22 June 2023
New hub of business and innovation opens on Don St
The Southland Business Chamber in partnership with COIN South opened a new business and innovation hub called 25 on Don on Wednesday and was already receiving “amazing” feedback from the community.
Announced in March, the new space is an initiative to provide a “one-stop shop” for business support and a collaborative space where business can work together.
Southland Business Chamber chief executive officer Sheree Carey said there was a “really good vibe” and “amazing feedback” to the hub’s opening.
“There was a lot of comment around that it was a great initiative and there was a huge amount of interest obviously over the past six weeks since we’ve been in here, and it’s kind of reiterated the fact that there was a real need and a gap for that collaborative space where people can come together.”
The three main tenants for the building are COIN Southland, the Chamber of Commerce and a host of “co-workers” which include a variety of people working remotely from international companies through to sole traders.
The place also has a co-working space available, so companies can hire out hot desks or a permanent desk, if that’s more your cup of tea, for an hour, a full day or even become a permanent tenant.
Carey said there are also meeting rooms, training rooms and boardroom facilities for other business to utilise as well.
The place will also see the One Foundation and Thriving Southland join on as tenants next week.
For Carey this has been a project she has long been trying to make a reality.
“We’ve been looking at buildings for a long time to try and find something that we could kind of purpose, but it also needed an amount of space, and I was really adamant that we wanted something in the CBD.”
The hub was going to be the last derelict building left after the CBD revitalisation and Carey said it was an “easy decision” to take on the building and give something back to the CBD.
Chamber president Neil McAra agreed saying this hub was a fundamental part of how the chamber could contribute to the CBD revitalisation and “turning an empty building into a space for growth and innovation was a great way to achieve this”.
The chamber are hoping the positive opening will only grow the hubs popularity and foster an atmosphere of innovation for the city’s businesses.
Source: Stuff – 22 June 202