Waikato Business News April/May 2021

APRIL/MAY VOLUME 29: ISSUE 4 2021 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

“ We want to create a city of Hamilton Kirikiriroa distinctively different to any 

other city in the country, and the world.” - developer Matt Stark, page 4 

Cambridge 

By RICHARD WALKER 

Cambridge firms made 

a strong showing at 

the Waipā Networks 

Business Awards, headed by 

Rocketspark taking out the 

Supreme Award. 

The awards were held 

during a flurry of high-profile 

activity for the town as it 

shakes off the effects of Covid, 

with earthworks well underway 

on two growth cells, a 

new pool facility opening and 

the establishment of a trust to 

roaring ahead 

Awards night draws enthusiastic crowd as district bounces back 

promote a heritage building in 

the heart of the town. 

Motorists approaching 

Cambridge from Hamilton can 

see the signs of development 

in major earthworks either side 

of the main road, with growth 

cells C2 and C3 underway. 

Also visible on the town’s 

edge is a new medical centre, 

Cambridge Clinics, now 

open for business. Cambridge 

Family Health was 

first to open its doors in the 

centre, to be joined by other 

health providers including a 

radiology service. 

Under Waipā District 

Council’s structure plan, the 

C2 and C3 growth cells will 

ultimately cover a combined 

280 ha, with projections for 

up to 2375 dwellings as the 

town’s population is expected 

to almost double in the 

next 50 years. 

A key element of C3 is the 

Te Awa River Ride which runs 

along the Waikato River and 

links Cambridge town centre 

with the velodrome and St 

Peter’s School. 

Work on the Waipā section 

of Te Awa is continuing, 

and Cambridge firm 

Civil Construction Services 

has built around 10 percent 

of the new cycleway by St 

Peter’s. Once completed, the 

Story continued on page 29 

Picture: Cambridge website 

builder Rocketspark took 

out the Supreme Award 

at the Waipā Networks 

Business Awards. Photo: 

Cornegephotography

2 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2021 

Bringing the story of Hospice Waikato to life was an ambitious project and a new 

experience for me. Brett Phillips, the CEO of Print House, gave me the wise guidance I 

needed and made sure the book was completed on time and to a very high standard. 

Brett’s creative ideas and meticulous attention to detail ensured a finished book 

Hospice Waikato Foundation can be very proud of. 

Both the book and the limited edition presentation box are simply superb. 

Sharyn Cawood 

Waikato Hospice Community Foundation 

When you want 

the best result .... you work 

with the best! 

142 Kent Street, Frankton, Hamilton 

Phone: 0800 747 746 Web: phprint.nz

From the editor 

Kia ora koutou. 

This month we 

tell the story of two 

business owners who represent 

a decent chunk of the 

city’s history. 

Waikato Business News 

shifted a while ago to the GE 

Clark building in Ward Street, 

and at some point I had a chat 

to our neighbour at the top of 

the stairs. I am delighted that I 

did. Vicki Dromgool, the current 

owner of Margaret Wallace 

Clothing Alterations, told 

me the business has been in the 

city - and the building - for 50 

years this year. 

It was a serendipitous 

moment. Vicki put me in touch 

with the founder, Margaret, 

needle sharp at 92, and I had 

the pleasure of interviewing 

the two women together. 

It is one of my favourite stories 

from my time at Waikato 

Business News. 

They reminisced with each 

other about the old days and 

I had the privilege of hearing 

and recording their stories. 

Like the one about the guy 

who ripped his trousers trying 

to get out of the building after 

he was inadvertently locked in. 

Or the burglars who used cushion 

piping to lower themselves 

from the roof to make their 

I did an experiment and I added 

up all of the customers of our 

customers, and I ended up at 

hundreds of millions of people. 

Thematic founder Alyona Medelyan 

on the power of AI Page 8 

getaway. 

Margaret, especially, was 

remembering an earlier Hamilton, 

observed and experienced 

from the same floor of the 

same building that the business 

is still in. 

There were names of people 

and businesses long passed 

from the city’s consciousness. I 

had to make a calculated gamble 

around spellings of names 

in at least a couple of cases, 

and stand to be corrected. 

There were no airs and 

graces to Margaret and Vicki; 

they had made the most of their 

considerable skills as seamstresses 

while also making crucial 

business decisions along 

the way, riding out waves of 

change as they did so. 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2021 

Another favourite past 

interview springs to mind, 

with a similarly straightforward 

pair of women, Julie 

Caldwell and Julie Blackwell, 

who have come up with an 

invaluable tablet for older 

people experiencing cognitive 

decline. 

Margaret is a woman who 

wanted to make something of 

her life, to achieve more than 

renting a flat and driving an 

old car. A woman on her own 

who knew she could do better, 

and did. I appreciate having 

the opportunity to tell Margaret 

and Vicki’s story (see page 

10). Happy reading! 

Ngā mihi 

Richard Walker 

“ We love collaboration. 

And we want to partner 

with people to make a 

wider impact ” 

PUBLISHER 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

Email: deidre@dpmedia.co.nz 

EDITOR 

Richard Walker 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 814 2914 

Email: richard@dpmedia.co.nz 

PRODUCTION MANAGER 

Olivia McGovern 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Email: olivia@dpmedia.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

3 

Please contact: 

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT 

MANAGERS 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

Email: joanne@dpmedia.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

EDITORIAL: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

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SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

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“ I just tried to get the team to 

focus on what we could control, 

what we needed to do. ” 

Ella Stuart on 

Impact Hub 

Waikato 

Hamilton Airport CEO Mark Morgan on 

getting through Covid Page 32 Page 13 

25 Ward Street, Hamilton 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 | Fax: (07) 838 2807 

www.wbn.co.nz


‘I want to be part of a great city’ 


Developer Matt Stark has a simple wish 

for his city. He wants Hamilton Kirikiriroa 

to be distinctively different from anywhere 

else in the world. 

Stark looks ahead 10 or 

15 years to a city with a 

Tainui Māori undertone, 

in which the buildings articulate 

its history and stories 

through their design. 

He wants Hamilton to 

become an iconic city, just as 

Christchurch has been - or for 

that matter the great European 

cities like Prague or Barcelona, 

where he says you know 

instantly what city you are in. 

So it’s a simple wish, and a 

big one. 

“My dream is we build 

a city that, whatever culture 

you come from, you come to 

Hamilton City and you go, 

‘Wow, what a cool city.’ It’s 

been built and created in a way 

that appreciates its past, knows 

who it is today, and knows 

where it’s going.” 

He thinks Hamiltonians 

are starting to understand their 

past, but wonders if they understand 

what the city is today - 

“cow town or metropolitan?” 

- and where it is going. 

He sees Stark Property’s 

newest build, Tūāpapa, as playing 

its part. Tūāpapa, which 

can be translated as terrace or 

foundation, will feature three 

buildings along Ward Street 

from the Tristram Street corner. 

The mixed-use development 

will include office space, retail 

and hospitality and accommodation. 

Construction will start 

on the first stage - a six-storey 

office building named Mahi - 

late this year. 

As much as possible, it will 

be done with local providers. 

Artist’s impression of Tristram Precinct. 

“We [Hamilton] so often 

run to Auckland and get consultants 

out of there to do 

the stuff that we have got the 

expertise for in town. I’m all 

for getting ideas and harvesting 

stuff from further abroad 

and bringing it back because 

that’s what I’ve done for many 

years, but actually, the money 

spent outside the city when 

we’ve got the talent here, it’s 

crazy. 

“If we want to look like 

Auckland, go get an Auckland 

consultant because they’ll 

make it look like Auckland.” 

Creating a city that is 

proudly distinctive will come 

partly from drawing on the past 

for design inspiration, but also 

from its natural layout, which 

crucially includes the Waikato 

River. 

Integrating the river should 

be a high priority, Stark says. 

“Stop building buildings on it 

and blocking it from the public.” 

There are simple steps that 

he thinks haven’t yet been 

taken to open up the river and 

enhance people’s feeling of 

safety. “Cut the shrubs, have 

a vegetation management plan 

to look after your best asset,” 

he says. 

“We’ve got the largest river 

in the country, and we’re still 

not there, we’re giving lip service 

to it. We’re a long way 

from it.” 

When it comes to the proposed 

pedestrian bridge, Stark 

says the city should also be 

talking about handrails and 

safety barriers on the existing 

bridges’ footpaths - a $300,000 

job, not a multimillion one, 

he says. He’s not opposed to 

builds like the footbridge and 

theatre, but says: “Where’s the 

real, meaningful, low-hanging 

fruit? There’s so much 

low-hanging fruit at the 

moment.” 

My dream is we build 

a city that, whatever 

culture you come 

from, you come to 

Hamilton City and 

you go, ‘Wow, what 

a cool city.’ It’s been 

built and created in a 

way that appreciates 

its past, knows who 

it is today, and knows 

where it’s going. 

Deputy Mayor Taylor, who 

has the key role as chair of the 

Central City and River Plan 

Advisory Group, says council 

staff are creating river view 

shafts in places and he is pressing 

for more. 

“I live and breathe opening 

up the river to this city,” 

he says in response to Stark’s 

comments, and points out 

council has just got approval 

for a “huge raft of river projects” 

in the Long Term Plan. 

That includes $13 million 

towards planning and 

construction of a pedestrian 

bridge, $6 million around the 

new Waikato Regional Theatre 

to create a plaza, $3.5 million 

transforming the Victoria St 

frontage of Waikato Museum, 

$1.4 million demolishing the 

municipal pools and doing 

up the Ferrybank area, and 

$1.1 million on Wellington St 

beach. He says they have also 

spent more than $1m on a new 

jetty beneath the museum, 

which is now open, and are 

backing a group that wants to 

create a multi-million dollar 

community and sports hub at 

Roose Commerce and Ferrybank. 

With Stark’s commitment 

to the city, it 

may seem surprising 

that he did not submit on Hamilton’s 

long-term plan. 

That’s because while he 

respects the councillors, he 

says he has had only a handful 

of interactions with them and 

wonders how in touch they are 

with his sector of the community. 

“They are in control of the 

fastest growing city that’s geographically 

well placed and a 

city that could be developed 

well and can be developed in 

a unique way with a young 

population. They’ve got all the 

ingredients, and are we cooking 

it well?” 

In answer to his own 

question, Stark doesn’t 

Continued on page 6 

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Company-X developer fights COVID-19 

5 

A Company-X developer is doing his 

bit in the fight against COVID-19. 

Company-X software 

developer Mark 

Nikora has joined the 

fight against COVID-19 by 

volunteering his time to a 

project designing and building 

low-cost remote control 

medical ventilators. 

Nikora, who joined Company-X 

in March after 20 

years as an information technology 

lecturer at Waikato 

Institute of Technology (Wintec), 

has been volunteering 

for the charitable Arden Auxiliary 

Medical Trust since 

January. 

The trust is designing and 

building sophisticated lowcost 

medical ventilators to 

artificially respirate COVID- 

19 patients or provide oxygen 

through nasal canula or continuous/bilevel 

pressure. 

The ArdenVent can be 

operated and controlled from 

an internet connection anywhere 

in the world. 

The trust is also working 

on a low-cost oxygen concentrator, 

the ArdenOxyGen 

to be donated to developing 

countries expected to struggle 

with COVID-19 patients 

for years. 

The not-for-profit ventilator 

and concentrator can be 

used in tandem. 

The trust hopes that its 

contribution will lead to more 

data being collected concerning 

COVID-19 treatment protocol 

and further mutations. 

“I wanted to get involved 

in a project that made use of 

my skills and was personally 

rewarding, so that I could 

be proud of contributing 

to something worthwhile,” 

Nikora said. 

I wanted to get 

involved in a project 

that made use 

of my skills and 

was personally 

rewarding, so that 

I could be proud 

of contributing 

to something 

worthwhile. 

While New Zealand’s 

team of five million has kept 

COVID-19 out of the community, 

Nikora has developed 

an empathy for the rest of the 

world where the pandemic 

has been rife. 

“I wanted to help. Rather 

than sit here at the bottom of 

the world I wanted to utilise 

my skills,” Nikora said. 

“For Maori people, early 

last century, influenza had 

a strong effect on the population, 

with a high mortality 

rate, and that’s strongly 

embedded in our memory. 

So, when the pandemic came 

around, a lot of us took it 

deadly seriously because a 

lot of us have ancestors who 

were affected by it.” 

Nikora spends up to 

eight hours per week on the 

project. 

Nikora is one of an international 

team of about 50 

working on the project led by 

co-founders and trustees Alan 

Thomas in Auckland and 

Michael Ilewicz in Germany. 

“I came on board to focus 

on the user interface. I have 

been contributing to the user 

interface team,” Nikora said. 

“You can have a medical 

professional or family member 

that could potentially 

supervise multiple people in 

multiple locations.” 

The project is using 

ReactJS, a JavaScript library 

for building user interfaces, 

and Storybook, an opensource 

tool for developing 

user interface components. 

“ReactJS and Storybook 

allows us to develop and test 

components individually and 

construct the interface with 

tested components,” Nikora 

said. 

“One thing that I’m currently 

looking at is the need 

for a translation engine so 

that doctors can customise the 

user interface to see whatever 

measure he or she requires. 

“I’m excited to be working 

with people from around the 

world,” Nikora said. 

COVID-19 BUSTER: Company-X developer Mark Nikora, left, is volunteering 

his time designing and building low-cost remote control medical ventilators. 

“To be able to talk to them 

about how the pandemic has 

affected them has given me 

some unique perspectives.” 

Nikora appreciates getting 

access to other subject 

matter experts in software 

development on the Arden- 

Vent team and is also seeking 

advice from the Company-X 

team too. 

“I’ve been looking around 

and wanted to chase up whoever 

it is that knows a lot 

about internet of things (IoT) 

around here. Because working 

at Company-X allows me 

to tap into other experts who 

can give great advice on the 

architecture, my work and 

certain aspects. And that’s 

what I’m hoping I can pick 

up as a way to apply to that 

particular project.” 

Ilewicz said after getting 

familiar with the project, 

Nikora had contributed to 

the discussion on how to best 

implement the network infrastructure 

layers. 

Thomas said: “One of the 

main achievements is cutting 

out all of the unnecessary 

costs that make the treatment 

of COVID-19 so expensive. 

Enhancing the capabilities of 

hospital services, and if they 

are overloaded being able 

to care for people at home, 

makes it much more economical 

and more viable, maintain 

a high standard of care at 

home.” 

Company-X co-founders 

and directors David Hallett 

and Jeremy Hughes are supportive 

of the project. 

