Waikato Business News November/December 2017

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 VOLUME 25: ISSUE 11 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

New digs 

Businesses celebrate move 

to Wiseman Central 

P6 

Glitzy affair 

Waikato’s top businesses 

recognised at awards 

P22 

Quiet achiever 

Tidd Ross Todd racks up 

50 years in business 

P28 

Waikato’s supreme business for 2017, 

Foster Construction hopes to further 

encourage a trend of generosity to staff 

and the community among the region’s 

businesses. 

From left, Foster Construction commercial manager Leonard 

Gardner, estimating lead and director Ross Pacey, construction 

manager Adam Findlay, finance manager Lee Patchett and 

general manager Nigel Sun (Photo: Chris Hillock Photographer). 

Foster’s out to create 

‘a great community’ 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

The iconic construction 

company is not only 

associated with completing 

high profile projects 

but for its community focus, 

typified by its creation of a 

charitable trust from which a 

percentage of its profits will 

go to be distributed to the 

community. 

Commercial manager 

Leonard Gardner says being 

recognised as the Business of 

the Year in Waikato in 2017 is 

a massive accolade and with 

it comes the responsibility to 

keep growing as a business. 

Foster’s was awarded both the 

Strategy and Planning Award 

and overall Supreme Business 

of the Year at the Westpac 

Waikato Business Awards dinner 

in November. 

“My biggest buzz was seeing 

the faces of the team when 

it was announced,” says Leonard. 

“We have a team that is so 

engaged and so excited. It’s 

going to encourage our team 

further.” 

The company’s catch cry is 

“creating a great community”. 

As well as ensuring it treats its 

150 staff well, Foster’s will 

next year ask those employees 

to give away $500 of the company’s 

profits to a community 

organisation which is important 

to each of them. 

Furthermore, in April, Foster 

Construction created the 

Foster Construction Custodians 

Trust from which a percentage 

of its profits will go 

for distribution to the community 

in various forms. 

Leonard, a chartered accountant 

who joined Foster 

Construction in 2003 and 

bought into it in 2006, stresses 

Waikato has a proud tradition 

of community-oriented businesses. 

“What we are doing is not 

Continued on page 3 

Banner Westpac Waikato Business Awards_PRINT FINAL.indd 2 

16/11/2017 1:37:42 p.m.

2 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2017 

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2017 

3 

Foster’s out to create ‘a great community’ 

From page 1 

new and we are certainly nowhere 

near a Perry Group or 

a Gallagher but we are taking 

the first steps to being a generous 

business. And I hope 

we can encourage others to be 

equally generous.” 

Leonard says he was struck 

at the business awards dinner 

by the number of businesses 

whose focus was not just 

about being profitable and sustainable 

but who were generous 

to their employees and the 

wider community. He has seen 

a lot of movement in businesses’ 

approach in the last decade. 

Foster Construction’s roots 

go back as far as 1956 with 

builder Len Foster who specialised 

in building schools. 

In 1973 Len’s son Graham and 

Graham Mallett formed Foster 

Construction. The company 

has been through various ownership 

changes and now Foster 

Construction Group which is a 

majority owner of all the Foster 

businesses is jointly owned 

by Leonard Gardner and Ross 

Pacey. 

Foster Construction really 

made its mark in Hamilton in 

2010 when it led construction 

of the $68 million Claudelands 

Event Centre. 

“We were up against national 

contractors and the city 

council took a bit of a risk on 

us in terms of using a local 

company. I think in the end 87 

percent of the spend went back 

through local contractors and 

suppliers in very difficult times 

which was a fantastic outcome 

from our perspective. But for 

us that project helped show 

that Fosters could complete 

complex commercial projects 

of scale. For us Claudelands 

was a game changer. It altered 

our whole mindset and what 

we could do.” 

He says going to see the 

Event Centre’s opening with 

his family and seeing the community 

come together and celebrate 

was just “magic” and he 

feels the same way about all of 

Foster’s projects, be they public 

or private. 

“All of these things, whether 

they are Claudelands or The 

Verandah– or the commercial 

work we do – is about making 

a great community. We are 

proud to be part of it.” 

The company has recently 

completed the Genesis building 

in Bryce Street in partnership 

with DV Bryant Trust, 

which Leonard says trans- 

The Verandah. 


Claudelands Event Centre. 

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Conversations 

with William 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive William 

Durning reflects on this year’s extremely successful 

Westpac Waikato Business Awards. 

The winners of the Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards were announced at 

an annual gala dinner in November 

at Claudelands Event Centre, along with 

the 2017 Laureates to the Waikato Business 

Hall of Fame. 

Once again the business community 

from across Waikato, came together with a 

strong unified voice representing all those 

in business and the role that business plays 

in supporting and enabling the Waikato 

community. 

Waikato business has never been stronger, 

more dynamic or caring in its support 

of the community at large. We take great 

pride in saying here in the Mighty Waikato 

there are great things happening in business 

that impact not just our region, but 

across New Zealand and the globe. 

The Waikato region continues to play a 

significant role in contributing to success 

in New Zealand and this was endorsed by 

the extensive range and quality of those 

businesses and business leaders that were 

recognised at this year’s event. 

Businesses that participated in the 

awards have benefited in several ways. 

Those that have made the finals and the 

category winners have had their business 

profiles raised; strengthening existing 

commercial relationships and laying the 

groundwork for new relationships to develop. 

With the new format of our awards we 

continue to see not only those that are re-engaging 

to improve and develop on lessons 

learned from last year but also a significant 

number of new participants who have also 

seen the quality of the previous year’s finalists 

and hear from their peers about how 

beneficial the process is, and based on that 

have decided that now is a great time to 

learn and be measured against the other 

great businesses and business leaders that 

our region is fortunate to have. 

This year has again seen intense competition 

driven by the quality of entries. We 

love the fact that our judges continue to remark 

that it gets harder and harder to select 

the Supreme Winner because of this quality. 

This year’s Supreme Winner - Foster 

Construction - is the perfect example of 

just why we are the Mighty Waikato when 

it comes to overall excellence in business. 

The judges described how Foster Construction 

is a well-managed and planned 

business, successfully operating in a challenging 

industry. The company’s Vision of 

‘stronger community through solid foundations’ 

- and its core purpose ‘to develop, 

maintain and strengthen relationships and 

deliver property solutions that provide the 

best outcomes for business, community 

and our people’, have enshrined Foster 

Construction as one of the Waikato’s most 

iconic businesses. 

The implementation of profit distribution 

to a charitable entity for community 

aspects is to be commended. Foster Construction 

has excellent leadership, a commendable 

focus on training and developing 

its team and commitment to the Waikato 

community. 

In announcing the 2017 Laureates to 

the Waikato Business Hall of Fame, we 

felt that it was more than appropriate to 

recognise the significant contribution that 

Bill Gallagher Senior and Brian Perry have 

played in establishing businesses that have 

not only been commercially successful, 

but also have equally recognised the importance 

of giving back to their community. 

This truly holistic view of how good 

business is conducted is something that is 

very much in the DNA of doing business 

in the Waikato. We also felt that following 

a lifetime of following his passion and 

very simply doing a job the best way that 

he could, the impact that Sir Patrick Hogan 

and Cambridge Stud has had, not only 

on Cambridge and the Waikato but also 

the New Zealand Thoroughbred Industry 

could not go any longer without acknowledgement. 

It is worth reflecting on the fact that our 

region has had such an impact over many 

generations, it is no wonder that we are 

known as The Mighty Waikato. 

Foster’s out to create 

‘a great community’ 

From page 3 

formed an empty supermarket 

into a civil defence-rated 

building with a national call 

centre housing more than 500 

staff. Foster’s is also constructing 

the DHB building at 

the old Farmers site and Cambridge’s 

impressive Lakeview 

development. There are a host 

of upcoming projects on Foster’s 

agenda including a big 

build at Mt Maunganui’s Bayfair, 

a possible hotel in Hamilton 

and a number of office 

blocks and warehouses. 

Leonard says central to 

its success with construction 

projects is Foster’s ethos of 

“beginning with the end in 

mind”. 

“It’s how we think about 

going into projects and our 

team understanding why they 

are doing construction. It’s not 

just because we need the job, 

a big part is thinking who is 

going to use it, how are they 

going to use it, how we deliver 

and how long this thing is going 

to last for.” 

He believes the approach is 

also reflected in how Foster’s 

deals with people. 

“We are firm but fair. 

Lee Patchett, Nigel Sun, Leonard 

Gardner, Adam Findlay and Ross Pacey. 

(Photo: Chris Hillock Photographer). 

Foster Construction quantity surveyor Katie Hunt and 

Leonard Gardner (Photo: Chris Hillock Photographer). 

Everyone has to make money 

in the process as part of their 

own business in order to be 

sustainable.” 

Leonard says with construction 

of large projects such 

as Claudelands Event Centre 

there’s a lot at stake. 

“We have a team that puts 

in a massive effort to make 

this happen. There is a huge 

amount of expectation in construction 

in terms of delivering 

quality on time. What we 

do in some ways is manage 

the risk of drawing many people 

together to deliver things 

- especially in a resource constrained 

market like we have 

at the moment.” 

Leonard, who is also a director 

at Anthem Homes is 

widely involved in the community 

through organisations 

such as Hamilton Gardens 

Development Trust and Momentum 

Waikato which he 

chairs. He admits he doesn’t 

have “clear lines”between his 

role at Foster Construction, 

community roles or his church 

life and says they are all about 

channeling towards a better 

community. 

“My view is that all these 

roles are about making a 

greater Waikato and inspiring 

the community to be the most 

generous community in the 

world. I’m proud that Foster’s 

is helping to bring about that 

step change.” 

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce team: Ezra Hirawani, 

Kirstie Dawson-Smith, Paula Sutton and William Durning. 

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6th December – Habit 7: Financial Feud | 5.30pm, Events Room 1, Wintec 

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Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

Business Floor, Wintec House 

Cnr Nisbet and Anglesea Street, HAMILTON 

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www.waikatochamber.co.nz 

Award for H3 manager 

H3 operations manager 

Claire Toko took out a 

top award at November’s 

Entertainment Venues 

Association of New Zealand 

(EVANZ) Awards in Wellington. 

Claire was named the 

‘Simpson Grierson Operations 

Manager of the Year’, with the 

judges commending her for the 

significant contribution she has 

made to H3 and her role as a 

leader and ‘go-to’ person in the 

business. 

H3 is a unit of Hamilton 

City Council responsible for 

overseeing the management 

of Claudelands, FMG Stadium 

Waikato and Seddon Park. 

Having worked at H3 in 

several roles over the past 12 

years, Claire has drawn on her 

broad range of experience to 

identify and lead a number of 

initiatives in areas including 

health and safety, staff induction, 

contract management and 

development projects. She is 

also responsible for establishing 

H3’s hugely successful 

Graduate Development Programme 

and Volunteer Programme. 

Claire Toko, right, receiving the Operations Manager of the 

Year Award from Gwendoline Keel, Simpson Grierson. 

H3 executive director Sean 

Murray says Claire is extremely 

worthy of the Operations 

Manager of the Year title. 

“A lot of the work that 

Claire does lays the foundation 

for H3’s success and also sets 

the bar for others in the industry 

including the next wave of 

event professionals. She is a 

true asset to both our business 

and the wider events industry, 

and deserves to be recognised 

for her contribution.” 

It is the second consecutive 

year that an H3 staff member 

has been awarded the Operations 

Manager of the Year title, 

with technical services manager 

Sven Ladewig receiving the 

award last year. 

“To have members of the 

H3 team take out this award 

category two years in a row is 

a great achievement and reinforces 

what we already know: 

that our team is the best in the 

business,” says Mr Murray. 

H3 was also shortlisted in 

another category this year, 

with Claudelands named as a 

finalist for Ticketmaster Large 

Venue of the Year. This title 

was awarded to Auckland’s 

Eden Park. 

The annual EVANZ Awards 

recognise talent and dedication 

within the country’s events, 

entertainment and venue industries.

S7237C 


5 

The Government’s fight 

for housing affordability 

On October 19 the sixth Labour-led 

Government was formed in coalition with 

New Zealand First and the Green Party. 

New ideas and policies 

are being introduced 

in the first 100 days of 

Government and Labour has 

announced plans to make significant 

changes to the housing 

industry in an effort to make 

homes more affordable for 

New Zealand citizens. Soon 

we will see the establishment 

of the Affordable Housing Authority, 

the commencement of 

the KiwiBuild project and the 

passing of the Healthy Homes 

Guarantee Bill in an effort to 

give New Zealanders a better 

chance at home ownership. 

One of the key policies in 

the Labour Party campaign was 

restricting the impact of property 

speculators in the New 

Zealand market who, rightly 

or wrongly, are suspected of 

driving up the price of existing 

housing stock. This has put 

many Kiwis in an untenable 

position in the auction rooms. 

In response to this, Labour has 

proposed three changes: 

1. To increase the scope of the 

residential property brightline 

test from two to five 

years, 

2. To ban foreign speculators 

from buying ‘existing’ 

homes in New Zealand, and 

3. To stop taxpayers from 

offsetting tax losses created 

from negatively geared 

housing investments. 

The New Zealand media 

has fed the public many policy 

sound bytes and catchy headlines 

but so far there is a lack of 

fundamental detail on how the 

proposed policies might apply. 

The existing bright-line 

test seeks to tax any residential 

property sold within two 

years of acquisition, with an 

exemption for a taxpayer’s 

‘main home’. During the election 

campaign, the extension 

of this bright-line test to five 

years was often touted as a 

silver bullet solution to speculators 

and the inflated housing 

market. However, outside this 

bright-line test, the Income 

Tax Act does already contain 

a provision to tax speculators 

who acquire property with an 

‘intention or purpose of sale’. 

The problem has been that it 

is difficult, from Inland Revenue’s 

perspective, to prove 

what someone’s purpose is. 

The bright-line test therefore 

provides a clear benchmark 

for both IRD investigators 

and taxpayers to determine 

whether any tax will be applied 

on a property’s sale. Extending 

the bright-line time period to 

five years reduces uncertainty. 

However, with such a long 

time frame it is likely to capture 

what are true property 

investments held on capital 

account. 

The second policy change 

is focused on overseas property 

speculators. A modification 

to the Overseas Investment Act 

to class residential housing as 

‘sensitive’, will mean ‘overseas 

investors’ will now have 

to request approval for the purchase 

of an existing New Zealand 

residential property. This 

will be similar to the existing 

rules in Australia, whereby 

overseas investors can only 

purchase ‘new’ residential 

properties, ensuring their 

money is directly invested in 

the construction industry, increasing 

overall housing stock 

numbers. The detail is yet to 

arise on how this will be implemented, 

however we can already 

see potential gaps where 

foreign buyers may be able to 

get around the constraint. It remains 

to be seen whether this 

will have a material effect on 

the demand for NZ property. 

The final prong of Labour’s 

plan for speculative housing 

investment is to stop taxpayers 

from offsetting tax losses on 

their rental properties against 

their other income. This is 

known as negative gearing and 

is common. Speculators invest 

in properties knowing that 

their tax deductible expenses 

(including mortgage interest) 

on the property will outweigh 

the rental income, giving rise 

to a tax loss. The loss can then 

be offset against their other income, 

such as wages or interest, 

to reduce their tax liability, 

effectively subsidising the 

rental loss. 

The current proposal suggests 

losses will be ring-fenced 

to each individual property. 

It is likely that quite detailed 

rules will be required to ensure 

the proposal works as intended. 

For example, investors 

could own each property in a 

separate company, and use the 

standard corporate loss offset 

TAXATION AND THE LAW 

> BY HAYDEN FARROW 

Hayden Farrow is a PwC Executive Director based in the 

Waikato office. Email: hayden.d.farrow@nz.pwc.com 

rules to claim company losses 

from one property against 

profits from another. The new 

rules would need to cater for 

this type of planning. 

Each change in isolation 

is not expected to stop speculative 

investment all together 

and stabilise house prices. But 

the proposed changes go hand 

in hand and may have a combined 

effect. We also have to 

be mindful of the wider consequences. 

The changes to the 

Overseas Investment Act could 

have a flow on effect on skilled 

labour coming into NZ. A recent 

addition to our team from 

the UK has already commented 

that if the changes were in 

effect when she arrived, their 

family would have likely gone 

to a different country, as NZ 

would have gone into the ‘too 

hard basket’. 

As we continue to creep 

toward a capital gains tax, we 

could reach a tipping point 

where a broad based tax makes 

more sense than the mix and 

match approach that is currently 

evolving….cue the upcoming 

Tax Working Group. 

The comments in this article 

of a general nature and 

should not be relied on for specific 

cases. Taxpayers should 

seek specific advice. 

Music and lyrics by Ruth Wallis 

Book by Steve Mackes and Michael Whaley 

First produced Off-Broadway by Lawrence Leritz


Celebration time at 

Wiseman Central 

Two businesses held launch parties in 

November to celebrate their move into a 

newly redeveloped landmark building in 

central Hamilton. 

The new Wiseman Central building. 

Paterson Burn senior partner Adrian Paterson. 

Gates opens new premises in style 

Guests enjoy the party. 

Gates is now an anchor 

tenant in Wiseman 

Central, a prominent 

and iconic building situated 

on the corner of Ward and Victoria 

Streets. 

By returning to Ward 

Street, the business will have 

come full circle. Gates began 

in 1991 as “Eyewear Collection” 

and was located in Ward 

Street. In 2004, the practice 

was renamed “Gates Opticians” 

and moved to Barton 

Street. Paterson Burn Optometrists 

purchased the business 

in 2010, and changed the 

name to Gates Optometrists. 

“We are committed to staying 

in the CBD,” said Gates’ 

Gates chief executive Darren Savage. 

Gates Optometrists launch party. 

chief executive Darren Savage. 

“We’re excited about this 

new chapter and being located 

at Hamilton’s central gateway.” 

Mr Savage believes that 

Gates, with its fashion focused 

brands including Thierry 

Lasry, Kate Sylvester, 

Face a Face, Celine, Gucci, 

Fendi, and LA Eyeworks, 

will sit well within the fashionable 

precinct. Upmarket 

stores Rossellini, Gregory and 

Harlow Shoes are sited just 

further south along Victoria 

Street. 

Stark Property, known for 

its cutting edge and stylish 

refurbishments, is behind the 

renovation. In recent years, 

Stark Property has transformed 

buildings throughout 

the CBD such as Riverbank 

Lane and Southbloc. 


chief executive William 

Durning is thrilled that Gates 

is remaining in the centre of 

town. 

“Businesses like Gates are 

reinvigorating Hamilton’s 

CBD, and companies like 

Stark Property are a major part 

of that growth. Stark’s vision 

and high-end design is providing 

excellent opportunities for 

businesses such as Gates to 

relocate into exceptional purpose-friendly 

premises.” 

The location provides both 

high foot traffic and excellent 

visibility from vehicular 

traffic, and these factors were 

part of the strategy behind the 

move. A major development is 

planned for the opposite corner 

site, and this too is likely to 

see other high end retail stores 

relocate to truly establish the 

Ward and Victoria Streets intersection 

as Hamilton central’s 

fashionable gateway. 

Hamilton city councillors Mark Bunting, 

Geoff Taylor and Martin Gallagher. 

MC Mark Bunting. 

Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce chief executive 

William Durning. 

Darren Martin and Admon Mansur, 

Dynamo6 with Justin Mason, Xcrania. 

Shaun Coutts, Dynamo6, Mike Baird, Radio 

Spectrum Analysis and Mike Conroy, TronCom. 

Move crowns big year for Dynamo6 

At the end of a stellar 

year, Dynamo6 celebrated 

the opening of 

its new loft style office in Wiseman 

Central. Dynamo6 has 

taken the entire first floor of the 

two storey Edwardian building. 

Dynamo6’s former premises 

were in Garden Place 

but growth led to a search for 

new space, about the same 

time Stark Property bought 

the Begg’s Wiseman heritage 

building with the intention of 

bringing it back to life. 

“It was almost coincidence,” 

says Igor Matich, managing 

director of Dynamo6, 

“as Matt Stark and I had been 

talking for a while about our 

need to move and whether he 

had anything suitable in the 

pipeline, and then this building 

Matt Stark and Gareth Munro from Stark Property, 

Igor Matich, Martin Bloxham, Dynamo6, Carl Bloxham. 

came up.” 

“From the outside, the 

building looks like it would 

have 100 years ago but walk 

in and the construction is modern, 

with 100 percent strengthening 

and a twist of heritage 

including the original roof to 

give it a loft feel, and polished 

wood floors,” Matt Stark says. 

“There aren’t many similar 

heritage buildings in Hamilton 

CBD so we wanted to provide 

something different.” 

Designer, Alexander Wastney, 

from Designwell, aimed at 

creating a space that was highly 

productive and collaborative 

but also inspiring for its staff 

and clients. 

"The fit-out celebrates the 

heritage of the building but also 

has some fun brand elements 

like the pink air conditioning 

duct, copper kitchen and hanging 

greenery shelves at the end 

of each desk,” he says. 

2017 has been a good year 

for Dynamo6 as it continues 

to appear on the radar of an increasing 

number of companies 

wanting to use technology to 

create competitive advantage. 

In September the company 

won the Professional Services 

category of the CBD Celebration 

Awards, and in October 

Igor Matich won Start-up Entrepreneur 

of the Year at the 

Reseller News ICT Industry 

Awards. The Dynamo6 launch 

party also gave the guests 

a chance to sample the best 

brews from local craft brewer, 

Good George, at a Pop-Up bar. 

Dominik Feiler, Dynamo6, Megan Barry and 

Jason Sharma, Rototuna Senior High School.


7 

Homegrown 

Innovators Award 

for Company-X 

National award for software specialist. 

Software specialist 

Company-X has been 

recognised among the 

Information Communication 

Technology industry’s finest at 

the Reseller News ICT Awards. 

The Hamilton-based company, 

founded by directors David 

Hallett and Jeremy Hughes in 

2012, won the Homegrown 

Innovators Independent 

Software Vendor category at 

a celebration dinner at The 

Langham in Auckland. 

David received the award 

from Reseller News Australasia 

editor James Henderson. 

The winners were selected 

by a panel of more than 50 

ICT industry judges, acknowledging 

creativity, innovation 

and excellence. 

“The end result was the 

most diverse and wide-ranging 

partner line-up in the history of 

the Reseller News ICT Industry 

Awards, with the biggest night 

This award, like the others Company-X has 

won this year, recognises the hard work and 

dedication of the ever growing Company-X team 

we affectionately call the X men and women. 

on the channel calendar playing 

host to the leading innovators 

of the past 12 months,” James 

says. 

In the last year Company-X 

has created, delivered and 

exported software solutions 

for Fortune 50 multinational 

Cisco Systems Inc in San Jose, 

California. 

Company-X heard Cisco 

staff and contractors were struggling 

with time consuming text 

searches through terabytes of 

data. So, Company-X software 

developers James Brunskill 

and Caleb Dearlove built Cisco 

Answers Machine to make 

searching simple for Cisco. 

Cisco senior manager Ashela 

Webb said, “It’s one of our leading 

examples of innovation. We 

are getting a lot of value back 

out of Company-X. 

“Cisco Answers Machine 

has reduced the number of 

hours engineers spend getting 

their questions answered.” 

Company-X also partnered, 

this year, with parking technology 

multinational Parking Sense 

after it won the largest parking 

guidance contract awarded 

in the United States. Together, 

Parking Sense and Company-X 

are rolling out the technology 

for 87 geographical sites across 

Los Angeles. Other big customers 

include CBRE Galleria 

Office Towers in Dallas, Texas, 

the University of Washington 

in Seattle, Washington, and the 

Walter Reid National Military 

Medical Centre in Bethesda, 

Maryland. 

“Company-X has been fabulous 

to work with,” says Parking 

Sense Global chief operating 

officer Stacey King. 

Company-X has also added 

a raft of new features to the 

NZTA One Network Road 

INNOVATIVE: Company-X director David Hallett receives the Homegrown Innovators award for 

Independent Software Vendors from Reseller News Australasia editor James Henderson (right) and 

Exclusive Networks general manager Alex Teh (left). 

Classification Performance 

Measures Reporting Tool in the 

last year, which it built for New 

Zealand’s roading engineers. 

Company-X is growing all 

the time, with the number of 

staff and contractors increasing 

by about a third to 40 in 

the past year. This growth has 

been necessary as Company-X 

has engaged in new software 

development projects and 

added extra capacity to its 

existing projects. 

Company-X practises the 

Manifesto for Agile Software 

Development. This means clients 

get their hands on early 

iterations of the software being 

built for them, and regular 

updates of the software adding 

new functionality. 

David thanked the 

Company-X team. 

“This award, like the others 

Company-X has won this 

year, recognises the hard work 

and dedication of the ever 

growing Company-X team we 

affectionately call the X men 

and women,” David says. “We 

couldn’t do it without them.” 

The Reseller News award is 

the third major award won by 

Company-X this year. 

The NZTA One Network 

Road Classification 

Performance Measures 

Reporting Tool Company-X 

built won the Roading Asset 

Management Innovation Award 

at the 2017 Road Infrastructure 

Management Forum. 

Company-X was also recently 

named ExportNZ Services 

Exporter of the Year for 2017. 

Company-X was also in contention 

for the Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards Global 

Operator Award for 2017, 

where Tag IT won the inaugural 

Company-X Innovation Award. 

“Winning the award was 

encouraging, it is good to get 

independent validation that 

you are heading down the right 

track. Being at the leading edge 

of technology is often hard and 

wrought with setbacks,” says 

Tag IT managing director Josh 

White. “Halo is a product that 

is the result of years of hard 

work and is now showing commercial 

rewards, with massive 

market opportunity still ahead 

of us”.


Foreign buyer restrictions 

won’t hit Hamilton market 

The Labour-led Government’s plan to 

stop overseas buyers purchasing homes 

is unlikely to affect Hamilton’s housing 

market, according to Lodge Real Estate’s 

managing director Jeremy O’Rourke. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

He says Hamilton’s housing 

market is strongly 

driven by other New 

Zealanders – particularly from 

Auckland – migrating to the 

city. 

“We rarely see foreign-based 

buyers looking to buy up residential 

homes in Hamilton. 

The foreign factor is something 

that’s primarily affecting the 

Auckland housing market with 

overseas buyers snapping up 

investment properties to rent. 

But we just don’t see much 

demand in Hamilton,” said Mr 

O’Rourke. 

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern 

announced on October 25 

while speaking at the Council 

of Trade Unions conference in 

Wellington that a bill to stop 

foreign buyers from purchasing 

existing homes would be introduced 

by Christmas. 

“A key factor that continues 

to affect the Hamilton market is 

the continued migration of new 

residents into the city. Over 

the past few years we’ve seen 

a steady increase of both New 

Zealand-born and foreign-born 

citizens and permanent residents 

moving their families to 

Hamilton. Many of them are 

exiting Auckland and choosing 

Hamilton for its preferred lifestyle 

options. 

“As we’ve been saying 

throughout 2017, this migration 

into Hamilton has put upward 

pressure on house prices in the 

city. We don’t see Hamilton’s 

median house price easing off 

significantly anytime soon,” 

said Mr O’Rourke. 

Lugton Real Estate director 

Simon Lugton said a ban on 

overseas buyers may have a 

little bit of impact in Hamilton, 

although Auckland would obviously 

be more affected. 

“It’s hard to put an estimate 

on the number of overseas buyers 

involved in Hamilton. Before 

that announcement we had 

seen a bit of a slow down anyway, 

possibly because Hamilton 

was seen as topping out in 

terms of prices as far as an investment 

goes anyway.” 

Mr Lugton said restrictions 

on loan to value ratios (LVR) 

had put a brake on investors 

generally although it has 

opened up the market more for 

first home buyers. 

The Real Estate Institute of 

New Zealand’s monthly figures 

show Hamilton’s median 

house price for October 2017 

increased to $535,000 from 

$533,000 in September 2017. 

This compares with a median 

of $518,000 in October 2016. 

Mr O’Rourke said the number 

of homes sold in Hamilton 

during October was low with 

just 237 sold, which compares 

with 278 sales in October 2016. 

However, he said the number 

of homes being listed on the 

market increased significantly 

during the month. 

“On October 1 there were 

698 homes listed for sale in 

Hamilton. By October 31, 

there were 780 homes for sale 

throughout the city. 

“A lot of homes being listed 

in Hamilton are by families 

who are rotating into another 

property in the city,” he said. 

“Buyer inquiries have steadily 

increased following the slow 

period we experienced leading 

up to the election. We anticipate 

the market will strengthen over 

the coming months as we head 

into summer.” 

Mr Lugton said the market 

was getting into the late spring/ 

early Christmas “boom time” in 

terms of growth in the number 

of listings. 

“October is always a bit 

slow with school holidays but 

the growth in listings will translate 

to a good number of sales 

in November.” 

He said prices had been 

pretty stable in Hamilton all 

year. 

