Bay of Plenty Business News April/May 2018

Bay of plenty 

APRIL/MAY 2018 VOLUME 3: ISSUE 4 WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/BOPBUSINESSNEWS 

Capitalising 

on innovation 

How smart companies 

get funding for 

growth 

The Bay of Plenty has a thriving 

culture of innovative companies 

and entrepreneurs. But they can 

face major challenges in securing 

the funding they need to thrive. 

We examine what makes capital 

providers willing to invest in 

developing businesses. 

By DAVID PORTER 

One major concern for 

companies seeking capital 

is to ensure they have 

secured the intellectual property 

(IP) that can prove crucial to 

their ultimate success. 

Another key issue is for 

companies seeking investment 

and their potential funders to 

ensure that both parties’ interests 

are properly aligned. 

And strong financial planning 

and governance is likely 

to enhance companies’ chances 

of securing funding in a New 

Zealand market where, despite 

the increasing flow of funds 

into the startup sector, there 

are still some gaps. (see Angels 

thriving, but still a gap in the 

VC space, P6) 

Those were among the 

major messages that emerged 

from the recent Innovation is 

Gold seminar in Tauranga, one 

of several hosted around New 

Zealand by IP law firm James 

& Wells. The seminar featured 

a panel of leading funding 

experts. 

It also included experienced 

investor and entrepreneur 

Timothy Allan, chief executive 

of successful Bay startup 

Ubco, which has secured both 

US and local funding to launch 

its electric utility bike into the 

American market. 

James & Wells managing 

partner Carrick Robinson said 

in the firm’s experience a lot 

of companies treated locking 

down their IP as a “bit of an ad 

hoc process.” 

Timothy Allan. 

Photo/James & Wells 

That was particularly concerning 

given that the companies 

were looking at what 

could be the most valuable 

and only asset to give them a 

competitive advantage in the 

marketplace. 

“Rather than a lot of thought 

going into it at the beginning, 

IP protection is usually something 

built on the back of a 

success,” said Robinson. 

“But the issue with IP is 

that a lot of it needs to be put 

in place before anything goes 

public.” 

James & Wells recommends 

a four-stage process 

- assessment, strategy, implementation 

and review. 

The assessment needs to 

examine what the company 

has that makes it different from 

other businesses. 

“A lot of market research 

has to go into what you are 

trying to achieve, what the 

market is like, what are your 

competitors doing, and what 

do you have from an IP per- 

Continued on page 3 

Ubco electric bikes in the US: The bike’s X Factor helped 

in funding its international launch. But to secure the 

capital Ubco also needed revenues and traction, says 

CEO Timothy Allan (below). Photos/James & Wells, Ubco. 

Seeka 

Buying assets 

in Northland 

P10 

kiwifruit 

Pickers getting 

harder to find 

P12 

auto industry 

Commercial vehicle 

sales continue to rise 

P20-26

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COVER STORY 

Capitalising on 

innovation 

From page 1 

spective that can be protected,” 

he said. “The aim is to find out 

how you can leverage that IP 

to build a sustainable business 

that gives you commercial 

advantage.” 

And when setting up their 

IP strategy companies also 

needed to take into account 

their ownership structure 

and vehicle and the possible 

ultimate exit for company 

founders and investors, said 

Robinson. 

“Once that strategy is set 

up it’s time to take a step back 

and take a sanity check... on 

how flexible it is with respect 

to opportunities and setbacks.” 

He noted that the IP implementation 

was bound by timeframe 

deadlines. 

“Once we start the process 

it’s a little bit like a skyrocket - 

once you light the fuse you’re 

on your way. So it’s quite 

important that expectations are 

realistic about what we are 

trying to achieve, but also that 

we try and build in some flexibility. 

And that also allows 

you to map out what funding 

is required to provide that protection 

over the lifespan of the 

property.” 

The seminar reflected the 

views of a cross section of 

funding experts, from the 

pre-revenue incubation stage 

and online equity crowd-funding, 

to venture capital and 

bank debt options. 

Bay of Plenty-based incubator 

WNT Ventures provides 

initial investments of up to 

The aim is to find 

out how you can 

leverage that IP to 

build a sustainable 

business that gives 

you commercial 

advantage.” 

– Carrick Robinson, 

James & Wells 

around $600,000 to pre-revenue 

companies that have 

strong IP being commercialised 

out of universities and 

crown research institutes, as 

well as the private sector. 

The Bay will also benefit 

from the recent government 

support for a new agri-tech 

focused regional research institute, 

which is expected to foster 

the growth of early stage companies. 

(See PlantTech poised 

for takeoff mid-year, P7) 

Carrick Robinson. 


Carl Jones, the chief executive 

of WNT Ventures, said 

one of the key things the Bay 

incubator learned early on was 

the importance of sticking to 

your knitting. “As soon as you 

move outside that realm of 

knowledge you can start making 

mistakes.” 

Jones said firms looked 

to venture capital not just for 

funding, but to access knowledge 

and avoid making mistakes 

- especially at the early 

stages of their development. 

“That goes to all the future 

rounds of capital as well. 

You’re not just seeking money, 

you should be doing due diligence 

on the funding sources 

to understand what they can 

bring to your business and help 

you grow.” 

All investors were looking 

for essentially the same things, 

said Jones. 

“We are looking for global 

opportunities with really great 

teams and strong defendable 

IP positions… we need to 

be able to go to market and 

build a company and defend 

our position against a lot of 

big players.” 

Ubco’s Timothy Allan said 

having an established market 

entry was crucial for its funding 

success. The company 

was supported in its Series A 

funding by Bay of Plenty early 

stage funding group Enterprise 

Angels, facilitating the investment 

of $860,000 in July 2016. 

The electric bike company 

went on to raise $2.5 million 

from NZ and Australian investors, 

with an US investment of 

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2018 3 

ANZ’s Andrew Pryde at the Innovation is Gold seminar. 


$1.45 million last year bringing 

the total to $3.95 million. 

(See Bay electric bike company 

secures US investors, Bay 

of Plenty Business News, June 

2017) 

“Generally in New Zealand 

if you don’t have something 

Banks in New Zealand 

are all seeking to 

grow their market 

shares across the 

mid-market business 

sector. These market 

dynamics make for 

a very competitive 

landscape for banks 

and non-banks, all of 

which is good for NZ 

businesses seeking 

growth capital.” 

– Andrew Pryde, ANZ 

that’s in the market, investment 

is going to be difficult,” 

he said. 

“And I don’t think we 

would have got our US investment 

if we hadn’t had quite an 

advanced road map for delivering 

a road legal product. 

Our US investors were very 

insistent on that and it actually 

helped us. 

“It’s a given that you have 

to have something with an 

x-factor about it. But you also 

need to have revenues and 

traction - those are the things 

[investors] are particularly 

interested in.” 

Simeon Burnett, founder 

and chief executive of online 

equity crowdfunder Snowball 

Effect, said that across New 

Zealand a lot of wealth was 

quite fragmented. 

“We’ve set out to aggregate 

that community and then 

provide them with investment 

opportunities,” he said. Since 

launching in 2014, the company 

had dealt with 17,000 

registered investors and more 

than 900 wholesale investors. 

“Our aim is to get the 

money in and the shares issued 

in one to two weeks. It’s a 

massive advantage for companies 

to get that cash raised and 

turned around within a short 

period.” 

Snowball Effect was generally 

looking for companies 

with $750,000-plus of revenues 

with an established board 

and independent governance, 

seeking $1-to-7 million in 

expansion capital. 

“Financial reporting is 

probably the area where 

we see the biggest need for 

improvement by New Zealand 

businesses,” said Burnett. 

“A lot really struggle when 

it comes to having financial 

forecasts in place that are realistic. 

A lot are aspirational - but 

at some point you’re going to 

have to understand how much 

you’re going to have to raise 

to keep the business going. 

That drives a lot of decisions. 

Having some pragmatic financial 

forecasts in place is absolutely 

critical.” 

James Beale, chief executive 

of Bay-headquartered, 

regionally focused Oriens 

Capital, which launched in late 

2016 with a $50 million fund, 

said the governance input from 

a private equity funder could 

bring real engagement and 

commitment. 

“PE companies will reach a 

clear agreement with management 

about what is important,” 

he said. 

“And they will encourage 

decisiveness and a drive for 

strong returns that are time 

bound. It’s all about delivering 

a strong IRR in the shortest 

time possible.” 

Private equity funding had 

become a much bigger part 

of the economy with a range 

of players in New Zealand 

including Australian funds, 

said Beale. 

Oriens Capital provides 

Continued on page 6 

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From the editor 

In this month’s cover story 

we look at the pitfalls and 

opportunities for smart Bay 

of Plenty companies seeking 

funding for national and potentially 

global growth. 

The Bay has a thriving culture 

of innovative and technologically 

smart companies 

and entrepreneurs. But they 

can face major challenges in 

securing the funding they need 

to thrive. We examine what 

capital providers want to see 

in order to invest in developing 

businesses. 

Key themes include the 

need for companies to ensure 

they have locked down their 

intellectual property rights 

effectively. Capital providers’ 

insist on evidence of strong 

financial planning and governance. 

And perhaps as crucial an 

issue, is that both the companies 

seeking investors and 

their potential funders have to 

make sure that their interests 

are fully aligned. 

The Bay has long been 

known for its technologically 

innovative companies. Make 

sure you check out our special 

Venture Centre report on 

Techweek, which comes to 

Tauranga on May 21-25 as 

part of a nationwide annual 

festival to help local communities 

shape innovation that’s 

good for the world. 

This year is predicted to be 

another bumper season for the 

kiwifruit crop that is a mainstay 

of the Bay’s exports. 

But growers and contractors 

are nervously considering 

whether they will be able 

to meet the challenges of the 

harvest, given the labour short- 

ages looming in the Bay of 

Plenty for the new season. 

There is a greater proportion 

of SunGold in the 2018 

mix, which typically needs 

to be harvested earlier than 

Green, requiring a more timely, 

swift movement of fruit 

from picking through the processing 

chain. 

In particular, two key 

labour resources the industry 

has come to rely upon are 

depleted compared to previous 

years. The supply of largely 

Indian students has dropped 

due to tighter immigration 

laws, while backpacker tourists 

seem to be avoiding kiwifruit 

picking as a seasonal job. 

Te Puke-based Seeka - one 

of New Zealand’s largest corporate 

kiwifruit growers and 

processors - has cemented its 

scale in the industry with the 

recent $40 million purchase of 

T&G Global’s packhouse and 

orchard assets in Northland. 

The move came less than 

a month after Seeka exited 

its shares in global marketing 

company Zespri to the tune of 

$6.11 million. 

The Northland move sees 

the Te Puke-headquartered 

company expand its multi-fruit 

storage facilities, 

David Porter 

with post-harvest facilities in 

Kerikeri capable of packing 

and storing avocados, kiwifruit 

and citrus fruit. 

According to Seeka chief 

executive Michael Franks 

the company has identified 

Northland as a growth region 

for its two key crops, avocados 

and kiwifruit and establishing 

a post-harvest hub in 

Northland has been a priority. 

The sale by T&G included 

80 ha of Northland kiwifruit 

interests. And interestingly, 

given Seeka’s exit from its 

Zespri holding, it also includes 

$2 million worth of T&G’s 

shares in Zespri. It is not yet 

clear whether Seeka will retain 

these shares. 

Tani Hansen 

027 701 9592 tani@everestpeople.co.nz

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2018 

5 

WNT Ventures raises new $4.4 million 

startup investment fund 

Technology Incubator WNT Ventures 

recently announced its second 

investment fund, adding $4.4 million of 

new capital to invest into startups across 

the country. 

WNT Ventures CEO, 

Carl Jones, says 

WNT Ventures will 

spend the next 18 months looking 

for 8-10 innovative pre-revenue 

startups to invest into. 

Mr Jones commented that 

he is looking to invest in companies 

with strong intellectual 

property and global potential, 

born from both public and private 

sector innovations. 

“Being broadly sector 

agnostic, WNT Ventures will 

continue to invest in companies 

across a range of industry 

sectors, focusing particularly 

on areas of deep technology.” 

says Mr Jones. 

Tauranga-based WNT 

Ventures was founded in 

2014 with a pioneering entrepreneurial 

spirit and a collaborative 

partnership-based 

approach at its core. 

Mr Jones says that raising 

a second fund reflects strong 

ongoing support for the WNT 

Ventures model from its existing 

investor base, with 7 out 

of 9 of the first fund investors 

also putting money into the 

second fund. 

Investors in WNT Ventures 

Fund II include cornerstone 

investor Quayside Holdings, 

angel groups Enterprise Angels 

and Angel HQ, plus a range 

of community trusts, family 

offices and high net-worth 

individuals from the Bay of 

Plenty and Auckland. 

FUNDING AND 

INVESTMENT 

As a Callaghan Innovation 

technology incubator supplier, 

WNT Ventures can access 

up to $35,000 per business to 

assist them in developing their 

investment case to WNT. 

WNT Ventures can also take 

advantage of the Repayable 

Loan Scheme, enabling total 

investment up to $600,000 into 

the startups. 

Further capital is also available 

for follow-on investment, 

through WNT Ventures own 

fund and also through their 

Carl Jones, CEO 

WNT Ventures 

access to a broad network of 

institutions, individuals and 

angel groups for further investment 

support. 

SUPPORT 

In addition to investment capital, 

WNT Ventures also provides 

a range of incubation services 

and commercial support 

that early-stage technologies 

and companies need to grow 

into successful businesses. 

This includes dedicated 

advice on market validation, 

business strategy and financial 

plans, intellectual property 

protection, prototype and product 

development and in-market 

relationships. 

WNT Ventures team 

SECTORS 

Alongside extensive commercial 

experience and capability, 

the WNT Ventures team 

and partners bring to the table 

deep knowledge and networks 

across agritech, food, 

SoundSwitch, by Onesixone Ltd, offers 

a software-hardware solution for DJs. 

advanced materials, engineering, 

medtech and digital sectors 

to support its portfolio 

companies. 

Investment Manager, 

Jon Sandbrook, leads WNT 

Ventures’ agriculture and 

food technology efforts. Mr 

Sandbrook notes that “agritech 

plays a huge role in the New 

Zealand economy and it’s a sector 

where WNT Ventures sees 

wide potential for NZ-based 

innovations to lead the world.” 

It is also an area where WNT 

Ventures taps into extensive 

capabilities. Mr Sandbrook is 

currently a Director for pointof-care 

bovine mastitis diagnostic 

company, Mastaplex, 

and his career has included 

roles as Founder of a US-based 

animal health biotechnology 

company, and numerous corporate 

strategy and management 

consulting roles in the agriculture 

and animal health sectors. 

Alongside Mr Sandbrook, 

WNT Ventures fund investors 

and Directors, Steve Saunders, 

serial entrepreneur and owner 

of Tauranga based horticultural 

robotics company Robotics 

Plus, and Peter Wren-Hilton, 

Founder of Agritech New 

Zealand, bring deep insights, 

capabilities, capital pathways 

and networks into the heart of 

New Zealand’s agritech innovation 

sector. 

New Zealand’s medtech 

innovation is an unsung hero 

that is poised to garner increasing 

attention. 

“Medtech companies here 

are by definition ‘born global’ 

and represent substantial 

export opportunities” says 

WNT Ventures Investment 

Manager, Dr Laura Faulconer. 

Globally, the medtech 

industry represents a US$365 

billion opportunity. 

