I have just attended a meeting for planning of the next business awards – for the committee, planning starts months before the actual event so it’s also appropriate for businesses to start thinking about how your business achieves Excellence, Innovation & Achievement and be recognised for that.   Inclusive of the business awards is pre-entry and post event workshops with the judges providing valuable insight to the processes.  Chamber representatives will again be available to help your business through the entry process. 

Closer impact to us all is KiwiSaver coming into effect 1st July.  Chamber has hosted seminars and a BA5 to inform members and it is obvious that many businesses were not, or are not aware of their obligations.  Every Employer will be required to offer all new Employees a KiwiSaver facility.  This includes registering all new Employees with the IRD within 7-days of commencement of employment, provide all new Employees with an IRD KiwiSaver handbook and investment statement, process any Employee opt out requests and liaise with the IRD in relation to opt outs, operate a wage deduction system to deduct KiwiSaver contributions and pay the contributions to IRD along with PAYE and complete monthly IRD returns for KiwiSaver in conjunction with PAYE.   There is no requirement for Employers to contribute to the KiwiSaver scheme, employee contributions will be 4% or 8%.  If an Employer does contribute to their Employees KiwiSaver the ratio would be 2% or 4% making a total Employee/Employer contribution of 4% or 8%.  Existing employees can volunteer to join the KwiSaver Scheme with all enrolments qualifying for a one off $1000 incentive if contributions are maintained for 12months.   

Yesterday I attended the Chamber Hub Meeting held in Palmerston North, representing Chambers from Hawkes Bay to Taranaki and down to Wellington.   It’s valuable to get the regional perspective, what other Chambers are doing and how their regions are performing.  Discussion centered on membership benefits and while I don’t have the updated list of these it is worthy to note some of the discounts available.  Firstly, supermarkets are reducing their petrol coupon savings and Shell has increased their rate to Chamber Members beginning in the second quarter with a discount of 6cents off the pump price.  Shell offer a complete fuel management system, each driver or vehicle is allocated a card with limitations to fuel and oil only to full purchase entitlements.  Businesses get one invoice per month itemizing each vehicle and fuel consumption.   Secondly, Ford has increased benefits to members with 14-27% discount off all new vehicle purchases.  Ford also reward your Chamber with $250 for each vehicle purchased, this can be used towards sponsoring a Chamber event.  OfficeMax also build dollar credits for Chambers whose members purchase products.  Other membership benefits are being announced so I will keep you informed, in the meantime go buy a Ford and fill it up at Shell then get around to OfficeMax for you stationery supplies.  Your Chamber is also setting up an initiative to encourage you to buy and support local Chamber of Commerce business members.

Finally, Business After 5 – please show your support by giving up just one hour of your time to enjoy a drink, network and listen to a brief presentation from our BA5 host.  You might be surprised some of the amazing things businesses are doing in Wanganui and who knows they may need products and services your business provides! 

“A memorandum is written not to inform the reader, but to protect the writer”
Bronwyn Paul