The Digital Boost team strike a pose under the banner announcing the programme's success.
Waipawa in Central Hawke's Bay has been named by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as the "most digital town in Aotearoa" after the town's small businesses were introduced to the Digital Boost programme.
The programme is a collaboration between government and the private sector to increase the digital capability of New Zealand's small businesses.
The contrast between one of the country's oldest inland towns and the latest in digital tools was one of the drivers that led to the programme being rolled out in the main street of Waipawa, said Frances Valintine, CEO of The Mind Lab, which built the Digital Boost programme.
"The town is very old but it also has diverse businesses, some of which were already doing well online.
"It also stood out as having a great mix of demographics and is on a busy thoroughfare ... somewhere people might stop briefly, see a business that sparks their interest and want to go online and check it out later.
"When we introduced Digital Boost to Waipawa only a dozen businesses had a presence on Google Maps. Now, a year after its introduction, more than 100 have a presence," Valintine said.
One business owner who took up the offer was Mark Drake, who with partner Meredith Kingston owns Waipawa Fish Supply and Kingfisher Gifts.
"We have had a website for Kingfisher Gifts for more than 10 years," Drake said, "So we are well aware of the benefit of being online.
"What Digital Boost has helped us do is set up a site for the fish and chip shop as well, with the potential to make online orders available. That wasn't something I had envisaged and it will be a good tool.
"I'm looking forward to Digital Boost being rolled out beyond the main street, to give more of a presence to the Waipawa businesses operating in different corners of our town."
Horologist Jim Greeff and wife Anne own the Waipawa Clock Shop and while Jim prefers to be hands-on, repairing and renovating timepieces, he does appreciate the value of having an active website.
"The biggest innovation for me has been the addition of a QR code on the outside of the shop. Now, if we're not here, a potential customer can scan the code and be taken straight to our website. It's amazing to add something so very new and innovative to a business based on very old and traditional clockmaking skills."
More than 44,000 people are now participating in digital skills training under the programme, which was boosted when Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash visited Waipawa to launch Digital Boost's Checkable tool.
Checkable is a world-first integrated assessment tool that rates businesses on their digital presence, identifies areas to improve performance, and delivers a clear plan of action on what to fix and how.
"Checkable is an incredibly powerful tool and it's exciting to make it available to Waipawa businesses and beyond. There's nothing else on the market that can audit the digital footprint of a business and then generate a comprehensive digital action plan for owners to follow."
The programme was facilitated by Central Hawke's Bay District Council, which operates the Knowledge and Learning Hub — Te Huinga Wai, a regional Digital Business Hub in Waipukurau.
Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker said, "while more than 100 Waipawa businesses now have visibility online, this initiative also supports wider outcomes for local businesses, including enhanced resilience and enabling our unique Central Hawke's Bay provenance products and services to be marketed to the world".
Checkable has been developed by The Mind Lab in Auckland, in partnership with TTRO, a Kiwi-owned software company with employees in New Zealand and South Africa, and Google New Zealand.
Checkable will be made available free of charge to all New Zealand businesses participating in the Digital Boost programme from April 1.