BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 2019

Bay of plenty 

DECEMBER 2019 VOLUME 3: ISSUE 12 WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/BOPBUSINESSNEWS 

EASTPACK WINS BIG 

The EastPack team celebrates its top award, 

while Wave co-founder Glenn Dougal accepts 

the corporate sponsorship accolade. (below) 

Kiwifruit company takes out coveted 

Tauranga business award 

Major New Zealand post-harvest operator 

EastPack had a productive night at the recent 

Westpac Tauranga Business Awards 2019. 

By DAVID PORTER 

The company picked up 

four awards in total, including 

the ACC Workplace Health 

and Safety award, the Business 

Innovation award, the 

Manufacturing and Distribution 

award, and the supreme 

award of Tauranga Business of 

the Year 2019. 

Delighted chief executive 

Hamish Simson said each of 

the awards would have been a 

great achievement in its own 

right. “But we were delighted 

and humbled to be recognised 

across so many categories and 

to get the big prize at the end of 

the night,” he said. 

The Corporate Leadership 

award went to RoboticsPlus, 

a smart hi-tech company 

founded by Steve Saunders, 

with robotics expert Dr Alistair 

Scarfe. The company emerged 

from the need to solve the 

growing challenges in the 

global primary industries such 

as: labour shortages, sustainability 

for growers, pollination 

gaps and yield security. 

And the Corporate Sponsorship 

Award this year was 

won by WAVE Creative Communications 

Agency because 

of the company’s strong ethic 

for giving back. While not a 

big company, right from initial 

employment, staff are encouraged 

to give back through 

their time and expertise. The 

owners strongly support the 

philosophy, said WAVE director 

Glenn Dougal (pictured 

right), in accepting the award. 

(Our Awards coverage continues 

on pages 3 to 14.) 

All Photos supplied by Salina Galvan Photography. 

Forestry 

First step on China 

tariffs welcomed. 

P17 

kiwifruit 

Global returns strong, 

says Zespri. 

P26 

engineering 

Kirk Roberts’ 

regional expansion. 

P30

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THE Winners 

WESTPAC TAURANGA 

BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 

Matt Cowley, chief executive of the Tauranga Chamber of 

Commerce, introducing this year’s Westpac Tauranga Awards. 

AWARDS 

WINNERS 

Westpac Tauranga Business of the Year 

2019 

Corporate Leadership 

Corporate Sponsorship 

Manufacturing &/or Distribution 

Tourism & Hospitality 

Service Excellence 

WINNER: EastPack Ltd 

FINALISTS: 

Lysaght Consultants Ltd 

Tika Interiors 

WINNER: RoboticsPlus 

WINNER: Wave Agency 

FINALISTS: 

Trustpower 


FINALISTS: 

Bake Shack 

Archway Group 

WINNER: Good Local Pyes Pa 

FINALISTS: 

Manaaki Tours 

Eagle Ridge 

WINNER: Liz van Welie Aquatics 

Sustainable Business 

Retail Excellence 

Social Enterprise 

Emerging Business 

Business Innovation 

WINNER: The Kollective 

HGIHLY COMMENDED: 

Why Waste 

WINNER: Fashion Island 

FINALISTS: 

Bake Shack 

WINNER: Acorn Foundation 

HIGHLY COMMENDED: 

Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard 

FINALITS: 

House of Science NZ 

WINNER: Collab Digital 

FINALISTS: 

Liv Light 

The Babysitters Club 


Customer Experience Award 


LL Wedding & Event Hire 

FINALISTS: 

The Babysitters Club Ltd 

Bureta Physiotherapy 

The Relocatable House Company 

WINNER: Bake Shack 


LL WEDDING & EVENT HIRE 

Digital & Technology Innovation 

ACC Workplace 

FINALISTS: 

House of Science NZ 



WINNER: Proppy 

FINALISTS: 

EastPack Ltd 


WINNER: Eastpack Ltd 

FINALISTS: 

Eagle Ridge 

The Relocatable House Company 

FINALISTS: 


Tika Interiors 

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• Full design, manufacture, installation 

for awnings, blinds, canopies, shade 

structures 

• Strong client base 


Mike Chote 027 555 1176 


Relocatable Import Business 

$320,000 

Successful Franchise Service 

$540,000 

Concrete Grinding Business 

$280,000 

Tauranga 

• Environmentally friendly products 

• Long history of offshore suppliers 

• 2 part-time working owners made 

$124,075 

• Relocated anywhere in NZ 


Grant Jacobson 0274 540 432 

grant.jacobson@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty 

• NZ operation covers 17 regions 

• Over 250 franchisees on the ground 

• Turnover exceeds $3 million annually 

• $190,000 p.a. or more for a working 

couple 


Peter Redward 0274 920 453 

peter.redward@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Tauranga 

• $300K cash surplus for the 2019 year 

• Full onsite training provided 

• Strong workload going forward 

• Existing client base covering commercial, 

residential builders, councils etc. 


Mike Chote 027 555 1176 


Rural Delivery Run 

Western Bay of Plenty 

• Operating for over 18 years 

• Current owners provide a six-day service 

to approximately 1100+ delivery points 

• 3 vehicle operation 

• Turnover of $220,000 last financial year 


Grant Jacobson 0274 540 432 

grant.jacobson@linkbusiness.co.nz 

$ 299,000 Quality Specialised Products $895,000 A Cafe That Keeps It Simple $210,000 

Bay of Plenty 

• Supplies products throughout NZ 

• Range of quality products made to order 

• Extensive and diverse range of 

customers 

• Well trained and experienced staff 


Steve Catley 021 341 117 

steve.catley@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Thames-Coromandel 

• Fantastic location - loved by locals 

• Uses an average of 19kgs per week 

• Solid lease in place 

• Great outdoor area - prefect for summer! 


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CONTACT 

INFORMATION 

Bay of plenty 

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Email: alan@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

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Bay of Plenty Business News has 

a circulation of 8000, distributed 

throughout Bay of Plenty between 

Waihi and Opotiki including 

Rotorua and Taupo, and to a 

subscription base. 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications 

210/424 Maunganui Road, 

Mount Maunganui, 3116 

Bay of Plenty Business 

Publications specialises in 

business publishing, advertising, 

design and print media services. 

From the editor 

This year’s cover story 

reports on the long-running 

major business 

event of the year - the Westpac 

Tauranga Business Awards. In 

2019 the overall award went to 

leading New Zealand post-harvest 

kiwifruit company East- 

Pack. 

The company picked up 

four awards in total, including 

the ACC Workplace Health 

and Safety award, the Business 

Innovation award, the Manufacturing 

and Distribution 

award, as well as the supreme 

award of Tauranga Business of 

the Year 2019. 

Delighted chief executive 

Hamish Simson said the company 

was humbled to be recognised 

across so many categories 

and to get the big prize at 

the end of the night. 

The awards were as always 

packed, with a total of `15 

awards, plus the supreme prize. 

It was great to see the Tauranga 

business community in such 

good spirits, with innovation 

and technology a major theme 

of this year’s awards. 

Kiwifruit export marketer 

Zespri is forecasting strong 

returns from a record harvest 

from its European growers. 

These growers – around 750 

families - play a key role in 

Zespri’s global supply strategy, 

which allows it to supply premium 

Zespri Kiwifruit for 12 

months of the year. 

Zespri is expecting to harvest 

around 19 million trays or 

almost 70 tonnes of kiwifruit 

from orchards throughout Italy, 

France and Greece, said chief 

international production officer 

Sheila McCann-Morrison. 

Kiwifruit grown outside 

of New Zealand is currently 

around 10 percent of all the fruit 

sold internationally by Zespri, 

but that will increase significantly 

along with demand. 

Zespri has around 3,100 ha in 

the ground in Europe, set to 

grow to around 5,000 ha over 

the next five years. 

And in its October forecast, 

Zespri chairman Bruce Cameron 

has advised New Zealand 

growers that forecast returns 

have increased for all pools on 

both a per tray and per ha basis 

for the 2019/20 season. 

Meanwhile, engineering 

firm Kirk Roberts Consulting is 

providing greater job opportunities 

for the industry, with the 

recent opening of a new office 

in Hamilton. One of New Zea- 

David Porter 

land’s largest privately owned 

and operated engineering companies, 

Kirk Roberts prides 

itself on providing progressive 

and innovative engineering and 

project management solutions, 

as well as software and capital 

management services. 

“The new location enables 

us to add more job options to 

a growing industry, as well as 

retain the skills and experience 

of our existing staff who were 

looking for new challenges or 

wanted to move to be closer to 

family,” said regional manager 

for Bay of Plenty and Waikato 

Craig Manssen. 

The new office will see the 

employment of an engineer, a 

structural technician and a fulltime 

administrator. Structural 

engineers will also relocate 

from Kirk Roberts’ Tauranga 

office, creating more opportunities 

for recruitment in the Bay 

of Plenty city.

- 

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS December 2019 

Kiwifruit company takes out coveted Tauranga 

business award 

From page 1 

Matt Cowley, chief executive of the 

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, the 

longtime organiser of the Westpac 

Tauranga Business Awards, said this year 

saw increased numbers of entrants. 

There was a very high 

standard, making the 

selection of winners and 

finalists a very challenging 

prospect for the judges, but one 

that bodes well for business in 

the Bay, he said. 

And again this year there 

was a strong focus on technology, 

particularly in the kiwifruit 

sector, which appeared to 

be innovating constantly and 

becoming world leading in 

technology. 

Clare Basire, area commercial 

manager for main sponsor 

Westpac, said the awards had 

always been about taking time 

out to acknowledge business 

excellence. 

“Westpac are extremely 

proud to be associated with an 

event that recognises outstanding 

business achievement, both 

here in Tauranga, and across 

New Zealand. 

“This is about recognising 

the smartest, strongest and 

most sustainable businesses in 

the community,” she told the 

capacity crowd at the Trustpower 

Baypark. 

“Congratulations to the 

2019 Westpac Tauranga Business 

Awards winners – we’re 

sure this is a stepping stone to 

even greater business success.” 

Head Judge Andrew Hitchfield, 

speaking on behalf of 

the judges, said: “With a high 

number of extremely strong 

entrants, it is challenging to 

select the winner, but a challenge 

the judges really enjoy. 

“Going into people’s business 

across the bay and seeing 

the way they are conducting 

business is very rewarding. 

There was a higher quality of 

innovation showcased in various 

forms, some making business 

easier to do, others with 

new and interesting products, 

services and business models. 

Another aspect was the 

younger business people doing 

business differently, and standing 

out with their passion and 

ambition.” 

The strength of the Awards 

rests upon the high calibre of 

judges who all put in hours 

of time and expertise to visit 

each entrant. Their feedback 

on their assessment is regarded 

as one of the strong benefits to 

entering the awards. 

EastPack’s winning ways 

This year’s overall win for 

EastPack came as the company 

moves closer to its goal 

of increasing fruit volumes to 

more than 50 million trays in 

the next five years. It is n track, 

having doubled throughput 

from 19 million trays in 2012 

to 41 million trays in 2018. 

EastPack has also celebrated 

a number of industry 

firsts in recent years including 

the opening of the industry’s 

first fully automated lights-out 

coolstore in May. EastPack is 

focused on building people, 

plant and process capability 

RoboticsPlus, winners of the Corporate Leadership Award, 

with (below) EastPack celebrating another of the four 

awards they picked up on the night. 

5 

to maintain performance and 

employee engagement during 

rapid industry growth. 

“EastPack is proud to be 

part of this business community 

and with our people, culture 

and enthusiasm for our 

industry, we will help keep this 

region a great place to live and 

work,” said chief executive 

Hamish Simson. 

Continued on page 8 

Bay of Plenty. 

-

WESTPAC TAURANGA BUSINESS AWARDS 2019 


7 

WAVE puts back into the community 

Leading Bay of Plenty agency WAVE 

Creative Communications Agency was 

recognised for its commitment to the 

community with the Corporate Sponsorship 

Award at the awards. 

WAVE said the Air 

New Zealand-sponsored 

award was a 

testament to the hard work, 

creativity and dedication of its 

team to both WAVE and the 

wider community. 

“For a number of years our 

team has been committed to 

maintaining a community-focused 

culture and staying on 

purpose ‘to inspire change 

through the power of creativity’, 

within the business 

and the Bay of Plenty region” 

said WAVE director Glenn 

Dougal. 

WAVE was established in 

Mount Maunganui 25 years 

ago and has been pushing 

the creative boundaries ever 

since. 

Brendan Herring, creative 

strategist and director, said 

that WAVE was focused on 

using its expertise and knowledge 

to build the creative 

reputation of the wider Bay 

of Plenty, through both clients 

and the local groups and 

organisations it supported, 

facilitated and sponsored. 

“This, in turn, enables 

WAVE to build its own creative 

reputation,” said Herring. 

“We’re passionate about 

sharing our experience and 

creativity in marketing, advertising 

and design with local 

organisations to help the community 

grow and thrive.” 

On average, each WAVE 

staff member spends two 

weeks each year giving back to 

the community. This involves 

anything from serving in governance 

roles to developing 

students at Toi-Ohomai and 

Waikato University. 

We believe the biggest impact we can make 

is through the gifting of time and knowledge 

to help foster a better community and a 

business-friendly environment.” 

- Glenn Dougal 

“We believe the biggest 

impact we can make is 

through the gifting of time 

and knowledge to help foster a 

better community and a business-friendly 

environment,” 

said Dougal, who chaired the 

Tauranga Arts Festival Trust 

for 10 years ,and assisted in 

raising more than $5 million 

in funding, grants and ticket 

sales for the Festival. WAVE 

is also an ongoing sponsor. 

