In this newsletter:

• COVID-19 Update – Traffic Light System ended

• Grab your tickets for the Pacific Business Award 2022

• Upcoming PBT online workshops

• Online Risk Management workshop – book now

• Meet Pacific businesses

• You could win a $25k digital boost kit for your business

• Join Activate business community events

• Upskill your Pacific workforce

• Free workplace wellbeing support with First Steps

COVID-19 Update – Traffic Light System ended

From 13 September, changes to the Covid-19 Protection Framework (Traffic Light System) takes effect. With case numbers falling, a highly vaccinated population, and increased access to antiviral medicines to treat COVID-19, public health experts say it is safe to remove most COVID-19 rules and end border restrictions in Aotearoa.

About the changes:

• All mask wearing requirements removed, except in healthcare and aged care facilities

• Only COVID-19 positive individuals required to isolate for seven days, household contacts no longer need to 

• All Government vaccine mandates to end in two weeks on 26 September

• Removal of all vaccination requirements for incoming travellers and air crew

• Support for business and workers to continue through leave support payments

• All New Zealanders aged 65 and over, and Māori and Pacific aged 50 and over, to have automatic access to COVID anti-virals if they test positive

For all the latest information visit Unite against Covid-19.

Grab your tickets for the Pacific Business Award 2022

The Pacific Business Awards is a wonderful and important night for our whole Pacific community. It is an opportunity to reconnect, celebrate, get inspired and be proud of the calibre of our amazing Pacific entrepreneurs and businesses in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Don’t miss out on attending this incredible evening. The awards ceremony will be held on Friday 11 November at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau, Auckland.

Take your clients and colleagues and get your tickets now. Book a table for 10 people for $1,400, or individual tickets are available for $140 per person. Ticket includes three-course dinner. Available from Eventfinda here.

Reminder Pacific Business Awards entry deadline extended

In case you missed it, we extended the deadline to enter the Pacific Business Awards. This means you still have time to enter or nominate a business you think is worthy of recognition.

Entries must now be completed online by midnight on Thursday, 22 September 2022. Head to the Pacific Business Awards website to enter or for more info.

Any questions please email events@pacificbusiness.co.nz or call us the PBT team on 0800 287 7526.

#pbtawards

Upcoming PBT online workshops

Thank you to everyone who attended our Environmental and Sustainability workshop last week. It has been a great pleasure to host four workshops in-person, getting to know everyone and sharing a meal together.

For all Pacific businesses, there are three more workshops this month which are free to attend and will be held online. These are:

• Risk Management – Thursday 15 September (this week, learn more below)

• Subcontracting Legal Rights – Thursday 22 September

• Employment Rights and Obligations – Thursday 29 September

Find out more and register to attend here.

Online Risk Management Workshop – Book Now

Designed to help you understand the fundamental concepts of risk management for a small to medium-sized Pacific business, this workshop will introduce you to key risk management concepts and techniques you can apply. 

Learn how your business can identify, understand, and manage risks and opportunities for better success in achieving your objectives. Topics include:

• Risk Identification

• Risk Analysis and Evaluation

• Risk Response and Treatment

Book your spot now for this online workshop. Invite a friend or your business partner(s) if you wish.

When: 15 September 2022 from 4pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Register Here

Meet Pacific businesses

CLICK TO WATCH

7 Hearts Insulation Panels Ltd

‘Unaloto Filo, is a woman of action behind the 7 Hearts Insulation Panels Ltd, a Tongan-owned construction business she runs with her husband who has 20-years of industry experience. Their growing two year business specialises in building custom-made commercial freezers and chillers for supermarkets, butcher and liquor stores, trailers, and warehouses and includes clients CostCo and Fonterra. The insulation panel materials can be used at home for cabinets and underground ovens or shipped back to the Islands to provide income.

In this interview with 531pi ‘Unaloto shares that she loves being her own boss and gives her advice about overcoming the fear of getting into business and why she thinks Pasifika people make good business owners. Find out more about 7 Hearts Insulation Panels Ltd on their Facebook page, contact ‘Unaloto by email: sevenhearts@xtra.co.nz, or call 09 259 9910.

You could win a $25k digital boost kit for your business

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Enter the draw to WIN a digital business kit worth $25,000.

It's simple and free! All you need to do is sign up or sign in to the Digital Boost website before 9 October, watch two videos and be automatically in to win.

There are hundreds of videos to choose from, so press play today and be in to WIN a digital transformation! Check out the incredible digital prize kit and find out more here.

Join Activate business community events

If you receive our newsletter regularly, you will already know that the Activate business community is overflowing with exclusive, free tools and resources you can access right now. Tune into the upcoming free online events provided by our Activate Tāmaki Makaurau programme partners aimed at moving your business forward.

