Bay of Plenty Business News March/April 2018
From mid-2016 Bay of Plenty businesses have a new voice, Bay of Plenty Business News. This new publication reflects the region’s growth and importance as part of the wider central North Island economy.
From mid-2016 Bay of Plenty businesses have a new voice, Bay of Plenty Business News. This new publication reflects the region’s growth and importance as part of the wider central North Island economy.
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Bay of plenty
MARCH/APRIL 2018 VOLUME 3: ISSUE 3 WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/BOPBUSINESSNEWS
BOP tourist
industry
Explores
new direction
Gloworm kayak tours: Photo/Waimarino
The good news for the Coastal Bay of
Plenty is that tourists spent a record
$1 billion last year. The less good news - at
least for some business ratepayers - is that
Tourism Bay of Plenty is seeking increased
annual council funding of around $620,000
to help support a new and better targeted
approach.
By DAVID PORTER
Tourism BOP says
the increase would
make its funding more
aligned with other similar-sized
Regional Tourism
Organisations (RTOs).
And it would underpin its
efforts to drill down and gain a
better understanding of exactly
who comes to the region and
why, and to transition from
largely promotional activities
to what the industry describes
as destination management.
“It would be reckless to
allow this level of growth
without a considered management
plan. We are aiming to
grow the visitor economy on
our terms, with the right visitors
at the right time, for the
benefit of the region,” said
Tourism BOP chief executive
Kristin Dunne.
“Destination management
Kristin Dunne:
Photo/Tourism BOP
is the coordinated management
of all the elements that make
up a region. It is the key to
controlling tourism’s environmental
impacts and preserving
the region’s unique identity.”
Dunne told Bay of Plenty
Business News the move was
part of a long-term strategy
that was attempting to balance
growth with a solid management
plan. As part of this
process, the tourism body has
put together a 10-year Visitor
Economy Strategy. This has
forecast that the visitor economy
will grow by more than 50
percent by 2028, positioning
tourism as one of the larger
economic contributors to the
region.
“The additional funding
will allow us to do a lot more
research so that we can better
understand the visitors and we
could be making insight-led
decisions. That’s really at the
heart of destination management
- it’s making sure we
understand who the visitors
are, where they’re coming
from, and what they need.”
The reality was that currently
the research data was
very poor, Dunne said. The
BOP is a region with many
entry and exit points, making
measurement of visitors
difficult.
Continued on page 3
dry shareholders
Growers support new
Zespri structure
P8
swiped on
Tauranga company’s
$15 million grant
P9
tourism & Events
The wider region
P20-22
2 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
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BOP tourist industry
explores new direction
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 3
From page 1
But she emphasized that
this wasn’t just a BOP problem,
but a national one.
Regional Tourism New
Zealand says current ways of
thinking about tourism development
are “not fit for purpose”
and tourism needs to be
on the agenda of every council
around the country.
Executive officer Charles
Ives says increased growth in
tourism will place pressure on
the regions, which has to be
anticipated before it has a negative
effect on communities.
“Tourism – perhaps more
than any other industry –
touches the whole community
and while most New
Zealanders overall are still
comfortable with the industry,
we are already seeing
early indicators of pressure
such as overcrowding and
negative reactions to Freedom
Campers,” he says.
“These are warnings of the
impact tourism can have on
us, if we don’t have a planned,
developed and managed
approach.”
A core facet of destination
management is solid visitor
insights to best understand a
visitor economy and its visitors,
said Dunne.
If the additional funding
it has applied for through
Tauranga City Council’s Long
Term Plan is approved, significant
insights work into visitor
numbers and visitors themselves
would be undertaken,
enabling it to best utilise its
marketing dollar in targeting
the right visitors to visit at the
right time.
“All we really know with
confidence is how much visitors
are spending - we don’t
know where they’re coming
from or who they are, with any
confidence,” said Dunne.
“We are working with
all the stakeholders who are
involved in tourism, of which
there are many, and we’re
looking out the next 10 years
to say, of what visitors have
told us they want, what is it we
need to deliver in the next decade
to give them a good visitor
experience.”
… insight-led
decisions [are]
really at the heart
of destination
management - it’s
making sure we
understand who the
visitors are, where
they’re coming from,
and what they need.”
– Kristin Dunne
Dunne said the industry was
currently very demand-oriented.
“We just get people here
in as many numbers as we
can. The other side is the sup-
Ovation of the Seas: At Tauranga.
Photo/Katie Cox, Tourism BOP
Tourism BOP is mandated to promote the territories of its funding councils, which
include Tauranga City, Western Bay of Plenty District and Whakatane District. Tourism
BOP refers to this collection of territories as the “Coastal Bay of Plenty” and it
stretches from Waihi Beach to Ohope Beach, and as far inland as the Kaimai Range,
the Whirinaki Forest and part of Te Urewera. Destination Rotorua, now part of Rotorua
Economic Development, is the key organisation managing tourism in the Rotorua
region. (see pages 21/22)
ply side - what experiences do
we deliver, what products are
there, what products should
there be?”
Some observers are critical
of the limited range of
activities available to visitors
to Tauranga - beyond visiting
the beaches and Mount
Maunganui - especially in
contrast to Rotorua’s range of
well-developed activities and
events programme.
Rotorua Economic
Development chief executive
Michelle Templer says
Rotorua has continued to add
new products to ensure they
keep pace with the changing
wants and needs of visitors.
(see pages 21 and 22)
Max Mason, chair of the
TCC’s economic development
committee, says the council is
well aware the tourism body
wants to change its role from
not only promoting, but managing
the region. There are
a number of negative aspects
to tourism, including increased
freedom camping and traffic
issues.
“They want to base their
future development on
insights, so a lot of visitor
research needs to occur,” said
Mason.
“At the moment, most of
their insights about where
people come from and their
impact is done in those overseas
markets. One of the really
important bits of information
that we don’t have, for example,
is how many people visit
Tauranga to see friends and
relatives. We know it’s a massive
amount, but we don’t really
know how much.”
Tauranga Chamber of
Commerce Chief executive
Stan Gregec said he was in
principle supportive of something
that at least reflected
a more targeted approach to
council funding.
“We are a membership-based
organisation that is
a proxy for the business community,”
he said.
“Tourism BOP is 100-per
cent funded by councils and
we have been asked to support
them getting another $620,000
a year. Clearly it’s the general
business community that is
going to have to pay for this
eventually through rates. But
at least it would be an example
of a targeted rate so we would
know in theory where those
funds were going to be spent.”
He was speaking in the context
of the current opposition
by many in the business community
to the proposed shift to
businesses paying higher rates.
“We do understand there
is a national formula for tourist
organisations and Tourism
BOP has a bit of catchup to do.
I support the destination management
approach. But their
focus till now has been on
promoting, and they’ve done
very little to coordinate what
happens at this end. I would
have thought, given the money
they have been getting for
external promotion for years,
that it would have been a good
idea to have done some of that
analysis already.”
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Licensed REAA 2008
4 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
CONTACT
INFORMATION
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
David Porter
Mob: 021 884 858
Email: david@nmmedia.co.nz
STUDIO MANAGER
Tania Hogg
Ph: (07) 838 1333
Email: production@nmmedia.co.nz
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Ph: (07) 838 1333
Email: kelly@nmmedia.co.nz
ADVERTISING
INQUIRIES
Please contact:
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
Vanessa Lee
Mob: 021 715 225
Email: vanessa@nmmedia.co.nz
BUSINESS DIRECTOR
Pete Wales
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Email: pete@nmmedia.co.nz
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Neben Morris Media specialises
in business publishing,
advertising, design and print
media services.
Bay of Plenty Business News has
a circulation of 8000, distributed
throughout Bay of Plenty between
Waihi and Opotiki including
Rotorua and Taupo, and to a
subscription base.
Bay of Plenty Business News
Suite 4, 117 Willow Street
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Bay of Plenty
www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz
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PO Box 1425, Hamilton, 3240
Ph: (07) 838 1333
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www.nmmedia.co.nz
From the editor
In this month’s cover story
we examine Tourism Bay
of Plenty’s bid for increased
council funding to shift the
focus of its marketing efforts.
The good news for the
Coastal Bay of Plenty is that
tourists spent a record $1 billion
last year.
Tourism Bay of Plenty
is seeking increased annual
council funding of around
$620,000 to help support a new
and better targeted approach.
Tourism BOP says the
increase would make its funding
more aligned with other
similar-sized Regional Tourism
Organisations (RTOs).
And it would underpin
its efforts to drill down and
gain a better understanding
of exactly who comes to the
region and why, and to transition
from largely promotional
activities to what the industry
describes as destination
management.
Consistent promotion
efforts by the New Zealand
avocado sector, helped by
tariff changes under the Free
Trade Agreement (FTA), are
paying off with a season of
record returns in Korea.
Currently the fresh domestic
and Australian market
account for the lion’s share of
the avocado crop.
Japan, Singapore, Thailand
and Korea re the other major
markets.
However, the industry faces
a major challenge in meeting
the growing demand in Asian
and other export markets while
it grapples with achieving
more consistent production.
Major changes to Zespri’s
share structure have been wel-
comed by the sector’s grower
body as the export marketer
moves to more closely align its
ownership with those responsible
for producing the fruit.
The changes resolve the
longstanding problem of
so-called “dry” shareholders
- those who have shares
in Zespri, but are no longer
actively growing kiwifruit.
The changes are Zespri’s
attempt to deal with what it
describes as a concerning
mis-alignment of ownership
between growers and
non-growers.
A special general meeting
held in mid-March drew the
required 75 percent-plus grower
support for the changes.
After almost five years and a
major industry strategy review,
kiwifruit growers have agreed
to the proposed changes to
Zespri’s constitution.
There are now caps on the
ability of non-producing shareholders
to continue owning
shares, as well as a focus on
getting new growers to own
shares representing the volume
of crop they contribute.
We also look at the success
of Tauranga-based software
company SwipedOn, which
has been awarded a growth
David Porter
grant by Callaghan Innovation
for its iPad-based visitor management
system.
The grant is for an initial
three year term, refunding 20
percent of all eligible spend,
up to a total of $15 million.
The grant reflects the rapid
progress the company has
made since it was founded in
2013. The software-as-a-service
company replaces paper
visitor books with an innovative
iPad application.
Its founders grew the business
with no financial backing
or sales team into a product
used in over 2,000 cities worldwide,
largely in the UK and US.
David Porter
Editor
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BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2018
5
Time for businesses
to speak out about
rates hike
How do you justify a rates increase
of 60% in a single year?
By STAN GREGEC
CEO of the Tauranga Chamber
of Commerce
That’s a question some
business owners will be
asking when they find
out how much Tauranga City
Council is proposing to bill
them for this year’s rates. And
that’s just the start. Further
increases are on the cards for
Tauranga business ratepayers
in Years 2 and 3 of the
Council’s new ten-year plan
– out for consultation until
April 16th.
As part of a major reform
of the current rating system,
the Council proposes to introduce
a business rate differential
– which means that businesses
will pay 20% more
than residential ratepayers this
year relative to a property’s
value, rising to 40% more
next year and 60% more in
2020. There are other changes
on top of this, including a
new targeted rate applying to
all properties in the CBD.
Underpinning it all is a
core belief – not backed by
much evidence - that the commercial
sector profits dispro-
portionately from Council services
and city improvements:
this justifies it being asked to
pay more. When pressed for
specifics, the Council’s CEO
Garry Poole has mentioned
things like ‘improved speed of
delivery, transport and logistics’
and amenities that add
extra value to businesses and
attract high quality staff to
Tauranga.
Not surprisingly, the
Tauranga Chamber of
Commerce - representing
850 business members - is
opposed to the rates proposal
in its current form. It objects
to the notion that businesses
can be treated as a cash cow
to spare the impact of the
Council’s spending plans on
residential ratepayers.
Let’s get one thing straight.
The business community is
not opposed to paying its fair
share of Council rates; and
there may even be a case
for making a higher contribution
than it currently pays.
However, there are serious
problems with the Council’s
plan as it currently stands.
Missed Opportunity
Stan Gregec
In the Chamber’s view, it is
not acceptable that the Council
has sprung the rates plan on
an unprepared business community,
giving only a short
window for ‘consultation’; at
the very least it should have
signaled a year ago that the
current rating system was no
longer fit for purpose; and it
could have initiated a community-wide
conversation about
the Council’s ongoing financial
sustainability.
Unfair impacts
The Council is proposing to
move from the current system
of parity between commercial
and residential ratepayers
to one where businesses will
pay a 60% bigger share within
three years. That’s a huge jump
to make in a very short period,
considering the other changes
being made at the same time
– such as bringing in the new
targeted city centre rate.
