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The financial chickens have come home to roost on the heads of some Hamilton City Councillors

Hamilton City Council’s deficit widens, as last month we predicted it would. The Hamilton City Council has just announced their deficit will exceed $27 million. It didn’t take a forensic accountant to see that the earlier Council claims of a small deficit was PR spin and not real.Depreciation costs should be known at the beginning of the budget year. They do not change greatly nor at short notice. Interest costs were easy to predict. The Reserve Bank was always going to increase interest rat...

Cancer Society

Everyone is touched by cancer through their own battle or through someone else’s fight.It has been a privilege over the past two weeks to see first-hand the work of the Cancer Society. The BA4 we held at the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge was generously sponsored by PwC and Kerr & Ladbrook. We had the privilege to hear a stunning story from one of the Lodge's 'clients' about how cancer turned their life upside-down and how the Society had helped right his ship in the face of adversity.I...

The Beauty of Networking: A Recruiters Review

Networking, you either love it or loathe it but we all know it’s a necessity in the world of business. As a Recruitment Partner, 99% of my job is some form of ‘networking’ – whether that be with current clients, business prospects, new candidates, or previous placements. After a few years of attending planned events and building relationships with a variety of business professionals, I still see a pattern of hesitancy towards networking.It got me thinking, with such m...

Subsidies & Te Huia

We are in a cost of living crisis and the Government and the Regional Council still insist on subsidising Te Huia passenger fares, whilst lower cost but profitable operators like buses supply a better, more regular and cheaper service.The 11-month $5 million plus operating loss seems to be funding an ideological luxury for a group of commuters who could easily afford a $40 return bus fare rather than the rest of us subsidising their daily $180 return Te Huia fare handout.Using mid 20th Century t...

Waka Kotahi & Coromandel

We must give credit where and when it is due. Waka Kotahi NZTA deserves a bouquet for the work they are doing to not only rectify SH25A across the Coromandel Peninsula, but they have given business owners a time frame for completion.Moving to a 24/7 shiftwork programme and to publicly proclaim a completion date of the end of March 2024 has given the Coromandel business community certainty and with that they have given confidence to the families, the suppliers, and the holidaying public, tha...

Simon Bridges says we need to make infrastructure the next economic success story

Simon Bridges says we need to make infrastructure the next economic success story, and he’s absolutely right.NZIER’s independent research shows that the economic benefits of the proposed Cambridge to Piarere [C2P] and the Warkworth to Wellsford [W2W] expressways are just shy of $1 billion per year to New Zealand.That’s an incredible return and sends a powerful message to bureaucrats and politicians that there is huge opportunity to unlock economic growth with infrastructure projects. New Z...

A farewell to two Hamilton MPs

In today’s world the concept of elected service to your community is forgotten by many, yet we want the best, most meritorious candidates to represent us in Parliament or on Council. Whatever your politics, when Members of Parliament voluntarily close their political careers and get the opportunity to look back on their time in Parliament, with its review of why they stood for election, we should read or listen to their speeches in appreciation of their service.It is easy to be parti...

Chamber announces Business Awards finalists

The finalists in this year’s Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction Group, were announced last night at an event at Waikato University’s The Pā, with 21 businesses named in the line-up.Head judge Dr Heather Connolly of Waikato University’s Management School said the panel of 29 judges was impressed with the quality of the finalists.“We were also pleased to see the number of entries up on last year, with a total of 76 entries this year. The calibre ...

Confident Waikato Chamber Members

The results of our recent survey are in. They revealed over 50% were confident in their own businesses being able to grow over the next 12 months and, interestingly, a solid 80% had increased their prices in the past 12 months.There was general dissatisfaction amongst members on the current state of the New Zealand economy, its direction and economic performance, with over 40% expecting the economy to decline over the next 12 months.There was wide support for more doctors and nurses, more expres...

Te Huia – by the numbers

With Te Huia back in the news we researched up-to-date data from the Minister of Transport during Parliamentary question time on July 3.Financially we have significant concerns when the operating loss for the past 11 months is $5,716,504, or an operating subsidy of $88.31 per passenger.It is an expensive transport trial that shifts an average of 245 passengers a day when the Waikato Expressway moves 25,000 people in the same period. Here are the figures.For the 11 months to 31 May:Patronage...

The Magic (or not!) Roundabout at Piarere

Even the most hardened transport scientist would concede that flyovers are superior to roundabouts for allowing vehicles to change direction at an intersection of roads.Flyovers do not stop or slow traffic; they let it flow, saving time, emissions, fuel, driver frustration and avoiding the opportunity for an accident. They are so much safer than a roundabout.Take the excellent flyover just north of Pokeno, on the very busy corner of State Highways 1 and 2. It is the perfect example, and it has b...

Local Government reform

The Local Government Review panel has published its report. It cannot be left on the shelf to gather dust. Local government has been starved of funds and given too much extra responsibility with no cash to fund it.Their recommendations must be implemented.Central government should always ensure local government is prudent and uses taxpayer funds wisely. Accordingly, there needs to be an ongoing process of reasonable amalgamation to get economies of scale, funding and regionally connected project...

Congestion charging and Southern Links

I came across this Stuff article over the weekend, The case for introducing congestion charging, and thoroughly recommend it as the basis for a debate Hamilton needs to have on traffic. It highlights Singapore where the electronic congestion charging toll system works very efficiently. They manage to juggle traffic for 5 million people living on an island the same size as Lake Taupo. The future may require people to use public transport as much as possible and, for many people, paying conge...

