Waikato Business News May/June 2018

MAY/JUNE 2018 VOLUME 26: ISSUE 5 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

D-Day 

for Peacocke 

Plan to develop Hamilton to the south 

gets the go ahead. 

By RICHARD WALKER 

A 

three-decade wait is 

set to end, with the 

much-delayed development 

of Peacocke on Hamilton’s 

southwestern outskirts 

poised to get a 1000-home 

boost alongside the Waikato 

River. 

Peacocke family spokesman Mark Peacocke. 

Hamilton City Council 

gave the long-awaited Peacocke 

development the thumbs 

up in its Long Term Plan deliberations 

on May 31. 

The massive project was 

approved unopposed 

A majority of the 2000 plus 

submitters to the plan backed 

Peacocke over Rotokauri as 

the preferred option as Hamil- 

The Amberfield development from the north. 

ton’s next major suburb. 

The Amberfield development 

- the first stage of Peacocke 

- will mark a major 

advance for the area, which 

was handed to Hamilton by 

Waipa District Council for 

potential development almost 

30 years ago. 

It will also open up 2.8km 

of river frontage for the public, 

with low-speed roads and 

cycling and walking paths. 

In a further boost, Alpine 

Retirement Group is planning 

a retirement village north of 

Amberfield that would accommodate 

370 people. 

Meanwhile, more homes 

are set to be built in the Dixon 

Road area on the western side 

of Peacocke. 

All up, Peacocke could 

take about 8000 houses, which 

represents an important potential 

component of Hamilton’s 

growth equation - one forecast 

puts the city’s population 

climbing to 225,000 in the 

next 25 years. 

The Amberfield masterplan, 

unveiled in May ahead 

of resource consents being 

lodged, shows the 105ha residential 

block site alongside 

Waikato River will include 

four neighbourhoods and 23ha 

of open spaces and reserves. 

It will also have a neighbourhood 

centre to provide for up 

to 10,000 sq m of retail and 

commercial uses. 

Mark Peacocke, spokesman 

for the local family behind the 

development entity Weston 

Lea, says the site will help 

accommodate Hamilton’s population 

growth. The Peacocke 

family has farmed in the area 

since the 19th century, and still 

has a dairy farm there. 

“As part of the next chapter 

for this productive working 

farm, we are strongly committed 

to ensuring that every care 

and consideration is taken to 

create a highly liveable community 

that contributes to 

Hamilton’s future,” he says. 

The developer will fund 

several million in infrastructure 

necessary to service 

the development including 

bridges across a gully to the 

Continued on page 3 

Why Cambridge thrives and attracts 

such great businesses. Page 28 

together with 

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS May/June 2018 

3 

Artist’s impression of how the Amberfield development will look. 

D-Day for Peacocke 

From page 1 

island neighbourhood in the 

south of the site, advanced 

low impact stormwater management 

systems, roading network/cycleway 

improvements 

and waste connections aligned 

with the council’s long-term 

investment intentions. 

Work could get underway 

early next year, with the first 

houses occupied two years 

after that. 

Development manager 

Andrew Duncan says the starting 

point would be the north 

neighbourhood before continuing 

south in a staged rollout 

alongside the river. 

“I would say the biggest 

attribute that we can offer the 

city is to provide a suburb in 

the south closely connected 

with the city. It's not distant 

from the city, it's closely connected, 

and everything that 

we've done design-wise here, 

encouraged by the structure 

plan from the council, is to 

emphasise those network connections 

to the city.” 

The development will be 

sited south of a planned bridge 

across the Waikato River, 

part of the Southern Links 

arterial network. The council 

was set to decide whether to 

take up a government offer of 

$308.4 million to open up the 

area. The sum is made up of a 

10-year interest-free loan and 

transport subsidies. 

City council growth and 

infrastructure chair Dave 

Macpherson sees the bridge as 

crucial for Peacocke’s development 

because of the congestion 

already faced in the routes 

in and out along Dixon Road 

and Bader Street. 

He wants to have the bridge 

completed within about three 

and a half years, and is relaxed 

about Amberfield starting 

sooner than that, given the 

staged nature of its rollout, but 

is concerned about the impact 

on traffic of further development 

in the area without the 

bridge. 

“The link across the river on 

the bridge was always part of 

the [Peacocke] plan, because 

we knew it was a really constricted 

area,” he says. 

Another view of Amberfield. 

Amberfield lead designer 

Kobus Mentz says a focus of 

the design, which is closely 

aligned to the city council’s 

structure plan for the area, is 

building a sense of community. 

“That means you have to 

have character areas which 

are different, you need to have 

parks well distributed so people 

feel they have a local community 

and you’ve also got 


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NETWORKING & EVENTS 

Artists impression of Amberfield. 

D-Day for Peacocke 

Meet new people, learn new things 

and energise your business. 

UP NEXT... 

June 6 - Inspire: A chat with Harry Mowbray 

June 18 - A League of Extraordinary Women 

June 19 - Women’s Workshop Series 

June 27 - BA5: Interactionz - community support 

powered by business 

EVENT INFORMATION 

WOMEN’S WORKSHOPS SERIES 

Teaming up with Sue Kohn Taylor - Personal Development 

Coach. Delivering a series of powerful workshops for all 

levels of professional/working women, as well as those 

not active in the workforce but who all share a desire for 

personal growth and self-development. If you’re looking 

for inspiration for your career or self-development, then 

don’t miss this series. 

INSPIRE 

Inspire Hamilton is designed to stimulate potential and 

aspiration in your business, family, health, community and 

life. The group is FREE but will only provide value as you 

apply the principles and experiences that are shared. 

Speakers from fruitful backgrounds add nuggets of wisdom 

and insights from their journey and Ryan Hamilton’s 

sessions always push you to new levels. 

LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN 

An evening where we don’t bring in amazing women 

from all over the country because we don’t need to! 

We look around us and everywhere we look, we see 

EXTRAORDINARY. Waikato women, shining bright, working 

hard, achieving great things, often quietly in the background. 

Come along, have a drink, hear some struggles and success 

stories, learn from each other, and most of all, hang with the 

girls. You deserve it! 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

Business Floor, Wintec House 

Cnr Nisbet and Anglesea Street, HAMILTON 

07 839 5895 | help@waikatochamber.co.nz 

www.waikatochamber.co.nz 

From page 3 

to have a variety of housing 

choices.” 

The idea is that people 

can buy in at different levels 

throughout the rollout, likely 

to take about seven years. “It’s 

important from a sales point 

of view that you can tap into 

different markets, but it’s also 

important from the community 

point of view. 

“It means you get different 

age groups, you get different 

income groups.” 

Lot sizes will range from 

more than 700 sq m down to 

200 sq m, with most coming 

in between 400 sq m and 600 

sq m. 

That might mean, for 

instance, a couple whose family 

have grown up can downsize 

from a five-bedroom 

house to two bedrooms and 

stay in the area, Kobus says. 

Cul-de-sacs will be kept to 

an absolute minimum, built 

only when the slope of the 

area is a barrier to building 

through-streets. Kobus decries 

cul-de-sacs as a potential barrier 

to connecting communities 

and says there are ways of 

making other streets equally 

quiet, while fostering communication 

between people. 

The masterplan also pays 

attention to the environment 

and biodiversity. 

A pre-European cultivation 

area will become a 1.5ha 

reserve, and planting will be 

done in the Mangakotukutuku 

gully. Trees along the banks 

of the Waikato River will be 

retained. 

Kobus says “rain gardens” 

built as part of the development 

will probably be the 

top example in the country 

of removing contaminants by 

soaking up rain water. In place 

of berms, strips next to the 

roads will hold stones and be 

planted with grasses, with the 

water that soaks through being 

cleaned up before getting into 

the soil. Runoff from normal 

rainfall will be entirely contained, 

he says. 

The river side of the development 

will see low-speed, 

pedestrian-friendly lanes, 

rather than the common sight 

of cul-de-sacs fingering out 

into such public spaces. The 

intent is to make the spaces 

feel “truly public”, Kobus 

says. 

“All of that is very public. 

Anyone can go there and not 

feel like I’m in anyone else’s 

place. 

“That’s what’s going to 

make this place truly different. 

That’s what’s going to make 

you and me from outside go 

there and feel welcome with 

walking and cycling.” 

It’s important to be 

emotionally intelligent 

THOUGHTS FROM AN EDUCATOR 

> BY GRANT LANDER 

Grant Lander is the Headmaster at St Paul’s Collegiate School 

in Hamilton. Email: stpauls@stpauls.school.nz 

Most of us will be 

aware that at different 

points in our life, 

emotional intelligence (EI) 

will often be more important 

than our intellectual intelligence. 

Some teenagers fare 

better in the social world 

than others and there is growing 

evidence that continuing 

development in social and 

emotional development can 

also have a substantial impact 

on academic achievement. As 

parents, we want our children 

to have the capacity to recognise 

their own feelings and the 

feelings of others. 

Daniel Goleman, a well-respected 

researcher and writer 

in this area, states, “if your 

emotional abilities aren’t 

in hand, if you don’t have 

self-awareness, if you are not 

able to manage your distressing 

emotions, if you can’t have 

empathy and have effective 

relationships, then no matter 

how smart you are, you are not 

going to get very far”. 

Too many of our young 

people, at key points in their 

lives, lack grit and determination 

and so buckle in the face 

of disappointment and adversity. 

At St Paul’s, we want to 

help develop resilience, an 

ability to manage one’s emotions 

and provide a toolbox 

that will enable the younger 

generation to bounce back 

from the tough periods we all 

experience in adulthood. 

To that end, we established 

a partnership with Swinburne 

University of Technology in 

Victoria, Australia, which 

saw St Paul’s recognised as 

an international foundation 

school in the Aristotle Emotional 

Intelligence programme. 

We were the first school in the 

world to trial the Swinburne 

Emotional Development programme, 

within our health 

programme, through which 

all of our Year 9 students had 

their EI assessed and gained a 

rudimentary insight into emotional 

intelligence. 

Following that, with the 

support of Swinburne, an 

‘EI Booster’ programme was 

developed for our Year 10 students 

at Tihoi Venture School 

and at Year 11, we introduced 

a ‘Stress Management/Resilience 

Emotional Development’ 

programme focused on 

the challenges faced by students 

in managing their NCEA 

and Cambridge assessment 

commitments. 

At each of the year levels, 

students complete a Swinburne 

University Emotional 

Intelligence Test (SUEIT), 

used to assess the student’s 

level of EI. This in turn helps 

us to identify individual 

strengths and weaknesses, 

track development over the 

course of the programme and 

provide targeted support and 

interventions. Through intensive 

testing and training of 

our pastoral care, we hope to 

effectively support our students 

where their EI needs are 

greatest. 

Jessica Lahey in her book 

The Gift of Failure: How the 

best parents learn to let go 

so their children can succeed 

stated, “every time we rescue, 

hover or otherwise save 

our children from a challenge, 

we send a very clear message: 

that we believe that they are 

incompetent, incapable and 

unworthy of our trust. Further, 

we teach them to be dependent 

on us and thereby deny them 

the very education in competence 

we are put there on this 

earth to hand down”. 

The EI initiative, when 

combined with the Tihoi Venture 

School experience, aims 

to develop independent and 

resourceful young adults who 

have the confidence to challenge 

themselves against the 

best in their chosen area.


From the editor 

You know it’s nearly 

Fieldays time when 

the temperatures start 

to drop. But as Waikato enters 

another winter there are plenty 

of wins to celebrate. 

We lead this month’s 

Waikato Business News with 

the controversial Peacocke 

subdivision to the south/west 

of Hamilton. 

The proposed Peacocke 

development – touted to ultimately 

add another 8000 

houses to Hamilton –marks a 

move away from decades of 

growth to the north of the city. 

At Hamilton City Council’s 

Long Term Plan deliberations 

in late May and early June the 

fate of Peacocke subdivision 

was finally sealed. 

Despite a free loan from the 

Government’s Housing Infrastructure 

Fund, Peacocke was 

a big financial commitment 

with an expensive bridge costing 

more than $100 million. 

There was also some support 

for developing Rotokauri 

instead so the council’s vote 

was predictably close. 

Waikato Business News 

again marks TechWeek which 

is fast becoming an institution, 

playing on Hamilton and 

Waikato’s burgeoning IT scene 

which is the fastest growing 

in the country. A key focus of 

the week was showcasing the 

breadth of technology talent 

and expertise across the region 

and more than 1300 people 

took part in 21 events across 

Waikato. 

Seven Waikato companies 

are finalists at the 2018 Air 

New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ 

Awards in Auckland in June. 

The Waikato finalists are Gallagher 

Group, Company-X, 

Helix Flight Manufacturing 

Machines, Progressive 

Hydraulics, Loadscan, Hunter 

Filling Systems and Endace 

Technology Limited. 

We also salute participants 

in the NZIA Waikato/Bay of 

Plenty Architecture Awards, 

in particular Edwards White 

Architects which won five 

awards for projects including 

for Victoria On The River. 

It seems to be awards season 

and appropriately, two of 

our columnists – Heather Claycomb 

and Vicki Jones – look 

closely at the pros and cons 

of entering industry awards or 

trade fairs. They also provide 

some tips to make the adventure 

easier. 

Lastly we congratulate New 

Zealand National Agricultural 

Fieldays for 50 years of success 

and wish the Society well 

for its event on June 13. 

Geoff Taylor 

Editor 

MONTHLY POLL 

VOTE AND WIN 

Sponsored by the Helm 

Bar and Kitchen 

This month’s poll 

Hamilton City Council is about to allocate a portion of its transport 

budget on creating more cycle ways including looking at an off road 

cycleway between Waikato University and the CBD. Are councillors 

on the right track? Do you support more council spending on cycleways? 

Vote on the WBN website (www.wbn.co.nz) and fill in the entry form 

to be in to win a meal voucher for two at The Helm Bar & Kitchen. 

Voting closes Wednesday June 27. 

Last month’s results 

Should the Waikato Regional Theatre be based 

by the river or at the Founders Theatre site? 

Waikato Regional Theatre should be built at the riverside location as 

proposed by Momentum Waikato, according to WBN readers, two 

thirds of whom supported that option. Sixty-eight percent went for 

the earmarked site at the old Hamilton Hotel with just 32 percent still 

pushing for the theatre at the old Founders Theatre site. 

32% 

68% 

32% 

68% 

Do you support Hamilton City 

Council spending more on 

cycleways? 

A. Yes it makes sense 

B. No it’s a waste of time 

Cast your vote at: 

www.wbn.co.nz 

WINNER OF THE HELM DINNER VOUCHER IS: 

Sherilyn Tasker 

Old Founders Theatre site 

New river site 

LJ Hooker Cancer Society Ball returns 

After a sell-out inaugural 

event in 2017, the LJ 

Hooker Cancer Society 

Ball is back for the second year. 

Ball attendees will be transported 

to a winter wonderland 

at Mystery Creek Events Centre 

on Saturday July 21, where 

they will enjoy a three-course 

meal, live and silent auctions, 

an assortment of entertainment 

and dancing to a live band. 

The major fundraiser will 

not only be a fabulous night of 

black-tie glamour and sophistication, 

but it will enable the 

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer 

Society to continue providing 

its much needed services in the 

community. 

Chief executive Shelley 

Campbell, who joined the Cancer 

Society in October, says the 

fundraising is vital. “We need 

to raise $4.5 million every year 

just to maintain the level of support 

we currently provide.” 

“Cancer affects not only the 

person diagnosed but also their 

loved ones – sons and daughters, 

parents, siblings, partners, 

friends, husbands and wives. 

This event is crucial for the one 

in three people in our community 

who are affected by cancer,” 

Ms Campbell says. 

“After the success of last 

year, we are looking forward to 

another fantastic night for the 

many people who support us 

and the work we do.” 

The Cancer Society provides 

free supportive care services for 

people with all types of cancer, 

raises awareness through education 

programmes and funds 

vital cancer research. 

Every person who purchases 

a ticket and/or bids generously 

during on-the-night auctions 

will be helping to keep these 

services free for those who need 

them. 

“We urge businesses and 

individuals to get behind this 

event and buy their tickets 

now,” says Ms Campbell. 

Generous support and some 

exciting auction bidding at the 

2017 event raised $100,000. 

This year, live auction items 

include two nights’ accommodation 

for two at the iconic 

Farm at Cape Kidnappers in 

Hawke’s Bay. More auction 

items will be announced closer 

to the night. 

Tell your family, friends and 

colleagues – don’t miss a spectacular 

night out, helping make 

a life-changing difference for 

Kiwis affected by cancer. 

Event information: 

Date: Saturday July 21. Doors 

open at 5.30pm. 

Venue: Mystery Creek Events 

Centre 

Tickets: Available now at 

eventfinda.co.nz. 

Prices: Tables of 10 for 

$1700; VIP tables of 10 for 

$2000; single tickets $180. 

The ticket price includes a 

three-course dinner prepared 

by Hamilton-based caterers, 

Kerr and Ladbrook, live entertainment, 

and beverages with 

dinner. 

Saturday 21st july 2018 

mystery creek events centre 

Tickets at eventfinda.co.nz 

A9081T 

Have a ball ... make it matter 

#CANCERSOCIETYBALL 

WWW.CANCERNZ.ORG.NZ

Company-X up for 

second export award 

Growing overseas 

market makes 

software specialist 

stand out. 


7 

Company-X has been 

named a finalist in the 

2018 Air New Zealand 

Cargo ExportNZ Awards. 

The fast-growing Hamilton 

based software specialist, 

founded by directors David 

Hallett and Jeremy Hughes in 

2012, is a finalist in the BDO 

Best Medium Business for Services 

category. 

Company-X clients include 

large, multi-national, businesses 

headquartered overseas, for 

whom the Company-X team 

has designed and developed 

bespoke software solutions. 

The company, based in 

Wintec House on the corner of 

Anglesea and Nisbet Streets, 

Hamilton, was ranked on the 

Deloitte Technology Fast 500 

Asia Pacific 2017 index of the 

500 fastest growing technology 

companies in the Asia Pacific 

region. 

Company-X entered the 


at number 330 in December, 

having achieved revenue 

growth of 138 per cent over 

three years. 

The Company-X team has 

almost doubled since November, 

2016, from around 30 to 

more than 50 team members. 

Company-X won the Services 

Exporter of the Year 

award at the Air New Zealand 

EXPORT EXCELLENCE: Company-X directors 

Jeremy Hughes, left, and David Hallett, 

centre with BDO’s Andrew Bathgate. 

Cargo ExportNZ Awards last 

year for businesses with export 

revenue of up to $10 million. 

“Our awards showcase a 

cross-section of some of our 

most ingenious and innovative 

businesses in the export sector,” 

ExportNZ Waikato Manager 

Sharon Robertson says. 

This year, the category 

winners from the respective 

ExportNZ regional awards 

programmes automatically 

qualify for entry into the New 

Zealand International Business 

Awards (NZIBA), run by 

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise 

(NZTE). 

ExportNZ Auckland and 

ExportNZ Waikato are divisions 

of the Employers and 

Manufacturers Association. 

The 2018 awards will be presented 

at a black-tie gala dinner 

on Thursday, June 28 in 

Auckland. 

David and Jeremy thanked 

the Company-X team after becoming 

finalists. 

“We’re finalists in this 

award because of our hard 

working and dedicated team,” 

David says. 

“We only hire the best and 

the brightest, that is why we do 

so well,” Jeremy says. 

Congratulations to the 

growing Company-X team! 

Company-X is a finalist in the 2018 Air New Zealand 

Cargo ExportNZ Awards in the BDO Best Medium 

Business for Services category 

We really like solving problems with software. Tell us yours. 

0800 552 551 

info@companyx.nz 

www.companyx.nz 

Testing times assures quality for company's clients 

Testing, deployment and support are 

all part of the Company-X experience. 

Every software development 

project at Company-X 

goes through testing 

times. 

The Hamilton software specialist 

recommends its output 

undergoes rigorous testing before 

it can be released. 

Company-X’s team of more 

than 50 includes professional 

software testers whose job it is 

to test the software before it is 

deployed. 

"Our software testers are involved 

in the quality assurance 

stage of software development 

and deployment,” says Company-X 

director David Hallett. 

“They conduct tests to ensure 

the software created by 

developers is fit for purpose. 

Software testing involves the 

analysis of software, and systems, 

to avert risk and prevent 

software issues.” 

Ultimately Company-X’s 

software testers are employed 

to find bugs, and any other issues, 

before the software is deployed 

to everyday users. 

A software bug is an error, 

flaw, failure or fault that causes 

the software to produce an incorrect 

or unexpected result, or 

to behave in unintended ways. 

Company-X software testers 

aim to find any and every 

bug in the software before it is 

deployed. Their approach is to 

understand the user requirements, 

write a test case and 

carry out the necessary testing. 

Bugs are documented by 

the software tester, who alerts 

the software developer and 

asks for the issues to be fixed. 

“Testing plays an important 

role in the software development 

life-cycle. Testing helps 

improve the quality, reliability 

and performance of the system. 

It’s about checking the software 

does what it is supposed to and 

is not doing what it’s not supposed 

to do,” David says. 

“The best software testers 

will do their hardest to 

break the software before it 

is deployed into the wild,” 

adds Company-X professional 

services manager Michael 

Hamid. 

Company-X also recommends 

a second round of testing 

by a select group of users 

suggested by the client for who 

the software is being developed. 

The users test it for functionality 

and make suggestion 

on how it can be enhanced and 

improved. 

“These testers are usually 

subject matter experts,” Michael 

says. “They would know, 

far better than us, when something 

is not right. They know 

their data far better than we do.” 

Company-X asks for feedback 

throughout the testing 

period. Bugs are immediately 

fixed. Other feedback is collated 

and, depending on the 

client’s wishes, addressed 

before the software is deployed 

for general use or held 

back for deployment at some 

other time. 

Software deployment is 

TEAM: A Company-X development team at work. They are (L-R) software architect Rachel Primrose, senior developer 

Rob Scovell, analyst developer Ryan O’Connor, software architect Luke McGregor, professional services manager 

Michael Hamid and analyst developer Arno van Niekirk. 

carefully managed. 

“We usually deploy software 

we’ve developed after 

standard working hours for our 

clients,” Michael says. 

“Usually that’s after 5pm in 

the week, or at weekends, but 

not always. It’s really important 

for our team to understand 

our clients’ businesses well so 

that we cause the least disruption 

upon deployment.” 

A further, brief, test is 

necessary immediately after 

deployment to ensure that the 

software is behaving as expected 

with the client’s hardware. 

Company-X offers support 

for any software it develops. 

Users needing help with 

Company-X developed software, 

and users with a question 

about it can phone or email 

the Company-X customer 

help desk. 

“This means help is always 

a phone call or email away,” 

David says. 

Company-X support analysts 

work alongside business 

analysts and software developers, 

giving them access to the 

brains behind the software. 

Software development at 

Company-X begins with a conversation 

between the client 

and the directors. The conversation 

continues with Michael 

and a project manager, systems 

architect, business analyst and 

developers. 

When development work 

starts, Company-X releases 

the software in iterations 

which allow the client to get 

their hands on working software 

as early as possible in 

the process.


Conversations with Mike Neale 

of NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

Misconceptions, 

Damned Misconceptions - and Statistics 

The memory is a funny thing and we all 

seem to remember our childhoods with 

the long hot summers – my suspicion 

is that the weather statistics would not 

support many of our rose-tinted memories. 

The same can probably be applied 

to what many recall as the glory days in 

Hamilton. 

The recently released Industrial, Office 

and Retail Surveys suggest that the 

transition and fall in vacancy rates over 

the last 10 years has been steady, but actually 

it has been profound. 

The Hamilton City Council would 

suggest they have been the key to this 

transition, while my strong suspicion is 

that a lot of this has happened in spite of 

Council. With the CBD they did in fact 

open the gates to let residential houses be 

converted to offices in the suburban areas, 

which at one stage according to one survey 

had 27,000sqm of houses being used 

for offices outside of the CBD. To give 

credit where credit is due though, Council 

has closed this loophole and instigated 

other initiates like the City Living precincts 

for intensive residential development, 

and the remission of CBD Development 

Contributions which has led to us 

being on the cusp of a revitalised CBD. 

8.0% 

7.0% 

6.0% 

5.0% 

4.0% 

3.0% 

2.0% 

1.0% 

0.0% 

A Buoyant Outlook for Hamilton 

Continues 

Hamilton Industrial Occupancy Rates 

Leading the way is the industrial sector 

with an overall occupancy rate of 98.5%, 

even with the new recently completed developments 

adding to the total industrial 

stock surveyed. The majority of new space 

has been spoken for before construction 

even began (or certainly completed). In the 

last 12 month, over 49,000sqm of industrial 

space was added to the survey, taking 

the total building area to 1.68 million sqm 

(heading towards being the same size as 

the total land area of Monaco of 2.02 million 

sqm). Te Rapa leads the new development, 

particularly the southern and northern 

precincts of Te Rapa Gateway. 

Industrial land prices in Te Rapa continue 

to be up to half the rate of key industrial 

sites in Auckland, while there also remains 

a reasonably signification differentiation 

to Tauranga prices as well. The growth 

to date has also been fuelled by available 

25.0% 

20.0% 

15.0% 

10.0% 

5.0% 

0.0% 

Mike Neale - Managing Director, 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton. 

land for expansion. However, further land 

for growth is running out, which may be a 

real issue. 

Hamilton CBD Office Occupancy Rates 

In the six months to December 2017, 

Hamilton CBD office overall occupancy 

decreased slightly to 93.0%. Although on 

the surface the increase in vacancy raises 

concern, there are still a number of factors 

indicating a positive office leasing environment. 