With some businesses
already facing a 60% rates
increase in just the first year,
it’s not difficult to imagine
what the full impact will be
over three years. For some the
hit will be big enough to make
business owners, especially in
the CBD, think seriously about
whether to stay put or to pick
up sticks.
Backwards Step
Tauranga used to have a business
rate differential but that
was abandoned in the early
2000s when the Council of the
day concluded that it was an
unfair and unjustified way of
putting an extra burden on the
business community. At that
time the Council understood
that businesses needed the very
opposite – support and encouragement
- if they were to continue
to grow and contribute to
the economic prosperity of the
region.
Now, a decade or more later,
we seem to be heading backwards.
As study after study has
shown, ‘differential rates tend
to be set arbitrarily without
explicit justification in terms
of the benefits provided.’ Not
only are they a blunt instrument
for Councils to wield,
but they can be seen as something
of a lazy option – given
that there are far better ways
for Councils to fund services
and costs that benefit specific
groups or interests. Targeted
rates make way more sense.
What can you do?
The draft 2018/28 Long Term
Plan is open for consultation
from 16th March to 16th April
2018. The consultation document
is available on the council
website as well as details of
public consultation meetings.
The Chamber will be making
a submission on behalf
of its members, and encourages
business owners to do the
same. If you need help to make
your submission, contact the
Chamber and we can give you
a steer.
Tauranga businesses
stand together…
...by joining the Chamber.
Join Tauranga Chamber members
like Steve Wagstaff from Pureprint, Tauranga
Join the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce and become part of a connected and
committed business community that supports our region to grow and prosper.
For more details visit www.tauranga.org.nz
6 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
South Korea market investment
begins to pay off
Consistent promotion efforts by the New Zealand avocado
sector, helped by tariff changes under the Free Trade Agreement
(FTA), are paying off with a season of record returns in Korea.
But ensuring consistent supply remains a problem.
By DAVID PORTER
Currently the fresh
domestic (32 percent)
and Australian market
(56 percent) account for the
lion’s share of the avocado
crop, according to the latest
ANZ Agri Focus report.
Australia accounts for around
80 percent of export revenue.
Japan (four percent) Singapore
(two percent), Thailand (two
percent) and Korea (two percent)
are the other major markets.
AVANZA is the Asian
marketing arm of AVOCO,
a partnership between New
Zealand’s two biggest avocado
exporters, Southern Produce
and Primor Produce. AVOCO
is the biggest avocado producer
in NZ, though there
are other prominent producers,
including Seeka and Just
Avocados.
AVANZA has been work-
ing to educate Korean consumers
on the health benefits
of New Zealand avocados.
However, the industry faces a
major challenge in meeting the
growing demand in Asian and
other export markets while it
grapples with achieving more
consistent production.
Last year Korea imported
1.1 million avocado trays from
all origins – more than double
the volume imported in 2016.
The overall value rose by 158
percent – up from US$12 million
in 2016 to US$31 million
last year.
New Zealand shipped more
than 145,000 trays to Korea
last season, with AVANZA
accounting for 66 percent of
that volume.
Returns per tray improved
by close to 20 percent during
a season when relatively low
productivity - typical of an
industry where the fruit tends
to bear more in alternate seasons
- ensured record returns
for most growers.
Korea market manager
Martin Napper said that
AVANZA-led promotional
activity had grown the avocado
category in Korea, where
people were prepared to pay
a premium for the large New
Zealand-grown fruit.
Three years ago, avocados
were a relatively unknown
fruit in Korea, with only about
250,000 trays imported. That
grew to 500,000 in 2016 before
taking a giant leap last season
when Korea became a one million
tray market.
“All the work we’ve done
to educate consumers on the
health benefits of avocados as
well as teaching importers and
distributors how to correctly
handle and store the fruit,
is paying off with increased
sales,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Trade has noted
that the entry into force of the
Korea-NZ FTA in December
2015 was a positive development
for many of its main
horticultural exports. A number
have enjoyed or will enjoy
substantial tariff reductions
under the agreement. Avocados
are set to achieve a major tariff
benefit under the FTA, with
a 30 percent tariff gradually
reduced to zero by 2024.
Meanwhile, Korea’s 45 percent
tariff on kiwifruit will be
phased out by 2020 and kiwifruit
exporters have already
had a third wiped off this tariff
since entry-into-force of the
FTA.
Napper said young Korean
women were particularly
receptive to the nutritional
messages about New Zealand
avocados, which recent
research says have twice as
much vitamin B6 and 20 per
cent more folate than those
grown in other countries.
Last year’s promotional
In-store promotion in Korea: local consumers are
developing a taste for NZ avocados. Photos/supplied.
All the work we’ve
done to educate
consumers on the
health benefits of
avocados as well
teach importers and
distributors how
to correctly handle
and store the fruit,
is paying off with
increased sales.
activity included an ongoing
association with Maeil Dairies,
one of the largest beverage
companies in Korea. The partnership
enabled AVANZA to
participate in Maeil’s soy milk
and avocado smoothie promotions,
including social media
campaigns.
Market investment also
included recipe ideas and
supermarket demonstrations,
which are seen by marketers
as an effective way to reach
first-time consumers. Over the
past four years, AVANZA has
held 1500 sampling sessions,
reaching 600,000 consumers.
Centrepiece displays in selected
stores providing consumers
with the option to select
a ready-to-eat piece of fruit
have also increased sales, said
Napper.
AVANZA’s promotional
strategies were being applied
in North and Southeast Asian
markets, he said.
“It makes sense to apply the
same strategies to all our markets,
including Singapore and
Thailand – anywhere where
we can see potential for real
consumption growth as diets
become more varied.”
But while developing markets
outside of Australia - traditionally
the major and highest-paying
market for the NZ
fruit - was important for the
long-term future of the industry,
demand is currently outstripping
supply.
Last season’s low crop
volume meant New Zealand
could only export 2.2 million
avocado trays – less than half
the volume shipped offshore
during the bumper crop of
2016-17. AVOCO handled 1.3
million trays with about 81
percent sent to Australia.
The ANZ Agri Focus report
said the increasing demand
was leading to new greenfield
development opportunities in
the Upper North Island.
“Globally many countries
are eating more avocados due
to their versatility, trendiness
and health benefits,” said ANZ
rural economist Con Williams
in the report. “ [But] because
avocados have a long lead
time for development, supply
is struggling to keep up.”
AVOCO’s marketing and
communications manager,
Steve Trickett, concurs, saying
the supply shortfall caused by
irregular fruit bearing meant
volumes were spread thinly
across some AVANZA markets
last year. With China also
now opening its doors to New
Zealand, all exporters wanted
more fruit to maximise the
growing market opportunities,
“As an industry, we’re
investing in research to achieve
more consistent production and
planting an extra 1000 hectares
in young trees,” said Trickett.
“But it will take time for
us to see the benefits of that
investment. In the interim,
growers have to adapt quickly
to meet specific customer market
compliance requirements
to ensure their fruit can be
exported to these new markets
being opened. As we grow our
markets and consumers develop
an appetite for avocados,
every piece of fruit counts.”
Baypark – showcasing
Tauranga City
Bay Venues/Baypark has
increased its emphasis
on business events over
the past couple of years and
the hard work is now paying
dividends for the events centre
and for Tauranga City.
Large conferences and
events have a long lead-in
time and the process to secure
significant business events is
usually complex. Added to
this, Tauranga as a destination
is competing against all
the large cities and regions in
New Zealand.
The huge economic impact
generated with conferences is
not always recognised. Just
one 500 delegate conference
for three days reaps more than
$500,000 for the city. It is not
just the benefit to Baypark, but
also flows through to accommodation,
leisure activities,
retail, travel, and promotion of
the area. In effect,our city is a
showcase to visiting delegates.
In one such event in March,
Tauranga was the destination,
and Baypark was the preferred
venue and host for The NZ
Planning Institute Annual
Conference & Exhibition 2018.
This year the theme for their
conference was “Breaking new
Ground” – and they did.
The delegates, accompanying
partners, international
speakers and management of
the conference attracted close
to 800 visitors to Tauranga
city. The visitors were in the
city from three/ four nights.
As well as the conference
and exhibition, the delegates
had field trips to significant
developments in Tauranga
city such as the Tauriko West
development, a Civic Heart
Tour, an iwi development tour,
and the Te Temu natural hazards.
This demonstrates the
flow-on effect for the city from
the exposure to just this one
business event.
In April, the Bethlehem
Tertiary Institute will bring
their Research Symposium -
an international conference -
to Baypark, again bringing in
visitors for three/four nights
generating economic impact
across the city. SO please
make them welcome.
Other activities continue,
with a variety of back-to-back
events. Baypark was pleased
to host Parafed’s Disability
Sport Festival, which filled the
Arena for a weekend in March.
The event was made even more
special with a Paralympics
Open Day in the Arena on the
Sunday. This NZ touring interactive
exhibition showcased
the Para sport opportunities in
each area, with the opportunity
to meet Paralympians, watch
demonstrations and to even
have a go.
The International Tattoo
and Art Extravaganza from
14-15 April is now upon us.
It has taken months of preparation
and the promoters keep
adding more and more into
the programme. This is an
event that offers most things
and with the elements to surprise.
See up close the 100+
International Tattoo Artists in
action, enjoy a wide variety of
exhibitions: dance, wearable
arts, entertainment/live bands,
variety of food and beverages,
fire show, DJ’s, circus show,
live street art, and even a Miss
Tattoo contest.
For more information,
check out their website
www.tattooextravaganza.nz.
Pre-show tickets are available
from Eventfinda, and there
will be door sales.
For more information on
any events or enquiries to
secure any of the Baypark
venues, BayStation activities
or services on/off site from
BayCatering, BayAudioVisual,
www.asbbaypark.co.nz or
events@bayvenues.co.nz or
call 07-577 8560.
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 7
IoT innovation
a team sport
Businesses are increasingly heeding the call
to put the Internet of Things at the heart of
their plans for digital transformation.
By ANDREW HITCHFIELD
Vodafone Regional Sales
Manager, Bay of Plenty/Waikato
Andrew.hitchfield@vodafone.
com and 0299 289 013.
“Farmers don’t even realise
how much data could be available
to them. The role of businesses
like ours is to translate
data into useful information
for them to make decisions
with – information they were
blind to that has the potential
to transform their business.
It’s a really exciting journey to
be on with them.”
Andrew Hitchfield
Vodafone’s 2017 IoT
Barometer Report
found 74% of businesses
agree digital transformation
is impossible without IoT.
Our customer, Larry
Ellison, is among them, seeing
endless potential in IoT
innovations to transform the
business of farming.
The Ellison Group which
owns the successful agri-tech
monitoring company, Levno
has recently joined forces
with another company that
produces the Zeddy dry feeder.
Zeddy enables farmers to
feed individual diets to calves,
cows, goats, deer and, currently
under trial, sheep.
It identifies animals by
their electronic ear tag, then
dispenses a predetermined
amount of feed. Importantly,
it communicates data back to
the farmer’s smartphone or
computer, giving them valuable
information about their
herd.
“Smart farming is the
future and the development
of the IoT network is only
going to make data more readily
available to farmers,” says
Ellison.
Smart farming is
the future and the
development of
the IoT network
is only going to
make data more
readily available to
farmers.
IT TAKES A GLOBAL VILLAGE
Whether you are developing
a new technology like
Zeddy, or looking for ways of
future-proofing your business
for the digital age, many businesses
want to know how to
make the leap to IoT and reap
the rewards of this data-rich,
always-connected way of doing
business. My answer is always
the same. IoT is not a solo act.
You need to pick a team.
Ellison, whose personal
philosophy is that business
in general is a team sport,
approached his company’s IoT
journey in the same way.
Ellison tells me because
Zeddy is a start-up, they’re
careful that the people they
choose to do business with
share their passion. “We’ve
been in the trenches together
with Vodafone with other
Zeddy data sent directly to farmer’s smartphone or computer.
projects and know they can
deliver,” he says.
When we’re working
through our customers’ IoT
needs, typically the solution
they need already exists
– we’ve delivered it here or
somewhere else in the world.
We can draw on our global
partner ecosystem to meet any
IoT challenge.
CONNECTIVITY. THE GLUE.
Secure, reliable, global connectivity
is at the heart of IoT – it’s
the glue that holds it together,
and Vodafone connects more
than 60 million devices globally.
Ellison says connectivity
was one of the challenges with
development of the Zeddy.
“What Vodafone allowed us
to do is to reach everyone we
want to reach and provide our
service to all of our markets,
which we couldn’t do with
another provider.”
Our Managed IoT
Connectivity Platform helps
companies manage their connected
IoT deployments in 182
countries. Local and global
What Vodafone
allowed us to do is
to reach everyone
we want to reach
and provide our
service to all of our
markets, which we
couldn’t do with
another provider.
customers are given global
IoT SIMs, managed through
one global platform, on more
than 600 mobile networks and
accessed through an easy to
use self-service portal.