“This project is Kiwi ingenuity 

at its very best, solving 

the world’s problems with the 

perfect marriage of software 

and hardware,” Hallett said. 

“We were thrilled to hear 

about the project and will 

support Mark in whatever 

way we can.” 

The trust is recruiting 

volunteers to work on the 

project, as well as seeking 

funding for manufacture. 

Navigate the 

digital landscape 

with us


‘I want to be part of a great city’ 

From page 4 

pull his punches. “I reckon 

we’re building crap 

everywhere,” he says. 

There are three modes of 

development in a city: high, 

medium and low density. “And 

at the moment, I think we’ve 

got those priorities slightly 

confused. You know, just build 

whatever you can do anywhere, 

to fit anything on it and 

it’ll be fine.” 

Taylor, who says he takes 

on board Stark’s comments 

about lack of interactions, also 

agrees there is an “awful mish 

mash of development” allowed 

through the city under the current 

District Plan, which is 

being reworked. 

“I think that’s a huge shame 

and we’re turning that ship 

around right now as we redo 

the District Plan.” 

Taylor says the city is heading 

towards getting higher density 

quality housing in the central 

city and surrounding areas 

and probably close to high frequency 

public transport routes. 

“The other areas of the 

city will be protected and 

you can buy a family house 

knowing you won’t get a 

Experience care as it 

should be, experience 

the Braemar way. 

nasty surprise next door.” 

Stark says Chartwell, the 

central city and The Base 

should be ring fenced as the 

areas to intensify because they 

have the amenities that people 

need. And Hamilton’s boundaries 

shouldn’t keep growing, 

given the city’s constraint with 

its bridges. 

“I want to be a part of a 

great city, not a crap city.” 

This puts him in an interesting 

position when it comes 

to the vexed question of 

development contribution 

remissions in the CBD. 

“I think we need to be careful 

of not starving the central 

city. 

“What happens is, if you 

take the DCs off, and then we 

want the cobbles in Garden 

Place fixed, we’ve got to dip 

back into the ratepayer to get 

that. Whereas I think the developers 

should be contributing 

something to beautification.” 

He does, however, see 

merit in incentivising developers 

to build up in the central 

city, given how comparatively 

cheap it is to intensify on land 

further out. Stark has seen 

development costs rise dramatically 

in the last three to four 

years. “Land’s got more expensive, 

building costs have got 

20, 30 percent more expensive. 

It’s shifting pretty quickly.” 

He is concerned at the cost 

of compliance, some of it 

driven by environmental concerns, 

after what he describes 

as 15 years of drift since he 

started as a developer. 

“I reckon we need to draw a 

line in the sand and say, are we 

prioritising humans enough? 

Because what really grinds my 

wheels is, why on earth have 

we got a couple of hundred 

people living in Ulster Street in 

some very substandard accommodation, 

and children living 

in that sort of environment 

with guards standing outside, 

you know? It’s not acceptable. 

“Ironically, we’re trying 

to make people safer from a 

health and safety perspective. 

But are those people feeling 

safe down Ulster Street?” 

Nevertheless, Stark is 

forging ahead with his 

developments in the 

city. Tristram Precinct, opposite 

Tūāpapa is almost complete, 

and naming rights clients 

WSP will shift in with the 

regional council to follow. 

Stark Property is also partnering 

with the New Zealand 

Blood Service to design and 

build a new facility for the 

Waikato Donor Centre on 

the corner of Anglesea and 

London Streets. 

We want to create 

a city of Hamilton 

Kirikiriroa around 

being distinctively 

different to any other 

city in the country, 

and the world. 

The three-level building, 

plus basement carpark, has 

been designed to accommodate 

a national office, meeting room 

and staffroom, as well as logistics 

facilities on the first two 

floors. Earthworks will start in 

September. 

Stark is confident of filling 

both Tūāpapa and Tristram 

Precinct office developments, 

with plenty of people looking 

for space, whether they are 

coming from inside or outside 

the city. 

The same applies for other 

future office developments, 

including one on the corner of 

Victoria and Hood Streets. 

“Because I think, through 

Covid, everybody talked about 

working from home, Zoom, 

Microsoft Teams, all these 

things. But we’ve worked out 

pretty quickly, we don’t like 

working on our own too long.” 

He says 95 percent of the 

residents of Panama Square, 

the Garden Place coworking 

space developed by Stark 

Property, had returned to the 

building within three days of 

being able to following lockdown. 

If anything, he expects 

offices to become bigger 

because of wellness requirements. 

“We won’t be cramming 

as many people in so they 

will need bigger floorplates.” 

He says Stark Property is 

seeing all the companies within 

its portfolio grow, and Stark 

Property itself is also growing, 

currently with 13 staff. 

They have shifted to an 

office on the ground floor of 

Panama Square which opens 

directly onto Garden Place. 

“That’s part of the evolution 

of how we see our cities. 

You know, there will be more 

office on the ground floor. Too 

often, we’ve shied away from 

it - ‘it needs to be upstairs’ - but 

it’s more active in some offices 

than in some retail spaces. 

“I think it’s good that there’s 

so many interactions you have 

from a business perspective. 

You see people walk past, they 

see you and they come in.” 

Meanwhile, there’s that 

simple wish. “We want to 

create a city of Hamilton 

Kirikiriroa around being distinctively 

different to any other 

city in the country, and the 

world.” 

• Disclosure: The author 

and Geoff Taylor are 

co-directors of a bookwriting 

service. 

Braemar Hospital is one of the largest 

private surgical hospitals in New Zealand, 

and it’s here in Hamilton. 

Artist’s impression of Tūāpapa. 

With more than 100 world class specialists, 

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

including 32 private rooms, at Braemar 

you’ll receive the highest level of care. 

Choose the very best. 

Choose Braemar. 

braemarhospital.co.nz 

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when exporting them. 

At James & Wells, we can identify your competitive 

edge, offer business strategies for specific markets and 

help you own and leverage your intellectual property to 

ensure no one steals the fruit of your labour. 

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City firm to fore in 

architecture awards 

Hamilton-based Edwards White 

Architects have won awards for two 

contrasting builds in the Waikato Bay 

of Plenty Architecture Awards. 

The Te Kāhui Whaihanga 

New Zealand Institute 

of Architects Local 

Awards were held in April at 

the University of Waikato Tauranga 

campus. 

Edwards White won a 

housing award for a hilltop 

home overlooking Whāingaroa 

Raglan Harbour that the 

judges said admirably met the 

client’s request for “a house 

of clean lines and open spaces 

that capitalises on the amazing 

views”. 

Situated to provide shelter 

from the prevailing winds and 

to take advantage of the outlook 

over Raglan township, 

harbour and sea, the design 

response is a sheltering, lowslung, 

L-shape combined with 

generous internal spaces. The 

entrance cantilever and wide 

living area overhangs provide 

a sculptural sense of shelter 

in this “big landscape”, the 

judges said. 

Edwards White also won 

a commercial award for the 

Urban Homes headquarters 

on the corner of London and 

Anglesea Streets in central 

Hamilton. 

“Occupying a prominent 

corner of Hamilton’s CBD, 

Urban HQ shows us that the 

architects’ manifesto for intelligent 

renewal of Hamilton’s 

urban fabric continues with 

gusto,” the judges said. 

“Denying the condemnation 

of a disused 1950s building 

to mere landfill, the architect 

has sustainably retained 

the existing structure and 

deftly cloaked it in a new performance-oriented 

skin.” 

The judges said the existing 

building is acknowledged 

by way of an exposed 

concrete structure, which is 

contrasted by clean, modern 

lines to heighten the appreciation 

of both. “This modern, 

future-proofed office 

building is a delight in its 

combination of memory 

and function.” 

A Hamilton family home 

designed by Auckland-based 

Mercer and Mercer Architects 

also won an award, with the 

judges saying it was effortlessly 

arranged around a highly 

resolved plan. “This house is 

proof of the architects’ deep 

consideration and curiosity for 

how it may adapt over time, 

and is a finely crafted home 

for living in.” 

Hamilton-based architects 

Architecture Bureau won in 

the housing section for a concrete 

bungalow four-bedroom 

holiday home. 

The judges said a handsome 

elevation and dignified 

street presence conceal an 

artful gradient from public to 

private within the suburban 

holiday home. 

“Careful consideration of 

thermal mass and cross ventilation 

to manage comfort, 

combined with a sensitive 

incorporation of the clients’ 

craft into the structure of the 

house, creates a home that is 

comfortable for a couple but 

able to take a crowd.” 

Sixteen projects received 

awards across six categories 

and two Enduring Architecture 

Awards were also presented, 

including one in the Waikato 

for the former Putāruru Post 

Office building, designed 

by Beehive architect Fergus 

Sheppard in the 1960s, and 

described by judges as a “beacon 

of modernist architecture 

in New Zealand”. 

Many clients and architects 

had worked together to 

reduce the carbon footprint 

of builds. “It’s exciting to see 

some experimentation with 

new structural panel prefabrication 

ideas in efforts to 

design more efficient buildings,” 

jury convenor Camden 

Cummings said. 

Urban HQ by Edwards White 

Raglan Rest by Edwards White 

Urban HQ 

Raglan Rest


CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE 

OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON 

Government changes - 

will residential investors 

move towards commercial 

and industrial? 

In a move to make it easier for first home 

buyers, the government has recently 

lifted both income and property price 

caps. They have also brought in some 

changes for residential investors, which 

may lead to a change in their thinking on 

property investment: 

Bright Line Test – extended from 5 

years to 10 years for existing residential 

properties, where you will be required to 

pay tax on any profit made through the 

property increasing in value. 

Removal of Interest Deductibility 

– interest on loans will no longer be tax 

deductible for residential investors (there 

may be an exclusion for new builds, but this 

is yet to be determined). 

All in all, the government seems to 

have completely missed the point, the 

issue is simple – supply, supply, supply. 

This along with the increasing costs of construction, 

from compliance, legislation, cost 

of labour and building products, is making 

housing more expensive for home owners 

and those renting. Whether you make it 

easier for first home buyers and continue 

to make it more difficult and expensive for 

those renting, it all comes back to the issue 

of supply. 

Since this announcement was made, 

we have seen growing commentary 

around the increasing unaffordability for 

those renting, with fewer properties being 

available and more competition for available 

housing sock, all leading to rents 

continuing to rise. 

I am very much in favour of making 

it easier for those wanting to get on to the 

home ownership ladder, but consider those 

renting as well. There has to be an effect 

when the house we live in quite happily, 

is unlikely to meet the new healthy homes 

requirements for rental properties – it was 

obvious that this legislation was inevitably 

going to lead to the cost for upgrading rental 

properties being passed on to tenants in the 

form of rent increases. 

A recent One Roof article suggests that 

MBIE statistics show that 77 percent 

of Kiwi investors own just one investment 

property. It has always been clear 

that the government cannot deliver enough 

rental accommodation, so it only makes 

sense that the private sector is always going 

to be required to help meet the significant 

shortfall. Therefore, assistance needs to 

be provided to those private landlords 

providing this basic service, as it does 

with other businesses and their loan costs. 

My observations are that many of 

those who own one residential 

rental property, 

actually take greater 

care to provide 

Source: 

Placemakers 

Mike Neale - Managing Director, 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton. 

acceptable accommodation as they are 

seeking good reliable tenants, who are there 

for the long term – very few want to flick 

on the property within a short period of time 

for capital gain. 

So, will this lead residential investors 

moving in greater numbers towards 

commercial and industrial investments? 

Certainly, greater numbers are likely to consider 

this, but whether they enter this market 

is still unknown. Major trading banks are 

still weighted towards and have a greater 

appetite for residential property, where they 

deem it to have less potential associated risk. 

In saying that and having talked to several 

investors recently who have both commercial 

and residential investments, they appear 

to be of the view that there is now benefit in 

having the debt allocated against the commercial 

property, while being able to retain 

their diversified mix of residential and 

commercial investments. 

The demand for commercial and 

industrial investments, particularly in 

the $500,000-$1,500,000 market, already 

has a distinct shortage of supply, particularly 

for passive freehold investment 

properties that have reputable tenants and 

long-term leases. This issue is likely to be 

exacerbated – as we have a distinct shortage 

of supply – with the low interest rate 

environment for those with money sitting 

in the banks on deposit, we would expect 

that yields may continue to fall, as demand 

for cashflow from income-producing assets 

increases further. With escalating compliance 

requirements for residential investors, 

one benefit for commercial and industrial 

investors is that in many cases the cost of 

professional management can be recovered 

directly from the tenant. Increasingly with 

this minefield of compliance, both residential 

and commercial investors are likely to 

seek professional property management, to 

limit the growing potential liability they are 

facing through government legislation. 

So, until the supply issue is addressed, 

not a lot is going to change – house prices 

are likely to continue rising and either home 

buyers or those renting will suffer the consequences. 

Investors will continue seeking 

assets with better returns, and property 

will remain popular with its added attraction 

of potential future capital gains 

– commercial and industrial 

property will therefore 

increase in 

popularity. 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed 

Agent REAA 2008 

Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON 

07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz 

www.naiharcourts.co.nz 

205180AC 

Thematic founder and Waikato University graduate Alyona Medelyan 

talks with AI Institute associate director Jannat Maqbool at the launch. 

University launches 

AI Institute 

Waikato University’s “amazing” 

reputation for AI research has helped a 

graduate found a company with some of 

the world’s big names among its clients. 

Thematic founder Alyona 

Medelyan told the 

audience at the launch 

of the university’s AI Institute 

that when she attends conferences 

around the world, 

people already know about 

Waikato University. 

“Studying at Waikato 

University didn't just teach 

me valuable skills in natural 

language processing 

and machine learning. I also 

benefited from Waikato University's 

amazing reputation 

worldwide,” she said at the 

April 27 launch of Te Ipu o te 

Mahara, which translates as 

'A Receptacle of Consciousness’. 

“In my opinion, it all 

comes from the fact that 

you're amazing sharing your 

research and putting yourself 

out there.” 

She said while studying 

for a PhD at Waikato she 

learned about the importance 

of open source computation 

as well as writing about 

research in an accessible way. 

“When I started Thematic, 

one of the first things we did 

was to start writing about 

the things that we do, and 

explaining the problem that 

we're trying to solve. And 

this is how we found our first 

international customer.” 

Thematic uses AI to 

analyse customer feedback 

to help companies improve 

their products and services, 

and counts LinkedIn, Vodafone 

and Jetstar among its 

international clients. Having 

a PhD from the university 

also helped Medelyan gain a 

spot at prestigious US-based 

startup accelerator Y Combinator, 

which she says was 

transformative in the early 

stages for the budding company 

that now has 15 staff. 

