Businesses in Paeroa have a new avenue for advocacy, support and networking with the formation of a town business association.
The new Paeroa Business Association (PBA) is a rebranding of the existing organisation, Positive Paeroa, a long-standing society focused on promoting the town and its events. The change was announced at the society’s September 26 AGM, held at The Refinery.
Committee member Tim Watts said the new business association structure was about clarifying the society’s aims.
“[Positive Paeroa’s] been a little bit rudderless in recent years, and struggled around its purpose,” he said.
“What we’ve wanted to do is reignite what we’re doing from a business point of view. Get people back together, get people sharing ideas, learning from each other.”
The PBA’s new constitution outlined two aims: assisting in the promotion and development of business activity in Paeroa; and advocating for the development of the community.
“One of the key areas we’re looking at here is around advocacy… how, as businesses, we can pick up what the common issues are, and then have those conversations with council,” Tim said.
“I think having a voice for business in town is incredibly important. We’re redeveloping our website, redeveloping what we’re doing from a social media point of view, and becom[ing] that key contact point.”
In recent years, Positive Paeroa has been responsible for the annual Santa Parade, local shop and win competitions, and Business After 5 and Women’s Breakfast meetings.
The committee said becoming a business association would allow it to do much more.
“We’re still going to do community stuff, we’re still going to have community members and we’ll still advertise events that are happening,” Rosie Scott said.
“[Positive Paeroa] sat idle for a while doing the basics of what it’s done and now it’s reinvigorated,” Rhys Charmichael added.
The PBA will also introduce membership fees from April, 2025, granting members access to advertising, networking events and advocacy support.
The fees will supplement the funding it receives from Hauraki District Council, currently the only stream of revenue the society has. In 2023, its council grant was $12,000.
“We spend all of that money that we get back out into the community in terms of supporting the events that we do, the big one obviously being the Christmas parade,” Tim said.
“It’s not a large membership fee but it’s still going to be very helpful for us to be able to do more activities back to the community.”
The AGM was attended by around 50 people, most of them business owners in Paeroa and the surrounding areas. The response to the rebranding was largely positive, with many people signing up as members on the spot.
The PBA also announced the first of its new projects at the AGM: enhancing the main street atmosphere with improved lighting, a reestablished main street radio system, and new business and Matariki flags.
