Our Story Your Story - Waikato Business News 25 Years

18 | OUR STORY YOUR STORY
Champion
of Waikato business
... By Sandra Peek ...
Someone recently introduced
me as having “been an editor”
and I was slightly taken aback.
Technically she was correct but I
doubt that anyone who has been
in that role ever fully recovers –
once an editor, always an editor.
In October 1993 I was one of three experienced
journalists – with Grant Hubbard and Philippa
Stevenson – who formed Byword Publishing.
The Business Development Board, chaired
by David Braithwaite, wanted to outsource its
business newsletter and we were a suitably
enterprising trio.
David soon convinced the board we should be
given the masthead. It was a far-sighted move.
The Business Development Board is long gone
but Waikato Business News continues to be
the media’s strongest champion of Waikato
business. A good publication can act as the
glue in its community, building awareness
and knowledge, sparking connections,
presenting opportunities. Celebrating,
discussing, disagreeing, recording the life of
the community, its pages open to everyone.
Waikato Business News is that gem.
I was nominated editor by Grant and Philippa
in a totally democratic process. They both had
busy freelance and PR businesses and I had just
recently left the Waikato Times. I had the most
time available so I was it! Philippa dropped out
after a few months to focus on her freelancing
then, about a year after startup, Grant also
came to the reluctant conclusion that feeding
his family was incompatible with endless hours
of unprofitable slavery managing a fledgling
business newspaper. I gulped, but by then I
was hooked.
A monthly newspaper sounds like such a
leisurely enterprise. Sell some ads, write a few
stories, regularly catch up with interesting
people for coffee, drag money out of the rare
rogue who tries advertising in a last-ditch
effort to save his failing business.
How hard can it be? Actually, it can be a weeny
bit challenging at times. I was not only editor,
but owner, production manager and often
business manager, backup ad designer, backup
sales rep, and whatever else. I’m sure current
owner Deidre Morris wears a similar number
of hats.
But it was incredibly stimulating too.
It’s a huge privilege having access to the best
and most interesting business minds, both
locally and on a wider scale. Once trust is
established those relationships can produce
treasure troves of business intelligence.
My interest was always in knowing and
understanding business, so Waikato Business
News became a newspaper that hunted for
insights, case studies and practical knowledge
that would interest and help businesses. I was
delighted when I was told by one business
owner that every month he applied something
he’d learned from that month’s issue.
My ideal reader!
There were some people who were always
fantastic to interview, such as John Fletcher,
then HR director of NZ Dairy Group. Nothing
was off the table but our deal was that he
could read the copy before it went to print.
It was a rare concession on my part and highly