“I did an experiment and I 

added up all of the customers 

of our customers, and I ended 

up at hundreds of millions of 

people,” she said. “LinkedIn 

alone has 700 million users, 

and we help them to improve 

their customer experience. So 

that's an estimate of an impact 

a tiny team of just 15 people 

can make.” 

Te Ipu o te Mahara is 

focused on translating New 

Zealand’s world-leading 

expertise in AI, real time analytics 

of big data and machine 

learning, into commercial 

businesses and applications. 

Institute director Professor 

Albert Bifet says the purpose 

is to link Waikato’s world-class 

training and education with 

leading research and ultimately 

boost New Zealand’s growing 

tech industry. 

“Artificial intelligence and 

Māori tech have been identified 

as enabling growth engines for 

New Zealand and the purpose of 

Te Ipu o te Mahara is to leverage 

our world-leading expertise to 

benefit New Zealand,” he says. 

Waikato is responsible 

for applications like WEKA, 

the world's first open source 

machine learning library that 

has been downloaded more than 

10 million times. Its researchers 

have also written books on 

machine learning and data mining 

used by Google employees 

and computer science departments 

in universities around the 

world. The university has also 

recently invested in New Zealand’s 

most powerful computer 

for AI. The NVIDIA DGX A100 

is the world’s most advanced 

system for powering universal 

AI workloads, enabling machine 

learning and artificial intelligence 

that can solve problems 

from addressing climate change 

to managing biodiversity. 

One of the first projects the 

computer is being used for is to 

train models that can learn and 

Professor Albert Bifet at the launch. 

classify New Zealand’s plants 

and animals, based on a publicly 

available database of more than 

one million photos. 

Professor Bifet says AI will 

transform research and business 

in New Zealand, with technology 

currently New Zealand’s 

third largest export sector. New 

Zealand’s top 200 tech companies 

brought in revenue of $12.7 

billion in 2020. 

“Our focus is on building 

collaborative relationships 

between the Institute, the wider 

AI research community and the 

business community, both in 

New Zealand and internationally, 

and then using that research 

to support entrepreneurship and 

the commercialisation of AI 

technology.” 

Associate director for the 

Institute, Jannat Maqbool, will 

be responsible for fostering 

these relationships. 

“Alongside the work of 

experts and researchers a big 

focus of the Institute will be getting 

young people excited about 

STEM subjects and AI, so New 

Zealand can benefit from a local 

talent pool with diverse perspectives 

in leveraging this technology 

into the future,” she says. 

The Institute will offer programmes 

in schools, deliver professional 

programmes for industry 

and help people connect and 

invent new ways to address the 

challenges of today, using AI. 

Professor Bernhard 

Pfahringer, Professor Eibe Frank 

and Associate Professor Te Taka 

Keegan are co-directors of the 

Institute. Te Ipu o te Mahara 

will sit within the Division of 

Health, Engineering, Computing 

and Science at the University of 

Waikato.


9 

Gartshore claims 

prestigious awards 

Gartshore have earned themselves a 

reputation as leaders in the interior fitout 

and joinery industries, having operated 

nationwide for more than 60 years. 

Continually reinvesting 

profits back into the 

business enables Gartshore 

to have the most current 

plant, processes, systems, technology 

and staff training, ensuring 

they can meet the demands 

of some of New Zealand’s most 

prestigious fitout projects both 

now and in the future. 

This is reflected in the fact 

that Gartshore have recently 

won two awards at the Master 

Joiners Awards 2021 held in 

Hamilton on the 26th of March. 

The awards programme recognises 

commitment to standards 

and craftsmanship and celebrates 

professional excellence 

within the industry. Receiving 

these awards on the back 

of several awards at the NZ 

Retail Interior Awards late last 

year demonstrates Gartshore’s 

continual drive to deliver high 

quality projects time and time 

again. Gartshore were awarded 

the Best Region (Waikato-Bay 

of Plenty) Award and Best Use 

of Colour Award for Naumi 

Studio Hotel in Wellington. 

Housed in an iconic heritage-listed 

building, the hotel 

went through an extensive 

top-to-toe renovation, transforming 

it into a visual feast for 

the senses, with eclectic spaces 

inspired by seafaring, the literary 

world and enduring love. 

The client’s brief – delightfully 

eccentric maximalism – was 

brought to life by W Gartshore’s 

bespoke joinery supply 

and install. 

The project was completed 

in late 2020 and is a unique 

experience that immerses 

guests from the moment they 

walk through the door. Greeting 

them is a large scale painted 

floral backdrop covered in gold 

leaf, featuring bespoke 3D origami 

flower lights and a framed 

portrait of Lady Naumi. 

The sensory overload continues 

to Lola Rouge Bar, which 

truly showcases exceptional 

joinery craftsmanship. One of 

the most eye-catching features 

is the stunning light fixture that 

hangs overhead, requiring hidden 

structural steel work within 

a suspended ceiling. 

In the adjoining lounge, one 

can find a purple mosaic tiled 

fluted breakfast table, which 

took over 200 man-hours to 

create. Each 20mm x 20mm 

glass tile was individually cut 

to ensure a seamless transition 

through the arches to the underside 

of the tabletop – a true feat 

of skill and perseverance. 

A seemingly endless array 

of materials and finishes, 

including wallpapers, 17 different 

types of tiles, several glass 

finishes, fabrics, leathers, solid 

timber, brass, metals, stone, and 

veneers were seamlessly integrated 

into the project and doing 

so was a huge accomplishment 

for the joinery and installation 

team. The Gartshore team 

worked tirelessly for weeks to 

complete an outstanding 

project which they are 

incredibly proud of. 

- Supplied Copy 

Best Region Waikato-Bay of Plenty Award (David Higgins)


Three waters and 

Waikato local council 

amalgamation 

The proposed Three Waters legislation that is being 

promoted by the Labour Government will have a very 

large effect on Waikato local councils. 

In reality it is all about funding. By 

separating out a large proportion of 

local council revenue that is derived 

from the three forms of water to a quasi-government 

organisation that focusses 

solely on the three waters across the 

Waikato, the Government will diminish 

substantially the revenue and functions 

of local councils. 

The consequent vacuum will be 

basis for some form of consolidation 

of those local councils by central 

government. 

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

has been advocating for the Amalgamation 

of local councils for many years 

because business is finding their boundaries 

artificial and arbitrary, costly to 

work with, time consuming, illogical, 

and unproductive. 

There are 12 territorial authorities 

across the Waikato, governing 500,000 

people. 12 replications, 12 governance 

bodies, 12 bureaucracies, 12 large cost 

centres, 12 voices singing off separate 

song sheets, and unfortunately 12 separate 

entities with different rules for 

business to deal with. 

Waikato families and businesses 

work, play and live across those boundaries. 

Those boundaries are unnecessary 

hurdles. They create unnecessary 

complexity. They create competition 

rather than collaboration. They have 

no natural logic. The lines that define 

these territories bear no resemblance to 

reality. 

Drawn in the 80s they are archaic 

and are holding back the Waikato from 

achieving a prosperous future Amalgamation 

needs to be pursued willingly 

to a destination we all want, or we will 

have it foisted on us in a manner that 

we do not want by Central Government. 

At stake is strong local democratic 

representation and also bureaucratic efficiency. 

If we do not have the conversation, 

we will not have our combined 

voice heard in the outcome. 

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

By Don Good, Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce executive director 

is not advocating a super council but 

suggesting that a debate on amalgamation 

needs to be spurred on by our 

leaders, with our voters, ratepayers and 

businesses contributing substantially to 

the conversation. 

There are lessons to be learnt from 

the Auckland super council model. It 

has not been without its faults, but from 

a business point of view, it is one homogenous 

area in terms of the rules and 

regulations. That makes it very easy for 

businesses to work with. We should be 

looking at both what was successful 

and what did not work in that merger 

and its activities since. 

It is also about our democratic voice 

and a fair share of our tax being spent in 

our region. The Chamber of Commerce 

wants the region to have a united and 

stronger voice but one involving less 

bureaucracy. 

We will not put a figure on what we 

see as the optimum number of councils 

for the Waikato but want the discussion 

to start as soon as possible. 

Otherwise, Three Waters will lead to 

a Government imposed council merger 

that is not led by those who live, work, 

and play in the Waikato. 

Margaret Wallace and Vicki Dromgool share memories of their 

times with the business. The framed photo shows Margaret’s 

sister wearing the wedding dress which Margaret made for her. 

Part of city’s 

fabric for 50 years 


For five decades, people from around the Waikato have 

been walking up a flight of stairs off Hamilton’s Ward Street to 

get their clothing altered. It is a remarkable run of continuity for 

the city business. 

Early on Monday 

morning, May 9, 

1971, Margaret Wallace 

walked up the stairs at 

25 Ward Street in central 

Hamilton. She spent time 

making sure everything 

was in order, including 

her prized Bernina sewing 

machine, took a deep breath 

and at 8am, with a mixture 

of excitement and trepidation, 

opened the front 

door. Hamilton’s newest 

business, Margaret Wallace 

Clothing Alterations, was 

open for customers. 

She had rent of $9 a 

month to pay for the first 

two months, $47 in the 

bank and no guarantee this 

would work out. But she 

was determined. 

The Bernina had been 

bought the year before, 

from a Te Aroha dressmaker 

called Mrs Sleep, as Margaret 

had begun to think about 

starting her own business 

and getting ahead. “I was 

working for a tailor. And I 

thought, well, I can't go on 

like this with a funny old 

car and renting a flat. I've 

got to do something about 

this.” 

Aged 42, she was stepping 

into the unknown. 

Fifty years later, she can 

still remember the first customer: 

“It was Mrs Ericsson, 

and her husband was 

the manager of the Waikato 

brewery.” 

That first day she made 

$2, the clothing stores 

turned up in droves to give 

her business, and she was 

on her way. 

The work poured in. 

They were long days, 

from 6am till 10pm, and 

seven-day weeks. That 

included working at home 

every evening and at weekends. 

There was no end of 

trousers to take up, suits and 

dresses to take in or let out, 

coats to alter, zips to replace. 

It was three years before she 

took her first holiday. “I worried 

myself sick the whole 

time I was gone.” 

She also did curtains. “I 

used to get in the car at night 

and take the tracks and put 

them up at night time. I would 

work till 11 o'clock to fit the 

curtains. I had to do that to get 

where I wanted to be.” 

Margaret was solo for 

the first 15 months before 

employing her first staff member. 

That followed advice 

from well-known Hamilton 

businessman Morty Foreman, 

who knew her from her previous 

job at Wilkinson’s. 

“He came to see me and he 

said, ‘I'll give you a few tips.’ 

“He said, ‘You're working 

so hard, and you can't do it 

with two hands. If you employ 

somebody, you'll get more 

work. As you get more work 

that'll make you more money. 

And don't put your prices 

too high. Keep your turnover 

high by having your prices 

cheaper.’” 

Margaret heeded his 

advice, and went on to employ 

eight staff as well as outworkers, 

as the business in the 

G E Clark building thrived. 

Customers came from across 

Waikato, and included the 

Masonic Lodge, the Police 

and the Fire Brigade. 

Building owners G E 

Clark, who sold plants and 

grains among other products 

(“you name it, they sold it,” 

Margaret says), had an office 

upstairs as well as a shopfront 

downstairs. Her shop was off 

the landing to the right facing 

the street, and later shifted to 

the back of the building on the 

same floor. 

“When I first went in, there 

was an old lady with a milk 

bar on the other side of the 

road, and there was the black 

and white coffee lounge. 

There was a barber shop, there 

was Pollock and Milne.” 

Margaret also remembers 

a restaurant upstairs called 

La Gershinshaws, while she 

says Laurie Jenkins Menswear 

went in downstairs for a 

while before shifting across to 

the Government Life building 

which opened in 1980, followed 

by Centreplace in 1985. 

And in the intervening 

years, Margaret got 

married (“the best 

thing I ever did”) and developed 

a loyal customer base. 

Now 92, her memories of the 

time are as sharp as ever. 

One woman would come 

in to have her clothes let out. 

“I don’t know why I put this 

weight on,” she said to Margaret, 

“I hardly eat anything.” 

Soon after, Margaret popped 

across the road to the Diana 

Coffee Lounge to get a sandwich 

and noticed the woman 

sitting at a table, her plate 

loaded with pastries, from 

sponge cake to donuts. 

Margaret can still recall the 

measurements for one particular 

lawyer. “Leg 28 and the 

bottom of his trousers, eight 

inches across. He just used 

to send them around with a 

girl and I knew what to do to 

them.” 

Margaret also has a photo 

showing her and her staff 

wearing Lions’ jerseys made 

for much bigger frames. The 

back-up jerseys of the touring 

rugby team had been dropped 

off at short notice, for the 

numbers to be sewn on. 

Then there was the time 

Margaret was phoned at 11pm 

because a netball team had 

realised they had left their uniforms 

behind and they were


11 

Vicki Dromgool with a Consew 230, still working 

perfectly decades after it was first acquired. 

flying out at 7am the next 

morning. Margaret was in bed, 

but told the woman she was 

welcome to pop around, pick 

up the key, head into town for 

the uniforms and return the 

key once she was done. 

And there was one man, a 

regular customer, who turned 

up at closing time on a Friday 

night to collect trousers that 

had been altered for him. 

“He picked his trousers 

up and away he went, and I 

picked up my briefcase and 

away I went and locked the 

grille downstairs. I got a 

phone call about half an hour 

later, and they said there was a 

man on the premises climbing 

up on the inside of the grille. 

‘You’d better come in because 

we can't get him out.’” 

It turned out the man had 

gone to the toilet on his way 

out, delaying him long enough 

that he was locked in, with 

no way of phoning anyone. 

In desperation he decided to 

scale the grille gate to try to 

get through a gap at the top, 

but got stuck while a crowd 

gathered outside. 

To rub salt in the wound, 

he ripped his trousers. Margaret 

mended them at no charge, 

and he remained a very good 

customer. 

“He took it in good part,” 

says Margaret of his ordeal. 

“He laughed.” 

In 1994, Margaret sold up 

and was finally able to take 

longer holidays without 

constantly having the business 

on her mind. The name stayed, 

however, and on May 9 this 

year Margaret Wallace Clothing 

Alterations marks 50 years 

in the city, on the same floor of 

the same building it started in. 

It does so under the ownership 

of Vicki Dromgool, who was 

an employee of Margaret’s 

when she sold and continued 

under Correna Kirby’s tenure 

before buying the business 

herself in 1999. 