Other organisations WAVE 

has supported include the Tauranga 

Chamber of Commerce, 

Tarnished Frocks and Divas, 

CIB charity lunch, Business 

Women’s Conference and 

the design of a charity rugby 

jersey for a Homes of Hope 

Charity event. 

The agency has also been 

active in sitting on the NZQA 

advisory, sponsoring awards 

and mentoring students at 

Toi-Ohomai Institute of Technology, 

as well as hosting 

interns from the NZ School of 

Radio. 

The creative team provides 

design thinking coaching 

expertise to Groundswell Festival 

of Innovation, and facilitates 

design thinking meetups. 

WAVE founded MoPed 

(Marketing Professionals 

Bay Of Plenty) and sponsors 

numerous other community 

initiatives and activities. 

“By connecting to our 

wider community we each 

find our place in the world and 

create impact beyond what 

we’re paid to do,” said Dougal. 

“This leads to more satisfying 

work and life and a happier, 

more engaged team. We 

are blessed to live in a great 

community and have great 

Glenn Dougal accepts the Corporate 

Sponsorship Award on behalf of WAVE. 

companies that surround us.” 

The Westpac Awards also 

acknowledged two of WAVE’s 

clients - EastPack picked up 

four awards including Tauranga 

Business of the Year, 

and Trustpower was a finalist 

for the Corporate Sponsorship 

award. 

WAVE25373 

Creativity helps 

We’re always looking for ways to share how creative thinking can grow people, 

businesses and communities so everyone wins. 

2019 CORPORATE 

SPONSORSHIP AWARD 

WINNER 

Cheers Air New Zealand, Westpac and Tauranga Chamber of Commerce.





From page 3 

“I would like to thank our 

team for their passion and hard 

work that has enabled us all to 

get EastPack to where we are 

today. This is a celebration of 

how far we have come in the 

last few years, and gives us 

confidence that we have the 

team, culture and ability to 

make the exciting future ahead 

of us a great success.” 

All the judges for EastPack 

were really impressed with the 

overall way the company does 

business, how they had amalgamated 

with fellow packhouse 

company Satara, and 

that they knew they needed 

to make huge changes within 

their business. They did so by 

using all the innovation they 

could to make them business 

leaders in their field, the judges 

said. 

EastPack’s journey to 

change their health and safety 

culture over the last few years 

was also something the judges 

could not look past. 

“They did not demonstrate 

mere compliance, but that they 

are a leader within their industry. 

Of the many things they 

have implemented it includes 

some technology solutions 

to eliminate people and forklift 

interaction risk by use of 

stacking robot and an automated 

storage and retrieval 

warehouse system, improved 

forklift training and assessment 

process and investigating 

new areas of risk that has not 

previously been considered 

such as conducting research 

into the combustibility of gold 

kiwifruit dust.” 

The company had also made 

significant reductions in discomfort 

pain and injury (DPI) 

to their workers by having a 

dedicated FTE over their peak 

season to work on this industry 

wide issue, and improving 

awareness amongst staff with 

training, two hourly worker 

checks and decals and signage 

throughout with DPI messages 

in multiple languages. 

“This, however, could not 

be achieved if they had not 

worked with all levels of the 

business, giving them the 

training and confidence to be 

empowered to make and be 


Emerging Business Award winners Collab Digital. 

Bay of plenty 

Bay of Plenty Business News 

congratulates all category winners, 

finalists and entrants in the 2019 

Westpac Tauranga Business Awards. 

Congratulations 

to all the winners 

and participants in 

the 2019 Westpac 

Tauranga Business 

Awards! 

We look forward to seeing you 

again next year. 

Proud sponsors of the 

Digital Innovation and Technology Award

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Kale Print Building - new signage. 

Commitment to new technology 

underpins Kale Print’s family strengths 

Kale Print, the Bay of Plenty’s leading 

printer, is a family run business, led by 

generations of printers with a passion for 

everything print. They are supported by a 

team of 40-plus highly skilled and equally 

as passionate individuals who each bring 

their own unique skill-set and expertise to 

this award winning company. 

Peter Lloyd, General 

Manager for Kale Print, 

joined the team in 2018 

with more than 25 years of 

Print Industry experience in 

Sales and Marketing and a 

clear vision to grow the business. 

“I’ve found a renewed passion 

for the industry and its 

people,” he says. 

“At Kale Print we have 

some of the most knowledgeable 

and passionate people in 

the industry throughout every 

stage of the process which 

offers a genuine added-value 

service to our clients. It’s 

been a busy 12 months, with 

press installations, new brand 

launch, environmental accreditations 

and the development 

of new products and services 

for our clients. Our team has 

embraced the change, and it’s 

an exciting time to be in print.” 

What continues to drive 

Kale Print’s success as a market 

leader in the print industry 

is the company’s ability to 

invest in new technology with 

a view to the future. 

“Our offering has changed 

significantly from providing 

just stationery and marketing 

print to also offering signage, 

window and vehicle graphics, 

point of sale, merchandise, 

packaging and labelling.” 

“We are continually looking 

to the future to predict 

emerging trends and evolving 

client expectations. With every 

acquisition of new technology 

Peter Lloyd - 

General manager 

there is an underlying desire 

to create a better experience 

for the customer. Whether it be 

more economical, faster turnaround, 

more streamlined processes, 

more services in one 

place,” says Peter. 

The latest technological 

advances in print has also heralded 

the arrival of New Zealand’s 

first RMGT 920 ST-4 

LED UV printing press. Now 

home to Kale Print, this technology 

allows a greater value 

service, from price and quality 

to turn-around times and efficiencies. 

“We are always looking 

for ways to invest back in the 

New Zealand’s first 

RMGT 920 ST-4 LED 

UV printing press 

business in order to meet the 

ever-changing demands of the 

market.” 

Managing Director, Stephen 

Kale says: “With our 

existing A2 HUV press, we 

were already accustomed to 

the improved plant performance 

from instant drying, so 

the upgrade of our A1 press 

was the perfect complement to 

our existing A3 and A2 offset 

capabilities.” 

Brent Kale, Production 

Manager at Kale Print, says 

that, “with the adaptation of 

UV print technology, there is 

no longer a need for anti set 

off spray powder in the manufacturing 

process, and clients 

are loving the vibrant colour 

of their finished projects and 

improved lead times. 

“The LED instant drying is 

such a game-changer for the 

industry, as jobs come straight 

off the press and can be finished 

immediately. No more 

down time waiting for ink to 

dry or marking issues. We are 

now well-equipped to meet the 

future demands of the creative 

industry and deliver high value 

products. Another feature of 

the RMGT is its capabilities 

of printing on packaging board 

and synthetics with ease, an 

already growing market for 

us.” 

Peter Lloyd adds: “The 

RMGT purchase completes 

our commitment to offering 

a full end to end solution for 

traditional offset printed products 

and services for clients 

both locally and nationally. 

Having large scale manufacturing 

capabilities, as well as 

being an independent family 

business, has meant we have 

become the first choice in 

Generations of print - Stephen, Brent and Gavin Kale. 

Our offering has changed significantly 

from providing just stationery and 

marketing print to also offering signage, 

window and vehicle graphics, point 

of sale, merchandise, packaging and 

labelling.” 

filling the gap for many other 

printers as well.” 

Some of the other added 

benefits from adopting this new 

technology are, much lower 

power consumption, lower heat 

emissions, and less paper set 

up. This helps to strengthen 

Kale Print’s environmental 

offering which has seen them 

become the only FSC accredited 

printer in the Bay of Plenty, 

yet another growing trend seeing 

many corporates opting for 

more sustainable practises, and 

choosing Kale Print as their 

preferred print partner to help 

them achieve this. 

It’s a very busy time of 

growth for Kale Print, which 

bodes well for Bay of Plenty 

business in general, with business 

confidence high, print is 

certainly not dead.



11 

Tourism & Hospitality Award winners Good Local Pyes Pa. 



From page 8 

involved in health and safety 

decisions.” 

The Corporate sponsorship 

Award this year was won by 

WAVE Creative Communications 

Agency, which demonstrated 

a very strong ethic for 

giving back. (see story on 

page 7). 

Innovators RoboticsPlus 

pany is focused on developing 

Mechanisation, Automation, 

Robotics and Sensor (MARS) 

technologies for horticulture 

and other primary industries. 

RoboticsPlus employs 

a modern technological 

approach to automation using 

advanced computer based 

design, embedded control 

systems and modern manufacturing 

processes that have 

enabled them to develop several 

world first technologies 

and deliver efficient solutions 

across a range of engineering 

disciplines. 

Other winners included: 

Social Enterprise Award . 

The category, won by the 

Acorn Foundation, recognises 

management excellence in 

“not-for-profit” organisations 

and those outside of the private 

sector. Acorn Foundation is 

well established and has been 

offering far-reaching support 

services throughout their local 

community in the Western Bay 

of Plenty region since 2003. 

Judges said its structure 

enabled the foundation to be 

effective and efficient in distributing 

a significant amount 

of funds, entrusted to Acorn by 

donors, to help a wide range of 

suitable charity organisations. 

Through its unique business 

model, Acorn Foundation 

has created a number of innovative 

giving programmes to 

attract donations that they, in 

turn, distribute to those most in 

need, or to nominated organisations 

as directed by donors. 

Acorn has systems in place 

to ensure that money donated 

is spent appropriately by the 

recipient charity and they even 

train recipients in budget planning 

if required. 

Due to the foundation’s 

high level of engagement 

within their community, it is 

able to gather valuable information 

and use this to help 

influence debates in the political 

arena. They objectively 

offer a variety of positive 

suggestions for solutions to 

a range of problems, caused 

by poverty for example, that 

The business recognised for 

their Corporate Leadership 

this year was RoboticsPlus. 

The company emerged from 

the need to solve the growing 

challenges in the global primary 

industries such as: labour 

shortages, sustainability for 

growers, pollination gaps and 

yield security. 

Robotics Plus Ltd was 

established by Steve Saunders 

and robotics expert Dr Alistair 

Scarfe, and is led by chief 

executive Matt Glen. The comaffect 

the Tauranga community 

directly, such as “Housing the 

Homeless”. 

Through its website, Acorn 

is also effective in promoting 

a number of charity organisations 

to the local market, such 

as Women’s Refuge, making 

to the winners, finalists and all nominees 

Drake was a proud sponsor of the Customer Experience Award 

at the recent Westpac Tauranga Business Awards. We are committed to 

providing outstanding service, and specialise in Recruitment and HR 

Solutions to drive the productivity and performance of your business. 

CALL US TODAY ON 0800 854 714 

them a truly worthy recipient 

of the Social Enterprise award. 


Service Excellence Award winners Liz van Welie Aquatics. 

0800 854 714 3/87 The Strand, Tauranga 3110 tauranga@nz.drakeintl.com



Kiwifruit company 

takes out coveted 

Tauranga business 

award 

From page 11 

was also very supportive to 

local charities like the Western 

Bay Disability Support Trust 

and gave up their time and 

expertise for free. 

Emerging Business 

Winner of the Emerging Business 

Award Collab is a modern, 

fast-moving, social media 

marketing company that also 

specialises in high quality videography 

and photography, the 

judges said. 

The judges were impressed 

by the acceleration of their 

financial growth over the last 

3 years tripling their turnover. 

Unlike many early-stage 

companies the company had 

already established who they 

are in the market, point of difference 

and already had a large 

number of repeat customers. 

“The team is young and 

driven by the steadfast vision 

and focus of the owner Brent 

Ireland. Collab also provides 

social media training and 

has had held over 40 training 

events hosting 6200 attendees 

to date.” 

Within its content lab, 

Colab had a strategic team that 

worked very closely with the 

customer to create pinpoint 

messaging to the right audience 

through the right digital 

channel, judges said. The team 

Tourism and Hospitality 

While Good Local Pyes Pa 

took out this award last year, 

the judges were impressed 

with the continued improvement 

made in the business over 

the past 12 months. 

One of Tauranga’s top Bar 

and restaurants according to 

Trip Advisor, and finalists last 

year in the Hospitality New 

Zealand Awards, Goodlocal 

has in a short amount of time 

well and truly put “themselves 

out there as a front-runner in 

Tauranga’s competitive gastro 

scene, judges said. 

“The ethos of ‘love your 

customer’ runs through the life 

blood of this business. With 

experienced operators Mark 

and Melissa at the helm and 

strong staff involvement their 

business performance is solid, 

well-executed and entrenched 

in local market initiatives, 

which sets this business apart. 

“In a highly saturated 

industry it can be difficult to 

stand out from your peers, so 

Good Local Pyes Pa can be 

very proud of their positioning 

in the marketplace.” 

Social Enterprise Award winners Acorn Foundation, and (below) 

the representative of the Tauranga Volunteer Coastguard, which 

picked up a Highly Commended mention in the category. 

Thanks to our donors, 

Acorn has distributed 

over $1.15 million 

this year to our 

community! 

Make your positive 

change in an awardwinning 

environment 

Our new campus building in the heart of Tauranga recently won three awards 

including Best Urban Design at the 2019 Bay of Plenty Property People 

Awards. Now we are looking to support and further celebrate the region 

through our sponsorship of the Westpac Business Excellence Awards. 

During our first year in operation, students from around the region and 

New Zealand have been working to make a positive change across a range 

of fields, gaining inspiration from the state-of-the-art surroundings and 

leading academics. 

