Now is the right time to live and work in Whanganui - Discover ...
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Now is the right time to live and work in Whanganui.
Welcome to Whanganui
Whether you want to paddle upriver, ski down Mt Ruapehu or take in the latest exhibition at the Sarjeant
Gallery (te Whare o Rehua), Whanganui offers something for everyone. And thanks to our low cost of living, free-
flowing roads and sunny climate, we have the time and resources to enjoy everything our region has to offer.
We especially love enjoying Whanganui together. We keep each other busy with sports leagues, market days, art
classes and an above average rate of volunteering. From neighbours passing feijoas over the fence to business
collaborations hitting global markets, relationships power our district.
So what happens when a region that has all you need (and then some) meets an active and engaged
community? Ideas thrive. Our big ideas cross the world and our specialised creations find their adoring
audience. We dream wildly, we make it happen and we still have time left over to go fishing.
2
Why Move
Your Business
to Whanganui?
LOWER OPERATING COSTS
Whanganui’s competitive property prices mean more money to invest in growing your business.
EASE OF DOING BUSINESS
From short commutes to our welcoming business networks, we keep things
moving in Whanganui.
SMOOTH SET-UP
Whanganui & Partners will help you navigate consents and compliance.
BUSINESS SUPPORT
Pop into the Innovation Quarter for free business advice, support and
networking opportunities.
WORK AMONG OTHER HIGH-PERFORMING BUSINESSES
The calibre of businesses in Whanganui is outstanding, from award-winning artists to
world-wide exporters.
ACCESS TO TRAINED AND EDUCATED WORKFORCE
Our people are our greatest asset.
3
FOR BUSINESS
We’re Here to Help
Whanganui & Partners is Whanganui’s economic
development agency. Our job is to imagine the brightest
possible future for our district and lend a hand to anyone
who wants to help make it a reality.
We do this in the most Whanganui way possible:
with innovative energy, an emphasis on collaboration
and free-flowing movement.
Our Areas
We focus our energy on three areas: education,
destination marketing and business development.
• Business Development We provide information and
advice needed for businesses to make strategic decisions.
We also help businesses navigate compliance issues.
Education Through facilitating relationships between
education providers and employers, we ensure that our
population is work-ready and our businesses can access
the skills they need.
• Destination Marketing In addition to increasing revenue
and jobs brought in by our tourism industry, promoting
Whanganui as a destination raises the town’s profile and
has flow-on effects to other areas of our economy.
The Innovation Quarter
Whanganui & Partners, Te Mana Atatū and the Chamber of Commerce are all housed together
at the Innovation Quarter, known around town as the IQ.
The best part of the IQ? We’re open to the public. Just walk on in, tell us what you need and
we’ll set you up in a meeting with the right person. Whether it’s early-stage market research or INNOVATION
navigating compliance issues, we have an expert in the building who can help get your idea to QUARTER
the next stage.
4
How We Work with
Businesses
Open for Business
When you get in touch with Whanganui & Partners,
you’ll be welcomed by our Business Friendly
Facilitator. They work closely with Whanganui
District Council to make launching or expanding your
business easy. We’ll:
• Facilitate meetings for consents and compliance
• Give up-to-date economic data and expert advice
• Connect you with relevant businesses in town
• Act as a single point of contact for all your
business needs
The service is available to all businesses, big and
small, and is free of charge. We want working in Sammy and Sharon Singh considered opening a Bin
Whanganui to be the best it can be for everyone and Inn outlet in Wellington, but after running the numbers
we do what we can to make it that way. they discovered that renting a shop in the city would
cost more than retail rent and housing combined in a
smaller town. While they could potentially see more
Our Partnerships sales volume in a bigger city, the overhead would mean
working more and taking home less.
Through our founding partnerships, we have access to
Whanganui, with affordable property and a population
the expertise and resources of some great organisations.
large enough to sustain a specialty grocery store, was
an ideal alternative. They had some initial trouble with
building compliance, but Whanganui & Partners was
able to facilitate communication between the Council
and the Singhs, clarify the legal requirements and
quickly find a solution.
As opening day approached, we also helped the Singhs
make connections that would be useful in promoting
the new business. Christina Emery, Sales Manager at
MediaWorks, advised on advertising and a relationship
with Mainstreet Whanganui helped the Bin Inn get
involved with the CBD retail community. Sammy sums
up the business friendly experience succinctly:
“It was more action, less talk.”
5
Where Does
Your Business Fit?
From pet food production to yoga
instruction, almost every business can
find its niche in Whanganui.
For the most recent research about
relevant market sectors, get in touch
and we’ll set you up with our latest
economic data.
Industry
Every day, New Zealand’s cats and dogs eat breakfast
made at Mars Petcare in Whanganui. Firefighters in
Australia depend on safety gear from Whanganui’s
Pacific Helmets.
