Funding and Grants

If you operate an Otago business, you could be eligible for up to 50% of the cost of management coaching and training services. 

Our Business Growth Advisors will work with you to identify areas where your business could benefit from management capability training. Then, they’ll connect you with the right services. 

To be eligible, your business must:

• have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees
• be GST registered in New Zealand 
• be operating in a commercial environment – ie, be currently trading  
• be privately owned or a Māori trust or incorporation under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, or similar organisation managing Māori assets under multiple ownership 
• have developed an action plan with a Business Growth Advisor.

Your business should also: 

• have the potential and desire to grow 
• demonstrate commitment to improving management capability – indicators of commitment include seeking advice, working through the assessment process, a willingness to co-fund and to commit time to capability-building activities 
• have an identified gap in its capability that can be addressed through management capability building and training. 

How to apply

Register with the Regional Business Partner Network and one of our Growth Advisors will contact you to confirm your eligibility.

This Fund aims to help tourism businesses prepare for the return of international visitors as borders reopen. 

Businesses that meet the criteria will need to provide verified financial records that show their pre-COVID income.

How to apply

Register with the Regional Business Partner Network and we will be in touch about your application.

Access up to $5,000 per business operation (excluding GST) for expert advice and support through the Regional Business Partner Network. 

This advice is in addition to any previous advice that a business may have received through the Network.

Businesses can access expert advice and support in one or more of the following:

• HR and employee relations and legal 
• Financial and cash flow management 
• Health and wellness 
• Business continuity planning 
• Marketing strategy 
• Digital enablement strategy 
• Hibernation and exit advice 
• Management capability development.

 The Business Advisory Support initiative will be open for applications until 31 August 2022. This may be extended depending on funding availability.

Access up to $5,000 per business operation (excluding GST) to support the implementation of advice received through the Business Advisory Support initiative, and/or from a satisfactory alternative provider.

Otago Regional Business Partners are supporting the Queenstown Lakes District with the rollout of this Fund.

The Grant can be used for operational activities in one or more of the following:

• HR and employee relations and legal 
• Financial and cash flow management 
• Health and wellness 
• Business continuity planning 
• Marketing strategy 
• Digital enablement strategy 
• Hibernation and exit advice 
• Management capability training and coaching.

The Grant cannot be used for:

• advice already implemented and paid for 
• anything that is not detailed in the professional advice already received
• capital expenditure 
• employees of the business to mitigate the risk of conflicts of interest or perverse behaviour
• any other situation where an actual, perceived or potential conflict of interest may exist, without prior written approval from the Lead Entity.

Eligibility criteria

Your business must:

• be a GST registered business, or GST registered prior to COVID-19 (2019/20 financial year)
• have a New Zealand Business Number – if you do not have one, you can get one on the NZBN website
• be operating in a commercial environment
• be a privately‐owned business or Māori Trust or incorporation under the Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993, or similar organisation managing Māori assets under multiple ownership
• be a tourism business, with at least 50% of your operational output is purchased by tourists (domestic or international), for example accommodation, arts and recreational services, food services, transport services or retail trade. This can include service businesses whose output is purchased by tourism businesses
• be physically based within Queenstown Lakes District (one grant per business operation).

Charitable trusts, incorporated societies, non-business entities, and local and central government bodies are ineligible.