Business East Tamaki - Spring 2023

The Power of Sharing

Caring for your team: Occupational Health Services for Employees

Finally, East Tāmaki’s business scene is bustling again. Seeing teams physically back together in the workplace is such a relief to all our local employers. To help your people thrive, many companies like yours are seeking advice to meet Worksafe Occupational Health requirements. Monitoring your employees' health and wellbeing is a bigger priority than ever. To address this, we’ve expanded our workplace healthcare o ering further. We're delighted to introduce Pushpa Ram, our new Occupational Health Services Nurse.

Why is Improving Employee Health Important?

A safe, productive and thriving work environment starts with taking care of your employees' vitality. Health screening helps ensure that prospective and existing employees are all t and well for their jobs. NZ has good pre-employment and employee health screening laws, thanks to the Ministries of Health and Business prioritizing workplace safety.

Furthermore, a pre-employment health check can be life-changing, especially for people who haven't seen a doctor in years. Seeing an Occupational Nurse can be a rst step towards preventive healthcare. Our Occupational Nurse, Pushpa, is focused on assessing workplace risk exposure and supporting overall health and wellbeing. Moreover, she helps identify people's underlying health conditions to o er assistance for long-term conditions or pre-existing injuries.

Benefits of a Pre-Employment Health Screening

Some people may feel nervous about pre-employment screening. But it's essential for new employees to know that it's for their bene t. We explain the process and work in partnership with any employees that have a health concern to guide next steps. As you’ll be aware, NZ businesses need to monitor workers' health to prevent injuries and illnesses. And it’s these Health Checks that set a baseline for each employee's well-being, providing ongoing support.

Comprehensive Screening Services for Your Workforce

During assessments, the Occupational Health Nurse covers various aspects based on the employee's role, promoting holistic health:

Reviewing health history, including family health and pre-existing conditions like Diabetes or Injuries.

Audiometry assessment to check hearing.

Vision Assessment and optometrist referral if needed.

Cardiovascular risk evaluation.

Spirometer test for lung function.

Drug and alcohol testing.

Verifying up-to-date Vaccination records, including Flu Vaccinations or Boosters.

Assisting with travel planning.

Accessing Pre-Employment Occupational Health Services

Booking appointments for new team members or existing sta is easy. Contact Dave Nicholls, our Business Manager, to discuss your workforce's health needs. Enrolled patients at Highbrook Medical can conveniently book comprehensive check-ups through our patient portal.

Tailoring Occupational Health Services to Your Business

Together we can customize solutions that ensure the best health and wellbeing outcomes for your employees. And if it’s easier, we can organise a visit from our Mobile Health Unit, bringing healthcare to your business’ doorstep!

Taking the pulse: Business East Tāmaki Survey Results

Tim Koning 027 286 0011 tim.koning@bayleys.co.nz

Scott Campbell 021 414 107 scott.campbell@bayleys.co.nz

James Hill 021 599 529 james.hill@bayleys.co.nz

Tim Bull 021 127 1831 tim.bull@bayleys.co.nz

Mike Marinkovich 021 779 117 mike.marinkovich@bayleys.co.nz

Nelson Raines 021 555 673 nelson.raines@bayleys.co.nz

Kia Ora, Ngā mihi ehoa,

Our Spring edition of Business East Tāmaki welcomes you all. Following on from our Winter issue, where we introduced a feature on sustainable transport, we have the results from our Highbrook Transport survey.

I don’t know whether you picked up the Waka Kotahi statistic from our Reducing Emissions, Increasing Travel Options article published in our Autumn issue – it certainly staggered me! East Tāmaki is the top region for growth in New Zealand for commuter VKT (Vehicle Kilometers Travelled), with an average of 25,000 commuters travelling a median distance of 20km every day! So, in sustainability terms, the challenge for us is to change the mode to electric, shared or public transport, bikes, or live closer to work. The transport work group has companies like Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, OfficeMax, NZ Post, Goodman and Steel and Tube working together on this project, and we hope to be able to influence and deliver transport improvements for the future.

Ruth and the Business East Tāmaki team have also been working towards establishing the East Auckland Business Awards. Our new Platinum sponsor, Bayleys, will be the major sponsor for the inaugural awards which we will be running during the first quarter of the New Year 2024. Sponsorship enables us to do much more than the basic targeted rate grant funding we receive, and we are indebted to Bayley’s and all our sponsors for the contributions they make to our business community. We are also grateful to the Howick Local Board for their contribution to

this initiative. These awards are a great way to acknowledge and recognise our local businesses and leaders who excel every day in innovation, marketing, sustainability, design and product development, as well as well as being employers, and the impact they have on the community. Check out the categories and industry segments to enter, in this issue.

Another Business East Tāmaki initiative has been to move our survey ratings to NPS (Net Promoter Score) format. We’ve got the first results of that member feedback programme in this issue, alongside what we have learnt from the feedback.

I hope you enjoy this issue, and that Business East Tāmaki is doing good things for your business.

EAST AUCKLAND BUSINESS AWARDS 2024 Inaugural

SPONSORED BY

We’re thrilled to announce what we hope will be the most anticipated event in East Auckland in 2024 – that is, the launch of the East Auckland Business Awards. Taking place on Wednesday March 20th, the awards are a collaboration between the Business East Tāmaki and Howick Village Association - sponsored by Bayleys.

Why participate?

Get the recognition your company deserves. That’s why we’re introducing the Business Awards to give a ‘shout-out’ and celebrate East Auckland’s outstanding workplaces, employers, and employees.

Endorse your organisation as a ‘Best Place to Work’

• Gain recognition - promote your brand as an employer.

• Promote and attract the best and brightest talent.

• Send a message to your current employees that your company's culture is a priority.

• Unlock new collaboration opportunities with other leading workplaces.

• Gain valuable employee information to improve your workplace environment.

The categories

- something for everyone

• Excellence in Sustainability

• Excellence in Innovation

• Excellence in Community Impact

• Excellence in Retail

• Excellence in Hospitality

• Excellence in Healthcare

• Excellence in Professional Services/Marketing/Social Media

• Excellence in Industry and Manufacturing

• Best New Business

• Supreme Award for Best Business

Key dates

Entries open - week commencing 16th October

Entries close - week commencing 8th December

Finalists announced - week commencing 19th Feb 2024

Awards Function - Wednesday 20th March 2024

Further information is available on our website businesset.org.nz.

Our new Platinum Sponsor

Business East Tāmaki is delighted to announce that Bayleys Real Estate have signed up to be our new Platinum Sponsor. Bayleys Real Estate is New Zealand’s largest full-service real estate company and has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with Business East Tāmaki as a Gold Sponsor. Based in East Tāmaki for nearly two decades, they have provided real estate and property services to this high performing industrial precinct and look forward to continuing this into the future.

Business East Tāmaki Sponsors help make East Tāmaki a great place to do business. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Contact Ruth on gm@businessET.org.nz

Congrats to the MayDay Workshop competition winner!