Start with Birch Surveyors 

- part of the Waikato community 

Birch Surveyors has been 

operating in the upper 

North Island for more 

than 30 years. Now, with a 

Hamilton Branch in operation, 

Birch is part of the Waikato 

community. 

The key to the Hamilton 

branch is staff who have more 

than 11 years of experience 

working in the Waikato region 

and are part the community 

where they live and work. 

We have a great rapport 

with our client base, provide 

excellent and timely advice 

on all matters regarding land 

development; from giving 

preliminary advice to development 

estimates to resource 

planning, surveying and engineering. 

This is the main reason 

our clients recommend us and 

keep coming back whether it be 

for a small two lot subdivision, 

comprehensive residential or 

greenfields subdivision, multiunit 

titles or duplex development. 

The additional benefit is 

that our friendly staff has an 

excellent working relationship 

with council planners and engineers 

to ensure work progresses 

smoothly and with great financial 

outcome for the client. 

At Birch, we consider ourselves 

strong advocates for our 

clients when it comes to representing 

them at various levels 

throughout the subdivision 

process. The process can be as 

complex as one can make it, 

but our goal is to break it down 

into simple steps for clients to 

follow without overwhelming 

those new to development by 

getting too technical. Communication 

is key to success in 

Lodge Real Estate managing 

director Jeremy O’Rourke. 

every quarter. 

While we do our utmost to 

make the visions of clients a 

reality, we also provide professional 

advice based on the 

current rules, be those District 

Plan requirements or legal requirements 

and suggest alternatives 

where relevant to ensure 

clients have a successful 

outcome. 

Our advice to everyone is to 

start with Birch Surveyors. We 

are uniquely placed at the forefront 

and best placed to provide 

overall advice for different scenarios 

and options. 

We join the dots for clients 

and link all subdivision processes 

from resource consent 

to engineering approval, on 

site construction and supervision, 

pegging boundaries and 

working with solicitors to get 

titles, rather than treat item in 

isolation. 

We have experienced staff 

to undertake boundary surveys, 

building setouts and topographical 

surveys. Our experienced 

planners provide expertise on 

resource planning, whether it 

be for smaller scale subdivisions 

or complex applications 

such as that a plan change. The 

in-house engineers and surveyors 

collaborate to get the 

design and land transfer work 

achieved on time and within 

Lugton Real Estate 

director Simon Lugton. 

budget. 

The advantage of three offices 

is that when combined 

we have more than 150 years’ 

of experience on hand which 

works for the benefit of the client 

as we anticipate and resolve 

issues that arise, faster with 

better results. 

The areas serviced by the 

Hamilton branch are Te Kauwhata, 

Huntly, Ngaruawahia, 

Hamilton, Waipa and the greater 

Waikato region and the head 

office in Pukekohe and Auckland 

branch are excellent support 

when needed. 

If you have a project and 

would like to speak to us; call 

or email our Hamilton branch 

manager and senior surveyor 

on 07 834 0504; angina@bslnz.com 

Urban and Rural Subdivisions 

Resource Consents 

Title Transfers 

Site and Topographical Surveys 

Boundary Relocations 

House Setouts 

If you need quality and comprehensive advice from an established team who are pleased to 

be now working in your area, contact one of our specialist team members: 

Hamilton: 

Angina Lal 

P: 07 834 0504 

E: HAMILTON@BSLNZ.COM 

Level 6, 11 Garden Place 

Hamilton 

Pukekohe: 

Toni Hill 

P: 09 237 1111 

E: PUKEKOHE@BSLNZ.COM 

2A Wesley Street 

Pukekohe 

WWW.BIRCHSURVEYORS.CO.NZ 

Auckland: 

Toby Mandeno 

P: 09 571 2004 

E: AUCKLAND@BSLNZ.COM 

Level 1, 710 Great South Road 

Penrose


9 

It’s lonely at the top... 

As Tim Cook, Apple CEO, recently 

commented, “(The CEO job), it's sort of a 

lonely job. The adage that it's lonely - the 

CEO job is lonely - is accurate in a lot of 

ways. I'm not looking for any sympathy. 

You have to recognise that you have blind 

spots.” 

Steve Tappin, global CEO 

expert and a personal confidant 

and coach to many 

of the world’s top CEOs tells 

us that “to avoid this loneliness 

and achieve some sort of 

work-life balance you have to 

build the right support networks 

around you. More than half 

the CEOs we spoke to say so. 

And most of the rest admit that 

they’d be lonely if they hadn’t 

taken deliberate action to build 

the support networks they need. 

Many CEOs draw on a tailored 

support network in their professional 

and personal lives”. 

So my question for you if 

you’re at the top of your game 

and sitting in a chief executive 

position – have you ever felt 

lonely? Often when I meet 

CEOs they tell me they feel a 

lot of pressure in their roles or 

as they describe it – “it’s a bit 

like being the meat in the sandwich 

– reporting to the Board 

and shielding the team from 

stuff they don’t need”. Many 

tell me they don’t want to open 

up to their Chair about sensitive 

issues or matters that might 

make them look less than capable. 

Similarly, there is a smorgasbord 

of day-to-day topics 

that just aren’t appropriate to 

discuss with their senior team 

members. How do we break 

down the barriers of loneliness 

for CEOs and sole trader business 

owners? 

Personally I experienced 

a real awakening on this subject 

years ago when a close 

colleague of mine, and local 

business owner, took his own 

life because he was really struggling 

with life, business and the 

demands of his industry. This 

was a real catalyst for me to encourage 

leaders to look beyond 

thinking of themselves as their 

only support mechanism. 

Tapin’s research tells us that 

Riverlea ‘boobs’ show 

set to cause a stir 

CEOs need to be able to get 

a perspective on themselves, 

their colleagues, and the performance 

of the fellowship as 

a whole. They need to draw on 

three principal elements: their 

chairperson, external coaches, 

and their family and friends. 

Finding the right blend of support 

- chairmen, coaches, mentors, 

family, and friends – depends 

on your preferences and 

MANAGEMENT AND HR 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director,Everest Group Limited, Everest Group, Creating 

Exceptional Workplaces, www.everestgroup.co.nz 

needs. Top CEOs were insistent 

that building and maintaining 

the right support network 

is essential and takes careful 

thought and the investment of 

quality time. CEOs and their 

closest advisers tell us that there 

are three things you need to do 

to achieve just that: 

• Take responsibly for your 

own life - Don’t let the business 

drive you 

• Build an active support network 

• Ensure you’re always at 

your best 

The old way of being a CEO 

was to be lonely at the top, but 

the new way of being a CEO is 

to surround yourself with "all 

stars" who really care about you 

and your company. Don’t forget, 

being a CEO is now a team 

sport. 

www.braemarhospital.co.nz 

24 Ohaupo Road, Hamilton 

Phone: 07 843 1899 

All health insurers accepted 

Controversial singer 

Ruth Wallis. 

Broadway producer 

Lawrence Leritz. 

Janine Swainson who 

plays Wallis. 

Riverlea Theatre’s 2017 

Christmas Show is the 

entertaining off-Broadway 

hit ‘Boobs! – the musical. 

The World According to Ruth 

Wallis’. This “adults only” 

funny, risqué, dinner show/ 

cabaret / musical revue, with 

lyrics and music by 1950s and 

1960s star Ruth Wallis, tells 

the story of her international 

career and struggles in performing 

her naughty songs. 

The show runs from November 

25 to December 16 at 

Riverlea Theatre. 

The original show opened 

in New York City in 2003 

to critical praise; and it had 

subsequent long runs in New 

Orleans (2004) and Wichita 

(2005). This New Zealand 

production is the first time it 

has been performed outside 

America and there is a London 

West End production 

planned for the new year. 

Lawrence Leritz, Broadway 

producer and choreographer 

of the original off-Broadway 

production lives in New York 

and has helped Riverlea Theatre 

in establishing the New 

Zealand Premiere. 

In the 1960s Ruth Wallis’ 

recordings were banned in 

Australia, but her live performances 

garnered the biggest 

cabaret following. In that decade, 

her fame also found its 

way to New Zealand where 

artist Noel Mackay had a 

number one hit with “Johnny's 

Little Yoyo”. In the 1960s 

and 1970s New Zealand record 

collections were often 

found with her recordings, 

and played as part of the party 

culture of the time. 

The New Zealand premiere 

production is a project close to 

the heart of its Kiwi director, 

Dennis Ralph. “When I was a 

child, listening to my parents 

entertain, it was a highlight 

when the Ruth Wallis records 

were brought out. Such was 

their impact, they became 

the first songs I learned to 

sing as a child. Of course, on 

occasions, my performance 

would be followed by a terse 

note from teachers or parents, 

whose feigned shock, never 

quite dulled their fun". We 

have a company of talented 

players, and I’m thrilled Janine 

Swainson will portray 

the one and only Ruth Wallis. 

Bookings are through i-ticket, 

or contact the theatre manager 

– phone: 856 5450. 

30430 

Because Braemar is owned by a charitable trust, we reinvest 

any surplus back into the hospital to stay at the forefront of 

surgical innovation. 

Excellence means Braemar 

Waikato Branch – Upcoming events/courses 

At the Institute of Directors 

we’re on the pulse of governance. 

Connecting, equipping and 

inspiring directors through thought 

leadership and our extensive 

network, professional governance 

courses, events and resources. 

14 18 February October 2018 

CPD: 2 points 

AGM The Digital Lunch Director function with David guest Bell speaker Brett Maber 

12.00pm -2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato 

7.00am - 9.00am, FMG Stadium Waikato 

7 November CPD: 2 points 

14 March 2018 

CPD: 2 points 

CEO/Board relationship panel discussion with Margaret Devlin, Carlos da Silva and Kirsten 

Lunch function in partnership with the Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

Guest (KP) Patterson speaker: Sir Graeme Dingle 

12.00pm -– 2.00pm, The FMG Grandstand, Stadium Waikato Claudelands 

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:


From the editor 

November’s Waikato 

Business News is all 

about success. 

We celebrate the success 

of all Westpac Waikato Business 

Awards winners and feature 

extensive coverage of the 

night. 

We also profile Supreme 

Winners Foster Construction 

who have had another mammoth 

year. The Foster’s name 

seems to be everywhere these 

days; the logo appears at the 

construction sites of our biggest 

projects all around the 

city and region. But there’s 

another dimension to the 

business and that is the company’s 

philanthropic focus. 

In a similar way to Gallagher 

and Perry Group, Foster Construction 

has this year set up 

a charitable trust in order to 

funnel a portion of its profits 

into the community. This is 

an exciting trend in Waikato 

business which Waikato Business 

News will explore more 

in future editions. 

A key figure in Foster’s 

success is Leonard Gardner, a 

humble man who is also quietly 

playing a pivotal role in the 

community through his leadership 

of organisations such 

as Momentum Waikato Community 

Foundation which is 

championing the planning and 

fundraising for a new regional 

theatre. 

This edition of Waikato 

Business News also acknowledges 

the work of some key 

performers at the Waikato 

branch of the Property Council’s 

awards and we have 

coverage of the New Zealand 

Architecture Awards where 

readers will recognise the 

award winning Waikato buildings. 

Waikato Business News 

is also proud to be a sponsor 

of the Lion Foundation Young 

Enterprise Awards whose 

winners were named in November. 

Waikato Business News’s 

writer Andrea Fox profiles 

John Lawrenson while we also 

celebrate 50 years in business 

for Tidd Ross Todd and examine 

the secret behind their 

success. And if all that isn’t 

enough Waikato Business 

News was alongside Gates 

Optometrists and Dynamo6 

as they celebrated a move into 

the stylish new Wiseman Central 

building on the cover of 

Victoria and Ward Streets. 

If you are part of a business 

– large or small, established 

or emerging - we at Waikato 

Business News want to hear 

about your success story. Tell 

us all about it and we’ll tell 

the Waikato. 

Geoff Taylor 

Editor 

MONTHLY POLL 

Vote and win 

Sponsored by the Helm Bar 

and Kitchen 

This month’s poll 

Auckland Council is to introduce a fuel tax to help pay for the city’s dire 

transport needs. The Government has agreed to a council request for the new 

tax and will change the law to allow it to happen – possibly by the middle 

of next year. Waikato too is facing huge transport demands – Hamilton City 

Council alone faces spending about $110 million on improving transport in 

the city over the next 10 years. Should Waikato councils also be looking at 

a fuel tax to take the load off ratepayers? 

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 Monday December 18. 

Last month’s results 

Do you support increasing the minimum wage? 

Sixty-three percent of respondents supported the minimum wage rising 

in New Zealand. Under a Labour and New Zealand First’s agreement the 

minimum wage will rise from $15.75 to $16.50 in April and by 2021 it 

would reach $20. There have been some concerns raised about the impact 

of this on businesses but only 37 percent of Waikato Business News readers 

who took part opposed the move. 

37% 

63% 

63% 

37% 

Should Waikato introduce 

a fuel tax? 

A. Yes it will take some of the 

burden off ratepayers 

B. No it’s just another tax that 

we don’t need 

Cast your vote at: 

www.wbn.co.nz 

WINNER OF THE HELM DINNER VOUCHER IS: 

Andy Murray 

Yes, it’s too low to live on 

No it’s going to hurt businesses 

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Golden girl in Team Ironhouse 

Ironhouse Gym in Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton now 

has a gold medal-winner in its personal training team. 

Golden girl Justine Reid, is 

a director with a passion for 

gym work and ensuring 

members are guided carefully 

through the process of 

self-improvement. 

Justine has been working 

hard on getting her body into 

the ‘right shape’ for figure 

competition and recently 

competed in three categories 

at the Waikato Body Building 

Regionals where she won 

two gold medals and a silver 

which qualified her for the 

Nationals. 

While there are competitions 

throughout the year, just 

one week after the regional 

competition, October 18 she 

entered two categories and 

won gold and bronze medals 

at the NZIFBB Nationals. 

This was on Justine’s pre-fifty 

bucket list (two years away, 

yes she’s only 48). 

This qualifies her to compete 

in the Arnolds (no 

guessing who they are named 

after) which are held in Ohio, 

Brazil and Melbourne. She is 

hoping to have a crack at 

Melbourne. 

It’s not an easy road to get 

the body ready for competition 

with the week before 

known as “peak week”. 

Apart from keeping diet 

under strict control she must 

begin the week drinking eight 

litres of water and reduce the 

amount to a mere 500mls at 

the end of the week. 

“While it takes an enormous 

amount of dedication 

it’s a very exciting time,” 

said Justine. 

“At first I thought there 

may be lots of bitchiness but 

it’s not like that at all. 

Everyone respects other 

competitors as they know 

exactly how much hard work 

has been done to get them to 

the line. 

“I’ve made many friends.” 

Training can be a lonely 

space as body builders need 

clear focus with a mind-tomuscle 

connection, according 

to Justine who has 

always been an action person. 

From the age of seven she 

trained in martial arts and 

achieved two brown belts. 

Later, aged 18 it was the gym. 

Two years later she completed 

a British weightlifting 

certificate course which qualified 

her for gym work… 

but…she took on swimming…teaching 

babies. 

“The company was called 

Aqua Babies and my first 

role was in teaching babies 

from 8 weeks the self-confidence 

to breathe and roll and 

submerge. 

A passion for the gym 

brought her back into it when 

she teamed up with Joel and 

Tammy 

The commitment to gym 

work drove Justine and the 

team to set up Ironhouse 

Gym in Kahikatea Drive 

Extension. Her role as 

director involves accounts 

manager as well as private 

trainer (PT) work. 

Membership rates are 

nominal but Justine invites 

you to try it out for a week 

then look at $16 a week for a 

six month contract or 30 days 

for $18 a week. 

And Justine has a message 

for the over-40 women (her 

niche market, by the way) 

who are passionate to get 

their lives back on track… 

“Everyone should have a 

goal in life and Ironhouse 

Gym has the tools and 

personnel to allow you to 

reach it. 

“Ironhouse Gym is not just 

a sweat shop. We set 

attainable goals and ensure 

you work at it until you’ve 

mastered them.” 

ironhouse gym personal training team 

justine reid 

Justine’s interest in health 

and fitness began 30 years 

ago in the UK. She started 

in a council-run Sports 

Centre before changing 

careers to become a 

swimming teacher. She has 

always maintained her 

training with weights and 

martial arts, competing in 

both fields. In 2015 she 

competed in NZIFBB 

Figure coming second 

in both categories. She 

followed this with a third at 

the NZIFBB Nationals. Her 

training style is based on 

bodybuilding principles, 

incorporating a holistic 

approach to nutrition 

and lifestyle. 

joel tane 

Joel’s passion for gym work 

began at secondary school 

leading him to study Sport 

Science with a career within 

the industry top of mind. In 

the past 10 years Joel has 

gained valuable expertise in 

understanding individuals 

and their capabilities, not 

only physically, but more 

importantly in a mental way. 

Before joining Ironhouse 

Gym he worked with clients 

on the gym floor, teaching 

new up-and-coming personal 

trainers at the New Zealand 

Institute of Health and 

Fitness. For Joel, the gym is 

not just a career, it’s a lifestyle 

and a calling in which he is 

determined to lead. 

tammy green 

Tammy has been involved 

in the fitness industry for the 

past eight years developing 

skills and passing her 

knowledge on to a wide 

range of individuals to better 

their overall wellness and 

strength with exercise and 

nutrition. This is embodied 

through her business Prism 

Coaching which she 

developed in 2015 to help 

people make behavioural 

changes to their lifestyle 

habits to achieve longlasting 

effects. She has had 

many successes prescribing 

this method and continues 

to up-skill. She is expanding 

Prism Coaching by setting 

up base at Ironhouse Gym. 


Justine with Gold Medal performance in the Waikato Body Building Regionals. 

Call now on 021 751 668 for a free consultation. 

” WHEN I GO 

TO WORK, 

YOU GET 

RESULTS” 

Call Justine on 

021 751 668 today and 

start realising your goals. 

11 

justine@ironhousegym.co.nz 

021 751 668 

joel@ironhousegym.co.nz 

021 231 5939 

tammy@ironhousegym.co.nz 

022 411 0825 

mypt.justine@outlook.com 

facebook.com/myptjustine 

work hard / play hard / 

go hard at the gym. 

Get your team together, 

join as a group of 

5 or more, and pay just 

$12 

per week 

each 

07 855 0899 278 kahikatea drive, hamilton city ironhousegym.co.nz follow us on like us on


When bad design makes brands taste bad 

Graphic design for marketing, advertising 

and branding is like cooking and eating – 

there are good meals and bad, restaurants 

we love and dishes we never want to eat 

again. 

For those of you who 

know me, this recurring 

theme of food is unsurprising, 

but it dawned on me 

that our opinions on design can 

be compared with our culinary 

likes and dislikes. 

There are dishes we know 

we will enjoy, and things we 

can’t imagine even putting our 

fork in to. We know that certain 

combinations work and 

others struggle, and we have 

personal preferences around 

simplicity versus complexity. 

The same is true when 

working with your creative 

team to bring your marketing 

ideas to life. It may be an obvious 

but practical example, but 

we know that yellow mostly 

doesn’t work on a white background. 

Also, we may have 

differing views about when 

clutter on a page becomes busy 

and confusing. 

There are global variations 

in both cuisine and design that 

amaze or confuse us, just as 

there are fashions that come 

and go. Does that make minimalism 

the design equivalent 

of nouvelle cuisine? Thank 

goodness one of those trends 

didn’t last long. 

As we get older, our experiences 

shape our opinions and 

our tastes evolve. We either 

become more willing to try 

ing of calm and sophistication, 

muted and mature, you probably 

wouldn’t expect them to 

use energetic vibrant colours 

and jaunty angles. So, you 

wouldn’t expect to taste hot 

and spicy flavours in a dessert 

that was expected to be soothing 

and refreshing. It might 

work, but only if you’re a Heston 

Blumenthal. 

The other major crime is 

letting design by committee 

divert you from your original 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY VICKI JONES 

Vicki Jones is director of Dugmore Jones, Hamilton-based marketing 

management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

new flavours or more resolute 

in our desire to stick to what 

we know. Design that appeals 

to me will usually differ from 

what appeals to my teen (often 

to the horror of us both) but 

understanding those differences 

is one of the more exciting 

challenges your creative team 

will face. 

Effectiveness in design is 

just as important as getting the 

message right for your particular 

audience. After all, what’s 

the point of a killer idea if the 

way you present it undervalues 

or even undermines your 

brand? The greater your understanding 

of your audience, 

the more likely you are to put 

something in front of them that 

they will devour. 

I appreciate that food certainly 

is a matter of taste and 

who are we to say what’s right 

or wrong. However, there are 

clearly foods that are popular 

with wide-ranging groups of 

people, just as there are niche 

trends that get enough traction 

to have commercial success. 

Some of us love burgers. Some 

love kombucha. 

If I asked you all your favourite 

meal, I’d get a vast array 

of answers, but there would 

be similarities and common 

themes. However, if I asked 

you to suggest a dish for a specific 

occasion or situation, such 

as a romantic entrée with your 

sweetheart or a hearty winter 

dessert with your gran, the answers 

would be less diverse. 

I asked a number of experienced 

graphic designers for 

their take on the biggest design 

crimes. Red rag to a bull, it 

was! Perhaps surprisingly, the 

most common responses were 

about typography and font 

choices. 

One sagely creative director 

with an unhealthy obsession 

with type had a clear crime 

at the top of a long list: brand 

names spelled out in overly 

decorative capitals, a fussiness 

that is prevalent on retail signage. 

Why make it harder for 

people to read… and find you? 

Others bemoaned insensitive 

use of spacing, such as a 

bigger space after a sub-heading 

than there is after a main 

heading. Justified text is a 

common frustration. That’s 

top of my list, I confess, as it 

creates weird uneven gaps that 

offend my Virgoan desire for 

orderliness. 

Photography, or lack of 

investment in it, was another 

pet hate, such as those cheesy 

stock shots of unnaturally 

beautiful people, clearly in 

New York boardrooms, masquerading 

as your casual team 

meeting. 

Success in delivering an effective 

creative approach starts 

with a clear idea of what you 

want to achieve, just as chefs 

have a vision for their own 

masterpieces. If you briefed 

your designer to come up with 

something that reflected a feelvision. 

Designers hate nothing 

more than coming up with a 

logo option, for example, and 

then having it turned into some 

mutant hybrid by a bucketful 

of opinions suggesting all 

kinds of extra features. If you 

agree on a neopolitan pizza, 

you’d better have a good reason 

to add chicken. Know your 

brand, and be true to it. 

My apologies if I’ve 

over-seasoned this column 

with culinary analogies, but 

I hope it gave you food for 

thought. Bon appetit. 

Maximise the return on your 

commercial investment 

At Bayleys, we 

believe relationships 

are what businesses 

are built on and how 

they succeed. 

Speak to our 

Bayleys team today. 

SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 

We understand that to maximise the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management A business partner that understands your views and goals 

Jan Cooney 

Senior Commercial Property Manager 

B 07 579 0609 M 027 408 9339 

jan.cooney@bayleystauranga.co.nz 

Brodie Thomas 

Commercial Property Manager 

B 07 579 0608 M 027 746 9218 

brodie.thomas@bayleystauranga.co.nz 

Becky Jefferson 

Commercial Property Management Asst. 

B 07 579 0614 

becky.jefferson@bayleystauranga.co.nz


13


CBD Waste Management and Minimisation hosted 

a Hamilton Central BA5 at the Novotel Tainui Hotel. 

Proudly Sponsored By 

1 

2 

Dynamo6 launch party 

at Wiseman Central. 

My company, and our 

families have utilised the 

services of Montana 

Catering at home for the 

last 10 years. We started 

with a barbecue which 

my boss still raves about. 

There are never more 

than 15 of us, but 

Montana supplies the 

Chef, are fully prepared 

and serve meals that go 

way past the promise. 

I love them. 

David Richards, 

Former Managing Director 

iQuest (NZ) Ltd. 

3 

1. Max Burton, Plant and Food; 

Jordan Gleeson, Wintec; Ben 

Park, Chow Hill. 

2. Tony Kane, Phae Group; Dick 

Bruekink, Ibis & Novotel Tainui; 

Mike Neale, NAI Harcourts. 

3. Courtney Simpson and Lisa 

O’Leary, SKYCITY Hamilton. 

1 

1. Matt Stark, Stark Property; Igor Matich, Dynamo6; Alexander 

Wastney, Designwell. 

2. Vicky Redwood, Hamilton Central; Aron Wilson-McGrath, 

Good George Brewery; Vanessa Williams, Hamilton Central. 

Gates launch party at Wiseman Central. 

2 

1 

2 

1. Adrian Paterson, Trish Tate, Paterson Burn Optometrists; David Bennett, 

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2. Geoff Taylor, Waikato Business News; Martin Gallagher, Hamilton City Council. 

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3 

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15 

Interest high in Te Awa Lakes project 

A public information session in November 

on the Te Awa Lakes development 

attracted more than 200 people as the 

company continues to go through planning 

processes for the project. 

The Perry Group recently 

announced its billion-dollar 

five-year plan 

to create a residential and tourism 

gateway to the Waikato at 

the 62-hectare site in Horotiu. 

In September, the company 

submitted a Private Plan 

Change for the required rezoning 

to allow it to develop 

its former sand quarry. The rezoning 

request is now open for 

public comment before a final 

decision is made by Hamilton 

City Council. 

The information afternoon 

took place at the Coffee Club 

at Te Rapa Service Centre. 

“We’ve had a fantastic positive 

response from the wider 

community, neighbours and 

local businesses that are keen 

to be involved,” said development 

director Lale Ieremia. 

He confirmed the company 

has also had two applications 

under the new Special Housing 

Development director 

Lale Ieremia. 

Area policy accepted by the 

council for public review. The 

applications cover one area 

within Te Awa Lakes designated 

for 1000 homes and another 

for 100 homes. Council will 

decide whether to refer these 

proposals to central Government 

for review following the 

three-week public submission 

period. 

“We would love to get started 

as soon as possible, ideally 

within the upcoming earthworks 

season over summer, 

which is why we are running 

parallel consent processes,” 

explained Mr Ieremia. 

“Our very clear vision is to 

create a mixed-use, integrated 

community. The residential 

component is a cornerstone of 

the plan, so we are hopeful that 

between the two processes we 

can find a way to get started,” 

he said. 

First cyclists cross the Perry Bridge 

More than 1000 people 

– including hundreds 

of cyclists – attended 

the opening of the new Perry 

Bridge and the northern section 

of the Te Awa River Ride. 

Simon Perry of Te Awa 

River Ride, Mayor Allan 

Sanson of the Waikato District 

Council and Parekawhia 

McLean of the NZ Transport 

Agency opened the section, 

which allows cyclists to 

travel from Ngaruawahia to 

Hamilton Gardens. 

The trail between the 

Ngaruawahia Golf Club and 

the Horotiu Bridge creates an 

uninterrupted 25km cycle path 

linking Ngaruawahia with the 

southern end of Hamilton City. 

The new Perry Bridge, 

a 130m long, 3m wide and 

18m high network arch bridge 

stretching across the Waikato 

River, was constructed to 

connect the cycleway over the 

river. 

Cyclists cross the Te Awa 

River Ride’s new Perry 

Bridge at its opening. 

Waikato mayor Allan Sanson and Perry Group 

chief executive Simon Perry lead the way. 

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At Choices Flooring by Charteris, we 

from the floor up 

know that good interior decorating starts 

Timber 

choices 

Carpet 

choices 

Laminate 

choices 

Luxury 

Vinyl 

choices 

KING ST 

N 

SOMERSET ST 

LAKE RD 

DEVON ST 

NORTON RD 

Seddon Park 

SEDDON RD 

MARAMA ST 

BRYCE ST 

TRISTRAM ST 

Norris Ward Park 

Hamilton Girls’ 

High School 

Choices Flooring by Charteris 

7 Devon Road, Frankton 

847 6430 

choicesflooring.co.nz


17 

The future of flooring retail has arrived 

in Hamilton! 

Choices Flooring by Charteris (formerly Murray Charteris Flooring) is very 

proud to be the first Choices Flooring store to open in New Zealand. They 

are independently owned and operated and their team has over forty years 

of experience servicing Hamilton and the greater Waikato region. 

With the official store opening taking place earlier last week, the team at 

Choices Flooring by Charteris are already starting to make their mark. 

The opening was supported by over 100 guests including designers, 

alliance partners, commercial agents and the executive team from 

Choices Flooring. CEO Andrew Lewis with Australasian Chairman, 

Shane Chillingworth welcomed all to this historic event for the group. 

Store owner Graham and wife Jennie, with their team are truly excited 

about this next step in their journey to serve the Waikato customers with 

a unique level of service and product selection. 

“We are excited to join such an innovative group 

with a long history. It is an honour to be the first 

store to open in New Zealand.” 

- Graham Meecham, 

Choices Flooring by Charteris owner. 

