WAIUKU BUSINESS & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

BENEFITS & OPPORTUNITIES FOR MEMBERS

2 Queen St Waiuku Ph/Fax (09) 235 6231 [email protected]

www.waiukutown.co.nz WAIUKU BUSINESS & DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

The Waiuku Business & Development Association (WB&DA) is a not-for-profit organisation that is part of the BID program along with 48 others in the area and has grown from the new Super city inte- gration.

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined area within which businesses are required to pay an additional tax (or levy) in order to fund projects within the district's boundaries. The BID is often funded primarily through the levy but can also draw on other public and private funding streams.

All businesses inside the designated BID area are automatically BID members and no fee is required to get the WB&DA membership benefits. We also have an associate membership available that businesses operating outside this area can take advantage of giving them the same benefits but for a small fee.

It is reported that we have as many as 300 businesses or home based businesses outside of the BID area. Many of these businesses are on the Awhitu Peninsular and website/online based.

The WB&DA has 8 elected members and one Local Board elected member giving 9 people a vote on the committee. The numbers on a committee can change from year to year but must be approved at the AGM which is usually held around September/October.

The Town Manager Sharlene Druyven and her assistant Vanessa Newman are both employed as contrac- tors and drive the association under the instruction of the committee.

The Town Manager’s prime objective is to advocate for local business, try to support and grow existing sectors and encourage new business into the area..

As Waiuku has a very unbalanced retail mix , has major competition with being so close and the challenges we have with public transport , we have found that we needed to focus on tourism and events to help promote our town and bring the economic benefits to the area.

To capitalise on tourism the WB&DA have self funded the re-opening of the Information Centre after closed it 4 years ago. It is now run by volunteers and supports over 500 visitors per month on average.

The WB&DA are very aware of the challenges local businesses face and are always reluctant to raise the levy to get more money for operations. The events and large ticket items are for the most funded through grants and Local Board allocations that Sharlene & Vanessa apply for.

The WB&DA have a Strategic plan that reflects and integrates all aspects of business and social for the township. This gives us a clear direction on where we are heading and what we wish to achieve over that period.

The WB&DA always welcome new members and feedback on ways to improve not only the retail mix but all aspects of growth and economic development in the township.

TOWN EVENTS... The Waiuku Steel ‘n’ Wheels Festival has been an annual community event since 2013, run by the WB&DA and held on the second Sunday in May. From hot-rods and racing cars to motorbikes and tractors, the festival show- cases a variety of exhibits and entertainment for all ages along with a huge craft and food market. This event, attracting more than 23,000 people in 2016, brings huge economic and tourism benefit to our town and neighbouring are- as. Visitors travel from all over the country to take in this iconic festival which has become a ”must-see” on the car calendar and is currently the second largest event in Franklin.

Waiuku’s Blast to the Past Fireworks display is another popular event run by WB&DA, held in October or November. This evening of family entertainment brings people from all over Franklin to see the fantastic display which offers something different every year. The 2015 event brought approximately 17,000 spectators into town and is the only display of this size currently in Franklin. This community event benefits our town not only because it provides a great evening of family entertainment, but it also supports our local fire brigade who have attended many callouts over the years that resulted in property damage and injury caused by the private misuse of fireworks. It also supports tourism and brings economic benefits to our town

Waiuku Anzac Parade

Members of the Waiuku Business & Development Association committee and the Local Board always represent at the Anzac Parade in Waiuku and have purchased special Anzac flags that fly to commemorate this occasion.

Town Centre tidy-up Bi-annually the WB&DA initiate a town centre tidy-up. This is a fantastic opportunity to really make our town centre spar- kle and make it a lot more aesthetically pleasing. With the help of Manukau Beautification, volunteers from Papakura Christian Fellowship and locals, we paint, sweep, repair and clean the CBD. Each clean we removed truck loads of green waste and rubbish. We have fortunately been able to book in another town cen- tre clean up in February next year. We really hope business owners and more of our community get involved in this great project so even more can be achieved to make our town a great place to live, work and play.

Waiuku Steel Christmas Parade The Christmas Parade has been a popular community event for over 43 years now and Waiuku still continues to hold the title as the largest Xmas Parade in Franklin. This year we have made the theme even easier for community groups and businesses to get involved and be represented. The 2016 parade theme is “What does Xmas mean to you” and we are very fortunate to have it partly sponsored again by NZ Steel.

