Resilience Fund Wraps Up After Supporting Over 360 Hawke’s Bay Businesses

A special 18-month fund supporting Hawke’s Bay businesses wraps up this month, with over 360 local businesses having accessed tailored support, training, and resources through the Regional Business Partner (RBP) programme.

The Resilience Fund - originally launched as the Hawke’s Bay Cyclone Recovery Fund - was secured and delivered by the Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce. The fund expanded on the existing RBP services to help businesses hit by Cyclone Gabrielle, connecting them with training providers for targeted support focused on well-being, financial planning and long-term business resilience.

By working with many local training providers, the programme helped strengthen regional networks and ensured the benefits of the funding remained within Hawke’s Bay.

Callum Ross founder of RossAi utilised the resilience fund for training in areas of strategy and planning. He explained “The training gave us practical insights into building operational resilience and highlighted key areas to strengthen around governance, communications, and technology” Callum added “It helped us better align our services with the recovery needs of local businesses and councils…the training also connected us with a wider network of support agencies and mentors, which has been invaluable as we scale our response and build future-ready solutions.”

Training demand was especially high in areas such as marketing and business planning, with businesses from Waipukurau through to Wairoa making use of the fund.

“We worked hard to secure this funding as we know how hard the region was hit after the cyclone, and we wanted to support our local business community as much as possible. This funding has made a real difference for small businesses across the region,” said Karla Lee, CEO of the Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve really valued working alongside business owners- connecting them with training and advice that’s helped them recover, build resilience, and grow.”

The Chamber continues to be the region’s delivery partner for the Regional Business Partner (RBP) network. In this role, the Chamber supports small and medium-sized businesses by providing access to government-funded resources, expert advice, and capability development services.

Small business owners are encouraged to register for support and explore the original and ongoing available funding opportunities (eligibility criteria apply). Learn more at www.hbchamber.nz/rbp.

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