Many congratulations to Michelle Prasad from the Good Start Foundation for being the lucky winner of a brand new JB HiFi Samsungs23!

She was an attendee at the EMA MayDay (Business Continuity Planning) Workshop in May. Led by Ron Lal from Momentum MindLab and Jane Finlayson from EMA, Business East Tāmaki members learnt how to prepare for the worst and reduce the impacts and costs of a future disaster - how to keep your business running no matter what happens.

Networking Unleashed: Mastering the art of putting yourself out there.

In August, Business East Tāmaki had another successful EmpowHer Network lunch, with the amazing Natalie Tolhopf –a leading sales and mindset coach. After getting to know each other in our ‘speed networking’ groups, Natalie inspired, empowered and entertained with her knowledge, insights and humour. We learnt the secrets to forming authentic connections, leveraging our unique strengths and unlocking the doors to success.

Natalie spoke about the truth and realness of being a woman in business, because contrary to glossy social media highlights, there’s no such thing as perfect. “Not in life. Not in business. And clinging to perfectionism won’t get you anywhere.”

She says the biggest mistake she sees with females is they think something is wrong with them, their services and their work. And that to be paid, it has to be hard work and not come easily. Does this sound like you? Because if it does, you are a perfectionist who is in love with imposter syndrome!

Imposter syndrome makes women blend in and dismiss all their amazing strengths. People buy and promote from personality, values, your story, your opinions and how

you view the world. If you are trying to be like everyone else, you feed your doubt.

Natalie Tolhopf is one of New Zealand's top sales and mindset coaches. For the last decade she's been teaching business owners to cultivate powerful self-belief and become confident to sell in a simple, authentic, and successful way.

Natalie goes on to say that imposter syndrome is a paradox: others believe in you; you don't believe in yourself; yet you believe yourself instead of them.

If you doubt yourself, shouldn't you also doubt your judgment of yourself?

Forming authentic connections begins with yourself first and having integrity with who you are, and accepting who you are. Then it begins leveraging your unique strengths by understanding you are already expert enough.

Natalie has written two books, has her own Sell with Confidence podcast, and is available for public engagements. To find out more about Natalie, go to her website natalietolhopf.com.

If you want a speaker/workshop facilitator who will bring an upbeat energy, will motivate your audience, and light a fire in their belly – book her now!

Thanks to the RSM New Zealand Highbrook team for sponsoring this event.

“When multiple people believe in you, it might be time to believe them.”

Adam Grant Organisational Psychologist

Meet Your Neighbours

Sponsored by Highbrook Medical

08 June, Woolfy’s Café

EmpowHer Network Event with Natalie Tolhopf

10 Aug, BNZ Partners Centre, sponsored by RSM

Recruiting Young Talent Workshop

22 June, BNZ Partners Centre, Highbrook

Wellness Series, in partnership with Highbrook Medical & The Psychology Group

Dive into the World of AI - With Melissa Crawford

30 Aug, BNZ Partners Centre

Meet Your Neighbours

24 Aug, Olea Café, sponsored by RSM

The power of sharing:

How sharing resources can help your business

On average, a drill is used for just 13 minutes in its entire life. For something used so little, drills are owned by a lot of people. Manufacturing drills involves a lot of materials and energy, yet they are so often underutilised. We see similar issues with desk space in empty offices, or cars that are only used once in a while. Sharing and trading resources such as these, reduces costs, cuts unnecessary production and consumption and helps lower emissions.

The common term for this process is the sharing economy, where underutilised assets or resources are shared in ways that improve efficiency, sustainability and community.

A recent event hosted by the Sustainable Business Network and Waste Management NZ showcased a number of entrepreneurs who enable sharing at scale here in Aotearoa New Zealand. Melissa Firth spoke about Again Again, a circular management platform for returnable packaging, Regan Burke from CivilShare discussed the benefits of sharing construction materials and equipment, and Michal Garvey talked about the impact of wasting food and how the app Foodprint can assist with keeping food out of landfill.

Again Again Limited

A reusable container management system, empowering consumers to borrow instead of accepting single-use waste. Vendors are enabled to loan containers – of their own choice, or from our serviced collection – with their investment protected from container non-return or loss. Go to againagain.co to find out more.

Foodprint

An app that enables local eateries to sell surplus and imperfect food to customers for a discount, to prevent it from being wasted. Go to foodprint.org.nz to find out more.

Civilshare

A digital marketplace for companies and workers to sell, hire and buy equipment and materials, reducing waste and latent capacity. The platform has a unique feature of instant location-based notifications to help you find items as they are listed. See more about CivilShare on Page 12.

The three speakers showed that the scale of food, packaging and construction waste (and associated carbon emissions) is enormous - not only at the end of life but along the entire value chain. An important part of the circular economy, sharing means that fewer products need to be produced to meet needs. Throughout production, this means that less land, resources and materials go into producing unnecessary items.

What is the Sustainable Business Network?

Their role is to transform leading ideas on sustainable business into action.

Founded in 2002, they’re Aotearoa New Zealand's largest, longest-standing sustainable business organisation.

How they work

• Take the world's best ideas on business sustainability and translate them into action in Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Collaborate to co-create solutions to some of the biggest problems in Aotearoa New Zealand in the areas of climate, waste and nature.

• Share, celebrate and promote these solutions throughout the wider community to help them become mainstream and have greater impact.

• Build sustainability capability in businesses by providing training, advice and resources.

• Foster partnerships and connections between organisations in our network to make it easy to have a sustainable supply chain.

To find out more go to sustainable.org.nz

They’re a network enabling system change in the areas of climate, waste and nature.

Sustainable Business Network’s Challenge Hub - in partnership with Waste Management

Challenge Hub connects you with other businesses and resources.

Simply let SBN know about the challenge you're facing and some details about the solution you need. They’ll put your challenge out to Aotearoa New Zealand and collectively help to solve it.

Submit a challenge

Contact Jaz on 021 023 99576 or email jaz@sustainable.org.nz to get your challenge featured on Challenge Hub.

Challenge examples:

Polypropylene cable drums

A structural steel fabrication and erection business operating out of Ngaruawahia. They use 10-15 cable drums of welding wire every week. They’re hoping to find a reuse opportunity for the empty drums to keep them out of landfill. They are made out of polypropylene and can’t be recycled in the Waikato.

Acrylic sheet offcuts from laser cutting

They have acrylic sheet offcuts from their R&D laser cutting process. The output is highly variable, but generally they have sheets that are 3, 4.5, 6 and 10mm thick. Sheet sizes are generally 1200 x 900mm with varying amounts cut from the sheets. They could provide a pallet load of these offcuts every six months.

Repurposing fibreglass panel offcuts

They have versatile fibreglass-foam composite panels currently available to customers free of charge in the following dimensions: 800mm by 1180mm, 700mm by 1800mm, 810mm by 1670mm, all 30 thick, as well as an assortment of other sizes. While they are offering this material to customers free of charge, they are looking for a longer term partnership, ideally with one partner which can upcycle these high quality fibreglass foam composite panels.

