The Chamber has been actively involved with Hutt City Council for the past 12 months, providing the voice for business in the planning programme for climate change and carbon zero for Hutt City.

This workshop is a part of the Lower Hutt Community Climate Change Response Programme, which is designed to engage with the community, share information, hear different perspectives, and develop a plane to achieve our goals.

Those attending formed four individual workshop groups to discuss the challenges and opportunities around meeting Carbon Zero requirements. Each group focused on a specific area: Transport, Energy, Waste or Governance, highlighting opportunities, the challenges they face and what assistance is needed from local and central government.

The Carbon Zero policy creates real challenges for the business community. It became clear across all four areas that more assistance is needed for business to understand what will be required of them in the near future. On the flip side, there is definitely opportunities for local business to benefit from this shift if they can better understand the implications and pivot their operations.

Congratulations to Malia Vehikite from KiwiRail who won the business card prize draw. We trust you enjoyed your basket of gourmet foods proudly made in the Hutt Valley.