LEADING IoT INNOVATION
Today, less 1% of all the
things that could be connected
are connected, often due to
the constraints of being geo-
graphically remote, deep within
urban infrastructure or even
underwater.
Our team is taking on this
challenge through development
of a Narrowband IoT
network.
NB-IoT opens up a whole
new world of possibilities,
|enabling connectivity
in previously inaccessible
environments.
NB-IoT is particularly relevant
in the agriculture sector,
where it will allow farmers
to easily monitor things like
gates being open or closed,
ground moisture or water levels
in tanks. It offers huge
potential to drive efficiencies
and boost productivity.
Vodafone’s NB-IoT network
will be rolled out in
New Zealand this year, built
to a global standard to deliver
security, scalability, quality of
service and longevity. I believe
this will be game-changing
for the way businesses in the
BOP/Waikato will be able to
operate.
GETTING IN THE xone
Our team approach to driving
innovation in IoT extends to
investing in Kiwi IoT innovators
through our Vodafone
xone accelerator lab.
We provide seed-funding,
access to world class technology
and mentoring as part
of a six-month programme to
companies with game-changing
IoT ideas.
WHERE TO NEXT?
As for what’s next for Zeddy,
Ellison tells me they have great
ambitions to be one of the biggest,
most innovative agri-tech
companies, saying, “We really
believe in this sector and by
pairing up with Vodafone, I
think we can achieve that.”
Zeddy smart dry feeder in action.
8 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
Zespri gets tick from growers
for share changes
Major changes to Zespri’s share structure have been welcomed
by the sector’s grower body as the export marketer moves
to more closely align its ownership with those responsible for
producing the fruit.
By RICHARD RENNIE
The changes resolve the
longstanding problem of
so-called “dry” shareholders
- those who have
shares in Zespri, but are no
longer actively growing kiwifruit.
The changes are Zespri’s
attempt to deal with what chairman
Peter McBride described
as a concerning mis-alignment
of ownership between growers
and non-growers.
Almost 30 percent of shareholders
are currently below
the 1 share:1 tray ratio, while
eight percent of growers are
over the 4:1 share cap Zespri
proposed in the constitutional
changes. Meanwhile, 15 percent
of Zespri’s 120 million
shares are held by people who
are no longer connected with
the industry.
A special general meeting
held in mid-March drew the
required 75 percent-plus grower
support for the changes.
After almost five years and a
major industry strategy review,
kiwifruit growers have agreed
to the proposed changes to
Zespri’s constitution.
There are now caps on the
ability of non-producing shareholders
to continue owning
shares, as well as a focus on
getting new growers to own
shares representing the volume
of crop they contribute.
Growers who are overshared,
with more than four
shares per tray of production,
will face a cap on their ability
to buy more shares.
And those over-shared at
the time of the new rules will
have seven years to sell the
surplus shares, and three years
for those who become overshared
after the rules are introduced.
In an effort to better align
the 18 million shares attached
to non-growing owners, Zespri
has set a dividend cap on
non-producing shareholders,
who now face a fade out period
of seven years on their
dividend payment.
“We are at a critical junction
with a unique opportunity
to formalise what the majority
of owners have asked for,” said
McBride.
The changes have been welcomed
by Nikki Johnson, chief
executive of grower body New
Zealand Kiwifruit Growers
Incorporated (NZKGI).
“On behalf of NZ’s kiwifruit
growers, NZKGI is pleased
with the outcome of Zespri’s
Special Meeting,” she said.
This support for
change reflects the
cohesiveness of
our industry and a
common interest
among growers and
former growers in
seeing it prosper.
“The passing of the resolutions
at the Special Meeting
was the final step in achieving
what growers indicated
they wanted in the Kiwifruit
Industry Strategy Project.
“In 2015, around 90 percent
of growers voted in the
KISP referendum to support
proposals to change Zespri’s
constitution to allow for alignment
between growers and
shareholders.”
McBride gave a brief history
lesson on Zespri’s creation
back in 2000, when growers
had sought government
approval to make the marketer
a full co-operative.
“Treasury would not allow
NZKGI’s Nikki Johnson: Growers supportive of changes
to address dry shareholding issue. Photo/Supplied.
it – but that is where we are
wanting to head back to today.”
McBride said dealing with
the share allocation was also
a significant succession issue
that needed to be addressed,
just as in any farm or orchard
operation’s ownership.
“The outcome will be
important for the next generation
of kiwifruit growers.”
To facilitate the entry of
newer growers as shareholding
operators, the changes have
included an allowance for new
entrants to have the entitlement
to buy shares up to one
share per tray. This is if they
own or lease a site on which
there is no history of production
in the past three years.
Those shares cannot be voted
with until the orchard begins
production.
A share buy-back programme
will also target those
growers who are over-shared
and non- producing share holders,
purchasing their shares at
fair market value, and targeting
a share issue to unshared
and under-shared growers.
“This support for change
reflects the cohesiveness of our
industry and a common interest
among growers and former
growers in seeing it prosper,”
said McBride.
“The measures require
a huge amount of goodwill,
but ultimately they will support
Zespri’s ability to deliver
strong, sustainable value to
kiwifruit growers and shareholders
over the long term. It’s
a fantastic legacy for the next
generation of people in our
industry.”
Can’t quite get that job?
We’ll HOOK you up with job advice,
and even help you CATCH a job!
N E W Z E A L A N D
TAURANGA
07 571 0283
tgaadmin@nz.drakein.com
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 9
SwipedOn awarded $15 million
Callaghan grant
Tauranga-based software company SwipedOn has been awarded
a growth grant by Callaghan Innovation for its iPad-based visitor
management system. The grant is for an initial three year term,
refunding 20 percent of all eligible spend, up to a total of $15 million.
By DAVID PORTER
The grant reflects the rapid
progress the company
has made since it was
founded in 2013.
The software-as-a-service
company replaces paper visitor
books with an innovative
iPad application.
Its founders grew the business
with no financial backing
or sales team into a product
used in more than 2000 cities
worldwide, largely in the UK
and US.
The company has focused
on one core product: an elegant
iPad-based visitor management
system that replaces
outdated visitor books with
a sleek, simple and modern
solution.
Since launching its current
app in 2016, SwipedOn
has achieved $1 million
annual recurring revenue as
of December 2017, and has
raised an additional $1million
in capital. The company has
also recruited five new fulltime
staff to keep up with
company growth.
Founder and chief executive
Hadleigh Ford said the
team was thrilled to have been
awarded the grant.
“SwipedOn has grown
quickly in the last couple of
years and this will certainly
help us accelerate the pace of
development and innovation,”
said Ford.
The $1 million capital raise
came from various sources,
including Bay of Plenty-
Waikato early stage investment
group Enterprise Angels,
as well as Sir Stephen Tindall’s
K1W1 fund, and the government’s
NZ Investment Fund.
Enterprise Angels executive
director Bill Murphy said
the capital raise had gone really
well.
“The product itself is interesting,”
he said.
“It’s not super special. And
it’s kind of unusual that we
would back something that
isn’t strongly unique. But
there’s only five or six companies
in the world doing what
they are doing.
“And Swiped On is at a
different price point than most
of them - there really is a big
market there for them. And we
really like the team.”
Enterprise Angels also
helped put together a strong
board, led by entrepreneur,
investor and tech commentator
Ben Kepes.
We’re also proud of
the fact that we have
done this from the
regions, being based
in Tauranga. We don’t
feel we need to be
in any of the main
centres to build and
deliver a world class
product.”
– Hadleigh Ford
Hadleigh Ford said that
while SwipedOn had begun as
a modern replacement for antiquated
visitor books, the company
saw a number of ways it
could enhance the entire visitor
experience.
“We’re also proud of the
fact that we have done this
from the regions, being based
in Tauranga. We don’t feel we
need to be in any of the main
centres to build and deliver a
world class product.”
SwipedOn’s Hadleigh Ford:
Thrilled to win grant to
further develop visitor app.
Photo/supplied
10 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
The performance appraisal
One of the most common complaints we hear from staff is around
not receiving enough - if any - feedback from their managers.
HUMAN RESOURCES
> BY KELLIE HAMLETT
Director, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd
It is fair enough to want to
know how your performance
is being rated, and whether
you are doing a good job or if
there is room for improvement.
On the management side of
the desk, many of the employers
I work with really dislike
having to do the annual round
of performance reviews.
It certainly doesn’t seem
to be at the top of anyone’s
enjoyment list, and it’s more
often than not seen as a tick
the box process rather than
one that adds any value to
the employment relationship
or the organisation.
So why do we do them and
is there a better way?
Managers have always had
to assess their employees’ performance,
yet the function of
carrying out the annual performance
appraisal is still
problematic for many organisations.
The negative image of the
performance appraisal may in
part be due to managers who
are either poorly trained and
inadequately prepared, or just
not committed to the process.
That means many managers
view the performance appraisal
as a chore because they
do not understand the importance
of performance management
and the value that can be
gleaned from it when carried
out correctly.
Or it could also be the case
that their organisation does not
emphasise these benefits.
Regular sessions
with your staff
ultimately means that
issues that are raised
can be escalated if
appropriate and dealt
with in a more
timely way.
And importantly, in many
organisations, performance
appraisals are reactionary
- they focus on judging past
performance rather than being
proactive, and often don’t have
transparent and agreed goals
in place.
I’m of the opinion that
feedback should be given on
a regular basis. There is certainly
a time and a place for an
annual process. But waiting for
potentially a year to raise an
issue with an employee’s performance
simply doesn’t work.
One option is to sit down
with your employees in a less
formal way on a regular basis
to talk about what is going well
and what could be improved
upon.
This can be a useful tool
both to engage employees, and
also to deal with those niggly
small things that can often fester
and turn into larger issues if
not addressed quickly.
Regular sessions with your
staff ultimately means that
issues that are raised can be
escalated if appropriate and
dealt with in a more timely way.
And we often see these
more regular casual meetings
resulting in the annual process
being viewed in a more positive
light, with better outcomes.
The more formal annual
Performance Planning &
Review - as the process is now
more commonly known - then
follows on from these regular
meetings, with a stronger
focus on the development of
employees’ future work targets
and objectives.
That allows both employer
and staff to measure progress
against previously established
goals, and provides a platform
to review work behaviours and
job performance, and to identify
areas for future training and
development.
In this sense, the manager
can use the Performance
Planning & Review process
to identify and set work
objectives, decide on performance-based
awards, and provide
feedback on results and
performance.
And the organisation can
also identify career and succession
planning, determine
training needs, assist with
employee counselling, and
better support promotion and
termination decisions.
Essentially, for the worker
this process should mean reinforcement
through feedback
and or pay rises, the potential
for career advancement, training
and development.
It provides a platform in
which goals can be identified
and agreed, as well as a safe
environment to both receive
and provide feedback in order
to improve performance and
communication.
Ultimately – whatever system
you choose to use within
your organisation - you need
to meet the needs and goals of
both employer and employee.
There is no value at all in a
system which is purely functional
and just gets put away
with no further evaluation for
another 12 months.
A vote for Buddy Mikaere
means ‘bringing balance,
pragmatism, and a fresh
vision’ to Tauranga City.
Keeping business financials in shape
SPECIAL FOCUS:
BUSINESS MONEY
MANAGEMENT
‘I’m passionate about
our region and promise
to do the very best
for our community
regardless of age,
gender or ethnicity.’
Vote Community
Vote Buddy Mikaere
Follow my election campaign on
www.facebook.com/Buddy-Mikaere-Candidatefor-Tauranga-City-Council-110419959644171/
Authorised by Buddy Mikaere, 6 Crichton Terrace, Papamoa 3116
Authorised by D. Clifford, The Opportunities Party (TOP) Incorporated,
Level 1, 190 Taranaki Street, Wellington
Book your spot in
this feature today.
For more information contact:
Pete Wales:022 495 9248 Vanessa Lee:021 715 225
pete@nmmedia.co.nz vanessa@nmmedia.co.nz
www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz
12 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
Building a purpose-driven brand
Rebel Sport ran an ad campaign last year
asking “What’s your why?” It focused on
stories of New Zealand athletes, presenting
the reasons they dedicated so much of
their life and time striving to make it at the
pinnacle of elite sport.
All Black Malakai Fekitoa
was featured in the campaign.
His “why” was to
prove the doubters wrong and
show that he could play professional
rugby when everyone
said he wouldn’t make it.
Paralympic swimmer
Sophie Pascoe was also front
and centre. Her “why” was
showing the world her disability
did not define her.
This ad campaign is a
great example of a company’s
efforts to make its brand purpose-driven,
rather than functional.
