Business support on hand for Northlanders impacted by power cut, SH1 closure

Help is on hand for Northland businesses, before they fall over like this transmission tower, which cut power to the region on June 20 after toppling over when too many nuts were removed during maintenance.

Northland businesses struggling because of the recent power cut, the long closure of State Highway 1 at Brynderwyn Hills and the cost-of-living crisis are being offered a helping hand.

The Taitokerau Business Resilience Project has a range of training and workshop opportunities available for Northland businesses feeling the href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/northland-power-cut-businesses-want-compensation-from-transpower/OMNTZTQEAJEC7CWTIM5T4ARFHU/">effects of a turbulent period and disruption to normal trading.

More than 1000 businesses have participated so far but the aim is to reach 2000, project lead Caroline Wells said.

“More than ever, our regional businesses need support to enable them to withstand, recover and, at times, see the opportunities of recent and current challenges, growing the skills and capability to help them thrive into the future.”

The project is delivering workshops, one-to-one support, mentoring, networking events, tools and connections, available through a project hub.

Promotion of the project comes as Northland is ranked middle of the road - eighth equal out of 16 regions - in the ASB Regional Scoreboard, with economists warning about a need to be cautious of the region’s outlook.

Using data from the first quarter of 2024, Chris Tennent-Brown and Jordan Campbell said Northland had made a steady gain for the third consecutive quarter, despite “facing some large headwinds”, such as the Brynderwyns closure.

Employment was the key driver for the region’s improvement, increasing 2.4% year-on-year, compared with the national average of 1.2%. Retail sales increasing 2.9% year-on-year was also up on national growth, they said.

While Northland’s housing market picked up in the first quarter, with prices increasing 0.8% year-on-year, construction was down 18%.

Tennent-Brown and Campbell warn that while an improvement in dairy prices will help Northland’s economy, weakness in other key commodity prices and decreasing tourism numbers will stifle growth.

For those feeling the pinch, upcoming training opportunities with the Taitokerau Business Resilience Project include an emergency recovery workshop for businesses in serious need of strategies right now, planning for restructures and redundancies, how to do a wellness check with your team and exit preparation for owners looking to move on.

Taitokerau Business Resilience Project manager Caroline Wells says it is a tense time for many businesses but they can prepare for the unexpected.

The project was designed following a survey of 270 businesses one year on from Cyclone Gabrielle, which found 30% of Northland businesses admitted feeling underprepared for future unexpected events.

The feedback from businesses highlighted the need for ongoing resilience-building efforts in the region, said Northland Inc chief executive Paul Linton.

“Northland businesses have had to navigate many challenges over the past five years, from pandemics to weather events and infrastructure failures. Businesses were telling us that should another major unexpected event occur, they weren’t confident they had the tools to recover.”

The Taitokerau Business Resilience Project is funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as part of the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery effort.

The effort is a cross-agency collaboration, with Northland Inc teaming up with NorthChamber, Whariki Tai Tokerau, the Kaitāia Business Boosters alongside the Te Hiku Iwi Development Trust, and various business associations to support delivery. The funding is also supporting regional tourism campaign efforts in 2024.

At Matariki time, Wells encouraged Northland business owners to take time to work on the business, take stock and plan ahead but also to look after themselves and their team at this time.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know what’s coming next, which recent events have proven. It’s a tense time for many.

“I encourage business owners to prioritise their team’s wellbeing: Our people are our greatest asset and our greatest support – if we start with them, everything else will flow from there,” she said.

The Taitokerau Business Resilience Project runs until August 2024. Go to tinyurl.com/bizhelp24 for more information, with resources updated weekly.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.