Your Weekly COVID-19 Update from ENC

Dear

We hope you are all coping during this strange and unfamiliar time. I would like to reassure you that the ENC team is on deck, working from home. As North Canterbury’s economic development agency, we are focused on helping the region's enterprises manage the impacts and implications of this lockdown period and beyond. This is the first of our weekly COVID-19 newsletters where we will bring you the most up to date information pertaining to local businesses and remind you of the services and support we can provide as well as that from other agencies.

Kind regards,

Heather Warwick, CEO

How ENC Can Help Your Business

Our team offers one-on-one assessments to understand your business’s immediate and short term impact. To arrange an assessment with our team email office@enterprisenc.co.nz.

We can help you arrange a funding contribution to access professional advice and support from approved advisors through the RBP Advisory Fund. To find out more or make an appointment with our team to access this funding, email office@enterprisenc.co.nz.
We can help clarify or provide further information on anything that the Government has announced for businesses, including the wage subsidy scheme and essential businesses. Please read the Government information first and if you need further assistance email office@enterprisenc.co.nz with your questions.

Latest Business Information & Updates

COVID-19 Wage Subsidy update. Employers who applied over 10 clear working days ago and have not yet received a response can now email the local Rapid Response Team at the Ministry of Social Development Canterbury. The Rapid Response Team can immediately escalate your enquiry. Email RRT_Canty@msd.govt.nz. Due to the overloading of the Employer 0800 number, please do not phone this line currently.
The Chamber is holding another COVID-19 Critical Update event on April 2nd. This time the event will focus on adjusting to the 'new normal' and how to manage your business during these times of unprecedented change. Find out more, register and send in your questions for the panel here. We encourage all business owners to sign up for this free online event.

Go with Tourism is working to assist displaced employees and tourism businesses that are unable to operate in this environment. If you or your business falls into this category we strongly encourage you to get in touch with the Go with Tourism team through their website.

Businesses and social enterprises seeking business mentoring support can now do so for free. During the Covid-19 crisis, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise and MBIE are covering the registration fees for this service. Visit their website, click the register button and enter the payment code COVID to bypass the payment system.
The report released this week from ChristchurchNZ is a very good read, outlining the essential services economy in Canterbury, including Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikoura. Read it here >>
The Security Association of New Zealand is urgently looking for candidates to fill security roles. They are looking for full time, part-time and casual roles, candidates who may already have security experience or those who are new to the industry. For more information or to apply visit security.org.nz/jobs/.
Foodstuffs South Island Ltd is looking to fill a variety of casual and fixed term roles across the South Island to help them get through the coming weeks and months. For more information or to apply visit the Foodstuffs recruitment website.
The Employers & Manufacturers Association has produced a handy list of frequently asked questions and their answers for businesses affected by COVID-19. View the list here >>

ENC Business Service Partner IT Simply has created a helpful video on how to use Microsoft Teams - a handy resource when working remotely. Head to their website to view the video.

News from ENC

ENC is delighted to welcome a new staff member this week: Alissa Miller has been appointed as the new ENC Food & Beverage Business Development Manager and will initially be assisting our Business Support Team helping food and beverage businesses. Having worked within the North Canterbury Food and Beverage sector, both as a winemaker and marketer, Alissa is extremely aware of the opportunities and challenges facing the sector. Alissa will be working directly with businesses in the Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikoura districts to better connect our North Canterbury food and beverage producers to collaborative opportunities that will increase sales, awareness and value regionally, nationally and internationally. If you are a food and beverage business requiring support or advice during the COVID-19 situation please email Alissa.

The 2020 North Canterbury Business Awards have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation. We are very disappointed, however the ENC team remains focused on the current situation and our priority is retaining and supporting existing businesses in our region.
The Kaiapoi i-SITE Visitor Information Centre is closed, however Gwen is still working online and can be contacted by email for any travel enquiries, cancellations or deferments.
The ENC Business Centre is closed. Therefore there will be no events, training or meetings held onsite until further notice.

Good News

With all the uncertainty and bad news circling around, we're including a good news story each week to help keep the spirits up and to share stories of local businesses doing great things. If you have a good news story about your North Canterbury business, please get in touch with amelia@enterprisenc.co.nz to discuss ways we can get your story out to the public. This week - The Learning Staircase:

Local Business Connects Students to Literacy Program

North Canterbury educational resource provider The Learning Staircase has approached the Ministry of Education for assistance in providing a free login to its literacy development program to every school student in New Zealand during the COVID-19 lockdown. "We work very closely with schools and are aware of the struggles schools are going through at this time,” says owner Ros Lugg.

Read the full story here >>

Contact ENC

As always, Enterprise North Canterbury is here to support and provide advice to businesses in North Canterbury. Our Business Support team is working tirelessly to respond to all enquiries from local businesses, helping people to access the information and support that they need at this difficult time.

To contact ENC please email office@enterprisenc.co.nz. Your email will be directed to the appropriate person to deal with your specific enquiry.
Visit our COVID-19 page for regularly updated information from multiple sources.
Follow us on Facebook for regular updates as they come to hand.
Please share this newsletter with others you think would benefit from the information, and send them to our mailing list page if they wish to receive our newsletters directly.

We would like to take the time to thank our generous sponsors. Like you, these sponsors are businesses facing uncertain times. Their support to date means that ENC can continue to support and provide assistance to North Canterbury businesses like yours.