We have a new name. From this month we are Business North West, and over the coming year you will see us slowly change over our signs and marketing collateral as we introduce our new logo, colour scheme and look.
“After all these years our name finally says what we actually do,” says General Manager Danielle Hancock. “Same team, same patch, same commitment to the businesses that make this place what it is.”
Part of the work will also involve an upgrade to the website, with a focus on improving the member directory so it works harder for the businesses listed on it.
Confidence Returning for North West Businesses - Business owners across the region are telling us trade is picking up, and the national numbers back it up, with card spending edging up, business confidence lifting through June and fuel prices easing off. “I’ve been out talking to business owners across the region, and the mood has been shifting,” says Danielle. “People are telling me they’re seeing more orders coming through which is a nice change.”
New Tourism Membership Class Opens - We are now offering a Tourism Membership class to help deliver our tourism action plan.
Tourism members get marketing and promotion across the region, assistance to create packages and link to our tour operator partners, access to the Destination Partnership Programme we have with Tataki Auckland Unlimited, and a listing on our new tourism website.
Membership is graded based on the size of your business, from $500 a year for emerging operators through to $2,500 for major tourism stakeholders. All tourism fees are placed in a secure bank account and only allocated to tourism spend, so you know exactly where your money goes.
If you are a tourism operator and want to register your interest, email our General Manager today on manager@northwestcountry.co.nz
The Year Ahead - We started a new financial year in July, so here is what is on the horizon for the team:
The Destination Management Plan will be completed and launched in October, and we will then start on the new tourism website
Flooded businesses will be visited for the flooding toolkit pilot, with visits complete by September
Our High Performance cohort will receive 12 months of specialist coaching through the PerformIQ programme
Rebecca Beavis, our new Membership Ambassador, will reach out to every single one of our members
We will complete our rebrand and then commence the website upgrade
Advocacy Delivering Results - We have been busy advocating on your behalf to the Rodney Local Board, and they have been listening. The Draft Rodney Local Board Plan 2026 contains reference to North West tourism and economic improvements for our town centres.
We have made a submission to support these initiatives and sought further support to improve our water infrastructure, especially for our commercial areas that do not have town supply water or sewerage.
AGM Date Confirmed - Our AGM is set for Tuesday 13 October at The Riverhead. We will send out more information about this closer to the time.
Danielle
Business North West. Supporting the people who power our local economy.
General Manager, Business North West