If you’re looking to make a positive change next year, come and join us at our 

award-winning campus. 

Join us in building a 

charitable foundation for 

our community’s future 

07 579 9839 acornfoundation.org.nz 

KINGST_888_BBN_AW 

waikato.ac.nz/tauranga



13 

Close collaborators from The Kollective, winners of the Sustainable 

Business Award (top) and Why Waste (bottom), which was Highly Commended.

Pete Wales (left) and David Porter (right) from Bay of Plenty Business News, sponsor of the Retail Excellence 

Award, won by Fashion Island, represented by centre manager Roz Irwin, and Brett Williams, Comac Retail 

Property Group. Bake Shack was Highly Commended in the category, and also won the Customer Experience 

Award. This was Bay of Plenty Business News’ third year sponsoring at the awards. 

The Four Square man brought a bounce to the 

evening, while MC Peter Williams was a lively 

guide to the awards. 

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15 

proppy.co.nz, possibly the next “UBER” 

in Real Estate 

Proppy.co.nz has just won the Digital and 

Technology Innovation Award seeing off 

stiff competition at the recent Westpac 

Tauranga Business Awards 2019. 

Local Te Puna couple Tyson and Hannah 

Walker are thrilled with the win. 

Hannah has worldwide 

experience in start-ups 

and a strong sales & marketing 

background and Tyson 

was a former Westpac accountant 

and banker. The combined 

co-founders make a formidable 

team and have managed to put 

the entire real estate process 

online through their safe and 

secure online platform called 

Proppy! 

With it being rumoured 

to be the next “uber” in Real 

estate the business is now in its 

fourth year of trading and they 

have been achieving impressive 

results. In Tauranga, 2 of their 

“Local Proppy Experts” are in 

the top 15 agents out of 348. 

With impressive digital & 

technology innovation Proppy 

allows you to list your property 

online, sign the listing agreement 

online, host an online auction, 

negotiate online and complete 

a tender using Proppy’s 

digital lockbox. As an additional 

bonus to the smart platform 

each sale is also assigned a 

qualified real estate salesperson 

to help maximise the sale price 

and help with negotiations. 

To date Proppy has saved 

clients in excess of approx. $1.5 

million in commissions and 

their company growth metrics 

for 2018-2019 support this: 

• 192% year on year income 

growth 

• 274% year on year listings 

growth 

• 289% year on year sales 

growth 

When asked who their customers 

are Walker said that 

their main seller demographic 

seems to be in the 55+ age 

group where they are downsizing 

and every dollar counts 

for them. Our low commission 

rate of 1.5% + GST & top sale 

prices appeals to this market 

and the buyers love our technology 

and being able to submit 

offers online. 

Proppy prides themselves on 

being transparent and because 

they are online the speed of the 

real estate transaction is fast. 

They have had customers sign 

sale and purchase agreements 

while watching their kids swim, 

while relaxing on holiday overseas 

and of course from the 

comfort of their own home. 

Moving from a paper-based 

environment to online, sounds 

easy but it’s not. Hours of 

development have been put 

into the platform and the whole 

process has been expertly finetuned 

over the past three years 

with new features being added 

and developed. 

The aim was to take the 

stress out of the whole process 

of buying and selling and 

bring more transparency to the 

market. Proppy – the smarter 

way of buying and selling real 

estate. www.proppy.co.nz 

Winners of the 2019 Westpac Tauranga Business 

- Digital and Technology Innovation Award 

Changing the real real estate 

estate 

industry for good 

• Smart • technology 

• Local • experts and great results 

• • Low Low 1.5% commission * 

Call us for a free appraisal - 0800 776 779 

Excludes GST, T&C’s Apply 

VAUNT NZ LTD, LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT (REAA2008) 

* 



VAUNT NZ LTD, LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT (REAA2008) 

VAUNT NZ LTD, LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT (REAA2008)


Holland Beckett’s Rotorua office welcomes 

Senior Taupo Commercial and Property 

Lawyer to the team 

Holland Beckett Law, the Bay of Plenty’s leading law firm, recently 

welcomed Senior Practitioner Terry Kirkham to the Rotorua office. 

With 26 years’ experience, 

Kirkham 

offers his expertise 

in land and commercial law to 

Rotorua locals, as well as clients 

in the Taupo region, where 

he has been practicing law for 

the past 10 years. 

We’re excited to have 

Terry on board, he not 

only brings a wealth 

of experience to the 

organisation but a 

wonderful work ethic 

and drive to deliver top 

level service for our 

clients.” 

“Holland Beckett Law 

has grown very rapidly over 

the past decade and with the 

growth has retained its high 

profile and reputation. Growth 

doesn’t happen without happy 

clients and engaged staff and 

so I’m delighted to be part of 

the Holland Beckett journey,” 

says Kirkham. 

Working from Holland 

Beckett’s Rotorua office, and 

Taupo, where he lives with his 

wife, Kirkham will continue to 

do what he does best - deliver 

a high level of service across 

land and commercial law. 

“I want to solve problems 

and give my clients the best 

outcomes. I look forward to 

establishing relationships 

within the Rotorua community 

and continuing the service I 

have offered my Taupo clients. 

“My Taupo clients still 

have access to me and now 

also have the ability to tap 

into the specialist services that 

Holland Beckett offers - from 

family protection, civil litigation 

and employment law to 

resource management,” says 

Kirkham. “This gives residents 

and local businesses in Taupo 

much more choice.” 

Kirkham assumed the role 

in October following the retirement 

of Peter Lewis as Partner 

at the Rotorua office in June. 

“We’re excited to have 

Terry on board, he not only 

brings a wealth of experience 

to the organisation but a wonderful 

work ethic and drive to 

deliver top level service for 

our clients,” says Simon Collett, 

partner at Holland Beckett 

Law Rotorua. 

His commercial practice 

includes leasing, business 

start-ups, commercial contracts 

and asset ownership 

structures, and he also acts for 

Iwi-owned entities and farming 

clients. 

In his spare time, Kirkham 

can be found enjoying a few 

laps of the pool or taking to the 

lakes for swimming competitions 

as well as volunteering 

at cycling and Ironman events. 

Terry Kirkham - Special Counsel 

TAURANGA | ROTORUA | WHAKATANE | OPOTIKI 

Terry Kirkman – Special Counsel T 021 027 15450 E terry.kirkham@hobec.co.nz W www.hobec.co.nz 

International pedigree, 

local knowledge 

We may have gained our legal experience at practices 

around the globe but the Bay of Plenty is our home. 

The best legal minds on your doorstep. 

WAVE25358 

hobec.co.nz


17 

Forestry industry welcomes 

China tariff reductions as a ‘first step’ 

While only a first step, the recently 

announced reductions in tariffs on wood 

and paper products to China has been 

welcomed by the local forestry industry. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

The announcement China 

will eliminate tariffs on 

12 additional wood and 

paper exports worth $36 million 

is viewed as a step in the 

right direction. But is only the 

first in a process also requiring 

subsidies on Chinese domestic 

processors to be lifted. 

At this stage, the reduction 

is estimated to save about $2 

million in tariff costs across 15 

export product lines. 

A large portion of trees 

harvested in Bay of Plenty 

are exported as whole logs, 

accounting for about 60 percent 

of the Port of Tauranga 

tonnage. Since 2010, the log 

harvest in Bay of Plenty has 

increased by about 2.5 million 

cubic metres a year and continues 

to largely be exported as 

logs to China. 

Year on year to the end of 

September, export values of 

logs to China were up nine percent, 

and contributed to total 

log exports growing two percent 

across all markets. India is 

New Zealand’s second-largest 

market, up four percent year 

on year. 

The log trade recently 

underwent a major slump in 

values, losing three years’ of 

value gains in only one week, 

before making some recovery 

to the top 85th percentile for 

the past five years. 

But the slump highlighted 

New Zealand’s vulnerability. It 

is reliant upon logs, and faces 

strong competition from countries 

in northern Europe and 

Russia also vying for the Chinese 

export log trade. And they 

have proximity in their favour. 

“It is a very welcome 

step, but there is a 

lot more to be done 

yet around subsidies 

to wood processors 

in China and other 

countries.” 

- Brian Stanley 

Get 2020 off 

Logs dominate forest exports: Tariff reduction on other wood products a welcome move. Photo/Supplied. 

Book now to 

business and 

Get 2020 off to a Smart S 

Forestry and wood processing 

are the second-largest 

employment source in Rotorua 

after tourism, contributing 

to 15 percent of the region’s 

economy 

The wider Bay of Plenty 

region is set to provide the 

largest single regional supply 

of uncommitted forest harvest 

for the next 25 years and represents 

40 percent of the country’s 

plantation harvest area. 

Likely beneficiaries 

Brian Stanley, chair of the 

Wood Processors and Manufacturers 

Association, said the 

biggest beneficiary of the tariff 

reduction would probably be 

the Kinleith mill at Tokoroa, 

with its pulp and packaging 

products. The Tasman mill at 

Kawerau would also gain some 

benefit from the tariff reduction 

to its pulp product. 

Both mills are owned by 

Japanese company Oji Fibre 

Solutions. 

“The reductions apply 

mainly to cardboard and packaging 

products, rather than 

processed wood products,” 

said Stanley. 

“It is a very welcome step, 

but there is a lot more to be 

done yet around subsidies to 

wood processors in China and 

other countries.” 

Forest Owners Association 

president Peter Weir said overall 

the change in tariffs would 

largely impact on processed 

timber and paper products, 

rather than on logs. 

These were already set at 

zero tariff in the original Free 

Trade Agreement, and remain 

fine, he said. 

David Rhodes, FOA chief 

executive, said the sector’s 

$509 million a year in processed 

timber sales to China 

could ultimately prove to 

be a lot more, were it not for 

residual tariffs that discourage 

exporters of processed timber. 

“Two of our next two major 

export markets, Australia and 

Japan are dominated by further 

processed exports. Paper and 

paperboard for Australia, and 

wood panels for Japan,” said 

Rhodes. 

It would be some time 

before China became a similar 

market, but the Chinese 

government had at least given 

it had no issue with processors 

in New Zealand expanding 

their exports to China, adding 

another 12 categories to the 

48 already under reduction 

through the original 2008 Free 

Trade Agreement. 

Rhodes said the industry 

would like to see tariffs taken 

off the final one percent of the 

export trade. 

“But I am sure the momentum 

is in that direction, it is 

only a matter of time before all 

the tariffs are gone.” 

Rhodes said he was confident 

more processing in New 

Zealand would create more 

jobs and give processors more 

confidence they have market 

Book now to showcase y 

a clear signal to New Zealand access with fewer tariffs. 

LEADERSHIP 

SMARTER 

business 

BUSINESS EVENT 

and learn from 

202020, off getting to a Bay Smart wide Start. ONE 

KEY NOTE SPEAKER 

The inaugural Smarter Busi- 

ss and learn from the best. 

now 

start in 

to 

the 

showcase 

New Year 

your 

LEADERSHIP 

DIRECTORSHIP 

ness Event 2020 to be held 

& GOVERNANCE 

IP 

Y NOTE SPEAKER 

ig Hudson 

naging Director 

w Zealand & 

ific Islands, Xero 

businesses off to a smart 


Smarter Business Event 

GUEST SPEAKER 

The National Business Network – Smarter Business Event 2020 

will bring together hundreds of businesses Kirsten from Patterson corporates to 

SME’s in one location for one day across Chief all business Executive, categories 

Institute of Directors 

attracting business owners, decision makers, managers and staff. 

The purpose of the event is to bring Bay of Plenty wide businesses 

together annually at one location for a day to hear from leaders 

and well-respected business people to network, make contacts, 

Craig Hudson 

Managing Director 

New Zealand & 

Pacific Islands, Xero 

in Tauranga on 18th March, 

2020 is getting off to a fast start 

with great support from the business 

community looking to showcase 

their businesses and learn 

from business leaders and experts 

on how to run their business 

smarter in 2020. 

Three great speakers, all 

respected, well know businesspeople 

in their field will be talking 

about effective Leadership, Directorship 

and Governance, Social 

Media and Content Marketing 

designed to help business owners 

and decision makers with making 

smarter business decisions. 

The event is designed to provide 

every business that attends with a 

return on their investment at a very 

competitive price by bringing Bay 

of Plenty wide businesses together 

at one location for a day to hear 

Location: QEYC, Cnr Devonport Craig Road Hudson 

and Eleventh Avenue, Tauranga. Managing Director 

New Zealand & 

DIRECTORSHIP 

from leaders and well-respected Pacific + Islands, GST per Xero business which includes 

business people to network, make admission for 2 people from that 

contacts, 

& 

build 

GOVERNANCE 

new relationships, business and a 1m x 1m trade table. 

find new business partners, contractors, 

For more information and to book 

suppliers and clients to do online visit www.businessnetwork. 

business. 

co.nz or contact Pete Wales, 022 495 

Being a ticketed only event, 9248, The National Business Network. 

spaces are limited. Pricing is $349 

Get 2020 off to a Smart Start. 

ONE 


The National Business Network – Smarter GUEST Business SPEAKER Event 2020 

will bring together hundreds of businesses Kirsten from Patterson corporates to 

SME’s in one location for one day across Chief all Executive, business categories 

attracting business owners, decision makers, Institute managers of Directors and staff. 




build new relationships, find new business partners, contractors, 

suppliers and clients to do business. 

Format 

DAY 

ONLY! 

SOCIAL MEDIA/ 

CONTENT MARKETING 

The event is designed to provide every business that attends with 

a return on their investment by offering fantastic value at a very 

competitive price. This is a ticketed only event with all businesses 

B2B ticketed only event. 

