Waikato Business News December 2016/January 2017

DECEMBER 2016/JANUARY 2017 VOLUME 24: ISSUE 12 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

THE REGION’S BUSINESS VOICE 

LET’S 

CELEBRATE! 

December, a month of openings in Hamilton 

and the launch of The Waikato Story. p3 

Mitre 10 MEGA owner/operator 

Terry and Lynne Wilson. 

The Waikato Story SKYCITY Bowl and Social Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS December 2016/January 2017 3 

Waikato celebrates a super month 

SKYCITY Hamilton’s new 

Bowl and Social development. 

Waikato’s buoyant economy has been 

emphasised in the month before Christmas 

with a series of business launches and 

the unveiling of an initiative to promote the 

region like never before. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR On December 2, The 

Waikato Story – a toolkit to 

attract business to the region 

On December 9, the city 

got its second Mitre 

10 MEGA store when 

Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura officially 

opened to the public, at 

last opening up the south east 

of Hamilton for the DIY and 

trade market. 

On December 5, SkyCity 

Casino Hamiton unveiled 

Bowl and Social, its new and 

improved bowling, food and 

entertainment hub, emphasising 

that the complex is now far 

more than just a casino. 

– was launched amid a Who’s 

Who of the region’s business 

and political community. The 

Waikato Story highlights the 

region’s competitive advantage 

by making available free 

images, videos, data and stories 

that can be used to promote 

businesses to potential investors 

and workers within New 

Zealand and around the world. 

Mitre 10 Mega Te Rapa 

owner/operators, Terry and 

Lynne Wilson say they have 

been eying a MEGA store in 

the south east of the city for 

many years to serve people 

in that area, who previously 

had to make the journey to the 

Wilson’s other Mitre 10 MEGA 

store at The Base, Te Rapa. 

“We’ve had a lot of feedback 

from our south-east Hamiltonbased 

trade and DIY customers 

saying that they cannot wait to 

get a closer store – even a few 

handwritten letters from dedicated 

DIYers who are rapt with 

the location,” says Terry. 

The Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura store is a significant 

addition on the east side of 

the river, encompassing almost 

8000 square metres of retail 

space, garden area, drive-thru, 

trade yard and trade supply 

bulk bins, and a Columbus 

Café. 

“The new store will operate 

as a satellite of our Te Rapa 

store – offering the same range 

and store features and allowing 

our trade customers to use one 

Waikato story toolkit launched 

Economic Development 

Minister Steven Joyce 

this month launched 

The Waikato Story, a toolkit 

of resources to help drive economic 

growth by building a 

strong, consistent profile of the 

mighty Waikato. 

The Minister also launched 

the Waikato International 

Education Strategy at the event 

in Hamilton to celebrate the 

release of The Waikato Story. 

The Waikato Story defines 

what’s unique about Waikato 

and provides a framework to 

help better communicate the 

region’s value to potential 

business investors, workers, 

visitors, students and families, 

in New Zealand and around 

the world. It is a key priority 

of the Waikato Means 

Business strategy designed to 

lift regional performance. 

“The mighty Waikato 

region has a really great story 

to tell,” says Parekawhia 

McLean, acting chair of the 

Waikato Means Business steering 

group. 

“We have one of New 

Zealand’s largest and most 

diverse regional economies, 

location advantage, a stunning 

natural environment, relatively 

affordable housing, high 

quality education and strong 

community networks that are 

good for business,” said Ms 

McLean. 

“Those who live here know 

we have a great quality of life 

– some 84 percent of us rate 

A sample of Waikato images that can 

be downloaded from the Waikato Story 

website to promote the region. 

our quality of life as good or 

extremely good. But we know 

we could be louder and prouder 

about the distinct and unique 

attributes of the place we call 

home – and that’s where the 

Waikato Story fits in.” 

The Waikato Story was 

developed with the help of hundreds 

of Waikato people who 

shared their ideas, feedback 

and pride in the region. Funded 

and coordinated by Waikato 

Regional Council with support 

from WEL Energy Trust, the 

Waikato Story builds on the 

success of the New Zealand 

Story launched in 2013. 

The story highlights the 

region’s competitive advantage 

and supports the region’s 

growth aspirations by making 

available free marketing 

resources. The images, videos, 

data and stories can be used by 

people to promote their businesses 

to potential investors, 

workers, visitors, students and 

families, within New Zealand 

and around the world. 

Ms McLean says that currently 

when people think of 

Waikato they often think of 

fields and cows, a reflection of 

the strong local dairy sector. 

“But Waikato is far more 

than that. It’s home to innovative 

thinkers who share the 

attitude of mahia te mahi – 

getting the job done – and it’s 

that philosophy that has led to 

the creation of great Waikatomanufactured 

products and services 

to sell here and around the 

world. Getting that story out is 

crucial.” 

Besides launching The 

Waikato Story, the event 

also launched the Waikato 

International Education 

Strategy, another key plank of 

Waikato Means Business. 

account across both stores.” 

The store opening has created 

70 new jobs across both 

Mitre 10 MEGA stores, not 

including the fixed term team 

members brought on to help out 

with setting up Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura. 

“We’re proud to be part of a 

New Zealand-owned co-op that 

emphasises giving back to our 

communities,” says Lynne. 

“As owner/operators who 

live and work in Hamilton it 

means a lot to be able to create 

jobs and put money back into 

the local economy.” 

The Ruakura site gives 

superb visibility and profile 

and a link to the older, more 

established part of the city in 

the east. 

“It’s an older part of the 

town,” says ex-Aucklander, 

Terry. 

“It’s a bit like Grey Lynn 

or Mt Roskill where there 

are lovely solid old houses, 

International education is 

one of the top 10 industries 

in Waikato and its economic 

impact is more than $150 million 

yearly to the local economy, 

a significant contribution 

to the region and New Zealand. 

“Waikato’s educational 

institutions are one of the 

region’s strengths. Through 

The Waikato Story and the 

new Waikato International 

Education Strategy even more 

people will learn about the 

strength of education in the 

region,” said Ms McLean. 

To access the full Waikato 

Story go to www.waikatostory. 

nz. 

many of which are being renovated. 

We love nothing more 

than driving around and seeing 

where a young couple has 

bought a house, done it up and 

got the garden looking lovely. 

“That’s why Mitre 10 

MEGA needed to be here and 

that’s why this is the right spot.” 

Meanwhile, on December 

2, the $24.7 million Bunnings 

Warehouse South Hamilton 

opened just off Kahikatea 

Drive, creating 110 new jobs. 

The new Bunnings comprises 

the main store, indoor timber 

trade sales area, building materials, 

landscape supplies yard 

and an outdoor nursery. The 

complex will also include an 

indoor playground, cafe, and 

provide parking for 269 cars. 

SKYCITY’s latest development 

continues its growth of 

the food and beverage precinct. 

SKYCITY Hamilton general 

manager Michelle Baillie 

says the team is very excited 

The audience at Hoyts Te Awa watches the Waikato Story video. 

about the new facilities, the 

result of a $1.6 million upgrade 

to the Bowlevard which opened 

in 2002. 

“Bowl and Social is an 

incredible new facility that will 

completely transform the traditional 

bowling experience. 

Among other things, the new 

technology on offer allows our 

customers to compete multi-player 

while enjoying an 

exciting audio visual experience. 

This is new territory for 

us and it is delivering an entertainment 

venue Hamilton has 

never had before.” 

The redevelopment looks 

across the river to the east and 

probably has one of the best 

views in the city. 

Along with our City Co-Op 

food and beverage precinct and 

our world-class casino facilities, 

SKYCITY Hamilton really 

is living up to its name as the 

region’s premier entertainment 

destination,” says Michelle.


Wintec and local 

businesses team up to 

address IT skills shortage 

From the editor 

December has been a 

month for the southern 

suburbs of Hamilton to 

celebrate. 

For many years now, most of 

the city’s investment has been to 

the north through development 

of The Base or through residential 

and commercial growth in 

Rototuna. 

While the growth has been 

positive in many ways, it has 

not served more established 

areas of Hamilton to the south 

and east so well. There hasn’t 

been significant commercial 

development in these area for 

years. 

A perfect example has been 

the dearth of DIY stores in the 

south, forcing anyone contemplating 

a spot of work in the 

back yard in the weekend to 

troop north for supplies. 

Now with Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura and Bunnings 

Warehouse South Hamilton, 

all that has changed. The full 

carparks in each of these locations 

since they opened is testament 

to how badly they were 

needed. It is high time the 

south received such investment. 

Other than the obvious practical 

advantages for residents, such 

investment is an overdue signal 

that the city actually cares about 

some of the more established 

parts of town. 

There’s more development 

to come in the south as Hamilton 

City Council eyes development 

of the Peacocke subdivision and 

a resurgent Hamilton Airport 

makes land around it available 

for commercial development. 

These are good signs, not 

just for southern suburbs, 

but for the overall health of 

Hamilton City. 

Geoff Taylor 

Editor 

A three-year collaboration between Wintec 

and local businesses is about to come to 

fruition early next year. 

Three post-graduate 

IT programmes to be 

launched in February 

will allow people already in 

IT roles to upskill in ways that 

directly relate to their work. 

Aimed at Waikato-based 

IT professionals and their 

employers, the programmes 

include a Postgraduate 

Certificate in Applied IT, 

a Postgraduate Diploma 

in Applied Informatics 

or Applied IT, and Master 

of Applied Information 

Technology. 

Klaus Reiter, Wintec’s 

director of the Centre for 

Business, Information 

Technology and Enterprise, 

says the programme addresses 

a “huge employment gap”. 

“Two years ago, the government 

started talking about 

10,000 unallocated jobs in IT 

due to a lack of specialists. 

“What’s more, IT is changing 

so fast that even people 

with years of work experience 

can easily fall behind. 

“We’ve been looking at 

how we can bridge the gap in 

a way that supports students 

and business.” 

The answer, it turns out, 

was to build on existing partnerships 

with local enterprise. 

The Wintec centre already 

had strong partnerships with 

Waikato-based IT businesses, 

so made the decision to 

approach them about co-designing 

an innovative solution. 

“We worked together for 

three years in the design of 

this programme,” says Mr 

Reiter. “One big difference 

between our approach and 

that of other tertiary institutes 

is we said this must be 

strongly focussed on industry 

problems.” 

Students in the 

Postgraduate Certificate and 

Diploma course will undertake 

a mix of theory and 

practical study, with industry 

placements also playing a key 

role. In fact, many students 

will already be employed in 

an IT company – and will 

continue working there during 

their study. 

To ensure programmes are 

relevant, industry partners can 

suggest areas for students to 

research. It’s then up to each 

student whether they choose 

a suggested area or something 

else that interests them. 

“We expect many will 

choose industry-suggested 

topics, and then go on placement 

at the firms who’ve suggested 

them,” says Mr Reiter. 

“The students will benefit 

from applying their knowledge 

to practical situations, 

and employers will get highly 

motivated people with the latest 

knowledge contributing to 

the business. 

“It’s a win-win.” 

David Hallett, a director 

of multiple IT businesses in 

Waikato, agrees. “We need 

people going through ICT and 

learning vocationally useful 

skills. Internships are especially 

useful. Companies can 

work with people through 

their degree and also build 

their own workforce. When a 

student graduates, they know 

the company, its ethos, its culture 

and its values. And they 

can also bring new skills and 

knowledge into the business.” 

Mr Hallett is also a big fan 

of Wintec’s Master of Applied 

Technology. “It means the student 

will graduate with deep 

knowledge in a specialist area 

– and that has immense vocational 

value too.” 

Hamilton is the perfect 

city to house such a smart 

programme, he adds. “It’s the 

fastest growing of the four 

main centres in New Zealand. 

It’s the only city whose young 

population is growing faster 

than its over-60 age group. 

You tell me a city that’s better 

suited as a hub for innovation.” 

Key facts 

• The New Zealand IT 

industry is growing at the 

rate of about 3000 new 

jobs a year. 

• Science and Innovation 

Minister Steven Joyce 

says approximately 1850 

students a year are graduating 

out of tertiary programmes. 

• Creating new graduates 

doesn’t address the whole 

issue. Training current IT 

specialists so they keep 

pace in a fast-changing 

world is also critical. 

• Wintec and local IT enterprises 

have been collaborating 

for more than 10 

years, creating strong, 

vocationally-oriented 

training that benefits both 

students and business. 

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Changing roles at IoD as leader steps down 

Institute of Directors Waikato branch 

chairman Margaret Devlin is standing down 

after six years and an impressive record in 

the role. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

As the branch celebrates 

its 25th year, Margaret 

is replaced in the position 

by committee member and 

Crombie Lockwood regional 

branch director, Simon 

Lockwood. 

A key satisfaction for 

Margaret is the huge support the 

Waikato branch receives from 

the business community which 

is reflected in its sponsors and 

strategic partners. 

Margaret’s success can also 

be seen through the branch’s 

strong membership which currently 

stands at 547 and the 

fact that a number of the initiatives 

created in Waikato have 

since been adopted around the 

country. 

“For our committee I guess 

it’s been very much about challenging 

the status quo,” she says. 

“We are a membership 

organisation so how do we 

remain relevant to our members? 

What can we do to help 

our members on their governance 

journey? We regard ourselves 

as very proactive, always 

looking for new opportunities 

and ideas,” she says. 

One of those ideas was 

the Governance Development 

Programme, an introductory 

guide to governance which 

is now part of a suite of programmes 

run by the national 

office. 

Another, launched earlier 

this year is a Due Diligence 

Guide for the farming and dairy 

sector. The guide has advice 

for anyone wanting a governance 

role in the farming sector, 

but also for farmers looking to 

appoint a director. 

The branch’s Emerging 

Directors award, which allows 

up and coming directors to serve 

an apprenticeship on a board, 

is now in its seventh year, says 

Margaret. 

The branch has also worked 

alongside Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce to create Governance 

Scholarships to encourage directors 

to continue their training 

and professional development. 

Such development is key 

as more executives look to see 

what they can contribute around 

boardroom tables. Margaret 

encourages executives to follow 

the career path directorships 

offer - but with the following 

advice. 

“Do your homework and be 

very clear why you want to do 

it. It’s not something you do 

part-time, you have to be fully 

committed. You need to understand 

your responsibilities and 

accountabilities. And you need 

to enjoy it.” 

Margaret, a former managing 

director of South East Water, 

a British infrastructure business 

with an asset base of $1 billion, 

is in high demand as a director. 

At present she chairs Auckland 

Council Controlled Organisation 

Watercare Services and WEL 

Networks. She is on the board 

of Waikato Regional Airport as 

well as an engineering company 

in Auckland and a Christchurch 

construction company. 

Margaret says she mainly 

operates in the infrastructure 

sector and relishes the role 

developing infrastructure can 

play in economic prosperity. 

Simon, 43, has a high powered 

background in the insurance 

industry in the United 

Kingdom which involved profit 

responsibility for more than 

$200m in insurance premiums. 

He came to New Zealand 11 

years ago and has developed a 

strong affiliation and affection 

for the region. It is here he 

wants to have an impact. 

Simon comes into the role 

after six years on the IOD 

Waikato branch committee and 

he says he has been a beneficiary 

of some of the schemes 

the branch has implemented. 