Waiuku’s Movie in the Park Every year we advocate to host the Movies in the Park which is funded by the Local Board. We have been very lucky to have received this event for the last 2 years and are pushing to get it again in 2017. We find this is a very family friendly event and gives the opportunity for “not-for-profit” groups to fundraise for their chosen organisations. This event is always held early in the year on the Tamakae Reserve. ADVOCATING FOR LOCAL BUSINESS

The WB&DA spend a great deal of time advocating on behalf of our businesses and completing submissions on issues that directly affect them. Over the last 12 months we have completed submis- sions on the Franklin Local Board Plan, Signage Bylaw, Park- ing Discussion document, Food bylaw, Outdoor dining, Pub- lic Transport, Public Nuisance and alcohol.

We are also very fortunate to have 2 Local Board represent- atives, Brendon Crompton and Jill Naysmith who work tire- lessly to advocate on issues relating to our area. They are very approachable and pro-active and as Brendon is on the WB&DA committee, we receive up-to- date, relevant information pertaining to local issues at our monthly committee meetings.

WB&DA WEBSITE & Facebook

The WB&DA website www.waiukutown.co.nz is a continual work in progress keeping all the data up to date and in the right categories. Unfortunately many businesses don’t utilise this to its full potential and we hope that businesses can see the huge benefits that can be gained from utilising this website. We are however getting great traction from our Facebook page and are finding that the traffic through the page is currently exceeding the website. On Facebook search ‘Waiuku Business and Development’ and select the one with our WBDA logo.

‘Mix n Mingle’ evenings are held quarterly and these functions provide a great opportunity for networking, sharing information and making connections with other business members. Guest speakers feature from time to time. Ask us about hosting one of these functions at your business premises. The final ‘Mix n mingle’ for the year is always something special. In past years it has been at the Waiuku Christmas Display. The first one for the new year is held at Cocky’s Corner where the Lions cater a lovely meal for all the guests. A really nice informal evening to welcome all business owners back for the new year.

WAIUKU BROCHURES

One again we have advertised Waiuku in the Franklin Country and the Auckland South East brochures. We have found these are the 2 most widely circulated and best value for advertis- ing brochure options we have. We have also done a large preprint of our Waiuku brochure. These are situated at many shops and tourist attractions around the area and ATEED (Auckland Tour- ism, Events and Economic Development) have kindly agreed to have these at the 5 of their I-sites around Auckland and Waiheke Island at no charge. We were very disappointed to hear that ATEED are ceasing to continue holding any brochures at Auckland Domestic Airport as they believe they don’t need to sell Auckland to Aucklanders. We believe this is a short sighted point of view as many people flying into Auckland Domestic Terminal are not from Auckland and will have to travel into Auckland to get one on one information on what to do in the area.

INFORMATION CENTRE

The Information Centre is proving to be a huge asset for our town and with proper reporting of statistics and visitor numbers now implemented we see that for the first 6 months of this year the visitor centre has had over 2600 visitors seeking information. That figure doesn’t include telephone enquiries so that proves there is definitely a need for this service. A huge thank you must go out to the amazing bunch of volunteers we have, that week in, week out give up their precious time to keep our centre open. Without their support this centre could not operate. The centre also holds current information on rubbish and recycling services in and around the area. For more information please contact (09) 2356201 Benefits of being a Waiuku Business & Development Association member

 A free business listing on WB&DA website. This can be updated to keep the community up with your latest offers and news and help increase your chances of ‘hits’ to your website or enquiries from potential customers.  The opportunity to be promoted on WB&DA Facebook page where appropriate. This is a great way to help promote a special or event.  The ability to take part in regular promotions or events that WB&DA run to support our local businesses.  The opportunity to be offered special advertising space in local papers/publications in conjunction with WB&DA promotions.  Receive the ‘Friday Flash’, our fortnightly newsletter, to keep you up to date on news and events around Waiuku, opportunities and information we think you may be interested in.  Regular updates and clarification about Auckland council by-laws and the submission and feedback process. We help you to have your say on issues which affect you and your business.  Access to graffiti cleaning service for your building and premises.  Access to WB&DA Education and Training seminars as they are planned, such as Health & Safety updates and Social Media workshops.  Free business clinics with an Auckland Tourism Events & Economic Development (ATEED) consultant when offered.  Waiuku town Vouchers available for purchase from WB&DA as gifts/rewards which must be re- deemed at Waiuku businesses. This keeps more money in our town.  Access to the WB&DA office, five days a week, 9am to 3pm for information and support.  WB&DA information folder with useful contacts.

 Pride in knowing you are part of the Waiuku Town Centre Business Community

 Having your business information displayed at our Information Centre

2 Queen St Waiuku Ph/Fax 09) 235 6231 [email protected] www.waiukutown.co.nz