Instead of focusing on
a message like “high quality
sportswear and equipment”,
Rebel Sport was telling the personal
stories of athletes whose
lives had been changed by
sport. The campaign focused
on sport’s ability to build character
and shape people’s lives
in a hugely positive way – an
idea that Rebel Sport believes
in and aims to embody.
The concept of creating a
brand driven by its “why”, rather
than its “what” or “how”,
has become popular as companies
vie for market share in an
increasingly globalised world.
Rather than focusing on the
features of the computers they
TELLING YOUR STORY
> BY JAMES HEFFIELD
Director of Bay of Plenty communications consultancy Last Word
Writing Services. To find out more visit lastwordwriting.co.nz or
email james@lastwordwriting.co.nz.
make, Apple built its brand by
promoting its vision of challenging
the status quo.
Apple articulated this
vision beautifully in the opening
words of an iconic 1997
TV commercial, which began:
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the
misfits, the rebels. The trouble
makers, the round pegs in the
square holes. The ones who
see things differently. They’re
not fond of rules and they have
no respect for the status quo”.
This struck a chord with
all those who shared the same
beliefs, and it positioned Apple
as the computer company of
choice for them.
Many New Zealand corporates
are doing the same.
Fonterra’s recent advertising
campaign, “Made by many”,
focuses on dairy’s role as a
major employer, its contribution
to New Zealand society
and its central role in the Kiwi
way of life.
The campaign draws attention
to the many New Zealand
people and companies involved
in the dairy production chain,
from the farmer who milks
the cows and the truck driver
who drives the milk tankers,
to the people who work at the
milk and cheese factories and
the ship workers who transport
Kiwi dairy products to overseas
markets.
Coupled with Fonterra’s
Milk for Schools programme,
the campaign demonstrates
the positive outcomes of
Fonterra’s work and helps to
get townies on board with an
industry that has been criticised
for intensive farming and
contributing to dirty rivers.
Transitioning your business’
brand from one that is
functional to one that is purpose-driven
involves reflecting
on what you stand for – over
and above just making money.
If you are the company
founder, think about what
beliefs were behind your decision
to start your business.
What are your business’
core values, and how does your
work contribute to society?
These are the foundations
for a purpose-driven brand and
they should be embodied in
everything you do, from your
logo and the words on your
website to your products and the
way you and your staff interact
with the people you meet.
If you can clearly articulate
your purpose, your beliefs and
the reasons why your business
exists, then you will have
a powerful message capable
of influencing consumers,
gaining recognition and rallying
like-minded thinkers to
your cause.
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Video marketing is a must
The world of marketing is continually evolving and it can be
difficult for small and medium businesses to keep up with the
trends. However, one area that can no longer be considered a
trend, and should now be a marketing staple, is video marketing.
Unfortunately many businesses are missing on this incredibly
effective marketing tactic.
Video already accounts for
two-thirds of our internet
use. This is prediced to
increase to 82 percent by 2021.
Video social network YouTube
is now the second-largest
search engine on the web.
If this isnt compelling
enough for you to include
video in your marketing mix,
then marketers who use video
grow revenue 49 percent faster
than those who don’t.
Video also improves email
marketing results. By just
using the word video in an
email subject, it can boost your
open rate by 19 percent and
increase your click-thru rate by
65 percent.
Furthermore videos on
social media people are 10
times more likely to engage,
embed, share, and comment
on video, rather than text or
image alone.
Why is video so effective?
It allows you to evoke more
GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
> BY DARREN MCGARVIE
Darren McGarvie is co-founder and Chief Coach of the
Firestation, the Bay’s only business growth centre. To find out
more go to www.thefirestation.nz or email grow@thefirestation.nz
emotion. Human beings are
visual and respond more to
moving images than text or
photos alone.
It is an excellent way to
tell a story and keep viewers
on your site, engaged on your
social media accounts and to
open and click through on your
emails.
It’s not just consumer products
and services, all organisations
need to get onboard with
video marketing. Business-tobusiness
companies in particular
should include video in
their marketing mix.
Research from forbes.com
found that 75 percent of business
executives watch work-related
videos each week. And at
least half of them share videos
with colleagues.
There are some things you
need to consider when you
start creating video. Just like
any of your marketing, you
need to have a strategy. Don’t
post videos haphazardly, but
plan your videos to be part of a
series or campaign.
The key is to focus on a
message you want to share
and be authentic to your brand.
You must focus on the story –
straight product promo videos
don’t cut it anymore. Here are
some tips to get you started:
Videos can be as short as
15 seconds long to hours in
length. Marketing videos that
get the best engagenent are up
to two minutes long.
The first 10 seconds of your
video is crucial. Be up front
straight away about your video
content.
Use captions – 50 percent
of video views in social media
are watched with no sound.
Live video on social media
get three times the engagement
than traditional video, so find
ways to include live video in
your social media calendar.
You don’t need to pay huge
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 13
dollars for professionals to
do film and edit your videos.
Video cameras on the latest
phones are usually pretty good
quality and there are ample
free and paid video editing
apps and programmes that are
easy to use. Check out Filmora
Wondershare, Magistro or
VideoShop to start.
One thing often overlooked
is a call to action. Tell them
what the next step is. Point
them to your website, get them
to call you for a quote or even
provide a coupon for your
e-commerce store.
Once you have created your
video make sure you share and
promote it on social media,
newsletter database and your
website.
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14 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
Creating a millennial friendly city
A “youthquake” is happening here in
Bay of Plenty and San Francisco-based
entrepreneur Savannah “Savvy” Peterson
came last month, to tell locals how to
make the most of it.
The event, hosted by
SmartGrowth, focused
on how Bay of Plenty
can make the most of its future
by embracing and working
with the millennial population,
as well as attracting and
keeping more millennials in
the region.
“Millennials are self-actualising
and curious,” Savvy
says. “They ’do’ entrepreneurship
and gig economy work,
and they’re becoming selfsustaining.”
She says while millennials,
those born between 1980
and 1996, are often referred
to as ‘the me generation’, they
have a lot to offer our local
economy.
“Millennials have money
they want to give you. They
are the largest living generation
and the largest spending
generation. But they
have been marketed to in
every possible way, so they
want authentic, personalised
experiences.”
Savvy says businesses
should bring their millennial
staff members into their planning
to help them tap into this
economy.
She also says the key is not
to let our youth leave the Bay
in the first place.
“Don’t let your young people
leave. Nurture them, keep
them here, give them opportunities
for entrepreneurship,”
she says. And how do we do
that?
“Millennials want to be
where there is an active group
working to connect and support
entrepreneurs.”
Luckily for the Bay, we
have exactly that in Venture
Centre, which exists to support
and empower youth, and those
young-at-heart, helping entrepreneurs
start-up and business
owners scale-up using digital
tools, business models and
marketing.
Savvy also says keeping
our millennials is not about
an exciting night-life or cool
events.
“There is no one thing,
no one cultural event or programme
a place can hold to
attract young people. But,
and this is so exciting, young
people regard a start-up ecosystem
as the best way to
empower them.
“What that means is if they
can see people in the community
starting new businesses,
talking about entrepreneurship
or exploring ways to collaborate
with other businesses…
young people see you
are encouraging them to build
their future with you – sometimes
they just need to see it,
they don’t even need to be
involved. So tell your small
Millennials have money they want to give
you. They are the largest living generation
and the largest spending generation.
But they have been marketed to in every
possible way, so they want authentic,
personalised experiences.”
– Savannah “Savvy” Peterson
business story and your young
people will feel empowered.”
Though, Savvy says,
encouraging entrepreneurship
should come with a warning.
“Do not try and emulate
Silicon Valley! Do it your
way.”
She says Silicon Valley has
spent so much time focusing
on chasing the “unicorns”,
which are privately held startup
companies with a current
valuation of US$1 billion
or more, it has lost its heart
and culture as a result. She
says the key is to focus on
“zebras”.
“A zebra business is a
healthy sustainable business
that does good in the community.
Don’t overlook the zebra!”
Savvy says.
She also says that communities
should focus on localisation
and intergenerational c
ollaboration, as Venture Centre
does.
“Come together around
social good,” she says. In part,
this will be effective because
87 percent of millennials
believe that the bottom line
in business is not monetisation,
rather its purpose, quality
of life and impact on one’s
community.
“Climate change and
inequality are the number
one issues for millennials.
Perpetual oppression could
end with this generation,”
Savvy says.
Not only that, but 56 per
cent of millennials also don’t
feel they are heard.
“Create a space for your
young people to be heard,”
Savvy says. One way you can
listen is by taking part in one
of the many meet-ups, openhouse,
co-working events
Venture Centre and Basestation
hold.
“Share your knowledge,”
Savvy says. “Find a nest of
people to talk with, and be
honest.”
Your next chance to share
your story, your business, your
vision for the future with millenials,
is to get involved in
Techweek Tauranga 21-25 May.
To find out how to participate
in the events on the
calendar or run your own with
help from the VC team, email
info@venturecentre.co.nz.
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2018
15
Get the best from your millennial
team members
I don’t really like the term ‘millennial’. It has
accrued so many negative connotations, none
of which I identify with. I don’t like selfies,
I’m not entitled or lazy. I work hard and have
always done so in order to get ahead.
But when Savvy Peterson
spoke to a SmartGrowth
meeting in March about
what makes millennials tick, I
found myself vigorously nodding
my head.
Millennials are the largest
living generation, with more
than one million Kiwis falling
into this age bracket.
With that in mind, here are
the easiest ways to get the best
out of your millennial team,
based on Savvy’s data and my
experience, as both a millennial
employee and manager.
GIVE US PURPOSE,
AND A FUTURE
According to Savvy, millennials
want a sense of purpose
from their job - it’s more
important than money!
If they can see how their
role fits into what your company
is doing for the community
or its clients, they’re more
likely to feel as though they
have purpose.
Equally important is to
make sure you show them
there’s a future career path and
a timeline to achieve it.
When I look back at
my career, every time I’ve
changed jobs or industry, it’s
been because I didn’t feel my
role had purpose or a future.
GIVE US FLEXIBILITY
Savvy’s data showed that millennials
in New Zealand are
most likely to change location,
job and take a pay cut
in favour of flexible working
hours. We’d still like to be able
to pay our bills of course, but
flexibility matters.
One of the SmartGrowth
panellists, Grace Burman, said
she likes to be given a workload
and a deadline and it’s up to her
how and when she completes
that work. I completely agree.
When you give us clear
expectations and a deadline,
treat us as part of the team,
but leave how we manage our
QrtHori_BOPBN_Basestation_Oct17.pdf 1 17/10/17 10:37 AM
Rosie Dawson-Hewes
time to us, it tells us you trust
us. We’ll reward that trust with
hard work and loyalty.
Growing an online store
Throughout New Zealand
there are gifted entrepreneurs
with a unique skill
of curating or creating a range
of products that we love to buy.
At Rocketspark we get to
see the potential of these businesses
realised when they start
to sell online and extend their
reach beyond their shop front
or market stall.
From our vantage point
of helping businesses online
we’ve observed the essential
elements for growing an online
business.
Websites, search engine optimisation
and digital marketing
may seem complicated but we’ve
learnt that if you do the basics
well you’ll see good results.
So what are the basics?
GENERATING VISITORS
As Google becomes more
sophisticated the process of
optimising a website is less
about technical tricks and more
about having quality content
on your website that answers
the questions that people are
searching for.
To show Google that you
have the answer there are various
clues such as having keywords
in your headings, paragraph
content and links.
Creating landing pages and
blog posts that are focused on a
specific topic shows the search
engines that you are a credible
website to send people to.
Paid online advertising
can also generate visitors and
the introduction of Google
Shopping in New Zealand has
made paid online advertising
simpler for small businesses
but few SME’s are taking
advantage.
The Google Shopping ad’s
content is automatically pulled
from your online store so you
don’t have to manually create
the advertisements and they’re
likely to convert at a higher
rate than traditional adwords
advertising.
CONVERTING VISITORS
Generating visitors is not valuable
unless these visitors are
making a purchase now or are
likely to purchase in future.
There is a lot of research
and science behind what
makes a website convert visits
into sales.
Making a great first impression
is a good place to start
when assessing your conversion
potential.
Carleton University in
Canada found that a credible
impression could be formed in
0.03 seconds and if provided
with a longer time the visitor’s
impression didn’t really change
GIVE US FEEDBACK
You know how I said money
isn’t important to us? That
doesn’t mean we don’t like to
feel valued.
Your feedback and appreciation
doesn’t have to be in the
form of a pay rise (though we
like those, too – who doesn’t?).
If your team does a great
job, put on morning tea, or
shout Friday drinks. Or just
stop and take the time to say
thank you.
That simple act will make
us feel more appreciated and
engaged, so we’ll keep working
hard for you.
