Waikato Business News October/November 2016

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18 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS October/November 2016 Stop Work initiative reinforces safety first Asking colleagues to stop work due to safety concerns can be difficult so that’s why WEL Networks introduced an ‘Authorisation to Stop Work’ card. The wallet sized cards were introduced to WEL Networks about 18 months ago and are endorsed by chief executive Garth Dibley who says the cards are proving to be a cost effective, but extremely valuable safety initiative. “We believe that all staff, whether WEL employees or contractors, have the right to work in an environment where risks to their health and safety are eliminated or controlled. But we all know that speaking up about potentially harmful situations can be difficult. This card assures staff that they have our full support if they ask for work to stop due to safety concerns.” “Everyone gets a card the day they start work with WEL, whether they’re field or office based. It gives them confidence to stop an activity that they feel cannot be undertaken safely and to actively participate in developing a safe solution”. But the cards aren’t just for WEL staff. “We recently issued all contractors on our work sites with a WEL Networks Stop Work Authorisation card too. This ensures our contractors feel as empowered as we do if they have safety concerns.” Business development manager, Jack Nines (left) and project manager, Craig Evans present their Authorisation to Stop Work cards. TGH appoints manager for Ruakura development Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) has appointed Blair Morris as general manager for its Ruakura development. TGH chief executive Chris Joblin said Blair’s deep experience and understanding of New Zealand’s logistics sector will be invaluable as TGH progresses its plans for an inland port and logistics hub at Ruakura to link the ‘Golden Triangle’ of Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty. Ruakura is a 480 hectare development and will become New Zealand’s largest integrated logistics, commercial and lifestyle development. Prospective port operators in New Zealand and overseas have recently submitted formal expressions of interest. A process is now in place to appoint a preferred inland port operator by early 2017. Earthworks are on track to commence on the site in the current construction season and formal marketing commences next year. “Blair’s appointment is a key step as the region’s premier inland port and logistics hub at Ruakura comes to frui- tion,’ said Mr Joblin. “He brings decades of experience in understanding and meeting the needs of exporters and importers and the logistics sector.” For the past four and a half years Mr Morris has been general manager commercial at Kotahi Logistics LP, New Zealand’s largest collaboration of exporters, owned by Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms. In his role he provided strategic direction and management of Kotahi’s business growth in New Zealand and Australia including customer solution design and customer experience. Before his role at Kotahi, Mr Morris spent 22 years in the shipping industry, and held a wide variety of commercial and trade management roles in Australia and New Zealand. He was general manager of Hapag-Lloyd New Zealand (a German shipping line headquartered in Hamburg Germany) before moving to its Singapore Corporate Office where he was senior director region Asia for the business. Mr Morris said he was looking forward to leading the development of Ruakura which the government has deemed to be a project of national significance. “This is an exciting opportunity as Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga move ever closer as an economic unit. With the region generating high and growing levels of freight, Ruakura offers a unique opportunity to develop an infrastructure designed for New Zealand’s future needs.” “I am excited to be part of a strategic infrastructure build and by TGH’s vision for a centrally located logistics hub to drive greater supply chain efficiency, whether for international imports, exports or domestic distribution needs. A real opportunity exists to design for scale as this multi-user development will cater for all parties across the logistics spectrum with best-inclass transport connections to offer stand-out efficiencies for users,” he said. Mr Morris’ start date with TGH is December 5. Stirling Sports pair moves on from tough start By VIV POSSELT Stirling Sports franchisees Hayden Brown and Sarah Nicholl. New to the Cambridge retail scene is Stirling Sports. The outlet opened in the town’s central Victoria Street in July, with franchisees Sarah Nicholl and Hayden Brown at the helm. And while things have now settled into a good routine, their start was less auspicious. The shop was ram-raided less than a week after it opened, and thieves stole a number of items on display in the front area of the store. Sarah and Hayden believe the offenders were interrupted during the raid as the rest of the merchandise was left undisturbed. They understand the police have made an arrest, and that the offenders were from out of town Sarah is a Cambridge native, while Hayden is a more recent import. Both have seen the town forge an increasingly strong reputation for sporting and leisure pursuits, and felt the time was ripe to offer locals an opportunity to purchase suitable apparel closer to home. Cambridge is the Stirling Sports Group’s 55th outlet nationwide. The company opened its first store on Auckland’s Dominion Road in 1964, and has since invested heavily in developing a respected chain of stores selling sportswear, active wear and accessories. Sarah and Hayden aren’t total newcomers to the world of sporting apparel. As a longtime sports enthusiast, Hayden has been wearing it for years, and family members are keen sports people. The couple has also made a good fist of running Matamata’s Stirling Sports outlet since they purchased it as a going concern some time ago, and decided to extend the range to Cambridge. Bringing the brand to the town was a decision based on Cambridge’s sporting reputation and burgeoning population growth. “We have thought for quite a while that Cambridge needed a Stirling Sports outlet,” Sarah explains. “We offer something different from other local stores in that our focus is primarily on sportswear, footwear and accessories – not necessarily only for particular sporting disciplines, but also for general leisure, going to the gym and so on. “So many people here engage in some sort of physical activity. It was a pretty easy decision for us.” They said the level of interest has been high. “People in Cambridge are very keen to shop locally whenever they can, and those wanting something we may have run out of are more than willing to wait for us to order it in. “It seems to be a win-win all round.”