A Biomedical Engineer, 

entrepreneur and medical sector 

expert, Dr Faulconer, has 

ramped up WNT Ventures’ 

capabilities to support promising 

emerging medtech startups. 

Dr Faulconer was previously 

the CTO for Australian 

based medical device accelerator, 

the Actuator, and brings 

a wealth of medtech commercialisation 

networks from 

her previous work in both 

Australia and the US. 

PORTFOLIO 

COMPANIES 

WNT Ventures’ first $3.5 million 

fund is now fully deployed 

into seven companies. 

Fund I portfolio companies 

include Tauranga-based 

Onesixone, software company 

Nyriad, cleantech companies 

Avertana and Mint Innovation, 

agritech spin-out from Otago 

University, Mastaplex, and 

robotics company, Ficomms. 

Animal wearable start-up, 

Helix ID, was recently wound 

down when it failed to meet its 

milestones. 

Onesixone have developed 

SoundSwitch, a software-hardware 

solution which offers DJs 

the ability to integrate DMX 

lighting with live audio. 

Cambridge based software 

company, Nyriad, is building 

advanced streaming storage 

solutions for big-data and 

high-performance computing. 

Founded out of work done 

for the Square Kilometer Array 

(SKA) Telescope, the company 

recently launched its first 

product, NSULATE. 

Auckland based, Mint 

Innovation, is developing a 

breakthrough technology for 

the recovery of gold and other 

precious metals from electronic 

waste. 

The company is currently 

raising Series A capital ahead 

of deployment of its worldfirst 

commercial e-waste 

biorefinery in New Zealand. 

For more information 

regarding investment 

from WNT or to contact 

one of the team, please visit 

www.wntventures.co.nz or contact 

the company directly at 

admin@wntventures.co.nz. 

Mint Innovation team


Angels thriving, but still 

a gap in the VC space 

Startups in New Zealand recorded an unprecedented level 

of funding last year, with $86 million flowing into early-stage 

businesses, according to the latest Young Company Finance 

Index, published by PwC New Zealand, the Angel Association 

of New Zealand (AANZ) and the New Zealand Venture 

Investment Fund (NZVIF). 

Of the $86 million invested 

into young companies 

in 2017, more than 

half ($49 million) came from 

angel investment networks, 

rather than individual funds or 

institutional investment. 

But a key problem remains 

at the next stage. The venture 

capital sector remains thin 

in New Zealand, meaning it 

can be difficult for startups to 

make the transition required to 

grow into successful national 

and international businesses, 

says Bill Murphy, executive 

director of the Bay’s Enterprise 

Angels, the country’s biggest 

angel funding group. 

PwC New Zealand partner 

Anand Reddy said early-stage 

investments were almost 

three times the level of five 

years ago. 

“We’ve seen success stories 

like exits from TradeMe that 

created a whole new generation 

of angel investors.” 

Driving the growth in 

investment dollars is an 

increasing number of larger 

deals in 2017, compared with 

the previous year. While the 

number of deals in 2017 held 

steady at 111 – one lower than 

in the previous 12 months – 

the total amount invested has 

risen by $18 million, a 26 

percent increase. 

AANZ chairman John 

O’Hara said that reflected a 

maturing ecosystem. 

“A number of the ventures 

angels have backed are now 

looking for larger capital injections 

to fuel their growth. With 

a thin VC industry, it’s not 

surprising we are seeing larger 

deal sizes in our part of the 

market.” 

NZVIF chief executive 

Richard Dellabarca said one 

of the reasons for the surge 

was that investors were seeing 

higher quality deal flow 

from aspirational entrepreneurs 

seeking to address global 

opportunities, not just New 

Zealand-focused or lifestyle 

COVER STORY 

SOFTWARE THE TOP SECTOR 

More than half the investment made in early stage companies last 

year was in the software and services space (53.8 percent), followed 

by technology hardware and equipment (17 percent). 

– Young Company Finance Index 

businesses. 

“With the mandate 

changes to NZVIF’s Seed 

Co-Investment Fund last year, 

we are seeing this quality deal 

flow from both angel groups 

and also individual angel 

investors,” says Dellabarca. 

“The next challenge is to 

address the paucity of domestic 

venture capital. 

“As we see an increase in 

the volume of quality companies 

in the pipeline, the ownership 

of our promising high 

growth companies is shifting 

offshore in the absence of a 

local institutional investor 

market.” 

Enterprise Angels’ Murphy 

said the early stage sector was 

definitely getting stronger. 

“We are getting better at 

being able to assist companies 

to get that post-angel funding,” 

he said. 

“Unfortunately in New 

Zealand there’s a huge gap - a 

valley of death so to speak. 

“You can see it at the 

microcosm level here in the 

Bay, where we have WNT 

Ventures at the pre-revenue 

stage, Enterprise Angels, 

and then Oriens Capital 

offering expansion and buyout 

capital. But there’s really 

nothing much in between 

Enterprise Angels and Oriens.” 

– BY DAVID PORTER 

Capitalising on innovation 

From page 3 

both expansion capital, and 

management buyout funding 

for business ownership succession. 

The fund recently 

partnered with Pioneer Capital 

in its first deal, buying out 

the founder’s stake in Hawkes 

Bay-based Rockit Global. 

The deal also resulted in 

a significant increase in the 

value of the Enterprise Angels 

members’ early stage stake in 

Rockit. 

“Private equity engagement 

involves robust regular communication 

within the board and the 

executive team,” said Beale. 

“PE investors want to let 

management get on with their 

jobs, but they are absolutely 

James Beale, Oriens.Capital 


prepared to assist the business 

where they can.” 

The key questions for a 

business owner to think about 

when evaluating a funding 

source are, were these people 

they could work with, 

said Beale. 

“Is there genuine alignment 

between the fund and 

the people and staff and business 

culture? You have to like 

these people because you are 

going on a journey together. 

And what do these guys bring 

outside of capital?” 

That could include industry 

knowledge, connections 

and relationships, geographic 

expansion and distribution 

expertise, and transactional 

expertise for a later M&A, 

trade sale or IPO. 

From Oriens Capital’s perspective, 

there had to be an 

investment thematic, as was 

the case with Rockit, which 

markets its fruit as a packaged 

convenience snack and played 

into the global “grab it and go” 

theme in food retailing. 

“And we need to understand 

the big goal, the vision,” 

said Beale. 

“We need to understand 

what key attributes provide 

the source of sustainable competitive 

advantage and how do 

we protect, then enhance these 

and perhaps take them to a 

global stage. 

“And what does that look 

like from a business perspective 

and from a value perspective.” 

Private equity can help 

maximise future value and 

accelerate business with ownership 

transition and transform 

the business, said Beale. 

“Both parties need to be 

aligned in their goals and 

objectives.” 

Another funding option not 

to be overlooked is traditional 

access to bank debt. 

Andrew Pryde, head of 

corporate finance & insights 

at ANZ Bank, said the New 

Zealand economy was continuing 

to perform well. 

“Banks in New Zealand are 

all seeking to grow their market 

shares across the mid-market 

business sector. 

“These market dynamics 

make for a very competitive 

landscape for banks and nonbanks, 

all of which is good for 

NZ businesses seeking growth 

capital.” 

Pryde said a bank’s primary 

role was to provide capital to 

well-established and/or growing 

businesses. 

“Bank loans are structured 

to suit the underlying purpose 

of the growth capital. That 

includes, but isn’t limited to 

long-term capital to support 

business acquisitions or succession, 

and short-term capital 

for fund asset acquisitions and 

short-term working capital.” 

At a minimum banks will 

require a security interest over 

business assets and at a maximum 

they may require mortgage 

security where there is 

a property, and / or personal 

guarantees. 

The advantages of bank 

debt funding were that it was 

comparatively cheap because 

it was subject to full repayment, 

that it allowed businesses 

to plan their growth, and 

that the interest cost could be 

deductable, said Pryde. 

“And the business owner 

retains full ownership of their 

business.” 

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PlantTech poised 

for takeoff mid-year 

The Bay of Plenty’s PlantTech expects to get underway by July, 

say people associated with the new regional research institute. 

The uniquely structured institute was one of four research 

initiatives that won funding last year from the Ministry of Business 

Innovation and Employment (MBIE). 

PlantTech aims to build 

regional and national 

capability in the application 

of advanced technologies 

to strengthen hi-tech exports. 

A team of experts in data 

sciences and automation will 

focus on premium, natural plant 

production and collaborate with 

industry, research organisations 

and international partners. 

Priority One and the 

University of Waikato have 

partnered with a consortium of 

eight local high-tech focused 

businesses to secure $8.4 million 

in investment from MBIE. 

PlantTech is at this stage a 

working title, but it reflects the 

strong agri-tech focus of the 

founding companies, which 

include Bluelab, Cucumber, 

GPS-It, Eurofins, Plus Group 

Horticulture, Trimax Mowing 

Systems, Waka Digital and 

Zespri International. 

The companies have partnered 

up with Priority One and 

the University of Waikato. 

Priority One innovation 

manager Shane Stuart said 

PlantTech was still in the 

establishment stage under a 

six month initial contract from 

MBIE to assist in the set-up. 

“We’ve secured five of the 

seven board members we’re 

looking for and we’re in 

advanced discussions with a 

potential CEO and the three 

research directors we plan to 

hire at this stage,” said Stuart. 

The PlantTech concept 

aims to accelerate innovation 

using the region’s horticulture 

industry as a testing ground for 

new technologies and services. 

Through participating companies, 

PlantTech’s research 

will be commercialised nationally 

and globally in markets 

including sports fields, hydroponics, 

logistics and primary 

industry land use, as well as 

horticultural technologies. 

Stuart said bringing together 

commercial entities had 

helped win MBIE support, but 

he said the political machinery 

may have “struggled a bit” initially 

with the open innovation 

model concept. 

PlantTech aimed to not just 

develop innovation through its 

own capability, but through 

its commercial and other networks, 

he said. 

PlantTech was a good 

example of the collaboration 

that is a feature of how business 

is done in the Bay, he 

added. 

Steve Saunders, head of 

Plus Group Horticulture, said 

PlantTech was on track for a 

mid-year start. 

“It’s another piece of the 

eco system we’ve been building 

in Tauranga, from starting 

co-working spaces to getting 

WNT Ventures underway, 

growing Enterprise Angels to 

being the biggest angel group 

in the country, and now Oriens 

Capital providing private equity 

funding, “ said Saunders. 

“The great thing about 

PlantTech is that you’ve got 

Zespri in there as a founding 

member, as well as a number 

of tech companies so it all 

aligns really well. 

“It was clear to MBIE that 

it’s a research institute, but 

with a real commercial focus. 

The horticultural sector is not 

just growing, but really punching 

above its weight. Being 

able to bring new technology 

into a growing industry in New 

Zealand is really exciting.” 

– BY DAVID PORTER 

Shane Stuart: On track for 

mid-year start for PlantTech. 

Photo/Priority One. 

TURNING 

YOUR IDEAS 

INTO GOLD. 

If exporting innovation is your business, 

then talk to us about ours.


Chamber is your 

doorway to local 

R&D Support 

In the old days it used to be 

known as ‘R&D’. Now we have the 

term ‘innovation’ as a label that 

encompasses so much more. And 

the good news is there are plenty of 

ways we can help your business to 

innovate and grow. 

With innovation such 

a hot topic at the 

moment, and with 

so many big scale innovation 

initiatives happening across 

our communities, where is 

the opportunity for individual 

businesses and entrepreneurs? 

That’s where the Chamber 

comes in. The Tauranga 

Chamber is your first port 

of call for any innovation 

enquiry. We’re the doorway 

to local support and connections, 

and we have innovation 

specialists on board who act 

as a direct link to Callaghan 

Innovation and its extensive 

national and international networks. 

Our team can help and is 

keen to hear from businesses 

at all stages of the innovation 

journey, from startups 

to bigger, more experienced 

R&D performers. 

So what does that mean 

in practice? What sort of 

challenges might you be 

working on that we could 

potentially help you with? 

You might need a sounding 

board for a new product 

development idea. 

You might be looking for particular 

scientific or research 

expertise. 

You might be trying to solve 

a key problem in your business. 

You might be working on an 

IP strategy. 

You might want to find the 

key to better productivity. 

You might be looking for 

partners, collaborators or 

Chamber's Business Growth Team which includes innovation support 

investors to take your existing 

concept further. 

Wherever you are in the 

innovation journey, it’s worth 

having a chat to one of our 

innovation specialists who can 

quickly advise on what opportunities 

may be available for 

your business. 

Our team can give you a 

steer through the co-funding 

opportunities available and 

other support services on offer, 

and they will even guide you 

through the application process. 

Assistance on offer includes: 

A Getting Started or a Project 

Grant, which covers 40% 

of eligible R&D costs, and 

a range of Student Grants to 

allow businesses to access 

fresh talent and increase their 

R&D capability. 

A variety of innovation 

skills programmes to help 

businesses scale and increase 

their skills and knowledge to 

innovate and succeed; and 

Access to world-class scientists 

and engineers to help 

solve key problems and bring 

your ideas to life. 

The Government has just 

announced its intention to 

replace Growth Grants with a 

tax credit scheme, which will 

create even more incentives 

for businesses to increase their 

R&D capabilities and spending. 

So, if you’re a business 

that’s busy with developing 

new products or services 

and technologies, give the 

Chamber a call on 0800 249 

482 and ask to speak to one of 

our friendly Innovation specialists. 

Tauranga Business Events 

& Training Calendar May 2018 

Communication that gets Results: 

Positive Outcomes from Tough Conversations 

Full day workshop with Gail Page (Positive Pathways) 

Breakfast Connect in Tauranga CBD (SBT) 

Morning networking at NOW (Devonport Rd) 

How to Handle Performance & Misconduct Issues 

2-hour HR briefing from Kate Ashcroft (Copeland Ashcroft Law) 

Business Behind the Scenes @ Hammon Diamond Jeweller 

An after-work networking event for local business women. 

Mastering Mailchimp 

Full day workshop with David Parrot (Millionleaves) 

How to Hire Superstars 

Half-day workshop with Senga Allen & Tani Hansen (Everest) 

8 May 






Tauranga businesses 

stand together… 

...by joining the Chamber. 

Join Tauranga Chamber members 

like Julie Hayes from BEENZ, Katikati 

How to turn your Website into a Lead Generation Machine (SBT) 

90-minute training session with Richard Caulkin (WebGenius) 

How to Create Awesome Videos for Social Media (SBT) 

90-minute training session with Tanya McQueen 

Assertiveness at Work 

Half-day workshop with Claire Russell (Thinkplus) 

Leading Effective Teams 

Full day workshop with Claire Russell (Thinkplus) 

Presenting with Confidence 

Half-day workshop with Carly Shorter (Realm Consulting) 

Post-Budget Breakfast with Hon. Grant Robertson 

Breakfast briefing at Classic Flyers 

Networking at Lunch (BWN) 

A facilitated networking lunch for local business women 








Hon. Iain Lees-Galloway, Minister for Workplace 

Relations & Safety and Immigration 

Breakfast briefing at Trinity Wharf. 


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 

Everyone is welcome to attend Chamber events. Chamber members get priority 

and special pricing. Some of our training events may be eligible for partial funding. 

For more information and to find out how the Chamber can support your business 

call our Bizhelp line on 0800 249 482 or email bizhelp@tauranga.org.nz 

All events subject to change. 

