Wanaka Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber is a great way to build a network of contacts if you are a business owner in Wanaka, or surrounds. The Chamber members are dynamic, interesting and interested and are just plain fun to talk to. The Business After 6 meetings create an opportunity to meet people from all sorts of businesses and the Women’s coffee groups are informative, relaxed and always interesting. These events are a chance to learn, grow your potential network, contribute back, meet clients and build valuable relationships for your business

The Wanaka Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organisation and operates through a nine person Executive Committee.

The Chambers Mission Statement is:

‘To encourage business development and provide opportunities to help businesses reach their goals.’

What’s new, what’s next, what’s in store for 2013?

Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Predications for 2013 named the uptake of a super duper, four times the resolution, TV model called the 4K. Sounds cool…just when we’ve got the plasma mounted on the wall.

Most people have a tablet, iPad or smarty-pants phone. These seemed to be all the fuss for 2012. But we agree with the Deloitte’s ‘palm readers’ when they say, “The PC is not dead”. Why?...Because they are easier to use, no, swiping or diddling about with little buttons, figuring out how to prop them, squint to read them or just keep them alive (Side story - smartphones are especially prone to being dropped down the toilet – 39% of people use their phone on the toilet and the most common reason for losing a contact list is the ole loo drop, end of side-story). With a trusty PC you are less likely to spill a cup-o-tea on them or get a smeary screen or drop them in the toilet.
www.phychics.co.uk see Victoria Beckham designing something with an oriental look in 2013. Simon Cowell will become more spiritual and Google servers will be attacked by terrorists, not aliens. These same phychics predicted that Kate Middleton would announce her pregnancy in May 2013 (ooops) and that the Duke of Edinburgh would pass away, ouch!

Food trends in 2013 are listed as: beer, donuts, game meats, no meats, popcorn, smoked or pickled, bread and hilariously….smaller portions! Hair for 2013 will be clever braids and low buns, bye-bye sharp heavy fringe!

So if you need a new TV, haircut or meal ideas for 2013 here are some ideas, just remember to back up your contacts list and start to look in your wardrobe for something with an oriental feel and you will be all set for 2013!

Festival of Colour 16-21 April 2013

The Southern Lakes Festival of Colour is an exciting biennial celebration of the arts. Six exciting days and nights of astounding performances and inspiring exhibitions set against the spectacular autumnal backdrop of the Southern Lakes.

The Festival is based in Wanaka but reaches out to the wider region – to Queenstown, Luggate, Hawea and Cromwell.

The next festival will take place 16 – 21 April 2013 and will feature top theatre, music, dance and visual arts from local, national and international performers. As well as an extensive schools programme and a free family street theatre day.

The programme launches on 14 February in Wanaka and 15 February in Queenstown and public ticket sales start Monday 25 February at 8am. Make sure you book early as shows do sell out. Sign up for our e-newsletter to be kept up to date and make sure you book time off for the 2013 Festival of Colour – it will be a knock out!

Challenge, super for Wanaka!

A flood is again heading towards Lake Wanaka - not a surplus of water, but a deluge of triathletes arriving for Saturday's Challenge Wanaka endurance race.

Fifteen hundred competitors with, on average, five supporters each, are flowing into the town

for one of the biggest annual sporting events in Otago.

Challenge Wanaka organiser Victoria Murray-Orr estimates the event is worth $6 million to the region in direct spending. And she says the event also has a valuable indirect benefit.

''This year, we have magazines flying in from the United States, from Europe and Australia to cover the event.

''One of those magazines is doing a feature on dream destinations.

''Lake Wanaka Tourism couldn't afford to take out a six-page advertising spread in that magazine but we get the editorial,'' she said.

Wanaka Chamber of Commerce chairman Alistair King agreed the event put Wanaka on the map as a ''premium multisport destination''.

Putting on such a large event came with challenges, but it contributed positively to the local economy, he said.

''We hope the businesses of Wanaka make the most of the competitors and visitors in town to make a positive impact of their profitability.''

Kai Whakapai Cafe co-owner Roger North expects to be ''mega busy'' on race day.

He said with the exception of New Year's Day, when heavy rain meant coffees were in hot demand, Challenge Wanaka was the biggest day of the year for the business.

''It's huge for food and coffee and has no effect on alcohol. They're all a fit bunch of people,'' Mr North said of his typical clientele.

''What used to be the two busiest weeks of summer ... it effectively extends it for a three-week period ... it's a very big deal for the town financially.''

Extra staff will be rostered at the cafe to cope with the influx on Saturday. Mr North, on the other hand, will be competing in a team in the event, and his wife Shonagh will do the entire race as an individual for the fourth time.

Ms Murray-Orr said the race's benefits included improvements being made to the town's infrastructure and upskilling of volunteers in things like first aid and traffic control.

By Lucy Ibbotson on Tue, 15 Jan 2013 ODT

Tax Reminders!!!

