Comment: Make 2022 the year of pure innovation

Te Tai Tokerau is full of talented people with innovative and unique ideas Photo / Tania Whyte

Our business community can turn to Northland Inc as the economic development agency for Te Tai Tokerau to receive support, information and resources. We work across agencies for our rohe, from Kaiwaka to Te Hiku.

The Business Innovation and Growth team provide specific and targeted advice across all industries and sectors for our business communities.

We all know Covid-19 has now undoubtedly touched everyone's lives one way or another.
We are all now learning to navigate the traffic light system in our daily interactions as both customers and business owners, and the opening of the domestic border is looming on our horizons.

We are all now learning to navigate the traffic light system and anticipating what the opening of the domestic border will bring Photo / Michael Cunningham

Times like these serve to highlight our uniquely Northland Taitokerau style where our people are adapting to yet more change and it hasn't been all smooth sailing.
I will confess, it's been a marathon sprint for the business community and the Northland Inc BIG Team have been with you all the way.

I want to awhi those businesses that have remained resilient and continue to embrace the opportunity to innovate with grace during change.

I also want to shout out to those that have shown manawanui or had to make the courageous decision to hibernate and use this summer to recover and reprioritise, and hopefully we can encourage you to get creative for 2022.

Since the first lockdown, the Northland Inc Business Innovation and Growth (BIG) Team have helped distribute over $3 million worth of support for small to medium-sized businesses in Tai Tokerau.

In this financial year we will continue to respond to our business community's needs with the Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network's Management Capability Development Fund. This fund is for ongoing coaching with your preferred Service Provider, from Managing Resources (HR), Finances, Marketing, Export, Manufacturing, Sustainability, Business Planning, or Capital Raising there is usually a training programme to suit your unique business needs.

With a focus on positively impacting our region's economy by helping businesses of all sizes, in addition to our core RBP activity Northland Inc rolled out the five-year Start-up Tai Tokerau plan, to help support entrepreneurs and pakihi to seed, nurture and grow their ideas into a sustainable business.

We aspire to strengthen this self-sustaining ecosystem where those with high-growth-potential business ideas are connected and supported by those with business experience and capital. The intention is to grow Northland's economy and employment through the development of a strong entrepreneurship ecosystem, something which we at Northland Inc are dedicated to facilitating.

Sophie Wiltshier is the Business Innovation Growth Team Leader for the Northland regional economic development agency Northland Inc.

There is no doubt in my mind that Te Tai Tokerau is full of talented people with innovative and unique ideas. By partnering with organisations who have similar goals, the likes of Creative HQ and Callaghan Innovation, we've been able to develop a range of free programmes to help nurture those great ideas into their next phase of growth.

The Pick Business Ideas Competition returns in 2022 and provides the opportunity for those with a new business idea to access expert support throughout a 10-week workshop programme.

The Pick is also open for existing businesses looking to pivot their offering or create a new product, which appeals to those businesses looking to adapt to our new environment.

The Business Growth Accelerator Programme sets up businesses who are ready to build for scale or preparing to raise capital through investment, with our latest cohort pitching their businesses to a panel of experts this week.

Like many of the businesses we interact with, we've also pivoted our offering to suit our environment, now providing our programme workshops both face to face around Tai Tokerau as well as online to ensure we're accessible to all.

I'm constantly reinvigorated by the talent coming through our business start-up programmes.

Reflective of our region's economic landscape, previous programmes have gained attendance from a wide range of sectors represented by both the participating businesses and the panels who offer guidance and feedback.

We've seen the digital sector well represented through previous cohorts, a clear and exciting sign of the booming tech community Northland. Climate change and sustainability are critical to our ongoing economic future for Aotearoa, and this is the chance for Tai Tokerau to lead from the very top of our motu.

It's thrilling to see waste minimisation, and climate change addressed with innovative and creative solutions continuing to come through from our energetic entrepreneurs.

To those of you who have the burning business idea keeping you up at night, you may have been pondering a pivot for your business or are ready to enter your next phase of growth – reach out.

If there's anything we should take away from the experiences of the past two years, it is that we work well together. The Northland Inc team is ready to continue sprinting with you on the next stage of your business journey. Maybe after a wee break at the beach for Christmas, see you out there.

The Business Innovation and Growth team at Northland Inc is available for confidential advice, resources, and information to support your business. Please connect with your Growth Adviser via growth@northlandnz.com.

Sophie Wiltshier is the Business Innovation Growth Team Leader for the Northland regional economic development agency Northland Inc.