GUEST SPEAKER 

attending being paid attendees. 

PULL 

Brent Ireland 

Each business gets a 1m x 1m table with entry 

UP 

Director, Collab Digital BANNER 

for 2 people from that business. 

Please bring a pull up banner, business cards 

and other collateral to promote your business. 

203525AA 

F 

B 

E 

f 

P 

a 

L 

PQ 

C 

Y


Fashion + Art + Technology 

- couture adventures 

ARTS AND CULTURE 

> BY ALICE HUTCHISON 

Alice Hutchison is the director of the Tauranga Art Gallery. 

She can be reached on director@artgallery.org.nz. 

The World of WearableArt draws an audience of more than 

50,000 to Wellington each year. There is a consistent appetite for 

avant-garde, creative and unique expressions in wearable design, 

to adorn the body. They can be seen on the streets of Melbourne, 

Tokyo and New York, and are collected by avid aficionados of 

great couture. 

Local couturier Shona 

Tawhiao presented an 

installation of her dramatic 

wearable artworks at the 

Tauranga Art Gallery five years 

ago and has shown her work at 

the Metropolitan Museum of 

Art in New York. I am looking 

forward to working with her in 

the near future. 

I visited Melbourne 

recently for the opening of Jess 

Johnson and Simon Ward’s 

Terminus at Heide Museum of 

Modern Art, expanded upon 

the wondrous virtual world we 

developed for the exhibition in 

Tauranga. The current exhibition 

in Heide features couture 

from Johnson’s elaborate and 

1 

spectacular collaboration in 

2016 with Australian fashion 

label Romance Was Born, on 

the label’s Spring - Summer 

collection “Mysteria Wisteria”. 

“Her hypnotic tessellations 

and daunting perspectives 

were translated into textiles, 

fusing fantasy and popular 

culture, ancient and futuristic 

elements from Johnson’s intricate 

drawings.” (from Heide 

Museum of Modern Art’s 

exhibition wall texts) 

The lavishly beaded and 

sequined gowns, where Gilgamesh 

reappears alongside 

videogame Platform Masters, 

are imagined by the designers 

for the ultimate wearer 

or avatar as, “the ultimate 

gamer descending from an 

ancient bloodline of teleports 

or space-jumpers…you’ll discover 

enlightenment travelling 

to infinite parallel Universes 

and distant kingdoms.” 

Also opening recently 

in Melbourne, is Collecting 

Comme at the National Gallery 

of Victoria (NGV). A 

landmark exhibition surveying 

ground-breaking Japanese 

designer Rei Kawakubo (born 

Japan 1942) who has led a 

revolution in fashion design, 

creating a whole new aesthetic 

of deconstruction and conceptual 

dressing, gender neutral / 

genderless style and creating 

a passionate international following 

for five decades. 

After 50 years 

in fashion, Rei 

Kawakubo remains 

one of the most 

radical and visionary 

designers working 

today.” - National 

Gallery of Victoria 

exhibition wall text 

Kawakubo’s conceptual 

approach to design was radical 

when she launched her 

line Comme des Garçons. 

After 50 years in fashion, 

Rei Kawakubo remains 

one of the most radical and 

visionary designers working 

today, interested in the 

idea of breaking ‘the idea of 

clothes’ with increasingly 

abstract and inventive forms. 

Rei Kawakubo established 

Comme des Garçons in 1969 

and began showing in Tokyo 

in 1975. 

She debuted in Paris in 

1981 and the following year 

presented one of her legendary 

collections, Holes, shocking 

audiences with oversized and 

intentionally distressed black 

garments. Some critics called 

the look apocalyptic, while 

others admired Kawakubo’s 

inventiveness. 

Intricate construction and 

deconstruction, often non-uniform 

- and the use of monochrome 

- created a huge shift 

in the style of the 70s and early 

80s. Consistently defying convention, 

she has redefined 

fashion. 

Challenging social constraints, 

her designs have subverted 

the norms of garment 

shape and function, reframed 

ideas of beauty, and proposed 

a new relationship between 

body and dress. In her endeavour 

to make clothes that, as she 

says, “did not exist before”. 

Kawakubo deconstructs clothing 

and creates it afresh. 

Collecting Comme examines 

the radical concepts and 

design methods that have 

informed Kawakubo’s practice 

since 1981. 

More than 65 examples 

are on display drawn from 

the NGV’s significant holdings 

of designs by Comme 

des Garçons, gifted by collector 

Takamasa Takahashi with 

additional loans from the collector’s 

archive. 

2 

The expansive display features 

projected runway video 

footage from major collections 

within multiple galleries. 

While the exhibition is not a 

retrospective, and I am told the 

designer does not wish to see 

her older work, it is a shame 

not to see some of her greatest 

pieces on view. 

As a teenager I made my 

very first major investment in 

a Comme couture jacket - the 

most exquisite geometric cut 

construction in the back, purchased 

on my first trip to Sydney, 

which I have always treasured. 

It has stood the test of 

time - I even wore it in a recent 

photo shoot. 

1) Tauranga-born artist Jess Johnson’s couture 

collaboration with Australian designers Romance Was 

Born, currently on view at Heide Museum of Modern Art, 

Melbourne. Photo/Supplied. 

2) Couture from a landmark exhibition surveying groundbreaking 

Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo the National 

Gallery of Victoria. Photo/Supplied. 

2degrees appoints new Chief Business Officer 

2degrees has appointed industry expert Andrew Fairgray to the 

role of Chief Business Officer, on its senior leadership team. 

An industry veteran, 

Andrew was the former 

head of corporate and 

government sales at Vodafone, 

leading that company through 

a period of growth. 

2degrees’ CEO Mark Aue 

said that Andrew was appointed 

to the role as he brings a unique 

combination of skills, especially 

having been a business owner 

himself: 

“Andrew is hugely passionate 

about helping businesses 

succeed, and the role technology 

plays in that. It’s a real coup to 

have him on our team. 2degrees 

has been a full-service provider 

in business and government 

since 2015, and the opportunity 

to accelerate our growth in this 

area is significant. There’s no 

reason we shouldn’t be as successful 

in business as we’ve 

shown we can be in consumer,” 

said Mark. 

Andrew says the role is one 

that he’s had his eye on for a 

while. “It’s great to be joining 

2degrees in its 10th year, and 

at a time when the brand is so 

strong, and increasingly relevant 

to Kiwi business owners. 

2degrees has a history of driving 

the market with pricing, 

innovation and customer experience 

- a proud legacy we will 

continue” said Andrew. 

He has held a range of executive 

roles in New Zealand 

and overseas with multi-national 

operators such as Alcatel 

Lucent, Nokia and IBM. 

Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business Officer

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Minimise the risk 

For many people buying a business is likely to be the riskiest 

thing they do in their life. There can be great rewards (not all just 

financial), but also a good deal of stress. 

BETTER BUSINESS BUYING 

> BY TOM BESWICK 

Director at Ingham Mora Chartered Accountants in Tauranga, is a 

business advisor who specialises in buying and selling businesses. 

He can be contacted on 027-5744- 019 or tom@inghammora.co.nz 

Risk can be minimised 

by getting great advice 

when you buy the business. 

It is usually cheaper to 

pay to not have a problem in 

the first place, then to have to 

pay to fix it. 

Following on from my last 

article, here are a few more 

questions I get asked quite 

often. 

I want to buy the 

business off my boss but 

can’t afford the whole 

price. Are there any 

options? 

There are many businesses sold 

that you’ll never hear about - 

sometimes this is because they 

are bought by staff. There are 

lots of ways to structure a deal 

like this that help the employee 

into ownership while the vendor 

still benefits from owning 

shares for a few more years as 

they ease out. 

This can be a great option 

for some vendors as they can 

earn over a longer period. 

From a business perspective 

there is a benefit to the new 

owner as the transition is 

smoother than what normally 

happens with an abrupt sale to 

an outside buyer. 

One problem this sometimes 

helps to overcome is the 

lack of capital. Many “young” 

people don’t have access to 

the zeros in their bank account 

required to buy a business - 

partly because they haven’t 

been on the right side of house 

price inflation. 

How do I take over the 

business name if you are 

telling me not to buy the 

company? 

What happens is that at settlement 

the old company changes 

its name – Tauranga Trades Ltd 

becomes Ben Smith Ltd. Then 

you come along and register 

your new company as Tauranga 

Trades Ltd. 

That way you get to keep all 

the brand recognition (goodwill) 

that you have paid for - 

without taking on the skeletons 

in the closet (as if you buy the 

company shares you inherit all 

the company history). 

I am buying a business 

off someone I know well 

(friend or family etc) – do I 

still need to get separate 

advice? 

Yes, yes you do. People often 

take short cuts when buying 

from someone they know. 

Sometimes there can be pressure 

and assumptions are made 

that would never happen with 

an external buyer. Remember 

that the vendor’s advisors will 

generally act in the best interest 

of the person who pays their 

bill - so they cannot be fully 

independent. 

You need your own advisor 

who can help you manage 

your risks and will go into bat 

for you when you need them 

to without a conflict of interest 

from acting for both sides. 

Will there be a glut of 

businesses for sale when 

baby boomers retire? 

A lot of people are saying there 

will be. However, they have 

been saying it for a while and I 

have not noticed it yet. 

We do see some clients who 

hold on too long, and then they 

sell in a rush when they wake 

up one day and want to get out. 

As a buyer though, I still recommend 

jumping in if you find 

a good business that you are 

passionate about and think you 

can add value to. Good quality 

businesses will always sell, 

and I personally don’t think 

there will be a glut of those. 

What there could be, is a 

lot of unsellable businesses 

that hit the market. Unfortunately 

there are a number of 

businesses out there that are 

dependent on the owners and 

fall over once the original 

owners are no longer involved. 

Can I set up my own 

company? 

Yes you can, and it seems easy 

to do online. However, it is not 

unusual for us to spend longer 

fixing things from companies 

that we didn’t setup than the 

“savings” someone thinks they 

are getting. 

A few things to consider 

at the company set-up stage 

include who the directors 

should be, the number of 

shares in the company and 

who gets them. 

There are more things to 

consider then ticking the boxes 

online with the Companies 

Office would indicate. 

As an example, considering 

what personal assets you have 

and how you are protecting 

them from the risks you have 

as a business owner is not 

something people handle well 

on their own. 

Generally, it’s best to get 

a professional to do it - it’s 

cheaper in the long run than 

having to pay someone to fix 

mistakes. 

Asking great questions can 

save a lot of grief. 

I suggest finding advisors 

who can help a business buyer 

ask all the right questions from 

the beginning. 

Driving efficiencies through 

business defined technology 

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21 

The festive business 

For all businesses, Christmas is a time for careful planning as 

work rosters need to be juggled, sufficient stock (and the right 

stock) needs to be carried to ensure you have a good Christmas 

turnover, and staff Christmas functions need organising - 

so cash flow remains king. 

MONEY MATTERS 

> BY STEPHEN GRAHAM 

Stephen Graham is a Director and Managing Partner at BDO 

Rotorua, Chartered Accountants and Advisers. To find out more 

visit bdorotorua.co.nz or email rotorua@bdo.co.nz 

The earlier you start to 

plan, the better prepared 

you will be. 

Following are some of the 

key elements you should be 

looking at. Break each point 

down and put your mind to 

each one individually. You will 

gain satisfaction from ticking 

each one off. What you should 

be considering: 

• Work rosters - Ensure you 

have sufficient staff to carry 

you through your busy 

days, hours or weeks. Take 

care when working around 

statutory holidays and seek 

advice if you are unsure of 

your obligations when paying 

holidays. 

• Stock levels. Are you carrying 

sufficient levels of 

the right stock to support a 

good Christmas turnover? 

Any stock that has been 

sitting on the shelves for a 

long period will continue to 

do so if you don’t discount 

for a sale or send it back 

to the supplier for a credit 

- after all stock is simply 

cash waiting to get to your 

bank and carrying excess 

impacts your cashflow. 

Arranging to send unsold 

items back to the supplier 

if it does not sell is a good 

backstop. 

• Lay-by - Do you offer a 

lay-by option? This could 

be a useful tool to achieve 

an early sale for those 

organised individuals who 

do their Christmas shopping 

early. 

Also consider whether you 

can get longer payment 

terms from your supplier; 

ensuring you do not create a 

cash crisis post-Christmas, 

when business may not be 

so busy. 

• Cash is king. Get paid up 

front or offer a lay-by service. 

Chase slow paying 

debtors and if you don’t get 

paid by Christmas, be prepared 

to wait for a further 

month or two in the New 

Year. Also be wary that 

pressure is put on cashflow 

by some suppliers shortening 

their credit terms, e.g. 

seven days and holiday pay 

needing to be paid out. 

• Banking - Ensure you’re in 

regular contact with your 

bank manager. They’re 

more likely to respond 

positively to any requests 

for financing or extra facilities 

to support cashflow if 

they’re informed early on. 

• Tax - Don’t forget that GST 

and the second instalment 

of 2020 provisional tax 

are due on January 15 for 

March balance date taxpayers. 

The PAYE for December 

is then due soon after 

on January 20. I reiterate, 

that like Christmas shopping, 

the earlier you start on 

these things, the easier it is 

and the better the outcome. 

Admittedly, this may be 

easier said than done, so if 

you need help, get in touch 

with your bank, accountant 

or suppliers now and start 

planning. 

University of Waikato creating the ‘workforce 

of the future’ with new MBA programme 

The University of Waikato 

is launching New Zealand’s 

first-ever cross 

disciplined approach to a Master 

of Business Administration 

(MBA) programme in March 

2020. 

