Waikato Business News November/December 2018

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER VOLUME 26: ISSUE 11 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

Rapid growth 

built on team 

approach 

Hamilton engineering company 

Vertex can say one thousand 

percent that they’re on a roll. 

By RICHARD WALKER 

That’s because they’ve 

just been named third 

on the Deloitte Fast 50, 

after recording astonishing 

revenue growth of 1144 percent 

over three years. 

That puts them first for 

manufacturers, and third for 

all businesses throughout the 

country. 

The company started by 

Nick Callagher in 2011 now 

has almost 40 staff, offices in 

Tauranga and Auckland, and a 

new main office in Hamilton 

that gives space to grow further. 

Their new headquarters, at 

Barnett Place in Te Rapa, carry 

the words “design innovation 

and engineering excellence” 

on the front sign and the firm 

has been there just a month 

after outgrowing their last 

premises at Karewa Place. 

Inside, they have opened 

up spaces, redesigning offices, 

kitchen and eating areas and 

meeting rooms. Managing 

director Callagher and his 

leadership team were determined 

to create a comfortable 

environment and it shows. 

During the Waikato Business 

News visit, most of the activity 

is at design computers, while 

in the workshop behind, half a 

dozen staff are working on an 

engineering job. This is not a 

space for fabrication, though - 

Vertex is fair and square at the 

design and process end of the 

business, as the sign suggests. 

If that makes them niche, 

then they are carving out a 

seriously big niche, with very 

few others doing the same 

thing in New Zealand, and certainly 

none on their scale. 

What’s the recipe? For Callagher, 

it’s pretty simple: it’s 

about the people and the team. 

“I suppose a good way of 

putting it is we're in competition 

with global manufacturers 

on a few jobs. 

“The whole reason we've 

grown is because of the team. 

We've got a management team 

in place and we equip our staff 

for success and so that's how 

we've grown as a company.” 

Continued on page 18 

Nick Callagher: “The big thing is that we love 

what we do, our industry, our innovation, and 

we are ambitious.” Photo: Peter Drury

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2018 

3 

City law firm to mark proud centenary 

A law firm with a richly diverse history, 

McCaw Lewis will mark an impressive 100 

years in Hamilton next year with a shift to 

new premises and the launch of a book 

telling its history. 


That story includes a 

remarkable diversity of 

staff that continues to 

the present day, and also its 

strong support of the Waikato 

University law school - Te Piringa. 

Many lawyers pass through 

a legal firm in the course of 

McCaw Lewis chair Brendan Cullen continues a tradition that 

began with Wally King and Punch McCaw. Photo: Peter Drury 

100 years. In McCaw Lewis’s 

case Wally King started it all 

as a young man in 1919 back 

from the trenches of World 

War I. He was soon joined by 

Ronald “Punch” McCaw, so 

named because his sister was 

called Judy. 

There were several other 

partners through to the 1940s 

when property and commercial 

lawyer C D Arcus joined. 

In the 1940s and 50s there was 

also, unusually for the time, 

a woman lawyer in the firm 

called Kath Coup. 

The firm evolved through 

name changes to become 

McCaw Smith and Arcus 

when it was joined by another 

notable figure, Noel Smith, 

who had a national profile as a 

personal injury litigator in the 

days long before ACC. Peter 

Lewis conducted a nationally 

recognised tax case before 

joining the firm. 

Sir Ronald Young, who 

was a partner until the late 

80s, went on to become the 

longest-serving judge in New 

Zealand. Later there was Julie 

Hardaker, who became Hamilton 

mayor. In a firm with a 

significant history of women 

lawyers, there were also Sandy 

Sandford and Rosemary Picton, 

both partners in the late 

80s, and Melanie Harland, 

now an Environment Court 

Judge. 

So, yes, many lawyers, 

including those referred to in 

the sidebar. And one goat. The 

goat, a baby one, has no name 

but its story can be added to 

the annals. 

About five years ago, 

McCaw Lewis chair Brendan 

Cullen, who has been with 

the company 34 years, was 

conducting a mediation with a 

twist that can only come from 

rural New Zealand. It involved 

farmers, and one of the parties 

brought their baby goat with 

them. It wasn’t a stunt; the 

kid was still on a bottle while 

being weaned and there was 

no one back on the farm, 40 

minutes away, who could take 

care of it. 

Mediation lasted a day, 

with the kid doted over in 

reception. Naturally, it drew a 

crowd. “I imagine productivity 

went down,” Cullen remarked. 

“I’ve talked to some of my 

mediator colleagues in Auckland 

and Wellington through 

the Arbitrators and Mediators 

Institute about this and to my 

knowledge we are the only firm 

that has conducted a mediation 

and also been responsible for 

the care of a baby goat." 

Only in Waikato. 

In another action also only 

of this region, McCaw Lewis 

Chapman, as the firm was then 

named, was a supporter of the 

Waikato University law school 

when it was founded in the 

early 1990s. Not all were; the 

school was set up to be different 

from the establishment in 

the likes of Auckland and Victoria, 

and had a focus on law 

and context, including biculturalism. 

That was challenging 

for some, used to traditional 

ways. 

McCaw Lewis has maintained 

close ties with the 

school, teaching there and 

sponsoring competitions, and 

many of its staff are graduates 

of the university, including 

five of the seven current directors. 

Like the law school, the 

practice also has a commitment 

to a bicultural approach 

which sees it encouraging staff 

to learn te reo through classes 

it offers as well as normalising 

practices such as karakia 

before eating. 

There is a practical element 

to this; a significant part of the 

practice is concerned with iwi 

and hapū work, including Tiriti 

settlements. 

One of those was particularly 

memorable for managing 

director Aidan Warren - his 

first major Waitangi Tribunal 

project, in Wairarapa, for Rangitane. 

He was involved from 

2002 through the whole process, 

from the crafting of the 

statements of claim to its prosecution, 

gaining a favourable 

decision, and the negotiation 

and settlement. 

“Hearing all the strugglesabout 

people losing their land 


When buying or selling a business in the Waikato 

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12 Councils for 500,000 

people - local government 

amalgamation – its time 

has come? 

Chris Simpson 

Oh, and I’m not putting the boot into good people. 

I’m asking a leadership question as to what is right for 

this new economy. Also, productivity in the Waikato 

deserves a big nudge! 

We are somewhere around 0.1 

percent at the moment – how 

do we increase that to 4 percent? 

Productivity growth is a big driver of 

ours here at the Chamber. And, to achieve 

that productivity growth, we need to ask 

questions about local body amalgamation 

as part of what is leadership – to do better. 

Governance is leadership, and as an 

economy there is so much upside! Here’s 

a question, why do the combined Waikato 

councils have 116 more councillors (136 

elected councillors) than Auckland’s 20 

councillors to represent approximately 70 

percent fewer people (537,390), compared 

to Auckland’s 1.7 million? 

Why does the Waikato have 87 senior 

council staff, yet Auckland only has nine? 

Is it time to amalgamate the Waikato’s 12 

councils and follow Auckland and become 

a super city? 

Those are the questions that we are 

starting to ask of the region’s elected representatives. 

With such divergent numbers as 

these and low productivity statistics within 

the region, it is time that our region’s leaders 

and governing representatives move to 

discuss the options around more efficient 

and stronger governance. 

The opportunity to have this discussion 

must start now, and the choice, if not confronted 

now, will be forced onto the Waikato 

region and its councils. With the fourth 

industrial revolution on top of us, the population 

of major cities growing faster than 

the regional communities… then today 

there is a real need for a conversation to 

unlock the potential of the Waikato. 

By bringing this very simple fact to the 

surface, business is asking if there is a better 

way to reduce compliance costs, so as 

businesses can become even more productive 

and competitive in this fast disrupting 

world. 

Our purpose is to advocate, and our 

purpose is to represent you the business 

community – feel free to join us as a 

member. My email is chris.simpson@ 

waikatochamber.co.nz and I’ll be happy to 

catch up with you for a coffee to discuss 

what we are wanting to achieve. 

Thanks for reading too. 

Cycling trails 

pumping as network 

takes shape 

A grand vision of a connected network of 

cycle trails through the Greater Waikato, 

including a continuous trail to Lake Taupō, 

boosting tourism in the region, is edging 

closer. 


The growth of the network 

is seeing new 

packages being offered 

as operators look to make the 

most of increasing interest, 

including tourists from outside 

the region. 

The popular Te Awa trail 

will soon connect from Ngāruawāhia 

to Karapiro after three 

councils and NZTA this year 

agreed funding for the Hamilton-Cambridge 

leg. 

Meanwhile, work is underway 

for the extension of the 

grade one Hauraki Rail Trail 

from Te Aroha to Matamata, 

which will create the possibility 

of linking the rail trail and 

Te Awa along with Waikato 

River Trails in a network of 

tracks around the region. 

The developments come 

as cycling’s popularity grows, 

with e-bikes playing an 

increasing role, the number of 

imports rising from 3000 in 

2014 to 20,000 last year. 

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. 

The huge potential of future 

trail development has been recognised 

in a new programme 

business case, developed by 

Waikato Regional Cycle Trails 

Network and regional economic 

development agency Te 

Waka. 

The beauty of the 

e-bikes obviously is 

it's a great equaliser 

so you can have 

people of all abilities 

and ages going out 

and you can all ride 

together. 

It sets out to grow the economic 

benefits of increased 

visitors across the region, and 

includes a “transformational” 

scenario that could see 100,000 

additional visitors to the network 

by 2029, with average 

daily spend increasing over 

that time from $215 to $330. 

The case recommends 

closer alignment of trail activity, 

operator development and 

marketing of the cycle trails, 

and plans to secure funds to 

enable a centralised concentrated 

activation effort. Network 

membership includes 

councils and three Regional 

Tourism Organisations along 

with trusts for the three “great 

rides” - Hauraki Rail Trail, 

Waikato River Trails and the 

Timber Trail in Pureora Forest 

and Te Awa. 

Te Awa River Ride Charitable 

Trust general manager Jennifer 

Palmer said access agreements 

still need to be arranged 

with a handful of landowners, 

but the shared cycle and pedestrian 

way from Hamilton to 

Cambridge is on course to 

be completed by 2021, with 

NZTA also confirming a pedestrian-cycling 

bridge over Airport 

Road. 

The Ngāruawāhia to Hamilton 

Gardens stretch of Te 

Awa, completed last year with 

the opening of the award-winning 

Te Awa Perry Bridge, is 

gaining traction. A counter 

on the trail near Ngāruawāhia 

showed a 500 percent increase 

in weekly cyclists using Te 

Awa after the bridge opened, 

up from about 100. 

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www.waikatochamber.co.nz 

Buyers Guide 

1) Look with your head and your 

heart, logic alone or pure emotion is not 

enough. 

2) Do your research, follow the 5 P’s 

principle. “Prior Preparation Prevents 

Poor Performance” 

3) Be flexible with your “must have” 

list, know your priorities and what you 

will compromise on. 

4) Ask Kerry how to get maximum 

exposure to the market so you don’t miss 

any opportunities. 

5) Don’t hold back your feelings, don’t 

be afraid to express your interest in a 

property to Kerry, you need to know as 

much as possible. 

6) Think of the future when buying; resale, 

renovation or rental potential should 

your circumstances change. 

Lugtons have been and still are industry leaders 

in the marketing of both residential and lifestyle 

property in the Hamilton regions since 1955. 

Hence, with Lugtons heritage in the development 

of this City and together with the commitment 

of Kerry, are extremely proud of their role in the 

important buying and selling decisions of their 

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A5081T


5 

Te Awa is increasingly popular with cyclists. 

Dynell Tairaki says River Riders, supported by the Garden Place 

Electrify store, is seeing strong uptake of its new packages. 

There is also a continuous 

path from the Avantidrome 

outside Cambridge to Karapiro. 

Counters placed along the 

full trail show a total of about 

300,000 trips a year, with 

120,000 at Hamilton’s Ann 

St and 100,000 at the Avantidrome. 

“It shows that people 

want to ride and they want 

these things, they just want 

to do it off road in a lot of 

cases, particularly with kids,” 

Palmer said. 

When it comes to making 

use of Te Awa, heading the 

peloton is River Riders, supported 

by Electrify from its 

Hamilton e-bike store on the 

corner of Garden Place. 

Owners Dan and Dynell 

Tairaki have been offering 

riverside rides on their bikes, 

e-bikes and stepper-bikes, giving 

customers access to popular 

features such as the Hakarimata 

Range, Perry Bridge and 

Hamilton Gardens. 

The track also passes 

Mangaharakeke Pā, south of 

Hutchinson Road. “We've 

taken people from all around 

the world to go and check that 

out on the bikes,” Dan said. 

As well as the Electrify 

store, they have bases at both 

Ngāruawāhia and Leamington 

squash clubs, and this 

summer they have teamed up 

with Waikato River Explorer 

in Hamilton and Camjet and 

Podium Cafe out of Cambridge 

to offer packages including 

water-based cruises as well as 

riverside bike rides. The packages 

are proving popular. 

“I think it's big - tourism 

operators actually getting 

together to package product 

to enhance the experience for 

visitors and focus on activating 

tourism on the river,” Dan said. 

“We've got the largest river 

in New Zealand. You've got 

the cycleway that follows the 

river, and then you've got the 

boats, and you've got the stories 

and the history along there 

- and that's really one of the 

best assets that we have.” 

The packages will eventually 

include 2-3 day Mighty 

Waikato River Experiences 

from Ngāruawāhia all the way 

out to the Waikato River Trail. 

In Cambridge, the not for 

profit Podium Lodge, run by 

the Brian Perry Charitable 

Trust, is also developing a 

cycling offering. 

It has bought a shuttle van 

and a trailer as well as a fleet 

of e-bikes and a fleet of regular 

bikes, said Palmer, who is also 

general manager of the Brian 

Perry Trust. The operation, 

called Cycle Cambridge, is 

particularly eyeing the Auckland 

weekend market. 

“You can have an urban 

experience and get your shuttle 

to come to Cambridge, staying 

at Podium Lodge and then you 

can try the Avantidrome track, 

then head out to Karapiro and 

have a beautiful lunch overlooking 

the lake,” Palmer said. 

“We're trying to put things 

together, create packages 

where you can come and do 

two days, three days, even bike 

out to Hobbiton and we'll pick 

you up there. 

“The beauty of the e-bikes 

obviously is it's a great equal- 

iser so you can have people of 

all abilities and ages going out 

and you can all ride together.” 

The Podium Lodge is also 

looking at packaging up the 

high performance experience 

as professional development 

opportunities for corporates, 

including from Auckland. 

Their staff would be given 

experiences at the Avantidrome, 

talking with athletes 

and riding on the track, as 

well as sessions with sports 

psychologists to talk about 

resilience or goal setting. The 

package would also include a 

trip to Karapiro. 

“We’re trying to frame all 

that up into a really unique 

experience which ticks the 

boxes for your professional 

development,” Palmer said. 

“It's making the most of this 

incredible high performance 

environment which you have 

in Cambridge.” 

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From the editor 

Our cover story this issue 

recognises a remarkable 

achievement, with 

Hamilton-based engineering 

company Vertex featuring 

prominently on the Deloitte 

Fast 50 list. 

It came third overall and 

topped the manufacturing category 

as it grew at a rate greater 

than 1000 percent over three 

years. 

What’s the recipe? It’s the 

people, says founder and managing 

director Nick Callagher. 

He and his team are ambitious 

and when I interviewed them 

they showed a strong collective 

sense of purpose. Whether they 

can keep growing at such a rate 

is for the future, but they certainly 

have the confidence and 

belief. 

One thing that stood out for 

me was the way in which they 

were preparing for the future - 

they’ve just moved into goodsized 

new premises which 

allow for further growth, and 

recruitment is being done in a 

very considered way. 

Meanwhile, a firm with 

a much longer history also 

features in this issue - as law 

practice McCaw Lewis notch 

up 100 years in the city. It was 

impressive to hear about their 

longstanding commitment to 

diversity. Plus they gave me my 

most memorable anecdote from 

the month - all about a baby 

goat. 

As tourism gains ground 

in Waikato, our cycle trails go 

from strength to strength, and 

operators like Dan and Dynell 

Tairaki, from River Riders, are 

doing a great job of promoting 

them, as is the Te Awa River 

Ride Charitable Trust. The idea 

of a continuous cycle trail connecting 

Thames to Hamilton 

and both of them to Taupō is 

exciting. It may be some way 

off yet, but the momentum is 

there and we update the story in 

this issue. 

Elsewhere Geoff Taylor 

meets the two new owners 

of the Ray White Hamilton 

sales office, Fraser Coombes 

and Mark Keesom, who are 

creating waves in the city’s 

real estate scene. And Caitlan 

Johnston talks to Jorja Tarrant, 

the go-ahead young founder 

of What the Food who started 

her project as a passion project 

and a year later has a business, 

a shop front, her treats stocked 

in eateries around Waikato and 

plans for franchising. 

As we head towards the 

festive season, I hope you 

enjoy reading these stories 

and many more in this issue. 

And if you’ve got a story to 

tell, I’d love to hear from 

you. Get in touch with me at 

richard@nmmedia.co.nz 

Editor 

Richard Walker 

Our last poll winner: 

Courtney Deed 

Congratulations! 

City law firm to mark 

proud centenary 

From page 3 

and culture, is a real journey, 

and seeing an iwi that goes 

now into the post-settlement 

phase 16 years later is powerful,” 

he said. “And the connections 

that you make, the 

knowledge of that part of the 

world, intimate knowledge of 

the Māori history, the colonial 

history, is just second to none 

in terms of experience.” 

Warren, who joined 

McCaw Lewis fresh out of 

Waikato University's law 

school in 2000, also worked on 

the legal case for including the 

“h” in Whanganui. He helped 

marshal the evidence for the 

submission to the Geographic 

Board, in what was a widely 

publicised and heavily politicised 

case, with Whanganui 

Mayor Michael Laws leading 

the charge against change. 

Warren was there at the 

Whanganui River when the 

Minister, Maurice Williamson, 

announced the change. He has 

been back since, as recently as 

a few months ago taking his 

children to a tennis tournament, 

when he could tell them 

the story behind the proliferation 

of the letter “h” on signs 

around the city. 

The iwi and settlement 

work mesh well with the firm’s 

emphasis on property and 

commercial law, after it moved 

away from criminal law since 

the 1980s. 

The 1980s also saw two 

significant mergers. The first 

was with Lewis Jecks and 

Co from Cambridge, and the 

second, in 1984, was with 

Chapman Cartwright Gendall 

and Earle. Those two mergers 

formed McCaw Lewis 

Chapman, which remained the 

name until 2011 when the firm 

was incorporated and became 

McCaw Lewis Ltd. 

As well as its significant 

involvement in Māori 

legal work, the practice 

today includes work around 

infrastructure development, 

asset planning, trusts and 

estates. Warren said the firm’s 

approach to civil disputes 

focuses on alternative resolution. 

Both he and Cullen are 

accredited mediators, while 

Cullen is also an arbitrator. 

And the firm’s community 

involvement goes beyond the 

university to include sponsorship 

of Northern Districts 

cricket and support for Pacific 

businesses and organisations. 

It hosts Pink Ribbon breakfasts 

and was involved in 

establishing the Angel Casts 

Charitable Trust. 

• McCaw Lewis’s centenary 

will coincide with a move 

from 1 London Street to the 

top two floors of a newly 

refurbished building at 586 

Victoria Street, and will 

be marked by the launch 

around April of a book by 

journalist Kingsley Field. 

A fine tradition 

The Arcus family has a proud association 

with the McCaw Lewis firm, with C D 

Arcus, who joined in the 1940s, followed 

by his son Doug in the mid 1960s. 

Others have similarly long spans. There 

was Don Shirley, known as “the Don”, whose 

career with the firm spanned 45 years, and 

Steve Brooker who was there for 50 years. 

Among the more high-profile members 

of the firm over the years, Bill Dillon, who 

would become a two-term Labour MP in the 

1980s for Hamilton East, was involved in two 

Privy Council cases. 

David Gendall, a commercial law partner 

Aidan Warren 

was subsequently appointed as the Dean of 

the Waikato University Law School and is 

now a High Court Judge. 

On the sporting front David Gendall 

played National League soccer for Hamilton 

AFC in the 1970s. 

David Wilson QC was appointed as a District 

Court Judge in the 1980s and Jeremy 

Doogue was also appointed as a District Court 

Judge and later as an Associate Judge of the 

High Court. 

Continuing a fine tradition, Stephen Clark 

and Craig Coxhead were appointed as Judges 

of the Māori Land Court in 2008. 

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7 

Victory of the Company-X software specialist 

superheroes 

Company-X wins Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards. 

Company-X’s ever-growing 

team of software 

specialist superheroes 

won two top accolades at the 

Westpac Waikato Business 

Awards. 

The Hamilton-based company, 

founded by David Hallett 

and Jeremy Hughes in 2012, 

won the Service Excellence 

and Global Operator categories 

at the annual business awards. 

Jeremy was asked, at the 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

organised event at 

Claudelands Event Centre on 

November 2, which award 

Company-X would like to take 

home if it could claim only one. 

“I’d choose the Service Excellence 

Award,” said Jeremy. 

“If you provide excellent service 

to your clients, the rest 

will follow.” 

The award recognises Company-X’s 

consistent dedication 

to superlative service and its 

commitment to the customer 

through its service values. 

“Company-X has built a 

reputation for delivering exceptional 

service to its clients 

by consistently exceeding expectations 

of what’s possible,” 

said the judges. 

“The refreshing peoplecentric 

approach to software 

design and delivery ensures 

that the right staff are working 

with the right clients to keep 

projects on time and on budget. 

David and Jeremy lead the 

company’s service philosophy 

by embedding service excellence 

into all aspects of their 

operation.” 

The Global Operator Award 

recognises Company-X’s work 

within the global market, outstanding 

international trade 

achievements, sustainable 

growth and results. 

“Company-X are an impressive 

Waikato-based global 

operator that have an unrelenting 

focus on strong relationships 

with their customers and 

partners while building the 

best teams,” said the judges. 

“They have a clear strategy 

that is articulated and understood 

throughout the organisation. 

Making decisions about 

which work they take on and 

who to partner with is always 

pulled back to their values 

and strategy. 

“The partnering approach 

to overseas markets has proven 

successful, and the focus 

on key customer and partner 

relationships is providing further 

opportunities as they become 

more widely known for 

customer service, expertise 

and delivery.” 

The Company-X team does 

a lot of brainstorming when 

WINNING TEAM: Company-X director David Hallett (left) holds the Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards Service Excellence trophy with fellow director Jeremy Hughes at 

the podium. Some of the Company-X team look on from the stage. 

solving client’s problems. 

“Before we start, we ask 

who is going to come up with 

the stupidest brilliant idea, and 

who is going to ask the stupidest 

question,” Jeremy said. 

“It’s between the cracks of 

those queries that we sometimes 

find the seeds of our best 

solutions and it’s up to the ever-growing 

Company-X team 

to feed and water those seeds 

through to a complete and successful 

working system.” 

Company-X clients include 

multinational companies headquartered 

overseas and domestic 

businesses. 

“That’s really exciting for 

us as a company,” David said. 

“We are contributing to the 

trade surpluses in New Zealand. 

When we work for overseas 

companies, we are growing 

the Waikato and growing 

New Zealand. The tax we pay 

for that income helps pay for 

hospitals and schools and it is 

a really great feeling.” 

The Westpac Waikato 

Business Awards wins follow 

Company-X being named the 

Fastest Growing Technology 

Company in the Central North 

Island in the Deloitte Fast 50. 

Company-X also sponsored 

the Innovation Award, which 

was won by Montana Group. 

The Innovation Award recognised 

Montana’s success through 

innovation - both in thinking and 

implementing of an idea. 

Montana also won the 

Business Growth Award, the 

Strategy, Planning and Governance 

Award and was Supreme 

Winner. 

“It was absolutely fitting 

that the winner of the Innovation 

Award should be the Supreme 

Winner,” Jeremy said. 

“Montana’s win was very 

well deserved,” David added. 

“Entering the Westpac 

Waikato Business Awards is 

like entering the 100-metre 

sprint at school and running 

against the best of the athletics 

team,” Jeremy said. 

“One of the reasons these 

are such special awards is 

looking at the finalists gave us 

the same feeling. We were in 

exemplary company.” 

Company-X’s software superheroes are proud winners 

of the Service Excellence & Global Operator Awards 

Congratulations to all the other finalists and winners at the 2018 Westpac Waikato Business Awards. 

A special congratulations to Montana Group for winning the Company-X sponsored Innovation Award. 

0800 552 551 hello@companyx.nz www.companyx.nz 

Level 2, Wintec House, Cnr Anglesea & Nisbet Street, Hamilton


The New Mine Field of 

Property Management – 

Commercial and Residential 

It’s been fascinating talking to Greg 

Wills recently, who manages our commercial 

property and facilities management 

business, along with other commercial 

and residential property managers. 