With a huge range of carpet, timber, laminate and luxury vinyl options 

customers are sure to find the floor they have been searching for at their 

newly renovated showroom. With a fresh new look the store evolution aims 

to provide an unparalleled in-store experience. This is demonstrated by 

the new showroom layout, inspiring product displays and industry leading 

technology of the Inspiration Station which allows consumers to visualise 

over 2,000 different flooring options in their own room images. 

Choices Flooring by Charteris look forward to welcoming new and existing 

customers to their new showroom and are excited to helping them find the 

floor you’ve been searching for. 

Visit Choices Flooring by Charteris, 7 Devon Road in Frankton. 

“New Zealand has always been the logical next step for the 

Choices Flooring brand and we are very excited to be fulfilling 

this new chapter. I am extremely thankful to Graham, Jennie 

and their team who helped make this all possible and we 

welcome them into the Choices Flooring family.” 

- Andrew Lewis, Choices Flooring CEO.


Celebrating 20 years in Victoria Street 

Trek'n'Travel: "Going the distance" 

Trek ‘n’ Travel has 

been synonymous 

with Victoria Street in 

Hamilton for 20 years. 

The store is nestled in 

among restaurants in the 

heart of the city. 

A changing industry with 

online shopping and expanding 

shopping centres means 

local retailers have been 

struggling to stay afloat in 

recent times. 

By providing quality service, 

staying true to their 

products, customers and 

being mindful of stock balancing, 

Trek ‘n’ Travel has 

survived. 

It hasn’t been easy, but 

owner Colin Hancock, says 

the support of his staunch 

customers, key brands and 

suppliers has helped the business 

see off a recession and 

tough opposition in recent 

years. 

Colin began Trek ‘n’ 

Travel in 1997 after taking a 

stroll around the CBD. 

“I had a walk around 

Hamilton and checked out 

who my competitors would 

be. 

“I felt there was an opening 

for an outdoor shop to 

specialise in three particular 

products; tramping, travel 

and at that stage multisport 

(running, kayaking and 

mountainbiking).” 

Since then Trek ‘n’ Travel 

has grown into a one-stopshop 

for outdoor and travel 

gear, stocking everything 

from tents to packs and travel 

adapters. 

I felt there was 

an opening for an 

outdoor shop to 

specialise in three 

particular products; 

tramping, travel 

and at that stage 

multisport (running, 

kayaking and 

mountainbiking). 

The ever-changing retail 

industry has seen online shopping 

grow exponentially in 

the last few years. 

Colin and Trek ‘n’ Travel 

recognised this as an area of 

growth so took the initiative 

of starting an online store 

when they first launched the 

website. 

This proved to be successful 

at a time when other 

businesses were starting 

websites without the online 

store option. 

Key brands for Trek ‘n’ 

Travel include Merrell, 

Kiwi brand Earth Sea Sky, 

Smartwool, Meindl boots, 

Lowe Alpine clothing and 

Birkenstock. 

These partnerships have 

been in place for the lifespan of 

the business and are respected 

and sought-after brands within 

the outdoors community. 

To celebrate the 20th birthday 

of Trek 'n' Travel, Colin 

held a celebration in store on 

October 20 and plans on having 

a second celebratory function 

with key people and sup- 

pliers who helped him launch 

the business back in 1997. 

Colin has been involved in 

the industry for many years 

and is a keen outdoorsman. 

He has enjoyed walking, 

tramping and sea kayaking for 

more than 30 years; and that, 

coupled with his background 

in outdoor equipment sales 

means he really does know 

his stuff. 

Colin sends his heartfelt 

thanks to his staff, loyal customers, 

suppliers and all those 

who have helped him keep 

afloat through trying times 

over the past 20 years. 

221A Victoria Street, Hamilton | P: (07) 839 5681 | F: (07) 839 5846 

www.trekntravel.co.nz | www.facebook.com/trekntravelnz


19 

Rimmington book 

hits the shelves 

New business expo 

set for 2018 debut 

Former Hamilton Mayor Russ 

Rimmington has written an 

autobiography. 

Pitched as the ‘True story 

of an abandoned boy 

becoming a multi-millionaire’, 

Russ says he hopes 

‘Hand a man a Spanner’ will 

be an inspiring and uplifting 

read. 

Russ has been an influential 

player in the city’s political 

and community scene. He 

was mayor from 1998-2001 

and also a former chairman of 

WEL Energy Trust and president 

of the New Zealand National 

Agricultural Fieldays 

Society. 

His book chronicles his 

life since returning home from 

school as an eight-year-old 

boy in Auckland to find his 

house stripped and his mother 

gone. He made a promise to 

himself that he would ‘never 

be poor or beholden to no 

bastard ever’ and it drove his 

activities throughout his life. 

Russ takes readers through 

his adventures setting up Rimmington 

Advertising and Marketing 

and adapting a multi-fit 

spanner and making millions 

of dollars direct selling it 

across Australasia, Britain and 

the United States. 

He describes his time as 

the 30th Mayor of Hamilton 

including his fight against a 

casino in Hamilton and his 

involvement in 

the WEL for the 

Waikato struggle 

to keep the electricity 

company 

in local hands. 

Russ told 

Waikato Business 

News he got 

“a tremendous 

amount of enjoyment” 

writing 

the book. 

“Everyone’s 

got a story and 

it’s a great experience 

to sit 

down bit by bit 

and retell it. 

“It was always tempting to 

try to settle some old scores 

but instead I wanted the book 

to be entertaining. I wanted it 

to be uplifting and humorous. 

The readers don’t want to read 

about my gripes as a broken 

down politician. 

“I wanted it to be an inspiring 

read and something that 

makes people feel good when 

they’ve read it.” 

Russ’s book covers his 

adventures as owner of Cook 

Islands Steel, a hair-raising 

trans-Tasman sea voyage and 

his restoration of a 100-yearold 

yacht Yum Yum. 

He takes the reader through 

the most perilous oceans in 

the world as he sailed around 

Cape Horn, and then to the 

skies as he learnt to fly his 

own 1936 vintage Tiger Moth 

aircraft. 

Russ urges readers not to 

give up when the going gets 

tough and emphasises the importance 

of turning setbacks 

into triumphs. 

‘Hand a man a Spanner’ is 

about taking an opportunity 

with both hands and giving it 

a go. 

‘Hand a man a Spanner’ is 

available in Paper Plus stores 

for $49.99. 

The inaugural Bay of Plenty/Waikato 

Business Expo will offer Waikato businesses 

a prime opportunity to maximise exposure 

in the thriving central region and reap new 

opportunities, say the organisers. 

Sharon Giblett, director 

of event organisers Jigsaw 

Solutions Group, 

says the March 7 expo at ASB 

Arena Tauranga aims to attract 

exhibitors from around New 

Zealand, as well as within the 

region. 

“This will be an expo where 

business gets done,” she says. 

“It’s a great chance to access 

one of New Zealand’s most 

prosperous markets.” 

The organisers are planning 

to showcase more than 

130 exhibitors and the event 

is set to attract a qualified audience 

of entrepreneurs and 

professionals from around the 

region. 


chief executive William 

Durning is supporting 

the event and believes it is an 

initiative that is good for business 

and our region. 

“With significant economic 

growth expected to continue 

across Waikato and Bay of 

Plenty over the next few years, 

the expo presents a unique opportunity 

for those in business 

in the region, to capitalise on 

the growth and improve existing 

relationships as well as 

cultivate new ones” he says. 

The expo will include half 

hourly business seminars offering 

valuable opportunities, 

insights and tips on how to 

improve your business, as well 

as pre and post exhibitor and 

sponsor networking sessions. 

An Early Bird exhibitor special 

is available until 20 December. 

Visit www.businessexpo.biz 

for more information. 

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Business Expo organisers Barry Brown and Sharon Giblett. 

WAIKATO / BAY OF PLENTY 

Premier business to business expo is coming... 

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• Networking opportunities 

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• Seminars throughout the day 

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Organisers 

Sponsors 

Supporting Partners

The team from Lugton’s Real Estate 

A winning day 

The Kerr & Ladbrook, True Colours Long 

Lunch set has up so become entrants synonymous can fundraise with for the 

Melbourne True Colours Cup in as Hamilton. part of the Held event. each 

ren’s year the Long Lunch is the major annual 

fundraiser amazing for holiday True Colours for 2 to Children’s Australia’s 

Health Sunshine Trust. Coast valued at $4000. 

True Colours is 100% community 

This year more than 350 

hildion, 

entertainment $450,000 and a year racing to run its service. 

funded guests enjoyed and needs afternoon 

of fine dining, fash- 

to raise around 

at the Wintec Atrium. The 

event has 

To 

become 

register 

so popular 

that www.hamiltonhalfmarathon.org.nz. 

it sells out by word 

for the event visit 

rse 

of mouth. “We are incredibly 

lucky that people enjoy 

cited 

the day so much they come 

nic back Colours year after at year,” www.truecolours.org.nz 

says 

t 

king 

the 

ce so 

ges 

nt 

t 

UN 

e 

n 

Sarah Rawcliffe, Long Lunch 

Coordinator. “Already we 

have a waiting list for 2018 as 

people don’t want to miss out”. 

The Long Lunch is only 

possible due to the amazing 

generosity of Waikato and 

wider community. Leading 

the large group of sponsors 

that make this event possible 

is Kerr & Ladbrook Catering. 

Proudly supported by 

Waikato Business News 

and INSPO-Fitness Journal 

It’s a glamorous, 

fun day for a very 

worthy cause and 

it’s really nice to be 

able to help raise a 

lot of money. 

For the past five years, they 

have been the principal sponsor 

of the event serving up 

a gourmet three course lunch 

for guests. The event fits 

with what Kerr & Ladbrook 

Catering is all about: quality, 

professionalism and a bit of 

fun. “It’s a glamorous, fun 

day for a very worthy cause 

and it’s really nice to be able to 

help raise a lot of money,” says 

Lisa Kerr. 

Cynthia Ward, True Colours 

CEO often jokes that the day 

is like holding a wedding each 

year. “There is a lot of planning 

and organising in order 

to bring this day together. It 

is like a big jigsaw, there are 

many parts that must come 

together to ensure the big picture 

is realised. Through the 

amazing support we receive 

from our sponsors we are able 

to deliver a wonderful afternoon 

for our guests”. 

This year the Long Lunch 

raised a record $118,299 for 

True Colours. While the day 

Hair of the Dog entertain the crowd 

is about raising money for 

the 100% community funded 

organisation, it is also a wonderful 

opportunity for True 

Colours to tell their story and 

those of the families they support. 

Each year a family is 

invited to speak at the event, 

this year Nitin and Lauren 

Khare, shared their journey 

with their beautiful daughter 

Isabelle, and the role that True 

Colours has played along the 

way. “While people are here 

Shannon Ingham presents prize to winner 

of Fashion in the Field Claire Grant 

to enjoy a fabulous day, it is 

important for guests to learn 

more about True Colours and 

the families we support, and 

why a service like True Colours 

is so important,” says Cynthia. 

A highlight of this year’s 

event saw the Ingham Group 

hand over four new cars for 

the True Colours team. In 

conjunction with Elektron 

Group, Schicks and PJ Panel, 

Ingham’s have sponsored these 

cars, which are vital for the 

True Colours clinical team to 

be able to visit families in hospital 

and at home. 

True Colours was established 

in 2004 with a vision of 

helping seriously ill children 

and families in their time of 

need. They have supported 

more than 1600 children and 

families that may otherwise 

have had to walk their ‘journey’ 

alone. If you would like to 

learn more about True Colours 

and the work they do, visit 

TO ALL OUR AMAZING SPONSORS THAT MAKE THE KERR & LADBROOK LONG LUNCH POSSIBLE 

Thankyou!


21 

Hamilton’s ‘doctor’ of hospitality 

In a short time John Lawrenson has had 

a huge impact on Hamilton’s hospitality 

scene. Andrea Fox finds out what makes 

him tick. 

By ANDREA FOX 

Genetically speaking, 

Hamilton’s bar czar 

John Lawrenson should 

be in a white coat dispensing 

health care, not hospitality. 

His dad is a professor of 

population health at Waikato 

University and a former 

dean of clinical medicine at 

the Auckland Medical School 

while his mum is a professor 

of dentistry at Otago University. 

His brother is a professor of 

physiotherapy. 

The 39-year-old entrepreneur 

was born into what he 

calls “a science family”. That 

said, patrons of Lawrenson’s 

16 bars, gastrobars, restaurants 

and nightclubs might suggest 

he does offer a vital health service 

- of a social kind. 

The wayward gene that 

steered John Edward Lawrenson 

away from white coats 

could be down to his grandfather 

Edward John Lawrenson, 

who was born above a butcher’s 

shop in London and built a 

business empire out of nothing, 

only to lose it all. 

I’d say to my mates 

what bar or restaurant 

are we going to? 

Literally there was 

only Cullen’s and The 

Bank. This place was 

a barren wasteland 

of hospitality 

nothingness. 

“He started by developing 

a small industrial estate which 

got to the point where it was 

worth seven million pounds in 

the late 60s,” recalls his grandson, 

who was also born in London. 

Edward diversified into construction 

and concrete when the 

70s oil crisis and one of England’s 

coldest ever winters hit. 

Concrete couldn’t cure, interest 

rates rocketed, and there was 

runaway inflation. 

“The bank took everything 

and he ended up dying in a 

small flat in Brighton. But he 

was an entrepreneur and very 

successful. He was undone by 

circumstance.” 

As Lawrenson tells it, that’s 

why his doctor father Ross 

The Roaming Giant, Claudelands. 

and Edward’s other children 

went into “good careers”. They 

learned that being an entrepreneur 

was “stressful”. 

It is, Lawrenson agrees. But 

the urge to walk on the wilder 

side of value-creation is strong. 

He’s backed it up however with 

law and business degrees and 

suit-and-tie stints at big name 

accountancy firms. 

“I was always doing extra-curricular 

stuff at school. 

At 13 I would draw and design 

buildings for hours. I made the 

biggest hut you’ve ever seen in 

our backyard – it really needed 

to be consented. It had tongue 

and groove and a vaulted ceiling. 

“My big thing was animals. 

I was breeding chickens and 

ducks, quail and guinea pigs 

and goldfish and selling them 

to pet shops. I sold eggs to caterers, 

I built rabbit hutches and 

sold them. I made fish tanks. At 

one point I had about 40 chickens 

laying. I built a big barn 

thing for them and even built a 

windmill to power a generator 

from an old car to power lights 

so they would lay eggs through 

the winter.” 

As a school kid he learned 

his first harsh business lessons. 

He’d signed a contract with 

a caterer to supply eggs all year 

round but couldn’t meet it. He 

was working two hours a day 

with his sister’s help to feed all 

the animals. Then his mum’s 

dog got in among them with 

fatal results. Sheep ate half his 

new shelter tree plantings. 

“It became too much for 

me and I failed. I learned that 

unexpected things are going to 

happen in business.” 

Lawrenson, who recently 

opened the sleek suburban 

gastrobar The Wayward Pigeon 

in north Hamilton, his 

encore for The Roaming Giant 

in Claudelands, says he “just 

likes growing”. Making money 

isn’t his primary motivation, 

he says. Until recently he’s 

ploughed everything back into 

the business. He lives in a flat 

in the vintage part of the CBD 

and for 10 years drove a banged 

up old Telstar wagon which his 

team dubbed the Deathstar. Today 

his daily drive is an aged 

Audi wagon with dents on seven 

panels. 

“I care about what my business 

looks like, not the car.” 

It wasn’t long ago that as 

chief executive of the Lawrenson 

Group, annual revenue 

more than $25 million, he was 

paying himself $30,000 a year. 

On a rare splash this year 

he indulged a fancy to import 

a Mercedes convertible. Five 

The Lawrenson Group’s 

latest establishment, 

The Wayward Pigeon. 

minutes after he placed the order, 

he was dismayed to hear a 

radio discussion about mid-life 

crises and cars. 

The Lawrenson Group has 

become one of New Zealand 

largest bar and restaurant companies 

in just 10 years in business. 

More than 380 full-time 

and part-time staff are on its 

$11 million annual payroll and 

opening the Pigeon took Lawrenson’s 

investment so far in 

Hamilton hospitality to more 

than $10 million. 

Most of the group’s 16 

establishments are in Hamilton’s 

CBD and range from 

award-winning fine dining and 

bistro restaurants to bars and 

nightclubs. Its brands include 

the Victoria Street Bistro, Keystone, 

Bluestone Steakhouse, 

The Bank, House on Hood, 

Shenanigans Irish Pub, Bar 

101, the Outback and the Easy 

Tiger cocktail lounge. 

There’s also a bar and nightclub 

in Auckland and next year 

a Lawrenson bar will open in 

Christchurch. The Auckland 

venue accounts for about 25 

percent of the group’s income, 

Lawrenson says. Auckland expansion 

is on his radar. 

His first opening in Hamilton 

was the Furnace bar and 

restaurant in 2007. Then followed 

growth at a blistering 

pace until 2011, by which time 

there were nine outlets on the 

books. 

That growth came despite 

the onset of the Global Financial 

Crisis. 

“Movies and the pub are 

great escapes in those times. 

And we did so much ourselves 

from design to project management. 

Also we were trying to 

John Lawrenson at the opening 

of The Roaming Giant last year. 

grow when interest rates were 

low, the cost of finance was 

very cheap and landlords were 

desperate to hang onto tenants. 

People wanted job security so it 

was easy to find staff. 

“We had great success between 

2007 and 2011 and became 

well noticed. The likes of 

DB Breweries and Lion started 

courting us instead of us having 

to court them.” 

The reason he’s succeeded 

in a high risk industry? 

“This is where people like 

me are supposed to come up 

with some humble comment. 

Look, I was just better at it than 

anyone else. But I also put 

the yards in as did some other 

people. At the end of the fourth 

year I worked out I’d had four 

days off in the whole year. I literally 

worked 361 days. 

“I also ballooned out to 

108kg and my hair started 

falling out. I had an ulcer. My 

health really suffered. Now I 

have a lot more balance. 

“Some of the people with 

me still have put a huge commitment 

into helping us grow 

to this size.” 

Lawrenson started in business 

with shareholder partners 

but today is the group’s majority 

owner. 

He found going into business 

with friends and/or celebrities 

tough. 

“Expectations are always 

the thing that unhinges any 

relationship or employment relationship. 

As HR people will 

tell you, the biggest creation 

of job dissatisfaction is a staff 

member not understanding 

what’s expected of them. It’s 

about communication of expectations. 

And it’s the same in 

business.” 

Lawrenson landed in Hamilton 

via Dunedin where he’d 

been studying at Otago University 

and working after graduation. 

(But it’s not his first time 

living in this neck of the woods. 

When he was three his parents 

came from the United Kingdon 

to Te Kuiti, but had to return 

because of a family illness.) 

As a tax and business advisor, 

he saw a lot of business 

structuring and diversification 

activity by clients. 

“It ignited something in 

me. I saw opportunities. I said 

to some (dentistry graduate) 

mates you’re going to be pulling 

teeth and I’m going to be 

writing up trust deeds for the 

next 40 years watching people 

around us getting wealthy. So 

we bought and sold a few properties 

in Dunedin and made a 

bit of money.” 

He’d come to Hamilton for 

business or to catch up with 

friends. 

“I’d say to my mates what 

bar or restaurant are we going 

to? Literally there was only 

Cullen’s and The Bank. This 

place was a barren wasteland 

of hospitality nothingness.” 

In contrast the Dunedin 

hospitality scene was jumping. 

“There’s real hospitality 

density there. I’d worked in 

hospitality when I was studying, 

as a bar tender and then a 

bar manager and did a bit of 

food service work in Dunedin. 

I hadn’t done a lot in the restaurant 

industry and it wasn’t until 

I came up here and worked that 

I did a lot more food service. 

“Then I just started collecting 

people. One of the things 

about being an entrepreneur is 

that you have to be able to draw 

people into dream. To get them 

to share it, and see it.” 

Lawrenson likes Hamilton. 

A lot. But it’s hard territory for 

his sort of business. 

“It’s the sort of place I’d 

want to raise kids. It has amazing 

resources and amazing 

schools for a town of 150,000. 

We are very lucky. But I get 

frustrated at times. 

“I have people coming and 

saying we’d love you to do 

restaurants with this kind of 

food and that kind. And I think: 

yes, I’ve done that before and 

you say that, but people don’t 

come out and support it. 

“The biggest selling food in 

the Lawrenson Group besides 

fries is the chicken burger at 

The Bank. It kills my soul.” 

He wants to offer more 

Auckland and Melbourne-style 

food. “But people love steak 

and burgers and pizzas. The 

House bar sells over 500 pizzas 

a week. 

“Yet I have the Victoria 

Street Bistro which is recognised 

as one of the best 

restaurants in the country and 

though it’s pretty full every 

night, it doesn’t make any money. 

In Auckland when you run 

a restaurant like that you’re in 

a place with huge population 

density where people dine anywhere 

between 6pm and 10pm. 

“In Hamilton people dine at 

7pm. They don’t want to come 

in later than that. So all the 

meals are ordered at the same 

time. It’s really hard on the 

kitchen. You need multiple services 

per night turning over tables 

three times a night to make 

the business work. 

“In Hamilton it’s empty at 

6pm and empty at 9.” 

Lawrenson says it’s frustrating 

when the group works 

hard to offer quality outlets 

with great fitouts and menus 

which “don’t really make us 

money”. 

“Then you have sites like 

The Bank and The Hood and 

Outback which make really 

good money but The Bank’s 

selling chicken burgers.” 

That’s why he’s looking to 

Auckland to grow. 

“I’m not driven by 

wealth-creation. I can’t say I 

don’t consider money at all, but 

once you get it you realise you 

don’t need a lot. Happiness is 

a choice. 

“I know now what makes 

me happy is playing tennis, 

watching tennis, travelling, 

playing my guitar and watching 

movies and hanging out with 

my friends and my girlfriend. 

“I can do all that – except 

for maybe travelling – with 

bugger all.”


WESTPAC WAIKATO BUSINESS AWARDS 

Westpac Waikato Business Awards 

winners announced 

Foster Construction has been named as 

Supreme Winner at the 2017 Westpac 

Waikato Business Awards. 

Award winners as well 

as 2017 Laureates to 

the Waikato Business 

Hall of Fame were announced 

at the annual gala dinner 

on Friday, November 3 at 

Claudelands Event Centre. 


chief executive, William 

Durning said that once 

again the business community 

from across Waikato, came 

together with a strong unified 

voice representing all those 

in business and the role that 

business plays in supporting 

and enabling the Waikato 

community. 

“Waikato business has never 

been stronger, more dynamic 

or caring in its support of 

the community at large. We 

take great pride in saying here 

in the Mighty Waikato there 

are great things happening in 

business that impact not just 

our region, but across New 

Zealand and the globe.” 

Mr Durning said the Waikato 

region continues to play a 

significant role in contributing 

to success in New Zealand 

and this was endorsed by the 

extensive range and quality of 

those businesses and business 

leaders that were recognised 

at this year’s event. 

Businesses that participated 

in the awards have benefited 

in several ways. Those 

that have made the finals and 

the category winners have had 

their business profiles raised; 

strengthening existing commercial 

relationships and laid 

the groundwork for new relationships 

to develop. 

“With the new format of 

our awards we continue to 

see not only those that are 

re-engaging to improve and 

develop on lessons learned 

from last year but also a 

significant number of new 

participants who have also 

seen the quality of the previous 

year’s finalists and hear 

from their peers about how 

beneficial the process is. On 

this basis they have decided 

that now is a great time to 

learn and be measured against 

the other great businesses and 

business leaders that our region 

is fortunate to have,” Mr 

Durning said. 

“This year has again seen 

intense competition driven by 

the quality of entries. We love 

the fact that our judges continue 

to remark that it gets harder 

and harder to select the Supreme 

Winner because of this 

quality. This year’s Supreme 

Winner - Foster Construction 

is the perfect example of just 

why we are the Mighty Waika- 


Premier Group International: 

Service Excellence Award. 

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce team. 

Virbac NZ: Marketing Award. 

Ultrafast Fibre Ltd: Business Growth Award. 

Supreme Business of the Year 2017: Foster Construction Group. 

Resultz Group: Micro Business Award. 

Westpac Waikato Business Awards 

Congratulations Foster Construction Group, 

2017 Supreme Winner. 

Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards 

JN15960 

Westpac New Zealand Limited.


WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2017 23 

Foster Construction Group: Supreme Business of the Year Award. 

RAW: Not For Profit Award. 

THE 2017 WINNERS ARE 

TAG IT Technologies: 

Innovation Award. 

NOT-FOR-PROFIT AWARD 

Sponsored by SKYCITY Hamilton 

• RAW 

MICRO BUSINESS AWARD 

Sponsored by Porter Group 

• Resultz Group 

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD 

Sponsored by Perry Group 

• Agoge 

GLOBAL OPERATOR AWARD 

Sponsored by Waikato Means Business 

• Wintec 

Agoge: Community 

Contribution Award. 

Wintec: Global Operator Award. 

SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD 

Sponsored by Vodafone 

• Premier Group International 

BUSINESS GROWTH AWARD 

Sponsored by Deloitte 

• Ultrafast Fibre Limited 

MARKETING AWARD 

Sponsored by Chow Hill 

• Virbac NZ 

INNOVATION AWARD 

Sponsored by Company-X 

• TAG IT Technologies 

STRATEGY & PLANNING AWARD 

Sponsored by WINTEC 

• Foster Construction Group 

EMERGING LEADER OF THE YEAR 

AWARD 

Sponsored by Everest Group 

• Kirsten Madill – Hobbiton Movie Set 

CEO OF THE YEAR AWARD 

Sponsored by The University of Waikato 

• Michelle Baillie – SKYCITY Hamilton 

SUPREME BUSINESS OF THE YEAR 

AWARD 

Sponsored by Westpac 

• Foster Construction Group 

WAIKATO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME 

2017 LAUREATES 

• Sir Patrick Hogan 

• Brian Perry, OBE 

• Bill Gallagher Snr, MBE 

Congratulations 

to all winners in the 

2017 Westpac Waikato 


WAIKATO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

www.waikatochamber.co.nz 

07 839 5895 

J5180A



Westpac Waikato 


winners announced 

The team at Perry Group 

would like to congratulate 

Agoge 

Community Contribution 

Winners of the Westpac 

Waikato Business Awards 

From page 22 

to when it comes to overall 

excellence in business,” Mr 

Durning said. The judges 

said: Foster Construction is 

a well-managed and planned 

business, successfully operating 

in a challenging industry. 

The company’s Vision of 

'Stronger Community through 

solid foundations' - and its 

Core Purpose 'to develop, 

maintain and strengthen relationships 

and deliver property 

solutions that provide the best 

outcomes for business, community 

and our people', have 

enshrined Foster Construction 

as one of Waikato’s most iconic 

business’s. 

The implementation of 

profit distribution to a charitable 

entity for community 

aspects is to be commended. 

Foster Construction has 

excellent leadership, a commendable 

focus on training 

and developing its team and 

commitment to the Waikato 

community. 

In announcing the 2017 

Laureates to the Waikato 

Business Hall of Fame Mr 

Durning said “We felt that it 

was more than appropriate to 

recognise the significant contribution 

that Bill Gallagher 

Snr and Brian Perry have 

played in establishing businesses 

that have not only been 

commercially successful, but 

also have equally recognised 

the importance of giving back 

to their community. This truly 

holistic view of how good 

business is conducted is something 

that is very much in the 

DNA of doing business in the 

Waikato. We also felt that 

through a lifetime of following 

your passion and very simply 

doing a job the best way 

that you could, the impact that 

Sir Patrick Hogan and Cambridge 

Stud has had, not only 

on Cambridge and Waikato 

but also the New Zealand 

thoroughbred industry could 

not go any longer without acknowledgement. 

It is worth 

reflecting on the fact that our 

region has had such an impact 

over many generations, it is no 

wonder that we are known as 

The Mighty Waikato.” 

PERRY HOUSE 

360 Tristram Street, Private Bag 3091 

Hamilton, New Zealand 

Ph: 64 7 838 3633 • Fx: 64 7 838 3699 

Email: info@perry.co.nz • www.perry.co.nz 

J4034P 

Premier Group International: Service Excellence Award. 

Half Page Westpac Waikato Business Awards_PRINT FINAL.indd 1 

16/11/2017 1:36:24 p.m.



John Gallagher on behalf 

of Bill Gallagher Snr. 

TAG IT Technologies: 

Innovation Award. 

“As proud supporters 

of business in the 

Waikato for 25 

years, Chow:Hill 

Architects extend their 

Congratulations to all 

finalists and winners 

at the recent Westpac 

Waikato Business 

Awards” 

- BRIAN SQUAIR, BOARD CHAIR CHOW:HILL 

ARCHITECTS 

2017 WAIKATO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

PLATINUM SPONSORS 

Hamilton Studio 

119 Collingwood Street, PO Box 19208 

Hamilton 3244 

Phone: +64 7 834 0348 

Email: hmlstudio@chowhill.co.nz 

website: chowhill.co.nz 

Virbac NZ: Marketing Award. 

