Re-elected NorthChamber president says network is progressive, not an ‘old boys’ club’

A close-fought contest for Northland Chamber of Commerce presidency has raised questions over whether the organisation is simply an old boys’ club.

However, newly re-elected president Tim Robinson said NorthChamber is future-focused for Northland’s needs and he was chosen for his good track record.

Robinson, who has been president for three years, was contested for the volunteer position by former Far North District councillor Tania McInnes, the first time in at least 15 years the position has been contested.

At NorthChamber’s AGM on Wednesday night, the race was so tight each vote had to be checked for validity before Robinson was eventually declared the winner, saying he was honoured to be re-elected.

McInnes has now resigned from the chamber board - a move she had decided on before the AGM but put on hold when she was convinced to run for president, she said.

She echoed murmurings by some at the AGM that the election showed the strength of the old boys’ network in Whangārei business: “We demonstrated that the old boys’ club is well and truly alive and well.”

But Robinson strongly rejected that claim, saying the new board was well-balanced and NorthChamber is focused on getting the region up and running despite difficulties such as the Brynderwyns highway stretch closing.

“The comments disappoint me. A number of us have had our heads down, working hard on relationships, trying to be a very effective advocate and enabling business to get moving forward.”

Robinson said, in his humble opinion, his support was due to his good track record leading organisations, including taking Whangārei Boys’ High School through a successful rebuild and appointing its first female principal.

His leadership at NorthChamber has seen it move forward to form a joint venture with the Employers and Manufactures Association (EMA).

Despite the election result, McInnes said she was glad she stood for the presidency, as the challenge injected some life into NorthChamber.

Nearly 50 people attended the AGM, more than twice as many as last year, and new people had put up their hands to join the chamber board, she said.

The new board members are Brenda Leeuwenberg (Nomad8), David Finchett (Northport), Dirk Mostert (Forsyth Barr), Wayne Tollemache (JTC Consulting), Sandeep Diwan (Calders Design and Print) and Mere Teinaki (Northland Chartered Accountants).

They join existing board members vice-president Sue Walters (Northland Scaffolding), treasurer Danny Douglas (Bridge Advisory), Professor Douglas Sutton (Cave Farms), Stephen Gibson (Marsden Maritime Holdings), Natalie Blandford (Project Apōpō) and Jules Smith (Again).

Business Tai Tokerau boosting Northland commerce

Meanwhile, NorthChamber’s joint venture with EMA is about best representing Northland businesses and moving the region forward rather than competing with each other for members, chief executive Darryn Fisher said.

The new joint venture will be called Business Tai Tokerau, which will be a member of both the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Business New Zealand.

The “marriage” is not quite signed and sealed yet, with the two organisations effectively “dating” over the last 12 months, now getting engaged and set to get married in a year’s time, when their financials will merge, Fisher explained.

EMA Northland regional manager Michael Turner said the two organisations are both not-for-profit membership orgnisations for businesses.

“In a region like Northland where resources are so limited, there’s lots of ground to cover and lots of diversity, it’s about making a difference and not for the two organisations to be competing.”

Fisher said the focus of Business Tai Tokerau will be:

Business Tai Tokerau has already secured Northport as a major sponsor for the next three years, and is working closely with other organisations like Federated Farmers and Young Enterprise Scheme (YES).

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.