The catalyst for the current popularity 

and demand for high quality refurbished 

Hamilton Historical Industrial Vacancy Rate 

Dec-11 Dec-12 Dec-13 Dec-14 Dec-15 Dec-16 Dec-17 

Te Rapa North Te Rapa South Frankton Overall 

B Grade space started in no small way 

with Stark Property’s purchase of the AMI 

building in 2013/14. They purchased at a 

time when Hamilton CBD needed someone 

to take up the challenge (and opportunity) 

– since then 10+ vacant or soon to 

be vacant buildings in the CBD have been 

extensively refurbished and tenanted, totalling 

in excess of 10,000sqm of floor space 

(this does not include Hamilton Central / 

Kmart – but watch that space too) – all “on 

spec” with no prior tenant commitment, 

other than a vision of what they could 

achieve with the buildings and backing 

themselves. They should be thanked for 

the risks that they took on, the stunning 

environments they have provided for businesses 

and the wonderful assets that they 

have created. 

Without doubt this has given many other 

developers and investors the confidence 

to make investments in the CBD, as was 

evidenced most recently by Ian Cassels of 

The Wellington Company purchasing the 

IRD building in Bryce Street. 

Hamilton CBD Historical Office Vacancy Rate 

Prime Secondary Tertiary Overall CBD 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed 

Agent REAA 2008 

Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON 

07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz 

www.naiharcourts.co.nz 

Montana Catering director Dallas Fisher. 

Montana brand change 

reflects growing role 

Iconic Hamilton catering company Montana 

Catering has announced the evolution of 

its name to Montana Food and Events to 

reflect the complexity and professionalism 

of its operations. 

“We have always 

prided ourselves 

as being 

an innovative forward-focused 

company, often ahead of the 

market,” states general manager 

Peter Stark. “As such 

we think it’s the right time to 

reflect the true nature of our 

work, the professionalism and 

standards we seek to achieve 

and surpass.” 

While the catering term 

may have connotations of sausage 

rolls on a plate and after 

match bun fights, Montana has 

always been well ahead of the 

norm in its operations. 

Starting from humble beginnings 

as Montana Restaurant in 

Victoria Street in the ‘60s, the 

advent of professional rugby 

and the opening of Waikato 

Stadium, as it was known in 

2002, propelled the company 

to the forefront of large scale 

catering and complex event 

management. 

“The stadium took our 

operation to a whole new 

level. Serving 1000-plus corporate 

dinners at All Blacks or 

Lions fixtures, with the highest 

food quality and management 

demanded, changed our game 

completely,” says Peter. “We 

want our name to reflect the 

quality and magnitude of the 

events and functions we manage, 

plus the technology incorporated 

and the creation of 

magnificent meals using fresh 

ingredients in a sustainable 

manner.” 

The name Montana remains 

at the forefront as the organisation 

looks to build on its solid 

reputational foundation. 

The foundation is broader 

than just the provision of high 

quality functions and events, 

given the company’s well 

known community support, 

highlighted recently by its fifth 

year as major sponsorship of 

Hospice Waikato’s Montana 

Bucket List Dinner. 

Food remains paramount in 

the company’s vision with the 

mantra being – the difference 

is always on the plate. The 

aspiration is to produce top 

restaurant quality food but with 

the ability to deliver to intimate 

dinners or large gatherings. 

The addition of ‘Events’ to 

the name acknowledges the 

growing complexity of conferences, 

functions and major 

dinners that the company now 

manages. 

The logistics, set ups, theming 

and operation involved in 

delivering large quantities of 

meals in confined spaces, regularly 

to 500 plus customers 

is being recognised and promoted. 

Not only are the Montana 

chefs highly trained and 

experienced staff members but 

so are the operations, logistics 

and front of house team. 

Director, Dallas Fisher 

noted that the Montana growth 

has been exponential in the last 

few years and that they have 

created of an umbrella Montana 

Group brand to link this 

development. “We now operate 

extensive catering operations 

in Auckland and Waikato 

with a range of major partnerships 

with key organisations, 

employing more than 200 permanent 

staff. Twenty-seven 

kitchens, one vision.” 

Montana Food and Events 

remains the flagship Waikato 

brand and is the resident 

caterer at the H3 Suite of venues 

– FMG Stadium Waikato, 

Claudelands Event Centre and 

Seddon Park. It also manages a 

significant out- catering operation 

at venues of their clients’ 

choice. Flame Tree Kitchens is 

the resident caterer for Auckland 

University’s Halls of Residence, 

functions, conferences 

and a range of retail operations. 

Like Kahurangi, University of 

Waikato’s equivalent brand, it 

is operated by Montana Group 

in a joint partnership. The company 

also has significant partnerships 

in place with Auckland 

Grammar and St Peter’s 

Cambridge as it continues to 

develop its growth within the 

education sector. They recently 

launched their Village brand, as 

a specialist operator at outdoor 

events with numbers beyond 

5000. Their skills were showcased 

at the HSBC NZ Sevens 

Tournament in Hamilton and 

the ACL festival in Auckland 

earlier this year. 

“These are very exciting 

times for Montana Group,” 

states Dallas. “We continue to 

grow and forge innovative partnerships 

and maintain our position 

as the leading independent 

caterer in New Zealand.” 

New boss at Paterson Burn 

Paterson Burn Optometrists 

is pleased to welcome 

Cale Stevenson as 

its newly appointed chief executive. 

Cale brings a wealth of 

experience to this position, with 

more than 20 years working in 

the retail space, including for 

brands such as Foodstuffs and 

Kathmandu. 

“We are very fortunate to 

have Cale join the team,” director 

Adrian Paterson said. 

“His business, communication, 

retailing and understanding 

of eye care, makes him the 

ideal person to take Paterson 

Burn Optometrists into the next 

stage of our growth.” 

Paterson Burn Optometrists 

has been a presence in the 

Waikato community for more 

than 90 years and is one of the 

largest independent optometry 

groups in New Zealand, with 

nine practices throughout the 

Waikato and Auckland. 

Cale said he is excited to 

bring his experience to the team 

and to be given the opportunity 

to work with Paterson Burn. 

His skillset includes considerable 

exposure to research 

and development, marketing, 

finance, sales, acquisitions, 

development, and property. 

“I look forward to leading 

such a talented group of people 

who are incredibly passionate 

about patients’ needs within the 

optical space and the community, 

delivering the best visual 

solutions possible,” Cale said. 

Cale replaces Darren Savage 

who has moved in to an interim 

CFO position within the business. 

“I am honoured that the Paterson 

Burn Optometrists’ board 

New Paterson Burn chief 

executive Cale Stevenson. 

of directors chose me to follow 

in the footsteps of Darren, 

who has left the company in an 

excellent position,” Cale said. 

“I am also thrilled that I 

will have the ability to rely on 

Darren’s counsel over the coming 

year as he is an exceptional 

executive and leader.”


9 

Waikato companies 

feature in Export finals 

From left, Mark Evans, Endace Technology, Sneha Tiwary and Sandy Mathur from Helix 

Flight Manufacturing Machines Ltd, Chris Gardener, David Hallett and Jeremy Hughes 

from Company-X, Sharon Robertson, ExportNZ Waikato executive officer, Carey West 

from Loadscan, Angela and Rodney Sharp from Progress Equipment Ltd and Niall Fuller 

from Hunter Filling Systems. A Gallagher Group representative was not in the photo. 

Seven Waikato companies are finalists at 

the 2018 Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ 

Awards in Auckland in June. 

Seven of the finalist companies 

are from Waikato. 

“I’m delighted with the 

diverse range of finalists we 

Braemar Hospital 

have in this year’s awards. It’s 

important we take time to celebrate 

and acknowledge the 

taking good care of you 

The Waikato finalists est levels in all major racing 

include heavyweights jurisdictions and NZB’s Karaka success of our exporters,” says 

Gallagher Group (Westpac 

Sales Centre is renowned as the Catherine Lye, ExportNZ Auckland 

Best Large Business for 

Goods category) and Company-X 

(BDO Best Medium 

Business for Services). Others 

are Helix Flight Manufacturing 

Machines, Progressive Hydraulics 

and Loadscan (DHL Best 

Emerging Business for Goods) 

and Hunter Filling Systems 

and (Ports of Auckland Best 

Medium Business for Goods) 

primary source of these champion 

racehorses. 

Loadscan Limited enables 

industry to accurately manage 

loads instead of relying on 

weight or guesswork. Its system 

delivers insightful data including 

3D load profiles, from a single 

drive-through scan. 

Progressive Hydraulics Limited 

specialises in design, manufacture 

manager. 

“Our awards showcase a 

cross-section of some of our 

most ingenious and innovative 

businesses in the export sector,” 

says Sharon Robertson, 

ExportNZ Waikato manager. 

The variety of companies 

named as finalists demonstrate 

the vibrancy of the export sector. 

From primary industry to 

and Endace Technology Limited 

and installation of simple tourism, manufacturing and 

(Baldwins Intellectual Property 

Excellence in Innovation). 

Helix Flight Manufacturing 

Machines Limited specialises 

to complex hydraulic industrial 

and mobile systems. The Hamilton-based 

company claims its 

patented SharpGrade, ScapeRake 

high-tech services, judges were 

impressed with the calibre and 

range of companies which made 

it through to be finalists. 

in producing machines to manufacture 

and Katipo are simple, easy This year, the category 

sectional helix forming 

machines. These are used in 

the production of augers, screw 

conveyors, agitators, and many 

other screw flighted products. Its 

to use with low operating costs 

and exported worldwide. 

Company-X is a fast-growing 

software specialist company 

which designs and develops 

winners from the respective 

ExportNZ regional awards programmes 

automatically qualify 

for entry into the New Zealand 

International Business Awards 

world leading technology “Manufacturing 

bespoke software solutions. (NZIBA), run by New Zealand 

Machinery” and Clients include large, multi-na- 

Trade and Enterprise (NZTE). 

“Design Software” enables the tional, businesses headquartered The collaboration between • 

• 

Gallagher Group Limited Asia Pacific 2017 index of the programme of awards for 2018, • 

flexible design and manufacture 

of highly accurate flights. 

overseas. It is ranked on the 


NZTE and ExportNZ will create 

a cohesive and exciting 

is a global leader in designing 500 fastest growing technology 

companies in the region. end of the year. 

culminating in the NZIBA at the • 

ground-breaking animal management, 

security and fuel sys- 

Hunter Filling Systems Limited ExportNZ Auckland and • 

tems solutions. As a successful has been designing and manufacturing 

ExportNZ Waikato are divisions 

liquid and powder of the Employers and Manu- 

private company in New Zealand, 

Gallagher employs more filling systems for more than facturers Association. The 2018 Ask for Braemar 

than 1000 staff worldwide 55 years. It also provides heat awards will be presented at a 

throughout North America, sealing, lidding, cap tightening black-tie gala dinner on Thursday, 

Europe, Asia, South Africa, Australia 

and New Zealand. 

New Zealand Bloodstock is 

a leading thoroughbred bloodstock 

company servicing an 

and container handling equipment. 

Hunter Fillers are simple 

to operate, easy to clean, fast and 

accurate. It prides itself on its 

after sales service, maintenance 

June 28 in Auckland. 

The other two categories 

are the Air New Zealand Cargo 

Supreme Winner (selected from 

the winners of award categories 

international customer base and reconditioning. 

1-6) and the Auckland International 

Airport Exporters Cham- 

through its auction house, airfreight, 

Overall, there are 27 finalists 

Waikato 

insurance, and finance in seven 

Branch 

categories (see below) pion (for 

– 

exemplary 

Upcoming 

services to 

events/courses 

operations. New Zealand thoroughbreds 

perform at the hightered 

in Auckland and Waikato. the awards evening from 25 companies headquar- 

export), which are announced at 

June. 

At the Institute of Directors 

we’re on the pulse of governance. 

Connecting, equipping and 

10-11 April 2018 

CPD: 14 points 

Waikato Branch IoD Leadership Conference 

– Upcoming events/courses 

inspiring directors through thought SKYCITY Auckland 

leadership and our extensive 

At the Institute of Directors 

At network, the Institute professional Directors governance 

we’re on the pulse of governance. 

we’re courses, on the events pulse and of resources. governance. 



inspiring directors through thought 

inspiring directors through thought 



network, professional governance 

network, professional governance 

courses, events and resources. 

courses, events and resources. 

Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by: 

16 5 June May 2018 

10-11 April 2018 

10-11 Governance Emerging April Director 2018 in a private Award equity applications investment open! context 

IoD Leadership Conference 

IoD Speaker: For Leadership more Peter information, Conference 

Tinholt, please Oriens Capital contact Waikato Branch Manager 

SKYCITY Auckland 

SKYCITY 12.00pm Auckland – 2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato 

CPD: 2 points 



16 May 2018 

CPD: points 

16 38 July May 2018 and 29 May 2018 

CPD: 2 points 

Governance in private equity investment context 

Governance ‘Emerging Director in and a private Decision-Making Award equity Dinner investment Series” at the Reserve context Bank of New Zealand 

Speaker: Peter Tinholt, Oriens Capital 

Speaker: 5.00pm – Peter 7.00pm, Neil Quigley, Tinholt, Gothenburg Oriens Chair, Capital Reserve Restaurant Bank of New Zealand 

12.00pm 2.00pm, FMG Stadium Waikato 

12.00pm ** for more – 2.00pm, information, FMG Stadium please contact Waikato Waikato Branch Manager 

To register, please contact: 

Megan Beveridge, 

Branch Manager 

Waikato.branch@iod.org.nz, 

021 358772 or www.iod.org.nz 

To register, please contact: 

To 

Megan 

register, 

Beveridge, 

please contact: 

Megan 

Branch 

Beveridge, 

Manager 

Branch 


Manager 




J7018P 

Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by: 

Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by:


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11 

Techweek’18 Waikato celebrates 

tech talent across the region 

Waikato’s week-long technology 

symposium, Techweek’18 Waikato, has 

been hailed a success by organisers, 

participants and attendees. 

Running from May 19 

to 25, Techweek’18 

Waikato hosted information 

and communications 

technology (ICT) and innovation-inspired 

events at 

Waikato Innovation Park and 

locations around Hamilton and 

the wider Waikato region. The 

Waikato event ran in parallel 

with the nationwide Techweek 

festival, organised by NZTech 

and supported by the Ministry 

of Business, Innovation and 

Employment (MBIE). 

According to the 2017 

Technology Investment Network 

(TIN) report, Waikato is 

the fastest growing technology 

region in the country. Waikato 

Techweek’18 project lead Jannat 

Maqbool says a key focus 

of the week was showcasing 

the breadth of technology talent 

and expertise across the 

region. 

“We had more than 1300 

people join us at 21 events 

across Waikato,” says Jannat. 

“We wanted to showcase 

the advantages of working in 

ICT in the Waikato region, 

and the depth of tech talent 

here. It’s amazing how much 

creativity and innovation there 

are in small towns, and we can 

tend to overlook them for the 

bigger cities, so we made sure 

events in Raglan, Thames, 

Taupo and Paeroa were on the 

agenda.” 

Jannat says the featured 

event, the Internet of Things 

(IoT) tour, was a highlight 

among the Waikato events. 

The Internet of Things 

focuses on the connectivity 

between things – devices, 

appliances and machinery – 

and how data can be collected, 

analysed and shared to solve 

problems and drive innovation. 

“During Techweek’18 

Techweek exhibitors at Waikato Innovation Park. 

Waikato more than 200 

attendees were able to gain 

great insights into how IoT 

is being applied around us at 

a regional level,” says Jannat. 

“This included the work 

of world-leading technical 

and scientific experts in Raglan 

to the applications of IoT 

in healthcare showcased at 

Zealong Tea Estate in Gordonton. 

Attendees learned 

about a telepresence robot and 

what the future looks like for 

pro-active primary care. The 

focus in Hamilton was smart 

cities, and in Paeroa they 

learned about the application 

of IoT in primary industries.” 

“In its early days the Internet 

of Things centred on individual 

consumers and how 

they can use technology to 

enhance their lives. Now we’re 

seeing large organisations and 

cities start to adopt this technology 

to create connections 

between information technology 

(IT) and physical objects 

on a much larger scale.” 

Jannat says the Māori 

Tech Showcase at Wintec was 

another major highlight of 

Techweek’18. 

Connections, knowledge sharing 

and inspiration – what a week! 

By JANNAT MAQBOOL 

In November I was thrilled 

to be asked to lead the 

Techweek 2018 initiative 

for the Waikato region. It has 

been a lot of work pulling it 

together, with a great team of 

people and loads of support, 

and I think we can all say that 

it’s been a great success. 

Techweek’18 Waikato 

started on Saturday May 19 

with a robotics and coding 

workshop for girls at the University 

of Waikato and ended 

with a Social Media workshop 

hosted by Social Listening 

and a technology themed 

TEDx Ruakura Salon event at 

Waikato Innovation Park on 

Friday May 25. 

It has been fantastic to witness 

the programme of events 

running thanks to the support 

of sponsors, participants and 

attendees as well as all the hard 

work of the organisers and 

many volunteers. I remember 

someone saying earlier this 

year “If we can pull this off, 

it will be amazing!” and based 

on all the feedback we have 

Innovation Park business growth manager 

Craig Purcell speaks at the event. 

For me although 

Techweek is a 

nationwide initiative it 

is about how a festival 

celebrating technology 

innovation can benefit 

local people and 

businesses 

received “We did it!”. 

There were more than 1300 

attendees over the week – our 

youngest an infant and our 

oldest a 90 year old grandmother. 

Attendees came from 

business, technology companies, 

start-ups, local schools, 

tertiary organisations, community 

groups, councils, and 

everywhere in between. Many 

came to more than one event, 

which added a sense of community 

and connectiveness. 

We had people joining the IoT 

tour from outside Waikato, 

excited to be on a technology 

inspired “road trip”, as well as 

others that were appreciative 

of events held during the day 

that enabled them to attend 

during normal office hours, 

plus many that found it useful 

to be able to find out more 

about speakers and exhibitors 

and connect with participants 

and attendees with the Techweek 

Waikato App (developed 

specifically for the festival in 

collaboration with Room 9 

and LayerX). 

A highlight for me was having 

school students not only 

attend but in many cases contribute 

to the success of events 

including the girls’ coding 

and robotics workshop, all 

the youth at the Maori Tech 

Showcase, Ngaruawahia High 

School students exhibiting 

and speaking about their EVolocity 

electronic vehicle projects 

and participating in the 

future of work and education 

panel discussion, the mostly 

female digital technologies 

class that made the trip to the 

Thames technology breakfast 

from Whangamata Area 

Company-X director David Hallett, Labour MP Jamie 

Strange and Techweek project leader Jannat Maqbool. 

School, and Paeroa College 

students presenting the IoT 

project they are working on 

with Agrisea for the Waikato 

wide Young Innovators Challenge. 

For me although Techweek 

is a nationwide initiative it is 

about how a festival celebrating 

technology innovation 

can benefit local people and 

businesses, and the Waikato 

region. I think the Maori 

Tech Showcase really brought 

that together and someone 

summed it up nicely on the 

night by describing the event 

as having a “real soul”. 

This year was partly about 

seeing what works and what 

doesn’t and the approach we 

took in asking for wider input 

into planning is an example of 

something that I think worked 

well. We wanted to find out 

about as many things people 

were working on and planning 

or wanting to do and achieve 

that were technology-driven 

and good for the world and 

pull them altogether. We 

wanted to provide an opportunity 

for as many people and 

organisations as possible to 

“We know the Māori economy 

in Waikato is growing 

fast in a business sense, and 

it’s also growing rapidly from 

an IT and technology point of 

view. 

“More than 400 people 

attended the Māori Tech 

Showcase, which shows the 

interest the sector is gaining, 

and how the use of IT and 

technology are being used to 

enhance Māori business activity 

and connect people to New 

Zealand’s cultural story.” 

Craig Purcell, business 

growth manager at Waikato 

Innovation Park and one of 

Techweek’18 Waikato organisers, 

says he’s continually 

impressed by the brain power, 

connections and technology in 

the Waikato region. 

“I’m blown away by the 

sheer amount of IT talent in 

this region,” he says. “People 

of all ages and across all different 

sectors turned out to 

see our events in Hamilton, 

Thames, Taupo, Raglan and 

Paeroa, and talking to them I 

know they walked away with 

an appreciation of the IT talent 

in this region”. 

“The fact that we are part of 

the national Techweek shows 

Jannat Maqbool speaks at Techweek’18. 

participate and contribute to 

the week-long celebration. 

There was also an element of 

trying to reduce duplication 

and wanting to illustrate how 

much capacity we had in the 

region, to encourage more of 

us to work together and use 

resources effectively, plus we 

wanted to consider themes 

that were not only relevant 

regionally but a focus for government 

and globally. 

Techweek’18 Waikato has 

resulted in a great deal of 

knowledge sharing and generated 

plenty of discussion as 

we can be really proud of the 

quality and scale of events 

hosted in the Waikato region.” 

Craig says Techweek’18 

Waikato is just the beginning 

of initiatives to support the 

emerging and fast-growing IT 

sector in Waikato. Other initiatives 

include the establishment 

of CultivateIT, a cluster group 

of Waikato ICT companies and 

tech professionals created in 

2017 to help retain skills and 

build capacity in the Waikato 

region. 

“The sector is thriving and 

the more support and celebration 

we can give it, the better. 

The IT and technology sector 

in Waikato – and New Zealand 

– are growing rapidly and in 

the Waikato region we’re wellplaced 

to be at the forefront of 

that growth. 

“I suspect Techweek’18 

Waikato is just the beginning 

of an ongoing celebration of 

the capabilities of both the 

region and the country.” 

well as connecting those who 

would otherwise have continued 

to work away unaware 

of the opportunity to produce 

considerably more value for 

themselves, the Waikato and 

the New Zealand economy. 

Planning for next year will 

commence in August and, 

now that we have all had a 

taste of what is possible, we 

should be able to pull together 

a real showstopper for Techweek’19. 

Please contact me 

on Jannat.maqbool@wipltd. 

co.nz if you have any ideas for 

next year.

Growing Hamilton litigation firm there for all 

The name has changed for Hamilton law 

firm Braun, Bond & Lomas, but its focus on 

civil litigation remains the same. 


The firm of 10 lawyers, 

one of New Zealand’s 

biggest dispute resolution 

firms outside Auckland, 

has handled cases everywhere 

from Invercargill to Kaitaia. 

The firm doesn’t do criminal 

law or pure family law, but 

other than that the field is open, 

and clients include everyone 

from large corporates to neighbours 

in conflict. 

So what does a day in 

the life of a litigation lawyer 

involve? 

You get the phone call at 

the start of the morning. It’s 

the Waikato Hospital. This 

case is a bit different, though. 

They have a baby who needs 

an urgent blood transfusion, 

and the parents are Jehovah’s 

Witnesses. They won’t stand 

in the way of the procedure 

but can’t, because of their religious 

beliefs, give consent. 

For its part, the hospital can’t 

proceed without consent. Obviously 

time is pressing. Equally 

obviously, you have little experience 

in this particularly rarefied 

area of law. You scramble 

to your books, researching 

the law in the area, including 

precedent. You also contact the 

court registrar to notify them 

of what’s afoot. Fortunately, a 

High Court judge is in town. 

The solution will be to get a 

court-appointed guardian - in 

this case, it will be a paediatric 

doctor. By the end of the 

morning, you’re at the court, 

still in casual dress because of 

the rush, papers prepared, High 

Court judge informed. You are 

called through to the judge’s 

chambers, answer some questions, 

and by the end of the day 

the baby has had their life-saving 

infusion. 

To be fair, that was an 

unusual day in the lives of Toby 

Braun and Kevin Bond, directors 

of Braun, Bond & Lomas. 

Back then, around 2008, 

they were working for Harkness 

Henry, a law firm which 

they both joined on the same 

day in January 2006. 

Toby left and joined what 

was then Whitfield Braun in 

April 2013; three years later, 

Kevin came on board as a 

director. The third director is 

Kieran Lomas, who joined 

their Alexandra St office a little 

before Kevin. Completing 

the sense of a shared history, 

he had also worked with them 

at Harkness Henry, a few doors 

away in the KPMG building. 

The firm is growing in 

igation, there is some specialisation: 

Toby tends to take on 

the employment cases, Kevin 

has more experience in insolvency, 

while Kieran is the go-to 

for securities and construction. 

Between them and their colleagues 

they have the litigation 

field covered, and that includes 

everything from the nit-pickingly 

technical to the desperately 

human, like the baby who 

needed the transfusion. 

At the technical end, Kevin 

was involved in the Allied Concrete 

case as it went all the way 

to the Supreme Court. The case 

revolved around what happens 

if a supplying firm has been 

paid a large sum of money in 

the lead-up to a company’s liquidation. 

A High Court judge 

decided a law change in 2006 

had been incorrectly applied 

in the cases that followed. The 

judge’s decision was reversed 

by the Court of Appeal, only 

for the Supreme Court to revert 

to the High Court judge’s interpretation. 

At the decidedly less technical 

end, in a possibly unique 

variation of a familiar Kiwi 

faultline, Toby has acted for 

a homeowner fed up with his 

neighbour’s tree dropping sap 

onto his picnic table. That one 

was a win, with the neighbour 

having to trim their tree and 

pay compensation. 

Kevin says a common 

mindset has brought them 

together at BBL. “What led to 

the move for each of us was 

probably similar - it’s about 

being the master of your own 

destiny, having control over the 

way you work. 

“We see ourselves as reasonably 

progressive and take 

advantage of technology and 

things like that to make working 

easier.” 

That includes recently 

moving to a fully cloud-based 

practice management system. 

It also includes their first-floor 

office above Milton’s Canteen 

being an open space. 

“We're a little bit unusual 

in that we're open plan so the 

directors sit on the floor, no 

one has an office, they all work 

together. They can all feed off 

each other,” says practice manager 

Vanessa Johnson. 

Just as importantly, mindful 

that mental health is a big 

issue for lawyers, they have a 

focus on work-life balance. The 

trio pays more than lip-service. 

Not so much the likely lads 

as the lycra lads, they all have 

the same personal trainer, and 

attend two or three sessions a 

week during the working day. 

