As this festive season hits full swing, it is an opportune time to remind Wanganui-ites the importance of supporting Wanganui business and shopping local.  Never before has this been so relevant as NZ feels the bite of recession, now is the time to focus on every dollar we spend and how can that dollar can go around.   Encourage more visitors to our city by gifting a ‘Wanganui experience’ maybe a ticket to the Boxing Day Cemetery Circuit or the More FM Winery Tour Concert at Cooks Gardens in February, gift a trip on the Waimarie, a jet boat ride, or for a truly breathtaking experience, a canoe trip down the Whanganui River.    Wanganui has an abundance of unique attractions and the memory of an experience far out lives the present under the tree.

Businesses will be pleased that the Reserve Bank has reduced the official cash rate by an unprecedented 1.5 percent.   This will provide a boost to business confidence and allow a chance to return to growth next year.   Banks need to respond quickly though by offering cheaper mortgage interest rates to home owners for this to have the desired impact and should not be seen as a way for banks to increase profit margins.  Another positive, NZ has one of the healthiest banking systems in the world.  Brendon O’Donovan, Chief Economist for the Westpac predicts interest rates will drop further next year bottoming out at around 4% with a weakening NZ dollar trading at around mid forties against the US dollar.   Brendon likens a recession as being good, for when business gets ‘fat’ during the good times – recession is liposuction time when business has to take analysis and look at good business practices, cut out the fat and shave expenses. 

Philip Shackleton and I recently attended the NZ Chamber of Commerce in Rotorua.  It provided excellent insight to how Chambers around the country are performing and some of the innovative ways they are engaging with their members for growth.   Watch this space for some participation of events we will be asking you to be engaged in.   The line-up of guest speakers at conference were informative, provoking and inspiring, covering topics from the economy, politics, e-cert, emission trading to building positive relationships .  Anyone who would like a copy of my conference report, please email me bronwyn@wanganui-security.co.nz.

In the beginning of November the Mayor hosted a Reception for the Chamber of Commerce, this was the beginning of a joint initiative between Council and Chamber to work more closely together to help facilitate business in Wanganui.  This will consist of a tight knit group of business people and Council appointees willing to work with one or two identifying factors and focus solely on a positive end result.  We will be initially working on the following two points and asking for your feedback on these - 1) What are the barriers to doing business in Wanganui – if any?  2) How can we all work together as a business community to promote Wanganui?    We all need to sing from the same song sheet a little like Wellington did with ‘Absolutely, Positively Wellington’   This is an exciting opportunity to really get some important things achieved and you need to be part of it.  Give us your honest thoughts and think outside the square.  

If you are travelling out of Wanganui or the country this holiday season, wear your ambassadorial hat and sing the praises of Wanganui.  Sing loud!  People don’t know if we don’t tell them.   Tell them we are business friendly, family friendly, the weather is great and the region offers more than this space will accommodate.  If you are holidaying at home be a tourist in your own city, get out and just enjoy what Wanganui has to offer.

Take care, have a wonderful Christmas and I will catch up with you all in 2009!

Bronwyn Paul
President