New legislation and compliance means 

that it is fast becoming ‘too hard’ for many 

to manage their own properties and now 

moving towards professional management. 

Interestingly, in many cases commercial 

leases actually allow for property 

management costs to be recovered directly 

from tenants. It’s also tax deductible, being 

a direct cost that can be claimed back 

as an expense against income – you should 

discuss this with your accountant. 

The benefit to tenants from having a 

property manager, is a responsive and 

speedy resolution to issues that arise and 

a co-ordinated approach to regular maintenance 

or items such as compliance around 

the Building Warrant of Fitness. 

So, the minefield is getting larger, and 

the mines getting closer together. As a 

commercial property owner do you: 

• Understand The Building (Earthquake-prone 

Buildings) Amendment 

Act 2016? This includes time frames 

for compliance. Is yours deemed a priority 

building? 

• Understand the Health and Safety at 

Work (Asbestos) Regulations 2016 

which is administered by WorkSafe? 

Was it built prior to 1 January 2000? 

Do you need or have you had an Asbestos 

Management Plan completed, as 

was required by 1 April 2018? 

• Do you vet and complete Due Diligence 

on potential tenants? 

• Do you need to conduct site inductions 

with contractors before they undertake 

any work? 

But Residential must be easier? 

Really? 

• Health and Safety at Work (Asbestos) 

Regulations 2016 still applies to 

residential properties, but not quite to 

the same degree. 

• Do you understand your obligations 

around the updated Residential Tenancies 

Regulations for insulation and 

smoke alarms – and the time frames? 

• Do you understand the Healthy Homes 

Guarantee Act 2017 that will be coming 

into effect and what it means to 

you? 

• Do you vet or undertake credit checks 

on potential tenants? 

• Have you had your rental house tested 

for Methamphetamine and do you 

know what the current acceptable baseline 

levels are? 

• Did you know that many insurance 

policies require regular inspections to 

avoid voiding your insurance policy? 

And what are your legal requirements 

and options if a tenant is in breach of their 

Lease or Residential Tenancy Agreement ? 

Annoying tenants, dodgy 

service providers, the law! 

Sometimes managing 

property is just too stressful 

and employing the services of 

a property manager can save 

owners from the baggage” 

- SHABIBAH NAKIRIGYA 

Mike Neale - Managing Director, 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton. 

What if you do nothing (the ostrich 

solution)? If you do nothing, then there 

are significant risks and fines that you 

could open yourself up to. It’s a matter of 

keeping up with the ever-changing legislation, 

but applying it sensibly. 

One important observation that I have 

noticed in Hamilton over the last 10 years, 

is that there are often better outcomes for 

tenants and owners using property managers 

when they are local. They can actually 

meet the tenant face to face in a 

timely manner, which goes a long way 

when there is an issue, but more importantly 

they also actually visit or see the 

property regularly and can identify issues 

significantly faster than may be the case 

when they are not based here (out of sight, 

out of mind syndrome). Due to the size 

of the portfolio they manage, they often 

have more reliable contractors, who can 

respond faster and more efficiently – in 

terms of both planned preventative maintenance 

and responsive maintenance. 

Both NAI Harcourts (commercial and 

industrial) and Harcourts Rentals (residential) 

have specialist property management 

teams. If you would like to talk to 

a property manager on a completely no 

obligation basis, about the services they 

offer, then contact one of the following: 

Greg Wills - 021 896 585 

greg.wills@naiharcourts.co.nz 

Commercial Property and Facilities 

Management 

Nicole Anstiss - 027 8100 500 

nicole.anstiss@hamiltonrentals.co.nz 

Residential and Body Corporate 

Management 

– or just get on to Google ! 

Little known fact: The architect who designed 

the Waikato Museum (Ivan Mercep) 

also designed New Zealand’s national 

museum, Te Papa, in Wellington 

The Relay For Life candlelight ceremony offers the 

chance to remember loved ones lost to cancer. 

Wanted: Superheroes 

for Relay For Life 

Relay For Life returns to Hamilton in 2019 

and the Cancer Society is challenging 

people to become a superhero for the day – 

wearing undies outside of clothing optional. 

The inspiring community 

event, where team members 

take turns walking 

or running around a track, 

gives people the chance to 

celebrate cancer survivors and 

carers; remember loved ones 

lost to cancer; and fight back 

by raising awareness and funds 

to support the work of the Cancer 

Society. 

Catriona Findlay, fundraising 

manager for the Cancer 

Society, says Relay For Life 

participants who turn out for 

the event at Claudelands on 

March 30, 2019 can expect a 

festival-like atmosphere and a 

real sense of community spirit. 

“With 12 hours of non-stop, 

live entertainment and music, 

this is a great opportunity for 

friends, families and co-workers 

to enjoy a fun day out while 

making a difference for people 

affected by cancer in the community.” 

Relay For Life is the second-largest 

fundraising event 

on the Cancer Society’s calendar, 

behind Daffodil Day. Findlay 

says money raised by Relay 

‘superheroes’ will stay in the 

community and directly benefit 

people in Waikato and Bay 

of Plenty. 

“As a community-funded 

charity, fundraising events like 

Relay For Life ensure we can 

continue to provide free support 

to people diagnosed with 

cancer in our community, and 

their families. 

“From emotional support 

and advocacy from a supportive 

care nurse who can help 

them navigate the medical 

system, to practical support 

services like transport to treatment, 

frozen meals and accommodation 

for people travelling 

long distances for treatment 

at Waikato Hospital; the work 

that we do in the community 

can make all the difference for 

someone during what can be 

a stressful time for them and 

their family.” 

Relay For Life 2019 is suitable 

for all ages and fitness levels. 

Registrations are now open 

at www.relayforlife.org.nz 

Sculpture unveiled on 

Waikato River bank 

November saw the unveiling of an impressive, interactive 

addition to Hamilton’s sculptures when Tōia Mai was launched 

at Hamilton’s Ferrybank reserve. 

Wintec acting chief 

executive David 

Christiansen gifted 

the waka-style sculpture on 

behalf of the artist Joe Citizen 

and Wintec to the people of 

Hamilton/Kirikiriroa. 

The event was attended by 

representatives from the Kīngitanga, 

Waikato-Tainui, Hamilton 

City Council, Wintec staff 

and students, community and 

industry partners. Tōia Mai 

means working together, and 

this was reflected in the guests, 

many of whom had contributed 

to the sculpture, including Wintec 

students. 

The sculpture tells the 

Matariki story and symbolises 

the cultural, spiritual and 

economic significance of the 

Waikato River. 

The artist Joe Citizen with 

Wintec students who worked 

on the waka sculpture project. 

From left Geng Xu, Joe Citizen, 

Arjun Ravi, Vignesh Venkatesan, 

Qi Chen (obscured), Ying Wang. 

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 

Wintec Acting Chief Executive David Christiansen, Deputy Mayor 

Martin Gallagher, Hine Love Thompson, Kaumātua Tame Pokaia, artist 

Joe Citizen, Hamilton Mayor Andrew King, Tumuaki Anaru Thompson.

New boys on the block 

making an impact 

Hamilton real estate company Ray White’s 

sales division is under new ownership and 

a youthful, energetic culture is creating 

waves in the city’s real estate scene. 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

Fraser Coombes and Mark 

Keesom took over the 

Ray White Hamilton 

sales office in April and have 

wasted no time putting their 

stamp on the business. 

The southern Victoria Street 

site has had a major overhaul, 

boosting its profile, the company 

has embraced the latest 

technology and its upbeat culture 

is attracting a number of 

young agents. 

Keesom – at Ray White 

since 2011 – is one of the Ray 

White group’s elite salespeople 

receiving national honours, 

while Coombes already part 

owns Ray White’s Hamilton’s 

award-winning property management 

business. This business 

was recently awarded Top 

Large Office of the Year by the 

Real Estate Institute of New 

Zealand for 2018. Coombes’s 

father Dennis and business 

partner Carl Glasgow were 

previous owners of the sales 

division for 14 years. The three 

of them still own the property 

management business together 

which is managed by Fraser 

Coombes. 

Buying the business is a big 

step for two men in their thirties 

with families but Keesom 

and Coombes wasted very little 

time on it – a quick discussion 

in the office one day and 

a handshake and the deal was 

done. It’s how they roll. 

Ray White Hamilton is a 

fast growing and ambitious 

office. 

“We’ve been using the 

words recharge and refresh a 

lot,” says Coombes. 

“We want to recharge the 

Ray White brand in Waikato 

and leverage off the success 

of the property management 

company. Ray White is absolutely 

huge in Auckland and 

for us this is about recharging 

the business, using Ray White’s 

resources, ideas and technology 

to hit the Hamilton market and 

provide a fresh progressive real 

estate experience for Hamiltonians 

– that’s certainly starting 

to happen.” 

Ray White Hamilton has 

just had its biggest November 

in terms of sales in 10 years, 

while in recent months they’ve 

attracted seven agents from 

other local realtors. There are 

now 32 salespeople in the sales 

division. 

“Culture is the big one that 

we want to focus on,” says Keesom. 

“We want this to be an 

enjoyable, satisfying place to 

work. Real estate is very hard 

work but it’s a job where what 

you put in is what you get out. 

It’s a results business. If you put 

in the hard yards you get it back 

but for us, we’re also trying to 

make it a little bit more fun. It’s 

always going to be a hard slog 

this business. But we want it to 

be worth it, we want our agents 

to have some downtime, some 

nights off.” 

There was a time 

when you could sell 

a house standing on 

your head – that’s 

gone. 

Keesom and Coombes 

encourage social outings where 

staff can “take the work hat off 

and have a laugh”. 

Ray White’s physical presence 

on its site on the corner of 

Victoria Street and Knox Street 

is now far more impressive 

following a makeover which 

included new signs and lighting. 

The interior of the building 

has also had a transformation 

and makes for a fresh and welcoming 

customer experience. 

Another big focus for the 

business is the use of the latest 

technology to make the process 

of buying and selling easier for 

vendors and purchasers. 

Keesom points out that Ray 

White is the largest real estate 

brand in Australasia with 171 

offices in New Zealand alone. 

He says Ray White in Australia 

has more than 40 full time staff 

Ray White sales owners Mark Keesom, left and Fraser Coombes. 

dedicated to advancing technology 

and making it available to 

all offices. 

“There is so much becoming 

available that helps give buyers 

and sellers real-time information 

that is easily accessible at 

their fingertips. It makes our job 

easier and the whole process of 

buying or selling easier. Our 

salespeople and customers are 

already noticing the difference 

and it will just get better. Ray 

White is at the cutting edge of 

this technology.” 

Coombes and Keesom say 

they are always looking for 

more agents. 

“Ideally we want someone 

who is energetic, motivated 

and who wants to make good 

money and understands what 

hard work looks like. Someone 

with a work ethic, self-driven 

but someone who wants to join 

a great culture, have some fun 

too and be part of a progressive 

brand.” 

The pair is active in community 

sponsorships around 

Waikato and plan to continue 

growing Ray White’s profile 

in Hamilton. But it won’t be 

through a whole lot of glitzy 

advertising. 

“It will be all about results. 

We are a go-ahead, sustainable, 

business here for the long 

term.” 

And while the market isn’t 

as buoyant as it was a few years 

ago, it’s still serving Ray White 

well. 

“The market is good at the 

moment,” says Keesom. 

“If you are a good real estate 

salesperson then the market is 

fine. There was a time when 

you could sell a house standing 

on your head – that’s gone. You 

actually have to do the job well 

now – the craft is starting to 

come through. And that’s what 

we’re all about.” 

Experience care as it 

should be, experience 

the Braemar way. 

Braemar Hospital is one of the largest 

private surgical hospitals in New Zealand, 

and it’s here in Hamilton. 

With more than 100 world class specialists, 

10 state-of-the-art operating rooms, 84 beds 

including 32 private rooms, at Braemar 

you’ll receive the highest level of care. 

Choose the very best. 

Choose Braemar. 

braemarhospital.co.nz 

Waikato Branch – Upcoming events/courses 

At the Institute of Directors 

we’re on the pulse of governance. 

Connecting, equipping and 

inspiring directors through thought 

leadership and our extensive 

network, professional governance 

courses, events and resources. 

NFP Summit 

Thank you to everyone who supported the Not for Profit 

Summit on the 14th of November. 

It was a well-attended event, with over 130 business 

leaders from the Waikato in attendance. 

Megan Beveridge, 

Branch Manager 

Waikato.branch@iod.org.nz, 

021 358772 or www.iod.org.nz 

Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by: 

J1121P

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Fantastic plastic training scheme marked in reunion 

A Hamilton plastics manufacturing family’s 

long-term commitment to training has been 

remembered at a reunion of former trainees. 


Two photos separated 

by 36 years. In one of 

them, black and white, 

16 young men look back at the 

camera, one of them wearing 

dangerously short shorts and 

a tee-shirt slogan to go with 

them. These are Trigon cadets 

and apprentices in 1982, part 

of an enduring programme 

that stretches back to an earlier 

Foreman company, Plastic 

Products. Centre back, wearing 

jeans, is Owen Embling. 

Embling, who now runs 

Convex Plastics, is one of those 

responsible for the later colour 

photo, this time showing 70 

men and women at a reunion of 

Trigon trainees, the cadets and 

apprentices employed by the Te 

Rapa-based plastics company 

at the rate of four or five a year, 

many of whom have gone on to 

forge bright careers both inside 

and outside the plastics industry. 

When Roger Evans put 

together a list for the reunion, he 

reached almost 100 names. It’s 

a testament to the regard those 

people had for their career start 

that more than half that number, 

59, assembled for a get-together 

in October, a game of golf followed 

by an evening of socialising 

and reminiscing. 

They were joined by other 

former staff members, including 

trainers and mentors. All but 

two of those in the 1982 photo 

made the reunion. 

Evans, himself a former Trigon 

trainee, was there as was 

Russell Cassey. Cassey goes 

further back, to the days of Plastic 

Products, which he joined 

as an apprentice in 1963. The 

company, established by Morty 

Foreman during World War 

II, was a trend-setter in many 

ways, among them being an 

early adopter of psychometric 

testing for new recruits. Cassey 

still has the personality test he 

sat before he was given the job. 

Another crucial way in 

which father and son Morty and 

Bill Foreman were ahead of the 

times, Evans said, was in their 

commitment to training, and 

the young Russell Cassey, for 

example, did two NZCEs while 

at Plastic Products. 

The company merged with 

Alex Harvey & Sons in 1963, 

and Morty's association ended 

in 1969. His son Bill then set 

up Trigon in 1970 making plastic 

film, with Cassey invited on 

from the start. The investment 

paid off - what took $130,000 

of share capital to establish was 

sold 25 years later for $100 million. 

“It just rocketed away,” 

Cassey said. “It was a very fertile 

space for us because we got 

in there with new equipment, 

we'd done our homework.” 

He built on his experience at 

Plastic Products to run the training 

programme at Trigon, and 

act as a mentor to the trainees 

coming through. And Bill Foreman 

was to attribute much of 

the company’s success, including 

its overseas expansion, to its 

young people who understood 

the firm's culture and technology. 

There was a bit more to it 

than that, Cassey noted. There 

was the vision of Bill Foreman 

himself, a tireless leader and 

supporter of his staff, and a man 

with an exacting eye. 

In the early years especially, 

some of the impetus for training 

came from necessity, in an 

industry that was new and constantly 

developing. 

“Training was a key part of 

the success of both companies 

because you couldn’t get the 

expertise that you wanted out in 

the market,” Cassey said. 

No polytechnics were teaching 

the complexities of the 

extrusion process or printing or 

blow moulding that were core to 

the industry. 

“You had to go overseas to 

get the right equipment, and 

then swot it up and learn it yourself.” 

Trainees developed tremendous 

adaptability and the 

confidence to go with an idea 

- because they were encouraged 

to do exactly that on the 

shop floor, right from the start, 

whether that was on the engineering 

apprenticeship pathway, 

or the management cadet 

route. 

“The whole culture at Trigon 

of doing our own thing, coming 

up with our own ideas, was only 

possible because all our staff 

were introduced to it from the 

get-go,” Cassey said. “Because 

we were all very busy, it was 

convenient to throw them in the 

deep end every now and then.” 

“Tell me about it!" said 

Evans. "You got blooded very 

young. It was great!” 

Evans has continued the 

commitment to training at the 

company he founded, Stafford 

Engineering, where there 

are 10 apprentices among the 

70 staff. He is seeing a shift 

back towards a cadetship-style 

model, with employees gaining 

qualifications while working 

part time, and tertiary institutes 

increasingly embedding work 

experience in their training. 

As for the reunion, which 

came a year after Bill Foreman 

died, the career paths of 

many of those who attended is 

an endorsement of the value of 

the Foreman father and son’s 

approach to training. 

Russell Cassey said it was 

wonderful to hear the former 

trainees’ stories. 

“Universally, they were 

grateful for the start they got and 

the experience they gained.” 

That includes Gordon 

Woolley, now writing software 

for Chapman Tripp, Suzanne 

Fletcher, who became CEO of 

Office Max, and Greg Cross 

whose career included a spell as 

Microsoft's New Zealand managing 

director before getting 

into AI. 

“We all credit our careers for 

the opportunities Trigon gave 

us,” Roger Evans said. 

Cassey: "The inverse is that 

Trigon credits its success a lot to 

the contribution that these guys 

made. They fitted in, they took 

responsibility, they shared the 

ethos of the company to go out 

there and solve problems and be 

positive. 

“They've had an adaptability 

and a confidence to grab an 

idea they've had and do something 

with it. Bill would be very 

proud of that.” 

“Making men look good since ages ago” 

é 

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Sat 9.00am-4.00pm 

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3. Tony Thornton (Golden Homes), Gary Reid (Golden 

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4. Melissa Clothier (CKL), Malcolm and Julie MacDonald. 

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The Waikato branch of the Institute of 

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November, the inaugural annual not-for-profit 

summit at FMG Stadium Waikato. 

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13 

New initiative seeks 

Waikato businesses to 

join together for good 

A new initiative called The Good Collective 

will launch in Waikato in March 2019. 

Businesses from across 

the region are joining 

up to be a part of an 

organisation aiming to supercharge 

the impact of the local 

not-for-profit sector. However, 

more companies from a wide 

range of business disciplines 

are still being sought to join. 

The Good Collective was 

formed earlier this year following 

consultation with 

Waikato charities and not-forprofits. 

Its aim is to lift the bar 

on organisational effectiveness 

and long-term sustainability 

among the charitable 

and not-for-profit sector. 

The New Zealand-first 

initiative is the brainchild of 

Annah Stretton. She’s provided 

funding and resources 

during the start-up phase of 

the charity through the Annah 

Stretton Foundation. 

The Good Collective is 

governed by local business 

leaders who have joined Stretton 

on the board, including 

David Hallett, Heather Claycomb, 

Julie Hardaker, Meleane 

Burgess, Sue Pairaudeau 

and Tony Hope. 

Stretton said: “The vision 

for The Good Collective is 

to connect the charitable sector 

with top notch service 

providers to raise the bar on 

their overall effectiveness and 

impact in the community. 

“Today there are many 

thousands of charities and 

not-for-profits operating in 

Waikato which collectively 

contribute millions to our 

regional economy. The challenge 

many have, however, 

is their need to access quality 

business advice and services at 

a reasonable cost to take their 

operations to the next level. 

That’s where we come in.” 

The Good Collective’s aim 

is to move Waikato’s charities 

and not-for-profits from 

surviving to thriving with the 

selection, provision and support 

of essential business services. 

“From now through to our 

launch in March, we are signing 

up businesses who want 

to join us in being part of The 

Good Collective and offering 

their services to the not-forprofit 

sector. 

“And it’s important to 

understand, we aren’t asking 

for a handout. Our board 

members are firm believers 

www.nmmedia.co.nz 

that organisations will value 

services they pay for, and 

businesses all have a threshold 

of what they can do pro bono. 

Instead we’re after a special 

not-for-profit rate that makes 

sense for both the givers and 

the receivers.” 

The Good Collective does 

not profit from the business 

services provided by members, 

nor will it take a management 

fee. It is currently 

working to gain grants and 

other sources of sustainable, 

long-term funding for the 

organisation. 

Stretton said the goal of 

The Good Collective is to 

assist 50-100 charities and 

not-for-profits in its first year 

of operation. 

“By connecting charities up 

with quality business support, 

we want to see organisations 

complete capability-building 

projects, address and mitigate 

crisis management issues or 

partner with one of our service 

providers to gain ongoing 

business advice and services. 

Any of these sorts of outcomes 

will drive up the quality 

of operations and therefore 

count as a success.” 

Businesses can register 

their interest in joining The 

Good Collective by emailing 

info@thegoodcollective.org. 

nz. 

BTW Regional 

Manager brings 

wealth of experience 

With wide-ranging experience in both private sector 

and local government, the new Waikato Regional 

Manager of BTW Company’s Hamilton office comes 

with the perfect background for the job. 

That gives Hamilton man Jason Cargo 

huge insight across the consultancy’s 

development sector, which 

is crucial to the engineering, environment, 

surveying and planning firm’s work. 

Just over a month in, he is relishing 

the role, particularly valuing the firm’s 

values around its people and the community. 

The BTW tag line is “Making it 

happen” which puts the client at the centre 

of business. 

He enters the business at a time of 

growth as the 45-year-old New Plymouth-based 

firm builds its Hamilton office, 

which is at 11 professionals currently. 

Part of his job is to grow staff numbers 

as well as use his formidable contacts to 

build the range of work through valued 

relationships and delivery. 

“What I like here is we’ve got a good 

range of services right across the board. 

We’ve got Taranaki as our support network 

(58 staff) and they do come and 

work up here quite a bit but it’s good to 

provide the bulk of services out of here.” 

Ultimately, the building at 517 Anglesea 

Street will be able to hold about 25 

staff with office space also tenanted. Jason 

values the statement that BTW made 

in choosing to buy, rather than rent, when 

it expanded into Hamilton almost two 

years ago. 

It spent considerable money in creating 

architect-designed offices with apartment 

living upstairs to cater for staff from 

Taranaki. 

“It’s interesting the journey of BTW 

and where they went - they looked at 

various places but I think the fit of Taranaki 

with Waikato is good as both are in 

Chiefs territory.” 

The Waikato office is currently looking 

for local skilled professional staff. Jason 

himself is a Registered Professional Surveyor, 

but his work now will be largely 

on the management side as he takes lead 

roles in the large subdivisions. 

Work on the books at the moment includes 

land developments in Waikato and 

beyond including Ngāruawāhia, Rotorua, 

Raglan and Morrinsville. 

“Typically, we’re offering the complete 

development service, but are flexible 

to be part of a team and even offering 

services in land contamination, asbestos 

and fresh water ecology which are high 

profile today. 

“Developers require expert planning 

advice well in advance of seeking council 

consents in a complex world of changing 

planning rules. 

“These services are key to unlocking 

investment value along with innovative 

drone and scanning technology that provides 

valuable base data of land/building 

form for feasibility assessment.” 

Key services are land title/topo/building 

setout surveys, structural design for 

new or existing buildings, geotechnical 

testing of ground for proposed development 

and civil engineering design of 

roads, services and expert knowledge 

in stormwater retention and quality 

outflows. 

The BTW team looks to support wellplanned 

developments which will provide 

additional housing and make significant 

contributions to the community. 

After a Post Graduate Diploma of 

Management Studies Jason won a Major 

Developments Case Leader position, 

which was partly about building relationships 

with the development community 

and also looking after large city projects 

at Hamilton City Council. 

“The role was fantastic. I ran successful 

developer/consultants forums to inform 

that sector of changes or celebrate 

Jason Cargo 

successful projects, so had a connection 

with that community.” 

That was followed by a stint as a Key 

Account Manager providing services to 

the city’s important businesses. 

In both roles he could see the momentum 

in Hamilton, particularly the development 

of the central city with the move 

towards apartment living, greenfield 

growth of the industrial area in Te Rapa 

and Ruakura and duplex infill housing 

around the city. 

“It was fantastic to see how the city 

was growing. 

The big challenges into the future will 

be around improving water quality, transport 

options, providing affordable housing, 

quality amenities along with council 

investing in core infrastructure.” 

Jason is enjoying the nimbleness of 

working in a mid-size private firm, after 

his seven years with Hamilton City Council 

and before that with global multidisciplinary 

firm Aurecon. 

“I’m really excited about the future of 

the Waikato and that’s partly why I decided 

to come back into the private sector.” 

He was struck by a description he came 

across after starting the job, in which the 

company outlined its approach. 

“BTW is a family orientated business 

with a passion for supporting regional 

growth whilst giving back to the community,” 

it said. 

Jason says: “I saw that and I thought, 

yeah, that resonated with me. Everything 

is about relationships, it’s all about people, 

and people having trust in you.” 