“I became an Emerging 

Director four years ago and I 

was put on the Mentoring for 

Diversity Programme about a 

year ago. In that sense I’ve 

had quite a lot of experience of 

our programmes, good experience 

of what’s going on in the 

Outgoing Institute of Directors Waikato chairman 

Margaret Devlin, left, and new chairman Simon Lockwood. 

town and am quite connected 

because of the industry in which 

I work.” 

He says the IoD’s Waikato 

branch is a very capable group 

of people whose collegiality is 

its strength. 

“There’s just the right blend 

of different skills and experiences 

that just seems to gel and 

Margaret has done an absolutely 

stellar job of bringing the 

best out in everyone. And we 

all share a passionate vision for 

how good the region can be.” 

What approach will Simon 

bring to the new position? 

He says the national office 

will be looking to Waikato as 

a leader to continue to refresh 

various programmes and remain 

proactive. 

Another key for Simon is 

to emphasise “entrepreneurial 

governance” and the value that 

can bring businesses. He refers 

to issues involving culpability 

of directors during finance 

company collapses over the last 

decade. 

“As a result I think the IoD 

has been seen as the compliance 

end of the continuum. And 

that’s absolutely correct that it 

should be that. But there’s also 

an entrepreneurial element to 

governance that’s often missed. 

Good governance can lead to 

huge business growth.” 

Simon emphasises the need 

for the branch to always stay 

relevant. 

“I have a very clear view 

around the table or why we 

are here. We are here for members. 

If we are not, we lose 

relevance quickly. If you remain 

focussed on the membership as 

part of any discussion, solutions 

became very clear. If we are 

delivering value for members 

the organisation will get bigger 

and better. If we aren’t, it 

won’t.” 

Iod Waikato 

celebrates in style 

The Waikato branch of the Institute of Directors 

celebrated its 25th anniversary in December with 

a function at Southwell School. 

IoD members and guests celebrate 25 years. 

1. 2. 3. 

1. IoD Waikato branch 

emerging directors Maree 

Haddon, left and Alison 

Shanks. 

2. Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

chairwoman Annabel Cotton 

and IoD national president 

Michael Stiassny. 

3. Hamilton West MP Tim 

Macindoe and Hamilton 

Mayor Andrew King. 

Waikato Branch – Upcoming events/courses 

The Institute of Directors in 

New Zealand (IoD) promotes excellence 

in corporate governance, represents 

directors’ interests and facilitates their 

professional development through 

education and training. 

8 February 2017 CPD: 2 points 

AGM Lunch function with Ross Buckley, KPMG 

12.00pm - 2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton 

Best wishes for the festive season and 

a prosperous New Year. 

To register, please contact: 

Megan Beveridge, 

Branch Manager 

Waikato.branch@iod.org.nz, 

021 358772 or www.iod.org.nz 

Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by:

MONTHLY POLL 

VOTE AND WIN 

Sponsored by the Helm Bar 

and Kitchen 

14% 

0% 

86% 

7 

This month’s poll 

Prime Minister John Key’s resignation came as a bombshell 

to the country. Already some are tipping it could make the difference 

next year when the country goes to the polls. With the 

John Key factor removed the opposition parties can at last sniff a 

chance. So here’s an opportunity for an early political poll. In this 

radically new political landscape, who will you likely be voting 

for at the next general election? 

Vote on the WBN website (www.wbn.co.nz) and fill in the 

entry form to be in to win a meal voucher for two at The Helm 

Bar & Kitchen. Voting closes Wednesday January 20. 

Last month’s results 

How will business be for you in 2017? 

Waikato Business News readers are in optimistic mood which 

is fitting considering the celebratory theme of this month’s edition. 

Asked how business will be for them in 2017, a staggering 86 percent 

expect it to be better with just 14 percent expecting a tougher 

year. What a great mood to go into the Christmas break with. 

0% 

14% 

WINNER OF THE HELM DINNER VOUCHER IS: 

Sandra Cox 

Pass It On - A lesson in resilience 

The recent ‘Pass It On for 

Waikato Kids’ Guinness World 

Record attempt for the most 

consecutive rugby passes at 

Willoughby Park saw so many 

people step up, face their fears 

(because nobody wanted to 

be the one who dropped the 

ball) and be part of a team 

to do something awesome for 

Waikato youth – pass a rugby 

ball five metres without dropping 

it. 

City Councillor Paula 

Southgate changed from her 

usual basketball to passing a 

rugby ball as she feels it is vital 

to support our youth and to 

enable them to become the very 

best people they can as they are 

tomorrow’s leaders. 

Chiefs player Shaun 

Stevenson liked the link with 

the values that the Graeme 

Dingle Foundation teaches and 

those of the Chiefs club. 

Sponsors, supporters and 

even Ronald McDonald took 

part. Referee Aaron Paterson 

was in charge of ensuring each 

person had caught and passed 

the ball within five seconds. 

There was a lot of nervous energy 

which quickly turned into 

cheering and jubilation as people 

completed their pass. 

On the third attempt more 

than 180 people successfully 

passed the ball; this was not 

however enough to break the 

record of 289 held by the Gwent 

Dragons in Wales. 

While disappointed with 

the outcome, Vikki Blundell, 

regional manager for the 

Graeme Dingle Foundation 

Waikato, said this is a great lesson 

in resilience for us. Graeme 

Dingle Foundation programmes 

teach our children the importance 

of being resilient, to give 

things a go, to get backup when 

things don’t work out how we’d 

like them to and not give up. 

86% 

Better 

Worse 

Same 

Our second attempt will be 

held in 2017 at Fairfield College 

which runs the Graeme Dingle 

Foundation Stars programme. 

A big thank you to all our 

sponsors Ultra Fast Fibre, 

EmbroidMe, Speedy Signs, 

Chris Hillock Photography, 

Washworld Te Rapa, Woolerton 

Funeral Home, Style House, 

Perreau & Associates, Concept 

Kitchens, Steph Weldon, 

McDonald’s, David Fogarty, 

Safewise, The Keg Room, 

Millennium Insurance, Windy 

Ridge, Blue Wallace Surveyors, 

Flagstaff Fitness, John Dunn, 

Plus 91 Café, Goldsworthy 

Who will you likely be voting for at 

the next general election? 

A. National 

B. Labour and Greens 

C. Other 

Cast your vote at: 

www.wbn.co.nz 

Financial Solutions, 

Placemakers Te Rapa, Two 

Birds Eatery, Doug Hawkings 

Accounting, Dave McGall 

– Harcourts, The Empire, 

Just Water, Waikato Rugby 

Union, The Breeze Waikato, 

Mediaworks Foundation, NAI 

Harcourts, Prolife Foods, 

Flashpoint Design & Marketing, 

Hamilton City Council, Chiefs 

and Speedwall. 

If you are keen to help by sharing your 

career story with Hamilton’s youth and 

developing your coaching skills - then 

WE NEED YOU! 

For the first time in 2017, 

Graeme Dingle Foundation 

Waikato is launching 

Career Mentoring 

in Hamilton as part of 

our Career Navigator 

programme. 

Career mentors will 

work with small groups of 

selected students to help 

build their confidence 

and skills to make good, 

early career decisions 

and develop their work 

readiness. Career mentors 

will receive training and 

ongoing support and will 

need to commit to monthly 

student meetings and 

regular wider group events. 

Did you know... 

The Waikato has the 

highest youth NEET 

(Not in Education 

Employment or Training) 

statistics in New Zealand! 

Career Navigator aims 

to tackle these statistics 

by providing valuable 

information, guidance 

around work and life 

choices for our rangatahi. 

To register your interest or to find out more please contact: 

Michelle Daly, Programme Coordinator 

michelle@dinglewaikato.nz -027 533 8552 

dinglefoundation.org.nz/careernavigator 

C72547H 

C8232H 

Hamilton Monthly Property Report 

PROPERTY SNAP SHOT 

OF WHAT HAS BEEN 

HAPPENING IN THE 

MARKET PLACE OVER 

THE PAST MONTH. 

Sales volumes for the Waikato/ 

Bay of Plenty Region compared 

to October 2016 rose 19%. 

Compared to November 2015 sales 

across the region fell 13%. 

The median price across the region 

rose $77,500 compared to November 

2015 to reach a new record high. Prices 

rose 31% in Tauranga, 27% in Rotorua 

and 24% in Hamilton. Compared to 

October the median price rose $9,250. 

The number of days to sell eased 

by two days compared to October, 

from 33 days in October to 35 days 

in November. The number of days to 

sell eased by two days compared to 

November 2015. Over the past 10 years 

the average number of days to sell 

during November for Waikato/Bay of 

Plenty has been 44 days. 

REINZ Regional Director, Philip 

Searle noted that “The number of first 

home buyers in the market is mixed 

across the region, with Hamilton reporting 

an increase, but other centres such 

as Tauranga and Rotorua experiencing 

a drop. However, investor numbers are 

down across the board. Whether this is 

due to the new LVR restriction or the 

continuing advance of prices across the 

region is uncertain.” 

Obviously the statistics contained within 

this article represent only a small 

fraction of the data I have at my fingertips. 

For more information relevant to 

your street or your property, call and 

ask for one of our team today. 

P 07 834 9570 M 027 801 9962 F 07 854 3837 

VISIT www.eves.co.nz 

By Greg Petrin 

Rototuna branch manager 

Local market facts 

Hamilton City 

Sales November 

2016 

Sales November 

2015 

Under $200k* 2 7 

$200 - $299k* 11 41 

$300 - $399k* 53 117 

$400 - $499k* 87 95 

$500 - $599k* 66 67 

$600 - $699k* 55 44 

$700 - $999k* 57 23 

$1,000,000 - 

$1,999,999* 

11 7 

$2m+* 0 0 

Total number of sales* 342 401 

Median sale price* $527,000 $425,000 

Median days to sell* 34 29 

*Statistical Information Derived From The Real Estate Institute Of New Zealand. Realty Services 

Ltd/Success Realty Ltd and any contractor/employee is merely passing over the information. 

We cannot guarantee its accuracy and reliability as we have not checked, audited or reviewed 

the information and all intending purchasers are advised to conduct their own due diligence 

investigation into the same. To the maximum extent permitted by law Realty Services Ltd/Success 

Realty Ltd and its contractors/employees do not accept any responsibility to any person for the 

accuracy of the information herein.


Cambridge’s pedal culture 

attracts cycle giant 

Cambridge scored a coup for Waikato in 

mid-2016 when Trek Bicycles, said to be 

the world’s largest privately-owned cycle 

company, elected to make the town its 

New Zealand base. 

By VIV POSSELT 

That decision was made 

after Trek Asia Pacific 

conducted a nationwide 

tour in search of a suitable place 

to set up the New Zealand operation. 

Trek New Zealand’s now 

locally-based marketing man 

Lester Perry said Cambridge 

won out for several reasons, not 

the least of which is the fact 

that the town is New Zealand’s 

Home of Cycling base. 

“Cambridge is considered a 

really good fit with Trek,” he 

said. “We didn’t want our base to 

be in Auckland, but needed to be 

close to it for practical reasons. 

Our warehousing is done there, 

it’s the main portal for any of 

our international staff coming 

in. The big guys in the US and 

Australia don’t want to spend 

time in central Auckland … they 

would rather spend their New 

Zealand time here.” 

In a nod to Cambridge’s 

cycle-centric character, Lester 

added: “It’s no coincidence that 

some of the country’s top athletes 

are based here - there are 

some very good rides within 

Corallee Collins-Annan 

alongside Ministry of Youth 

Development director 

Robyn Scott. 

easy access in this region. 

“As a company, Trek has a 

strong culture of cycling. It is 

what we do … all our staff 

ride. The decision to move 

to Cambridge was equally 

staff-driven. That’s a big part 

of it, and will be part of our 

long-term development as we 

continue to work closely with 

the international guys … some 

of the roads and mountain bike 

trails around Te Miro and Rotoo-Rangi 

are ideal for product 

development.” 

Trek Bicycles is one of the 

biggest players on the international 

scene. Its products – both 

road and mountain bikes - are 

a globally recognised performance 

brand, used by top calibre 

cyclists in major events worldwide. 

One of the key elements of 

the company’s ethos, and something 

Lester said was “a very 

large part of the company’s 

story”, is the lifetime warranty 

offered on its products. 

The Trek story itself had 

humble beginnings. In 1976, 

deep in the farming regions of 

middle America, Dick Burke 

and South African Bevil Hogg 

started a bike-building business 

in a Waterloo barn in Wisconsin. 

Both shared an ambitious dream 

– to bring the joy of cycling 

to the public by manufacturing 

bicycles of the highest possible 

quality. 

They picked a name over a 

beer, hung a sign on the door and 

set about turning their dream into 

reality. With just five employees 

on the payroll in that first year, 

it would have been unlikely the 

two men could have envisaged 

Trek growing into the global 

company it is today, employing 

many hundreds of people 

around the world and encouraging 

cycling for its health, transport 

and environmental benefits. 

Central to that success has 

been the quality the company 

founders were determined 

should be integral to its 

operation. Today, Trek’s hightech 

production development is 

driven by the US-based team 

that results in a ‘ride quality’ said 

to be second-to-none. 

“The development aspect is 

crucial,” Lester explained. “The 

company employs 65 engineers 

worldwide who work on product 

development. A number are 

based in Waterloo where most 

of the laboratory testing is done. 

They have other offices around 

the US as well – one laboratory 

in California focuses on 

mountain bike suspension and 

technology, and a field testing 

team in Colorado is responsible 

for testing the products before 

they go to market. They put the 

bikes through their paces against 

The four-strong Trek Bicycle (NZ) team. They are, from left, Cambridgebased 

Bevan Cheatley, Lester Perry and Kerry Bartle, and South Island 

team member Rowan Miller (Christchurch). Photo: Nick Lambert. 

the clock. 

“The development we do is 

by far an industry leader. That 

has flow-down effects on the 

ride quality of the full range of 

Trek bikes.” 

For the best part of the last 

25 years, New Zealand cyclists 

have accessed Trek products 

primarily through the only 

Kiwi distributor, Cycle Sport in 

Whanganui. A recent change in 

global strategy saw Trek move 

away from the distribution 

model, preferring to establish 

distribution entities in certain 

regions. 

“So, while we exist as an arm 

of Trek Australia, which was 

established six years ago, we are 

our own entity … a standalone 

operator,” said Lester. 

In the five months since 

the team began working out of 

Cambridge, there has been an 

impressive increase in business, 

Lester said. The search is still on 

for ideal office and tech-training 

premises, but in the meantime, 

the flexibility offered by 

modern technology and centrally-placed 

temporary office space 

has resulted in “unprecedented 

Waikato students star at Young 

Enterprise National Awards 

Two groups of Waikato 

students were recognised 

at the Young Enterprise 

National Awards held in 

Wellington on December 7. 

More than 3400 students 

took part nationwide in The Lion 

Foundation Young Enterprise 

Scheme (YES), with each YES 

team challenged to create and 

run a small business. 

Crankworks from St Paul's 

Collegiate School won the 

Innovation Award, and Be 

Somebody from Fraser High 

School won the Ministry of 

Youth Development Award for 

Business Commitment. 

Crankworks created a tool to 

make post-hole boring safer and 

easier for farmers. The team’s 

invention can be attached to a 

trailer or farm bike to increase 

stability, and it helps farmers 

bore holes without the heavy 

lifting usually required. 