For latest details and to register, visit: 

www.tauranga.org.nz


Techweek and 

Armageddon are 

on the way 

Autumn brings a wide variety of indoor activities at Baypark. From 

the Community activities to a range of entertainment, exhibitions, 

sport and business events there is something for everyone. 

The 19th Tauranga Home 

Show runs from 4-6 May 

with more than 10,000 

patrons expected. The largest 

Home Show in the Bay 

of Plenty region offered 230 

exhibitors, live cooking theatre, 

children’s entertainment 

and a major door prize worth 

$10,000.00 from Harvey 

Norman Bedding and was a 

great day out for the whole 

family. 

Baypark is excited to be 

part of Techweek’18 at the 

Arena on 19 May. In 2017 the 

event included 287 events in 

24 locations. 

This year it is bigger than 

ever with Techweek’18 now 

established as a nationwide 

innovation week, which promotes 

the New Zealand tech 

sector and is designed to 

raise awareness of the need 

for greater ICT skills in New 

Zealand. 

Baypark also hosts the subevent 

10 Billion Mouths, on 

Wednesday, 23 May, a ticketed 

seminar focusing on New 

Zealand agritech innovators 

and the future of food. Tickets 

can be purchased online at 

techweek.co.nz. 

The seminar is from 8am – 

6.30pm and the day will close 

with a networking opportunity. 

Armageddon is back. 

Infamous and one of the 

largest fantasy events in 

Australasia, Armageddon will 

be here in Tauranga Saturday 

26 – Sunday 27 May. It promises 

to be a weekend of fun and 

fantasy. 

See up close a huge lineup 

of celebrity guests from 

the worlds of television, film 

and animation, with actors 

and actresses from Supergirl, 

Game of Thrones, Arrow, 

Stargate Atlantis and Star 

Trek. The showcase includes 

the famous Cosplay Contest, 

laser-tag, animation screens 

and a massive range of exhibitors 

including local artists and 

Madman Entertainment. 

Armageddon will be a great 

day out for all the family – 

if you have not experienced 

an Armageddon yet – this is 

your chance. Tickets from $10 

and can be pre-purchased at 

www.iticket.co.nz. Door sales 

will be available. 

The Ladies Charity 

Luncheon Friday, 8 June, supports 

two worthy charities, 

Tauranga Waipuna Hospice 

and Mt Maunganui Lifeguard 

Service. 

Hosted by Matilda Rice 

with entertainment by Miriama 

Smith and Suzy Heazlewood, 

this is the must-attend women’s 

event in the Bay each 

year. Tickets at www.eventfinda.co.nz. 

The ANZ Premiership 

Netball Season opened 6 May, 

with the first home game for 

the Waikato Bay of Plenty 

Magic at Baypark Arena 

Wednesday, 13 June vs the 

Northern Stars - Go Magic. 

The Seriously Good Food 

Show opens Saturday 30 June 

with a weekend of food, wine 

and entertainment. From the 

popular celebrity cooking 

demonstrations to the wide 

selection of product on show it 

is a day with wide appeal. 

This year the event has 

been expanded and developed 

to include “The Landing food 

truck hub – complete with 

music to relax and enjoy the 

product on offer. Door sales 

only, Adults $10, children 13 

and under $5. 

For more information on any 

events, enquiries for Baypark 

venues, BayStation activities 

or services on/off site from 

BayCatering, Bay AudioVisual 

visit www.asbbaypark.co.nz, 

email events@bayvenues.co.nz 

or call 07 577 8560. 

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We’d like to introduce our brilliant new Associates Hester, Natasha 

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They are highly dedicated and skilled in their areas of expertise 

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Hester Sutherland-Stacey 

Property & Commercial 

DDI 07 571 3833 

hester.sutherland-stacey@hobec.co.nz 

Natasha van der Wal 

Property, Commercial & Maori Entities 

DDI 07 928 7097 

natasha.vanderwal@hobec.co.nz 

Bridget Bailey 

Property, Resource Management & Local Government 

DDI 07 928 0196 

bridget.bailey@hobec.co.nz 

hobec.co.nz


Seeka buys $40 million T&G 

assets after exiting Zespri 

Seeka - one of New Zealand’s largest corporate kiwifruit growers 

and processors - has cemented its scale in the industry with 

the recent $40 million purchase of T&G Global’s packhouse and 

orchard assets in Northland. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

Coming less than a month 

after Seeka exited its 

shares in global marketing 

company Zespri to 

the tune of $6.11 million, the 

Northland move sees the Te 

Puke-headquartered company 

expand its multi-fruit storage 

facilities, with post-harvest 

facilities in Kerikeri capable of 

packing and storing avocados, 

kiwifruit and citrus fruit. 

Seeka chief executive 

Michael Franks said the company 

had identified Northland 

as a growth region for its 

two key crops, avocados and 

kiwifruit. 

“Establishing a post-harvest 

hub in Northland has been 

a priority,” he said. 

The sale by T&G (originally 

known as Turners and 

Growers) includes 80 ha of 

Northland kiwifruit interests. 

And interestingly, given 

Seeka’s exit from its Zespri 

holding, it also includes $2 

million worth of T&G’s shares 

in Zespri. All staff in the 

Northland facility are to be 

kept on. 

Seeka, which with its holdings 

across the Tasman is the 

biggest kiwifruit grower in 

Australasia, is continuing its 

investment in a range of fruit 

varieties. 

This now also includes 

apricots grown in Victoria 

Australia, banana imports 

from Ecuador, and the new 

GEM variety of avocados, 

and kiwiberries in the Bay 

of Plenty. 

The Northland region has 

been a focus of new avocado 

plantings in the past two years, 

including some significant corporate 

investment. 

Franks said demand for 

post-harvest facilities in the 

region was expected to grow, 

while favourable kiwifruit 

growing conditions for the 

SunGold variety in particular 

were expected to push demand 

for facilities even further. 

Franks said he was confident 

Seeka’s presence would 

bring a new competitive element 

to the post-harvest market 

in Northland, focusing on 

quality, price and service. 

Avocado NZ data indicates 

there is 3700 ha of land 

in avocados, largely around 

Northland and Bay of Plenty, 

but the new plantings in 

Northland are expected to add 

an additional 850 ha to that. 

T&G’s executive general 

manager for New Zealand 

Andrew Keaney said the company 

has expressly left out its 

citrus and berry crops grown in 

Northland. 

“We intend investing further 

in these growth categories 

- we have land ready for 

development.” 

In early April Seeka opted 

to sell out its 740,646 shares 

in Zespri, netting the kiwifruit 

grower and processor $6.11 

million in the process. 

The decision came in the 

wake of major constitutional 

changes Zespri made in March 

(see Bay of Plenty Business 

News – March issue), approved 

with 75 percent shareholder 

support. These changes aimed 

to re-align Zespri’s share-holding 

to better reflect grower 

production contribution to the 

marketer. 

With annual orchard production 

of 8.45 million trays in 

2017, Seeka’s shareholding sat 

firmly at the “under-shared” 

end of the spectrum. 

Franks said the $6.1 million 

freed up represented a reasonable 

sum of cash that could be 

put to better use to help reduce 

the company’s relatively sizable 

debt load. 

“We were never happy 

with the constitutional changes 

around the share allocation,” 

he said. 

“But the fact was we were 

making the investment up 

north, and that made it sensible 

to exit the shares.” 

The 2017 annual report 

indicates as a result of significant 

capital investment Seeka 

had increased its net debt to 

$83 million, a jump of $10 

million on the year before. 

Total assets had however 

also increased from $197 million 

to $222 million. 

It is as yet unclear whether 

Seeka will dispose of the 

$2 million in Zespri shares 

acquired through the T&G deal. 

The Zespri constitutional 

changes enabled the minority 

shareholders, including Seeka, 

to exercise their buyout rights 

to be paid $8.25 a share. 

This was well within the 

$8-$9 share valuation range 

proposed by valuers and a nine 

percent premium on Zespri’s 

last trading price. 

Seeka has expressed concern 

in the past about the industry’s 

lack of pace in developing 

offshore fruit handling 

facilities and what it described 

in its 2016 annual report as a 

“minimal” approach to collaborative 

marketing. 

Seeka’s own shares continue 

to trade strongly on the 

market, up 18 percent on the 

NZX on a year ago, just ahead 

of the NZX 50 average gain of 

16 percent. 

David Courtney, Zespri general 

manager for external and 

grower relations said it was still 

too early to tell if there would 

be many producing growers 

that had decided to sell out their 

share ownership. 

He said there had not been 

much movement in share ownership 

to date after the March 

15 changes. A full share buyback 

is scheduled for the end 

of this year.


Pickers thin on the ground 

for kiwifruit season 

Zespri marketers are celebrating a bumper 

kiwifruit crop for New Zealand’s growing 

export markets. But growers and contractors 

are nervously considering whether they 

will be able to meet the challenges of the 

harvest, given the labour shortages looming 

in the Bay of Plenty for the new season. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

With about 140 million 

trays anticipated and 

the season reaching 

full capacity at the end of April, 

the industry is facing volumes 

similar to those harvested in 

the 2016 bumper crop. 

However, this time around 

the crop ratios have shifted, 

with a greater proportion of 

SunGold to be harvested earlier, 

and requiring a more timely, 

swift movement of fruit 

from picking through the processing 

chain. 

“Back in 2016 we had a surge 

in Green volumes, and there is 

more leeway with Green when 

it comes to harvest and timing, 

something you don’t get with 

SunGold,” said Nikki Johnson, 

chief executive of New Zealand 

Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated 

(NZKGI). 

She said two key labour 

resources the industry has come 

to rely upon, were depleted 

compared to previous years. 

One was the supply of 

largely Indian students, which 

thanks with tighter immigra- 

tion laws around student visas 

had almost disappeared. And 

second, the backpacker tourists 

appeared to be avoiding kiwifruit 

picking as a seasonal job. 

While we seem 

to have the 

same number of 

backpackers coming 

into the region, they 

are not opting to 

go fruit picking for 

earning income. 

– Nikki Johnson, NZKGI 

She estimated the loss of 

Indian students could account 

for as much as 15 percent of 

the area’s labour force, and the 

backpackers may be close to 

the same. 

Johnson said the problem 

with the backpacker 

shortage appeared to be 

shared with apple growers in 

Hawke’s Bay. 

That region was placed by 

Government under a declared 

seasonal labour shortage in 

mid-March as growers experienced 

a surge in crop volumes 

of 10 percent-plus on 

last year, and a corresponding 

decline in people to pick 

them. 

“While we seem to have the 

same number of backpackers 

coming into the region, they 

are not opting to go fruit picking 

for earning income,” said 

Johnson. 

Assorted theories exist 

in the industry to explain 

the absence of backpackers, 

including the increasing incidence 

of freedom camping 

removing the financial incentive 

to seek paid employment 

while staying in NZ, 

and cheap vans providing the 

accommodation. 

As well, social media networks 

appeared to spreading 

the word that kiwifruit and 

apple picking were a tough 

gig, and picking grapes was 

easier work, said Master 

Contractors Association acting 

president Richard Bibby. 

“But good apple and kiwifruit 

pickers can still gross 

around $1000 a week if they 

work hard.” 

The impending shortage 

rings alarm bells in a sector 

with high expectations of 

growth in coming years. 

The new SunGold licences 

amounting to an additional 

Nikki Johnson: Less leeway with timing 

of SunGold harvest. Photo/NZKGI. 

700 ha annually could provide 

an additional 10 million trays 

each year over the next four 

years, in addition to the natural 

gain in production as existing 

SunGold vines mature. 

A Zespri-sponsored Plant 

and Food Research report 

issued last year estimated an 

additional 29,000 jobs would 

CALLS FOR INCREASE IN RSE SCHEME CAP 

While keen to employ 

locals where possible, 

the industry is working 

to build a case to increase 

the number of Recognised 

Seasonal Employers (RSE) 

workers brought in from the 

Pacific Islands. 

At present 11,500 are 

approved to come and work 

for up to seven months. But 

Richard Bibby, acting president 

of the Master Contractors 

Association, said rather than 

incremental increases determined 

every December, it 

might be better to change to 

having one significant increase, 

reviewed every three years. 

“We would like to see 

RSE numbers lifted to about a 

be created by 2030 in the 

sector as it hit the $6 billion 

income point. 

This season it is expected 

to break the $2 billion earnings 

mark for the first time. 

Johnson said NZKGI has 

commissioned a report on 

the sector’s short-and medium-term 

labour needs. 

15,000 cap,” he said. 

“It would give the industry 

some more leeway to manage 

the increases in crops we are 

seeing from all sectors, apples, 

kiwifruit and grapes.” 

He said the incremental 

increases experienced 

every year were problematic 

to manage, and often came 

too late to accommodate the 

upcoming season’s need for 

staff. In the past the kiwifruit 

sector has not been a huge 

user of RSE staff. 

About 5000 New Zealanders 

have filled 8000 of the seasonal 

jobs created, 1000 have 

been filled by international students, 

and a similar amount for 

working visa workers and RSE 

She said in the next few 

years this would extend well 

beyond pickers to include 

skilled machinery and administrative 

operators throughout 

the processing chain. That 

report is due out in soon. 

“The Katikati district is one 

that appears to be particularly 

hard hit,” she added. 

workers between them. 

The shortage of workers 

is also expected to be reflected 

in other areas of primary 

sector growth in the Bay of 

Plenty, particularly forestry 

where the government has 

stated it intends to have an 

additional 50,000 ha of land 

planted in trees every year 

for the next 10 years, double 

current planting rates. 

Bibby said the industry has 

was encouraged by the reception 

received from immigration 

minister Iain Lees- 

Galloway who had visited 

Hawke’s Bay and would also 

be having discussions in the 

Bay of Plenty on the issue. 

– RICHARD RENNIE 

ABC Sales 

Tauranga named 

regional branch 

of the year 

The ABC Business Sales 

Tauranga branch was 

named “Regional Branch 

of the Year” at its National 

Sales Awards at the close of 

the 2017 Financial Year. This 

is an outstanding accomplishment 

and it highlights that the 

Bay of Plenty is an exceptional 

place to be in business with 

such a strong and growing 

economy. 

If you’re thinking of 

selling your business, 

now is the perfect 

time during these 

middle of the year 

months. 

Our team sold more than 

60 businesses in the past 

financial year, with Tauranga 

Business Partner Linda 

Harley taking out the ABC 

Business Sales “Salesperson 

of the Year”, the top business 

broking award - an amazing 

achievement. 

Whilst we have an exceptional 

team here in the Bay of 

Plenty, when it comes down 

to it, one of the secrets to 

our success last financial year 

was the way we marketed our 

businesses for sale. ABC is 

the market leader in this sense 

through our “HI-VIZ” marketing 

plan. 

Businesses who use this 

plan as a method to go to 

market, decrease the listing 

to offer period by almost half 

the usual time and more often 

than not achieve multiple 

offers, with some often being 

over the asking price, due to 

such high buyer engagement. 

Our marketing combines 

the use of Video, Social 

Media, Digital Media Outlets 

and Printed Press to create 

and control the narrative of 

the highlights of the business. 

We target buyers and 

use a range of digital platforms 

to ensure the correct 

potential buyer is looking at 

our businesses, and in some 

cases attract buyers who don’t 

even know they are looking to 

acquire a business. This year 

(L) Linda Harley, Business Partner Tauranga & (R) Steve Smith, Founder and Managing Director ABC Business Sales. 

we are strongly encouraging 

all of our vendors to market 

their businesses, whether it is 

identified, or just described. 

