Westpac and the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce have today launched a new campaign aimed at sharing the
stories that make Waitaha Canterbury one of the leading regions for business growth.
The campaign is a digital evolution of the organisation’s annual Westpac Champion Business Awards, with people
encouraged to give a shout out to a local business, team or individual or share their own story at canterburybusinesschampions.com. The campaign runs until 6 November.
Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson says the initiative was aimed at providing a
platform to share the "best kept secrets" of the region and reinforce the role that business plays in our wider
community.
"Throughout the last few months, we have talked to thousands of businesses and have heard some amazing stories of
innovation, nimbleness, determination, collaboration and kindness, so we wanted to provide a platform to share those
stories and celebrate our business champions who contribute to the strong quality of life the people in Ōtautahi
Christchurch and Waitaha Canterbury enjoy.
"While in a normal year, we could showcase some of those businesses at our annual Awards ceremony, this year we decided
to take the celebration online, given the uncertainty of running events during COVID-19, and focus on collectively
championing all businesses - as there has never been a better time to share positive stories about our business
community than right now.
"That’s why Westpac and The Chamber are so excited to bring you our new Canterbury Business Champions campaign. Your
business champion could be a supplier that has innovated to make the most of a market opportunity; or your own team that
has introduced a new staff wellbeing initiative; or a shout-out to a local business operator who always greets you with
a smile.
"From great feats to small tokens, we want to hear what makes Canterbury such an amazing place to live, work and play."
As the lead sponsor of the campaign, Westpac’s South Island Area Manager, Commercial, Mark Forward said the campaign
provides an opportunity to recognise the resilience, determination and creativity of Canterbury businesses.
"It has been a challenging year, but we’ve been so proud to see the hard work and adaptability businesses across the
region have shown and look forward to hearing the stories that will be shared through this campaign.
"Every business has been affected by COVID-19 in some way, and every business has a story. Here at Westpac our focus has
been supporting businesses - we’re working incredibly hard to get Kiwis through this and have already provided loan
repayment relief for more than 20,000 personal and home loan customers, and billions of dollars in new and restructured
lending to businesses. We’ve also donated an extra $1m to support New Zealand’s rescue helicopters to help address a
fundraising shortfall."
With up to $18,000 of spot prizes up for grabs, all individuals who share a story will go in the draw to win one of
three advertising vouchers, worth $5,000 each, from Mediaworks and The Press or one of three $1,000 Air New Zealand
Travel Vouchers.
Thanks to: Lead Partner Westpac, Creative Partner Harvey Cameron Group, Radio Partner Mediaworks, Print Partner The
Press and Channel Partner ChristchurchNZ; Campaign Partners Christchurch City Council, and Lyttelton Port Company; and
Campaign Supporters Kordia PLC, Christchurch Casino, Air New Zealand, and Export New Zealand Canterbury.
#CanterburyChampions
#ShareYourStory