Connect. Grow. Advance.
Business Whanganui is the independent voice for business in our region and an Accredited Member of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce network. We connect people and ideas, build skills and progress, and support business voice and impact where decisions are made. Through practical learning, trusted networks, advocacy, and visible promotion, we help businesses of all sizes move forward with confidence.
CONNECT. People & Ideas. Build relationships that strengthen opportunity.
GROW. Skills & Progress. Practical support to help your business move forward.
ADVANCE. Voice & Impact. Supporting business voice where decisions are made.
Membership means connection, capability, visibility, and representation — backed by a respected national network.
Join a connected, capable, and confident business community.
Business Continuity
Is your business prepared for an emergency event?
If you are a Whanganui business, please complete the Whanganui Emergency Response Contact Information form.
The details you provide help Civil Defence, Emergency Management, and response agencies reach you quickly, share accurate updates, and coordinate support when it matters most. Keeping your information up to date strengthens communication, improves response efforts, and helps ensure our business community stays connected during an emergency.
Thank you for doing your part to support a prepared, connected, and resilient business community.
Upcoming Learning & Events
BOOK NOW
Open Mic – Business for Breakfast
Step up. Speak up. Be known.
Tuesday 10 March 7.00am-8.30am
FRANK. 60 Ridgway Street
Enjoy breakfast, good company, and the opportunity to put your business on the radar of others.
Continuous Improvement Training
Thursday 12 & Friday 13 March
There is almost always a better way to work: less friction, fewer errors, better use of effort. Continuous improvement is a mindset built over time. Our free workshops with Darcy Mellsop from ciLab help Whanganui businesses improve processes, reduce rework, and strengthen problem-solving without adding complexity.
Watch Darcy’s short video to see the three learning options, then visit our events page to book the session that suits you.
Hon. Chris Penk Local Business Forum
Connecting business with the people shaping change
Wednesday 18 March 10.00am-11.30am
Business Whanganui 139 Guyton Street
Join us and Hon. Chris Penk at this opportunity for Whanganui business, Chamber members, and commercial building owners to hear from Minister Penk, and for the Minister to hear directly from local businesses about their needs and challenges across his portfolio areas.
Business Book Club
Ideas. Perspective. Conversation
Thursday 19 March 10.00am-11.00am
139 Guyton Street
Join our Business Whanganui Book Club for thoughtful discussion and shared learning with fellow business people.
Explore ideas from leading books on leadership, business, and personal growth.
ERA Changes – Need to Know
Practical support to help your business move forward
Tuesday 24 March 12.15-1.15pm
139 Guyton Street
Employment Relations Act changes took effect in February.
Join Robyn Young from RYHR to get clear on what has changed and what employers need to know.
Business After 5 with eHaus
Connect with your local business community
Wednesday 25 March 5.30pm-7.00pm
7 Rutland Street
Celebrate with eHaus as they open their new Central Office in Whanganui at this month’s Business After 5.
Join the eHaus team for drinks, nibbles, and the chance to see their new space while connecting with fellow members.
Good Business
In the Loop
Brains at Work: Building New Pathways in Business
Understanding how people respond to change matters in business, especially as expectations, technology, and ways of working continue to evolve. At our February 2026 Brains for Breakfast session, Melita Farley shared practical neuroscience insights that help explain why learning new behaviours can feel challenging and what helps change last.
These notes have been shared with our business community to give useful context, simple language, and practical prompts you can apply in your own leadership, teams, and day-to-day work..…. Read more
The Value of Working with a Professional Travel Advisor
Booking travel online is easy. Managing the unexpected is where experience matters. While flights and accommodation can be booked in minutes, planning a journey that runs smoothly often benefits from the support of experienced travel professionals.
We spoke with Carla from House of Travel Whanganui about the value of working with travel advisors, from navigating disruptions to designing journeys that work in the real world….. Read more
Connected Whanganui
Whanganui Business & Services Directory
OUR DIRECTORY IS CURRENTLY UNDER DEVELOPMENT. CHECK BACK REGULARLY FOR NEW LISTINGS AS THEY COME ONLINE.
Connect , Grow, and Advance your Business with us
Be Part of Business Whanganui
We host a range networking and learning events to help you to be more widely known, connected, informed, inspired, and more successful in your business.
From our biennial regional business awards, business for breakfast or lunch and after 5 gatherings, factory tours, just-for-fun events, thought leader guest speakers, and learning sessions, we’re sure you’ll find something to interest you.
We also have promotional opportunities for you to raise awareness of your business, products, services, and the value you deliver to your customers, including hosting a Business Whanganui networking event.
It’s not just who you know in business, it’s who knows you. Contact us to find out more.
Advocating for Business: Latest Submissions
Crimes Act Amendment Bill 2025 – Retail Crime
Retail crime is placing growing pressure on businesses, their people, and the communities they serve across New Zealand. As part of the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce network, this submission supports balanced, practical reform that recognises the repeat and organised nature of offending, strengthens early Police response tools, and reinforces clear consequences, while keeping worker safety firmly at the centre. Read the submission below to see the key points raised on behalf of the wider business community….. read more
Planning and Natural Environment Reforms
Businesses have long found the planning system heavy, complex, and inconsistent, affecting investment confidence and regional development. Through the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce network, this submission supports reforms that bring clearer national direction, more predictable processes, and practical outcomes — with a strong focus on consistent implementation so businesses can plan, grow, invest, and contribute to resilient, well-functioning and economically sustainable communities…. read more
Personal Leadership: The Blog
When Your Mind Is Working Overtime
A Practical Reset for Business Owners using The Three Circles
If you own or run a business, worrying or feeling unfocused or overwhelmed isn’t a sign you’re doing something wrong. It means you are carrying a lot – decisions, responsibilities, people, and uncertainty – often all at once. When pressure builds, your thinking can start working overtime. You’re busy in your head, struggling to focus, feeling frustrated and sensing that progress is slower than it should be. That is not a capability issue. It‘s more likely the result of problem-solving energy being focused in the wrong place…. read more
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