The early ownership years 

were tough for Vicki, who 

inherited younger staff lacking 

experience, and she was 

busy. Things improved when 

she employed three “really 

good” staff members, Gail, 

Julie and Carol. Gail became 

Vicki’s mainstay, an “excellent 

seamstress”. 

Times have changed, 

clothing has got cheaper after 

import licences were removed 

in 1992, and the standard of 

tailoring is not what it was. 

On a sunny afternoon at Margaret’s 

beautifully kept Hamilton 

home, the two women 

swap notes. 

“Do you remember Thornton 

Hall?” Vicki asks. Margaret 

does indeed remember the 

New Zealand fashion label, 

which closed in 1997. 

“They were the most 

beautifully tailored clothes,” 

Vicki says. “They were 

lovely to work on but they 

were intricate. Whereas now 

you don't find stuff like that. 

We do quicker jobs now, 

because clothes are made so 

differently. 

“You can sew down a 

side seam right through the 

hem now. That's acceptable 

whereas you wouldn't be able 

to in those days." 

“Oh no,” Margaret agrees. 

“To put a zip in a pair of jeans 

now you could just about go to 

the Warehouse and buy a new 

pair,” she says. 

Vicki makes the point that 

at the other end of the scale a 

pair of jeans could cost $600. 

“Those are the things that I 

find that I'm doing, new zips 

in jeans that are expensive, 

new zips in suit trousers to 

keep them going.” 

They also remember staff. 

“The thing I realised is it's 

not only me that put me where 

I am. It was having good staff 

and we all worked as a team 

together,” Margaret says. 

Sadly, there have been bad 

experiences. 

The thing I realised is 

it's not only me that 

put me where I am. It 

was having good staff 

and we all worked as 

a team together. 

Both Margaret and Vicki 

have had staff steal from 

them. Margaret was also burgled 

five times, while Vicki 

remembers turning up at work 

one morning, when working 

for Correna, to discover the 

shop had been raided, with 

the burglars making their 

getaway by using cushion 

piping to lower themselves 

from the roof. The early Bernina 

is no longer in use, but 

other machines from Margaret’s 

time still are, including a 

blind hemmer, an overlocker 

and three plain sewers. However, 

they will soon be used 

elsewhere; on August 1, just 

over 50 years after opening 

for business, Margaret Wallace 

Clothing Alterations will 

end as Vicki follows Margaret’s 

footsteps and makes the 

most of her retirement. 

She has spanned more than 

30 years with the company, as 

employee and owner. And she 

has seen changes, not only to 

fashion but to the street. 

“Ward Street has changed 

in that time. It used to be the 

busiest little hub in Hamilton,” 

she says. 

Margaret, meanwhile, has 

outlived many of her former 

customers. One thing stays the 

same, however. “Even now, if 

I go to a funeral, I can pick a 

bad suit fitting,” she says. 

From left: Susan Rowlands, Vicki, Margaret, Jackie Gough and 

Jacqui Brown with Helen Sisson, front, wearing Lions jerseys 

after they added numbers to them for the touring team. 

Commercial Property 

Management & Valuations 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what businesses are built on and how they succeed. 

We understand that to maximise the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

Expert valuation advice 

A business partner that understands your views and goals 

Mike Gascoigne 

Branch Manager 

P 07 834 6690 M 027 430 8311 

mike.gascoigne@bayleys.co.nz 

Curtis Bones 

Senior Commercial Property Manager 

P 07 834 3826 M 027 231 3401 

curtis.bones@bayleys.co.nz 

James Harvey 

Commercial Facilities Manager 

P 07 839 0700 M 027 425 4231 

james.harvey@bayleys.co.nz 

Matt Straka 

Registered Valuer 

P 07 834 3232 M 021 112 4778 

matt.straka@bayleys.co.nz 

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


Why are we waiting…? 

As is my style, I always wait until the last possible minute to 

write this monthly article. I tell myself that we are definitely 

due for some worthwhile immigration news…but, alas, we 

are still waiting. 

What are we waiting 

for? Where do 

I begin? Firstly, 

the main category by which 

migrants progress to obtain New 

Zealand residence is the Skilled 

Migrant Category (SMC) which 

is a points-based and primarily 

job dependent category. Applicants 

who lodged their SMC 

residence applications in early 

August 2019 only now have 

their applications allocated for 

processing. Why are these applications 

taking 20 months to get 

to this stage? This is because we 

are waiting on the Government 

to decide on the New Zealand 

Residence Programme, which 

sets the target for the number of 

people who can be approved for 

residence under all categories in 

an 18 month period. The current 

Residence Programme expired 

on the 31st of December 2019 

and has yet to be officially 

updated, and Immigration New 

Zealand (INZ) is only mandated 

to approve resident numbers 

in line with the Residence 

Programme. Last month it was 

reported that there are almost 

12,000 SMC applications, comprising 

some 26,000 people, 

whose applications are waiting 

to be allocated…and they must 

continue to wait, and hope that 

the Government sanctions a 

new Residence Programme 

with a higher target which will 

enable INZ to process their 

applications at a faster rate. 

The first stage of the SMC 

application process is to make 

an Expression of Interest (EOI). 

Previously, EOI selections were 

made every two weeks, with 

successful applicants being 

issued an invitation to apply 

for residence then proceeding 

to lodge their residence application. 

EOI selections were 

suspended in April 2020, a year 

ago, and have not yet resumed. 

However, applicants who meet 

the criteria to lodge an EOI have 

been able to continue to do so 

and there are now around 9,000 

EOI’s (who have each paid $530 

= a total of $4.7m!) sitting in 

the EOI pool – waiting for EOI 

selections to resume. The suspension 

of EOI selections means 

that migrants working in many 

key roles in New Zealand, such 

as teachers, nurses, doctors, 

engineers, plumbers, electricians 

and many others cannot actually 

progress their NZ residence in 

order to secure their future in our 

country. The Minister of Immigration 

announced in February 

that a decision on the resumption 

of the EOI selections would be 

made before the end of March. 

We are now at the end of April 

and…we, and 9,000 others, are 

still waiting… 

The Minister of Immigration 

has also announced that the 

SMC is under review. It is very 

appropriate that this review, with 

the normally highly dynamic 

Richard Howard 

immigration landscape subdued, 

be undertaken as this current 

opportunity is unlikely to 

present again. We support such a 

review but, this will take time… 

and in the meantime, we are 

fielding enquiries for migrant 

workers who are tired of waiting 

and are looking to pack their 

bags for Australia and Canada. 

Skilled migrants are, and 

always have been an important 

part of how New Zealand grows 

and develops into the 21st century. 

It’s in the best interests 

of employers and communities 

alike to have skilled migrants 

being given clarity on how they 

obtain residence, allowing them 

to buy a house, settle down raise 

a family and be an active part 

of their community, planning 

their future in New Zealand. 

When put into this context, is 

it not a fair question to ask of 

government, how much longer 

are we to wait? 

Small-town Kiwi 

business leading in 

e-bike innovation 

Cutting edge technology and Kiwi innovation isn’t only found in 

the big cities – one small South Waikato town is leading the way 

in the creation and sale of electric motorbikes. 

When Tokoroa local 

Tazmin Lowen, 

28, suffered a 

life-changing accident at 

work in 2019, he was forced 

to re-evaluate his life. Waking 

up in hospital after being 

almost fatally gassed by chlorine, 

Lowen reflected on his 

passions and what he wanted 

to get out of his work. He narrowed 

it down to a few key 

points: it had to be environmentally 

friendly, innovative, 

and preferably involving his 

love for motorbikes. 

Electric motorbikes 

weren’t available in New 

Zealand before Lowen started 

tinkering with them in his 

own shed, eventually developing 

his first fully-fledged 

e-bike in 2019. He started his 

e-bike business, Lowen Tech, 

off the back of this. Sur Ron, 

one of the largest e-bike companies 

in the world, found out 

about Lowen Tech’s work 

through his website and purchased 

the bike from him, at 

the same time commissioning 

him for more work on making 

custom e-bike parts. 

Lowen Tech quickly 

started gaining speed, and 

was commissioned by Boyd 

Motorcycles (Hamilton) and 

Traction Motorcycles (Christchurch) 

for as many as 20 

bikes at a time. Since Covid- 

19 hit New Zealand, shipping 

delays have slowed his business 

down, but the keen interest 

remains. 

Initially, Lowen says his 

petrol-loving friends thought 

he was crazy. “They didn’t 

understand e-bikes or why I’d 

possibly want to make or ride 

one. They definitely didn’t 

have that ‘cool’ reputation 

that regular motorbikes traditionally 

do,” he says. Before 

too long, though, Lowen had 

his friends convinced that 

e-bikes were the way of the 

future – primarily because of 

their performance. The instant 

torque and pure fun that can be 

achieved in e-bikes is incomparable, 

he says, coupled with 

the fact that they’re zero-emissions 

vehicles. Maintenance 

of the bikes is also easier, 

as they contain fewer moving 

parts, and are cheaper to 

run at just 20c to charge per 

70km. Originally from Arapuni, 

another small town in 

the South Waikato, Lowen’s 

move to set his business up 

Putting an e-bike 

through its paces. 

in Tokoroa was a logical step 

considering the town’s central 

location, strong road links to 

bigger cities, spaciousness for 

his workshop, and supportive 

local community. Tokoroa 

is also home to the South 

Waikato Motorcycle Club. The 

next steps for Lowen Tech are 

growing the business through 

employing more locals, creating 

more jobs within the 

Tokoroa community. 

Lowen is in the process 

of applying for iwi grants to 

complete tertiary business 

courses, which he hopes will 

translate into accessing sales 

from bigger, overseas corporations. 

He’s also in talks with 

the South Waikato District 

Council about the potential for 

e-bike tours through Tokoroa’s 

forests as a tourist activity. 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

07 834 9222 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

pathwaysnz.com 

Workplace sexual 

harm targeted 

An event aimed at preventing 

sexual harm 

and harassment in 

the workplace will be held in 

Hamilton in June. 

Tautoko Mai Sexual 

Harm Support is sponsoring 

the day-long event that 

will be MCed by Alison 

Mau (leader of the #metoo 

NZ Project) and opened by 

Marama Davidson, the first 

ever Minister for Family and 

Sexual Violence. 

Industry experts such as 

NZ Rugby Union’s Eleanor 

Butterworth will give insights 

into how their organisation 

has implemented change in a 

male-dominated workplace. 

Employment lawyer Steph 

Dyhrberg will talk about a 

new paradigm for complaints 

processes, drawing on her 

experiences tackling sexual 

harassment in the legal profession 

and managing complaints 

for the Rugby Union. 

Julie Sach, Tautoko Mai 

societal change and quality 

assurance leader, says the 

event targets leaders, innovators, 

HR, management and 

change specialists who can 

rethink and reshape their company 

to identify sexual harm 

and respond differently to the 

way it handles sexual harm 

complaints. 

“There is no ‘one size 

fits all’ solution and we need 

organisations who are not 

afraid to confront this issue 

head on. Attendees will learn 

how to identify sexual harm, 

respond to complaints, how to 

support victims in the workplace, 

how to make the process 

fair and where to go for further 

advice,” says Sach. 

“Tautoko Mai is committed 

to achieving a society free 

of sexual harm.” 

Tautoko Mai Sexual Harm 

Support is a collective of 

trained counsellors, social 

workers, educators, nurses, 

doctors and clinical health 

practitioners specialising in 

sexual harm support services 

in the Bay of Plenty, Greater 

Waikato and Whakatane. 

“People would be shocked 

by how rife workplace sexual 

harm actually is and the 

far-reaching consequences of 

it. It impacts not only the people 

affected and their families, 

but also organisational reputation, 

productivity and culture” 

says Sach. 

Tautoko Mai saw a 31 percent 

increase in their crisis 

service in 2019/2020 from the 

previous year, with a 226 percent 

increase since the service 

started in 2016. In the last 

financial year, Tautoko Mai 

has had 734 clients engage in 

ACC counselling, an increase 

on last year’s placements of 

550. 

Sadly, since the outbreak 

of Covid-19, it has seen a staggering 

increase in the number 

of people reaching out for 

help. 

The day-long event will be 

held at Mystery Creek near 

Hamilton on Monday 14 June. 

For tickets, go to https://www. 

eventbrite.co.nz/e/its-timeto-talk-about-sexual-harmat-work-leaders-summittickets-138362581205

New tax rules for residential property investment have 

caused a spike in demand for commercial property. 

The corporate world is transitioning to a lower 

carbon, more sustainable, and more resilient future. 

COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES 

FOR SALE FROM AROUND 

NEW ZEALAND 

ISSUE 3 - 2021 


13 

Paul Kerssens, Samantha Hall and Michelle Howie 

Making an impact 

in the Waikato 

Sarah White, Deserae Frisk, Anna Petchell and Nancy Tschetner 

Six months after launching a co-working 

space in Hamilton, Impact Hub Waikato 

has boosted its membership to 80, and has 

tenants for both its private office spaces. 

In March the organisation 

kicked off its third entrepreneurship 

programme and it 

has also opened a podcast studio 

at its central city premises. 

At a social event in April, 

impact support and innovation 

lead Paul Kerssens outlined 

upcoming activities including a 

vision impact recovery event in 

June and a series of innovation 

lunches online. 

Impact Hub Waikato is also 

working with one of its tenants, 

Partner4Growth, to co-create 

a series of events. Partner4Growth 

founder Eugene 

Moreau said the focus would be 

on leadership, teamwork, trust 

and communication. 

“We've been in this game 

a long time and we recognise 

a lot of organisations, a lot of 

individuals, have a really, really 

good idea - they have a vision 

but without strategy and execution 

it's just a fantasy,” he said. 

Impact Hub programme 

manager and community coach 

Ella Stuart said it was exciting 

to be co-creating. “Because at 

Impact Hub, we love collaboration. 

And we want to partner 

with people to make a wider 

impact.” 

Impact Hub Waikato is a 

part of a worldwide network 

focused on building entrepreneurial 

communities for impact, 

and is the first in New Zealand. 

Moreau says Partner- 

4Growth is a mastermind 

coaching company. “We specialise 

in self-employed and 

small business owners in helping 

them to go into business, 

not just have a job. 

“We help them with their 

strategy, their presentation, their 

pitch, the whole nine yards.” 

Partner4Growth set up in the 

Impact Hub space on the corner 

of Collingwood and Anglesea 

Streets earlier this year after 

Moreau saw the sign when 

passing one day. 

“We really focus on four 

critical words, unlock, inspire, 

motivate, and equip. That's why 

we work so well with Impact 

Hub, because they have a certain 

group that need a certain 

inspiration, unlocking, motivating 

or equipping.” 