Boats made at Whanganui’s Q-West shuttle commuters
between Auckland and Waiheke Island. Locally-made
Open Country milk powder is bought at supermarkets
in China.
A global focus and a close industrial community mean
that ideas born in Whanganui quickly find their way
around the world.
Professional Services
Jobs in professional services draw workers to big cities,
but we think Whanganui is the perfect place for a
talented professional with big ambitions.
Lawyers, accountants, web developers, architects and
therapists develop their careers here, many of whom are
attracted to the lifestyle on offer after years of working
in bigger cities or overseas.
Thanks to the ease of making connections and low start-
up costs, young professionals find success comes faster
than they ever dreamed.
“There’s no doubt that any
business with the right skills
and innovative approach can
succeed here and stay here.”
David Bennett, Pacific Helmets
6
Commercial Creatives
Whanganui loves to shop and we maintain a healthy Whanganui has been a destination for working artists
mix of commercial outlets in town. We have major since 1987, when the Wanganui School of Design (now
supermarkets, banks, big box stores and clothing part of UCOL) first opened. Students, instructors and
chains that are familiar around New Zealand, as well as alumni formed the foundation of a thriving visual arts
boutique shops, market stalls, galleries and eateries you community that continues to attract creatives, including
won’t find anywhere else. No matter what your specialty writers, musicians and actors. The low cost of living and
is, you’re bound to find fans here. supportive community means it’s easy to make a life
doing what you love in Whanganui.
Agriculture
Fertile river valleys, coastal flats and a temperate “Because so many very
climate makes the Whanganui district ideal for growing
everything from flowers to avocados. We’re home to talented artists live here,
around 600 farms and rural enterprises, including one
of New Zealand’s largest sheep and beef units, Atihau-
there is excellent opportunity
Whanganui Incorporated, and a berry farm beloved by
generations of Whanganui residents, Windermere Farms.
not only for collaboration but
for learning from each other.”
Fleur Wickes, artist
7
3
4
Property 3
Our famously affordable houses aren’t the only property bargains in town. Whanganui has
a wide range of commercial, industrial and office real estate available at much lower prices
than you’ll find around the country. Lower monthly costs mean more freedom for you and
4
your business.
Office
Take full advantage of being in the heart
of Whanganui. Our compact CBD makes
Industrial it easy to get to meetings and develop
relationships over a coffee.
Industry is concentrated along
Heads Rd and the Westbourne
Industrial Park. Both Commercial
developments are convenient
Shops, galleries and eateries look fantastic
to highways and rail for easy
tucked into the Victorian and Edwardian
freighting.
facades that line Victoria Avenue.
The area northwest of the CBD also offers
space for larger stores, where major
supermarkets and national franchises have
found comfortable retail spaces.
Start Ups If you need a physical premises for your
business, get in touch with Whanganui &
There are several co-working spaces in Whanganui Partners. We can refer you to local real estate
where you can get all the buzz of an office without agents specialising in your type of property.
the commitment of a lease. With Ultra Fast
Broadband available across town, working from
home is a good cost-saving option while your
business gets on its feet. Have a location already? We’ll figure out what you
need to get your consents, arrange the necessary
meetings and get you established as soon as possible.
8
Transport
Thanks to our central location and developed infrastructure, we’re well connected to most
places around New Zealand. This means we have access to the business opportunities of a
big city alongside all the benefits of a small-town lifestyle.
9 18 Travel Times
Minutes drive Flights to People move just as easily as freight. Auckland is an
time from CBD Auckland hour away by plane and a number of cities, including
to airport per week Wellington, can be reached by car in just a few hours.
26-27 SH
3&4 Auckland - 1hr flight
Tonnes of freight State Highways Wellington - 2.5 hrs
leaving Whanganui that run through Taupō - 3 hrs
AUCKLAND
by rail each day town Napier - 3.5 hrs
during peak season Palmerston North - 45mins
New Plymouth - 2 hrs
Rail TAUPŌ
NEW PLYMOUTH
Through an inland port at Gilberd St, local exporters and NAPIER
importers have rail access to CentrePort, New Zealand’s
biggest seaport, and Port Taranaki, the only deep-water WHANGANUI PALMERSTON NORTH
port on New Zealand’s west coast.
WELLINGTON
Road
Whanganui is connected by main highways to every
major city on the North Island. Road freight is the best
way to get big shipments to Auckland Airport.
Air
The Whanganui airport is connected to Auckland via
daily flights with Air Chathams. We’re also under an If distribution channels factor into your
hour’s drive from the airport in Palmerston North, which business plans, let us know. We’ll connect you
connects to destinations around New Zealand. with businesses that use similar supply chains or
recommend other available options to help you
get things where they need to be.
