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Newsletter 07 - August 2024
In This Issue1. Message From The President 2. Reserve Bank Cuts3. Sign Up For Full Experience Thank You! Dear fellow members and attendees I hope this message finds you well. I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you for attending the Fiji Business Network event on 22 August 2024 at the Remuera Club, as well as our first Annual General Meeting. Your participation and support are invaluable to our mission of advancing Fijian-owned businesses in New Zealand.As we discussed during the meeting, the three existing executives will continue to oversee the organisation’s operations this year. We sincerely need the help and support of all our members to spread the good word about our Network. Together, we can drive growth and support for Fijian-owned enterprises in our community.We also welcome our new members to the network. Our organisation added 18 members on the night, so we are now close to 90 paid members, a great effort by Sonali and Rachael in encouraging folks to join for a great business journey ahead. Our final CHRISTMAS GALA event is planned for 14 November 2024 at the Remuera Club and we are expecting more than 150 attendees! Thank you once again for your commitment to our cause. Vinaka Vakalevu! Let’s continue our good work and make a lasting impact. Warm regards,Atesh Bhej Fiji Business Network Inc Reserve Bank Cuts Official Cash Rate What You Need to KnowOCR Reduced to 5.25% The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) has announced a cut in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) to 5.25%. This decision ends a four-year period of OCR stability and comes after extensive speculation about the potential for a rate drop.Context of the Cut The reduction follows two years of efforts to control inflation, amid rising unemployment and sluggish economic growth. The annual inflation rate has recently fallen to 3.3%, although it remains above the Reserve Bank's target range of 1% to 3%. The central bank's monetary policy committee cited a broad-based weakening in domestic economic activity and a return of business inflation expectations to around 2% as key factors in their decision.Immediate Bank Responses In reaction to the OCR cut, Kiwibank swiftly reduced its variable home loan and business lending rates by 0.25%, and adjusted some deposit rates. ASB followed shortly after, lowering all fixed and floating mortgage rates. Kiwibank's Chief Business Customer Officer, Elliot Smith, emphasized the importance of these cuts in providing financial relief and enhancing affordability for customers in a high-interest environment.Economists’ Perspectives Economists had mixed views leading up to the RBNZ’s decision. Some believed a cut was timely, given recent inflation data. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffery noted that while the decision was close, the Reserve Bank likely needed to act sooner rather than later to avoid the risk of having to make larger cuts in the future.Impact on Borrowers and Savers The OCR is a key rate influencing the cost of borrowing and saving. Historically, higher OCR rates result in increased loan repayments for borrowers, while offering better returns for savers. As the OCR rises, it typically encourages saving overspending. The current rate cut aims to ease some of these pressures, potentially offering more favourable conditions for borrowers.Looking Ahead Tuffery pointed out that the Reserve Bank might want to temper market expectations for further cuts, balancing between cautious easing and maintaining control over inflation. Now would be the best time to start reviewing your mortgage structure and get in touch with your Mortgages team to discuss options for refinancing and restructuring. Sign Up For Full experienceAs an organisation primarily focused on connecting and helping our fellow Fijians thrive New Zealand’s commercial sectors.We are all about spreading the good word.It has taken a good deal of work and planning to this point, and we are excited that 2024 will be a year of progress.We are keeping it simple, with membership rates starting at $25.00 per year. The membership fee runs through to 31 March 2025.Head over to our website, spread the good word, and encourage at least 3 new parties to join our network. It is quite simple to join.We are confident that once we have reached our goal of 200 members, we will be better placed to grow our visibility at Government and institutional levels. This undoubtedly will have a multiplier effect on our members, our organisation, and the overall success of Fijian businesses in New Zealand
Newsletter 03 - July 2024
Newsletter 03 - July 2024Bula Vinaka Fellow Fiji Business Network NZ members and supporters.Welcome to our 3rd newsletter for the year, where we will share news, business wisdom, and economic updates.Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is being held on 22 August 2024 at 6.30pm. This will be followed by our Mid-Year Networking Event and Dinner, at the Remuera Club, Auckland.At a recent Fiji Girmit community event, which was well organised and attended, there was a lot of traction for our Fiji Business Network and why this should help unite us in our common cause of “economic success”.The good news is we now have 68 paid members and are making progress towards our goal of uniting our fellow Fijians in Business.We would like your feedback on what else you would like us to share, so we can enhance our membership experience. Please feel free to email feedback to Sonali Patel, sonali.patel@hsaglobal.net.Vinaka The Executive TeamEvents and Activities for 20241. Networking events- 7:30pm Thursday 22nd August 2024 : Remuera Club, Auckland- 20 November 2024 : to be advised 2. Virtual Talanoa Session (calendar invite will be sent to lock in these dates) - 8.00pm – First Tuesday of every month - Question and Answers (Q&A) sessions - Updates, success stories - Keeping connected 3. Annual General Meeting- 6:30pm 22nd August 2024 - Executive Elections - Increasing membership base- Target to two hundred paid members by end of the year - Special Industry groups to be formed as membership increases. Eg. Building and Trade, Finance, Retail, etc. 4. Regular Business updates and opportunities - via our NewsletterWe need your help to achieve our MembershipAs an organisation primarily focused on connecting and helping our fellow Fijians thrive New Zealand’s commercial sectors.We are all about spreading the good word.It has taken a good deal of work and planning to this point, and we are excited that 2024 will be a year of progress.We are keeping it simple, with membership rates starting at $25.00 per year. The membership fee runs through to 31 March 2025.Head over to our website, spread the good word, and encourage at least 3 new parties to join our network. It is quite simple to join.We are confident that once we have reached our goal of 200 members, we will be better placed to grow our visibility at Government and institutional levels. This undoubtedly will have a multiplier effect on our members, our organisation, and the overall success of Fijian businesses in New Zealand New Tax Thresholds in 2024 NZ Budget The New Zealand government unveiled its 2024 Budget with a core election promise delivered regarding tax relief of $2.57 billion through bracket adjustments.With an adjustment to income brackets, tax rates remain the same but the thresholds are raised.The Budget stated that 1.9 million households would benefit from the overall relief package by an average of $30 a week. Households with children would benefit by $39 a week on average.The Independent Earner Tax Credit is being expanded, with the upper limit for eligibility rising from an income of $48,000 to $70,000, with amounts reducing from $66,000+ instead of $44,000+.A minimum wage worker could expect about $12.50 a week, while super-annuitants would take home just $4.50 a week.The in-work tax credit will also go up by up to $25 a week from 31 July 2024. The relief package also includes a childcare payment for low-and-middle-income households as already announcedOther key government expenditure items in the budget include :- $155 million on Independent Earner Tax Credit eligibility changes in line with National's election campaign - $182 million on In-Work Working For Families Tax credit by $25 a week, in line with National's election campaign- $729 million on restoring interest deductibility for residential rental property - $45 million on adjusting the Brightline Test on Property investments Budgeting for success: the importance of good financial managementWhen you’re operating and managing a small business, you have a finite pot of cash to work with. Because of this, it’s incredibly important to manage your cash well and to have clear budgets and spending limits for every area of your business operations.Let’s take a look at why budgeting is such a vital part of your financial management, and what you can do to keep your company on budget and in a positive cashflow position. 4 ways to stay in control of your business budgetingIt’s impossible to run a successful business without having a tight rein over your expenditure.Sales may be bringing in healthy revenues, but the income and profits you’re generating can quickly be eaten up if you’re overspending on operational costs, marketing campaigns, staff payroll or investments in new hardware and software.We’ve highlighted four ways to put good, solid budgeting at the heart of your financial process:1. Embrace the power of budgetingA well-crafted business budget gives you the foundations to become a financially healthy and successful business that’s in control of its spending.You don’t have to use a complicated budgeting app; a simple breakdown of income and expenses in an Excel spreadsheet can be a great starting point.To get started : Track your projected sales, so you understand your future revenue numbers and have a solid projection for your income over the course of the year, or budget period. Calculate your costs, including fixed costs like rent and utilities, and variable costs like inventory and marketing. This gives you an understanding of your total expenditure. Don't forget to factor in business taxes and contingency funds to cover emergencies. Set clear budgets for the coming period’s spending, based on the total income you’ve predicted and the total fixed and variable costs you’ve estimated. Always leave some wriggle room to account for inflation and changing costs. Regularly review your budget, so the document is always evolving. Reviewing and updating your budget helps you stay on track, identify areas for cost-cutting, and make informed decisions about resource allocation. Remember, a budget is a living document, so adapt it as your business evolves.2. Track your budgets, income and spendingSetting the budget isn’t the end of the process. It’s important to track all income and expenses and to update your budget in line with the current health of your business finances.Using the latest cloud accounting software can work wonders. These cloud tools help you record your incoming and outgoing transactions in real time, so you can work with the most up-to-date numbers and financial data when reviewing and reworking your budget.To improve your tracking : Use codes to categorise your expenses – the Chart of Accounts in your accounting software makes it easy to categorise each expense as it’s incurred. It’s then easy as ABC to review your financial reports and to analyse your spending patterns. Review your spending – check your spending against each code and see where budgets are on track, or where there’s overspending that’s threatening your budget. Are there subscriptions you can cancel? Or could you renegotiat