Be Somebody created an 

environmentally friendly organic 

body care range. This company 

was made up of just one student, 

Corallee Collins-Annan, who 

completed the year as a sole trader. 

Corallee produced face scrubs 

and face masks which have been 

certified as vegan and organic. 

Young Enterprise CEO Terry 

Shubkin said the two award winners 

demonstrated the diversity 

of talent in Waikato. “These 

were two very different ideas, 

but both companies were successful 

because they identified 

Cambridge-based Lester Perry will take care of Trek 

Bicycle (NZ) marketing and retail development. 

growth”. 

“The uptake before we 

opened Cambridge was really 

successful, but since the changeover, 

things have gone from 

strength to strength. “ 

Before coming on board for 

Trek Bicycle (NZ) in marketing 

and retail development, Lester 

worked as the upper North Island 

representative for Cycle Sport. It 

was very much an on-the-road 

position, one that set him up 

well for a month-long demonstration 

tour of the South Island 

The Crankworks team: From left, Hugh 

Jackson, Ben McColgan and Angus Kelly. 

their target market and wanted to 

solve a problem for that group. 

Waikato can be very proud of 

these students.” 

In the Waikato and King 

Country regions, 230 students 

he recently completed for Trek. 

Also based in Cambridge are 

well-known Kiwi cyclist Bevan 

Cheatley, who also previously 

worked for Cycle Sport, in the 

role of Trek Bicycle (NZ) sales 

manager, and Kiwi-born Kerry 

Bartle, who has moved back 

after giving 18 years to Trek 

Australia to take on the role of 

North Island territory manager. 

The fourth Trek Bicycle (NZ) 

team member, South Island territory 

manager Rowan Miller, is 

based in Christchurch. 

from 43 teams took part. The 

programme is managed nationwide 

by Young Enterprise Trust 

and coordinated throughout 

the Waikato and King Country 

regions by Smart Waikato Trust. 

Students benefit from David Johnstone Scholarships 

Thirty-five Waikato students 

are the latest to 

receive $6000 for their 

tertiary study thanks to the David 

Johnstone Charitable Trust 

Scholarship. 

Founded by Waikato farmer 

David Johnstone – who harboured 

a lifelong wish for a better 

education – the scholarship 

programme is now 21-years-old 

and still helping talented secondary 

school students further their 

education. 

The trust, which is managed 

by Perpetual Guardian and now 

worth $6.3 million, has distributed 

more than $4 million since 

1996. Among the criteria defined 

by Mr Johnstone, who died in 

1990, is a preference for life 

goals and ambitions that will 

help uplift Waikato. 

The 35 students who were 

awarded scholarships at a 

function at Wintec’s Atrium in 

December, will each receive 

$6000 towards their studies, 

which include the following categories 

for the scholarship: 

• University of Waikato – 

Science Degrees (Bachelor 

of Science, Bachelor of 

Engineering, Bachelor of 

Computing and Mathematical 

Science and Bachelor of 

Science and Technology); 

• University of Waikato – 

Bachelor of Teaching / 

Secondary School Teaching 

Degrees; 

• Waikato Institute of 

Technology – General studies, 

including Bachelors 

of Nursing, Occupation 

Therapy, Media Arts and 

Early Childhood Education, 

as well as Certificates in 

Massage and Building. 

Assistant vice-chancellor 

at the University of Waikato, 

Michelle Jordan-Tong, says 

scholarships such as the David 

Johnstone Charitable Trust are 

particularly valuable to Waikato 

because it influences the development 

of skills that have been 

identified as being relevant to the 

regional economy. 

"STEM subjects (science, 

technology, engineering and 

mathematics) are needed in 

Waikato, which has a strong 

primary sector focus, and the 

focus of the David Johnstone 

Charitable Trust is helping to 

plug the gap, as well as ensure 

that the region's students receive 

financial help to achieve their 

goals. 

"I was particularly struck by 

the high academic calibre of this 

year's recipients. Many of them 

have endured hardship and, as 

gifted and talented as they are, 

may have struggled to access a 

tertiary education if it wasn't for 

the David Johnstone Charitable 

Trust Scholarship," she said. 

Regional engagement manager 

at Waikato Institute of 

Technology, Edgar Wilson, said 

the scholarship reduces the barrier 

for students who want to 

access tertiary education and 

offers them more opportunities 

than they may ordinarily have 

enjoyed. 

"Some of these students have 

had marked hardship. Even 

though they can access student 

loans, there are still obstacles 

that make studying difficult like 

paying for accommodation or 

transport. This discretionary 

funding frees up money to give 

them easier access to tertiary 

education. 

"I think a key thing to come 

out of this is that in receiving 

this scholarship, many of 

these students learn about who 

David Johnstone was and his 

accomplishments – for example 

that he was a founder of 

National Fieldays and a successful 

Waikato businessman and 

farmer – and they take inspiration 

from that story. In that 

way, David Johnstone's legacy 

lives beyond the money and the 

opportunities the scholarship 

provides," he said. 

Mr Wilson said that the 

scholarship picks the candidates, 

not the courses, and that many of 

the students this year are trending 

towards trades and maths 

and science qualifications, such 

as in the health sector. 

Perpetual Guardian regional 

manager, Jan Middlemiss, says 

that while Perpetual Guardian is 

actively involved as a trustee in 

managing the David Johnstone 

Charitable Trust, the real reward 

comes on the night of the scholarship 

awards. 

"There is no question that 

parents and students regard this 

scholarship as an absolute privilege 

and it is always received 

in a spirit of humility and celebration. 

"We take enormous satisfaction 

from being in a position 

to help realise Mr Johnstone's 

dream of a higher education 

through the more than 500 students 

that this scholarship has 

helped over the years," she said. 

As part of the administration 

of the David Johnstone Trust, 

nomination forms and criteria 

are sent to schools within the 

David Johnstone 

on his Orini farm. 

trust’s designated area in August 

each year. Nominations are sent 

to each member of the selection 

committee (which consists 

of the trust’s four independent 

trustees, Perpetual Guardian 

and three invited people from 

within the education sector). 

Recommendations are then 

made and approved by the trustees 

and scholarship recipients 

selected and informed.

IT BUSINESS SOLUTIONS 


At the heart of Vo2 is our ability to understand our clients and help them with thinking and 

technology that accelerates their growth. How our clients respond to our promotions and 

offerings, and how we adapt to that response is a key driver for our success. Whilst lots of 

people may talk about SEO, multi-channel marketing and other catch phrases, we thought 

this month we’d share in practical terms what we do. 

Looking 

We spend time getting to know our clients, as individuals, 

organisations and also as market groups. These relationships and 

client activities provides us with insight into the opportunities 

and challenges that they face, and guides what we can do to 

help. 

In addition, our technical team are continually on the lookout for 

new ways of doing business and for technologies that we can 

leverage for ourselves and our clients. 

Our Client Engagement Managers sit in the same space as our 

developers and engineers, allowing for the natural transition 

of market knowledge to technical capabilities and back again. 

This sharing also eliminates the classic divide between sales and 

delivery that holds so many other technology companies back 

from reaching their potential. 

Speaking 

With all of this shared commercial, technical and client 

knowledge, we are then able to inform our clients of the various 

ways we can help. Rather than splattering generic adverts 

across random media channels, we are able to inform, challenge 

and encourage known groups of people, communicating 

useful messages, across appropriate media channels to the 

right people. We differentiate our Facebook audience from our 

Linkedin audience and as we investigate technologies such as 

SnapChat we are able to determine if they are appropriate for 

our clients and the messages we send. 

However, our speaking doesn’t stop there. We also take these 

learnings, opportunities and challenges to our clients directly 

as we meet face to face with them, in this way, the day to day 

interactions with Vo2 resonate with our online experience, 

increasing authenticity and credibility. 

Listening 

A key benefit of using digital media to communicate is that it 

makes the monitoring of user behavior very easy. We are able 

to determine which pieces of information are most interesting 

to our clients, and how our own market segments respond to 

different channels. 

This has provided us with insights into markets we didn’t know 

existed for some of our clients and further fine tune their 

promotion. Also, just as our speaking occurs face to face so 

does our listening, as we validate assumptions and gain richer 

understanding from our clients and continually refine our 

understanding of their world. 

Acting 

The most valuable part of our experience is to act on the 

insights gained from listening. This keeps us on the cutting 

edge of adding true business value and results in a team that is 

constantly developing, adapting and improving. 

. 

Come see for yourselves 

To see how this looks in action, come visit us, ring the number below or email us and let us know when would suit, we’d love to share 

what we do, learn a bit about you and what spins your wheels! 

07 839 9390 hello@vo2.nz www.vo2.nz 

High performance digital thinking 

Working with organisations across the Waikato & Bay of Plenty to raise their digital performance 

www.vo2.nz



Microsoft and Netsafe 

issue fresh warning 

about scammers 

Microsoft New Zealand and Netsafe have 

renewed their call for New Zealand internet 

users to be aware of a fresh wave of 

scammers who are targeting this country 

with warnings about fake viruses on their 

computers. 

The call for vigilance 

comes as Microsoft 

and Netsafe have both 

received a notable increase in 

reports of scammers trying to 

defraud people by phone or 

by using ‘pop up’ messages 

on screens. The scammers are 

claiming to be representatives 

of Microsoft, telling users that 

they have identified a problem 

with their device. 

The scammers claim to 

represent the Microsoft 

brand because the 

company is well known 

The scammers then offer 

to fix the ‘compromised’ 

device and ask for remote 

access which can reveal pass- 

words, credit card details, 

bank account numbers and 

other information. They may 

also explicitly ask for payment 

so that protection software – 

which is actually malicious 

software – can be installed. 

According to Netsafe some 

people have allowed access to 

their computers in these ways 

and have consequently lost 

money upwards of $400. 

Netsafe chief executive 

Martin Cocker says 

this pattern of phone 

scamming is not new 

and variations of it have 

been circulating for several 

years. 

“The scammers 

claim to represent the 

Microsoft brand because 

the company is well 

known” says Martin, 

“the calls may sound 

genuine”. 

“People are led to believe 

they are doing the right thing 

by handing over private passwords 

or details, but are soon 

fraudulently charged money, 

have their identity stolen, find 

their computer has been infected 

with viruses or other malware 

that seriously compromises 

their security.” 

Microsoft NZ’s marketing 

and operations director Frazer 

Scott says the key message 

Microsoft wants to make clear 

once again to New Zealand 

internet users is that the company 

will never call them asking 

for remote access to their 

computer. 

“Microsoft does not call 

customers at home saying that 

we have detected a problem 

with their computer, and we 

will never ask for passwords 

or other private details in any 

forum,” says Mr Scott. 

Mr Cocker says their advice 

to people who receive suspect 

calls is to hang up immediately. 

“If you have given someone 

remote access to your 

device you should immediately 

end the session and contact 

Netsafe. If you have given any 

bank details to a caller, then 

contact your bank as soon as 

possible to advise them of the 

possible fraud.” 

Microsoft and Netsafe say 

that the recent fresh wave of 

reports about these scams is a 

timely reminder for people to 

be vigilant. 

TECH TALK 

> BY DAVID HALLETT 

David Hallett is a director of Hamilton software specialist Company-X, 

design house E9 and chief nerd at Waikato Need a Nerd. 

FEATURES OF SCAMMER CALLS 

Overseas caller states they are from Microsoft or a Microsoft certified technician. 

Suggests the victim’s computer is infected and harming others online or that their ISP 

has identified their system has a problem. 

Will get the computer owner to give the caller remote access using a genuine 

networking service or website like logmein123 or TeamViewer. 

They will use the ‘Event Viewer’ tool on the computer to highlight error messages 

which are supposedly signs of an infection. 

The cold caller will offer to clean up the infection and/or install security software and 

provide an ongoing support service that costs anywhere up to $500. 

HOW TO DEAL WITH 

THE OVERSEAS COLD CALLERS 

Hang up the phone – engaging with or taunting these companies can lead to you 

receiving many more calls at all times of the day or night. Some technicians have 

resorted to threats or abuse to get computer owners to give remote access. 

If you do give access but become suspicious, disconnect from the session 

immediately. Netsafe has received some reports of these cold calling companies 

installing ransomware on the computer to ensure they get paid to unlock the PC. 

If you have previously given remote access, it may pay to check what has been 

installed on your computer and be certain there is no way for the company to 

continue accessing your system and files. Consult a trusted local PC technician if 

unsure. 

If you have paid money to these companies using a credit card, call your bank and 

discuss your options. If you sent funds via Western Union or another wire transfer 

service, then the money has gone and cannot be recovered. 

If you have given remote access to your device, handed over private passwords or 

other information report it Netsafe toll-free on 0508 NETSAFE (0508 638 723) or visit 

http://netsafe.org.nz/report 

Techweek “biggest ever” tech event in New Zealand 

Techweek’17, May 6 to 14 

next year, will be the biggest 

week New Zealand 

has ever seen or experienced in 

technology. 

Techweek will help the push 

by NZTech for New Zealand 

become a digital nation and to 

demonstrate our tech pedigree to 

the world. 

More than 100 events will 

take place all over the country, 

in businesses and schools 

with hackathons, innovative tech 

debates, hands-on experiential 

events, livestreams and awards 

ceremonies. 

Events are catering to a wide 

variety of audiences including 

schools, non-tech people, techheads, 

start-up founders, international 

and local investors, business 

leaders and political figures. 

Events will include tech business 

heavyweights and leading 

New Zealand business people 

who are already successful on 

the global stage. At the other 

end of the scale we will see 

local communities and schools 

experimenting with technology 

to inspire the next generation. 

NZTech chief executive 

Graeme Muller says Techweek 

will not just be in cities and 

main centres but also the rural 

community. The major Farming 

2020 event will be one of the 

showcase events because farming 

and primary industries are 

so important to New Zealand’s 

export sector. 

“Agtech is one of New 

Zealand’s fastest growing, most 

exciting innovation sectors. 

It’s an area where we can truly 

say we’re leading the world. 

Farming 2020 will showcase 

the best and most inventive NZ 

Agtech. 

“Another event will be the 

Talking Tech Everywhere podcast 

where popular tech podcast, 

Access Granted, will take 

to the road for Techweek’17. 

It will travel the length of the 

country over the course of the 

week, interviewing tech founders, 

inventors and tech industry 

personalities. 

“We will have many other 

major events embracing the 

academic and manufacturing 

communities, the design sector, 

health and education sectors 

bringing communities together 

to share ideas and experience 

on how they are making the 

most of tech and grow cool tech 

companies. 

“Blockchain was the hot 

topic of 2016. Blockchain is 

named after the way it works. 

Each bit of data, which could be 

a money transfer or real estate 

contract, is encrypted using 

blockchain software. 

“In Techweek next May we 

will be talking about how blockchain 

technology can be used to 

disrupt and re-imagine education 

and health systems. One of 

the world’s leading authorities 

on Blockchain, New Zealander 

Mark Pascall, will host a blockchain 

event. 

“Blockchain is software that 

forms a presumably unhackable 

system for transactions. That's 

because it is hosted on thousands 

of computers around the 

world, not just one server. Every 

individual system would need to 

be broken simultaneously so this 

new system provides a novel 

new way to conduct safe transactions 

without the need of a 

middle man,” Mr Muller says. 