Timely reminders

§    Provisional tax payment due Jan 15 for March, July or November balance dates, or Jan 28 if you have a December balance date

§    Your GST return and payment may also be due Jan 15

§    Interim student loan payments due Jan 15

§    Quarterly FBT return and payment due Jan 28

Changes to student loans and allowances

The following changes will come into effect on 1 January 2013:

§    Student Allowances will no longer be available for postgraduate study commencing from 1 Jan (except for Bachelor degrees with honours)

§    All exemptions to the 200-week limit for Student Allowance will be removed from 1 Jan 2013 (except for special circumstances)

§    Borrowers making significant under-deductions will be forced to make a compulsory extra student loan deduction - IRD will arrange directly with their employer to recover the outstanding amount

§    Those 55 and over will no longer be eligible to borrow living or course-related costs (with exceptions, depending on when you were enrolled)

Challenge Volunteers Needed!!

Being a volunteer is both rewarding and motivating

The task of taking on a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run is daunting in itself, but doing it without the supporters on the sidelines and the teams of ‘volunteers’ who are there directing traffic, assisting in transition, handing out food at aid stations and supporting athletes in recovery would be a much tougher task.

Being a volunteer is both rewarding and motivating. You can…

• Make a contribution to sport
• Be part of an event
• Gain useful experience and job satisfaction
• Meet new people

At our sister event, Challenge Roth in Germany, the volunteers get so much satisfaction out of the experience that some have worked on the event for over 10 years!

Challenge Wanaka is a non-profit organisation run by a volunteer board of trustees. The Challenge Wanaka Sports Trust’s purpose is to encourage an active and healthy lifestyle, play an instrumental part in growing the sport of triathlon in New Zealand and to deliver an event to the benefit of the local community, both socially and economically. None of this would be achievable without the mammoth effort from all our 700 volunteers. As well as needing support on race day, the Challenge Wanaka team also need the assistance of dedicated individuals to help in the lead up and post event. Some of these tasks include:

• Making up of registration packs
• Helping at registration
• Infrastructure build-up and breakdown
• Venue set up and breakdown
• Setting up of aid stations
• Clear-up and rubbish collection

As a volunteer you will be asked to perform a duty (or duties) as part of a team. This may be one shift, or split with a break in between but don’t worry, we will provide you with food and drink. Briefing times will be confirmed as volunteers are allocated to roles accordingly.

At the end of the event, we hold a big thank you party for all our volunteers to celebrate your achievements and what you have helped deliver for our community. The pro athletes come as well to tell you their stories of race day and how you helped them on their journey. Plus there are great spot prizes to win including two awesome mountain bikes from World Travellers Wanaka and it’s lots of fun!

Sign up here!

Oooops, DOC sign Joker!

The sign in a Department of Conservation hut says: "Warning! Children conceived in this hut are the property of the Minister of Conservation."

But the department says it really doesn't want your babies and will not try to claim ownership of the child.

The assurance comes after a number of joke signs have appeared at department huts in national parks this summer.

Another, that could cause consternation to those taking more than a short walk in the bush says: "Please do not defecate in our National Parks".

Department spokesman Herb Christophers said the signs, which have been made to look like official notices, were obviously a "light-hearted joke" but were also "a slight annoyance".

"We obviously have a number of things we have to deal with, but really, they are silly and we do have to take the signs down because they aren't official," he said.

"We take them down as we come across them, but we do have more important things to be doing."

The conception sign was spotted by Dunedin lawyer Antony Hamel who was tramping near the Bullendale Hut in Mount Aurum Recreation Reserve in Queenstown.

"As a lawyer I'm really interested in the ownership of humans and of course the obvious use of the logo, but mostly the sign was pretty hilarious," Hamel said.

Posted on Stuff 10.1.13

‘High’ cost employee dismissal

A recent employment case shows the need for perfect process - even if your employee breaks the law.  Mr O was employed as a full-time builder by Consortium Construction Ltd for 4 years until he was dismissed without notice for using drugs in the workplace.  He denied the accusation and complained that there was no investigation.
What happened: Mr O and his colleagues were working at a demolition site high up on scaffolding when cannabis was smelt and identified as coming from Mr O.  He was told to put it out and did so.  A manager was later informed of the event, and that Mr O had grinned when confronted, admitting it was something left over from the night before.  The manager told Mr O that his employment would immediately end due to his behaviour.
The Employment Relations Authority noted that, as part of the duty of good faith, an employer proposing to end an employee’s employment must give that employee access to relevant information and the opportunity to comment on that information before making the decision.  In this case, Mr O had no chance to mitigate his conduct as accidental or make reference to his employment history.
Despite Mr O having smoked marijuana - potentially putting himself and his co-workers at risk - his former employers were ordered to pay compensation for lost income and distress as well as a penalty for an illegal deduction on the final pay - totalling over $12,000.
Moral of the story: seek advice immediately from an employment specialist and make sure proper process is followed and documented.  Even when it seems a complete no-brainer.