BRING US INTO
YOUR DECISIONS
The millennial generation represent
the biggest spending
demographic and are the first
generation of ‘digital natives’.
Think about what this
world view could do for your
business or your clients. But
also, 56 percent of millennials
don’t feel heard by their
leadership. So invite us to
the table.
We’re capable of more than
just helping you set up your
phone.
Even if our role doesn’t
allow us to make the final decision,
we like to add value to
the conversation, help you use
Grant Johnson,
Rocketspark Co-founder
so it’s important to get your
first impression right.
Once the first impression is
made you’ll need a clear path
to purchase. Once someone
has found what they are looking
for it’s important to make it
easy to buy.
Providing suitable payment
options is also important.
We’re seeing that offering buy
now pay later services such as
www.laybuy.com as a payment
option is having a significant
the personalisation tools that
are available to you when you
really embrace digital business
models and marketing.
It comes back to that sense
of purpose and being part of
the bigger picture.
We want to contribute and
represent a large block of the
population.
Including us in your decisions
is important at a higher
level, too.
Think about us when you’re
considering board positions.
We’ll do the work to get
the experience needed to be
part of those conversations.
Plus, as digital natives, we’re
often great at the tech aspects
required in those roles.
Finally the millennial
generation is not represented
at either of our local council
tables, and yet we are the
future of this region.
So think strategically when
you vote. Balanced, diverse
representation will yield better
results which serve the
entire population for years
to come.
Rosie Dawson-Hewes has a
background in banking, journalism,
management and marketing
and runs her communications
business, Very Good
Content. She is also a Tauranga
Art Gallery Foundation trustee
and is standing for Tauranga
City Council in this month’s at
large by-election.
impact on order sizes and sales
volumes.
LEARN MORE
To learn more about selling
online and social media for
ecommerce join our seminar
on Growing an Online
store as part of PoweringOn’s
digital enablement series
for the Bay of Plenty powered
by The Venture Centre.
See www.clik.vc/growingastore
to learn more and register.
MADVentures – events for youth
Te Puke Library Holiday Coding
17 & 27 April 2018
Codebrite Lite Katikati
23 April 2019, 1pm to 3pm
PoweringON – events for business
owners
Making More E-Commerce Website
Sales with Rocketspark
18 April 2018, 10:30am to 12pm
Knowing Your Customer with Bravesight
26 April 2018, 10:30am to 12pm
Office Hours Financials with Crowe
Horwath
9 April 2018, 11am to 1pm
Office Hours Xero Tips & Tricks with
Ingham Mora
11 April 2018, 11am to 1pm
Office Hours Intellectual Property with
James & Wells
11 April 2018, 11am to 1pm
Office Hours Marketing Strategy and
Planning with Marketing on Demand
12 April 2018, 3pm to 5pm
Office Hours Legal with Mackenzie Elvin
16 April 2018, 11am to 1pm
Office Hours Sales and Marketing with
Bravesight
19 April 2018, 10:30am to 12pm
Xero Users Group
24 April 2018, 9:30am to 10:30am
Google for Small Business Users Group
25 April 2018, 9:30am to 10:30am
Instigator – events for founders
ADI (Angelic Drop In) Clinic Tauranga
12 April 2018, 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Tauranga Social Enterprise Meetup
17 April 2018, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Entrepreneurs Everywhere
18 April 2018, 5:30pm to 7:30pm
Special Interest – events
for and from experts
Office 365 Discovery Session with
ShareThePoint
12 April 2018, 10am to 12:30pm
Plug-in & power up
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Coworking – way
more than a desk!
Be our guest, take
a tour & enjoy a
coffee on the house
• Desks, secure offices, team spaces
• Flexible terms - come for a day,
a week, month or year
• Event and Meeting rooms free
with residency or book as needed
• Uncapped internet
• Tech support and award
winning barista onsite
Designed, managed and run by
Get in touch 0800 000557
info@basestation.co.nz
148 Durham Street, Tauranga
The Communication & Technology Space
join us!
16 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Construction and growth
still looking strong for 2018
Tauranga City Council saw a decrease in overall building consent
activity during February 2018, while Western Bay District Council
picked up, compared with January, according to Priority One.
But while there was a
lower number of commercial
consents in
particular, February saw
record values for commercial
consents issued in a January
month.
That meant the drop could
be more a quirk of processing
than setting a new trend,
said communications/projects
manager Annie Hill, in Priority
One’s latest newsletter.
February saw a total of
$9.2 million issued for commercial
building consents,
compared with $19.7 million
in January.
Commercial building activity
is following on a boom
year, with $262 million in
commercial consents issued in
2017, up 20 percent on the
previous year.
The largest building project
consented in Tauranga in
February 2018 was a $3 million
sports pavilion at a retirement
village.
It was one of 186 building
consents issued in the
city in February worth a total
$48.9 million, according to
Priority One.
That was a 32 percent drop
in the dollar value of consents
issued in January, which
reached $71.7 million, but a 10
percent rise in the total number
issued.
The Western Bay of Plenty
District Council saw an
increase in its value of consents
issued - more than $27.5
million issued in the month of
February compared with $14.1
million the month before.
Hill noted that building
consents can fluctuate considerably
month-to-month.
“We have had many
instances of record highs and
lows being in consecutive
months, so I wouldn’t read
any long-term trends into just
two months’ worth of activity,”
she said.
Priority One chief executive
Nigel Tutt commented
on the Bay of Plenty’s robust
growth, including the release
by Infometrics of their growth
statistics for 2017, which
saw Tauranga becoming the
top performing city in New
Zealand across all key measures
of economic activity.
Tauranga’s GDP for the
2017 calendar year was an
unprecedented 6.6 percent.
That was the highest GDP
growth for a city in New
Zealand and well ahead of
Auckland’s 5.2 percent,
Hamilton’s 4.0 percent and
Christchurch’s 3.3 percent.
“This represents an outstanding
performance for
Tauranga.
“Western Bay district’s
growth didn’t quite reach
these heights, but it came in
at a respectable four percent
GDP growth - above the New
Zealand average of 3.6 percent,”
said Tutt.
“The underlying fundamentals
of our economy are very
strong, which bodes well for
growth in the medium term.
“Key industries such as
construction, retail and horticulture
are doing really well
and our core regional asset,
the Port of Tauranga, continues
to outperform all others
and create a real competitive
advantage in the attraction of
new business to the city.”
Tutt said that Tauranga’s
competitive advantages as a
place from which to do business
were being increasingly
realised by new businesses
who are deciding to locate
here, and that there was also
strong confidence reflected in
employment growth in existing
businesses.
“This is right across all
sectors, but particularly in
the professional services,
construction, manufacturing
and retail.”
Commercial Building Consent Summary – Tauranga City Council
(Figures in $ millions)
2008 $56.6 - $75.2 - 57%
2009 $37.5 - $19.1 - 34%
2010 $78.5 + $41.0 + 109%
2011 $70.8 - $7.7 - 10%
2012 $101.9 + $31.1 + 44%
2013 $98.0 - $3.9 - 4%
2014 $105.8 + $7.8 + 8%
2015 $197.6 + $91.8 + 87%
2016 $219.3 + $21.7 + 11%
2017 $262.2 + $42.9 + 20%
Great minds
think alike
We understand the importance of delivering to
timeframes and budgets, and our experienced
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time.
For information about our exceptional
windows & doors talk to Tasman Aluminium
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ACG Gymnasium - Tauranga
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
Well planned warehouse
space key to business
success
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 17
Electrical Works provides specialist
services in automation systems &
industrial & commercial electrics.
Whether you’re quite
happy with the location
of your industrial
business now but need to
improve efficiencies, or you’re
considering a move to new
premises to take your business
to the next level, you need to
consider how you can best use
the available space to streamline
your operation.
The layout of your warehouse
can directly impact the
smooth running of your business
operation. Many business
owners find themselves working
around physical inefficiencies
simply to get work done.
A practical, robust warehouse
layout should be your
starting point and sometimes,
in the quest to get a business
up and running, the fundamentals
of good design get lost.
Think of your business
space as a blank canvas and
imagine what it would take to
optimise productivity.
There are companies out
there specialising in warehouse
planning, layout and
racking but it could help you to
“see” your space more clearly
if you physically sketch out
– or create via an online programme
– a to-scale blueprint,
starting with the existing floorplan.
Freeing up floor space can
help ease congestion and create
better pathways to faster,
more cost-effective and sometimes,
safer, daily work flows.
Look at how you can go up
rather than out to maximise the
space available to you taking
into account fixed structures
(like existing columns and
portioned offices) and bearing
in mind aisles, access to doors,
turning bays etc.
You’ll need to be mindful
of the equipment you use regularly
and the clear space this
requires, your production and
workflow zones, and storage
areas.
Here are some tips to help
you on your way to a more efficient
workplace:
• Consider how thinking in
terms of m3 rather than m2
could change up the fundamentals
of your industrial
space – maximise the cube!
• Know your rack elevations,
your pallet heights and the
space required to move
product – see if there’s a
better way to make use of
the available space
• Look at vertical space and
be creative – room for a
mezzanine?
• Look carefully at pallet
density options
• Combine different types of
storage systems based on
the movement of inventory
• The Pareto principle would
state that 80% of the activity
in a warehouse comes
from 20% of the items – always
plan for the 20%
• Do you have heaps of
“dead stock” – reconsider
its role in your business
and perhaps free up space
for faster moving products
• Is there unused space
around your dock door area
that could be utilised for
storage?
• Could you decrease your
aisle widths yet still retain
good flow?
• Allow time to plan, order
and install any new system
– you want to avoid downtime
• If you’re moving to new
premises, don’t just assume
that your existing fitout
can be transferred – question
whether you could do
things more efficiently
• Plan for growth, seasonal
inventory demands, and
change of product/service –
build in some flexibility
• You’ll need to comply with
current building codes and
standards so seek professional
advice before you
undertake any major reconfiguration
– fire standards
are the key ones to bear in
mind here
www.bayleys.co.nz/work
place/articles/insights
We support the smartest businesses in the Bay & Beyond with:
Industrial • Commercial
Automation systems • Welder repairs
We've recently moved to our new purpose built workshop and office
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To discuss your electrical needs call us on: 029 293 2945
or drop in and see us at: Electrical Works Ltd
Unit 5, 90 Whakakake Street, Tauriko, Tauranga 3171
info@electricalworks.co.nz
P3838Y
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At Bayleys, we
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they succeed.
Speak to our
Bayleys team today.
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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
18 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
X
COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY
BWS launches its building
cleaning service in the BOP
BWS (Building Wash Services) is expanding
from its successful Auckland base and has
opened an office in Tauranga to service
growing client demand in the Bay of Plenty.
“It was my wife Nicola
who was the catalyst for
us establishing BWS in
2009,” says Managing Director
Simon Green.
“Feeling Nicola was worth
more than she was then getting
paid, we started looking
at franchise opportunities. A
house washing franchise that
caught our eye got us thinking
about the opportunities in
focusing on washing commercial
and industrial buildings.”
With a background in commercial
real estate, Simon
knew the importance to a business
of a clean building.
He was also well aware of
how costly and difficult building
washing had become since
Health & Safety Regulations
banned long extension ladders
and other dangerous access
methods. The innovative idea
that gave BWS the competitive
edge to propel it to market
leader in Auckland is a
custom-built, truck-mounted
cherry-picker boom.
Simon says the attraction
of starting the business came
from the knowledge that businesses
take pride in having
clean buildings, as well as the
recurring income driven by
warranties requiring regular
exterior surfaces washing.
“As did assurances from
my larger institutional clients
of the untapped business
potential for a building washing
service fully complying
with health and safety regulations
through using better
methods than pricey and
time-consuming scaffolding,”
recalls Simon..
“We saw solving that problem
would give us a ‘gold
standard’ competitive edge.”
BWS’ boom truck is fully
customised and fitted out
with pumps, water heater and
two high pressure extending
wands. Custom-built for BWS
by Snorkel - a world leader
in aerial work platforms - the
cherry-picker gives the BWS
team a 16-metre reach. That’s
the average height of a five
storey building and taller than
most big-box retail outlets.
General Manager Gael
Gordon, who has a background
in business ownership
and corporate management,
was appointed to her new role
in 2016 as part of Simon and
Nicola restructuring BWS into
a highly professional, ethical
and transparent operation.
“We’ve committed to further
expansion and we’ve got
clients ready and waiting for
BWS in urban areas all over
PropertyLine
Out Now!
The latest commercial property
news and opinion from PMG -
Tauranga’s award winning local
property funds managers.
Read online and subscribe for free at:
www.propertymgr.co.nz
Simon Green: ‘We’re a market leader
in Auckland and ready to expand’
the country,” explains Gael.
“We have a wide network of
connections to leverage work.”