NZTech, the national representative 

group for Kiwi 

tech companies, has reached 

an important milestone with 

substantial expansion in New 

Zealand’s fastest growing and 

third largest export earner. 

NZTech represents more 

than 400 organisations in a tech 

sector with 100,000 jobs and 

growth throughout New Zealand 

making up eight percent of the 

country’s gross domestic product 

(GDP) and contributing over 

$6.3 billion in exports. 

“Our Techweek goal is to 

stimulate an environment where 

technology provides important 

productivity and economic benefits 

for New Zealand. 

"Where people explore ways 

to harness technology to make 

NZTech chief executive 

Graeme Muller. 

New Zealand a better place for 

future generations and to showcase 

our success stories to the 

world so we are encouraging 

communities and companies to 

put on events in Techweek via 

our expressions of interest page 

at Techweek.co.nz,” Mr Muller 

says. 

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21/04/16 4:05 pm



Technologists spice up Waikato’s 

“Silicon Valley” reputation 

Things are hotting up in the Waikato’s 

information technology sector at a series 

of monthly curry nights. 

Waikato information 

technology professionals, 

led by 

Company-X director David 

Hallett, are adding spice to the 

region’s reputation as the Silicon 

Valley of New Zealand by catching 

up over a monthly curry. 

It’s an excellent opportunity 

for people in the ICT 

industry to catch up with 

others involved in the same 

business as them 

Waikato information technology 

professionals, led by 

Company-X director David 

Hallett, are adding spice to the 

region’s reputation as the Silicon 

Valley of New Zealand by catching 

up over a monthly curry. 

David, as chairman of 

the Waikato branch of the 

Information Technology 

Professionals New Zealand 

(ITPNZ), hosts the monthly 

Thursday Night Curry events 

at the Royale Indian Restaurant 

in Cameron Rd, Hamilton East. 

“It’s a strictly sales spielfree 

zone,” said David. 

“Although we'd love to hear 

how the Waikato branch of 

the IT Professionals can further 

support IT professionals 

in the Waikato.” 

It’s also an ideal event for 

keeping up-to-date 

on the progress 

of the many IT 

Professionals projects, 

such as the 

Hamilton Tech Talk 

Unconference held 

on November 28. 

“An unconference 

is a participant-driven 

meeting,” David 

said. “Chairs are set 

in a large circle, and 

this is the extent of 

the organising work. That was 

a chance for IT professionals to 

discuss ideas, issues or opportunities 

with other participants by 

grabbing a marker and writing 

their topics and names on a 

Post-it note, and sticking it on 

the board.” 

It took about 10 minutes for 

the organisers and participants 

to come up with a two-hour 

agenda of unconference sessions, 

with each one titled, hosted, 

and scheduled by somebody 

in the group. 

CURRY FAVOUR: Company-X director David Hallett, right, chews the fat with business analyst Chris Gardner, left, and developer Arno 

van Niekerk, over a curry at the Royale Indian Restaurant. 

“IT professionals can just 

come along to Thursday Night 

Curry and catch up with others 

working in IT in the Waikato 

region,” David said. 

Regulars include colleagues 

from his Wintec House, 

Hamilton, based software 

specialist firm including fellow 

director Jeremy Hughes 

and project manager Claire 

Sherrington. 

Claire said the monthly curry 

nights offered great learning 

opportunities, whether you were 

just starting out in IT or had 

years of experience. 

“It’s good to talk to IT professionals 

working in industries 

other than your own, and hear 

how technology is an enabler 

for those industries,” Claire said. 

“I’d love to see more women 

in IT joining me for this.” 

Technology is used in just 

about every industry from local 

and central government, healthcare 

and transport to agriculture, 

manufacturing, security 

and sport. 

“It’s also good to hear from 

those who have just left university 

and are just starting out 

in the IT world, as well as 

those who have enthusiastically 

embraced a new job in IT.” 

Other regulars include E9 

general manager Mehrdad 

Behroozi and E9 designer Aida 

Khangoli. E9, also based at 

Wintec House in Hamilton, is a 

graphic design and web development 

company that is a sister 

business to Company-X. 

“It’s an excellent opportunity 

for people in the IT industry 

to catch up with others involved 

in the same business as them, as 

well as other branches of the IT 

industry,” said Mehrdad, who is 

also known as Merv. 

“I keep going back because 

it gives me an opportunity to 

meet other IT professionals 

around Hamilton while learning 

and sharing knowledge and 

information. As cheesy as that 

sounds, it's been an incredible 

provider of learning for me. It's 

priceless.” 

Thursday Night Curry happens 

on the first Thursday of 

every month, except January, 

at the Royale Indian Restaurant 

in Hamilton East at 6.30pm. 

Register on the IT 

Professionals website at http:// 

itp.nz/events/waikato or by 

emailing info@itp.nz no later 

than the day before. 

The cost is $20 per head 

for an all-you-can-eat curry 

dinner, which includes numerous 

curries, entrees and naan 

bread all served directly to 

your table. 

We really like solving 

problems with software. 

Tell us yours. 

INNOVATION 

Software can solve your biggest 

problems and deliver on your 

brightest ideas. 

INTEGRATION 

Software can improve, add 

functionality to, or fix your 

existing software investment. 

INSOURCING 

Our software experts can help you 

get the job or project done. 

We’re ready, are you? 

Contact us today: 

Level 2, Wintec House, Cnr Anglesea & Nisbet Streets, Hamilton 3204 

Phone: 0800 552 551 Email: info@company-x.co.nz 

Visit us online: www.company-x.co.nz


Urge Coffee and Tea Boutique hosts 

a Hamilton Central BA5 

Proudly Sponsored By 

1. 2. 

We wanted to do 

something different 

for my wife’s birthday. 

We love our food 

so the quality of 

the menu was really 

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Vibrant Garden Place “top 

priority” for new centre city boss 

Restoring vibrancy to Garden Place is the 

first item on the agenda for new Hamilton 

Central Business Association(HCBA) 

general manager Vanessa Williams. 


Vanessa, an experienced 

marketer with a wealth 

of international experience, 

has taken over the role 

previously occupied by Sandy 

Turner. 

She has been in the job just 

over a month but is already 

focused on one of HCBA’s major 

action plans which is revitalising 

Garden Place, a public space 

that in recent years Hamilton 

City Council has constantly tried 

to energise. 

“There are many opinions 

going around about how it can 

be a better space and better utilised,” 

says Vanessa. 

She says it’s too early to talk 

physical changes and stresses 

the key is to collaborate with the 

many other organisations with a 

stake in the central city, such as 

surrounding businesses, Waikato 

Property Council, Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce and 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism. 

She’s in the process of putting 

together a working group. 

“We’ve all got overlapping 

areas of interest so it’s right that 

we should all have input.” 

Her vision for Garden Place 

includes getting more families 

into the space and more events. 

She suggests Garden Place could 

capitalise better on events at 

locations such as FMG Stadium 

Waikato or Claudelands Event 

New Hamilton Central 

Business Association 

general manager Vanessa 

Williams. 

Centre as well as the Hamilton 

Gardens Festival and the 

National Agricultural Fieldays. 

She also acknowledges suggestions 

that more could be made 

of Garden Place’s “garden” 

theme and a link with Hamilton 

Gardens, while more use of public 

art and sculptures “are also in 

the mix”. 

“There are about 22,000 people 

who come into our city each 

day and I would love them to 

have compelling reasons to call 

into Garden Place.” 

“It’s the foot traffic that 

makes a place.” 

Vanessa is Hamilton born 

and bred. She attended Waikato 

Diocesan School for Girls and 

the University of Waikato before 

honing her marketing skills in 

London, Aberdeen and Brunei. 

In between employment she 

returned to Hamilton and when 

the HCBA job was advertised 

earlier this year she didn’t hesitate 

to apply for it. 

“I genuinely passionately 

am interested in Hamilton 

city which is the place I’ve 

always come back to when I’ve 

returned from overseas. I’ve 

never thought to go anywhere 

else, it’s always been Hamilton. 

“I think there’s just so much 

the city has to offer and to be a 

part of helping it grow was such 

a drawcard for me.” 

Vanessa says a key attraction 

for her in the job was a sense of 

how much is happening in the 

city already. 

“We have a newly elected 

council, HBCA has a new 

chairman (SkyCity operations 

manager, Kevin Flynn), a new 

executive committee and a new 

general manager. And the CBD 

is changing with a number of 

new buildings being constructed. 

“If you have a look at all 

the scaffolding around the city 

centre you really do get that 

vibe that things are really happening.” 

Vanessa says if the city can 

enact plans such as the River 

Plan and the Central City 

Transformation Plan it is on the 

cusp of something great. She’s 

looking forward to the development 

of Victoria On The River 

and other elements of the River 

Plan. 

“We have an amazing natural 

resource. There are a lot of cities 

that capitalise on that and it’s 

great to see we are getting ready 

to do something with the river.” 

The future or HCBA was 

questioned at times over the last 

year with suggestions a more 

high powered organisation such 

as a CBD board might be needed 

to make real inroads. But 

Vanessa says she has not picked 

up any of that sentiment in her 

dealings with the other organisations 

she works closely with. 

“I know there have been 

things said in the past but certainly 

in the short time I’ve 

been here none of that has been 

brought to the table.” 

Vanessa stresses the need for 

Hamiltonians to be ambassadors 

for the city and to try to stay in a 

positive space. 

“There are always things that 

people would like to change. 

Let’s flip that around and make 

that an opportunity.” 

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URBAN HOMES 

Urban Homes builds on 

another successful year 

Urban Homes owners Daniel and Bronwyn 

Klinkenberg’s mission is simple: “Through 

superior quality, customer service and 

communication we will treat your project as 

our very own masterpiece.” 

Urban Homes topped 

off a successful 

year recently at the 

prestigious 26th Registered 

Master Builders 2016 House 

of the Year Awards being 

honoured with the National 

GIB Show Home Award. 

The Supreme Awards were 

announced at a gala dinner 

attended by more than 500 

guests from the building and 

construction industry held 

at the Langham Hotel in 

Auckland in late November. 

Urban Homes’ winning 

entry was its Fendaltondesigned 

home at St Kilda, 

Cambridge. 

This meticulously crafted 

four-bedroom home enchants 

you with its exceptional style 

and warmth. 

Three living spaces provide 

the ultimate in contemporary 

living. 

The alluring blend of 

uniquely New Zealand features 

and modern European 

design elements creates a 

captivating and comfortable 

modern retreat. 

The rustic feel flows 

through the 286 square 

metre home, from recycled 

Christchurch brick features 

and floating cedar ceilings, to 

the Euro-style cladding and 

big barn doors. 

This is country living to 

a tee. 

The spacious interior 

delights with its unrivalled 

design and function, and it is 

the ultimate home for entertaining 

or simply relaxing. 

Extensive glazing maximises 

solar gain. Fabulous 

indoor-outdoor flow keeps 

the interior connected with 

nature. 

Energy-saving innovations 

keep running costs 

down while treading lightly 

on the planet. 

The master bedroom is 

the pièce de résistance, with 

exposed brick and an elegant 

ensuite with freestanding 

bath. 

A chic family bathroom 

serves daily life. Built by 

multiple award-winning master 

builders with a passion for 

Continued on page 15 

For your business and property 

structure advice, call us. 

Free initial consultation at the 

office or two doors down at the 

Good George! 

e. steve@auctus.co.nz 

m. 027 664 4289 t. 07 974 4813 

a. 34a Somerset St, Frankton, Hamilton 

AWARD WINNING HOMES FEATURE PREMIUM COOKING APPLIANCES 

Talk to our specialist team at Kitchen Things Hamilton, 11 Maui Street, Te Rapa, 

Ph: 07 850 9040 

VISIT: KITCHENTHINGS.CO.NZ 

PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH 

URBAN HOMES. 

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD 

www.auctus.co.nz 

40309 

C3042H

URBAN HOMES 


The National GIB Show Home Award comes 

on the back of recognition for Urban Homes 

received throughout 2016 including: 

2016 Waikato Registered Master Builders 

House of the Year Awards: 

Gold award, category winner – GIB Show home 

Gold award, bathroom excellence award – New Home $650-$1m 

2016 Westpac Waikato Business Awards Finalist 

Service Excellence Award 

Business Growth Award 

Marketing Award 

From page 14 

perfection, this well-designed 

masterpiece of modern living 

is a house you will love to 

live in. 

Urban Homes’ mission is 

developed around delivering 

quality in all areas, and they 

have put solid processes in 

place to make sure they can 

maintain consistent exceptional 

quality at all times and 

deliver results. They recently 

developed their unique Urban 

Quality Standard (UQS) quality 

control system to ensure 

that they effectively manage 

each build very well with a 

guaranteed highest possible 

quality finish. 

This is vital to Urban 

Homes’ future long-term success 

as it enables the company 

to deliver ‘WOW’ in 

all areas. For Urban Homes, 

quality is about delivering 

a consistently high level of 

product year after year. Their 

ability to do that was proven 

again this year, being honoured 

with such recognition 

and awards. 

Daniel says: “The attribute 

I am most proud of at 

Urban Homes is our exceptional 

team culture. This is 

something we have been very 

intentional about creating. 

We are extremely grateful to 

have such an amazing team 

of very talented staff who 

have bought into our company 

vision. We want to be 

known as a company that not 

only delivers an exceptional 


congratulate Urban Homes on the success of the St Kilda showhome 

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URBAN HOMES 

Urban Homes 

builds on another 

successful year 

From page 15 

product, but is professional, 

friendly, generous and fun. I 

can honestly say we deliver 

on all fronts.” 

Urban Homes prides 

themselves on delivering the 

very highest level of communication. 

They make a 

point of determining exactly 

what each client’s expectations 

are very early on in the 

sales process. Their extensive 

design brief process has been 

designed to enable them to 

understand what is important 

to each individual before they 

get started. This is underwritten 

by Urban Homes’ strong 

emphasis on listening to their 

customers. Developing an 

open line of communication 

as early as possible helps 

them build a level of trust 

with their customers and enables 

them to feel more comfortable 

to provide them with 

honest feedback on design. 

This, in turn, helps Urban 

Homes to deliver a home 

design that meets the customer’s 

brief. 

Proud to support 

Urban Homes 

www.hostess.co.nz 

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Brent Tupaea 

Director 

Laser Plumbing Hamilton East 

Phone 07 858 4921 

hamilton.east@laserplumbing.co.nz 

www.laserplumbing.co.nz 

Proudly 

associated 

with Urban 

Homes 

C3992H 

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Discretionary bonuses and annual leave 

For some lucky employees, the festive 

season means not only summer holidays 

but the prospect of a Christmas bonus as 

well. 

While holidays are 

much anticipated 

by the average 

employee, they can cause 

quite a headache for payroll, 

particularly when calculating 

annual leave. 

One of the most confusing 

issues that arises is whether 

bonuses should be included 

in gross earnings when calculating 

holiday pay based 

on average weekly earnings 

over the past 12 months. The 

answer largely depends on 

whether the bonus is discretionary. 

Under the Holidays 

Act 2003 discretionary payments 

are excluded from 

gross earnings for the purposes 

of calculating holiday pay. 

The problem is, the Act 

does not contain a definition 

of ‘discretionary payments’, 

Response to Founders 

Theatre crisis recognised 

H3 scooped two top 

accolades in the 

2016 Entertainment 

Venues Association of New 

Zealand (EVANZ) Awards 

at Claudelands Arena on 

December 6. 

