Waikato Business News February/March 2018

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6 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2018 Economy ‘partying too hard’ says economist New Zealand’s economy has been partying too hard but the hangover should only be a minor one, according to an ANZ economist. By CAITLAN JOHNSTON Phil Borkin – speaking at a business summit in Hamilton in February - said the economy is due for a few speed bumps but any economic correction won’t be as severe as the 2007 recession. “There are signs that the economy has been partying too hard,” said Mr Borkin at the event at Hamilton Gardens. “Housing debt is at its highest it’s ever been and skill shortages, poor productivity growth and political change all suggest signs of a vulnerable cycle. “Things are going to get harder, but not hard. The vulnerabilities are nowhere near as extreme as they were in 1997 or 2007” he said. Most of the talk at the second annual Waikato Business Summit concerned the region’s growth. The summit was a joint collaboration between ANZ, BDO Waikato, Chartered Accounts NZ and Xero. BDO Waikato managing director Bernard Lamusse said events such as the summit were key for businesspeople to enable them to gain insights from the speakers and network. “We have an outstanding line-up of speakers who will offer valuable insight into our local and global economies and will contribute to discussion about key issues facing our region in terms of business growth,” said Mr Lamusse. Finance Minister Grant Robertson highlighted the strong levels of population growth that the region is experiencing due to Hamilton’s strategic location within the Golden Triangle. “Projections show that Hamilton is well on its way to being a city with more than 200,000 residents by 2034 and 225,000 by 2041, effectively adding the current population of Palmerston North to the city in that time,” said Mr Robertson. He said the Government had priorities to help Hamilton growth with a new policy platform to help tackle housing and transport bottlenecks, Hamilton City Council general manager of city growth Kelvyn Eglinton. while driving regional development. He confirmed that the new Government has accepted the business case for Peacocke subdivision as part of the Housing Infrastructure Fund, an initiative by the former National Government. The funding would allow for 3750 new houses in the Peacocke area, south of Hamilton, within the next 10 years, rising to a total of 8400 homes in this area in 30 years’ time. “Final documentation is being worked on by officials and Hamilton City Council staff, and the council still needs to consult the community through its long-term plan process. But we expect that construction can start in earnest when long-term plan approval is gained in June.” ANZ economist Phil Borkin at the Waikato Business Summit. “Within this plan, a new southern link road, connecting to the existing State Highway 1 on the western side of Hamilton, will swing past the southern edge of Peacocke, also linking a new Airport Employment zone with the eastern side of the city.” Hamilton mayor Andrew King talked about the positive relationship with the Gov- ernment making special note of the Housing Infrastructure Fund support for Peacocke. “Our relationship is very strong and they support what we’re doing here in Hamilton” said Mayor King. Hamilton City Council’s general manager of city growth Kelvyn Eglinton gave an extensive briefing on the city’s growth and its plans. What’s all this engagement buzz? A few years ago, one of the business buzz words on everyone’s lips was, “sustainable.” Businesses were sustainable, products were sustainable, strategies were sustainable, packaging was sustainable. What wasn’t sustainable was my tolerance for the word. In fact, I went through a short period of boycotting it entirely. Fast-forward to 2018 and one of my current bugbears is the word, “engagement.” Particularly working in public relations, I hear the word engagement many times each day. Okay, and if the truth be told it trickles off my tongue without me even thinking about it. And flippant use of the word is starting to irritate me like an itch I can’t scratch. So, what do these two overused words have in common? The fact that sustainability is incredibly important – like, as in, ultimately saving our planet. And the fact that engagement is incredibly important – like, as in, the success of your business depends on it. While I’m not going to tackle that s-word today, I am going to tackle the e-word. What exactly does engagement mean and why is it so darn important for your business? What is it? When you break it down, engagement is a pretty simple concept. It’s about creating authentic, mutually-beneficial relationships. The issue is that businesses get caught up in wanting to create opportunities for engagement, but they miss those two qualifiers: authentic and mutually-beneficial. What’s an authentic relationship? It’s ‘real.’ It’s not about schmoozing at a business function hoping to add to your business card collection. It’s not getting hundreds of likes and comments on a meme you’ve just posted on your company Facebook page. Authentic relationships – real engagement – requires offline contact, meaningful discussion and exchange. So that’s the authentic part. Then you’ve got the mutually-beneficial part, which is all about creating an exchange where both parties walk away feeling better because of it. Why your business needs it? I can’t think of too many businesses who don’t need an engagement plan as part of their everyday communications efforts. Think about all the people, groups and organisations who have potential to positively or negatively affect your business success. You should build relationships – that is, engage – with these people for one of two reasons. When it comes to positive influencers, if these people understand you, know you and have a great relationship with you they can help you achieve your business goals faster. And when it comes to potentially negative influencers, you PR AND COMMUNICATIONS > BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB HMC Communications can sometimes minimise the potential harm they can cause to your reputation by creating an open-door policy for exchange. When these people feel valued and know their opposing views will be listened to, that’s often enough to diffuse tensions. Now do it So, if you think 2018 is the year to get better at building authentic, mutually-beneficial relationships that help move your business forward then here’s my top three tips for getting engagement right: 1. Be methodical and purposeful – you’ve got to plan who you will see, when, how often and why. 2. Get out from behind your computer – while online engagement is important, offline is imperative. 3. Give as much as you get – always approach business relationships from the other person’s perspective. RESIDENTIAL | LIFESTYLE | SUBDIVISION | INVESTMENT Let’s have a chat, call me today 0800 CathyKnows (228 495)
Tompkins Wake builds on specialisation and expertise ... WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2018 7 Campbell Stewart, Kate Cornegé and Kate Sullivan. Central to the growth and success of Hamilton-headquartered law firm Tompkins Wake is a relentless focus on combining exceptional legal talent with strong business strategy to deliver top value for clients, says Chief Executive Jon Calder. The 96 year old law firm, which also has offices in Auckland and Rotorua, has grown to more than 100 staff who work together building long-term relationships and trust with clients and providing strategic advice and solutions to their often complex issues, he says. “As a firm we believe that when specialisation and expertise are combined in a collaborative environment the result is exceptional outcomes for our clients. For the past decade the firm has pursued a strategy to employ the very best people, investing heavily in building a collaborative culture and the result is genuine expertise and a deep bench of talent which delivers for our clients” The depth and breadth of Tompkins Wake’s legal skills, specialisation and expertise offering has been boosted with the promotion to Partner of three of its team and the appointment of two Senior Associates, all with impressive law pedigrees. NEW PARTNERS CAMPBELL STEWART LLB University of Otago New partner Campbell is a specialist property lawyer, who focuses on agribusiness, natural resources, trusts and asset planning, infrastructure projects and local government property. He has expertise in the overseas investment regime, the Crown minerals area and the Emissions Trading Scheme, working with domestic and international clients. Property transactions, succession planning and wealth-structuring are other specialist practice areas. Brought up on a Southland sheep and beef farm, Campbell lives on a lifestyle block near Te Awamutu with wife Meredith, a medical doctor born and raised in the Waikato, and their three young sons. He joined Tompkins Wake in 2012 after several years with Chapman Tripp in Wellington and in general practice in Southland. He says he was attracted to the Waikato firm by the appeal of being able to continue rural-focused work, with guiding large corporates through complex and novel issues. “The work is challenging and rewarding. The Waikato economy has a strong agri-base, powered by both family businesses and larger corporates. I love that mix.” P 07 838 6024 E campbell.stewart@tompkinswake.co.nz KATE CORNEGÉ BCA LLB (Hons) University of Wellington Cambridge resident Kate is an experienced civil and commercial litigator who has appeared for clients in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. Born in Wellington, this new Partner has been with Tompkins Wake eight years after stints with Chapman Tripp in the capital and in Auckland. She and husband Phillip, a Hamilton Barrister, have two young children. Kate has considerable experience working