Advocacy

When it comes to national and international issues, we work in conjunction with the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Business New Zealand. On regional issues (beyond those confined specifically to Wellington city) we work with the other Chambers in the region.

The Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce is the predominant business group lobbying specifically on Wellington issues - promoting sound policies that reflect the interests of the region’s business community without seeking special benefits.

We work closely with the City and Regional Councils as well as the various council-controlled organisations and stakeholder groups. Around 50% of rates collected by the councils in the Wellington region are directly paid by businesses, so it is important our voice is heard.

We also work closely with the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and BusinessNZ to lobby the government and make submissions on issues relevant to business as a whole.

Some of our most recent efforts in advocating for members have been in the debates around transport infrastructure and the Wellington Regional Strategy.

Surveys

We carefully monitor developments in the Wellington and New Zealand economies to help inform our decision making on policy issues, and conduct regular surveys of business confidence which are used to measure employment and investment intentions as well as gauge how the mood of Wellington businesses is evolving.

Surveys go out to our members regularly to gauge the positions of Wellington businesses on local issues to help us formulate policies and strategies in the best interests of our members.