The group received 

the iTicket Excellence in 

Innovation Award for the smart 

thinking, effort and care taken 

to relocate Founders Theatre 

events to other venues, predominately 

Claudelands, following 

the theatre’s closure 

in March. 

As well as managing scheduling, 

communication and client 

relationships, the H3 team 

also came up with creative 

solutions to present the theatre 

events in the alterative venues 

in ways that best replicated the 

surroundings and acoustics of 

a traditional theatre. 

H3 technical services 

manager Sven Ladewig was 

also named as the Simpson 

Grierson Operations Manager 

of the Year. 

The award recognised 

Sven’s depth of expertise and 

experience, attitude to the role 

and approach to building and 

nurturing his specialist team, 

as well as the pivotal role he 

played in achieving the production 

requirements of relocated 

Founders Theatre events 

in alternative venues. 

H3 executive director Sean 

Murray says the awards are 

great recognition for the team. 

“The EVANZ Awards are 

always hotly contested so to 

receive these two top awards 

from our industry peers is an 

outstanding achievement for 

H3. 

“The relocation of 

Founders Theatre events earlier 

this year was a challenging 

time but I am immensely 

proud of the way our team 

approached this with a great 

deal of care, consideration and 

smart thinking to achieve the 

best results possible for our 

clients and event-goers,” says 

Mr Murray. 

“The role that Sven played 

in the relocation of Founders 

Theatre events, and his level 

of skill and professionalism in 

general, is exceptional, so for 

him to be named Operations 

Manager of the Year reinforces 

what we already knew – 

that he really is an outstanding 

leader in the industry.” 

H3 was also shortlisted 

in two other 2016 EVANZ 

Award categories – Chad 

Hooker (director of operations 

and major events) was 

a finalist for Ticketek Venue 

Executive of the Year, while 

Dawn Stewart (business 

development executive) was 

a finalist for the Priava Rising 

Star Award. 

The annual EVANZ 

Awards recognise talent and 

dedication within the country’s 

events, entertainment and 

venue industries. 

This is the second year in a 

row that H3 has been awarded 

the EVANZ Excellence 

in Innovation Award, after 

receiving it last year for 

its ‘Business Systems and 

Processes Transformation 

Project’. 

In 2014 Claudelands was 

named EVANZ’s Large Venue 

of the Year and Supreme 

Venue of the Year. 

H3 is a unit of Hamilton 

City Council responsible 

for overseeing the management 

of Claudelands, FMG 

Stadium Waikato, Seddon 

Park, Founders Theatre and 

The Grandstand. 

and employers may find that 

the definition of ‘discretionary’ 

is considerably different 

from what they understand 

the term to mean in 

everyday English. In general, 

employers must look 

to cases in the Employment 

Relations Authority and the 

Employment Court to understand 

the rules around categorising 

a bonus as discretionary. 

The important factor 

to consider when deciding 

whether a bonus is discretionary 

or not is to ascertain if the 

bonus forms part of the terms 

and conditions of employment 

or whether it is merely 

a payment that an employer 

makes where no obligation 

exists to pay it. An example 

of the latter would be where 

an employer spontaneously 

decides to give an employee 

a one-off reward for landing 

a big client or for coming in 

under budget on a project. 

Where an employee 

receives a bonus, which 

is included as part of their 

remuneration package or 

one that is tied to a performance 

target, it is unlikely 

to be deemed a discretionary 

bonus even if the amount of 

the bonus varies from year 

to year and this variation in 

amount is said to be decided 

at the sole discretion of 

the employer. In such cases, 

payment of the bonus itself is 

not discretionary, as the discretion 

merely attaches to the 

amount to be paid rather than 

whether or not it will be paid. 

In a 2014 Employment 

Court case, Howell v MSG 

Investments Limited, Mr 

Howell was to receive an 

incentive bonus on the conclusion 

of his employment, 

the value of which would be 

calculated 30 days following 

termination. In this case, the 

EMPLOYMENT LAW 

> BY ERIN BURKE 

Employment lawyer and director at Practica Legal 

Email: erin@practicalegal.co.nz phone: 027 459 3375 

bonus was not discretionary 

and amounted to $3.2 million. 

As it was calculated and paid 

after termination, the employer 

claimed it should not be 

included in the calculation 

for annual leave, usually paid 

in an employee’s final pay. 

The Court did not accept the 

employer’s position and held 

that the bonus formed part 

of the terms and conditions 

of employment, regardless 

of when it was calculated 

and when it was paid. At 8 

percent, this amounted to a 

whopping $256,000 that the 

employer was ordered to pay 

in holiday pay. 

Another factor to consider 

is that discretion needs to 

be exercised in a fair and 

reasonable manner, not arbitrarily. 

In a 2015 Authority 

decision, Walker v Vulcan 

Steel Limited, the employer 

used a range of criteria to 

decide whether each employee 

received an annual profit 

share bonus. The criteria 

included attendance/time 

keeping, work productivity, 

attitude, customer service 

and being health and safety 

conscious. Mr Walker was 

denied his annual bonus due 

to alleged failings during the 

year of some of the criteria. 

However, the employer failed 

to inform Mr Walker that 

his ongoing conduct would 

result in the loss of his bonus 

and therefore, denied him 

the opportunity to improve. 

The Authority held that this 

caused Mr Walker to be 

unjustifiably disadvantaged 

and Vulcan Steel was ordered 

to pay Mr Walker a $3000 

bonus, which was approximately 

75 percent of the full 

bonus. 

Unlike the 90-day time 

limit for raising personal 

grievances, claims for underpayment 

of annual leave 

under the Holidays Act can 

be raised going back six years 

so any miscalculation could 

prove costly. 

It is highly recommended 

that employers check their 

employees’ employment 

agreements in relation to 

bonuses before calculating 

holiday pay, ascertain whether 

or not a bonus is a discretionary 

payment and seek 

legal advice if further clarity 

is needed. 

Practica Legal would like 

to wish Waikato Business 

News readers a happy and 

safe holiday season. 

H3’s response to moving events away from Founders 

Theatre following its closure has seen it receive an award. 

Tatua appoints new CEO 

The Tatua Co-operative 

Dairy Company Ltd 

has announced the 

appointment of Brendhan 

Greaney to the position of 

Tatua chief executive officer. 

Chairman Stephen Allen 

announced Mr Greaney’s 

appointment at Tatua’s AGM 

on December 8. 

“Brendhan Greaney’s 

appointment is with immediate 

effect with the simultaneous 

retirement of previous 

and highly respected 

chief executive officer, Paul 

McGilvary.” 

Mr Greaney is an experienced 

senior executive with 

extensive dairy industry 

experience. He steps up from 

his current position of general 

manager operations with 

Tatua which he has held for 

six and a half years. 

Brendhan’s previous 

career was with Fonterra 

where he held various roles, 

including regional operations 

and regional business roles. 

He brings deep manufacturing 

and operations leadership 

experience within the 

dairy industry across a range 

of product areas. 

Brendhan will be Tatua’s 

ninth CEO, or equivalent 

leader, in its 102 year history. 

“Tatua is a family-orientated 

New Zealand company 

with roots in the local 

community, yet with global 

opportunities,” said Mr Allen. 

“A seamless transition of 

leadership will provide confidence 

and stability for our 

customers, our staff and our 

shareholder families”.


MITRE 10 MEGA RUAKURA 

RUAKURA 

Mitre10 MEGA Ruakura 

by Terry 

& Lynne 

NEW STORE NOW OPEN 

41 Ruakura Road, Hamilton East, Phone: 850 8700


19 

NEW Mitre 10 MEGA 

brings DIY and trade 

supplies to the eastside 

Tradies and DIY enthusiasts east of the 

Waikato river can gear up for summer 

projects thanks to the long-awaited 

opening of Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura. 

to our communities,” says 

Lynne. 

“As owner/operators who 

live and work in Hamilton it 

means a lot to be able to create 

jobs and put money back into 

the local economy.” 


Located on the corner 

of Ruakura Road 

and Wairere Drive, 

Hamilton’s newest Mitre 10 

MEGA is well located to service 

the south-east Hamilton 

market – saving customers 

time and transport costs. 

Store owner/operators, 

Terry and Lynne Wilson have 

been eager to complete this 

four-year project for their 

south-east Hamilton-based 

customers, who previously 

had to make the journey to 

the Wilson’s other Mitre 10 

MEGA store at The Base, Te 

Rapa. 

“We’ve had a lot of feedback 

from our south-east 

Hamilton-based trade and DIY 

customers saying that they 

cannot wait to get a closer 

store – even a few handwritten 

letters from dedicated DIYers 

who are rapt with the location,” 

says Terry. 

“The new store will operate 

as a satellite of our Te 

Rapa store – offering the same 

range and store features and 

allowing our trade customers 

to use one account across both 

stores.” 

The opening has created 70 

new jobs across both Mitre 10 

MEGA stores, not including 

the fixed term team members 

brought on to help out with 

setting up Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura. 

“We’re proud to be part of 

a New Zealand-owned co-op 

that emphasises giving back 

Quite early on we 

recognised that 

Mitre 10 MEGA 

was extraordinarily 

under-represented in 

Hamilton 

The Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura store is a significant 

addition on the east side of the 

river, encompassing almost 

8000 square metres of retail 

space, garden area, drive-thru, 

trade yard and trade supply 

bulk bins, and a Columbus 

Café. The store has been 

designed with sustainability 

and efficiency in mind, 

including new wireless mobile 

devices that will enable team 

members to be more productive 

and responsive to customers’ 

requests. 

“Whether they’re in the 

garden area, the drive-thru, 

trade yard or anywhere else in 

the store, our team members 

will be able to check store 

location and availability on the 

spot, as well as process orders 

without the need for paper, 

which allows them to deliver 

a more efficient service to our 

customers,” says Terry. 

Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura 

officially opened to the public 

at 7am on December 9. The 

store celebrated the opening in 

its first weekend with a charity 

sausage sizzle, activities for 

the kids and plenty of in-store 

specials. 

Terry and Lynne Wilson perform the ceremonial cutting of the wood to open the store. 

starting to appear around the 

country, Terry, with decades of 

experience in retail, was determined 

to be involved with a 

bigger store. 

The couple came to 

Hamilton to start planning 

for the city’s first Mitre 10 

MEGA which would ultimately 

open at The Base in 2007. 

They were adventurous times 

as Terry and Lynne vividly 

recall driving construction 

of the store from an on-site 

Portacom and the incredible 

task of ordering the store’s 

first inventory – a mere 45,000 

items. 

Terry and Lynne have 

worked hard to establish the 

store and have built up a burgeoning 

retail business, supplemented 

alongside by a successful 

trade operation. 

Terry says being locally 

owned and operated gives 

Mitre 10 MEGA stores an 

advantage that no corporate 

can replicate. 

“On average we have a 

much higher level of customer 

engagement and customer 

satisfaction. You can do whatever 

you like with price, what 

people actually respond to is 

value. Part of value is price, 

part is quality and part is customer 

service and customer 

engagement and we won’t be 

beaten on that.” 

For Terry and Lynne, being 

local operators is also about 

ensuring that they are always 

available and visible on-site, 

although Terry is more office 

bound these days, and Lynne 

is trying to retire. “We want 

people to know we are human, 

we are part of the team. We 

are ordinary people who have 

lunch in the tea room and 

serve customers if we happen 

to be on the floor.” 

A perfect site in Ruakura 

From an early stage, Terry 

and Lynne were eyeing the 


Hamilton’s Mitre 10 

MEGAs – a family story 

Bathroom Showroom. 

Terry and Lynne Wilson 

started out their Mitre 10 journey 

in 2004 when they purchased 

a store in Glen Innes, 

Auckland, employing 11 staff. 

But with Mitre 10 MEGAs 

Outdoor furniture display. 

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Proud to be associated with Mitre 10 Mega Ruakura 

Congratulations to Terry and Lynne on the opening 

Level 4, 18 London Street | PO Box 9041 | Hamilton 3240 

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J1837A



NEW Mitre 10 MEGA 

brings DIY and trade 

supplies to the eastside 

From page 19 

possibility of another MEGA 

store in Hamilton. 

“Quite early on we recognised 

that Mitre 10 MEGA 

was extraordinarily under-represented 

in Hamilton,” says 

Terry. 

“The Base store was a really 

good start but right from 

the early days we saw the 

need to cater for a whole lot of 

people that lived in the south 

and east.” 

About four years ago, Terry 

scouted what he believed was 

the perfect site on the corner 

of Wairere Drive and Ruakura 

Road and a key was negotiating 

with Hamilton City 

Council to develop an access 

to the site off Wairere Drive. 

As construction began on 

the site and Mitre 10 MEGA’s 

trademark orange colours 

appeared, Terry and Lynne 

were struck by the positive 

reactions from nearby residents. 

“We kept on hearing from 

people in the community who 

would say they couldn’t wait 

for us to open,” says Lynne. 

Many people also jumped 

at the opportunity to work 

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closer to their homes. This 

included Waikato University 

students who were able to take 

advantage of the location. 

The Ruakura site gives 

superb visibility and profile 

and a link to the older, more 

established part of the city in 

the east. 

“It’s an older part of the 

town,” says Terry. “It’s a bit 

like Grey Lynn or Mt Roskill 

where there are lovely solid 

old houses, many of which 

are being renovated. We love 

nothing more than driving 

around and seeing where a 

young couple has bought a 

house, done it up and got the 

garden looking lovely. 

“That’s why Mitre 10 

MEGA needed to be here, 

that’s why this is the right 

spot.” 

Construction “smooth 

sailing” 

Kitchen and home heating. 

Garden Centre. 

www.firth.co.nz 

0800 800 576 • 07 849 4879 

795 Te Rapa Road 

Hamilton, 3200 

Congratulations Terry and Lynn. 

Proud to have wired the new 

Ruakura Mega Mitre 10. 

172 Ellis St, Hamilton 

P 07 847 9428 M 027 495 0284 

E lyndon.jones@xtra.co.nz 

13464 

Terry says construction 

of Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura 

has been “remarkably smooth 

sailing” and he pays tribute 

to the construction companies 

involved. 

“I cannot speak highly 

enough of Foster Construction 

as a company and their young 

project manager Fraser Bell 

who has been outstanding.” 

He says Civil Construction 

Services Ltd has also bent over 

backwards to accommodate 

the Mitre 10 MEGA team. 

With construction nearing 

completion, Terry and Lynne 

were hands on as they advertised 

for a Set Up team for the 

mammoth job of fitting out 

the new store. They received 

300 applications and hired 65 

people. The first set up staff 

began on October 3. 

Terry and Lynne are 

thrilled with the way the team 

has gelled and that they have 

been able to offer two thirds 

of the team full time positions 

at Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura. 

In all, 65 staff will work 

at the Ruakura store and 156 

at Mitre 10 MEGA The Base, 

with more still to come. 

Terry and Lynne are very 

appreciative of the way the 

building contractors and 

tradespeople have accommodated 

members of the Set Up 

team. 

“They were very cooperative 

and just accommodated 

us and the Set Up people being 

on site. We just worked around 

each other. They’re been fantastic 

to work with and there 

hasn’t been any tension or 

stress around at all.” 

Terry and Lynne ensured 

an experienced, passionate 

and professional team greeted 

DIYers and tradespeople 

from day one of the opening 

of their second MEGA store. 

