Waikato Business News August/September 2020

10 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS August/September 2020
‘ Business takes
the hit for our team
of five million’
I write this just after the announcement by Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern today that Auckland’s level 3 restrictions
would remain at least until 11.59pm on Sunday, August
30, before being phased into level alert level 2 with the
rest of the country from Monday, August 31.
What galls business most is
that New Zealand has had six
months to get our act together
on border control, tracking, tracing and
testing. We have been told that we have
learnt a lot about how to stamp out outbreaks
and that lockdowns will not always
be necessary but still Auckland is
shut.
There is a credibility gap appearing
between what we are being told and what
is being delivered.
You have to feel for the hospitality
industry. The majority of their industry
is made up of small owner-operator businesses
that simply cannot sustain these
ongoing closures and restrictions. With
the industry already facing restrictions
to trading and reduced overseas visitor
numbers, they are currently looking at
between a further 10 to 12 per cent of all
hospitality businesses closing their doors
as a result. The enforced closure for another
full weekend, which are key trading
days for hospitality, is another blow.
The industry is estimating this will
translate into a loss of over 10,000 jobs if
the restrictions continue. A simple form
of assistance for the industry would be
to copy the UK subsidy to get people out
and dining for a month.
In the UK, diners are entitled to a 50
percent discount on food and non-alcoholic
drinks to eat or drink in, up
to a maximum of 10 pounds discount
per head every Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday between Aug 3 and Aug 31.
The offer is open to diners in participating
restaurants, cafés, bars, pubs, work
and school canteens and food halls. More
than 72,000 restaurants have registered.
We agree with Auckland Business
Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett
saying business was “carrying the
burden for the team of five million”
and that “each business must do whatever
it takes to survive”.
While businesspeople understand
the trade-offs required to protect public
health before the economy, it is business
that is taking the brunt of the current
elimination strategy.
By Don Good, Waikato Chamber
of Commerce executive director
The failure by the Government and
its bureaucracy to control our border in
order to keep the virus out has a direct
consequence in the ability of business to
keep people in jobs.
All banks are being more prudent
with their lending. They are taking longer
to approve loans, critically reviewing
your budgeted revenue estimates, going
through line by line of your expenses and
taking a good look at your spending conduct.
Again, it is understandable, but cash
is the lifeblood of business and again we
can see a cashflow gap appearing.
You must do whatever it takes to get
through this. Review your revenue, cut
costs, check your supply chains, and
make contact with all your customers
again. Make sure you keep talking to all
your staff. You may not have all the answers,
but they will appreciate your honesty
and may have a few good suggestions
on changes that help your business
survive.
There will be a personal toll on people’s
wellbeing and mental resilience,
not just jobs and business continuity, so
seek out good advice from your lawyer,
accountant, or other trusted mentors and
above all look after your own health.
Business Floor, Wintec House Cnr Nisbet and Anglesea Street, HAMILTON
07 839 5895 | help@waikatochamber.co.nz
www.waikatochamber.co.nz
$14m integrated
trades training
centre for South
Waikato
Tokoroa will have a brand new $14 million trades training centre
by 2022 catering for up to 500 students a year thanks to a
Government grant of $10.84 million announced in August.
The new trades training
centre is being
co-funded with $1 million
grants from each of Toi
Ohomai Institute of Technology,
Trust Waikato and the
South Waikato Investment
Fund Trust (SWIFT).
Security manufacturer
Gallagher will develop a
new European headquarters
in Warwick, England.
The 1,500 square metre
office, with on site café, will
allow Gallagher to host prospective
clients, hold events,
and support Channel Partners
and customers with
meeting, conference, and
training facilities.
The development also
includes a 670 sq m warehouse,
with land available for
future expansions.
“We’re very excited to
announce this new facility for
our UK and Europe operations,”
says Richard Huison,
regional manager for the UK
and Europe.
“We’ve experienced rapid
growth over recent years and
have fast outgrown our current
Nuneaton premises. This new
facility will enable us to showcase
our exceptional security
solutions while providing outstanding
support for our Channel
Partners and customers.”
Gallagher has invested in
the development of solutions
that comply with UK access
control, perimeter intrusion
detection, cybersecurity, and
high security standards. Their
UK-certified high security
solutions build on Gallagher’s
government-approved solutions
for the U.S., Australian,
and New Zealand markets.
Mark Junge, global general
SWIFT has facilitated and
driven the project, including
buying the one-hectare site
for the centre on Chambers St
near the northern entrance to
Tokoroa, doing the preliminary
design, engineering and
costings for the project and
New European
HQ for Gallagher
manager for security, says Gallagher
aims to be the security
solution of choice for countries
in the Five Eyes alliance. “With
discussions already underway
with several UK government
agencies, this new facility provides
the ideal base to support
our extensive growth plans
for the region.”
Gallagher’s European headquarters
will be located in
Tournament Fields business
park. Development is set to
begin in September, with the
team aiming to occupy the
building in mid-2021.
Gallagher has also been recognised
for innovation following
its Covid-19 response. Its
Proximity and Contact Tracing
Report won the Outstanding
New Product award at the New
Zealand Security Awards in
August. Developed in response
to the Covid-19 pandemic, the
Mark Junge
applying for the Government
funding.
The new trades training
centre will bring together three
separate existing Toi Ohomai
training sites in Tokoroa into
one purpose-built campus
catering for the key local secreport
gives Gallagher customers
critical information
to manage exposure and protect
the health and safety of
people on site.
Gallagher has made its
Proximity and Contact Tracing
utility available to customers
free of charge during
the pandemic.
“I’m very proud of our
team who worked hard to produce
this tool in an incredibly
tight timeframe, while working
in virtual environments,”
said Rachel Kelly, chief product
officer for Gallagher’s
security division.
The Proximity and Contact
Tracing Report, released in
May, enables organisations to
quickly identify areas where a
person with a contagious virus
has been on site. It also identifies
all other cardholders who
shared these areas.