The Orchard's welcome team Sarah Selkirk (left) and Andrea Primrose-Netzler. Photos / Supplied
The Orchard's welcome team Sarah Selkirk (left) and Andrea Primrose-Netzler. Photos / Supplied
COMMENT
It's a concept that has long shaped our landscapes and influenced our whānau connections – for the past four years, it has also grown a unique range of Tai Tokerau businesses, all brought together under the canopy of a thriving orchard for entrepreneurship.
On November 11, 2016, the landscape changedfor Northland's small business community with the opening of Whangārei's first collaborative workspace, Northland Inc's business and events hub at 35 Walton St.
The Orchard was launched with a fitting mission: to seed, nurture and grow the region's small to medium enterprises.
As the hub celebrates its fourth birthday today, the collaborative milestone occurs in an unprecedented year of widespread isolation. Again, the landscape has changed, and again The Orchard is at the forefront of efforts to nurture and sustain continued growth.
Northland Inc Growth Adviser Kayla Tattley, one of the hub's original architects, sees first-hand the importance of workspaces like The Orchard in a world still adapting to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Grace Jones, marketing and communications coordinator for The Orchard business and events Hub and Northland Inc.
"Now more than ever, businesses need a support system to help them grow, and The Orchard is the perfect platform for that," she said.
While The Orchard remains home to many established businesses and sole traders, it also offers direction for the newly self-employed who, by necessity, might now be navigating the world of entrepreneurship for the first time.
One of The Orchard's six purpose-built meeting rooms.
Although working at home may be comfortable, it is also important to build connections, feel supported and be part of a community.
Take a desk at The Orchard today and you take a desk in a workspace shared with both the regional economic development agency (Northland Inc) and the Northland Chamber of Commerce, in a place where all Northlanders can put down roots, cultivate their dreams and harvest success.
Business support at The Orchard includes direct access to expert business advice, tools for growth, support networks, and dynamic events.
A unique selling point of The Orchard, of course, is that it brings Northland Inc and the Northland Chamber of Commerce together under one roof to provide services to those operating at ground level.
The Orchard social club.
We have built a platform to access that support, and taken people out of home offices, away from the corner table in the local café or library and into a vibrant new space.
"The most exciting thing about The Orchard is that it has introduced a new way of working to Whangārei. In 2016, if you wanted to go to a networking event, you went to a café or a restaurant maybe – now we're truly living and breathing collaboration at The Orchard," said Tattley.
"It has evolved significantly since 2016 and it will continue to evolve. That's great news for Northland's business community."
Among those working at The Orchard are Northland Inc's team of growth advisers, who recently chalked up their own milestone by facilitating support for more than 1000 Tai Tokerau businesses since the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown in March.
Five years ago, before The Orchard was created, there was often a sense of isolation, both for those already in business and those just striking out on their own. Now that The Orchard is such an integral part of the business landscape, co-working has truly become a word that we understand and identify with here in Northland.
For a long time, The Orchard was one of its kind in our region, but now there are several initiatives like this all helping to set up a positive cycle – that inherent need for support drives our growth, just as we drive the growth of others.
Continuing this spirit of celebration and collaboration as it marks its fourth birthday, The Orchard today hosts a Northland Chamber of Commerce networking event, BA5, for the region's business community. As it deepens its roots, so many seeds blossom.
The Orchard offers Northland entrepreneurs and businesspeople their first day at the hub for free, while also running initiative like $10 FriYAYS.
If you are interested in joining The Orchard's thriving community, please email grace.jones@northlandnz.com for more details or come in and talk to the Welcome Team to find out more.
• Grace Jones is the marketing and communications coordinator for The Orchard business and events Hub and Northland Inc.
