'Changing Face of Waipū' on breakfast menu for local businesses

Open invitation for people to keep up with business in Waipu.

A Waipū business is not letting the grass grow under its feet when it comes to local networking.

About three times a year real estate company goodGround hosts the Waipū Business Breakfast, inviting local business people, other interested locals and guest speakers to share their business and local insights.

It's an opportunity for self-promotion as well as a friendly way to find out about other local businesses. There is an open invitation for anyone, whether in business or not, to come along, said Belinda Hopkins from goodGround.

''You don't need to be a business owner to attend. You might be interested in community events, networking for personal reasons or just interested in what our speaker has to say.''

Guest speakers at the next breakfast, on Friday ,April 5, will be Ken Couper, discussing the "Changing Face of Waipū", and Shane Samtani from goodGround, on "Revealing Rating Valuations".

Couper is a longtime Waipū resident who is chairman of the Waipū Museum Board and also a dairy farmer who has subdivided part of his farm into lifestyle blocks. Shane Samtani is a licensed real estate salesman at goodGround Real Estate. His talk will shed some light on the recently released ratings valuations and what they mean for property owners.

The breakfast will fall on Gumboot Friday, a national initiative to spur positive attitudinal change about mental health. For many people, having depression is like walking through the mud every day, and Gumboot Friday is a symbolic gesture toward walking the hard slog in others' shoes.

A gold coin donation will get the gumboots through the door at the RAZZA, or Waipū Citizens and Services Club, at 7.30am.

People wanting to attend are asked to book a ticket in advance; at $20 each they cover the catering costs. Call the office, 09 432 1077, or email belinda@goodground.com.