Auckland Business Chamber

This article is about the New Zealand business network. For trade organisations globally, see Chamber of commerce.

The Auckland Business Chamber (known as the Auckland Chamber of Commerce until 2018^[3][4]), is a New Zealand business network representing the interests of businesses in the Auckland region. It is a non-governmental organisation.

Auckland Business Chamber

Founded	1856 [1]
Type	Business network
Focus	Business advocacy
Location	Auckland New Zealand[2]
Area served	Auckland industry
Method	Business services, media attention, events and training
Key people	Simon Bridges, Chief Executive Officer
Website	aucklandchamber.co.nz

History

The Chamber was founded in 1856, at a meeting of merchants on 24 January,^[5] during a period of economic depression. Active in the 1860s, the Chamber floundered somewhat before an 1869 reorganisation that opened its ranks to a wider variety of merchants, on an annual subscription basis.^[5]

Following its inception it focused on issues ranging from remedying trade abuses and obtaining adequate facilities for businesses, to standardization of grain weights and simplifying the customs tariff.^[6]

Michael Barnett was the chief executive and spokesperson for the Chamber from 1991 until 2022.^[7][8]

Activities and services

The Chamber provides support to businesses, hosts events and training courses, and publishes business-related information. It advocates to government on behalf of its members.