Partner4Growth business 

partner Jenne Von Pein, 

who has worked virtually 

with companies around 

the world on execution strategy, 

had worked with Moreau 

in the past. 

She says they recognised 

during lockdown how businesses 

could become “very 

alone”. When Moreau came 

up with the Partner4Growth 

concept, she says it was a 

no-brainer for them to join and 

she merged her Jungle Strategy 

firm with the new company. 

Von Pein, an Aucklander, 

says she believes Hamilton has 

huge opportunity. 

“There is much greater 

opportunity in Hamilton and 

Tauranga at the moment with 

the way people are thinking 

with their really professional 

response to Covid,” she says. 

“I believe many Auckland 

businesses are sitting there 

waiting for it to go back to the 

way it was. Hamilton and Tauranga 

have met it face on, they 

know they need to change and 

they’re looking for ways to 

do that. So it’s a completely 

different mindset.” 

Another at the event, 

Michelle Howie of 

Howie Consulting, has 

been a member of the Hub for 

a year, largely thanks to the 

Covid lockdown. 

“I do facilitation work, and 

my name came up and was 

Maryse Dinan, Steve Tritt and Vanessa Williams 

recommended to a local social 

enterprise. They needed somebody 

who was experienced in 

online facilitation, because we 

all went home and lived on 

Zoom, remember? 

“This new social enterprise 

that contacted me said: ‘We’ve 

already got something in the 

diary, and it’s to deliver a workshop 

on wellbeing for members 

of Impact Hub, could you do 

that?’” 

That became her introduction 

to the Hub, running a Zoom 

workshop for some of their 

members. Howie, a coach and 

facilitator, uses the Impact Hub 

space to work away from home 

occasionally, while 10-15 people 

use the space weekly, with 

capacity for more. 

Also among the roomful 

of entrepreneurs, 

Ngāruawāhia-based 

Sarah White is attending the 

Impact Hub’s Back to Purpose 

course, aimed at creating 

impact-led businesses. She is 

setting her sights high. 

“I am building up a coaching 

business. I’m quite spiritual in 

hosting women’s circles, oracle 

card readings. And a lot of the 

drive behind that is wanting to 

create community and support 

people, in knowing themselves 

better and going inwards.” 

She wants to create a wellness 

centre and community hub 

with a connection to nature, 

potentially including a cafe, 

shop, co-working space, and 

healing rooms. She also sees an 

opportunity to include co-housing 

with communal spaces. On 

the course with her is Anna 

Petchell, who runs APetchell 

Coaching. 

“I help people who are feeling 

lost, confused and stuck in 

their careers, I help them figure 

out an exit strategy and live a 

more fulfilling life.” 

While she has local clients, 

she works online internationally 

and her somewhat novel 

specialty is working with super 

yacht crew, because having 

worked in that industry she 

knows what they face. 

“When I went through that 

transition, it was very real. 

From working at sea for eight 

years, coming from that back 

Ella Stuart 

to doing something else, I was 

a little bit lost.” 

She also works with a firefighter, 

with shift workers, with 

people who have specific skills 

that are hard to cross relate to 

another industry. 

“What I help them do is figure 

out who they are and figure 

out what they actually want.” 

All eyes on commercial 

ESG is here to stay 

FEATURING 

89 

Jenne von Pein and Eugene Moreau


Waikato Real 

Estate showcases 

winning business 

With a prestigious Australasian property 

managers award under their belt and a 

strong showing at the Waikato Business 

Awards last year, family-owned Waikato 

Real Estate hosted a BA4 event at their 

Te Rapa premises in April. 

Business development 

manager Michelle Pearson 

said her parents 

started the business in 1985 

with just 11 properties under 

management. 

“Back then it was pretty 

much Mum on the front desk 

and Dad whizzing around 

Hamilton, showcasing houses 

to tenants. Because back then 

the market was a little bit different. 

There was no housing 

shortage like we have now, 

and investors really had to 

showcase their houses to try 

and get tenants to live in their 

properties,” she said. 

She recalls as a youngster 

answering the phone for 

the company, and some sage 

advice from her father Michael 

Murray that has stayed with 

her. “Dad told me I was the 

director of first impressions 

and gave me two critical KPIs 

for answering the phone: 

answer the phone on the second 

ring, and always answer 

with a smile. 

“I absolutely loved my first 

directorship! I still try and 

meet those daily phone KPIs 

to this day.” 

In 2021, Waikato Real 

Estate has more than 1200 

properties throughout the 

region, with an office also in 

Putaruru. Waikato Real Estate 

won the Leading Property 

Managers Association company 

of the year for 2020, the 

first Waikato company ever to 

win the award. They were also 

finalists in the 2020 Waikato 

Business Awards service 

excellence category. 

• The monthly BA4 events 

are held by Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce. 

Jason Cargo, Nick Dinan, Michelle Pearson and Michael Murray 

Tania Witheford and Tony Kane 

Jordan Ridgway and Robert Jones 

Ryan Mulder, Tim Macindoe and Tim Pearson 

Waikato Real Estate staff Sashja Dyer and Imogen 

Green, who prepared the platters for the event 

Stronger together: collaborating on leadership 

and community 

It’s not often that key business 

and community leaders’ 

step outside the intensity 

of their busy occupations 

to embark on a journey of professional 

development, self-reflection 

and conversation, but 

on April 7 a group of carefully 

chosen Waikato leaders committed 

to doing exactly that. 

Facilitated by CELF (Community 

and Enterprise Leadership 

Foundation), the 2021 

cohort includes leaders from a 

broad range of industries and 

organisations, varying from 

construction to recycling and 

food production. 

The Elevate Leadership 

Programme (which these leaders 

will be working through) 

covers eight weeks’ worth of 

experiences, conversations and 

sessions, spread out over the 

course of eight months. 

The programme’s primary 

purpose is to bring together 

established leaders from both 

‘For Purpose’ and ‘For Profit’ 

organisations, in an effort to 

increase leadership capability, 

social impact and elevation of 

all participants. 

This course (like the foundation 

itself) is guided by the 

conviction that socially responsible 

leadership will always 

have a positive impact on the 

community around them. 

As 2021 continues its 

tumultuous and unexpected 

trajectory, these key conversations, 

revelations and experiences 

will form the building 

blocks on which these leaders 

will adapt, learn and thrive. 

Pictured: The 2021 Elevate Leadership Cohort: Back, Left to right: Wendy Edwards (Prolife), Jean McKenzie (Mathematics for a Lifetime Charitable Trust), Matt Cranshaw (NZ Police), 

Daniel van der Hulst (Schick Civil Construction), Harvey Brookes (Waikato WellBeing Project), Steve Halse (Perry Metal Protection), Chris Benfell (Foster Maintain), Dallas Butler 

(Xtreme Zero Waste), Larn Wilkinson (Hauraki District Council), Karen Singers (POET), Kelly Woolston (Enabling Good Lives), Joey Uden (BNZ), Jake Lambert (APL Direct), Wayne 

Smallwood (Golden Homes) Front Row: Samantha Lee (The Supported Life Style Hauraki Trust), Deborah Nudds (The Meteor Theatre), Heidi Mardon (Toimata Foundation), Surinder 

Singh (Rauawaawa Kaumatua Charitable Trust) Rebecca Skilton(RAW), Richard Clarke (Power Farming)


15 

Te Waka chair Hamish Bell says border 

restrictions appear to have highlighted 

under-investment in people and skills 

Waikato businesses 

more optimistic 

Regional economic development agency 

Te Waka’s second Waikato Business 

Sentiment Survey shows business 

owners and managers are significantly 

more optimistic about their sector and 

the region’s economic performance than 

they were six months ago, but remain 

less confident in the country’s economic 

performance as a whole. 

Conducted in partnership 

with local authorities, 

chambers of commerce, 

regional tourism operators, 

business associations and other 

economic development organisations, 

the survey provides 

insights to the performance of 

business in the prior six-month 

period and is an indicator of 

confidence looking ahead. 

Between February 15 and 

March 12, 565 responses were 

collected online. This was consistent 

with the August 2020 

survey (589) and had a greater 

response rate than the ANZ 

National Business Confidence 

Survey. Both surveys calculate 

net confidence by subtracting 

the percentage of those 

who believe the economy will 

improve from those who feel 

the economy will deteriorate. 

Te Waka chair Hamish Bell 

said feedback from respondents 

across Waikato shows a 

marked increase in net confidence 

in the economy for the 

six months ahead for their own 

business (34 per cent), their 

sector (from -10 per cent to 11 

per cent) and the region (from 

-14 per cent to 11 per cent). 

Confidence in New Zealand’s 

economy increased from -31 

per cent to -3 per cent. 

Thirty-three per cent of 

respondents reported increased 

sales for the full 2020 calendar 

year compared to 2019, 

and 45 per cent are forecasting 

increased sales compared 

to the same period last year, 

particularly in health services, 

manufacturing and 

construction. 

Bell said stronger sales have 

contributed to a more robust 

outlook for manufacturing, 

construction and retail trade; 

however, supply chain issues, 

increasing price of goods, and 

skills shortages - notably in 

management and specialised 

technical skills - are affecting 

productivity in construction, 

manufacturing, primary industries 

and transport. 

“The Covid-19 border 

restrictions appear to have 

highlighted under-investment 

in people and skills. Not only 

demand for skills but inability 

to meet that demand is a disturbing 

trend.” 

Waikato Regional Council 

principal economist Blair 

Keenan said that for all the 

concerns about the effect of the 

border closures on the ability 

to access suitable labour, 48 

per cent of respondents identified 

the shortage of skilled 

New Zealand residents as a 

problem, compared to just four 

per cent who thought it was a 

problem of a lack of skilled 

immigrants. 

“A better understanding of 

precisely what kind of skills 

we’re lacking is an important 

piece of information that needs 

to be explored,” said Keenan. 

Bell said while it’s encouraging 

to see businesses investing 

in business, financial, 

personnel and continuity planning, 

there are still about 25 to 

50 per cent of businesses with 

11 or more employees who 

do not have planning tools in 

place, and 45 to 72 percent of 

small businesses of up to 10 

employees without planning 

tools. 

He said the region was 

also seeing the impact of supply-side 

issues on both import 

and export industries, with 

58 per cent of respondents 

in those sectors considering 

raising prices. 

Overall, the Waikato 

economy has 

weathered the 

Covid-19 recession 

better than we 

might have feared a 

year ago when the 

prospect of mass 

unemployment and 

deflation seemed a 

real threat. 

Keenan said the emergence 

of supply-side issues “have the 

potential to derail the recovery, 

for example through higher 

inflation and a subsequent policy 

response from the Reserve 

Bank of New Zealand”. 

Hospitality and tourism are 

still bearing the brunt of Covid- 

19, having recorded 74 per 

cent reduced sales, and 17 

per cent of these recorded 

50 per cent or more reduction 

in sales. “The hospitality 

and tourism sector sees 

its prospects remaining relatively 

bleak, with two-thirds 

of respondents expecting 

business to worsen in the 

coming months.” 

The survey pre-dates 

the announcement of a 

trans-Tasman bubble, and 

Keenan said the benefits of 

the bubble for the Waikato 

region may not be all positive. 

“Setting aside public 

health issues, domestic 

tourism is important to the 

sector in Waikato, and the 

re-introduction of international 

options may effectively 

increase competition 

for the domestic market. 

“Overall, the Waikato 

economy has weathered the 

Covid-19 recession better 

than we might have feared 

a year ago when the prospect 

of mass unemployment 

and deflation seemed a real 

threat.” 

However, he cautions 

that while it is encouraging 

that Waikato businesses 

are optimistic about the 

region’s economic outlook, 

the recovery remains both 

patchy and fragile. 

Bell agrees. “It’s encouraging 

that the survey and 

personal engagement with 

industry indicate broad 

optimism, noting the natural 

strengths of Waikato 

as a region, but we need to 

remain cautious about the 

concept of ‘the calm before 

a storm’. 

“We can’t afford to 

become complacent. I’ve 

seen several economic 

downturns from the inside 

and hearing first-hand from 

businesses across the region 

of the challenges they are 

facing as the months have 

progressed. 

“Having said that, the 

data expertly informs the 

big picture for our region 

but with clear, tactical 

detail, which helps Waikato 

have a stronger voice in 

advocating to government 

for support, with a clear 

message and one voice for 

Waikato business.” 

The Waikato Business 

Sentiment Survey will continue 

to be conducted sixmonthly, 

online. Te Waka 

uses the survey insights to 

guide its economic development 

work and delivery 

of business support services 

across Waikato, alongside 

regional partners. 

Briggs to step 

down 

Hamilton City Council Chief 

Executive Richard Briggs will 

leave the organisation when 

his contract expires in mid- 

October. Briggs joined the 

organisation from Fonterra in 

2012 as chief financial officer, 

and was appointed chief 

executive in 2014 during 

Julie Hardaker’s mayoralty. 

Briggs said he intends 

staying in Hamilton close to 

family and friends but has no 

plans to remain in the local 

government sector. 

Meanwhile, the council has 

a new general manager 

growth. Blair Bowcott, who 

has been on the council 

senior leadership team 

since 2007, will take up the 

position at the end of May, 

replacing Jen Baird who has 

a new role as chief executive 

of the Real Estate Institute of 

New Zealand (REINZ). 

8.9 percent rates 

rise for city 

Hamilton City Council has 

agreed to prepare a 10- 

year budget based on a 

compliance targeted rate of 

4.5 percent and a general 

rate increase of 4.4 percent. 

The decision will mean an 

average annual rate rise of 

8.9 percent across the city. 

New chair for TGH 

Waikato-Tainui has 

appointed Hinerangi 

Raumati-Tu’ua as chair 

of Tainui Group Holdings 

(TGH), the commercial 

investment arm of the iwi. 

Raumati-Tu’ua (Waikato, 

Ngaati Mutunga) took 

up the role at the start of 

May, with outgoing chair 

Sir Henry van der Heyden 

retiring by rotation. Raumati- 

Tu’ua was appointed to 

the board in November 

2017. She is a fellow of 

the Institute of Chartered 

Accountants, a member 

of the New Zealand Order 

of Merit, the current chair 

of Paraninihi Ki Waitotara 

Incorporation and Moana 

NZ, and a director of 

Sealord, Watercare and 

several iwi commercial 

entities. In 2017 she was 

named the Maori Woman 

Business Leader of the Year. 

+++++++ 

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Procuta Associates 

Urban + Architecture 

Contact us 07 839 6521 

www.pauaarchitects.co.nz


Waipa manager 

finalist 

Waipā District Council 

finance manager Sarah 

Davies is a finalist in the 

2021 New Zealand CFO 

Awards. Davies is a finalist 

in the Emerging Financial 

Manager category which 

recognises finance talent 

of professionals under the 

age of 40 years who have 

demonstrated outstanding 

finance leadership. The 

annual awards ceremony 

will be held in June. 