We have a plan for both methods. 

If you’re thinking of selling 

your business, now is the 

perfect time during these middle 

of the year months. You 

will have strong books from 

the last two financial years 

and due to the high cost of 

operating in Auckland, people 

are now looking elsewhere 

- such as the Bay - to make 

their mark. The cost of buying 

a house in Auckland can often 

be equivalent to acquiring 

both a house and a business 

in the Bay of Plenty. Our purchasers 

are looking for life- 

style and security. 

Likewise if you’re looking 

to buy, the range of businesses 

ABC has for sale is a testament 

to the diversity of the 

community living in the Bay 

of Plenty. If you’re starting 

out in the Hospitality sector, 

a broad range of options are 

presented to you to find the 

right fit for your situation and 

the same goes with the general 

business market. 

Now is the time to contact 

the ABC team here in the Bay 

of Plenty. What’s your next 

move? 

We’ll take you there. 

Contact Linda Harley today 

Mobile 022 354 9189 

E: lindah@abcbusiness.co.nz 

65 chapel Street , Tauranga


ExportNZ BOP awards 

coming up in June 

Finalists for the 

2018 ExportNZ 

awards in June will 

be announced this 

month, with entries 

remaining open up 

until 11 May. 

Always a popular event in 

the Bay business calendar, 

the awards will be 

held at Baypark on Friday, 22 

June, 2018. 

Traditionally, the awards 

are an opportunity for businesses 

to share inspirational 

stories of Kiwi exporters that 

highlight the ingenuity, innovation 

and sales achievements 

of the Bay’s export sector. 

“The Zespri Export Awards 

are a great chance for companies 

to take stock and celebrate 

their achievements and 

progress, as well as getting 

some valuable visibility within 

the industry and wider region,” 

said ExportNZ BOP executive 

officer Joanna Hall. 

The awards programme has 

been running for 28 years and 

is a crucial way to recognise 

the role of exporters, say the 

organisers. 

The very nature of the business 

means exporters often 

have more presence offshore, 

than onshore, and the awards 

are an excellent way to help 

them share their success sto- 

Joanna Hall: Awards a great chance 

to take stock. Photo/ExportNZ BOP. 

ries, along with the highs and 

lows they’ve had to overcome, 

says ExportNZ BOP. 

This year, there is also an 

opportunity for some of the 

winners to qualify for finalist 

spots in the New Zealand 

International Business Awards 

(NZIBA), run by New Zealand 

Trade and Enterprise (NZTE). 

organisers say the collaboration 

between NZTE and 

ExportNZ will create a cohesive 

and exciting programme 

of awards for 2018, culminating 

in the NZIBA at the end of 

the year. 

ExportNZ Bay of Plenty 

has been running the awards 

since 1990 as part of its mission 

to champion the value 

of exporting for New Zealand 

and New Zealanders. 

2018 Zespri Bay of Plenty 

ExportNZ Awards Categories: 

• Best Emerging Business - 

sponsored by YOU Travel 

• Best Medium to Large 

Business - sponsored by 

Sharp Tudhope Lawyers 

• Excellence in Innovation 

- sponsored by Page Macrae 

Engineering 

• Export Achievement 

- sponsored by Beca 

• Service to Export (for an 

individual’s exemplary 

services to export) 

Shake up your office space 

So you have plans 

afoot to refresh the 

office work environment. 

But do you have the 

buy-in from your team? 

Knock down walls, 

open up the floor plan, 

add in some hot desks, 

maybe throw in some 

stand-up work stations, 

push for collaborative 

spaces or do away with 

managerial offices – whatever 

you have in mind, 

there are ways to manage 

staff expectations and 

the inevitable resistance 

that will come from some 

quarters. 

It’s human nature for 

most of us to dwell in our 

comfort zones – particularly 

at work where we like 

to know what to expect 

on each dail, and where 

work-day habits determine 

the rhythm of how space 

is used, how people interact 

and where these interactions 

take place. 

Change up the environment 

and the perceived 

“ownership” of space 

and the whole workplace 

dynamic changes, too. 

Leading global facility 

service company ISS 

Group, which was founded 

in Copenhagen in 

1901 and now operates 

in major markets around 

the world, has released 

a workplace management 

report on how to lower 

resistance to workplace 

change. 

It begins with the 

premise that workspaces 

should never be stable. 

The ISS report says the 

strategic organisational 

use of workspaces constantly 

requires degrees 

of spatial change due to 

shifts in technology, customers’ 

preferences, new 

ways of working and 

changes in the number of 

employees, for example. 

Change to physical 

office space can be 

confronting but with 

smart management, 

great things can 

happen. 

The report’s five top 

strategies for office business 

owners transitioning 

to new working environments 

are: 

Senior management 

needs to be clear on success 

criteria and outcome 

demands – how will success 

be measured, why 

is better performance 

expected from a change 

in workplace layout? 

Based on outcome 

demands, it is necessary 

to clearly define future 

needs and look at what 

resources are actually 

available – what areas of 

the workplace hold real 

value to employees and 

what does management 

perceive is missing? You 

need to be able to look 

at human behaviours and 

demonstrate how and 

why changes to the space 

are necessary 

Define where and how 

new work behaviours will fit 

into the workplace – how 

are these directly linked to 

the physical space 

Engage middle management 

to convey why 

the changes will happen 

as well as what opportunities 

and outcomes the 

change will bring – everyone 

needs to be onboard 

Involve the employees 

as the process unfolds – 

they need to appreciate 

how and why workplace 

behaviours are expected 

to change as a result of 

changes to the physical 

environment. 

Having an engaged, 

settled and productive 

work team is the goal of 

every office-based business 

so ensuring that 

employees take pride and 

“ownership” of their work 

environment is a step in 

the right direction. 

Change to physical 

office space can be confronting 

but with smart 

management, great things 

can happen. 

www.bayleys.co.nz/ 

workplace/articles/ 

insights 

Commercial 

Property 

Management 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are 

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We understand that to maximise the 

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brodie.thomas@bayleys.co.nz


Funding growth 

and innovation 

According to Stats NZ’s latest Business Operations survey, 40 

percent of businesses cite cost as the main barrier to innovation 

in New Zealand. Lack of management resources and not having 

appropriate staff followed closely behind at 38 percent and 31 

percent respectively. 

While cost is the key 

impediment, the 

encouraging news is 

that businesses’ expenditure on 

R&D is continuing to grow 

with the private sector spending 

$1.8 billion on R&D in the 

year to August 2017, up from 

$1.6 billion in 2016. 

Not so encouraging is the 

fact that NZ still lags significantly 

behind the OECD average. 

R&D is critical to NZ’s 

sustained economic growth – 

research indicatesg that a one 

percent increase in business 

R&D can lead to a 0.04 percent 

increase in GDP. 

For businesses looking to 

invest in R&D, the government 

offers a number of grants 

and funds, together with a supportive 

tax regime introduced 

by the former government for 

companies that make losses 

during their growth and innovation 

journey. 

Additionally, the Labour 

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 

Government has recently 

announced plans to introduce 

a non-refundable R&D 

tax credit from April 1, 2019 

(see http://www.mbie.govt.nz/ 

info-services/science-innovation/rd-tax-incentive). 

After taking power in the 

2008 election, the National 

Government repealed Labour’s 

previous R&D tax credit 

regime, believing that businesses 

would merely recharacterise 

existing R&D expenditure 

to obtain the credit. It 

seems the Labour Government 

is intent on reintroducing a 

tax credit regime under a new 

guise. Whether it addresses 

the concerns the National 

Government had with the old 

regime remains to be seen. 

R&D tax losses 

Introduced in 2016 to encourage 

innovation and high-risk 

investment, the current R&D 

loss tax regime allows companies 

that have tax losses to 

exchange these for cash with 

the IRD. 

Capital and cash-flow constraints 

can be large impediments 

to businesses seeking to 

innovate and grow. Before the 

regime was introduced, companies 

that made a tax loss 

could only get the benefit of 

the loss in future years when 

they derived income against 

which the loss could be offset. 

The problem was that it 

would often take companies 

years before they got a product 

or service to market that 

returned a profit. Even then 

there was no guarantee that 

given the high-risk nature 

of their businesses that they 

would survive long enough to 

turn a profit. 

The regime provides a solution 

to this problem. It allows 

tax losses arising from eligible 

R&D expenditure to be 

refunded in cash to the company 

annually, thus providing 

welcome capital and cashflow. 

Companies need to meet 

certain criteria to be eligible 

to claim the cash, one of these 

being that the company must 

have spent at least 20 percent 

of wages and salaries on qualifying 

activities. Further, the 

cash obtained cannot exceed 

the overall tax loss amount 

or certain thresholds of R&D 

expenditure incurred. 

The maximum cash amount 

for the 2018 income year is 

$308,000. The maximum cash 

amount an eligible company 

can obtain will continue to 

increase by $84,000 annually 

culminating in $560,000 for 

the 2021 and subsequent years. 

For now the Labour 

Government intends to leave 

this regime in place but has 

signalled that it may review it 

in future. Any changes would 

not be made until after 2020. 

Grants and funding 

Callaghan Innovation is a New 

Zealand Government agency 

tasked with increasing R&D 

investment. It offers several 

grants. 

Getting Started Grants 

– aimed at businesses in the 

early stages of R&D, or those 

that are new to R&D. They 

assist businesses to take their 

product and services from the 

R&D phase through to commercialisation. 

Businesses are 

eligible to receive up to 40 

percent of their eligible R&D 

up to $5000. 

Project Grants – Tailored 

toward specific business projects 

aimed at the development 

of new or substantially 

improved products and services. 

Businesses typically 

receive up to 40 percent of 

their eligible R&D costs. 

Growth Grants – Aimed at 

helping experienced R&D businesses 

add scale to their current 

R&D investment and so 

obtain greater market impact. 

Typically, a three-year grant programme 

that can be extended by 

another two years, where businesses 

can receive 20percent of 

their eligible R&D expenditure 

up to a cap of $5 million p.a. 

An additional $74.6 million 

of funding provided by the former 

National Government in 

Budget 2017 means there is a 

total of $657 million over four 

years available through the 

Growth Grant’s programme. 

Student Grants – Provides 

access to post and undergraduate 

students to assist 

with R&D. 

The Ministry of Business, 

Innovation and Employment 

(MBIE) also provides 

grants and funding to businesses 

to support innovation 

through R&D. 

The Endeavour Fund – 

funding is available through 

two mechanisms: 1) Smart 

Ideas for promising, innovative 

research with high potential 

to benefit NZ. Businesses 

can request between $400,000 

to $1 million over 2-3 years; 

and 2) Research Programmes 

– aimed at more credible 

research ideas that have high 

potential to benefit NZ in areas 

of future value, growth or critical 

need. 

The Catalyst Fund – Is 

available to support activities 

with foreign research partners 

that improve the quality of 

NZ’s science and innovation. 

Government grants and 

funding and the R&D tax loss 

regime are invaluable means 

of providing support to cash 

strapped, R&D focused businesses. 

Businesses should be 

taking advantage of these as 

well as the broader commercial 

support the Government 

provides. 

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. 

Five technology trends to watch 

May is Tech Week, which offers a number of events and 

opportunities to see developers, producers and suppliers of 

the latest in the tech world. 

TECH TALK 

> BY TONY SNOW 

Director Stratus Blue Ltd. Tony@stratusblue.co.nz | Mobile 

022 122 8669 T 07 777 0010. 

What is clear is that previous 

innovations are 

now becoming mainstream, 

and Tech Week may 

well showcase developments 

which will become the next 

big thing for businesses. 

With that in mind, here are 

some trends that are already 

or are likely to affect us as 

business owners/ operators and 

as people. 

Our changing interaction 

with technology. There is a 

continuing shift from desktop 

to mobile. 

This means that all businesses 

must deliver a good 

mobile experience, from 

employees and servicing, to 

attracting clients with a website 

and apps that work seamlessly 

on phones and tablets. 

There is a rise of voice 

searches and voice commands 

(‘Hi Alexa!, ‘Ok Google’), and 

the advent of virtual reality 

(VR) and augmented reality 

(AR) means technology interfaces 

will become more and 

more immersive. 

Companies that start to 

develop VR and AR experiences 

are very likely to reap 

the rewards in the longer term. 

The rise of artificial intelligence. 

AI technology may 

seem beyond the reach of the 

average business, but platforms 

like IBM’s Watson are 

opening up AI and machine 

learning to a much wider audience. 

In fact, there are many 

start-ups who are applying AI 

technology to a wide range 

of industries and applications, 

from marketing to healthcare. 

So if you have decisions, 

processes or systems that could 

be automated, it’s well worth 

considering whether intelligent 

machines could help. 

Big data. Businesses that 

don’t take advantage of Big 

Data will be left behind. 

One significant trend has 

been the move towards the 

delivery of tools and technology 

through software-as-a-service 

platforms. 

By tapping into data from 

these big platforms, and partnering 

with a smaller software-as-a-service 

provider, 

any organisation can leverage 

the explosion in data to build 

a smarter, more successful 

business. 

As we have seen, when it 

comes to the data itself, the big 

tech companies like Google 

and Facebook offer a wealth 

of data on potential customers, 

and useful tools for interrogating 

that data. But companies 

need to be aware that privacy 

and security are becoming an 

increasingly significant concern 

for users. 

The Internet of Things. 

IoT technology gives companies 

incredible opportunities 

for new products and services 

and ways to optimise decisions 

and operations. 

How can you best use IoT 

technology in your organisation? 

Given the wide span of 

opportunities, many companies 

don’t know where to begin. 

The most important thing is 

to consider how the IoT can be 

linked to your business strategy, 

how it can help your business 

achieve its strategic goals, 

and where it might deliver the 

biggest business value. 

Leveraged in a strategic 

way, the IoT can help propel 

your business towards achieving 

its goals. 

Automation. As any business 

consultant will tell you, 

anything that can be streamlined 

or automated, probably 

should be. 

If a robot or machine can 

do a task quicker, cheaper, easier 

and more accurately than a 

human, why shouldn’t it? That 

logic applies to businesses big 

and small. 

This may eventually 

mean harnessing human brainpower 

for the quirkier problems 

and more creative aspects 

of business, and automating 

processes that are best suited 

to machines.

X 

1 

T A U R A N G A 

21 25 

Programme: 

Main events 

Techweek launches in Tauranga on 21st May and runs until the 25th. 

Help shape an exciting future 

It is part of a nationwide annual festival aimed at involving local 

communities in shaping innovation that’s good for the world. 

Be 

Techweek comes 

part 

to Tauranga on 

of 

May 21- 

shaping a 

25 as part of a nationwide annual festival 

to help local communities shape innovation 

that’s good for the world. 

future you want to see 

Venture Centre’s team has 

been working with local 

investors, business owners, 

technologists, founders 

and enthusiasts to create a high 

quality, engaging and internationally 

relevant Techweek 

Tauranga. 

This is reflected in the quality 

of the visitors and speakers 

coming to the Bay of Plenty 

for Techweek - and is a testament 

to the talent of the people 

working to influence New 

Zealand’s social and economic 

success. 

Techweek will showcase 

a variety of innovative and 

leading-edge technologies and 

systems. 

Among other things, these 

include digital, food and agricultural 

technologies, new 

investing methods, and new 

social-change opportunities. 

But ideas rely on people 

to bring them to life, and 

Techweek will introduce us 

all to the people who are using 

these great ideas to tackle challenges 

both locally and internationally. 