While traditionally MBA’s 

are taught in a linear fashion, 

based on individual disciplines 

such as marketing, strategy, 

accounting and economics, the 

University has identified a need 

to evolve their current offering 

to better meet the ‘workforce of 

the future’. 

The result is a revised MBA 

programme which will create 

experienced, confident graduates 

who have the skills and 

knowledge to help shape the 

future of business in New Zealand. 

“Globally, a number of universities 

are exploring how they 

can make their MBA’s more 

relevant to the business market 

of today,” explains Academic 

Director of Executive Education 

Dr Heather Connolly. 

“Our new MBA structure 

will help managers and leaders 

solve problems that they 

are faced with every day in 

the real world. For example, 

one of the papers explores how 

we can better manage people’s 

productivity – not just by looking 

at human resources, but 

the effect of an organisation’s 

structure and the impact of digital 

technology for better ways 

of working.” 

We want to create 

graduates who have 

insight and curiosity, 

to develop valuesled, 

innovative ideas 

for the advancement 

of all New Zealand 

businesses. 

Heather says this exciting 

new programme is highly 

responsive to external conditions, 

with course content 

being regularly reviewed and 

refreshed. 

“It’s important we have the 

ability to be agile and that our 

graduates are the same. If we 

don’t understand the workforce 

of tomorrow we can’t 

instigate change for better 

business. 

“We want to create graduates 

who have insight and 

curiosity, to develop values-led, 

innovative ideas for 

the advancement of all New 

Zealand businesses.” 

Designed to fit around students’ 

full-time work, the twoyear 

degree is offered across 

the University’s Tauranga and 

Hamilton campuses, and is 

structured to allow for better 

networking and collaboration 

across both locations. 

As well as being increasingly 

tailored for real-world 

conditions the programme is 

also highly personalised to 

ensure students understand 

how to put their theory into 

practice, for both their own 

work environment and also 

other businesses. 

One of the highlights of the 

programme is a two-day residency, 

held after the first four 

papers, where students are 

assigned a business challenge 

and have 24 hours to develop a 

comprehensive solution. 

Heather says, “the ability 

to put into practice their learnings, 

outside of their industry, 

is challenging if they have 

only ever worked in one particular 

business sector, but 

through this experience we 

will create comprehensive 

graduates who have skills to 

move into any business – here 

and internationally.” 

The 2020 intake for the 

University of Waikato’s progressive 

MBA begins in March 

at our brand new Tauranga 

campus. For more information, 

visit execed.ac.nz/mba


The changing face of the work space 

Remember the 1980s’ hit New Zealand television show Gliding 

On? If you were to watch a re-run, you’d be hard pressed to 

relate to the office setting that the programme portrayed. 

From cigarette smoking at 

desks, to wearing ties and 

knitted vests, working 

with unwieldy computer monitors 

and rotary dial phones, 

to watching the clock for an 

on-the-dot sign-out at 5pm - 

it’s all from a bygone era. The 

office arena today is a completely 

different beast. 

Today, flexi-time or remote 

working options may have 

replaced the rigidly-monitored 

clocking-in process, entire 

workplace precincts are designated 

no-smoking zones, 

dress codes are generally fairly 

relaxed and technology has 

gone flat screen and wearable. 

Changing business models, 

more flexible physical work 

spaces and the power of a 

millennial work force have all 

been disruptors in the office 

sector - and there are more 

changes ahead. 

New York-headquartered 

Fit Small Business, a leading 

digital resource for small 

business owners, has identified 

some trends for the office 

sector that may have relevance 

for the New Zealand market as 

it adapts to changing expectations 

from people right across 

the organisational flow chart. 

• Forget the “female” and 

“male” signs on bathroom 

doors. They will be 

replaced with gender-neutral 

imagery/words reflec- 

tive of changing societal 

attitudes to gender assignation. 

Non-binary bathroom 

amenities will be a visible 

nod to more inclusive practices 

across the business 

environment. 

• Animals will have a place 

in offices and this may go 

beyond emotional support 

animals. Studies have 

shown that having dogs in 

the office can lower stress 

levels, reduce absenteeism, 

boost productivity, improve 

morale and even extend the 

hours that a worker puts in. 

As an organisation, Google 

has a special place in its 

code of conduct for dogs, 

stating: “affection for our 

canine friends is an integral 

facet of our corporate culture”, 

while at Amazon’s 

Seattle offices, more than 

7000 dogs are registered to 

come to work. 

• Artificial intelligence will 

start to make a real impact 

in the office environment 

by taking over mundane 

and routine tasks like helping 

to find information 

and sifting through large 

volumes of data, says digital 

analyst, Gartner. As 

voice-activated assistants 

like Siri, Alexa and Google 

Assistant start to become 

more mainstream within the 

home, they’ll start to be more 

accepted in the workplace. 

• The use of wearable workplace 

technology will 

become more widespread. 

According to a PwC report, 

The Wearable Life 2.0: Connected 

Living in a Wearable 

World, by 2020, more than 

75 million wearables will 

pervade the workplace. This 

can be for wellness applications 

in general office 

environments, but for those 

working in dangerous fields 

like manufacturing, construction, 

oil, and mining sectors, 

the wearables will take on a 

health and safety role. 

• Office buildings will need 

to look at offering electric 

vehicle charging stations 

to meet the changing 

expectations of vehicle 

owners. Just how the costs 

are apportioned will be up 

for debate/negotiation, but 

business owners may see 

the provision of charging 

units as a bonus for staff. 

• Maybe one day, the office 

of today will look as antiquated 

as the one seen in 

1980s re-runs, but for now, 

there’s plenty of exciting 

change to take on board. 

www.bayleys.co.nz/workplace/articles/insights 

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23 

Technology as a business enabler 

Technology holds such promise for businesses, but how often 

do you find technology standing in the way instead of enabling 

your businesses success? 

At our fingertips, we have 

powerful machines and 

software that open up a 

myriad of possibilities for new 

ways of working. 

So why does it sometimes 

feel like they don’t deliver 

for the business? Simply having 

new technology does not 

translate into more productive 

workplaces or increased sales. 

Artificial Intelligence may 

be exceptionally smart, but it 

cannot replace human planning 

and leadership. 

Training is key - 

people can’t be 

expected to fully 

exploit new systems 

if they do not 

understand them.” 

Unlocking technology as a 

business enabler needs a business-led 

and solution-focused 

approach. 

Just like any business tool, 

the benefits of technology must 

be leveraged through strategy 

and planning firmly tied 

to concrete goals and targeted 

key performance indicators in 

order to gauge success. 

Devising the right technology 

strategy starts with a 

seat for a technology partner 

at the planning table; but that 

seat needs to be earned, which 

highlights how important it is 

for today’s technology professionals 

to have business and 

technical skills. 

Technology leaders must 

understand the marketplace for 

business technology, be able 

to advise on the right option 

to alleviate pain points within 

the business, and then devise 

a plan for the implementation. 

If your team is struggling to 

collaborate due to incompatible 

software, a misfiring network, 

and outdated hardware, 

a business owner can consider 

implementing new softwareas-a-service 

(SaaS) tools to 

facilitate document sharing, 

quick messaging, and group 

video calls. 

But even if every employee 

has a new elite notebook, the 

fast internet connection, and 

the latest collaborative technology, 

that does not mean 

they will utilise the power. 

That’s why enabling business 

success through technology 

also comes down to 

leadership. Your team needs 

to be brought on board with 

new processes so that they are 

effectively using the technology 

at their disposal. 

Training is key - people 

can’t be expected to fully 

exploit new systems if they do 

not understand them. 

It’s clear that enabling business 

success through technology 

runs deeper than installing 

new hardware and software. 

Strategic investments in 

new technology closely tied 

with business objectives and 

targeted solutions will create 

a more efficient business and 

provide it a competitive advantage 

in the marketplace. 

TECH TALK 

> BY DANIEL GOYMER 

Daniel Goymer is the Technical Director of Yorb, a Business 

Technology Partner. He can be reached on Daniel.goymer@yorb. 

tech or 0800-600-606. 

The benefit of business 

technology is not measured 

by the number of individual 

devices or the size of a hard 

drive - it’s the way they are 

used facilitate a seamless work 

environment for your team, 

and the way it creates frictionless 

selling environment for 

your customers. 

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Getting CEO pay right in the age 

of transparency 

The transparency around CEO pay packages and related activities 

has seen the media come out in force in the past year. Major 

corporates including Fonterra, Fletcher Building and ANZ have 

all recently had intense scrutiny on the level and determination of 

their CEO’s pay. 

Interestingly, discussions 

around all three have referenced 

incentive pay levels 

and processes around them. 

While social and other media 

are often very grudging in recognition 

of any of the achievements 

of the individuals - 

David Hisco was for example 

a very successful CEO of ANZ 

in New Zealand for many 

years delivering outstanding 

shareholder value before his 

exit- they are rightly questioning 

how incentive schemes 

work and what the controls on 

them are in terms of pay-outs. 

Executive pay transparency 

is a governance issue of course 

and increasingly Boards will 

look to ensure they have better 

systems in place to address 

these shareholder concerns 

going into the future. For listed 

companies, given the demands 

of the NZX Code of Corporate 

Governance, there will be less 

mercy in the future from eagle 

eyed analysts and media as to 

what happens on the forced 

exit of a senior executive given 

they will have a wealth of new 

information such as the KPIs, 

amounts involved, remuneration 

policy, external advisors 

used, and the structure/value 

of Short Term and Long Term 

(STI and LTI) schemes. 

Organisations need 

to ensure strong 

governance 

(at every stage of the 

employment process) 

particularly from 

the Remuneration 

Committee around 

management of the 

CEO.” - Cathy Hendry 

Strategic Pay’s 2019 CEO 

and senior executive Survey 

shows that 81 percent of participating 

organisations reported 

offering some form of short 

term incentive, other than commission 

or bonus to their chief 

executives. 

There has also been a steady 

increase in the proportion of 

private sector senior executives 

who are eligible for short 

term incentives (STI) (83 percent 

reported eligible in 2015 

vs. 89 percent reported eligible 

in 2019). This suggests the 

appetite for at-risk pay is getting 

bigger. 

Tauranga-based senior 

consultant with Strategic Pay, 

Cathy Hendry, notes that consulting 

work has shown that 

if you focus on the following 

three areas in particular, organisations 

will be able to better 

manage and get across externally 

what they are doing with 

the pay of senior executives. 

“Organisations need to 

ensure strong governance (at 

every stage of the employment 

process) particularly from 

the Remuneration Committee 

around management of the 

CEO,” said Hendry. 

“In addition if you are 

using incentive pay, make 

sure the rules are crystal clear 

including what the exit clauses 

are. Finally, understand how 

transparency works in today’s 

world.” 

While the manner in which 

executive pay is discussed may 

be galling, it’s better to front 

foot it rather than attempting 

to ignore the public concerns, 

said Hendry. 

In a more transparent pay 

environment, Boards and 

organisations will need to 

ensure they are relying on 

robust sources of information 

when setting CEO and executive 

pay. With data from 643 

organisations, Strategic Pay’s 

recently published CEO and 

Senior Executive Report is 

designed for Boards, CEOs 

and Senior HR practitioners 

requiring accurate data on 

remuneration and benefits for 

chief executives and senior 

executives across the New 

Zealand market. 

The report is now available 

for purchase. Email cathy. 

hendry@strategicpay.co.nz to 

find out more.


25 

Survey Shows Strong Salary Movement 

Strategic Pay’s latest New Zealand 

Remuneration Survey has recently been 

released and is showing a whole sample 

average salary market movement of over 

3% for private sector organisations. 

By CATHY HENDRY 

This movement is the highest 

we have seen in some time 

and is no doubt being influenced 

somewhat by the large 

minimum wage increases New 

Zealand has been experiencing. 

We have been watching 

our database keenly to see 

what impact these increases 

were likely to have on overall 

market movement and it 

appears that the pressure at 

the lower end is influencing 

overall stronger wage growth 

this year. 

Strategic Pay release market 

surveys throughout the 

year, with our two main surveys 

released in May and 

November each year, providing 

comprehensive analysis of 

New Zealand’s remuneration 

market. Our November survey 

has more than 170,000 

individual salaries collected 

from 544 participating organisations. 

Our nationwide survey 

covers all of New Zealand 

with 13% of the sample represented 

by Waikato and Bay of 

Plenty organisations. 

Market data provides 

organisations with key remuneration 

insights that allow 

them to inform their own practices 

and account for industry 

or sector trends. When companies 

use data collected via regular 

surveys across multiple 

industries to gain insight into 

market remuneration they can 

adapt their practices appropriately. 

For some companies, 

this may serve to reinforce 

their current practices. Others 

may find ways to become 

more competitive. 

How we collect 

meaningful market data 

The process of collecting 

market data involves collating 

the latest information across a 

number of different remuneration 

categories: 

• Base salary - the before tax 

cash salary or wages paid 

to an individual, not taking 

into account any extra 

payments they earn, such 

as bonuses. 

• Fixed remuneration - base 

salary plus any benefits 

that are offered by the 

company, such as vehicles, 

insurances, KiwiSaver or 

professional association 

fees. 

• Total remuneration - base 

salary, plus benefits plus 

incentive payments such as 

bonuses or sales commission. 

All the data provided 

undergoes a thorough cleansing 

and review process to 

ensure it makes sense and can 

be turned into a truly useful 

analysis. 

