Enterprise Coast: A Regional Economic and Tourism Development Agency
This was the official website of Enterprise Coast, a regional economic and tourism development agency dedicated to facilitating business and tourism advice, training and strategic opportunities in Horowhenua and Kapiti Region.
Content is from the site's archived pages.
Welcome to Nature Coast Enterprise
Nature Coast Enterprise is the Economic Development Agency and Regional Tourism Organisation serving the Nature Coast region (Kapiti Coast and Horowhenua districts). We work with Kapiti Coast and Horowhenua District Councils', many businesses, tourism operators, iwi, community organisations and government agencies - locally and nationwide. We have close working links with other economic development agencies. And although our surroundings are idyllic, we also nuture a growing need for enterprise technology. There are several startups who call our locale home, including some experts in fields like DevOps - a brand new discipline where code development and testing occur simultaneously, making for more accurate and faster project completion. One such service is RTSlabs.com. A devops consultant can feel a home here and service a clientele several thousand miles away due to the advent of the internet. Big data thrives in Kapiti!
Our Region
Known as the Nature Coast for good reason, the Kapiti-Horowhenua region offers a stunning natural environment on the lower west coast of the North Island, where the mountains meet the sea. Kilometres of unspoilt beaches, forest walks and a hinterland that is rich in both Maori and European history.
Nature Coast is blessed with superb natural assets, treasured historical heritage and a thriving cultural life, all within easy reach of New Zealand's capital city Wellington, which is an approximately 50-minute drive to the south. Bounded by the Tasman Sea to the west and the bush-clad Tararua Ranges to the east, the Nature Coast concentrates a wide range of visitor attractions and facilities in a compact, highly accessible area.
The mild climate and rich soils of Nature Coast provide ideal conditions for the production of a diverse array of quality food products, which in turn, has seen the development of a lively and imaginative dining out scene. The region is renowned for many specialist foods and beverages, including chocolates, wines, liqueurs, gourmet sausages, confectionary, and of course, some of its most famous exports - cheeses and icecream.
Ideally located so close to a major city operating as a key transport hub, Nature Coast Kapiti-Horowhenua can offer all essential services and sophisticated facilities but at the same time also provides a wealth of quintessential New Zealand experiences from the simple pleasures of a walk along a pristine beach to experiencing life in classic, Kiwi small towns.
Life Time
The Nature Coast is where you can truly live the life you want. It's a place for idyllic Kiwi childhoods; sustainable living options; landscapes to play, challenge yourself and unwind in; airport and other infrastructure development; and a community atmosphere not found on city streets. There's space here to create your own work from your passions, as well as being close to city life - the best of both paces. The coffee's great, the arts are thriving, and the produce is fresh - It's Coast Time.
Click on the links below to read the inspiring stories of successful businesses that have chosen the Kapiti Coast and Horowhenua to base themselves
Don't hesitate to contact us to find out how we can help you make the dream of a Nature Coast lifestyle, a reality!
Innovation Time
Businesses innovate here: Companies in the textile industry worked together to successfully win a bid to create uniforms for the last Olympic Games athletes. Many businesses consistently win national awards, especially in architecture, food and wine, art, and tourism. Some are small, working from their garden or sea view home/office. Others are medium to large and have international exporting brands. To be innovative you first need the space and time to realise your ideas. The Nature Coast provides a lifestyle that supports this. And the organisation, Nature Coast Enterprise, provides excellent business training and networking opportunities. When you purchase products you may be shaking the hand of the person that planted the seed or churned the cheese.
IMAGE-innovations
Networking and Events
Nature Coast Enterprise facilitates a variety of industry networking and events for business.
Networking is all out making connections
When you think about networking, think about making lasting connections and relationships.
It is critical that businesses are well connected and one way of achieving this is by attending networking functions that align with you and your business. Tips for networking and making lasting connections include:
- 1. Add value, be clear about your objectives and show credibility to others first.
- 2. Know your elevator pitch to showcase your business and passion.
- 3. Dress and act appropriately as first impressions do count.
- 4. Take a good supply of business cards.
- 5. Be able to make small talk to start a conversation.
- 6. Remember to add value and give consistently before you receive.
- 7. Always be polite and respectful to others.
- 8. Broaden your view to add value to the entire network of others.
- 9. Move on from a network if it does not suit your objectives or personality.
- 10. Always follow-up, under promise and over deliver.
Business Training
Nature Coast Enterprise provides a variety of training opportunities for Kapiti-Horowhenua business. Identifying your training needs and then attending the right training will develop your skills and competencies that will in-turn assist the growth and development of your business.