Simon Perry on 

behalf of Brian Perry. 

chowhill.co.nz 

THE TITLE SAYS IT ALL: 

WAIKATO 

MEANS 

BUSINESS 

Celebrating business in the Waikato is important to us 

and that’s why we were proud to be a major sponsor 

of the 2017 Westpac Waikato Business Awards. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO THIS YEAR’S WINNERS! 

Our region is blessed with a wonderful heritage, people and culture, great 

infrastructure and connectivity and some of the world’s best businesses. 

Of all the places in New Zealand, there is none better positioned to grow 

even more strongly in the future than the mighty Waikato. 

The Waikato region’s economic performance has been solid in recent 

years, but we have the opportunity to improve and lead the way. But it 

won’t happen unless we have a plan and work together to execute it. 

WAIKATOMEANSBUSINESS.NZ 

Find out more about Waikato Means Business’ aim to improve 

standards of living in the Waikato region, where all people, 

communities and businesses reach their potential at 

www.waikatomeansbusiness.nz. 

Waikato Means 

BUSINESS 

Championing growth 

Congratulations to all Waikato Business 

Awards finalists and winners 

We are proud to support the Waikato business community and be 

a sponsor of these awards. 

deloitte.co.nz 

© 2017 Deloitte



2017 AWARD WINNERS 

Recognition for Waikato 

tourism identities 

Two of Waikato’s tourism leaders have 

been awarded prestigious awards at the 

2017 Westpac Waikato Business Awards. 

SkyCity’s general manager 

Michelle Baillie was 

awarded the CEO of the 

Year award, while Hobbiton 

Movie Set’s chief operating 

officer Kirsten Madill was 

awarded the Emerging Leader 

of the Year award at the event 

held at Claudelands Event 

Centre recently. 

The CEO of the Year award 

is based around someone who 

demonstrates exemplary leadership 

and entrants are evaluat- 

ed on criteria that includes the 

performance of the company 

that they lead, the extent to 

which they have contributed 

to the company’s performance, 

overall leadership qualities, 

and the esteem in which they 

are held by peers. 

The Emerging Leader of 

the Year award recognises 

emerging leaders, who have 

significantly contributed to an 

organisation. 

Hamilton & Waikato chief 

executive Jason Dawson said 

the awards were great for Michelle, 

Kirsten and the region’s 

tourism industry, with the recognition 

very well deserved for 

both women. 

“Michelle and Kirsten work 

very hard within their organisations 

and for the region. 

We have an amazing team of 

inspiring tourism leaders in 

the Waikato region, including 

Michelle and Kirsten who 

are both strategic thinkers and 

smart operators. It comes as no 

surprise to me that they have 

won awards for their work, 

and it’s fantastic to see this 

high-level recognition from the 

wider business sector.” 

Kirsten Madill: Emerging 

Leader of the Year Award. 

Michelle Baillie: CEO 

of the Year Award. 

Wintec is delighted to have won the Global Operator Award 

in the 2017 Westpac Waikato Business Awards. 

The award recognises our success in the international education 

market not only here in the Waikato, but offshore as well. 

The awards judges stated “Wintec’s investment into internationalisation is 

impressive… Wintec has developed significant expertise in export education. 

The ongoing commitment …is truly outstanding, enabling Wintec to successfully manage 

relationships and student outcomes which require a galvanised effort and a very clear vision.” 

create your world 

www.wintec.ac.nz



Growth story continues for Ultrafast Fibre 

Community owned broadband 

infrastructure company Ultrafast Fibre (UFF) 

is continuing its growth story after five 

years of fibre optic installation across the 

central North Island. 

Ultrafast Fibre CEO, 

William Hamilton, 

says the biggest winners 

from the company’s 

growth are the thousands of 

people who can benefit from 

high speed broadband, including 

businesses such as 

the 3500 in Hamilton already 

connected. 

Clearly part of our 

growth story has 

been the ability 

for the majority of 

customers to connect 

to the network for 

free, which is a major 

incentive, especially 

when you consider 

the additional 

property value the 

technology brings to 

both businesses and 

residents. 

“We are continuing with 

our growth and customer connections 

as we expand the 

network to reach a further 27 

towns, which started recently 

with Ngaruawahia in Waikato, 

Omokoroa in Bay of Plenty 

and Stratford in Taranaki,” 

says Mr Hamilton. 

Ultrafast Fibre is also continuing 

to build into ‘greenfield’ 

areas as part of its original 

network footprint as well 

as ramping up work in the additional 

smaller towns across 

the central North Island. 

UFF recently won the 

Business Growth Category at 

the Westpac Waikato Business 

Awards, on the back of being 

named the Fastest Growing 

Technology business in the 

region for the third year in a 

row at the Deloitte Fast 50 

Awards. 

The Waikato Business 

Awards recognised Ultrafast 

Fibre for achieving more than 

340 percent growth during 

the assessment period for the 

awards. 

Mr Hamilton says kudos 

for the latest awards goes to 

the committed team of people 

who work at UFF along with 

key suppliers and partners. 

“It would simply not have 

been possible to achieve what 

Turangawaewae Marae Kaumatua, Pokaia Nepia, with Ultrafast Fibre chief executive William Hamilton, 

following a blessing for the start of work on the installation of ultra-fast broadband into Ngaruawahia. 

we have in the last five years 

without having great people 

involved. We are all focused 

on building high quality fibre 

network as quickly as we 

can, and providing our communities 

with connections to 

world-class infrastructure. 

Ultrafast Fibre operates 

a 3000-kilometre network 

which currently has the ability 

to connect up to 200,000 end 

users. Today there are 87,000 

end user connections representing 

a 43 percent uptake. 

The reliability and consistency 

of performance along with 

speed and capacity are the 

driving user forces pushing 

the migration to fibre, the best 

broadband technology available. 

“Clearly part of our growth 

story has been the ability for 

the majority of customers to 

connect to the network for 

free, which is a major incentive, 

especially when you consider 

the additional property 

value the technology brings 

to both businesses and residents,” 

he says. 

Ultrafast Fibre is 100 

percent community-owned 

through WEL Networks Ltd 

and Waipa Networks Ltd. 

10,000 Central 

North Island 

businesses can’t be wrong! 

Nearly 10,000 business customers are Going Faster and 

Going Better having connected to fibre broadband over our 

network in the Central North Island. 

That’s a great performance by all involved. A 

big thanks to our more than 50 retail broadband 

service providers, connection delivery partners 

and our awesome UFF team for such an 

outstanding achievement. 

If you would like to connect to the best fibre 

broadband available, visit ultrafastfibre.co.nz 

or call 0800 342 735. 

ultrafastfibre.co.nz

... 

0 

5years 

TRT - A Proud Waikato Company! 

With over 50 years in business, TRT has developed an unparalleled range of engineering skills and expertise. 

TRT has a reputation for innovation, engineering design excellence and manufacturing that is fit for purpose. 

We listen to our customers, providing full quality solutions from concept to genuine aftermarket parts and 

service, all 100% in-house. 

Design and Manufacture 

Leading manufacturers of heavy 

transport trailers, crane support 

trailers, insulated EWP’s and 

specialised equipment, with fully 

integrated engineering design, 

manufacturing and fabrication 

services on site in Hamilton. 

Genuine Parts 

TRT are dealers for Iveco, Scania, 

Sterling, Mercedes-Benz, Freightliner, 

with genuine parts for BPW, Detroit 

Diesel, Hendrickson, Roadranger, 

KAB, Jost, Spicer Life and more. TRT 

is supported with a very experienced 

and knowledgeable parts team. 

Crane Sales & Service 

TRT’s TIDD Pick & Cary Crane is the 

world’s safest on the market and 

manufactured in Hamilton. TRT are 

Manitowoc and Grove dealers in NZ 

and Queensland, with Manitowoc’s 

Crane Care, 24 hr, 365 days service 

support. 

Truck Service 

With state-of-the-art mechanical 

and hydraulic service capabilities 

and full brake diagnosis systems, 

TRT’s service division offers a full 

range of mechanical service, WOF’s 

to full engine and drive train rebuilds, 

chassis modification and repair. 

When you choose TRT, it’s for the long haul! 

TIDD ROSS TODD LIMITED 

www.trt.co.nz 

HEAD OFFICE HAMILTON 

PHONE: +64 (07) 849 4839 

ADDRESS: 48 Maui St, TE RAPA 

EMAIL: trt@trt.co.nz 

AUCKLAND 

PHONE: +64 (09) 262 0683 

ADDRESS: 59 Ash Rd, MANUKAU CITY 

EMAIL: aklparts@trt.co.nz 

BRISBANE 

PHONE: +61 (07) 3980 8800 

ADDRESS: 

EMAIL: 

1028 Lytton Rd, MURARRIE 

trt@trtaust.com.au

TRT CELEBRATES 50 YEARS 


29 

TRT a great Waikato role model 

Hamilton family company Tidd Ross Todd 

(TRT) is a fine example of why Waikato 

has built a reputation for breeding blue 

chip, highly successful businesses with 

exceedingly modest profiles. 

It takes a very special occasion 

to persuade them into 

the public spotlight. 

For manufacturing engineering 

innovation leader 

TRT this year there are two 

such occasions - its 50th year 

in business and the induction 

of co-founder, director and 

acknowledged engineering 

genius Dave Carden into the 

New Zealand Road Transport 

Hall of Fame. 

While TRT quietly gets on 

with daily business serving the 

transport and construction sectors 

in its 33,000 sqm facilities 

on Te Rapa’s Maui Street, a 

review of its half century reveals 

high profile engineering 

achievements. They include 

regional landmarks the Kaimai 

Rail Tunnel (New Zealand’s 

longest rail tunnel), TIDD 

Crane Carriers, TIDD Logging 

Jinker trailers and TIDD Tag 

Axle Suspensions. 

Other examples of TRT’s 

design and engineering skills 

include heavy transport trailers 

that carry some of Australasia’s 

largest equipment, 

hydraulic house moving technology, 

platform trailers and 

elevated work platforms. Being 

selected to provide heavy 

transport support to the New 

Zealand and Australian defence 

forces is another highlight. 

With 200 staff – some 

who have been with the company 

for decades – at the 

Maui Street headquarters and 

manufacturing plant, and 

branches in Auckland and 

Brisbane, TRT is recognised 

within the transport and construction 

industries as a clever 

innovator with an unparalleled 

range of engineering skills to 

develop integrated solutions to 

TRT executive directors, Bruce and Robert Carden, 

leading the next 50-years. 

meet the needs of its customers. 

Raw steel comes in one 

end of the Hamilton plant and 

emerges as a fully developed 

and assembled engineering 

accomplishment out the other 

thanks to TRT’s in-house 

specialist engineering, design, 

and manufacturing teams. 

TRT is a turn-key manufacturing 

innovator which uses 

lean manufacturing for sustained 

capability and excels 

at special projects and precision 

engineering applications, 

says managing director Kevin 

Chubb. 

Certified under ISO 

9001:2008, with a multi-million 

dollar annual revenue, the 

company operates four integrated 

businesses: manufacturing 

engineering; truck and 

trailer parts; mechanical service 

and repair and crane sales 

and service. 

Fully integrated manufacturing 

engineering is TRT’s 

point of difference and responsible 

for about half TRT’s annual 

revenue, says Kevin, who 

will leave the job soon after 20 

years heading the management 

team. He says he’s leaving at 

“a high point” in TRT’s history, 

after five-fold growth in its 

operations since 1997. 

The company will continue 

to be led by Dave’s sons, 

executive directors Bruce and 

Robert Carden, supported by 

Lawrence Baker, the recently 

appointed chief operating officer. 

TRT has come a long way 

from the small trailer manufacturing 

business founded 

in 1967 by Jack Tidd of Te 

Rapa engineering company 

Jack Tidd & Co, Jim Ross and 

Norm Todd of Ross Todd Motors 

& Engineering in Cambridge, 

and Dave Carden who 

founded Southside Motor and 

Engineering in Putaruru. 

They called their new company 

Tidd Ross Todd. Typically, 

Dave Carden, considered 

an outstanding engineer by his 

peers, “didn’t care about having 

his name in lights”, says 

Kevin Chubb. 

A great character and inspirational 

leader who has headed 

many large-scale engineering 

projects and transport engineering 

innovations on both 

sides of the Tasman, Dave inspires 

the family values and 

camaraderie that make TRT a 

special company, and which 

are reflected in the leadership 

style of his sons, Kevin says. 

One of the new company’s 

first innovations was to modify 

a Bedford truck to operate as 

a mobile crane. In 1970 Dave 

Carden put his fledgling company 

on the map again by figuring 

out how to bend the steel 

beams supporting the proposed 

8.8 km-long Kaimai rail 

tunnel. He built a machine to 

do the job and produced 8000 

beams in the next eight years 

of the project. 

Meantime the young company 

was steadily developing 

heavy transport trailer technology 

that is still a cornerstone 

of the business. In early 1968 

the TIDD Crane Carrier made 

its market debut, followed 

by the TIDD Hydrasteer in 

1982 and the TIDD Hydraulic 

House Mover in 1988. 

“In these early years, TRT 


Te Rapa Straight head office 1967-1997, with TIDD Crane Carriers on display. Kaimai tunnel beams under construction, 1971. 

Tidd Hydrasteer a trailer innovation, 1982 used by Dale freightways in the Think Big Project. 

TRT parts shownroom 1970’s, Te Rapa, Hamilton.

30 TRT CELEBRATES 50 YEARS 


Hamilton head office and manufactruing facility. 

TRT a great Waikato role model 

From page 29 

was known in the engineering 

industry as having the innovative 

know-how and technical 

expertise to successfully apply 

practical solutions to customer 

problems,” says engineering 

director Robert Carden. 

In 1987 the Carden family 

acquired all the shares 

and Jack Tidd Ross Todd Ltd 

became a 100 percent family-owned 

enterprise. It became 

jointly owned by Dave and 

Jenny Carden, Robert and Caroline 

Carden and Bruce and 

Mary Carden, retaining the 

official name Tidd Ross Todd 

but increasingly referred to as 

TRT. 

Ten years later, in 1997, the 

business moved from Te Rapa 

Straight into purpose-built facilities 

on its present site in 

Maui Street. By 2005 growth 

demanded the purchase of a 

neighbouring site for expansion, 

and again the next year. 

The move to Maui Street 

marked the start of TRT’s most 

rapid growth phase. Kevin 

Chubb joined the payroll as a 

consultant when the Cardens, 

who were exploring diversification, 

asked him for help 

making a strategic plan. 

“In 1997 TRT, essentially 

a manufacturer of trailers, had 

great manufacturing expertise 

and engineering strength and 

decided to diversify into mechanical 

and crane services 

and grow TRT’s parts business. 

Later it also expanded 

into other manufacturing areas,” 

Kevin recalls. 

Another milestone year 

was TRT’s move into Australia 

in 2000 when Bruce Carden, 

today manufacturing director, 

and his family moved to Brisbane 

to provide heavy transport 

trailers to Australian industry 

and launch TRT’s 1998 

innovation TractionAir. This is 

a central tyre inflation system 

which allows truck drivers to 

alter tyre pressures while on 

the move. 

The TRT Board 2017 at the Transport Hall of Fame Awards 

Dinner, from left Kevin Chubb, Robert Carden, Jerry 

Rickman, Tonia Cawood, Dave Carden and Bruce Carden. 

TRT had developed an inflation 

system that was more 

suited to the New Zealand 

and Australian environments 

than others and was keen to 

introduce it across the Tasman. 

TRT was the first to fit this 

type of device to an Australian 

road train fuel tanker. 

Kevin says the TractionAir 

is a far more sophisticated system 

today with many added 

enhancements including GPS 

and monitoring technology. 

Bruce Carden was also 

keeping his eyes open in Australia 

for customer demands 

for new engineering solutions. 

As a result, a whole new TRT 

equipment manufacturing category 

was launched in 2004, 

an insulated elevating work 

platform. 

TRT’s insulated elevating 

work platforms are designed 

specially for contractors, power 

companies and local authorities. 

With TRT’s decision to diversify 

20 years ago has come 

an increasing focus on parts 

supply and mechanical servicing 

for customers. Winning 

the franchise and distribution 

rights for global truck and 

transport brands including 

IVECO, Mercedes, Freightliner, 

Scania and Fuso has been a 

great springboard for development 

of TRT’s parts and service 

businesses, Kevin says. 

In 2008 there was a strategic 

expansion of TRT parts 

with the establishment of a 

direct import programme. 

Over the next two years, TRT 

was able to secure key supply 

chain solutions from the US, 

Asia and Europe. This raised 

TRT’s profile in the international 

market with recognition 

as the US Importer of the Year 

2008 and 2009 by the American 

Chamber of Commerce. 

“TRT is also proud to be 

the Manitowoc Crane distributor 

for New Zealand and 

Queensland, Australia,” says 

Robert Carden. 

Manitowoc is one of the 

world’s leading crane manufacturers 

for the global construction 

industry, including tower 

cranes and crawler cranes. 

Up until Manitowoc bought 

Grove Cranes in 2002, TRT 

was Grove’s longest-standing 

international dealer. 

The TIDD PC25 (pick-andcarry 

crane) launched in 2013 

and fully manufactured by 

TRT, has been a huge development 

project for the company. 

“This innovative 25-tonne 

capacity crane is able to pick 

up and transport the load without 

requiring outriggers and 

is roadable at 80km per hour. 


1967 1977 1987 1997 2007 

2017 

Wiri, Auckland branch and team 2017. 

Brisbane, QLD branch and team, 2017. 

TRT’s heavy transport and mechanical service division with 

service hours to meet the requirements of our customer. 

TIDD Pick and Carry Crane, manufactured onsite at 

TRT in Hamilton, being used to unload a container. 

TRT trailer - 3 rows of 8 for 

Richmond Heavy Haulage, Taupo. 

TRT’s experienced parts team 

are known for their expertise.



From page 30 

The TIDD PC25 has been designed 

with special safety features 

such as an in-cab rollover 

protection system (ROPS) and 

side slope lifting protection. 

The crane has been developed 

as the safest crane on the market 

having many advantages 

over similar products,” says 

Robert. 

The breakthrough into supporting 

defence force suppliers 

with heavy equipment came 

when TRT won a contract to 

supply specialised transporters 

to the New Zealand Army. 

“This gave us the opportunity 

to look at other requirements 

the New Zealand 

defence forces might have 

that we could support,” says 

Kevin. 

“We now support the main 

Primes (prime contractors) to 

the defence force and as a result 

we were able to bid for an 

Australian defence contract. 

We won that contract, to supply 

a large number of tipping 

machines, via Rhienmetall 

Military Vehicles Australia 

(RMMVA) and now provide 

ongoing logistical support to 

both defence forces in peacekeeping 

activities.” 

Doing business in the defence 

sector requires significant 

credibility and the ability 

to show added-value, says 

Bruce Carden. 

“The defence force looks 

specifically at capability and 

how their products improve 

this. TRT’s commitment to 

excellence, quality and innovation 

fits this model well. 

We always look to innovate 

and supply the customer with 

solutions to enable them to 

perform better,” he says. 

As TRT celebrates half a 

century in business, it never 

loses sight of its biggest asset 

which is its staff. 

Many loyal staff have been 

with the company for more 

than two decades but no-one 

beats the 48 year record of 

Duke Cubis, a technical support 

manager who has huge 

experience in the heavy transport 

industry. 

Reflecting on high points in 

TRT’s emergence and growth 

in the trans-Tasman transport 

and construction industries, 

Kevin notes expansion into 

Australia, which took another 

step last year with the purchase 

of a Brisbane company 

which specialises in crane ser- 


A TRT manufactured tipper body on the back of a 

Rheinmetall Military Vehicle for RMMVA - the Prime 

contractor, at TRT’s Brisbane branch, 2017. 

CablePrice (NZ) Ltd 

are proud to be associated with 

TRT and congratulate them on 

achieving the great milestone of 

50 years in business 85 Church Road, Hamilton 

CONGRATULATIONS TRT LTD ON 

THE INCREDIBLE MILESTONE 

AND TO MANY MORE! 

AREAS OF PRACTICE 

• Commercial & Business Law 

• Business Restructuring 

• Property Sales & Purchasing 

• Trust & Asset Protection 

We are proud to be 

associated with TRT Ltd. 

Congratulations on your 50 

excellent years in business 

and wish them many more. 

P: 07 849 6881 

F: 07 849 7121 

admin@lsj.co.nz 

www.lsj.co.nz 

Truman Wee & Associates, Lawyers 

Level 1, T & G Building, 149 Alexandra Street, Hamilton 3204 

P: 07 903 8880 | www.twassociates.co.nz 

OUR LOGOS MAY HAVE CHANGED, 

BUT OUR STRONG PARTNERSHIP 

REMAINS THE SAME. 

CONGRATULATIONS 

TO TRT LTD ON THEIR 

50 YEAR 

ANNIVERSARY!



The latest innovation from TRT in trailer technology combines engineering 

excellence with software technology to create a unique steering system for 

Tomoana Warehousing Ltd to transport loads for NZ infrastructure projects. 

TRT a great Waikato 

J6778P 

role model 

From page 31 

vice and parts supply. This acquisition 

provides a platform 

for further expansion across 

the Tasman, he says. 

Also up there is winning 

the rights to sell Manitowoc 

cranes in Queensland, which 

will also provide a base for 

further expansion. 

As for TRT’s points of difference 

from the competition? 

That’s easy, says Kevin. 

“We always focus on quality 

and we are a fully integrated 

manufacturing engineering 

company. We used to rely on 

sub-contractors for some work 

but now we do it all. Being 

a turn-key business gives us 

quality control and responsibility 

and control over delivery. 

“We acknowledge our good 

loyal supplies who continue to 

contribute to our business success 

with their specialised experiences 

and skills, absolutely 

essential to the successful 

launch of TRT products. 

“Then there’s the culture of 

the company. Privately owned 

by people who work in the 

business and encourage innovation 

by staff in the approach 

to the market, excellence of 

service and going that extra 

mile for customers.” 

TRT’s diversification strategy 

has given the company 

economy of scale and resilience, 

says Kevin. 

“We can now import from 

all over the world. We have a 

huge parts inventory so we’re 

able to respond to customers 

quickly, complete repairs 

quickly and get them back on 

the road fast. 

“But it’s all about team 

work and taking an innovative 

approach to business while 

staying very customer-focused 

which has allowed us to 

build up a very loyal customer 

base.” 

As a team and as a business, 

TRT remains fully committed 

to the company vision 

– for the long haul. 

LEADERS IN ELECTRIC AND 

HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION 

Brevini Ltd are proud to be associated 

with TRT Ltd. Congratulation on your 

50 years in Business. 

9 Bishop Croke Place, Auckland | P: 09 250 0050 

5 Birminghnam Drive, Christchurch | P: 03 338 3916 

info@brevini.co.nz | www.brevini.co.nz 

Congratulations on your 

50th year TRT Engineering! 

From the team at Real Steel.

33 

MANITOWOC CONGRATULATES 

TRT ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY 

Manitowoc congratulates the TRT team and the Carden family on 50 years of excellent and outstanding service to 

New Zealand. We cherish our relationship and thank TRT for representing Manitowoc’s well-known brands with 

total dedication and having an outstanding reputation in the market. 

Manitowoc is a leading crane manufacturer committed to providing 

our customers with the most complete range of lifting equipment in the 

industry. Our lineup includes Manitowoc crawler cranes, Grove allterrain 

and rough-terrain cranes as well as Potain tower cranes. 

From 1-ton to 2300-ton capacity, Manitowoc has the right crane 

for the job. Visit www.trt.co.nz/manitowoc-group today!

34 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2017 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS X 

Printed photos that talk 

Snapshot is excited to be able to offer the 

LIVE PORTRAIT service which is a complete 

solution for bringing printed images to life. 

This technology takes a 

photograph, logo, artwork 

or any type of 

graphic and links it to a short 

video. 

When the viewer uses the 

free Live Portrait App to scan 

the still image, the linked video 

plays on the viewer’s Smartphone, 

creating a powerful interactive 

experience. 

Originally created to bring 

school photos to life the service 

is offered through photo 

labs in the USA including an 

international network of independent 

photo stores of which 

Snapshot is a member. 

Businesses were quick to 

see the huge potential in bringing 

a printed photo to life. 

Printed promotional material 

and signs like adverts, 

newsletters, real estate signs 

and retail displays for example 

could be much more exciting if 

they could come to life. 

Imagine talking business 

cards, talking adverts, or even 

singing Christmas cards. 

There are two ingredients to 

a Live Portrait - a photo and a 

video which will be “paired.” 

The videos can be between 

20 seconds and of 2 minutes 

long: the shorter they are, the 

faster they will load for mobile 

users. 

Take these to Snapshot who 

will upload them via their portal. 

There is a one off fee for 

the upload of a pair which includes 

unlimited scans of the 

photo by viewers for 3 years. 

How many times and where 

the photo is placed does not 

affect the cost. 

The content you pair with 

a photo is entirely up to you - 

the video could contain your 

Christmas message, a tour 

through a home for sale, a 

product video, your “elevator 

pitch”, a photo slideshow, your 

portfolio, etc 

Anyone who views your 

enabled image will need the 

“Live Portrait” app in order to 

see the video - this free app is 

available from the App Store 

Try it: Download the “Live Portrait” app and scan this photo. 

or Google Play but you will 

need to provide instructions for 

the viewer. 

When the app launches, 

the camera in the Smartphone 

turns on then the phone is held 

over the photo to scan it. 

Once scanning of the photo 

is complete the video will 

begin to play in augmented 

reality over the scanned photo. 

Live Portrait recently added 

the ability to add numerous 

call to action buttons such as 

taking the viewer to your web 

page or Facebook page. 

If you’re keen to bring your 

photo(s) to life talk to staff 

at Snapshot, 391 Victoria St, 

Hamilton. 

Add another dimension to your adverts 

Bringing 

photos to life 

• Talking adverts 

• Talking business cards 

• Talking flyers & signs 

• Live Christmas cards 

• Calendars 

Add impact to nearly any printed 

product by turning a static 

image or graphic into a living, 

breathing story. Read more in 

the “Printed photos that talk” 

story above or talk to us. 

WE SHOOT PHOTOS 

Business headshots | Business portraits | Product photos | Passport photos | Family portraits 

WE PRINT PHOTOS • WE FRAME PHOTOS 

Photo shoots, professional printing, custom framing and Live Portrait upload services are all done on-site in our full-service store. 

Need binoculars, a telescope, camera or accessories? Come and check out our great selection. 

Want photos? Order in-store or via our web site using your PC or mobile device. 

We have moved to 

a new superstore 

BUSINESS OF 

THE YEAR 

Hamilton Central 

2016 Business Awards 

S8173C 

391 Victoria Street, Hamilton CBD | 07 838 0031 | snapshot.co.nz | info@snapshot.co.nz


35 

www.nmmedia.co.nz


Record year comes 

as new attractions 

launched 

For the first time in recorded history, 

Hamilton and the Waikato region have 

surpassed $1.45bn in visitor expenditure 

(for the year ended September 2017). This 

is a seven percent growth on the same 

period last year and very exciting news. 

The latest statistics released 

from the Ministry 

for Business, Innovation 

& Employment (MBIE) show 

the region collected $107m for 

the month of September, with 

the majority coming from domestic 

visitors ($85m), placing 

the region fourth behind Auckland, 

Christchurch and Wellington 

for domestic spend. 

This comes at a time when 

we have a selection of new 

activities, accommodation options 

and tourism attractions 

being launched in time for the 

summer months. 

New to the region 

The investment made by some 

of these operators is substantial 

and very welcome, in what has 

been a record year for Hamilton 

and the Waikato region. 

New accommodation options 

being launched include 

Karapiro’s luxury Lakeview 

Lodge; the freshly-launched 

and already popular Waitomo 

Hilltop Glamping; and the 

recently reopened and refurbished 

five-bedroom B&B, 

The Monastery in Tamahere. 

Plus, in December we will see 

the grand opening of Cambridge’s 

Henley Hotel – formerly 

the Sarnia Park boutique 

lodge. 

The business model around 

another new operator, the Podium 

Lodge in Cambridge, is 

one to be commended by the 

Perry Group. The lodge will 

be run as a not for profit and 

will have 86 beds in a range of 

options from dormitory, pods 

to 2-bedroom apartments, with 

all proceeds going directly to 

their Good Sports programme, 

supporting local sportspeople 

and teams. 

Hamilton’s Sudima Hotel 

and Distinction Hotel are both 

undergoing major revamps, 

while Novotel Hamilton 

Tainui is about to start its $13 

million extension which will 

bring with it 40 extra rooms. 

