NZBUSINESS.CO.NZ 17
number of collaborative workspaces for
entrepreneurial start-ups.
As a result of new housing
developments, North Harbour has major
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par with Auckland’s other main motorway
arteries – despite the fact that some 60
percent of workers live locally and opt to
work locally.
Janine Brinsdon is GM of Business North
Harbour, one of 48 Business Improvement
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North Harbour represents more than 4,
commercial property owners, businesses
and specialist manufacturers – together
employing 35,000-plus residents and
ratepayers. Brinsdon believes the
primary frustration for businesses
is around access – not just physica
access (and the single harbour
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access to skills, talent, support
networks, collaborative
partners, R&D funding, as well
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In terms of accessing skills, she believes
local businesses could do much better at
promoting their scale; their employment
opportunities and employer brand to
attract the right people.
Her message for Auckland Council and
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reward the growth” – “bring forward that
infrastructure investment to support the
“higher than Auckland, higher than New
Zealand” growth north of the bridge.
Another Waitemata Harbour crossing
linking rail with the Northern Expressway
can’t come soon enough.
Until the infrastructure investment is
made, in order to maintain functionality
and productivity, Brinsdon encourages
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leverage off new technologies to allow
more transparency and allow people to
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trend for remote working.
“Think about what you’re doing and how
you can do that better. Think about your
processing, the visibility of projects across
your organisation.”
It’s true that young, talented
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environments. It’s also true that shared
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operate.
According to feedback from business
owners, one of their biggest concerns is the
high cost of running a business in Auckland- not helped through a perceived lack of
transparency and accountability in how local
government spends rates-generated funds.
An unfair proportion of rates paid by
businesses is spent in areas that have
no relevance to running a business. It’
a subject that gets business owners
pretty steamed up, Brinsdon says.
“Business owners want stability
and transparency across their
rates and increased fairness
hen it comes to allocation of Council
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rce.”
WESTERN
VIEWPOINT
Mike Gibson is president and co-
founder of the New Lynn-based Rosebank
Business Association, which represents more
than 500 businesses – from SMEs to large
multinationals.
Feedback from members reveal that
sourcing good staff is a major concern –
along with the new HR and H&S legislative
regimes which he says have created new
layers of real costs. “These will have trickle-
down effects on balance sheets and have not
yet been acknowledged.”
A shortage of quality warehousing is also
“pushing the boundaries of fairness” in some
lease agreements, he says.
In terms of required initiatives from local
Council, it’s a long wish-list from members.
It includes driving hard the realignment
between the strategic planning of AT options
and central Government.
“Tailor-made solutions designed for
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be developed rather than AT trying to
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approach,” Gibson says.
He would like to see more planning for
new business in West Auckland to supply
jobs for the expanding population. And
creative solutions in reconciling the cost
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demands?”
The overnight carriage of goods to andfrom Auckland to provincial New Zealand
is unrealistic too, he believes. Dismantle
the existing exodus of goods from B-Train
freight operators out of Auckland in and
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he suggests.
“Discourage overnight deliveries to
the provinces and the use of Auckland
manufacturing and production warehouses as
ight delivery storage, and incentivize
eries of goods/containers after hours,
uring non-peak hour time zones.”GROWING
PA I NS
There’s no doubt that Auckland’s
growing pains will continue to affect
businesses for many years to come.
Nick Hill, CEO of Auckland Council-
controlled economic growth agency ATEED
(Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic
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of business owners, and that Auckland’s
growth can be seen as a problem by some,
particularly when faced with issues that
impact on business.
“It’s important to recognise, though, that
this pressure comes from what’s a good
problem to have. Auckland’s growth presents
long term opportunities for businesses.
“While there are growing pains, Auckland
is well positioned to compete on the world
stage, and we have many things going
for us. In the World Bank’s 2017 Doing
Business report, New Zealand ranked as the
easiest place to do business in the world –
and Auckland is New Zealand’s economic
powerhouse.”
New Zealand’s and Auckland’s economic
growth has been faster than most developed
countries since 2010, Hill points out.
“Companies can tap into our highly
educated and experienced workforce.
Auckland has one of Australasia’s largest
recruitment bases of highly-skilled
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and mobile.
“All of these are sound reasons for
businesses to look forward with optimism
around Auckland’s future prospects.”
And there you have the key word- optimism. With
optimism, frustrations
can become increasingly
tolerable.
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fGLENN BAKER IS
EDITOR OF NZBUSINESS.