Jason walks that talk: he has had governance 

experience with the Waikato Environment 

Centre Trust (now Go Eco), 

is currently on Eastlink Tennis Trust and 

has been an executive of the Waikato 

Property Council. 

He has recently been voted onto 

the board of the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce on the same day he started 

with BTW. 

“So I got to tick that off, one of my 

KPIs.” 

Jason is a competitive sportsman from 

playing top football with Hamilton AFC, 

Waikato tennis representation, national 

senior tennis titles and playing in two ITF 

world senior tennis champs. 

“Confidence from sport rubs off into 

your professional work as well.” 

But the most meaningful of them all 

for him has been his involvement as a 

volunteer with Red Cross. 

He has helped four refugee families 

settle in Hamilton. “That’s probably one 

of the richer experiences I’ve had.” 

All that experience puts him in good 

stead in his new role at BTW, in a company 

that he says has a good purpose, valuable 

staff and a reputation to deliver successful 

projects. How can we help you?


2018 New Zealand 

architecture awards 

announced 

This year’s best architecture and the 

NZIA Gold Medal, an award for career 

achievement were announced at a 

celebratory dinner at Te Papa Tongarewa in 

Wellington. The New Zealand Architecture 

Awards is a peer-reviewed programme run 

by the NZIA with the support of Resene. 

River Retreat, Taupiri, Edwards White 

Architects. Photo: Simon Wilson 

This year’s awards jury, 

which was led by Auckland 

architect Richard 

Goldie and included Wellington 

architect John Melhuish, Dunedin 

architect Andrea Bell and 

Melbourne architect Amy Muir, 

visited 53 shortlisted buildings 

on a nationwide tour in August. 

Goldie said it was a pleasure 

to encounter such a wide range 

of accomplished architectural 

projects. 

“The good news is that New 

Zealanders across the country 

are expecting more of the buildings 

in their towns and cities,” 

Goldie said. “And rightly so – 

every community should have 

buildings that set a benchmark 

for quality and usability.” 

For Edwards White Architects, 

the Awards evening was 

a particularly successful event. 

The Hamilton practice won 

four national awards including; 

Sir Miles Warren Award 

for Commercial Architecture 

- Mezz Box, an addition to a 

Hamilton riverside heritage 

building designed by Edwards 

White Architects 

Commercial category, - 

Mezz Box, “an elegant addition 

that fulfils its commercial 

function, enhances the existing 

building and makes a commendable 

contribution to the 

public realm of the new Victoria 

on the River park.” 

Planning and Urban Design 

- Victoria on the River. The 

Hamilton urban park designed 

by Edwards White Architects in 

Mezz Box, Hamilton, Edwards White Architects. Photo: Simon Wilson 

Victoria on the River, Hamilton, Edwards White Architects and 

AECOM New Zealand in association. Photo: Simon Wilson 

association with Aecom marks 

a “paradigm shift in Hamilton”, 

the jury said. 

“At last, a well-planned and 

well executed connection has 

been established between the 

CBD and the river that runs 

through the city and was the 

reason for its foundation.” 

Small Project - River 

Retreat, a compact Taupiri 

house recognised in the Small 

Project category. 

The house designed by an 

architect for his own family is 

“small but sufficient”, the jury 

said. “The clever design is an 

economic but also romantic 

response to site conditions – the 

busy highway to the east and 

the Waikato River right on the 

property boundary to the west.” 

Edwards White Architects, 

a Hamilton based practice 

launched in 2005 believes in 

relationships and collaboration 

as integral to a successful 

outcome. With a passion for 

architecture in a diverse range 

of project types and budgets, 

these opportunities enhance a 

sense of community and create 

spaces for people to enjoy. 

And it is exciting to work with 

developers who are recognising 

the inherent value in the city’s 

older buildings and what can be 

achieved with the input of quality 

design. 

2018 Winner 

Sir Miles Warren Award for 

commercial architecture

9th 

ThinkTank Media 

Corporate Health & Wellbeing Summit


Matamata-Piako sets 

pace for Provincial 

Growth Fund 

Matamata-Piako is first cab off the rank 

as the Waikato region eyes its slice of 

the Provincial Growth Fund, with further 

announcements likely early next year. 


The District Council will 

now work through the 

procurement process 

to appoint consultants, after 

being awarded $1.7 million 

for feasibility studies into a Te 

Aroha tourism precinct and a 

Waharoa industrial hub. 

Whoever the council 

engages could be reporting 

back on the Te Aroha bid as 

soon as May. 

“The community has lots 

of ideas and I know whoever 

gets the contract will certainly 

flesh all that out, put it together 

in a package and hopefully it's 

going to be very appealing,” 

said Mayor Jan Barnes. 

“We're first out of the 

blocks so we're setting the 

framework.” 

The Te Aroha study was 

given $900,000 and the 

Waharoa study $800,000 in an 

announcement by Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern during a 

trip to her home base in October. 

Mayor Barnes said the 

Mayor Jan Barnes says the 

council’s close involvement 

with local business gave 

it a strong understanding 

of infrastructure and 

community needs. 

council’s close involvement 

with local business gave it 

a strong understanding of 

infrastructure and community 

needs. It had already been 

getting inquiries for infrastructure 

at Waharoa, so when 

the fund opened up, she and 

Te Aroha is posed for a boost as a health and wellness 

destination. Photo: Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

chief executive Don McLeod 

could see the projects fitted 

perfectly. 

The Te Aroha domain was 

part of that. “We feel there's a 

wellness and wellbeing market, 

we've got cycle trails, 

beautiful walks, wetlands and 

tracks up the mountain. We 

feel everything fits with growing 

this boutique spa market,” 

she said. 

The funding announcement 

came on the back of enthusiastic 

lobbying by Mayor Barnes. 

She is on the Local Government 

NZ board and met 

Regional Development Minister 

Shane Jones in Wellington. 

“I asked Minister Jones if 

he would come and see what 

we are doing in our district at 

the very beginning of this process, 

and he said, ‘Jan I'll give 

you half a day’.” 

When he arrived in Te 

Aroha during a visit to the district 

in August, she says she 

jumped in the ministerial car 

and talked tourism all the way 

to Waharoa where she had key 

players waiting, along with 

“a lovely platter of Croatian 

Mediterranean foods”. 

“He said, you've hit the 

mark, you've got it. But then 

MBIE pulled him back and 

said, ‘well hang on minister, 

we've got a bit of paperwork 

to do’.” 

Economic development has 

been a council focus in 2018, 

and it employed Rachael 

Singh in the newly created 

role of events and promotions 

co-ordinator. 

“She has been working 

closely with [regional development 

agency] Te Waka and 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, 

who were both instrumental 

in helping to develop the Te 

Aroha PGF application.” 

The Te Aroha development 

is listed as a priority project on 

Te Waka’s recently announced 

regional economic development 

programme. 

“Because it features in the 

priorities for the region, we’ll 

certainly put some weight 

behind it where we can,” 

said Te Waka chief executive 

Michael Bassett-Foss. 

Meanwhile, the Waharoa 

development has been supported 

by local businesses 

Balle Brothers, Inghams, 

Open Country Dairy and Wallace 

Corp with each pledging 

$25,000 in principle towards 

the industry hub. 

Mayor Barnes isn’t ruling 

out looking to government to 

help fund the capital works 

projects going forward. 

Introducing 

our Five Star-Fab 

Five Associate 

Directors. 

MIKE BRACKEN 

• Local government 

• Property 

• Commercial 

mike@eth.co.nz 

Christmas might be coming and the Waikato rugby 

team may have just won back their rightful place in 

the Mitre 10 Cup Premiership for 2019 - but on the 

third floor of the South Bloc building in Hamilton, 

something more stupendously momentous has just 

unfolded. 

Co-directors Paul Ellice and Rob Hart are proud to 

announce the appointment of five new Associate 

Directors. Without exception, every single one of 

these new Associate Directors is a recognised expert 

in their chosen field. 

At Ellice Tanner Hart we are mould breakers. There’s 

no reinvention needed or conformity required 

within our four walls – our unique boldness and 

exponential growth sits comfortably with us. 

Together our team constantly deliver five star advice 

and service. Why? Because we love what we do. 

DANIEL WEIN 

• Commercial/Corporate 

• Banking and finance 

daniel@eth.co.nz 

VICTORIA MANN 

• Trusts 

• Commercial/Corporate 

victoria@eth.co.nz 

Hamilton / Level 3, South Bloc, 

19 Knox Street / Phone 07 838 3333 

Cambridge / 47 Alpha Street 

/ Phone 07 827 8540 

www.eth.co.nz 

ROBYN MILES 

• Estates 

• Elder law 

robyn@eth.co.nz 

LYN TAYLOR 

• Complex subdivisions 

• Property 

lyn@eth.co.nz

The Tiaki Promise 

cares for people 

and place 

Anyone living in Waikato and New Zealand 

over the past couple of years would have 

noticed the increase in visitor numbers and 

the significant growth in tourism. 

For Waikato, it’s not 

just international visitors 

contributing to 

the growth, with more Kiwis 

than ever exploring their own 

backyard and injecting $1.192 

billion annually into our 

regional economy. 

To support this growth, 

the tourism industry and 

local government have joined 

forces to launch Tiaki – Care 

for New Zealand, to encourage 

international and domestic 

travellers to act as guardians 

of this place we call 

home. 

Tiaki is a powerful and 

diverse word in te reo Māori, 

meaning to care, protect and 

nurture, and to look after people 

and place. 

The Tiaki Promise is 

a commitment to care for 

Aotearoa, for now and for 

future generations, by inspiring 

Kiwis to protect their 

land and sea, and for visitors 

to become guardians of the 

place they visit. It instils a 

sense of responsibility within 

individuals to commit to good 

behaviour. 

Tiaki has three guiding 

principles about how to 

care for Aotearoa including: 

1. Care for land, sea and 

nature – treading lightly 

and leaving no trace (ie no 

litter) 

2. Travelling safely – be prepared, 

drive carefully and 

show consideration for all 

3. Respect culture – travel 

with an open heart and 

mind 

The Tiaki Promise will be 

promoted through our i-SITE 

visitor information centres, 

Air New Zealand's international 

services, DOC, transport 

operators such as THL 

and our tourism websites like 

www.newzealand.com as well 

as www.hamiltonwaikato. 

com. 

People have been quick to 

judge international visitors to 

our country about what they 

perceive as bad behaviour. 

However, we are more likely 

to see our fellow New Zealanders 

littering or displaying 

bad driver behaviour. It is 

hoped that more Kiwis when 

we travel domestically will 

also embrace the Tiaki Promise 

by practising what we 

preach. 

To ensure the message is 

spread as far and wide as possible 

a range of Tiaki Promise 

materials are available free 

of charge for New Zealand 

businesses to use including 

a brochure, supporting video 

and images. The materials 

are currently available in 

English, te reo Māori, German 

and Chinese, with more languages 

to follow. Individuals 

can also show their support 

for the Promise by creating 

an ‘I support Tiaki’ logo and 

sharing through their social 

media channels and using the 

#tiakipromise hashtag. 

If you would like to find out 

more about the Tiaki Promise 

or download any of the free 

collateral, please check out 

https://tiakinewzealand.com/ 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

is the regional tourism organisation 

charged with increasing 

international and domestic 

leisure and business travellers, 

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, 

Waikato, Waipa and Waitomo 

Districts. Find out more: www. 

hamiltonwaikato.com 

TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY 

> BY JASON DAWSON 

Chief Executive, 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

Getting business with the times 

By DR HEATHER CONNOLLY 

Academic Director for 

Executive Education at 

the University of Waikato’s 

Management School 

Are you part of the problem 

or part of the solution? 

That was the question posed 

by Avon CEO and former 

Unilever juggernaut Jan Zijderveld 

to an audience at the 

University of Waikato Management 

School in August. 

He shared his insights gained 

through an extensive international 

business career spanning 

30 years. “You future-proof 

your business by positioning 

your organisation to make 

a difference.” 

Zijderveld’s question resonates 

with local business 

leaders. The 2018 KPMG 

CEO Outlook Survey found 

that Kiwi CEOs are conscious 

that linking growth strategy to 

societal purpose is an important 

challenge to tackle. The 

report cites that there has been 

increased interest in integrated 

reporting across several large 

corporates, signalling a prevailing 

attitude of responsible 

management. However, twothirds 

of them are struggling 

with such a task. 

It’s evident that businesses 

realise the importance of their 

impact on society. Factoring 

in environmental and social 

impact leads to smarter business 

decisions. The Waikato 

MBA programme recognises 

the needs of current and future 

leaders to manage responsibly 

while driving business growth. 

MBA participants are exposed 

to practical business models 

and case studies which illustrate 

the impact of strategic 

business decisions on the environment 

and society at large. In 

addition, participants develop 

an understanding of leading 

concepts such as design thinking 

and circular economy as 

part of their leadership toolkit. 

The business leaders of tomorrow 

need to understand how 

innovative concepts are applied 

to not only product development, 

but also organisational 

processes, to drive business 

sustainability and growth. 

It is becoming increasingly 

difficult, in New Zealand and 

in global markets, to accurately 

predict the future of trade, commerce 

and business generally. 

By observing past business 

trends and understanding how 

technology has disrupted many 

local and global industries, it’s 

clear that businesses need to be 

thinking about the bigger picture. 

An underlying common 

denominator for future and 

sustained business success is 

a commitment to purpose and 

people. It’s linking the heart of 

the organisation to its employees, 

customers, competitors, 

society, and the environment to 

create an ecosystem that keeps 

growing, avoids isolation, and 

continually looks for ways to 

be more responsible. In New 

Zealand, we’re well aware of 

it. The challenge now is to stop 

the talk and start the action. 

To learn more about the 

Waikato MBA programme visit 

exec.waikato.ac.nz/mba. 

BEWARE OF FOREIGN IMITATIONS. 

There’s no shortage of great ideas in New Zealand. 

But for an innovative bunch, we’re not the best at 

realising the full potential of our innovations, particularly 

when exporting them. 

At James & Wells, we can identify your competitive 

edge, offer business strategies for specific markets and 

help you own and leverage your intellectual property to 

ensure no one steals the fruit of your labour. 

www.jaws.co.nz | +64 7 957 5660


DELOITTE FAST 50 

Rapid growth built on team approach 

From page 1 

That includes a personal 

development programme that 

sees leadership catch up with 

each employee three times a 

year, and it saw the year kick 

off with a team day, which 

led to the setup of a business 

improvement group to come 

up with ideas towards the 

firm’s development. 

“What we have done is put 

people in place in anticipation 

of the work,” said Callagher. 

“The big thing is that we 

love what we do, our industry, 

our innovation, and we are 

ambitious. And you've got to 

take a bit of risk in business.” 

The leadership team is also 

sustained by the Christian 

faith. “We believe we are in the 

right place and with the right 

purpose,” said general manager 

Eric Wisse. 

Callagher, a design engineer, 

said he has always loved 

the process side of the industry. 

“I didn't want to do it without 

the right people. That's 

where a few senior engineers 

came on board and started it, 

then Eric came on board and 

really boosted that. And now 

I would say we've got the best 

team in Australasia.” 

It was their bank manager 

Colleen Emery who encouraged 

them to enter Fast 50 - 

the first time they have entered 

any competition. They were 

reluctant but she could obviously 

recognise strong numbers 

when she saw them. It 

would be good for their profile, 

she told them, so they took the 

plunge. 

That saw them win at the 

regionals before heading off to 

the national finals on November 

14, for what was to become 

a nerve-racking evening. 

Announcements start at No 

50, and there are plenty more 

before the numbers get below 

10 and creep slowly lower. 

“When your name doesn't 

get called out till near the end 

of the jolly night, you know, 

there's enough heart beating 

going on and adrenaline pumping 

through your body,” Callagher 

said. 

We are doing an 

IP project with 

a customer in 

the bee industry 

and it includes 

environmental 

engineering that’s 

going to revolutionise 

that industry. 

“I was shattered by the end 

of the night. 

“The time where it hit me, 

the time where I celebrated is 

when I came into work in the 

morning and I grabbed everyone 

in the company to meet 

in the foyer - and when I told 

them, that's when it hit home 

and I thought, that is success. 

“On the night was great but 

this is where I really enjoyed 

Nick Callagher 

it.” 

For now all Vertex’s work 

is in New Zealand, and they 

have a solid base in dairying. 

Their rapid growth sees them 

bidding for five to 10 projects 

a month, and they work on 

multi-million dollar projects. 

Their diverse work includes 

projects for bakeries and poultry 

as well as their dairying 

mainstay and, increasingly, 

water and environmental. 

“We are doing an IP project 

with a customer in the bee 

industry and it includes environmental 

engineering that’s 

going to revolutionise that 

industry,” Callagher said. 

Clients include large companies 

such as Fonterra, Goodman 

Fielder and Ingham, and 

they have further growth aspirations. 

A year ago they had a 

staff of 16, by January that will 

be 40 and growing. 

“We have growth aspirations 

in terms of the number of 

large projects that we'll be able 

to undertake simultaneously,” 

said financial operations manager 

Daniel King. 

Wisse said they are hoping 

to get quickly to having three 

teams able to do three simultaneous 

major capital projects. 

They are about to recruit 

for a large North Island project 

and have also picked up a contract 

for Westland Milk, which 

Wisse said is probably one of 

the two largest engineering 

projects in New Zealand at the 

moment. They are setting up a 

system which will enable different 

milk products to be kept 

segregated and traced through 

the Westland plant. That comes 

at the conclusion of a two-anda-half 

year project doing all the 

packing, palletising and materials 

handling at Fonterra’s 

new $300 million Clandeboye 

mozzarella plant near Temuka, 

where they were one of the 

largest contractors on site. 

Related, but on a different 

scale, in a job for Tip Top they 

designed a machine to put the 

jelly in Jelly Tips and the chocolate 

in Choc Bars. It sounds 

a bit like winning the golden 

ticket to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate 

Factory, but sadly Callagher 

lacks the necessary sweet 

tooth. 

They are also moving into 

water, as it increasingly preoccupies 

businesses and government 

organisations, and 

have recently tendered for UV 

plants. 

Wisse observed that they 

like to focus on engineering 

inhouse to meet clients’ needs 

as opposed to globalised players 

who offer standardised 

products designed offshore. 

Vertex wants to run counter 

to that with innovative turnkey 

solutions. 

For now they are working 

only in New Zealand, 

but they see Australia as a 

potential future market. Callagher 

pointed to the company’s 

design innovation and 

engineering excellence logo. 

“That's our vision, that's what 

we love, it runs through everyone's 

veins,” he said. 

Water, Reuse and 

Wastewater Engineering 

Dairy Technology and 

Food Process Engineering 

design innovation + engineering excellence 

Process, Environmental 

and Materials Handling Engineers 

Vertex Engineers is a multi-discipline engineering 

firm. We design, build, install and commission 

turnkey projects and machinery throughout New 

Zealand with innovative solutions to meet our 

clients’ specific needs. 

Let’s Discuss Your Engineering Project 

Our team will do the hard work for you. From 

concept to full implementation, watch your 

vision unfold… 

www.vertex.co.nz | 07 849 1638 

Materials Handling, 

Packaging and Palletising 

Innovative Machinery 

Design and Build 

Automation Electrical 

and Control

Help at hand 

for startup 

businesses 

Get good people around you, and be 

prepared for knock-backs. That’s the 

advice for would-be entrepreneurs from last 

month’s Linked-In Local event in Hamilton. 

About 150 attended 

the fourth Linked-In 

Local of the year at 

Claudelands Arena Lounge, 

and quizzed a panel of four 

experts about startup business. 

If you don't have 

the tenacity and the 

drive to be the person 

who's going to make 

the change or achieve 

something, it's never 

going to happen. 

Entrepreneur David Hallett, 

who is a director of Company-X, 

told the audience: 

“Never underestimate the 

value of a really good business 

Food business fast to rise 

By CAITLAN JOHNSTON 

In just one year, a young Te 

Awamutu woman has gone 

from baking in her home 

kitchen to now having a business, 

a shop front, her treats 

stocked in eateries around the 

Waikato and she is already 

planning to franchise. 

Jorja Tarrant, 25, who has 

no food qualifications, is the 

mastermind behind What 

The Food, a small raw treats 

business that has taken off in 

Te Awamutu and the Waikato 

region. 

She says when she started 

baking she never thought of 

her unrefined and unprocessed 

raw treats as a potential business. 

“It started off as a passion 

project, baking for myself and 

family, but then I started to 

notice other people were really 

interested,” said Tarrant. 

Her menu of morsels 

is made up of 16 different 

flavoured cups and slices 

including caramel queen 

slice, peanut butter and jelly 

cups, pretty peppermint slice 

and nutmaste cup among the 

bunch. What makes her treats 

partner or surrounding yourself 

with the right people. If you 

surround yourself with the right 

people, the amount of information 

and the amount of data you 

can get from watching them 

and understanding their life is 

immeasurably valuable and it 

saves a whole lot of hard learning 

on your own time.” 

He was echoed by Julian So, 

Waikato consultant for start-up 

investor Enterprise Angels. 

“Surround yourself with 

other founders because often 

no one else really understands 

your journey apart from other 

founders.” 

He also said supportive 

family or partner can make a 

huge difference, and recommended 

working out shared 

risk tolerance from the start. 

“Have that early discussion up 

front and agree early on, what 

is the point that we turn back?” 

Craig Purcell, from regional 

economic development agency 

Sean Williams (Skypoint), Jason Walker 

(IT Partners), Gareth Nuzum (IT Partners) 

unusual is that they are gluten 

free, refined sugar free and 

vegan - without compromising 

on taste. 

What The Food started 

to take off after her cousin 

bought her a store spot at a 

local market in late 2017. 

The overwhelming 

response showed her that 

there was a gap in the market. 

By January 2018 she leased 

a kitchen space at the Waipa 

Racing Club and started selling 

to individuals through 

Facebook and wholesaling to 

cafes and food trucks in Te 

Awamutu, Hamilton, Pirongia, 

Cambridge, Tirau and Otorahanga. 

Ten months later, Tarrant’s 

business was still growing 

and her dad, John, a Tauranga 

business manager looked 

through her books and could 

see the potential of What The 

Food. Before she knew it, he 

was taking her to see available 

spaces in town. 

“He rang me up and was 

like there’s four buildings for 

lease so we’re going to go 

look at them tomorrow, and I 

just thought it was moving so 

quickly,” said Tarrant. 

“I’d be completely lost 

Adriana Vandy (Marc Doyle Treework), Lennie Cody (Wintec), and Chris Corfe (Marc 

Doyle Treework) were among those at Linked-In Local’s final event for the year. 

Te Waka, recommended defining 

what failure looks like when 

you’re still in a good place. 

“Then when you get there, you 

sort of know it. Having lots of 

good people around is probably 

the other message when 

that happens.” 

Erin Wansbrough, chief 

executive of startup incubator 

Soda Inc, said it takes grit and 

tenacity to follow the startup 

path. “It's really important to be 

clear on your purpose because 

that's what's going to drive you 

through and energise you when 

you have to get up again after 

being smashed down or if you 

find you're running out of cash. 

You've got to really be clear on 

that drive and how you want to 

do it on your terms and what 

success applies to you. Because 

that's not necessarily becoming 

a millionaire. It's also what success 

applies to you as a whole 

human.” 

Wansbrough shared two 

success stories with a social 

enterprise theme. 

“One is Tutu Inventions, 

and to quote Marion Ruri, she 

said, I was just a girl from 

Ngāruawāhia and I couldn't 

believe you guys would back 

me.” She came with a product 

to help with glue ear through 

home intervention. “What she's 

done is step back and she's 

trying to tackle ear health as a 

without my dad’s support and 

help though,” she said. 

They secured a prime position 

on Arawata Street right on 

the town’s central roundabout 

and after a bit of who-do-weknow 

and long nights to fit out 

the kitchen and shop front, the 

doors to her shop opened in 

August. 

The new space boasts a 

large kitchen, hanging plants, 

a mural art wall of all her 

treats and the cabinet with the 

goods sitting front and centre. 

They are open Tuesday to Friday 

from 8.30am to 5pm and 

on Saturdays from 9.30am to 

1pm. Each week she sells more 

than 1000 slices and cups. The 

shop also offers build-yourown 

cakes, smoothie bowls, 

coffee and organic juices. 

Tarrant now has two 

employees, both working 

25-40 hours a week. Ange Pivott 

started working when the 

store opened in August and 

Sam Clarke started at the end 

of October. 

Her biggest struggle with 

starting the shop was all the 

accounting that she says she 

had no clue how to do. 

“I’m more creative, so the 

business side of things is really 

whole and for her iwi.” 

Another was FareShare 

which has recently gone 

through a programme with 

Soda. “This was someone who 

had run a food co-op, so they 

saw the benefit of organising 

local food from providers and 

providing it into communities. 

She ran a food co-op in Tauranga 

and she found in reality it 

was a headache to run, so she'd 

created a way to do this efficiently. 