Importantly, locals will 

have plenty of opportunities to 

get involved and contribute to 

shaping our future. 

The week starts with 

a hands-on workshop 

called GrowPlenty – Puna 

Tōnuitanga. 

This event aims to foster 

insights, possibilities, connections 

and ideas to create a better 

future, while encouraging 

budding entrepreneurs to start 

working on it now. 

The co-founder of the 

future-centred design consultancy 

SO, Peter Salmon, says, 

“We’re thrilled to be involved 

in co-designing these work- 

shops with Venture Centre.” 

SO helps organisations 

make sense of technology, 

social changes and systemic 

changes so they can react faster 

and seize new advantage 

from new territories. 

“We call it cartography for 

the future,” Peter says. “This 

workshop and our partnership 

with Venture Centre – who 

help people navigate the future 

– fit perfectly. 

“It will be exciting to 

explore technology related to 

energy; earth, air and water; 

what we grow and how we 

grow it, with a diverse range 

of community members in 

this way.” 

The opportunities 

during Techweek 

Tauranga allow you 

to see, hear about 

and actually roll 

up your sleeves 

and contribute to 

influencing the 

future.” 

– Peter Salmon 

The workshop will include 

four sessions, at 1-4pm and 

5-8pm on May 21 and 22. 

Each will start with technologists 

and entrepreneurs 

from Trustpower, Zespri, 

Robotics Plus, M2M (IoT) 

Technologies, and the Centre 

for Space Science Technology 

all presenting their innovations 

and visions for the future. 

“We will be providing 

afternoon tea or a light supper 

for participants after exercising 

their minds,” says Venture 

Centre co-founder Pascale 

Hyboud-Peron. 

“We aim to make this the 

ideal environment for local 

people beginning to make a 

plan to take advantage of real 

opportunities ahead of them, 

and for students to decide 

which skills to hone in order 

to participate in high-value 

knowledge work when they 

leave school,” she says. 

“Access to new technologies, 

and the chance to 

talk with the people behind 

them, like those working for 

Trustpower who are sponsoring 

and also participating in 

the workshops, and having an 

opportunity to test out ideas 

alongside them, don’t come 

along often at school. 

“At Venture Centre, we’re 

working to make such opportunities 

occur much more 

regularly.” 

“This is just the beginning,” 

says Peter. “Beyond the 

GrowPlenty – Puna Tōnuitanga 

workshops, Venture Centre 

and SO are working on launching 

a youth development programme 

to teach foresight and 

critical thinking skills to youth, 

so they are in a better position 

to chart their course into 

the future.” 

This programme will be 

similar to one Peter set in 

motion and which still operates 

in Mexico City. 

“The opportunities during 

Techweek Tauranga allow you 

to see, hear about and actually 

roll up your sleeves and 

contribute to influencing the 

future – to say what you want 

to see – to have input into how 

technologies are used, who 

benefits – and how. 

“When you can contribute 

alongside a mix of generations, 

and the tech- and investment-savvy, 

you can really 

have a hand in shaping ‘innovations 

which are good for the 

world’,” Pascale concludes. 

Book your place online now 

at: http://clik.vc/growplenty 

MONDAY 21 21 MAY MAY 

TUESDAY 22 22 MAY MAY 

GrowPlenty 

– Venture – 3hr workshops Centre and for SO you deliver to design 

4 workshops how the future for you of to earth/air/water, 

create 

a future food you and want energy to should see. be, by Venture 

Centre and SO. 

WEDNESDAY 23 MAY 

10B Mouths 

– Wharf42 10B Mouths 

and Techweek present 

Proud supporters Proud supporters 

WEDNESDAY 23 MAY 

agritech – Wharf42 innovators and Techweek exploring new present 

ways agritech to feed innovators the world. exploring new 

ways to feed the world. 

THURSDAY 24 MAY 

Unlocking THURSDAY Regional 24 MAY 

Growth Unlocking Through Regional 

Innovation Growth Through 

– Waikato University and Priority One 

Innovation 

Seminar with special guests discusseconomic 

– Waikato University and Priority One 

value of R&D. 

Seminar with special guests discuss 

economic the value of R&D. 

FRIDAY 25 MAY 

Leading 

FRIDAY 

Change 

25 MAY 

in 

Leading 

Regional 

Change 

NZ – 

Investing in 

the 

in 

Future 

Regional 

of 

NZ – 

Bay 

Investing 

of Plenty/Waikato 

in 

the Future of Bay 

– Presentation, discussion and 

of Plenty/Waikato 

workshop on the long-term social 

good – investing Presentation, paradigm. discussion Includes and 

mini-expo workshop of local on the social long-term enterprises. social 

good investing paradigm. Includes 

For mini-expo more events of local / to book social / enterprises. 

go to: 

http://clik.vc/techweektga18events 

For more events / to book / go to: 

http://clik.vc/techweektga18events 

Sponsored by 

P L E N T Y 

P u n a T o n u i t a n g a 

Supported by

T A U R A N G A 

21 25 

Food futurists and international investors 

in town for Techweek Tauranga 

What will food look like 10, 20 or even 

50 years’ time? From pea protein-based 

alternatives to good ol’ beef and lamb, 

vertical farming methods to autonomous 

robot harvesters, all will be discussed at 

the headline conference event of Techweek 

Tauranga - called 10 Billion Mouths. 

Agriculture is at the heart 

of New Zealand’s economy 

- which explains the 

buzz around the technology 

and discussion scheduled for 

a day-long conference at ASB 

Arena on Wednesday, May 23, 

and at a sold-out evening celebration. 

The ‘Future of Food’ panel 

discussion will be one of six 

major sessions featuring international 

and local speakers at 

10 Billion Mouths. 

Later in the day, international 

visitors will be hosted 

by investors and government 

innovation and capital teams 

to celebrate the launch of 

Agritech New Zealand, a new 

collaborative body to help take 

New Zealand’s innovations 

global. 

Leading the international 

delegation and providing 

the keynote at the 10 Billion 

Mouths conference is Arama 

Kukutai. 

Arama, of Ngāti Maniapoto, 

Tainui and Te Aupouri 

descent, went to school in 

the Waikato, spent formative 

years in South Taranaki’s 

dairy sector, emigrated to 

America, then last month led a 

$6.5m investment round 

into Palmerston North based 

Agritech startup, Biolumic. 

A co-founder and partner 

at food-tech pioneer Finistere 

Ventures, Arama is just one 

of the visitors from across the 

globe organised by Tauranga 

connector and investor Peter 

Wren-Hilton, the founder of 

Wharf42. Peter also organised 

the conference and launch of 

Agritech New Zealand. 

Joining Arama is Finistere 

Ventures co-founder and partner 

Spencer Maughan. 

George Kellerman 

Together they are the 

dynamic pair responsible for 

setting up Finistere’s global 

network in AgTech, which 

includes offices in Tel Aviv, 

San Diego, Silicon Valley, and 

Ireland (in partnership with 

the Irish Strategic Investment 

Fund). 

Arama and Spencer alone 

offer an incredible network 

for Bay of Plenty and 

New Zealand’s Agritech 

entrepreneurs. 

Other visitors include: 

Dr. Adrian Percy, who served 

as global head of R&D at 

Bayer CropScience. 

Sanjeev Krishnan, the chief 

investment officer of S2G 

Ventures. 

Cathal Fitzgerald, head 

of Food & Agricultural 

Investments, Ireland Strategic 

Investment Fund. 

Barbara Mazur, vice president, 

Technology Acquisition 

at DuPont Pioneer. 

Kirk Haney, CEO of Radicle 

Growth. 

Hank Giclas, Sr. VP 

Strategic Planning, Science 

& Technology, Western Bay 

Growers. 

QrtHori_BOPBN_Basestation_Oct17.pdf 1 17/10/17 10:37 AM 

Hank Giclas is the man 

known by New Zealand entrepreneurs 

as the ‘face of agtech’ 

in California. 

Eric O’Brien, co-founder 

Arama Kukutai 

and managing director of Fall 

Line Capital, will take part 

in the Future of Food panel 

discussion, which is particularly 

relevant due to his recent 

investments into Impossible 

and Ripple, two leading disruptors 

in the synthetic meat 

and dairy sectors. 

Sarah Nolet, founder of 

Sydney-based Agthentic, is 

joining us from Australia to 

talk about how Australia is 

embracing agritech as a core 

sector for investment and 

development. 

Completing the line up of 

international guests is George 

Kellerman, chief operations 

officer and general partner at 

Yamaha Motor Ventures and 

Laboratory Silicon Valley. 

Yamaha is sponsoring 10 

Billion Mouths and, more 

importantly, recently invested 

in Tauranga-based Robotics 

Plus who will showcase their 

innovations at the event. 

From New Zealand, Dr 

Rosie Bosworth, a food futurist 

whose work focuses on the 

intersection of technology, 

science and biotech and new 

global food systems, will bring 

rich insights into alternative 

protein food systems, as well 

as controlled environment 

(indoor) farming. 

Rosie currently divides her 

time between Auckland and 

San Francisco, where she works 

with leading food specialists. 

Moderating these discussions 

will be a leading journalist 

and author with special 

interest in agriculture and New 

Zealand’s environment, Rod 

Oram. 

He will be joined by local 

MP and National party spokesperson 

on climate change Todd 

Muller - who held executive 

positions at Zespri, Bay of 

Plenty’s Apata, Fonterra, Plant 

& Food Research and the 

Sustainable Business Council 

- and Rod Slater, the CEO of 

Beef & Lamb New Zealand. 

Get your tickets online now 

at http://clik.vc/10bmouths 

Plug-in & power up 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

Coworking – way 

more than a desk! 

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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!

X 

Special Event Preview 

Digital help 

on its way for 

local charities 

Local charities and not-for-profits who 

are feeling lost in the digital world 

will soon find help thanks to partners 

Socialink and Venture Centre, along with 

technology consultant Bryan Winters. 

Just 10 spots are still available 

in a pilot group on 

the Digital Technology 

Programme, which will help 

local charities in the digital 

world by assessing their needs 

and coordinating local experts 

to lend a hand. 

Socialink’s Kathy Webb 

says Bay charities and notfor-profits 

have asked for help 

to improve their digital communications, 

fundraising, and 

digital infrastructure. 

“The Digital Technology 

Pilot is the first answer to this 

request,” she says. “We are 

excited to offer it!” 

Venture Centre co-founder 

Jo Allum says they’ve been 

aware of social sector digital 

needs for some time. 

This is more than 

giving advice, this is 

plugging-in the right 

digital technologies 

to achieve the 

desired outcomes.” 

– Jo Allum 

“It’s great to bring our 

expertise and connections to 

this effort,” she says. 

“The Digital Technology 

Programme will give the first 

group a jump start, and create 

a blueprint for us and them to 

move forward.” 

Bryan Winters has more 

than three decades of international 

IT experience, and is 

already implementing technologies 

in a Bay of Plenty notfor-profit. 

“It’s challenging getting a 

business on the correct digital 

path, let alone a charity with 

few financial resources,” says 

Bryan. 

“Working with these partners 

and a pilot group of charities 

will give us a road map for 

future digital endeavours in the 

social sector.” 

“We need that timeframe 

to thoroughly understand their 

needs, and to organise and 

implement solutions,” says Jo. 

“This is more than giving 

advice, this is plugging-in 

the right digital technologies 

to achieve the desired 

outcomes.” 

The project is also supported 

by Information Technology 

Professionals New Zealand 

Impact investments lead social 

change in the Bay and Waikato 

(ITP), which is New Zealand’s 

official body acting for the 

digital sector. 

Applications for the Digital 

Technology Programme are 

open now, and will close on 

May 18. 

Roundtable discussions 

with the 10 chosen charities 

will take place during 

Techweek Tauranga, from May 

21-25. The full programme 

will run until March 31, 2019. 


go online to: http://clik.vc/ 

charitydigital 

MADVentures – events for youth 

Codebrite Term Time After School is 

here 

8 May – 26 June 2018 (weekly) 

3:30pm to 5:00pm 

Codebrite Term Time Homeschool is 

here 

10 May – 28 June (weekly), 3:30pm to 5:00pm 

Mashup 2018 Bay of Plenty 

9 June – 10 June 2018 

PoweringON – events for 

business owners 

Office Hours Financials with Crowe 

Horwath 

7 May 2018, 11:00am to 12:00pm 

Office Hours Intellectual Property with 

James & Wells 

9 May 2018 , 11:00am to 1:00pm 

Office Hours Xero Tips and Tricks with 

Ingham Mora 


Office Hours Marketing Strategy and 

Planning with Marketing on Demand 

10 May 2018, 3:00pm to 5:00pm 

Tauranga Social Enterprise Meetup 


Office Hours Sales and Marketing with 

Bravesight 


Office Hours Legal with Mackenzie Elvin 

@TechweekTGA 


GrowPlenty @TechweekTGA 

21 May 2018 / 22 May 2018 

1:00pm to 4:00pm, 5:00pm to 8:00pm 

Advice on how to create social change in 

the Bay of Plenty and Waikato by making 

‘impact investments’ will be shared at a 

special workshop held during Techweek 

Tauranga later this month. 

Design Thinking for Social Services and 

Not-for-profits Webinar and Workshop 

@TechweekTGA 

21 May 2018 / 24 May 2018, 

10:30am to 12:30pm 

Certifications Muffin Morning! @ 

TechweekTGA 

22 May 2018, 7:30am to 8:15am 

BayTrust is at the forefront 

of the impact 

investment movement in 

New Zealand which involves 

addressing social and environmental 

concerns while generating 

a financial return at the 

same time. 

BayTrust chief executive 

Alastair Rhodes will share his 

experiences and advice alongside 

other investors and social 

enterprises at an event called 

“Leading Change in Regional 

New Zealand,” to be held at 

Basestation on Friday May 25 

at 10:30am. 

Impact investing is gaining 

momentum worldwide as 

investors look for new ways 

to tackle social issues (such 

as housing affordability) and 

environmental problems. This 

year BayTrust has set aside 

$12 million (6 percent of their 

$215 million investment portfolio) 

for impact investments 

to help drive social change in 

their region as well as delivering 

economic returns. 

“This investment approach 

gives us the ability to maximise 

our impact above and 

beyond our annual community 

grants budget, which is ultimately 

what all foundations 

and trusts like ourselves are 

trying to achieve,” Alastair 

explains. 

“We’re trying to get the 

best financial returns we can 

but we’re always going to consider 

that in the context of 

what we’re here to do – which 

is to positively benefit the Bay 

of Plenty.” 

We’re trying to get 

the best financial 

returns we can, but 

we’re always going to 

consider that in the 

context of what we’re 

here to do – which is 

to positively benefit 

the Bay of Plenty. 

Alastair is looking forward 

to sharing his insights and 

experience in developing an 

impact investment strategy at 

the upcoming workshop event. 

“Starting with smaller low 

risk impact investments is critical,” 

he says. 

Organisations which are 

serious about impact investing 

should also review their organisational 

structure and capacity 

to ensure the right investment 

skills are in place. 

This may involve recruiting 

talent with more of a commercial/private 

equity skill set, 

who have experience in seeking 

out investment opportunities 

and analysing the investment 

decisions in terms of risk 

and return. 

He believes that reviewing 

skill sets is also necessary 

from the perspective of social 

entrepreneurs who are pitching 

impact investing opportunities. 

