newstalk ZB, Mercury Baypark, University of Waikato, Toi Ohomai, Zespri, Craigs Investment Partners, Cooney Lees Morgan, ASB Bank, Gallagher Insurance, Port of Tauranga, 2Degrees, Air New Zealand, Bunnings, Noel Leeming, OfficeMax, and Z Energy.
Finally, there is a buzz around the region since the announcement of finalists for the Farmer Autovillage Tauranga Business Awards 2025. Around 1,000 have voted for the Newstalk ZB People’s Choice category in the first 7-days. Voting is open until 17 January. The winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony gala, which will be an inspiring way to start the New Year.
If you have a break over Christmas, I hope you get time to relax and recharge. For many others where the festive season is your peak period; I wish you all the very best in replenishing your cashflow reserves to set you up for a resilient winter next year.
Whatever you’re doing over the summer break, look after yourselves, and I’ll catch you around.
P.s. next year will see plenty of rule and policy changes by local and central governments. Stay informed of the changes, trends, tips, and exciting events by subscribing to our e-newsletters. Sign up below.
Post written by Matt Cowley | CEO | Tauranga Business Chamber