Presenting a useful 

market data analysis 

Market data is divided and 

categorised so that organisations 

using the data can compare 

against similar industries, 

roles or sectors: 

• Salary by quartile: Salary 

data is divided into lower, 

median and upper quartiles 

so that organisations 

can see what the lower or 

higher ends of the scale 

look like as well as averages 

for each component. 

• Job categories: Roles are 

categorised by job size as 

well as by job title. The 

latter, also known as job 

coding, allows analysis 

dedicated to a specific 

role, such as an accountant 

or engineer. Job sizing 

analysis on the other 

hand involves sorting data 

according the type of role 

and level of responsibility,for 

example executive 

positions or entry-level 

roles. 

• Industries or sectors: Both 

of the above types of analysis 

feed into industry-specific 

remuneration reports, 

as there may be different 

pay requirements for the 

same role in different fields 

or geographic regions. It’s 

also divided by sector, 

that is the private, public, 

general market or not-forprofit 

sectors. 

In each case, the base salary, 

fixed remuneration and 

total remuneration is shown 

for detailed comparison. 

Strategic Pay is proudly 

New Zealand owned and operated 

and has offices throughout 

New Zealand, including in 

Tauranga. If you are interested 

in finding out more about our 

survey offering or if your 

organisation needs remuneration 

advice please get in touch. 

Cathy Hendry 

Senior Consultant, Tauranga 

P: +64 7 834 6581 M: +64 27 498 9812 

E: cathy@strategicpay.co.nz 

YOUR BEST SOURCE 

OF REMUNERATION 

KNOWLEDGE 

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 Cathy today: 

Cathy.Hendry@strategicpay.co.nz 

07 834 6581 

027 498 9812 

As your local Senior Consultant based 

in Tauranga, Cathy Hendry is an 

experienced HR Consultant who has worked 

with a range of public, not for profi t and private 

sector clients in New Zealand and overseas. 

Specialising in remuneration consulting for over 

10 years, Cathy’s experience includes: 

• market benchmarking • pay structure design 

• equal pay audits • pay equity concerns 

• job analysis • job mapping 

• incentive design • job evaluation 

Strategic Pay Limited | www.strategicpay.co.nz | info@strategicpay.co.nz 

Auckland | Hamilton | Tauranga | Wellington | Christchurch | Dunedin 

StrategicPay


Global Zespri kiwifruit returns 

remain strong 

Kiwifruit export marketer Zespri is 

forecasting strong returns from a record 

harvest from its European growers. 

By DAVID PORTER 

Zespri’s European growers 

- around 750 families 

- play a key role in 

Zespri’s global supply strategy, 

which allows it to supply premium 

Zespri kiwifruit for 12 

months of the year. 

Zespri is expecting to harvest 

around 19 million trays 

or almost 70 tonnes of kiwifruit 

from orchards throughout 

Italy, France and Greece, said 

chief international production 

officer Sheila McCann-Morrison. 

Kiwifruit grown outside 

of New Zealand is currently 

around 10 percent of all the 

fruit sold internationally by 

Zespri, but that will increase 

significantly along with 

demand. Zespri has around 

3100 ha in the ground in 

Europe, set to grow to around 

5000 ha over the next five 

years. 

“It’s been a tough season for 

some European growers this 

year, with a cold wet spring 

negatively affecting pollination 

and issues including the 

presence of the Brown Marmorated 

Stink Bug and Moira 

disease affecting kiwifruit and 

other local produce,” she said. 

“However, despite those 

challenges, this season’s 

It’s helping deliver 

greater orchard gate 

returns, jobs for 

locals and is also 

leading to tens of 

millions of euros 

being invested in 

orchards and postharvest 

facilities.” 

Northern Hemisphere crop 

is still expected to be around 

the same as the record set last 

year.” 

And more broadly, she 

added, the relationship was 

working incredibly well for 

both growers, post-harvest 

operators and distributors, as 

well as for Zespri and the New 

Zealand industry. 

“It’s helping deliver greater 

orchard gate returns, jobs 

for locals and is also leading 

to tens of millions of euros 

being invested in orchards 

and post-harvest facilities. 

It’s also helping foster further 

collaboration including technical 

exchange through R&D, 

grower workshops and nursery 

visits in New Zealand and 

other general support – all of 

which are helping boost production.” 

McCann-Morrison said 

market access was also a significant 

focus for Zespri. 

“We’re committed to helping 

create access to new markets 

for European exporters as 

we have recently with Mexico, 

so we’re ensuring an even 

greater number of consumers 

around the world can access 

our premium kiwifruit.” 

New Zealand forecasts 

positive 

In its October forecast, Zespri 

chairman Bruce Cameron 

advised New Zealand growers 

that forecast returns have 

increased for all pools on both 

a per tray and per hectare basis 

Nikki Johnson: industry trying to attract 

more New Zealanders. Photo/Supplied 

for the 2019/20 season. 

• The Green return is forecast 

at $6.54 per tray, with 

the average per ha return of 

$66,023. 

• Organic Green is forecast 

at $9.45 per tray, with an 

average per ha return of 

$61,201. 

• The Gold return is forecast 

at $11.41 per tray, with an 

average per ha return of 

$155,889. 

• The Green14 forecast 

return is $7.58 per tray, with 

an average return per ha of 

$43,088. 

• The October forecast pertray 

and per-hectare average 

orchard gate returns are 

below: 

• The total fruit and service 

payment, across all pools 

and excluding the loyalty 

premium, is currently fore- 

cast at $1,892.4 million, 

up by $39.2 million on the 

board’s previous forecast. 

Worker availability still an 

issue 

The board has also approved 

the continuation of the Sun- 

Gold licence release programme 

with a further 700 ha 

of unrestricted licence and 50 

ha of Gold Organic licence for 

2020. 

New Zealand Kiwifruit 

Growers Inc. (NZKGI) chief 

executive Nikki Johnson told 

Bay of Plenty Business News 

it was too early to forecast 

how the 2019/2020 season was 

shaping up. 

“However, if the unemployment 

rate stays at its low 

level, there may be issues 

again around finding enough 

seasonal workers for harvest,” 

she said. 

“With this in mind, NZKGI 

is already in planning to showcase 

the industry and encourage 

people, with New Zealanders 

as a first priority, to pick 

and pack. NZKGI is becoming 

better equipped to deal with 

these issues with the recruitment 

of a Provincial Growth 

Fund (PGF)-funded labour 

coordinator to manage the supply 

of seasonal labour.” 

More recently, NZKGI has 

also recruited a PGF-funded 

education coordinator to manage 

horticultural careers in the 

Bay of Plenty. Challenges also 

remain around the building of 

accommodation for seasonal 

workers, and the need for new 

accommodation, particularly 

in the Western Bay of Plenty, 

is top of mind, said Johnson. 

The best time to buy a franchise 

The decision to buy a franchise business will be one of the largest 

decisions in most people’s lives. And like life’s other big decisions, 

deciding on the right time can be challenging. 

A 

number of factors come 

into play, and like life 

in general, no two people’s 

situations are identical. 

From working within the 

franchise sector for many 

years, it has become clear to 

me that there are certainly 

factors that influence and those 

that should be considered 

when thinking about when is 

the right time to buy a franchise. 

One of the first things 

people tend to consider is the 

economic cycle. Business confidence, 

or the view of where 

the economy is or is heading 

is important. You may be 

more confident in investing in 

a franchise if the economy is 

looking good. And you would 

probably be right. 

An economy in growth 

generally speaking is good 

for business and a good time 

for someone to invest and 

operate a franchise business. 

The old “a rising tide lifts all 

boats” analogy. 

Assess the 

economic cycle 

While a buoyant economy 

increases the likelihood of a 

new franchise business doing 

well, does a slowing economy 

or decaying business confidence 

environment make for 

poor timing? Not necessarily. 

In fact, there can be a number 

of reasons why it’s actually a 

good time. 

An upside is that weaker 

economies are often accompanied 

by lower interest rates, 

making borrowing less expensive 

and contributing towards 

improved profitability and 

return on investment. Coupled 

with the fact that most business 

owners will also have a 

mortgage, they create a double 

happy scenario. A franchise 

may also create stability if you 

FRANCHISING 

> BY NATHAN BONNEY 

Nathan Bonney is a director of Iridium Partners. He can be 

reached at nathan@iridium.net.nz or 0275-393-022 

are concerned about, or facing, 

redundancy. 

What about business and 

consumer confidence and the 

rising tide analogy with an outgoing 

tide? 

Well, some sectors, businesses 

and franchises actually 

do well and even relatively 

better during economic downturns 

and buying into these 

during that period could be 

beneficial. A couple of categories 

that surged during the 

GFC were casual dining and 

liquor retailing. 

However, I would suggest 

the most important factors are 

based around your personal situation. 

Consideration needs to 

be given to your capital base, 

age and experience, energy 

levels, family commitments 

and support. 

Age and experience will 

influence not only when and 

whether you have the work and 

life-experience skillset to successfully 

operate a franchise 

business. It may also influence 

how much capital you have 

and are willing to risk. 

If you are older, you can 

perhaps not afford to risk as 

much, so while you have more 

capital, you may look towards 

established brands and businesses 

and a farmer versus 

hunter approach. What are 

your income and debt servicing 

requirements, do you need 

a certain income or are you 

after longer-term capital gains? 

And, how would the potential 

earnings and capital gains from 

a franchise compare against 

your current income over time? 

How much energy do you 

have to commit to a new business 

venture and what sort of 

hours can you manage? 

Any new business will 

require significant initial hard 

work, so there is a balance 

between youth and experience. 

How are your health and 

energy levels? 

Lastly and most importantly 

for both the success of and satisfaction 

from your franchise is 

what are your family commitments 

and the family support 

structure you have in place? 

You need to be able to balance 

life commitments outside the 

franchise as well as having the 

full support of your family. 

So while the economic 

conditions are important, the 

personal checklist of your personal 

position is the critical 

factor in determining when it’s 

the right time for you to jump 

into a franchise.


27 

GOLDEN 

KIWIFRUIT 

OPPORTUNITY 

GET IN TOUCH WITH OUR KIWIFRUIT SPECIALISTS 

The growth of the kiwifruit sector could present a fruitful opportunity for existing 

growers and potential investors. With local knowledge, experience, and connections, 

our team of kiwifruit specialists can help you make informed decisions, 

making it a little easier for you to grow. 

kiwifruit@anz.com 

Download our 2019 report * on the kiwifruit industry, to find out more about 

industry trends and what we think are key investment considerations. 

anz.co.nz/bizinsights 

* Our report is provided for information purposes and is not financial advice. 

You should get professional advice before making investment decisions. 

ANZ Bank New Zealand Limited 11/19 21330BOP 

ANZ21330 Kiwifruit 2.0 press ad full page f BOP.indd 1 

12/11/19 10:01 AM

Bay of plenty 

CONNECTING 

BUYERS AND 

SELLERS OF 

QUALITY 

BUSINESSES 

First on the scene 

Photos from the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce BA5 held at Blackberry Café and hosted 

by Fashion Island, winner of this year’s Westpac Business Award for Retail Excellence, 

sponsored by Bay of Plenty Business News. 

Photos by Vanessa Laval Gadd/Laval Photo and Video 

When is the right time to sell 

your business? Right now. 

At TABAK, we promise to guide 

you through the sales process 

with focus, integrity and 

complete confidentiality. 

1 2 

1 Matt Cowley, Tauranga Chamber of Commerce. 2 Roz Irwin, Fashion Island. 

3 4 

3 Kevin Pead, Combes Johnston BMW Tauranga and Andrei Naidoo, Share. 4 Graeme Wilson, guest; Dan Allen-Gordon, 

Graeme Dingle Foundation BOP and Wayne George, University of Waikato-Tauranga. 

FOCUS • INTEGRITY 

CONFIDENTIALITY 

WHY TABAK 

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5 Annie Hayworth, Harcourts Mount Maunganui and Toni Lendl, Market Realty. 

6 Brooke White and Sheree Richardson, Cotton On Group, and Roz Irwin, Fashion Island. 

6 

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE 

REALISTIC APPRAISALS 

TEAM APPROACH 

7 

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7 James Cognet, Kiss IT and Chris Davies, DLP Electronics. 8 Shane Jaxson, BlueOcean and Lisa Gilmour, ABC Business Sales. 

PRE-QUALIFIED BUYERS 

P5177Y 

147 Cameron Road 

p. 07 578 6329 

e. tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

w. tabak.co.nz 

9 

10 

9 Ketaki Rasmussen, Max Marketing and Jill Glenn, Jill Glenn Stylist. 

10 Rob Dorey, Business Success Partners; Lyn Trail, Surveying Services and David McDonnell, Tauranga Vets.

Bay Dreams coming back to rock the city. 

(above and below). Photos/Supplied. 

Hot line-up of concerts for Trustpower 

Baypark this Summer 

Summer is just around the corner and 

so is the sizzling line-up of concerts at 

Trustpower Baypark. 

The speedway Season is 

now in full-swing with 

the new promoter and 

will not disappoint fans over 

the Summer. Upcoming Speedway 

confirmed dates include: 

November 30, December 12, 

28, January 5, 18 & 25, just to 

name a few. 

To enjoy watching the races 

in style, we have a number of 

Corporate Boxes available to 

entertain guests comfortably. 

With the box, clients get an 

exclusive, spacious and comfortable 

box with an outdoor 

balcony for up to 20 guests, 

full kitchen facilities including 

a microwave and fridge. A corporate 

box also offers ongoing 

inbox bar service with dedicated 

catering stewards along 

with a high quality catering 

service delivered to the box. 