They are all members of the 

Hamilton Wine and Food Society, 

while Kieran is involved 

with Melville Football Club 

and Kevin was a keen surfer, 

snowboarder and mountain 

biker before fatherhood took 

over. 

A massage therapist comes 

in once a month to give 20-minute 

massages to staff, and there 

is no culture of expecting staff 

response to workflow. 

“The service we offer is reasonably 

unique in that we're not 

a one-person band, so if one of 

us is busy we've still got capacity 

within the firm to take on 

work,” Toby says. 

“Litigation is more and 

more a specialist area. It's difficult 

to dabble in, and the High 

Court rules are quite technical. 

“Any client going through 

litigation wants someone who 

knows what they're doing.” 

When possible, they try to 

keep cases out of court because 

of the expense and uncertainty. 

They estimate about 10 percent 

of their work gets as far 

as a court ruling; the remainder 

usually involves some kind of 

negotiated outcome, often following 

mediation. 

Among their more common 

cases are shareholder disputes, 

relationship property issues 

and employment disputes. 

“The most satisfying cases 

are often those dealing with 

individuals where if they don’t 

get an outcome they can lose 

everything,” Toby says. 

“They’re also the most 

stressful for us. It’s hard not 

to have at least some personal 

involvement. It could be any of 

us dealing with a leaky home or 

something like that and having 

to spend money on lawyers, 

experts, facing an uncertain 

outcome in a very unfamiliar 

process.” 

While they all come from a 

background in all types of litto 

stay late at the office. In 

the case of Toby, Kevin and 

Kieran, that means they can 

spend more time with their 

young children. 

The office hours, meanwhile, 

continue to offer huge 

variety. They have acted for a 

multinational arriving in New 

Zealand, advising on employment 

and shareholder issues, 

as well as peripherally on the 

high-profile Hanover litigation. 

And they have acted for 

a client angry about not getting 

the latest model high-end 

kitchen appliance. “They were 

promised the latest model, 

they got it, and pretty much 

as they got it a new model 

was released,” Toby says. 

“We issued proceedings and 

the other side settled and gave 

them everything they wanted.” 

A more unnerving case 

came when they acted to sell 

the property of a person who 

had defaulted on loans. The 

man who lost his property was 

aggrieved and in his case that 

meant threats. Toby and Kieran 

each received letters with mock 

bloody handprints on them, as 

well as an email with an image 

of ammunition - all this from 

a person known for walking 

around his section with a handgun. 

Toby chose not to escalate 

matters and is remarkably calm 

about that one. “I was a little 

bit uneasy,” he says. “You do 

deal with some very heightened 

human emotions.” 

EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT LITIGATION 

bbllawyers.nz


13 

The Braun Bond & Lomas team. 

Toby Braun 

Director 

Kevin Bond 

Director 

Kieran Lomas 

Director 

Richard Potter 

Senior Associate 

Morgan Brady 

Associate 

Olivia Morgan 

Senior Solicitor 

Liam Hunt 

Solicitor 

Maddie Harris 

Solicitor 

Rochelle Hill 

Solicitor 

Emma Rawson 

Solicitor 

Fleur Oback 

Law Clerk 

Vanessa Johnson 

Practice Manager 

Angela Verhoeven 

Administration Manager 

Jo-Anne Persen 

Legal Secretary 

Payten Smith 

Legal Secretary 

Morgan Cornell-Antrobus 

Admin Assistant/Reception 

Level 1, 127 Alexandra Street, Hamilton, 3204 | 07 839 0900 | bbllawyers.nz


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FIELDAYS 2018 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS May/June 2018 15 

Big changes for 50th Fieldays event 

Some big changes are occurring for June’s 

50th New Zealand National Agricultural 

Fieldays which is shaping up as the 

biggest ever. 

Society chief executive 

Peter Nation says the 

response from agricultural 

businesses should make this 

year’s Mystery Creek event the 

best yet with an unprecedented 

number of applications for sites 

at Fieldays 2018. 

Peter says Fieldays has been 

overwhelmed with demand for 

the milestone event with 1400 

exhibitors filling out 1000 sites 

on the 114ha property. Another 

50 unlucky companies are on 

the waiting list as Fieldays utilises 

every blade of grass at its 

disposal. 

“We anticipated increased 

interest this year but what we 

have received has been massive, 

it has totally exceeded our 

The Health Hub becomes Fieldays Health and Wellbeing and 

has a wider scope, also confronting rural mental health issues. 

expectations,” says Peter. 

This year’s theme is ‘The 

future of farming’ and will 

focus on agricultural trends and 

ideas, with the aim of starting a 

discussion on what farming’s 

future will look like for New 

Zealand. 

“As an event, Fieldays has 

always looked forward, so the 

theme – the future of farming – 

was very apt,” says Peter. 

There will be a focus on 

food production and nutrition, 

including “where food comes 

from,” and Peter says Fieldays 

is committed to “leading conversations” 

about important 

issues affecting rural communities 

and agricultural. 

Innovation has been a hallmark 

of Fieldays over the years 

so it’s no surprise that some significant 

tweaks are being made 

in such an important year. 

The renowned Rural 

Bachelors event gets a major 

shake-up, last year’s hugely 

successful Health Hub is developed 

further while a whole new 

cooking and food offering is 

provided with the new Kitchen 

Theatre. 

Meanwhile Fieldays’ new 

app is set to transform visitors’ 

ability to navigate their way 

around Mystery Creek and find 

exactly what and who they are 

looking for. 

Fieldays major event manager 

Lee Picken says one of the 

keys to Fieldays as an organisation 

is innovation. 

“Fieldays evolves year on 

year and we are always trying 

to create innovation within the 

event and looking at different 

ways to provide value for both 

our customer – the exhibitor – 

and the visitors that come to the 

site.” 

Last year’s Health Hub 

received a great response 

from visitors,” says Lee. “And 

among its achievements were 

the fact that medical staff identified 

in visitors 10 malignant 

melanomas which could then 

be treated. “ 

This year the focus is widened 

to health and wellbeing in 

recognition of the awareness of 

mental health issues associated 

with farming and rural isolation. 

Located in the Health Hub, 

Fieldays Health and Wellbeing 

covers topics from cancer 

detection and treatment, rural 

mental health and wellbeing 

through to services that support 

our youth. 

“The programme is very 

much on a holistic approach 

looking at mental health as well 

as physical health and providing 

visitors with a chance to 

meet with organisations and 

people such as specialists they 

don’t normally have contact 

with.” 

Tied into the health theme is 

the new Kitchen Theatre. Lee 

says its purpose is to develop 

conversation around primary 

food production, paddock to 

plate and also draw a link with 

health and wellbeing in terms of 

nutrition and food innovation. 

Master of Ceremonies is 

former MasterChef winner 

Brett McGregor and visitors 

can enjoy culinary presentations 

featuring delicious recipes 

and professional techniques. 

The focus is on highlighting the 

food’s origin and development 

New Zealand National Fieldays 

chief executive Peter Nation. 

stories and the importance of 

knowing what we’re eating 

from a nutrition and wellness 

perspective. 

Nearby is the pantry marquee 

featuring the best of New 

Zealand primary production 

ingredients. The pantry gives 

visitors the opportunity to 

sample and buy some of the 

ingredients used in the Kitchen 

Theatre demonstrations plus a 

range of other delicious treats 

to tempt taste buds. 

After 13 years, the Fieldays 

Rural Bachelor of the Year contest 

is phased out and makes 

way for Rural Catch, a rural 

skills-based competition featuring 

four men and four women. 

“Part of changing the Rural 

Bachelor competition is us 

acknowledging that times have 

changed, and it’s important to 

recognise the important role and 

contribution of rural women,” 

says Peter. “This year four 

women will compete against 

four men in the Fieldays Rural 

Catch. When we talk about ‘the 

future of farming’, equality and 

representation is part of that.” 

New Zealand National Agricultural 

Fieldays takes place 

at Mystery Creek from June 

13-16. 

From cows to bees: 

The inspiration behind 

a honey revolution 

Growing up on a dairy 

farm in the Wairarapa, 

bees were the furthest 

things from Grant Engel’s 

mind. 

Now, they’re his livelihood 

and the inspiration for his business. 

Grant is the brains behind 

Revolutionary Beekeeping, a 

mobile stainless steel harvester 

that enables beekeepers to 

extract honey straight from the 

hive, instead of the more traditional 

method of transporting 

frames from hives to an off-site 

processor. 

As a child, Grant visited 

Fieldays and was inspired by 

the agricultural inventions and 

new technology on show. He 

decided that when he grew up 

he’d someday return with an 

invention of his own. 

Years later, after moving 

from Wairarapa to a dairy farm 

in sunny Kerikeri, Northland, 

he couldn’t help but notice 

the region’s focus on bees and 

honey. 

He started dabbling in beekeeping, 

and got to thinking. “I 

realised that taking honey away 

from the hive and processing it 

was much like getting a dairy 

cow and driving it to a shared 

facility where it was milked 

and then taking it back to site 

– it didn’t make a lot of sense. 

I thought I could come up with 

something different.” 

Grant did come up with 

something – an idea for a 

device for beekeepers that 

enabled them to harvest honey 

by putting each hive frame 

through a machine quickly to 

extract honey, right next to the 

hive. Harvesting honey on-site 

also removes the risk of spreading 

disease between hives, 

something that has been a risk 

for honey harvesters over the 

years. 

With a prototype under his 

arm, Grant entered the Fieldays 

Innovation Awards in 2013, in 

the Launch NZ category for 

products ready for commercialisation 

and launch to the New 

Zealand market. 

“I’d been following Fieldays’ 

innovations for a long 

time; the Innovations Centre 

was always my first stop when 

I went to Fieldays, and I wanted 

to enter something so I could be 

on stage alongside all the other 

innovations that had inspired 

me. It was the culmination of 

my childhood dream.” 

The Fieldays Innovation 

Awards showcase the latest 

developments in the agricultural 

industry that will shape 

the future of farming and primary 

industries in New Zealand. 

The categories range from 

grassroots innovations through 

to small-to-medium business 

product launches and international 

agribusiness innovations. 

“A lot of the innovations I 

had been seeing were generally 

focused on traditional agriculture, 

so I thought something 

to do with beekeeping would 

be a bit left-field and new. 

There wasn’t much out there 

at the time that really looked 

at time-saving technology or 

innovation for beekeeping and 

honey.” 

The market must have been 

ready, because Grant’s innovation 

went on to win the Launch 

NZ category. 

“Being able to launch the 

product at Fieldays put us on 

a platform. It allowed a lot of 

people to see our product, and 

ultimately winning the award 

really took the business to the 

next level.” 

Grant reckons the key to 

success with innovation is 

being passionate about what 

you do. 

“I wanted to find a solution 

to a common problem - I knew 

we couldn’t keep doing things 

the way we were just because 

that was the way it had always 

been done.” 

Since 2015 Revolutionary 

Beekeeping has taken off. The 

business has hives and beekeepers 

across the country, 

from Northland to Canterbury, 

with support from big agribusiness 

organisations including 

Landcorp and sustainable dairy 

farming fund Southern Pastures. 

It has also expanded into 

collecting and brokering honey 

directly from commercial beekeepers, 

enabling them to make 

profit from their honey. 

Fieldays chief executive 

Peter Nation says Engel’s story 

is one that resonates with him. 

“So many families and 

young children attend Fieldays 

every year, and you see them 

walking wide-eyed through 

the Innovations Centre,” says 

Peter. “It’s fantastic to think 

that Fieldays is inspiring the 

next generation of inventors, 

and who knows what innovative 

products and new technology 

the Fieldays experience 

will spark in the future. Like 

Grant Engel, we expect that in 

a few decades’ time, those kids 

in gumboots at Fieldays will be 

the same ones showcasing an 

invention that could change the 

face of our industry.” 

Peter says that the story of 

Revolutionary Beekeeping is 

an inspiring one, not only as an 

invention, but in terms of the 

food story it tells. “There is a 

lot of public interest in the story 

behind our food, from paddock 

to plate, and it’s time for agribusiness 

to tell that story,” says 

Peter. “Our Kitchen Theatre at 

Fieldays is designed to showcase 

New Zealand produce and 

food, from a variety of sources, 

with guest chefs cooking in 

Helicopter/river combo 

returns for Fieldays 

Helicorp and Waikato River 

Explorer are set to bring back their 

popular Fieldays Ferry/Helicopter 

Combo service for the New Zealand 

National Agricultural Fieldays. 

For $165 visitors can ride to the event 

in a helicopter and take the ferry back… 

or vice versa. 

The helicopter and ferry depart only 

metres away from each other, so this is the 

Grant Engel and his mobile stainless steel harvester. 

front of Fieldays visitors. The 

Pantry Marquee has primary 

production products for people 

to buy – from honey to artisan 

meats to speciality cheeses, 

condiments and drinks – which 

also helps tell that farm gate to 

dinner plate story.” 

perfect way to avoid the inevitable queues. 

Ferry departures from Hamilton Gardens 

are at 7:30am, 9am and 10:30am and 

three return sailings from Mystery Creek 

at 2pm, 3:30pm and 5pm and the helicopter 

runs from 8am – 4pm each day of the 

event. 

Ferry/Helicopter Combo tickets are 

available from either Helicorp or Waikato 

River Explorer.

16 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS May/June 2018


17


Bad behaviour v bullying 

May 18 heralded Pink Shirt Day – a 

movement which began in Canada in 2007 

when two students took a stand against 

homophobic bullying, mobilising their whole 

school, after a peer was bullied for wearing 

a pink shirt. 

In New Zealand, Pink Shirt 

Day aims to create schools, 

workplace and communities 

where all people feel safe, 

valued and respected. It’s a 

fantastic movement that we 

should all get involved with. 

Thinking back, when I 

attended school in the 1970s 

the term “Bully” didn’t really 

exist. It might have been used 

on a rare occasion when someone 

was rough-housing in the 

playground and was often 

related to a physical action. 

These days however, the term 

Bully is becoming as common 

as the words “if” and “but”. 

Before I go too much further 

– let me be very clear. I am 

absolutely not a supporter of 

bullying and will stand up to 

unacceptable actions when I 

see them. However, at the risk 

of alienating this audience, can 

I suggest that at times the term 

“Bully” is used as catch-all for 

unsavoury human behaviour 

and actions which may not 

always be appropriate? Bullying 

is used so frequently 

that it’s getting more difficult 

to accurately assess what is 

actually occurring. This catchall 

phrase grabs the attention 

of any employer and rightly 

so they must investigate. The 

term Bully in 2018, harvests 

the same response as “Stress” 

did in 2010. It’s a call to action 

that gets results. 

Every newspaper has articles 

on bullying; the determinations 

in the Employment 

Relations Authority are riddled 

with bullying cases – but 

I wonder, have workplaces 

and human behaviour really 

changed that much in the last 

forty years? Sadly, over the 

past few years, we’ve seen 

some very valid cases of bullying 

and this can’t be tolerated. 

Similarly though, we’ve 

worked with many employers 

and employees who are at their 

wits end, because they’ve been 

accused of bullying when their 

actions have been nowhere 

near what would constitute 

bullying. Vexatious claims are 

hugely time consuming but 

can’t be discounted. Many of 

the claims have resulted purely 

out of poor management 

skills, management direction, 

instructions or holding people 

to account. 

Looking at the trends in 

Fulton Hogan is to buy Stevenson 

Construction companies 

Fulton Hogan is to purchase 

Stevenson Construction 

Materials Ltd 

and Stevenson Properties Ltd. 

These two Stevenson 

companies own and operate 

Stevenson’s quarries and 

concrete plants, laboratory 

services and associated plant 

and equipment. 

Cos Bruyn, Fulton 

Hogan’s group chief executive 

said that both companies 

had similar family values and 

the purchase would complement 

the company’s vertical 

supply chain. It would also 

provide the company with a 

long-term supply of quality 

aggregates to help meet the 

growing needs of the Auckland 

and Waikato regions. 

“We look forward to welcoming 

Stevenson’s 200 plus 

strong workforce to the Fulton 

Hogan family once the 

purchase is complete. We 

thank the Stevenson family 

for its trust in Fulton Hogan 

to continue their legacy, and 

are pleased to retain the Stevenson 

brand.” 

Mark Franklin, chief executive 

of the Stevenson Group 

said; “On behalf of multiple 

generations of the Stevenson 

family, we thank all our 

employees and customers for 

their support over the past 

100 years. We are proud that 

our brand will continue to 

be part of the Auckland and 

Waikato landscape for years 

to come.” 

The details and the terms 

of the sale are confidential, 

with the sale expected to conclude 

by July 31. The sale 

includes Stevenson’s Drury 

and Huntly quarries, four 

concrete plants (Penrose, 

East Tamaki, Takanini and 

the soon to be commissioned 

Drury), transport and laboratory 

businesses. 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

Waikato workplaces we are 

seeing a significant trend 

appearing where more resilience 

training is requested. Are 

bullying and lack of resilience 

connected? Are employees 

different now than they were 

forty years ago – of course 

they are! The pressures are 

greater, expected outputs are 

higher, interference of social 

media hangs over our heads 

and overall the workplace is 

a much different place than 

it was. Similarly, people are 

bringing more of themselves to 

work every day – with current 

financial and social pressures 

experienced outside work, 

some employees arrive at work 

with reduced capacity to cope 

so the last thing they want to 

hear is the manager, who may 

also be experiencing the same 

pressures or perhaps lacks 

skills, directing the employee 

to complete a task. 

Bullying must be stamped 

out - we all agree. Much of the 

advice I give employers and 

employees these days comes 

down to one key ingredient. 

What is the culture you want 

to create in your workplace? 

What is your moral code that’s 

acceptable to all the other 

humans you work with. A 

question that generally gets a 

rise when I talk about culture 

is – would you tolerate that 

behaviour if it was happening 

to your son or daughter? 

These days bullying may be 

more related to a psychological 

event, rather than a physical 

one. 

We must collectively take 

a stance on bullying, but we 

also need to understand the 

difference between bullying 

and bad behaviour – they are 

not always one and the same. 

If you are concerned about 

what you think could be bullying 

behaviour then Worksafe 

(worksafe.govt.nz) has 

some excellent guidelines and 

tools available to employees 

and employers. Similarly, 

early advice and discussion 

by employees and employers 

alike will open up avenues. 

Also, initiatives such as workplace 

support programmes as 

well as targeted coaching interventions 

for individuals will 

also help. 

Lastly – don’t wait for a 

claim or complaint to walk 

in your door – don’t wait for 

employees to suffer at the 

hands of bad behaviour or bullying 

(remember there is a difference) 

– as a business owner 

you set the culture in your 

business. It’s up to you. 

Recognise the achievements of your business. 

Gain profile, tell your story and continue 

your journey in becoming bigger

ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 


19 

City revitalising works win Waikato/BOP 

Architecture Awards 

Projects that breathe new life into the 

downtown area of New Zealand’s fourthlargest 

city are among the winners of 

2018 Waikato / Bay of Plenty Architecture 

Awards. 

Buildings in central 

Hamilton join projects 

from Tauranga, 

Rotorua and Taupō on the 

list of 21 award winners that 

includes revitalised urban 

parks and commercial buildings, 

education and sports 

facilities, cultural and community 

centres, as well as 

houses that add to the region’s 

history of inventive residential 

architecture. 

The 2018 Waikato / Bay of 

Plenty Architecture Awards 

are part of the peer-reviewed 

New Zealand Architecture 

Awards programme run by 

the New Zealand Institute of 

Architects (NZIA) and sponsored 

by Resene. The programme 

sets the benchmark 

for the country’s building 

projects and recognises the 

contribution of architects to 

their towns and communities. 

Taupō architect Gavin 

Robins convened an awards 

jury that included New Plymouth 

architect Murali Bhasker 

and Hamilton architect Megan 

Scott. 

Robins said he was heartened 

to see the steps being 

taken to improve Hamilton’s 

inner city. 

“The quality of architecture 

we saw throughout the 

region is exemplary, and we 

were especially happy to see 

the efforts being taken to 

reverse the decline of Hamilton’s 

inner city,” Robins said. 

“Older buildings are being 

converted to accommodate 

modern work practices and 

provide new leisure opportunities 

for locals and visitors.” 

David O.McKay Stake Centre and Cultural Events Centre by Walker Group Architects Limited. 

WINNERS BY CATEGORY: 

Commercial Architecture 

Mezz Box – Edwards White 

Architects and Designwell in 

association 

Genesis Building – Edwards 

White Architects 

Mangatawa Tari – First 

Principles Architects 

Education 

ACG Tauranga Gymnasium – 

Babbage Consultants 

Tauranga Intermediate School 

– First Principles Architects 

Heritage 

Wendell B Mendenhall Building 

– Walker Group Architects 

Te Rau Aroha, Kai Hall – 

Walker Group Architects 

George R Biesinger Building – 


Housing 

Mary’s House – Bellbird 

Architect 

DNA House – Crosson 

Architects 

River Retreat – Edwards White 

Architects 

Walton House – John 

Henderson Architecture 

Turama – RTA Studio 

Pukemoremore House – 

Sumich Chaplin Architects 

Interior Architecture 

Seeka – Architecture Page 

Henderson 

Kenehi on Bryce – Edwards 

White Architects 

53 Spring Street Interior 

Fitout – Stufkens + Chambers 

Architects 

Planning and Urban Design 

Te Waimirimiri o Te Kuirau – 

Architecture Aotearoa 

Victoria on the River – 

Edwards White Architects and 

Aecom in association 

Public Architecture 

David O. McKay Stake Centre 

and Cultural Events Centre – 


Small Project Architecture 

Promenade – Stufkens + 

Chambers Architects 

We’re Designwell. 

We create strategic brand 

identities and shape vibrant 

commercial interiors across 

hospitality, office and retail. 

www.designwell.co.nz 

Dynamo6 office fitout | Ward St, Hamilton 

Kenehi on Bryce by Edwards White Architects Ltd.



Big awards haul for Edwards White Architects 

Edwards White Architects won a stunning 

five awards at the Waikato/Bay of Plenty 

New Zealand Architects Awards in Taupo. 

And many Hamiltonians 

will be extremely 

familiar with the results 

of Edward White Architects’ 

work. 

It will be of little surprise 

to many that the firm received 

the Planning and Urban Design 

award for its design of riverside 

park Victoria On the River 

in conjunction with consultants 

AECOM New Zealand. 

Victoria On The River was 

described as “a compelling 

new connection between Hamilton’s 

city centre and its great, 

although often ignored, feature: 

the Waikato River. The amphitheatre 

park mixes meticulously 

detailed urban elements 

– a refined material palette 

and complementary planting 

– with stepped gardens, terraces 

and wide boardwalks that 

are universally accessible so 

that all may enjoy the setting. 

The overall effect is of peace 

and calm, although there is no 

doubt the environment could 

easily scale up from lunching 

workers to larger crowds 

enjoying a riverside event.” 

Edwards White also picked 

up the Commerical Architecture 

Award for an associated 

project, the adjoining Mezz 

Box building which worked 

on alongside design agency 

Designwell. 

Edwards White Architects 

also won a Commerical Architecture 

Award for the Genesis 

Building. Judges said the building 

has “excellent connectivity 

Victoria on the River 

to the city’s urban fabric and 

handling of materials – including 

glass, timber, concrete and 

folded metal – are hallmarks 

of this renovated and extended 

supermarket building. 

“The building benefits from 

the architect’s care in sequencing 

the approach and circulation 

throughout the building, 

and from the control of natural 

light. Perforated metal louvres 

resembling twisted ribbons 

provide solar control on the 

expansively glazed façade, 

and the top-lit atrium and large 

skylights fill the interior with 

appropriate levels of natural 

light.” 

Edwards White Architects’ 

other awards were in Interior 

Architecture for Kenehi on 

Bryce and a Housing Award for 

a riverside home. 

Residential, Commercial, Heritage Architecture 

At PAUA Architects we’re passionate about creating 

extraordinary architecture just for you. From new 

residential or commercial buildings to renovations and 

restorations, we’ll guide you through the process. Managing 

your project in design & costing, through detailed decisions 

& consents, and in tendering and the construction process. 

Mezz Box 

Understanding the client 

a key to Designwell award 

Mezz Box 

Our client for this project was 

relocating to a new building 

designed by Edwards White 

Architects - a mezzanine “pod” 

sitting cantilevered on top of 

the Riverbank Lane, enjoying 

views over Waikato River. We 

collaborated with Edwards 

White and the client to shape a 

studio that is all about drawing 

inspiration from its prominent 

riverside location and fostering 

collaboration internally and 

externally. 

At Designwell we frontfoot 

our process by gaining a 

deep understanding of how an 

organisation ticks. We take time 

to study what ‘best work’ looks 

like for staff, understanding 

what the particularities of the 

workplace and culture are, and 

what the future looks like for 

a business. With those insights 

in hand, and with practiced 

skills of ideation, iteration, and 

implementation, we can tailor 

the ingredients of a workplace 

design to meet the needs of a 

business now, and in the long 

run. 

The client for this project 

was moving from a vast 500 

square metre space into the 

new 240 square metre pod and 

required a design that was optimised 

for fast paced agency 

work but also iterative and collaborative 

teamwork. The space 

features a custom-made, six 

metre oak communal table that 

sets the tone for studio culture 

and acts as the centre space for 

coffee, meals, work and client 

presentations. Each piece of 

furniture was custom designed 

and built locally creating a considered 

look throughout while 

the bold use of colours and artwork 

against natural materials 

expressed the client's vibrant 

studio personality. 

PauaArchitects.co.nz 

07 839 6521 

Procuta Associates Urban + Architecture



Amazing spaces - school’s 

state-of-the-art gym 

Growing Bay of Plenty school ACG 

Tauranga has a new state-of-the-art 

gymnasium that is one of the most 

advanced in the city. 

It’s a facility that Babbage 

Consultants’ project architect 

Charlotte Saunders 

describes as “an amazing space 

- it’s the most highly functioning 

space for a school in Tauranga.” 