9
Talent
Whanganui people can do just about anything. Training programmes
turn out qualified workers in areas as diverse as carpentry, fashion
design and piloting planes, and the attractive lifestyle keeps our talent
here. Low staff turnover means greater stability and less expense for
your business.
Attracting skilled workers is no problem either. We see new talent move in all the time,
as more Kiwis realise that a fulfilling career doesn’t have to mean long commutes and an
overcrowded housing market.
44.4% WHANGANUI
44.4% of Whanganui’s workforce has a tertiary qualification
37.7% NEW ZEALAND
37.7% of New Zealand’s workforce has a tertiary qualification
“It’s all about face-time.
Customers like to meet
with the people doing
the work, whether that is
our account managers,
designers or engineers...
Our competitors in bigger
cities are often changing
staff and that is frustrating 10 TERTIARY PROVIDERS IN WHANGANUI
for their customers.” Whanganui’s ten tertiary providers qualify students for a
wide range of careers, including:
Michael Eden, GDM Group • Commercial pilots
• Fashion designers
• Veterinary nurses
• Tech & Trade
10100% SWEET
One of our education initiatives is
a partnership with 100% SWEET,
an organisation that engages with students, education
providers and employers to steer school leavers towards
positive career outcomes.
“I have a database of businesses that forward me
employment opportunities, which I work on matching
with the right school leaver,” says Jason Shailer,
100% SWEET’s Manager.
“I meet regularly with
businesses to work on
adapting their approach
with regard to recruiting,
succession planning and
around their engagement
and promotion of what
they do.”
Staffing issues? We’ll help you out with referrals
Employers who work with 100% SWEET are seeing great to work brokers, relevant work programmes and
results, which benefits business and local youth alike. our friends at 100% SWEET.
We also have advice on how to advertise to workers in
Whanganui and can connect you to similar businesses
who are happy to share their recruitment tips.
11Entrepreneurship “The climate in Whanganui
Even our biggest companies started off
is perfect for starting
small. We think there’s no better place in a business. There are
New Zealand to launch and grow a new wonderful groups, workshops
business. Low start-up costs, a supportive
community and unlimited growth and resources available and
potential make Whanganui the perfect people are keen to help
place for entrepreneurs. and give amazing advice.
Watching several new
Get Involved businesses start, grow locally
To support and grow connections, Whanganui is and thrive is exciting, and
home to business groups that organise
networking events, speakers and training shows it can happen.”
sessions every month.
Lisa Lightband, Training Shed Productions
• Whanganui Chamber of Commerce
• Thrive Whanganui
• Collective Whanganui
• Te Mana Atatū
• Whanganui Women in Business Entrepreneurs should swing by the Innovation
Quarter for a talk with our business
• BNI Whanganui development experts. We can discuss the
• Whanganui & Partners market for your idea, promotional strategies and
connect you with people who will help get your
business off the ground.
1213
FOR A LIFESTYLE
Life is nice here in Whanganui...
Housing Weather
Average housing value 2018 $238,248
On average, we have 2055 sunshine hours per
annum (sunnier than Auckland and way sunnier
than Palmerston North) and only 917mm of yearly
Great Family Home Seaviews
rainfall, which makes us the second driest town
$300K $150K
in the North Island.
Disposable Income
Education
Lower median house values means
smaller mortgages and smaller repayments.
A lot of young families are moving to Whanganui, in
part because of our great schools. Options include
special character schools, single-sex, co-educational
and kura kaupapa.
With extra disposable income you can enjoy more of what
We’re also home to ten tertiary providers, including
Whanganui has to offer (like snowboarding
a polytechnic, plus arts training institutions like the
Mt Ruapehu, boutique shopping, gallery hopping, biking the
prestigious New Zealand Opera School.
riverside trails, hunting and fishing, horseback riding, hiking,
glassblowing or a round of golf) with your friends and family.
Getting Around Shopping
Daily 1 hour flights
to Auckland &
drive to Wellington You can buy anything in Whanganui. All the major
in 2.5 hours. supermarket chains have locations here.
All the major banks are also here.
Big retail franchises like Farmers, Briscoes, Rebel
Sport and The Warehouse have outlets n Whanganui.
Walk to work: 10-20mins Our small business scene is thriving, with loads of
Bike to work: 5-10mins independent grocers, shops, galleries and eateries.
You’ll save on travel every day,
giving you more time to live your life.
14Ready to Start?
Doing business here reflects the best of our
town: close partnerships, simplified processes
and boundless potential for growth. If you’d
like to be a part of our business community,
we can help. Get in touch with our team today.
Contact Us
Innovation Quarter
179 St Hill Street
Phone: (06) 349 3119
Open: 8am-5pm
Email: info@whanganuiandpartners.nz
15Contact Us Innovation Quarter 179 St Hill Street Phone: (06) 349 3119 Open: 8am-5pm Email: info@whanganuiandpartners.nz
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