Go to sustainable.org.nz/learn/designing-out-waste/ challenge-hub/ to find out more.

The app that buys, sells, trades and shares resources

Regan Burke has been in the construction industry for many years, and is also on the Civil Contractors NZ Auckland Branch Executive Committee. He has seen first-hand the tonnes of building waste going to landfill. “Just seeing the amount of waste that was going on in our own organisation, we were spending so much on throwing stuff away that I knew could be reused,” he says.

“I've always had a passion for waste, I've never liked waste. Even if that was my beer, I'd never leave anything in my glass, or food on my plate. I've struggled to throw anything away.”

Regan knew there had to be a way of reusing construction waste, such as timber off-cuts, that was useable but couldn’t be sold or listed on platforms such as TradeMe. So, while he continued working full-time in his own construction company, he researched and self-financed the development of the Civil Share App. “We just wanted to make a place where essentially anything you listed would notify the person who wanted it.

“Not just to save businesses' time and money but also to help communities and minimise construction materials going to landfill,” he says.

Ill-health and Covid-19 interrupted plans and the development of the Civil Share App was put on ice. It wasn’t until early 2022, that business digital company 3PM acquired the Civil Share App to be part of 3PM’s product suite, allowing it to be further developed and integrated into 3PM’s construction platform. Regan joined the business to run all construction-related products, which includes further developing the Civil Share App, with an eye to eventually generating revenue from users.

Considering there’s been little to no marketing or promotion of the App over the last seven years, it’s doing pretty well. With over 5000 downloads already, on a monthly basis there’s approximately up to 150 active users.

“We’ve got a lot of people passionate about the App,” he says. “We want to get more funding and get it out there, so people can share resources, labour, equipment and waste.”

“In the construction industry, we allow for 10-15 per cent waste. So imagine, when we're constructing a 10-storey building and we allow for a minimum of just 10 per cent waste, that’s the equivalent of a whole level of that building that's been thrown out. And not to mention the building that was there before. Just getting destroyed and demolished.”

Regan

Burke – Civil Share

Civil Share - the first marketplace for civil contractors

Buy, sell, share, swap and hire materials and resources.

Now you can ease the load. Find equipment, materials, labour and save. From dirt to diggers, concrete to cranes.

Exchange ideas and information on industry developments.

Get together with anyone in the industry, anytime, anywhere. Share information, tell people about new developments and events, ask questions and get answers from the experts.

Utilise surplus materials and maximise their economic value.

Make greater use of equipment capacity and increase productivity

Exchange ideas and information to help create a more knowledgeable work force

Sell or rent resources to increase revenue

Purchase or rent resources to lower costs and increase productivity

You can download the app for free and share, swap, buy or hire construction materials, equipment and resources. More than 15,000 tonnes have been diverted from landfill by the first few thousand trades using the app.

Circular Economy Directory

The purpose of the Sustainable Business Network's Circular Economy Directory, is to help businesses reduce their environmental impact and carbon emissions.

It connects businesses seeking circular solutions to businesses that can help design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate nature. Solutions range across 16 sectors and the broad hierarchy of a circular economy. Different products and services will be appropriate for individual scenarios. They may not always represent a perfect circular solution but will help you advance more circular outcomes. When considering solutions it pays to consider the implications across the whole value chain and wider system you are operating in. Look for solutions that can make the biggest difference in reducing your environmental impact and carbon footprint.

Find products and supplies with circular features:

• Raw materials and components

• Finished products and supplies

• Goods with a product stewardship scheme

• Product as a service

Examples of businesses in the circular directory: Neocrete, a Kiwi concrete making company which has reduced its carbon footprint by 40%; Goodward Ltd, a company that recycles untreated timber waste, preventing it going to landfill; and KiwiFibre Innovations, a business that provides natural fibre composite material solutions to replace fibre and fibreglass.

To find out more, go to sustainable.org.nz/circular-economy-directory/.

Tasting the good

Going from a lucrative million-dollar international trading career in Hong Kong to a boutique handmade soap and skincare business in Auckland might seem like a risky financial decision to some, but for 35-year-old Sue Zhou, it was a deliberate choice. “Material satisfaction didn't make me happy in my heart, so I decided to come to New Zealand and start a new and meaningful life,” she says.

become a Made in New Zealand and Auckland Chamber of Commerce certified member. NZ Soap and Skincare now produces not only its own-brand soap and skincare, but products for over 200 brands, including products for over 85% of New Zealand's lavender farms. Their products are sold locally, as well as Australia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Germany, the United States, China and other parts of the world.

Sue says during the difficult times she has often asked herself why she chose this industry.

“But when I see Jim, who is 91 years-old this year, still making every piece of soap with authenticity and enthusiasm, I find my own answer. What we're doing represents some beauty in life, and that's what Jim has been doing for nearly half a century.

“It’s part of New Zealand’s heritage, and it’s the development of New Zealand's native and traditional culture.”

Sue originally emigrated to New Zealand in 2019 to complete a Masters in Marketing at Massey University. In 2020, the thenowner of NZ Soap and Skincare contacted her and asked her to buy the struggling company. Sue was doubtful because of her lack of experience in the industry, so initially decided that it wasn’t an option.

The game-changer for Sue was when she visited the business for the first time and met the original founder of the business. Jim Staples, an expert soap maker, had created the company in 1965 and had sold it when he was 85 – in theory to retire! However, he’d stayed at the business to continue making the soap, because the business meant so much to him – and it kept him busy. Sue was moved and impressed by his attitude to life, and something also struck her - Jim’s unusual method of testing the quality of each bar of soap.

“I clearly remember that Jim picked up a piece of soap and tasted it carefully with his tongue. And when I asked him why he did this, he told me that although each soap bar has a strict formula and procedure, it can be different due to the environment and natural raw materials. And the tongue, one of our most sensitive senses, can tell if it is a perfect soap.”

At that point, Sue made her big decision. “I was moved deeply because of his sincere and professional attitude and I decided to take it over.”

While it sounds like a fairytale beginning, Sue says it was hard once she took over the business. “It's very tough working in this industry. Not many people want to carry on. I'm a very strong person inside and I thought it's a really meaningful business, so I need to carry on. So I work from 8am to 8pm every day. No weekends, no holidays.”

Her hard work has paid off, and the company has grown significantly. It’s also upgraded to GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certification and International Standard ISO 22716, which ensures the products are made to the highest safety standard available to cosmetic manufacturers globally. It’s also

Sue Zhou (right) with Jim Staples and colleague Bella Lin

Feeling the Culture

When you walk into the spacious and airy surroundings of Food Culture Cafe, a new cafe in the heart of east Auckland, you’re struck by the European Deli-inspired feeling of the place. With speciality products lining the shelves, comfortable sofas, and rustic-style tables and chairs set against the simple glass and steel decor, it’s a stylish yet cosy and relaxing spot to eat delicious food and drink great coffee with latte art.