Hampton Downs have just announced 

news of a 68-room, 

4-star hotel build which will 

be completed in 2019. 

The outdoors feature heavily 

in the new offerings, including 

a tour and self-guide 

The 40-room expansion of the Novotel Tainui Hamilton is one of 

many tourism-related investments being made across the region. 

kayak option with Te Aroha 

Adventures; the new extension 

to the Te Awa River Ride has 

also been launched, connecting 

Ngaruawahia to Horotiu; 

Waikato Aviation is now offering 

scenic flights to Raglan; 

and one of our most scenic 

spots, Wairēinga, is now home 

to the new Bridal Veil Falls 

Maaori Guided Walk. 

Megafamil on its way 

Our Business Events team is 

gearing up to host a megafamil 

of about 15 high-value 

conference organisers and 

company representatives from 

around the country coming to 

experience the magic we have 

to offer in our region. As one 

of the top three destinations 

in the country for business 

events, this famil is a way to 

further showcase the great 

operators and experiences we 

have here. 

And finally – congratulations! 

Huge congratulations to Michelle 

Baillie, SkyCity Hamilton 

general manager and 

Hobbiton Movie Set chief operating 

officer Kirsten Madill 

TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY 

> BY JASON DAWSON 

Chief Executive, 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

who both gained recognition 

at the 2017 Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards. Michelle 

won CEO of the Year, while 

Kirsten won the Emerging 

Leader of the Year award. We 

are fortunate to have such talented 

women leaders in the industry 

– ka pai to mahi! 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

is the regional tourism 

organisation charged with 

increasing international and 

domestic visitor numbers, 

expenditure and stay. The organisation 

is funded through a 

public/private partnership and 

covers the heartland Waikato 

areas of Hamilton City, Matamata-Piako, 

Otorohanga, 

South Waikato, Waipa, South 

Waikato and Waitomo Districts. 

Find out more: www. 

hamiltonwaikato.com 

Christmas communications checklist 

Christmas is coming and 

for many of us that 

means a long summer 

break is on the horizon. 

But before you turn out the 

lights and head off, take a few 

moments to ensure you’ve got 

your communications sorted. 

Here’s a list of five communications 

actions to tick off your 

list before your break. 

MARKETING AND PR 

> BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB 

HMC Communications 

Distribute good news 

With a dearth of business news 

coming out over the Christmas 

and New Year break, journalists 

are often looking for good news 

stories to fill space. This creates 

an opportunity to provide media 

with stories which are not 

time-bound. 

Providing these proactively 

allows publications to drop 

your story in when space opens 

up. And remember, more people 

pick up a paper or troll their 

news feeds over the holidays, 

so the opportunity is amplified. 

Remember that a lot of regional 

publications or magazines 

will be placing stories 

well before Christmas as time 

will be short in January – so get 

in early. 

And make sure you add a 

great photo or two – great images 

increase your chance of publication 

by nearly 50 percent. 

Actions: brainstorm list of 

current news, write your stories 

in a news format, provide to 

journalists with a personalised 

message in plenty of time. 

Nominate spokespeople 

Remember, despite the Silly 

Season, the media doesn’t take 

a break from chasing issues. 

And if your business is still operational 

over this time, issues 

and incidents that pique the 

media’s attention can still arise. 

So, if your CEO is on an island 

cruise with her phone off, who 

is your spokesperson during the 

break? Who is the alternative 

if your normal spokesperson is 

out of action? Are they easily 

accessible for staff or media if 

something arises? 

Actions: determine your 

spokesperson for the holiday 

period, nominate a deputy or 

two, create an on-call spokesperson 

roster, ensure your communications 

manager knows 

everyone’s schedules and contact 

details. 

Sort your social calendar 

Your audience will be on social 

in a big way over the holiday 

period because people have 

more time to engage online. So, 

that means your social channels 

can’t afford to take time off. 

Keep your social wheels spinning 

by loading up and scheduling 

future posts for the whole 

holiday period. 

Remember to make sure 

someone is checking your 

channels daily in case you need 

to answer any questions or respond 

to any issues posted. 

Actions: create a calendar 

and weekly posts, be creative 

to relate posts to your audience’s 

holiday mindset, consider 

promoted posts to keep your 

brand in front of customers 

and prospects and roster staff 

to check the channels daily. 

Book planning session 

December is the ideal time to 

book in your annual planning 

to review what you achieved 

last year and plan for the next. 

Book a planning session in 

your diary now to give yourself 

a great sense of direction when 

you return in January. 

And once you’ve got your 

business plan finalised, set 

aside time to determine the 

communications actions you’ll 

take to help you achieve those 

business goals. Do you need to 

raise awareness of your company, 

launch a new product, 

educate audiences, build relationships, 

get in front of your 

audiences in a creative way? If 

yes, then plan to make sure it 

happens in 2018. If you don’t 

plan, it either won’t happen or 

you’ll risk implementing communications 

in a haphazard 

way. 

Actions: book your leadership 

team a meeting to discuss 

your communications strategy 

for 2018. 

Take time to give time 

For most of us, December is 

crazy busy. And when things 

get manic, we often drop the 

ball on doing the ‘little things’ 

that mean a lot. Don’t forget 

Christmas is the time to thank 

your staff, customers, partners, 

suppliers and community for 

their support during the year. 

One of the best ways to 

demonstrate your thanks is 

with your time. Put on a barbeque 

for staff, phone up key customers 

and wish them a great 

holiday, hand-write Christmas 

cards or deliver gifts to clients 

yourself. Taking a bit of time 

to do something extra special 

for those people who are important 

to your business will 

return dividends many times 

over. 

And if you’re a business 

that sends corporate gifts, give 

some thoughts to how you can 

support local charities or businesses. 

Consider donating to a 

local charity in lieu of corporate 

gifts and let your clients 

know what you’re doing on 

their behalf. Or, consider buying 

meaningful gifts through 

local businesses. 

Actions: determine who 

deserves a personal thank you 

or special holiday message, 

decide how you’ll recognise 

their contribution, deliver your 

thanks with a personal approach, 

and think local!


Digital marketing 

tips for Christmas 

So, with just a few weeks remaining 

until Christmas, there’s just enough 

time to make sure your business digital 

marketing initiatives are prepared for the 

Christmas season. 

Regardless of whether 

your business sells 

gifts, professional services 

or trades, here are some 

digital marketing tips that can 

be useful in the final weeks before 

Christmas. 

For Social media campaigns 

There are more posts, shares, 

and comments during the 

Christmas holidays than any 

other time of year and each 

passing year more people are 

using mobile devices to shop 

online, access websites and 

find deals and gift ideas. 

If your business sells products 

or services that can be 

bought as gifts, make a social 

media schedule, and prepare 

Christmas themed social media 

images and advertising. This 

will include special Christmas 

deals, season countdowns, and 

feel-good festive stories. 

Queuing your social media 

posts in advance is a great option 

for decreasing your stress. 

Social media platforms offer 

the option of future queuing 

your posts. This will help you 

keep in touch with your customers 

throughout the crazy 

season without manually posting 

each time. You may want to 

continue it into the New Year 

so that you aren’t working over 

Christmas. 

If your business will be 

closed for a period, you can 

set an auto-reply in Facebook 

Messenger to inform people 

when they send a Facebook 

message to your business. 

For AdWords campaigns 

If your business will be closed 

over the Christmas break, or 

running on skeleton staff, remember 

to turn off your Adwords 

ads or scale them down 

during that time. However, if 

you do have staff available, 

AdWords campaigns can be 

highly profitable during that 

time, as many businesses turn 

off their campaigns. This 

means you can often gain 

cheaper and more profitable 

leads during that time. 

If your business sells gifts, 

you should consider adjusting 

your AdWords budget to match 

increased search queries before 

Christmas. Search growth 

peaks in this season for products 

and services. Evaluate 

your historical performances 

in Google AdWords & Analytics 

from last year and accordingly 

adjust the budget to build 

on your best-seller campaigns. 

Adapt text ad content to advertise 

Christmas promotions. 

Ensure remarketing tags are 

active and conversion tracking 

is all working in the place for 

Christmas campaigns. Also, 

make sure you measure ROI 

so that you can analyse what 

worked, what didn’t and do 

more of whatever worked! 

If you need to allow for 

shipping times, it’s a good 

idea to promote strongly near 

the start of December – don’t 

wait until it’s too late. Shipping 

timeframes become a major 

concern for almost every 

online customer leading up to 

Christmas, so advertise early to 

get those sales. 

For email campaigns 

People are looking for 

last-minute bargains around 

this time and emails can be effective 

to attract your subscribers/listed 

customers. According 

to McKinsey & Company, 

email marketing is three times 

more effective than social media, 

and the average customer 

order is 17 percent higher. 

If you’re selling products 

or services that can be gifts, 

then send at least two emails 

during December (preferably 

more) to promote the products 

or services you’re featuring 

over the Christmas season and 

spread the word. Have a look 

at what other businesses in 

your field are doing. Sign up 

for mailing lists of your competitors 

and visit websites. 

This season is competitive 

time for email marketers. 

Customers in boxes will be 

full of offers and updates, so 

you will have to be prepared 

to compete for attention. Look 

at your data and see what 

tactics yielded the best open 

and clickthrough rates last 

year. The subject line is a key 

factor in whether a recipient 

will even open your email, so 

make it punchy and intriguing 

enough to get those opens. 

And if you’ll be closed 

over the Christmas holidays, 

make sure you send an email 

to your customers to let them 

know what dates you’ll be 

closed, and emergency contact 

details if needed. 

Google My Business hours 

and posts 

If your business is listed on 

THE DIGITAL WORLD 

> BY POOJA GUPTA 

Pooja Gupta is Digital Marketing Manager at Duoplus 

pooja@duoplus.nz . www.duoplus.nz 

Google Maps (and it should 

be!) then you’ll have a Google 

My Business listing. 

If you have special opening 

hours leading up to Christmas, 

or have dates that you’ll 

be closed over the Christmas 

break, make sure you enter 

these details into your listing. 

When you login to Google 

My Business just enter these 

different times in the “Special 

Hours” section. 

There is also a little-known 

feature that Google realised 

earlier this year that is perfect 

for highlighting announcements. 

It’s called Google My 

Business Posts. 

Google My Business posts 

last for a week, making it 

perfect for events, guides, 

products and more. Small 

businesses can use these posts 

to announce new daily promotions, 

highlight newest 

products or best-sellers and 

even holiday closing periods. 

These posts can have up to 

300 words of text, an image, 

a title and a range of call to 

action buttons. These posts 

show up on Google search as 

well as Google Maps, depending 

on the nature of the query 

and the nature of the post. 

So, if you have special promotions 

or events leading up 

to Christmas, you should use 

this feature. It’s free – just log 

into Google My Business and 

click on dashboard to make a 

post. 

Embrace digital marketing 

in the festive season 

Christmas is an important 

time for small businesses. If 

you’re selling gifts, then be 

sure to apply these tips to get 

the most out of your digital 

channels to increase sales and 

revenue during this season. If 

you’re not selling gifts, these 

tips can still help you keep 

strong relationships with your 

customers. 

Embrace the festive season 

and its spirit, and keep 

winning customers with wellplanned 

digital marketing… 

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

Hamilton Monthly Property Report 

SNAP SHOT OF WHAT HAS BEEN 

HAPPENING IN THE MARKET 

PLACE OVER THE PAST MONTH. 

The median price across the Waikato region rose 

$45,000 compared to October 2016. Compared 

to September 2017 the median price increased 

$20,000 to hit the half a million-dollar mark for the 

first time. The median price rose 9% in Matamata- 

Piako. 

Compared to September, sales volumes rose 3%. 

Compared to October 2016, sales across the region 

fell 15% with sales falling 55% in Matamata-Piako 

District and 36% in South Waikato District. 

The number of days to sell eased by one day 

compared to September 2017, from 35 days in 

September to 36 days in October. The number of 

days to sell eased by five days compared to October 

2016. Over the past 10 years the average number of 

days to sell during October for Waikato has been 

44 days. 

“Whilst sales volumes are down, activity in the 

market is somewhat encouraging particularly with 

the record median price this month. We have seen 

the delayed spring increase in listings, however, 

there is only just over three months’ supply available. 

Buyer demand is still evident and auction 

rooms in the city are still active. We expect the 

next month to be reasonably busy as we approach 

Christmas. There is a possibility that there might 

be some downwards price pressure as a knee-jerk 

reaction to the new Government but only time will 

tell. The New Year should see renewed activity and 

interest in Hamilton as Auckland struggles with the 

comparatively high median price.” Philip Searle, 

REINZ Regional Director. 

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. 

Hamilton City 

By Greg Petrin 

Rototuna branch manager 

Local market facts 

Sales 

October 


Sales 

October 

2016 

Under $200k* 0 2 

$200 - $299k* 1 8 

$300 - $399k* 26 42 

$400 - $499k* 69 75 

$500 - $599k* 56 54 

$600 - $699k* 44 45 

$700 - $999k* 16 32 

$800 - $999k* 18 14 

$1,000,000 - 

$1,999,999* 

7 6 

$2m+* 0 0 

Total number of sales* 237 278 

Median sale price* $535,000 $518,000 

Median days to sell* 32 32 

*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. 

J8903P 

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

VISIT www.eves.co.nz


PROPERTY COUNCIL NZ WAIKATO BRANCH AWARDS 

Property Council awards celebrate 

Waikato’s built environment 

Leafy subdivisions, modernist remodels 

and childcare centres were celebrated in 

November as the Waikato property industry 

gathered to recognise the projects and 

people building the region’s towns and 

cities. 

Awards were handed out 

in eight categories recognising 

outstanding 

urban design and construction 

as well as leadership and collaboration. 

ARROW INTERNATIONAL STEVEN 

ALSEMGEEST MEMORIAL YOUNG 

ACHIEVER AWARD – Jonathan Brown, 

BCD Group 

BNZ URBAN DESIGN AWARD – Stark 

Property for South Bloc 

STAPLES RODWAY BEST TEAM 

AWARD – Chedworth Properties and 

Greenhill Park project team 

RIDER LEVETT BUCKNALL 

PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL OF THE 

YEAR AWARD – Pete McLachlan, 

Cogswell Surveys 

Property Council Waikato 

branch president, Thomas Gibbons 

said the awards recognise 

those in the property industry 

who have demonstrated outstanding 

collaboration, urban 

development practice and leadership. 

“It’s the people that make 

PROPERTY COUNCIL NZ WAIKATO 

BRANCH 2017 WINNERS 

BECA WOMEN IN PROPERTY 

AWARD – Rebekah Kenny, Yeoman 

Homes 

FOSTER CONSTRUCTION 

OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP AWARD 

– Blair Currie, BCD Group 

HAWKINS CONSTRUCTION LONG 

SERVICE AWARD – Ross Hargood, 

Hawkins Construction 

PROPERTY COUNCIL WAIKATO 

JUDGES’ CHOICE AWARD – Waikato 

Federated Farmers Charitable Society for 

Curious Cubs Early Education Centre 

the region – and the people in 

property who are building, developing 

and revitalising our 

towns and cities. 

“It’s their commitment and 

passion that we’re here to celebrate 

tonight.” 

Industry veteran Ross Hargood 

of Hawkins Construction 

was the recipient of the Hawkins 

Construction Long Service 

Award for nearly 50 years 

of involvement in the property 

industry. Mr Hargood was noted 

for being a mentor and educator 

to many Waikato property 

professionals and his work 

introducing a customer-centric 

approach to Hamilton City 

Council’s consenting process. 

Pete McLachlan from Cogswell 

Surveys was awarded the 

Property Professional of the 

Year award for his involvement 

in Cambridge developments 

including St Kilda and 

Norfolk Downs which are really 

raising the bar. The judging 

panel viewed Mr McLachlan 

as always going the extra mile 

and continuously looking to 

refine processes to make them 

more efficient. 

Mr Gibbons says while the 

projects featured in the awards 

were varied, all winners 

demonstrated resilience in the 

face of challenge, an attitude 

of ongoing improvement and a 

passion for the Waikato region. 

“There’s some very special 

talent, and the winners tonight 

are only a small and select part 

of a prosperous and successful 

industry. What a great place to 

be!” 

MC Hamish McKay 

ACHIEVING 

BEST OUTCOMES 

Our services include: 

• Structural Engineering 

• Civil Engineering 

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If we can help you with your next project get in touch with us today! 

ADDRESS | 240 Tristram Street, Hamilton 3204 | PO Box 9421 Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240 

PHONE | 0508 BCD GROUP (223 47687) EMAIL | admin@bcdgroup.nz 

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Staples Rodway Best Team Award - Chedworth 

Properties and Greenhill Park Project Team. 

Fletcher Construction Judges’ Choice Award - 

Waikato Federated Farmers Charitable Society 

for Curious Cubs Early Education Centre. Graham 

Dwyer, Andrew McGiven, Doug Saunders. 

Arrow International Steven 

Alsemgeest Memorial Young Achiever 

of the Year - Jonathan Brown. 

BNZ Urban Design Award - 

Stark Property for South Bloc. 

Hawkins Construction 

Long Service Award 

- Ross Hargood. 

Foster Construction Outstanding 

Leadership Award - Blair Currie, 

BCD Group. 

Fletcher Construction Judges’ 

Choice Award - Curious Cubs 

Early Education Centre. 

Rider Levett Bucknall 

Property Professional of the 

Year Award - Pete McLachlan. 

Beca Women in Property Award 

- Rebekah Kenny, Yeoman Homes. 

Arrow International Steven 

Alsemgeest Memorial Young 

Achiever of the Year - Jonathan 

Brown of BCD Group 

Rider Levett Bucknall Property 

Professional of the Year Award - Pete 

McLachlan of Cogswell Surveys Ltd 

Staples Rodway Best Team Award - Chedworth 

Properties and Greenhill Park project team 

A NEW WAY OF LIVING 

Hamilton's newest suburb 

STAGE 3 SECTIONS 

SELLING NOW 

www.greenhillpark.co.nz 

J8744A



CENTRAL in Hamilton CITY Central 

LOCATION 

OPENING 2017 

PENING EARLY 2017 

Founders 

Theatre 

NOW OPEN 

wooden furniture, lots of light 

and our double height walls 

are covered in Autex to reduce 

noise and make the play spaces 

more comfortable for everyone 

to be in. We also transplanted 

a mature pohutakawa tree into 

our playground . 

The city centre is licensed 

for 80 children in three class- 

CENTRAL CITY LO 

for children to explore, learn rooms. While separate areas reciprocal relationships with 

Locally owned and operated 

Licensed for 80 children in three rooms 

High-quality ratios with qualifi ed teachers 

Nutritious meals provided 

and grow in. The interior play 

spaces are filled with natural 

are provided there will be 

many opportunities throughout 

children, parents and whanau 

are valued. 

OPENING EARLY 

Register your interest online 

at curiouscubs.co.nz 

facebook.com/curiouscubscity 

email jenni@curiouscubs.co.nz 

or phone 07 839 4130 

London Street 

Barton Street 

Victoria Street 

High quality care 

and education at 

Curious Cubs 

Curious Cubs City Early Learning Centre 

is an oasis within Hamilton’s CBD. 

Curious Cubs is committed 

to providing high 

quality care and education 

in a learning environment 

that stimulates and provokes 

children to investigate, nurturing 

their natural curiosity. 

When we designed our centre 

we wanted to create a natural 

and stimulating environment 

the day for children of all ages 

to play and interact together. 

This means siblings can learn 

and grow together 

Curious Cubs is committed 

to providing high quality child 

care and education in a learning 

environment that stimulates 

and encourages children 

to investigate, nurturing their 

natural curiosity. This environment 

is aesthetically pleasing 

and inspires children’s learning 

investigations. Responsive and 

rs 

Seddon Road 

Norton Road 

OUR NEW LOCATION 


Transport 

Centre 

Centre Place 

New Save 

Seddon Park 

Asian Fresh 

Supermarket 

High-quality ratios with qualifi 

The Warehouse 

ed teachers 

Nutritious meals Kmart provided 

Tristram Street 

Bryce Street 

Anglesea Street 

Licensed for 80 children in three rooms 

Ward Street 

Curious Cubs City Early Learning Centre: 150 Tristram Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 

Located up the driveway behind New Save Asian Fresh Supermarket. 

London Street 




email jenni@curiouscubs.co.nz 

or phone 07 839 4130 

Barton Street 

J3849A 

Victoria Street 

Road 

Seddon Park 

OUR NEW LOCATION 

Staples Rodway Waikato are proud 

Transport 

New Save 

Centre 

Centre Place 

to be one of the sponsors at the 

Asian Fresh 

Supermarket 

The Warehouse 

Property Council Hamilton Awards. 

Tristram Street 

Bryce Street 

Kmart 

Anglesea Street 

Ward Street 

ubs City Early Learning Centre: 150 Tristram Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 

Located up the driveway behind New Save Asian Fresh Supermarket. 

80402 

Congratulations to 

Chedworth Properties 

and Greenhill Park 

on their project. 

Level 4, BNZ Building, 354 Victoria Street, 

PO Box 9159, HAMILTON 3240 

PHONE: +64 7 834 6800 

www.srw.co.nz 

Founders 

Theatre 


Licensed for 80 children in three 

High-quality ratios with qualifi ed teac 

Nutritious meals provided 

London Street 




email jenni@curiouscubs.co.nz



Celebrating ‘the people 

that make the region’ 

The big players in the Waikato property 

industry gathered in November to 

recognise the projects and people 

building the region’s towns and cities. 

Waikato Farmers Trust award 

“a team effort” 

Winners of the PCNZ Judges Choice award, 

Waikato Farmers Trust (formerly Waikato 

Federated Farmers Charitable Society) 

credit the success of their building to an 

outstanding team of professionals and an 

excellent relationship between all parties. 

Project manager Greenstone Group, 

architects Edwards White and Chow Hill, 

and builder Commercial Construction 

worked seamlessly together to achieve the 

award-winning result. 

from interested parties can be directed to 

admin@wft.org.nz. 

Ongoing development of the London Street 

site is part of Waikato Farmers Trust’s vision 

to have a positive impact on the region, 

including the central city. The Trust aims 

to enhance the look and feel of their site 

and attract people to the area, ultimately 

providing support to both urban and rural 

Waikato communities. 

Congratulations to all the winners in the 

Property Council New Zealand 

“We are Waikato Awards 2017” 

Celebrating the success of the 

Waikato; those who came together to 

better our community through their 

work in the property industry. 

The winning building, tucked away 

at the rear of well-known Waikato 

Federated Farmers London Street site, was 

transformed from a neglected warehouse 

into a creative and inspiring Early 

Education Centre. The refurbished building 

is a modern space, innovatively designed to 

incorporate a flowering native Pohutakawa 

tree in the outdoor play area. Curious Cubs 

have brought a youthful energy and much 

needed amenity to the area, and the centre’s 

success has invigorated the site. 

The Waikato Farmers Trust site has recently 

expanded to include an adjacent property 

on Anglesea Street which is set to undergo 

similar high-quality redevelopment in 

2018. The ex AH Franks site has been 

cleared to make way for a new space, and its 

neighbouring building will be refurbished 

to accommodate a popular local retailer. 

Expressions of interest for this exciting 

new project are welcomed and enquires 

The Trust offers funding donations and 

sponsorship to rural communities with 

a focus on farming, education, and rural 

support services. Applications for funding 

are encouraged from both individuals and 

groups with the Waikato. 

Contact admin@wft.org.nz for funding 

details or further property information. 

Waikato Farmers Trust 

admin@wft.org.nz


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43 

Immigration New Zealand criticised 

in dismissal case 

EMPLOYMENT LAW 

A dismissal for most employees will usually 

cause significant stress and financial loss. 

For foreign workers, whose ability to remain 

in New Zealand is often dependent on their 

employment with a specified employer, the 

stakes are considerably higher. 

Not surprisingly, dependence 

on an employer 

for not just a job, but 

for the right to stay in New 

Zealand, means many foreign 

workers are vulnerable, and will 

often forego their legal rights 

just to stay on the right side of 

This case should 

serve as a strong 

warning to employers 

that dismissing a 

foreign worker by 

seeking cancellation 

of their visa, can be a 

costly, not to mention 

unethical, exercise. 

their employer. Regrettably, 

there are also many unscrupulous 

employers who exploit that 

vulnerability and also threaten 

employees that they will take 

steps to have their visas cancelled. 

In the case of Pandit v 

Swamy, Mr Pandit worked as 

a chef at the Satya restaurant 

in Mount Eden Auckland from 

April 2013 to September 2016. 

Mr Swamy recruited Mr Pandit 

for the role after an interview 

in India in late 2012. Mr Pandit 

had three consecutive work 

visas issued between 2013 and 

2016. The latest of these work 

visas was issued on 13 April 

2016 with an expiry date of 

April 2018. 

Mr Pandit left New Zealand 

on September 21, 2016 for an 

extended period of leave in India, 

visiting his wife and child. 

He was due to return to New 

Zealand on January 5, 2017 and 

continue working in the restaurant 

and intended bringing his 

wife and child with him to live 

in New Zealand. 

However, on November 2, 

while Mr Pandit was still in India, 

Mr Swamy sent and email 

to Immigration New Zealand 

(INZ), asking them to cancel Mr 

Pandit’s visa. The email alleged, 

based on an unsubstantiated rumour 

it appears, that Mr Pandit 

had manipulated the results of a 

diabetes test to pass a medical 

test for his visa. Mr Swamy’s 

email also stated he had heard 

that Mr Pandit’s wife had been 

operated on and that Mr Pandit 

did not want to disclose her 

medical condition. The email 

concluded with… “based on 

this information, we request to 

terminate his visa as we will 

not be employing him further”. 

Mr Swamy also asked that his 

email be kept anonymous and 

to be advised when action had 

been taken. 

In a second email the following 

day, Mr Swamy advised 

INZ that “…Mr Babu Pandit’s 

employment is terminated due 

to the reasons provided.” Mr 

Nathan Fu from INZ asked Mr 

Swamy for a signed letter confirming 

the information provided, 

which Mr Swamy provided 

on November 4 and which also 

stated “… we would therefore 

wish to terminate his services.” 

Mr Fu from INZ then 

emailed a letter to Mr Pandit in 

India on November 7, simply 

stating he had been advised he 

was no longer working for Satya 

restaurant, his visa would therefore 

be cancelled and he was 

given until November 14 to 

comment. Mr Fu also informed 

another INZ colleague of the 

situation, who took immediate 

steps to put a border alert in 

place which would prevent Mr 

Pandit from boarding any plane 

bound for New Zealand. 

INZ’s letter made no mention 

of Mr Swamy’s allegations 

and Mr Pandit said during the 

Authority investigation that 

he did no receive this email. 

He did, however, receive an 

emailed letter on November 

16 which informed him his visa 

had been cancelled. 

During the Authority’s investigation, 

it found that Mr 

> BY ERIN BURKE 

Employment lawyer and director at Practica Legal 

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

Pandit had taken a diabetes 

test when applying for his visa 

which had shown elevated 

blood sugar levels, requiring 

him to take retake the test eight 

weeks later. Mr Pandit’s GP 

recommended changes to Mr 

Pandit’s diet, exercise and iron 

supplement tablets. Mr Pandit 

followed his GP’s recommendations 

and took the diabetes 

test eight weeks later and the 

results were satisfactory. 

With regards to Mr Pandit’s 

wife, it transpired that although 

she underwent surgery for a hernia 

in 2009, she had not had surgery 

since then and there did not 

appear to be any evidence that 

Mr Pandit was failing to disclose 

any required information. 

In a determination dated 10 

November 2017, the Authority 

was understandably critical of 

both Mr Swamy and INZ’s conduct 

in this matter. Mr Swamy 

appeared to have either directly 

or indirectly dismissed an 

employee, without any process 

or justification, by making unfounded 

allegations to INZ and 

by requesting INZ to cancel Mr 

Pandit’s visa. The Authority ordered 

that Mr Pandit be awarded 

$18,465 net in lost remuneration 

and $15,000 for hurt and 

humiliation. Mr Pandit was also 

invited to seek costs. 

The Authority does not have 

the jurisdiction to take any action 

regarding INZ’s conduct, 

however, the decision was critical 

of INZ for failing to make 

sufficient attempts to verify Mr 

Swamy’s allegations against 

Mr Pandit, failing to take steps 

to ensure Mr Pandit had received 

the November 7 letter 

before proceeding to cancel his 

visa and failing to include Mr 

Swamy’s allegations for Mr 

Pandit to respond to. 

This case should serve as a 

strong warning to employers 

that dismissing a foreign worker 

by seeking cancellation of their 

visa, can be a costly, not to mention 

unethical, exercise. 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas 

“Christmas is around the 

corner”, bet you’ve heard 

a lot of that recently. So, 

what is your business doing 

about it? If your business does 

not have anything planned for 

your clients over this festive 

season then it’s not too late, 

you may still have a chance. 

