Last Tuesday evening, One Mahurangi hosted a well-attended networking evening at The Bridgehouse with a great turnout from our retailers, hospitality operators, and other customer-facing businesses. Thanks to the Bridgehouse team for generously supplying the first drink and some nibbles—it was a warm and welcoming start to the night.
We heard from Matt from Warkworth Menswear and Peter from Stirling Sports about their decisions to open on weekends and public holidays. Their message was clear: being open when customers are around has had a positive impact on their business, even in tough times. While not every business can do the same, the discussion that followed was thoughtful and encouraging. It’s about finding what works for each of us.
A number of businesses expressed interest in forming a working group to explore how we might coordinate our opening hours to better meet visitor demand. We’ll be in touch soon with those who put their hands up.
We also heard from Louise from Proactive Consulting about her upcoming database workshop, and Anthony from Mahurangi Matters about a promotional idea that sparked plenty of feedback. And Josh from Burgs Digital gave us a great preview of the Modern Marketing Workshop Series starting next Wednesday—if you’re keen to sharpen your online marketing game, make sure you grab a spot while they’re still available.
What stood out to me most was the sense of collaboration in the room. Businesses want to support each other, and there’s genuine interest in working together to help make Warkworth a destination for visitors as well as locals.
If we want to attract more people into town, we need to be ready for them—with open doors, events, and reasons to stay a little longer. One Mahurangi is here to help support the businesses that want to be part of that.
Together, we’re stronger. Let’s keep moving forward.
Murray Chapman
Manager, One Mahurangi, Warkworth
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