The Nixon Homes team outside 

their Hamilton showhome. 

Health bodies 

team up 

The Braemar Charitable 

Trust has entered a threeyear 

partnership with the 

Waikato Medical Research 

Foundation to provide 

funding up to the value 

of $30,000pa for medical 

research that meets the 

trust’s vision. The Braemar 

Charitable Trust Research 

Projects programme will 

fund research that will 

deliver solutions to local 

health issues. 

Disability 

organisations 

merge 

Two leading national disability 

organisations will merge from 

July 1. Hamilton-based Life 

Unlimited, and Access Ability, 

both charitable trusts with a 

long involvement in the health 

and disability sector across 

New Zealand, say the merger 

will position them as a new 

organisation for the future 

which includes upholding 

the rights of disabled people 

to take control of their own 

lives. Life Unlimited chief 

executive Megan Thomas 

will lead the new entity while 

Access Ability CE Tony 

Paine will be deputy CE and 

lead the new organisation’s 

business development, 

business services, and 

advocacy arms. 

Opening for first 

home buyers 

A cooling in the New 

Zealand residential property 

market on the back of the 

Government’s investortargeted 

tax changes has left 

a short-term opening for first 

home buyers, according to 

Lodge Real Estate director 

Jeremy O’Rourke. He says 

there has been a temporary 

investor retreat from the 

residential property market 

as investors assess what 

the new rules, introduced 

in March, mean for them. 

He believes they will return 

once they realise residential 

property is still a long-term 

good investment. 

Kudos 

nominations 

sought 

Nominations are due by 

July 2 for this year’s Kudos 

Awards, recognising 

scientists across the 

Waikato. This year sees 

the return of the Emerging 

Scientist category. 

Personal touch pays off 

for home building firm 

The personal touch is at the heart of Hamilton building firm 

Nixon Homes’ approach, with clients dealing directly with 

managing director Cameron Holmes throughout the process. 

He founded the firm 

two years ago with 

his brother Mike, 

and since then it has grown 

rapidly from building one 

house in its first year to 10 

this year, while also taking 

out a prestigious silver 

in the Master Builders 

Awards. 

They now employ three 

teams of three builders, 

with a fourth team to be 

added in July, as they build 

homes from Te Kauwhata to 

Kihikihi. 

It’s all based on providing 

a complete, no-surprises 

service. Cameron 

readily admits that means 

Mike Holmes 

they take longer in the design 

and quotation phase than 

other house builders. “We 

take probably another four 

to five weeks longer, but we 

quote the whole job so we go 

into detail with every client. 

“For us it's that personal 

touch. They get to spend time 

with me, going around choosing 

the kitchen, tapware, all 

the things that change the 

price.” 

That attention to detail 

comes from 15 years’ experience. 

Cameron has worked 

on everything from residential 

to full commercial as both 

builder and site manager, 

after he started in the industry 

as a 15-year-old. 

Mike, meanwhile, plays 

his part from a distance. He 

is an engineer in Holland 

where he works as a project 

manager. His role in Nixon 

Homes is mainly around 

finance, social media and 

marketing. 

“Anything that can be 

done online, he does. And 

anything that has to be done 

here, I do. He's good with 

money and he loves figures 

and spreadsheets, so that's his 

sort of thing. It works well,” 

Cameron says. 

“We're trying to be smart 

about the business and seeing 

how we can run it efficiently.” 

They also put quality front 

and centre as they build their 

reputation. 

Nixon Homes covers the 

full range from smaller first 

homes to full architectural 

homes with a lot more detail, 

including one in Te Kauwhata 

based on their own 

showhome, which won silver 

in the 2020 Master Builders 

Awards. 

For us it's that 

personal touch. 

They get to spend 

time with me, going 

around choosing the 

kitchen, tapware, 

all the things that 

change the price. 

They have plans they sell 

to, but encourage clients to 

Cameron Holmes with clients at the 

Nixon Homes Whatawhata build. 

come up with a custom design 

using their Hamilton-based 

architectural designer, a service 

they offer at no charge. 

“We encourage design and 

build because we want to 

make them feel part of the 

process and have a good 

experience.” 

Similarly, they offer the 

complimentary services of 

an interior designer. She will 

help a client choose everything 

from paint colours to 

tiles and tapware, making 

sure it all blends in. 

“They get that more personal 

experience again, 

and that feeling of being 

involved with every step 

of the process.” 

The Flagstaff showhome 

that wowed the judges features 

corner-stacking sliding 

doors in the living area that 

disappear into the walls when 

they are opened out. 

That was Mike’s idea, as 

befits an engineer, and Cameron 

willingly put the time in 

to make them work. 

“People really like it; it 

allows a bit more indoor-outdoor 

flow, so that’s been one 

of the biggest selling points 

of this house,” he says. 

That popularity has seen 

them install the same system 

in five more homes. Immediately 

beyond the sliding 

doors, the deck has a louvred 

cover that can be closed 

and opened depending on 

conditions to maximise sunlight, 

create shade or keep 

the rain off. 

What is also noticeable 

throughout is the abundance 

of storage space in the generous 

four bedroom, two bathroom 

home. Remarkably, the 

house has more glazing than 

external wallspace, maximising 

light and making each 

room feel bigger. 

Cameron says Nixon 

Homes came about after he 

and Mike decided initially to 

build some spec houses. 

“We were just going to do 

some spec homes ourselves 

and then Dad sort of pushed 

us into it a little bit as well. 

We thought we would be a 

small company, just me and 

Mike, and sell some quality 

homes.” 

Cameron’s father was 

an early influence, teaching 

him to build, and the brothers 

would work for their 

father for the first week 

of any holidays. 

“We've always had to 

work for things. So we've 

always been motivated to do 

things, not just sit around and 

wait. 

“We took a risk starting 

the business, but it's paying 

off. We were passionate 

enough, it was always just a 

matter of time. 

“We're not worried about 

quantity, we're more worried 

about quality. I'd rather build 

less houses and just keep the 

quality up. Because that's 

the one thing that I want to 

make sure that Nixon Homes 

keeps up, is our brand and 

our quality.” 

• Nixon Homes has teamed 

up with Harrisons to offer 

a 12 kilowatt solar unit, 

sufficient to provide more 

than half the daily power 

a house is likely to need. 

Anyone who signs up to 

build with Nixon Homes 

before July 31 will go in 

the draw to win the unit, 

worth more than $10,000.


17 

We know that skills shortages 

remain a significant problem 

for businesses big and small. 

Business needs a breather 

and helping hand 

Even in what we hope is a post-COVID lock down world we know 

that businesses face ongoing challenges. And while there are a 

couple of ropes up the cliff to help you get back on top, we also 

know there is a lot coming that is not going to make that easy. 

Many of you reliant on 

trade with Australia 

would have been 

relieved to see the trans-Tasman 

bubble opening, not just 

for your staff personally and 

professionally but your 

customers. 

But unfortunately, this 

does not address the skilled 

migrant worker issue and we 

know that skills shortages remain 

a significant problem 

for businesses big and small. 

The Government is developing 

a new immigration policy, 

but we think the issue is 

wider than that. 

EMA chief executive Brett O’Riley 

As the EMA advocated 

before the last election, it is 

time for a much bigger piece 

of work - a population strategy. 

It is critical to many 

parts of the economy and 

New Zealand life. 

We need to decide how big 

we want our country to be as 

that is what drives infrastructure, 

housing, and health policy, 

and in turn means thinking 

about what skills we want in 

our population as these will 

determine our skills mix for 

immigrants, as well as our education 

system. 

Training, education, skills, 

and immigration are a critical 

policy mix for New Zealand as 

we have a rapidly ageing workforce 

(in the top three ageing 

populations in the world), 

which coupled with our declining 

birth rate which is now 

well below what is required to 

replenish our working population, 

the time is now. 

Along with the big picture 

issues like this, there are a 

huge number of other policy 

and legislative changes facing 

businesses. 

The minimum wage recently 

rose to $20 an hour, which is 

the third in a series of increases 

that have seen the minimum 

wage rise more than 25 per 

cent in the past three years. 

But is raising wages what 

drives the productivity which 

enables businesses to grow? 

• It is also only one piece of 

business-focused legislation 

or policy that is on the 

Government’s agenda, and 

that is it in a nutshell really. 

It is the cumulative effect 

of this and the other policy 

and legislative changes 

that have been signalled, 

including: 

• An additional five days’ 

sick leave in 2021 

• The 2022 Matariki public 

holiday at an estimated 

cost of $400 million to 

businesses 

• Fair Pay Agreements that 

will create new minimum 

wage scales across several 

sectors by the end of 2021 

• Easier access to Pay Equity 

negotiations – creating new 

minimum wage thresholds 

across several sectors 

• A new Holidays Act by 

2023 

• Wider obligations from 

Government for its contractors 

to pay the Living Wage. 

As part of the BusinessNZ 

Network we are talking to 

Government about these issues 

regularly, providing your feedback 

and helping shape their 

response, businesses simply 

needs a bit of a breather. 

At a practical level, we are 

here to support our members 

with expert on-tap advice, 

advocacy, events, business 

services and learning, so that 

together we can help your 

business succeed. The EMA 

has been here for you for 135 

years, we are keen to hear from 

you and we are here to listen. 

Brett O’Riley 

EMA Chief Executive


Moses Mackay, Amitai Pati and Pene Pati (Sol3 Mio) 

Ebbett Hamilton 

opens in grand style 

- with special guests 

Sol3 Mio 

What a night! The Ebbett Group put on 

a show to remember on Saturday when 

over 500 guests gathered to celebrate the 

grand opening of their state of the art new 

premises in Te Kowhai East Road, Te Rapa. 

This was a grand opening 

like no other. With the 

staging of an original 

theatre piece around the 93 

year history of the group in the 

Waikato, featuring a scintillating 

performance from international 

best sellers SOL3 MIO, 

the guests were entertained 

with more than just the splendour 

of the new surroundings. 

A stalwart of the Waikato, 

the Ebbett Group has been an 

icon of central Hamilton since 

they opened their first premises 

in Hood Street in 1928. They 

went on to open their landmark 

dealership on the corner 

of Hood and Anglesea in 

1957, a building that will soon 

be replaced by the impressive 

Union Square development. 

Their new premises in 

Te Rapa are something to 

behold. More akin to a highend 

hotel than your typical 

car dealership, the site hosts 

Volkswagen, Isuzu, GMSV, 

Seat and Cupra brands as 

well as remaining the primary 

centre for Holden customers 

in New Zealand. 

Polished concrete floors 

that extend throughout the pristine 

workshops, an abundance 

of natural light, exposed timbers 

and luxurious furniture, 

fixtures and fittings combine 

to create a relaxing, enjoyable 

and professional environment. 

It’s no wonder Ebbett 

wanted to launch this new 

site with a bang on Saturday 

night. As Managing Director, 

Ben van den Engel (a 50 

year veteran of the company), 

noted “We’re only moving 

once, so we’re definitely doing 

it properly!” 

The evening kicked off 

with canapes and drinks as 

the guests soaked up the 

atmosphere and enjoyed the 

incredible new facilities on 

the enormous 25,000m2 site. 

In addition to showrooms, the 

site features a paint, panel & 

tyre centre, a photography & 

video facility, an ultrafast EV 

charger, a central avenue and 

workshops that look more like 

laboratories! 

Then we all took our seats 

for the show – and what a 

show it was. A musical extravaganza 

charting the history 

of the Ebbett Group in the 

Waikato, written specifically 

for this event and featuring 

the beautiful tones of SOL3 

MIO to keep the audience rapt 

for the next hour. 

A lot has happened in 

the last 93 years. The show 

started with the founding of 

the Ebbett Group in 1928 and 

progressed through depressions, 

war, recovery, a public 

listing, growth, contraction, 

the global financial crisis and 

finished with their successful 

navigation of Holden’s 

New Zealand departure and 

Coronavirus in 2020. 

This truly was a rich tale 

of hard work, opportunism, 

resilience, service, community 

and… real life, with 

all its ups and downs and 

twists and turns. 

Beautifully staged, wonderfully 

acted and peppered 

with the class of SOL3 MIO, 

this was a fantastic performance 

and really brought 

home the character of a business 

that prides itself on its 

strong values and “Customers 

for Life” vision. 

“I feel quite emotional after 

watching that” said Ben, “I’ve 

been here a long time and seeing 

our history brought to life 

in such a vivid manner really 

brings home to me the joy of 

Richard Ebbett, Ben van den Engel, Richard van den Engel, Walter van den Engel 

the journey we have been on 

– it really was a wonderful 

performance.” 

He went on to say “It was 

fantastic to re-live our history 

but tonight we’re here to celebrate 

the start of our future. 

It’s a night, and a beginning, 

that I feel humbled to share 

with many of our long-standing 

customers, our community 

and the very special team we 

have here at Ebbett. We are 

justifiably proud of our past 

in Hamilton but tonight, even 

more so, we’re excited about 

our future and delivering for 

our customers from these 

wonderful new premises.” 

It was a fitting tribute to a 

unique and wonderful night. 

A creative, uplifting and thoroughly 

enjoyable evening to 

celebrate the latest stage of a 

group with a fantastic history 

and, no doubt, an equally long 

and exciting future.


19 

The high personal toll of Covid 

Hamilton lawyer Rob Davies has been 

in self-isolation and working remotely in 

Sweden after losing family members to 

Covid and contracting the disease himself. 

He writes about his experience. 

On 17 March this year, I 

learned that my father 

and step-mother had 

been admitted to hospital 

in Stockholm, Sweden with 

Covid-19. Our family’s worst 

nightmare had been realised. 

My parents were both in their 

70s with underlying health 

conditions. They had managed 

to ward off the virus for 

12 months, and contracted it 

within days of being eligible 

to receive the first dose of the 

vaccine. 

In just over one week, I was 

on a plane to Sweden. On the 

day I left, news from the other 

side of the world was a mix 

of positive and negative. My 

father’s condition seemed to 

have stabilised, although my 

step-mother was still battling 

and needed the support of a 

ventilator. I knew I needed to 

get there, but exchanging the 

comparative safety of New 

Zealand for the uncertainty of 

Sweden’s experiment with herd 

immunity was one of the hardest 

decisions I had ever made. 

