COVID-19 business assistance
Information on financial help available to businesses affected by COVID-19.
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Regional Business Partner Network
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and Callaghan Innovation
The RBP network can support you in both business recovery and growth. Businesses can access resources and support in areas such as: HR, health and wellbeing, business continuity, cashflow and finance management, strategy and digital capability. As well as support for management training services to build capability.
What it's about
Supporting businesses to recover and grow, with a range of resources such as expert advisory services.
Who it's for
Businesses who are GST registered, have a New Zealand Businesses Number and fewer than 100 full time equivalent employees.
What it offers
A discussion with a RBP Growth Advisor to identify the support needed, connections to providers and if eligible, funding to access expert advisory services.
Business Finance Guarantee
The Treasury
Approved banks can provide a term loan or revolving credit facility if your business (which can be a company, sole trader, partnership or trust) needs credit for cashflow, capital assets and projects related to responding to, or recovering from, the impacts of COVID-19.
What it's about
Business Finance Guarantee loans of up to $5 million may be available through participating banks to help small and medium businesses access credit for cashflow, capital assets and projects related to, responding to, or recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.
Who it's for
New Zealand businesses which are generally viable, have revenue of $200 million or less and who meet other scheme criteria may be eligible. Your bank will assess if your business is eligible and apply its normal lending criteria and processes, modified to consider the uncertainty of the economic conditions caused by COVID-19. This will include the ability of your business to repay any credit advanced using the Business Finance Guarantee Scheme.
What it offers
The loans are intended to provide for businesses’ current and up-coming operating cashflow needs, including things like rent and staff expenses, and capital assets and projects related to, responding to, and recovering from the impacts of COVID-19.
COVID-19 Small Business Cash Flow Scheme
Inland Revenue
Government loans for small businesses who are impacted by a loss of revenue due to COVID-19.
What it's about
A one-off government loan over a term of 5 years for small to medium businesses affected by COVID-19.
Who it's for
It's for businesses or organisations that have 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees. You also need to be eligible for the original wage subsidy.
What it offers
Businesses will be entitled to a loan of $10,000, plus $1,800 per full-time employee, up to a maximum of $100,000.
COVID-19 Leave Support Scheme
Ministry of Social Development
Payments from Work and Income to support employers, including self-employed people, to pay wages if their employees can’t work due to COVID-19.
What it's about
Supporting employers whose employees can’t come into work because Ministry of Health guidelines recommend they stay at home, and they can't work from home.
Who it's for
Employers, including self-employed people, whose employees can’t work due to COVID-19. There’s more eligibility criteria on the Work and Income website.
What it offers
Payments of $585.80 for people working 20 hours or more a week, or $350.00 for people working less than 20 hours per week.
General COVID-19 information for businesses
Accident Compensation Corporation
We’ve made the decision to delay all ACC invoices by three months to reduce the immediate impact of COVID-19 on businesses.
What it's about
All invoices due to be sent in 2020 had a three-month grace period which resulted in CoverPlus Extra invoices being issued from July 2020 and all other invoices from October 2020.
Who it's for
Businesses that pay an ACC levy.
What it offers
- Delayed invoicing
- Payment plans
- To let us know if you’re no longer in business
- How ACC levies work with the government wage subsidy
Related pages
Programmes and initiatives that fund job creation as part of the COVID-19 recovery package.
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