Bay of Plenty Business News January/February 2018

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10 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS January/February 2018 Australian attempt to claim Manuka name draws fire New Zealand honey producers maintain that Manuka is a Maori word and there is no room for sharing it with Australian counterparts, despite efforts across the Tasman to claim the word when labelling their honey products. By RICHARD RENNIE The attempt by Australian producers to hijack the word came after New Zealand producers earned approval from the United Kingdom Trademark Registry authority to use “Manuka” as a recognised New Zealand name that could be attributed to the high value honey. The UK authority concluded that Manuka was a Maori word used to describe the plant whose scientific title is Leptospermum scoparium. While noting the tree also grew elsewhere, the authority stated it was known by different common names in those areas, with Apiculture NZ’s Karin Kos (left) and FOMA’s Traci Houpapa: Australia needs to get on with branding its honey under its own label. Photo/Supplied. Manuka specifically designating the plant growing in New Zealand. “It is definitely a Maori word and the Australians need to get on with branding their own honey with their own label,” said Apiculture NZ chief executive Karin Kos. “We have been given a clear mandate to use this as a certificate of origin stamp for us.” Similar honey produced in Australia is also known as Bush Jelly, but often branding will describe the honey as “Australian Manuka”. The Australian producers have lodged an appeal against the UK decision, but industry observers believe their efforts to reach out and suggest a trans-Tasman approach to marketing Manuka suggested they recognise their appeal grounds are weak. Those grounds included claiming there was evidence the term Manuka had been used for over a century in describing a certain honey type, particularly in Tasmania. The Australian claim on honey has particularly earned the ire of iwi honey producers. Federation of Maori Authorities (FOMA) chairwoman Traci Houpapa described the efforts to claim Manuka as “bizarre”, and in contempt not only of Maori, but of Australia’s own indigenous people. “For us here at FOMA we feel it is ludicrous,” said Houhapa. “Manuka is a Maori word with strong whakapapa, so for our members in the wider honey, forestry and food industry [the Australian claim] is unacceptable.” However, it had given the industry the motivation to come together to work alongside each other to get a definition of Manuka honey in place, and protection of it, she said. Experienced trade negotiator Ian Fletcher has been working alongside the Manuka UMF Association with trade access and developing the case for the UK certification approved late last year. He believes Australian honey producers have a point in seeking a trans-Tasman partnership to marketing honey, but it should not be specifically defined around Manuka. “If we could properly protect a palette of mono floral honeys we could have a trans-Tasman framework for Geographical Indicators (GI) over honey, it could be a good thing for protecting all special types of honey.” GIs are a certification that a product is from a defined geographic region, possessing qualities and reputation specific to that origin. The French and Italians jealously guard products like Modena Balsamic vinegar or Champagne, using such indicators. He said that, unusually, 2016 amendment to the New Zealand legislation was only extended to wines and spirits, and it was high time New Zealand reviewed this position if it was to fend off other attempts to claim its unique product names. Fletcher said he was hopeful that European Union attempts to tighten regulations around GI standards on food types like cheese would mean New Zealand was forced to do the same under any trade deal terms. Victor Goldsmith, general manager for Ngati Porou Miere, an East Coast iwi group working with beekeepers, said Australian honey producers should look to the term “Kallara” which is the aboriginal term for Tea Tree and use that to define their particular brand of honey. Apiculture NZ’s Kos said that while Australian producers had called for some sort of trans-Tasman approach to using the term when labelling, this was not the occasion for doing so. She added that for the New Zealand honey industry, claiming the UK rights to the Manuka brand was a second step in securing higher market premiums for the product. The first move was last year’s efforts to define exactly what Manuka is. However, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ new standards for identifying what was a Manuka honey left many in the industry unhappy. But just before the new standards were due to come into play in early February, MPI performed a last minute change on its definition - slashing the required level of a key chemical marker - in order to avoid a High Court challenge from NZ Beekeeping. As a result of MPI’s move, the legal action has been discontinued. Since 2006 we have specialised in people, employment, culture and change. Visit us at events.everestpeople.co.nz/events for a full list of public workshops available (Tauranga and Hamilton locations). 