Investment specialists need to 

be engaged to help develop 

a prospectus outlining the 

impact investing opportunity, 

the structure, the exit plan for 

investors and risk and return 

equation. 

“If we continue to connect 

these people together, we can 

contribute to developing the 

ecosystem, so if a group is 

looking to do something to 

improve the Bay of Plenty and 

Waikato, they know where to 

go to access the expertise – 

and make sure everything is 

in place.” 

The workshop will take a 

practical approach, with plenty 

of opportunity for discussion 

and advice. During lunch there 

will be a mini-expo of social 

enterprises at various stages 

(start-up to scaling) who will 

share more about the positive 

impact they’re making, 

as well as the products and 

services they are delivering to 

customers. 

Social enterprises or future 

investors who are interested 

in taking part in this workshop 

and mini-expo, are invited to 

book tickets now at https:// 

www.businessaxis.nz/leadingchange 

National Co-working Day at Basestation 

@TechweekTGA 

22 May 2018 

8:30am to 12:30pm, 1:00pm to 5:00pm 

Unlocking Regional Growth Through 

Innovation @TechweekTGA 


ADI (Angelic Drop In) Clinic Tauranga @ 

TechweekTGA 


Leading Change in Regional New 

Zealand @TechweekTGA 


Xero user group with Living Business 

29 May 2018, 9:30am to 10:30am 

Instigator – events for founders 

Showcase and Celebrate CO.Starters 


Entrepreneurs Everywhere 

16 May 2018, 5:30pm to 7:30pm

18 4 


A 

X 

Special Event Preview 

New path 

to Chinese 

markets for 

startups 

Are you a Kiwi migrant with a great idea for 

a startup? Or working in a team in startup 

phase? Then New Zealand’s first Chinese 

angel fund wants to hear from you. 

New Zealand’s strength is 

in its diversity, with new 

Kiwis arriving from all 

parts of the world every year. 

But establishing a career 

in a new country can be hard, 

particularly for entrepreneurs. 

A lack of networks and not 

understanding the local startup 

ecosystem are barriers to suc- 

cess, and especially to raising 

capital. 

New Zealand’s economy 

and its investors can’t afford 

to lose these bright sparks and 

their ideas to other countries. 

This is where the New 

Kiwi Challenge can help. It’s 

a nationwide startup competition, 

run over three months, to 

encourage more new Kiwis to 

take up entrepreneurship. 

Entry is open to all migrant 

founders, irrespective of your 

country of origin. 

The challenge was started 

by Zino Ventures, the first 

Chinese Venture fund in New 

Zealand, which is leveraging 

its network, capital and expertise 

to enable investee startup 

companies to scale for growth 

in Chinese-speaking markets. 

The New Kiwi Challenge is 

also supported by UniServices, 

VicLink and Alibaba Cloud. 

New Zealand’s 2017 Arch 

Angel, Deb Hall, will join Zino 

Ventures’ partner and founder, 

Nelson Wang, in Tauranga during 

Techweek to explain the 

New Kiwi Challenge in more 

detail, and meet with founders. 

The New Kiwi Challenge 

prize-winners will be announced 

in August, with prizes 

including the opportunity to 

present at the Alibaba Cloud 

competition in Sydney, and 

a sponsored place on Zino’s 

China trip to Shanghai and 

Hangzhou in November. 

The Zino Growth Fund 

aims to deliver superior returns 

by investing $1 million to $2 

million in great New Zealand 

companies, generally at the 

pre-series A stage or later, 

based on having a product or 

service that has been validated 

in New Zealand and has 

a unique proposition for the 

Chinese-speaking markets. 

To hear about the New Kiwi 

Challenge in Tauranga during 

Techweek go online and book 

your place here: http://clik.vc/ 

zinoventurestga 

“Join in the week-long festival, full of events which demonstrate our internationally competitive 

research, development, entrepreneurship and commercialisation ecosystem. Creating a future for 

Tauranga and Western Bay complete with high-value, globally relevant knowledge and skills.” 

P L E N T Y 

Mon/Tue: 

1-4pm/5-8pm 

@Basestation 

Wed: 

All day 

@ASB Arena 

Thur: 

8.30am-1pm 

@Mills Reef 

Tauranga / 21-25 May 

GrowPlenty – 3 hour futurist workshops 

– Venture Centre and SO deliver 4 workshops for you to create a future you want to see. 

10B Mouths 

– Wharf42 and Techweek present agritech innovators exploring new ways to feed the world. 

Unlocking Regional Growth 

Through Innovation 

– Waikato University and Priority One with David Teece discuss the economic value of R&D. 

D E S I G N T H E 

F U T U R E 

Create a future you want to see 

and be a part of... 

“Growing plenty 

of talent, ideas, solutions 

and entrepreneurs 

who do good for the world” 

Proud supporters 

Friday: 

10am-2.30pm 

@Basestation 

Leading Change in Regional NZ, 

Investing in the Future of Aotearoa 

– Impact Investing Network and Bay Trust present, discuss and workshop the long-term 

social good investing paradigm. 

More events / to book / go to: http://clik.vc/techweektga18events 

Techweek Tauranga is curated, co-ordinated and promoted by Venture Centre. Tauranga City Council and 

Western Bay of Plenty District Council jointly contract Venture Centre in a public-private partnership to 

implement a pilot of the Digital Enablement Project, the goal of which is “a prosperous region where everyone 

can access, participate and benefit from digital technologies together.” 

Venture Centre’s role is to support youth, small business owners and founders (entrepreneurs) to increase 

use of digital and entrepreneurial mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets to create and grow projects and enterprises 

which will deliver social and economic benefit to Tauranga and Western Bay.

Cost-effective 

tax support 

MONEY MATTERS 

> BY STEPHEN GRAHAM 

Stephen Graham is director and managing partner at BDO Rotorua, 

Chartered Accountants and Advisers. To find out more visit bdorotorua.co.nz 

or email rotorua@bdo.co.nz 

Another financial year has flashed by 

and all businesses will soon know if they 

have paid sufficient provisional tax during 

the year. 

A 

short payment of tax is 

often the result when 

your provisional tax payments 

made during the year 

fall short of your actual tax 

due – usually where you have 

had an increase in profitability 

over the previous year. 

A short payment of tax is 

also caused when you miss 

making a payment that you 

should have. In this situation 

you are likely to not only 

have Use of Money Interest 

(UOMI) imposed, but additional 

tax too. 

Thankfully there have 

been some changes to the way 

Inland Revenue treat short 

payments of income tax which 

will take some of the sting out 

of Inland Revenue’s imposed 

UOMI rate and calculation. 

Companies and Trusts now 

have a safe harbour level sim- 

ilar to that which has been 

available for individuals for 

many years. 

As long as you have met 

all your tax payment obligations 

and are within the ‘safe 

harbour’ level, UOMI may 

not apply. 

What if you would prefer to 

prevent the uncertainty around 

tax time and pay based on 

your current year earnings? 

Recently, Inland Revenue has 

introduced AIM (Accounting 

Income Method) – which is 

available to small businesses 

and designed to synchronise 

your provisional tax payments 

with your GST periods and the 

profitability of your business. 


please refer to http://www. 

ird.govt.nz/news-updates/ 

accounting-income-methodprov-tax.html. 

Similar to AIM, is the ability 

to pay provisional tax using 

the GST Ratio method. 

Like AIM, the GST Ratio 

method allows for the payment 

of provisional tax with your 

GST payments. 

Neither of these will suit 

all small businesses (we have 

a mixed use of these by our 

clients), so it is best to consult 

with your accountant to see 

if either may be of benefit 

to you. 

However, what can you do 

if you can’t avoid the implication 

of UOMI? 

Companies and 

Trusts now have a 

safe harbour level 

similar to that which 

has been available 

for individuals for 

many years. 

Your accountant may consider 

tax pooling where tax 

can be ‘bought’ or ‘financed’ 

and a tax intermediary used to 

pay your tax on the actual due 

date, as if the money had been 

paid by you on time. 

The interest charges are significantly 

lower than Inland 

Revenue’s and you avoid any 

nasty additional tax penalties. 

Tax Finance is used to 

pay for future tax payments. 

You select the amount of time 

required to finance the payment 

and pay only the finance 

cost up front. 

The principal balance is due 

at the end of the finance period 

or as soon as cash is available. 

Again, the interest cost is 

lower than Inland Revenue 

charges and the payment is 

made on the due date so you 

avoid any late penalties. 

There are no credit applications 

or security. 

Tax Buying is where you 

can purchase historical tax 

which may have been the result 

of having an excellent business 

year, an IRD audit or you have 

found an error and want to 

make a voluntary disclosure. 

This is a relatively easy 

process with one tax intermediary 

stating savings of 

approximately 30 percent over 

Inland Revenue’s UOMI can 

be achieved. 

Another option is your 

accountant working with you 

and your bank to secure the 

finance needed to pay your tax. 

This may be short term or long 

term finance. 

The message here is that 

you have options and the 

sooner you discuss these or 

communicate any issues you 

have with taking care of your 

tax responsibilities with your 

accountant, the sooner a plan 

of action can be put in place. 

Succession planning needed for 

key roles, not just owners 

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 

New Zealand businesses 

are woefully unprepared 

for succession planning. 

Some owners think succession 

planning doesn’t need to 

be on their radar, especially 

if they have no intention of 

exiting the business in the next 

decade or more. 

But there is a crucial part 

of succession planning that is 

often overlooked, which can 

impact all organisations at 

any stage - when a key staff 

member or specialist leaves 

the organisation. 

It’s vital that business owners 

and leaders start forward 

planning for when key people 

move on. In today’s working 

environment it is a matter of 

when, not if, this will happen 

to your business. 

Business owners and leaders 

shouldn’t be surprised by 

employee churn. 

It’s a well-researched and 

documented fact that the num- 

ber of career changes and positions 

held have increased dramatically 

in the last 50 years. 

We change jobs, industries and 

careers multiple times during 

our working life. 

A major employment 

survey in New Zealand, by 

Lawson Williams Consulting 

It’s vital that business 

owners and leaders 

start forward planning 

for when key people 

move on. In today’s 

working environment 

it is a matter of when, 

not if, this will happen 

to your business. 

Group and the Human 

Resources Institute of New 

Zealand, shows the national 

average staff turnover in 2015 

was 18.4 percent. 

That’s nearly one in every 

five employees being a new 

addition to staff teams across 

the country. 

The Hudson Report found 

63 percent of professionals 

in New Zealand were either 

actively or passively looking 

for work. Only just over onethird 

expected to be in the 

same position in 12 months. 

Nowadays business owners 

and leaders can expect staff 

to change roles every two to 

three years. 

While some of this will be 

changes and promotions within 

the organisation, it still demonstrates 

the neccessity for all 

businesses and non-profits to 

manage the succcession planning 

of key roles. 

The benefits are many. Your 

organisation will end up retaining 

important knowledge and 

skills. 

Business continuity will 

not be impacted when people 

leave. It will also reduce training 

and orientation time when 

key positions in your business 

change. 

Think about your business 

and you will immediately be 

able to pinpoint some positions 

or staff members that are critical 

to your success. 

People in these roles have 

an incredibly complex collection 

of knowledge, much 

of which is based on experience 

and is difficult to quickly 

replace. 

Sometimes it is the skillset 

a person has, rather than 

the role inself, that is crucial. 

To make sure you identify 

all key roles and skillsets in 

your organisation, ask yourself 

these questions: 

Who holds strategic roles 

and has knowledge in critical 

areas? 

When there’s a problem, 

who do people consult first? 

Whose job is highly specialised 

and/or whose skill set 

is unique? 

If left open, which position 

would significantly hurt your 

business? 

Which positions would 

be difficult to fill, because 

they need particular technical 

expertise or a high degree of 

corporate knowledge? 

Which positions are facing 

a labour or market shortage? 

Once you have identified 

the roles and skillset that are 

crucial set out a strategy for 

succession. 

Your plan needs to have a 

dual approach of retention to 

keep staff longer and for succession 

to fill vacancies when 

people leave. 

Effective and proactive succession 

planning is an important 

element of a successful 

business. If you’re not already 

doing this, then it’s time to 

make it a priority.


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Terms, conditions and lending criteria apply. Visit mtf.co.nz/terms.html for details.



Commercial vehicle 

segment continues to 

take market share 

The New Zealand automobile sector is heading into 2018 on 

the back of strong growth across most segments last year 

- and especially for SUVs and Light Commercial Vehicles 

(LCV), which are continuing to take market share away from 

large passenger sedans. 

SUVs such as the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace are increasingly displacing 

larger sedans. Pictured is the new 7-Seater launched earlier this year: 

215mm longer, with more performance and power including output of up to 

176kW and towing capacity of 2,500 kg. Photo/Volkswagen. 

Last year saw record 

growth, with 160,115 

new vehicle registrations 

overall, according to the latest 

Motor Trade Association 

(MTA) data. 

That was up nine percent 

over 2016 and included 51,507 

new commercial registrations 

- up 16 percent and the best 

result on record - and 108,608 

new passenger registrations 

(up 6 percent). 

And even though the biggest 

volumes overall were in 

the larger metro areas last year, 

it’s noteworthy that the highest 

growth came from within the 

provinces. That has certainly 

been the case in the Bay of 

Plenty, where the auto sector 

has benefited from a buoyant 

economy, significant infrastructure 

spending, and booming 

export volumes. 

In Tauranga, new commercial 

vehicle sales were up 

17 percent last year on 2016, 

and used commercial vehicles 

were up 13 percent, with total 

vehicle sales of 14,408 up 11 

percent. In Rotorua, while total 

volumes of 4,531 were lower, 

they were still 25 percent higher 

than the previous year, with 

new commercial vehicles up 

29 percent and used commercial 

vehicles up 14 percent. 

MTA Dealer Services and 

Mediation Manager Tony 

Everett says passenger vehicles 

have declined since the 

global financial crisis, while 

there has been a massive rise in 

sales of SUVs and LCVs. 

“The growth in the new 

vehicle market has come from 

within the SUV and LCV sectors,” 

he says. “Traditional passenger 

cars have lost ground, 

as SUVs have stormed ahead.” 

The new-found market 

enthusiasm for utes now places 

the Light Commercial market 

at the same level as Passenger, 

says Everett. 

Commercial 

goes mainstream 

Farmer Auto Village Group 

Managing Director Mike 

Farmer says that commercial 

vehicles nowadays are becoming 

more and more user-friendly 

and mainstream. 

“Commercial vehicles are 

also being used as day- to-day 

transport for families,” he says. 

“They are quite different 

to what they were a few years 

ago, when a commercial vehicle 

would be literally vinylfloored 

with no carpets, stereo 

or air con. 

“Nowadays, modern commercial 

vehicles are as luxurious, 

if not more so, than 

any previous traditional sedan 

or SUV.” 

That has meant a real crossover 

in who uses them and 

what they use them for, with 

the old stereotype of the commercial 

white van done and 

dusted. 

The new utes and commercial 

vehicles are being bought 

for many other reasons than 

purely commercial use, says 

Farmer. 

Continued page 23 

Source/MTA 

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Commercial vehicle segment 

continues to take market share 

From page 21 

The key change in the market 

is that sedans have obviously 

dropped hugely in recent 

years and SUVs have substantially 

taken up their mantle, 

he says 

“But at the end of the day 

markets will always change 

and we will always have an 

alteration in what is the key 

segment of the time,” he says. 

