Free ways to get your Auckland city-centre business found

If you run a Korean business in Auckland’s city centre — a restaurant, a hair salon, a beauty store, a grocery, a professional practice — there is free promotion available to you that many owners never claim, simply because nobody told them it exists.

오클랜드 시티(CBD)에서 한인 업소를 운영하신다면, 무료로 이용할 수 있는 홍보 기회가 있습니다. 몰라서 못 쓰는 경우가 대부분입니다. 아래 내용을 확인해 보세요.

We are not affiliated with any of the organisations below. We do not act for them, we cannot apply on your behalf, and we cannot influence whether an application is accepted. Every link goes to the organisation’s own page. 아래 단체들과 저희는 아무런 제휴 관계가 없습니다. 대신 신청해 드릴 수 없으며, 승인 여부에도 관여하지 않습니다.

1. Heart of the City membership — free

Heart of the City is the business association for Auckland’s city centre. It runs a Business Improvement District (BID) funded by a targeted rate on commercially-rated property in the area, under Auckland Council’s BID programme.

According to their membership page, businesses and commercially-rated property owners inside the BID boundary can apply to become members at no cost. Members get:

• a business listing on the Heart of the City website, where applicable
• regular updates and business information
• a say in advocacy on city centre issues
• (Full Members) voting rights at General Meetings, and eligibility to stand for the Executive Committee

Membership is not automatic. You apply, and eligibility is verified.

Heart of the City는 오클랜드 시티 상권을 대표하는 협회입니다. 경계 구역 안의 사업체는 무료로 회원 신청을 할 수 있고, 웹사이트 업체 등록·정기 정보·상권 현안 의견 반영 등의 혜택이 있습니다. 단, 자동 가입이 아니라 심사를 거칩니다.

Check the boundary first

Being in the city centre is not the same as being inside the BID boundary. Check your street address against Heart of the City’s boundary map and Auckland Council’s BID rating maps before you apply. Addresses at the outer edges — for example the upper end of Queen Street toward Karangahape Road — may fall outside.

신청 전에 반드시 주소를 경계 지도에서 확인하세요. 시티라도 경계 밖이면 해당되지 않습니다.

2. Restaurant Month — free to take part

Restaurant Month is Heart of the City’s annual August dining campaign, now in its sixteenth year and running 1–31 August 2026 across more than 100 city centre restaurants.

To take part you must be a restaurant or bar with sit-down or table service, inside the Heart of the City boundary — the same boundary as §1, so check your address first. You submit a set-price menu created for the campaign, at $30, $45 or $55+ per person, minimum two courses, available every day you are open for the whole month. Approved menus are listed on the Heart of the City website and may be promoted through their campaign channels.

Heart of the City has described taking part as free; their 2026 criteria page does not mention a fee either way, so confirm the current terms when you enquire.

Timing matters more than anything else here. Listings go live in early July, so menus are locked in months before August — if you are reading this during Restaurant Month, this year is already closed. Ask Heart of the City early in the year when registrations open for the next one.

Restaurant Month은 매년 8월에 열리는 시티 외식 캠페인으로, 2026년이 16번째입니다. 경계 구역 안에 있고 테이블 서비스를 제공하는 레스토랑 또는 바가 참여할 수 있으며, 1인당 $30 / $45 / $55+ 가격의 2코스 이상 특별 메뉴를 제출하는 방식입니다. 접수는 8월 훨씬 전에 마감됩니다(7월 초에 이미 명단 공개). 참여를 원하시면 연초에 미리 문의해 두세요.

3. Your Google Business Profile — free, and the highest-value one

Before any directory or association, do this one. A Google Business Profile is free, you control it directly, and for most small businesses it is where the majority of new customers actually find you.

Worth getting right:

• Correct name, address and opening hours — including public holidays
• Photos you own, updated occasionally
• Category set accurately (e.g. “Korean restaurant”, “hair salon”)
• Reviews — reply to them, including the critical ones
• Your website link, if you have one

가장 효과가 큰 무료 조치입니다. Google 비즈니스 프로필을 직접 인증하고 상호·주소·영업시간·사진·업종을 정확히 입력하고, 리뷰에 답변하세요. 대부분의 신규 손님은 여기서 업소를 찾습니다.

4. Emergency and business continuity planning in Korean

In July 2022, Auckland Emergency Management published what it described as New Zealand’s first business emergency preparedness resource made specifically for Auckland’s Korean business community — aimed at small businesses with 20 or fewer staff. It was developed with the Korean Construction Association of New Zealand and the Korean Society, and the translations were checked for accuracy and cultural relevance by Paul Kang (announcement).

It included a Korean business continuity guide and plan template, an emergency response plan template and checklist, and a sensitive-business-information template.

That Korean material is no longer available on the Auckland Emergency Management website, although the English and Simplified Chinese versions of the business continuity guide are still published. Archived copies of the Korean pages exist in the Internet Archive.

In the meantime, the current business continuity plan guide and Get Work Ready pages are available in English.

2022년 오클랜드 비상관리본부(Auckland Emergency Management)는 한인 소규모 사업체를 위한 한국어 재난 대비 자료(사업연속성계획 가이드·양식, 비상 대응 계획 양식·체크리스트)를 한인 단체들과 함께 발행했습니다. 현재 이 한국어 자료는 해당 웹사이트에서 내려간 상태이며, 영어와 중국어 자료는 계속 제공되고 있습니다. 한국어 자료는 위 인터넷 아카이브 링크에서 확인할 수 있습니다.

5. Other places worth a look

• Ministry for Ethnic Communities — runs the Ethnic Communities Development Fund. Note it funds organisations and community groups, not individuals or individual businesses, so this is one for a Korean association or group project rather than a single shop.
• Korean Society of Auckland (오클랜드 한인회) — the main Korean community body in Auckland.
• business.govt.nz — the government’s general small-business guidance, including compliance and employment basics.

If you are just starting out, our starting a small business in New Zealand guide covers the first steps, and Korean-speaking accountants & tax help covers finding bilingual professional support.

Before you apply — a short checklist

1. Check your street address against the BID boundary map.
2. Have your business details ready: legal entity name, trading name, address, and NZBN if you have one.
3. Decide who in the business is the contact person.
4. Apply through the organisation’s own page — never through a third party who charges you for it.
5. If English is a barrier, line up a bilingual helper before you start.

신청 전 확인: ① 주소가 경계 안인지 ② 법인명·상호·주소·NZBN 준비 ③ 담당자 지정 ④ 반드시 해당 기관의 공식 페이지에서 직접 신청(수수료를 받는 제3자 이용 금지) ⑤ 영어가 부담되면 도와줄 사람을 미리 준비.

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Details such as eligibility rules, campaign dates and fees are set by each organisation and can change. Confirm current requirements on their own website before you rely on anything here. 자격 조건·일정·비용은 각 기관이 정하며 변경될 수 있습니다. 신청 전에 해당 기관 웹사이트에서 최신 내용을 확인하세요.