Southland has received an additional $450,000 in government funding – with possibly more to come – via the Regional Business Partner Network, which aims to support and encourage resilience in local businesses operating through the evolving impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

A total of $40 million was allocated nationwide via the Regional Business Partner Network today. 

Southland's COVID-19 Business Advisory Fund is administered by Great South, as the Regional Business Partner for the region, and the money will enable businesses to continue to access expert advice and support, up to the value of $5000 each. 

Great South General Manager for Business Services Ben Lewis said the funding was a boost for both the local business sector and the region’s economic recovery.  

He said the scheme began during COVID-19 and had such a big uptake across the country that it meant more funding was just secured today. 

Mr Lewis said 168 Southland businesses had so far been approved to receive funding, which equates to close to $300,000 of funding distributed in total throughout the region. 

Approved funding is paid directly to local providers who give the one-on-one advice such as HR, health and wellbeing, business continuity, cashflow and finance management, strategy, and digital capability specialists. 

Kylie Sutton owns the Coffee Bomb in Garston, a coffee cart especially popular with drivers passing through the northern Southland town. However, COVID-19 hit hard and subsequently she was able to receive support through the Regional Business Partner Network. She received advice from Southland accounting firm McCulloch and Partners and said it was "instrumental" in seeing her business survive through the pandemic and lockdown. 

McCulloch and Partners helped her with budgeting, managing stock orders and maintaining healthy staffing levels.

"The advice and financial work have kept me on track and focused on what I needed to do," she said. 

"I was about to order a whole lot of stock, the accountant said to wait for a bit, and it helped a lot with cash flow at the end of Level Three."

She said she had learnt a lot of invaluable accounting and budgeting knowledge to support the business through tough times – but she is not fully out of the woods yet.

"We're busy... but we're earning enough now that we're not going to qualify for the next [government wage] subsidy." 

She said ideally, she would like a little more cushioning to see her through winter, but the business was in a much better place than it was after COVID-19 hit.

To qualify for funding, Southland businesses will need to meet the specified eligibility criteria including meeting with a Great South Business Growth Advisor, as well as:

• Have fewer than 100 full-time equivalent employees, and
• Be GST registered in New Zealand, and
• Have a New Zealand Business Number, and
• Be operating in a commercial environment; and
• Be a privately-owned business or are a Māori Trust or incorporation under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993 or similar organisation managing Māori assets under multiple ownership.

Great South then assesses the business’s needs and lines them up with an appropriate provider.