Essentially, BWS takes the
hassle out of keeping buildings
clean, says Simon.
“First impressions count –
and your building is no exception.
But we know keeping
up with the cleaning requires
more than a sunny day, a ladder,
and the garden hose.
In late December the elected
members of Tauranga City
Council voted to approve
two proposed changes to the
way rates are levied on commercial
and industrial ratepayers
in the city.
The council’s proposal
includes the introduction of a
rates differential between commercial
and residential properties
over the next three years.
If ratified by the council, it will
result in the increase of rates
for commercial, industrial and
retail properties located in the
Tauranga area (including suburban
areas).
For some commercial
properties it may mean a rate
increase of from 35 percent, to
as high as 92 percent by 2021.
Born and bred in Tauranga,
Property Managers Group
(PMG) is one of New
Zealand’s largest and most preferred
unlisted, property and
funds managers and has been
investing in property, people,
tenants and the Bay of Plenty
community for over 25 years.
PMG chief executive Scott
McKenzie acknowledges the
Bay of Plenty is experiencing
strong growth which is placing
pressure on infrastructure and
how it is funded.
He says while the group
is supportive of an equitable
tax collection across business
and residential ratepayers, the
proposed increase, to fund
regional infrastructure and
“Enlisting BWS means
your building is taken care of,
so you can get on with other
more pressing things. We’ll
clean all surfaces – roofs, windows,
and walls – as well as
gutters and downpipes. No
area goes untreated.
“And if you’re not totally
satisfied with any aspect of
our work, we’ll come back and
make it right.”
PMG Opinion: Opposed
to proposed Tauranga
rates differential
growing administration overheads,
disproportionately burdens
businesses and commercial
property owners and is not
acceptable.
“The last thing we would
want to see is businesses dialling
back their investment into
the region due to growing
occupancy costs and perceivably
unclear benefits,” says
McKenzie.
The last thing we
would want to see is
businesses dialling
back their investment
into the region due to
growing occupancy
costs and perceivably
unclear benefits.”
– Scott McKenzie.
“We favour a targeted rating
system where those who
pay receive the benefit, this
works well in many other
regions such as the Waikato.
“PMG is the manager of
a number of properties in the
Tauranga region, which are
home to over 100 tenants. We
take our role as manager very
seriously and pride ourselves
on working in support of local
businesses (our tenants) to help
them thrive. Hence, on behalf
of our property owners, investors
and tenants we are formally
opposing the Council’s
proposed rates differential.”
PMG has sought feedback
on the proposal from its tenants
and is in the process of
preparing a public submission,
which it will submit to the
council in mid-April.
The proposal for a rates differential
is not a new concept.
The Property Council (formerly
BOMA) successfully fought
against a similar proposal in
Tauranga 15-20 years ago.
Other New Zealand cities
currently have a differential
rates, but are in the process
of reducing or removing them
due to the inequitable burden it
places on businesses.
“We welcome and encourage
local Tauranga businesses
which will be affected by
the rates increase to complete
a submission to the Council
by April 16, and ensure
their voices are heard,” says
McKenzie.
PMG advises that businesses
can complete their submissions
by printing the consultation
form here: https://www.
tauranga.govt.nz/Portals/0/
data/council/long_term_
plans/2018_2028/files/ltp_
consultation_document.pdf
WAIKATO NEWS
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 19
Sixty year project to link city
ends at intersection
Earthworks have begun ahead of a likely
green light in June for completion of
Hamilton’s ring road.
By RICHARD WALKER
The final 400 metre stage
of the arterial route will
see Wairere Drive connect
with Cobham Drive to
conclude a remarkable journey
that has been more than 60
years in the making.
The go-ahead for the final
stage, south of Cambridge
Road, has Hamilton City Council
support and is all but certain
once the 10-Year Plan is complete.
That’s partly because the
NZ Transport Agency will fund
more than its customary 51
percent of the project, in recognition
of its value to the state
highway network.
Council’s city development
manager Andrew Parsons says
the Transport Agency will contribute
$18m to the partnership
project.
The intersection will have
multiple on and off-ramps and
walking and cycling paths, and
will see Cobham Drive raised
to allow Wairere Drive to pass
under it. It is future-proofed to
connect with proposed roading
networks south of the city.
Meanwhile, the council
has been using the tail end of
summer to get major earthworks
done on the south side of
Cobham Drive.
New stormwater pipes will
be drilled and jacked under
Cobham Drive, and there will
also be some land recontouring.
Completion of the final
piece in the ring road puzzle is
“critical” for the city to make it
more efficient and safer to get
around, and to support future
growth, said Parsons.
If the full project gets council
approval, the construction
project will go out to tender in
time for a summer start.
“It means the main contrac-
Traffic flowing over the newly four-laned
Pukete Bridge in October 2013.
tor would turn up on site with
it basically prepared for them,”
Parsons said.
It will take more than one
summer to complete, with finish
date at least a couple of
years off, but when Wairere
Drive reaches Cobham Drive,
the city will have a 24 kilometre
circuit around the city.
The full route takes in Wairere
Drive to the east, Cobham
Drive to the south and the SH1
corridor on the west.
It can be traced to a grand
plan for a motorway from
Auckland to Hamilton which
was touted as far back as the
1950s. Work began north of
Hamilton in the early 1970s but
was soon brought to a halt by
the oil crisis. The land that was
ultimately to become the Fairview
Downs section of the ring
road, and which had been intended
as part of the motorway,
lay as a green strip of pasture
for the intervening decades.
Planners were concerned
After decades
of planning and
development, there
remains just the final
400 metre link to
complete, along with
future connections
to the Waikato
expressway.
Construction is set to begin on the section from
Cambridge Road to Cobham Drive. Photo: Mark Purdom.
not just with the proposed motorway
but with its links to the
growing city’s arterial routes.
One milestone arrived at the
end of the 1960s. The Hamilton
Transportation Study laid
down a blueprint for roading
in the city that was to prove remarkably
resilient. It included
a network of arterial routes that
were to link to the motorway.
Corridors were identified and
protected that made the future
road building possible.
Much of the recent development
has been on the eastern
side of the river. The western
arterial route was laid down
in earlier decades, particularly
after the Second World War.
Many of those roads were developed
with limited access,
and all were built wide enough
to allow for four lanes of traffic
and are now part of the nearly
completed ring road.
The first major speed bump
had been the oil crisis in the
1970s. In 1984, the developing
ring road hit its second speed
bump. It was played out on the
pages of the Waikato Times.
“Principal condemns highway”
was the headline which
greeted the newspaper’s readers
on October 8, 1984. Plans
for a temporary state highway
in Hamilton’s eastern suburbs
looked set to “spark an
uprising”, according to the
newspaper. The temporary
highway was intended for the
corridor formed by Hukanui
Road, Peachgrove Road and
Galloway Street, as plans for
a Taupiri-Rototuna link were
revived. Opponents pointed
out the route took in several
schools, rest homes, shopping
centres and two sets of doctors’
rooms.
Hamilton Residents’ Council
president Martin Gallagher
chaired a public meeting
at Fairfield Intermediate in
opposition to the plans. It was
packed with more than 500
people, some jammed against
the walls and some sitting on
the floor. They were described
by the Waikato Times as a
“heckling, jeering crowd”.
Just over a week later, on
October 17, following a further
protest and the presentation
of a 10,410 signature petition,
the City Council fell into line.
It resolved to tell the National
Roads Board that it supported
the Taupiri link and an eastern
arterial bypass but that it also
supported local opposition to
the proposed staging of the
link and temporary use of city
streets as a highway.
It marked the beginning of a
new approach to road planning
in Hamilton. By April 1986, a
discussion paper prepared as
part of the Hamilton Arterial
Roading Study referred to the
need to take the public along.
When Pukete Bridge, a key
element in the ring road, was
built across the Waikato River
in the mid-1990s, the public
was involved through articles
in local media and consultation
meetings. The city’s sixth
traffic bridge was opened on
October 20, 1996. On that day,
up to 15,000 swarmed across
the bridge by foot before it was
opened for traffic at 5.15pm.
It was in stark contrast to the
opening, 33 years earlier, of the
ring road’s other link across the
river, Cobham Bridge. That occasion,
on June 29, 1963, was
marked by pomp and circumstance,
with dignitaries seated
on a dais and a brass band
playing.
Once Pukete Bridge was
opened, there was gradual development
of the route through
GT Civil contracts manager Nathan Thomas, Hamilton deputy mayor Martin Gallagher
and council city development manager Andrew Parsons look at earthworks behind the
site of the new Wairere Drive/Cobham Drive intersection.
to Tramway Road.
A significant staging post
was reached in October 2012,
with the opening of the Fairview
Downs section of Wairere
Drive at the same time that
Pukete Bridge was being fourlaned,
part of an $84 million
project, at the time the council’s
largest ever. It had been
enabled by NZTA paying the
full amount up front, with the
council paying back its 49 percent
share over several years.
Still ahead of the council
and its contractor, Downer,
were several linked stretches
that would carry traffic all the
way to Cambridge Road.
For the following stages,
the designers had to allow for
a green belt running along the
eastern side of the route, restricting
the road to two lanes
in places. The earliest plan,
for a motorway, would have
seen the green belt eaten up
by tarmac, but the intervening
years had seen a fundamental
change, with the ring road serving
to move traffic around the
city, and the expressway acting
as a bypass.
Progress was rapid on the
remaining sections of Wairere
Drive. The section from
Ruakura Road to Clyde Street
opened in May 2014 and the
section from Clyde Street to
Cambridge Road quickly followed,
opening in early September.
Meanwhile, Downer
also four-laned the 550 metre
section from River Road to
Resolution Drive.
After decades of planning
and development, there remains
just the final 400 metre
link to complete, along with future
connections to the Waikato
expressway.
Gallagher, now deputy
mayor, said he’s delighted to be
part of a council that has voted
for the completion of the route
but added there’s still work to
be done, particularly when it
comes to getting heavy traffic
off residential streets.
He said when he campaigned
back in 1984, he hadn’t
appreciated how much Hamilton’s
population and private car
ownership would grow, along
with housing density.
“All of those factors place
incredible extra pressure on our
transport network,” he said.
Ring road Facebook
page won awards
Almost six months into the Fairview
Downs section of the ring road project,
in June 2011, the council set up a Facebook
page (https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonRingRoad)
to engage with residents.
The page was run by Brandy Smith from
Downer, and she has a knack for engaging her
readers. In between posts giving roadworks
updates, including notification of closures, she
also used the page to cheer on the likes of the
Chiefs, as well as urging driver safety and answering
reader questions. The page had more
than 2000 likes at any one time, and from the
city council’s point of view was an overwhelming
success with its ability to keep residents in
the picture.
Its success was recognised when the project
won the ''Best Use of Social Media in Local
Government'' award at the Association of
Local Government Information Management
(ALGIM ) annual conference in May 2013.
What does it take to run a successful social
media page?
Brandy says she had no training. “I just did
what felt right. I’ve made bad calls along the
way but have made many more good ones. It’s
still a learning journey, that’s for sure.
“You need to connect on a personal level,
not a robotic one, be professional but relaxed
and it is important not to engage in any negativity
or online arguments – there’s a time
and place and this isn’t it. It’s also important
to have a policy in place for when things do
“As a young man as president
of the Residents’ Council,
I probably didn't reflect strongly
enough on the need for the
public transport side of that. I
thought that just doing the ring
road would solve the problem
of taking traffic and heavy
trucks off our residential streets
but I now realise it's only one
part of the equation.”
He welcomes the link the
new overpass will create between
Hamilton Gardens and
the eastern town belt, but said
there is still work to do to make
sure the land titles get rejoined
with the rest of the reserve and
avoid piecemeal development.
Meanwhile, Dave Macpherson,
chair of the council Growth
and Infrastructure Committee,
said he was “amazed” when he
got on to council to see that the
whole route for the ring road
was already in place.
“I can't think of another
council that would have done
that. I think we're unique - we
didn't have to bowl a single
house to put that ring road
through.”
Brandy Smith from Downer who ran the
award winning Ring Road Facebook page.
get negative. Most people just want to be heard,
you need to put yourselves in their shoes and
be willing to acknowledge their complaints.
Sometimes nothing can be done but in many
cases something can. You have to listen to all
feedback, good or bad.”
Brandy signed off this year, pointing readers
to the Hamilton City Council Facebook page
for future ring road updates. She wrote her final
post, with characteristic warmth, at 10.59
on February 21: “This page is signing off but
it’s been a great ride with you all. Drive safe
Hamilton! ~B”
20 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 21
Approaching BOP
tourism as a
connected region
Tourism Bay of Plenty recently reported a $1 billion spend in
Coastal Bay of Plenty (excluding Rotorua) last year. Meanwhile,
Rotorua reported around $800 million in total tourist spending
in 2017.