Now she's rolling out 

this platform to try and create, 

I suppose, a bit more of a way 

of food co-ops opening up not 

only in New Zealand but across 

the world because she believes 

it's better for the environment.” 

Hallett also spoke about the 

importance of backing yourself. 

“If you don't have the 

tenacity and the drive to be the 

person who's going to make the 

change or achieve something, 

it's never going to happen.” 

And it turns out tenacity may 

pay off relatively late in your 

career. “The research shows 

that when you get to 54 that's 

when your age is most likely to 

be a successful founder,” Purcell 

said. “But that's probably 

because you've learned how to 

be a good entrepreneur during 

those first 30 years. It is a learning 

process.” 

Linked-In Local Hamilton 

is run by Harcourts consultant 

Jorja Tarrant started her business as a passion project. Photo: Caitlan Johnson 

intimidating,” said Jorja. 

Alongside her father helping 

her out, she also bought on 

Bridie Osborne, owner of On 

The Bus hospitality consulting, 

who helped her get things 

in order before the big day. 

She’s not planning to stop 

at just a shop. She has plans 

to franchise to Bay of Plenty 

Shubham Baheti, Joseph Monise (Wintec) 

and Tim Pearson (Waikato Security) 

Roger Stratford (Hamilton Residents and 

Ratepayers Association), Rafel Pelach de Ribot 

(Sterna innovation NZ) and Sharon Crocombe- 

Woodward (C W Chartered Accountants) 

Daniel Hopper, who plans to 

run five such events in 2019. 

An auction at last month’s 

event raised almost $6500 for 

within the next year, has just 

secured refrigerating packaging 

which will allow for her 

to send her treats all over the 

country and is about to launch 

What The Food merchandise 

such as t-shirts, hats and 

aprons. 

Looking back now, Tarrant 

says she never would have 

Seed Waikato, which is a registered 

charity aimed at helping 

young people thrive in the 

Waikato. 

imagined that she would own 

her own business but now that 

she does she says all it took to 

pull it off was her passion and 

some good old fashioned hard 

work. 

“If you’re passionate and 

excited to get up and do what 

you want then I don’t see why 

you can’t achieve it,” she said.

Y 

Giving back! 

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday 

Admark Visual Imaging 

Phone 07 846 0646 

279 Kahikatea Drive, Hamilton 

www.admarkprint.co.nz 

AG-WORX 

Phone 07 888 7524 

admin@ag-worx.co.nz 

Cnr Tui and Tainui Streets 

www.ag-worx.co.nz 

0800 Everest (0800 383 737) 

everestpeople.co.nz 

BTW Company 

Phone 07 595 0020 

info@btwcompany.nz 

517 Anglesea Street, Hamilton 

www.btw.nz 

Fairview Mazda 

Phone 07 849 9899 

473 Te Rapa Road, Hamilton 

www.fairviews.co.nz 

Carly Deller - Mortgage Broker 

Registered Financial Adviser 

What 022 do 673 I specialise 4071 | 07 959 in? 1851 

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properties 

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Julie Hardaker Lawyers 

Phone 021 284 8618 

PO Box 1105, Waikato Mail Centre, 

Hamilton 3240 

juliehardaker.co.nz 

The Design Depot 

Phone 07 839 6757 

52 Alexandra Street, Hamilton 

13 Totara Street, Mount Maunganui 

www.thedesigndepot.co.nz 

Waikato Business News 

Phone 07 838 1333 

info@wbn.co.nz 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton 

www.wbn.co.nz


21 

Dentist bringing back the kindness 

When Annette and Henk Eksteen came 

to New Zealand from Africa in 1993 and 

opened a dental practice, they saw grown 

men sweating in the chair, and people 

petrified about visiting the dentist. 

They couldn’t understand 

it at first; in their home 

country, children would 

become used to visits to the 

dentist from a young age; they 

would sit in their mum’s lap 

while she was having work 

done, there would be banter, 

they would be given treats by 

the dentist. “It was not a scary 

thing at all, it was something 

you did to stay healthy,” says 

Annette. 

The penny dropped when 

they began hearing about the 

“murder house”. That particular 

dental institution may have 

run its course in New Zealand, 

but Annette believes the legacy 

lives on even in the next generation. 

“Dentists were resented and 

yet they need to be seen rather 

as benevolent helpers,” she 

says. 

“When we came to New 

Zealand we found there were 

two fears: one was pain and the 

other one was cost.” 

So she and Henk set out 

to create the opposite. “We 

wanted to make it affordable, 

to bring kindness back, to 

change the perception of dentistry, 

to make it an experience 

patients would enjoy.” 

That starts as soon as you 

enter the doors of Villa Dental 

in Hamilton. You can have 

good coffee, there is a water 

feature in pride of place, even 

a rocking chair. 

The Eksteens first pioneered 

the approach in 1998, 

in a Hamilton East cottage and 

then an bigger villa - hence 

the name of the practice. Now 

that they have outgrown those 

premises and are operating 

in new, purpose-built ones 

off Wairere Drive, they have 

worked even harder to recreate 

the cosiness. They have 

succeeded; visitors are greeted 

by welcoming receptionists, 

and wait on comfy chairs and 

couches, while along a corridor 

a vintage style room recreates 

the old villa feel, and just 

beyond that is a room where 

relaxing head and shoulder 

massages are offered. Elsewhere, 

seven open-plan style 

cubicles with dental chairs 

radiate off a central corridor; 

for those who prefer more privacy, 

separate rooms are available. 

Not a petrified person in 

sight. 

Upstairs there are offices 

and, overlooking the Wairere 

Drive roundabout where Gordonton 

Road starts, a generous-sized 

seminar room which 

is part of Annette and Henk’s 

wish to play their part in the 

development of the profession. 

Annette, a dental hygienist 

with a masters in advanced 

leadership practice, says it 

is important that older practitioners 

can pass on their 

knowledge to younger ones, 

and the seminar room fits that 

purpose. And the skills the 

younger dentists can learn from 

are of a seriously high level; 

two leading American dentists 

are currently practising at Villa 

Dental and assisting with training. 

Even once they have gone 

back to America, they will 

make return visits. 

Annette and Henk are innovative 

in other ways as well, 

and understand the financial 

challenges of dental visits. 

Part of their solution to that 

is an inventive new healthcare 

offering. Patients can sign up 

for the five-year package at 

a cost of $6997. For that they 

have an impressive range 

of cover, worth a benefit of 

$17,691. It’s a risk for the 

practice, given the saving they 

are offering, but the real payoff 

may be in patients being more 

engaged in their own dental 

healthcare and taking a more 

preventive approach. 

That approach could have 

helped Henk in his younger 

years. He qualified as a dentist 

back in Africa. Earlier, he was 

brought up on a farm, in a family 

that was far from wealthy, 

and by the time he was an adult 

had lost 10 teeth. So he understood 

dentistry from both sides, 

including the cost challenges. 

For Annette and Henk, they 

are reaching the stage where 

they want to leave a legacy, 

and the practice they have built 

looks set to achieve exactly 

that. 

“We want Villa Dental to 

be known as a place of mercy, 

a place of kindness - a place 

Dr Marshall Hansen, Dr Henk 

Eksteen and Dr Bernard. 

where you will be treated as a 

human being and get dentistry 

you can rely on.” 

They have been careful to 

build a culture that contributes 

to that. Annette says when they 

are recruiting they look for 

attitude and positive energy, 

for people who care. When 

a dentist new to the practice 

asked if it would be alright 

with them if he also did free 

community work as well, they 

said of course. The couple’s 

caring approach was further 

illustrated by Dentistry from 

the Heart, a community project 

they took on four years ago 

when they set up a tent at their 

former practice and spent a day 

providing their services for free 

to those who could not afford 

to pay. It was a challenging day 

- difficult logistically as well as 

emotionally - and they have not 

repeated it. Instead they now 

offer free dental makeovers for 

people from the community, 

giving them the equivalent of 

$15,000 or more in treatment. 

They also recognise the 

value of technology; when 

laser treatment became available 

for pain-free dentistry in 

Hamilton, Annette says they 

were the first to take it up. 

Henk was one of the founders 

of the New Zealand Institute 

of Minimal Intervention Dentistry. 

While the new premises 

may have required more work 

than the previous ones to make 

them feel cosy, the flip side is 

that they allowed a step up in 

technology. The practice is 

fully integrated, using digital 

x-rays with low radiation, state 

of the art sterilisation and a 3D 

scanner which enables the dentists 

to see nerves that are not 

otherwise visible. Digital intraoral 

cameras mean patients 

can see what’s happening in 

their mouth so they are fully 

informed. Dentists can mould 

Cerec porcelain crowns and 

fillings on site, with the mould 

or scan being fed instantly 

through for the milling to be 

done. 

Their model is working; 

they have patients coming 

from outside Waikato who 

know they can access the 

same-day service if they need 

to. “If we want to do what we 

are passionate about, which 

is pain-free health and cost, 

the only way we can do that 

is broaden our base. We market 

right through Waikato as 

far as Tauranga; a third of our 

patients come from outside the 

region.” 

With four dentists working 

shifts, the practice offers generous 

opening hours from 7am 

to 8pm. 

It’s some legacy Henk and 

Annette Eksteen are creating.

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Saturday - Sunday, 11am - Late


23 

Nuns hit hard by 

court in trial period 

dismissal twist 

Ninety-day trial periods for new 

employees were introduced for employers 

with less than 20 employees in 2009, 

were extended to cover employers with 

any number of employees in 2011 and 

are likely to revert to employers with less 

than 20 employees in early 2019. 

Section 67B of the 

Employment Relations 

Act 2000 prohibits an 

employee dismissed under 

a trial period from raising 

a personal grievance for 

unjustified dismissal. Simple 

enough? Apparently not, 

given the large number of 

cases before the Employment 

Relations Authority and 

Employment Court, which go 

in favour of employees dismissed 

under trial periods. 

The two main reasons for this 

is either the trial period was 

invalid from the outset, or the 

employer has failed to follow 

the requirements in the trial 

period clause when dismissing. 

Just when we thought there 

were no novel trial period 

problems left to ponder, an 

October 2018 Employment 

Court decision, Roach v Nazareth 

Care Charitable Trust 

Board, had an interesting 

twist. Nazareth is owned and 

run by the Sisters of Nazareth, 

with the retirement facility in 

Christchurch being one of 43 

retirement complexes in eight 

countries. 

Roach had no 

idea why his 

employment was 

being terminated, 

given there had 

been no negative 

feedback in relation 

to his work, and his 

request for a reason 

was refused. 

In August 2016, Stephen 

Roach was offered the position 

of business manager at 

Nazareth, which following 

negotiations, saw him sign an 

employment agreement, containing 

a trial period, with his 

employment set to commence 

on October 10, 2016. Before he 

started employment, however, 

Roach was offered an alternative, 

more senior position, as 

general manager at Nazareth. 

This resulted in him signing 

a second employment agreement, 

also containing a trial 

period and with the same start 

date of October 10, 2016. 

In late November 2016, 

Roach was given ten minutes’ 

notice that he must attend 

a meeting with the Melbourne-based 

regional project 

manager who had come to 

review the facility. During the 

very brief meeting, Roach was 

informed that he was being 

dismissed pursuant to the trial 

period, was handed a pre-prepared 

letter recording this, 

along with his agreement to 

be paid in lieu of working his 

one-week notice period and 

was then given ten minutes to 

collect his personal property, 

before being escorted off the 

premises. 

Roach had no idea why his 

employment was being terminated, 

given there had been no 

negative feedback in relation 

to his work, and his request for 

a reason was refused. 

Section 67A of the Act 

expressly states that a trial 

period can only apply to 

someone who has not been 

“previously employed” by the 

employer. The problem is, s6 of 

the Act sets out the definition of 

employee, and includes in the 

definition “a person intending 

to work”. When the legislation 

was drafted, the mischief this 

clause was intended to address 

was where an employee has 

accepted employment with 

a new employer, has given 

notice of resignation to their 

current employer and then 

had the offer withdrawn by 

the new employer before they 

start work. 

Roach’s lawyers argued a 

two-pronged challenge to the 

validity of the trial period. 

Their first argument was that 

when Roach signed the first 

employment agreement for 

the business manager position, 

he was a new employee so the 

trial period in the first agreement 

was valid. However, by 

the time he was offered the 

general manager position and 

signed the second employment 

agreement, he was no longer 

a new employee as, although 

he had not yet started the first 

position offered, he had been a 

EMPLOYMENT LAW 

> BY ERIN BURKE 

Employment lawyer and director at Practica Legal 

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

person intending to work. They 

argued that when he signed 

the second agreement, he had 

been previously employed by 

Nazareth and the trial period in 

the second employment agreement 

was therefore invalid. 

Judge Smith held that 

although a person intending 

to work was defined as 

an employee, they are an 

employee for “limited purposes” 

only, and that the 

purpose of a trial period is 

to assess an employee’s suitability 

for the role. His Honour 

held that while Mr Roach 

could have challenged his 

dismissal if the offer had been 

withdrawn before starting 

employment, technically a 

dismissal, once he had commenced 

employment, the trial 

period was in force, valid and 

prevented him from pursuing a 

grievance for unjustified dismissal. 

The second prong of their 

argument, however, was 

successful. While the termination 

clause in the employment 

agreement allowed the 

employer to exercise their discretion 

to pay the employee in 

lieu of working out their notice 

period, the termination clause 

in the trial period clause was 

worded differently, stating that 

“the employer might decide 

to pay the employee not to 

work”. This is colloquially 

referred to as “garden leave”. 

By paying Roach in lieu of 

notice, instead of allowing him 

to work out his notice or go on 

garden leave, the employer 

had incorrectly terminated 

Mr Roach in accordance with 

the employment agreement, 

and the trial period was therefore 

invalid. If the trial period 

clause had allowed for the 

employer to pay the employee 

in lieu of notice, then the dismissal 

could not have been 

challenged. 

If a trial period is invalidated 

for any reason, the 

Court must then look at the 

reasons for the dismissal and 

the process employed. There 

appeared to be no valid reasons 

for Roach’s dismissal, and the 

process that must be employed 

when dismissing, pursuant to s 

103A of the Act, was entirely 

absent. The dismissal was 

therefore unjustified. 

The impact of the dismissal 

was significant, not least given 

Roach could not inform prospective 

employers why he 

had been dismissed from 

Nazareth, as he never knew. 

By June 2017, Roach had 

unsuccessfully applied for 97 

jobs, and had only managed to 

obtain limited part-time work. 

Nazareth was ordered to pay 

$115,000 in lost remuneration, 

$25,000 in hurt and humiliation 

compensation, and costs. 

Plenty of action in Hamilton’s CBD over summer 

Summer in Hamilton’s 

CBD is going to be hot 

and packed with free 

entertainment for the public. 

Hamilton Central Business 

Association (HCBA) General 

Manager Vanessa Williams 

is delighted to see the events, 

activities and activations being 

brought in to the central city 

over the coming months and 

believes the public’s expectation 

of a thriving city is being 

met with what is on offer. 

It started with the lighting 

of the Hamilton Christmas 

Tree in Garden Place and continues 

through December and 

into the New Year. 

Sunday December 9 ends 

a week of activities on a high 

with the annual First Credit 

Union Christmas Parade on 

Anglesea Street at 2pm. Over 

80 colourful floats will travel 

down the street along with 

crazy characters, lively marching 

bands, dance troupes, ethnic 

groups and of course Santa 

Claus. 

There are two markets 

offering great Christmas gift 

opportunities; the Creators 

Artist Market on December 14 

at Victoria on the River and the 

Makers Market on December 

21, while there will be lunchtime 

live music in Garden 

Place from December 14-22. 

Christmas celebrations 

continue in the city with the 

Waikato Filipino Association 

showcasing and sharing 

the Filipino Christmas spirit 

and festivity through the First 

Pasko sa Nayon (Christmas in 

the city) event on December 

15. 

Stories in the Garden will 

also be held that day and evening 

live music will start at 

Victoria on the River up until 

Christmas. 

The same weekend the 

CBD will also play host to the 

premiere event of the Hamilton 

parkour calendar – HamJam. 

This annual Hamilton parkour 

gathering is an open invite for 

any parkour practitioners to 

attend and explore Hamilton 

and the surrounding region’s 

Victoria on the River was the scene of the successful 

Hamilton Corporate Curling Cup on November 30. Winners 

were Craigs Investment Partners who beat Ricoh in the final. 

architecture and will be run 

concurrently with the New 

Zealand Tricking Gathering. 

The event is hosted by 

Parkour NZ in association with 

its member organisation Core 

MMA and will also include 

a two hour public workshop 

from 12-2pm in Civic Square 

on December 16. Kids or adults 

can come along and learn how 

to negotiate obstacles in the 

natural environment by running, 

jumping and climbing. 

Embassy Park, now hosting 

free monthly outdoor movie 

nights, will end the year with 

Mamma Mia on December 27. 

The movie nights will continue 

in 2019 on the last Thursday of 

every month. 

The new year is also set to 

offer a great line up of events 

and activities for the CBD 

including welcoming back the 

2019 HSBC NZ Sevens on 

January 26 and 27. Whether 

on a vacation or a staycation 

Pledge me campaign to help the launch 

of pop-up former refugee eatery 

Home Kitchen is set to 

bring delicious food and 

raise awareness of the 

former refugee community to 

the people of Hamilton. 

Founder Tania Jones says 

after following the refugee crisis 

and volunteering in Kara 

Tepe camp in Lesvos, Greece 

she came home to New Zealand 

wanting to look for ways she 

could better support those who 

lived a refugee experience to 

thrive in Hamilton. 

“What I knew was we 

needed to provide work and 

training opportunities to make 

those who have moved here feel 

like a valued community member, 

and before long the idea of 

Home Kitchen was born.” 

If the PledgeMe campaign 

is successful Home Kitchen 

will be a pop-up style restaurant 

initially using the space in Yalla 

Yalla Café. 

The Kitchen will work with 

a number of people who have 

lived experience as a refugee 

and refugee services such as 

Red Cross, Sharma, and ROC 

with the aim to recruit six former 

refugees to begin with from 

a variety of backgrounds. 

“While in Greece I meet and 

stayed with a Greek couple Katerina 

and Nikos, they had dedicated 

their lives to creative a 

loving space where refugees can 

come and eat with friends, play 

music, dance and learn English. 

“I want Home Kitchen to be 

similar. I can’t wait for the people 

of Hamilton to eat a diverse 

ethnic cuisine cooked with heart 

by our vibrant former refugee 

community. 

“It is exciting to think people 

will connect over kai, share stories 

and create new memories, 

and even make new friends.” 

The PledgeMe campaign 

hopes to raise $30K to establish 

the pop-up restaurant, cooking 

classes, and to provide work 

opportunities for a core team of 

individuals who have lived a refugee 

experience. 

in Hamilton over Summer, to 

see a full calendar of fun in the 

CBD for the whole family visit 

http://www.hamiltoncentral. 

co.nz/welcome-to-hamilton/ 

whats-on 

“We're asking people to show 

our project some aroha by helping 

us achieve our PledgeMe 

goal. In return we promise amazing 

taste experiences brought to 

you by a diverse group of individuals 

with passion and culture 

to boot,” says Jones. 

This is the first step for Home 

Kitchen, in the future the plan is 

to roll out other experience like 

catering, fundraising events that 

support the refugee community 

both in Hamilton and oversees 

and also a food truck to take 

Home Kitchen across New Zealand.

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25 

The Waikato River needs 

SeaBubbles’ Bubble 

French yachtsman Alan Thébault, the 

brains behind the innovative James 

Bond style hydrofoil water taxi, hopes his 

invention will be in use in 50 cities within 

five years. 

The Bubble is Thébault’s 

answer to the global 

gridlock he feels is 

threatening the world’s welfare. 

Thébault plans to use the 

Bubble to take congestion off 

the world’s roads. Motorists in 

cities like Hamilton, bisected 

by the Waikato River, will 

have an alternative to jumping 

in their cars or taking a taxi to 

travel from one side of the river 

to another. Or from one end of 

the city to the other. Thébault 

hopes to provide the Bubble, 

which seats up to five people, 

for the price of a regular cab. 

The solar powered Bubble 

rises out of the water and travels, 

silently, by dual propeller 

on four skids at speeds of up to 

46 km per hour or at 25 knots. 

It’s not far from the travel 

pods popularised in the futuristic 

cartoon series The Jetsons. 

“Because in 2050, there 

will be four billion cars in the 

streets, and even if they are 

all powered by clean energies, 

it will still create a massive 

traffic jam,” SeaBubbles says. 

“We believe that the future 

of mobility will rise from the 

water, a natural, historic path 

in the cities that has been 

underrated for a long time.” 

The Waikato River was 

State Highway One in New 

Zealand, with waka plying 

their way through the interior 

of the country, long before 

roads were built. 

Thébault, also the brains 

behind the world-record breaking 

Hydroptère sailing hydrofoil 

trimaran, wants to integrate 

Bubble into the world’s 

transportation system so that 

it becomes a part of people’s 

daily habits. 

“If it inspires more and 

more people to take the waterways 

instead of the roads, it 

will be huge progress for cities 

around the world,” SeaBubbles 

says. “People will be able to 

change the destiny of the city, 

one ride at a time.” 

Hamilton might not be as 

congested as London, Paris, 

New York or Toronto, but we 

would definitely benefit much 

from a SeaBubbles service. 

River crossings would literally 

take a matter of seconds. 

Whether SeaBubbles ever 

makes it to Hamilton remain 

to be seen, but I would use the 

Bubble if the option existed, 

and what a great addition to the 

city’s tourist pull. What better 

way to arrive at a meeting 

across town than with a flying 

start? 

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. 

The importance of understanding the why 

When asked about 

strategy and high 

performance, I 

always reference Nasa, JFK 

and the janitor. 

You’ve heard the story 

surely? President Kennedy 

was visiting Nasa headquarters 

for the first time, in 1961. 

While touring the facility, he 

introduced himself to a janitor 

who was mopping the floor and 

asked him what he did at Nasa 

– his response “I’m helping 

put a man on the moon!” The 

janitor got it: he understood the 

vision, and his part in it, and he 

had purpose. 

Business owners regularly 

ask me how they can get the 

best out of their teams: how 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

they can keep their staff motivated; 

how they increase productivity 

and profit; how they 

can engage their people with 

their overall plan. 

When I ask them how they 

share their vision and strategy 

with their teams, often the 

response is pretty short. 

We don’t. 

Ahh, is typically my first 

response. 

Let’s look at another example, 

one closer to home. Team 

New Zealand, referred every 

decision they made back to 

one question: “does it make 

the boat go faster.” Everything 

the team did every single day, 

was anchored (excuse the pun) 

around that question – that 

vision, that strategy. 

“Will it make the boat go 

faster?” 

So why are we not sharing 

our strategies and goals with 

our team – generally with 

the same group of people we 

In my simple mind, 

sharing strategy and 

vision doesn’t have to 

be overly complicated 

or time consuming. 

But you must do it! 

expect to carry out the work to 

achieve our goals? 

Business leaders tell me: 

“Well it’s complicated, it’s 

commercially sensitive, they 

don’t need to know the numbers, 

it’s all in my head, we 

have financial KPIs, that’s all 

they need surely” and the list 

goes on. 

The other question is, 

what’s the downside of not 

sharing the big picture? 

Lack of engagement, disinterest, 

high turnover, lack 

of commitment and loyalty, 

mistakes and errors and the list 

goes on. 

In my simple mind, sharing 

strategy and vision doesn’t 

have to be overly complicated 

or time consuming. But you 

must do it! 

How can we really expect 

everyone in the business to 

help us excel if they don’t have 

clear direction; don’t understand 

what part they play in the 

business; and don’t understand 

how they will be compensated 

for their involvement? 

The janitor at Nasa could 

have easily replied to JFK by 

saying: 

“I clean floors here.” But he 

didn’t. 

The leadership team had 

made sure that every single 

person at Nasa knew what 

part they played in achieving 

the bigger goal. They all knew 

how to make that boat go faster 

– well, rocket, in this case. 

Let’s make it easy. 

If you’re responsible for 

coming up with the big ideas 

and driving business strategy 

in your organisation, firstly, 

write down your plan. 

Don’t keep it bottled up in 

your head. 

Still haven’t met too many 

staff who excel in mind-reading. 

First, share it with those to 

whom you report and get their 

feedback and ideas. 

Own it and then share it 

with everyone else in the business. 

Ask for their ideas. They 

might actually be better than 

yours. 

Explain what you’re trying 

to achieve, what the timeframes 

are and what success 

could look like. 

The best strategy docs I’ve 

seen are succinct and generally 

fit on an A3 sheet of paper. 

When folks drift off course 

and the boat starts to lag, then 

correct their position – help 

them understand they may 

need to tack a different way 

to help achieve the company’s 

goals. 