The gym was finished in 

May, 2017, 10 months after 

work started and was built by 

Hawkins Construction Limited. 

“The school wanted a 

high-performing building and 

we delivered,” said Charlotte. 

Babbage Consultants has 

worked with ACG Tauranga 

since 2014 as the private 

school began its development 

in Pyes Pa, initially with 14 

classrooms for junior pupils. 

ACG Tauranga plans to continue 

expanding as the children 

move through their grades, 

ultimately to Year 13. 

There’s not a 

millimetre wasted - 

there’s no corner that 

can’t be used. It’s 

amazing what’s been 

achieved. 

A key milestone for the 

school is the gym, which is 

pivotal to future growth. 

“This gives the school a 

showpiece,” said Charlotte. 

The gym consists of a fullsize 

court area for basketball, 

netball, volleyball and badminton, 

with bleachers on both 

sides rising from a mezzanine 

level above changing rooms, 

plant rooms and storage areas. 

The upper floors provide 

three classrooms that can be 

converted into a function space 

overlooking outdoor playing 

fields and the indoor court. 

Inside the gym, each end 

wall is clad with perforated 

plywood panels, used for their 

acoustic properties and to conceal 

and protect louvers that 

allow natural ventilation. The 

double-glazing has a grey tint 

on the outer glass to reduce 

glare and solar gain. 

The ceiling comprises fibre 

acoustic tiles and parallel areas 

of plywood panels, giving the 

gym precise acoustics. 

The classrooms have acoustic 

walls that can be moved to 

create the function area. Maximum 

use has been made of 

natural ventilation and light, 

and a building management 

system includes sensor-controlled 

lights, security and keyless 

entry. 

“There are no trims or fiddly 

little spaces. Everything 

needed to be highly durable, 

low maintenance and stand the 

test of time. 

“We had to be extremely 

economical in our use of 

space. There’s not a millimetre 

wasted - there’s no corner 

that can’t be used. It’s amazing 

what’s been achieved.” 

The building will be used 

by the school for sport, fitness 

and teaching programmes, 

school assembly and performance, 

inter-school games, 

school holiday programmes, 

gala days and open days. 

The school also wants to 

make the gym available for use 

by the wider community in the 

fast-growing suburb, and this 

helped dictate some of the features, 

especially around functionality 

and security. 

“I’m especially proud of 

what the school is getting,” 

says Charlotte. “They’ve got 

amazing quality and value 

for money.” 

KEY PERSONNEL 

Babbage Consultants 

Architects: Maria Ouzounova, Jane Arnott, 

Charlotte Saunders 

Structural: Dr Victor Lam, Xavier Lim 

Building services: Matthew Foskin, Ivan Loh, Aslam Javed 

Civil: Michael Martin, Bidara Pathirage 

Geotechnical: Malcolm Stapleton, Mastufa Al-Haidar 

For more information, contact Charlotte Saunders 

027 809 7949 charlotte.saunders@babbage.co.nz 

We proudly congratulate our 

ACG Tauranga School 

Gymnasium project team – 

Winners of the 2018 

Waikato / Bay of Plenty 

Architecture Education Award. 

Architecture 

Engineering Consultancy 

Environmental Consultancy 

Project Management 

Auckland | Hamilton | Taupo | Christchurch | Melbourne 

ph +64 9 379 9980 

www.babbage.co.nz 

ISO 14064-1 • certified organisation 

Waikato Business Times Draft.indd 1 

23/05/2018 9:00:13 AM


Business confidence - is it turning? 

Are we starting to see the signs of a slump 

in business confidence? While consumers 

might be cheery, the most recent surveys 

on this topic are showing a decline in 

business confidence in the long term. 

The question we need to 

ask is whether this a trend 

or a blip? The fundamentals 

underpinning the economy 

haven’t changed – arguably they 

have improved. In the Government’s 

first budget, the Minister 

of Finance signalled ongoing 

growth of around 3 percent 

accompanied by a surplus of 

$3.1 billion this financial year. 

Once business starts 

to get gloomy, forward 

looking investment 

decisions, expansion 

plans and subsequent 

hiring programmes 

go on hold; the doom 

loop takes hold. 

However, this is reliant on 

business confidence remaining 

stable along with financial performance. 

The corporate tax 

take is a vital revenue stream for 

the Government. 

It is not unusual for business 

confidence to dip when a Labour 

government comes into power, 

and rise when a National government 

takes over the reins. 

What remains key for business 

is that issues such as the 

labour shortage, skills shortage 

and immigration are not going 

away anytime soon. 

The pre-election rhetoric 

around slashing immigration 

numbers has taken a more pragmatic 

tone since the coalition 

was formed. And while we 

constantly hear from employers 

about the difficulty of navigating 

the immigration system for their 

particular needs, the headlines 

around reducing net immigration 

by enforcing targets seems 

to have dissipated. 

With unemployment remaining 

low the ongoing issue of 

finding staff with the required 

qualifications, skills and a positive 

work attitude remains a 

headache for employers. We are 

yet to see any compelling policy 

from the government on how to 

address this. 

Proposals to change employment 

law are likely to exacerbate 

this headache rather than cure 

it. We remain unconvinced that 

the proposed industrial relations 

changes will deliver the high 

wage, high performing economy 

the Government wants. 

Rather, the underlying intent 

of the Employment Relations 

Amendment Bill seems to be 

more compulsion, more regulation, 

reduced flexibility (for 

employees and employers) and 

increasing overheads. 

We argue that beefing up 

the labour inspectorate would 

be more effective at addressing 

many of the problems the legislation 

seeks to rectify, and cost 

less overall. 

Especially when businesses 

are reporting a squeeze on their 

profit margins. For example, 

while the recent increase in the 

minimum wage was well signalled 

employers are saying it’s 

the parity argument causing a 

flow-on impact to their wage bill 

which is a concern. Combine 

this with other costs to business 

such as price of oil and increase 

in fuel taxes and you can see 

why there will be a mindset to 

hunker down. 

Businesses sense that costs 

may rise in the next few years 

and this may not necessarily be 

accompanied by an increase in 

sales. For example, it’s proposed 

the minimum wage will increase 

to $20 by 2021. A business with 

five full time employees on 

the minimum wage will see an 

increase of $7,900 per annum 

to its wage bill this year with 

the minimum wage having just 

gone up to $16.50, at $20/hour 

the wage bill for the five staff 

will increase by $44,800 per 

annum. 

This raises important questions 

for business. If they are 

HELPING BUSINESS SUCCEED 

> BY KIM CAMPBELL 

Kim Campbell is chief executive of the Employers and Manufacturers 

Association kim.campbell@ema.co.nz 

unable to absorb this cost what 

do they do? Do they sell more 

units, do they raise the cost of 

their products and services or do 

they look for ways to automate 

processes? Decisions around the 

minimum wage can’t be made 

in isolation of other dynamics at 

play in the economy. Questions 

of access to capital for automation 

come to mind and proposed 

changes to the Overseas Investment 

Office further erode confidence. 

Hardaker to provide 

law services for EMA 

The EMA has boosted its 

employment law service 

offering in the Waikato 

region through the formation 

of a contract arrangement with 

Julie Hardaker Lawyers. 

The arrangement means 

Waikato-based members of the 

EMA will have access to the 

specialist employment relations 

legal services of Julie Hardaker, 

who will act as special 

counsel for members under this 

arrangement. 

Ms Hardaker is an employment 

law specialist and brings a 

wealth of expertise to the EMA 

legal team having practised law 

for many years in Waikato and 

Auckland, including as partner 

in one of Hamilton’s leading 

law firms. 

Ms Hardaker, who served 

two terms as Mayor of Hamilton, 

has a master’s degree in 

business management and is a 

regular commentator on legal 

and governance issues. 

“This is an exciting opportunity 

for my law firm. I am looking 

forward to working with 

EMA members and expanding 

the legal service offering in 

Hamilton and Waikato,” says 

Ms Hardaker. 

“Waikato is a vibrant and 

growing area for business 

and our members require a 

high-quality level of support 

from us,” says EMA chief executive, 

Kim Campbell. 

“Which is why we’re 

delighted to have someone of 

Julie’s calibre available to our 

members for specialist employ- 

Once business starts to get 

gloomy, forward looking investment 

decisions, expansion plans 

and subsequent hiring programmes 

go on hold; the doom 

loop takes hold. 

Ill-considered tinkering with 

economic policy for ideological 

purposes will do nothing to raise 

productivity or confidence. To 

transition to a high value, high 

wage economy we need a confident, 

energetic and productive 

business sector. 

Employment law 

specialist Julie Hardaker. 

ment law services,” he says. 

Julie Hardaker Lawyers will 

continue to provide legal services 

to its client base, particularly 

in the areas of public law 

and relationship property. 

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23 

Getting the most out of the effort of expos 

Waikato is awash with expos, trade shows 

and events, and opportunities for your 

business to be seen in these environments 

are growing. But ‘how’ do you want to be 

seen? 

I’ve got my Fieldays ticket, 

I went to the Good Food 

Show and I’ll undoubtedly 

snake my way around the 

Home Show again. Although 

that’s an eclectic mix of expos, 

born out of a mix of professional 

curiosity and personal 

interest, I have my reasons. 

But sometimes I look at 

exhibitor stands and wonder 

“why are you bothering?” or, 

worse, “why aren’t you bothering 

more?” 

Most expo organisers are 

good at making sure exhibitors 

are relevant to the core purpose 

of the event, wanting everything 

to complement and align. 

That naturally means there will 

be companies with similar or 

directly competing products. If 

that’s you, you’d better make 

sure you stand out. 

You can’t always claim to 

have something unique about 

your product, but you can make 

it feel different from the one in 

the booth down the way. Even 

with only a 3m by 3m pod, 

investment in making your 

stand look amazing can be prohibitive, 

especially for small 

businesses. Investing thousands 

for a few days is a tough 

call, even if you are certain the 

passers-by will be exactly the 

group you’re targeting. 

Investing in good design, 

quality presentation and dis- 

play materials is going to help 

you get noticed, but creativity 

on a budget doesn’t necessarily 

always mean a budget-looking 

stand. A few strong images and 

carefully chosen words can be 

just as effective as fancy kit 

and all the bells and whistles. 

But they do need to be good 

images and the right words. 

Coming up with what’s 

‘good’ and ‘right’ for your 

stand comes back to what I 

always witter on about in these 

columns – making sure you 

have a clear understanding of 

what your brand is all about. 

Clarity, relevance and authenticity 

are even more important 

in a concentrated, limited-use 

investment like an expo stand 

than your everyday marketing 

activities. 

There’s more to love than 

looks, right, and attracting customers 

won’t just come from 

the way you display your message 

on your site. 

Just like the dreaded 

cold-calling, approaching the 

slow-walking passer-by can be 

daunting but is an art in itself. 

At the Good Food Show, I 

found myself in the middle of 

a detailed sales pitch before I 

even realised what was happening. 

Somehow, I’d gone 

from a glance of passing interest 

to the point when the poor 

guy probably thought he was 

about to close a sale. 

I was chatting about this 

very topic with Vicki from 

Waikato Food Inc and she 

offered up some wise words 

around how to identify genuine 

potential customers. Having 

a couple of subtle targeted 

questions to ask up front, she 

suggests, can quickly help 

you sort the shoppers from the 

browsers. 

At Fieldays, for example, 

if you ask me where my farm 

is, I either have to lie (which 

I’m rubbish at) or reveal that 

I’m just a marketing consultant 

scouting for new clients! If you 

start out with “Let me I tell you 

about the great new features on 

the new Gizmo 3000 somatic 

cell counter…” and launch 

the sales patter, you’ve wasted 

three minutes of air on me 

while a genuine farmer walked 

right on by. 

However you approach 

the sales aspect of being at an 

expo, may I politely suggest 

that you do actually be at the 

expo. An unmanned stand is 

an unsold product. If you can’t 

budget for having enough bodies 

available to always have 

someone on your site, or pull 

in some friends to help out, it 

looks like you just don’t care 

enough. 

So, when your few days are 

over, you’ve packed it all down 

and scoffed all the leftover jelly 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY VICKI JONES 

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

management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

beans, what then? A debrief on 

what worked and what didn’t, 

or what you noticed from others, 

is essential, but don’t forget 

about the most important 

people in all this – the customers. 

Plan for post-expo marketing 

and communications right 

from the start. 

If you ran a competition to 

grow your database, do something 

with it. At the last Home 

Show, I was feeling lucky (or 

broke) and entered countless 

competitions. Only one of the 

companies contacted me. I 

think it’s fair to assume that I 

didn’t win anything but, having 

given you permission to email 

me, I was expecting at least a 

quick ‘hi’. I may not be a qualified 

lead, I confess, but without 

any kind of follow up, how 

would they ever know. 

Expo isn’t short for exposure 

but that’s exactly what it 

is – an opportunity to engage 

your brand on a practical and 

human level. Make it real and 

true, and make it count. 

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BAY NEWS 


Made in the Bay 

The region’s innovative manufacturers 

are extending their range 

By DAVID PORTER Tesla car batteries, and a 147 

hp electric engine, the six 

metre prototype can produce 

Bay of Plenty’s reputation 

as a haven for 

innovative manufacturing 

was clearly evident 

during a recent day on Tauranga 

Harbour when Pacific 

Seven founder Sean Kelly 

successfully launched New 

Zealand’s first purpose-designed 

and built, fully electric 

boat. 

With a ballast load of 

a - very quiet - top speed of 

25 knots. 

Kelly aims to manufacture 

the boat from his base at Tauranga’s 

new Marine Precinct, 

but acknowledged it would 

take some time to turn a profit 

from the venture. 

“It’s the research and 

development that costs a lot 

of money,” he said. “New 

Zealand needs innovators.” 

The Electric Boat Company 

is just one of a variety 

of businesses that are producing 

innovative products and 

services in the Bay of Plenty. 

They include longtime manufacturing 

export success 

stories like Trimax Mowing 

Systems and Puma Darts, and 

established agri businesses 

like Mossops Honey. 

Other examples are Jenkins 

Group, which has just 

partnered with US company 

Van Doren Sales, Inc. to globally 

launch the Robotics Plus 

apple packer, and successful 

hi-tech startup SwipedOn, 

which now generates 90 percent 

of its revenues from offshore. 

Priority One chief executive 

Nigel Tutt says the Western 

Bay of Plenty is a strong 

destination for manufacturers. 

“Manufacturing is a very 

important industry to us; we 

have a number of highly innovative, 

successful manufacturers 

in our region who are 

taking on the world,” he said. 

“Key infrastructure such 

as the Port of Tauranga makes 

us a great place for exporters, 

commercial land availability 

is good, and our popularity as 

a destination helps to attract 

good staff.” 

According to Infometrics 

data from Priority One, in 

2016-17, manufacturing was 

the highest contributing sector 

to Western Bay GDP at 9.2 

percent. The sector also made 

up 9.1 percent of filled jobs - 

with job growth of four percent 

between 2016 and 2017. 

Tauranga Chamber of 

Commerce chief executive 

Stan Gregec described the 

Western Bay as “an ideal 

location” for industrial and 

exporting businesses. 

“We have easy proximity 

to the port and to strategic 

transport networks,” he said. 

“We’re seeing more new 

businesses set up or locate 

here for these reasons.” 

We have a 

number of highly 

innovative, 

successful 

manufacturers in 

our region who 

are taking on the 

world. 

– Nigel Tutt, 

Priority One 

Rotorua LTP needs to include boost to CBD 

By VIV POSSELT 

Now is the right time to 

build plans for further 

revitalisation of the city 

centre into future planning, say 

business leaders. 

A submission prepared by 

local business leaders went to 

council on April 13, the deadline 

for submissions on the Rotorua 

Lakes Council’s Long-Term 

Plan 2018-28 (LTP). 

One of the document’s architects, 

Gregg Brown, says that 

while much had been done in the 

past couple of years to enhance 

Rotorua’s CBD, little appears 

to have been budgeted for additional 

planning to take things 

forward. 

“So, while there have been 

improvements made, I don’t 

believe we have done enough, 

especially given the fact that 

Allison Lawton: We know growth 

is happening. Photo/Supplied. 

online and big box retailing are 

increasingly taking business 

from local retailers,” he said. 

“We have to find a way to 

make the CBD relevant … we 

must customise the CBD for 

future trends.” 

Brown, who said the business 

community had been seeking 

just over $3 million for the 

CBD revitalisation, says any 

initiatives must include the provision 

of more parking in order 

to retain the convenience factor 

for those visiting the CBD. Discussions 

around the submission 

with the council are continuing. 

“Convenience is one of the 

big draw-cards of online and big 

box retailers. We need to make 

sure local businesses don’t suffer 

from a shortage of parking.” 

Brown has been involved in 

the Rotorua business scene for 

decades. 

He owns both the Pig & 

Whistle Historic Pub, and 

Capers Epicurean, and was 

named Red Stag Timber Business 

Person of the Year at last 

year’s Westpac Rotorua Business 

Excellence Awards. 

Working with him on the 

CBD revitalisation submission 

has been Rotorua Chamber of 

Commerce chief executive, Allison 

Lawton. She says the time is 

right to create a “Master Plan” 

using professional urban designers 

to enhance recent work done 

in the city centre. 

“We need to attract more 

investment into the CBD,” 

she said. “We want to ensure 

that council budgets for that 

in this LTP.” 

Both Brown and Lawton say 

now is the time to push for more 

investment in the CBD. There 

are fewer empty shops in the city 

and visitor numbers are increasing 

steadily. In January, the city 

became the only New Zealand 

destination named as one of the 

world’s top travel destinations 

by The New York Times. 

Lawton said the impetus to 

craft a submission began late last 

year. “Our occupancy rate recovery 

put us in the best position we 

have been in for five years, so 

we know growth is happening. 

What we wanted to find out is 

what that growth might look like 

over the next few years.” 

The Rotorua Lakes Council 

has been beavering away on an 

inner-city strategy for several 

years, working alongside retailers 

and businesses to bring about 

change. 

Much has already been done, 

including the establishment 

of an outdoor eating precinct, 

revamped intersections and 

open “shared zone” and the creation 

of new parks and market 

spaces. 

Brown said that with 

upgrades being proposed in 

areas immediately adjacent 

to the CBD, including more 

than $10 million being spent 

to upgrade SH30 and Amohau 

Street, “the time is right” for this 

planning exercise. 

“It is imperative council 

understands how best to leverage 

these investments,” he said. 

Both Lawson and Brown 

endorse the Council’s goal of 

creating a vibrant city heart, as 

stated in the 2030 Vision and the 

recent Spatial Plan. They say 

what’s needed now is a comprehensive 

view of the way forward, 

with funding locked into 

the 10-Year Plan to drive further 

CBD enhancement. 

Rotorua LTP needs to include 

a boost for the CBD 

Now is the right timing to 

build plans for further revitalisation 

of the city centre 

into the future planning, say 

business leaders. 

Revamped “shared” intersection of Rotorua’s Hinemoa 

and Tutanekai streets: Keeps traffic flowing while 

offering seating for pedestrians. Photo/Supplied. 

Gregg Brown: Online and big box 

retailing increasingly taking business 

from locals. Photo/Supplied.


A quarter-century of serving 

Hamilton: Manu Nahna 

Manu Nahna is in his 26th year at Lodge 

Real Estate, and can’t imagine a better 

place to be. 

“I people I meet through 

love work in real 

estate and I love the 

my work,” says Manu, who is 

based at the Dinsdale Lodge 

office. 

Helping first home buyers 

into a new home is one of the 

joys of the job. 

“It’s a real privilege to help 

people get their first home, and 

be part of that important milestone 

moment,” says Manu, 

who joined Lodge in 1992. 

I’ve seen hot markets, 

and cool markets, 

and there have been 

lots of changes over 

the years 

Manu is one of Lodge’s 

most successful and well-liked 

salespeople. He was awarded 

Lodge’s Number One Salesperson 

in 1998, 2003 and 

2004 and has consistently been 

among the top ten salespeople 

for the company. 

He has received numerous 

company awards, including 

Manu Nahna has been working at 

Lodge Real Estate for his entire 

26-year real estate career. 

a recent Manager’s Choice 

Award at the recent Lodge 

Awards on April 14. Manu has 

also been recognized in the 

Waikato Bay of Plenty Real 

Estate Awards. 

Lodge managing director 

Jeremy O’Rourke says that 

Manu embodies many of the 

company’s core values. 

“Manu is hard-working and 

dedicated to clients, always 

going above and beyond to 

help meet the needs of buyers 

and sellers,” says Jeremy. “He 

values relationships and people 

– which is part of the reason 

he’s been so successful over 

many years in real estate. We 

know he gets a lot of referrals 

and repeat business, and that 

speaks to the trust people put in 

him. He has strong connections 

to his community, and we are 

very proud that he is part of the 

Lodge team.” 

Manu was born in Gujarat, 

a province on the west coast 

of India, in 1945. He came to 

New Zealand as a four-yearold 

with his parents and three 

siblings, settling in Te Kuiti. 

He was introduced to the real 

estate industry by friend Rex 

Kirby, who he used to play 

squash with. “At the time I 

was working at Housing New 

Zealand, and Rex said that I 

seemed to know people everywhere 

I went and working in 

real estate would be a good fit 

for me,” says Manu. 

He was in his mid-40s at the 

time, and a change of careers 

was “a scary prospect” but he 

found that he enjoyed it and 

hasn’t looked back. 

“I’ve only ever worked at 

Lodge, and to me it’s the best 

real estate company around.” 

“I am also extremely grateful 

for all the support I have 

received from family, friends 

and acquaintances during my 

career in real estate,” says 

Manu. “This in turn has meant 

that I have been able to return 

something back to the community 

in the way of numerous 

sponsorships and donations 

over many years.” 

Manu began working in 

the St Andrews Lodge office, 

before leaving to start the 

company’s Dinsdale office. “I 

like Dinsdale, it’s a friendly 

supportive community. We 

list properties all over the city 

but there are many well-priced 

options here in western Hamilton.” 

Over the past quarter century, 

Manu has seen many 

changes in the housing market 

in Hamilton. “I’ve seen hot 

markets, and cool markets, and 

there have been lots of changes 

over the years,” says Manu. “It 

is getting harder for young people 

to get into their own house, 

and we are increasingly seeing 

that some cannot do it without 

assistance from parents.” 

Manu has also noticed the 

trend towards larger homes 

on smaller sections. “When 

I was starting out there were 

more older homes such as state 

houses, many of them on traditional 

quarter-acre sections and 

without garages. Now people 

are wanting three-car garaging 

and there is a trend to wanting 

larger homes on smaller 

sections. In some of the new 

subdivisions houses are on 

500sqm or 600sqm sections, 

with the house taking up most 

of that space.”


27 

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HIGH PERFORMANCE CAMBRIDGE 

Cambridge – high 

performance in business 

Cambridge’s thriving business scene 

is living up to the town’s reputation for 

high performance as it continues to set 

high standards of growth, innovation and 

creativity. 

Already known for its 

high performance 

sport, the town is 

attracting niche companies 

whose owners and workers 

are drawn by the famous Cambridge 

“vibe” and the lifestyle 

opportunities. 

Cambridge Chamber of 


Tania Witheford and Waipa 

District Council economic 

development manager Steve 

Tritt point to global companies 

Parking Sense, Nyriad and 

Shoof International as high 

flyers but says that there are 

“pockets of really cool companies”. 

“People are attracted to 

what’s here in Cambridge,” 

they say. 

“Our proposition around 

Cambridge and Waipa is high 

performance. High performance 

in sport, high performance 

in business and high 

performance in the sort of 

companies we want to attract.” 

This includes a bevy of 

high tech and creative companies 

that are beginning to 

carve out a niche in the Town 

of Trees. While all business is 

welcomed in Cambridge, the 

advantage of the types of companies 

Steve refers to is that 

they don’t have huge infra- 

Sam Mackenzie and Andrew McCathie of Nova Health. 

René Aveyard and Julia Crickett of Rumour. 

structural needs. 

Steve believes more professional 

services are establishing 

in the town and says 

Cambridge Chamber of Commerce 

works with a lot of start 

up, home-based businesses and 

“hopefully they will push on”. 

Steve also refers to the 

“Richard Florida effect”. “Creative 

people moving to a place 

and then looking for something 

to do. Sometimes they 

are dropping out of corporate 

network and they turn up in 

the place and think ‘what shall 

we do’? Those are the people 

that come with great networks 

or global experience and that’s 

who we want.” 

Tania Witheford says many 

of the businesses the town 

attracts find its environment 

fits beautifully with the lifestyle 

they want. 

“Add to that the opportunity 

to bring up your children and 

families; it encapsulates the 

key things we deem as important. 

Sense of purpose, responsibility 

and environment.” 

“I would like to see more 

commercial and best fit businesses 

for Cambridge. There 

is a view that we are aging 

population and now is a prime 

opportunity for us to attract 

that best fit business opportunity 

so people can have pathways.” 

Overall the town is humming 

and pedestrian counts 

are healthy. Tania says after a 

relatively steady six months in 

the later part of 2017, 2018 has 

started strong. 

“So far this year we have 

seen a steady rise in the number 

of people walking the 

main street,” she said. April’s 

Autumn Festival Carnival 

Sunday set records with nearly 

5000 people traversing Victoria 

St to see the street entertainers, 

music and dance of 

local performers and to visit 

the open shops. 

Ensuring there is enough 

space for new business is a priority. 

Commercial properties 

are in high demand. 

“There’s usually a waiting 

list for new leases - especially 

on the main street,” says Steve. 

Empty shops don’t even reach 

the market, they are scooped 

up by people in the know.” 

The new Lakewood Cambridge 

mixed-use development 

is playing a part, adding 

10 percent to the town’s gross 

floor space for retail while 

Steve and Tania see opportunities 

for commercial infill. 

Steve says meanwhile the 

town’s CBD has in effect also 

been extended. 

