Manawatū Business Chamber

15/10/2026

🗳️ MEET THE CANDIDATES – PALMERSTON NORTH & RANGITĪKEI

Your questions. Their answers. Your opportunity to get informed.

With the 2026 General Election on 7 November fast approaching, the Manawatū Business Chamber is pleased to share our Meet the Candidates video series.

We've taken a different approach to the traditional candidate introduction, giving our business community an opportunity to hear directly from those seeking to represent our region.

🎥 Our participating candidates:
Rangitīkei: Bernard Long, Karl Severinsen, Suze Redmayne and Andrew Hoggard.
Palmerston North: Teanau Tuiono, Tangi Utikere, Ankit Bansal and Netra Ghimire.

The interviews explore business-related issues, economic policies, infrastructure and regional development.

You can watch the interviews individually or as a group on our YouTube channel.

🎬 We'll add the YouTube link in the comments below. Please note that you may need to copy and paste the link into your browser to access the videos.

👏 A special thank you to Stefan Speller from Rural and Regional Governance New Zealand for conducting the interviews, and to our Chamber members Briclops, Spaces ID, int. Workspaces and Mitre 10 MEGA Palmerston North for supporting this initiative.

The Manawatū Business Chamber is non-party political. All registered candidates from both electorates were invited to participate. Those not featured were either not registered at the time of invitation, unavailable for filming or did not respond. Production support does not imply endorsement of any candidate or party.

Our goal is to keep our business community informed, connected and engaged! 💚

15/10/2026

🎉 Happy 10th Birthday, Robyn Young HR ! 🥂

What a fantastic milestone — 10 years in business!

A huge congratulations to Robyn and the team at RYHR on celebrating a decade in business.

From starting out in a home-based office to growing into a full team with offices in town, it's been wonderful to see how far RYHR has come!

We love celebrating the success stories of our local businesses, and reaching 10 years is certainly something to be proud of.

💚 Thank you, Robyn and the team, for inviting the Manawatū Business Chamber to join your birthday celebrations. It was lovely to be part of such a special occasion and celebrate this achievement with you.

Here's to the next 10 years of growth, success and making a difference in our business community!

Please join us in congratulating RYHR! 👏🎂

15/10/2026

🏆✨ JUST TWO WEEKS TO GO! ✨🏆

The countdown is officially on!

In just two weeks, we'll be rolling out the red carpet for the 2026 Yorb Manawatū Business Awards, and what a night it's going to be!

This year is particularly special as we celebrate 30 years of recognising business excellence in Manawatū. Three decades of celebrating the incredible businesses, people and organisations that make our region such a fantastic place to do business.

From innovation and growth to outstanding service, leadership and community contribution, there's so much to celebrate!

🥂 We're looking forward to an unforgettable evening of celebration, connection and recognising the achievements of our local business community.

📅 Friday 30 October 2026
📍 Central Energy Trust Arena
🚪 Doors open at 6:15pm
🖤 Dress code: Black Tie

To all our finalists, sponsors and guests — we can't wait to celebrate with you!

The excitement is building... who's looking forward to the big night? 🥂

14/10/2026

We are excited to have one of our newest members Tryp by Wyndham Palmerston North opening soon and what an amazing job they have made incorporating the Old Post Office into their build.

🛌 Bookings are now open from mid-December.

Follow us along through the 18 month construction, from the first foundation to the final flourish

14/10/2026

📢 FACEBOOK BUSINESS PAGES – IMPORTANT META UPDATE!

If you use your Facebook business page to direct customers to your website, online store, booking system or event registrations, here's a change worth knowing about!

Meta is introducing restrictions on how often some pages can share external website links.

Under the changes being tested, some business Pages are being limited to just TWO posts containing external links per month unless they take up a paid subscription through Meta's new Meta One offering.

And yes, that could include links to your own company website!

What does this mean for your business?

If you regularly use Facebook to promote products, share news, advertise events or encourage customers to book online, you may need to rethink how you use links in your posts.

The good news is that not every page is affected at this stage, with the changes being introduced progressively.

💡 A few tips for our Chamber members:

✅ Check whether your page has received a notification about link restrictions.

✅ Make sure your website address and action button on your page are up to date.

✅ Prioritise the most important links, such as bookings, sales and event registrations.

✅ Consider using Facebook Events for promoting activities and registrations.

✅ Don't rely entirely on Facebook to bring customers to your website. Your email newsletters, Google Business Profile and other marketing channels are important too!

For small businesses in particular, this is another reminder of how quickly social media platforms can change — and why it's important to have a marketing strategy that doesn't rely on just one platform.

We'd love to hear from our Chamber members — have you noticed these changes on your business page yet?

Let us know in the comments! 👇

13/10/2026

🤝 A Fantastic Turnout for Our Linton BA5!

What a great evening of connection and conversation at our latest Business After 5 (BA5) at Linton Military Camp!

With nearly 100 people in attendance, including members of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), it was wonderful to see such a strong turnout and the opportunity to bring our business and defence communities together.

