Your weekly COVID-19 business update from ENC

Dear

Our weekly newsletter is to connect and inform you about the latest announcements and updates from Government and other sources relevant to your business. I hope it is proving useful.

While Level 3 kicks in at 11.59 pm on Monday 27th April there is much to do in preparation for those of you who can open. The Chamber has provided a very good Alert Level 3 Checklist and Alert Level 3 Plan example to help with your preparation to return to work.

Please take advantage of how ENC can help get you through. Our business support team has worked one-on-one with over 150 businesses and issued NZTE vouchers to enable them to receive professional advice on HR and business continuity planning. Since launching our very own Professional Services Grant Scheme last week we have provided 30 businesses with access to accounting advice for cashflow forecasting.

Stay safe and stay united.

Kind regards,

Heather Warwick, CEO

How ENC Can Help Your Business

The ENC Professional Services Grant is supporting businesses for a limited time only. Available for small to medium businesses in Waimakariri, Hurunui and Kaikōura who have been negatively affected by COVID-19. Find out more or apply here >>

The Enterprise North Canterbury COVID-19 Business Response webpage is regularly updated with information and support resources. We have added a webinars and training page to list business-related webinars and online training from various agencies as well as a new Operating at Level 3 page for information and resources on transitioning to Alert Level 3.
During regular business hours, ENC's business-related COVID-19 email address office@enterprisenc.co.nz has a response time of 24 hours maximum. Email us if you would like to arrange a one-on-one assessment to discuss your business's immediate and short term needs, or to discuss access to available funding to support your business.
If your non-food business is trading/delivering during lockdown, please let us know so we can add you to our North Canterbury Business Directory. Food & Beverage businesses should fill in the North Canterbury Food & Beverage Directory form.
Looking for staff? We can help you by listing your vacancies for free on our website and sharing any urgent vacancies via our Facebook page and/or weekly newsletter. To list your job on our website fill in this form.

Latest Business Information & Updates

As you know, the Government this week announced the date at which New Zealand will move from Alert Level 4 to Alert Level 3. Their announcement and guidelines for Level 3 can be found on the COVID-19 website. Or view a table of all the New Zealand Alert Levels here.

Here is a quick run-down of the Government's 'Golden Rules for Business' under Level 3:
- If your business requires close physical contact, you can’t operate at this time (examples of this are hairdressers, door-to-door salespeople, massage). Tradespeople can do work at your home, however they need to ensure health and safety measures are met (including physical distancing).
- Your staff should continue to work from home if they can.
- Customers cannot come onto your premises - unless you are a supermarket, dairy, petrol station, pharmacy or permitted health service.
- Your business must be contactless. Your customers can pay online, over the phone or in a contactless way. Delivery or pick-up must be contactless also.
- Basic hygiene measures must be maintained at your business. Physical distancing, hand washing and regularly cleaning surfaces. Workers must stay home if they are sick.
- If you used PPE in your business before COVID-19, then keep using it in the same way. If you didn’t use PPE in your business before COVID-19, you don’t need it now. This is advice for retailers, manufacturers and the service industries. Different advice applies to essential healthcare workers, border agencies, courts and tribunal staff, first responders and corrections staff. Visit health.govt.nz for more advice .
- You must meet all other health and safety obligations. WorkSafe has put together a comprehensive guide for workplaces to follow for Alert Level 3.
Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce - The Chamber has produced some very informative resources for businesses as they prepare to transition to Alert Level 3. Here is their Level 3 Checklist for Returning to Work as well as an example of a Level 3 Plan to help you develop your own practices and processes for your specific business.
Worksafe New Zealand has released some helpful guidelines for businesses around transitioning from Alert Level 4 as well as information on how to develop a COVID-19 safety plan for your business.
The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has issued some important information around the safety requirements for businesses returning to operation at Level 3, as well as a sample of a COVID-19 Risk Assessment form for returning staff and contractors.
And business.govt.nz also has some great guidelines for workplace operations at all Alert Levels as well as some general Q&As, and Q&As for specific industries. Definitely worth a read.
Lane Neave Immigration is hosting a free webinar this Friday (April 24) from 11am-12.15pm entitled The New Normal - New Zealand Immigration Law During and After COVID-19. In this session, Lane Neave will aim to bring employers up to speed with the current state of play and the most up to date information in relation to who can and who can’t come in to New Zealand from offshore at the moment; what employers can do to vary the terms and conditions of employment of migrant workers; how to handle interim visa holders; what the automatic visa extension means for employers of migrant workers; INZ’s current visa processing capacity and short term expectations for lodging and processing visas; and immigration compliance issues. Places are limited, so register now >>

ACC has announced it will delay invoicing to provide some relief to New Zealand businesses over the coming months. Invoices for businesses will now be sent in October rather than July. Find out more here.

Infometrics recently sent out a very informative newsletter which included examining the industries hardest hit by COVID-19 in New Zealand and an article on the Primary Sector providing support for the economy during the downturn. Read the full newsletter here.
New Zealand’s four largest electricity distributors have come together to offer businesses payment deferrals during COVID-19. Find out more here.
Google has produced some tips to help small businesses adapt to operating and communicating online. Check out their tips here as well as some opportunities for free digital training.

Good News

With all the uncertainty and challenging times 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 - Grown.

This article from Rural Life profiles the meteoric rise of vegetable deliveries from Sefton business Grown since the lockdown began. Owner Cam Booker says deliveries have 'gone through the roof', from around 60 per week to 350 per week.
Read the full article from Rural Life 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

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.