Tauranga’s newest Conference Centre, ‘The Deck at Papamoa
Beach’ is set in the heart of 16 acres of park-like Resort.
As reported in this month’s
cover story, Tourism
Bay of Plenty Chief
Executive Officer Kristin
Dunne says the organisation
is seeking increased council
funding for a planned shift
towards a destination management
approach to the sector.
That is the coordinated management
of all the elements
that make up a region, she said.
“It is the key to controlling
tourism’s environmental
impacts and preserving the
region’s unique identity.”
Tauranga City Councillor
Max Mason says that Tourism
BOP’s new approach was
aimed at getting insights on
how to get more international
visitors who spend more and
stay longer.
“We need to work with
[other agencies] on targeting
tourism-related businesses
from around the country to set
up here and work on how we
can differentiate ourselves.”
The cruise ship market
accounts for a relatively small
portion of Tauranga’s visitors.
But it is certainly the case that
a number of them take trips
Michelle Templer. Photo/Discovery Rotorua
to other destinations, including
Hobbiton in Matamata, and
to the various attractions of
Rotorua.
Tom Worsp, consumer marketing
manager for Destination
Continued on page 22
A place to relax and focus on innovation + success.
With its serene coastal location and magnificent beach views, Papamoa is
the perfect place to work, stay and play. Hold your meetings, conferences or
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on-site in one of our luxury beachfront or garden Villas.
Small meetings • Large conferences • Great catering options
Phone 0800 232 243 | Email experience@papamoabeach.co.nz
www.papamoabeachconferences.co.nz
Keeping your
business moving
SPECIAL FOCUS:
Commercial and
business vehicles
Book your spot in
this feature today.
For more information contact:
Pete Wales:022 495 9248 Vanessa Lee:021 715 225
pete@nmmedia.co.nz vanessa@nmmedia.co.nz
www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz
Specialists in bespoke gourmet
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22 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
Conference Management. Client Functions. Leadership Meetings.
Product Launches. Staff Functions. Team Building. Charity Events.
“ Events play an instrumental role in
boosting team culture, building &
maintaining strong customer relationships,
assisting with training & education and
bringing industries together.
So it’s critical you get it right.
We’re here to ensure you nail it!”
Contact us
for a free
consultation
Claudia West
Director/Event Manager
022 430 1435
claudia@theprojectcollective.nz
www.theprojectcollective.nz
Zeepra Lemoto
for City Council
For a city to live, work and enjoy.
From page 21
Rotorua, said that from a Bay
of Plenty perspective, for the
year ending June 2017 the
region received 147,000 cruise
ship passengers who had an
average spend of approximately
$400. They a total of $59
million to the Bay, up from
$42 million for the year end
June 2015.
“This is due to the great
work that Tourism BOP, Port
of Tauranga, and our operators
do to show our visitors
an amazing time from the
moment they disembark the
vessel,” he said.
“As far as Rotorua is concerned,
roughly 35-40 percent
of passengers choose a shore
excursion that involves a whole
or part trip to Rotorua helping
to contribute to an annual visitor
economy in Rotorua of
$814 million. And apart from
the economic contribution,
there are other benefits that
cruise offers. The majority of
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES
Events and business
innovations like
these not only attract
visitors, but have a
positive effect on the
vibrancy and people’s
perception of the
destination.”
– Michelle Templer
port calls are mid-week. And
research tells us that cruise
passengers have a high propensity
for return visits by air.”
Rotorua Economic
Development chief executive
Michelle Templer says that
the city has worked hard to
become an attractive destina-
tion for visitors.
“Over the past three years
it’s fantastic to see new events
like Crankworx, the Ocean
Swim Series, Summer Seafood
Festival and Flochella come to
Rotorua and fit into the events
calendar, alongside already
well established and successful
events like the Tarawera Ultra,
Rotorua Marathon, Rotorua
Bike Festival and Okere Falls
Beer Fest to name just a few.
Alongside this had been the
continued innovation from the
activities and attractions sector
with new products being introduced
such as the Redwoods
Treewalk, Canopy Tours and
Motion Entertainment, with
more on the horizon.
“Events and business innovations
like these not only
attract visitors, but have a positive
effect on the vibrancy
and people’s perception of the
destination.”
By DAVID PORTER
I SUPPORT
A Museum to be a place of learning.
Council kerbside glass collection, keep Tauranga tidy.
Increased transport choices for everyone.
Authorised by Zeepra Lemoto 20a Merivale Road Tauranga
V5871L
On the edge: White Island tourists. Photo/Denise Siviter, Tourism BOP
Events Pronto
WINNER OF THE NZ
WEDDING INDUSTRY AWARDS
‘OUTSTANDING CATERER 2015’
Events Pronto founder Moira Moroney
with lead developer Brendon Ryniker.
NEED YOUR NEXT
CORPORATE
FUNCTION
CATERED OR
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VENUE?
The team at classic
cuisine offer catering
and venue solutions for
corporate functions, events,
tradeshows, breakfast or
small day meetings.
07 571 8068 or check out our website
www.classiccuisine.co.nz
V5289L
The Events Pronto platform was featured
in the August/September issue
of the Bay of Plenty Business News.
In this conference and event feature we ask
co-founder Moira Moroney how the business
is progressing.
Q: Hi Moira, how has Events Pronto
been going since your last article?
It has really taken off. We have developed
a strong following here in Tauranga
and grown beyond expectation, expanding
throughout the country. It is true what they
say, hard work really does pay off and we
can’t wait to see what the future has in
store.
Q: Congratulations on your success this
far. Who is Events Pronto for and why
would they need it?
Events Pronto is for people who run workshops,
conferences, classes, fundraisers,
shows and gigs. Small businesses and
charities are able to make light work of
promoting events, managing bookings and
engaging people. The booking platform
is more than meets the eye with built in
member management, administration and
marketing tools too. Corporates and larger
training businesses often go that one step
further with our premium Booking Rooster
product.
Q: Rumour around town is you offer
your services and support to charities
for free. Is this true?
We offer full use of the complete Events
Pronto platform free for 90 days. This
includes unlimited support to help charities
achieve time savings, increased bookings
and greater community engagement. We
strongly believe charities are the hearts in
all of our communities and it is a real honour
to work alongside so many great New
Zealand Charities.
P5992Y
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 23
Latest Business Monitor survey reflects
reduced SME confidence
Confidence in the economy has fallen to its lowest level in three
years amongst New Zealand’s small-to-medium sized enterprises
(SMEs), according to the latest MYOB Business Monitor survey of
more than 1,000 business operators around the country.
By DAVID PORTER
Expectations for the economy
fell from an overall
net positive 21 percent
in the March 2017 Monitor,
to a net negative 14 percent
in the latest survey. This is
despite businesses continuing
to report strong levels of revenue
growth over the last 12
months and positive earnings
expectations for the coming
year.
But Steven Farrant, chair
of the Tauranga Chamber of
Commerce’s Small Business
Tauranga group, said he
wouldn’t equate a drop in confidence
to a risk.
“As we know there has
been significant change in the
country recently, and change
often creates uncertainty,
which can lead to owners taking
a more cautious approach
to business,” he said.
“Although SME owners
and operators are very mindful
and acutely aware of the economic
climate, there is a danger
that a pessimistic outlook
isn’t healthy or helpful. As a
result, from my experience,
SME owners/operators focus
their energy on the day job of
running their business.”
The survey said businesses
in the primary sector were most
likely to predict the economy
to decline, with over half of the
operators in the industry (52
percent) pessimistic about the
coming year. Manufacturing
and wholesale business operators
were also concerned about
a fall-off in the economy, with
41 percent expecting a decline.
Construction and trades business
operators are only slightly
more optimistic, with 38 percent
expecting the economy
to decline, while 26 percent
predict it will improve.
However, despite expressing
a significant level of concern
over the future of the
economy, 36 percent of businesses
reported an improvement
in revenue in the last
12 months, the same level as
2017. And there was only a
slight decline from the highest
level recorded in the Monitor
survey in 2016 (37 percent).
One fifth (20 percent) reported
a fall in revenue levels in the
last 12 months.
Most business operators
were also forecasting their revenue
would improve or remain
at current levels over the next
12 months, with 38 percent
expecting revenue to rise (the
same proportion as in 2017)
and 41 percent predicting their
income will remain the same.
MYOB general manager
Carolyn Luey said that
while businesses were right to
express some caution, as the
international situation in particular
is increasingly uncertain,
there was a risk that the
growing levels of pessimism
could affect the economy.
“The report … points
out the underlying
performance and
revenue expectations
within the SME sector
remain strong.”
– Steven Farrant
“The fundamentals of the
SME economy at present are
strong – businesses in general
are doing very well, and
most expect that performance
to continue over the next 12
months,” she said.
Steven Farrant: Change can
create uncertainty. Photo/Supplied
“While there are some areas
to watch – such as the decline
in manufacturing sector earnings
and lower levels of revenue
growth for the primary
sector – the overall sector is in
good shape.”
Luey said the level of
uncertainty around the policies
and direction of the new government
had been well canvassed
in recent surveys.
“But other concerns, such
as a looming international trade
war, global instability and, closer
to home, the range of new
taxes being mooted by the tax
working group – all of which
were covered during the survey
period – are likely to be factoring
into how well business operators
believe the New Zealand
economy will perform.”
Small Business Taranga’s
Farrant said it was worth
noting that SMEs could and
did adjust and adapt to market
changes quickly and often
effectively.
“The report also points out
the underlying performance
and revenue expectations
within the SME sector remain
strong,” he said. “I believe
the survey reflects a period of
change and the air of caution
that brings, but I expect our
sector to continue to perform
well over the next 12 months.”
Waikato
AgriBusinessNews
MAY ISSUE OUT FOR
NATIONAL
AGRICULTURAL
FIELDAYS
BOOK NOW
Call the team on 07 838 1333 or
email info@wbn.co.nz
24
Bay of plenty
THANK YOU TO
THE SPONSORS,
EXHIBITORS AND
VISITORS OF THE
INAUGURAL BAY OF
PLENTY/WAIKATO
BUSINESS EXPO
First on the scene
Pictures from the inaugural Bay of Plenty/Waikato Business Expo,
which was successfully launched at ASB Arena in March.
Congratulations
for embracing and supporting
this new and exciting event and a huge
thank you for your contribution in helping to
make the Business Expo a great success.
1
2
1 Tim van de Molen, MP Waikato, with Nigel Murphy and Cathy Hendry, Strategic Pay 2 Taite Smith and River Jermyn, NOW.
The purpose of the Business Expo is
to provide a platform for businesses
to showcase their offering, to enhance
and create business opportunities and
connections, and to bring additional growth to
the regions.
The energy and enthusiasm at this year’s
Expo and the positive feedback received
indicates that the Business Expo is now a
“Must Do” event in the region’s business
calendar.
We look forward to seeing you at the
next Business Expo,
Sharon Giblett and Barry Brown
Jigsaw Solutions Group Limited
3 4
3 Pete Wales, David Porter and Vanessa Lee, Bay of Plenty Business News. 4 Nick Osborne and Michelle Beaumont, Nettl.
5 6
5 Angela Thomas, KPMG. 6 Jazz Kiihfuss and Mike Everard, Giggle TV, with Nic Tarrant, Katie Baker and Amanda Fraser-Jones,
Corporate Traveller.
For sponsorship and exhibitor enquiries for
upcoming Business Expo’s, please contact
Sharon Giblett on 021 566 869 or
info@businessexpo.biz
www.businessexpo.biz
Sponsors
Supporting Partners
7 8
7 Adam Hughes and Mike Bell, Think. 8 Sharon Giblett and Barry Brown, Business Expo and Jigsaw Solutions Group,
with Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless (centre).
BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018 25
Wealth Taxes
The Tax Working Group - established by the government to
examine improvements to the fairness, structure and balance of
the tax system - has released its background paper summarising
the current system and calling for submissions.
REGULATORY MATTERS
> BY GRANT NEAGLE
Grant Neagle, a director at Ingham Mora Chartered Accountants
in Tauranga, is a business advisor and tax specialist. He can be
contacted on 07- 927- 1225 or grant@inghammora.co.nz
The group, chaired by former
Minister of Finance
and Deputy Prime
Minister Sir Michael Cullen,
has excluded from its terms of
reference increasing the income
tax and GST rate, inheritance
taxes or taxing the family home
or the land under it.
But it has included consideration
of whether a more
comprehensive system of taxing
capital gains on property
(excluding the family home)
would improve the tax system.
And one tax not specifically
referred to in the terms of reference,
but one which Cullen
has nonetheless signalled is on
the table for consideration, is a
“wealth tax.”