But although she is rightly proud of the decor, Faranak Irani would rather talk about the food. Food Culture Café goes beyond a regular eatery. They pride themselves in serving a menu that offers a unique cultural blend of Persian and South African flavours alongside your culinary classics, and their baristas use premium, ethically sourced beans to deliver a great brew of coffee. Nearly everything is made on site, including the cakes and desserts, and there’s a special display cabinet full of differently flavoured biltong. Their chefs make everything in-house & ensure they deliver food to meet all specified dietary requirements.

“Food is a passion for me,” she says, and when she starts talking about it, you can understand why she says that. Ever since Faranak and her husband emigrated here from where they were posted in Europe, the Indian-born Persian cafe owner has been involved in food one way or another for many years.

Faranak started off with a retail outlet in Half Moon Bay, based on what she had seen in Europe when she was living there. “I wanted to bring in a slice of Europe to New Zealand,” she says. As time went on, they started getting more speciality food requests from the sizeable South African population in the area, which they import directly from South Africa. This has led to an online store @foodculture, and two other retail outlets in Ormiston and Hamilton, which in-house their meat and butchery.

Unsurprisingly for such an energetic person, the entrepreneurial cafe owner is full of plans for the business. They’ll soon be offering bottomless brunches, high-teas, cooking classes, catering and wine pairings. She also wants to start up a ready-meal delivery service (they cook the meals on site), and provide team-building cookery classes for corporate clients.

Whether you’re seeking a quiet work spot to catch up with friends, or you’re interested in a fun cooking class, Faranak invites you to experience true café culture with them.

“Welcome to Food Culture Café and step into the perfect destination for rich coffee, delicious food, and a vibrant atmosphere. We pride ourselves in serving a menu that offers a unique cultural blend of Persian and South African flavours alongside your culinary classics. We express our love for culture not just in our food, but in our thoughtfully designed interior, offering a harmonious blend of modern sophistication and cozy comfort.”

• Open Monday to Friday 6am-3pm

• Saturday and Sunday 8am-3pm

• Online Cafe orders - cafe.atfoodculture. co.nz/online-order

• Online store - atfoodculture.co.nz

• Catering for off-site functions – weddings, outside, corporate

• Functions for 50-70 on-site

Contact Faranak on: 09 600 3480 or 022 400 3480. Email: cafe@atfoodculture.co.nz

PARKSIDE OFFICES FOR LEASE

Hotdesks to standalone spaces from 231 sqm - 417 sqm.

Highbrook Business Park is surrounded by beautiful parklands overlooking Tāmaki River. At its hub is Highbrook Crossing, which includes cafés, restaurants, a conference centre, gym, childcare and a range of professional services.

Highbrook is 1km to SH1, 18km to the cbd, has bus stops and plenty of parking.

For more information contact the Goodman Team:

Robyn Barfoot

Portfolio Manager

021 428 446

Robyn.Barfoot@goodman.com

Thomas Papesch

Senior Property Manager

021 033 4267

Thomas.Papesch@goodman.com

38A Highbrook Drive

Highbrook

+ 231 sqm office, level 1

+ 9 car parks

+ Existing fitout

+ Available March 2024

38C Highbrook Drive

Highbrook

+ 233 sqm office, level 1

+ 10 car parks

+ Fitout and close to cafés

+ Available now

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HIGHBROOK'S 8KM OF BIKING AND RUNNING TRACKS HIGHBROOK.CO.NZ

Howick Local Board new work programmes

Thank you for your feedback on our draft Local Board Plan

The public consultation on our draft Local Board Plan closed on Monday 14 August. Thank you to everyone who provided their feedback and views, we’re analysing what you’ve told us and will finalise this strategic plan in October.

Howick Local Board budget locked in, shifting gear to focus on delivery.

We’re pleased to report that on Thursday 17 August the Howick Local Board approved the last of our work programmes. These provide the budget and direction for staff to deliver events and activities through to June 2024, turning our strategy into action.

While there have been some reductions to our budget along with increased costs, we’ve worked hard to balance our budget to deliver a wide range of programmes and activities. We used the feedback from our community earlier in the year which told us to focus on arts and culture, youth, and the environment.

Some highlights from our new work programmes:

• Continued operational funding for Arts Out East, UXBRIDGE, Howick Historical Village, local bands, and theatres to provide financial stability for these groups.

• Keeping Kauri Kids Howick early childhood education centre open until June 2024, allowing more time to explore alternative options.

• Enabling our Celebrating Cultures event to run annually, providing an opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity that we’re so fortunate to have in our area.

• Ongoing support for the Howick Youth Council who continue to deliver a range of self-directed youth centric programmes and activities.

• Establishing a permanent dedicated youth facility and appropriate programmes following on from last year’s successful pilot. This creates further opportunities to empower local youth to run and manage the space providing leadership and skill development.

• Increased funding for environmental restoration programmes including our stream improvement programme and the award-winning Pest Free Howick.

• Continued support for our school waste minimisation, construction waste enforcement, and industrial pollution prevention programmes.

• Additional support for local business associations to promote and grow the local economy including supporting local business awards.

• Significant capital investment to bring existing assets up to standard including local playgrounds, carparks and footpaths.

• Dedicated local crime prevention fund to tackle the local issues – we’re working with the Police to get their expert advice on how to deliver the greatest impact.

You can stay in touch with what else is happening around the Howick Local Board area by following us on Facebook (facebook. com/HowickLB), and by signing up for our monthly newsletter (https://bit.ly/3obLgn2).

And feel free to reach out to us if there’s anything you want to discuss face-to-face –Chair Damian Light, Deputy Bo Burns and the rest of the Howick Local Board are here to listen and help.

The latest reads

Ah! Reading in the springtime - as the weather starts to warm up and flowers begin to bloom, it creates the perfect atmosphere for enjoying a good book outdoors or by an open window. So, choose the right spot, enjoy your reading journey, and may your springtime be filled with wonderful literary adventures!

Tom Lake

A meditation on youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. In the spring of 2020, Lara's three daughters return to the family's orchard in Northern Michigan. While picking cherries, they beg their mother to tell them the story of Peter Duke, a famous actor with whom she shared both a stage and a romance years before, at a theatre company called Tom Lake. The result is a rich and luminous story, told with profound intelligence and emotional subtlety that demonstrates once again why she is one of the most revered and acclaimed literary talents working today.

by Ann Patchett

The Witching Tide

A spellbinding and intoxicating historical debut from a striking new voice which tells the story of a silent midwife hiding a secret and a witch-hunt that tears a community apart. It is a story of loyalty and betrayal, fear and obsession, the impact of misogyny and the power of resistance. Inspired by true events in Britain in the 17th century, The Witching Tide breathes new life into history whilst holding up a mirror to the world we live in now.

by Margaret Meyer

We’re

your local friendly medical team!

We can help with:

ACC/Acute Care/Accidents and Injuries:

Acute walk-in clinic open Mon – Fri 8-5pm.

Occupational HealthPre-Employment Medicals:

We can help you look after your employees with medicals, regular health checks and vaccinations.