“The CBD used to be 

defined from the roundabout 

at the bottom of Victoria St to 

the Town Hall. Now it goes up 

to St Andrews roundabout so 

Rocketspark co-founder Grant Johnson. 

we’ve stretched the CBD.” 

Solid residential growth 

backs up the commercial 

growth. The St Kilda residential 

subdivision has been significant 

while Norfolk Downs 

subdivision near the Expressway 

is moving quickly. Steve 

says future growth cells are 

planned either side of Cambridge 

Rd on the town side of 

the Avantidrome. 

“There’s good growth and 

there’s committed and enthusiastic 

developers.” 

Building activity set new 

records last year and building 

permits for the calendar year 

2017 totalled over $320 million. 

Four hundred and sixty 

seven of these were new builds 

and at 2.5 people per household 

this represents a growth 

of nearly 1200 people. 

Notable openings in Waipa 

last year were the Visy packaging 

plant, Podium Lodge, 

Takapoto Estate, Perry Community 

Water Sports Centre, 

Cambridge Oaks Freedom 

Lifestyle village and Aztec. In 

March Canoe Racing NZ set 

up a training centre at Lake 

Karapiro, joining Rowing NZ 

and Cambridge Yacht Club. 

Meanwhile tourism continues 

to flourish. The visitor 

industry is strongly in growth 

mode with 16 percent more 

tourists in Waipa last year. 

Total visitor spend in Waipa 

is up to $166 million of which 

$31m is international money. 

Average stay nights across the 

year measured by MBIE are 

still less than two, indicating 

that winter and shoulder seasons 

are quiet and the town 

needs more winter activity. 

New events for 2019 

include a second UCI World 

Track event and a new feature, 

the NZ Classic Cycle Road 

Race which will be part of a 

Waipa cycling festival. Cambridge’s 

signature events such 

as polo, Maadi, Waka Ama 

and equestrian lead a full summer 

schedule of more than 50 

events. 

Cambridge is more green 

valleys than silicon valleys. 

That’s the memorable 

phrase of Rocketspark 

co-founder and director Grant 

Johnson. 

It suggests the value of the 

town’s lifestyle for a cloudbased 

business such as his, 

which could operate from 

pretty much anywhere in the 

world. 

Grant is recently back from 

several years getting Rocketspark 

going in the UK, and is 

enjoying Cambridge’s friendly 

vibe. 

“It’s a really nice town. 

People seem to take the time 

to chat - when you’re buying 

something, say in a bookshop, 

A Vibrant Cambridge 

Leading and supporting a strong 

connected business community.



Networking has paid off for Jamie Everson. 

Debbie Simes of Footloose Shoes. 

and you end up having a chat 

with the woman behind the 

counter.” 

He’s also struck by the way 

in which operators do things 

to a high standard, including 

a plethora of top restaurants to 

choose from when taking clients 

out for a meal. 

The company set up in 

Cambridge in 2010, and now 

has a team of 12 including 10 

in the town office. It provides 

a platform for businesses to 

easily create and run their own 

website, and Grant estimates 

about a third of the town’s 

businesses would use Rocketspark 

for their website. They 

have 14 design partners in the 

town - graphic designers and 

others who use Rocketspark 

to build websites for their own 

clients. 

All that gives them a concentration 

of potential feedback 

virtually on their doorstep, 

which would be hard to 

replicate in a bigger city. 

Grant also says the smaller 

scale of Cambridge gives an 

added impetus for customer 

service which flows onto how 

they treat clients around the 

world. “In a small town you are 

really aware that the degrees of 

separation between people are 

small so you know that great 

service will be rewarded with 

multiple referrals and poor 

service needs to be resolved 

pronto.” 

When Jamie Everson 

moved with her partner from 

Taupo to Cambridge almost 

four years ago, she did the 

sensible thing - she started networking. 

Jamie, who owns a digital 

marketing and social media 

business, soon realised she was 

in the right place for building 

contacts and relationships. 

She started with the Venus 

business women’s network. 

“There was a large community 

of women business owners 

there that was really amazing 

and they’ve been probably 

about 50 percent of the 

increase to my business.” 

Her accountant then 

referred her to another networking 

group and, in such a 

connected town, her Brightside 

Media business flourished. 

“I think what’s different 

about Cambridge is that they 

really want to help other business 

owners. They all band 

together and offer advice. 

There’s a lot of referrals and 

networking. It’s a really different 

atmosphere.” 

Jamie has lived and worked 

in Auckland and other parts 

of New Zealand, and in major 

cities around the world, including 

London, Melbourne and 

Jakarta. Out of all of them, 

she says she’s never been anywhere 

as safe and community-based 

as Cambridge. 

It also offers the benefit that 

she can readily tap into numerous 

other businesses in the 

town with connected skill sets. 

“There’s a real buzz in 

Cambridge at the moment. 

There’s already a strong community 

here but I think it will 

actually increase a lot more 

over the years and become 

even more vibrant. I reckon it 

could be a leader in community 

spirit because it is really 

closely knit but welcoming to 

outsiders as well.” 

Think of Cambridge as 

the hub. Radiating out from 

it, Rotorua and Tauranga are 

each an hour away, Hamilton 

is a scant quarter hour, Auckland 

maybe an hour and a half, 

depending on its notorious 

traffic. 

That’s more or less how 

Andrew McCathie sees it, and 

so it makes perfect sense that 

he and business partner Sam 

Mackenzie would base their 

Nova Health business in the 

town, in one room of a restored 

villa across the road from the 

town square. 

It no doubt plays a part 

that they are Cambridge boys, 

having gone to school there 

together. Andrew brings a 

business background, Sam 

trained as a nurse, and their 

agency retains its original 

focus on providing palliative 

care nurses, while also expanding 

to cover other elder care. 

They bought the business 

three years ago, and Andrew 

started out running it from a 

spare bedroom; these days 

they have a staff of up to seven, 

with about 200 nurses and 

caregivers on their books, and 

this year they added Auckland 

Stephen Deverell of Mitre 10 Mega. 

to their existing presence in the 

Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts 

as well as Waikato. 

Despite the growth, they 

have no intention of shifting 

from Cambridge, which provides 

everything they need. It’s 

a five minute walk for Andrew 

to see his insurance broker or 

lawyer, and a 10 minute walk 

from home. 

“The lifestyle, the community, 

the vibe here, to walk 

down the street, to know people, 

to feel included, is something 

that big cities lose,” he 

says. 

“Cambridge is growing and 

it’s inevitably going to grow 

more, it’s a very attractive 

place to live.” 

Debbie Simes owns and 

operates Footloose Shoes and 

says she decided to open up 

shop in Cambridge because of 

the town’s uniqueness. 

In 2011 Debbie decided she 

wanted to follow her dream 

of having a business. She has 

always been living in Cambridge 

and believed the town 

would be a great place to start 

a business because of the small 

community aspect. 

“Cambridge is a good place 

to do business, it is growing, 

but it is still very much a small 

community-oriented town,” 

says Debbie. 

She believes the charm and 

uniqueness of the town attracts 

people. Her store fits right into 

the towns vibe of offering a 

boutique shopping experience. 

Footloose Shoes offers 

locals and customers a range 

of high quality footwear across 

top brands including Neo, 

Hogi, Minx, Bresley, Gelato, 

Dr Martens along with many 

other European brands. She 

also sells jewellery, scarfs and 

designer handbags. 

In her eight years of business 

in the town, Debbie says 

she has seen it grow rapidly 

with a lot of outside people 

from Auckland and overseas 

relocating. 

The key to doing really well 

in business is to look after your 

customers and be involved 

within the community, says 

Debbie. 

“As long as you look after 

your customers, they’ll like 

to keep supporting local businesses 

and keep the shops in 

the community,” says Debbie. 

For the business community 

in Cambridge to keep 

thriving and the people to keep 

coming, Debbie says the town 

only needs to keep it’s unique 

aspect intact. 

Stephen Deverell is not 

a stranger in Cambridge, he 

has been in business there for 

many years now and currently 

owns the Mitre 10 Mega. 

He started out with Cambridge 

Timber Hardware 

before buying a small Mitre 10 

store approximately 15 years 

ago. In 2010 he decided to 

upgrade to the mega brand and 

has since owned and operated 

the town’s Mitre 10 Mega. 

He is now working within 

a joint business venture with a 

partner and says that in the past 

five years he has seen substantial 

growth in the community 

and his business. 

“In the last four or five years 

we’ve seen a strong growth in 

the business, we actually managed 

to double our turnover,” 

Continued on page 31



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31 

Cambridge – high performance in business 

From page 29 

says Stephen. 

He does admit though that 

business is starting to slow and 

thinks this is probably due to 

the competition in town and 

their proximity to Hamilton. 

Stephen has enjoyed doing 

business in the area for so long 

because he believes Cambridge 

is a nice small rural town that 

has lots of charm. 

He says people are attracted 

to Cambridge, because of the 

charm, because it is self reliant 

and it offers locals and visitors 

a range of activities. 

To see further growth in 

Cambridge and the businesses, 

Stephen thinks they need to 

become more proactive and 

creative towards bringing in 

more infrastructure to the area. 

Currently he is supporting 

the idea of a third bridge to be 

built in town, he believes this 

is a huge priority and infrastructure 

is now the key to 

extending growth. 

“I think we can do better 

with infrastructure around 

town, these things will allow 

the town and business to grow 

better and faster,” says Stephen. 

René Aveyard and Julia 

Crickett are the stylish ladies 

on the corner of Duke Street in 

Cambridge who own and run 

their very own fashion store, 

Rumor. 

Rene comes from a banking 

background in London 

and Julia had been working 

as a florist before their paths 

crossed at Wintec 10 years ago. 

The pair had been studying 

fashion design at the institute. 

When they graduated, the 

opportunity to have their own 

store in Cambridge popped up 

for them. 

“This store had become 

available when we finished 

our studies and we thought that 

it was a good time to take it 

over,” says Rene. 

They have now owned 

the store for seven years and 

Lakewood set to transform 

Cambridge’s CBD 

stock over 50 streetwear and 

designer brands including Federation, 

Huffer, Coop, Status 

Anxiety and even their own 

label, Loaf & Coco. 

Rene said they always 

wanted to have their own label 

and two years ago they put 

that dream into action. Their 

label is made in New Zealand 

and focuses on being a luxe 

essential and wardrobe staple 

provider. 

They have liked running 

their business in Cambridge 

for so long because of the people 

and the charm of the town. 

“We’ve always loved Cambridge, 

the people and the 

community are very loyal to 

the local businesses here,” says 

Rene. 

The pair were attracted to 

Cambridge for all the reasons 

they think other people are. To 

them the town is buzzing, with 

so much going on and so much 

to see and do. 

“We are really lucky, we 

have quite a lot of neat little 

stores and nice places to eat 

and so we have a lot of people 

coming through quite often,” 

says Rene. 

They are happy with how 

business is rolling at the 

moment, they do hope though 

that their town doesn’t get 

much bigger. To them Cambridge 

is the perfect little town 

and they want to keep it that 

way. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

As Lakewood Cambridge 

takes shape and its first 

two blocks approach 

completion there is plenty of 

anticipation about the development’s 

impact on the town. 

The mixed-use development 

on 3ha of land overlooking 

Lake Te Ko Utu is regarded 

as one of the most significant 

opportunities for Cambridge’s 

flourishing business scene for 

many years. 

With the central business 

district under pressure as the 

town’s business sector booms, 

Lakewood provides much 

needed commercial and retail 

space as well as sought after 

apartment and townhouse 

accommodation. 

Greenstone Group director 

Robert Dol says the first two 

blocks of the development are 

nearing completion. They comprise 

16 pre-sold apartments 

with fully leased retail on the 

ground floor. 

One block will comprise a 

Superliqour, Pita Pit, Bay Audiology, 

The Coffee Club, men’s 

barber and a sushi restaurant. 

The other block will comprise 

Snap Fitness, Nyriad, Vivo 

Hear and IT Repair outlet, 

MTF, Hells Pizza and Epiphany 

Donuts. 

Construction of a motel is 

to begin July 2018, scheduled 

for completion mid-next year. 

During that time another block 

comprising a restaurant and 

other food outlets will also be 

completed. Other features of 

the development yet to be constructed 

are a medical centre, 

child care centre and 31 townhouses. 

Most of Lakewood Cambridge’s 

commercial centre will 

be opened by the end of next 

year. 

Waipa District Council economic 

development manager 

Steve Tritt says Lakewood will 

add 10 percent to Cambridge’s 

gross floor area for retail. 

“Lakewood is going to be a 

big opportunity for us in terms 

of our ability to grow our CBD 

and cater for the extra pressure 

on our CBD and parking.” 

Steve can envisage the 

opportunity over time to infill 


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Lakewood set to transform 

Cambridge’s CBD 

From page 31 

the area between the CBD and 

Lakewood and more opportunity 

to provide more retail 

space. 

Cambridge Chamber of 


Tania Witheford says Lakewood 

utilises land which has 

not been well used before is 

“really moving along”. 

“It’s really coming to fruition 

now. What we will need 

once it’s built is a great connector. 

We need to provide clean 

lines and make it easy and safe 

to walk between Lakewood and 

town.” 

Robert Dol says the uptake 

at Lakewood Cambridge has 

been excellent and there are 

only eight tenancies left to lease 

in the whole development. 

Extensive market research 

before its inception showed 

there was a void for it to fill. 

“The market analysis we did 

showed there was actually quite 

a big hole in terms of food and 

beverage in Cambridge. That’s 

pretty much been testament to 

the uptake we’ve had. There’s 

also much office demand, with 

lots of people running out of 

houses for offices. And as businesses 

grow they are looking 

for larger and a more professional 

images.” 

Robert says the medical 

centre’s extended hours will 

cater for a community needing 

longer GP services. 

He envisages Lakewood 

will help to prevent a lot of 

Cambridge’s “retail leakage” to 

towns such as Hamilton, Morrinsville 

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33 

Building firm gives back to community 

Last Friday, Jono McCullough and his 

team were standing on the banks of Lake 

Karapiro supporting two of New Zealand’s 

top rowers. 


“We looked like 

road cones,” 

Jono remarks, in 

reference to the orange builders’ 

high-vis vests the team was kitted 

out in. 

They were backing eights 

rowers Stephen Jones and Lucy 

Spoors, who are brand ambassadors 

for Jono and wife Paula’s 

Cambridge company, Rob May 

Builders. 

Cambridge has a buzz 

about it. We’ve got 

so much here - Lake 

Karapiro is such a 

massive thing for us. 

The New Zealand rowers 

were completing final preparations 

before heading to Europe 

for two World Rowing Cup 

events in June and July. 

On Friday, Lucy and Stephen 

had enthusiastic support from a 

full complement of 18. Not only 

that, but the firm built Stephen 

his house, and since then he has 

been with them as brand ambassador 

for about three or four 

years. 

There’s a sporting theme 

running right through the building 

company’s extensive support 

for its community. 

It’s been a while since Jono 

took to the cricket field, but 

they sponsor all the club cricket 

in Cambridge, with juniors 

through to seniors pulling on 

Rob May branded shirts when 

they take the field. “It’s great to 

see the club is thriving and kids 

getting out and enjoying their 

sport.” 

Rounding out the picture, 

they sponsor a netball team from 

Cambridge East Primary and 

also one of the town’s netball 

courts - court six is Rob May 

Builders Court. 

“It’s great seeing girls and 

boys learning the discipline of 

team sport.” 

Paula is Cambridge born 

and bred, while Jono hails from 

Katikati, and they’ve been running 

their Cambridge business 

since 2005 so they have a strong 

base for their community support. 

A builder for 32 years, Jono 

is also keen to play his part in 

training the next generation and 

they have eight apprentices, and 

take on a new one most years. 

“I think we’ve had about 14 

apprentices past and present. 

And we’re big on it because the 

industry needs to bring young 

guys through. I got trained, I got 

put through my time, so I need 

to give back. 

“So that’s part of our community. 

We like to, as much as 

possible, give young guys in the 

community the opportunity.” 

Some stay on, including the 

firm’s foreman, Cameron van 

den Broek, who got his start as 

their first apprentice, and first 

employee. 

The apprentices learn their 

trade working on restorations as 

well as new builds. 

“Top end architectural homes 

are what we do,” Jono says. 

The firm has two new houses 

in the St Kilda subdivision with 

two more at Norfolk Downs, 

and a couple of big house builds 

at Karapiro. The focus is residential, 

though it also works on 

retirement complexes. 

They could hardly be based 

in a better place, as Cambridge 

booms. 

“It’s got great atmosphere, 

great location, and it’s a vibrant 

town,” Jono says. 

“Cambridge has a buzz 

about it. We’ve got so much 

here - Lake Karapiro is such a 

massive thing for us. 

“And you’ve got the athletes. 

So you’re in a town that’s got 

top class athletes and you walk 

down the street and you see 

them and say gidday to them. 

For kids, that’s pretty special. 

And I think that all adds to the 

vibe of the place. It’s great for 

us, great for business and great 

to be a part of. 

“I love Cambridge, eh?” 

Paula and Jono McCulloch 

of Rob May Builders. 

Building what you want, 

how you want it! 

• Residential - design and build 

• Top end architectural homes 

• Alterations and renovations 

• Light commercial • Retirement sector 

Rob May Builders 

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A6055T


Who are you designing for? 

Everyone has an opinion about what 

is good and what is bad design. While 

some people will find bright contrasting 

colours appealing, others may find them 

distracting. 

While some may find 

signing up before 

being able to use a 

free service frustrating, others 

could find that same requirement 

pleasant. Knowing what 

works for customers and ensuring 

that their experience at 

every stage of the sales lifecycle 

is a positive experience is a 

core focus of businesses today. 

The job of achieving this 

positive experience has been 

tasked to the modern-day User 

Experience Designer (UX 

Designer). Their responsibil- 

ity is to ensure that customer 

engagements with a product or 

service are a positive and addictive 

one. An experience that is 

positive will lead to improved 

sales and greater customer loyalty 

and retention. A good UX is 

also an important source of sustainable 

competitive advantage 

over competitors. It’s all quite 

straight forward, except... that 

it’s not. 

You see, it doesn’t matter 

how incredible your UX 

Designer is, he or she cannot 

design an experience. Imagine a 

person standing in line at a pub. 

Let’s call this person John. The 

pub has spent considerable time 

working on ensuring that John 

has a wonderful experience. So, 

in the beginning John is enjoying 

his time waiting in line, but 

then from out of nowhere a man 

comes and pushes into the line 

before him. All of a sudden, the 

wonderful UX design has been 

thrown away. A mere mortal 

simply cannot control all the 

variables that exist in the real 

world. So, a UX Designer cannot 

design an experience that 

is consistent every single time, 

instead what he or she can do is 

design for an experience. 

Designing for an experience 

is not an easy task. First and 

foremost, it is vital to remember 

that just because you feel 

that an experience is good, 

doesn’t mean everyone around 

you shares that opinion. So UX 

designers spend a considerable 

amount of their time researching. 

In the field of UX, research 

is the king. Good UX designers 

spend a considerable amount 

of time researching their subject 

areas. The designs that 

come out of the research are 

built, tested, and tweaked until 

the perfect user experience has 

been defined. 

There is also another problem, 

which is that no single 

MARKETING MATTERS 

> BY MEHRDAD BEHROOZI 

Mehrdad (Merv) Behroozi is general manager of Hamilton graphic 

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

Email: merv@e9.nz 

person has the immense depth 

of knowledge required to successfully 

design for an entire 

experience. To do that you’d 

need a user researcher, information 

architect, user interface 

designer, usability tester, 

and a UX designer at the least. 

Sure, you don’t have to have 

every one of the above roles 

being played by different individuals, 

but it would be reckless 

to assume that one single 

person can perform all of the 

What to consider when looking to relocate 

So, you’ve decided that your 

business needs new premises 

and you’ve noticed a 

few glossy new-build developments 

being marketed in your 

desired area. 

Navigating the way to occupying 

office space in a yet-to-be 

built development requires 

homework, due diligence and 

a healthy dose of confidence – 

from all parties, not just the tenants! 

If your existing lease is due 

to expire in the medium term and 

you’re committed to a change of 

environment, then securing a 

tenancy off-the-plans could be 

a great way forward for your 

office business. 

Here’s some things to consider 

when weighing up a move 

to brand new, yet-to-be-built 

space: 

• A high-spec’ new build with 

its associated new generation 

innovations and structural 

integrity could be a great 

recruitment tool for your 

business when scouting for 

new staff 

• Look into the background of 

the developer and check out 

any former projects associated 

with them to benchmark 

quality 

• Ask plenty of questions and 

investigate what checks and 

balances are built-in to ensure 

that you get what you signed 

up for within the agreed timeframe. 

You do not want to be 

paying two lots of rent 

• Sign up within the early 

stages of the development to 

have some genuine input into 

the layout and other design 

components 

• There are obvious efficiencies 

to be gained by getting 

in early – far easier to be 

onboard from the very start 

than to procrastinate and then 

find that structural changes 

are too expensive, not practical 

or simply not able to 

be incorporated to the build 

once underway 

• Consider utilising the services 

of an interior designer 

or office design specialist 

to look at the floorplan and 

“test” the proposed layout 

• Similarly, get a data specialist 

in to assess your longterm 

business technology 

requirements and to ensure 

that the space has longevity 

and remains relevant in the 

fast-changing technological 

environment 

• Allow plenty of time to 

transition your business to a 

new address. Work out the 

logistics around your current 

lease, streamline how/ 

when to physically relocate 

your business operation and 

remember to factor in some 

contingencies around timing 

• See if you can get a “lease 

tail” clause built in to your 

lease contract whereby, if the 

new building is ready ahead 

of time, your new landlord 

will pay the remainder of 

your existing lease. This is 

most likely to happen if your 

current landlord is the one 

developing the new building 

above-mentioned roles efficiently. 

There is a lot that goes into 

the creation of a great customer 

experience and despite this 

being an absolutely vital part of 

the customer lifecycle we tend 

to see high impact decisions 

being made based on ego’s 

rather than research. So, we 

need to remember that we are 

not designing our experience, 

we are designing customer 

experience. 

• Consider new ways of working 

when you move to a new 

building. Here’s your chance 

to turn your work environment 

on its head and try 

incorporating agile (hot desk) 

work stations, consider communal 

and collaborative team 

spaces, and move towards 

a paperless office with new 

technologies. 

Committing to office space 

off-the-plans could be the turbo-boost 

your business needs. 

Experienced leasing agents who 

work closely with developers 

and who are up-to-date with 

market trends and dynamics can 

assist you with the information 

required to fast-track the decision 

making. www.bayleys. 

co.nz/workplace/articles/insights 

Commercial 

Property 

Management 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are 

what businesses are built on and how 

they succeed. 

We understand that to maximise the 

return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

A business partner that understands 

your views and goals 

Speak to your Bayleys team today 

SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, 

LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 

Jan Cooney 

Senior Commercial Property Manager 

P 07 579 0609 M 027 408 9339 

jan.cooney@bayleys.co.nz 

Brodie Thomas 

Commercial Property Manager 

P 07 579 0608 M 027 746 9218 

brodie.thomas@bayleys.co.nz


Entering industry awards: 

maximise the PR value 

Have you ever thought about putting in 

an application for an industry award or 

competition? 

It can be a little daunting if 

you haven’t done it before. 

What should you write? 

How can you tell your story in 

a way that will connect with the 

judges? Why bother anyway? 

From a public relations 

point of view, applying for 

select industry awards can be a 

great part of your business strategy. 

They can help you build 

your brand’s reputation as an 

industry leader and build your 

credibility among customers 

and peers. 

Being a finalists or winner 

also gives you an opportunity 

for publicity and a chance to 

talk about your business, your 

brand and what you do in a genuine, 

non-salesy way. Winning 

an award can help attract repeat 

business and new customers - 

people are attracted to leaders 

in their fields and will make a 

beeline for you. 

However, applying for 

an award does take time and 

thought. If you decide this is 

part of your communications 

strategy, you need to put the 

time in to do it well - or don’t 

do it at all. That means taking 

the time to do a great award 

application and taking charge 

of your own publicity. 

What makes a great 

application? 

Remember to read the application 

carefully; answer the 

questions being asked. You 

need to address them specifically. 

This is not the time to be 

shy! Talk about the great 

things you have done. Whatever 

you are saying you’ve 

accomplished, back it up 

with stats and facts. Show the 

proof. 

Make sure it is well-written. 

Remember the judges are 

busy people. A sloppy application 

is not going to make a 

good impression. The content 

is one part of the application 

but the way it is written is 

extremely important. 

Make sure there are no 

spelling or grammatical errors, 

make sure it’s succinct, use 

simple language, headings and 

bullet points are important. 

How can you make the 

most of entering awards? 

Remember that you need to 

take charge of your own publicity. 

Don’t ever assume the 

organisation doing the awards 

will do enough to highlight 

your finalist position or win. 

The lead organisation will 

often do one big release stating 

all finalists or all winners. 

They are not concerned with 

getting each and every organisation 

involved the maximum 

amount of profile. Only you 

can do that. 

If the organisation 

announces finalists, that is a 

trigger for you to announce this 

yourself. If you are a finalist, 

ensure you prepare your communications 

before the awards 

take place. Have a media 

release prepared, social media 

posts, website news story, even 

an advert developed and ready 

to place. 

Think about how you will 

maximise the announcement 

of an award win - if it happens 

- on your earned, owned and 

paid channels available to you. 

Why prepare all this beforehand? 

Because it has most 

‘news legs’ the morning after/ 

day after an award ceremony. 

Talking about it a few days or 

weeks later will not gain as 

much cut through and media 

pick-up. 

If you are doing a media 

release and you win, pick 

your target media outlets and 

email it to them the night of 

the awards ceremony (ideally 

minutes after the award 

announcement) or first thing 

the following morning. Follow 

up with a phone call to key 

media, offering a spokesperson 

for interviews. 

The photo 

This is incredibly important: 

get a photo on the night that is 

media worthy. 

