Eastern Southland Projects
(posted September 2006)
Gore District Council Representative Review.
The Gore District Council has begun its statutory Representative Review and the Eastern Southland Chamber of Commerce has an official involvement. Chairman Nick Jeffrey is one of five members on an independent committee charged with making a recommendation to Council on the future representation model for the Gore District. He is joined by former Alliance Group chairman John Falconer, PPCS director Des Pringle, Mataura Licensing Trust Board member Jeff Rankin and Gore JP Nola Affleck. Together with Gore District Mayor Tracy Hicks, the committee will hear submissions from local groups and individuals seeking feedback on the most appropriate representative model to be instigated by the next local body elections. Currently the Council is represented by ward councilors. This could be maintained or the Council could move to at-large voting or a combination of both. Nick Jeffrey said, "We are really starting with a blank page. What's written on it by the end of the process is up to Gore District rate payers. From our initial discussions it is obvious the committee has no pre-conceived opinions and a very open-mind on the options. It is an exciting process to be a part of and a very important one. I hope that Chamber members will take the chance to let their views be known." Chamber members can have their say by contacting Nick Jeffrey at 03 2089325 or email chamber@gorebiz.co.nz.
GoreNZ.com
This has been months in the making but we are very proud of the finished product. We believe this website fills a void as a key promotional tool for Gore and its districts both locally and nationally. The FOCUS committee has worked hard to bring all the elements that make this town what it is to one location on the 'Net. It contains all the information on Gore's attractions, events and services whether you want to live, work or play in our back yard. This is a website designed for the people of the Gore District and for any one who might be considering coming south. So take a look and let us know your thoughts. It is a work in progress and we will be adding new information and launching a promotional campaign soon so, as they say, watch this space.
Newslink Customer Service Awards
Although your customers won't love you if you give bad service, your competitors will.
I don't know who is responsible for the above quote but it certainly is a mantra anyone in business should live by. It's why the Chamber loves recognising great customer service with our Annual Newslink-sponsored awards. This year we endeavoured to find a more "user-friendly" time of year by moving the awards away from the rat-race of December to July and the response was fantastic. In fact the only down-side was that last year's joint-winner Rosedene Florist only got to keep the trophy for eight months instead of twelve. Sixteen businesses made the final cut and were put under the microscope by our highly secretive judging process: Affair, Alan Black Music, Alliance Butcher's Shop, Classic Interiors, Country Living, Gore District Court, Gore May, Gore Medical Centre, Gore Mitre 10, Hokonui Kitchens and Joinery, La Hoods, RD1, Riversdale Hotel, St James Theatre, S'Cape and Smith City. As you can see it was a list made up of a wide cross-section of business types which tested our judging process. Each of these businesses achieved something significant by being nominated. They provided service which moved their customers to take the time to publicly endorse their efforts through our awards. For that, each deserves hearty congratulations. Ultimately though, we could only recognise a few. Our 2005 winner was Classic Interiors (pictured with Chamber chairman Nick Jeffrey) with S'Cape and Country Living both earning Runners-Up certificates. A couple of quick thank-yous. Again we are indebted to Newslink. Their support since beginning these awards has been outstanding and we hope to continue to build on the success of these event together. Also we appreciate Southern Salami and the Mataura Licensing Trust's support for the wine and salami tastings on the night and a special mention goes to the Gore Operatic Society who gave us a fantastic sneak preview of their 2005 Production, Snow White? Roll on 2006 to find out who will join Hawthorn Den Inn, Regional Ford, The Red Barn, Rosedene Florist and now Classic Interiors.
Crime Prevention Cameras
We are working with Gore Police to finalise the last stage of our Crime Prevention Camera Project. We are looking to site a number of fixed view cameras at specified sites, determined by Police, to compliment the current Pan-Tilt-Zoom Camera operating at the Gore Police Station. It is our aim, once the project has been fully commissioned to host an open evening at the Station for Chamber members and Project contributors so you can see first hand the incredible tool Police now have at their disposal. More news on that to come..
Christmas Shopping Hours
Each year the Chamber collates Christmas shopping opening hours from a cross-section of our retail membership and a finalised list appears in local media and businesses. Although not designed to be a definitive list, the Chamber's aim is to make it as easy as possible for southerners to come to Gore with confidence town will be open and for them to shop locally for Christmas.
For more information on any of the projects listed above, e-mail us at chamber@gorebiz.co.nz.
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