Useful training information on our web site includes:
- The Enterprise Training Programme
- An online business assessment tool
- The Nature Coast Enterprise training calendar
- Other training available to business
Business Services
Nature Coast Enterprise as the local Economic Development Agency is a conduit to information, resources and advice for Kapiti-Horowhenua businesses.
We foster projects and initiatives which are employment rich. As well as this, we promote the interests of business to local, regional, national and international agencies and organisations. Often, our services range from one-on-one client profiles to facilitating access to the area and to other forms of assistance. We make every endeavour to develop, attract, maintain and encourage sustainable well being and business prosperity in the Kapiti-Horowhenua region.
Tips for Business in Challenging Economic Times
The Business Development Team at Nature Coast Enterprise suggest, that difficult times can be a marketing opportunity for any business and therefore encourage businesses to focus on doing their core business well. The team provides the following tips for these times:
Think of cash flow as the single most important factor for your business and review often (weekly and at least monthly). Act immediately if cash flow stalls - remember, "Cash is king". Have a good relationship with your Chartered Accountant, prepare annual budgets, sales forecasts and cash flow reports and understand your breakeven sales to cover costs.
Keep your debtors in-check with nothing over 30 days and maintain aged debtor reports and be tough yet polite when chasing your money. Invoice quickly and make sure your customers know your payment terms and offer them a variety of ways to pay. Be wary when offering credit at this time as you are not a bank.
Tighten your belt and control your costs rather than cutting your costs and be wary of destructive price discounting - move old stock by discounting. Compare your costs to budget and review your overheads and expenses line by line - trim where you can with a focus on the top spending items and consider cashing-up non-essential assets. Consider carefully before adding new product and service lines that could add to your costs yet not to your bottom line profitability. Maintain good inventory reports and operate "just in time" practices according to customer demand to keep production and stock at modest levels.
Manage your banking relationships carefully so your banker has a clear picture of your business. Negotiate your preferred banking terms so your debt management is effective. If you need to borrow consider the type of loan to ensure interest obligations are kept in-check.
Keep talking to your existing customers and the wider market so they know your business point of difference. Do not stop your marketing as this may loose customers to your competitors. Grade your customers with the aim of 80% of revenue coming from 20% of clients. Always delight your best customers with exceptional service and they will tell others. Maintain a database of your customers and keep in-touch with them.
Seek expert advice to keep you in-touch with economic indicators and thinking. Be constantly aware of risks and opportunities to your business so network more as contacts are even more important in tough times. Keeping your skills and knowledge up-to-date is also critical to business development and growth.
Work smarter not harder and be strategic about your approach to software, systems and processes within your business. Planning within your business is critical - always maintain a business plan (see Nature Coast Enterprise for a template) to keep you on-track.
Keep your best staff and let go of others if they are not doing the job well. Use quality recruitment processes and make sure all staff have contracts and job descriptions. Training is critical along with reviewing and rewarding their performance. Always keep your staff in the communication loop.
Review your business insurance needs as in the event of a crisis this could impact on your Cash Flow - remember, "Cash is king"!
Bringing your business through difficult times can strengthen and ensure sustainability in the long term. You will have a more robust business if you focus on the basics or fundamentals of your business.
Keep in-touch with Nature Coast Enterprise as your local economic development agency - we are here to help. We maintain a database and communicate with businesses on a regular basis so contact us to be added at any time,
Members Zone
Enterprise Kapiti Horowhenua Incorporated trading as Nature Coast Enterprise is a membership based organisation. We welcome enquiries from interested businesses and individuals to join our organisation and encourage you to consider becoming a member.
There are a range of benefits and opportunities available to members of Nature Coast Enterprise.
Reasons to be a member of Nature Coast Enterprise include:
- Stimulatingspeakers and business networking opportunities at the monthly Paraparaumu and Levin Electra Business Breakfast series.
- Attend other members only business networking functions throughout the year.
- Membership discount at chargable networking events.
- A membership certificate to display.
- Vote and have your say on all Constitutional matters.
- Business web site listing.
- Priority consultation with a Business Development Manager, up to five hours free use of the Lindale and Levin meeting rooms and discounted by 50% thereafter, 50% discount on Certificates of Origin and access to branding collateral (Tier 2 membership and above).
- Participation in the domestic branding campaign, priority brochure placement in local Visitor Information Centres' and on the Nature Coast Tourism web site and ability to pay your membership fee over four months (Tier 3 & 4 membership only)