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Home / Gisborne Herald / Business

Business giving and fostering resilience

Gisborne Herald
17 Mar, 2023 01:38 AMQuick Read

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Belinda Mackay

Belinda Mackay

Recently the national Chambers of Commerce network rolled out First Steps, a website packed with resources to help business owners and managers deal with the challenges they face every day. The idea for First Steps was born during the Covid pandemic, a once-in-a-generation event that tested everyone — and especially businesses that had to shut their doors, support their staff, and adapt to rapid-fire technological change. (A decade of transitioning to online commerce happened in a number of months.)

But anyone who owns or runs a business knows it is a hard job even in the best of times, so First Steps is being promoted by Chambers around Aotearoa, to provide tools and advice that can help foster resilience and wellbeing in the workplace. On the website (www.firststeps.nz) you'll find advice, podcasts with well-known business people and experts, professional resources, and even a quick quiz that can help you work out how to get the most out of First Steps. A directory of providers is another resource, offering one-to-one and personalised help.

(Given that First Steps started in Auckland, the current list of providers is big-city-centric, and the Gisborne Chamber would love to see local organisations sign up to support Tairawhiti businesses. If you have resources, or can provide counselling, workshops, physical training or nutrition advice, consider joining First Steps and becoming an accredited provider. All the information is on the First Steps website, or get in touch with us at the Gisborne Chamber, and we'll put you in contact with the First Steps team.)

It's exciting seeing issues like mental health and wellbeing within the business community getting the attention they deserve. I read an article the other day about the Brewers Guild of New Zealand who have partnered with The Good Fight to fund 20 of their members to complete a Mental Health First Aid course with St John Ambulance. The Good Fight is a group that works with breweries here to undertake projects that create positive change and wellbeing in their industry, and this programme is funded by sales of a beer brewed by the Garage Project called All of the Things. The idea is that Mental Health First Aid won't just help the people who do the training, who like everyone in hospitality have had a pretty grim time over the past few years, but will trickle out to their workplaces, families and communities.

It is an inspiring idea, and it got me thinking about local businesses that go the extra mile to support mental health initiatives — not only implementing them in their workplaces, but supporting them financially. Chamber member Ritchie Civil Engineering established a Suicide Prevention fund with The Sunrise Foundation last year, after one of their employees took their own life. Working with Mates of Tairawhiti to work through their grief at the loss of a friend and colleague, the owners Derek and Rebecca Watson decided to create an endowment fund and encourage other businesses and individuals to donate money that will be invested in perpetuity, with the returns being given out as grants to support Tairawhiti-based programmes and organisations dealing with suicide.

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Another chamber member, accounting firm Coates Associates, set up a workplace giving scheme in 2017 which also works with The Sunrise Foundation to allow staff to donate to causes of their choice through the payroll system. So far the team have donated over $19,000. Not only does this make a difference to the individuals and organisations that get financial support, but it has an impact on the workplace and staff at Coates, who get the positive emotional benefits of giving and know that collectively they are leaving a legacy for the Tairawhiti community.

After watching a video of mental health campaigner Mike King, I raided my business bank account to donate to Gumboot Friday. For those of you who don't know, this group raises funds to provide free counselling for young New Zealanders. As well as donating, you can join the Gumboot Army and support the cause in lots of different ways — promoting the event, donating your time and expertise, organising fundraisers, and so on. It made me wonder what other activities the chamber network could do to raise cash for mental health organisations, which do so much important work on so little funding.

It's that time of year when giving is on everyone's minds. Businesses already give so much to their communities. They employ people, generate profits for owners and shareholders, pay taxes and rates, provide goods and services that provide for the necessities and luxuries of life. Businesses in Tairawhiti are a fundamental part of life in this region, supporting the community in lots of ways, some obvious and some less visible. Seeing the ways that so many businesses give on top of what they already contribute is inspiring.

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■ Belinda Mackay is president of the Gisborne Tairāwhiti Chamber of Commerce.

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