Within 24 hours of arriving 

in Sweden, both my father 

and step-mother had passed 

away. Dad was 78 and my stepmother 

was 72. The virus had 

compounded their underlying 

conditions and robbed them of 

the years they otherwise had 

left. The smallest of mercies 

was that I had managed to see 

both before it happened. That 

didn’t make it any easier, but it 

at least made the journey worth 

it. 

There was undoubtedly 

something poetic about both 

setting sail for Valhalla on the 

same day, but it didn’t make 

the reality any easier. Unwinding 

their lives and their almost 

30-year relationship proved 

both a welcome distraction and 

a constant reminder of what 

was gone. Silver linings were 

limited, but I had the support 

of family and friends, and perhaps 

most significantly, my 

employer. 

This experience has 

reminded me how lucky I am to 

work for a firm that puts people 

first. When I first explained my 

situation, the first thing my boss 

told me is that they would find 

a way to ensure I could leave 

for the other side of the world 

without the added worry of 

what that would mean for my 

income. His responsiveness 

in this regard, along with his 

compassion, made a massive 

difference. 

But it wasn’t just my boss. 

Rob Davies. 

The entire firm wrapped around 

and supported me. My colleagues 

and the other partners 

all did what they needed to, so 

that I could do what I needed to. 

This meant taking over active 

files, thereby increasing their 

own workloads, and making 

sure my family in New Zealand 

felt loved and supported 

too. This helped me to focus on 

what was important, and made 

tough decisions a fraction easier. 

By late April, and three days 

before my anticipated return, 

I took a pre-departure Covid 

test. I had been feeling tired 

but put that down to the stress 

of packing up an apartment and 

mourning the loss of two people 

incredibly close to me. Instead, 

I learned I’d contracted Covid 

myself, forcing a seven-day 

period of self-isolation, and 

causing significant concern for 

me and those closest to me. 

The person I caught Covid 

from became very ill herself. 

She suffered a fever which 

lasted almost two weeks, complemented 

by headaches, muscle 

pain, and fatigue. She also 

unwittingly gave Covid to 

four other people close to her, 

and they became similarly ill. 

I spent days waiting for it to 

become my turn, all the while 

re-arranging flights and managing 

the practicalities of extending 

my stay. Home had never 

felt so far away. 

Against the odds, my symptoms 

remained mild, although 

Covid did a number on my 

kidneys, causing quite a bit of 

discomfort. It was a glimmer of 

positivity in what had been one 

of the hardest experiences of 

my life. I spent days in isolation 

with only myself for company, 

and used work as a welcome 

distraction when my brain 

wasn’t fogged up with Covid. 

My ability to work remotely 

was assisted by the technology 

my employer uses. This 

enabled me to log in to the same 

virtual desktop I use while at 

work. I had access to the same 

programs and technology that 

I would if I were in the office. 

Much of this was road tested 

during New Zealand’s first 

lockdown, and I was a beneficiary 

of many of the subsequent 

improvements. 

What surprised me the most 

was Sweden’s response to the 

pandemic. Sweden is a country 

that I have been fortunate 

enough to visit many times 

previously. My step-mother 

worked for Scandinavian Airlines, 

which made air travel 

accessible to me as I was growing 

up. I placed Sweden on a 

pedestal: a model of progressive 

compliance. 

However, the country’s 

response to the pandemic conflicted 

with that of its neighbours. 

The approach was one of 

making only recommendations 

to people. This uncertain start 

led to a number of preventable 

deaths among the most vulnerable, 

particularly the elderly. 

Despite that, Sweden persisted 

with recommendations in lieu 

of stricter interventions. Around 

14,000 Swedes have died since 

the pandemic began. 

I avoided public transport, 

but on the occasions I was 

forced to take it, I was disappointed 

to be among a minority 

of mask wearers. Although 

people seemed to respect social 

distancing, you would still 

encounter those who looked 

unwell, coughing and sneezing. 

Sweden’s traditionally cooperative 

approach seemed to have 

been replaced by a fierce individualism 

which I struggled 

to reconcile with my earlier 

impressions of the country. 

I am grateful for the time I 

have spent in Sweden and for 

what the country has given me 

in the past. The doctors and 

nurses who cared for my parents 

are heroes in my eyes. They 

were all kind, compassionate, 

and supremely professional. 

But my lasting impressions are 

that their jobs have been made 

so much more difficult by the 

decisions of policy makers as 

well as the selfishness of individuals. 

I hope to leave Sweden 

on 14 May, provided my next 

Covid test returns an all-important 

negative result. I cannot 

wait to return home. Going 

hard and early was the right call 

in our circumstances, which I 

understand are unique among 

the world’s nations. Nevertheless, 

I am grateful to our Government 

and appreciative that, 

as Kiwis, we worked together. 

Covid is a scary virus, more virulent 

than the flu. The only way 

to beat it is to work as one. 

• Rob Davies is a Senior 

Associate at Hamilton law 

firm Norris Ward McKinnon, 

in the firm's Commercial 

Disputes and 

Employment team.


You don’t need to do 

everything yourself 

TAXATION AND THE LAW 

> BY ELSA WRATHALL 

Elsa Wrathall is a PwC senior manager based in the Waikato office. 

Email: elsa.n.wrathall@pwc.com 

Ever been stuck in a bit of a pickle? 

For example: 

• a staff member has left, 

and you haven’t found the 

right replacement, or 

• you’ve decided to restructure 

and you’re not sure 

what you want your team 

to look like yet, or 

• you don’t have an employee 

with the right skill set 

to complete a specific 

project, or 

• an employee is sick and 

there’s no one to stay on 

top of the financial reporting 

processes and things 

are falling behind. 

A secondee could be a good 

option for helping you solve 

these problems. They can 

provide breathing room 

and capacity, allowing you 

to make the right strategic 

choice for your business. 

A secondee is someone 

who is transferred temporarily 

to alternative employment 

away from their primary job. 

The original employer usually 

remains the legal employer 

but the secondee can be 

instructed by the organisation 

they are being ‘lent’ to. This 

means the business can access 

a range of skilled and experienced 

staff on short notice for 

a specific period or project. 

Many firms are able to 

provide this service, including 

accounting firms. Which 

provider is best comes down 

to the specific needs of your 

business. 

The arrangement can be 

flexible where you can customise 

the role and hours to 

suit your business - being 

part-time or full-time or 

anywhere in between. Fee 

arrangements can also be 

flexible, based on an agreed 

hourly or daily rate or a fixed 

fee covering a period of time, 

that provides an ‘all you can 

eat’ element. From stepping 

in to help with monthly or 

year-end reporting, technical 

accounting, process reviews, 

budgeting and cashflow forecasts, 

they will have the skill 

set to cover a variety of roles. 

There could also be the 

option that, if your business 

isn’t large enough to support 

a full time CFO, you could 

get access to a ‘virtual CFO’. 

A virtual CFO comprises 

someone who can review 

your financials and provide 

valuable input a few days a 

month to support you and 

your finance team. It’s also 

a great opportunity for your 

advisor to gain further insight 

into the day-to-day operations 

of your business. This 

can enable them to give you 

further valuable feedback on 

your processes and structure 

of your finance function. 

By bringing in an experienced 

professional, it takes 

the pressure off the finance 

function and gives your 

employees the chance to 

upskill and get some valuable 

mentoring from an external 

professional. It provides the 

opportunity to network and 

build relationships with a 

professional outside the business, 

and gain access to new 

resources and networks that 

could help develop both the 

employee and the business. 

There can be benefits 

to getting a secondee from 

a larger firm. They generally 

have a wider variety of 

experience across all sorts 

of businesses and industries. 

Plus, they have a larger firm 

to support them in the event 

anything unusual crops up. 

This can help take the burden 

off management and ensure 

focus remains on the important 

aspects of operating the 

business. 

We are seeing an increasing 

number of secondments 

occurring. From our point 

of view there is an opportunity 

to experience working 

directly with other businesses 

and learn a new thing or two 

as well. Secondments can 

vary from maternity and sick 

leave cover, to changes in 

finance teams, and all look 

slightly different depending 

on what the client needs or 

wants. So, if there is a role 

you need filled and you want 

to take the pressure off, reach 

out to your trusted advisor 

and they might just have the 

person for you. 

The comments in this article 

of a general nature and should 

not be relied on for specific 

cases. Taxpayers should seek 

specific advice. 

Welcoming Australia, major events 

and regeneration 

Monday April 19 

marked a historic 

date in our Covid- 

19 journey as New Zealand 

and Australia began quarantine-free 

travel between the 

two countries. 

Although we are not 

expecting any significant 

shifts in visitor arrivals in 

the Mighty Waikato for the 

next few weeks, it has given 

us hope about a return of 

Trans-Tasman travel for leisure, 

business and events. 

We expect a growing number 

of leisure travellers to return 

once the Visiting Friends and 

Family (VFR) market starts to 

ease. 

Australia is a key market 

for us which will help ‘prop 

up’ our visitor market during 

the quieter winter months – 

Australia was our number one 

international visitor market 

pre-Covid injecting $87.5 million 

annually into the regional 

economy. 

We are working in collaboration 

with a number of partners 

to maximise our efforts 

to encourage visitation to the 

Waikato from Australia, especially 

with our main international 

marketing partner, Tourism 

New Zealand. 

We were proud to be part 

of the bid process for the Fifa 

Women’s World Cup 2023 and 

are excited for Hamilton to 

be chosed as a host city. The 

tournament is being jointly 

hosted by New Zealand and 

Australia – the first time a 

Fifa tournament has been 

co-hosted across two football 

confederations – and will 

also for the first-time ever see 

the Fifa Women’s World Cup 

expanded from 24 to 32 teams. 

Welcoming back the New 

Zealand National Fieldays 

at Mystery Creek from June 

16-19 June will provide the 

region and visitor sector with a 

TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY 

> BY JASON DAWSON 

Chief Executive, 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

much-needed economic boost 

in the middle of our winter 

season. 

The last physical Fieldays 

event in 2019 generated an 

impressive $549m in sales revenue 

for New Zealand firms 

with $183m going into the 

Waikato region alone. Based 

on the official event attendance 

figures for 2019 of 128,747, it 

shows that each person though 

the gate contributes around 

$4,200 to the economy. 

The event also proved 

hugely beneficial to the 

Waikato region. The economic 

impact report estimated 

that every gate entry resulted 

in $312 in direct spending 

in the Waikato hospitality 

sectors including accommodation, 

restaurants, bars 

and retail trade. 

As a non-ski destination, 

Waikato needs to work a little 

bit harder to drive domestic 

visitation during our traditionally 

quieter months. Hosting 

events are crucial to lead the 

economic and social recovery 

of the Waikato region during 

winter. Tourism New Zealand 

research indicates that up to 

one-third of domestic travel 

is primarily driven by people 

looking to participate in 

events. 

Lastly, we are coming to 

the end of the first phase of 

the Regenerative Tourism programme 

for tourism leaders. 

The term ‘regenerative tourism’ 

is about creating a supercharged 

sustainability movement 

of leaders to take action. 

The programme is educating 

and inspiring our tourism 

sector to do better – creating 

action to support communities 

and people to thrive. 

Waikato has joined six 

other pioneering regions, 

Bay of Plenty, Coromandel, 

Queenstown, Rotorua, Ruapehu 

and Wanaka, to roll-out 

the regenerative tourism programme. 

Addressing major 

issues like climate change, 

sustainable employment 

opportunities and building a 

resilient tourism sector for the 

future have been some of the 

conversations tackled. 

We want to create a change 

and influence a new direction, 

so collective action is the next 

step in our journey.

DAVE 

CARDEN 

THANK 

YOU FOR 

WHAT YOU 

HAVE MADE 

POSSIBLE, 

INNOVATION 

IS TRULY IN 

YOUR DNA! 

FROM YOUR TRT FAMILY 

“He built a 

considerable 

company by 

placing people 

ahead of profits, 

and continually 

reinvesting in the 

business!” 

Jerry Rickman, 

Chairperson TRT Board 

of Directors. 

48 Maui Street, Hamilton 

07 849 4839 

www.trt.co.nz


TRT 

Dave Carden pictured with sones Bruce and Robert, who continue this legacy 

Dave Carden Legacy 

TRT founder and director Dave Carden, 

now in his 91st year, has made the move 

to a new role as ambassador for the 

company he did so much to build over 

the last 50-plus years. 

Considered by many in 

the heavy transport 

and crane industry as 

nothing short of a mechanical 

genius, and an inspirational 

leader to boot, Mr Carden 

retired this year as a director of 

TRT – the company he helped 

found in 1967. 

His stellar run as a businessman 

dedicated to a single industry 

was recognised in 2017 when 

Mr Carden was inducted into 

the New Zealand Road Transport 

Hall of Fame at a black tie 

event in Invercargill. 

Describing himself at the 

time as a “fitter-and-turner and 

proud of it” Mr Carden built 

a reputation in the industry as 

a customer-driven innovator 

adept at coming up with novel 

solutions to truck and crane 

challenges. 

In a typically self-effacing 

acceptance speech in Invercargill 

Mr Carden described 

himself as a “mechanical-welder-whatever-it-is-engineer 

with 

a flair for designing things”. 

A Waikato man to the 

core, Dave Carden was born 

Describing himself at 

the time as a “fitterand-turner 

and proud 

of it” 

on September 13, 1930, in 

Paeroa. Always fascinated 

by mechanics he started a fitter 

and turner apprenticeship 

with Thames company A & G 

Price just after the war, gaining 

a rare apprentice transfer 

into precision welding at 

Putaruru Engineering. 

After gaining his registra- 

Dave and Jenny Carden with the Radio 

Communicatoins Mast for Maungatautari 

Reliable products for every challenge 

JOST is proud to be associated with TRT 

and congratulate Dave on his 54 years of 

innovative contribution to the New Zealand 

Transport Industry 

JOST New Zealand Ltd | www.jostnz.co.nz | Ph 0800 567 869 | sales@jostnz.co.nz

TRT 


23 

tion as both a fitter and turner 

and precision welder Mr 

Carden worked overseas as a 

marine engineer before signing 

on as a fitter and turner with 

Putaruru firm Wilcox Engineering, 

leaving them some time 

later to work as a petrol and diesel 

mechanic for Haven Motors 

in Arapuni. 

Mr Carden set out on his 

own in 1958, while still in his 

20s, and founded Southside 

Motors and Engineering in 

Putaruru, gaining a reputation 

as a man who could turn his 

In the 60s when we 

started you could 

not buy anything 

because of the war, 

could not get the 

right equipment to 

cart logs. So we got 

Internationals 

hand to nearly anything, including, 

in 1965, engineering work 

on the Putaruru Rail Bridge. 