High performance can 

absolutely be achieved if you 

regularly talk about the goals 

you want to achieve, explain 

what each person’s role is in 

that, give feedback, recognise 

awesomeness and coach when 

you need to draw people back 

in the right direction. 

And then, repeat. 

Lastly, if individuals have 

a strong sense of why they 

are doing their work, they will 

become more effective and 

more efficient in everything 

they do. 

Help your teams understand 

their why and your boat may 

just go a heck of a lot faster! 

• See also in this issue: Your 

staff are your brand 

Time for (Spring) Tea – Anticipated harvest season arrives 

Throughout the year, 

1.2 million tea bushes 

have been lovingly nurtured 

100 percent organically 

by Zealong Tea Estate’s farm 

team, all gearing up towards the 

annual Spring Harvest, which 

took place last month. 

Throughout November, 

visitors looking out over the 

48ha estate could see the team 

of expert pickers, whose job it 

is to pluck only the top three 

leaves of the tea plants. While 

one might feel that tea picking 

is an exotic sight, the bright 

hi-vis vests against the neighbouring 

dairy cows couldn’t be 

mistaken for anywhere else but 

the Waikato. 

Spring tea is widely regarded 

among connoisseurs as the best 

tea, and at Zealong there is no 

exception, even though their 

Southern Hemisphere harvest 

season falls opposite that of 

most other tea plantations – 

they offer “the first Spring tea 

in the world,” jokes general 

manager Gigi Crawford. 

The picking team are out on 

the estate from early morning, 

methodically working their way 

across the neat rows of Camellia 

sinensis bushes. Using special 

razor blades strapped to their 

two forefingers, they take the 

most tender, young leaves. Full 

of nutrients and flavour, these 

are the results of six months of 

horticultural TLC, and the reason 

spring tea is so prized. 

The Waikato climate has the 

ideal combination of abundant 

rainfall, sunshine, free-draining 

acidic soil and the right 

temperature for growing tea. 

The famous Hamilton fog also 

plays its part in ensuring that 

the plants enjoy the good level 

of moisture they need to thrive. 

However, full organic certification 

means everything that 

goes into growing the tea, from 

fertilisers to soil conditioners, 

must be approved by BioGro. 

Sourcing products which meet 

these stringent requirements 

can sometimes be a challenge, 

but it’s one that Zealong is more 

than happy to take on: “Everything 

that goes into the plants 

during the year will affect the 

taste of the tea, so it is especially 

important that we are 

using quality organic-certified 

material,” explains Crawford. 

The delicate leaves from the 

Spring Harvest are usually processed 

into Green or Oolong tea 

by experts in Zealong’s on-site 

tea processing facility. 

This state-of-the-art factory 

and glasshouse was built 

in 2015, complete with special 

tea tasting rooms, “red zones,” 

and transition areas for staff 

to adhere to the strict food 

safety certification Zealong 

has achieved for its tea. Once 

at the glasshouse, the expert 

tea processors make countless 

micro-adjustments as they dry, 

roast, shape, and roll each batch 

of fresh leaves. It is important 

that they keep track – not 

only is each batch of incoming 

leaves different, but Zealong 

tea has the unique status of full 

traceability of each batch of tea, 

down to the date and block of 

pick. 

Almost as soon as it began, 

Zealong’s annual Spring Harvest 

was over by December. 

The pickers, 80 percent of 

whom are locals trained by 

the other 20 percent from traditional 

tea-producing regions, 

are now helping on the farm 

and elsewhere on the estate, as 

the bushes are trimmed and fertiliser 

applied in careful preparation 

for 2019’s first harvest in 

January. 

To learn more about tea 

picking and tasting, book a 

Zealong Discover Tea Experience 

guided tour these summer 

holidays. bookings@zealong. 

co.nz | zealong.com/tours | 

07 853 3018


COLLINS AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS 

Rising from the ashes 

- with a broker’s guidance 

When a business suffers a significant 

loss, owners and managers are often 

left to manage the insurance claim 

alone. Business owners already have a 

full schedule looking after their clientbase 

and managing staff, suppliers and 

administration. 

To also need to familiarise 

themselves with 

all the nuances of their 

insurance policy can be a 

daunting and time consuming 

task. With the insurance 

industry engaging experts in 

the form of loss adjusters and 

investigators to protect their 

interests, insureds can feel 

very alone. 

Having an expert explain 

the finer details of insurance 

cover, assist in loss minimisation 

strategies and prepare 

the claim allows the business 

owner to do what they do 

best: look after their customers 

and get the business back 

on track as quickly as possible. 

Research has shown that 

50 percent of businesses that 

suffer a significant loss fail. 

Recovery starts before 

the loss occurs by engaging 

a good insurance broker who 

will advise their clients on the 

appropriate insurance covers 

for their business and ensure 

that these covers are in place. 

The broker is in effect the general 

practitioner of the insurance 

world. When a major loss 

occurs, like a medical general 

practitioner, a good broker will 

recommend that their client 

engages a post-loss specialist. 

At Ruys & Co, one of our 

valued clients, Collins Auto 

Electrical recently suffered 

a major fire loss. We quickly 

recommended to them that 

they appoint the LMI Group. 

The LMI Group’s loss 

management division has 

highly experienced experts 

who work with the business 

and its brokers/advisers to 

minimise disruption, prepare 

a business recovery plan, and 

quantify and prepare the insurance 

claim in accordance with 

the policy cover. 

In many cases, the cost of 

engaging a loss management 

expert is covered by the policy. 

We are pleased to advise 

that Collins Auto Electrical 

not only survived but have 

been able to expand their business 

in the aftermath of their 

loss, now rebranding to COL- 

LINS AUTOMOTIVE TECH- 

NICIANS. 

In recognition of this 

achievement, the LMI Group 

recently presented Collins 

Automotive Technicians with 

a Phoenix Awards as well as 

presenting a similar award to 

Ruys & Co in acknowledgement 

of their work in ensuring 

that Collins Automotive Technicians 

had the appropriate 

covers in place. 

COLLINS AUTOMOTIVE 

TECHNICIANS 

Paul Dodunski (E.RUYS & CO LTD), Trevor Dodunski (E.RUYS & CO L 

North (LMI GROUP), Jason and Carley Land (Collins Automotive Tec 

Jason Land (Collins Automotive 

Technicians) and Paul North (LMI GROUP). 

Trevor Dodunski (E.RUYS & CO 

LTD) and Paul North (LMI GROUP). 

Collins Automotive Technicians 

is owned and operated 

by Jason and Carley Land. 

Jason is a qualified auto electrician 

with 20 years’ experience. 

Shortly after taking over 

the business Jason saw a lot 

of potential for growth, so 

decided to take 

Collins Auto Electrical on 

the move further down to 415 

Anglesea Street. This gave us 

even more space to continue 

to grow as well as boost the 

profile of the business which 

had grown to seven employees 

(five auto electricians and two 

service advisers). 

Things were going along 

really well. Then... It was 

Labour Day 2016 where the 

future of Collins Auto Electrical 

was changed in dramatic 

fashion. There was a huge 

fire in the adjoining building 

of AH Franks which totally 

gutted the AH Franks por- 

Professional qualified insurance advice from 

the experienced team at Ruys & Co Ltd. 

E Ruys & Co Ltd, as a member of NZbrokers, 

is able to provide clients with: 

• Superior cover for businesses 

and family households 

• Technical risk and insurance advice 

• Solutions to manage risks 

• Competitive premiums 

• Services throughout New Zealand 

and overseas 

Our Family Business. Looking after your Family & Business. 

Local People Local Knowledge National Strength Global Capability 

200723AA 

CONTACT US: Phone 07 839 0515 | Fax 07 839 0606 | Mobile 027 246 6139 | email info@ruys.co.nz

COLLINS AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS 


27 

TD), Paul 

hnicians). 

tion of the building leaving 

the remaining sections of the 

building that Collins occupied 

unsafe to operate from. 

Through support and offers of 

assistance, it was incredibly 

humbling, and we managed 

to service the requirements of 

our very understanding customers 

and also keep all of the 

staff employed. The process of 

our claim, through liaison with 

our broker Trevor Dodunski 

from E.RUYS & CO LTD, 

Paul North at LMI Group as 

an independent assessor who 

handled the claim, through to 

our insurer NZI who understood 

and worked with LMI 

to successfully navigate and 

finalise the claim successfully. 

Through hard work during 

this period the move was made 

to Quentin Drive where we 

are today. The business has 

thrived and grown through 

the acquisition of Automotive 

Technicians and AH Franks. 

The team grew to 16 and 

rebranded to Collins Automotive 

Technicians, and now has 

six mechanics, five auto electricians, 

a tyre expert, a parts 

specialist and a service team 

that is full of enthusiasm and 

drive to deliver the very best 

to our customers. 

E.RUYS & CO LTD 

E Ruys & Co Ltd is a relationship-driven 

business based 

on service continuity, where 

the delivery of professional 

service is measured by superior 

knowledge, independent 

advice, communication, trust 

and integrity. 

Ted & Helen Ruys began 

the business in 1980 as an 

independent insurance broking 

house. 

In 2006 the company joined 

the Brokerweb Group which is 

a consortium of independently 

owned and operated insurance 

brokers throughout New Zealand; 

the group was then sold 

and is now NZbrokers Group. 

In 2008 the business was 

purchased by son-in-law and 

daughter Trevor and Sandy 

Dodunski on the retirement of 

Ted and Helen. 

E Ruys & Co Ltd is a member 

of the NZbrokers Group. 

NZbrokers is a collaborative 

group of 54 independent, 

locally owned insurance 

brokers who provide unique 

solutions, quality service 

and superior products. Collectively 

the group manages 

$440m of premium for more 

120,000 clients. 

NZbrokers has been formed 

to deliver additional client 

benefits for exclusive use by 

member brokers, including 

the development of exclusive 

insurance products. 

E Ruys & Co Ltd, as a 

member of NZbrokers, is 

able to provide clients with: 

• Superior cover for businesses 

and family households 

• Technical risk and insurance 

advice 

• Solutions to manage risks 

• Competitive premiums 

• Services throughout New 

Zealand and overseas 

Located throughout New 

Zealand, members of NZbrokers 

are in a unique position 

to provide local service with 

national strength, backed by 

the buying power of a collaborative 

group. Member companies 

like E Ruys & Co Ltd are 

all long-standing businesses, 

highly respected in their own 

regions, providing exceptional 

local service that is complemented 

by the national network 

of NZbrokers. 

Did you know? 

Collins provides 

complete car care. 

From front to back on any brand of vehicle 

including the following services: 

• WOF 

• Tyre sales and 

service 

• Wheel alignment 

• Insurance and 

warranty repairs 

• Computer scanning 

and diagnostic work 

• Suspension repairs 

• Batteries 

• Vehicle servicing and 

maintenance 

• Transmission service 

• Pre-purchase 

inspection 

• Mechanical repairs 

• Steering system 

service and repair 

• Air conditioning 

Servicing and repairs 

• Installation of all 

aftermarket 

accessories 

• Full auto electrical 

services 

If it’s Automotive, 

See Collins Automotive Technicians 

Ph 07 838 1321 / collinsauto.co.nz


CLAY BRICKS 

Impressive new kiln, equipment see 

Clay Bricks boosting output and range 

Clay Bricks Ltd, based in Huntly, has 

reopened after a multi-million dollar 

new plant upgrade. 

The family firm can now 

process up to 150,000 

bricks a week at its Tregoweth 

Lane site, doubling its 

former capacity. 

It has imported the latest 

state of the art machinery from 

Italy, and extended its factory 

space to 5500 sq m. 

The substantial investment, 

featuring enhanced automa- 

The AGV-automated guidance 

vehicle carries racks of bricks 

to be dried and fired. 

tion, saw 80 containers worth 

of machinery arrive from Italy 

around May last year, and the 

new equipment has been running 

since April this year. 

The new setup uses 

Marcheluzzo Impianti equipment 

and also features the 

only Roller Hearth Kiln in 

Australasia, a continuous firing 

furnace which transports products 

using ceramic rollers and 

reaches 1300 degrees Celsius. 

The kiln includes a treatment 

that enhances the colour 

of the bricks, which are being 

snapped up by builders as construction 

booms. 

That sees Clay Bricks, 

with agents in Auckland and 

through the rest of the North 

Island, set to add the South 

Island to the mix 18 years after 

it started on a green field site. 

The firm, the only clay brick 

manufacturer in the North 

Island, has also been contacted 

by Kiwibuild. 

The owners made the 

decision to upgrade as their 

18-year-old kiln began to 

need more maintenance, and 

as they could see demand for 

their durable, low-maintenance 

product would only increase. 

Former bricklayer Eric 

Finlay and his wife Vickie 

started the business in 2000 

and since then their sons Chad 

and Joseph have joined them in 

the factory. Jeff joined them in 

the early years, and is a shareholder 

and director in the company. 

He previously worked 

for an Australian-owned brick 

manufacturer in Waikato - he 

used to sell bricks to Eric; now 

he sells them with him. 

When they started, there 

were two other clay brick 

manufacturers in the North 

Island, one of them at Horotiu. 

“Both of them are now housing 

estates - with brick houses on 

them,” Jeff said. 

Their only domestic competitor 

today is based in the 

South Island. 

The level of automation 

means the company has been 

able to keep staff numbers stable, 

with five permanent staff 

in addition to the owners keeping 

the operation running 24 

hours a day, five days a week. 

All their clays are sourced 

locally, and mixed on site to 

get the right colour before 

being extruded, dried and fired. 

The factory can produce 

a range of sizes, and has also 

boosted its variety of colours 

with the addition of a popular 

white brick. 

The factory features an 

AGV-automated guidance 

vehicle that carries racks of 

bricks to be dried and fired, 

and which can handle five and 

a half tonnes. Its introduction 

has reduced the use of driver-operated 

forklifts, which are 

now used only to shift pallets 

to the storage area outside. 

There is also a fixed robot in 

The fired bricks are handled and 

packed on pallets by a robot. 

The Roller Hearth Kiln 

uses ceramic rollers. 

the factory that sets up pallets 

and stacks them with finished 

bricks. The pallets then move 

to the stretch hood wrapping 

machine and a branded wrap is 

stretched over them ready for 

delivery. 

Clay Bricks sell mainly in 

Waikato, though sales are starting 

to ramp up in Auckland. 

The South Island market has 

been opened up by a change 

in pallet size which they introduced 

along with the new 

machinery, meaning the bricks 

can be shipped in containers, 

greatly reducing the cost compared 

to trucking them across 

Cook Strait. 

Almost all their bricks are 

used in the residential market. 

Jeff said the growth hub of 

Te Kauwhata is handy for the 

firm, as is Pokeno a little further 

north. 

Eric: “We're quite centrally 

located here for supply to the 

golden triangle - Auckland, 

Hamilton, Tauranga. We're 

right in the heart of it, it's a 

good spot.” 

It’s as true today as it was 

when he started 18 years ago. 

“Huntly was the area to be in - 

you had gas, clay and you were 

central. 

NZ MADE BRICKS 

FOR NZ HOMES 

Established in 2000, this family owned business manufactures 

bricks using clays sourced from the local area. 

51 Tregoweth Lane, Huntly | 07 828 9919 | claybricks@xtra.co.nz | www.claybricks.co.nz 

200543AA

CLAY BRICKS 


29 

Technology: Know 

the risks and don’t 

be a sitting duck 

TECHNOLOGY SECURITY 

EzyMix are pleased to support the locally 

owned family business of Clay Bricks and 

we congratulate them on the opening 

their new manufacturing plant. 

Phone (07) 888 4324 | www.ezymix.co.nz 

Our 

congratulations 

to Clay Bricks 

Ltd for the new 

construction 

of their 

manufacturing 

plant. 

Ph 07 847 2074 

enquiries@lhtgroup.co.nz 

Union Grating 

Mark O’Brien 

congratulate 

Ph/Fax +64 3 337 4279 

Mobile +64 27 226 1006 

Web 

Clay Bricks 

www.uniongrating.co.nz 

on the 

Email obrienmj@xtra.co.nz 

Postal 85a Huntsbury Avenue 

opening of Christchurch, their NZnew 

manufacturing plant. 

We are proud to be their supplier of grating for the 

new plant and their supplier for galvanised lintels 

to the Waikato region. 

The kiln reaches 1300 degree 

Celsius when firing the bricks. 

UNION GRATING / P. 0508 GRATING (0508 447 284) 

E. OBRIENMJ@XTRA.CO.NZ / F. 03 337 4279 

WWW.UNIONGRATING.CO.NZ 

Organisations have a lot 

of competing priorities 

for their owners 

and managers, including sales 

and cashflow. Technology risk 

is not usually seen as important. 

Yet in today’s ever more 

interconnected, shared drive, 

cloud-based business environment, 

where technology is 

embedded into most business 

processes, the consequences of 

not addressing the risks can far 

outweigh the benefits. 

What is technology risk? 

Technology is any device or 

software and the data that is 

used to support and facilitate 

your business operations. 

Risk, in this context, is anything 

that prevents the effective 

operation of that technology or 

the loss of data and assets. 

For example, a ransomware 

attack that encrypts all 

your data, or locks you out of 

your computer system unless 

you pay a ransom, prevents 

the effective operation of your 

technology and therefore your 

organisation. 

A lot of SMEs have the attitude: 

“Why would someone 

want to target us?” 

PwC’s 2017 Global State of 

Information Security Survey 

revealed that New Zealand 

organisations reported 21 percent 

of cyber attacks were 

sourced from their suppliers 

and business partners (an 

increase from 10 percent in 

2016). Would you still want to 

do business with those suppliers 

or business partners? 

What sort of attacks could 

happen to my business? 

Credit card information is prime 

target area for attackers. If you 

failed to adequately secure 

them and an attacker managed 

to compromise your system and 

obtain your customer’s credit 

card details this would have a 

major impact on your customer 

and on your organisation’s reputation. 

What fines* could you 

now be liable for? 

External attacks can take a 

scattergun approach where millions 

of organisations are hit in 

the knowledge that some organisations 

will not have addressed 

their technology risks and will 

be compromised. By understanding 

the risks and taking 

some key mitigations, the likelihood 

that your organisation 

will be compromised is significantly 

reduced as the attackers 

focus on those organisations 

with weaker controls. 

Most organisations will have 

insurance cover to mitigate 

material risks for their organisation, 

yet don’t place the same 

importance on technology risk. 

This may be due to organisations, 

while being more aware 

of the risks through greater publicity, 

facing challenges in the 

> BY AARON STEELE 

Aaron Steele is a senior manager at PwC Waikato. 

Email: aaron.steele@pwc.com 

translation from awareness into 

a deeper understanding of the 

breadth and depth of the risks 

faced due to lack of information 

technology knowledge. 

What questions should SME 

owners and managers be 

asking? 

How would I know that I have 

been compromised? 

The length of time that the 

attacker has access to your systems 

increases the damage that 

they may be able to do. Most 

companies don’t know they 

have been compromised until 

informed by a third-party. On 

average it takes 205 days (based 

on PwC surveys) before attackers 

present on an organisation’s 

network are discovered. 

Who is managing my technology/data? 

Due to the size and resources 

available to a typical business, 

often there is a lack of dedicated 

internal IT capability to 

address/focus on technology 

risk. Outsourcing your technology 

management to a thirdparty 

provider may address 

your internal technology capability 

limitations, but it doesn’t 

address all your risks and introduces 

new risks, like how do 

you manage the provider. 

How secure are my devices? 

Properly securing your devices, 

from your server, network 

devices, workstations to mobile 

devices, reduces the extent of a 

compromise and increases the 

protection of personal/business 

data. 

What data do I collect? Is it the 

right data and can I rely on the 

data for decision-making? 

Technology risk also relates to 

the data and how this is used to 

inform decision-makers. 

PwC often finds that organisations 

are not collecting the 

right data to inform decisions 

or are placing unwarranted reliance 

on data which results in 

incorrect decisions being made. 

Am I meeting all my compliance 

obligations for protecting personal 

data? 

A good starting point is compliance 

with the Privacy Act 

(a new Privacy Bill is being 

worked on by the current government) 

and if you deal internationally 

other privacy legislation 

such as the European 

Union’s General Data Protection 

Regulation (GDPR) or the 

Payment Card Industry Data 

Security Standards for securing 

credit card information. 

What do my technology users 

have access to? 

Organisations are often poor at 

maintaining the users who have 

access to their systems. We 

often find that access rights to 

applications are out-of-date in 

the work we do with clients. 

What applications are being 

used within my organisation? 

Many organisations are allowing 

Bring Your Own Device 

(BYOD) and using cloud services 

which blur the organisation’s 

digital footprint. With 

rapid adoption and simplistic 

assumptions about how these 

work, and just what secure 

means, there is often quite a 

gap between an organisation’s 

assumed and actual level of 

risk. 

Prevent, Detect, Respond, 

Recover 

Once you have identified your 

risks, then you need to design 

and apply controls to mitigate 

the risks and protect your assets. 

The following framework is a 

good approach to take. 

Prevent – the top five things 

you can do towards prevention 

are: 

• Patching – ensure that your 

devices and software have 

up-to-date patches (you 

have the latest version of the 

software). 

• Administrative access – 

restrict administrative access 

and ensure these accounts 

have strong passwords. 

• Anti-virus and anti-malware 

– make sure it covers mobile 

devices as well, is installed 

and up-to-date. 

• Application whitelisting – 

only specified applications 

are able to run within your 

environment. 

• Secure configuration of 

devices and software – servers, 

workstations, laptops, 

mobile devices, network 

devices. 

Detect – invest in being able 

to detect new types of attacks. 

New Zealand companies are 

over-reliant on penetration tests 

compared with global companies 

and should look to diversify 

into more advanced tools 

like risk-based authentication. 

Respond – success or failure 

comes down to how well the 

organisation responds after an 

incident. 

Recover – ensure that your business 

has a good backup regime, 

with the backups regularly 

tested for recovery. This needs 

to be part of a comprehensive 

business continuity plan. 

Resources available 

The Institute of Directors on 

their SMEs page (https://www. 

iod.org.nz/Governance-Resources/Resource-library/ 

SMEs) have a link to connectsmart 

website that has a 

toolkit that outlines the steps 

SMEs can take to address technology 

risks. 

PwC offers a technology 

risk diagnostic tool that is a 

quick health check and provides 

a useful summary of an 

organisation’s technology risk 

profile which then informs 

where focus should be placed to 

reduce risk.

Fieldays memory fit for a princess 

50 years volunteering: From left, Society president Peter Carr with Alan 

Sharp, John Davison, Kaye and Doug Baldwin. All photos: Stephen Barker 

Princess Anne was first to receive a copy of 

a book marking 50 years of Fieldays, ahead 

of its launch at a dinner in November. 

Hundreds of guests attended New Zealand National 

Fieldays Society Annual Dinner, which saw the 

launch of Mystery Creek Magic. 

Mystery Creek Magic, 

co-written by journalists 

Geoff Taylor and 

Richard Walker, records the 

astonishing growth of Fieldays 

over five decades to become the 

largest agricultural show in the 

Southern Hemisphere. 

It includes a photo of a young 

Princess Anne being shown 

around Fieldays at Te Rapa in 

1970 by volunteer Doug Baldwin, 

who was wearing walkshorts 

and walk socks. His garb 

was to cause consternation with 

some among the conservative 

UK press, who thought the lack 

of a suit showed a corresponding 

lack of respect. 

Forty-nine years later, Fieldays 

chief executive Peter 

Nation gifted Princess Anne a 

copy of the book while at a conference 

in Edmonton, Canada. 

His gesture was followed by a 

letter of thanks from the Princess 

as president of the Royal 

Agricultural Society of the 

Commonwealth. 

The dinner at Mystery 

Creek’s Bledisloe Hall rounded 

off a year of events celebrating 

the 50th anniversary since 

the first Fieldays was held at 

Te Rapa Racecourse in 1969. 

Two Fieldays were held at the 

site and the next 48 at Mystery 

Creek. 

As well as three celebratory 

events in Waikato and a dinner 

at Parliament House, the anniversary 

was commemorated 

by an exhibition at Waikato 

Museum while the Society also 

Edwina and Russ Rimmington (founding member and 

past president) with current Society president Peter Carr. 

unveiled a sculpture and a children’s 

book. 

The unveiling of Mystery 

Creek Magic was the final 

act and chief executive Peter 

Nation said it was a fitting tribute. 

“I said to Geoff Taylor a 

year ago, the real battle will be 

what to leave out, rather than 

what to put in.” 

Fieldays president Peter 

Carr described the book as 

“a magnificent keepsake – an 

amazing record of the Fieldays 

event”. 

But while Royals grab the 

headlines, it is the army of volunteers 

who have made Fieldays 

what it is. 

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He says this includes a 

United Kingdom delegation 

which has extra significance 

in the post-Brexit era, while 

the many other delegations 

include teams from Mexican 

and Vietnam. 