Ear Suctioning:

Microsuction Ear Wax Cleaning now available

Immigration Medicals: We are an approved provider of medical examinations for Immigration New Zealand. We have a full x-ray facility and can take blood tests, providing you with a onestop-shop service for Visa medical exams.

Travel Health: Our medical team works together to provide you with the very best travel advice. Including the latest

Dice

Dice is a compelling courtroom drama, and an incredibly timely exploration of how sexual violence is viewed in our society. It’s told from the perspective of a diverse group of ordinary people as the trial unfolds - the jury. The reader, too, becomes a jury member as the evidence is presented and information is withheld, fragmented and re-told by different witnesses. Each person must decide where the truth lies. Will the verdict deliver justice, or just reflect the prejudices and differences in the jury?

by Claire Baylis

Fungi of Aotearoa

The complete introduction to finding, identifying and using mushrooms and other fungi in New Zealand. Enter and explore the fascinating world of fungi, featuring stunning full-colour photographs, fun facts and current descriptions of over 130 species. In this practical and up-to-date guide, forager and fungus enthusiast, Liv Sisson, shares her top tips and takes the reader on a journey to discover the unique and diverse fungi Aotearoa has to offer.

by Liv Sisson

The Art of Winning

For the first time, sporting legend Dan Carter distils his two decades at the frontiers of high-performance into his 'perfect ten' lessons. You won't find conventional wisdom here, but hard-learned truths. Honest, surprising and inspiring, The Art of Winning converts a legendary career into timeless lessons for readers in any walk of life. Step inside the unique culture of the All Blacks - and inside the mind of a legend.

by Dan Carter

Poppies Howick

83 Picton St, Howick 2014

www.poppiesbooks.co.nz

howick@poppiesbooks.co.nz

09 5329642

preventative measures for insect borne diseases as well as recommendations for avoiding accidents and injury, jet lag and motion sickness.

316 Ti Rakau Drive, Burswood, Auckland 2013 Ph: 09 273 8980

Email: info@tr.thedoctors.co.nz

Work Travel Survey

In July 2023, Business East Tāmaki and Goodman Property Trust partnered with Auckland Transport (AT) to develop and run the Highbrook Travel Survey.

The purpose of the survey was to better understand how and why people are travelling and where they are travelling from, to assist planning for initiatives to improve sustainable transport options for people working in Highbrook.

Thanks to some fabulous prizes contributed by all involved (including an E-scooter from Goodman Property Trust, and a $250 Botany Downs voucher from Business East Tāmaki), over 1,000 responses were received. This means there was a response rate of 20 per cent, no small feat when surveying such a large audience. AT and some of the businesses also held drop-in sessions at several sites and made paper surveys available for night shift workers to improve the representativeness of the sample.

High level survey results include:

• About 88 per cent of people drive to work (alone) and 7 per cent carpool, meaning 95 per cent of people arrive by car. This is very similar to Census 2018 data for the area.

• Over 10 per cent of people who drive to work, do so in a low-emission vehicle. In comparison, Waka Kotahi estimates 1.5 per cent of the light vehicle fleet in New Zealand is low emissions, meaning use of low emission vehicles is much higher among Highbrook employees.

• The top reasons why people said they drive to work included time, convenience/flexibility and that public transport is not available or is unrealistic.

• The things that would most encourage people to use public transport more often were more reliable (number 1) and more frequent (number 2) public transport. This reflects the fact that the historic bus driver shortage and recent weather events have made public transport more challenging than usual.

• People were also supportive of initiatives like carpooling and a privately funded shuttle. These options are being investigated further, using the survey results to tailor them to Highbrook needs.

Proposed pilot for shared transport shuttle service

In our Autumn edition of the magazine, we wrote about our proposed pilot for a shared transport shuttle service to take employees from their homes to the workplace and back.

Following that article, and the recent travel survey, it has now become apparent that most people drive to and from Highbrook in their own vehicles, because not only is it faster and more convenient but also because of the lack of public transport in the area; the delivery of the Eastern Busway from Pakuranga to Botany is not due to conclude until 2026.

Additionally, alternative transport modes such as walking and cycling are confined by limited access via major arterials where there are a large number of heavy vehicles.

In an assessment of car-dependent commuter destinations, East Tāmaki came out top of the 12 main urban centres.

Benefits and opportunities of a shared transport offering

• Reducing congestion.

• Supplementing existing irregular and underserviced public transport options.

• Providing better value for money and a cost-effective solution.

• Environmental benefits including clean, green and space efficient travel choices.

• Access to jobs/employers, employees and opportunities.

• Success would provide a template for other business precincts to replicate.

• Area is suitable for a pilot as many employees come from areas with socioeconomic deprivation.

Next steps and different options

• Investigate options for a private shuttle. This may be to or from a public transport station (e.g. to/from Ōtāhuhu), along a fixed route directly to Highbrook. Goodman are progressing discussions with Mahu City express for something from South Auckland) or a loop shuttle around Highbrook. AT to help by attending meetings or facilitate sharing of insights.

• Investigate options for a carpool matching software system. One example is via a registration form and Google Maps. AT can assist from their experience of something similar with Council. Fisher and Paykel Healthcare (who run their own car pooling system) can also assist – see more about this across the page.

• Focus groups with Fisher and Paykel employees who carpool to find out what works, what does not work, and get ideas for how we might incentivise people to carpool. Incentives/policies that might work include allocating prime parking spots for car poolers and a guaranteed emergency ride home scheme. In-person morning tea/events can also help people to form connections, so they feel more comfortable carpooling.

Sustainable transport a tried and tested option for Fisher & Paykel Healthcare employees

Innovation, precision, people, health and well-being are at the heart of Fisher & Paykel Healthcare’s global business practice. The company has embedded those themes into the fabric of its research and development facility at East Tāmaki, which has resulted in a campus where people feel safe, comfortable, supported and connected to their environment, and where they have options to make more sustainable transport choices.

With private vehicle transport being a huge contributor to Auckland’s emissions’ footprint (around 40 per cent of carbon emissions in Auckland are from transport), they have provided dedicated EV charging spaces, extensive secure bike parking (with drying lines), showers and lockers.

Larissa Michelsen, Senior Sustainability Specialist at Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, says they have quite a strong cycling community and “they do often say that having access to showers and bike racks is really valuable”.

It’s not only the showers. With good cafeterias on-site, employees don’t need transport to eat elsewhere. This was noted as a deterrent to biking by some in the travel survey – with people commenting they often need their car to get lunch off-site.

In addition, the Fisher & Paykel Healthcare sustainable transport group has promoted a successful car sharing initiative at East Tāmaki, which has had an uptake of approximately 200 employees, or 6 per cent of those working on-site. A simple registration Google doc form matches employees together, according to location and work hours, and the employees then contact each other to sort out their car pooling arrangements.

Introducing Area Commander Rod Honan

New Area Commander, Counties Manukau East, Rod Honan, has been in the New Zealand Police for 26 years, and he’s no stranger to the Counties Manukau area, having worked everywhere except for Ormiston.