It’s free to join. Create your log-in to check out more about these upcoming Events and how to book:

Burnout Webinar

Thursday 15 September – 11.30am – 12.30pm (Online)

According to a recent AUT study, one in three Kiwi workers feel burned out. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises burnout as an illness stemming from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It can seriously affect employee wellbeing, result in high worker absenteeism, and impact company productivity. BusinessNZ estimates that worker absence costs businesses around $1.79 billion each year.

There’s no doubt, if your people are well, your business thrives. So, let’s discuss Burnout!

Join this 60-minute panel discussion with expert speakers and learn more about:

• The causes of burnout

• The industries most affected

• The impacts on the company

• Common burnout signs

• Recognising burnout, e.g., identifying and preventing it. For more information, contact 

  Debora.americo@ema.co.nz

Hospo Hui 19 & 20 September

Hospo Hui offers 2 days of thought-provoking sessions that aim to educate and inspire.In association with our partners, Restaurant Association, this event is part of the 3 day Hospitality Summit held at Trusts Arena, West Auckland.  Please note this is a paid event ($50-$110 + BF) and tickets are available for purchase via the link below.We are living through ever changing times, which calls ... Read More

NZ SME & Entrepreneur Festival 8 & 9 November

2 Days - 7 headline speakers - 26 workshops - 1 SME&E Party - 700 attendees. Get high-quality business learning from some of the best business minds in NZ with entertainment, creativity and innovation. Gain new skills and a strategic framework to help your business grow at this two day event for small and medium sized businesses…Read more

2035 Agri-Food-Tech Oceania Summit 10 & 11 October

The 2035 Oceania Summit in October 2022 will bring stakeholders from all facets of the region’s agri-food-tech industry to discuss how to collectively reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and design more resilient growing systems to address the intensifying impact of climate change. The Summit is more than just a two-day meeting. It’s part of a longer term platform designed to focus on actionable outcomes that will create positive global impact.

The Summit will feature plenary sessions, breakout sessions, an exhibition, a start-up hub, an investment pitch event and a line-up of major local and international speakers. The programme is designed to connect key stakeholders across the Oceania region and beyond, to finally address the impact of climate change on the agri-food industry.

Register to attend here.

Blue & Green Technology Conference 2022  7 & 8 December

The cleantech ecosystem in the Pacific region holds vast innovation opportunities for business and potential benefits for society. This is a unique chance to connect with government, industry and academic thought leaders and change-makers from New Zealand and the United States. For more information and to register your interest please see the Blue and Green Technology Conference website.

Contact events@auckland.ac.nz or phone 09 373 7522 for more information on any of the above Activate business community events and resources.

Don’t worry if you miss an event, all recordings are available in the Business Activate Community resources section. 

Upskill your Pacific Workforce

Upskill your Pacific workers and enable them to adapt to the changing nature of work. Nearly 60 per cent of Auckland’s 99,300-strong Pacific workforce are in jobs more likely to be affected by automation and other technological change – as well as the economic impacts of COVID-19.  

Project Ikuna is a programme available to Auckland businesses who want to upskill their Pacific workers, enabling them to adapt to the changing nature of work and create a better employee experience. This is a government-funded initiative connecting Auckland employers with education providers to provide short, in-work training courses for Pacific people. 

Tātaki Auckland is offering fully funded courses to Auckland employers in the following sectors who are looking to upskill their Pacific people:  

• Retail and hospitality

• Tourism

• Manufacturing and processing

• Healthcare

• Transport and logistics

• Construction and infrastructure

Register now to talk with the Tātaki Auckland team, see available courses and success stories. Have more questions? Get in touch with our Project Manager, Matt Padernal, at Matt.Padernal@aucklandnz.com

Mature Workers Toolkit

As our population ages and people work later in life, Aotearoa’s workforce will include more people aged 50-plus. It makes good business sense to employ people of a variety of ages – to reflect your customer base, learn more from each other, and to retain valued skills and knowledge for your business. This toolkit will help you hire, develop and retain mature workers. It’s resources and tools include:

• Worksheet to write great job ads

• Build-your-own policy for on-the-job learning

• Tips on learning and working with mature staff, and

• Case studies

For more information, please visit here.

Free workplace wellbeing support with First Steps

Small businesses can easily get a free snapshot of workplace wellbeing in their business and gain access to useful resources, learning and toolkits that can immediately help by completing the Workplace Wellbeing Risk Diagnostic Tool. Learn how First Steps can support your workplace by registering to use it now for free.

For more information, visit First Steps.