Fiji Business Network Updates - February 2024
BULA & WELCOMESeason's Greetings! Dearest fellow Members and Supporters.Welcome to our first newsletter of the yearWe intend to update you on the events and activities of our Fiji Business Network (NZ) Incorporated (FBN) via our regular newsletter.The Executive Team met last month to discuss the goals and targets for 2024.We have the pleasure of outlining these goals as a starting point below.We have our first 2024 Networking Evening in 2 weeks on Thursday 14th March. And our monthly Talanoa Chat next Tuesday 5 March.Please feel free to use the online portal to make suggestions and share your ideas with us as we all work towards the common goal of helping our fellow Fijians succeed.It is a journey of 1,000 steps and these are our first few steps to getting started. In twenty years,’ time, we’d like to look back and reflect on the many accomplishments of our fellow Fijians who would have become financially successful and commercially astute through the necessary work of the Fiji Business Network. It is absolutely vital that the economic power that our Fijian community holds, is not only is recognised but further utilised to help our grow Fijian entrepreneurship, businesses and the wider community. And we intend to use our Network to get this important work underway.Atesh Bhej, Raj Chand, Ronald Kumar & Nik Naidu on behalf of the Executive Team 2024 PLANS - Events and Activities 1. Networking events (calendar invite will be sent to lock these dates in) - Thursday 14 March 2024, Remuera Club - Wednesday 03 July 2024, Remuera Club - 20 November 2024, Sky City or other larger venue 2. Virtual Talanoa Session (calendar invite will be sent to lock in these dates) - 8.00pm – First Tuesday of every month - Question and Answers (Q&A) sessions - Updates, success stories - Keeping connected 3. Annual General Meeting - 03 July 2024 - Executive Elections - Increasing membership base - Target to two hundred paid members by 03 July 2024 - Special Industry groups to be formed as membership increases. Eg. Building and Trade, Finance, Retail, etc. 4. Regular Business updates and opportunities- to be presented via our website DEVELOPMENT - We need your help to achieve our Membership goal As an organisation primarily focused on connecting and helping our fellow Fijians thrive New Zealand’s commercial sectors.We are all about spreading the good word. It has taken a good deal of work and planning to this point, and we are excited that 2024 will be a year of progress. We are keeping it simple, with membership rates starting at $25.00 per annum. The membership fee runs through to 31 March 2025. Head over to our website, spread the good word, and encourage at least 3 new parties to join our network. It is quite simple to join. We are confident that once we have reached our goal of 200 members, we will be better placed to grow our visibility at the Government and institutional levels. This undoubtedly will have a multiplier effect on our members, our organisation, and the overall success of Fijian businesses in New Zealand.PARTNER - Benefits of joining FBN 1. Opportunity to help fellow Fijian businesses and professionals succeed. 2. Opportunity to provide mentorship to new and younger members who wish to pursue business ownership as a career pathway. 3. Opportunity to receive mentorship and guidance from senior members of our Fijian business community. 4. Sharing of ideas, lessons learned and innovative approaches to entrepreneurship. 5. Problem solving faced by your industry – collective or individuals. 6. Networking – bring along clients, key staffers and have the opportunity to meet other Fijians. 7. Share and platform successful stories of Fijians in business, sports, community development, politics and more. 8. Marketing your business on the network website and other social media channels. 9. Opening doors to larger organisations such as – Councils, Banks, Fonterra’s of this world, etc. 10. Training sessions – e.g., financials, planning, communications, marketing, etc. 11. “Business after 5” events – build friendships, meet other professionals, learn from your peers and mentors. 12. Business succession planning – who will continue after you? 13. Investment into Fiji – Invest Fiji and Pacific Trade and Invest 14. Tradeshows 15. Talanoa sessions - get to know someone around the grog bowl who may be able to help with your particular issue. 16. Suggestion box online for innovative ideas 17. Regular business updates – legislation changes, etc. 18. Travel expo to Fiji in the next few years. 19. Have fun and laughter – relatable to Fiji. The Fijian Sevens team surely led the way in winning the Olympic Gold twice for Fiji, so can we in business here in New Zealand!
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