Businesses question ‘open for business’ approach
Ka¯ piti businesses are questioning the Ka¯ piti Coast District Council on its goal of being known for an ‘open for business’ approach after a survey has revealed many don’t believe it is.
In its economic development strategy the council identified the need to be ‘open for business’ with a specific focus on engaging fully with businesses ensuring there are no unnecessary impediments to growth, easy to navigate through regulatory processes, and a customer-focused culture embedded across the council.
However, 48 per cent of businesses surveyed by the Ka¯ piti Coast Chamber of Commerce don’t believe the council is open.
More than 30 per cent said they didn’t know.
Ka¯ piti Coast Chamber of Commerce chairwoman Heather Hutchings said the survey results are important and quantify the struggles some businesses have reported to the chamber.
“Increasingly we’re hearing that there is a lack of willingness to engage, there is a lack of transparency in the way council staff interact with businesses, staff lack the necessary knowledge and look for big blocks, poor customer service, no commercial acumen and answers are more negative than positive.
“It is clear that it’s daunting for businesses to interact with the council and it doesn’t create a friendly place to establish a business.”
The survey has found most businesses interact with the council between one to three times a year and the average rate of their experience is three out of five.
“These results echo feedback we hear most often — slow response times, poor customer service, inflexible staff.
“The chamber is concerned about this, particularly given the region has unprecedented opportunities for growth.
“We need the Ka¯ piti Coast District Council to be true champions of growth and not a growth handbrake if we’re to succeed.
“Since the introduction of the new long-term plan and the new commercial rates, the disconnect between council and businesses has become more apparent.
“Beyond normal consultation processes around the plan and the actual rates bill, there was no additional communication to businesses about the changes, what they mean and what they are liable for in the future.
“Many consider being ‘open for business’ is just a slogan, a concept that hasn’t been translated into reality.
“This is despite repeated assurances Ka¯ piti has a business-friendly council that’s ready for growth.
“Just last week mayor K Gurunathan spoke openly about the council being ‘open for business’ at a function for the Electra Business Awards.
“We need the council’s actions to match its narrative if our economy is to really grow and accelerate.”
Council Responds: Council is keen to hear more from the Ka¯ piti Coast Chamber of Commerce on their recent survey, which questioned local businesses about what we’re like to work with.
“We work with Ka¯ piti businesses every day, so having a conversation with the chamber to understand more about what they are wanting from the council is important to us,” said chief executive Wayne Maxwell.
“Supporting local businesses and helping them to thrive is a big priority for us and a cornerstone of our economic growth strategy yet we recognise we don’t always get it right.
“Once we’ve had a chance to delve deeper into the survey’s findings we’ll look at what steps we can take to serve Ka¯ piti businesses better — whether it’s being more efficient or explaining why we make the decisions we do.”
Mr Maxwell said the council has budgeted to spend $2.8 million on economic development activities for this financial year.
Of this, around $1 million will be injected into core economic activities such as destination marketing and supporting start-up businesses.
“Over the last few years we’ve seen the number of businesses in Ka¯ piti grow steadily ahead of the national average so now’s a great time for us to look at how we can work more closely with local businesses and keep the momentum going.”