Venture Taranaki
About Te Puna Umanga, Venture Taranaki
Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki is Taranaki's Regional Development Agency, and exists to help current and future Stratford and Taranaki businesses grow.
Offering a comprehensive range of services, Venture Taranaki is a one-stop-shop for all stages of business growth – from start-up to exporting. With teams working across economic development, the visitor industry, marketing and events, Venture Taranaki works one-on-one with individuals, businesses, small groups, media and industry sectors to grow the economic wellbeing of Taranaki.
An initiative founded and principally funded by the New Plymouth District Council, Venture Taranaki Trust is also supported by the Stratford District Council, South Taranaki District Council, Taranaki Electricity Trust, TSB Community Trust, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, Business in the Community and many other private sector organisations. This support means that the majority of services provided by Venture Taranaki are provided free of charge.
Business Start Up
Venture Taranaki can help anyone who is considering entering into business. The free Business Start Up clinics are held regularly in Stratford and elsewhere in the region, providing support, advice and assistance for your business idea or new business.
The sessions are confidential and one-on-one with an experienced business advisor, and can help you assess your idea, turn into a reality, and build good business systems to help it get off the ground. Our adviser can advise on areas including finances, book keeping, taxation, sales and marketing, business planning, entities and more.
Stratford clinics are held between 3pm and 6pm on the last Wednesday of every month, at the TSB Chambers, Stratford War Memorial Centre, Miranda St, Stratford. Clinics are generally 45 minutes long. Contact Venture Taranaki to secure your place.
Business Mentoring
Venture Taranaki works with Business Mentors New Zealand (BMNZ) in Taranaki, providing access to experienced mentors to businesses throughout the region. The nationwide programme has helped more than 60,000 small business owners, with the support of more than 1,800 volunteer mentors.
The Business Mentoring programme works by enabling small and medium sized business owners to access the skills and knowledge of experienced and successful business people, helping them to achieve their business goals. As a small business owner, you can apply to get a mentor, or as an experienced business person you could become a mentor to help our region's small businesses grow. Contact Venture Taranaki to learn more.
Growing Your Capabilities
Venture Taranaki has partnered with New Zealand Trade and Enterprise to build the capabilities of Taranaki's business owners and managers. Under the Capability Development Voucher scheme, up to 50 per cent funding is available for a range of business management training, up to $5,000 per year.
Venture Taranaki will meet with you to assess your business needs and develop a plan to help you grow. Vouchers can be issued for training in areas such as business planning, marketing, finance, business systems, staff management, governance, sustainability, lean manufacturing, exporting and more, through a wide range of accredited providers.
Contact Venture Taranaki to find out if your business qualifies for vouchers to help pay for management training workshops, courses and coaching.
Regional Intelligence
Venture Taranaki provides a number of regular and on-off reports to give you the latest local information.
Taranaki Trends is a comprehensive snapshot of the latest regional statistics from a range of sources. Available online and in hardcopy, the six-monthly publication is available online at venture.org.nz or by contacting Venture Taranaki.
The Taranaki Business Survey has been undertaken by Venture Taranaki every six months for the last decade, and presents responses to a range of standard economic indicators and special topics relevant to the region's business community.
In addition, Venture Taranaki produces a number of one-off economic reports, which in recent years have covered everything from the economic impact of the region's three Rugby World Cup 2011 matches to the size of Taranaki's oil and gas industry to the value or rugby to the regional economy to the economic contribution of Taranaki Maori.
Visitor Industry
Taranaki's hospitality is almost as legendary as its landscape, and as a destination the region is rapidly gaining attention around the world. Venture Taranaki works with the region's tourism operators to help grow the industry and its capability, with national and international media to promote the region to visitors, and across the tourism industry to create opportunities for the region.
Venture Taranaki also produces a comprehensive range of visitor information, from the official Taranaki Visitor Guide to touring route guides for the Forgotten World Highway and Surf Highway 45, to media kits and promotional videos, as well as maintaining the region's official visitor website at www.taranaki.info/visit.
If you're looking to develop or grow your tourism product, get in touch with Venture Taranaki to find out how they can help.
Major Events
When it comes to spectacular major events, Taranaki has an enviable events calendar. From international surfing contests, to major concerts to arts festivals, to round the mountain cycle races and more, Taranaki has it all. Venture Taranaki works with events promoters to help ensure there's a lot happening throughout region.
