Manawatū Business Chamber

09/09/2026

💚 A quick question for our Chamber members… are you making the most of your membership?

Joining the Chamber is only the beginning. The real value comes from getting involved.

Come along to a BA5. Read the member newsletter. Introduce yourself to someone you haven’t met. Use your Chamber Card. Attend a workshop. Share your news with us. Find another member to do business with.

You don’t need to attend everything — but the more connected you are, the more opportunities there are to build relationships, learn something new and make your membership work for your business.

And remember, not everything we do is advertised on social media. Some events and opportunities are communicated directly to members, so keep an eye on those newsletters! 👀

If it’s been a while since we’ve seen you, consider this your invitation to get involved again. We’d love to see you. 🤝

And if you’re not a member yet but keep seeing what our Chamber community gets up to… perhaps it’s time to join us. 😉

08/09/2026

🌧️ Why does the Ōpiki spillway keep flooding? Because it is designed to.

Whenever heavy rain closes SH56 at Ōpiki, we often see comments asking why our friends at Horizons Regional Council haven't “fixed” the problem.

The important thing to understand is that the Ōpiki spillway is part of the Lower Manawatū flood-protection system. When the Manawatū River reaches a high level, water is deliberately allowed to flow across the designated floodway—including the section crossed by SH56.

This helps to:
💧 Relieve pressure on the main river channel and stopbanks
💧 Reduce erosion around the Ōpiki bends
💧 Lower the risk of an uncontrolled stopbank failure
💧 Protect homes, businesses and productive land elsewhere

The surrounding farmland can be used during normal conditions, but it remains a working floodway. Farmers are warned when flooding is expected and fences are lowered so water and debris can pass through safely.

Raising SH56 on a solid embankment would block the floodway and potentially shift the flooding somewhere else. Keeping the road permanently open would require a substantial elevated bridge or viaduct across the area.

So, while the resulting road closure is certainly inconvenient, the water flowing across the Ōpiki spillway isn’t evidence that the flood system has failed - it is usually evidence that the system is doing exactly what it was built to do.

A little bit of local history and context can make a very wet stretch of road look quite different!

Thanks team Horizons 🥰

08/09/2026

🌿 Wellbeing Wednesday – When did you last properly take a break?

When you’re running a business or leading a busy team, there is always something else that could be done.

One more email. One more phone call. One more thing to tick off the list.

But being busy and being productive aren’t always the same thing.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is step away from your desk for 15 minutes, get some fresh air, have lunch away from your screen or catch up with someone over a coffee.

And if you lead a team, remember that they often take their cues from you. If nobody ever sees the boss take a break, they can start to feel they shouldn’t either.

So here’s your midweek reminder: taking a break isn’t wasting time. Sometimes it’s exactly what you need to come back with a clearer head and a better perspective. 💚

07/09/2026

💰 Money can be stressful to manage — but talking about it doesn’t have to be!

This Thursday, 10 September, the Manawatū Youth Chamber is bringing together three local professionals from the finance and banking industry for Master Your Money.

Designed for young professionals and anyone wanting to feel more confident about their finances, the evening will help take some of the mystery out of money and explore how you can move from simply earning a pay cheque to actively building long-term wealth.

It’s a great opportunity to learn, ask questions and pick up practical insights in a relaxed environment — with drinks and nibbles provided too.

A big thank you to Westpac for sponsoring the event and supporting our region’s young professionals. 💚

🎟️ Registrations now:
https://events.humanitix.com/master-your-money

Know a young professional who would benefit? Tag them below or send this their way!

06/09/2026

🎉 A warm welcome to our newest Chamber members!

Our Manawatū Business Chamber community continued to grow during August, and we’re delighted to welcome another fantastic group of local businesses:

💚 Bright Design Consultancy
💚 Naki Labour Hire
💚 Omnitude VA Limited
💚 Phocus Planning Limited
💚 Safemetrics
💚 TSA Riley

Thank you for choosing to be part of the Chamber. We’re looking forward to getting to know you, seeing you at our events and helping you make connections across our business community.

To our existing members, we encourage you to say hello, connect and find out a little more about our newest members. You never know where a new conversation might lead!

And if you’ve been thinking about joining the Chamber, we’d love to have you as part of our growing network too. 💚

Welcome to the Chamber community!

05/09/2026

💙 Happy Father’s Day!

Today we celebrate the dads, grandads, stepdads, father figures and all those who play that special role in someone’s life.

We hope your Sunday includes good company, plenty of laughs, perhaps a great meal, and a little time to put your feet up — you’ve earned it!

And if you’re heading out for breakfast or lunch, grabbing a last-minute gift or planning something special today, remember to support our fantastic local businesses and Chamber members along the way. 💚

From all of us at the Manawatū Business Chamber, Happy Father’s Day! 🎉

03/09/2026

🥊 A very special one for our Chamber whānau! 💚

We’re incredibly proud to share that Amanda’s grandson, Prinz Linsley, has been selected alongside Luke Gaffaney and Jaydon Barnard to represent New Zealand at the World Youth Muay Thai Championships in Greece! 🇳🇿🇬🇷

What an incredible achievement for these three local young people — and now there’s a great opportunity for our community to get behind them.

🎬 A Movie Fundraiser featuring Lomu is being held at our Chamber member Focal Point Cinema, Cuba Street, Palmerston North:

📅 Sunday 13 September
⏰ 5.30pm
🎟️ $30 per ticket, including a beverage of your choice
📍 Focal Point Cinema

If you’re looking for something to do next Sunday, come along, enjoy a great New Zealand film and help support these talented young athletes on their journey to represent our country on the world stage.

👉 Please use the booking link in this post to secure your tickets — clicking the photo won’t take you to the booking page.

🔗 https://tinyurl.com/mv39ym66

Congratulations Prinz, Luke and Jaydon — the Manawatū will be cheering you on! 🥊🇳🇿

03/09/2026

A huge thank you to Watson Integrity - Manawatu for hosting our BA5 this evening! 🎉

We had a fantastic night celebrating 30 years of Watsons, including many of those years as proud Manawatū Chamber members. 🥂

And what better way to celebrate than with a 1996-themed quiz — lots of laughs, memories and a little bit of competitive spirit! 🧠✨

Congratulations on 30 years, Watsons, and thank you for being such a valued part of our Chamber community. Here’s to many more! 🥳

03/09/2026

We are looking forward to our BA5 tonight at Watson Integrity - Manawatu to kick off their 30th Birthday celebration 🎂🎉

🎉 WE’RE TURNING 30 AND WE’RE GIVING AWAY $5,000! 🎉

Watson Integrity is celebrating 30 years, and we wanted to do something pretty special to mark the occasion. 💙

🏡 Book a FREE sales or rental appraisal and you’ll receive an entry into the draw to WIN $5,000!

Want even more chances to win? If you list your property for sale or place your rental under our management during the promotion, you’ll get 10 additional entries! 🙌

So if you’ve been wondering what your home is worth, thinking about selling, or curious about what your rental could achieve, now’s a pretty good time to find out.

👉 Book your FREE appraisal today! https://watsonrealestate.nz/win-5000/

02/09/2026

🎄 Want to be part of this year’s Christmas Parade?

Float registrations are now open for A Very Palmy Christmas Parade, happening on Sunday 6 December.

Once again, Kairanga Lions are bringing the parade to the streets of Palmy, and they’re looking for local businesses, schools, clubs, community groups and organisations to get involved.

Registrations close 30 October, or earlier if the maximum of 60 entries is reached – so don’t leave it too late.

👉 Find out more and register at pnchristmasparade.org.nz

Palmy Venues + Events :)