Campus Chamber an integrated platform for Northland business

Campus Chamber an integrated platform for growing businesses in Northland

NorthTec and the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce Northland are offering tertiary students in the region, opportunities to gain unprecedented access to local business people, through their new Campus Chamber.

A cutting-edge concept, the long-term partners officially launched the Campus Chamber at a special function at the Old Library on Wednesday 4 April.

The formulation of the Campus Chamber by NorthTec and the NZ Chambers of Commerce Northland signifies a new bridge between Northland’s tertiary and business sectors. Not only will it help to encourage entrepreneurship, but it will also raise awareness amongst the business sector of the need to nurture and bring on new business talent that comes with its own benefits.

“The Campus Chamber has the potential to become a platform for growing new businesses and business personalities in Northland,” New Zealand Chambers of Commerce Northland Chief Executive Officer, Tony Collins, said.

He highlighted that the establishment of the Campus Chamber enables tertiary students to network, and develop links with those in the business sector in Northland that his regional Chamber and NorthTec have been working on together now for two years.

Mr Collins said that in the past the Chamber and other agencies have probably not fully explored the opportunities to generate business growth that such an initiative as this has the potential to provide.

He noted that given the limited resources and capacity of many agencies within Northland it was important that a collaborative approach was taken to business development and economic growth. The Chamber and the different agencies they work with need to integrate their resources better to bring about the best possible results such as with the Campus Chamber developed in partnership with NorthTec.

“Many organisations are doing great work to initiate change in our business environment yet much of this goes unnoticed. With the commitment the Chamber and NorthTec have shown to get a Campus Chamber off the ground, it demonstrates the effectiveness of being visible said Mr Collins that will make other people and organisations think about how they can work collaboratively to instigate positive change.

Marketing Manager, Paul Voigt, said that the Campus Chamber presents students with unprecedented opportunities early on in their studies to work closely with those a part of the local business sector.

Mr Voigt believed that as well as providing a most important link with those in the industry, the arrival of the Campus Chamber will also enable students to remain connected to developments in the sector that then gives them a competitive edge.

“The Campus Chamber is a positive leap forward for the region enabling our NorthTec students and others to enhance the relationships they are able to form with industry. This will only serve to benefit these students and the growth of Northland businesses.”

Mr Collins says any of Northland’s tertiary education students can apply to become members of the Campus Chamber that comes with many unique benefits.

These include, offering students a platform to network and engage with business identities, providing members with access to information normally only reserved for other Chamber members, a reduced annual Campus Chamber membership fee, and entitlement to attend existing Chamber events including four of its ‘Business After 5’ networking functions each year.

In addition, members of the new Campus Chamber will get to enjoy networking events at NorthTec’s Raumanga campus, with guest speakers from the local business community making regular presentations that will be relevant to the local business environment and what the students are studying.

“Economic development is about creating more enterprise. Putting tertiary students in a position to explore these business development ideas early on can only be good for them and the growth of the sector,” Mr Collins said.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Northland (Inc) is a non-political organisation which represents the full spectrum of business interests, both small and large throughout Northland. The Chamber works hard to make a difference to the outlook for business development while helping Northland to grow.

At the launch event at the Old Library, New Zealand Chambers of Commerce members would be available to start the networking experience with students.

New Zealand Chambers of Commerce CEO, Tony Collins will also explain more about the Campus Chamber and what it has the potential to create for Northland business.

He sees merit in the Campus Chamber concept being rolled out by other regional Chamber members.

ENDS

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