CEO’S MESSAGE

Craig Taberner

CEO, NGIV

I’ve just stepped out of one of our industry catchup webinars. The attendance was our highest yet, testament to the concern and confusion surrounding Stage 4, everyone had questions and the team at NGIV endeavoured to provide answers. I feel for everyone right now that is doing their best in what is a highly changeable environment. A lot of my time is spent trying to make sense of the changes and it’s not always straight forward.

We will continue to communicate developments with you as and when we have them; whether it’s legislative, business requirements, financial support, travel updates or industrial relations management. We want to make it as easy for you to run your businesses as possible, so please do ensure you’re subscribed to our enews service, keep checking the NGIV website and if you have specific questions don’t hesitate to call myself or the office.

A number of the most recent developments apply to Stage 4 only, and by the time this comes to print Worker Permits, Workplace Directions, record keeping obligations may no longer apply in their current format. I would however advise that every business develops and maintains their own COVID-Safe Plan to help protect your workers, customers and visitors.

On a more positive note it’s been wonderful to see the uptake of NGIV Member renewals, as an organisation we rely heavily on our members and it’s pleasing to see how many of you value the work we do for the industry and for your businesses. We do appreciate that this is a difficult time for many businesses financially and your support means a lot.

Having experienced the boom of gardening in the early stages of COVID-19, the challenge now is to maintain that within a period of restricted trade. I have no doubt that the appetite for plantlife and gardening remains strong; we all need to look to opportunities to ensure we can meet that demand.

I’ve also spoken to many in the industry that believe once we get through the latest restrictions, we can head towards Spring with a huge sense of optimism for what could be a very buoyant phase of trading.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help or advice, it’s never been more needed or more available. We are all in this together and we will get through it together.

Craig Taberner

CEO, NGIV

Making the most of a pre icious res rource.