Rod has had experience in many policing areas, including 17 years as a Detective up to the rank of Detective Senior Sergeant in the CIB (Criminal Investigation Branch). He was promoted to Inspector in 2016, and has also had stints as District Road Policing Manager, Area Prevention Manager, the Tamaki Makaurau Intelligence team, and relieving in Counties Manukau Area Commander roles.

Rod says that the position of Area Commander is what he’s been working towards.“It’s my dream job, it’s what I aspired to be,” he says.

Rod says the most striking change in policing since he joined in 1997 is the increasing prevalence of firearms, and the health and safety of Police Officers; protective gear is now the norm for all. He emphasises that the public are the eyes and ears of the community:

• Call 105 to log a report, so Police can build up a picture of crime patterns to investigate and make arrests.

• Call 111 if there’s an immediate danger to property or people.

• You can use Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous.

• Ensure your CCTV cameras are working and placed in optimal positions

Update from Inspector Rakana Cook

Area Prevention Manager for Counties Manukau East

Rangatahi - young people and

crime

Raks says the Police use a number of approaches for rangatahi, depending on the level of offending.

“It’s a case-by-case process. While we endeavour to focus on the wellbeing of rangatahi, there are unfortunately times when appearances in our youth courts are needed, wrap- around support for them and their whanau are a must at the same time. Some might be on the fringe of crime but with the right support this can change the trajectory of their focus.

“The more support, the better the outcomes. If we don’t try something different with the way we approach our rangatahi then how will they succeed?” says Raks.

New National Roading Operation

Our death rate on New Zealand roads is too high. More Police will be on our roads in coming months, with an extra push to help make New Zealand roads safer through rigorous enforcement of the traffic laws.

They’ll be watching out for:

• Seatbelts – a third of drivers and passengers who die on our roads aren’t wearing their seatbelts.

• Fatigue - in 2020 fatigue was a factor in 25 deaths and 113 serious injuries on roads in New Zealand

• Driving while using mobile phones - your focus should be on the road and getting to the destination safely.

• Alcohol and drug impairment - alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in about a third of all fatal crashes.

• Speed - in any crash, no matter what the cause – is the single biggest determinant in whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed.

“Enough is enough”

Police are doubling down on dangerous driving caused by gang activity, along with targeting those driving unroadworthy vehicles, or doing burn-outs and wheelies on public roads. In July, Police arrested three people and seized more than a dozen vehicles for doing burnouts and driving dangerously during a gang-funeral procession on one of Auckland’s motorways.

They are now pre-empting dangerous behaviour by planning in advance. In August, Police were highly visible in three Auckland locations, to pre-empt anti-social behaviour by gang members attending a funeral.

Raks says “enough is enough” and wants to reassure the community that Police are following up on the anti-social behaviour.

“We want to celebrate success. Recognise potential.”

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Investing in the future – a gateway to employment

The transition from school to work can be a daunting one, especially for young people who are not sure what they want to do with their lives.

Botany Downs Secondary College (BDSC) is tackling the issue with their Gateway programme which offers work experience to Year 12 and 13 students (and some workready Year 11s). The programme, which has gone from strength to strength during the last few years, was set up by BDSC to help students make informed choices about their future careers; not only by providing them with opportunities to explore different industries and develop their skills but also to give them an understanding of what’s required to be successful in a working environment.

With the help of the Tertiary Education Funding (TEC), Gateway’s intake is up from 40 students to 83 students per year at BDSC. Hundreds of students have already gained work experience in areas such as Customer Service, Automotive, Hospital and Maternity Care, Early Childhood and Food and Hospitality.

Local business support

None of this could be achieved without the excellent support of the East Tāmaki local business community - employers who are prepared to invest in the future of these young people.

It’s a win-win situation:

• By providing the students with the opportunity to learn about different industries and gain hands-on experience, you’re helping them to develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the workforce.

• Your business is building a skilled future workforce with fresh ideas and digital know-how.

Leesa Lawgate is Head of Careers at BDSC, and she’s actively looking for businesses with job opportunities for their students. “I would love employers to let me know about any jobs they have, because we have an Instagram page and we can advertise anything they want on it. We can put things in school notices and I can email students,” she says.

motivation, self-awareness, innovation and creativity which are key to business success.

Calling all employers

Young people are the future of your workforce. They are creative, innovative, and eager to learn. They are also the most diverse generation in history, bringing a wealth of different perspectives to the table. If you need part time or holiday staff, please feel free to get in touch with Leesa Lawgate at l.lawgate@bdsc. school.nz.

She says that one of the biggest issues for students is that although they often don’t have the direct work experience required, they do have the transferable skills from the subjects they study. Which in turn they need to recognize and communicate about with potential employers.

“For example, in the Active Wellbeing class, they play a whole range of sports with people they don't know very well. And so there’s communication skills, team building skills, working as a group, collaboration. All skills that I think employers want.”

Transferable skills can be found in all subjects. For example, students studying languages learn skills such as interactive strategies and enhanced creativity and problem solving. Students studying Social Sciences can transfer skills, including team work, collaboration, problem solving and decision-making. Some subjects are obvious to employers, such as those studying Maths and Statistics but others are not so obvious, but just as relevant. For example those studying drama bring skills such as

Leesa Lawgate, Head of Careers at BDSC, is actively looking for businesses with job opportunities for their students

“Our students are ready to experience work, to learn, to get that first step in the door.”

Strong Occupier Demand Drives Increases

Any hope that the pressure might come off industrial rents and that demand for warehousing space could ease is yet to transpire, according to Bayleys’ latest Industrial Workplace leasing portfolio.

Bayleys’ head of insights, data and consulting, Chris Farhi says coming into 2023 there was some thought that industrial rents could stabilise given the general slowdown in the economy and potential implications of a technical recession on sentiment and activity.

“But New Zealand industrial rents have continued to rise in the face of these macro drivers and vacancy levels are still exceedingly tight with pent-up demand for space.”

Farhi says any new supply to the market has pushed average rental rates up as landlords look to offset escalating construction, land and financing costs and with higher yields putting downwards pressure on valuations.

World-wide, rising interest rates, high inflation and geo-political risks are backdropping a more challenging and volatile business environment.

Bayleys’ national director industrial, Scott Campbell says benchmark rents have been persistently growing for industrial stock across most of the major New Zealand centres, with landlords having the advantage in the current market. East Tamaki is no different in terms of the growth patterns.

“As long as high inflation exists and interest rates keep rising, rents will rise, so tenants have to accept rental escalation because there’s actually very little they can do to stem the tide.

“Bayleys’ tangible point of difference in the market is the amount of deal flow through our leasing network and the fingers we have on the market pulse which shows not just how quickly stock is being absorbed but reveals a line of tenants waiting in the wings.

“We’re looking at how rental rates are tracking and monitoring transaction times, and many agents report that they are effectively running waitlists for space.”

Campbell says while construction costs may have stopped rising at the levels seen in the last couple of years, they’re still elevated and with wage costs still increasing and the cost of debt remaining high, developers are understandably hesitant to progress new projects, despite low vacancy levels.

