Weekly Digest – 30 March 2022

Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. Read on for the latest updates and some ideas to help us all move forward.

New Declaration Form for Travellers

All air passengers to NZ will soon be required to complete a new traveller declaration form which produces a “Traveller Pass” letting them know what they need to do to enter the country. The New Zealand Traveller Declaration is set to replace the Ministry of Health declaration system, Nau Mai Rā, at 11:59 pm on 31 March 2022.

Economy Stable Amid Global Headwinds

The economy remains stable due to high employment levels, strong construction activity and the primary sector, despite gathering global headwinds of war in Ukraine and declining house prices. Dot Loves Data’s latest resilience index shows the economy is steady at a resilience level of five. The measure runs a scale of one to seven, and measures business openings, business closures, longevity of businesses, and consumer demand.

Survey: Business Confidence Improves in March

Business sentiment improved in March, but remains considerably below that at the end of the last year, according to an ANZ Bank survey. The headline measure showed a net 41.9% of respondents expected the economy to deteriorate over the year ahead, an improvement from 51.8% pessimism level in January.

IMF Warns Housing Market Debt A Risk for the Economy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the high levels of household debt, borrowers’ vulnerability to rising interest rates, and banks’ high exposure to housing loans could be a risk for the economy. Learn more about the report here.

COVID Support Payment

A targeted COVID Support Payment (CSP) will be made available for businesses struggling with revenue during the Omicron outbreak. Each COVID Support Payment will be $4,000 per business plus $400 per full-time employee, capped at 50 FTEs or $24,000.

Digital Invoicing Initiative Launched

Starting 31 March 2022, central government agencies must be able to receive invoices in an electronic format. This marks the first step in making Business to Government (B2G) e-Invoicing mandatory in New Zealand. The government estimates savings of $4.4 billion over 10 years using the electronic system.

Government Extends Events Transition Support Scheme

The government has extended its insurance scheme to give large-scale events financial certainty for another year. Originally due to run until 3 April, the Events Transition Support Scheme will now last until January 2023.

Change in Leave Support Scheme

The Leave Support Scheme is now a weekly payment, instead of a two-week payment amid the change in the periods of self-isolation.

This scheme is available to employers and the self-employed to help pay their employees who have been advised to self-isolate because of COVID-19 and can’t work at home during that period.

The COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme is paid at the rate of:

  • $600.00 a week for full-time workers who were working 20 hours or more a week.
  • $359 a week for part-time workers who were working less than 20 hours a week.

You can learn more about it here.

Events Transition Support Scheme Launched

The Events Transition Support Scheme opened last week, covering 90% of unrecoverable costs for major events cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic. It will apply to live, in-person paid events with over 5,000 attendees from 17 December until 3 April 2022.

Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme

If you employ 50 or fewer staff, you may be able to apply for the Small Business Cashflow Loan Scheme. This is a one-off 5 year loan where you can borrow a maximum of $10,000 plus $1,800 per full-time-equivalent employee within your business.

Applications are open until 31 December 2023 through myIR. If your business does not have a myIR account, you will need to create one to apply. Loans will be interest-free if they are paid back within 2 years. The interest rate is 3% for a maximum term of 5 years.

COVID-19 Short-Term Absence Payment

The Short-Term Absence Payment is available for businesses, including self-employed people, to help pay employees who cannot work from home while they wait at home for a COVID-19 test result. This is a one-off payment of $359 for each eligible worker. You can find the details here.

Kiwi Business Boost Tool

The Government has funded specialist consultancy support services to provide advice to businesses who need it. You can use the Kiwi Business Boost Tool to find out what services are available in your region.

The Treasury website’s COVID-19 Economic Response Measures can also provide more information on the range of support available to businesses.

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