ASB Teams Up With Russell McVeagh For “Borrow The Expert” Webinar To Help Kiwi Businesses Navigate Vaccination Issues

Thursday, 28 October 2021, 2:37 pm
Press Release: ASB Bank

ASB is partnering with law firm Russell McVeagh and a workplace health and safety expert to help Kiwi businesses navigate the complex issues surrounding COVID-19 including vaccination requirements for employees, contractors, customers and others who may need to enter their premises.

The 16th November addition to the bank’s Backing Business series of webinars will feature Russell McVeagh partner Emma Peterson, alongside Mike Cosman, partner in Cosman Parkes Ltd, to offer business owners general guidance about the issues they need to consider to keep their people and others safe in a constantly evolving COVID-19 environment.

ASB executive general manager for Business Banking Tim Deane says small business owners in particular are struggling with all the uncertainties of recent months and many don’t have easy access to the sort of expertise they might need to guide them through the maze of vaccination information and the many issues they need to consider.

“The free 90-minute virtual seminar is open to all Kiwi business owners and will provide an overview of how New Zealand’s health and safety framework links with the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act, employment law, privacy and human rights legislation and provide guidance about how to keep their workplaces and workers safe.”

“ASB has been continuing to back New Zealand businesses right through the pandemic and that means thinking about how we can help beyond traditional financial support. Borrow the Expert is a great example of how we can offer practical non-financial support by enabling free access to the sort of expertise business owners might not otherwise be able to access.”

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“Small business owners are mums and dads, families and entrepreneurs in our communities. For many their business isn’t just their job, it’s their vocation which is why, even in stable years, it can be hard to make business decisions objectively, and know where to turn, for help in making decisions. It’s clear, now more than ever, that business owners have some really important decisions to make.”

ASB has a strong track record of backing business through financial and non-financial support. For example, last year it helped boost 100 small businesses through its Borrow the All Blacks and Borrow Eden Park campaigns, and provided grants through a Backing Business partnership with TVNZ.

Earlier this month, when the RBNZ increased the Official Cash Rate by 0.25%, ASB committed to holding its Business Base Rate steady through to the end of 2021. “While the OCR increase puts pressure on our funding costs, we won’t be passing this cost through on our business base rate, which is used to price loans most used by our small business customers.

“We continue to back our business customers and encourage any business customers who are concerned about their situation to contact us to discuss the many ways we can support them.”

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