“Meanwhile China is bringing 

out two or three large trade 

missions and the Koreans are 

putting two entries into the 

Innovation Centre.” 

“Trade missions are looking 

at either distribution in or distribution 

out so the platform of 

Fieldays enables willing buyers 

and sellers to come together 

and form trade relationships. 

That is why we have the 

International Business Centre.” 

The theme “Leading 

Change” relates to Fieldays’ 

two underling goals which are 

growing agriculture through 

innovation, internationalisation 

and education and bringing 

town and country closer 

together. 

The “pillars” of internationalisation, 

innovation 



31 

Four who have have been 

ever-present from day one, 

Kaye and Doug Baldwin, 

John Davison and Alan Sharp, 

received special awards on 

the night, while former general 

managers Ray Fowke and 

Val Millington were made life 

members. 

Ethan McKee was named 

Volunteer of the Year while 

among other volunteers to be 

recognised with service awards 

was Waikato Business News 

administration manager Margaret 

Cameron, who has given her 

time to the event for the past 10 

years. 

Margaret, who has farming 

in her background after being 

brought up on a Hawke’s Bay 

beef and sheep farm, started 

out at the International Visitors 

Centre and then shifted to the 

information booths, helping the 

crowds of visitors looking for 

a particular tent - or often the 

ATM machine. 

She’s only been stumped 

once. A person who had lost 

their bearings when returning to 

their car wanted to know where 

the orange carpark was. “I had 

no idea and it didn't exactly tell 

us on the map.” 

As for her best memory, she 

doesn’t hesitate - it was meeting 

then Prime Minister John Key 

during one of his annual visits 

to the site. 

What keeps her coming 

back? “I enjoy it, I like to be 

able to help people out and give 

something back to the community, 

and just be a part of the 

Fieldays. I'm a country girl at 

heart, so it's nice to be able to 

connect with that again.” 

Thousands of copies of the 

book were printed through Print 

House and many will be gifted 

to Society members, volunteers 

and exhibitors across New Zealand 

and overseas. 

Message in a capsule 

Optimism marks out the attitude to 

the future of those who contributed 

to the time capsule buried 

beneath the new Mystery Creek Pavilion 

in 1995, to be reopened during the 50th 

Fieldays celebrations in 2018. 

The capsule, containing 44 envelopes, 

was brought back to the light of day and 

their contents revealed at the annual Fieldays 

dinner in November. 

Chief executive Peter Nation read out 

to the hundreds of guests the contribution 

of Walton Holmes, who was immediate 

past president at the time, 23 years ago. 

He was also one of the positive. He 

thought Fieldays would become a weeklong 

event towards the end of May, with 

individual sites potentially occupied by 

two successive exhibitors during the 

week. He picked traffic problems to be 

a thing of the past with multiple traffic 

lanes in both directions to SH1 and SH3. 

He was closer with a prediction that park 

and ride would become a popular way of 

attending, but wildly optimistic when he 

picked commuter trains arriving in Hamilton 

as part of that option. 

But he was on the money with his 

prediction that Mystery Creek would be 

used for functions and events throughout 

the year. 

Holmes thought Ag Heritage/Farmworld 

would have attracted the support 

of the agricultural sector as the home of 

its heritage and a training centre, the latter 

a joint venture with Waikato Regional 

Council. “With the advent of good hotel 

accommodation in and near Hamilton, 

and a big ‘Cat jet’ cruiser on the Waikato 

River, a trip on the river with a stop at Ag 

Heritage for morning or afternoon tea will 

have become a popular way for tourists 

to go to the top town of antiques on ST1 

at Cambridge and from there by coach to 

Rotorua and Waitomo,” he wrote. 

Meanwhile, he accurately foretold that 

Guests at the Fieldays dinner could read predictions 

for the event made almost 25 years ago. 

advances in the electronic super-highway 

would have made great changes in administration. 

Matamata-Piako Mayor Ken Thomas 

was another one game to commit his predictions 

to the capsule. “It is with much 

more courage than certainty I respond to 

the challenge of predicting the farming 

scene in 2018,” he wrote. He thought 

prime dairy farms would tend to be units 

capable of 500 to 1000 cows. He also 

looked ahead to reafforestation of steeper 

land, to the triumph of electronic mailing 

systems and the “cashless” society. 

Perhaps less successfully, he thought: 

“Dependence on the car will have been 

restrained, and flexible and efficient public 

transport will have been encouraged to 

ensure no parts of the district are isolated 

from specialised services - health, education.” 

School students were also invited to 

contribute. Form 5 Bethlehem College 

students were thinking about the environment 

as they looked ahead. Paul Benn 

thought methods of effluent and waste 

disposal would be more friendly on the 

environment with farmers forced to plant 

native trees. Amanda Saville also thought 

farming would be very controlled and 

environmentally friendly. She predicted 

all farms would be corporately owned 

because of the expense of running them. 

Milking sheds would be computerised, 

self-cleaning and self-disinfecting while 

farms would get their energy from wind 

and solar power. When it came to kiwifruit, 

Claire Gilling envisaged the advent 

of huge, highly computerised packhouses 

with the fruit entirely graded, sorted and 

cleaned through automation, and with 95 

percent of kiwifruit exported. 

At Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, 

meanwhile, a 13-year-old Hannah Wiltshire 

also saw milking sheds being run 

by computers with the help of the farmer, 

rather than the other way around. Sarah 

Milicich foresaw a shortage of grass and 

therefore thought grain-like feed including 

antibiotics would be important. And 

Jane Skerman’s imagined farmer, “John”, 

milked his cows in quarter of the time and 

therefore had a more relaxing lifestyle as 

machines took over the work! 


AgriBusinessNews 

Book your 

spot in the 

Feb/Mar 

issue 

Fieldays 

a focus for 

international 

trade 

Delegations from nearly 20 countries are 

coming to June’s National Agricultural 

Fieldays as the Southern Hemisphere’s 

largest agricultural event underlines its 

reputation as an essential tool in the 

country’s trade relationships. 

T 

By GEOFF TAYLOR 

he 49th Fieldays at 

Mystery Creek is gearing 

up to be another 

massive event following on 

from last year when despite 

very tough economic conditions 

for dairying, Fieldays 

attracted its second highest 

attendance ever. 

Many of the 1100 exhibitors 

have begun the often significant 

job of erecting sites and 

New Zealand National Fieldays 

Society chief executive Peter 

Nation says staff have inducted 

more than 7000 tradespeople 

to work on the 114 hectare 

property. Meanwhile volunteer 

numbers have been expanded 

this year to nearly 300 for the 

June 14 event. 

Fieldays’ theme this year 

is “Leading Change” and one 

vital element of that is leveraging 

off Fieldays’ international 

representation, says Peter. 

AgriBusiness News 


M A Y 2 0 1 7 W W W . W B N . C O . N Z F A C E B O O K . C O M / W A I K AT O B U S I N E S S N E W S 

“We have nearly 20 countries 

coming to exhibit or 

visit.” 

and education are represented 

at the event through the 

Peter Nation. 

Call the team 

on 07 838 1333 or 

email info@wbn.co.nz


ZENDERS CAFE AND VENUE 

Zenders Café and Venue 

Our Place. Your Place. 

The much anticipated Zenders Café and 

Venue is now open, making its mark on 

Ruakura Road, Newstead. Modelled on a 

Dutch Boerderij (farmhouse), it is a replica 

of the Reymer family’s great-grandfather’s 

farmhouse in Gelderland, Netherlands, and 

will specialise in quality European-styled 

foods, locally sourced. 

purpose is to 

put a stake in the 

“Our 

ground for our 

Dutch identity, and to create 

some visibility for the link 

between Dutch and dairy in 

the Waikato and indeed in 

Aotearoa New Zealand,” says 

co-Director Christina Reymer, 

one of the three sisters who 

have established this venture. 

“The Dutch are often described 

as the ‘invisible migrants’; as 

first-generation Kiwis, we look 

and sound like the average 

Pākeha, but we feel different; 

we have our own characteristics. 

In general, we are seen as 

hard-working, enterprising and 

somewhat direct in the expression 

of our views, but more 

than that, there are particular 

foods we enjoy that we want to 

be make available to the wider 

local community, such as the 

Kroketten (a deep-fried meat 

delicacy), Dutch Appeltart, 

pofferjes (mini pancakes), and 

of course our cheeses. 

“Furthermore, there is a 

deep cultural value of ‘gezelligheid’ 

which may be loosely 

translated as cosy, pleasant, 

relaxed and welcoming. 

We want every customer to 

feel that their experience at 

Zenders was ‘gezellig’, ensuring 

they would come again and 

even make it their local. Hence 

our tagline ‘Our Place. Your 

Place’,” says Christina, “Come 

to our place, and make it your 

place” for your event or occasion. 

Zenders is both a café and a 

The centre is modelled on a Dutch farmhouse. 

venue designed with flexibility 

in mind to host corporate, community 

and family functions, 

with catering on site to suit 

customer needs. Conveniently 

located on the east side of the 

new expressway under construction 

(due for completion 

in 2020), it provides a unique 

rural setting for weddings and 

other family functions with 

ample parking enabling families 

to gather, connect and 

celebrate. Similarly, it is near 

the Hamilton Park Cemetery 

offering facilities for both the 

service and the hospitality 

afterwards, enabling families 

to farewell their loved one as 

they would like to be able to 

do. 

Zenders is well placed meet 

local corporate needs, including 

LIC, Dairy NZ, the University, 

Ruakura Innovation Park, 

and the new Inland Port being 

developed in the area, offering 

a board room, with adjacent 

“Bridal Room” with ensuite, 

and the full gamut of IT equipment 

and wifi connectivity that 

may be required. 

Zenders is open for bookings, 

formal or informal; 

please contact our venue manager 

Anna Muller by email 

info@zenders.nz. 

The café is open Monday to 

Friday 9:00am to 4pm at 439 

Ruakura Road. Alternatively, 

visit us on www.zenders.nz or 

on Facebook: Zenders Café 

and Venue. 

Location 439 Ruakura Road, Newstead, Hamilton 3286 

021 0244 6529 | info@zenders.nz

ZENDERS CAFE AND VENUE 

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won Vet Practice of the Year at the recent Petplan Veterinary Awards. 

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35 

Leaders: is zero 

social profile a 

high-risk strategy? 

According to the iSentia Leadership Index, 

released on November 20, 44 percent of 

CEOs from New Zealand’s top companies 

have no public social presence. 

This doesn’t match the 

general population. 

According to Statista. 

com, as at January 2018 74 

percent of New Zealanders 

were active social media users. 

That’s not just a wide gap 

– that’s a communications 

chasm. 

I recently led a discussion 

around this topic with some 

Hamilton CEOs and GMs and 

asked them why leaders are 

largely invisible online. 

Their answers boiled down 

to two reasons: 1) a purposeful 

strategy of minimising reputational 

risk, and 2) social feels 

like an ‘unnatural space’, so 

they avoid it. 

The question that I think is 

worth discussing is: for leaders, 

do the risks of social inactivity 

exceed the risks of being 

socially engaged? For most, I 

would say the answer is yes – 

whether they realise it or not. 

iSentia commented on their 

findings, saying, “The fact that 

our most high-profile CEOs 

are not active on social media 

adds to the image of this group 

being notoriously ‘hard to get 

to’, elite and untouchable, and 

has the capacity to portray 

leaders as ‘out of touch’. The 

substantial proportion of our 

top CEOs not actively engaging 

in social media are missing 

a huge opportunity to contribute 

to the communications 

strategy of their organisation, 

as well as the national dialogue 

about leadership.” 

Ten years ago, social media 

was emerging as a communications 

channel. Back then it 

was largely seen as a fun timewaster 

that business professionals 

only dabbled in during 

personal time. 

Today, social media is integrated 

into everything we do 

in modern communication. It 

is one of many different ways 

companies reach their target 

audience. And savvy leaders 

see the value of layering their 

personal social media strategy 

on top of their organisation’s 

for maximum impact and audience 

connectivity. 

Think about how silly it 

is not to meet your audiences 

where they hang out (even 

if it’s virtually). If research 

showed 74 percent of your 

target audience watched TV1 

news, wouldn’t you also tune 

in to see what they were viewing? 

If 74 percent of your 

customers attended a networking 

function during the year, 

wouldn’t you try to get out to a 

function or two to meet them? 

Of course you would. That’s 

because meeting your audience 

where they are helps a 

leader become more relatable 

and helps you communicate in 

other forums with even greater 

relevance. 

In Patrick Durkin’s March 

5, 2018 article ‘How CEOs are 

using social media to win back 

customers, employees and 

trust’ from AFR Boss Magazine, 

he quoted ANZ CEO, 

Shayne Elliot saying: “I am 

shocked that more executives 

don’t have a social presence. 

How can you not? It is the way 

that people live today, it would 

be equally ludicrous to say, ‘I 

don’t have a mobile phone’. I 

just see it as a tool of life and 

if you are not participating in 

that, how can you possibly 

understand your customer 

base and the community.” 

Now that’s food for 

thought. 

If you’re a socially inactive 

leader, perhaps 2019 is 

the year to get online? I would 

encourage you to at least take 

the time to carefully consider 

doing so before you simply 

dismiss the idea for another 

year. 

Ask yourself these five 

questions: 

PR AND COMMUNICATIONS 

> BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB 

Heather Claycomb is director of HMC Communications, a 

Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agencys. 

1. Are your customers and 

stakeholders using social 

media? 

2. Is it important to you personally 

to understand the 

views, language and needs 

of your audiences? 

3. When a crisis unfolds 

online, do you understand 

social channels well 

enough to understand why 

your team is prioritising the 

company’s social response? 

4. You are your company’s 

#1 brand ambassador. Can 

social channel engagement 

help you be better in this 

vital role? 

5. Can authentic social media 

engagement help you earn 

greater trust and win more 

customers? 

If you aren’t sure of the 

answers, get an independent 

audit to gain some outside 

advice. And if you feel you 

want to make a change, get 

your communications and 

social media experts around 

you to help formulate a lowrisk, 

high-reward plan. 

Download iSentia’s Leadership 

Index here: https://bit. 

ly/2POp1RH 

South Waikato businesses benefit from 

training programme 

Eight South Waikato businesses 

and social enterprises 

have benefitted 

from completing an intense 

three-month growth training 

programme. 

The programmes were 

subsidised by South Waikato 

Investment Fund Trust (SWIF) 

and supported by South 

Waikato District Council to 

drive economic growth. This is 

the second time the course was 

offered in the district. 

Incubate covers topics such 

as growth mindset, marketing, 

sales, employment and finance 

to help the participants build 

the foundations for long-term 

business success. 

A graduation ceremony 

was held to celebrate the participants’ 

achievement. South 

Waikato Mayor Jenny Shattock 

said she was pleased to help 

celebrate the achievements of 

the group and to offer her congratulations 

for completing the 

Incubate course. 

I’ve done some pretty 

cool things in my life, 

but this course ranks 

up there with them. 

“For all of you who have 

completed the programme you 

must be incredibly proud of 

yourselves. Committing the 

time when you’ve got a fulltime 

workload isn’t easy. “ 

“The training you’ve 

received will be invaluable and 

I’m sure you already have put 

that to use in your own businesses. 

The added benefit to 

this programme is the business 

networks and friendships that 

you make.” 

SWIF Trustee Bruce Sherman 

also expressed his respect 

for local business owners. 

“You guys are at the 

coalface. You’re trying to 

break new ground and do new 

things. 

“Running a business is a little 

like digging a ditch. When 

you’re in the business you’re 

worrying about are the walls 

straight, are you going in the 

right direction. It’s only those 

occasions that you get out of 

the ditch and get high enough 

above the ditch you get to see 

if you’re going in the right 

direction and you see the horizon, 

what’s coming at you.” 

“Taking the time to work 

on your business, doing these 

courses to invest in yourself 

and your futures is utterly 

important,” Sherman said. 

Programme graduate Janita 

Poko from Mayfair Court 

Motel initially applied for the 

course to grow her business 

while keeping the work-life 

balance in check. She also 

wanted to connect to other 

business owners in the district. 

She said the programme delivered. 

“I’ve done some pretty 

cool things in my life, but this 

course ranks up there with 

them. As business owners we 

can feel isolated and that we 

are running around chasing 

our own tails. This course definitely 

helped with that. 

“It lets us get our heads up 

and get in the right direction, 

focus on the bigger picture. By 

far the best two hours I spent 

in my life on work related stuff 

was my one-on-one coaching 

as part of this course. 

“I feel I now have the 

goal setting, the action plan 

and achievable bites to make 

everything feel not so overwhelming 

anymore.” 

The programmes were run 

by central North Island business 

growth centre Firestation. 

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 

Richard Walker 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 814 2914 

Email: richard@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 

Barb Hambling 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (029) 422 7227 

Email: barb@nmmedia.co.nz 

Carolyn Jonson 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (027) 821 5777 

Email: carolyn@nmmedia.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

Editorial: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

richard@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 

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Your staff are your brand 

As an employer, how can you make sure 

that the personalities you employ match 

the personality of your organisation? 

Human characteristics are strange and 

complex things. Good and bad. Some fit 

together. Some don’t. 

Yes, skills, capabilities, 

experience, they’re all 

crucial qualities when 

filling a role, but it also helps 

if that person is going to ‘fit’ 

your organisation and will 

exhibit the behaviours that 

you want for your brand. But 

you certainly can’t have high 

expectations around this if you 

don’t give them some kind of 

picture of how those expectations 

look. 

Employer branding is still 

a crucial part of business success. 

After all, how can your 

staff be the face of your brand, 

or the engine powering it, if 

they don’t have a strong sense 

of what your brand is all about? 

If your marketing is quirky, 

fun or upbeat, but your staff 

are dull, which is the wasted 

dollar - their pay cheque or 

your ad spend? 

Last month, the butcher 

at New World Te Rapa was 

beaming with joy at his team 

winning an award for their 

Angus Beef Sausages. His 

excitement permeated the store 

and his love for his job, for that 

day at least, was infectious. 

And, yes, the sausages were 

delicious. 

It might have been typical 

of his personality, but his commitment 

and apparent knowledge 

seemed very New World, 

like the Master Butcher in their 

‘Fresh Experts’ campaign. It 

felt like external and internal 

brand characteristics were 

marrying nicely. 

Have your company’s 

internal brand clear 

from the start, and 

you’ll attract the right 

people that fit. 

I sat down with Senga 

Allen from Everest, specialists 

in people and culture, and 

she stressed the importance 

of setting values and expectations 

for staff. “Internal brand 

impacts on the external lens 

that people see us through,” 

she explained, emphasising 

the importance of delivering 

on promise. “Customer service 

is about reflecting your brand, 

not just doing a good job.” 

She reiterated how a clearly 

defined and articulated brand 

is vital at all stages of the relationship, 

from initial recruitment 

to retaining staff, and 

building a cohort of advocates. 

Having a brand story, with 

clarity around purpose, characteristics 

and personality, is the 

cornerstone of employee relationships 

just as it is for customer 

engagement. It doesn’t 

have to be carved in stone, 

plastered across every available 

wall space, unless that’s 

what floats your boat. But 

without a guide, the business 

oceans will be hard to navigate. 

In many organisations, values 

and behaviours become 

inherent purely from a 

brand-focused induction or 

orientation process that is naturally 

supported by everyday 

conversations within the team. 

As business leaders, you 

can develop internal cultures 

that reinforce your brand, 

rather than enforce it. 

Senga Allen observed also 

that internal brand culture 

is even more important in 

recruitment environments like 

we’re seeing in Waikato at 

the moment, where candidates 

have choice. If the roles they 

are interviewing for are barely 

differentiated, the employer 

that offers the best place to 

work and fits with their values 

and personality will stand out. 

Have your company’s 

internal brand clear from the 

start, and you’ll attract the 

right people that fit. This can 

sometimes be easier for new 

businesses who are focused 

on setting out their stall and 

are paying a lot of attention to 

how they are perceived. But as 

marketplaces change, brands 

often find themselves having 

to re-evaluate and evolve their 

positioning. 

Senga Allen pointed out 

that a shift in brand direction 

can be more challenging for 

these businesses who may 

have long established staff 

for whom change is difficult 

to embrace. This shows how 

important it is to look at regular 

brand ‘health checks’ and 

to make sure you maintain 

ongoing brand-focused communication 

with your staff to 

take them with you along the 

journey, whether it’s a straight 

route or whether you need to 

tack every now then. 

We saw a huge shift a few 

years back when new players 

came in to the telecommunications 

sector in New Zealand. 

Telecom, as the state provider, 

was expected to be neutral, 

serious and ‘safe’ in how it 

presented itself. Then along 

came the likes of 2 Degrees, 

able to take a riskier position, 

choosing to do so with humour 

and fun. 

This difference didn’t only 

manifest itself in their advertising 

or graphic design, but in 

the language they used, in the 

way they structured products, 

their sponsorship alignments, 

and so on. So, if I go into a 2 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY VICKI JONES 

Degrees store and find a staff 

member who struggles to crack 

a smile, it feels even more disappointing. 

My expectations 

were established by the external 

brand and he’s failed to 

deliver on them. 

If an internal culture is 

strong it is much more likely to 

be reflected through customer 

engagement ensuring your 

business has enduring positive 

relationships. Win-win. 

• See also in this issue: The 

importance of understanding 

the why 

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

management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

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J7499P


37 

Countdown launches its 

first electric vehicle charging stations 

Countdown, in partnership with WEL 

Networks, has installed three charging sites 

at five of its Waikato supermarkets – a first 

for the retailer. 

Electric vehicle (EV) 

users can charge their 

cars for free at either 

Countdown Hamilton, Countdown 

Bridge Street, Countdown 

Claudelands, Countdown 

St James or Countdown 

Huntly. 

We are delighted to 

be able to work with 

WEL Networks to 

provide this service 

at no cost to our 

customers. 

Countdown’s general manager 

corporate affairs and 

sustainability, Kiri Hannifin, 

said the November launch was 

another step in the right direction 

towards the business meeting 

its commitment to help 

create a cleaner and greener 

Aotearoa, New Zealand. 

“Last year we set ourselves 

20 ambitious corporate social 

responsibility targets out to 

2020. Our targets align with 

the 2015 United Nations Sustainable 

Development Goals 

and focus on three main areas 

- people, planet and prosperity. 

With regard our commitments 

to the planet, we’ve identified 

we want to reduce our carbon 

emissions and know electric 

vehicles are the way of the 

future. We are delighted to take 

our first steps in this part of our 

journey. 

“As well as our new 

charging stations in Hamilton, 

we are in discussions to extend 

these into other communities 

across our network. We 

already have electric charging 

stations at our support office 

and have recently won a 

$300,000 grant from EECA 

(Energy Efficiency Conservation 

Authority) to convert 

our chilled online delivery 

vehicles to electric. Electric 

delivery vehicles will help cut 

down noise around the online 

delivery depots and eliminate 

approximately 135,000kg of 

CO2 emissions annually. 

“We are delighted to be able 

to work with WEL Networks 

to provide this service at no 

cost to our customers,” said 

Hannifin. 

WEL Networks asset management 

general manager Paul 

WEL Networks chief executive Garth Dibley, left, Countdown general manager corporate affairs and sustainability Kiri 

Hannifin and Labour MP Jamie Strange officially opening the EV charging stations at Countdown Bridge Street, Hamilton. 

Blue said the Countdown fast 

chargers will increase WEL’s 

network of chargers across the 

region to more than 20. 

“Not only is Waikato one of 

New Zealand’s fastest growing 

regions, but increasingly we’re 

seeing the uptake of electric 

vehicles in our communities, 

because users find them 

cheaper to run, quieter, more 

efficient and environmentally 

friendly.” 

Countdown’s charging stations 

are compatible with any 

electric vehicle and quick to 

use, customers will be able to 

charge their EVs from low to 

80 percent battery capacity in 

around 20 minutes. 

Conversation flows about making 

Waikato the best it can be 

An audience of regional 

leaders has been 

told success for the 

Waikato requires people to 

work together, be brave and 

agile. 

More than 100 community, 

business, central and local 

government leaders gathered 

at Karapiro on 30 November 

for Waikato Regional Council's 

inaugural stakeholder 

event, Waikato Unwrapped: A 

Conversation. 

The event celebrated the 

great work of the council’s 

stakeholders, said council 

chair Alan Livingston. It also 

aimed to inspire thought-provoking 

discussion around 

making Waikato a better place 

in which to live, work and 

play. 

“It’s been a big year. We’ve 

seen the establishment of Te 

Waka – the regional economic 

development agency – attracting 

investment from local 

business, local and central 

government. And we’ve seen 

some exciting decisions made 

about new regional facilities, 

regional transport, and 

even our own new buildings 

in Paeroa and Hamilton,” Cr 

Livingston said. 

“There’s also been progress 

on a number of projects 

to improve the health of our 

waterways. This year, the 

equivalent of 160 Waikato stadiums 

were planted in native 

trees. On top of this we funded 

over 450 community groups. 