Please contact us on events@ 

bayvenues.co.nz or 07 577 

8560 for more information. 

Often feeling anxious or 

low? Battling bloating or indigestion? 

A gut feeling something’s 

not quite right? Join 

leading Clinical Nutritionist 

Ben Warren for an eye-opening 

evening seminar on the latest 

research into our interlinked 

gut-brain connection and start 

learning how nourishing your 

gut could nurture a calm, joyful 

and peaceful mind. In his 

latest seminar on 27 November, 

Ben shares his personal 

passion for the gut-brain connection, 

from his years of clinical 

experience and the latest 

research and findings on how 

our modern world and lifestyle 

is challenging our precious gut 

and mind health. 

Rise Dance operate in multiple 

locations across the Bay 

of Plenty and Rotorua. Their 

experienced dance instructors 

share a passion for dance 

with more than 900 students 

weekly. Rise Dance holds an 

annual dance showcase. Students 

learn about the theatre/ 

arena, rehearsals and teamwork 

while they enjoy the 

opportunity to showcase their 

skills in a professional and fun 

production. 

The showcase is a wonderful 

way for students to show 

the results of their hard work 

during the year and for family 

and friends to join in the pride 

of their achievement. The 2019 

showcase will be at Trustpower 

Baypark on Sunday, 1 

December. 

7 Days is a decade-old this 

year, and like any 10-year old’s 

birthday there will be chaos, 

laughter, tears and junk food. 

See Jeremy Corbett, Dai Henwood 

and Paul Ego unleashed, 

without the cameras, editors or 

censors to hold them back. See 

Ben Hurley, Josh Thomson, 

Jeremy Elwood and Justine 

Smith right in front of your 

eyes on 14 December. Just 

New Zealand’s best comedians 

each smashing out a quickfire 

burst of stand-up comedy, 

before getting into a game of 7 

Days in your town, and about 

your town. New Zealand’s best 

comedy programme is New 

Zealand’s most hilarious, outof-control 

live show. 

Rock and pop stars shine 

To launch the start of the summer 

concerts on 20 December, 

The Feelers will be hitting the 

hot spots this Summer, with 

the one and only Stellar. From 

busking on street corners to 

becoming pioneers of the kiwi 

music industry The Feelers are 

thrilled to announce a comprehensive 

NZ tour this summer; 

joined at select locations by 

iconic NZ band stellar* who 

celebrate the 20th anniversary 

of their debut album MIX. 

Katchafire, the Black Seeds 

and Tomorrow People are 

all coming on 27 December. 

Katchafire developed their 

roots reggae sound as a Bob 

Marley tribute band in the 90s 

- under a Waikato ponga tree 

rather than a Jamaican palm 

frond. The seven-piece have 

gigged extensively, earning a 

reputation for the accessible 

revivalist euphoria of their 

live shows. The Black Seeds 

are a musical group rooted in 

reggae from Wellington, New 

Zealand. Their rocksteady-influenced 

song “One By One” 

became an international hit 

when it was played in top 

ranked TV series Breaking 

Bad. And Tomorrow People 

is a seven-piece New Zealand 

reggae band that formed in 

2010. Their debut album ONE 

was released on 1 June 2012. 

The record-breaking, 

chart-topping Shapeshifter 

have just revealed their summer 

show on 28 December, 

2019. Shapeshifter will be 

joined by The Upbeats w/ Tiki 

and Sunshine Soundsystem. 

Shapeshifter emerged in 1999 

with a unique stadium-sized 

sound. Capable of morphing 

from rolling drum ‘n’ bass to 

pummelling guitar-driven jams 

to horizon-shifting electronic 

soundscapes, they have long 

been a must-see act that never 

fails to deliver. Get in early to 

secure your tickets, and make 

memories once again this 

Summer. 

Bay Dreams locked and 

loaded 

The biggest event in New 

Zealand’s summer music calendar 

will return in 2020 to 

Trustpower Baypark Stadium 

on January 2. Presented by 

Greenroom Vodka and The 

Edge, Bay Dreams will feature 

international superstars 

Halsey and Tyler, The Creator 

as headliners, alongside other 

international names including 

Skepta; Yelawolf and Ella 

Mai. Other big hitters on the 

first line-up announcement 

include Ocean Alley, Netsky, 

Mitch James, Gunna and Sub 

Focus. Stay tuned for the 

massive announcement coming 

soon for the Bay Dreams 

Pre-Party on 1 January. 

Bay Dreams has sold out 

year after year. And now with 

the event being held across 

two islands, and close to some 

of the best beaches and holiday 

hot spots in the world, it’s 

gearing up to be the highlight 

of the Kiwi summer. 

And following the success 

of their latest album, timeless 

legends Sticky Fingers have 

announced a “Yours To Keep 

Tour” - a seven-date tour travelling 

all over New Zealand, 

which is bound to keep you 

grooving this summer. This 

tour will land here on 3 January 

2020. 

Aussie pop sensation Tones 

And I is also about to hit Kiwi 

shores - announcing her own all 

ages headline show at Mount 

Maunganui on 5 January. She’s 

taken the world by storm with 

her smash hit Dance Monkey. 

It will be Tones’ only headline 

show in New Zealand, 

where she is also playing the 

Bay Dreams Festival. Joining 

Tones And I will be one of New 

Zealand’s most exciting pop 

acts, Theia. She’s been making 

waves since the release of her 

breakthrough hit Roam from 

her debut EP, which earned her 

three nominations at the 2017 

NZ Music Awards and a nod 

for Breakthrough Artist at the 

2017 Georgie Awards. 

After its previous rip-roaring 

success, A Summer’s Day 

Disco returns in 2020 on 8 

January with a sensational 

line-up featuring some of the 

most iconic names and sounds 

in the history of music. KC 

and the Sunshine Band, Earth 

Wind and Fire Experience feat. 

Al McKay,Boney M and The 

Australian Bee Gees Show all 

feature on A Summer’s Day 

Disco 2020 line-up. 

The star-studded line-up 

has been carefully handpicked 

by Neptune Entertainment 

to include some of the most 

successful names of the 70s, 

80s and 90s, with all of those 

featured still among the most 

popular old school acts in the 

business. Secure your spot in 

the sun now. 

For more information 

on any events, enquiries 

for Baypark venues, Bay- 

Station activities or service 

on/off site from BayCatering, 

BayAudioVisual visit 

www.trustpowerbaypark.co.nz, 

email events@bayvenues.co.nz 

or call 07 577 8560.


Engineering firm expands in the regions 

Engineering firm Kirk Roberts Consulting is providing greater job 

opportunities for the industry, with the recent opening of a new 

office in Hamilton. 

One of New Zealand’s 

largest privately owned 

and operated engineering 

companies, Kirk Roberts 

prides itself on providing 

progressive and innovative 

engineering and project management 

solutions, as well as 

software and capital management 

services. 

The new location 

enables us to add 

more job options to 

a growing industry, 

as well as retain the 

skills and experience 

of our existing staff.” 

The new office, which 

opened in September, will see 

the employment of an engineer, 

a structural technician 

and a full-time administrator. 

Structural engineers will 

also relocate from Kirk Roberts’ 

Tauranga office, creating 

more opportunities for recruitment 

in the Bay of Plenty city. 

“The new location enables 

us to add more job options to 

a growing industry, as well as 

retain the skills and experience 

of our existing staff who were 

looking for new challenges or 

wanted to move to be closer to 

family,” says regional manager 

for Bay of Plenty and Waikato 

Craig Manssen. 

Kirk Roberts currently 

employees more than 100 

staff across their Auckland, 

Tauranga and Christchurch 

offices, and says it takes a forward-thinking 

approach to its 

business structure for the benefit 

of their staff. 

They recently introduced a 

trial for a Compressed Work 

Week structure, enabling more 

flexible working hours in the 

Tauranga office, and all staff 

have access to a ShareTrust, 

the profits of which directly 

benefit all Kirk Roberts’ 

employees. 

Helping employees grow 

“We take a considered 

approach to company culture 

nationwide, to help our 

employees grow within our 

firm and to see the pathways 

available for long-term development,” 

says operations manager 

Aimee Fitzjohn. 

While Kirk Roberts offers a 

range of services, the Hamilton 

team will be focused predominately 

on structural engineering 

at this stage. 

However, the staff has the 

ability to draw on the expertise 

based in all three offices, 

enabling them to offer further 

consultancy services, geotechnical, 

environmental, and fire 

and civil engineering, along 

wtih project management services. 

“Although we work in 

diverse regions, each with its 

own unique challenges, we 

like to pull together our expertise 

across our four offices, to 

deliver a full service to our clients,” 

says Manssen. 

“Having a physical base in 

Waikato is really important to 

us. We like our clients to know 

who they are talking to and 

will be working with on their 

projects, to build strong and 

collaborative relationships for 

the success of any project.” 

Kirk Roberts has been 

involved in the development 

of a number of projects in the 

region, including Hamilton’s 

only urgent medical care service 

centre, Anglesea Clinic, 

and luxury retirement resort 

Tamahere Country Club. 

Manssen says the team is 

looking to bring their innovative 

and experienced approach 

to engineering to Waikato, providing 

the best possible solution 

for any client’s project. 

“We’re really looking forward 

to getting over there, to 

work with existing clients and 

help new clients. Anecdotally, 

there is a demand for services 

that is not being met and a 

want for a fresh approach to 

projects and timely delivery - 

all of which we can offer.” 

Craig Manssen: Demand for services in 

the Bay and Waikato. Photo/supplied. 

SELLING 

YOUR 

BUSINESS IS 

A ONCE IN A 

LIFETIME 

VOYAGE 

THE MOST IMPORTANT FINANCIAL DECISION 

A BUSINESS OWNER WILL EVER MAKE. 

ENSURE IT’S ALL PLAIN 

SAILING FROM HERE 

As a busy business owner, you may not have had time 

to consider what will happen when you want to exit 

your business. 

That’s where Tabak can help. 

A successful sale and smooth transition out of 

business ownership depends on achieving a clear 

understanding of market conditions and the potential 

sale value of your business. 

Our team of business brokers are experts in guiding 

business owners through this process. 

So if you are looking for expert, tailored advice on how 

to prepare your business for sale we want to hear from 

you. 

Contact us today! 

203503AA 

tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

07 578 6329 

www.tabak.co.nz 

Tabak Limited. Licensed REA (2008)


31 

To warn or not? 

Clients often ask me how they should warn debtors that have 

overdue accounts when they are considering sending the account 

to a collection agency. 

CREDIT MANAGEMENT 

> BY NICK KERR 

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

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

It doesn’t matter how you 

deliver a debt collection 

warning letter or even if you 

do, there is no legal requirement 

for them in New Zealand. 

The account just has to be over 

the agreed payment date ( by 

at least one day) and you must 

have given them an invoice. 

I have studied the effectiveness 

of different warning 

systems including the graduating 

letter system, 1. nice, 2. 

less nice, 3. firm, 4. Assertive. 

What works best is the following. 

Have somewhere on your 

invoice: 

All overdue accounts will 

attract interest and collection 

fees. (this sets an expectation 

of payment within terms from 

the outset and that you have an 

agency that you work with) 

Use uniformity in your 

approach Any account that 

goes 30 days overdue gets 

a seven day warning letter 

unless they have contacted 

you and you have an accepted 

arrangement in place and are 

sticking to it. 

The one and only warning 

letter you send should have the 

following information. 

1. How much is owed. 

2. When it was due. 

3. How long they have to pay 

before it goes to DC. (Seven 

days is most effective as it’s 

short enough for urgent 

action to be needed, but 

long enough to access funding 

if needed) 

4. What agency it is going 

to. Using the agency name 

adds around 25 percent to 

the effectiveness of the letter 

in my experience as it 

adds credibility. 

5. The costs of collection, 

should it be referred. 

6. The account to pay the 

money into (this will save 

the usual face-saving call of 

“I never got the invoice”. 

The above has every time 

worked better than any comparable 

method that I have seen 

in working with thousands of 

BOP businesses. Once a debtor 

has experienced the multi-step 

system they can tell what part 

of the cycle they are in and can 

actually slow down payment . 

Charging a 10 percent late 

payment fee after 60 days also 

works in speeding up payment, 

but this must be in your agreed 

terms as should collection 

costs, to comply with legislation. 

If your debtors don’t pay 

after a seven day warning letter 

then send the debt to a collection 

agency. Bad debts hanging 

around do not get more 

valuable, they are not classic 

cars or a fine Burgundy - the 

older they are, the less they are 

worth 

Aged debt is not only robbing 

businesses of cashflow, 

but of productivity. Every time 

a staff member sends an email 

that won’t get answered, a letter 

that will get “lost in the post 

“ or leave a message that didn’t 

get passed on, the business 

suffers. And every time I have 

seen a client wait till the debtor 

comes right, they never do. 

Remember having debt may 

not have been your choice. But 

the way you deal with it always 

is. Companies like EC Credit 

Control now offer a collection 

feeder system that integrates 

with XERO and MYOB that 

seamlessly transfers accounts 

for collection action, making 

it quick and easy to get these 

time and money-consuming 

tasks off your plate. 

Just a thought. 

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&


Top five tips for a trouble-free Christmas 

We’ve all heard the one about dubious images being found on the 

photocopier tray the morning after the Christmas office party. 

And equally dubious 

glances between workmates 

who got a little, 

shall we say, friendlier than 

they intended after a few too 

many eggnogs. 