All you need is a flux capacitor, 

a DeLorean, and some 

form of guide that contains 

time tried and tested collateral 

which gives you an advantage 

over your competition 

and helps you win… more 

business. 

There are so many things 

that you can give to loyal customers 

to further strengthen 

your relationship with them. 

From Christmas cards to 

Christmas hampers and tickets 

to super awesome holiday 

events or holidays, the possibilities 

are endless. So how do 

you decide? 

If you are a service provider 

think of how you can incorporate 

Christmas into your 

services. For example, if you 

are a cleaning company, you 

MARKETING MATTERS 

> BY MEHRDAD BEHROOZI 

Mehrdad (Merv) Behroozi is general manager of Hamilton graphic 

design and web development company E9. Phone: 07 838 1188 

Email: merv@e9.nz 

could do a special post-Christmas 

oven cleaning offer for 

those of us who “made” a 

roast. Or, you could offer a 

pre-Christmas home clean because 

nobody wants the rest 

of their family to see how they 

really live! 

If you are a retailer you 

could offer free gift wrapping. 

Or you could give your store a 

Christmas feel by theming the 

uniforms, décor, and greeting 

to something more Christmassy. 

The one thing you should 

not do, is play ambient Christmas 

music. Research shows it 

really bothers a large number 

of people resulting in them 

cutting down on their shopping 

times. That means fewer 

sales for you. 

The most important thing 

to remember about a gift or 

reward you give to your loyal 

customers is that it should 

have value for them. It should 

be something they will use regularly. 

This ensures that your 

marketing spend goes further 

because your brand is always 

in the mind of your customer. 

For example, a branded box of 

delicious chocolates may last 

approximately 1.67 minutes 

in my home and at the end of 

that the empty box is binned. 

But an annual diary or writing 

pad is going to last much 

longer and every time I see it, 

it’s going to remind me of the 

business. 

You could, for example, 

provide clients with a branded 

calendar with important dates 

for their industry pre-marked 

into it. You could mark the 

calendar with days when your 

business is going to be open 

while others are going to be 

shut. Or days on which you 

are open for longer or shorter. 

The possibilities are endless, 

just as long as you understand 

what your customer really 

wants and how you can use 

Christmas and New Year to 

get into their minds and hearts. 

Of course, if you find yourself 

confused and frustrated 

by decision making then 

there is nothing better than a 

gift card. Give your customer 

a gift card because research 

shows that 61 percent of gift 

card holders spend more than 

the amount of the card! 

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The Drug Detection Agency 

New TDDA home a 

testament to success 

When your business grows dramatically 

you have to make bold decisions, says The 

Drug Detection Agency’s Waikato owner 

Graeme Smith as he inspects high-impact 

fresh signage on his new headquarters 

in one of Hamilton’s busiest commercial 

streets. 

By ANDREA FOX 

It’s been two years since 

Graeme and his wife Leona 

bought the national 

workplace drug and alcohol 

testing service’s Waikato-Coromandel 

franchise along 

with its former base in Euclid 

Avenue, and the rapid growth 

of the business has demanded a 

move to a bigger building just 

a few doors up. 

TDDA’s new centre at 27 

Euclid Avenue isn’t just a great 

improvement for today’s clients 

and staff - it was also chosen 

with tomorrow in mind, 

says Graeme. 

With two purpose-built, 

self-contained testing units for 

POLICY DESIGN 

workers who need to satisfy 

prospective or current employers 

on their drug or alcohol-use 

status, plus provision for TD- 

DA’s fleet of six mobile testing 

vans and ample client parking, 

TDDA’s modern new home is 

testimony to its success supporting 

the efforts of greater 

Waikato and Coromandel 

employers to create drug-free 

work environments. 

Importantly for Graeme, the 

new headquarters has plenty 

of room to further grow client 

services and staff. There is 

space to roll in one of TDDA’s 

mobile accredited testing vans 

to make a third testing room 

in the building at busy times. 

And for more desks for future 

testing, training and administration 

staff, whose numbers 

have already more than doubled 

to 14. 

That TDDA’s Waikato service, 

the biggest operation of 

its kind in the greater region, 

along with the TDDA national 

business, is headed for further 

growth is in no doubt, says 

Graeme. 

The day Waikato Business 

News visited the new Euclid 

Avenue headquarters, his entire 

mobile testing fleet had 

been on the road at the invitation 

of employer/clients, with 

a record number of tests conducted 

on that single day. 

Graeme plans to add another 

vehicle to the fleet soon, a 

$90,000 investment decision 

not taken lightly. 

He says the two years have 

flown since he and his wife 

bought the TDDA Waikato-Coromandel 

business, 

which serves corporate and 

residential clients from the top 

of the Coromandel Peninsula 

and Tuakau, south of Auckland 

deep down into the King Country 

and south Waikato. 

For commerce and organisations, 

TDDA offers a com- 

Having a fair and effective Drug and Alcohol Policy in the workplace is 

at the core of creating a quality drug-testing regime. This is the start of 

creating a drug-free environment. 

It is now commonplace for companies to have a drug and alcohol policy. 

However like any company policy the Drug and Alcohol Policy should 

be reviewed as new cases are brought before the Employment Courts 

bringing with them new decisions and requirements relating to drug testing 

in the workplace. 

TDDA is recognised as the industry leader in on-site workplace drug and 

alcohol testing. TDDA has seen many of the pitfalls companies have 

fallen into from not heeding expert advice and rushing into testing their 

employees without sound advice from the experts. 

TDDA has been involved with a large number of Australasian companies 

implementing drug and alcohol policies into their workplace. 

TDDA offers a turn-key program which allows your company to become 

drug free and a safer workplace. TDDA will tailor your policy to meet your 

company's specific needs and requirements. 

TDDA helps you to send a clear message to employees about the 

purpose of the drug screening programme with assurances that it will 

be administered fairly. We work with you throughout the process, from 

policy design through referral to making available an Employee Assistance 

programme. Comprehensive on-site Drug and Alcohol Training and 

education packages are available for both employees and management. 

plete service package from 

creating a drug and alcohol 

workplace policy with employers, 

to staff training and 

drug and alcohol testing. Tests 

can be conducted at the workplace 

to minimise disruption, 

either randomly or in line with 

the employers’ policy, or, depending 

on a testee’s location, 

if more convenient, at Euclid 

Avenue. 

Graeme: “What we do is 

run drug and alcohol management 

plans for an employer. 

This is all about creating a safe 

environment for everyone.” 

Workplace drug testing has 

proved to be an effective tool 

to prevent workplace accidents 

as increasingly tougher 

legislation is rolled out which 

demands a duty of care by 

employers to all staff, and the 

safety of the public, he says. 

“But you have to have the 

policy right. If you don’t know 

what you’re doing, things can 

move rapidly from a simple 

question (of an employee) to a 

personal grievance. 

“I always say my job has 

two very distinct parts – to 

keep the workplace safe and 

keep employers out of the 

courtroom. If you have people 

who fail drug tests you have 

essentially identified a potential 

risk and you have to act on 

this. It’s vitally important that 

you follow the correct process 

and that you’re aware of the 

latest case law to avoid ending 

up in the employment court.” 

When an employer client’s 

prospective or current staff 

come into TDDA’s new Euclid 

Avenue base, or undergo 

testing in a mobile testing van, 

TDDA new operations 

manager Tracy Henderson. 

they can expect to be tested 

in line with their company’s 

policy requirements and to 

the IANZ Accredited Standard 

AS/NZS 4308:2008. 

Graeme says most tests 

are conducted via urine samples. 

Some clients require oral 

swabs to be taken. Demand 

for analysis of hair strands is 

also on the increase – from employers 

and courts considering 

child custody cases. 

REVIEW: TDDA will assist in reviewing any current Drug and Alcohol policy 

to ensure its relevance in today’s environment of ever changing legislation 

and case law. 

DEVELOP: No two workplaces are the same and your Drug and Alcohol 

policy needs to reflect who you are as an organisation. We develop 

policies to fit your specific needs and those of your workforce. 

CONSULTATION: TDDA assists our clients in any policy consultation as 

required. Having our expertise on hand during the process is worth its 

weight in gold and will save you valuable time and money. 

CREATION: TDDA have the relevant knowledge and networks in workplace 

health and safety (WHS) to create a Drug and Alcohol policy, tailored 

specifically for your organisation. 

GRAEME SMITH - GENERAL MANAGER 0274 881 364 | 07 850 5056 | graeme.smith@tdda.com


Creating drug-free environments 

45 

What clients say: 

Ullrich Aluminium has been using the services of The Drug Detection Agency (TDDA) in Australia 

now for 2.5 years. Prior to that we have been using TDDA in our New Zealand operations as 

well. I have been delighted with the service that has been provided to us at the various locations 

throughout Queensland, NSW and Victoria where we have undertaken testing. 

Services have included on-site testing at a number of our work sites. In addition, on-site followup 

testing has been undertaken with a number of employees who have returned positive results 

from the initial testing. Drug testing continues to be a dynamic area of the health and safety 

industry. New drugs and therefore testing technology and devices are evolving at a faster rate 

than previously. One of the bonuses of using TDDA has been the provision of accurate advice 

and on-going assistance of a technical nature prior to testing and ongoing. 

TDDA keep in regular contact with me and keep me updated on the latest drugs information and 

trends. This has helped to keep our policy up-to-date and relevant to what is happening in the 

field. I would have no hesitation in recommending TDDA to any prospective company thinking of 

using their services 

Lynn Hart, National OHS Supervisor, Ullrich Aluminium 

On behalf of the Otara Social Workers in attendance at the TDDA presentation I would like to 

share our utmost thanks and appreciation for the valued information shared. 

Colleagues stated “powerful information that captured us throughout the time frame given”; “it 

was one of the best presentations we have had to date”; “awesome delivery and use of short 

sharp to the point video clips”; “highly relevant to the job we do”; provided knowledge insight 

and understanding of “drug experiences” happening for the youth and parents whom we engage 

with in our community”. We felt that the presentation and delivery of the information using the 

data show appealed to those of us who learnt best with the use of visual aids; and in terms of 

audio delivery, it was very clear that you have developed a strong interest and passion in this field 

of expertise and you enjoy sharing your knowledge, skills and experiences pertinent to the topic. 

The folder containing the information appealed to our staff because it is portable, contains 

the relevant information from the presentation and leaves room for other resources. Our 

congratulations and appreciative thanks on a brilliant professional presentation and we wish you 

well for the future. 

Jeanette North, Response Coordinator, Child, Youth and Family 

About us: The Drug Detection Agency 

The Drug Detection 

Agency (TDDA) is 

Australasia’s complete 

solution provider 

for all workplace drug 

policy, education and testing 

needs. Our end-to-end services 

provide our clients with a level 

of comfort in relation to creating 

a safer workplace together. 

TDDA started in 2005, 

and was conceived in order to 

supply a specialised service 

to companies that were conducting 

workplace drug and 

alcohol testing or looking at 

doing so within their own organisation. 

In March 2008, the Standard 

AS/NZS 4308:2008 was 

released after TDDA had submitted 

public comment in 

respect of on-site screening. 

Over the ensuing years TDDA 

worked diligently to ensure 

compliance to the drug testing 

Standard and in August 2010 

became the first workplace 

drug testing company in New 

Zealand to have received International 

Accreditation of New 

Zealand (IANZ) ISO 15189 

accreditation to the AS/NZS 

4308:2008 drug testing Standard. 

Proving our dedication 

and quality to our customers, 

TDDA went on to have each 

of our 20 offices around New 

Zealand independently accredited 

by IANZ under ISO 

15189. Making TDDA the 

only truly nationally accredited 

organisation throughout 

New Zealand. 

In 2011, after strong demand 

from our clients to have 

the same high quality service 

for their Trans Tasman operations, 

TDDA expanded into 

Australia. To ensure we met 

our clients expectations TDDA 

worked hard to replicate our 

systems and processes and 

were pleased to announce 

gaining further accreditation 

from the National Association 

of Testing Authorities (NATA) 

within our Australian operations. 

This has been significant 

for both TDDA and our clients, 

as we are now the only New 

Zealand and Australian drug 

testing provider to have received 

accreditation from both 

IANZ and NATA respectively 

for both AS/NZS 4308:2008 

(NZ, Aus) and AS 4760-2006 

(Aus) drug testing Standards. 

TDDA now comprises 40 

branches throughout Australia 

and New Zealand with specialist 

on-site testing vehicles 

and qualified collecting and 

screening staff providing a truly 

international service. 

Our team is extremely 

knowledgeable about the illicit 

drug industry and its negative 

effects. With over 10 years of 

operation TDDA has forged an 

excellent reputation with our 

clients through our world-class 

services. 

When you deal with TDDA 

you can be confident you are 

getting services that offer superior 

methodology, an adaptable 

attitude, people who genuinely 

care about what they do 

and internationally recognised 

standards of quality. 

27 Euclid Ave, Te Rapa, Hamilton | Bookings email: waikato@tdda.com | www.tdda.com


The Drug Detection Agency 

Peter L. Green 

Builder LBP 105257 

New Builds 

Commercial Maintenance & Fitouts 

FROM FRAMEWORK TO FAUCETS 

WE’LL MAKE YOUR BUILDING 

PROJECT A SUCCESS 

PROUD TO SUPPORT PETER 

GREEN BUILDERS AND THE 

TDDA RE-FURBISHMENT 

M: 027 493 8500 | A/Hrs: 839 3960 | F: 839 4960 

27 Lake Domain Drive, Hamilton 3204 

E: peterleo.green@xtra.co.nz 

S4639C 

Trends car audio and Te Rapa Auto Electrical now 

sharing a home at 31 Euclid off Te Rapa road 

HEAVY TRUCK AND MACHINERY REPAIRS 

The latest offerings and best advice in car/marine audio. 

The latest state of the art scanning and diagnostic equipment. 

Injector testing and cleaning services. 

MTA, AA and Bosch approved. 

FINANCE AVAILABLE 

31 Euclid Avenue 

Corner of Euclid & Norris Ave, Hamilton 3200 

P: 07 849 4314 

www.terapaautoelectrical.co.nz 

www.trendshamilton.co.nz 

We wish Graeme & the team all 

the best in their new premises 

745 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton 

07 849 9999 

accounts@dmlnz.co.nz 

S8747C 

Graeme Smith - general manager 0274 881 364 | 07 850 5056 | graeme.smith@tdda.com

Eureka smoothies strike gold 

at enterprise awards 


47 

Enterprising Waikato secondary school 

students will wing their way to Wellington in 

December after striking gold at the Waikato- 

King Country Young Enterprise Scheme 

(YES) Annual Awards in October. 

Zalamero Eureka Smoothies, 

a business launched 

by students from Westmount 

School in Eureka, was 

named Wintec Company of 

the Year 2017 at the business 

competition where they were 

up against more than 200 enterprising 

Year 12 and 13 students. 

YES Waikato-King Country 

co-ordinator Levinia Paku, of 

Smart Waikato Trust, said Zalamero 

impressed judges across 

every area of the competition, 

including at a Dragon’s Den 

event, Trade Fair and with an 

annual business review. 

“Zalamero has been an 

outstanding performer in this 

year’s competition and YES national 

headquarters has selected 

them as the best from Waikato. 

We are excited to see how 

they will do at nationals against 

other schools from throughout 

New Zealand,” Levinia said. 

The calibre of this year’s 

entries, ranging from sports 

recovery kits and smart phone 

study app to a road code board 

game and juice shots, was high, 

according to Levinia. 

“These awards reflect very 

talented young entrepreneurs 

we have here in Waikato. Teams 

are not only thinking outside the 

square to develop unique products, 

they are working hard to 

fulfil the requirements of running 

a successful business,” she 

said. 

Students participating in 

The Lion Foundation Young 

Enterprise Scheme set up and 

operate their own businesses, 

creating, promoting, and selling 

a product or service, conducting 

market research, planning, budgeting, 

taking and managing 

risk and turning problems into 

challenges. 

YES helps students develop 

knowledge in operating a small 

business, team building, rela- 

tionship management, meeting 

procedures, record keeping, the 

legal requirements for running a 

business, and the process of reporting 

company performance. 

Its value is far-reaching, providing 

students with skills to 

equip them for life after school. 

The YES experience also adds 

depth to a resume when seeking 

employment. 

Awards guest speaker and 

GrabOne and Torpedo 7 founder 

Guy Howard-Willis encour- 

1 

aged the students in their entrepreneurial 

efforts. 

He encouraged them to envisage 

themselves, and their 

achievements, at aged 65. 

Zalamero will go on to compete 

in national awards in Wellington 

on December 6. 

YES is sponsored in Waikato 

by Wintec, Te Wananga o 

Aotearoa, the University of 

Waikato, Foster Construction, 

Waikato Chambers of Commerce, 

Cambridge Chamber 

of Commerce, EMA Waikato, 

Waikato Business News and 

Stafford Industries. 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

1. Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Excellence in 

Communications Award; Wintec Company of the Year Winner, 

Westmount School Eureka (Zalamero Eureka Smoothies). 

2. Foster Construction Innovation Award, St Peter’s School 

Cambridge (Kaha Recovery sports recovery pack). 

3. University of Waikato Leader of the Year Award Ashton 

McDonald, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls. 

4. Te Wananga o Aotearoa Third Place and Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Financial Management Award, Matamata College 

(SWOT smart phone study app). 

5. Gallagher Commitment Award, Hauraki Plains College (Joos 

concentrated juice shots). 

7 

8 

9 

6. Stafford Industries Runner Up, Waikato 

Diocesan School for Girls (Get n Gear road code 

board game). 

7. Waikato Business News Sales and Marketing 

and Best Trade Fair Presence, Hamilton Girls’ 

High School (Eek organic face masks). 

8. Smart Waikato Best Trade Fair Presence 

Award Hamilton Girls’ High School (Eek 

organic face masks). 

9. EMA Waikato High Growth Potential, Hamilton 

Girls’ High School (Uluna inflatable pillows).


Part of the family for over 40 y 

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New Shipment just arrived! 

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

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

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on-road Mazda costs Finance and the offer cost of available any accessories. for sales The of Recommended new Mazda Passenger Retail Price vehicles (RRP) plus before a $463 and Establishment inclusive Fee of the are 30th then financed September and paid 2017, over on 48 payment equal to th 

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offers on the are published based Recommended on the published Retail Recommended Pricing effective Retail 1st November Pricing effective 2017. This 1st Mazda July 2017. Finance This offer Mazda is only Finance available offer with UDC is only Finance available Limited with and UDC subject Finance 

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CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES 


Coopers makes meetings easy 

Meetings, conferences, and events of all 

shapes are made easy at Coopers Function 

Centre at Mystery Creek. 

Under the new management 

of Sonya 

and Darryl Anderson, 

Coopers was re-opened for 

business earlier this year, and 

is a welcome re-addition to the 

conference venue offering in 

the region. 

When the Andersons set 

about planning the future of 

this stunning Waikato venue, a 

top priority quickly emerged - 

to make meetings, conference 

and events easy. 

“Communication is key,” 

says Sonya Anderson. 

“It’s about listening to our 

clients, being responsive, offering 

solutions, checking in, 

and delivering on what we 

promise.” 

Coopers’ clients are kept 

well informed every step of the 

way from the initial inquiry, 

through the quoting process, 

event planning, and final event 

delivery. A simple meeting of 

10 people is afforded the same 

level of care as a conference 

for 150 guests. 

The Coopers’ team recognise 

that often the person who 

has arranged the conference or 

meeting is back in the office on 

the day of the event. To ensure 

their peace of mind that everything 

is going well, Sonya 

or one of the team will send a 

quick email to say that guests 

have arrived, are settled in and 

the event is underway. 

With an expansive background 

in event management 

and marketing, including managing 

a “glamping” conference 

for more than 400 corporates, 

stencilling a company logo on 

sheep for a rural conference, 

and coordinating a wedding 

for 800 guests, Sonya is a passionate 

advocate of the philosophy 

that anything is possible. 

That same “yes we can” 

attitude is shared by Coopers’ 

preferred caterer Wildtribe Catering. 

Owned and managed by 

former Domaine restaurateur 

Jeff Dunstan, the Wildtribe 

team has fitted right in with 

Coopers’ clients. 

“We really enjoy seeing the 

food presented by Wildtribe go 

out to our clients,” said Darryl 

Anderson. 

“Everything they do is with 

passion and flair and we love 

the fact they make everything 

from scratch.” 

Coopers’ clients 

are kept well 

informed every step 

of the way from the 

initial inquiry, through 

the quoting process, 

event planning, and 

final event delivery. 

As a venue, Coopers is easy 

to like. It has a contemporary 

venue vibe complemented 

by distinctive Kiwi countryside 

ambience and Waikato 

River views. 

Stepping through the 

wooden entrance doors into a 

warm and inviting foyer area, 

Coopers’ guests are instantly 

taken by the fantastic rural 

backdrop, which is beautifully 

captured by floor to ceiling 

windows in the main function 

area. 

The main function room 

can be divided into two meeting 

spaces and the large cov- 

ered deck area with stunning 

views provides a beautiful 

outdoor alternative for morning 

and afternoon tea breaks, 

lunch or pre-dinner drinks. 

Designed with quality in 

mind, Coopers has the versatility 

to host a wide range of 

event options and is the perfect 

setting for meetings, team 

building events, board meetings, 

presentations, product 

launches, conferences, gala 

dinners, and everything in between. 

With the bonus of complimentary 

parking and an abundance 

of beautifully maintained 

lawn and garden areas, 

there are great options to host 

outdoor break-out sessions 

and activities. 

“Coopers ticks all the boxes 

and is an easy venue choice 

to make. We are looking forward 

to the New Year and 

hosting a wide range of events 

in our special venue.” 

Impressive EVENTS 

Impressive LOCATION 

A multi-functional event space featuring the latest technology, natural light, and stunning views. 

Coopers makes the perfect conference, meeting or team building destination, and effortlessly 

transforms into a sophisticated venue for gala dinners and corporate celebrations. 

25 Angus Road, Ohaupo, Waikato | Contact Sonya Anderson 021 887 354 

coopersfunctioncentre@gmail.com | www.coopers-functions.co.nz



The newly refurbished T.D.O. Restaurant & Bar is the talk of the town. The new owners took over earlier 

this year and have breathed a long-awaited breath of fresh air into the famous Dinsdale establishment. 

Head chef Ritesh Lal has created a delicious and varied menu catering for all tastes. 

OPENING HOURS: 8AM WEEKDAYS AND 9AM WEEKENDS 

The breakfast menu is hard to beat with prices from $10 to the full T.D.O. grill at $15 - this includes your 

choice of a free hot drink. And the good news is the new summer menu has arrived including T.D.O. 

classic burgers and pizzas - and for the pre-summer health-conscious, a wide selection of fresh and tasty 

salads are available. As for evening diners, T.D.O. will wow even the toughest critics – pan roasted salmon 

and crispy topped pork belly are sure to impress all-comers. 

THURSDAY, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY - FREE DIAL-A-DRIVER SERVICE AND COURTESY VAN 

AVAILABLE FOR LIMITED AREAS. JUST REMEMBER TO BOOK FOR GROUPS OF MORE 

THAN SIX PEOPLE. FREE PICK UP AND DROP OFF IN HAMILTON AREA (CONDITIONS APPLY) 

T.D.O. also caters for groups, from large corporate Christmas parties to smaller intimate get-togethers. 

Wednesday quiz night has established a large following with fantastic prices. All sports events shown live 

on the big screen. There’s an outdoor beer garden bar area with pool table and also a great gaming area 

for those who like a flutter on the pokies. 

T.D.O. CATERS FOR EVERY OCCASION, SO COME IN AND SEE FOR YOURSELF. 

ALL INQUIRIES PHONE OUR FRIENDLY STAFF ON 07 847 4474 

The Dinsdale Office - 45 Whatawhata Road, Dinsdale Shopping Centre, Hamilton 

P: 07 847 4474 | E: tdohamilton@hotmail.com | www.thedinsdaleoffice.co.nz



51 

Celebrate the year at Te Rapa Racecourse 

Corporate packages for end of year 

functions have sold quickly but your business 

doesn’t have to miss out on Waikato’s 

biggest racing event of the year. There are 

still some terrific opportunities for end of year 

outings at Te Rapa Racecourse’s SKYCITY 

Hamilton Waikato Cup. 

A 

week later, Christmas at 

the Races provides another 

great opportunity 

to treat the work team or to get 

some friends together and soak 

up the action. 

SKYCITY Hamilton Waikato 

Cup 2017 – December 16 

The Lodge Northern Marquee 

Village 

Enjoy all the atmosphere 

of the race day from your own 

dedicated, private marquee. 

The Marquee Village is located 

on the raised northern lawn 

with views over the birdcage 

and down the home straight 

and for $160 per head provides 

admission, easy access to 

betting facilities, a buffet luncheon 

and access to the cash 

bar. 

WildTribe Catering’s famous 

sliders and loaded fries complete 

with a beverage package. 

Steeds and Melodies 

The Steeds and Melodies 

Party Zone is a premium general 

admission area perfect 

for a more casual corporate 

get together or social club 

outing. The package features 

entertainment from Coup de 

Ville, Coral and DJ Jake Osbourne. 

Steeds and Melodies 

features a pristine view of the 

home straight so you can see 

the horses thundering past, access 

to awesome food trucks, 

bar and betting facilities and 

entertainment that continues 

once the races are over. 

Christmas at the Races 

2017 – December 23 

package includes admission, 

racebook and pen, reserved 

tables for 10, a three course 

buffet lunch and beverage 

package for the entire day as 

well as close access to betting 

facilities. 

Christmas on the Lawn 

If you’re looking for something 

a little more relaxed, for 

just $160 a group you can reserve 

an outdoor picnic/BBQ 

table and umbrella for up to 

eight people on the lawn close 

to the winning post and the 

birdcage. 

Racegoers having fun at the New Zealand 

Red Cross Corporate Luncheon. 

The Garden Bar 

The Garden Bar provides 

a reserved outdoor table and 

umbrella for eight people on 

the lawn overlooking the home 

straight. For $145 per person 

the package includes admission, 

premier viewing of the 

birdcage and Fashion in the 

Field, a racebook and pen, 

private betting facilities and 

Santa’s Lounge 

A great option is Santa’s 

Lounge where you can enjoy 

a premium experience from 

the exclusive surroundings of 

the newly completed Fosters 

Lounge. The new facility on 

the top floor of the main grandstand 

has sweeping views 

across the track and outside 

decks. The $250 per person 

SKYCITY Hamilton Waikato 

Cup 2016 attendees. 

Bridgette O’Sullivan, Sam Cane, Michiko Hylands (Fashion in 

the Fields Judges at the SKYCITY Hamilton Waikato Cup 2016). 

SATURDAY 

16 DECEMBER 

HOSPITALITY 

PACKAGES 

ON SALE 

NOW! 

Waikato Racing Club 

SATURDAY 

23 DECEMBER 

www.teraparacing.co.nz



Packages 

FROM 

$46+GST * 

per person 

Free tickets to Bryan 

Adams at ASB 

where the Waikato’s 

best teams meet 

The ASB Baypark team has a festive 

gift offer for the 2018 New Year concert 

programme. If you book a full day catered 

event at the ASB Baypark complex with a 

minimum of 20 attendees before December 

15, you could receive two complimentary 

tickets for the legendary Bryan Adams Live 

concert on January 5. 

Bryan Adams 

Bring out the best in your team by bringing your next off-site meeting to 

FMG Stadium Waikato. We’ve got meeting packages available to suit teams 

from 20 to 350 people, and our staff have the skills and experience to make 

sure you get the result you’re after. 

The Day Delegate Package is $46 + gst per person and includes: 

Room hire and set up | Arrival tea and coffee | Morning and afternoon tea 

Working lunch | On-site parking | Free WiFi for all delegates 

For more information or to book contact us on 0800 H3 GROUP or 

email Julia.Heathcote@h3group.co.nz 

*Terms and conditions apply, please see website for full terms and conditions. 

fmgstadiumwaikato.co.nz 

As you would expect, 

tickets for Bryan Adams 

Live are very limited 

for this promotional offer, so 

if you are considering a booking 

for 2018, a swift decision 

before December 15 may well 

secure you two tickets and an 

early start to your concert-going 

year. 

It is essential that you mention 

the above promotion when 

making a booking. 

Going to press, only a limited 

amount of places are available 

for the ASB Baypark Summer 

Christmas Party on Friday, 

December 1. 

Step into our summer 

Christmas festivities and feel 

the heat, and party with Shane 

Cortese & The 8 Track Band, 

who are returning to fire up the 

dance floor for the evening. 

Individual tickets or tables 

of 10 are available at a cost of 

$95 per head, which includes 

an exquisite Christmas banquet 

with wine on the table. A cash 

bar is also available. 