Campbell says occupiers must do diligent forward budgeting to establish where the likely new lease term range may sit as inevitably, it will surpass the levels that might be forecast through generic budgeting analysis.

“All leases today are being structured to factor in rental increases whether via annual fixed increases, benchmarked to CPI or market, or a combination of these rental growth mechanisms.

“Occupiers should budget for 3-4 percent annual growth over the term of the lease and those seeking new premises should have a clear exit strategy, brace themselves for competition and be prepared to commit quickly.”

Campbell says while it’s not what occupiers want to hear, rents are unlikely to drop.

“However, as the world resets and supply chain logistics have more certainty around them, some normalcy should return to inventory held by some businesses which could in turn take some pressure off available warehousing supply.”

Feed More – Waste Less

In June, food rescue charity KiwiHarvest marked a milestone with a celebration lunch at their Highbrook base. Since the organisation was founded 11 years ago, they have rescued ten million kilograms of food and distributed it to over 200 charities who support struggling people across New Zealand.

• KiwiHarvest works with food businesses to rescue the good food that they are not able to sell – because of oversupply, damaged packaging, cancelled orders, mislabelling, or because the food is nearing its best-before date or end of life.

• The 225 recipient agencies include homeless shelters, refuges, community kitchens, educational agencies, schools, kindergartens, and food banks.

Waste less – and less!

New Zealand industries generate more than 103,000 tonnes of food waste per year, and it’s estimated that 60% of food going to landfill is edible. Burying food (and often its packaging) in landfill is an environmental

disaster, not just here in Aotearoa but all around the world. KiwiHarvest CEO, Angela Calver, says that globally, one third of total food produced is lost or wasted.

According to Love Food Hate Waste New Zealand, in 2018 New Zealand households threw away 157,389 tonnes of food a year. That is equivalent to 271 jumbo jets of food that has to go somewhere to rot, instead of being eaten – that amount of food could feed the population of Dunedin for nearly three years! All of this food is worth about $1.17 billion each year.

Feed more!

“Our mission at KiwiHarvest is to help Aotearoa’s population become 100% food secure, ensuring every man, woman and child has access to enough good, nutritious food each and every day.”

Forty per cent of New Zealanders experience low to moderate food security, and up to 305,000 Kiwi children are living in poverty. Having KiwiHarvest deliver rescued food allows agencies to concentrate on tackling core issues, and re-focus their funding on programmes to help their clients.

We are appealing to our East Tāmaki neighbours to support local

• KiwiHarvest helps nearly 40,000 people a week struggling with food insecurity by delivering good quality rescued food that was otherwise destined for landfill.

• The government has reduced funding to food rescues by 87%, so we need your help.

• We are looking to raise $33,000 from the businesses in our neighbourhood to enable us to supply much-needed food to those in need.

• $33,000 will enable us to deliver 100,000 meal equivalents direct to charities in South Auckland.

If you can help, go to donorbox. org/east-tamaki-neighbours

KiwiHarvest celebrates the 10 million mark

Sold on recycling

Sequel Cafe owner John Kuok is sold on the benefits of commingled recycling and composting his cafe’s food scraps. He took up Business East Tāmaki’s offer of a free 12-week trial of Green Gorilla’s commingled recycling and food scrap composting services earlier this year, and not only is he going on to continue with the green initiative but he’s happy to pay for the service!

Earlier this year, Business East Tāmaki partnered up with Green Gorilla to provide East Tāmaki businesses with a solution for commingled recycling and food waste/ compostable items – the same service most residential properties receive. A number of businesses have taken up the free trial and those businesses have gone on to retain and pay for the service.

John explains that he decided to go for the free recycling trial because of the “green change that’s happening in the country.”

The Sequel Cafe owner and operator says that prior to the trial he didn’t really recycle much from his business, but now he’s started, he’s looking for other ways to make his cafe business greener, and reduce what he sends to landfill.

John, who has owned the Sequel Café in Flatbush for 15 years, says he’s made a number of other changes to the way they do things in the cafe. One significant change is the café’s takeaway cups; he used to buy plastic cups from China, but now he buys compostable cups locally. He also bags up his used coffee grounds and makes them available for his customers to take home to use in their worm farms or compost bins.

He has started using Shepherd Filtersbiodegradable woollen filters - for the café’s kitchen exhaust extraction system, which capture almost all the grease and fats. “Before, we had to use a lot of chemicals to clean the grease out which went down the sink,” he says.

“The trial started my thinking,” he says. “We saw how easy it was to do, and how we can change everything else.”

If you’re interested in finding out more about the recycling service, contact Karen at operations@businesset.org.nz.

Well done East Tāmaki businesses you’ve done it again!

Thank you once again to all the businesses that signed up for our popular eWaste and pallet collections. Both initiatives contribute to sustainability efforts by reducing waste, conserving resources, and minimizing our environmental impact.

Business East Tāmaki members help divert almost 400kgs of eWaste from landfill

We continue to partner with carbonneutral company, RemarkIt Solutions, who ensure no equipment goes to landfill. The equipment collected is either reused or recycled against ISO14001 and ASNZ 5377 controls.

And you didn’t stop there………

Business East Tāmaki again partnered with Reharvest Timber to complete another successful pallet and waste wood collection. Our members contributed 855 m3 of product which was subsequently repurposed as Eco mulch, used for animal bedding and motorway sidings, and Cushionfall® - a bespoke and award-winning product used in childrens’ playgrounds and garden mulch.

1686kg

326

267 Items were

622

2236kg

3922kg

Reharvest collected 855 m3 of pallets from local businesses

50% of the pallets were converted to Eco mulch

30% was recycled into Cushionfall

20% reused as garden mulch

Taking the pulse

Our first quarterly survey took place in May – here’s an explainer for the findings, the methodology, and what’s next

Thank you to everyone who completed our inaugural quarterly survey which took place in May. We appreciate your feedback and honest opinions and hope that more of you will participate in the next one in September!

The WHY

Earlier this year, Business East Tāmaki decided to shelve its traditional annual member survey which we felt only captured one moment in time. We wanted more than an annual snapshot and decided to run shorter, quarterly member surveys, or ‘pulse surveys’, so we can track ongoing member satisfaction throughout the year, as well as our progress against the initiatives that you, our members, have identified as areas for us to focus on.

The increased frequency will also ensure that any new opportunities for improvement that emerge through the year are not missed!

The HOW

Business East Tāmaki partnered with Perceptive, an independent research agency, to implement its Customer Monitor programme. At the heart of Customer Monitor is the Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is a globally-recognised methodology (see the explainer in the box about the NPS).

The RESULTS

What is a good NPS?

The short answer:

• Any NPS above 0 is considered good, as it means that your audience is more loyal than not. Anything above +20 is considered favourable. Above +50 is excellent, and above +80 is world-class.

Perceptive sees a range of scores. Across New Zealand and Australia they consider anything above +20 to be ideal, while scores between +30 to +40 are considered healthy.

