Wellbeing

Marlborough’s business community is inclusive and supportive with fantastic opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and innovation. Economic wellbeing, which includes the health of our natural environment, is a key focus for the region.

Founder wellbeing

Marlborough is recognised for the ‘7-minute commute’ - offering an excellent work and life balance.

There is ample opportunity to access business networking, learning, mentoring, advice and support networks through your business and start-up journey.

Marlborough’s business community is inclusive and supportive of one another. It's easy to connect and to share your story with other business owners. See our Business Support page for further information.

Marlborough has spaces and events designed to support founder wellbeing. We've outlined some of the key initiatives — take a look.

Marlborough Tech & Innovation Hub

Marlborough’s new technology and innovation hub has a focus on building innovative businesses and solutions for the region through a lens of wellbeing and sustainability.

The hub, due to open October 2024, will foster start-ups and boost the tech sector, increase productivity and enhance local investment opportunities.

Read more about the Marlborough Tech & Innovation Hub.

Techstars Start-Up Weekends

The Techstars Start-up Weekend is an opportunity to meet the very best mentors, investors, co-founders and sponsors to show you how to get more done faster and experience entrepreneurship first-hand.

Read more on the Start-up Marlborough website.

Marlborough Youth & Future of Work Conference

Marlborough is focused on the wellbeing of its youth and the annual ‘Future of Work Conference’ is the main career event for all schools.

This conference showcases what the workplace of tomorrow looks like for local youth — inspiring them to become part of the region's future. Future of Work supports students to discover a purposeful pathway into their future, whether they're headed to university, trades, or have yet to decide.

The Future of Work usually takes place in winter and is organised in collaboration with the Graeme Dingle Foundation in Marlborough.

A volunteer helps plant a wetland in Marlborough

Environmental wellbeing

Marlborough’s businesses are also very aware of their social licence – towards and among each other as well as towards the environment.

A few examples of all the good that’s happening in Marlborough are:

Te Hoiere/Pelorus catchment restoration project - addresses land use derived issues and achieve wider conservation goals using a holistic and collaborative approach.
The Marlborough Envirohub - an environmental Hub that unites, inspires and assists the Marlborough community to achieve their environmental goal.
The Environment Team at MDC — be informed about all the good work that the environment team at Marlborough District Council is doing for the region’s conservation & restoration.

Marlborough Environment Awards

We celebrate our high achievers in Marlborough.

The Cawthron Marlborough Environment Awards are held every two years to showcase businesses or community projects that are good for the environment.

The Awards are open to any businesses, community group, or individual working in Marlborough. Judges are looking for entrants who protect and enhance the environment and use resources and energy efficiently.

The Awards are run by a charitable trust and are supported by the Cawthron Insitute, the Marlborough District Council, the Department of Conservation, and local sponsors.

Check out the inspiring stories from the 2023 award winners.

The big picture

The vision for Marlborough’s business sector is articulated in our Economic Wellbeing Strategy.

Marlborough District Council looks after the region’s environmental, economic, social and cultural wellbeing. The Council’s Marlborough Economic Wellbeing Strategy 2022-2032 embraces this, highlighting the importance of wellbeing and its connectedness with the natural environment and biodiversity.

Read the Economic Wellbeing Strategy