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11 Growing competition for sought after roles in the Bay As we noted in last month’s column, Bay of Plenty is booming and continuing to draw in people seeking a more balanced lifestyle and better housing opportunities. HUMAN RESOURCES However, there is no doubt that there can be challenges in taking big city skills and backgrounds to the regions. The Talent ID team encourages individuals who are looking to make a move from a big city to the regions to take time to plan this move. We encourage people who need to remain in work, or to commence work relatively quickly, to commence this job > BY CATHERINE BROWN Tauranga Branch Manager, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd search from the city they are based in prior to committing to the move. We know from experience that moving to the regions can mean coping with an adjustment period. This may involve a rest period where one has to wait longer in Rotorua or Tauranga than they would for the right opportunity to come available in Auckland or Wellington. Alternatively, they may have to consider slightly different roles or retraining in order to make their skill sets more relevant to the regional market. With offices based in Tauranga and Rotorua our Tauranga office has experienced less candidate shortages than Rotorua. However, it is evident that experienced talent such as chartered accountants, legal staff, and design and construction staff - including tradespeople - are still very difficult to recruit because of the limited supply of good candidates across these fields. We have seen a number of newly created roles across both Tauranga and Rotorua markets that reflect the growth of businesses within our region. In particular we have seen a number of newly created middle management roles come to the market as business owners recognise the need to add value to their current business operations. It is also refreshing to note that salary and benefit packages are competitive across Bay of Plenty, making it easier for our employers to compete for quality candidates nationwide. So there is no doubt that the Bay of Plenty region is booming and there is opportunity out there especially in the skill shortage areas. But we would like to draw attention to the other, less remarked on, side on the job market. There is a lot of competition within the Bay of Plenty region for some of the more sought-after roles. For employers, this can mean that advertised vacancies attract in excess of 80–100 applications for roles they advertise themselves, which can be an overwhelming situation. And for vacancies, we continue to see a battle between candidates who are based within the region, and those looking to relocate and make the region home. At Talent ID, we feel that the increased competition for roles across the region is a reality that both employers and job seekers need to be aware of. The region’s growing attraction is undoubtedly positive and certainly a good problem to have. Does your business have a united vision? When people unite behind a clear vision and strategy, amazing things often happen. Emirates Team New Zealand winning the America’s Cup in 2017 over defender, Oracle team USA is a classic example. The global success of Xero, driven by its vision of “beautiful accounting software” is another. But too often, in our line of work we see a gap between the vision and strategy set by the MONEY MATTERS > BY MICHELLE HILL Director and Partner at BDO Rotorua, Chartered Accountants and Advisers. To find out more visit bdorotorua.co.nz or email rotorua@bdo.co.nz owners, directors or trustees, and what the business actually does. When the vision isn’t reflected in what happens on the ground, it’s enormously frustrating for business owners, directors and trustees. They don’t understand why people in the business just don’t seem to get the vision they laboured so long and hard to create. It is just as frustrating for people in the business too. They’re working hard, doing what they think is right for the business – but somehow it doesn’t seem to meet the expectations of the owners or the board. So what’s behind that gap between the vision and strategy - and the way they are interpreted and executed? Communication breakdown In our experience, one of the fundamental issues is around the clarity of the vision, and the way it’s expressed. In order to achieve the owners and board’s vision, the team firstly need to understand what it means for the business, and how success will be measured. More importantly, they need to know exactly what it means for them - and how they will be measured. It sounds simple, but it’s not - and that’s the cause of much of the frustration. Often, owners, directors and trustees have broad conceptual goals, based on a desire to leave the business in a better position after they are succeeded. For example, they may want to be ‘the leader in their market” or ‘the preeminent provider of XY widgets to New Zealanders.” While those are worthy goals, they’re also relatively loose and are open to interpretation - or misinterpretation. But too often, in our line of work we see a gap between the vision and strategy set by the owners, directors or trustees, and what the business actually does. The more stakeholders you have, the more interpretations there are likely to be. We often see business plans being driven by budgets rather than strategy. And when that happens, unintended consequences can result. Business planning should always start with a clear understanding of the purpose of the business, how that purpose will be achieved, and how it will be measured. A budget and detailed action plan is then developed based on the resources needed to carry out the agreed strategy – not the other way around. Business planning is not a simple process. In our experience having a structured planning framework and a coach to work alongside you is the key to business success. Having a clear vision and strategy along with a smart well-prepared business plan in place for 2018 will ensure that you keep focused and stay on track when it comes to business growth and success. 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@bopbusinessnews - Jody 027 236 7912 or Pete 022 495 9248
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Bay of Plenty Business News January/February 2018

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