SME Summit in Auckland on January 31
Supplied Content
Auckland, January 18, 2018
Dramatic change is needed to grow New Zealand’s small business economy, and, to that end, a summit of heavy hitters is gathering in Auckland in late January to push for a new approach.
Auckland based entrepreneur Tenby Powell put out a call pre-Christmas for Government to establish an Institute for Small Business and gained overwhelming support from within New Zealand and farther afield.
Dramatic change needed
“It’s an idea whose time has come. I am advocating for dramatic change. This is not a small step improvement to that which already exists, it is an entirely different paradigm of thought in respect of our SME (Small & Medium Enterprise) economy and I have recommended to the Minister for Small Business Stuart Nash, to think big and not be bound by that which has gone before,” he said.
Mr Powell has organised a Summit called SME LEAP (Leading Enterprise Acceleration & Productivity), which will be held in Auckland on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.
Sponsored by Westpac NZ and Staples Rodway Accountants, it coincides with the first meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on which Powell serves as a Member.
LEAP Forum
The LEAP forum will bring together delegates from Maori, Pasifika, Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and New Zealand European business economies, many of who are leaders in their various communities.
“We anticipate more 100 delegates at the LEAP Forum, with representatives from a diverse range of ethnicities that make up New Zealand’s SME economy,” Powell said.
SMEs (businesses with less than 20 employees) make up 97% of New Zealand’s registered businesses, employ 30% of the workforce and contribute some 28% to GDP output.
“Having convened the government-appointed Small Business Development Group (SBDG) for five years, I am aware of the acute under-resourcing in respect of small business development. For some years now, I have been advocating for increased government resources to strategically support small business by way of targeted research, inter-agency collaboration, business education and regionally-focused economic growth initiatives,” Mr Powell said.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote speakers at the LEAP forum include ABAC Chairman David Toua, who is based in Papua New Guinea, and high-profile Chinese businesswoman, Diane Wang, Founder and CEO of Beijing-based Business-to-Business E-commerce website, DH Gate.
“I am grateful to my generous APEC colleagues for agreeing to speak at the LEAP forum and appreciate them arriving in New Zealand a day ahead of the ABAC meeting to do so,” Mr Powell said.
Wang who, together with Powell, co-chairs the SME Working Group for the APEC Business Advisory Council, will talk about the importance of women in business and embracing the digital economy.
Mr Powell said, “A key focus at the LEAP Forum will be women-in-business based on the APEC workstream which includes a high optic on women SME owners and the challenges they face with access to financing and logistic networks.
“Business bankers from our major banks have agreed to join our discussion and we welcome their input into how we break the cycle of funding businesses mostly through home mortgages.
“When entrepreneurs gather, things happen. Optimism and the entrepreneurial spirit go hand-in-hand. At its most fundamental this about nurturing an ecosystem – a critically important one that is in need of greater strategic support and resourcing by government.”
Tenby Powell can be contacted on 027-4731654. Email: tenby.powell@hpil.co.nz
*
Photo Caption:
Tenby Powell (Supplied)