If you need to get a group 

shot of the winning team at an 

awards dinner, get a close-up 

of one or a select few smiling 

PR AND COMMUNICATIONS 

> BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB 

Heather Claycomb is director of HMC Communications, a 

Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agencys. 

faces. A group of twenty people 

holding the award does not 

work for media. 

You only get one chance 

to get a great media-worthy 

picture, so think ahead of time 

about what sort of photo(s) you 

require and put someone on 

your team in charge of ensuring 

it happens (or it won’t). 

Consider things like lighting, 

composition, and ensure 

the file size is at least 1-2MB 

(for good print reproduction). 

Put it on the calendar 

So, now that you have the 

information you need to get 

you started, look around and 

see what industry awards are 

coming up and get prepared. 

Make a calendar of key awards 

you or your staff want to enter 

in the coming year. 

Put this in your communications 

strategy for the year 

and be sure to enter - and give 

yourself enough time to do it 

well. It can take time but the 

results of receiving an industry 

accolade or acknowledgement 

is worth its weight in PR gold! 

Software makes the world go round 

Software is boring, I heard 

someone say recently. 

Naturally, as director 

of a super-fast-growing 

software specialist, I disagree 

wholeheartedly. But not 

because I make a crust through 

developing and deploying 

software. 

Most of us interact with 

software most of the time 

without even realising it. 

You wouldn’t get out of bed 

without the software that controls 

the systems that deliver 

electricity to your home and 

powers your clock radio or 

your charging smartphone. 

The radio station would 

not be able to produce its programs 

without software. Even 

if it could, it certainly could 

not broadcast them over the 

airwaves or via the internet. 

Without software the world 

would return to rising and 

sleeping with the sun, or simply 

sleeping in. 

If you’re connected to the 

local council’s water reticulation 

system, software enables 

water to be piped into your 

home as and when you need it. 

There would be no hot 

water for your early morning 

cup of tea, or flat white, nor 

any chilled milk to add flavour 

or pour on your cereal. 

Without software you can forget 

a slice of crunchy morning 

toast. 

We’d have to go back to 

factory sweat shops making 

clothes, without software, 

and we’d need one in every 

town. Trains, planes, and 

automobiles would grind to a 

halt without software, so you 

could also forget widespread 

distribution of products. 

Personal travel would 

be limited to walking and 

cycling, or you could get a 

horse, so most people would 

be confined to working in the 

town that they live. Most people 

would have to retrain, as so 

many job today involve booting 

up a personal computer 

and either running a process 

with it or using it to manage 

business critical information. 

They would have to return to 

manual jobs, as there would 

be no software-controlled 

TECH TALK 

> BY DAVID HALLETT 

David Hallett is a director of Hamilton software specialist Company-X, 

design house E9 and chief nerd at Waikato Need a Nerd. 

machines to pick up the slack. 

The information age, without 

software, would be over. 

The world would be thrown 

back to the days of Caxton’s 

printing press for the distribution 

of data – fact or fiction – 

limited to as far as your horse 

or bike can carry your printed 

material. 

You get the idea. 

Without software, things 

would be grim. 

Far from being boring, 

software makes the world go 

around.


RJ LINCOLN 

We are immensely proud of our 30 plus years achievement in this ever changing 

& challenging industry, being committed to its people, 

clients, customers & community with the vision looking forward to 

exciting times & opportunities in the future. 

30th 

07 885 0220 e: rjlincoln@rjlincoln.co.nz 

Boronia Street, Tokoroa 

w: www.rjlincoln.co.nz 

A5117T

RJ LINCOLN 


At Aon, we are proud to continue our 

support of the RJ Lincoln Group as their 

reliable insurance partner. 

Aon is the leading provider of insurance broking and risk 

management advice in New Zealand and we’re proud to be 

a part of the Waikato community. 

Come in and see us at 85 Tristram Street, Hamilton or, 

speak to your local Aon Waikato broker on 07 837 7100 

aon.co.nz 

RJ Lincoln’s growth 

a boon for Tokoroa 

Tokoroa company RJ Lincoln Ltd has 

grown from a business based on one 

truck to a transport company with 24 

truck and trailers and a logistics company 

that provides road and rail solutions. 

Overall there are now in excess of 40 staff 

employed. 

In doing so the company 

begun by Raymond Lincoln 

in 1988 has played 

a strong role in promoting 

employment and business 

development in the town. 

Raymond has grown the 

company steadily over the 

years and a key factor in recent 

growth was the establishment 

and construction of a modern 

storage facility which began 

in 2012. The newly developed 

site located in Boronia Street 

Tokoroa now boasts more than 

18000m2 of covered sheds 

and a further 700m2 of office 

space. 

Another hugely significant 

factor in RJ Lincoln’s growth 

was its investment in a rail 

siding in conjunction with 

South Waikato District Council 

which opened in 2015. The 

road/rail terminal includes a 

rail siding, hardstand, local 

road connection and a container 

loading and unloading 

area and is available for all 

businesses to use. RJ Lincoln 

runs the operation under an 


Congratulations RJ Lincoln 

30 years going from strength 

to strength. 

Keep on trucking 

Grant: 021 577 169 Pamela: 021 921 934 

Email: gstconstruction@live.com 

GST CONSTRUCTION 

TOTAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN 

Congratulations Ray, on 30 years of hard work, commitment to 

your clients and workmates, and massive achievements! 

Proud to support such a successful team! 

www.brittendraper.co.nz 07 378 8854 First floor, 81 horomatangi st, taupo 3330 

A4818T 

A6762T


RJ LINCOLN 

Master Electricians... 

Proud to be involved with R.J.Lincoln & 

their building additions 

Congratulations on your 30th Anniversary 

Call our expert team for: 

• Commercial, Industrial & Residential Wiring 

RJ Lincoln’s growth 

a boon for Tokoroa 

• Switchboard Design & Manufacture 

• Alarm & Security Camera Installation 

• Engineering Design 

• Lighting Design & Upgrades 

• Data Installation 

• Emergency Lighting 

PHONE 888 8245 NOW! 

Servicing the greater Waikato www.electrico.co.nz 

“Our knowledge is power” 

From page 37 

access and handling contract 

with the council and Kiwirail. 

The public-private partnership 

is widely seen as 

contributing to the economic 

success of South Waikato by 

creating jobs, growing existing 

business, attracting new 

business and improving road 

safety through more use of 

rail. 

The facility provides customers 

with a central total 

logistics solution for freight 

handling and distribution. 

Imported freight, particularly 

from the Port of Tauranga is 

handled at the terminal’s warehouse 

and distributed North 

Island-wide. For rail utilisation, 

the terminal is perfectly 

positioned to be part of the 

logistics chain for businesses 

situated anywhere around the 

Central Plateau. 

The central location of 

Tokoroa and the unique ability 

to utilise intermodal options, 

specifically the services of 

KiwiRail through a private 

siding, and a modern storage 

facility, gives RJ Lincoln a 

unique point of difference. The 

added ability to have 24-hour 

access to freight allows planners 

to work towards maximum 

truck utilisation which 

adds value through efficiencies 

and increased service levels 

to customers. 

RJ Lincoln general manager 

Gavin O’Donoghue says 

a lot of focus in the last few 

years has gone into managing 

the construction of the terminal 

but more focus now will go 

into creating even more efficiencies 

through dual use of 

road and rail to freight goods. 

“The ‘green effect’ the terminal 

allows is huge as we 

move more freight by train, 

rather than on the road, particularly 

over the Kaimai 

Ranges from the Port of Tauranga. 

In the past 12 months 

we would have removed more 

than 1000 truck movements 

over this road which is a big 

number when looking at emissions 

and putting fewer trucks 

on an already congested high 

accident stretch of road. This 

is an important strategic direction 

as the overall freight task 

required in New Zealand continues 

to significantly increase 

year on year. 

RJ Lincoln is well established 

and has been operational 

for 30 years. The staff 

are driven and have enjoyed 

being part of the growth as the 

business evolves in size and 

into new modern buildings. 

Their culture is one of embracing 

change and challenges 

to improve overall business 

development. 

Nicholson Surveying proudly supporting RJ Lincoln for providing growth 

opportunities and employment in the South Waikato. 

Nicholson Surveying | 43 Arapuni Street, Putaruru | Ph 07 883 3198 | Mob 021 146 7145 | tb@nicholsonsurveying.co.nz 

A9062T


39 

Will your Will protect 

your loved ones? 

To ensure suitable distribution of your 

assets upon your death and the adequate 

provision for family members, it is essential 

to prepare your Will. 

The death of a family 

member is an emotional 

time, and when it is the 

passing of a parent, it can also 

become very litigious. The 

conflict that can arise when a 

parent dies makes preparing 

a Will crucial. As a legal document, 

a Will can avoid any 

ambiguity or misunderstanding 

regarding the Will Maker’s 

intentions towards the 

disposal of their assets upon 

their death. 

By preparing a Will, you, 

as the Will Maker, can be 

assured that upon your death, 

your assets will be distributed 

according to your wishes. 

Protecting family members 

When making your Will, it 

should be appropriate for your 

family dynamics and needs. 

Under the Family Protection 

Act 1955 (“the Act”), you do 

have some legislative duty 

to make adequate provision 

for the proper maintenance 

and support of the following 

family members. This list is 

in order of status in the hierarchy: 

1. Your spouse or civil union 

partner 

2. Your de facto partner (if 

you are in a relationship at 

the time of your death); 

3. Your children; 

4. Your grandchildren; 

5. Your step-children (if you 

were providing maintenance 

for them at the time 

of your death); and 

6. Your parents (if they were 

being maintained by you at 

the time of your death). 

As indicated by the 

descending order of status 

and hierarchy within the list 

above, your primary duty is 

to your spouse or partner and 

then to your children and so 

on. 

Claims for adequate 

provision 

Claims under the Act arise 

when family members feel 

you did not make adequate 

provision for them. Should 

this occur, they may then 

make a claim under the Act 

against the estate. 

There is a distinction 

between “adequate provision” 

for “proper maintenance 

and support” and making 

a fair or equal distribution 

under the Will. 

When a claim is made, the 

courts will consider whether 

you, as the Will Maker, has 

discharged your duty towards 

your family of making adequate 

provision for the ongoing 

and proper maintenance 

and support of various family 

members. 

Children are the most common 

claimants under the Act. 

If a claim is made, the court 

will consider what is necessary 

to ensure the children are 

recognised as valued members 

of the family and are financially 

supported. 

Unfortunately, there is no 

set formula for what is “necessary”. 

Instead, the courts 

will carefully consider the 

family circumstances of each 

case before making an award. 

Therefore, no guarantees 

can be provided to potential 

claimants and the specific 

nature of what is necessary 

is demonstrated on a case by 

case basis. 

ASK A LAWYER 

> BY KARIN THOMAS 

Karin Thomas, runs her own practice, Karin Thomas Lawyer. 

Contact Karin at karin@karinthomas.co.nz or 07 974 4808, 

or visit www.karinthomas.co.nz 

Plan for the future 

In short, plan for the future. 

A properly prepared Will, 

supported by a Memorandum 

of Guidance for trustees and 

executors of your estate, will 

help reduce family confusion, 

hurt and conflict. 

If there is an unequal distribution 

of your estate, provide 

an explanation of your intentions 

and the processes you 

undertook while formulating 

your Will instructions. Leave 

no doubt as to your wishes 

of how you would like to see 

your assets distributed. 

Tell us what you think... 

Kerry is a dedicated real 

estate professional who has 

been involved in the Hamilton 

residential property arena 

since 1993. He was also 

active in the marketing of the 

exclusive beach and canal front 

properties at Pauanui on the 

Coromandel Peninsula. 

Tips to market your property 

1) – Create atmosphere. 

– Make you home as warm and 

inviting as possible. 

– You could have light music playing 

in the background during purchaser 

inspections. 

...now is your chance 

to be heard – visit 

wbn.co.nz 

and cast your vote 

in our weekly poll 

2) – Spouting should be cleaned and in 

good repair. 

– Garage /carport clean and tidy. 

– Drapes should be open, carpets 

freshly vacuumed. 

3) – All rubbish cleared away. 

– Any cracked or broken windows 

repaired. 

– Cupboards and pantry neat and 

tidy. 

Lugtons have been and still are industry leaders 

in the marketing of both residential and lifestyle 

property in the Hamilton regions since 1955 

which will certainly guarantee exposure of your 

investment to potential buyers. 

Hence, with Lugtons heritage in the development 

of this City and together with the commitment of 

Kerry and his team, are extremely proud of their 

role in the important buying and selling decisions 

of their valued clients. 

Kerry Hopper 

DDI: (07) 838 5870 

Mobile: (021) 984 173 

www.KerryHopper.nz 

Kerry Hopper – Lugtons Real Estate 

A6499T


This stops people forgetting your business 

Here’s a harsh truth: Potential customers 

who visit your website will most likely have 

forgotten about your business just 20 

minutes later! 

They might be searching 

for your products or 

services and end up on 

your website, or they might 

be browsing social media and 

see something that you post. 

But within 20 minutes, if they 

didn’t contact your business, 

they’re likely to have forgotten 

all about you. 

Or, alternatively, they 

remember your business 

vaguely – not quite remembering 

your business name, but 

thinking that what you offered 

looked quite good. Or was it 

the other company they saw 

that looked good? They can’t 

quite remember. 

As much as your company 

is number one in your mind for 

your niche, the sad reality is 

that potential customers easily 

forget your business and what 

you stand for. 

So how do we stop customers 

forgetting us? How do we 

build brand recognition when 

we don’t have Coke-sized 

marketing budgets? 

One of the powerful 

answers that digital marketing 

offers is remarketing. 

If you don’t know what 

remarketing is, you will certainly 

have experienced it. It 

works like this: 

You’re searching for something 

online, or click on a 

Facebook advert, and view 

a website. You read through 

the page, and then click the 

back button. An hour later 

you’re on Facebook, and there 

is an advert for the website 

you visited earlier. The next 

day you’re watching a video 

on YouTube and see another 

advert for that same company. 

A week later you’re reading 

an article on an international 

news site and once again there 

is an advert for that company. 

Over the coming weeks and 

months you continue to see 

that company’s online ads and 

you start to think: “These guys 

are advertising everywhere!” 

Nope. They’re not. They’re 

just advertising to YOU. 

That’s remarketing. 

It enables advertisers to 

show ads specifically to people 

who have visited their website 

or interacted with their page 

on Facebook. 

This is a powerful method 

to stop people forgetting your 

business. 

Instead of forgetting about 

you within 20 minutes, you 

can keep reminding your 

previous visitors about your 

business, for months to come. 

Instead of seeing your brand 

just once when they visited 

your site, they’ll see your 

brand and messaging multiple 

times, building brand memorability. 

(However, you don’t want 

to pester previous visitors. 

Good remarketing campaigns 

should have restrictions on the 

frequency that previous visitors 

see your ads. That way 

you’ll build brand recognition 

without annoying them.) 

If you sell an expensive 

product or service, remarketing 

can be especially useful for 

helping move potential clients 

along the journey. 

If you’re selling products 

online for hundreds or thousands 

of dollars, people are 

unlikely to decide to purchase 

on their very first visit. So, 

you can create ads that get 

the attention of cold traffic, 

and then run remarketing ads 

to the people who visited, to 

move them through the customer 

journey from awareness 

to purchase. Good remarketing 

ads can include testimonials, 

additional messaging, 

and more in-depth information 

to build the user’s desire to 

purchase. 

If your product or service 

has a very long buying cycle, 

remarketing can help keep 

your offering and brand in 

your prospect’s mind during 

the customer journey. Use it 

to build their knowledge and 

desire for your solution, making 

it easier for your sales 

THE DIGITAL WORLD 

> BY JOSH MOORE 

Josh Moore is the managing director at digital marketing agency, 

Duoplus. josh@duoplus.nz www.duoplus.nz 

team to close them on the deal. 

In summary, there is no reason 

to let your prospects forget 

you after 20 minutes. Implementing 

remarketing campaigns 

can help you to easily 

build your brand awareness 

and memorability. 

Tranda Construction 

- expertise and passion 

Expert work on an historic 

former convent in 

Ngaruawahia is a perfect 

example of the skill and 

passion Tranda Construction 

brings to its work. 

Tranda Construction offers 

one of the most professional 

construction services in 

Waikato. From general roundthe-house 

jobs to specific individualised 

pieces to suit unique 

tastes, Tranda Construction 

record of customer satisfaction 

shows how serious it is about 

getting the job done right. 

A perfect example is the 

former Paeroa convent of the 

Sisters of St Joseph of the 

Sacred Heart, a 116-year-old 

heritage building was relocated 

to Ngaruawahia in 1977. 

Tranda Construction has been 

associated with this home for 

a number of years and is currently 

undertaking additions 

and alterations that included 

the construction of the two 

storied return verandahs that 

were omitted as a cost saving 

measure when the home was 

constructed in 1902. 

Tranda Construction has 

worked alongside Auckland 

boutique architectural practice 

McKinney + Windeatt 

Architects which creates site 

specific, individually tailored 

buildings. The restoration 

required an application of 

high level carpentry skills that 

referred to the century old 

detailing with contemporary 

timber construction standards 

that replaced the entire external 

verandah space to achieve 

190 square metres of new covered 

outdoor space. The resultant 

exterior features extensive 

use of crafted timberwork with 

a composition of rimu, totara, 

garapa and kauri. Integral with 

the materiality and detailing of 

the project was the role colour 

played. 

The use of DULUX 

Colours of New Zealand for 

a colour palate that referred 

to the heritage of the home, 

its architectural features and 

its rural location that reflected 

their own personality . 

It was this palate of colour 

and timberwork that caught 

the judges’ imagination and 

saw the project selected as a 

finalist in two categories of 

Waikato retailer picks up Jaguar 

Land Rover Dealer Award 

Duncan & Ebbett beat 

off national competition 

recently to take 

home the Jaguar Land Rover 

Supreme Retailer of the Year 

award. 

Duncan & Ebbett Hamilton 

picked up the national 

award for excellence in vehicle 

retailing along with the 

Jaguar Land Rover New Zealand 

Parts Team Award. The 

prestige car dealer was also 

runner-up in the Jaguar New 

Car Sales Team, Service Team 

Award and Business Manager 

Awards. 

Duncan & Ebbett dealer 

principal, Craig Duncan, said 

he and the team were thrilled 

to receive the accolades. 

“Our team has worked 

incredibly hard over the past 

year towards this achievement 

and we couldn’t be more 

proud to receive this recognition”. 

Jaguar Land Rover’s general 

manager, Steve Kenchington, 

said the awards were 

thoroughly deserved. 

“The Duncan & Ebbett 

team is a credit to the Waikato 

region - its commitment to the 

continuous development of 

the customer experience in the 

retail outlet has set a benchmark 

for the rest of the country 

to follow,” he said. 

Other winners were also 

announced the Jaguar Land 

Rover Retailer Excellence 

Awards: 

- Jaguar New Zealand 

Retailer of the Year - Bayswater 

European 

- Land Rover New Zealand 

Retailer of the Year - Armstrong 

Prestige Dunedin 

- Jaguar Land Rover New 

Zealand New Car Sales 

Team Award - Archibald & 

Shorter North Shore 


Zealand Service Team 

Award - Bayswater European 


Zealand Parts Team Award 

- Duncan & Ebbett Hamilton 


the DULUX Colour Awards 

2018 (Residential Exterior and 

International).Tranda Construction’s 

staff has vast expertise 

and works as a tightly 

knit team to get the job done 

quickly and at the best possible 

price. 

Zealand Business Manager 

- Archibalds Christchurch 


Zealand Marketing Award 

- Bayswater European


YOUR DESTINATION FOR ALL YOUR FUNCTIONS, AFTER WORK 

DRINKS OR JUST A CASUAL DINING EXPERIENCE 

The Helm is and always will be 

Hamiltons Hospitality destination 

07 839 2545 

22 Ulster Street, Hamilton 

Email Us info@thehelm.co.nz 

Open: 

Monday - Friday, 12pm - Late 

Saturday - Sunday, 11am - Late


CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES 

SPECIAL EVENTS 2018 

Looking for an out-of-the-box way to reward your team for their hard work, or a unique and memorable event 

to host important clients? Our upcoming special events offer a great opportunity to do just that... 

MID-WINTER FEAST 

Friday 6 July 2018 

Escape the Winter chill and join us for an 

evening in the Shire. With a warming mulled 

wine in hand, relax by the roaing fire inside the 

Green Dragon Inn before enjoying a feast fit 

for a Hobbit the Party Marquee. 

INTERNATIONAL HOBBIT DAY 

Saturday 22 September 2018 

Celebrate International Hobbit Day getting 

merry with us in the Shire. Wander the 

Marketplace which will be bursting with 

traditional Hobbit fare, roaming entertainment 

and join in the interactive themed games. 

HOBBITON BEER FEST 

Saturday 3 November 2018 

Dust off your lederhosen and get ready for a 

beer festival with a twist. With a themed polka 

band to set the mood, enjoy our exclusive 

range of Hobbit Southfarthing ales out of 

your very own souvenir stein! 

For further information on special events or to private functions at Hobbiton Movie Set 

contact Business Events Sales Manager, Maya Storey at events@hobbitontours.com 

www.hobbitontours.com 

We offer free, impartial advice to assist with your planning. From venue recommendations to 

sourcing quotes and organising familiarisation visits, or just pointing you in the right direction. 

CONTACT US FOR FREE EXPERT ADVICE 

P: 07 843 1853 / E: businessevents@hamiltonwaikato.com 

www.hamiltonwaikato.com/business-events 

J8329P



Add some Middle-earth 

movie magic to your next event 

Looking for a unique location to host your 

next event, an out-of-the-box way to reward 

your team for its hard work, or a memorable 

experience to host important clients? 

Hobbiton Movie Set offers a range of 

special events and private function options 

with great opportunities to do just that. 

The Tour 

Allow your guests to be 

immersed in the natural beauty 

of Middle-earth with a two 

hour fully guided tour of the 

famous movie set as seen in 

The Lord of the Rings and The 

Hobbit movies. Your guide 

will escort you around the 

set, showing you the intricate 

detailing, pointing out the most 

famous locations and explain- 

ing how the movie magic 

was made. You will be taken 

around the 12 acre set; past 

Hobbit Holes, the Mill and 

finally into the famous Green 

Dragon Inn, where you can 

indulge in our exclusive, specially 

brewed beverages offering 

a taste of Middle-earth. 

The Green Dragon Inn 

Your guests can then remain 

in the masterfully re-created 

Green Dragon Inn with roaring 

indoor and outdoor fireplaces, 

encouraging guests to spread 

throughout the venue and 

into the Bywater beer garden 

beneath the glowing lanterns. 

For a cocktail event there 

will be two bars open serving 

our Southfarthing range of 

brews and Middle-earth wine 

range, with continuous themed 

substantial canapés served 

throughout the evening to substitute 

a meal. Alternatively, 

you could choose a seated 

buffet meal or banquet feast fit 

for a Hobbit inside the Green 

Dragon Inn. 

The Party Marquee 

For larger groups you can 

spend up to 45 minutes in the 

Green Dragon Inn enjoying 

pre-dinner drinks before being 

escorted to the adjacent Party 

Marquee for a seated meal. 

The painted canvas exterior, 

vibrant bunting and colourful 

lanterns of the Party Marquee 

means your group will be 

immersed in the festive magic 

of the movies and the outside 

garden bar overlooking the 

Movie Set, provides an exquisite 

view for all guests. 

The Hobbiton Marketplace 

Our newest, most exciting 

offering for exclusive function 

groups is The Hobbiton Marketplace 

– a bustling, vibrant 

experience to tantalise the 

senses of your visitors. Guests 

will find themselves engulfed 

in the sights, smells, sounds 

and tastes of the Shire. Situated 

by the Mill and a short stroll 

across the double arch stone 

bridge from the Green Dragon 

Inn is the Marketplace. Guests 

are invited to taste a real piece 

of Middle-earth from individually 

themed stalls bursting 

with traditional Hobbit fare. 

The market stalls are catered to 

your guests’ requirements and 

can consist of New Zealand 

cheeses, freshly baked artisan 

breads, cured meats, smoked 

fish, and of course fresh produce 

from the Hobbiton gardens 

just to name a few. 

Throughout the evening 

there will be roaming Middle-earth 

entertainment mingling 

among the guests. Our 

visitors are invited to move 

freely throughout the area and 

watch the carpenters, horse farriers 

and puppeteers go about 

their daily life. Among the 

stalls will be Hobbiton’s handcrafted 

barrel bars pouring 

the exclusive Hobbit Southfarthing 

range, a selection of 

Middle Earth wines and various 

non-alcoholic beverages. 

As the sun sets over Hobbiton 

Movie Set the village will 

light up and provide a stunning 

backdrop for your celebration. 

Special Public Events 

If you have only a small group 

or are looking to host some 

important clients for a memorable 

evening, you could 

consider one of our existing 

public special events. In 

2018/2019, we are hosting a 

range of unique events at Hobbiton 

Movie Set, each with a 

different theme and utilising 

different venues and formats 

around the Movie Set. The current 

suite of events includes a 

Mid-Winter Feast on Friday 

July 6, our annual International 

Hobbit Day on Saturday September 

22, and a not-so-typical 

Oktoberfest style Hobbiton 

Beer Festival on Saturday 

November 3. These events are 

available for group bookings 

upon request and offer a great 

opportunity to experience the 

best of what Hobbiton has to 

offer. 

For more information 

regarding hosting or attending 

functions at Hobbiton Movie 

Set visit 

www.hobbitontours.com/ 

en/events 

Netball Waikato Bay of Plenty and 

Hobbiton partnership unveiled 

After months of design 

work and fast-tracked 

production, Waikato 

Bay of Plenty Magic and HobbitonTM 

Movie Set are able 

to unveil a special, Hobbiton 

themed, one-off game dress. 

