One of the four channels of communications for the Business Association is ADVOCACY. I’ve adapted the header quote by Charles Leadbeater as I think that it says what our expectations are.
It’s important particularly in todays unexpected environment to advocate on behalf of our members to provide public support for ideas, plans or ways of doing something.
The Association is working with Council on a number of matters like Innovating Street Design, the idea of transferring some of the SH53 road to Memorial Square to a Local Road enabling more flexible adaptation of the road and adjacent area to meet local needs. This initiative is wider than just the Business Association and we were happy to endorse and support the proposal to investigate this.
The popularity of Martinborough driven by our wine industry continues to grow. It was recently reported by Destination Wairarapa that our visitor spend was 6% up for year end October 2020 despite COVID19. There was also a 35% increase in visitor spend compared with October 2019. No other regional tourism operator in NZ experienced this growth in the same periods.
We are meeting with Council too on traffic management on Puruatanga and Todds Rd in particular to improve the safety for motorists and cyclists as our visitors enjoy cycling around the cellar doors. Probably the best safety message is slow down, go wide and be tolerant ! It’s great to see the fun that visitors are having and the key cycling is to the cellar doors.
The question of parking in the Village has come to the fore again. The Association feels that there is a need to be some time restrictions on parking in parts of the business area to enable accessibility for customers. We’re aware some business operators and their staff othen park in front of and around their business!
We have published the Marty Job Share initiative that we have undertaken to help members recruit work ready candidates for jobs, often casual and part time. Recruitment into these jobs continues to be a challenge. Covid19 is impactful in this space as well as the availability of housing for rent, affordability and public transport.
Our advocacy has included more recently ( with more to come ) on the SWDC long term plan. We invited members to “have their say” in relations to the Greater Wellington Regional Land Transport and Public Transport strategies.
The Association has an active relationship with Destination Wairarapa and Wellingtonnz with our Chair being recently appointed as the South Wairarapa District Council representative on the Destination Wairarapa Board.
It’s time for our annual subscription drive and a good time for new members to join. We like to think that the Association’s efforts benefits all businesses in Martinborough.
We could do with your support. So please drop us a line at info@martinboroughnz.com for more information.
Allan Hogg Chair Martinborough Association
