Southland Business Chamber

15/06/2026

We have three awesome upcoming trainings with Mike Jones. A bit of something for everyone!

⭐Train the Trainer - Mon 29 June, 9am to 1pm⭐
For anyone who teaches, coaches, trains or supports others at work. This workshop helps you turn your knowledge into training people understand, remember and use.

⭐Resilience - Mon 29 June, 2pm to 4pm⭐
A great session for anyone feeling stretched, reactive or drained. Learn what impacts your energy, how to bounce back faster and how to build a stronger plan for dealing with change.

⭐Time Management and Prioritisation - Tues 30 June, 9am to 11am⭐
For anyone who feels like their to do list keeps winning. This session helps you get clear on what matters, plan your week better and take back some control.

Learn more: southlandchamber.co.nz/events

12/06/2026

What a great night on Wednesday. We got to hear from Ethan Todd, the founder of BACKLANZ.

Ethan shared how BACKLANZ started with a simple idea, making a better rifle bipod for New Zealand hunters which then grew into an export business designed and manufactured right here in Invercargill!!

He also showed the reality of what goes into taking a product global, from the product development to export challenges they faced, new markets and growth. As well as the successes that BACKLANZ accomplished including winning the 2024 Southland Export Awards.

If you're business is also exporting, this year might be you year!

Applications are now open for the 2026 DHL Southland Export Gala, It's worth a shot😏

11/06/2026

A big thanks to ILT for sponsoring Anjelina’s place in Intake 1 of the Southland Youth Leadership Academy.

Anjelina is the Rangatahi, Marketing and Design Lead at Miharo Murihiku Trust, where she mentors rangatahi, supports cultural connection and helps young people build confidence in themselves and their leadership.

She was a great asset to the group with her leadership showing right from the beginning.

We loved having her as part of the first SYLA intake and appreciate ILT supporting Southlands future leaders through SYLA!!🤩

11/06/2026

One good hire can change the whole feel of a team.✅
One wrong hire can cost time, money and A LOT of stress.❎

Our upcoming recruitment training is designed for anyone involved in hiring, whether you’re new to the process or keen to sharpen up your approach.

Samantha Cunningham will walk you through:
• Advertising the role
• Interviewing
• Making better hiring decisions
• Onboarding successfully

It’s only 2 hours, but it could save you a lot of headaches later!
southlandchamber.co.nz/events/125978

10/06/2026

A big thank you to OCC Health South for joining us for our BDO Invercargill Biz Bites.

Sheree covered how to sit properly at your desk, how to adjust your chair, where your monitor should be, how to make the most of footrests, monitor stands and sit stand desks plus a few easy fixes most of us should have done ages ago!😅

Thanks again to BDO Invercargill for supporting the BDO Biz Bite series and to everyone who came along.

Our next BDO Biz Bites is with Ange Mackenzie from PR Law. She'll will be talking employment agreements, leave entitlements, 90-day trials, documentation, good faith and all those employment bits you don’t want to get wrong.

Register here: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/133550

10/06/2026

Shout out to New Zealand Aluminium Smelter for helping support the next generation of Southland leaders!

Thanks to NZAS, Alice Moreton from ILT Stadium Southland was sponsored to join Intake 1 of the Southland Youth Leadership Academy.

Alice is one of those people who quietly gets things done. From supporting events and reception through to helping organise Adventure Park, school holiday programmes and the School Leavers Ball, she plays a big part behind the scenes.

We loved having Alice in the first SYLA intake and are so grateful to NZAS for helping make this opportunity happen.🤩🤩

09/06/2026

Hey! We've got a couple of awesome AI for business workshops coming up. Take your pick!

💻Fast Start with AI in Your Business: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/126676

💻AI for Sales and Customer Communications: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/123733

💻AI for Managing Your Team: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/123029

💻Microsoft Copilot Basic: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/125204

💻Microsoft Copilot Skills: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/125268

💻Microsoft Copilot Advanced: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/126612

08/06/2026

“It’s costing Southland businesses ... we need to get it sorted.”

The axing of the direct Invercargill-Wellington flight cost one Southland business an extra $122,000 to complete just one project.

08/06/2026

Hey! Guess what.

It’s that time of the year again and our Export Gala is back!

Applications are now open for the 2026 Export Southland DHL Export Gala Awards.

This one is for the Southland businesses, people and ideas helping take our region to the world.

Whether you’re already exporting, supporting the export sector or ready to take the next step, this is your chance to put your name forward.

Applications close 17 July 2026.

Apply here: southlandchamber.co.nz/export-gala-2026

08/06/2026

Leading a team isn't always the easiest. There is hard conversations, decision making, delegation, motivating and managing poor performance.

Legacy Leadership with Robin Rawson is designed for both new and experienced leaders. Across the two days you'll learn:

👥 Leadership vs management
👥 Courageous conversations
👥 Managing poor performance
👥 Decision making and delegation
👥 Building credibility and respect
👥 Leading with empathy
👥 Setting personal development goals

This workshop is perfect for managers, team leaders, supervisors, business owners and anyone stepping into a leadership role.

Sign up here: southlandchamber.co.nz/events/122364