Well-known, high-growth companies from the US, such as Amazon, Harley-Davidson, Zappos, Costco and Dell, generally attain NPS efficiency ratings of +50 to +80.

Remember the score is just the beginning. We need to focus on identifying the underlying themes behind the score and putting plans in place to address them.

The NPS explained

To work out the NPS, the answers given by you are scored on a basis of whether you’re one of the following:

• Detractors – Score of 0 - 6members who are dissatisfied about aspects of our service.

• Passives – Score of 7- 8members who are satisfied with most aspects of our service and comment neutrally.

• Promoters – Score of 9 -10members who are happy about aspects of our service and comment enthusiastically about it.

• The NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters.

You may be asking - why exclude Passives from the calculations?

• Emphasising actionable feedback: By concentrating on Promoters and Detractors, organisations can identify the most ardent supporters and the areas that need urgent improvement.

• Simplicity and focus: Including Passives in the calculation would complicate the NPS metric, potentially diluting its ability to provide a clear and concise overview of customer sentiment.

• Different engagement levels: Passives, by definition, are customers who are neither highly enthusiastic nor significantly dissatisfied. Since NPS aims to measure extreme sentiments, including Passives could blur the distinction between those who actively advocate for the brand and those who might have less involvement in promoting or criticising it.

It's essential to remember that while Passives are excluded from the NPS score calculation, your feedback is still considered in the overall effort to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.

What was the NPS (Net Promoter Score) for Business East Tāmaki and what does it mean?

Emerging themes

• Crime Prevention, local business deals and discounts, networking opportunities, local infrastructure

Quotes

goodman change direction

“This is a very well organised group that is pro-active in their work towards a better business community and I am glad we are a part of it.”

drive add

What happens next?

group council association

involved

area repost services focus emails

government decided engaged

Sandie D'Mello - Consolidated Gaming Solutions

time

interesting engagement leading create involvement experinece hit

“Would love for us to trail-blaze the transport to/from East Tāmaki with so many people who travel and many who would appreciate the sustainable and cost effective outcome.”

Kevin Obern - OfficeMax

Improving the NPS score is an ongoing process, and it requires a holistic approach. By focusing on enhancing our service to our members, addressing Detractors' concerns, and leveraging Promoters' advocacy, we can gradually improve our NPS and build stronger relationships with our members.

Business East Tāmaki can do this by:

1. Conducting Focus groups to better understand needs, expectations and pain points.

2. Reaching out to Detractors (those who’ve given permission to contact) to identify problems and make necessary improvements.

3. Leverage Promoters’ advocacy.

4. Thanks to the most loyal customers.

5. Continuous communications – NPS should not be a one-time only communication event. We’ll be providing regular updates on the progress made and keep members informed about ongoing efforts to improve their experience.

One step already taken – we have contacted all those that agreed to be contacted and where appropriate invited them to contribute to focus groups or provide further feedback.

We want to highlight the positives but we’re commited to improvement by being transparent about the score - we want to assure members we take your feedback seriously. We’re committed to addressing any concerns raised and making improvements based on your feedback.

“Business East Tāmaki Is a professionally-run organisation that puts on relevant events for its members.”

Jan Bruneau-Herman - Edvance

Ideas for improvements

• Maybe fewer emails, it does become a little overwhelming with the number, and important things could be dismissed

• More networking opportunities

• More rapid reporting about theft in the area

• Creating and promoting more local deals from members

Improving infrastructure

Benefits of the busway

The Eastern Busway is a significant project that is about more than just better transport. It will increase access to jobs and education, connect people to social and community opportunities, attract investment and growth, enable urban development, and help reduce emissions.

The Panmure to Pakūranga section of the busway opened in 2021. The next stage from Pakūranga to Botany will complete the project and will extend the Panmure to Pakūranga section, to form a continuous 7km busway with separate walking and cycling facilities.

It will give nearby businesses, commuters and communities some great options for cycling, walking or using the bus,will make local trips easier and more efficient and more will be a vital part of the public transport network in Tāmaki Makaurau for decades to come.

Building the Reeves Road flyover

One of the first structures to be built as part of the Eastern Busway is the Reeves Road Flyover and it will take about two years to complete. It will connect the South Eastern Highway to Pakūranga Road, making journeys quicker because it will bypass the Tī Rākau Drive intersection.

Reeves Road between William Roberts Road and Tī Rākau Drive will need to close before work starts on the flyover. Tī Rākau Drive will be accessed from the new William Roberts Road extension before and while Reeves Road is closed.

Plans from Tī Rākau Drive to Botany Town Centre

Over the last few weeks, the Eastern Busway Alliance has been asking for views on the route for Stage 4 of the Eastern Busway from Tī Rākau Drive to Botany, via Guys Reserve and Whaka Maumahara.

The two routes are shown in the map below.

• The Eastern Busway Stage 4 Link route (EB4L): the preferred, proposed design that the team is submitting consents for this month and will be built when funding is approved.

• The Eastern Busway Stage 4 Interim bus route (EB4i): an interim route that will be in place by 2027 and will be in use until the link route is funded and built.

What’s happening in the Pakūranga area

Between now and the end of the year the Eastern Busway Alliance will be upgrading the stormwater network to help reduce flood risk on a section of Pakūranga Road, outside Pakūranga Plaza. The work needs to take place before construction starts on the Reeves Road Flyover.

There will be road layout changes and signposted temporary entrances to some businesses. The Eastern Busway Alliance asks everyone to please take extra care while adjusting to the amended lanes and signage.

Artist impression of Reeves Road Flyover when the Eastern Busway is open

Understanding local opinions on the Eastern Busway Alliance

The Eastern Busway’s partners and stakeholders, including Business East Tāmaki and Howick Local Board, shared their views on the Eastern Busway Alliance in a recent research survey run by an independent provider. It was a valuable opportunity to share insights from local people, business and organisations and many responses demonstrated trust in the alliance, satisfaction with the project team’s work, and belief that the busway will bring benefits to the community when it’s completed.

The Eastern Busway Alliance was reminded to continue to ensure that community voices are listened to and that feedback influences the development of the project.

Sustainable outcomes

Thousands of survey stakes are used on large infrastructure projects like the Eastern Busway. With the project’s commitment to put sustainability at the forefront of its approach to design and construction, a team member suggested reusing fencing from deconstructed properties as survey stakes rather than buying new stakes.

After trialling a few workshop-made stakes, the survey team was happy with the result and a larger volume was produced and is being used on the construction site.

More information is at easternbusway.nz

Be into WIN!

Coffee card giveaway

18 September – 2 October

Be into win a Month of free coffees valued at $217.

Morning tea shout

20 September – 5 October

Coming up in October

Pink Caravan

The Pink Caravan will be onsite giving advice on breast cancer detection.

Roaming Flamingo Food Truck

Roaming Flamingo will be onsite selling fresh delicious (and affordable) tacos. Brought to you by MasterChef Grand Finalist Elliot, these tasty treats are sure to hit the spot.