The program will allow business to access specialist advice covering business planning, financial planning, HR and employee relations, business hibernation or exit, digital enablement and health and safety advice.

Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland will be a registered service provider and able to provide assistance for affected businesses.

The Activate Tāmaki Makaurau programme website has gone live (https://www.aucklandnz.com/activateauckland) with applications set to open on 1 December 2021.  The programme will include grants for:

• Business Advice (up to $3,000 + GST)
• Implementation Grant (up to $4,000 + GST)

In addition, health and wellbeing support is available right now through the First Steps package.  The First Steps package provides online and telephone support.

In order to access the grant programme, a business will need to, among other things:

• have fewer than 100 full time equivalent employees
• be GST registered in New Zealand
• have a New Zealand Business Number (NZBN)
• primarily operate within the Auckland Alert Level 3 boundary (primarily Auckland)
• be an existing business that is trading prior to 22 October 2021

The grant is not a cash grant, but instead covers the costs of professional services accessed through the programme.  When seeking the grant, a proposal (put together by you and the service provider) will need to be submitted to Activate Tāmaki Makaurau first, and once approved, the services can then be provided.

We emphasise this support is in addition to other government support.  If your business meets the eligibility criteria and you consider this support would help, then please apply even if you have already accessed other government support such as the wage subsidy and resurgence support payment.

This support will also only be available for a limited time.

If you are interested in accessing this support, please either visit the Activate Tāmaki Makaurau website linked to above, contact 0800 500 362 or e-mail your enquiry to info@businesshelpline.co.nz and contact your usual Baker Tilly Staples Rodway advisor or email: auckland@bakertillysr.nz.