19 June Fieldays another money spinner This year’s National Agricultural Fieldays brought in $430 million in sales revenue for New Zealand firms, up nine percent from 2015, according to an economic impact report unveiled in October. The report says the June event generated $124.5 million in revenue for firms in the Waikato region. The impact to GDP was calculated at $58 million for Waikato and $191 million for New Zealand. Fieldays helped generate 708 (full-time equivalent) new jobs for Waikato, and a total of 2021 new jobs across New Zealand for 2016 (up 13 percent since last year) The Fieldays 2016 Economic Impact Report, independently prepared by consulting economist Dr Warren Hughes and the University of Waikato Management School’s Institute of Business Research, was released at a function at Mystery Creek Events Centre. “Fieldays is a fantastic event that keeps going from strength-tostrength,” said the Minister of Primary Industries, Nathan Guy. “It has provided a wonderful opportunity to get rural and urban people understanding what happens when you go beyond the farm gate or orchard gate.” “One of the highlights of the report is that, despite the downturn in dairying, the results were better than expected,” said Dr Hughes, the report’s author. “The number of exhibitor sites went up four percent to 1507, and the number of gate entries also increased to 130,684, about four percent higher than 2015.” In total, 60 percent of Fieldays’ visitors purchased or planned to purchase equipment this year, compared to 53 percent in 2015. Fieldays helped generate 708 (full-time equivalent) new jobs for Waikato, and a total of 2021 new jobs across New Zealand for 2016 (up 13 percent since last year). “It’s not only about the goods and services sold during and after the event,” said Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation. “It’s about the jobs created and the surrounding towns and cities that benefit hugely during Fieldays, as well as pre and post-event.” Volunteers celebrated at Fieldays dinner Some of Waikato’s most dedicated volunteers were celebrated in October at the annual New Zealand National Fieldays Society award dinner at Mystery Creek Events Centre. More than 200 people gathered for a formal dinner and awards evening to recognise those who had given their time, passion and service to the New Zealand National Fieldays Society Fieldays and Equidays events. Two major awards were given on the night – the John Kneebone Volunteer of the Year Award and the Rimmington Award. A new award for 2016, the John Kneebone Volunteer of the Year Award went to Te Awamutu local, Simon Kay, who was recognised for “his unselfish contribution, leadership, maturity, willingness to do whatever was asked of him,” said Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation. Simon, a 58-year-old former farmer, had been volunteering at Fieldays for eight years. This year he managed around 60 volunteers across three groups: site services, parking and couriers. Simon estimated that he put in about 200-250 hours a year volunteering at Fieldays, especially in June – in the weeks before, during and after the event. The Rimmington Award was given to Angela Alexander, a 50-year-old transport inspector from Go Bus, in recognition of her outstanding service to Fieldays from an external organisation or individual. Angela, also from Te Awamutu, was praised for her “exceptional logistics skills and willingness to go the extra mile to help those in need”, said Peter. The Rimmington Award is named for founding member and past president of Fieldays, Russ Rimmington, who was also a former Hamilton mayor. The awards evening also recognised other volunteers. Volunteer Membership Pins were awarded to four new members (Vonnie Powell, Alison Weggery, Ken Ballantyne and Maurice Turner), while another six people received Volunteer Recognition Awards for their outstanding service to the Society during the past year (Michelle Gaskell, Jason Hoyle, Alan Sharp, CJ Collingwood, Bruce Cryer and Olwyn Downing). Four long-serving members received a Service Award in recognition and appreciation of their ongoing service and outstanding contribution to the Society for a period of at least 10 years (Jason Hoyle, CJ Collingwood, Shaun Gaskell and Neil Quinlan). A Life Membership Award was given to former long-serving Fieldays general manager Barry Quayle. NZ National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation. This year, for the first time, economists were asked to put a value on the Fieldays brand. Dr Hughes estimated it to be $380 million – very high for a New Zealandbased brand. He said Fieldays had a valuable brand identity which offered something positive and valuable to sponsors and exhibitors. Although overall revenue for all New Zealand firms increased from $396 million in 2015 to $430 million in 2016, the Waikato region was slightly down, likely due to the then subdued dairy prices. Overall revenue for the Waikato region decreased by 13 percent from $143 million in 2015 to $124.5 million in 2016 and equipment sales for Waikato firms at Fieldays dropped nine percent from Minister of Primary Industries, Nathan Guy. $75 million in 2015 to $68 million this year. Mr Nation thinks the environment in June may have meant more day- NZ National Fieldays Society vice president Peter Carr, NZ National Fieldays Society president Warwick Roberts, John Kneebone Volunteer of the Year award winner Simon Kay and Hon. Jo Goodhew, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and Associate Primary Industries Minister. NZ National Fieldays Society president Warwick Roberts, Rimmington Award winner Angela Alexander and MP for Taranaki-King Country, Barbara Kuriger. trippers to Fieldays this year. In the hospitality and accommodation sector, average visitor spending dropped from $303 in 2015 to $208 this year. “I think that is understandable, given the current environment, that people might be coming for one day rather than staying over.” Mr Nation said people spent money at Fieldays this year, but not necessarily on large capital items. “We’ve had some exhibitors tell us they had record sales,” said Mr Nation. “In terms of quad bikes, trucks, cars, utes and clothing – all of those things were strong this year. When it comes to the larger investments, the spend would appear subdued. However, everyday items and essential items were a different story. Farmers are not going to put up with holes in their gumboots or substandard equipment for items that are a necessity for their business. But there were probably fewer new dairy conversions signed up for, or dairy platforms purchased.” Dr Scrimgeour agreed: “It appears that people were more budget conscious, but they weren’t closing their wallets completely.” SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR yOuR NExT EvENT? With great food and coffee and an interesting space, Hamilton Airport is a great venue for your next business meeting or event. Email admin@hamiltonairport.co.nz to find out more. www.hamiltonairport.co.nz
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Waikato Business News October/November 2016

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