Waikato Business News November/December 2016

Hobbiton steals
the show
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2016 3
A venture which has enjoyed exponential
growth for five years was rewarded with the
Supreme Award at the Westpac Waikato
Awards in November.
By GEOFF TAYLOR
Hobbiton Movie Set
also won the Deloitte
Business Growth Award
and the Chow Hill Marketing
Award at the glitzy event at
Claudelands Event Centre.
In front of more than 600
people, Hobbiton Movie
set chief executive Russell
Alexander made regular visits
to the stage as the Matamata
powerhouse’s incredible year of
awards rolled on.
Hobbiton is a stunning,
well-run business that
is delivering not only
regionally but to the
New Zealand economy
as well."
Russell attributed
Hobbiton’s success to “being as
good as you can”.
“When we’re making a deci-
sion we think ‘how can we do
this better?’ We try to make
long term decisions. Yes we
can do it cheaper but what’s the
right thing to do?”
He thanked his supportive
team and board and said belief
in the product was a key to
Hobbiton’s success.
“If there’s three reasons for
succeeding it’s one, passion,
two, passion and three, passion.
I believe in that.”
Hobbiton’s visitor numbers
have gone from being static at
about 25,000 for 10 years to
doubling to 52,000 in 2011, and
then increasing to 131,000 in
2012, 260,000 in 2013, 364,000
in 2014 and 468,000 in 2015.
This year visitor numbers will
be well over the half a million
mark.
Waikato Chamber of
Commerce chief executive
William Durning told the
audience that Hobbiton had
re-directed tourism flows in
New Zealand and catapulted
Matamata into the spotlight.
“Hobbiton has become one
of the must-see destinations
in New Zealand with approximately
one in eight international
tourists visiting Hobbiton
during their trip.
Westpac regional manager Lynn Walker and Hobbiton
Movie Set chief executive Russell Alexander.
"Hobbiton is a stunning,
well-run business that is delivering
not only regionally but
to the New Zealand economy
as well."
On peak days in summer
Hobbiton has accommodated
3000 visitors.
Russell told Waikato
Business News that such rapid
growth can be hard to handle
and can often sink businesses.
He felt sustaining such
growth for five years has been
Hobbiton’s biggest achievement.
Major catalysts for growth
were the agreement to make
Hobbiton a permanent set and
the success of The Hobbit
movie, he said.
“But I would also like to
think that through innovative
marketing, we’ve taken the
brand to another level. I would
like to think the brand is beyond
the movie now.”
Russell identified the opening
of the Green Dragon pub
in 2012 as another pivotal
moment. He says it changed the
Hobbiton experience because it
allowed visitors to engage all
five senses: sight, smell, sound,
touch and taste. The pub gave
them a real taste of Middle
Earth.
Russell said dealing with
such growth over five years
was about making decisions
every day.
“If you are going to introduce
something new every year
then you are going to have to
make decisions. You are not
going to get them all right. But
there’s only one thing worse
than making a bad decision and
that’s not making one at all.”
Hobbiton had recently introduced
new reservation, food
and beverage systems and a
new website. It is constructing
four new buildings – a production
kitchen, a new shop, new
toilets and a new washroom.
Meanwhile a car park extension
is underway.
“There’s a fair bit going on.”
Russell said the process
of entering awards was good
for any business because as it
forced managment to look at
all avenues – marketing, operations,
finance and governance
– and ask hard questions.
“Everyone gets so busy
and there’s so much going on.
But this process forces you to
review things and it can only
make your business better.”
Already this year Hobbiton
has won three categories at
September’s Tourism Industry
Awards including the People’s
Choice Award, Business
Excellence (more than $6m
turnover) and the Tourism
Marketing Campaign Award.
In June it was a finalist in
the Exporter of the Year awards
(more than $25 million turnover)
while in October Russell
was given the Conventions and
Incentives New Zeland (CINZ)
Outstanding Contributor
Award.
In November Hobbiton
was a finalist in the ANZ Best
Medium Category of the New
Zealand International Business
Awards.
The Drug Detection Agency
GRAEME SMITH - GENERAL MANAGER
0274 881 364 | 07 850 5056 | graeme.smith@tdda.com
Level 1, 22 Euclid Ave, Te Rapa, Hamilton | Bookings
email: waikato@tdda.com | www.tdda.com
TDDA makes huge
strides in Waikato
Graeme and Leona Smith
have made a dramatic
impact in the year
since they took over ownership
of the Waikato/Coromandel
branch of The Drug Detection
Agency (TDDA).
It was November 2015
when Graeme and Leona,
with considerable commercial
expertise between them, took
over the business.
Such has been the growth of
the business a year on, TDDA
in the Waikato has doubled
the number of employees and
vehicles in its fleet and is looking
for a bigger headquarters.
Graeme has worked hard to
spread the message throughout
the region and promote what
TDDA can offer businesses.
The more businesses TDDA
has worked with, the more
Graeme has realised the need
in the community and the scale
of the drug problem.
The main focus is on safety
in the workplace but with
increased availability and
usage, the impact on productivity
and absenteeism at work
is escalating and business who
have implemented a strong
Drug & Alcohol Management
Plan are reaping the benefits..
This coupled with the latest
health and safety legislation
which puts more onus
on employers for the duty of
care of all employees, leaves
unprepared businesses at risk.
Company directors and senior
executives have now become
increasingly exposed to penalties
for failing to ensure a safe
working environment.
"As a community we need
to stand together to address
drug use at every possible
level, whether it’s educating
our kids, together with
resources to help people who
are struggling with drug addiction,”
says Graeme.
“Workplace drug testing not
only provides a safe working
environment but also provides
early identification giving people
a chance to address their
usage, giving them a better
chance of giving up the drugs.”
Graeme spends a lot of time
focused on helping businesses
get policies and training in
place in order to institute drug
testing and ensure a safe and
productive working environment.
Graeme has seen growth
across the board but some
key industries have emerged
including the construction and
tourism where there is huge
onus on safety.
Graeme is also work-
ing with a number of local
authorities such as Hamilton
City Council, Waikato District
Council, South Waikato
District Council and Matamata-
Piako District Council.
Another high risk industry
is farming, something Graeme
understands well with 30 years
experience in the agricultural
sector. The on-farm safety
risks of drug usage are huge
and farmers as employers need
to be up to speed with how
they can protect their staff and
their businesses.
Graeme can help and is
presently developing relationships
with Federated Farmers
and other rural organisations.
But he stresses that the need
is right across all businesses
both large and small. No business
can afford to ignore the
issue of drug use.
The benefits of introducing
asuccesful Drug & Alcohol
Management Plan that covers,
PERTINENT QUESTIONS FOR COMPANY’S
MANAGEMENT TO CONSIDER:
• Does our company have an effectively managed
drug-testing programme?
policy, education, communication
and a good drug testing
• Have we taken all practical and reasonable steps to
ensure that we are fulfilling our obligations to our people,
customers and society at large by providing a drug free
working environment?
• Can the company afford not to introduce an effective
drug-testing programme?
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