The massive environmental 

restoration effort going on all 

over the place is redefining us 

as communities, as a region. 

“We also have some pretty 

aspirational goals for the 

Waikato, and at the heart of 

these sit our vision for the 

region to care locally, complete 

globally. It’s all about 

having a sustainable future 

where we are resilient to 

changes and can take advantage 

of global opportunities.” 

For Waikato to flourish, 

said keynote speaker Local 

Government Minister Nanaia 

Mahuta, “we can’t act in our 

silos” and must remember 

“what got us here, won’t get 

us there”. 

She added: “Small communities 

thrive on relationships 

and having values, so if we 

want transformative change 

we have to continue to recognise 

that we are a region made 

of different types of communities. 

“We cannot continue to be 

prosperous if we have deep 

levels of deprivation, and that 

is the sad reality we’ve got. 

For me addressing this is also 

the measure of success. So too 

is the health of the environment, 

because we can’t mutually 

exclude the environment.” 

A panel comprising business 

leader Traci Houpapa, 

business journalist Rod Oram, 

and social and environmental 

entrepreneur Sam Judd 

also shared their vision for a 

sustainable Waikato with the 

audience. 

Local government minister Nanaia Mahuta addresses the Waikato Unwrapped event. 

Oram said being sustainable 

required “tremendous 

foresight about your opportunities 

and challenges; integrity 

about who you are and what 

you hold very dear because 

doing so will help inform the 

decisions you make; and cohesion 

of all the stakeholders 

involved”. 

Houpapa acknowledged 

that “sustainability is a challenge, 

in my opinion, for us in 

the Waikato. 

“We need to reconsider the 

way we operate, reconsider 

our strategic vision and consider 

whether our behaviours 

as leaders are still relevant and 

aligned with our true north. 

For me, our true north here in 

the Waikato is all about how 

we can leave Aotearoa a better 

place.” 

She added: “Radical reinvention 

is not going to happen 

overnight and not going to 

happen if we take baby steps.” 

Judd agreed, saying “it's 

about being brave…taking a 

bit of a punt and being agile. 

To change stuff we actually 

have to put ourselves outside 

our comfort zone”. 

Oram urged leaders in 

every community in the 

Waikato to “find something, 

however small, to do together, 

to start building your sense of 

purpose and capability”. 

Guest speaker John Allen, 

chief executive of the New 

Zealand Racing Board, concluded 

the event with a similar 

message. “The single biggest 

thing you can do is stand up 

and say this region is on fire, 

this country needs us, we are 

going to take the next step 

together. 

“If you stand strong in 

your history, strong in your 

whānau, strong in your community, 

strong in your passion 

and determination, then this 

region will go forward and go 

forward fast. And the contribution 

you make to Aotearoa 

will be hugely significant.” 

For Dallas Fisher, philanthropist 

and one of Waikato’s 

leading businessmen, the 

event was “hugely invigorating” 

and he “felt the strength 

of kotahitanga (unity)”. Coming 

from the event, he felt 

there were two future roles for 

the Waikato – one was leading 

New Zealand and the world in 

sustainable food production 

and the other authentically 

telling New Zealand’s story.


GALLAGHER ROTARY AWARDS 

Gallagher Rotary Awards 

a shining success 

After 16 years of successes the Gallagher 

Rotary Awards 2018 shone as brightly as 

ever when the special celebration dinner 

was held late November. 

Industry and business leaders 

from throughout Waikato 

gathered at Wintec’s Atrium 

to shine the spotlight on their top 

employees. 

The award recipients and 

those just a ‘click’ away from 

winning came from sectors 

including engineering, plastics, 

infrastructure, plumbing, manufacturing 

and personnel management. 

Event co-ordinator Des 

Meads of Frankton Te Rapa 

Rotary said the awards are an 

opportunity to encourage bright, 

up-and-coming employees to 

share a few moments of fame 

under the spotlight. 

“These are our future leaders,” 

said Des. “We believe it 

gives them an important lift to be 

chosen to attend an event such as 

this. 

Gallagher Rotary Awards 

2018 Awardees 

CONVEX PLASTICS LTD. 

Award-- Convex “Excellence in Flexographic” 

Apprentice 

Winner Jesse Pepperall 

Finalist Jason Boyle 

Finalist Robert Cassidy 

C.F.REESE PLUMBING LTD. 

Award – C.F.Reese Memorial Scholarship 

Award 

Cameron Gray 

Award – C.F.Reese Plumbing Ltd Long 

Service Award 

Jarrod Rink 

TRT – TIDD ROSS TODD LTD. 

Award -- TRT Apprentice of the Year 

Winner Mathew Youngman 

Finalist Mathew Morgan 

Finalist Christopher Gillespie 

“These young people, who 

lead by example, all come away 

with something to remember for 

the many hours of hard work they 

have put in to reach this pinnacle.” 

Des said it was humbling to 

be part of such a strong partnership 

between his Rotary Club and 

the supporting businesses such as 

naming sponsor Gallagher Group. 

Another strong supporter is 

CF Reese Plumbing and on the 

night managing director Aaron 

Rink began the award build-up 

process in memory of his company 

founder Colin Reese who 

was also a founding member of 

the Rotary Club of Frankton. 

CONNELL CONTRACTORS LTD. 

Award – Excellence in Training 

Casey Martin 

GALLAGHER GROUP 

Award – The Gallagher Way Training 

Excellence Award 

Mike Schick 

Liam Palaone 

Aaron Sullivan 

STAFFORD ENGINEERING LTD. 

Award – Trainee of the Year Award 

Winner Jayden Vandy 

Finalist Max Bayley 

Finalist Alex McWhannell 

From left: Jamie Priemus, Bruce Carden, Matthew Morgan, Chris 

Gillespie, Apprentice of the year Matt Youngman and Robert Carden. 

TRT celebrates a 

talented team at Annual 

Apprentice Awards 

Tidd Ross Todd Limited 

(TRT) attended the 

Apprentice of the Year 

awards at the annual Gallagher 

Rotary Awards Dinner in 

November, recognising excellence 

in industry training. 

TRT was one of six successful 

Waikato companies who made 

presentations to their top performing 

trainees and apprentices. 

This prestigious event showcases companies committed to industry training 

and awarding their new or existing trainees, who have proven skills and 

passion, to achieve excellence within their chosen industry. 

AWARDS OBJECTIVES 

• Promote the trades 

• Acknowledge the importance of “skills” in industry 

• Provide the appropriate forum for the presentations 

• Link the community with the importance of trade skills 

• Assist awardees to achieve their desired careers 

• Showcase Rotary working in the community 

ABOUT THE EVENT 

• Started in 2003 with one award 

• Over 120 awards have been presented during the past fifteen Years 

• Each Company has 10 minutes to promote themselves - including presenting their own 

awards 

• The event provides every employer in industry with an opportunity to recognise their 

employee’s training achievements 

• A unique opportunity to celebrate with your employee a life-long memory 

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT... 

Robin Wilkinson (Treasurer, Rotary Club of Frankton) on 

robin@robinhood.net.nz or phone 07 854 6664 or 027 482 4745. 

Des Meads (Director, Rotary Club of Frankton) on 

desmond.meads@gmail.com or phone 07 853 2360 or mobile 021 0835 8312. 

The Gallagher Rotary Industry Awards rely on the active participation of 

all our Sponsors. Without their help we could not hold this annual event to celebrate 

“Excellence in Industry Training.” 

EVENT SPONSOR 

AWARDS SPONSORS 

8 

To Cameron Gray on winning the 

Colin Reese Memorial Scholarship Award and 

Jarrod Rink for winning the Long Service Award. 

Dave Morgan, Gary Hutchings, 

Cameron Gray and Aaron Rink. 

Aaron Rink, Jarrod Rink 

and Dave Morgan. 

Applications now open for 2018 

For more details visit www.cfreese.co.nz 

We are the residential and 

commercial maintenance experts 

There when you need us – since 1946. 

We offer a 24 hour emergency plumbing service across Hamilton 

and surrounding areas and we can be there in 60 minutes! 

0800 460 247 

info@cfreese.co.nz 

SUPPORT SPONSORS 

Driving Excellence in Manufacturing Engineering 

Supporting the Gallagher Industry 

Awards 2012 

www.cfreese.co.nz | 32 Euclid Avenue, Te Rapa, Hamilton 

200679AA

GALLAGHER ROTARY AWARDS 


39 

Congratulations to Matt 

Youngman, TRT’s Apprentice 

of the Year, 2018, and our two 

other finalists, Chris Gillespie 

and, for the second year, Matthew 

Morgan. Matt was an 

apprentice in TRT’s mechanical 

service team achieving his 

Automotive Heavy Engineering 

Road Transport apprenticeship 

in a record 18 months. 

It is a commitment that the 

whole TRT team is proud of. 

Sponsored by Gallagher, 

the awards were hosted by the 

combined Frankton and Te 

Rapa Rotary Clubs, and held 

at Wintec Atrium events centre. 

Recognising TRT’s talented 

team is important to the 

family owned company and 

the finalists were well supported 

by TRT’s senior team, 

including COO Lawrence 

Baker, manufacturing director 

Bruce Carden, engineering 

director Robert Carden, HR 

manager Jamie Priemus and 

HR coordinator Ashton Way. 

Lawrence Baker confirmed 

TRT’s commitment: “By having 

an active apprenticeship 

programme at TRT, we recognise 

the responsibility as business 

owners and managers to 

not only create a skilled team 

for our future, but also for the 

future of our trades in New 

Zealand, especially when we 

are experiencing shortages in 

talent and qualified trades people.” 

Jamie Priemus added, “All 

three of our finalists do an 

exceptional job. The thing that 

has made each of them stand 

out is their desire to go above 

and beyond what is expected 

in their role, thriving on those 

challenges.” 

TRT currently has 12 

apprentices that qualified 

for these awards and many 

deserving entries. The finalists 

were selected based on a 

number of criteria including 

results achieved, quality of 

workmanship and enthusiasm 

and commitment to their trade. 

Apprenticeships at TRT range 

from steel fabrication and 

welding, engineers, heavy diesel 

mechanics and automotive 

parts. 

As a large NZ engineering 

company, TRT has diversified 

its business over many years 

and has developed a significant 

apprenticeship programme 

internally. The apprenticeship 

programme is supported 

with group study sessions and 

mentor training, providing the 

right environment for apprentices 

and trainees to succeed. 

As TRT’s apprentice of the 

year, Matt Youngman received 

a certificate, a $1000 voucher 

from The Tool Shed, and a 

Tool bag. 

As finalists, Matthew Morgan 

and Chris Gillespie each 

received a certificate, a $100 

voucher, and a Tool bag. 

At TRT, 

As a business, we recognise the 

responsibility to grow our people 

through training and development. 

Build your future with TRT 

trt.co.nz/careers/ 

we’re committed to 

investing in our team. 

TRT’s 2018 

Apprentice of the Year 

Congratulations to our 

2018 Apprentice of the Year 

Winner Matthew Youngman 

and our two other finalists, 

Matthew Morgan and 

Chris Gillespie! 

From left: Robert Carden, Bruce 

Carden, Matthew Youngman 

07 849 4839 

48 Maui Street, Hamilton 

www.trt.co.nz 

CONGRATULATIONS 

The team at Connell Contractors 

would like to congratulate Casey Martin, 

winner of the Excellence in Training Award. 

200690AA 

Phone Hamilton 07 958 3408 

www.connellcontractors.co.nz


Size doesn’t guarantee security 

when it comes to contracting 

I had a meeting recently with an earthworks 

company and one of their comments was, 

“I don’t need terms of trade or to be a 

secured creditor, because I only deal with 

large construction companies.” 

My response was to 

remind them that 

Mainzeal, Ebert, 

Orange H and other large 

construction companies have 

run into difficulties in recent 

times, despite their size. 

Being a small supplier 

to a large company doesn’t 

make you safer - it just makes 

you part of a larger group of 

creditors. Whether that larger 

group gets paid or not depends 

on a number of factors. 

The main risk that I have 

seen with small subcontractors 

working exclusively with 

one large client on a large 

project, is that to secure the 

work there are often multiple 

tenders or bids. 

To have a good chance of 

success amongst many competitors, 

the bids are often 

priced at a very low margin, 

with the hope that the total 

quantity of work will make up 

for the lower margin. 

But in my experience, a 

low margin is a low margin 

irrespective of the job size. 

And that low margin brings 

with it the possibility of unexpected 

costs and unforeseen 

difficulties turning a low-margin 

into a no-margin scenario. 

Another risk is that many 

of the subcontractor agreements 

large companies have 

their subcontractors sign are 

blatantly one-sided. 

And because the company 

may well have executed hundreds 

of these type of projects, 

you had better believe 

that every single clause in the 

contract is there to protect the 

company from loss. 

It is likely to be based on 

something that does and has 

happened. 

Loss never just evaporates 

- it is always experienced by 

someone in the construction 

supply chain. 

And large companies hire 

professionals whose entire 

role is to try and ensure that 

it is not them that suffers the 

loss. 

Just a few months ago I 

read in a subcontractor agreement 

a client had been asked 

to sign the following clause: 

“The contractor agrees 

that they will not increase the 

quoted price, irrespective of 

changes made to plans, specifications 

or requirements.” 

Agreeing to this would, in 

my view, be ill-advised and 

potentially could prove to be 

financial suicide. 

Now I’m not saying that 

just because a construction 

company is large, they are in 

some way unethical or predatory. 

But in a situation where 

unforeseen circumstances can 

impact the potential profit of 

a job, it is essential that both 

parties can share driving the 

bus, not be driven over - or 

under. 

When one of the largest 

and oldest-established companies 

in NZ can lose more 

than $100 million on a single 

job, it shows that it can happen 

to absolutely anyone. 

Entering into unsecured, 

unequal agreements to get 

the work, can be likened to 

playing rugby against a team 

when only one of you has a 

set of goalposts and the opposition 

also has the referee on 

its side, or getting married 

with only party having a say 

in writing the vows (goodness 

knows what I would 

have agreed to, if my husband 

wrote our vows!) 

If the only difference I ever 

make to a business is helping 

ensure they enter more equal 

contractual relationships, and 

making sure they will have 

ranking as a secured creditor 

in the event of something 

going wrong, then I would 

consider my involvement a 

success. 

CREDIT MANAGEMENT 

> BY MELONIE CURWOOD 

& NICK KERR 

Melonie Curwood is Area Manager WAIKATO for EC Credit Control NZ Ltd. 

She can be reached at melonie.curwood@eccreditcontrol.co.nz 

Nick Kerr is Area Manager BOP for EC Credit Control NZ Ltd. 

He can be reached at nick.kerr@eccreditcontrol.co.nz 

TERMS 

OF TRADE 

CREDIT 

CHECKING / 

MONITORING 

DEBT 

COLLECTION 

EC Credit 

Control are 

Waikato’s leading 

debt prevention 

experts 

CREDIT 

MANAGEMENT 

TRAINING 

CALL MEL FOR A OBLIGATION FREE APPOINTMENT TODAY 

Melonie.Curwood@eccreditcontrol.co.nz | P: 027 284 5555 

0800 EC GROUP | www.eccreditcontrol.co.nz


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HR, MANAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT 

Seek names Waikato recruitment company 

best in New Zealand 

A Waikato-grown business has been 

recognised by Seek as the best in the New 

Zealand recruitment industry, highlighting 

that value and care for people is paying off 

for the social business. 

Human resource and 

recruitment specialist 

Agoge was awarded 

2018 New Zealand Large 

Recruitment Agency of the Year 

at the Seek Annual Recruitment 

Awards (SARAs). 

The award is for the agency 

with more than 20 consultants 

showing commitment to workplace 

culture, innovation, candidate 

engagement, commercial 

growth/achievement and contribution 

to the New Zealand 

recruitment industry as a whole. 

The award was made doubly 

special with Hamilton branch 

manager Andrew South also 

recognised as the New Zealand 

Recruitment Consultant of the 

Year. 

With a vision of ‘People 

Matter: Do Good’, the company’s 

ethos of caring for people 

is part of the secret to its success. 

For Agoge founder Andrew 

Nicol, winning the Large 

Recruiter award was recognition 

for the hard work of the 

team who go all out to care 

for people. “It goes to show 

you can be in business and do 

good,” Andrew said. 

Agoge is challenging the traditional 

model of a recruitment 

agency, by focusing on being a 

social business. 

“Historically the industry 

is renowned for a lack of care 

and feedback to jobseekers, and 

Agoge is challenging the industry 

to take a more candidate caring 

approach,” he said. 

Doing good in the wider 

The winning Agoge team. Photo: Seek Ltd 

community is an important 

focus. As a social business, 

Agoge’s partnership with Good 

Trust (founded by Nicol and 

James Grafas) recently helped 

bring water to more than 10,000 

people in Cambodia. Agoge’s 

initiative, one for one, sees that 

for every week worked by an 

onsite staff member, a person in 

Cambodia gets access to clean 

drinking water for one month. 

“In the third world, clean 

water changes everything. We 

are excited to partner with the 

Good Trust to provide so many 

people with a lifetime of clean 

water,” said Andrew Nicol. 

“Because we work with 

people in such a big way we 

are constantly challenging what 

we’re doing for our people and 

how we can do it better,” said 

Andrew South. 

“It’s such an incredible honour 

to be recognised. 

“This award speaks so much 

more of the incredible team I 

have around me and confirms 

that we are on the right track in 

the way we care and serve our 

candidates, clients and all those 

we have the privilege of working 

beside.” 

Agoge was founded by 

Hamilton entrepreneur Andrew 

Nicol in 2003. The organisation 

now has branches throughout 

the country, and is successfully 

competing with large multinational 

organisations. 

Use recruitment specialist to attract best talent 

By BY LUKE HORTON 

RECRUITMENT TEAM LEADER 

Recent figures released 

by Stats NZ reveal that 

New Zealand’s unemployment 

rate has fallen to 3.9 

percent, its lowest point since 

2008. This is good news; low 

unemployment is typically a 

positive economic indicator, 

and certainly all the usual 

reporting suggests that the 

country is enjoying a period 

of economic strength. Low 

unemployment means that 

the labour market is tight— 

very tight in some industries, 

sectors and regions. Here in 

Waikato, we’re among the top 

five locations enjoying significant 

employment growth. 

We were up 3.3 percent in 

the last quarter, which translates 

to 8400 more jobs. I’m 

sure we’re all glad that the 

NZ economy is booming, and 

business confidence is roaring 

along. The reality is that 

all this growth comes with its 

own set of challenges. Number 

One: it’s increasingly 

hard in Waikato to source 

great talent. It’s unfortunately 

the nature of the (labour 

market) beast, when everyone 

out there is looking to grow 

their workforce, competition 

grows fiercer. 

So, what’s a business to do? 

Advertising, sitting back and 

waiting for applications is not 

enough. It’s true that traditional 

methods still work, some of 

the time, for some of the candidates. 

However, to attract the 

very best talent, you need to 

grab their attention well before 

you advertise (communicate 

your employment brand) and 

be visible, where candidates 

work, rest and play (mobile). 

Once you’ve got candidates, 

it’s essential that you move 

fast; multiple offers are a reality 

in today’s world. I admit 

my bias fully, and believe that 

organisations should partner 

with a local recruitment specialist 

like Madison. We’ll 

take the time to truly understand 

your business and people 

needs, will make the process 

quicker and easier AND 

produce results you need, i.e. 

talented people to fill your 

vacancies. After all, we live 

and breathe recruitment. The 

challenges of a tight market 

are just the kind of problem 

solving we enjoy (most of the 

time!). If you’d like to chat all 

things Waikato-recruitment 

related, give me a call on 07 

8395660. For more opinions 

and articles, visit www.madison.co.nz/hamilton 

Experience a partnership with SEEK’s SARA winners... 

good business 

starts with 

good people... 

and we recruit the best 

07 839 5660 

madison.co.nz/hamilton



43 

HR MANAGEMENT 

AND RECRUITMENT 

Finding the right person for the role... 

BOOK YOUR 

SPOT IN OUR 

FEBRUARY 

ISSUE 

For more information 

contact the team today at 

info@nmmedia.co.nz 

or phone 07 838 1333


Positioning Excellence 

Contemplating 

Contemplating a 

career 

career 

change? 

change? 

At 

At 

Asset 

Asset 

Recruitment 

Recruitment 

we’re 

we’re 

experienced 

experienced 

in 

in 

helping 

helping 

you 

you 

identify 

identify 

your 

your 

strengths 

strengths 

and 

and 

providing 

providing 

guidance 

guidance 

when 

when 

exploring 

exploring 

your 

your 

next 

next 

career 

career 

move. 

move. 

For those of you contemplating new job or career change the down 

For those of you contemplating a new job or career change the down 

time over the Christmas and New Year period presents the perfect 

time over the Christmas and New Year period presents the perfect 

opportunity to reflect on your experience and think about which 

opportunity to reflect on your experience and think about which 

direction you might want to take in the future. 

direction you might want to take in the future. 

We work with you and our clients to ensure we find the best fit for 

We work with you and our clients to ensure we find the best fit for 

both parties. So, if you’re looking to make change, get in touch. 

both parties. So, if you’re looking to make a change, get in touch. 

Temporary Permanent Executive Industrial 

Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial 

07 839 3685 www.assetrec.co.nz 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Gearing up for one of the 

busiest job searching times 

of the year 

With the New Year 

With only the few New weeks Year 

away, only a the few recruitment 

scene 

weeks 

away, 

is 

the 

predictably 

recruitment 

scene 

slowing down in 

is 

the 

predictably 

build up 

to 

slowing 

the summer 

down 

break. 

in the build up 

to the 

If 

summer 

you haven’t 

break. 

already, 

now’s 

If you great 

haven’t 

time to 

already, 

start 

reviewing 

now’s a 

your 

great 

staffing 

time to 

options 

start 

for 

reviewing 

next 

your 

year, 

staffing 

writes 

options 

Judy 

Davison, 

for next 

Asset 

year, 

Recruitment’s 

writes Judy 

Executive 

Davison, Asset 

and 

Recruitment’s 

Permanent 

Recruitment 

Executive 

Specialist. 

and Permanent 

Recruitment 

As trend, 

Specialist. 

most businesses 

place 

As 

recruitment 

a trend, most 

on 

businesses 

hold from 

late 

place 

November 

recruitment 

until 

on hold 

schools 

from 

start 

late November 

back in the 

until 

New 

schools 

Year. 

This 

start 

time 

back 

offers 

in the 

the 

New 

perfect 

Year. 

opportunity 

This time offers 

to look 

the 

at 

perfect 

your 

staffing 

opportunity 

needs. 

to look at your 

staffing 

Of course, 

needs. 

an element of 

planning 

Of course, 

should 

an 

be 

element 

based on 

of 

staffing 

planning 

numbers, 

should be 

but 

based 

these 

on 

days, 

staffing 

there’s 

numbers, lot 

but 

more 

these 

at 

stake 

days, 

when 

there’s 

it comes 

a lot 

to 

more 

finding 

at 

the 

stake 

right 

when 

candidates 

it comes 

for 

to finding 

roles. 

Company 

the right candidates 

culture, work 

for roles. 

attitude, 

Company 

personal 

culture, 

values 

work 

and ethics, 

attitude, 

alongside 

personal 

their 

values 

skills 

and 

and 

ethics, 

alongside 

experience to ensure 

their skills 

they 

and 

are 

suitable 

experience 

for your 

to ensure 

requirements. 

they are 

suitable 

After 

for 

the 

your 

break, 

requirements. 

the job market 

After 

bounces 

the 

back 

break, 

with 

the 

enthusiasm. 

job market 

bounces 

Yes, companies 

back with 

are 

enthusiasm. 

Yes, 

hiring 

again, but 

companies 

it’s also time 

are hiring 

when 

we 

again, 

see 

but 

many 

it’s also 

qualified 

a time when 

and 

experienced 

we see many 

candidates 

qualified 

on 

and 

the 

job 

experienced 

market. 

candidates on the 

job 

In 

market. 

fact, during my two 

decades 

In fact, 

in Waikato’s 

during my 

recruitment 

two 

decades 

scene, 

in Waikato’s 

the return 

recruitment 

after 

the New 

scene, 

Year has 

the 

always 

return 

been 

after 

one 

the New 

of the 

Year 

busiest 

has 

job 

always 

searching 

been 

times 

one of 

of 

the 

the 

busiest 

year. 

job searching 

times of the year. 


Judy Davison 

Judy Davison 

The reason let me paint for those looking to make the 

The 

picture. 

reason 

The 

– 

kids 

let me 

are 

paint 

off career 

for those 

change, 

looking 

the New 

to make 

Year is 

a 

school, 

the picture. 

the sun 

The 

is shining, 

kids are 

and 

off 

an 

career 

opportune 

change, 

time 

the 

to 

New 

act. 