The dress will be worn by the 

WBOP Magic in the ANZ Premiership 

match versus SKY- 

CITY Mystics on Wednesday 

June 27 at Claudelands Arena, 

Hamilton, as part of HobbitonTM 

Movie Set’s match day 

sponsorship and promotional 

partnership with the WBOP 

Magic team. 

In addition to this special 

game dress, Hobbiton Movie 

Set’s match day sponsorship 

will see a wide range of pregame, 

in-game and post-game 

activities, including dressing 

of the Arena in a Middle-earth 

theme and the chance to win 

passes to Hobbiton Movie Set 

for supporters. 

WBOP Magic captain, 

Casey Kopua, said “We’re 

really excited to pull on the 

Hobbiton Movie Set dress for 

our match against the Mystics. 

We’re proud to represent 

a region that includes such 

an iconic tourist attraction, 

and we love having them on 

board as one of our family of 

partners’. Our rivalry with the 

Mystics is always strong and 

we’ve had some great matches 

against them. Now with a little 

something more on the line I’m 

sure it’s going to provide some 

great entertainment”. 

Netball Waikato Bay of 

Plenty chief executive, Rohan 

West agreed. 

“It’s fantastic to finally 

launch the Magic Hobbiton 

Movie Set dress. There were 

nearly half-a-dozen design 

variations to get all the aspects 

just right. The team at our 

apparel supplier, BLK, have 

been terrific with their design 

expertise and responsiveness. 

They got the dresses produced 

and delivered to us in 

half the normal timeframe. A 

huge thanks to BLK. With the 

release of the dress, our supporters 

will now see the first 

tangible example of why June 

27 will be a special night. The 

players absolutely love the 

dresses and can’t wait to step 

on court in them. We think this 

is first in the ANZ Premiership 

and the team is excited to be 

part of history.” 

Hobbiton Movie Set CEO, 

Russell Alexander welcomed 

the iniative. 

“The special one–off Hobbiton 

match dress looks fantastic 

with the Shire map silhouette 

print. It was great to have the 

team out here at Hobbiton 

Movie Set for a photoshoot to 

show it off. We are extremely 

excited to be working with the 

Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 

netball team this year and look 

forward to bringing a slice of 

real Middle-earth movie magic 

to the match on June 27.”



Novotel refurbishment takes shape 

Novotel Tainui Hamilton is currently undertaking a significant 

refurbishment of all its bathrooms. The complete renovation of its 

177 rooms includes the addition of dual shower heads (with one 

rain shower) and an emphasis on space and lighting. 

The remodelled look is 

classy with a contemporary 

design featuring 

black tiles in the shower and 

white tiles throughout the rest 

of the bathroom with a nice 

hint of soft woods. 

In thirty of the rooms, 

showers are being set up over 

baths to cater for the leisure 

market & sports groups and 

for those of us who like to 

enjoy a soak after a long day. 

The refurbishment which 

began in September last year 

is expected to be completed at 

the end of May, ready for the 

annual Fieldays and is having 

minimal disruption to guests. 

Wedding and conference 

packages 

Novotel & Ibis Tainui Hamilton 

will hold open days on 

Friday 13 and Saturday 14 

April to showcase their wedding 

facilities, meeting and 

events space as well as our 

newly refurbished hotel bathrooms. 

All are welcome to 

visit from noon to 5 pm Friday 

and 9-1pm on Saturday. 

During the open days we will 

be providing information on 

our attractive wedding and 

conference packages. 

The hotels’ special wedding 

packages are available 

from just $60 per person 

and day delegate conference 

packages at $57 per person. 

These packages have optional 

theming and a beverage package 

upgrade is available. The 

venues can seat up 180 people 

banquet style and event organisers 

can work alongside talented 

chefs and local vendors 

to bring their big day to life or 

take that conference event to a 

new level. 

The Ibis offers natural light 

in its conference rooms and a 

stunning view of the Waikato 

River for those much needed 

break times. 

Both hotels offer discounted 

accommodation for 

guests attending in-house conferencing 

and events which 

make’s for a classy, convenient 

and central location. 

You can also take advantage 

of our popular loyalty 

programme, Le Club Meeting 

Planner. This is free to join and 

allows you to receive globally 

recognised bonuses. Points 

are accumulated from conferencing, 

events and accommodation 

bookings. Points can 

be used for hotel vouchers, air 

points or you can donate them. 

Ask us how. 

Mid-Winter Christmas fun 

at Novotel Tainui Hamilton 

Embrace the winter months and enjoy a hearty traditional feast with our mid-winter Christmas 

Embrace the winter months and enjoy a hearty traditional feast with our 

package. 

mid-winter 

This festive 

Christmas 

package will 

package. 

chase away 

This 

the 

festive 

winter 

package 

blues and 

will 

is the 

chase away the 

perfect gathering winter blues for colleagues, and is the friends perfect and gathering family. for colleagues, friends and family. 

Only $60 per person includes: 

Only $60 per person includes: 

• Buffet dinner 

• Venue 

• 

hire 

Buffet dinner 

• Venue hire 

• Standard theming 

• Standard theming 

• Chair covers 

• Chair 

and 

covers 

sashes 

and sashes 

• Dance • floor Dance floor 

Additional add ons available 

• Buffet upgrades 

• AV packages 

• Microphone and sound system 

• Entertainment 

Additional add ons available 

• Buffet upgrades Talk to our team today: 

• AV packages Megan Covell on Tel. +64 (7) 957 8009 or Email .h2159-sb2@accor.com 

• Microphone and sound system 

• Entertainment 

*Subject to availability. Minimum of 40 guests. Available from 1 June and until 31 August 2018. 

Talk to our team today: 

Megan Covell on Tel. +64 (7) 957 8009 or Email .h2159-sb2@accor.com 

J4167P 

*Subject to availability. Minimum of 40 guests. Available from 1 June and until 31 August 2018. 

SOMETHING DIFFERENT 

FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT? 

With great food and coffee and an interesting space, 

Hamilton Airport is a great venue for your next 

business meeting or event. 

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

www.hamiltonairport.co.nz

CB Norwood - 70 years 

of ‘great relationships’ 


45 

The New Zealand National Agricultural 

Fieldays isn’t the only significant birthday 

this June – one of the country’s biggest 

suppliers of farm machinery, CB Norwood 

distributors, turns 70. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

Founded in Taranaki in 

1948 by Sir Charles 

Norwood, CB Norwood 

soon won the franchise for 

Massey Ferguson. It was CB 

Norwood’s Massey Fergusons 

that Sir Edmund Hillary 

famously used in his expedition 

to the South Pole in 1958. 

The most famous New Holland tractor in New Zealand has 

recently found its way onto a Waikato farm. The New Holland 

brand, formed when Fiat acquired the Ford tractor brand in 

1991 turned 100 at last year’s Fieldays. To celebrate, New 

Holland created an anniversary tractor, decorated in the 

brand’s colours which was displayed at the event and has 

spent the last year travelling around the country at a variety of 

promotional events and shows. 

With its journey over the tractor was put up for sale and 

Waikato’s Norwood Farm Machinery Centre staff were keen 

to see the tractor end up with one of Waikato’s many diehard 

tractor enthusiasts. Step up Norward Farm Machinery 

employee Rod Guise. Rod is a tractor aficionado and he 

once gained a Guinness World Record when in Ashburton 

These days Norwood Farm 

Machinery Centres sell top 

global tractor brands, New 

Holland and Kubota and CB 

Norwood is a distributor for 

the Case brand. 

A specialist in a wide range 

of planters and drills and with 

nearly 40 percent national 

market share in selling tractors, 

there are Norwood 

Farm Machinery centres at 

Te Awamutu and Morrinsville 

- and a total of 17 around 

COMMEMORATIVE TRACTOR FINDS 

A HOME IN WAIKATO 

Aaron van der Poel 

with his New Holland 

commemorative tractor. 

in 2006 he managed to organise 1830 working tractors on a farm all together. A former dairy 

farmer, Rod knew Te Kawa farmer Aaron van der Poel was replacing one of his tractors and 

when Aaron heard about the background of the tractor, he snapped it up. 

“Aaron is a real tractor enthusiast,” says Rod “it’s pleasing to see the anniversary tractor go to a 

quality farm where it will be put to good use but also well looked after for years to come” 

New Zealand. 

Regional manager Craig 

Berkers says CB Norwood’s 

longevity is testament to relationships 

built up with customers 

over many years and 

superb training and after sales 

service. 

CB Norwood is very much 

a family-oriented business and 

Craig and his staff have built 

up longstanding relationships 

throughout Waikato. 

“There are a huge number 

of people that we’ve got to 

know over the years and seen 

them grow their business, and 

now we’re into the next generation, 

dealing with the sons 

now as well as the fathers.” 

Craig is proud of the business’s 

focus on great service. 

“You have to supply the 

right service behind the product 

you are selling. It’s vital to 

have great after sales service. 

Our staff do constant training 

in (head office) Palmerston 

North. We have 22 Waikato 

staff just this year alone going 

to train there. The products 

and technology are evolving 

fast and we need to keep up 

with it so we are constantly 

training.” 

Craig is immersed in the 

world of selling tractors; 

With his father Adrian, Craig 

worked with Ford tractors at 

Fairview Motors in Hamilton. 

When CB Norwood acquired 

the Ford Tractor franchise 

from Fairview Motors, Craig 

joined the team at Norwood 

Farm Machinery Centre in 

TeAwamutu and years later 

opened another branch in 

Morrinsville. 

CB Norwood staff love 

the challenge of adapting new 

technology for each farmer’s 

needs. 

For example, Craig says 

GPS technology applied to 

farm equipment is becoming 

“the new norm”, creating all 

sorts of opportunities including 

the ability to eliminate 

wastage of fertiliser or seed. 

“Use of GPS allows you 

to become infinitely more 

accurate when utilising these 

products. Technology can now 

also accurately measure yield 

on the spot and automatically 

replace nutrients according to 

what different areas of a paddock 

require.” 

To mark its 70th year, 

CB Norwood has a series of 

events planned throughout the 

year and will also mark the 

milestone at its stand at the 

Fieldays. 

Craig says CB Norwood’s 

relationship with Fieldays is a 

vital one and creates relationships 

that extend far beyond 

the four-day event. 

One of the most important 

aspects of CB Norwood’s 

presence at Fieldays is the 

opportunity to continue to 

connect with farmers. 

“It’s a good time to sit and 

talk with customers. If we are 

not side-by-side with our businesses 

growing together then 

there’s a disconnect. We need 

to know that we’re applying 

exactly the right technology 

for each farmer or contractors 

situation. 

“What we do is not just a 

transaction these days, it’s a 

real partnership.” 

1912 

Dominion Motors 

Ltd is established 

1937 

Born in 1871, 

Sir Charles 

Norwood is 

knighted for civic 

achievements 

1948 

C B Norwood 

Ltd expands to 

become a tractor 

and agricultural 

machinery 

company 

1966 

Sir Charles 

Norwood dies 

1980 

C B Norwood head 

office moves from 

Lower Hutt to 

Palmerston North 

1985 

C B Norwood 

secures Sperry 

New Holland 

franchise 

1987 

Zuellig Group 

purchases C B 

Norwood and is 

renamed C B Norwood 

Distributors Ltd 

1991 

Fiat purchases 

Ford New Holland 

from Ford Motor Co. 

1995 

Integration completed 

between New 

Holland, Ford and 

Fiat, resulting in the 

new New Holland 

brand 

2000 

Sir Walter 

Norwood dies 

2013 

Precision 

Farming division 

established 

2017 

C B Norwood 

secures a 33.33% 

stake in Agri Optics 

New Zealand 

Limited 

1936 

C B Norwood Ltd 

established as the 

retail finance arm for 

Dominion Motors Ltd 

1947 

Walter Norwood 

secures Ferguson 

tractor franchise 

for New Zealand 

1958 

Massey Ferguson 

is established. 

C B Norwood is the 

sole New Zealand 

distributor 

1978 

Agricultural company, 

Dalgety purchases 

C B Norwood Ltd 

1983 

C B Norwood 

secures Kubota 

franchise 

1986 

Ford Motor Co. 

purchases Sperry 

New Holland, creating 

Ford New Holland 

1989 

C B Norwood 

secures Ford 

tractor franchise 

1993 

C B Norwood 

secures Fiatagri 

franchise 

1999 

Merger of Case IH and 

New Holland creates 

CNH Global N.V 

2009 

C B Norwood 

secures Kubota 

construction 

2015 

C B Norwood 

secures Baroness 

franchise 

MORRINSVILLE: 143-147 Thames Street Ph (07) 889 8505 TE AWAMUTU: 859 Ohaupo Road Ph (07) 872 0232


HR, MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT 

Hiring the right 

candidate for 

maternity leave 

Recruiting Excellence 

Need maternity cover? At Asset Recruitment we have 

an extensive database of experienced candidates who 

are ready to join your company on a temporary basis. 

Whether you need staff for a day, a week or a month — we can help. 

It is important to ensure you have the right person for the job, even if it is 

only short-term. Our temporary staff will add value to your business. 

At Asset Recruitment, our temporary recruitment specialists know how to 

identify the right person for your organisation, which means you have a 

short-term candidate who will hit the ground running. 

Need temporary staff? Give Asset Recruitment a call. 

Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

As Winston Peters prepares to cover the 

Prime Minister’s maternity leave, Asset 

Recruitment’s manager, Carmel Strange 

looks at the importance of employing 

quality staff on a maternity contract. 

Next month, Winston 

Peters will step into 

the driving seat, but 

not as we have known him to 

do so before. This time, he’ll 

be acting Prime Minster while 

New Zealand’s leader, Jacinda 

Ardern is on maternity leave. 

Mr Peters, New Zealand’s 

deputy prime minister and 

Minister of Foreign Affairs 

and Trade, will become one 

of the thousands of employees 

covering a maternity 

leave contract. In the year 

ending December 2017, more 

than 59,000 live births were 

recorded by StatsNZ and with 

the median age of mothers at 

30, it is fair to say a significant 

number of these children were 

born to working parents. 

All employees, male or 

female, are entitled to paid 

parental leave. The amount 

of leave an employee can 

have depends on the length of 

time they have worked for an 

organisation. The minimum 

requirement is 10 hours per 

week for six months. Any- 

thing less is considered on a 

case-by-case basis. At present, 

New Zealand allows for 18 

weeks of paid parental leave, 

but the passing of the Parental 

Leave and Employment Protection 

Amendment Bill last 

year means after July 1, 2018 

parental leave will increase to 

22 weeks. As of July 1, 2020, 

it will be 26 weeks. 

While a staff member is on 

maternity leave, employers 

must keep their job available 

should they wish to return. 

In the meantime, many businesses 

need to hire a candidate 

to cover the role. 

Carmel Strange, manager 

of Waikato’s leading recruitment 

firm, Asset Recruitment, 

says companies must plan 

ahead to ensure they have a 

high calibre candidate for the 

role. 

“Maternity leave can be for 

up to a year, which is a significant 

amount of time for a staff 

member to be away from the 

workplace. Many organisations 

look for a candidate with 

the same skillset and experience 

to take on that maternity 

leave contract.” 

“Although a maternity 

contract is temporary, at 

Asset Recruitment, when 

we are seeking a candidate 

for a maternity contract we 

approach it as though we are 

hiring for a permanent role. 

We look for a candidate who 

will fit in to an organisation’s 

culture and will bring knowledge 

and experience, so they 

can get up to speed quickly.” 

Carmel says another reason 

for Asset’s approach to 

finding the right candidate 

for the job is because in some 

instances employers will offer 

the individual covering a 

maternity contract a permanent 

job. 

“It can often be a winwin 

situation for both the 

employee on maternity cover 

and the business,” says Carmel. 

However, in Winston’s 

case this is unlikely. After 

all, we only need one Prime 

Minister, but there will be a 

vacancy for a fishing show’s 

frontman once Clarke Gayford 

becomes first dad! 

*Asset Recruitment specialises 

in temporary, permanent, 

executive and industrial 

recruitment.

HR, MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT 


47 

Pay – finding the Goldilocks point 

Why benchmarking remuneration 

is important. 

Talent shortages have 

become one of the biggest 

trends in human 

resources. 

Companies that were accustomed 

to having their pick 

of eager candidates are now 

finding it harder to attract and 

retain top employees. 

While any response to a 

talent shortage has to be multi- 

pronged, an effective remuneration 

strategy will be one of the 

most important pillars of any 

response. 

Any firm looking to develop 

a compelling offering to staff 

will need to consider how their 

remuneration compares across 

their industry. 

Among the most important 

purposes for remuneration 

benchmarking is to understand 

how individuals with a certain 

skill set compare. 

A good place to start and 

the easiest to have a clear and 

unequivocal opinion on is the 

market rate of pay. 

There isn’t a market rate 

The market rate term is so 

commonly used that many 

people believe it is real. 

Unfortunately, it is not real. 

There isn’t a market rate of pay 

for any job. 

So, no magical dollar figure 

exists ever, anywhere. Rather, 

generally a market range exists 

for a job. 

Finding the Goldilocks point 

The challenge for any employer 

is to find a point where they 

are rewarding workers with 

a salary package that is in 

line with their skill level, but 

also one where staff aren’t 

overpaid. 

For hiring managers who 

are mindful of their payroll 

expenses, overcommitting to 

staff pay can create ongoing 

financial issues. 

Finding this Goldilocks 

point - where staff are neither 

underpaid nor overpaid 

for their responsibilities and 

skill sets - is incredibly difficult 

without a benchmark 

of information from across 

comparable roles. 

However, once an organisation 

has detailed information 

on equivalent salaries, it 

becomes a lot easier to pinpoint 

a middle ground that is 

appropriate for a role. 

It also becomes a lot easier 

to influence staff perceptions 

about pay fairness and competitiveness. 

Ultimately, having a benchmark 

to measure employee 

remuneration against is about 

making informed business 

decisions. 

As data becomes increasingly 

important at every level 

of an organisation, it’s important 

to use this information to 

drive the firm’s remuneration 

strategy. 

Cathy Hendry 

Senior consultant 

Strategic Pay 

Tauranga 

+ mob 027 498 9812 

+ cathy@strategicpay.co.nz 

Nigel Murphy 

Consultant 

Strategic Pay 

Hamilton 

+ mob 027 403 1242 

+ e nigel.murphy@ 

strategicpay.co.nz 

www.strategicpay.co.nz 

Performance 

+ 

Rewards = 

Success 

Create Success by Rewarding Performance 

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

Talk to us about: 

• Organisational Structure and Design 

• Remuneration and Reward 

• Performance Management 

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

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

Christchurch 03 353 0909 Dunedin 03 479 0637


HR, MANAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT 

HR MANAGEMENT 

AND RECRUITMENT 

Finding the right person for the role... 

BOOK YOUR SPOT IN 

OUR AUGUST ISSUE 

For more information contact the team today 

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

EMA welcomes 

review of Holidays Act 

Confirmation that the Holidays Act (2003) is to be reviewed is 

excellent news for employers, according to the The Employers 

and Manufacturer’s Association (EMA) which believes the Act 

needs to be fixed as it is not fit for purpose for the modern work 

environment. 

“We want an Act 

that is easier to 

comply with 

and simpler for employers 

to administer and we need 

urgency on this,” says EMA 

chief executive, Kim Campbell. 

“People work all sorts of 

combinations of hours and 

days, which makes it difficult 

to calculate leave based on 

an average day or an average 

week. No longer does everyone 

work from 9am to 5pm, 

Monday to Friday and we need 

an Act that accommodates 

modern working patterns,” 

says Mr Campbell. 

The Holidays Act requires 

holiday pay to be calculated 

on the basis of: 

- Ordinary weekly earnings, 

or 

- The average of the past four 

weeks’ pay, or 

- The 52 week average of 

gross annual earnings 

The payment is the greater 

amount of the above. 

“Our members want to do 

the right thing, but the Act in 

its current format makes it 

complex and onerous. We look 

forward to ensuring the concerns 

of business are raised in 

this matter.” 

Human Resources and 

Employment Relations 

Consultants 

Our experienced consultants and legal team 

can help with various issues. Whether reviewing 

employment agreements, managing collective 

bargaining or developing health and safety 

management systems our consultants 

are a cost effective solution to 

employment problems. 

We are here to help - call us to 

discuss your needs today 

0800 300 362 

Employment Relations 

& Health and Safety 

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Contractor Management 14/06 19/06 

Implementing An Effective H&S Management System 13/07 

Health and Safety From a Management Perspective 26/06 10/07 26/07 

Health and Safety Representative - Stage1 07/06 18/06 18/06 

Health and Safety Representative - Stage 2 14/06 28/06 26/07 

Health and Safety Committee Training 15/06 22/06 15/06 

Machinery Risk Competency 13/06 

Health and Wellbeing In the Workplace 25/06 

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Hobbiton Movie Set at the Central 

North Island, eXplore show where 

18 Waikato operators exhibited. 

Selling the mighty Waikato to the world 

Following a successful peak tourism 

summer season, Hamilton & Waikato 

Tourism and our operators are now in the 

thick of the ‘trade season’ – when we 

actively market the mighty Waikato to the 

world. 

season’ refers to 

the time of year when 

‘Trade 

we market and sell 

our region, products, services 

and new visitor experiences to 

the travel trade – wholesalers, 

inbound tour operators, travel 

agents and online retailers. 

The travel trade plays a significant 

role in attracting international 

visitors to New Zealand 

and the Waikato region by 

encouraging travelers to spend 

more time exploring what we 

have to offer. 

While independent travelers 

are increasingly organising 

and planning their own trips 

directly online, the travel trade 

remains effective in reaching 

larger numbers of potential 

international visitors, particularly 

in our long-haul markets 

such as Europe, United 

States, Canada, China, Japan 

and South America, plus our 

number one visitor market, 

Australia. By establishing 

effective relationships with 

key operators and agencies, 

and engaging a mix of distribution 

partners, we help our 

region and tourism operators 

find an effective channel to 

market and reach our target 

consumers 

We have recently taken a 

number of our region’s new 

and existing tour operators to 

two key events – the eXplore 

trade show in Auckland and 

TRENZ (Tourism Rendezvous 

New Zealand) in Dunedin. 

eXplore 

The eXplore show is a key 

trade event for NZ-based 

inbound tour operators, wholesalers 

and travel agents where 

more than 100 tourism products 

from across the Central 

North Island were showcased. 

The Waikato region had 

our biggest contingent ever 

at the show, with 18 operators 

exhibiting, including Hobbiton 

Movie Set, Discover 

Waitomo, Sanctuary Mountain 

Maungatautari, Waitomo 

Adventures, Lake District 

Adventures, Pa Harakeke, 

Hamilton Gardens, Novotel 

Tainui Hamilton, Helicorp, 

Roselands Waitomo and Castaways 

Resort. 

New products launched 

included three new tours from 

Waikato Museum, Waitomo 

Adventures’ Troll Cave experience, 

group dining and farm 

tours with The Red Barn at 

Hinuera, new accommodation 

at Lakeview Lodge Karapiro, 

hiking and food tour company 

‘Nature & Nosh’, scenic 

flights from Waikato Aviation, 

skydiving at Mercer Airport, 

glamping accommodation at 

Soft Leaf in Mercer, and special 

interest tours from NZ 

Pure Tour. 

This show is a key activity 

of eXplore Central North 

Island (ECNI) which is a 

marketing collective of eight 

regions including The Coromandel, 

Bay of Plenty, 

Tairawhiti-Gisborne, Hawke’s 

Bay, Ruapehu, Great Lake 

Taupo, Rotorua, and Hamilton 

and Waikato. We work 

together to actively promote 

our regions and experiences to 

international tourism trade – a 

strong force which positions 

the best of the North Island. 

TRENZ 

TRENZ is New Zealand’s 

largest tourism showcase and 

international travel expo, and 

Hamilton and the Waikato 

region stood out at this year’s 

event for many reasons. 

Over three days, the expo 

attracted 387 buyers from 27 

markets, which ranged from 

traditional visitor markets 

like Australia, the USA, UK 

and Japan to newer, emerging 

visitor markets, such as Brazil 

and the Philippines. More 

than 16,500 15-minute meetings 

were held with tourism 

operators and regional tourism 

agencies, including our 

organisation alongside eight 

Waikato businesses. 

We exhibited for a second 

year in our purpose-built 

regional stand which attracted 

a lot of positive comments, 

photos and visits outside the 

scheduled appointments. 

Operators in attendance 

included Hobbiton Movie Set, 

Discover Waitomo’s Black 

Water Rafting and Glowworm 

Caves, Waitomo Adventures, 

Roselands Waitomo, Rural 

Tours, Hamilton Gardens, 

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, 

and our newest luxury 

accommodation, The Henley 

Hotel, located between Cambridge 

and Karapiro. 

Feedback from the travel 

trade continues to be positive 

TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY 

> BY JASON DAWSON 

Chief Executive, 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

about Waikato as they are 

excited about the new products 

and visitor experiences 

emerging across our region. 

The mighty Waikato provides 

a refreshing change from the 

well-worn traveler route, as 

they seek out more authentic 

and ‘real New Zealand’ experiences. 

Our region is well 

positioned to take advantage 

of this growing popularity as 

a ‘must-visit’ destination on 

traveler itineraries as we work 

hard to capture more of the 

tourism dollar. 

The Hamilton & Waikato Tourism stand at New 

Zealand’s largest tourism showcase TRENZ. 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

is the regional tourism 

organisation charged with 

increasing international 

and domestic visitor numbers, 

expenditure and stay. 

The organisation is funded 

through a public/private partnership 

and covers the heartland 

Waikato areas of Hamilton 

City, Matamata-Piako, 

Otorohanga, South Waikato, 

Waipa, South Waikato and 

Waitomo Districts. Find out 

more: www.hamiltonwaikato. 

com 

MORE INFORMATION 

2018 LEADERSHIP TOMORROW PROGRAMME! 

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management programme that provides leading-edge business skills, coaching and leadership 

training to update your skills and stay abreast of current trends in business. 