across regulated industries such as dairy, energy and telecommunications. She is the firm’s third part-time Partner, recognition of the importance the Tompkins Wake culture places on family life and worklife balance. Kate is a member of the Tompkins Wake Working Parents’ Forum which helps her colleagues and the firm better optimise that work-life balance. She says the appeal of Tompkins Wake is its “fantastic people” and the varied and interesting work. “It’s really exciting to be involved in a firm working hard on a growth strategy and with a clear vision for the future.” P 07 838 6053 E kate.cornege@tompkinswake.co.nz KATE SULLIVAN LLB LLM (First class Hons) University of Waikato Kate moved to New Zealand with her family from Exeter, England when she was 19 and started her legal studies in the Waikato. “I loved the lifestyle so much I never went back,” she says. She joined Tompkins Wake in 2011 and is a Partner in the firm’s relationship property, trust disputes and family law team. She specialises in trust law and relationship property, dealing with claims against estates, trusts and disputes. Her other areas of practice include dealing with applications to validate wills and mental capacity issues, particularly assisting clients with applications for the appointment of welfare guardians and property managers. Kate, who lives in Hamilton, says she was drawn to her specialty litigation areas because she enjoys problem-solving. “I like strategising for clients. My particular interest is in trust litigation and estate claims and through that interest comes the relationship property aspect. Tompkins Wake has really supported me through that. They make sure the right people are in the right job so the client is well looked after.” “I absolutely love working at Tompkins Wake, they’re a really good bunch of people and the work is interesting and its good quality work. I love the culture of the firm. They focus on making staff happy so to provide a really good service to clients. I like to think my work can help clients through what can be a stressful time.” Kate spends three days a week at the Rotorua office with the balance of her time in Hamilton and Auckland. When she’s not helping clients she’s out on the water. As a Hamilton Rowing Club master rower, she competed at the World Masters championship last year. P 07 838 6054 NEW SENIOR ASSOCIATES SHELLEY SLADE-GULLY Waikato E kate.sullivan@tompkinswake.co.nz LLB (Hons) BMS (Hons) University of Waikato-born Shelley specialises in intellectual property law and says she’s excited to be heading Tompkins Wake’s intellectual property practice. She’s joined the firm after 13 years with Hamilton’s Norris Ward McKinnon, pursuing a greater scope of work in a bigger firm. A favourite specialisation is trade mark law, in which she has significant experience, including providing trade mark watching services, preparing and filing trade mark applications and submissions and managing proceedings with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand. “It’s all about helping clients to build a name, getting an identity out there. I work with clients to see what kind of profile and identity they want,” she says. Shelley has significant experience advising public sector organisations and has regular dealings with the Offices of the Privacy Commissioner and Ombudsman. She also works with charitable organisations helping them with a range of legal matters, from establishment to governance issues. Shelley has a young daughter and is a member of the Institute of Directors, the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Proprietors Board of Waikato Diocesan School. P 07 838 6004 E shelley.slade-gully@tompkinswake.co.nz ALAINA SOANES LLB (Hons) BMS (Hons) University of Waikato New Senior Associate Alaina is another Waikato-ite, and specialises in projects and commercial contract law. She has significant experience working on complex IT and outsourcing contracts and is looking forward to combining this expertise with a strong understanding of client requirements to provide timely and strategic advice. She comes to Tompkins Wake with 10 years of experience in commercial and legal roles, at Bell Gully in Auckland and King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) in Melbourne. She has also practised law in London, working for multinational and magic circle firm, Clifford Chance. Admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria in 2007, Alaina also worked at a large electricity and gas distribution company in Melbourne where she was involved in a major project to restructure commercial arrangements. This work involved her leading a complex IT procurement project. She also advised the Melbourne company on new strategic projects including a trial of solar panels and battery units. P 07 838 6015 E alaina.soanes@tompkinswake.co.nz Westpac House, Level 8 430 Victoria Street Hamilton 07 839 4771 www.tompkinswake.co.nz
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