They brought across 18 team 

members from The Base store 

to work at Mitre 10 MEGA 

Ruakura on a permanent basis. 

“Every department here 

has at least one person from 

The Base store,” says Lynne. 

“It’s a very broad business 

requiring a wide knowledge. 

We’ve made sure that in every 

department there is at least 

one experienced person who 

knows the systems intimately 

and has wide product knowledge.” 

Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura’s 

exciting new journey has 

begun and Terry says he and 

Lynne are looking forward to 

the store becoming part of the 

community. 

“We’ve had great support 

from customers at our Te 

Rapa store and we’re looking 

forward to providing the 

same service for South-East 

Hamilton, supporting both 

DIYers and tradies.” 

J2645A 

Brewer Joinery incorporates quality 

products and superior service to provide 

premium, custom made window and 

door systems for all your joinery needs. 

It is a privilege to be associated with 

Mitre 10 and their impressive new build. 

C7651H 

WAIKATO & THE CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND - 0800 324 784 

Aluminium Windows & Doors 

Commercial & Residential 

Manufacture & Installation 

C7651H 

Columbus Café.


Part of the family for over 40 years 

Part of the family for over 45 years 

New Shipment just arrived! 

Ask us about our amazing Mazda 

Finance Deals! 

MAZDA 

END OF 

Demonstrators 

now available 

YEAR SALE 

One look tells you the all-new Mazda3 3is special.The first tdrive confirms it. SKYACTIV 

TECHNOLOGY gives you sports performance with exceptional fuel economy; while 

i-ACTIVSENSE* safety technology provides an extra set of eyes for greater driving 

enjoyment. Plus, MZD Connect* keeps you informed and in-touch with everything 

from live navigation to internet radio and social media connectivity.Whether you 

choose Hatch or Sedan, begin your Next Great Drive at Fairview Mazda or go to 

allnewmazda3.co.nz 

FAIRVIEW MOTORS MAZDA, 2011, 2012 & 2013 MAZDA DEALER OF THE YEAR 

Now, what can 

do for you? 

473 Te Rapa Rd. I HAMILTON I P 07 849 9838 I fairviewmotors.co.nz 

64 Firth St. I MATAMATA I P 07 888 7127 I fairviewmotors.co.nz 

95 Victoria St. I I P 07 827 7005 I fairviewmotors.co.nz 

Visit Fairview 

Mazda on 

Fairview Mazda End of Year Sale, Huge savings across our range of models, 

Demonstrator Clearance and Special Buy vehicles are available. 

Visit our branches in Hamilton, Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Matamata 

FAIRVIEW MOTORS MAZDA, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 MAZDA DEALER OF THE YEAR 

132 Kihikihi Rd. | TE AWAMUTU | P 07 871 3079 | fairviewmotors.co.nz


Annie Dobinson 

bringing 

INDUSTRIAL TEMP CONSULTANT 

Annie began her career recruitment in 2009. Originally from 

Australia, she has worked in the 

design 

industry both there and in the UK 

recruiting across a broad range 

of industries - her specialty being 

temporary industrial and hospitality 

to 

recruitment. Annie 

life... 

prides herself on 

a quick turnaround from job order 

placement, and providing her 

clients with quality candidates. 

In September, Asset Welcomed 

Annie Dobinson to the Team 

Our superior market knowledge 

and relationships help us deliver 

you exceptional results 

We are a passionate and dedicated team of recruitment professionals who 

have a strong commitment to delivering you outstanding results. 

What can we do for you? 

We off er you a diverse and comprehensive range of recruitment services. 

What sets us apart? 

We work collaboratively with you, to fi rstly know your business and then to 

seamlessly guide you towards the best possible results. 

You save time, money and avoid stress 

We save you valuable time by being able to identify the right person for your 

FROM BUSINESS TO BUSINESS 2016 

business, quickly and effi ciently. You avoid the headache of sifting through 

hundreds of CV’s. 

You only interview people with the right skills, experience, personality and 

attitude to complement your team. 

Whether you are looking for temporary, permanent, executive or 

industrial staff, we find the very best person for your role. 

...and another iconic 

building to the 

Hamilton landscape. 

Downey Construction, Waikato’s design & build 

specialists Admark Visual would like Imaging to congratulate 

Chris & Clinton Phone the 07 opening 846 0646 of their fantastic 

new NOSH Food Market. 

279 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton 

www.admarkprint.co.nz 

Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Asset Recruitment 

KPMG Centre | Level 10 

85 Alexandra Street | Hamilton 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Chiefs 

Phone: 0800 4CHIEFS 

www.chiefs.co.nz 

Downey Construction Ltd 

Ph 07 849 7502 

54 Church Road, Hamilton 

info@downey.co.nz 

Eves 

Phone 07 834 9570 

Mobile 027 801 9962 

greg.petrin@eves.co.nz 

www.eves.co.nz 

Fitness Journal 

Phone 07 838 1333 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton 

www.fitnessjournal.co.nz 

PO Box 1210 | 07 849 7502 | info@downey.co.nz 

Hamilton Airport 

Ph +64 07 848 9027 

Airport Road, R D 2 Hamilton 

www.hamiltonairport.co.nz 

Hobbiton Movie Set 

Phone 07 888 1505 

501 Bucklands Road, Hinuera, Matamata 

www.hobbitontours.com 

Waikato Kindergarten Association 

Phone 0800 CHILDREN (244 537) 

291 Grey Street, Hamilton 

www.kindergarten.org.nz 

LIQUIDATE IT 

Corporate undertakers 

Company liquidations and restructures 

Liquidate It 

Ph 021 057 7198 

www.liquidateit.co.nz 

Heather Whyte - Lugtons 

Ph 027 239 2751 

Cnr River Road & Donny Ave 

Hamilton 3210 

lugtons.co.nz 

Kerry Hopper –Lugtons 

Phone 07 838 5870 

Mobile 021 984173 

Kerry.hopper@lugtons.co.nz 

www.lugtons.co.nz 

www.kerryhopper.nz


Wishing you a 

happy and healthy holiday 

from your local experts 

Prāctica Legal 

Fairview Mazda 

Phone 849 9838 

473 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton 

www.fairviews.co.nz 

Metro by Hoyts 

12 Ward Street, Hamilton 

07 850 3610 

www.hoyts.co.nz 

Practica Legal 

Phone: 027 459 3375 

info@practicalegal.co.nz 

www.practicalegal.co.nz 

C5110H 

‘Presentation of your business 

is our business’ 

Vogue Drycleaners Frankton 

92 Kent Street (Cnr Hall St), Hamilton 

Property Services Unlimited 

Phone 07 847 2737 

7B Sloper Avenue, Hamilton 

www.psu.co.nz 

SPX Flow 

Phone 0800 500 278 

2 Kaimiro Street, Pukete, Hamilton 

www.spxflow.com 

Vogue Drycleaners City 

Cnr, Victoria & Knox Streets, Hamilton 

Phone: 07 847 7181 

www.voguedrycleaners.co.nz 

C9210H 

Business News 

The team at Waikato Business 

News wishes you all a safe and 

happy festive season. 

Waikato Business News offices 

will be closed from: 

Friday, December 23, 2016 

until Monday, January 9, 2017 

For urgent 

inquiries please call 

Alan Neben 

021 733 536


Changes to trust 

Trusts are a popular way of protecting 

property and managing assets in New 

Zealand. While there is no conclusive way 

of measuring the exact number of trusts 

in New Zealand, estimates put the figure 

somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000. 

One of the main driving 

forces behind the popularity 

of trust use in 

New Zealand is likely to be the 

ease of trust administration and 

asset management and protection 

benefits, particularly when 

compared with other jurisdictions. 

The rules governing New 

Zealand trusts have been stable 

for many years, predominantly 

governed by the Trustee Act 

1956, however this is set to 

change. The legal framework 

for trusts has recently been 

subject to an in-depth review 

by the Law Commission and a 

draft bill is currently undergoing 

a consultation process, after 

which it is expected to be introduced 

to Parliament in 2017. 

The existing Trustee Act has 

been criticised for being outdated 

and unclear with regard 

to the precise duties of trustees, 

giving scope for the mismanagement 

of trusts and with 

no easy legal redress for beneficiaries. 

There has therefore 

been pressure for modernised 

legislation that clearly outlines 

key trust principles so that they 

can be easily understood and 

applied. 

The draft bill seeks to clarify 

the core concepts encompassing 

trusts, which will result in 

a more useful piece of legislation 

that can be applied to 

fix practical problems and 

reduce the costs associated with 

trust administration. This will 

effectively impose ‘minimum 

standards’ for the governance 

of trusts so that trustees and 

beneficiaries are clear on their 

precise obligations and duties. 

The draft Bill features seven 

key proposed reforms. They 

vary in nature from clarifying 

the key features of a trust, to 

detailing the duties and powers 

of trustees, and preserving the 

Court’s position and powers. 

In terms of clarifying trustees’ 

duties, the draft bill places 

five mandatory obligations on 

trustees, being the requirement 

to: 

• know the terms of the trust, 

• act in accordance with the 

terms of that trust, 

• act honestly and in good 

faith, 

• hold or deal with the trust 

property for the benefit of 

either the beneficiaries or the 

permitted purpose, and 

• exercise the powers of a trustee 

for proper purpose. 

In addition to the mandatory 

duties there are a further eleven 

default duties which can be 

modified and excluded by the 

terms of individual trusts, which 

cover areas such as; a general 

duty of care, duties relating to 

investing prudently, avoiding 

conflicts of interest, keeping 

proper accounts, acting unanimously, 

and for no reward. 

The legalisation of these 

duties will provide protection 

to beneficiaries that assets held 

within trusts will be dealt with 

in their best interests, and give 

them legal remedies if trustees 

fail to meet these standards. 

Beneficiaries will have the 

power to apply to the court to 

have a trustee decision reviewed 

if there are reasonable grounds 

that a trustee acted unlawfully. 

Courts will also be granted a 

new power to remove trustees 

who are convicted of a dishonesty 

offence. 

As well as provisions which 

seek to make trusts more 

straightforward to understand, 

the draft bill includes additional 

provisions which are lacking 

from the existing act, covering 

the wind up of trusts, along with 

more options for the removal 

and appointment of trustees. 

These changes have been 

designed to simplify the windup 

process and provide greater 

flexibility and accountability 

to beneficiaries. Furthermore, 

when a company is acting as 

a trustee of a trust, it will now 

be required to clearly describe 

its trustee status in all communications 

eg. "X Ltd acting as 

trustee for Y trust", in a move to 

improve transparency. 

With these new provisions 

in mind, it is notable that there 

are no direct changes proposed 

to the tax treatment of trusts. 

However there is much more 

focus on trusts from a tax perspective 

following the recent 

“Panama Papers” scandal and 

the alleged misuse of NZ foreign 

trusts, and this has resulted 

in a Government led investigation 

into whether existing disclosure 

rules are adequate. 

The Government is beefing 

up the requirements for foreign 

trusts in three key areas; registration, 

disclosure, and annual 

filing. The proposed changes 

will require all foreign trusts to 

formally register with the IRD 

and be subject to an increased 

number of disclosure requirements. 

Further changes introduce 

sanctions for non-compliance 

with the new rules, resulting 

in foreign trusts losing their 

TAXATION AND THE LAW 

> BY GRANT NEAGLE 

Grant Neagle is a PwC director based in the Waikato office. 

Email: grant.t.neagle@nz.pwc.com 

exemption from New Zealand 

tax. 

Combined with the updated 

Trusts Bill, trusts are therefore 

very much under scrutiny at the 

moment. Despite that scrutiny, it 

would appear that these changes 

may not have much practical 

effect for those who use trusts 

for their intended purpose. 

As trustees will have more 

clearly defined duties and obligations, 

it will be important for 

all trustees to understand the 

new law, and their individual 

trust deeds, to ensure they 

discharge their duties with the 

appropriate standard of skill 

and care. However it is hoped 

that the majority of trustees are 

already acting with the due care 

and attention that the new rules 

seek to impose as a minimum 

standard. 

Arguably, the simplification 

of the guiding legislation may 

lead to a further increase in the 

popularity of trusts. If this is 

the case, it remains to be seen 

whether this could ultimately 

lead to ongoing scrutiny and 

ultimately a further review of 

the tax treatment of trusts. But 

for now, their key benefits will 

continue to stand. 

The comments in this article 

of a general nature and should 

not be relied on for specific 

cases. Taxpayers should seek 

specific advice. 

Dental On Mahoe is delighted to 

introduce Tanvi, our new dentist, 

who has joined our team 

Tanvi finished her degree in 2011 and started private practice in India before moving to 

NZ to continue her career in dentistry. After obtaining NZ qualifications in June 2014, 

Tanvi practiced in Rotorua – among many things, she enjoys restoring teeth and loves 

a challenge. Tanvi has many interests, including music, reading and travelling. 

Soon to be married Tanvi has moved to the Waikato and will be working here at 

Dental On Mahoe. Tanvi’s fluency in English and strong command of the English 

language enables her to easily and clearly communicate with patients and form 

friendships. 

PRE-CHRISTMAS LATE NIGHT HOURS: 

Wednesday 21st December, 8.30am - 8.00pm 

Thursday 22nd December, 8.30am - 8.00pm 

WE ARE OPEN 

Friday 23rd December, 9.00 am - 5.00pm 

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR HOURS 

Wednesday 28th Dec., 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Thursday 29th Dec., 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Closed Friday 30th December 

Wednesday 4th Jan., 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Thursday 5th Jan., 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Friday 6th Jan., 9.00am - 5.00pm 

We are open Monday to Friday from 

9th January 2017 

"We would like to thank all our 

clientele for their support in 2016 

- and we look forward to seeing 

all your lovely smiles in the 

New Year" 

NEW TRADING HOURS 

Beginning Monday 16th Jan. 2017 

include 2 x late nights 

for your convenience 

Monday – 9.00am - 5.00pm 

Tuesday – 8.30am - 5.00pm 

Wednesday – 8.30am - 8.00pm 

Thursday – 8.30am - 8.00pm 

Friday – 9.00am - 5.00pm 

371 Mahoe Street - Te Awamutu 

A Property Manager with 

Vision and Heart 

FINDA HOME NZ PROPERTY MANAGER RAE GUARD HAS A STRONG 

PHILOSOPHY THAT PEOPLE NEED A SENSE OF BELONGING. THAT 

SENSE OF SECURITY AND COMMUNITY THAT STEMS FROM MAKING A 

HOME ONE’S OWN. 

She also has a deep understanding of a 

home owner/investor’s need to know 

their property is being respected and 

cared for by others. 

It is these beliefs that drive her efforts to 

match clients with a perfect home be it a house 

or an office. 

Rae is experienced in relocation and property 

management and a key to her success is 

her strong consultative nature. She has worked 

extensively in the field of purchase, rentals and 

lease of properties. This included working with 

both private and corporations. 

“Helping clients of all types across various 

situations to find their ‘fit’ in their location is 

very rewarding,” says Rae. 

Known for a strong work ethic and commitment, 

Rae has a wide experience across a 

number of industries. Before this she has also 

worked in foreign exchange and the finance 

industry, travel and tourism and information 

systems. 

To top it all off Rae has been self employed 

as life development/business coach working 

with an assortment of clients. 