If a night of live comedy en- 

tertainment is to your taste, then 

the ever popular 7 Days Live 

TV team are returning to the 

ASB Arena Lion Foundation 

Theatre for another side-splitting 

evening of impromptu 

comedy routines on December 

14. Tickets are available from 

Ticketek 

Downtime Entertainment 

are once again fulfilling car 

enthusiasts’ Christmas wishes 

with the Summer Jam event in 

the ASB Baypark main carpark. 

Earlier this year Downtime 

Entertainment had their 

inaugural Winter Jam, which 

draw a huge crowd of over 

6000, who all thoroughly 

enjoyed the concept of 

custom car displays, trade 

shows and organised burnout 

competitions. 

The Summer Jam is being 

held on December 23 and we 

are expecting it to surpass the 

numbers attracted to Winter 

Jam, judging by the amount of 

positive feedback. Tickets are 

available in Eventfinda or at 

ASB Baypark. 

The iconic Bay Dreams music 

festival hits Baypark on January 

1, with a Pre-Party leading 

on to the main event on January 

2, 2018. 

Huge crowds will no doubt 

enjoy this premium New Zealand 

music festival with another 

fantastic lineup of International 

artists. Tickets are available 

from theticketfairy.com. Don’t 

miss New Zealand’s largest 

summer festival. 

Looking ahead to Saturday 

January 27, ASB Baypark is 

also excited to announce the 

return of the V8 Jetsprint boats 

to the main stadium. Tickets are 

available online from Eventfinda 

or at ASB Baypark. Tickets 

are moving quickly and special 

corporate box packages 

are available, but already there 

are only a limited number of 

boxes still available. Move 

quickly to secure a premium 

view of this unique event and 

experience the thrill of Jetsprint 

racing at ASB Baypark. Contact: 

events@bayvenues.co.nz 

07-577-8560 x 6118 

SOMETHING DIFFERENT 

FOR yOuR NExT EvENT? 

With great food and coffee and an interesting space, 

Hamilton Airport is a great venue for your next 

business meeting or event. 

Email admin@hamiltonairport.co.nz to find out more. 

www.hamiltonairport.co.nz



53 

Exceptional 

Luxury Journey 

An exceptional journey 

requires an exceptional 

company. Reliable premier 

luxury transport with great 

care taken. 

Start your journey with us. 

Door to door service. 

027 277 9581 or 027 560 4838 

info@ptt.nz 

www.platinumtransferstours.co.nz 

S5996C



YOUR DESTINATION FOR ALL YOUR FUNCTIONS, AFTER WORK 

DRINKS OR JUST A CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE 

The Helm is and always will be 

Hamiltons Hospitality destination 

07 839 2545 

22 Ulster Street, Hamilton 

Email Us info@thehelm.co.nz 

Open: 

Monday - Friday, 12pm - Late 

Saturday - Sunday, 11am - Late


BNZ economist upbeat on economic prospects 

55 

Strong fundamentals in New Zealand’s 

economy mean despite any uncertainty 

generated by the election, prospects 

remain promising for growth rates that 

would still be the envy of many developed 

nations around the world. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

BNZ’s head economist 

Doug Steel had an upbeat 

view of the economic 

landscape over the coming 

season for agri-business 

professionals and farmers at 

this year’s KPMG agri-business 

seminar. 

His outlook came as the 

government started to reveal 

its varied policy plans for the 

economy. 

Much of that upbeat view 

was also being driven by the 

engine room of provinces including 

Waikato and Bay of 

Plenty as primary products, 

with the exception of wool, all 

record values higher than they 

have been in five years. Wool 

continues to be the commodity 

under-performer, being down 

30 percent on its five year average. 

Acknowledging the 

uncertainty that inevitably 

followed the election of a 

new coalition party, Steel said 

there were some swings and 

roundabouts within the policy 

announcements to follow the 

BNZ head economist 

Doug Steel. 

new government. 

Net migration was likely to 

drop from its peak of 70,000 

last year to nearer 40,000 a 

year, and the tax cuts scheduled 

for April were also gone. 

However in their place there 

was the prospect of the first 

year of tertiary education being 

free, greater impetus on house 

construction and a $1 billion 

focus on specific regional development 

projects. 

All up an additional $7 billion 

of fiscal expenditure would 

be borrowed over the next four 

years. 

The one area not factored as 

strongly into market valuations 

had been the fact the Kiwi dollar 

was 5 percent lower than the 

Reserve Bank had estimated it 

would be in the post-election 

environment. 

“And that will be much 

upon its mind when setting the 

next round of interest rates, 

which may lift sooner than we 

thought,” he said. 

These may come towards 

the end of next year, rather than 

2020. 

Steel was asked to comment 

on Winston Peters’ dark outlook 

for the economy in months 

ahead, and maintained that 

while economic growth may 

drop below 3 percent, it would 

still be healthy. 

GDP growth this year has 

been 2.5 percent, compared 

with a 10 year average of 1.9 

percent and the economy continued 

to deliver benchmark 

figures “other economies would 

kill for” said Steel. 

Very strong figures across 

the primary sector were doing 

much to buoy these numbers, 

with horticulture, dairy, beef 

and sheep meat all looking at 

returns higher than they have 

been for five years. 

However given Waikato’s 

reliance upon dairy returns, 

Steel was cautious about how 

attainable Fonterra’s $6.70/ 

kg milk solids (MS) forecast 

would be for this season. Butter 

prices were likely to slip back 

off their record high prices, and 

skim milk powder (SMP) faced 

a 400,000 tonne stockpile in the 

European Union that was going 

to have to be moved sooner 

than later. Meantime Whole 

Milk Powder (WMP) faced reasonable 

demand from Chinese 

buyers. 

New Zealand’s energy sector ‘highly ranked’ 

The BusinessNZ Energy 

Council (BEC) has welcomed 

New Zealand’s 

continued “robust energy sector 

performance in comparison 

with other countries”. 

The World Energy Council's 

2017 Energy Trilemma 

Index ranks countries on how 

well they achieve the energy 

'trilemma' balance of security, 

equity and sustainability. 

With an overall balanced 

rating of AAB, New Zealand 

remains ninth out of 125 comparator 

countries and is still 

the best performing country 

in the Asia-Pacific region, and 

again the only non-European 

country in the top ten. 

BEC chairman David 

Caygill said New Zealand 

maintaining its top ten ranking 

suggested a consistent 

approach to the pursuit of balanced 

energy policies. 

This year Denmark leads 

the top ten, followed by Sweden, 

Switzerland, the Netherlands, 

UK, Germany, Norway, 

France, New Zealand and Slovenia. 

The ranking suggests 

New Zealand is in a good position, 

performing relatively 

better on energy security and 

energy equity than environmental 

sustainability. 

"New Zealand ranked 13 

of 36 OECD countries for 

energy affordability. This 

is particularly noteworthy 

given our size and remote 

geographic location which 

means, unlike many European 

nations, we must import our 

transport fuels over significant 

distances and cannot rely 

on interconnection from other 

countries for our electricity 

and gas supplies," Mr Caygill 

said. 

This year New Zealand 

dropped from 36 to 42 in the 

environmental sustainability 

category (21st against OECD 

comparators). While New 

Zealand has made modest improvements 

in this category, 

other countries have shown 

greater advancements which 

has resulted in their ranking 

overtaking ours. 

The energy sector is facing 

three trends impacting 

demand and supply at an unprecedented 

pace: decarbonisation, 

digitalisation and decentralisation. 

"New technologies and 

systems are set to revolutionise 

the way we produce and 

consume energy which will 

lead to unprecedented opportunities 

for energy efficiency 

and emissions reductions 

“But we think the estimate 

of $6.75/kg MS is looking a bit 

optimistic, with WMP dipping, 

butter easing and SMP also 

staying soft.” 

BNZ’s estimate are for milk 

solids to sit nearer $6.40/kg 

MS, but Steel qualified that by 

pointing to tighter milk supplies 

out of NZ being likely given the 

run of wet weather this spring. 

“But it is still better than 

$6.12/kg MS and way better 

than $3.90/kg MS.” 

The biggest surprise from 

the election had been its impact 

upon the Kiwi dollar, falling 

to be 5 percent lower than the 

Reserve Bank had anticipated. 

This may feed through to put 

pressure on lifting interest rates 

sooner than later. 

“We think with the currency 

lower and inflation slightly 

higher and greater fiscal spend 

it is likely interest rates will 

move up towards the end of 

next year.” 

but will require new ways of 

thinking," Mr Caygill said. 

"New Zealand is among 

the world leaders in digitalisation 

and can leverage 

this advantage to achieve the 

improved emissions and efficiency 

outcomes sought by 

the new Government." 

Cross-sector partnerships, 

new ways of optimising assets, 

and greater use of new 

technology platforms open 

doors to greater energy efficiency 

on the supply and demand 

side and consumer value. 

BEC members are at the 

forefront of these initiatives.


HR MANAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT 

HR MANAGEMENT 

AND RECRUITMENT 

Finding the right person for the role... 

BOOK YOUR SPOT IN 

OUR FEBRUARY ISSUE 

For more information contact the team today 

at info@nmmedia.co.nz or 07 838 1333 

The impact of 

recognition on 

employees 

RemNet (www.remnet.org.nz) is a not-forprofit 

organisation providing remuneration 

and human resources (HR) specialists 

throughout New Zealand with an effective 

tool to connect, network and share 

knowledge and information. 

By NIGEL MURPHY 

Consultant, Strategic Pay 

The organisation is 

run by a voluntary 

committee of industry 

representatives and 

Strategic Pay is proud to 

support the committee as 

executive managers. 

At their recent annual 

conference, attendees delved 

into the theme “Crossing the 

chasm: Embracing tomorrow’s 

rewards today.” 

One speaker, Samantha 

Gadd of Humankind, captured 

many of the messages running 

through the conference with 

her talk on the impact of reward 

and recognition on the 

modern employee experience. 

Samantha explained that 

employee experience is a top 

HR trend globally that borrows 

from customer experience. 

Customer experience is 

the product of the interaction 

between an organisation and 

a customer over the duration 

of their relationship. The goal 

is to optimise the interactions 

from the customer’s perspective 

to foster customer loyalty. 

Employee experience is 

similar. It is the product of the 

interaction between an organisation 

and an employee over 

the duration of their relationship. 

The goal is optimising the 

interactions from the employee’s 

perspective to foster employee 

engagement. 

Samantha said it was little 

wonder that organisations 

that lead the way in customer 

experience were also some of 

those leading the way in employee 

experience. 

The whole organisation 

thinking that comes together 

to deliver a great customer 

experience is the same competency 

that underpins a great 

employee experience. 

Employee experience is 

Nigel Murphy 

Consultant 

Strategic Pay 

Hamilton 

+ mob 027 403 1242 

+ nigel.murphy@ 

strategicpay.co.nz 

www.strategicpay.co.nz 

a great lens for considering 

pay. Pay is as important to 

employees as price is to customers. 

However, a multitude of 

other factors shape employee 

engagement and customer 

loyalty. 

Pay needs to be considered 

in the wider context of reward 

and recognition to better understand 

and influence the 

employee experience. 

This means considering intrinsic 

rewards (such as work 

content and purpose) and extrinsic 

rewards (such as pay 

and monetary and non-monetary 

benefits and recognition). 

At Strategic Pay we assist 

organisations to develop reward 

and recognition propositions 

that consider employee 

experience to attract, retain 

and engage top talent. 

Performance 

+ 

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At Strategic Pay we understand local businesses and your unique issues. 

Talk to us about: 

• Organisational Structure and Design 

• Remuneration and Reward 

• Performance Management 

www.strategicpay.co.nz | info@strategicpay.co.nz 

Auckland 09 303 4045 Hamilton 07 834 6580 Wellington 04 473 2313 

Christchurch03 353 0909 Dunedin 03 479 0637



Recruitment plans 

vital in 2018 

In Waikato’s tight unemployment market, an established 

recruitment plan is becoming a necessity for businesses and must 

be a key part of any business strategy moving forward. That’s 

the message from Waikato’s leading recruitment company when 

asked about the recruitment trends for 2018. 

Carmel Strange, Asset Recruitment’s 

manager and 

temporary recruitment 

consultant, says Waikato has experienced 

a particularly difficult 

employment market these past 

12 months, yet despite this, the 

company has experienced huge 

growth in its temporary, permanent 

and executive divisions. 

Savvy job seekers 

place great emphasis 

on a company’s 

culture, looking at 

how they treat staff, 

the opportunities they 

provide to employees 

in terms of growth 

and professional 

development and 

staff attrition rates. 

“Our industrial client base 

has also expanded which re- 

flects Waikato’s growing economy 

but also the strategic approach 

to recruitment we take 

for each of our clients,” says 

Carmel. 

“In the first quarter of 2017 

the New Zealand unemployment 

rate dropped from 5.2 per 

cent to 4.9 percent. This drop 

has been significantly challenging 

on companies looking to 

hire new staff, but our ability to 

provide high calibre temporary 

staff has reduced the stress for 

our clients during this difficult 

time. With a tight unemployment 

market, an established 

recruitment plan is becoming a 

necessity for businesses,” she 

says. 

Employers also need to be 

innovative in their thinking 

around keeping staff challenged 

and providing opportunities for 

professional development. 

“Organisational culture is 

now one of the leading factors 

job seekers consider when 

looking for employment,” says 

Carmel. “We have noticed a 

real trend among job seekers 

looking for challenging roles in 

a values-driven work environment. 

Savvy job seekers place 

great emphasis on a company’s 

culture, looking at how they 

treat staff, the opportunities they 

provide to employees in terms 

of growth and professional development 

and staff attrition 

rates.” 

Carmel says the change in 

New Zealand’s government, 

and subsequent impacts on the 

economy, will also be something 

employers need to prepare 

for in 2018. “We are telling our 

clients they need to be flexible 

in their thinking when scoping 

roles. Quality candidates are 

looking for flexibility, so employers 

need to be prepared to 

adapt a position or the terms of 

employment to attract and retain 

the best staff. 

“Waikato is a drawcard for 

many job seekers, but the employment 

market still remains 

tight. Employers need to factor 

this in to their operations and 

consider working in partnership 

with a recruitment company, 

rather than just engaging them 

on a project-only basis,” she 

says. 

Carmel acknowledges 

Waikato’s economy continues 

to go from strength-to-strength 

and, after a bumper year, is predicting 

further growth for both 

Asset Recruitment and their clients 

in 2018. 

Positioning Excellence 

Asset Recruitment is Waikato’s number one 

recruitment company for employers and job seekers. 

At Asset Recruitment, we strive for excellence and quality in all we 

do. As specialists in temporary, permanent, industrial and executive 

recruitment, our team know and understands the Waikato market. We 

align top candidates with great clients, finding the right fit for your role. 

It’s part of our commitment to excellence. 

At Asset Recruitment, excellence is our benchmark. We strive for 

nothing less. 

Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Hamilton 07 855 2743 

Auckland 09 279 9984 

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We have experienced Consultants in both regions who have worked in 

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reception@alignzrecruitment.co.nz | www.alignzrecruitment.co.nz 

J3896P



Unions revitalised under a new Government 

Only weeks into a new Labour lead Government’s term 

in office the Union Organisers are already showing a 

revitalised sense of enthusiasm. Under the previous 

National Government’s reign, Unions (outside of the 

Public Sector) have faced a retrenching membership with 

many Employees electing to ‘go-it-alone’ believing that the 

Union movement could not offer them any more than they 

may have been able to negotiate for themselves. 

Under National, the Union movement maintained a 

presence within business, however as the National 

Government progressed with many of its initiatives to 

enhance the economy Union Negotiations primarily 

centred on seeking incremental increases to wage rates and 

minor adjustments to core terms and conditions. Within 

this environment strike action was almost non-existent 

with such actions more limited to ‘fringe based’ issues 

within more radical ‘protester-based’ environments – i.e. 

the Unite Union’s attacks on minimum wage workers, 

rights and zero hour agreements. 

However under a new Government regime, and one backed 

heavily by the Unions, there is already strong evidence that 

the next three (3) years will see a strong push by the Unions 

to seek to re-establish and strengthen their position within 

the private business sector. 

A business only needs to have two (2) employees who are 

members of a Union prior to that Union being entitled to 

initiate bargaining for a Collective Employment Agreement 

that covers the work functions undertaken by the majority 

of the Employees. 

Even where the business has no current Union Members, 

under section 20 of The Employment Relations Act 2000, 

the Union has a right to request access to the business “for 

the purpose of recruiting Employees as Union Members”. 

The rules of access are very broad with the Union not 

needing to have any members on that site prior to 

submitting an access request – the belief that Employees 

have the potential to become members may be sufficient. 

When receiving a $20 Access Request the Employer cannot 

make decisions on behalf of their Employees by stating 

that the Union’s presence is not wanted and therefore has 

to open their doors to enable a Union Official to ‘walk the 

floor’ and speak to individual Employees about the Union. 

Only the Employees on an individual basis can reject the 

Union’s approach to them. 

Such access requests raise significant questions from 

a Health and Safety perspective (particularly in safety 

sensitive work environments) however this cannot be used 

as an excuse to reject the Union’s request with Employers 

being open to a financial penalty if an access request is 

unjustifiably denied. 

If a minimum of two (2) members can be established, there 

could be no doubt that a request for Collective Bargaining 

would soon follow requiring the Employer to participate 

in the full bargaining process in Good Faith – although 

this may result in the members receiving nothing greater 

than they already hold within their respective Individual 

Employment Agreements. 

The processes of engaging and bargaining with Unions 

can be complex, with a Union’s right to seek to initiate a 

number of forms of industrial action to reinforce their 

stance is likely to be seen more commonly over the next 

few years. 

If you have any questions about Union engagement, Union 

rights or Collective Agreements please feel free to contact 

us directly. 

This article is written by Russell Drake, of Russell 

Drake Consulting Limited, Licenced Contractors to the 

Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) who 

Act exclusively for Employers in all employment relations 

situations, including Collective Bargaining processes - see 

www.russelldrakeconsulting.co.nz or phone (07) 838 0018. 

Russell Drake Consulting 

Ph: 07 838 0018 

www.russelldrakeconsulting.co.nz 

J2777P 

Tauranga - Hamilton - Auckland - Wellington - Christchurch 

0800 46 36 75 l info@1cr.co.nz 

www.1cr.co.nz 

WINNERS OF THE WESTPAC BUSINESS 

EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2017 

Winner - ‘Business of the Year’ 

Winner - ‘Embracing Digital Technology’ 

Highly Commended - ‘Workplace Safety’ 

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today for all your 

recruitment needs


Innovative hydrofoil bike revealed at 

Big Boys Toys 

After years of development and hard work, 

Waikato-based company Manta5 publically 

revealed the prototype of their innovative 

on-water hydrofoil e-bike, Hydrofoiler XE-1, 

at the Big Boys Toys expo in Auckland in 

November. 

“We had huge amount of 

interest from the public,” 

says Manta5 marketing 

manager Louis Wilks. “People 

loved the design and a lot 

of them said they attended the 

expo just to see the bike. That 

gave us a lot of encouragement 

and validated what the team 

has spent so long working on.” 

Thought to be the world’s 

first commercially viable hydrofoil 

e-bike, the Manta5 

Hydrofoiler XE-1 has been 

designed to replicate the cycling 

experience on water, 

which means riders can plane 

over the surface of the water – 

whether a lake, river or ocean. 

For two years they 

developed the bike 

in secret, and early 

prototypes were 

tested at night in a 

public swimming pool 

in Tauranga. 

Despite strong interest from 

overseas, the production model 

will first be released to New 

Zealand customers only, as a 

limited-edition pre-order with 

a spring 2018 delivery date. 

The current production 

prototype, seen by visitors 

to the Big Boys Toys Expo, 

is a pedal-assisted motorized 

electric bike designed for the 

recreational user. If a rider becomes 

tired of pedalling, they 

can change the level of motor 

assist and cruise. 

“We can’t wait to see 

these in use on New Zealand 

lakes and beachfronts around 

the country,” says Mr Wilks. 

“They appeal to people as a 

cross training tool, for fitness, 

but there was also a lot of interest 

from people who want to 

use them for fun at their bach 

over summer.” 

A unique feature of the bike 

is its ability to relaunch from 

a submerged state in the water 

– a world-first thanks to the 

company’s team of specialist 

designers and engineers. 

To achieve this the bike has 

two carbon fibre hydrofoils, 

which are designed to provide 

enough lift to raise the body 

of the bike and rider out of the 

water. 

At its top motorised speed 

the bike can reach up to 20 kilometres 

per hour (but this will 

likely increase with further research 

and development). 

Suitable for use in the 

ocean as well as the lake, the 

bike’s design enables it to cut 

through choppy water and ride 

over gently rolling waves. The 

Hydrofoiler XE-1 can used in 

both fresh and salt water, and 

its waterproof battery can be 

removed and recharged on any 

standard power outlet. 

Made from strong carbon 

fibre and aircraft grade aluminium, 

the bikes are light enough 

to carry (about 20 kilograms) 

and buoyant so they float in 

water. “People at the expo also 

told us they liked that the bike 

can be easily broken down for 

transportation on a car’s roof 

rack or in the back of a Ute or 

station wagon,” says Mr Wilks. 

BACKGROUND 

Torpedo7 founder Guy Howard-Willis 

came up with the 

concept for a commercial hydrofoil 

bike in 2010. A visionary, 

with the creativity and 

confidence to bring his dream 

to life, Howard-Willis had seen 

the advancement in hydrofoil 

technology, and saw a gap in 

the market for a bike that replicated 

the cycling experience 

on water, rather than land. 

However it took several 

years of thinking and design-work 

to bring his hydrofoil 

bike to fruition. 

As a business entrepreneur 

Howard-Willis had a passion 

for bringing big ideas to the 

market and could see the commercial 

potential for such a 

bike. He also enjoyed cycling 

and water sports, and realised 

it could not only be an outdoor 

training and fitness tool, but a 

recreational product for use on 

lakes and oceans. 

Mr Howard-Willis joined 

forces with bike designer Roland 

Alonzo in late 2011, who 

had the skills to turn his idea 

into reality. 

For two years they developed 

the bike in secret, and 

early prototypes were tested 

at night in a public swimming 

pool in Tauranga. 

Various prototypes were 

designed, tweaked and improved 

on – with the hydrofoil 

and propeller providing the 

biggest challenges. The third 

prototype provided the ‘proof 

of concept’ they needed – a 

key aspect was launching the 

bike from underwater to the 

surface, and that it could plane 

on the water. 

At that point, more space 

was required to further develop 

and commercialise the bike. 

The company moved operations 

closer to Lake Karapiro, 

near Cambridge in October 

2015. It was the ideal place to 

continue testing the hydrofoil 

bike, and many of the town’s 

world-class rowers and cyclists 

helped test ride the bike. 

Testing revealed that although 

an elite athlete was 

able to launch and ride the bike 

manually, it did require a level 

of exertion and sustained energy 

to keep peddling. That limited 

its market, so Alonzo and 

the Manta5’s growing team of 

engineers and designers got to 

work on developing an electronic 

prototype. 

GETTING ADVICE AND 

FUNDING 

Manta5 test rider Jordon Engelsman, left, and general manager Gren Johnston ride the Hydrofoiler XE-1 on Lake Karapiro. 

For Manta5, part of the journey 

has involved getting business 

advice and financial support 

from external sources. 

The Waikato Business 

Growth team, based at Waikato 

Innovation Park in Hamilton, 

has supported Manta5 to 

access government funding to 

grow its business. 

The free service is funded 

by the Regional Business 

Partner Network which is supported 

by New Zealand Trade 

& Enterprise (NZTE) and Callaghan 

Innovation. 

Manta5 applied to Callaghan 

Innovation for 

co-funding to support the cost 

of hiring an aeronautical engineering 

advisor. 

Callaghan Innovation’s 

Project Grant provided 50 

percent funding for the new 

hire. “That, in turn, allowed 

for us to create a step change 

in what we were doing with 

our design,” says Mr Johnston. 

“That made the rider 

experience became more manageable 

and it decreased the 

effort required making the 

submerged relaunch possible 

for non-athletes.” 

More staff came on board, 

adding to the calibre of the 

team at Manta5. Research 

and design technician Jordan 

Engelsman was an important 

addition, not only for his technical 

skills but for his athletic 

prowess. “He was a surfer with 

amazing balance and quite fit, 

so his role became head test 

pilot,” says Johnston. 

Businessman Phil Deason 

joined as the general manager 

of Manta5, focused on the 

commercial opportunities for 

the bike. 

Later, Greg Johnston joined 

the company as business development 

manager, and later 

became general manager, 

while Deason moved into a 

GM role with FocusThree LP, 

a privately held investment 

company that supports Manta5 

through its commercial 

property and investment dealings. 

“In New Zealand it’s very 

hard to get early-stage funding 

from investors,” admits 

Johnston. “If New Zealand is 

going to keep up with the rest 

of the world we need more investment 

in new products and 

services and more backers in 

this space.” 

Waikato Business Growth 

team manager Craig Purcell 

says Manta5 was a good example 

of a business that had 

been “strategic in hiring the 

right people”, and that’s been 

“a key factor in their success”. 

“They have got a good mix 

of people in the company – 

with expertise in marketing, 

engineering and financial 

skills – and to hire top people 

also requires resources.” 

Mr Purcell and his team 

meet with around 500 local 

businesses every year and regularly 

travel around the greater 

Waikato region to offer advice 

to start-ups and innovators. 

Once a month advisors travel 

to regional towns, including 

Thames, Paeroa, Tokoroa, 

Taupo, Raglan, Huntly and 

Tuakau, for client meetings. 

CHALLENGES 

Perfecting the aerodynamics 

and design was one thing, but 

ensuring the electronic motor 

was waterproof and not affected 

by salt water was another. 

“We tried at least four 

different motor companies internationally, 

and travelled to 

Germany, China and Taiwan 

to find the right one,” says Mr 

Johnston. “The housing of the 

motor needed to be completely 

waterproof for the e-bike.” 

After a lot of travel, meetings 

and negotiations, they 

eventually found a Taiwanese 

company that could work with 

them to develop what was required. 

SUCCESS AND NEXT 

STEPS 

In October Manta5’s hydrofoil 

bike won gold in the 2017 

New Zealand Best Design 

Awards, in the ‘concept’ category. 

The bike is now in the 

commercialisation stage, and 

attracting external investment 

is a key part of the next stage 

as Manta5 prepares for production 

and, eventually, an international 

launch and worldwide 

distribution. The Manta5 

Hydrofoiler XE-1 is not yet 

available to the international 

market, only in New Zealand 

as a pre-order. 

“We have had more than 

5000 registrations to buy 

from all over the world, and 

hundreds of distribution enquiries, 

and over 13 million 

views on social media,” says 

Wilks. “While this is great, we 

are dedicated to growing sustainably 

and delivery quality 

products before we scale up 

production for the international 

market. For that reason 

we are planning to release a 

small number of limited edition 

models for New Zealand 

only.” 

Pricing has yet to be established 

internationally but 

for the initial pre-sale in New 

Zealand the bike is looking to 

be around $7495. Consumers 

will be able to secure their 

bike with a 10 percent deposit 

and pay in instalments prior 

to the bikes being delivered. 

With the amount of interest so 

far the Manta5 team are confident 

the first bikes will sell 

quickly. 

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J9617A


Waikato features in Architecture Awards 

Hamilton buildings are among the winners 

in New Zealand’s premier architectural 

design competition. The winners in the 

2017 New Zealand Architecture Awards 

have been announced at an awards dinner 

at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre. 

South Bloc in Hamilton 

by Edwards White Architects, 

was one of only two 

nationally that received a Heritage 

Award. 

The Angelsea St building 

“from the Ministry of Works’ 

1960s heyday” that has been 

“liberated of later accretions 

and awkward re-workings to 

reveal the original design and 

acknowledge the integrity of 

the original materials”, the jury 

said. 

Another Hamilton build re- 

ceived a Small Project Architecture 

Award. MOAA Architects’ 

St John’s Church in Grey 

St, Hamilton, an extension of an 

existing church, is “an elegant, 

beautifully proportioned little 

building”, the jury said. “It offers 

its users a calm, protective 

environment encouraging of 

contemplation but also sympathetic 

to more active occupation.” 

Cambridge architect Christopher 

Beer received a Housing 

Award for creating “a resolutely 

urban-looking house” in the 

CBD of his provincial town. 

The planning of Beer’s Town 

House integrates several courtyards, 

public and private family 

areas, an artist’s studio and a 

hole-in-the-wall coffee kiosk. 

A university building in 

Hamilton also impressed the 

jury and received an Education 

award. The New Law & Management 

Building, University 

of Waikato by Opus Architecture 

is carved into a sloping site, 

linked by a green roof and organised 

around a central, sunken 

courtyard. 

“The building provides the 

tertiary institute with a strong 

urban presence,” the jury said. 

“Its solidity conveys permanence 

and seriousness, while 

the control of light and movement, 

and the provision of 

green breathing spaces and natural 

ventilation demonstrates an 

Town House, Christopher Beer Architect. 

understanding of and sympathy 

for user wellbeing.” 