Year is 

Christmas 

school, the 

cheer 

sun is 

is 

shining, 

flowing. 

and an 

If 

opportune 

you’re looking 

time to 

to 

act. 

hire in 

Christmas 

Many of 

cheer 

us are 

is flowing. 

enjoying the 

If 

New 

you’re 

Year 

looking talk to 

to 

us. 

hire 

We 

in 

bit of 

Many 

R&R 

of 

and 

us are 

downtime 

enjoying 

and 

a 

don’t 

the New 

just 

Year 

look for 

– talk 

the right 

to us. 

skill 

We 

contemplating 

bit of R&R and 

our 

downtime 

goals 

and 

for set, 

don’t 

we 

just 

look 

look 

for 

for 

the 

the 

right 

right 

fit. 

skill 

Our 

next 

contemplating 

year. Maybe 

our new 

goals 

exercise 

for 

permanent 

set, we look 

recruitment 

for the right 

specialists 

fit. Our 

next 

regime, 

year. Maybe 

taking 

a 

up 

new exercise 

regime, 

new 

permanent 

can find 

recruitment 

permanent 

specialists 

staff of 

sport, learning 

taking new 

up 

language 

a new 

the calibre 

can find 

you’re 

permanent 

looking 

staff 

for 

of 

sport, 

for some 

learning 

it’s career 

a new 

goals. 

language 

across 

the calibre range 

you’re 

of industries. 

looking for 

– for 

After 

some period 

it’s career 

of reflection, 

goals. across a range of industries. 

it’s 

After time 

a period 

when decisions 

of reflection, 

are Judy Davison is an Executive 

made, 

it’s a time 

and 

when 

plans 

decisions 

finalised 

are 

and 

Judy 

Permanent 

Davison is an 

Recruitment 

Executive 

including 

made, and 

many 

plans 

returning 

finalised 

from 

– 

Specialist 

and Permanent 

at Asset 

Recruitment 

Recruitment, 

overseas 

including many 

for the 

returning 

Christmas 

from Specialist 

Waikato’s 

at Asset Recruitment, 

Waikato’s 

leading 

break 

overseas 

and deciding 

for the 

to 

Christmas 

stay put recruitment company for 

leading 

temporary, 

in 

break 

New 

and 

Zealand, 

deciding 

fresh 

to stay 

with 

put recruitment 

permanent, 

company 

executive 

for temporary, 

international 

in New Zealand, 

experience. 

fresh 

And 

with 

and industrial 

permanent, 

recruitment. 

executive 

international experience. And and industrial recruitment. 

Here at NEXTMOVE Recruitment 

we live and breathe recruitment – it’s 

what we love and why we work so 

hard to achieve the very best results. 

We are specialists in Administration, Office Support and Information Technology 

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We work around your needs not ours, offering full end-to-end recruitment or a 

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Temporary staff are a fantastic way to cover both expected and 

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We will work alongside you, meeting your recruitment requirements 

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For more information contact us today! 07 9811384 | info@nextmoverecruitment.co.nz | www.nextmoverecruitment.co.nz



45 

Do women bear the heavier load in 

collaborative work environments? 

By NIGEL MURPHY 

In collaborative projects, 

women may be more likely 

to take on additional work 

and experience burnout. 

Women are more likely to 

voluntarily assist colleagues, 

nurture new recruits, and take 

on jobs such as meeting preparation 

on behalf of the wider 

team, according to a study 

undertaken by the Harvard 

Business Review. Men are 

inclined to focus on achieving 

their own goals, while women 

work toward the aims of the 

team, with little in the way of 

recognition or compensation. 

This can result in women 

feeling overworked and at risk 

of burnout, which raises questions 

around whether it is necessary 

to look at the impact of 

collaborative work on specific 

individuals, both in the short 

term and going forward. It 

may be important for companies 

to cross-examine their 

own policies and practices. 

What affect does it have on 

the workplace and female 

colleagues? 

In the study, women were 

tending to end up with fuller 

loads and not actually getting 

what they needed to get done 

because they were trying to 

help everybody else at the 

same time. This can generate 

issues around the opportunity 

and desire for promotion. 

If women are experiencing 

burnout at their current level, 

they may be less inclined to 

go after a promotion or ask 

for remuneration increase on 

the basis their workload will 

get worse. It's possible this 

could impact conversations 

around too few women in 

high-level positions too. 

On a broader level, it 

affects the efficiency of team 

projects, could impact levels 

of sick leave, and may be part 

of a wider company culture. 

How should a company 

address the issue? 

Uneven workload and its 

associated issues is likely to 

be very specific to individual 

workplaces and more of 

a problem in organisations 

where collaborative working 

is the norm. Where people are 

working individually, these 

issues are less likely to come 

through. 

The task for management 

is to identify overload by 

being on the lookout for how 

projects are being divided 

and for colleagues who are 

working late or not hitting 

deadlines. It's also important 

that colleagues who feel they 

are overworked recognise the 

issue and learn to constructively 

address it. 

Organisations can also 

consider policy around working 

style. Working uninterrupted 

for an hour to 90 

minutes every day without 

monitoring chats, emails or 

phone calls so that everyone 

has time to deal with their 

own workload can be implemented 

at management level. 

It is also worthwhile looking 

at the pros and cons of different 

working styles when it 

comes to collaborative projects 

and looking at how performance 

is reviewed. 

Nigel Murphy 

Consultant, Hamilton 

P: +64 7 834 6580 M: +64 27 403 1242 

E: nigel.murphy@strategicpay.co.nz 

HELPING ORGANISATIONS 

SUCCEED THROUGH THE 

PERFORMANCE OF PEOPLE 

Strategic Pay is New Zealand’s largest 

source of remuneration knowledge 

We have a team of nationwide experts and solutions 

to suit every New Zealand Business. 

Contact Nigel today: 

Nigel.Murphy@strategicpay.co.nz 

07 834 6580 

027 403 1242 

As your local Consultant based 

in Hamilton, Nigel Murphy brings over 

10 years Human Resources experience 

in senior generalist and specialist roles gained 

in the Waikato and the UK. 

His experience includes: 

• job evaluation 

• pay structure design 

• reward management 

• directors’ fees advice 

• market benchmarking 

• incentive design 

• equal pay audits 

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

Auckland | Hamilton | Wellington | Christchurch | Dunedin 

StrategicPay


Seven quick to-dos 

you shouldn’t forget 

before Christmas 

As the weeks get hectic in the lead-up to 

Christmas, here is a quick hit list of online 

marketing items you shouldn’t forget. 

Check them off to keep your customers 

happy and help your business thrive. 

Firstly, jump into your 

Google My Business 

and update your open 

hours. Google regularly 

shows your open hours to 

anyone who searches for your 

business by name, and also to 

Google Maps users. So having 

your correct hours is important. 

If you run a retail store 

you might have special 

nights with increased hours 

in December. Or, like many 

other businesses, you might 

have a close-down period 

over the Christmas break. 

Either way, in your Google 

My Business settings edit the 

“Special hours” section under 

your regular hours. You can 

set the open hours for specific 

dates well in advance, so do 

them now rather than trying 

to remember it in the rush of 

things later in December. 

Next, if you’re planning a 

close-down period, let whoever 

is running your digital 

ads know what date you’d like 

your ads paused and what date 

they should resume. There is 

no point wasting money with 

people clicking on your ads if 

you’re not available to serve 

them. Just pause your campaigns 

while you’re closed, 

and then use that budget to 

increase the campaign spend 

in the second half of January 

or early February to give your 

business a great start to the 

year. 

Of course, if you’re selling 

products online or instore, you 

might choose to increase your 

spend during this period. Preplan 

your Christmas and New 

Year campaigns and get them 

scheduled in. 

Scheduling also works for 

your social media campaigns. 

Want to post some fun Christmas 

memes or a Happy New 

Year message to your online 

followers? Schedule the posts 

For your regular 

customers, it’s helpful 

to let them know your 

holiday hours and 

set expectations so 

they’re not having to 

guess. 

THE DIGITAL WORLD 

> BY JOSH MOORE 

Josh Moore is the managing director at digital marketing agency, 

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

in advance before you go on 

holiday. 

If you have opening hours 

listed on your website, make 

sure you update these to reflect 

any extra hours and also any 

close-down period you have. 

For your regular customers, 

it’s helpful to let them 

know your holiday hours and 

set expectations so they’re not 

having to guess. Will you have 

a skeleton crew available? Or 

no-one in the office at all? 

Or perhaps you’ve got a full 

team available right through. 

Whichever option suits your 

business, plan in your diary to 

have an email sent out to let 

your customers know. 

Finally, set autoreplies 

on email and messaging 

tools. Setting autoreplies on 

Office 365 or GSuite email 

accounts is easy – you can 

even set them up in advance 

and select which dates the 

autoreplies should begin and 

end. If your business receives 

regular messages via Facebook 

Messenger, then before 

you go on holiday be sure to 

set the autoreply or Messenger 

greeting to mention your 

close-down period. If you 

have a live-chat platform on 

your website that changes to 

“Leave us a message” when 

you’re not logged in, update 

this message before going on 

holiday to mention your closedown 

period too. 

With a little bit of pre-planning 

and scheduling you will 

hopefully be able to enjoy the 

Christmas season and holidays 

and come back recharged 

for a prosperous 2019. 

Violinist Luca Ciarla will play jazz at the festival. 

Katherine Mansfield plays 

part at Gardens Festival 

It will be a garden party to 

remember when the newly 

opened Mansfield Garden 

takes centre stage during next 

year’s Hamilton Gardens Arts 

Festival. 

The popular festival, which 

runs from February 20 to 

March 3, will include the wellknown 

one-woman show, The 

Case of Katherine Mansfield, 

by Cathy Downes. 

With two performances, 

the show is part of the 20th 

year of the outdoor festival, 

which continues to draw large 

and enthusiastic crowds to its 

eclectic mix of shows. 

The 10-day programme, 

featuring more than 50 acts, 

makes the most of the Hamilton 

Gardens setting. 

The 2019 year promises a 

return of festival favourites 

from the Family Fun Day to 

Opera at Twilight and the Sunset 

Symphony. 

Next year will also include 

headline act Deluxe Deluxe 

from Australian cabaret stars 

Strut & Fret, Scottish-based 

folk duo Jamie McClennan and 

Emily Smith, and Italian jazz 

violinist Luca Ciarla. 

The Pacific Crystal Palace 

will play host to comedy stars 

Pax Assadi, Melanie Bracewell, 

Wilson Dixon and 7 Days 

stalwart Ben Hurley. 

Literature will be represented 

with Nicky Pellegrino 

talking about her writing and 

Waikato journalists Denise 

Irvine and Venetia Sherson in 

conversation with Roni Albert 

discussing Stand By Me, a 

compelling history of Te Whakaruruhau: 

Waikato Women’s 

Refuge, among others. 

Tickets are on sale now at 

www.ticketek.co.nz. The Case 

of Katherine Mansfield performances 

are on Saturday, 

February 23 and Sunday, 

February 24 at 7.30pm. 

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

The spice of success 

for young inventor 

A Waikato secondary school student and 

serial entrepreneur who invented a kitchen 

spice rack took home top honours at the 

Waikato-King Country Lion Foundation 

Young Enterprise Scheme Awards in 

November. 

Spice Mate, founded by 

Matamata College student 

Patrick Roskam, was 

named Wintec Company of the 

Year at the awards, managed in 

the region by Smart Waikato 

Trust. 

Patrick is no stranger to 

entrepreneurial success – in 

2013, aged 11, he made national 

headlines when he launched his 

invention the Gudgeon Pro, a 

tool used to drill holes for gates, 

and he has since won multiple 

awards for entrepreneurship. 

Now in year 13, Patrick’s 

Spice Mate solution to a messy 

kitchen drawer caught the eye 

of awards judges as a “practical 

concept, which can be used in 

conjunction with popular global 

plastics brands”. 

Patrick will fly to Wellington 

for the YES National Finals 

on December 6. 

Other winners on the night 

were: 

• Stafford Industries runner-up 

- Think Bottle, Rototuna 

High School. 

• Te Wānanga o Aotearoa 

third place - Big Sis and Co, 

Waikato Diocesan School 

for Girls. 

• Foster Construction Innovation 

Award - Hurban Oasis, 

St Peter’s of Cambridge and 

Spice Mate, of Matamata 

College. 

• University of Waikato Leadership 

Award and CEO of 

the Year - Bianca Rayner, St 

Peter’s School Cambridge. 

• EMA Waikato Excellence 

in Financial Management - 

Spice Mate. 

• Waikato Business News 

Excellence in Communications 

- Big Sis n Co, Waikato 

Diocesan School for Girls. 

• Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

Sales and Marketing 

Award - Think Bottle, Rototuna 

High School. 

• Chamber of Commerce 

Commitment to Business 

Award - Jenna Beauty, Fairfield 

College. 

• Gallagher Sustainability 

Award - Think Bottle (Rototuna 

High School). 

More than 200 Year 12 

and 13 students participating 

in YES, managed by Smart 

Waikato Trust in the region, set 

up and operate their own businesses, 

creating, promoting, 

and selling a product or service, 

conducting market research, 

planning, budgeting, taking 

and managing risk and turning 

problems into challenges. 

YES helps students develop 

knowledge in operating a small 

business, team building, relationship 

management, meeting 

procedures, record keeping, 

the legal requirements for running 

a business, and the process 

of reporting company performance. 

Its value is far-reaching, 

providing students with skills to 

equip them for life after school. 

The YES experience also adds 

depth to a resume when seeking 

employment. 

All teams at the regional 

awards were standout performers 

in the YES competition 

throughout the year and pitched 

to a panel of judges. 

YES Waikato co-ordinator 

Levinia Paku, of Smart Waikato 

Trust, said she was impressed 

with the calibre of this year’s 

entries, ranging from food 

delivery services in schools to 

customised temporary tattoos 

and mobile babysitting services 

to sustainable products. 

“These awards are a reflection 

of the very talented young 

entrepreneurs we have here in 

Waikato. Teams are not only 

thinking outside the square to 

develop unique products, they 

are working hard to fulfil the 

requirements of running a successful 

business,” Levinia said. 

YES is sponsored in Waikato 

by Wintec, Te Wānanga o 

Aotearoa, the University of 

Waikato, Foster Construction, 

Waikato Chambers of Commerce, 

Cambridge Chamber 

of Commerce, EMA Waikato, 

Waikato Business News and 

Stafford Industries. 

3 

Wintec's Anne Morrison presents the Wintec Company of 

the Year Award to Patrick Roskam, of Matamata College. 

1 

4 

2 

5 

6 7 

8 

9 10 

1. Gallagher Sustainability Award - Think Bottle (Rototuna High School), presented by Philippa O’Connor. 2. Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Commitment to Business Award - 

Jenna Beauty, Fairfield College, presented by Phil MacKay. 3. Foster Construction Innovation Award – Patrick Roskam, Spice Mate, Matamata College, presented by Natania Katene 

(YES Trust) on behalf of Foster Construction. 4. Foster Construction Innovation Award - Hurban Oasis, St Peter’s of Cambridge and University of Waikato Leadership Award and CEO 

of the Year Bianca Rayner, St Peter’s of Cambridge. 5. EMA Waikato Excellence in Financial Management - Spice Mate, presented by Jack Ninnes. 6. Te Wānanga o Aotearoa Third 

Place - Big Sis and Co, Waikato Diocesan School for Girls, presented by Mahia Gilbert. 7. Waikato Business News Excellence in Communications - Big Sis n Co, Waikato Diocesan 

School for Girls, presented by Sarah Morton-Johnson on behalf of Waikato Business News. 8. Stafford Industries Runner Up - Think Bottle, Rototuna High School, presented by 

Kaleb James (Stafford Industries). 9. Waikato Chamber of Commerce Sales and Marketing Award - Think Bottle, Rototuna High School, presented by Karen Zhang. 

10. Roger Evans (Stafford Industries), Mike Burgess (EMA), Colin Kennedy (Head of YES Trust), Jack Ninnes (EMA) and Grant Robson (BNZ).


CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES 

Sophisteacated Launch 

for New BMW X5 

The highly anticipated BMW X5 was 

launched last month at an exclusive event 

hosted by Coombes Johnston BMW at 

Zealong Tea Estate on Wednesday 14th 

November. 

Against the stunning 

backdrop of New Zealand’s 

only commercial 

tea estate, a large freestanding 

X marked the spot where 

Coombes Johnston BMW 

More than: 

$1,000,000.00 

OF 

BUSINESS 

GENERATED FROM 

THE 2018 EVENT 

DON’T MISS OUT! 

officially unveiled the all-new 

vehicle, before approximately 

100 clients. 

The invited guests were 

then given the opportunity to 

get up close with the BMW X5, 

of which there were a number 

on show both inside Zealong’s 

multipurpose function facility, 

The Vista, and on the expansive 

grassed courtyard outside. 

For the first time in a BMW, 

an xOffroad package allows 

the luxury vehicle to handle 

adverse conditions with greater 

ease than ever before, the system 

being demonstrated by the 

Coombes Johnston team in the 

estate’s on-site carpark. 

While event attendees 

enjoyed canapés, mingled, and 

6 MARCH 2019 

BAYPARK ARENA, TAURANGA 

WHERE BUSINESS GETS DONE! 

got a closer look at the new 

features of the BMW X5, they 

also had the chance to sample 

some of the award-winning tea 

grown just outside the venue, 

learning the art of appreciation 

of the world’s most consumed 

beverage (after water). 

Zealong’s event manager 

Anish Singh said that it was 

exciting to be involved in the 

launch of the prestigious vehicle. 

“It was great to host an 

event that made creative use of 

the spaces Zealong offers too, 

with cars parked both indoors 

and out, an unveiling there, a 

demonstration here – that flexibility 

is really what our function 

facilities were designed 

for.” 

This is not the first time 

Zealong and BMW have partnered 

– in 2015, BMW Japan 

chose New Zealand-grown tea 

in favour of Japanese tea as a 

gift for those who test drove 

their exclusive BMW Fashionista 

model. 

To enquire about holding 

your next event at Zealong Tea 

Estate, contact Anish Singh at 

events@zealong.co.nz or 07 

854 0988 *215. 

Organisers 

Sponsors 

Supporting Partners

CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES 


49 

WELCOME 

TO THE LOOKOUT 

Modern, relaxed, spacious... 

Perched on the outskirts of Te Rapa, 

the Lookout is the perfect spot to enjoy a 

relaxed meal or toast a special occasion. 

HAPPY HOUR 

Our Happy Hour is everyday from 

4-6pm. Come on in and enjoy $7 tap 

beer and $6 house wine. 

LIVE MUSIC 

Chill out to our in-house musicians 

Joe McNamara, Simon Hirst and 

Roy Chou-Lee. Every Thur-Sun early 

evening (times vary) 

BOOK YOUR 

FUNCTION WITH US 

Ask us about our private function 

space ‘the terrace,’ perfect for all 

occasions big or small 

LOCATION: 60 Church Road, 

Pukete, Hamilton 3200 

CALL: (07) 974 5540 

EMAIL: info@thelookoutbar.co.nz 

HOURS: Mon-Sun 11am - late*


TRT in for the 

long haul with Hiab 

A new agreement has seen Tidd Ross 

Todd Ltd become Hiab’s new partner in 

New Zealand, handling the full range of 

Hiab equipment and services. 

Hiab is the world's leading 

provider of on-road 

load handling equipment, 

intelligent services and 

digitally connected solutions. 

TRT has a comprehensive, 

nationwide sales and service 

network in New Zealand and 

will be the sole distributors for 

Hiab cranes, Zepro tail lifts, 

Multilift demountables and 

skiploaders, Jonsered log cranes 

and recycling cranes, and Mof- 

fett truck-mounted forklifts. 

A key part of the delivery 

will be stocking genuine aftermarket 

parts and supporting 

nationwide fitting agents and 

service outlets. 

TRT has been a leader in the 

crane and manufacturing sector 

for more than 50 years, with 

four business divisions – cranes, 

manufacturing (including 

heavy transport trailers), truck 

and trailer parts and service. 

The new arrangement supports 

Hiab’s goal of expanding 

its market in New Zealand. 

“TRT has an experienced 

team with the internal systems 

and structures in place 

to manage all aspects of our 

distribution and maintenance,” 

said Steve Coonan, Hiab head 

of sales and service SEA and 

importer markets. 

“This partnership will give 

NZ businesses access to specialist 

advice, equipment and 

maintenance all from one company 

at multiple locations,” Mr 

Coonan said. 

TRT engineering director 

Robert Carden will be leading 

the integration. “We are committed 

to a seamless, focused 

TRT and Hiab 

teams collaborate. 

service for Hiab customers,” he 

said. 

TRT chief operations officer 

Lawrence Baker said the 

partnership would build on the 

company’s growth and aligned 

perfectly with its business 

strategy. 

A Hiab installation for Q Transport. 

New managing director appointed 

at Hamilton-based engineering firm 

Managing director Gerard 

O’Connor has a long history 

with PDV Consultants. 

Long-time engineering 

manager Gerard O’Connor 

has been named as 

the new managing director of 

leading Hamilton-based global 

process and chemical engineering 

firm PDV Consultants. 

As PDV’s former engineering 

manager for the 

Asia-Pacific region, Gerard has 

successfully designed and managed 

large-scale client projects 

in New Zealand, Indonesia, 

the USA, the UK, Australia 

and China over the past two 

decades. 

“I’m very excited and honoured,” 

said Gerard, who has 

been with the firm for almost 

22 years. “PDV has been my 

life for more than two decades 

and I feel very privileged to be 

now leading the company.” 

PDV Consultants is a global 

expert in food processing technologies 

and systems design, 

headquartered in Hamilton, 

New Zealand, with an office 

in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 

Many of its projects for global 

food manufacturers involve 

spray dryer and evaporation 

technology. 

The company was founded 

28 years by David and Anne 

Platts, with David standing 

down as managing director at 

the end of November. 

“I’m really pleased that 

Gerard will be taking on the 

role,” said Platts. “He is very 

experienced and knows our 

business well. Under his leadership 

it’ll be business-as-usual.” 

Since opening in 1990, PDV 

has grown from two to 25 staff 

– including 21 in the firm’s 

Alexandra Street headquarters 

and four international staff 

based in Ireland. 

Gerard is a chartered chemical 

and materials engineer and 

has also previously worked in 

the United Kingdom for Novartis 

and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals 

after starting his career at Naclo 

NZ. He qualified from Auckland 

University and is originally 

from Waikato where he 

was raised on a dairy farm. 

He has been a shareholder 

director in PDV alongside 

David, Anne and engineering 

managers Steve Lowe (engineering 

manager – design and 

drafting) and Rodney Lucas 

(engineering manager of 

Europe). 

In addition, the leadership 

team has been strengthened 

by the appointment of Lynn 

Waters, former group financial 

controller at Livingstone 

Building, who has been named 

PDV’s new business manager. 

Her daughter Grace Waters 

works at PDV as an engineer. 

“It’s nice to have that family 

connection, and given PDV 

Consultants has been a family 

business for 28 years, we welcome 

that,” Gerard said. 

51-57 Alexandra Street. Hamilton, New Zealand 

email: parts@ebbett.co.nz 

Ph 07 839 4832 

www.ebbett.co.nz


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Foster Group Directors - Ross Pacey & Leonard Gardner 

“We have a new office space. And it’s yours too!” 

The Foster Group proudly welcomes you to their 

new custom-built office premises on Arthur 

Porter Drive in Te Rapa, home to the Foster 

Develop, Foster Construction, Foster Maintain 

and Foster Engineering teams. 

This is the fourth property occupied by Fosters 

in the 45 years that we’ve been in business, 

this one being integral to serving our purpose 

of building ‘great communities through strong 

foundations’. 

“Our legacy is more than just physical structures” 

explains Foster directors - Ross and Leonard. 

“The Foster Group takes great pleasure in 

supporting thriving businesses, activities and 

communities and we work with that end in mind. 

“The Foster office is no exception. It’s been 

carefully planned as a space for people to enjoy 

and for business to grow.” 

Designed as one big open plan environment, 

it brings together our shared experience and 

resources, ensuring our customers get the best 

service; not just from one part of our business 

but from the entire Foster Group. 

There’s also been a significant investment in 

technology to provide better communication and 

information. 

The building includes the Foster room which is 

available for local businesses to use as an offsite 

meeting room. The room seats ten people, 

and is equipped with a wireless display screen 

for presentations, and combined with the café 

space and coffee machine; creates a great 

meeting space. 

“We are delighted with the new offices and 

very grateful to the consultants, subcontractors, 

suppliers, Hamilton City Council and our own 

construction team for delivering an outstanding 

result” continues Leonard. 

“We love being a part of the Waikato and this 

investment is testament to our commitment to 

continuing to deliver high quality commercial 

property services for many years to come. 

“We welcome you to visit Fosters and share this 

amazing space. Anytime.” 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

Waikato Business News November/December 2018

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