“I mean 20 years ago SUVs 

didn’t really exist and large 

sedans like the Nissan Maximas 

or Holden Commodores made 

up the majority of the biggest 

segment, which is now SUVs.” 

Farmer Auto’s Field Days 

campaign in May has always 

been focused around commercial 

vehicles, including 

vans and utes, and is about to 

launch the new Volkswagen 

V6 Amarok at a special price. 

“That will be one of the 

most impressive large V6 utes 

on the market because there 

aren’t many of them available,” 

says Famer. 

Farmer Auto VW Specialist 

Charlie Shepard says the 

company is positioning the 

Amarok as a well-specced six 

cylinder vehicle coming in 

below the $70,000 price point. 

“Everybody wants a bit more 

grunt and it’s going to be a lot 

of bang for your buck.” 

MTA’s Evertett says utes 

and the small, medium and 


large SUVs are expected to 

continue to surge ahead. And 

while the light and small passenger 

segments are holding 

steady, medium and large cars 

are continuing to decline in 

popularity. 

In terms of new vehicle 

sales, SUV was the biggest 

sector in 2017 with 62,845 

sales, Commercial was second 

with 50,142, and Passenger 

vehicles third with 45,030 

sales. And the top five model 

rankings were held by one 

SUV, three utes and just the 

one car, the perennial Toyota 

Corolla. 

The Corolla continues to 

fight above its weight in a market 

dominated by SUVs and 

utes and managed to increase 

sales by 24 percent last year. 

Heavy hitters 

Meanwhile, the Heavy commercial 

vehicles segment has 

also been strong, and was up 

a striking 22 percent last year. 

MTA’s Everett says Heavy 

vehicle sales are traditionally 

seen as the bellwether of the 

economy. 

“People don’t move freight 

unless there has been something 

built or something sold,” 

he says. 

“Twenty-two percent 

growth in heavy vehicles is 

huge in anybody’s language.” 

TR Group Mount 

Maunganui Rental Manager 

Mark Purchase says the heavy 

vehicle market is definitely on 

the increase. 

“The whole country is 

buzzing in terms of the economy,” 

he says. 

“We’ve got 1300 vehicles 

on rent at the moment throughout 

New Zealand and more 

than 6000 on lease. We cater 

for anything and everything. 

We custom build vehicles to 

suit the customer and we’re 

doing pretty well. We can’t get 

new trucks and trailers built 

fast enough in the local market 

to supply demand.” 

Source/MTA 

Source/MTA 

Kennards 

Hire 

07 578 9144 

Tauranga Windscreens & Glass Ltd 

54 First ave, Tauranga 3110 

info@taurangawindscreen.co.nz 

www.taurangawindscreen.co.nz 

P9725Y 

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2/12/10 9:23:50 AM

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and lease solutions to the best and brightest transport 

and fleet operators in the country. 

Our rental fleet of 1,200 modern, fuel-efficient vehicles 

is available nationwide and covers over 70 categories, 

ensuring you’ll be able to quickly scale your fleet’s 

capabilities when needed. Renting is simple and easy, 

available for short or long term agreements, with vehicles 

available when and where you need them, covered 

24/7/365 by our 50 strong nationwide rental team. 

If you’re looking to permanently increase the size of 

your fleet, then our lease options are just as dynamic, 

with free driver training to increase safety, compliance, 

and efficiency. We’ll manage everything from 

specification to build completion, and supply a rental 

vehicle to fill in while your new vehicle is being built. 

Once on the road, all the maintenance will be sorted 

by our nationwide maintenance team, backed by our 

industry leading downtime guarantee. 

If quality and peace of mind matter to you, talk to 

the team at TR Group, the heavy transport partner 

you can trust. 

Proud supporter of 

Making heavy vehicle fleet 

management easy for you 

www.trgroup.co.nz 0800 50 40 50


Ease and flexibility 

– cornerstones of 

TR Group 


Making commercial vehicle fleet management 

easy—that’s the TR Group promise. 

Mark Purchase, Rental 

Manager, and Chris 

Iles, Lease Manager 

are TR Group Limited’s go to 

guys in the Bay of Plenty. And 

for Mark, Chris and TR Group 

business is booming. 

The key impetus is the 

emphasis TR Group places on 

giving commercial transport 

operators the optimal solution 

to their transport needs, irrespective 

of whether it is shortterm 

or long-term. 

For example, Mark says the 

massive uplift in Bay of Plenty 

infrastructure projects, particularly 

subdivisions, sees contractors 

and transport operators 

using the rental option offered 

by TR Group. 

“They have a job and come 

to us. They get the exact vehicle 

to fit their needs, and when 

the job is done they return it to 

us - it’s that simple.” 

A key aspect of that is the 

importance of our being able 

to provide the “exact” vehicle. 

Nationwide, TR Group, now in 

its 25th year, has a rental fleet 

of 1300 trucks and trailers. 

In the case of the Bay of 

Plenty, just about every configuration 

of truck and trailer is 

available for immediate rental. 

It is simply a matter of the 

client choosing what is best for 

the job at hand. 

The same applies to longerterm 

solutions. Heavy vehicle 

leasing is the way to go 

for transport operators and for 

good reason. 

The starting point is that 

the operator can build their 

fleet to the exact configuration 

they require—and without the 

need to invest a huge amount 

of capital. 

TR Group handles 

everything, providing vehicles 

from stock, or commissioning 

new builds that meet exactly 

the customer’s specifications. 

We even provide a rental vehicle 

while the new vehicle is 

being built. 

Maintenance is not an 

issue. Every lease vehicle is 

maintained by the TR’s nationwide 

service providers and— 

Vehicle signage showcases 

your brand 24 hours a day 

again—the customer is provided 

with a rental vehicle if 

required to tide them over. 

There is a certain logic to 

all this: no big capital outlay, 

no maintenance worries, no 

surprises and the flexibility to 

hone the vehicle fleet to meet 

current demands and seasonal 

fluctuations. 

Gone are the days of 

fleets that don’t quite fit or— 

worse, that are no longer fit 

for purpose. TR Group simply 

provides the best solution 

to negating all those issues— 

professionally, pragmatically, 

and easily. 

Chris’ suggestion is to 

just ask. 

“Come in any time. Email 

us. Ring us. We have stock 

available to look at. To rent, 

lease, or buy. 

“We’ll do everything we 

possibly can to make it easy 

for you.” 

TR Group’s Bay of Plenty 

branch is located at 501L 

Truman Lane, Mt Maunganui; 

phone 07 574 0181; 

For rental inquiries email 

mark.purchase@trgroup.co.nz 

For lease inquiries email 

chris.iles@trgroup.co.nz or 

call 021 711963 

Vehicle signage for small 

business to large scale 

commercial enterprises is 

a very cost-effective, powerful 

way to advertise and get your 

brand out there, whether you 

are stationary or on the move. 

Graphics turn your vehicle 

into a valuable marketing 

asset. Statistics show that 

car graphics are one of the 

most memorable forms of 

advertising. 

They create awareness for 

your business that can assist 

with enquiries that you can 

convert to sales. 

Vehicle signage works 24 

hours a day - wherever your 

vehicle is parked up - and can 

improve your credibility in the 

eyes of potential customers. 

Vehicle signage and wraps are 

easy to apply and won’t damage 

it. 

And in some cases they can 

improve the appearance for the 

vehicle – a banner or logo on 

the front of the car can tidy 

up its appearance and prevent 

stone chip damage. 

You can keep it simple 

with a small logo and contact 

details or be really creative and 

get people thinking with these 

large moving billboards by 

fully wrapping your vehicle. 

You need to consider how 

you want to stand out from 

your competitors and maintain 

a professional image. 

Get creative. Graphics or 

photographic images can say 

as much as 1000 words. 

Using vinyl medium 

allows endless options with 

an extensive range of products 

– from vibrant coloured 

vinyl’s, to metallic, reflectives 

and printable vinyl - including 

one-way vision for vans and 

truck windows. 

Your logo may be beautiful 

or intricate, but at a glance it 

may not be obvious to people 

on what you do – you can add 

a tagline or a few words to 

assist with making that clear. 

Keep it simple as you only 

have a few seconds often to 

capture their attention. 

Red Ant specialise in small 

to large-scale sign writing projects. 

We have many customers 

who will not let new fleet 

vehicles out on the road till 

they are brand consistent. 

That’s because they too 

understand the value of looking 

professional with all facets 

of the business. 

With the latest technology 

and systems in place, we 

ensure a high-end finish, on 

time – every time. Our workshop 

is setup for vehicles of 

all sizes. 

Personal and professional 

service is guaranteed every 

time, so talk to us about your 

latest visual project.



MITSUBISHI PAJERO SPORT VRX 

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How to become an 

employer of choice 

It can be a fine line between whether your staff is your biggest 

asset or your greatest liability. A failed hiring decision can be costly 

for all concerned. Therefore it’s important to use well-grounded 

information to help decide which candidates will add the most 

value to your business. And ultimately that is the most important 

thing that staff should do for you. 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

> BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

Director, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd 

However, before you can 

employ someone, you 

first have to attract the 

right person to your vacancy 

and business, and that alone 

can be your biggest challenge. 

Skill shortages are a very 

real business risk in today’s 

market, and I think is going 

to be one of our biggest business 

challenges in 2018 and 

beyond. 

This is where your recruitment 

brand steps in and plays 

an important role. 

Astute employers are recognising 

the changing needs 

of recruitment, and are utilising 

all available networks to 

attract key talent to their roles. 

The skill shortages within 

the labour market are not only 

affecting the major cities, but 

are hitting very close to home 

right here in the Bay of Plenty. 

Shortages are being experienced 

across a broad range 

of industries and sectors and 

are no longer confined to 

technical roles. 

Becoming an employer of 

choice is one way in which 

you can ensure that you are 

at the top of candidates list 

of company’s they want to be 

employed by. 

This can be achieved by 

developing your employer 

“brand”, which will help you 

to attract top candidates to 

your business and differentiate 

your company from your 

competitors. 

Attracting, recruiting and 

retaining the best available talent 

will have financial benefit 

and payback for your company. 

It means walking the talk 

and providing genuine and real 

It means walking the 

talk and providing 

genuine and real 

benefits to your vital 

resource in sustaining 

your business and its 

future prosperity. 

benefits to your vital resource 

in sustaining your business and 

its future prosperity. 

You need treat your valued 

employees more like your valued 

customers. 

Having a robust reputation 

as an employer goes beyond 

attracting the best employees 

to your vacancy. 

I will also provide positive 

opportunities and financial 

advantages to your company. 

Employees that stay can be 

trained and developed retaining 

essential skills and knowledge 

within your company. 

Do you know the real 

cost of having to replace an 

employee in a key role who 

has been with your company 

for several years and is leaving 

to work for a competitor? 

Some of the ways in which 

you can look at enhancing 

your employer brand include 

adopting Equal Employer 

Opportunity practices, community 

involvement and 

engagement, flexibility with 

work options, environmental 

and sustainability policies, 

providing a point of difference 

as an employer from your 

competitors, real benefits, genuine 

commitment, and care of 

your employer brand through 

company integrity and leadership. 

Recruitment is about 

attracting the most talented 

and capable people to your 

role. 

That means communicating 

positive messages and demonstrable 

behaviours about your 

employment practices may 

give you the edge you need to 

become a preferred employer. 

And this goes beyond just 

the attraction of candidates - 

it also encompasses retention 

and development. 

Do you know what your 

employer brand is and how 

your business is perceived - 

not by those in the marketplace, 

but the staff already 

working for you? 

Starting in-house with an 

initial employee survey could 

be the first step in researching 

current perception and provide 

valuable feedback to improve 

your employer brand for the 

future. 

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Call us to discuss your 

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28 


CONNECTING 

BUYERS AND 

SELLERS OF 

QUALITY 

BUSINESSES 

First on the scene 

April’s Business After Five networking event, hosted by the Tauranga Chamber 

of Commerce at Mills Reef, showcased the benefits members receive from the 

chamber’s National Alliance Partners and key sponsors. 

Photos/Helen Chapman Photography 

When is the right time to sell 

your business? Right now. 

At TABAK, we promise to guide 

you through the sales process 

with focus, integrity and 

complete confidentiality. 

1 2 

1 Yvonne Wild, Leon Zwarts, Marina Zwarts and Aleisha Clement, 1st Call Recruitment. 2 Erin Narayan and Kelly Cranstoun, 

Bay Venues. 

FOCUS • INTEGRITY 

CONFIDENTIALITY 

3 

3 Gayle Hardie, Regional Partnership and Linda Giltrap, Export ME Consultancy. 4 Sharon Giblett and Barry Browne, Jigsaw 

Solutions Group and Nick McDonald, Social With Precision. 

4 

WHY TABAK 

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE 

REALISTIC APPRAISALS 

TEAM APPROACH 

5 6 

7 

5 Kelly Attwood, Abbie Clark and Christine Evans, Altex Coatings. 6 Jon Price, GPS Business Growth and Andrew Marston, 

Crockfords Real Estate. 7 Wayne Lowry and Steven Hugson, Vodafone. 

PRE-QUALIFIED BUYERS 

P5177Y 

147 Cameron Road 

p. 07 578 6329 

e. tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

w. tabak.co.nz 

8 9 

8 Greg Kerr, Camelot, Selwyn West, Elite Business Systems, Jon Haffenden, Escape Rooms Tauranga. 9 Carly Shorter, Realm 

Consulting, Dan Allen-Gordon, Graeme Dingle Foundation and Wayne Shadbolt, Interlink Communications.

Stay on top of how of your 

KiwiSaver is being managed 


With balances increasing for many, KiwiSaver may be your most 

significant asset outside of the family home. While it may not be the 

preferred dinner conversation, it is worth investing some time into 

thinking about how much you are saving and where it’s invested. 

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 

With more than 2.7 

million of us now in 

KiwiSaver and total 

funds saved in excess of $45 

billion, KiwiSaver has firmly 

established itself as the retirement 

savings vehicle of choice. 

Anyone who has taken 

this step towards their retirement 

planning should be 

congratulated. 

Many providers include 

a calculator on their website 

allowing you to input information 

such as salary and 

retirement age. 

Ideally you can also include 

information about other assets 

you may have invested and 

allow for withdrawals you 

may wish to make, perhaps for 

overseas travel or replacing the 

car in early retirement years. 

Tracking your balance 

Kiwi businesses missing 

the boat on social media 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

against this calculated goal 

allows you to view and monitor 

your progress. 

Progress will be influenced 

not only by the contributions 

you make, but also the market 

cycles. While we have enjoyed 

a period of strong performance 

post the global financial crisis, 

sharemarkets in particular 

will exhibit periods of volatility 

– as seen in recent weeks. 

Therefore it is important to 

remember that KiwiSaver is a 

long-term investment and as 

such your KiwiSaver should 

be positioned according to 

your age and risk profile. 

KiwiSaver providers normally 

have a risk profile tool 

that allows you to answer some 

simple questions, helping you 

to determine where to invest. 

Your investment adviser can 

also help you talk through your 

investment choices. 

Regular contact is important 

too. While we have enjoyed 

a period of synchronised economic 

growth, corrections do 

occur. 

Active fund managers 

position themselves accordingly, 

while communicating 

this to their members so they 

can remain informed about 

their account and make active 

choices. 

When was the last time 

your provider contacted you 

and helped you navigate the 

markets in relation to your 

account? 

When it’s your money, such 

engagement is important. The 

best way to manage uncertainty 

as an investor is to carefully 

consider factors such as those 

above and seek advice. 