At Finda Home NZ, Rae has found that 

her vision aligns perfectly with the business 

model: It’s an award-winning vision of property 

management that reflects the real needs and 

desires of both investor or property owner and 

the tenant. 

The Cambridge-based business is locally 

owned and operated by Carol McEldowney. 

In addition having staff who collectively 

have nearly 60 years’ experience in property 

management, property investment, real 

estate and finance: a complete property 

business model. 

Finda Home was established in 2008 based 

on a belief that landlords and tenants were 

RAE GUARD 

not being given the attention and service they 

deserved. 

Such has been Finda Home’s success, the 

business has spread into Hamilton with exciting 

results. 

Keys to success for Finda Home include 

excellent communication between all parties 

and a rigid application process which ensures 

Rae has complete control, resulting in very few 

tenancy issues. 

Rae has high expectations of both her tenants 

and landlords, and this has proved to be 

the recipe for Finda Home NZ Ltd’s successful 

property management business in Cambridge. 

Talk to Rae about your property needs and 

let Finda Home NZ find your perfect solution. 

Rae Guard, Finda a Home NZ 

22B Duke Street, Cambridge 3450 

30440

The blurred line between 

employee and volunteer 


Kidd v Beaumont Family Trust 

Volunteers are a critical 

part of the fabric of 

our society so it is 

disturbing to see an increasing 

number of cases where 

the definition of employee 

is being challenged by volunteers 

who retrospectively 

want the benefits of being 

employees. This case, however 

is at the other end of 

the spectrum and more like a 

friendly deal that was really 

an employment relationship. 

Mr Kidd and his wife 

retired and went to live in 

a small caravan park. The 

owner of the caravan park was 

the family trust of a retired 

couple (the Beaumonts). The 

resource consent for the caravan 

park required a manager 

to be living on site. Initially 

the Beaumonts lived on site 

but they decided to live in 

their own home which was 

around two kilometres away, 

so they needed to have a 

manager resident on site. 

The Beaumonts asked the 

permanent residents living at 

the park if any were willing 

to help out by acting 

as the manager and doing 

some cleaning in return for 

a waiver of their site rental. 

The Kidds and another 

couple agreed to do this and 

each couple covered the role 

two days a week. They managed 

the work between themselves. 

After a few months 

Kaikoura charity plight highlights role of financial reserves 

The Canterbury West 

Coast Air Rescue Trust 

is usually putting away 

extra money at this time of 

year to get through the holiday 

season – the busiest time of 

year for rescues. 

But, that critical savings 

period has been upended by 

the Kaikoura quake and the 

cost of extra flights to help 

locals amounting to hundreds 

of thousands of dollars, 

depleting the charity’s financial 

reserves and leaving them 

in a precarious position. 

The trust has a long-term 

goal of building financial 

reserves, a journey that is 

challenging given its mission 

numbers, costs that are 

increasing year on year and 

keeping fundraising targets in 

line with those. This comes 

along with the added pressure 

of building reserves in a very 

competitive funding environment. 

Perhaps the most 

compelling piece of advice 

for charities beyond the 

technicalities of financial 

reserves planning and 

management, is convincing 

their funders that they have 

got it right. 

An incident like the earthquake 

adds a whole new 

dimension of financial pressure 

and the trust has appealed 

the hours expanded to four 

days on four days off and 

the compensation expanded 

to include $25 a day. 

Everything worked fine 

until there was a disagreement 

between Mrs Beaumont 

and Mr Kidd. She was not 

happy with the way he did 

his work and in particular 

dealt with customers. He felt 

he was being treated unfairly. 

He went to the Labour 

Inspectors who agreed that 

he was an employee and had 

not been paid the minimum 

employment entitlements 

(wages and holidays) and 

confronted Mrs Beaumont. 

Mr Kidd was due to have surgery 

and Mrs Beaumont said 

she had someone organised 

to take his job – she meant 

to cover his absence – he 

assumed he was being permanently 

replaced. 

The Kidds moved to 

another caravan park and 

took a personal grievance for 

minimum entitlements and 

wrongful dismissal. The first 

step was to prove that they 

were employees. The matter 

went to the Employment 

Authority which concluded 

that the practice of using 

volunteers in campsites was 

not unusual and that they did 

not meet the test for being 

employees. Nor did they meet 

the test of being volunteers, in 

reality they were contractors. 

to its community for support, 

with the goal to raise $300,000 

by December 22 to ensure it 

can deliver this life saving 

service. 

The trust’s experience is 

pertinent to all charities, an 

example of why building sufficient 

financial reserves matters 

and how difficult it can be 

to do so. 

A recent BDO survey of 

Not-for-Profit (NFP) sector 

knowledge and views on 

financial reserves, showed 

that many struggle with 

building adequate 

reserves; a critical 

thing to get right 

given the different 

forces at play in the 

current market: low 

interest rates, highly 

competitive funding, 

financial reporting 

regulations – not to 

mention an increased 

risk of earthquakes. 

Most of the 471 

respondents felt 

their reserves were 

insufficient with 

only three percent 

saying they had too 

much in reserve and four percent 

saying they didn’t know. 

Furthermore, around half 

of the respondents were not 

Not satisfied with this, Mr 

Kidd (who was by now separated 

from his wife) took the 

matter to the Employment 

Court which has conducted 

an exhaustive analysis of dictionaries, 

NZ and UK legislation 

and case law to determine 

what is and what isn’t a 

volunteer. 

The Employment 

Relations Act defines a volunteer 

as a person “who does 

not expect to be rewarded for 

the work to be performed… 

and receives no reward for 

work performed as a volunteer…” 

The Judge examined 

the question of the payment, 

which could not be considered 

to be reimbursement for 

out of pocket expenses as 

there were none, all the costs 

were met by the business. 

A further factor in the decision 

was the nature of the 

enterprise. The Judge states 

“usual, if not universal, features 

of such volunteering 

arrangements include that the 

organisation is not engaged 

in commerce, at least as a 

profit-making or capital 

gain-making enterprise, and 

that the enterprise would not 

be sustainable but for the 

commitment of such volunteers.” 

Having determined that 

Kidd was not a volunteer, 

the Judge then turned to the 

question of whether he was 

a contractor, and after running 

through the routine tests 

of control, integration in the 

MONEY MATTERS 

> BY BERNARD LAMUSSE 

Bernard Lamusse is Not-for-Profit Sector Leader for BDO New 

Zealand chartered accountants and business advisors and Managing 

Partner; Audit, Assurance and Advisory BDO Waikato. 

aware of an organisational 

financial reserves policy being 

in place – so there’s room for 

improvement. 

Once in place, this contingency 

of ‘financial reserves’ 

can help an organisation 

weather unexpected financial 

crises such as natural disasters, 

loss of income, to meet 

capital costs as required, cope 

with a tax audit, make investment 

decisions… the reasons 

are numerous. 

And critically, funders 

and donors want to see that a 

charity has enough money set 

aside to be financially robust 

while not sitting on unspent 

cash without good reason. 

This all highlights the critical 

need for robust financial 

reserves policy and planning 

– not only for the reasons outlined 

but because a financial 

reserves policy provides wider 

benefits as a framework for 

internal decision-making and 

externally, as a point of reference 

to support funding applications 

and donor appeals. 

Off the back of our 

research, BDO has worked 

with sector focus groups delving 

into the specific issues and 

developed some comprehensive 

advice across key areas 

from cash reserves versus net 

Volunteers, a critical part of society. 

business, the fundamental 

test, and the parties’ intentions, 

and concluded that he 

was not a contractor but an 

employee. 

Having reached the conclusion 

that Kidd was an 

employee and that the family 

trust was the employer, 

the parties were sent away 

asset reserves, setting minimum 

and target reserve levels 

and developing and implementing 

a financial reserves 

policy through to monitoring 

of and reporting on key criteria. 

Perhaps the most compelling 

piece of advice for charities 

beyond the technicalities 

of financial reserves planning 

and management, is convincing 

their funders that they 

have got it right. 

That means learning how 

to tell a convincing, transparent 

story about the work 

their organisation does to their 

funders, donors, and other 

stakeholders - linking financial 

data with the non-financial 

measures to tell that story. 

Certainly, reserves are a 

key part of the financial data, 

but when viewed in isolation 

they do not convey the wider 

story, the organisational narrative 

that is so central to 

everything it stands for. 

Ultimately, while financial 

reserves may be something 

that sits in the background for 

many NFP organisations, the 

reality is that it serves not only 

as a contingency, but a properly 

formed policy can play 

a core role in the sustainable 

operations of an organisation. 

HR AND THE LAW 

> BY ANNE AITKEN 

Anne Aitken, HR Professional | Email: anne@anneaitken.co.nz 

to work out how much was 

due in wage and holidays 

arrears. (Kidd had claimed 

$44,000.) The personal grievance 

for unjustified dismissal 

was rejected as Kidd had 

abandoned his job rather than 

been dismissed. 

This decision is really 

disturbing for people who 

get a friend to help out in 

their business in return for 

a reward in kind and that 

happens frequently in small 

businesses – the “will you 

help with my market stall for 

some free produce” scenario. 

The problem is not when it is 

going well for everyone, it is 

when the friends fall out.


JOHN S MACDONALD BUILDERS LTD 

John S Macdonald Builders Ltd 

New Zealand National 2016 

Registered Master Builders 

Supreme Renovation Winner 

BEFORE 

AFTER 

John S Macdonald Builders becomes the first 

builder in the Waikato to win not only three 

Supreme Awards, but also to achieve the highest 

possible accolade - a National Supreme Award. 

The Tamahere renovation scooped the Gold and 

Local Supreme Winner at the Waikato awards 

earlier in August this year, which qualified it as one 

of the top 100 homes entered into the National 

Registered Master Builders House of the Year 

2016. 

John S Macdonald – Waikato’s Supreme Builders. 

Contact John S Macdonald 

452 Tauwhare Road, RD 4, Matangi 3284 

Ph 07 855 8855 • A/H 027 4863 653 

john@jsmb.co.nz • www.jsmb.co.nz 

Office Hours 

Monday-Friday 7:30am - 5:00pm 

30412



John S MacDonald’s 

renovation New Zealand’s best 

A renovation in Hamilton by John S Macdonald 

Builders Ltd has joined a new build in Auckland 

as being recognised as New Zealand’s best 

homes, winning Supreme Awards at the 

prestigious 26th Registered Master Builders 

2016 House of the Year Awards. 

The Supreme Awards 

were announced at a 

gala dinner attended by 

more than 500 guests from 

the building and construction 

industry held at the Langham 

Hotel in Auckland. 

John S Macdonald 

Builders Limited was awarded 

the Registered Master 

Builders 2016 Supreme 

Renovation of the Year for 

their Tamahere renovation, 

along with the National cat- 

Before. 

egory win for the Renovation 

Award over $500,000. 

Judges said the Supreme 

Renovation was simply stunning 

and a credit to both the 

owner and the builder. 

“With no loss to the historical 

character, this magnificent 

family residence is 

a combination of renovation 

and restoration. The home 

has been reconfigured and 

services have been upgraded 

to incorporate 21st Century 

After. 

technology,” they said. 

“The rooms are full of 

light and space, and include 

subtle ornamentation and 

detail which blends in with 

the opulence of the furniture 

and fittings. 

“There is an ease of access 

to the outdoors where you 

will find shaded deck areas 

and a new pool house. The 

pool and shaded deck areas 

are controlled from the kitchen. 

The residence is surrounded 

by a paradise of recreational 

activities.” 

It is the first time a Waikato 

entrant has won both a category 

and supreme award, 

something John Macdonald 

says feels “pretty special”. 

“It’s recognition of an 

incredibly difficult couple 

of years where we had high 

expectations to fulfil. We performed 

to the best of our ability 

and got recognised for it.” 

The achievement was all 

the sweeter for the fact that 

the renovation award was an 

extremely competitive category 

with more entrants than 

any other. 

John says a key to their 

success was demonstrating 

the transformation of the villa 

from its original state through 

to its renovation. 

“I think the judges were 

able to see the journey from 

start to finish.” 

Making the house a warm 

place to live was extremely 

important to the client and 

the project transformed a 

dark, cold villa into a light, 

welcoming and warm environment. 

“The owners had bought 

the house but never lived in 

it. They were moving down 

to Waikato from Auckalnd 

Before. 

After. 

and it was important to them 

that they had a warm comfortable 

house to live in with 

plenty of space. 

“The house was pretty 

dark and cold. The feel inside 

is different now. It is really 

light, it is well insulated and 

has air conditioning. When 

you walk into it now you just 

know this place is warm and 

inviting.” 

Light flows in through 

ample glazing and in an open 

plan area and extensive glass 

doors peel back to a wraparound 

deck. 

The kitchen designed by 

Mal Corboy is both family 

friendly and suitable for fine 

dining. 

Original details of the villa 

have been lovingly retained 

and restored, from the floors 

to the feature ceilings. The 

classic weatherboard exterior 

has been refurbished and 

kitted out in a fresh coat of 

colour. 

The renovation also created 

great flow both internally 

and from the kitchen to the 

exterior and beyond into the 

section which incorporates a 

swimming pool, tennis court, 

cricket pitch and pitch and 

putt. 

Renovating the Tamahere 

villa was a huge project, 

taking about 15 months and 


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30220



John S MacDonald’s 

renovation New Zealand’s best 

From page 27 

requiring a team of John’s 

builders on-site every day 

Before. 

After. 

throughout that period. 

Construction was preceded 

by a big demolition job. 

The builders gutted large 

parts of the house, a task 

made more challenging by 

the need to reuse many of the 

materials. 

Before. 

John says a key was the 

fact that the client, the team 

of builders and the architect, 

Julian Guthrie worked well 

together and understood what 

each other wanted to do. 

“We had a lot of planning 

and time together to 

make sure we understood 

each other. The client asked 

the architect and the team 

of builders a lot of questions 

which meant that we all made 

good decisions.” 

“It’s a real team effort. 

Communication is huge and 

everyone needs to buy into 

what you’re doing. It’s about 

everyone realising that we 

all have the same end goal in 

mind and we are not compromising 

on it. Everyone knew 

what they had to do, when 

they had to do it by and just 

got stuck in.” 

Registered Master 

Builders chief executive 

David Kelly said the number 

of top-quality homes entered 

in the competition this year 

has been outstanding, reflecting 

the ongoing commitment 

to quality from across the 

sector. 

“This is an exciting time 

to be in the sector. Our members 

have an absolute focus 

on quality across all price 

ranges, and this competition 

reflects that. Even in the current 

construction pipeline, 

productivity cannot be at the 

expense of quality. House of 

the Year has been celebrating 

quality craftsmanship for 

over 25 years - from cost 

effective builds to luxury 

homes. 

“Congratulations to all 

of this year’s national award 

winners, and in particular 

Before. 

our Supreme Award recipients 

– Richard Davidson 

Builders Limited and John S 

Macdonald Builders Limited. 

The projects are truly a credit 


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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS December 2016/January 2017 

29 

After. 

From page 28 

to the dedication of our members 

in constructing a better 

built New Zealand.” 

All Supreme, Lifestyle 

and Category winners were 

selected from 100 Gold 

Reserve National Finalists, 

which were all award-winners 

in the 11 regional competitions 

held throughout 

New Zealand during July and 

August. 