Wealth taxes generally tax
the net wealth - ie assets less
liabilities - of a taxpayer on an
annual basis.
The attractiveness of such a
tax for the government is that
tax revenue from the tax could
start from day-one as it taxes
what a taxpayer already has.
By comparison, comprehensive
capital gains tax systems
tend to only generate tax
revenue when a taxpayer disposes
of what they have for
more than it cost them.
So it seems that, while the
government has ruled out a
capital gains tax on a person’s
home, it has not excluded the
possibility of a wealth tax
that could in fact, in principle,
include taxing the wealth represented
in a person’s home.
Internationally, wealth
taxes have lost favour over
the last 20-30 years. In 1990,
12 countries had a wealth tax;
today only five major countries
have one.
A number of those that
still do, have signalled their
intention to get rid of them or
reduce their scope.
Against this backdrop have
come renewed calls from pundits
for the adoption of wealth
taxes to address increasing
income and wealth inequality
in developed countries.
The French experience
serves as a good case study.
Introduced in 1981 by François
Mitterrand’s Socialist Party,
the French wealth tax known
as ISF or the “solidarity tax on
wealth” has been anything but
an exercise in solidarity.
The net asset threshold at
which wealth taxes apply are
typically high to catch the supposed
“wealthy”.
The French ISF as it currently
stands is an annual levy
of up to 1.5 percent on the
wealth of French residents
whose net worth exceeds
1.3million euros (approximately
NZ$2.2 million).
The French experience is
that it is often the income and
cash-poor middle-class – who
find themselves in the “wealthy”
category due to rising property
values – who are affected.
The imposition of the tax
leads to tax planning, including
making temporary gifts
and donations, and in so doing
taxpayers running the gauntlet
between the wealth tax and
France’s Gift tax.
Moreover, the tax is estimated
to have promoted the
flight of some 60,000 millionaires
from France since the
year 2000.
However, reform of the
French ISF is on the cards
So it seems that, while the government
has ruled out a capital gain tax on a
person’s home, it has not excluded the
possibility of a wealth tax that could in
fact, in principle, include taxing the wealth
represented in a person’s home.
with the current government
looking to reduce the ambit of
the tax and have it apply only
to tax real estate assets.
Given the Tax Working
Group’s intention to garner
submissions from a broadcross
section of New Zealand
society, Cullen’s reference to a
wealth tax may just be a ploy
to stoke the fervour of the New
Zealand public and so encourage
submissions.
Cullen has mooted that a
capital gains tax and wealth
tax could be the alternatives.
The cynic in me would say
that mention of a wealth tax
could just be a softener that
would make the bitter pill of
the alternative comprehensive
capital gain tax easier to swallow.
Time will tell.
The comments in this article
are of a general nature
and should not be relied on
for specific cases, where readers
should seek professional
advice.
Staying the course
I
recently came across an article
written by one of my
colleagues for a local newspaper
in January 2008 that still
has lessons for us today.
It read: “The recent share
market sell-off will have a
number of investors questioning
their investment strategy
and whether they should be
investing in the share market
at all. Now is not the time to
be selling good quality compa-
WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY
> BY BRETT BELL-BOOTH
Investment Advisor with Forsyth Barr Limited in Tauranga.
Phone: (07) 577 5725 or email brett.bell-booth@forsythbarr.co.nz
nies. In fact this may be a great
buying opportunity.
“While lecturing as a
21-year-old at Columbia
University the world’s greatest
investor, Warren Buffett,
quipped: “I will tell you how to
become rich. Close the doors.
Be fearful when others are
greedy. Be greedy when others
are fearful”
“The simple concept that
Buffett was alluding to was
that when the majority of
investors are driven by fear
and selling their holdings, this
is the best time to buy. Often in
fear driven markets, most businesses
are being sold at cheap
prices, even great companies.
“It was then that the true
investor was able to get a
bargain price and therefore
increase the potential for capital
gain. The lower share price
also results in a higher dividend
yield for those investors
seeking income.
“So, while the perceived
risk for investors often feels
greater because of the doom
and gloom being felt and falling
share prices, the risk is in
fact lower as the return to the
investor will be higher once
the market recovers… Good
companies will continue to
produce goods and services,
generate earnings, pay dividends
and prosper.”
Although the comments
were penned 10 years ago,
they are still relevant. In
February this year, when a
market sell-off occurred, markets
were driven by sentiment.
Conditions conducive to share
price growth (i.e. positive economic
growth, increasing corporate
profitability, low inflation,
low interest rates, low
unemployment), were present,
yet newspaper headlines were
full of doomsayers predicting
a sharemarket crash.
The doomsayers were basing
their predictions on how
high share prices were relative
to historical valuations, and
the length of time the current
bull market has run relative to
historical bull markets.
The markets were almost
looking for a reason to take
a breather, and the catalyst
appeared to be the fear of rising
interest rates in the United
States. The US market fell
almost 10 percent in a very
short time.
While it is true that many
market valuations are higher
than historical averages, and
the bull market is much longer
than in past cycles, conditions
conducive to market growth
are still intact.
Many investors realised
this, with the markets subsequently
recovering from the
February sell-off.
Markets do move in cycles,
and history can offer a guide
to future events, but the fundamentals
of investing remain
the same.
Be wary of comments of
“this time it’s different.” As
my colleague wrote a decade
ago, regardless of market conditions,
companies will continue
to produce goods and
services and generate earnings,
with the goal of creating future
growth for shareholders.
This column is general in
nature and is not personalised
investment advice. Disclosure
Statements for Forsyth Barr
Authorised Financial Advisers
are available on request and
free of charge.
Vote
Anne Pankhurst
Who stands for:
• Better transport solutions
• Investment into the city
• Unlocking the huge
investment potential
• Experience in governance
and leadership
Authorised by Anne Pankhurst,
37 Monmouth Street, Tauranga
26 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2018
Financing the growth
of your business
How much and what type of finance a company needs to survive
is unquestionably one of the most important aspects of business
management. It is also, in our experience, the least understood.
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
As a business grows it
requires more resources,
unless, of course, it
grows by means of a more
effective allocation of its existing
resources.
However, even if this is the
case, further growth will ultimately
require more resources.
The money used to finance
a business comes from two
sources, generally referred to
as equity and debt.
Equity is the capital injected
into the business by its
owners and consists not only
of the initial and any subsequent
capital invested, but also
retained profits — that is, profits
earned by the business and
reinvested in it, rather than
being withdrawn.
Debt capital refers to borrowings
made by the business
and includes not only long and
short-term cash loans obtained
from banks or finance compa-
nies, but also short-term credit
provided by suppliers of goods
and services to the business.
Debt also includes finance
provided by the way of leases
or hire purchase to acquire
plant and equipment.
While it is possible for a
business to be financed totally
by means of debt, this is an
extremely risky structure.
Unless the business enjoys
very high margins and has
excellent cash flow, any
decline in sales could mean
an inability to service the debt
and therefore, the end of the
business.
At the other extreme, a
business could be financed
totally by equity.
While this eliminates financial
risk, it also reduces the
return that the owners of the
business receive from their
investment.
So we have established that
It is also important
to understand that the
majority of businesses
that experience
rapid growth can
find themselves
confronted by a cash
crisis.
as a business grows, it needs
more resources and therefore,
more capital.
But it’s important to understand
that the availability of
capital for any business is limited,
and it therefore follows
that the growth rate a business
can sustain and still survive is
also limited.
In other words, a business
that grows too quickly will
fail, and a business that grows
too slowly will deny its owners
of potential returns.
When it comes to business
growth, the fundamental issues
that determine how quickly a
business can grow are:
• The extent of its net profit
and hence, market demand
and cost structure.
• The willingness of the
owners of the business
to reinvest after tax profit
to finance the additional
resources.
• The availability of debt
finance, which depends on
the capacity of the business
to service the debt, and the
security that can be offered
to lenders.
Many small to medium-sized
business owners believe that
banks have an obligation to
lend them unlimited amounts
of money - simply because they
have excellent profit potential.
However, banks are often
reluctant to make unlimited
funds available. In some cases,
this is actually a blessing in
disguise.
Unfortunately, this reluctance
can also mean that some
extremely well-managed businesses,
which have excellent
potential, are denied access to
much needed funds.
It is also important to understand
that the majority of businesses
that experience rapid
growth can find themselves
confronted by a cash crisis.
It is essential when you are
planning a high growth strategy
to ensure you have control
over your finances, including
receivables, stock, work in
progress and margins.
Additionally, you should
give careful consideration to
monitoring your cash requirements,
and take action to
restrain your growth rate the
moment you see signs that
your cash flow is tightening.
In order to determine how
fast you can grow your business,
you need to look at your
projected cash flow.
You can only grow your
business as fast as your cash
flow allows.
Once a business has
reached a level of sales where
good profits are being made
and its rate of growth slows
down, then comes the time to
harvest the cash flow.
TERMS
OF TRADE
CREDIT
CHECKING /
MONITORING
DEBT
COLLECTION
Nick from
EC Credit Control
is the Bay of
Plentys leading
debt prevention
expert.
CREDIT
MANAGEMENT
TRAINING
FOR A NO OBLIGATION MEETING CALL OR EMAIL NICK TODAY
nick.kerr@eccreditcontrol.co.nz | P: 027 713 2128
0800 EC GROUP | www.eccreditcontrol.co.nz
Meet the lawyers who do things differently
It’s been a year since The Law Shop
took over Stratagem Lawyers in Mount
Maunganui and opened their Tauranga
office in Greerton. It’s been a fantastic
twelve months for The Law Shop’s Partners
Paula Lines, Stephanie Northey, and
Sarsha Tyrrell, as their business continues
to thrive. They now have a team of 15,
working in both Rotorua and Tauranga.
Their office on 1262
Cameron Road in
Greerton is getting too
small for the team, so they are
in the process of moving again.
Although the old building has
character, it’s too hot in summer
and hard to keep warm in
the winter months.
We’re down to earth
and informal, and
we genuinely care
about our clients. We
pride ourselves on
delivering on time,
every time, and it’s
important to us to
provide legal advice
without the jargon,
and we do it at a fair
price
“We are getting ready to
move across the road to a larger
and more comfortable office
space. All our Tauranga business
will be done from there
when we move. This means
we’ll close our small office
at the Mount as well, but the
Rotorua office stays as is,”
Paula says.
The Law Shop’s all-female
team is big on offering personable
advice and legal support
to their clients, and they make
sure to talk to people in everyday
terms. The three Directors
work extremely well together,
and they have their individual
strengths and expertise.
Paula’s areas of work
include the formation of and
administration of trusts, relationship
property agreements,
commercial and business
law, subdivisions and general
law. Stephanie, who runs the
Rotorua office, specialises in
family law, mental health and
employment law. Sarsha is an
expert at helping families with
legal issues including domestic
violence, childcare arrangements
and Child Youth &
From left to right: Sarsha Tyrrell, Stephanie Northey and Paula Lines.
Family matters (now Oranga
Tamariki).
“We’re down to earth and
informal, and we genuinely
care about our clients. We
pride ourselves on delivering
on time, every time, and it’s
important to us to provide legal
advice without the jargon,
and we do it at a fair price,”
Paula says. She explains that
the team is approachable and
flexible and that they are not
nine-to-five people.
“We don’t apply a one size
fits all approach to our work,
and we encourage our clients
to communicate with us in a
way that works best for them.
We also know that being able
to see us close to your home or
workplace is important, so we
are happy to travel and come
to you, even outside “normal”
working hours if that fits better
with your timeframes,”
she says.
If you are buying or selling
a property, setting up a
business or if you need a Will,
a prenup, or legal assistance
around other matters, get in
touch with the friendly team
at The Law Shop. They will
talk you through all the details
in normal English and will
give you expert advice that fits
you and your unique situation.
Feel free to contact them anytime,
and start with an email to
team@thelawshop.co.nz
Our branches include:
Rotorua - 1268 Arawa Street,
Rotorua.
Tauranga - 1262 Cameron
Road, Greerton.
STEPHANIE NORTHEY
LL.B | Director
Friendly legal advice
that won’t leave you
drowning in jargon
PAULA LINES
LL.B | Director
SARSHA TYRRELL
LL.B | Director
For over 30 years, The Law Shop has been giving clear advice
for a fair price to individuals, small and medium businesses
in the Bay of Plenty.
If your business needs advice on Agreements, Buying and Selling,
Terms of Trade, Structure and Succession Planning, Banking,
Leasing, Debt Collection, Franchising and Employment Services
then we’re the team for you.
Proudly serving our community from our offices
in Rotorua and Tauranga.
Call us on 0800 LAW SHOP
or visit www.thelawshop.co.nz
ROTORUA
1268 Arawa St
Rotorua
TAURANGA
1262 Cameron Rd
Greerton
Lawyers for everyday people