A special thank you to Colonel Michael van Welie, Commander 1st (New Zealand) Brigade, who also has responsibility for Linton Military Camp.

With Colonel van Welie stepping down from command at the end of this year, Chamber CEO Amanda Linsley took the opportunity to acknowledge and thank him for his service during his time at Linton.

In particular, Amanda recognised his openness to engaging with the local business community and his willingness to participate in events organised by the Chamber and Defence Hub. His involvement has helped strengthen relationships and build valuable connections between our business community, the NZDF and its personnel.

We sincerely thank Colonel van Welie for his contribution and wish him all the very best for the future.

We also appreciated hearing from John Broderson, Defence Estate & Infrastructure Manager, who joined us as a speaker for the evening.

Events like these highlight the importance of building relationships, sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for our local businesses to engage with organisations that play such a significant role in our region.

A big thank you to everyone who attended and to the NZDF team for their hospitality and for helping make the evening such a success.

Nearly 100 people, great conversations and valuable connections — exactly what BA5 is all about! 💚

13/10/2026

📢 NOTICE OF AGM – Manawatū Business Chamber 2026

We invite all paid-up Chamber members to join us for our 2026 Annual General Meeting.

The AGM is an important opportunity to reflect on the past year, hear updates on the Chamber's activities and look ahead to what's next for our business community.

📅 Tuesday 10 November 2026
🚪 Doors open: 5:15pm
🕠 AGM starts: 5:30pm sharp
📍 Property Brokers – Auction Room
240 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North

AGM business will include:
Apologies and minutes from the November 2025 AGM
Adoption of the Chair and CEO Report and reviewed accounts and appointment of reviewer
Board confirmation
General Business
Defence Hub Report
Young Chamber Board Report

💬 Have something you'd like raised under General Business?

Please email our CEO, Amanda, at [email protected] by Friday 23 October 2026.

🥂 Stay for a catch-up afterwards!

Drinks and nibbles will be served following the formalities, courtesy of OfficeMax. A big thank you to OfficeMax for their generous support!

RSVP is essential, so please make sure you register your attendance.

We look forward to seeing our members there! 💚

12/10/2026

💚 Tuesday Tip – Belonging Starts with the Little Things

This Mental Health Awareness Week, the theme is Belonging Matters, and it's a great reminder that feeling connected and included can make a real difference to our wellbeing.

In the workplace, belonging doesn't always come from big initiatives or formal programmes.

Sometimes it's the little things.

☕ Inviting someone to join you for a coffee.
👋 Greeting people by name when they arrive.
🤝 Including the quieter team member in a conversation.
💬 Asking someone's opinion and genuinely listening.
🎉 Celebrating team achievements together.

When people feel they belong, they're more likely to feel comfortable contributing ideas, asking questions and being themselves at work.

Today's challenge: Do one small thing that helps someone feel included.

Because creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong starts with all of us. 💚

11/10/2026

🌟 What a fabulous opportunity for our young professionals!

Sometimes all it takes is one conversation to open a door, spark an idea or help you take that next step in your career.

Industry Connect is bringing students and early-career professionals together with experienced industry leaders, innovators and mentors for an evening of connections, conversations and career inspiration! 🤝

Organised by Manawatū Young Chamber in collaboration with Talent Central and Central Energy Trust, this event offers a fantastic opportunity to:

💬 Take part in quick, 5-minute one-on-one conversations with industry professionals and mentors.

💡 Gain valuable insights and advice from people with real-world experience.

🤝 Build your professional network and make connections that could help shape your future.

🥂 Continue the conversations afterwards over drinks and light refreshments.

For our business community, events like this are also a wonderful way to support and encourage the next generation of talent right here in Manawatū.

You never know where one conversation might lead!

🎟️ Registration link is in the comments.

Know a student, recent graduate or young professional who would benefit from this opportunity? Tag them below or share this post with them! 💚

11/10/2026

Pints of Business – An Election Special - No politics. No politicians. Just policy.

With the election approaching, what could future policy directions mean for businesses across the Manawatū?

Massey Business School and the Manawatū Business Chamber are pleased to invite our local business community to our next Pints of Business event.

This special edition will bring together Massey academics and members of the local business community to explore three key issues:
💰Cost of Doing Business & Economic Pressures
👷Workforce, Skills & Immigration
🌱Infrastructure, Growth & Regional Development

The focus isn't on political debate or party politics. It's about understanding how policy decisions can affect businesses, exploring the challenges and opportunities ahead, and sharing insights between academia and industry.

One of the strengths of our Pints of Business series is the opportunity to bring academic knowledge and practical business experience together in an informal setting, encouraging conversations that might not otherwise happen.

Event details
📆Monday 2 November 2026
⏰5.15pm – 7.00pm
🍺Speight's Ale House, Palmerston North

Whether you're navigating rising costs, workforce challenges or planning for future growth, we'd love you to be part of the conversation.

Registrations are now open (link in the comments) Join us for an evening of practical insights, fresh perspectives and valuable business connections.