The New Zealand Architecture 

Awards, a programme run 

by the New Zealand Institute 

of Architects with the support 

of Resene, recognises the best 

work across all the types of 

projects designed by New Zealand’s 

architects. 

Fifty-one buildings, in locations 

spanning the country 

from the Bay of islands to 

Queenstown, were shortlisted 

in the 2017 New Zealand Architecture 

Awards, and visited 

by a jury led by Arrowtown architect 

Louise Wright and also 

comprising Auckland architects 

Lance Herbst and Jack McKinney, 

and Brisbane-based architect 

Kerry Clare. 

“I think New Zealanders 

have increasingly high expectations 

of the buildings in which 

they live, work and study, and 

the cities they inhabit, and 

rightly so. The quality of the 

built environment makes a real 

difference to people’s lives, and 

it is up to architects, and everyone 

in the building industry, to 

make the most of every construction 

opportunity.” 

“The projects which have 

won New Zealand Architecture 

Awards are various, but they 

have one thing in common. 

Whether they are houses or 

offices or schools or churches, 

they are all making a real difference 

to the lives of the people 

who use them.” 

The Awards jury evaluated 

a large range of building types 

sited in very different contexts 

and serving a variety of functions. 

“Award categories blurred 

as complex briefs merged projects 

from one category to another,” 

jury convenor Louise 

Wright said. “For example, one 

award-winning house is also a 

workplace and a gallery, complete 

with a coffee kiosk. 

St John’s church, MOAA Architects. 

New Law & Management building, 

Waikato University, Opus Architecture. 

South Bloc, Edwards White Architects. 

2017 Winner 

New Zealand 

Architecture Award 

Security triple whammy 

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. 

Winner 2017 NZIA National Architecture Award 

South Bloc – Heritage Category 

Photo Credit: Alpha Imagery 

Are you a paranoid Android 

owner? If you’re 

not paranoid, and are 

connecting to Bluetooth or 

wi-fi with your mobile device 

running Google’s Android operating 

system, you ought to 

be. 

A triple whammy of security 

issues affecting mainly 

mobile devices have recently 

come to light. Since mobile 

devices running the Android 

operating system occupy 

around 86 percent of the market, 

Android owners are the 

most likely to be affected. 

However, owners of mobile 

devices running other operating 

systems such as Apple’s 

iOS are also vulnerable. 

Mobile devices are vulnerable 

to flaws known as 

BlueBorne when connected to 

Bluetooth. Attackers can use 

the vulnerability to control devices 

and their data, intercept 

data over the air and install 

malicious software. 

Devices running Android 

6.0 (Marshmallow), or below, 

are at risk and owners 

of such devices are reliant on 

their hardware manufacturers 

to release an update that 

mitigates the risk. Owners of 

Apple iPhone 4S models, and 

older, are also at risk. They 

are ineligible to update to iOS 

10 which fixes the issue. Microsoft 

fixed the Bluetooth vulnerability 

in Windows months 

ago. 

To be safe, turn Bluetooth 

off when it’s not in use on 

your mobile device. 

A newly discovered wifi 

vulnerability, KRACK 

(Key Reinstallation Attacks), 

threatens any wi-fi connected 

device. Some device and 

router manufacturers have 

responded with software and 

firmware updates in response. 

Check your device, or router 

manufacturer’s website, for 

more information. If there’s 

nothing there try their support 

email or phone line and ask 

when it is coming and how 

to install it. Finally, if you 

thought encrypting your data 

guarantees it won’t fall into 

the wrong hands then think 

again. 

Further concerns were 

raised when it emerged encrypted 

data once considered 

secure was no longer bullet 

proof. Encryption keys, used 

to unlock encrypted data, 

have public and private parts. 

We learned that holders of 

the public part of an encryption 

key using one particular 

service could find the private 

part, making encrypted data 

meaningless. 

What it means is that every 

single system that users 

access for any of their cloud 

services is vulnerable. 

The takeaway here is that 

if you use data encryption it’s 

probably time to change your 

encryption key, or password, 

to something more complex.

BAY NEWS 


1st Call Recruitment’s team celebrates its big win. 

Photo: Natalie Murdoch Photography/Tauranga 

Chamber of Commerce. 

1st Call gets the call 

at Tauranga awards 

Bravery and a willingness to strategically integrate technology in 

business were the key themes at the 2017 Westpac Tauranga 

Business Awards, held before a crowd of 450 at the annual gala 

event at ASB Arena this month. 

By DAVID PORTER 

1st Call Recruitment led 

the roll call of 13 winners, 

taking out the overall 

Westpac Business of the Year 

Award. The company also 

won the Vodafone Embracing 

Digital Technology Award, and 

was highly commended in the 

ACC Workplace Safety Award. 

Tui Products, a former 

Westpac Business of 

the Year winner, received 

the University of Waikato 

Corporate Leadership Award. 

Innovative Mount 

Maunganui-based design 

store Paper Plane won the 

Bay of Plenty Business News 

Sustainable Business Practices 

Award, with a highly commended 

going to the Young 

Innovator Awards team. 

(Please see pages 23-29 for 

full coverage of all winners.) 

The awards are run by 

the Tauranga Chamber of 

Commerce, and coordinator 

Anne Pankhurst said this 

year saw an increased number 

of entrants, with a wide 

mix of businesses across 

all sectors and business 

practice. 

Head judge and financial 

assessor Raimarie Pointon, 

a principal of Young Read 

Woudberg, also commented on 

the wide range of high calibre 

local businesses. 

“There has been a very clear 

theme to the 2017 Westpac 

Business of the Year Awards 

with the entrants showing 

more entrepreneurship and 

innovation,” she said. 

“As never before, we have 

seen local businesses embracing 

technology as the cornerstone 

for carefully considered 

and well-structured strategy.” 

Tauranga Chamber chief 

Glen Forgie, chief executive of Corporate Award winner Tui Products, with Heather 

Connolly of category sponsor University of Waikato. Photo: Natalie Murdoch 

Photography/Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. 

executive Stan Gregec said it 

was great to see a mix of both 

newer and more established 

businesses being recognised in 

this year’s awards. 

“The Tauranga business 

landscape is changing every 

year and we are seeing a 

whole new crop of businesses 

emerging that add variety, 

scale and sophistication to our 

economic base.” 

SunGold surge will bring post-harvest pressures 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

Some post-harvest processors 

are wary about the 

implications a proposed 

big boost in SunGold kiwifruit 

plantings is likely to have for 

industry infrastructure in coming 

years. 

In late October Zespri announced 

it would be increasing 

the area available for SunGold 

kiwifruit licences from the anticipated 

400ha annually to 

700ha a year. Four new tranches 

will be offered over the next 

four years. 

This comes on top of the 

800ha of SunGold licences issued 

over the past two years, 

and will take the total new area 

of 3500ha by 2022. 

The pressure SunGold places 

on post-harvest resources is 

particularly problematic due to 

its compressed harvest period, 

often down to only two to three 

weeks compared with the longer 

shoulder Green offers. 

Michael Franks, chief executive 

of Seeka, one of New 

Zealand’s biggest processors 

and growers, said he was conscious 

that as long as volume 

increased in a compressed harvest 

time frame it would create 

bottlenecks at post-harvest 

points. And in the absence of 

any compelling supply chain 

innovation, this would require 

more post-harvest investment. 

“In reality we are going to 

want to have some of the fruit 

stored offshore. This is not a 

new suggestion and we have 

done this with a facility in China.” 

As volumes have risen, 

Seeka has had to spend about 

$15 million in storage facility 

investment for short-term housing 

of fruit. New Zealand storage 

is estimated to cost about 

$12 a tray to construct. 

Franks sees this as an inefficient 

use of shareholder 

equity, with growers having to 

pay to use the facilities. He’s 

long been on the record voicing 

frustration at what he has 

viewed as industry inertia in 

implementing offshore storage 

and handling facilities. The 

limited collaborative marketing 

opportunities have meant there 

has been little opportunity to 

achieve this, he says. 

David Courtney, Zespri’s 

general manager of grower and 

external relations, said the organisation 

was acutely aware 

that meeting market demand 

was only part of the puzzle in 

ensuring smooth delivery. 

He confirmed off shore 

processing and storage were 

among the post-harvest options 

the industry would need to consider 

collectively. 

“We are talking to growers 

and packhouse operators on 

meeting that opportunity in the 

market, and how we can get 

there together.” 

Zespri is planning a roadshow 

soon to lay out its 10-year 

plan for what the supply side 

for fruit looks like. 

Current SunGold production 

is about 50 million trays. Given 

maturity times and increased 

areas being planted, estimates 

are that once all the 3500ha of 

additional licence area is at full 

production sometime beyond 

2022, total SunGold production 

could effectively double to 100 

million-plus trays. 

Apata managing director 

Stuart Weston said the post-harvest 

industry had been taken 

aback by the latest increase in 

Gold licence and was still reeling 

from the news and how it 

would work in practice. 

“Anything can be worked 

through if we have the will to 

collaborate on this,” he said. 

“But it’s a massive increase 

from the original plan if the industry 

is to maintain Hayward 

numbers as Zespri wants. It’s 

almost tantamount to another 

Te Puke equivalent in new 

plantings.” 

Weston said there had already 

been a slow realisation 

that the post-harvest sector was 

going to struggle to cope with 

the initial SunGold release plan. 

“Zespri checked in with us 

and asked how we saw it, and 

our answer was, it’s going to 

be a major challenge for capital 

and labour. We need to front 

fund the development of processing 

capacity - that’s what 

we were wrestling with. Then 

they came out and increased the 

hectarage again.” 

The increased Gold could 

exacerbate the problem of more 

and more post-harvest assets 

THE MIDAS TOUCH 

The SunGold conversion after the Psa outbreak and 

its subsequent appeal in the market has resulted in the 

fruit having a Midas touch upon orchard values. 

Early licences were issued for about $7000 per ha, 

and the first tranche of 400ha averaged $171,000 per 

ha, while last year’s 400ha issue saw values rise to 

$235,000 per ha. 

Bay of Plenty SunGold kiwifruit orchards are now 

fetching $1 million per canopy ha, with some selling 

less than a week after being listed. 

being utilised for a shorter time, 

said Weston. However, the increased 

SunGold licence could 

also see an easing in the hunger 

of Green growers to convert to 

Gold, he added. 

Zespri’s Courtney said the 

packhouses were conscious of 

the volumes coming and would 

make decisions on how best to 

handle and negotiate the investment 

required to cope, possibly 

bringing in outside investment. 

“We are aware of the pressures 

that are likely to come on. 

This season we are looking at 

about 140 million trays [Green 

and Gold combined], which we 

can handle, but it is year two 

and beyond where things will 

get tighter.” 

Courtney said this round of 

licence offers, which closes in 

April next year, was from a single 

pool, rather than separating 

grafted orchards from greenfields 

development. 

Over the past two years, of 

the 800ha planted in SunGold, 

500ha was cut over and grafted 

onto Green orchards and the 

remainder was green field orchard 

developments. 

Courtney confirmed Zespri 

was conscious it did not want to 

lose too much more Green crop 

and that it was getting close to 

that point now. 

“We still need to have a 

portfolio of Green fruit to offer 

our markets, it is still a very 

strong market.” 

- Additional reporting by 

DAVID PORTER


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Campaign underway to help residents 

activate their installed fibre 

Broadband infrastructure company 

Ultrafast Fibre is getting a communication 

campaign underway to help residents who 

may not realise they have dormant fibre 

connections and could easily be accessing 

the best broadband available at their home 

or business. 

Hamilton has approximately 

1,700 homes 

where Ultrafast Fibre 

runs into the house or business 

premise, but for some reason 

the people living there are either 

not using the internet or have a 

slower and in some case more 

expensive internet connection 

on another technology. 

Ultrafast Fibre chief executive, 

William Hamilton, says it 

is possible that these properties 

have new residents who were 

not made aware of their Ultra-fast 

Broadband connection 

when they moved in. 

“We are doing our best to 

make contact with these people 

so we can be sure they have 

all the information to make an 

informed choice of whether or 

not to connect to fibre,” says Mr 

Hamilton. 

Mr Hamilton says not using 

fibre that is already attached to a 

house seems a waste of the very 

best technology available. 

“Of course we respect people’s 

right not to connected, just 

so long as they know they have 

the technology there if they 

want it,” he says. 

Anyone not sure if they can 

be connected to the Ultrafast Fibre 

network can check their address 

online at www.ultrafastfibre.co.nz/check-my-address. 

If a home does already have 

an Ultrafast Fibre connection to 

their house, it is a simple matter 

of placing an order to reconnect 

through a broadband service 

provider of their choice. 

Ultrafast Fibre (UFF) has 

successfully completed deployment 

of a 3,000 kilometre 

fibre optic network to eight 

CEO William Hamilton 

central North Island cities and 

towns of Hamilton, Tauranga, 

Whanganui, New Plymouth, 

Tokoroa, Hawera, Cambridge 

and Te Awamutu. Further work 

is underway in other smaller 

towns increasing the size of the 

network. 

Research shows SMEs too reliant on email 

Despite huge advancements 

in digital marketing 

with new tools 

to reach customers, New Zealand 

small and medium enterprises 

(SMEs) lean heavily 

emails to communicate with 

them. 

Research from Dot Kiwi, 

the internet domain name provider, 

showed small businesses 

are staying clear of advanced 

digital tools that lets them market 

to customers en masse. Instead, 

word of mouth is relied 

heavily upon, and email is the 

best way to keep in touch. 

Dot Kiwi’s managing director, 

Angus Richardson, says 

Applications are opening 

in December and 

in January for a range 

of Council-administered funds 

to support community projects 

and events in the Waikato district 

for next year. 

Waikato District Council 

general manager strategy and 

support, Tony Whittaker, says, 

“There are funds for supporting 

creative and performing arts, 

heritage, conservation and a 

range of other community projects 

and events – so get your 

thinking caps on and tell us 

what you need!” 

Three funds have closing 

dates in February for their first 

round of applications for the 

year: 

while word of mouth will always 

remain the best form of 

marketing, other opportunities 

to generate new customers are 

being under-utilised. 

“For more than 80 percent 

of SMEs word of mouth 

is the main way they get new 

business leads, but then the 

question is how do you convert 

these leads – the answer 

for more than four out of five 

SMEs is email. 

“Of those businesses which 

rely on email, however, only 

30 percent send promotional 

emails, and 28 percent newsletters. 

Most email communication 

remains conversational, 

with only 19 percent of SMEs 

investing in the use of automated 

digital marketing tools 

to assist with sending bulk 

emails,” says Mr Richardson. 

Looking beyond the basics; 

mobile apps, online video and 

augmented reality remain very 

much in the domain of big 

business. The survey found 

around half of SMEs spend 

less than $1,000 annually on 

marketing per year, which 

means big ticket items are out 

of the question. 

“Around two thirds of 

SMEs we surveyed don’t offer 

an app and don’t plan to in the 

next 12 months. The same goes 

• Waikato District Council 

Discretionary Grants Fund 

(opens 1 December, closes 

2 February) 

• Creative Communities Fund 

(opens 1 December, closes 

23 February) 

• Heritage Project Fund 

(opens 19 January, closes 23 

February) 

The Waikato District Community 

Wellbeing Trust Fund 

has a single funding round 

for the year which opens on 

26 January and closes on 30 

March. 

In the past financial year the 

council committed grants totalling 

more than $750,000 for 

distribution to 160 community 

groups and charities throughout 

the district enabling communities 

to come together to 

meet local needs. 

These included more than 

$610,000 of targeted and discretionary 

council funds, another 

$48,441 distributed on 

behalf of the Creative Communities 

Scheme Fund, and 

$88,250 distributed on behalf 

of the Waikato District Community 

Wellbeing Trust, an 

independent trust the council 

administers. 

The Heritage Project Fund 

was a new council initiative last 

year. Among the first projects it 

funded were heritage signs for 

Raglan and Te Kowhai, and 

restoration work on the exterior 

of the Tuakau Museum. 

for online videos and big-business 

marketing tools, such as 

augmented reality, which is 

beyond most SMEs. Comparatively, 

51 percent of SMEs 

have social media pages, and 

41 percent are investing in advertising 

through those channels. 

“It’s great to see some 

SMEs experimenting with 

apps, video and augmented reality, 

but for a SME with relatively 

small marketing budgets 

it’s probably about figuring out 

how to optimise their existing 

digital presence. 

“This could include adding 

an e-commerce functionality to 

Musical parody of reality talent 

show debuts in Hamilton 

Hamilton’s home-grown 

musical writer Chris 

Williams debuts his second 

locally-written show, The 

Quest, at The Meteor Theatre 

from 1-9 December. 

After experiencing the successful 

launch of his first musical 

State Highway 48 in 2014, 

which culminated in a national 

tour in 2016, he’s written a parody 

that’s bound to please all 

audiences. 

“This show is completely 

different to State Highway 48, 

which dealt with the themes of 

recession, depression, job loss, 

marriage break up and communication,” 

says Williams. 

“The Quest is a funny and 

insightful parody of reality talent 

shows. Sections of the show 

include a televised version of 

the programme itself. The rest 

of the musical takes a behindthe-scenes 

look at the TV network 

where the desperate bid 

for daily survival takes place. 

“We also get an insight into 

the contestants’ lives and witness 

their struggles to deal with 

the reality of reality TV. 

“Twenty-two original songs 

make up The Quest and we 

can’t wait to put it on stage,” 

says Williams. 

Williams is collaborating 

with Hamilton-based talent to 

bring The Quest to life. 

Nick Wilkinson will direct 

the show. His credits include 

Jesus Christ Superstar, Bouncers, 

The Addams Family and 

State Highway 48. He’s also 

well known to local audiences 

for his acting with recent credits 

including Noises Off, Evita, 

Mamma Mia and Phantom of 

the Opera. 

“I’ve worked with Nick 

Wilkinson since we launched 

State Highway 48 in 2014,” says 

Williams. “He’s a very talented 

director who has contributed a 

great deal to The Quest’s story 

development and dialogue. 

Nick Braae, a senior academic 

staff member at Wintec’s 

School of Media Arts, is the 

music director. 

Summer applications welcomed 

“Nick Braae is working on 

the musical’s arrangements 

and score and has assembled a 

band of amazing musicians who 

promise to rock the house. He 

has impeccable music credentials 

holding a PhD in music 

from Waikato University.” 

Waikato is the home to most 

of the cast of The Quest, including 

Kersten Hickman (State 

Highway 48, Phantom of the 

Opera) as Stella, the lead female. 

Other Hamilton-based cast 

members include: Henry Ashby, 

Falstaff Dowling Mitchell, Fiona 

Greaves, Heather Connolly, 

Eden Dowling Mitchell, Tamsin 

Rose and Liam Pascoe. 

“For the male lead, we’ve 

recruited Kyle Chuen who is 

their website where appropriate, 

having social media presence 

linked to their website, or 

use of tools such as SEO, and 

most importantly, developing a 

secure domain name strategy,” 

adds Mr Richardson. 

Despite the heavy use of 

email for communication, 

the research showed 57 per 

cent of SMEs don’t have any 

strategies in place to protect 

the domain name they use for 

their emails or website. With 

recent events such as emails 

being discontinued, now more 

than ever SMEs should think 

carefully about their online 

presence. This is particularly 

New Financial Services 

Council board appointed 

The Financial Services Council (FSC) 

held its 2017 AGM in November and 

appointed a new board. 

Chairman Rob Flannagan said the FSC has 

developed a new strategy and delivered strongly. 

The strategy is firmly centred on consumer 

outcomes and on building a professional, trusted, 

financial services sector. It has been a good 

year, and the industry is set to serve New Zealanders 

well.’ 

Looking to the year ahead, chief executive 

Richard Klipin said the the FSC is in good 

shape financially and operationally. “The industry 

is key to the health, wealth and wellbeing 

of New Zealand, and we are now looking 

to how we need to adapt to meet the needs of 

the industry in 2020 and beyond”, he said. 

The new Board voted in at the AGM 

concerning considering the 

prevalence of phishing scams, 

which can take the form of 

fake websites, or more commonly 

fake emails. 

“Our research showed despite 

sophisticated marketing 

tools on offer, email is still the 

lifeblood of SME communications. 

However, on the whole 

SMEs are too relaxed about 

making sure similar domain 

names aren’t snapped up by 

other people. It’s not always 

about people being malicious 

and pretending to be you online, 

it can just be an honest 

mistake but your website visitors 

wouldn’t know that.” 

The Quest musical director Nick Braae, from left, 

writer Chris Williams and director Nick Wilkinson. 

one of the country’s most experienced 

musical theatre performers.” 

“Hamiltonians will know 

Kyle best as Jean Valjean in 

Hamilton Operatic’s 2017 production 

of Les Miserables. His 

career began in 2007 and he’s 

been in several musicals each 

year since then, including greats 

such as Billy Elliot, That Bloody 

Woman, Guys and Dolls and Jesus 

Christ Superstar. 

“We are really excited about 

having someone of Kyle’s calibre 

joining our cast. The show 

is guaranteed to be immersive, 

entertaining and funny,” says 

Williams. 

The Quest is running at The 

Meteor Theatre, December 1-9. 

Tickets can be bought at: http:// 

themeteor.co.nz/event/thequest/. 

comprises: 

• Ana-Marie Lockyer, ANZ 

• Charlie Trotter, FNZ 

• Crispian Knell, Suncorp/Asteron 

• Kristy Redfern, AIA 

• Lance Walker, Cigna 

• Nadine Tereora, Fidelity 

• Naomi Ballantyne, Partners Life 

• Nick Stanhope, Sovereign 

• Nigel Jackson, Westpac 

• Simon Hoole, AMP 

• Susan Basile, BNZ 

Mr Flannagan said the new board was a 

great team with strong experience. 

“The team brings a keen focus on the future 

and means we can continue to build on the 

strong performance this year and expand the 

ways we serve the industry and consumers.”


WAIKATO 

WINNERS 


HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR PLUMBER? 

Match the Character to the Plumbers Crack 

& be to win a $250.00 New World Christmas voucher. 

1 

Chris Ryan – Bossy Bugger – Chris started the business 25yrs ago 

and is proud to now be the longest serving Plumbing company in 

Cambridge. With a team like this, we’re not surprised. 

a 

2 

Paul Dutton – Fussy Bugger – Dutz joined the Good Buggers 

10yrs ago. Plumbing, spouting & roofing are his speciality, 

he likes to get it just right and sorts things once & for all. 

You all want a Dutz on your job. 

b 

3 

Paul Hughes – Quick Bugger – Hughsie’s been with us 22yrs, 

he has become the face & character of our team. 

He is our MacGyver; he will fix your drips & wet spots! 

Plumber extraordinaire and team organiser. 

c 

4 

Glyn Davies – Gassy Bugger – A Craftsman Gasfitter, 

he came on board 7yrs ago enabling us to offer our clients 

gasfitting at last. From fires to heaters to water, 

he makes you hot! 

d 

5 

Greg Abbott – Dirty Bugger – Greg has been with us for 13yrs, 

he is in charge of our drainage team, from quoting to digging the 

holes he does the lot. He can just about make it flow uphill. 

e 

6 

Kyne Tribe – Junior Bugger – Tribey is our 3rd year apprentice, 

we are proud of how far he has developed his skills in this time, 

learning from the best in their field. Kyne is now in his own van 

helping the community with their Plumbing problems. 

f 

Only 2 

correct 

entries 

so far! 

PROUD OF OUR BIG REPUTATION FOR SUPPLYING THE BEST IN: 

Plumbing, Gasfitting, Drainage, Water Supply, Heating 

FOR PROMPT RELIABLE SERVICE CALL THE GOOD BUGGERS ON 

07 827 9969 

Competition: 

Looking for 

another good 

bugger plumber 

or gasfitter. 

Is that you! 

Cut here 

Name__________________________________________ 

Ph.no. ___________________________________ 

Your guesses: 

1. 2. 3. 

4. 5. 6. 

Match the face to the plumbers crack (e.g. 1. - c.) Drop this in to 

our office or email your guesses to kim@chrisryanplumbing.co.nz 

The winner will be drawn 15th December 2017 

Look out for our new branding, rolling out soon on our vans, 

uniforms and adverts - Very Smart!


Publisher 

Alan Neben 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@nmmedia.co.nz 

Sales director 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

Email: deidre@nmmedia.co.nz 

Editor 

Geoff Taylor 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 022 694 1595 

Email: geoff@nmmedia.co.nz 

Production Manager 

Tania Hogg 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: production@nmmedia.co.nz 

Graphic Designer 

Kelly Milne 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: kelly@nmmedia.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Please contact: 

Business development manager 

Jody Anderson 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 236 7912 

Email: jody@nmmedia.co.nz 

Advertising account managers 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

Email: joanne@nmmedia.co.nz 

Suzanne Capon 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (022) 309 9336 

Email: suzanne@nmmedia.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

Editorial: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

geoff@nmmedia.co.nz 

Production: 

Copy/Proofs: 

production@nmmedia.co.nz 

Subscriptions: 

accounts@nmmedia.co.nz 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton PO Box 1425, 

Hamilton, 3240. Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Fax: (07) 838 2807 | www.nmmedia.co.nz 

Web Encryption 101 

At some point everyone worries how safe 

it is to send credit card details over the 

internet. Isn’t there a risk that baddies will 

somehow intercept your data in transit and 

steal your information? 

Computer scientists back 

in the 70s puzzled over 

how data could be encrypted 

in such a way that a 

user could send data from 

their browser, have it transit 

over the internet from router 

to router and country to country, 

then arrive safe and sound 

at the recipient’s website. In 

particular, with a guarantee 

that that if the data was intercepted 

in transit it could 

not be read by a third party 

(confidentiality) and also not 

changed or tampered with in 

any way (integrity). 

What they came up with 

was masterfully clever, and 

involves creating two very, 

very large numbers which are 

mathematically related. The 

first number is called the Private 

Key, and the second the 

Public Key. Each of these two 

numbers are huge – up in the 

zillions of billions. 

For example: 

Private Key: 384657301836 

454583928345663466465686 

058463267346560239456712 

30934567234 

Public Key: 2345780914567 

189234782345658762347098 

123465879645369872634567 

4352234556 

Now, let’s take the example 

that you want to buy some 

books using your credit card 

from the Amazon website. 

Both the Amazon Private 

Key and Public Key are stored 

on the Amazon webserver. 

The Private Key is held as a 

very closely guarded secret. 

No-one else has access to the 

Private Key except the Amazon 

webserver. 

Now from your home or 

office or internet café, you 

connect to the Amazon website 

and order some books. 

When you have finished adding 

items to your shopping 

cart and click through to the 

pay now page (where you will 

enter your credit card details), 

the Amazon website automatically 

sends a copy of its Public 

Key to your browser. Now 

your browser does something 

very clever. It takes your 

credit card details and the 

Amazon Public Key and feeds 

them both into an encryption 

program which is built in to 

the browser. The output of 

this encryption program is an 

enormous stream of encrypted 

gobbledygook that is then sent 

over the public internet and 

back to the Amazon website. 

Your credit card and order 

details end up looking something 

like this: 

FH%Ih+&Y8f- 

c\+v32k086’;Ht68Fg- 

56F%68g1!23k3^987hkk(J@f_=hu56} 

h D # 7 6 ^ 6 ^ \ 7 t - 

jkl34576543#3l;*5^ 

So how on earth does that 

encrypted gobbledygook get 

decrypted once it arrives at 

the Amazon web server? Remember 

that the Private Key 

and the Public Key are mathematically 

related. The only 

number known to man that 

will decrypt your order details 

is the Private Key! 

The only way a hacker 

could try and guess that Private 

Key is by brute force, 

but because the Private Key is 

IT TIPS AND TRICKS 

> BY JON FEATHERSTONE 

Jon Featherstone is a director of Hamilton IT training company 

RightClick Training. Email jon@rightclick-training.co.nz or visit 

www.rightclick-training.co.nz 

such a ridiculously large number 

with current computing 

power it would take hundreds 

of thousands of years to try 

and guess it! 

An easy way to know if 

this encryption system is being 

used when you are browsing 

a particular website is to 

look for a small padlock symbol 

near where the website 

address is displayed in your 

browser, and/or the letters 

https:// at the start of the website 

address. 

Of course, this article is 

only looking at how the Private 

Key/Public Key encryption 

works. This technology, 

while in itself is really secure, 

is unfortunately not enough to 

guarantee the safety of your 

data on the internet, as other 

forms of viruses and malware 

may also be present on 

your computer – for instance 

a keyboard logger Trojan 

which sneakily records your 

keystrokes as you type on 

the keyboard. To safeguard 

against these types of attacks, 

you will still need to have up 

to date anti-virus software installed 

on your computer. 

Jon Featherstone is a director 

of Hamilton IT training 

company RightClick Training. 

Email jon@rightclick-training.co.nz 

or visit www.rightclick-training.co.nz 

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