The Leadership Tomorrow Programme offers a concise and dynamic approach which covers 

an extensive range of topics including; critical thinking, judgment and sensemaking, to personal 

leadership, future thinking, strategy development, foresighting, scenario planning, management, 

sustainability, digital marketing, public relations and business acumen. The programme 

is designed to expand your business knowledge skills and confidence as you learn how to 

approach key management and leadership challenges of the near future. 

The programme will be led by four experienced presenters, plus a guest speaker. 

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PHONE: 021 389 937 

DATES: 

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8th June 2018, 13th July 2018 

and 17th July 2018 

www.rutherfordbusiness.nz/leadership-tomorrow-programme 

J5574P


Former Momentum 

boss wins Edmund 

Hillary Fellowship 

Waikato woman Cheryl Reynolds is one of 

only nine Kiwis who has been accepted 

into the Edmund Hillary Fellowship (EHF), 

alongside 30 others from around the world. 

The EHF is a lifelong fellowship 

that starts with 

a three-year programme. 

The aim is to build a community 

of visionary entrepreneurs, 

investors and startup teams to 

create positive global impact 

from New Zealand by helping 

them bring their purpose-driven 

ventures to life. 

“It is very much focused 

on challenging the status quo, 

building new paradigms, solving 

pressing global problems, 

and impacting the course of 

humanity,” says Cheryl. 

“New Zealand is a country 

where you can incubate ideas 

and then launch them to the 

global stage.” 

The programme began in 

April where the 39 fellows met 

for the first time and spent seven 

days “glamping” together in 

Aroha Valley, near Upper Hutt. 

Cheryl says they spent their 

days learning in a geodesic 

dome and spent nights around 

the campfire sharing stories, 

knowledge, experiences and 

wisdom from all the different 

cultures and backgrounds 

among them. 

“It was very grounding, and 

such an extraordinary experience.” 

For many of the international 

fellows, it was their first 

time to New Zealand, so as a 

group they were introduced to 

Tikanga Māori, learnt about 

Māori history, and were taught 

the haka. Cheryl says that even 

though she has lived here for 15 

years, she learnt a lot and that 

it was a wonderful experience. 

“It was an important way to 

begin the fellowship, it was the 

right way and values-driven,” 

she says. 

After the week-long retreat, 

they all attended New Frontiers, 

a three-day conference 

where the group kicked things 

off by performing the haka they 

had learnt, to welcome the 300 

guests. 

Each fellow shared their 

story and heard from other 

global thinkers and change 

makers. 

The fellowship will meet up 

again in November however 

they connect with each other 

almost every day online and 

regularly catch up in person. 

Cheryl says the timing of the 

fellowship could not be more 

Successful trading 

debut for NFX 

The inaugural Natural Fibre 

Exchange (NFX) trading 

event in May attracted 

strong participation with 96 percent 

of the wool on offer sold. 

The newly launched NFX 

is an innovative independent 

online trading platform for natural 

fibres, with an initial focus on 

New Zealand wool. 

NFX shareholders Wools 

of New Zealand (WNZ) and 

Alliance Group are working 

with CRA International, a 

global leader in online trading 

platforms which designed the 

NFX platform and manages the 

trading events as NFX Trading 

Manager. 

Rosstan Mazey, WNZ chief 

executive and NFX spokesperson 

said the first trading event 

on May 22 attracted a good 

cross section of New Zealand’s 

major wool buyers, while six 

significant sellers provided lots 

for sale. “It’s a new platform 

for wool buyers and sellers, it’s 

intuitive and initial feedback has 

been positive. We are excited 

perfect as she begins the journey 

for her next entrepreneurial 

venture. She currently has 11 

successful ventures under her 

belt and has 15 years’ experience 

in the New Zealand’s 

start-up scene. 

Her entrepreneurial journey 

began in her 20’s with her first 

project – Focal Point Gallery, 

a highly energised contemporary 

public art gallery, which 

is thriving to this day in the 

United Kingdom where Reynolds 

grew up. 

After several successful 

ventures in the UK including 

a number of social enterprises, 

Cheryl moved to New Zealand 

in 2003. She calls Waikato 

home and says living in Raglan 

is her “paradise on Earth”. 

She has since established 

herself as a leading entrepreneur, 

founding SODA Inc as 

an entrepreneurship hub and 

award-winning start-up business 

incubator programme. 

From SODA Inc, she also 

co-founded Innes48, named 

after the pioneering 1900s 

Waikato entrepreneur, Mary 

Jane Innes. Innes48 is a 48-hour 

high energy start-up competition, 

which is the largest event 

of its kind in New Zealand with 

$15,000 in prize money up for 

grabs. 

More recently, Cheryl 

founded Momentum Waikato, 

a philanthropic foundation 

that pools donor funds and 

about the potential for adding 

efficiency and value to the buying 

and selling process - we look 

forward to additional industry 

support as we progress.” 

Brad Miller, CRA vice president 

and auctions & competitive 

bidding practice leader 

said the first live event had gone 

smoothly with bidders bidding 

actively round by round. “Similar 

to CRA’s other trading platforms 

for agricultural products 

including GlobalDairyTrade 

and CranberryAuction, NFX 

provides a trusted and transparent 

selling and buying marketplace.” 

Cheryl Reynolds 

distributes grants strategically 

to projects that can achieve 

transformational intergenerational 

change in Waikato. 

Momentum’s projects include 

the Waikato Regional Theatre, 

and the three social enterprise 

projects selected to share the 

Foundation’s first $1 million 

distribution through the Vital 

Impact Programme. 

During her time at Momentum 

Waikato, Cheryl began 

participating in the Community 

and Enterprise Leadership 

Foundation (CELF) programme, 

which brings together 

businesses and community 

not-for-profit organisations to 

increase the leadership capital 

of the Waikato region. 

“CELF is a wonderful programme, 

and I am very grateful 

for my sponsor support 

from Foster Construction. The 

co-founders of CELF, David 

Irvine, Bernie Crosby and John 

Cook, have designed a truly 

brilliant model that matches 

for-purpose with for-profit 

leaders who go on a shared 

learning journey together. I’ve 

never seen anything like it in 

the world, it’s unique and it’s 

brilliant that it’s happening here 

in Waikato,” she says. 

Cheryl says being a part of 

the 2018 CELF Elevate programme 

has been a “personal 

revolution” due to learning 

about her own strengths through 

the Gallup strengths finder tool. 

“I’ve spent my career looking 

outwards at problems, 

solutions, and impacts, but I’ve 

never really looked inwardly at 

myself, except when looking at 

my own weaknesses.” 

“What the strength finder 

tool enabled me to do in a way 

that I’ve never understood 

before, was to focus on my 

strengths, and the strengths of 

others, and how to leverage and 

optimise them.” 

It is something that resonated 

with her, so much so that 

she introduced this learning 

technique to her former team 

before leaving Momentum 

Waikato, as well as speaking 

about it at a recent workshop. 

“If you know your top 

strengths, you can work with 

them and amplify them, but 

if you don’t know them then 

you’re likely to be stumbling 

around in the dark in many 

ways, because you’re unaware 

of what your full potential is. 

“And because we’re all 

humble leaders, we don’t tend 

to really look at ourselves other 

than to look at our own weaknesses. 

We pay far too much 

attention to those, whereas we 

really should focus more on our 

strengths.” 

Cheryl left Momentum 

Waikato in December 2017, 

to begin start-up venture number 

12, which will combines 

her love of creativity, strategic 

philanthropy and social entrepreneurship. 

The aim is to build a new 

philanthropic foundation as a 

creative social enterprise that 

generates smart capital and 

makes it easy and rewarding for 

people to contribute to building 

a better world. She is currently 

in development mode and is 

looking for potential co-founders 

and digital platform partners 

for her new venture. 

Publisher 

Alan Neben 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@nmmedia.co.nz 

Sales director 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

Email: deidre@nmmedia.co.nz 

Editor 

Geoff Taylor 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 808 5170 

Email: geoff@nmmedia.co.nz 

Production manager 

Tania Hogg 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: production@nmmedia.co.nz 

Graphic designer 

Kelly Milne 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: kelly@nmmedia.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Please contact: 

Advertising account managers 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

Email: joanne@nmmedia.co.nz 

Anne Terry 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (027) 493 9494 

Email: anne@nmmedia.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

Editorial: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

geoff@nmmedia.co.nz 

Production: 

Copy/Proofs: 

production@nmmedia.co.nz 

Subscriptions: 

accounts@nmmedia.co.nz 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton PO Box 1425, 

Hamilton, 3240. Ph: (07) 838 1333 

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

LIQUIDATE IT 

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Company liquidations and restructures 

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BMS, LLM (Honours) 

021 0577198 www.liquidateit.co.nz 

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CultureSafe ordered to pay $33,000 

in penalties and damages 

In Waikato Business News’ January 2018 

edition, I wrote a column on settlement 

agreements, often used to resolve 

employment relationship problems where 

the parties would rather settle the matter 

privately than litigate. 

Common clauses in these 

agreements include the 

employer paying the 

employee a sum of money, the 

parties each agreeing to do/not 

do certain things and that the 

agreement is in full and final 

settlement of the problem. 

Almost all of these agreements 

also include clauses that 

the agreement is confidential 

to the parties and its advisors 

and that neither party will 

make disparaging comments 

about the other. Employers 

sometimes include a statement 

that they are entering an agreement 

on a “no admittance of 

liability” basis, which effectively 

means they are entering 

the agreement solely to avoid 

risky and expensive litigation, 

not because they have done 

anything wrong. 

Once signed by the parties, 

the agreement is signed off by 

an MBIE mediator, and the 

agreement is then binding and 

enforceable. Neither party can 

seek to subsequently have the 

agreement altered or set aside, 

and the agreement can only 

be put before the Employment 

Relations Authority for 

the purposes of enforcement, 

where a party has breached the 

agreement. 

CultureSafe, Halse and 

Simpson were ordered 

to pay a total of 

$30,000 in penalties, 

$3000 in damages 

and Turuki has filed 

an application for 

indemnity (full) costs 

against them, which is 

yet to be determined 

by the Authority. On 

May 9, 2018 

On March 23, 2018, the 

Authority granted urgent 

interim (temporary) orders 

to prevent CultureSafe NZ 

Limited, a Hamilton-based 

advocacy business, from making 

further breaches of a settlement 

agreement that had 

been signed between Turuki 

Healthcare Services and an 

employee, in November 2017. 

This settlement agreement 

contained confidentiality and 

non-disparagement clauses. 

Specifically, the non-disparagement 

clause precluded 

either party from making 

any reference whatsoever to 

the employment relationship 

problem in any publications, 

including social media. The 

clause expressly included CultureSafe, 

as the employee’s 

representative. 

Turuki inadvertently failed 

to make one of the payments 

in accordance with the 

agreement, but the first they 

learned of this was when they 

were copied into statements 

made by CultureSafe to certain 

Members of Parliament 

and Ministers of the Crown. 

Turuki immediately made the 

payment but the statements 

continued. 

The March 23, 2018 determination 

ordered compliance 

with the agreement, no further 

breaches, no publication of 

Turuki’s name and compliance 

was to occur immediately. A 

timetable was also set for CultureSafe 

to respond to the documents 

filed by Turuki. 

CultureSafe did not comply 

by filing any further documents, 

other than to file a 

letter dated April 14, 2018 

addressed to the Minister of 

Workplace Relationships, Iain 

Lees-Galloway, seeking the 

dismissal of Chief Authority 

Member, James Crichton, who 

was hearing the matter. 

Evidence filed by Turuki 

on CultureSafe’s breaches 

largely comprised emails 

between Turuki’s lawyer and 

CultureSafe’s Allan Halse 

and Tracey Simpson. Member 

Crichton stated that the 

emails from Halse and Simpson 

were “characterised by a 

hectoring, bullying tone” and 

suggested that unless Turuki 

withdrew the current proceedings, 

they would contact Turuki’s 

funders and would also be 

publicly named by Culture- 

Safe. 

The emails also contained 

another letter to Mr 

Lees-Galloway dated April 2, 

2018 seeking member Crichton’s 

dismissal for “corrupt 

behaviour” and a CultureSafe 

press release dated April 5, 

2018. Although no further 

breaches of the agreement 

occurred between the interim 

determination on March 23, 

2018 and the second determination 

published May 1, 

2018, the Authority held that 

the threats made by Culture- 

Safe during this period, foreshadowed 

further improper 

behaviour that entitled the 

Authority to make the interim 

compliance orders permanent. 

The Authority stated that 

the correspondence from CultureSafe 

to Turuki’s lawyer 

indicated that the former continued 

to find fault with Turuki 

“… notwithstanding the plainest 

evidence that the parties 

to the settlement agreement 

entered into a voluntary commitment, 

a fundamental term 

of which there was no admission 

of liability by Turuki to 

having bullied the first respondent 

or indeed anybody else.” 

The Authority made reference 

to CultureSafe’s Facebook 

page showing a willingness 

to engage in “offensive 

and improper identification 

of parties” suggesting “… 

an undesirable enthusiasm 

for what CultureSafe sees as 

wrongdoing, even if there is 

no evidence of such wrongdoing 

save for CultureSafe’s 

own representations on the 

matter.” 

CultureSafe, Halse and 

Simpson were ordered to pay 

a total of $30,000 in penalties, 

$3000 in damages and Turuki 

has filed an application for 

indemnity (full) costs against 

them, which is yet to be determined 

by the Authority. On 

May 9, 2018, Halse posted 

on CultureSafe’s Facebook 

page that he would go to jail 

before he would pay one cent 

towards the fines the Authority 

had ordered and that he was 

happy to debate the matter in 

EMPLOYMENT LAW 

public. As CultureSafe, Halse 

and Simpson are jointly and 

severally liable for payment 

of the penalties and damages, 

Mr Halse’s refusal to pay on 

behalf of himself and Culture- 

Safe could leave Ms Simpson 

liable for the entire amount, 

unless she too, is prepared to 

go to jail. 

On May 15, 2018, Turuki’s 

lawyers, WynnWilliams, 

sent Mr Halse a letter threatening 

defamation proceedings 

if all reference to themselves 

and Turuki were not removed 

from CultureSafe’s Facebook 

page by 4 pm, May 16, 2018. 

Mr Halse’s response was to 

publish this letter on Culture- 

Safe’s Facebook page on May 

16, 2018. 

Signatories to settlement 

agreements often focus mainly 

on the terms that involve 

payment. However, recent 

decisions, including this 

one, indicate the Authority is 

increasingly taking a very dim 

view of those who breach the 

confidentiality and non-disparagement 

obligations they 

voluntarily sign up for. Both 

the March 23 and May 1, 2018 

determinations can be read 

by going to MBIE’s online 

employment law database and 

entering the word “Turuki” in 

the “Parties” field. 

> BY ERIN BURKE 

Employment lawyer and director at Practica Legal 

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

A mid winter Christmas 

As the days get shorter, 

and the temperatures 

drop we all need something 

to look forward to, to 

help get us through those long 

dreary winter months. 

Te Rapa Racing welcomes 

you to banish those 

winter blues by joining them 

for a Mid-Winter Christmas 

Luncheon in conjunction with 

their charity partner True 

Colours Children’s Health 

Trust. 

Held on Saturday 7th July, 

the event is the perfect excuse 

to get a group of friends or 

work team together and have a 

fun day out. Guests can enjoy a 

day of thoroughbred horse racing, 

winter fashion in the fields, 

silent auctions and a beautiful 

three course Christmas buffet 

luncheon. The event will 

be held in the recently refurbished 

Fosters Lounge which 

has sweeping views over the 

race track and the parade ring 

from its level three position of 

the International Stand. Guests 

will be able to watch the races 

from the two outdoor deck 

areas or from the comfort of 

the lounge itself. 

The Waikato Racing 

Club joined forces with True 

Colours Children’s Health 

Trust in 2016, with a view 

of strengthening their relationships 

in the community. The 

True Colours Raceday is being 

hosted for the second year with 

the aim of raising funds for 

True Colours, an organisation 

that supports families throughout 

the Waikato with a child 

with a serious health condition. 

Last year the event raised 

$7500 for the 100% community 

funded organisation. 

Tickets are now available 

via www.teraparacing.co.nz 

for $130 pp ($1040 for a table 

of 8) which includes a threecourse 

festive food and drink 

package. Tables of 8 are available 

or just buy a ticket for 

you and a friend, the choice 

is yours. 

Sponsorship 

If your business would like to 

get involved in this great day, 

why not sponsor a race running 

on the day? Enjoy naming 

rights of the race, acknowledgement 

on Trackside, radio 

Trackside and all related print 

media published as well as 

onsite promotional opportunities, 

join the winner for a 

celebratory drink and nibbles, 

and enjoy a discounted rate 

for the Mid Winter Luncheon 

($800 for table of 8). If you are 

interested in this opportunity 

please contact Mike Weston, 

Sponsorship Manager at 

Waikato Racing Club mike@ 

teraparacing.co.nz or 021 501 

415. 

Raceday 

TRUE COLOURS 

Saturday 7 July 

In support of 

True Colours Children’s Health Trust 

TE RAPA RACECOURSE | FREE GENERAL ADMISSION 

FASHION IN THE FIELD, SILENT AUCTION AND MUCH MORE! 

Support 

THE CAUSE 

True Colours Mid-Winter 

Christmas Luncheon 

$130 per person includes food and a 

beverage package. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

teraparacing.co.nz 

Waikato Racing Club


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Cryptocurrency and tax 

Over the last decade, the use of 

digital or virtual currencies, known as 

cryptocurrencies, have grown in popularity. 

Cryptocurrency is a 

medium of exchange, 

created and stored on 

the blockchain. Some refer to it 

as the ultimate digital currency 

that will gradually replace 

money. This is due to the fact 

that it is secure and unregulated 

by the banks as it is completely 

decentralised with no server or 

central authority. 

Cryptocurrency is based on 

a cryptographic scheme that 

aims to provide security, privacy 

and trust in the currency 

by its holders. Common uses 

include trading, holding as 

a long-term investment, and 

increasingly as a means of payment 

by businesses willing to 

accept it. 

Cryptocurrency has no 

intrinsic value or physical 

form, yet it is becoming 

extremely valuable. There are 

at least 37 virtual currencies 

in circulation, with the most 

popular being Bitcoin, where 

a single piece is valued at over 

$9000 NZD. 

TAXATION AND THE LAW 

> BY TRACEY CLARK 

Tracey Clark is a PwC director based in the Waikato office. 

Email: tracey.e.clark@nz.pwc.com 

Bitcoin was announced in 

2008 as a peer-to-peer electronic 

cash system to cut out 

the middle man and prevent 

double spending and has been 

credited to an unknown programmer, 

or group of programmers 

going by the pseudonym 

As IRD is still 

considering the 

tax treatment of 

cryptocurrency, 

they have provided 

guidance by advising 

the treatment to be 

similar to that of 

gold bullions, whose 

proceeds on sale are 

considered income. 

of Satoshi Nakamoto, leaving 

the real founder a ghost. 

The first bitcoin was purchased 

in May 2010, when a 

developer used 10,000 bitcoin 

to pay for two pizzas ($41). In 

December 2017 this would have 

translated to $179,000,000. 

Currently there are approximately 

17 million bitcoins in 

circulation, with a finite number 

of 21 million set for circulation. 

It’s estimated the final 

bitcoin will be mined in 2140. 

Many other cryptocurrencies 

have since been released. 

Unlike long existing virtual 

currencies, such as those found 

in online gaming communities 

which only have value within 

the community they are used, 

cryptocurrencies are convertible 

virtual currencies with 

equivalent real currency value. 

The currency itself however 

is very volatile. In 2009 one 

bitcoin was worth $0.003. By 

December 2017 it was worth 

$17,900 and rising. The value 

then fell 2/3 of its value to 

$6000 two months later. This 

volatility is the reason some 

investors are weary and staying 

away. The volatility is due to 

the fact that the value is based 

on perception and not a bank 

or regulator, meaning the value 

can swing dramatically either 

way, causing either huge gains 

or substantial losses. 

In 2017 PwC accepted its 

first payment in bitcoin, with 

this decision based on the 

premise of embracing new 

technology. While it is still too 

early to tell how wide cryptocurrency 

adoption will spread, 

some New Zealand retailers 

have already begun accepting 

bitcoin as a form of payment. 

Unsurprisingly, this has led to 

the Inland Revenue (IRD) considering 

the tax treatment of 

such currencies. 

For tax purposes, cryptocurrency 

is treated as property, not 

currency. This means that the 

foreign currency gain or loss 

provisions do not apply. However, 

if a New Zealand business 

accepts cryptocurrency as a 

form of payment, the amount 

is treated as taxable business 

income. IRD see this as a barter 

transaction and due to volatility, 

will require the business to 

calculate the value of the cryptocurrency 

in NZD at the time 

it is received. Cryptocurrency 

merchant processors are able to 

perform this function instantly. 

Where this function is unavailable, 

the amount is converted 

using a reputable exchange rate 

to the NZD equivalent at the 

relevant date. This may require 

converting the cryptocurrency 

into another foreign currency, 

such as US dollars, to then convert 

into NZD. 

Any gain on sale of cryptocurrency 

is assessed by considering 

the original purpose 

for acquiring the currency. As 

cryptocurrency is considered 

property, if the currency was 

acquired with the purpose of 

disposal, any proceeds made 

from selling the currency are 

taxable. 

The IRD consider that due 

to the nature of cryptocurrency, 

it is unlikely that a person 

would acquire it without the 

intention to sell or exchange it. 

This means that the majority of 

gains made on disposals would 

give rise to a tax liability. This 

is due to that fact that cryptocurrencies 

generally do not 

produce an income stream or 

provide benefits to the holder, 

except when they are sold 

or exchanged. Furthermore, 

any gains or losses must be 

recorded at the time they occur, 

and not merely accounted for 

once the currency has been 

cashed out. 

As IRD is still considering 

the tax treatment of cryptocurrency, 

they have provided guidance 

by advising the treatment 

to be similar to that of gold bullions, 

whose proceeds on sale 

are considered income. 

This area is likely to continue 

to grow and more guidance 

is likely to be released, 

further to the questions and 

answers Inland Revenue 

released in March 2018. If you 

invest or trade in cryptocurrencies, 

be sure to keep an eye out 

on the Inland Revenue’s further 

developments, as they intend 

to refine tax treatment as more 

information becomes available. 

The comments in this article 

are of a general nature and 

should not be relied on for specific 

cases. Taxpayers should 

seek specific advice. 

Waikato report on deprivation an ‘eye opener’ 

Areas within the Waikato 

region rank among the 

most deprived areas 

in New Zealand, according to 

a Waikato report on the new 

Index of Multiple Deprivation. 

The report called Socioeconomic 

Deprivation in the 

Waikato Region – using the 

Index of Multiple Deprivation 

to understand the drivers 

of deprivation was presented 

to the Waikato Plan Strategic 

Partners’ Forum at Waikato 

Regional Council. 

Waikato Plan programme 

manager Rachael McMillan, 

who wrote and presented the 

report, told those in attendance 

that it is easy to focus on deprivation 

at a regional scale but 

miss pockets at a local level 

that deserve greater government 

attention. 

“This report shows us that 

the mix of drivers for deprivation 

across the territorial 

authorities are totally different. 

You can’t do a blanket policy 

across everything. We need 

to be dealing at community 

level.” 

The New Zealand Index of 

Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 

was released by the University 

of Auckland last year. 

It was developed using data 

from government departments, 

Census statistics and methods 

comparable to current international 

deprivation indices to 

measure different forms of disadvantage. 

It looks at 28 indicators 

which are grouped into 

seven domains of deprivation: 

employment, income, crime, 

housing, health, education and 

access to services. These combine 

to create an overall IMD 

ranking for the 5958 data zones 

that the country is divided into. 

The index also ranks deprivation 

per domain. 

“The report has thrown up 

some surprising statistics that 

just goes to show that even 

district level deprivation can 

mask real local issues,” said 

Mrs McMillan. 

For instance, the Matamata-Piako 

district overall has 

low deprivation but has the 

second highest deprived data 

zone in the country for education; 

similarly, Hamilton has 

the second most deprived data 

zones for crime and income, 

and the third most deprived for 

health. 

“It’s a bit of an eye opener, 

and it’s great to know this 

resource exists and that we can 

access it online.” 

The Waikato report was 

compiled as a tool to help drive 

decision making for targeting 

funding and initiatives to 

improve social outcomes. 

“The IMD is part of building 

an understanding of our 

communities and what their 

needs are. We need a grounded 

approach to guide decision 

making and this tool adds to the 

building blocks of our knowledge,” 

said Mrs McMillan. 

The report showed that education 

was a big issue in the 

Waikato, as was income, crime 

and health. 

“Housing is better but 

everything else is worse than 

the New Zealand median.” 

“The IMD helps to show 

where we should focus our 

efforts.” 

Waikato District Health 

Board senior funding manager 

(Strategy and Funding) Regan 

Webb said the report was “very 

helpful” for the DHB to use 

in its planning processes. “We 

are currently developing our 

10 year health systems plan to 

ensure the services we provide 

and fund best meet the health 

needs of our population into 

the future,” Mr Webb said. “It 

will also support us in our collaborative 

work with councils 

on joint policy and planning 

for local communities. 

“We want to ensure that 

everyone has access to good 

quality healthcare no matter 

who they are or where they 

live, and that they can live long 

healthy lives. The information 

in this report will help us do 

this.” 

Smart Waikato Trust chief 

executive Mary Jensen said: 

“With our work with 22 secondary 

schools around the 

region as part of Secondary 

School Employer Partnerships, 

we do see the need to have 

individual place-based policies. 

The disparity across the 

region is enormous. If it can be 

pinpointed through this type of 

work that is very useful.”


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FCL Landon Properties WBN May2018.indd 1 

23/05/2018 9:27:07 a.m.

Waikato Business News May/June 2018

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