The Awards are made possible 

through the support of 

PlaceMakers, Master Build 

Services, GIB, Nulook, 

Future-Proof Building, 

Carters, Plumbing World, 

Resene, and Bunnings Trade. 

After. 

handles 

and 

brass 

architectural hardware specialists 

CONSULT | SUPPLY | INSTALL 

Suppliers and Installers 

of Door and Window 

Another successful project completed 

Hardware to 

John S Macdonald Builders 

12 Somerset Street, Hamilton 

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w: handlesandbrass.co.nz 

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30031 

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30 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS December 2016/January 2017

BEST IN BUSINESS 


SKYCITY Hamilton’s new bowling, 

food and entertainment hub opens 

Bowl and Social, SKYCITY Hamilton’s 

new and improved bowling, food and 

entertainment hub has now opened, 

boasting world-class bowling technology and 

equipment, a high quality food and beverage 

offering, and specialist group bowling facilities. 

The opening follows an 

extensive makeover of 

what was previously 

known as the Bowlevard – 

one of Hamilton’s most popular 

entertainment experiences 

and Waikato’s only tenpin 

bowling facility. 

SKYCITY Hamilton general 

manager Michelle Baillie 

says the team is very excited 

about the new facilities. 

“Bowl and Social is an 

incredible new facility that 

will completely transform the 

traditional bowling experience. 

Among other things, 

the new technology on offer 

allows our customers to 

compete multi-player while 

enjoying an exciting audio 

visual experience. This is 

new territory for us in delivering 

an entertainment offering 

never seen in Hamilton.” 

Bowl and Social will be 

the first bowling arena in 

New Zealand to offer what’s 

known as Mad Games - new 

bowling technology that 

involves knocking down 

bowling pins to meet special 

targets set out on the 

interactive screens above 

bowling lanes. Overseas, the 

technology is popular among 

children, families and large 

groups wishing to compete 

against each other on a different 

scale. 

Michelle says Bowl and 

Social also boasts a modernised 

food and beverage 

space, with a beautiful balcony 

area that showcases some 

of the city’s best views of the 

Waikato River. 

“Local produce will be 

used to create authentic 

pizzas, salads and burgers, 

and Good George and Lion 

Breweries are on board as 

key beverage suppliers, so 

customers get a true sense of 

the quality food and beverage 

our Waikato region is famous 

for,” says Michelle. 

For the design and fit out of 

Bowl and Social, SKYCITY 

teamed up with Kiwi design 

company ctrl-Space and 

Hawkins Construction, as 

well as internationally-renowned 

provider of worldclass 

bowling equipment and 

technology, QubicaAMF. 

“We have had highly experienced 

professionals working 

on creating an excellent 

experience for our customers, 

and now the SKYCITY 

Hamilton team is really 

excited about showcasing 

Bowl and Social to our customers. 

Along with our City 

Co-op food and beverage 

precinct and our world-class 

casino facilities, SKYCITY 

Hamilton really is living up 

to its name as the region’s 

premier entertainment destination,” 

says Michelle. 

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Gallagher Rotary Awards 

2016 a shining success 

After 14 years of successes the Gallagher 

Rotary Awards 2016 shone as brightly as 

ever when the special celebration dinner 

was held late November. 

GALLAGHER ROTARY AWARDS 

Industry and business 

leaders from throughout 

Waikato gathered at 

Wintec’s Atrium to shine 

the spotlight on their top 

employees. 

The award recipients and 

those just a ‘click’ away from 

winning came from sectors 

including engineering, plastics, 

construction, plumbing, 

manufacturing and personnel 

management. 

Event co-ordinator Des 

Meads of Frankton Rotary 

said the awards are an opportunity 

to encourage bright, 

up-and-coming employees to 

share a few moments of fame 

under the spotlight. 

“These are our future leaders,” 

said Des. “We believe it 

gives them an important lift 

to be chosen to attend an 

event such as this. 

“These young people, 

who lead by example, all 

come away with something 

to remember for the many 

hours of hard work they have 

put in to reach this pinnacle.” 

Des said it was humbling 

to be part of such a strong 

partnership between his 

Rotary Club and the supporting 

businesses such as naming 

sponsor Gallagher Group. 

Another strong supporter 

is CF Reese Plumbing and on 

the night managing director 

Aaron Rink began the award 

build-up process in memory 

of his company founder 

Colin Reese who was also 

a founding member of the 

Rotary Club of Frankton. 

A Paul Harris Fellowship, 

a special top Rotary award, 

was presented to Dr Clyde 

Wade, a man of medicine 

whose life, according to 

Frankton Rotary, exemplifies 

the humanitarian and educational 

objectives of the 

Rotary Foundation. 

COMPETENZ 

Award - Experience in Plastics Training 

Winner - Ryan Firn (Alto Packaging Ltd.) 

Award - Outstanding Achievement in Engineering 

Training 

Winner - Shea Keir (Carter Holt Harvey – Wood 

Products) Plywood Tokoroa 

SCHICK CIVIL CONSTRUCTION 

A winning team…from left…Josh Grayson, Dave Morgan, 

Greg Hack, Aaron Rink, Dylan Morgan, Shaun Nicholson. 

THE WINNERS AND SPONSORS 

FOR THE 2016 AWARDS ARE: 

Award - Schick’s Excellence in Training Award. 

Winner - Ryan Armstrong 

Runners Up - Mitchell Cowper, Josh McCarthy, 

Rob McCraig, Callum Caldwell. 

STAFFORD ENGINEERING LTD. 

Award - Trainee of the Year Award 2016 

Winner - Josh Storey 

Runners Up - Corey Asplin, Oliver Tizard. 

C.F.REESE PLUMBING LTD. 

Award - Colin Reese Memorial Scholarship Award 

2016 

Winner - Greg Hack 

Runners Up - Dylan Morgan, Josh Grayson, Shaun 

Nicholson. 

GALLAGHER GROUP 

Award - The Gallagher Way Training Excellence 

Award 2016 

Winners - Duane Miles, Gabrielle Rawhiti, Adele 

Wade. 

ROTARY FRANKTON AWARD 

Award - Paul Harris Fellow Award 

Recipient - Dr Clyde Wade. 

Gallagher Rotary 

Awards 2016 

Recognising excellence in Industry Training 

TO GREG HACK ON WINNING THE 

2016 COLIN REESE MEMORIAL 

SCHOLARSHIP 

Applications now open for 2017 

For more details visit www.cfreese.co.nz 

We are the residential and 

commercial maintenance experts 

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We offer a 24 hour emergency plumbing service across Hamilton 

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0800 460 247 

info@cfreese.co.nz 

www.cfreese.co.nz | 32 Euclid Avenue, Te Rapa, Hamilton 

30107


33


Are you being smart with your data? 

Every day, every month, company owners 

and industry leaders are served up with 

significant amounts of financial data to 

make prudent business decisions. 

We delve into balance 

sheets, profit and 

loss statements and 

movements in financial position 

so we are well-armed to 

reposition and make change 

where we need to. 

This is called good management. 

Imagine for a minute then 

if you were served up with 

emotional data that enabled 

you to make prudent business 

and relationship decisions. 

Would we give it the same 

emphasis? 

I’m going to take a punt 

here and say NO! 

There are many reasons 

why we don’t use emotional 

data as effectively and analytically 

as financial data, 

however one of the primary 

ones is that we have not 

LIQUIDATE IT 

Corporate undertakers 

Company liquidations and restructures 

Kelera Nayacakalou 

BMS, LLM (Honours) 

021 0577198 www.liquidateit.co.nz 

Contemporary NZ art works for hire 

in workplaces & private homes. 

FrEE consultation & installation 

Consultancy services available. 

Portfolio Art Hire 

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learned the skills to use our 

emotions intelligently. And 

yes, emotional intelligence 

(EI) is an ability, like intellectual 

ability that many of 

us need to spend more time 

developing. 

At Everest Group we’ve 

recently been privileged 

to be taught the science of 

emotional intelligence by 

one of the masters in this 

field – Sue Langley from the 

Langley Group in Australia. 

According to Sue “aligning 

emotions with information, 

and learning what that 

information is telling you, 

relieves that sense of failure 

at feeling an emotion, and 

can help leaders know how 

to deal with other people’s 

emotional responses”. 

What Sue means here; is 

that the smart use of emotions 

can improve our capacity 

to work well with others, 

engage with our jobs, manage 

stress, handle conflict 

and make fast, effective and 

informed decisions. Overall, 

once we become familiar or 

skilled in understanding what 

our emotional data is telling 

us, we can then make good 

decisions about what to do 

with that information. 

Sue also states that “people 

with high EI are described as 

“aware, authentic, empathic, 

expansive, resilient, empowering 

and centred” rather 

than “disconnected, guarded, 

insensitive, limited, temperamental, 

indifferent and 

reactive”. With insight into 

themselves and others, they 

recognise the emotions that 

drive thinking and behaviour, 

and use that understanding 

NOBODY KNOWS HAMILTON LIKE US 

to generate positive outcomes 

and mood. Attuned 

to emotions that can disrupt 

engagement and productivity, 

they are more able to 

convert fears and concerns 

into opportunity and frame 

challenges constructively. 

While some people naturally 

tune into what others 

feel and put them at ease, the 

good news is that EI can be 

LODGERENTALS.CO.NZ 

MANAGEMENT AND HR 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing director, Everest Group Limited. Everest Group, 

Creating Exceptional Workplaces, www.everestgroup.co.nz 

taught and developed. 

When you first started on 

your leadership journey what 

steps did you take to improve 

your financial literacy? Did 

you persevere and hope you 

got the figures right every 

month? Did you learn from 

someone else? Did you go on 

a course or receive training 

from a professional? Or were 

you just great with numbers 

at school or at university? 

Whatever path you took, I 

would like to suggest that 

over your career you have 

taken steps to “understand 

the numbers”. Will 2017 be 

the year where you take steps 

to understand the “emotional 

data” that you are receiving 

or that’s already happening 

around you but perhaps without 

your knowledge? 

Waikato a place of powerful opportunities 

Hamilton and Waikato 

are places of powerful 

possibilities… the beating 

heart of the country. Those 

very apt words are used in 

the recently released Waikato 

Story. The Waikato Story will, 

I am certain, achieve its aim 

of building community pride 

and point out why the Waikato 

region is a great place to “live 

and thrive, visit and enjoy, 

study to succeed, and to work 

and invest in.” Hamilton has 

long been the brunt of jokes, 

and sadly some locals share 

this low opinion of the city and 

the region. We are not going 

to change our image with that 

attitude. It is time to become 

passionate advocates for our 

region… time to take ownership 

of all the wonderful things 

our Waikato Story highlights – 

and there are many. 

In the conference and business 

events sector our competitors 

are starting to sit up and 

take notice of us. The region is 

seeing a rising trend; an influx 

of international conference 

activity. International conference 

organisers are attracted 

by top tourist destinations such 

as Hobbiton Movie Set, the 

Waitomo Caves, and Hamilton 

Gardens. They appreciate the 

world-class quality of our conference 

facilities (Claudelands 

Conference & Exhibition 

Centre is an example). In 

the past year, Hamilton and 

the Waikato region has successfully 

won seven conference 

bids through Tourism 

New Zealand’s Conference 

Assistance Programme. This 

equates to a $4,473,080 injection 

into the local economy. 

Plus we have four conference 

bids in the pipeline, with more 

under discussion. (Also helpful 

in securing these international 

conferences is our proximity 

to Auckland airport, and 

New Zealand’s reputation as 

a safe destination with natural 

resources and a beautiful landscape). 

Hamilton Gardens continues 

to scoop up awards, adding 

to its impressive international 

reputation. Three years ago 

very few people outside the 

region had heard of Hamilton 

Gardens (locals were a little 

vague too). Now visitors are 

coming to New Zealand specifically 

to visit the gardens. We 

have traditionally been a drivethrough 

region, but increasingly 

visitors are staying a 

night or two, with guest nights 

increasing seven percent to 

year end September 16 (national 

average six percent). Visitors 

realise that a protracted stay 

enables them to see Hamilton 

Gardens, visit Hobbiton Movie 

Set, Waitomo, Zealong Tea 

Plantation and Raglan with 

its bohemian, surfy vibe … to 

TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY 

> BY AMANDA GRAHAM 

Manager Business Events, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

name but a few of our wonderful 

attractions. 

We have fantastic events, 

including Fieldays, Balloons 

over Waikato, the NZ Shearing 

Championships, the Hamilton 

Gardens Arts Festival, 

and a multitude of sporting 

events. Take Fieldays as an 

example. This, the Southern 

Hemisphere’s largest agricultural 

trade show, generated $58 

million GDP for Waikato this 

year. The region also boasts 

a delicious smorgasbord of 

gourmet delights, including 

award-winning eateries, microbreweries, 

artisan producers, 

farmers’ markets and fine-dining. 

Waikato has impressive 

conference hotels, accommodation 

and suppliers, and 

the Claudelands Conference 

& Exhibition Centre, which I 

believe is the country’s best. 

We also have a history of 

delivering successful events 

and all these things combine 

to improve the perception of 

Waikato (Hamilton) as a conference 

and business events 

destination. It’s little wonder 

that this year the region won 

Best Stand at the Convene 

Tradeshow, and Regional 

Stand Winner at the Meetings 

Tradeshow. In October, the 

region played host to the 

Conventions and Incentives 

NZ National Conference for 

the first time in 40 years - 

the conference was held at 

Claudelands Conference & 

Exhibition Centre. 

As I reflect over the past 

year - my first in this role 

- I am enormously proud of 

our region which is going 

from great to greater. I view 

the Waikato Story and there 

is much that resonates. How 

proud I am to call the Mighty 

Waikato my turangawaewae. 

Hamilton & Waikato 

Tourism’s Business Events 

team provides a free service 

to organisers looking for a 

venue or service in Waikato 

for their conference or business 

event. Assistance ranges 

from answering basic questions 

to obtaining quotes, preparing 

conference bids, and organising 

site inspections. www. 

hamiltonwaikato.com/business-events, 

tel: (07) 843 0056, 

email: bureau@hamiltonwaikato.com 

Publisher 

Alan Neben 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@wbn.co.nz 

Sales director 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

Email: deidre@wbn.co.nz 

Editor 

Geoff Taylor 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 022 694 1595 

Email: geoff@wbn.co.nz 

Production Manager 

Tania Hogg 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: production@wbn.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Please contact: 

Sales Manager 

Jody Anderson 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 236 7912 

Email: jody@wbn.co.nz 

Candra Hansen 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 386 2226 

Email: candra@wbn.co.nz 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

Email: joanne@wbn.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

Editorial: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

geoff@wbn.co.nz 

Production: 

Copy/Proofs: 

production@wbn.co.nz 

Subscriptions: 

kim@wbn.co.nz 

Waikato Business Publications Ltd 

specialises in business publishing, 

advertising, design and print media 

services. Waikato Business News has 

a circulation of 11,000, distributed 

throughout the Waikato between 

Tuakau and Turangi, and to a 

subscription base. 

WaikatoBusiness 

PUBLICATIONS 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton PO Box 1425, 

Hamilton, 3240. Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Fax: (07) 838 2807 | www.wbp.net.nz

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NEW ZEALAND SHOW HOME OF THE YEAR 

07 839 5570 

urban.co.nz

Waikato Business News December 2016/January 2017

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