As investment advisers, we 

help our clients stay on track 

through periods of heightened 

financial market nervousness 

by providing regular contact 

and advice that is both timely 

and well researched. 

Whether you are saving or 

in retirement, seeking provision 

of income or investing 

for capital growth, an investment 

adviser can help you with 

every step of the investment 

process and provide advice 

on how best to approach your 

investment goals. 

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. 

We like to think of ourselves 

as a nation of 

innovators, but when 

it comes to social media, Kiwi 

businesses are a long way off 

the pace. 

That’s according to the 

findings of CPA Australia’s 

most recent Asia-Pacific Small 

Business Survey, which found 

that more than a third (40.8 

percent) of New Zealand 

businesses did not use social 

media, compared with the survey 

average of 18.5 percent 

across the Asia-Pacific region. 

This is undoubtedly a 

missed opportunity. Nielsen’s 

New Zealand Media Trends 

Report 2016 found that 88 

percent of New Zealanders 

over the age of 18 use social 

media at least monthly and 

report after report globally 

shows marketers consider 

social media activity to be an 

essential part of their marketing 

strategy. 

Of course, the way you use 

> 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. 

social media and its effectiveness 

for your business will 

depend on your industry. 

It pays to consider your 

objectives before picking 

up the phone to snap an 

Instaworthy photo of your dog 

at the breakfast table. 

Retail businesses and those 

selling photogenic experiences 

like tourism generally 

have more to gain than professional 

services industries like 

accounting or law. 

That’s because of the way 

social media is used – often on 

mobile phones at the end of the 

day while people are relaxing 

on the couch watching TV and 

drinking a wine or beer. 

In that context people are 

more open to consumer messaging 

and humour, than to 

advertising promoting how 

they can increase productivity 

at work. 

The different social media 

platforms have different pros 

and cons for different target 

markets too. 

LinkedIn can be particularly 

effective for business to 

business marketing, while 

Facebook can be useful for 

promoting consumer products 

to impulse buyers. 

Instagram is well suited 

to businesses that 

are highly visual – 

think white water rafting 

or fashion – while 

Twitter’s hashtag functionality 

allows businesses 

to make the most of trending 

ideas or events. 

It’s also worth remembering 

that social media 

isn’t just about driving 

sales. It can also be a useful 

branding tool, helping consumers 

understand what you 

believe and to get a real feeling 

for your unique voice. 

A bit of humour and a 

conversational tone and willingness 

to engage in two-way 

conversations, go a long way 

to generating engagement. 

It is possible to build an 

audience on social media without 

investing in paid advertising, 

but it can take time. 

This is particularly true on 

Facebook following changes 

announced earlier this year 

that limit the unpaid reach of 

business posts unless they are 

generating significant engagement 

from other Facebook 

users. 

With a modest advertising 

spend you can fast track the 

number of people following 

your page and build an audience 

more quickly. However, 

it’s important that this advertising 

spend is well targeted. 

If you’re a business supplying 

tractors to Kiwi farmers 

and orchardists, it’s much 

more valuable to have an 

audience of 10,000 rural New 

Zealanders than 100,000 urban 

millennials based predominantly 

overseas. 

At the end of the day it’s 

about selecting the right tools 

to market your business. Social 

media isn’t a silver bullet. 

But if you use it effectively 

and take a planned approach 

that considers the best social 

platform to achieve your business 

objectives, it can play an 

important role in your overall 

marketing mix. 

Our relationship with the Bay of Plenty 

Business News has raised our profile 

among the business community and 

resulted in the success of targeted 

event promotions, so we know people 

are seeing our advertisement. 


GILLIAN HOUSER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 

MANAGER, BAY VENUES LTD 

If you are considering your current 

investment arrangements, perhaps 

it’s time to get a complimentary review 

Forsyth Barr is a New Zealand owned firm with 20 offices nationwide 

including three offices in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. 

Supported by Forsyth Barr’s research and investment expertise, our Authorised 

Financial Advisers can work with you to deliver a personalised approach taking 

into account your investment objectives, preferences and your tolerance for risk. 

To make an obligation free appointment to discuss your investment 

arrangements, contact your local Forsyth Barr office by calling 0800 367 227. 

We look forward to discussing how our investment advice can work for you. 

Disclosure Statements are available on request and free of charge. 

Fees and charges will apply if you elect to have a continuing relationship with Forsyth Barr. 

TAU5162-02 – © Forsyth Barr Limited January 2017


WAIKATO NEWS 

Momentum grows fund for wider role 

Leading transformational projects such as 

the Waikato Regional Theatre is just one 

of Momentum Waikato’s major objectives, 

according to new chief executive Kelvyn 

Eglinton. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

Kelvyn says Momentum 

Waikato’s even more 

important role is to 

grow its Endowment Fund to 

$25 million by 2020 at which 

point the Foundation will begin 

a grants system giving 

Parkhaven 

takes shape 

Hamilton first purpose-built multi-use 

apartment building is taking shape 

before thousands of curious eyes as 

motorists drive past it daily on Tristram St. 

The five-storey Parkhaven building will 

house a cafe and retail on the ground floor, 

and office space and 21 apartments above. 

The building opposite Founders Theatre and 

close to Seddon Park is due for completion in 

December. The $14.5 million development 

by BCD Group meshes with a Hamilton City 

Council plan to make the area north of London 

Street high density. Mixed-use development 

is starting to gain traction in cities like 

Auckland and Tauranga and Parkhaven now 

brings the concept to Hamilton. 

(Full story, page 28) 

away between $1.5 million and 

$2 million a year. That money 

is likely to go to two or three 

major causes a year rather than 

many smaller grants as other 

Waikato philanthropic trusts 

do. 

Kelvyn says Momentum’s 

aim is to create transformational 

change through large “oneoff 

hits” to causes it identifies 

will bring big returns to the 

community. The causes will be 

those that are best placed to effect 

change on Waikato’s aspirations 

and issues as identified 

through the evidence based 

Vital Signs report prepared in 

2016. 

Momentum Foundation’s 

endowment fund currently sits 

at about $14 million. 

Kelvyn says more Waikato 

people are getting involved in 

philanthropy through Momentum, 

either through bequests 

to a certain cause or a straight 

donation into the Endowment 

Fund. 

“We are seeing a huge increase 

in philanthropic bequests. 

People are realising 

that they’ve done well out of 

living in Waikato and they 

want to give back. 

“We have fantastic generous 

organisations and people in 

Waikato who have made huge 

contributions but there’s just as 

much opportunity for everyday 

people to become involved in 

philanthropy. If enough people 

give $10 out of their pay every 

month collectively we make a 

big difference.” 

Meanwhile, Kelvyn says 

Momentum’s role in supporting 

regional projects is based 

around how one investment 

from Momentum can leverage 

investment from other partners 

to do something greater. 

“The regional theatre is 

an example as it leveraged 

off Hamilton City Council’s 

Ferrybank Plan and the River 

Plan. The discussion at Momentum 

was ‘so how do we 

leverage those plans and the 

need to build a theatre along 

with the determination to 

transform the CBD?’ 

“If the council makes an investment 

as it has with the theatre, 

we can add to it but at no 

more cost to the ratepayers and 

the outcome for the city is truly 

transformational - it happens 

faster and at a greater level 

than would otherwise happen.” 

The new theatre at the former 

Hamilton Hotel site on 

Victoria St is now proposed to 

be complemented with a boutique 

hotel, a public art gallery, 

retail space and a walking and 

cycling bridge across to Memorial 

Park. 

Momentum Waikato chief executive Kelvyn Eglinton. 

“That’s the bit that people 

miss when they focus on just 

the theatre,” says Kelvyn. 

“From Momentum’s perspective 

the theatre is the catalyst 

to do a whole lot of other 

things, a series of projects 

which when all linked up gives 

a greater benefit.” 

Exciting times for new 

growth boss at HCC 

To say Hamilton City Council’s new general 

manager city growth has taken up the 

job at an interesting time would be an 

understatement. 

By RICHARD WALKER 

The city centre, which 

has been achingly slow 

to fill with life, is set to 

gain more than 1100 workers 

from commercial developments 

already complete or on 

the books, while 300 more residents 

are predicted to be living 

in the CBD over the next 

five years. 

Longer term, Hamilton’s 

population is picked to grow 

by 1.4 percent annually, with 

one forecast putting its population 

at 225,000 by the year 

2043. 

Traffic flows in Hamilton 

climbed 3.6 percent in 2016, 

while commercial consents in 

2017 were through the roof at 

$144m, significantly higher 

than any other recent year. 

You get the idea? 

Then there’s the politics. 

The expensive Peacocke 

development is firmly at the 

heart of the debate over housing 

pressure, thanks to potential 

upfront funding of $300 

million from central government 

in a mix of subsidies and 

interest-free loan. 

The 10 year plan is out for 

consultation, including Garden 

Place yet again being eyed for 

an upgrade at a potential cost 

to council of $3 million, and a 

proposed rates rise of 9.5 percent 

for each of the next two 

years. 

It’s hardly a storm, but it 

certainly makes for an intriguing 

weather formation. 

Welcome to the job, Jen 

Baird. 

Of course, challenges posed 

by growth are more attractive 

than the opposite. So you 

could equally argue these are 

exciting times. That appears 

to be Jen’s view, based on her 

levels of positivity. 

It can’t hurt that she is back 

in her home town after a couple 

of decades away, nor that 

she left Auckland’s clogged 

streets to do so. 

“It’s fantastic coming back 

to Hamilton. I love this place. 

Hamilton’s got a hell of a lot 

going for it, It's got great jobs 

and educational opportunities, 

it's got fantastic amenities, 

there are trees everywhere, 

it's got the river which is 

amazing, it has great bars and 

restaurants, really great retail 

now. It's affordable, relatively 

speaking.” 

And: “there’s no congestion”. 

Hamilton City Council’s new general 

manager city growth, Jen Baird. 

As she takes up the reins, 

where does she see the pressure 

points? 

“I think it is the scale of the 

need for more houses in Hamilton, 

the fact that so many 

people are choosing to move 

here, and how we make sure 

that we are delivering what 

we need to, in an integrated, 

cost-effective way.” 

With about half the development 

in Hamilton being 

infill, she says the growth and 

infrastructure teams are working 

closely together including 

cross-functional teams to help 

deal with future development. 

She says central government’s 

imperatives around 

housing affordability and special 

housing areas have taken 

up a lot of her early time in the 

role and describes Peacocke as 

an “enormous project” for the 

city if the councillors choose to 

go ahead. 

Jen has actually been back 

since July last year, when she 

started as the council communications 

and marketing 

manager. Now she has a second 

floor corner office with 

glimpses of the city she grew 

up in and returned to after 

gaining a management degree 

at Waikato University and then 

building her career in the UK 

and Auckland, most recently as 

chief marketing officer for real 

estate heavyweight Barfoot & 

Thompson. 

From here she manages a 

staff of 180, who look after everything 

from dog registration 

to residents wanting to subdivide 

or put in a swimming 

pool, from city safety to city 

planning. 

That suggests her new role 

will have variety in spades and 

Jen couldn’t be more enthusiastic 

about it. 

As she says, her team 

touches an enormous number 

of residents across the city, 

along with developers, iwi and 

elected members. 

So, not yet two weeks into 

the job at the time of the interview, 

her meetings calendar is 

chokka and she’s doing a lot of 

listening. 

“I want to make sure that I 

am really tapped in to what the 

people of the town need from 

my team,” she says. 

“There are many diverse 

opinions out there about where 

Hamilton should be going and 

what we should be doing and 

how we should be changing 

and developing and growing as 

a city, and I want to hear all of 

those. 

“My role really is about 

strategy and leadership, and 

making sure that we're all 

joined up, that we've got all the 

right people involved to enable 

us to serve our councillors and 

our city as best we can.” 

On that front, she pays 

tribute to her “really high performing” 

city growth team as 

well as to her predecessors for 

the way in which they worked 

to enable residents and stakeholders. 

It’s about sitting down 

with people and looking for 

solutions. “It's not just slapping 

down the rules and saying, 

these are the rules, figure 

out a way.” 

The customer focus she 

brings from her commercial 

background will help, as will 

her understanding of the property 

market. 

Long-term, she sees a lot 

of people like her arriving in 

Hamilton from all over, bringing 

more life, spending money 

in the stores, and creating demand 

for more events. 

In that sense, growth is 

good, though the flipside is the 

pressure it puts on infrastructure. 

“So there's a real balancing 

act to be made. These people 

are coming, and how do we 

make sure that we can provide 

them with the things they need, 

like houses, but maintain the 

character and specialness of 

this place as well,” she says. 

“I think it’s a really exciting 

time for the city, it’s come a 

long way. If we look 20 or 30 

years into the future it will be 

vastly different again.”


31 

Do this for your business 

if you travel overseas 

If you have property in a trust, or if you own a company and 

you’re planning on leaving the country, don’t simply rely on your 

Enduring Power of Attorney (EPA) for property. A company is a 

separate legal person, and even if control lies solely with you, 

signing a personal Power of Attorney does not give your attorney 

the right to sign for you in your capacity as a Director or Trustee. 

What you need, is a Deed of Delegation. 

Anne Ludgate, Senior Legal Executive at The Law Shop 

“It’s very much like the 

EPA, but it’s a different 

document. This is the one 

you need for your business. 

If you’re overseas, become 

incapacitated, or if your business 

partner dies and you don’t 

have this deed sorted, you can 

count on major headaches. 

Costly delays and a whole lot 

of stress around the settlement 

of property can be expected 

unless you have the right doc- 

Whichever powers 

you put in place, do it 

in consultation with 

us to ensure that 

the powers work for 

your structure and 

needs and that the 

documents are being 

drafted appropriately. 

umentation in place,” explains 

Anne Ludgate from The Law 

Shop. 

“An Enduring Power of 

Attorney for property covers 

personal property and includes 

interest in property. It also includes 

any money, business or 

undertaking and any right or 

power you may have in respect 

of any property, but it does not 

apply to property owned by a 

trust or a company,” Anne clarifies. 

If you only wish for your 

attorney to act when you are 

not able to physically sign documents 

yourself, such as when 

you are not in the country, a 

standard power of attorney and 

deed of delegation can be put 

in place. The terms allow your 

attorney to act and sign on your 

behalf, and you can put limitations 

in place if you wish and 

stipulate any further conditions 

for its use. 

You can usually appoint 

more than one attorney if you 

wish, and you can specify 

whether they must act unanimously 

or individually. You 

can either have a Power of Attorney 

granted by the Company 

in favour of your Attorney, 

or you can appoint an Alternate 

Director to act on your behalf 

while you are away. 

“It is important that this person 

is someone who you trust 

completely. Whichever powers 

you put in place, do it in 

consultation with us to ensure 

that the powers work for your 

structure and needs and that the 

documents are being drafted 

appropriately,” Anne says. 

Give the team at The Law 

Shop a call on 0800 LAW 

SHOP (0800 529 7467) if 

you’d like to find out more, 

and we’ll make a time to talk 

things through with you. You 

can visit us at our office, or we 

can come to you. Or we can 

Skype, if that suits you better. 

Just make sure to organise important 

things like this for your 

business before you get on that 

plane. 

STEPHANIE NORTHEY 

LL.B | Director 

Friendly legal advice 

that won’t leave you 

drowning in jargon 

PAULA LINES 


SARSHA TYRRELL 


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

32 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2018

Bay of Plenty Business News April/May 2018

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