Could 3D concrete printing be the answer to New Zealand’s housing crisis?

As we drove up to the site it looked just like any other building site you would see in New Zealand, but as we would soon find out, was for the first commercial building made with 3D concrete printing technology in the Southern Hemisphere.The end result would be a childcare centre, and came about through a partnership between two Hamilton-based Chamber members: Iconic Construction and QOROX.Johnny Gordon and Nick Lane of Iconic, the GM and Partner, respectively, had planned to build the centre t...

In Memory of Mavora Hamilton

Mavora passed away on June 17, and the Chamber owes her a debt of gratitude for the groundbreaking work she led as Chief Executive after taking over from May Woodcock in 1993. Her appointment alongside the election of Gail Jones as first woman President of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and the earlier election of Margaret Evans who reigned as Mayor from 1989 to 1998, heralded the arrival of women as business leaders in the Waikato.They certainly shook up the place with initiatives tha...

Prudent financial management

It is our money they invest on our behalf for the benefit of our community as a whole, so we should insist on prudent and accountable investment - not willy-nilly spending.Balancing the books and living within your means will be the focus we put on our elected and bureaucratic officials over the next three years.Ratepayers and taxpayers will have less discretionary income as businesses cope with economic headwinds, made up of interest rate rises, wage and salary increases, supply chain issues wh...

Handpicked deals for Chamber members from 2degrees

2degrees are proud to share values with the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce believing that when Kiwi businesses thrive, so does New Zealand. Take a look at some of the exclusive deals available to Chamber members below.Double Data for 12 months and $400 off any device over $999 on interest free when joining a Business Choice Carryover $58 and above plan. Plus as a Chamber member, you will also receive 20% off the life of your plan.Broadband to boost your business. Receive 4 months free as well ...

We're excited to be launching two new free initiatives for our members.

If you have missed one of our events, you can now catch up on our events on-demand on our new video platform powered by Shift72! Most of our events will feature on here, and we’ll also be uploading interviews with experts to keep you informed on important issues and help you & your business grow.All videos will be free to view for our members, so create an account today at connect.waikatochamber.co.nz.  Want to save money? You can now access our alliance partners' and member...

New Zealand’s first Parental Leave register launched by Crayon

The register allows businesses and parents-to-be to have a common place to find parental leave policies from over 180 companies, covering 1 in 6 employed New Zealanders. This is the first register globally to have verified information at a level of detail that can truly help expecting Kiwis plan for one of life’s biggest changes.Crayon Founder, Stephanie Pow understands the importance of transparency between employers and parents to be. "We have always been clear that the register would not be...

The rise of electric vehicles continues

What is mind boggling is the commitment by major brands to lead a paradigm shift from oil burners to electric power. History will judge the speed with which the industry has pivoted, and note the speed of technological advancement. It is a speed that has been fired along by aggressive new brands building EV options from the ground up not hampered by the demands of continuing old technology to satisfy their shareholders.With range anxiety reducing as battery technology advances, what has cau...

Economic growth from investing in arterial routes

Like a lot of Waka Kotahi’s projects, the idea for Southern Links has been around for decades. With the huge success of the Waikato Expressway and the prosperity it conferred on Cambridge and Ruakura, this project delivers similar opportunity for the Waikato, unlocking as it does the Southwest of our region to Te Awamutu and potentially the King Country.The current government has not achieved any significant economic growth from its focus on trains; perhaps a pivot to Southern Links is long ov...

Event reacp: Inspire with Jane Searle

We are grateful for the sponsorship of our Inspire series by Vision Complete Earthworks and the hosting by Ryan Hamilton.Watch a replay of the full interview with Jane on our video platform, or read a summary of the interview below.It's an incredibly sobering fact, but a child dies from abuse every five weeks on average in New Zealand – one of the highest rates in the OECD.This was one of the many insights Jane provided to the audience on the state of child abuse and protection in Aotearo...

Update on The Sleepyhead Estate development at Ohinewai

Earthworks for stage one of The Comfort Group’s Sleepyhead Estate at Ohinewai are now complete, and construction of the company’s foam manufacturing facility on site is well underway and set to be complete in Q3 2023.The 6076m² factory will be New Zealand’s largest foam manufacturing plant and will be operational in early 2024, at which point it will employ 15 people. It will supply 100% of The Comfort Group’s foam for the company’s bedding manufacturing operations in New Zealand.&nbs...

Welcome to the Chamber: Danielle Quigg

Hey Danielle, welcome to the team, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?Originally from the Bay of Plenty, growing up in Rotorua and Te Puke, I moved to Hamilton to attend The University of Waikato in 2017. Graduating with a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in Public Relations and specialising in Event Management at the end of 2019. I enjoy being challenged, keeping busy and creative tasks. Over the last year, a large portion of my spare time has been spent running my own small busine...

Event recap: Westpac Smarts – end-of-year financial focus on the Waikato region

We were fortunate to have two economic experts speak to our members, one from the academic world and the other a familiar face on our TV screens: Michael Cameron, Professor of Economics at The University of Waikato, and Brad Olsen CE and Principal Economist at Infometrics.Many topics were squeezed in to the 45-minute session, so instead of attempting to provide a summary of what was discussed, you can see in bullet point form below all the key points from the event.You can also watch a replay of...