But, when it comes to the 

festive season, there’s more to 

consider in the workplace than 

photocopied body parts and 

inter-collegial relations. 

There is a raft of things 

employers need to take stock 

of to meet legal obligations, 

keep their employees happy 

and ensure their business ticks 

over during the Christmas 

break. Here are our Top Five: 

1. Managing staff levels 

and expectations 

The race is on for people to 

put in their leave requests for 

Christmas. Some will have 

planned a year in advance, 

while others are still hoping to 

wing it. 

Managing everyone’s 

expectations, while maintaining 

adequate staff levels, can 

be a challenge. But if you 

have a plan in place, it will 

help compensate for those who 

don’t. 

• Make it clear which days 

you are open for business, 

and how many staff will be 

needed 

• Remind people to put their 

leave requests in early 

• Make the most of technology 

to record and manage 

leave requests 

• Be respectful and explain 

the ‘why’ when you have to 

turn someone down 

2. Shutting up shop 

If you are planning an annual 

closedown period at Christmas, 

you must legally give 

your employees at least 14 

days’ notice. Employees must 

take leave over this time, even 

if they don’t have any annual 

leave owing. 

Those in their first year of 

employment with you, who 

don’t yet have any leave, must 

be paid eight percent of the 

gross pay they’ve earned since 

they started working for you. 

Or, if you agree, employees 

can take annual leave in 

advance. Alternatively, you can 

change the date they receive 

their annual leave allowance so 

they have some paid leave to 

tide them over the closedown. 

In which case the new date 

becomes their leave anniversary 

from then on. 

Any public holidays during 

the closedown period, are paid. 

3. Holiday pay 

Holiday pay continues to make 

the headlines, due to ongoing 

confusion over how the Holidays 

Act is interpreted. 

Under the Act, you should 

pay employees leave at either 

their ordinary rate, or their 

average weekly earnings over 

the previous 12 months - 

whichever is the highest of the 

two. 

But if you have employees 

who don’t have an ordinary 

rate, such as shift workers, you 

should use the average of the 

past four weeks, or the average 

of the past 12 months - again, 

whichever is the highest of the 

two. 

Sounds simple enough 

right? Not exactly. The intricacies 

of the law can, and do 

catch people out. If you’re not 

sure if you’re doing things correctly, 

seek advice - to avoid 

hefty fines and costly backdated 

holiday payments. 

4. Overtime 

Gone are the days when triple 

pay on Christmas Day was 

a given. Employers are only 

obliged to pay penal rates as 

set out in their employment 

contracts. 

These are agreed between 

both parties, with the hourly 

‘overtime’ rate usually being 

higher than that paid during a 

“normal” 40-hour week. 

While time-and-a-half and 

double time are often agreed, 

there’s no legal obligation 

for employers to pay extra 

per hour. However, a prudent 

employee will recognise that 

employees who feel valued 

are more loyal and likely to 

put in the hard yards when you 

need them most. Like, over 

Christmas. 

5. And last, but not least, 

the proverbial Christmas 

office party 

Electrocution by fairy lights, 

getting sexually harassed by 

a reindeer (well, Neville from 

accounts wearing reindeer 

antlers), anaphylaxis from 

the seafood pate… the office 

Christmas party is a potential 

health and safety minefield, 

according to office rumour. 

But is it really? 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

> BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

Director, Recruitment & HR Specialist, Talent ID Recruitment Ltd. 

She can be contacted on kellie@talentid.co.nz or 027 227 7736 

By law, an employer can be 

prosecuted if they fail to protect 

their staff. 

However, there is also an 

element of employee responsibility 

- and liability lies somewhere 

in the middle. 

Before any workplace 

social event, employees should 

be made aware of any relevant 

policies, such as drinking alcohol 

and code of conduct. 

As a responsible employer, 

you should also consider 

things like providing food and 

non-alcoholic drink options, 

not serving people who are 

drunk and transport options. 

If you’ve done what is reasonably 

practicable to keep 

your employees safe, and made 

it clear what your expectations 

are, you’re much less likely to 

have a lawsuit on your hands. 

And once you have your 

house (well, workplace) in 

order, you can put your feet up 

and have a well-earned break. 

Virtual lawyers see 

technology as catalyst 

for change 

What type of office 

is best for a service-based 

business 

these days? Do you need a 

building to drive to and from 

to do your 8 hours of work 

each day, or is there a better 

way? For many progressive 

businesses, the traditional 

office is becoming a thing of 

the past. 

Business law expert Paula 

Lines, director of The Law 

Shop, has been working from 

a virtual space since August 

this year and for her firm, it’s 

working well. Although the 

Greerton office is gone, it’s 

business as usual for The Law 

Shop. 

After thorough research 

and an investment in systems 

and technology that makes 

things seamless, Paula now 

completes work for all Tauranga 

clients from the Rotorua 

office, from home or from 

local co-working spaces. 

“Our team is always open to 

change if it makes the way we 

work even better. We agreed 

that for our Tauranga clients, 

working as virtual lawyers is 

the most flexible and efficient 

approach,” Paula says. 

“We can meet at a café, at 

the client’s home or office or 

at a co-working space, and we 

communicate via phone, email 

or Skype. We’re supported by 

technology, and it is a great 

way to keep our fees competitive. 

In the end, providing the 

best service possible is what 

matters.” 

For those still on the fence 

on moving into the virtual 

space, we investigate the benefits 

and challenges of shutting 

the office doors. 

Upsides 

1. Flexibility. Work whenever 

you like from wherever you 

are, all while wearing your 

stretchy pants and slippers 

if you want. 

2. No time wasted in traffic. 

Let’s face it. Tauranga’s 

morning and afternoon 

traffic is appalling. Freeing 

yourself from the daily 

commute is bliss. 

3. More cost-effective. With 

no office lease, utilities, 

and associated costs to 

pay, a more competitive 

rate for your clients can be 

achieved. 

4. Increased productivity. 

With a solid plan and dedication, 

working remotely 

means getting more done. 

5. Growth. You can expand 

the business without the 

need for a larger space and 

even use the virtual office to 

establish yourself in a new 

location. 

Pitfalls 

1. Feeling disconnected. 

Working from home can 

get lonely. If you enjoy 

the daily banter with your 

co-workers, you might find 

working remotely challenging. 

2. Time management and 

accountability. You’ll 

need to excel at managing 

your time when you work 

remotely and treat it like the 

job it is. 

3. Security. You must offer 

your clients a fully secure 

environment so invest in 

PAULA LINES 

LL.B | Director 

VPNs, antivirus upgrades, 

and encryption software if 

need be. 

4. Being always “on”. If you 

don’t work from an actual 

office, it can feel like you 

never leave work. Balancing 

this also comes down to 

managing your time wisely. 

5. Impromptu meetings 

and conversations 

PAULA LINES 


with co-workers where 

important information is 

exchanged will be missed 

if you’re not at the office. 

Communication is key! 

The Law Shop offers businesses 

expert legal services 

and advise at a fair price. To 

get in touch with Paula and her 

team, call 0800 LAW SHOP. 

Proudly serving our community from our offices in Rotorua and Tauranga. 

ROTORUA 

1268 Arawa St 

Rotorua 

TAURANGA 

Virtual Office 

ROTORUA 

1268 Arawa St 

Rotorua 

TAURANGA 

Virtual Office 

203502AA


33 

How to sleigh your marketing this 

Christmas 

As we head into the holiday season, many Bay of Plenty 

businesses will be ramping up their marketing efforts. Around 

a fifth of consumer retail spending is on gifts and supplies for 

Christmas, with food, wine and spirits and homewares among the 

most popular options. 

THE LAST WORD 

> BY JAMES HEFFIELD 

Director of Bay of Plenty marketing and PR consultancy Last 

Word. To find out more visit lastwordmedia.co.nz or email 

james@lastwordmedia.co.nz. 

If you’re a business owner, 

particularly one who operates 

in the retail space, this 

spending bonanza should 

be more than just a point of 

interest. 

It should have implications 

for the way you do business, 

including how and when 

you spend money on your 

marketing. 

To get the best return for 

every dollar spent, it makes 

sense to weight your marketing 

budget towards the times 

of year when people are in the 

greatest mood to spend. You 

will also want to direct your 

marketing efforts towards the 

channels that are most likely to 

influence your customers. 

During the Christmas 

period you might want to 

ramp up your Facebook or 

Google Ads spend, or perhaps 

even look at changing 

your ad placements to target 

Christmas-themed YouTube 

videos or popular websites 

that host or allow advertising 

within articles offering advice 

on gift ideas. 

Christmas gifts 

A study conducted by Trade 

Me in December 2018 found 

one third of New Zealanders 

planned to spend $200-$500 

on Christmas gifts for friends 

and family. Nearly half had all 

of their shopping done before 

December and a third said they 

spent the most on their kids. 

Interestingly, 85 per-cent of 

those surveyed said they did at 

least some of their shopping 

online - though this should be 

tempered by findings that the 

majority of spending still takes 

place via physical retail stores. 

The implication of all this 

that there’s money to be made 

by getting your Christmas 

marketing right. 

Many businesses have done 

well with creative takes on the 

advent calendar concept or “12 

days of Christmas” theme in 

their promotional campaigns. 

The humble Christmas sale 

can provide a strong hook when 

reaching out to customers, and 

the offer of free in-store gift 

wrapping can make life easier. 

Don’t be afraid to embrace the 

Christmas spirit. 

Another interesting development 

in recent years is that 

New Zealanders seem to be 

starting their Christmas shopping 

run earlier. 

Retail NZ reported that 

Kiwis spending on Black 

Friday rose by 85 per-cent 

between 2017 and 2018 and 

Cyber Monday the following 

weekend has become a major 

fixture for retailers selling electronics. 

Plenty of people still leave 

their shopping to the last minute 

- Christmas Eve remains 

the busiest day of the year for 

retailers. But the extended time 

frame means it pays to have 

your Christmas promotional 

plans in place earlier. 

Stepping up your promotional 

efforts in the lead-up to 

Christmas is a logical choice 

when you consider the mantra 

that effective marketing is 

about reaching the right people, 

at the right time, with the 

right message. 

The predictability of Christmas 

spending makes that equation 

much simpler by identifying 

the right time for your 

marketing and providing some 

strong direction on the theme 

of your message. 

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LEADERSHIP 

DIRECTORSHIP 

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SOCIAL MEDIA/ 

CONTENT MARKETING 


Craig Hudson 

Managing Director 

New Zealand & 

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GUEST SPEAKER 

Kirsten Patterson 

Chief Executive, 

Institute of Directors 

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Director, Collab Digital 


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35 

Don’t let holiday stress 

get the best of you 

In business, you expect the unexpected. While most people 

are winding down at the end of the year and look forward to 

some time off, most business owners are ramping it up 

instead. The start of summer is obviously a hectic time for 

retail and hospitality but in the lead up to Christmas, many 

other businesses feel the pressure, too. 

Business law expert 

and Director of The 

Law Shop Paula Lines 

explains that businesses that 

have their planning in order 

are better protected. All sorts 

of issues can come up this time 

of year, but plenty can be dealt 

with ahead of time. 

There’s plenty to 

organise, and it’s 

best not to leave it 

until crunch time.” 

“Payday is a big one. 

You’ll need a plan for how 

to manage it if you are on 

holiday. Are you able to do 

it remotely, or do you need 

someone else to take care of 

it? If payday falls on a stat 

day, will you pay the day 

before or after? There’s plenty 

to organise, and it’s best not 

to leave it until crunch time,” 

Paula Lines, Commercial 

Lawyer at The Law Shop. 

Paula says. 

“It’s also important that 

you’ve calculated the correct 

pay for each of your 

team members including stat 

days, annual leave, and time 

and a half. You don’t want 

to deal with disgruntled staff 

during or 

after the 

break,” she 

says. 

If you are 

taking a break 

over Christmas 

and close up for 

a week or two, 

you should make 

sure everything 

is in place to 

protect your business 

premises in 

case something goes 

wrong. Who will deal 

with the problem if you are 

away? 

“What’s the plan if the 

alarm company rings you 

after an alert and they go out 

to check and find a smashed 

window? Is there anyone 

besides yourself who has a set 

of keys to let the glazier in?” 

Paula also mentions 

another important factor to 

plan for. Your opening hours. 

In most malls, there are rules 

about when you must be open, 

so you may need to amend 

the rosters to ensure that you 

comply. 

“If you as the business 

owner will be out of reach, 

you must have a solid backup 

plan before you leave to make 

sure there’s adequate staffing,” 

she says. 

Then there’s cashflow. If 

you need a temporary overdraft, 

Paula advises you to put 

it in place early, especially 

if your bank wants security 

over the business or your 

personal assets. If you need 

legal advice on any of your 

business matters from The 

Law Shop, you should also 

act now. 

“If you are a business 

owner, landlord or investor, 

and you need assistance with 

the legal stuff for your business 

or your banking, you can 

book in for a chat with us to 

find out if you have thought of 

everything. Just don’t leave it 

until the last minute,” Paula 

says. In Tauranga, The Law 

Shop now works from a virtual 

office and in Rotorua, the 

team is based at 1268 Arawa 

Street. Give them a call on 

0800 LAW SHOP or email 

team@thelawshop.co.nz. 

PAULA LINES 


ROTORUA 

1268 Arawa St 

Rotorua 

TAURANGA 

Virtual Office

Trusted to sell the Bay of Plenty’s finest homes 

and lifestyle properties. 

OLIVER ROAD ESTATE AGENTS LIMITED | LICENSED REAA 2008 

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BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS DECEMBER 2019

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