In a tightly controlled economy 

still struggling with import 

restrictions in the aftermath of 

war, Mr Carden soon built a 

reputation for innovative engineering 

based on New Zealand 

solutions to problems his customers 

encountered. 

He recalled: “In the 60s 

when we started you could 

not buy anything because of 

the war, could not get the right 

equipment to cart logs. So we 

got Internationals [trucks] and 

we repowered them and that 

meant putting in engines, gearboxes, 

diffs, axles and air brakes 

and then getting the GVW [the 

total weight of the truck and 

payload] right. They went for 

years and there’s still some of 

those old trucks out there.” 

Mr Carden’s involvement in 

what was to become TRT started 

when two Cambridge men, Jim 

Ross and Norm Todd, set up a 

repair shop in Cambridge specialising 

in turning vehicles into 

utes. Another local, Jack Tidd, 

who assembled crane carriers, 

bought into the business. 

Mr Tidd had for some time 

been watching Mr Carden, who 

was also engineering crane 

carriers, often on old Bedford 

trucks. 

As Mr Carden’s son, Bruce, 

explained in an interview with 

NZ Trucking: “Dad was making 

significant waves building 

crane carriers. Jack Tidd was 

in the same business. The difference 

was that Jack assembled 

his from imported components 

and Dad built his own 

from scratch and along with it 

a reputation for innovation.” 

In 1967, Mr Carden accepted 

an invitation to join forces as 

a 30-percent shareholder and 

workshop manager for Jack 

Tidd – Ross Todd Ltd, specialising 

in crane carrier manufacture. 

It was the perfect fit for the 

inventive engineer and he was 

to prove instrumental in the 

company’s long-term success. 

However, an early test of Mr 

Carden’s ingenuity in the new 

partnership had nothing to do 

with the transport industry and 

came when designers of the 

proposed 8.8-km long Kaimai 

railway tunnel in 1970 put out 

a call for curved support beams. 

Mr Carden figured out how 

to bend the steel beams supporting 

the tunnel. 

He built a machine to do the 

job and produced 8000 beams 

in the eight years of the project. 

The solution put Jack Tidd- 

Ross Todd Ltd on the engineering 

map. 

However, it was the truck 

and crane business that held 

his attention and during Mr 

Carden’s engineering career the 

company achieved a number of 

breakthroughs for the NZ truck 

and crane industry including 

developing tag axles, logging 

jinkers, the Tidd Crane Carrier, 

Tidd Hydrasteer, a hydraulic 

house mover, and platform 

trailers. 

However, while Mr Carden 


Dave Carden steps down from TRT 

Board after 54 years of leadership 

207 of Dave’s TIDD Crane carriers were built for the NZ Market 

LEADERS IN ELECTRIC AND 

HYDRAULIC POWER TRANSMISSION 

Dave Carden steps down from TRT 

Board after 54 years of leadership 

Dana SAC NZ Ltd are proud to be 

associated with TRT and wish to 

congratulate Dave on his retirement. 

TIDD Logging Jinkers, one of the original Carden innovations, 

with hundreds manufactured for NZ, Australi and PNG 

9 Bishop Croke Place, Auckland | P: 09 250 0050 

5 Birmingham Drive, Christchurch | P: 03 338 3916 

dana-industrial.com

BUILT TO PERFORM 

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25 

Dave Carden Legacy 

From page 23 Carden for 30 years described Mr Rickman said Mr 

him as a “truly good bugger, 

one of the original innovators, 

adept at coming up with his 

own solutions to mechanical 

problems and challenges”. 

Carden had always been keen 

to build products that were in it 

for the long haul. 

“He did very cool things 

and from an early age came up 

always described himself first 

and foremost as an engineer, 

he was also in the 80s to prove 

himself a shrewd businessman. 

During the 1982 New 

Zealand Crane Conference 

Mr Carden signed what has 

become known as “the Game 

Changer”. Breaking with 

standard protective economic 

practice of the time, he used 

a paper napkin to relinquish 

TRT’s right to an Import Duty 

Protection Licence. The move 

allowed the crane industry to 

import cheaper cranes from 

overseas. 

In 1987, Norm Todd sold 

his remaining shareholding to 

the Carden family. Mr Carden 

became managing director of 

Tidd Ross Todd Limited, serving 

from 1987 to 1997. 

Under his stewardship, the 

company went from strength 

to strength focused on ingenuity 

and engineering. 

In the late 1990s, the 

renamed Tidd Ross Todd 

(TRT) moved into Australia 

and built a new mechanical 

service facility in Maui Street, 

Hamilton. 

TRT chairman Jerry Rickman 

who worked with Mr 

Dave and Jenny Carden, together they 

shaped TRT to be company that it is today 

with solutions that other people 

struggled to get. He built 

a considerable company by 

placing people ahead of profits 

– and you can see the evidence 

of that in the fact staff 

stay with TRT for decades – 

and by working on innovations 

with his own design office, and 

continually reinvesting in the 

business. 

That last is a sure sign 

someone has faith in their 

business, staff, and company’s 

ability to deliver products.” 

Describing him as “self-effacing” 

and “not one for the 

headlines”, Mr Rickman noted 

Mr Carden, a Commonwealth 

Games cyclist, was a “particularly 

decent” benefactor to the 

sport of rowing. 

“He believed in being fit, 

and his people being active, 

and he had a scheme to pay 

gym memberships in the company.” 

Outside business, Mr 

Carden volunteered for his 

local Lions Club and was a 

member of the Board for the St 

Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton. 

Always using his Kiwi ingenuity, 

Mr Carden got involved in 

designing and constructing an 

18-metre high radio communications 

mast to improve safety 

on Mount Maungatautari, a 

Kaimai Tunnel Brace that put Dave Carden on the engineering map 

wildlife sanctuary located near 

his hometown in the Waikato. 

Mr Carden, with his wife 

Jenny, funded the bulk of the 

project as well as volunteering 

hours of their time helping 

to source the right people, 

information, materials and 

resources to complete the job. 

“Having been in business 

we have a lot of contacts to 

get help from the right people. 

We’ve spent money but 

there is a long list of other 

people who have donated 

their time and expertise, 

which is worth a lot 

of money,” Mr Carden 

said at the time. 

TRT announces new 

sales manager for Hiab 

TRT has appointed Hillary 

Naish to the role of 

national sales manager 

for TRT New Zealand’s Hiab 

New Zealand distribution. 

Naish started on 6 April 

and will be leading the Hiab 

team in New Zealand. Based 

at TRT’s Hamilton head office, 

he will continue to lead business 

growth plans across all the 

Hiab equipment brands. 

Naish’s appointment supports 

TRT’s continued focus 

on growth for the Cargotec 

range of products including, 

Hiab cranes, ZEPRO and DEL 

Tail Lifts, JONSERED and 

LOGLIFT log cranes, MOF- 

FET forklifts, and MULTILIFT 

hooklifts into key industry sectors, 

including construction, 

transport, and marine. 

“Hillary has a strong heavy 

equipment background, and 

this appointment confirms our 

commitment to support new 

and existing Hiab customers 

and their assets for the long 

term,” says Bruce Carden, 

TRT’s director of innovation 

and sales. 

“From the time TRT 

become the Cargotec distributor 

in late 2018, we have been 

committed to the success of 

the Hiab brands and equipment 

in New Zealand and we have 

developed a team with a depth 

of knowledge and a nationwide 

service agent network to support 

this.” 

Originally from Hamilton, 

Naish has returned from 

a career in Melbourne to be 

home with his grown family. 

Starting his career as a 

design engineer, Naish has naturally 

progressed to business 

growth and development roles 

that include the commercial 

manager for the Chiefs Super 

Rugby franchise and in the 

automotive industry for Volkswagen 

New Zealand. 

“This is an exciting challenge 

for me,” Naish says. “The 

strength of the Hiab brands 

and the customer relationships 

TRT has developed in its short 

time as the distributor [makes 

it] the ideal platform for the 

next phase of growth for Hiab 

brand in New Zealand. With 

an experienced, dedicated and 

knowledgeable Hiab team to 

support me, I look forward to 

meeting with customers in the 

coming months.” 

Hiab is a world-famous 

brand, founded in Sweden in 

1944. “Hiab Cranes have been 

Hillary Naish 

in New Zealand for over 30 

years. Based on the quality and 

reputation, the brand is now 

synonymous with truck loader 

cranes and knuckle boom 

cranes, no matter the manufacturer. 

It is exciting to be able to 

continue to develop the legacy 

of Hiab,” Naish says. 

 

 

 

 

6 Killarney Lane, Hamilton 3204 

07 847 0933 

www.linkup.co.nz 

/linkuppaints 

“We are a committed team providing paint products, 

equipment, and accessories through outstanding 

service and helpful expertise 

” 

WISHING DAVE ALL THE BEST 

IN HIS RETIREMENT, AND 

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE 

YEARS COMPLETED WITH THE 

TEAM 

proudly supporting 

Tidd Ross Tidd 

for 25 Years (since 1996)


AgriBusinessNews 

Book your spot 

in the June issue 

Call the team on 07 838 1333 

or email info@wbn.co.nz 

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 W B N . C O . N Z / C AT E G O R Y / A G R I B U S I N E S S - N E W S F A C E B O O K . C O M / W A I K AT O B U S I N E S S N E W S 

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 0 W W W . W B N . C O . N Z F A C E B O O K . C O M / W A I K AT O B U S I N E S S N E W S 

Dairy herd 

on remote control 


An agritech venture is poised for New 

Zealand expansion following extensive 

testing on Waikato farms. P3 

Hamilton 

law firm wins 

Federated Farmers contract 

T 

he two-year contract 

to provide legal advice 

to the farming organisation’s 

members nationwide 

was awarded to Norris Ward 

Hamilton law firm Norris Ward McKinnon has secured a major 

contract with Federated Farmers in a win for the Waikato region. 

McKinnon based on its scale, 

professionalism and rural 

They needed a firm with 

the scale to provide a range 

Debbie Lee and Sam Hood. 

affinity, says Federated Farmers 

general manager corporate 

of information by phone, taking 

in employment, health and 

services Debbie Lee. 

Lee ran the tender process 

safety, tenancy and property 

issues, among others. 

so it was important to find an 

advisor company that had an 

affinity with farmers and farming. 

“Dealing with a farmer on 

the phone, you've got to know 

Craig Piggot 

which saw the organisation 

looking nationally for a provider 

before deciding on Norris 

Ward McKinnon in November. 

The legal service is very 

important to Federated Farmers. 

It is used by members as 

part of their membership benefit 

package and is very popular. 

Federated Farmers members 

come from a range of farm 

types, including dairy, meat, 

that that farmer might have 

been up since 3am and had a 

rough morning and they've got 

an issue they’ve probably been 

wool, and arable production, 

worrying about all night,” Lee 

says. 

“The person giving the 

Cheal provides Engineering, Surveying and 

Planning solutions across the Agricultural industry 

Partnering with rural businesses since 1940 


Planning solutions across the Agricultural industry 

Partnering with rural businesses since 1940 

Cheal provides Engineering, Surveying and 

Level 1, 533 Anglesea Street, Hamilton 

P: 07 858 4564 

Level 1, 533 Anglesea Street, Hamilton 

P: 07 858 4564


27 

Protecting the value of goodwill 

THE BUSINESS EDGE 

> BY BRENDA WILLIAMSON 

Brenda Williamson runs business advisory service 

Brenda Williamson and Associates www.bwa.net.nz 

When a business is sold, goodwill is 

often included in the sell price. 

Goodwill is intangible 

(not a physical thing) 

and is an extra premium 

paid to cover such things 

as the brand, IP, customer database, 

supplier relationships, 

contracts and loyalty of staff. 

The amount of goodwill paid is 

relative to the success and reputation 

of the business being 

sold. 

If you have sold a business 

with a material amount of 

goodwill included in the sell 

price, that’s fantastic! If you 

have bought a business and 

paid an amount of goodwill, 

then you will be wanting to 

protect its value as you move 

forward. There is always the 

option of starting a business 

from scratch so if you are prepared 

to pay goodwill it doesn’t 

make any sense to destroy it. 

Here are some helpful tips 

and ideas for protecting the 

goodwill you have paid for: 

Presumably, the brand has a 

strong reputation with strong 

recognition so think carefully 

before changing the name of 

the business. 

You may want to review 

exactly what the IP (intellectual 

property) of the business 

amounts to. Some examples 

of IP would be trade secrets, 

designs, inventions, and logos. 

Is there anything more you 

need to do to ensure it is protected? 

You may like to go to 

the website of https://www. 

business.govt.nz and search 

intellectual property. It provides 

a helpful checklist to 

work through and provides 

ideas for protection. 

Keep close to the staff that 

have come with the business 

– communicate with them and 

establish who the key staff are. 

No-one likes change and it is 

common for staff to get the 

‘jitters’ when the business they 

work for is sold. You don’t 

want to risk losing key staff to 

competitors during the phasing 

in period. 

Hopefully, you will have 

reviewed the customer database 

as part of your due diligence 

prior to purchasing 

the business but take time to 

fully understand who your clients 

are as this is paramount 

to the future success of the 

business. Analyse your database 

in different ways: geographically, 

monthly spend 

(including top 20), years as a 

customer, product or service 

breakdown, and any other way 

you can slice it apart. In most 

cases it would be beneficial 

for the seller of the business 

to assist with handover of customers, 

providing you with 

relevant background on each. 

At the very least, there 

should be a phone call to each 

customer with a follow-up 

email and a visit to the top 

clients as soon as you can. 

Listen to what they need from 

you and establish what things 

are important to them. Ensure 

you deliver exceptional service 

from the get-go. 

Three months down the 

track, take the time to meet 

with customers again and 

check they are happy with the 

changeover process. Listen to 

them and tweak things. 

If you are purchasing a business 

to clip onto your existing 

business, there needs to be a 

streamlined process in place to 

ensure the two cultures meld 

together and, yes, customers 

do need to be treated with the 

utmost respect. 

If you are a larger business, 

you may have a much broader 

approach whereas the clients 

from the smaller business may 

be used to a very personal service. 

Customers changing over 

can be quite unforgiving. They 

will give you one chance to 

prove yourself. If you don’t 

come up to their expectation, 

you run the risk of them not 

returning and they’ll tell their 

friends and they’ll tell their 

friends. 

It would be a good idea to 

assign one of your team the 

responsibility of managing client 

relationships for a period of 

months. It will give you structure 

and oversight. 

It is easy to think we have 

much better ideas than the 

previous owners and then set 

about changing everything - 

remember the customers chose 

to deal with that business (prior 

to you buying it) for some 

reason or other. Of course, 

implement improvements and 

change the way you do things 

over time but not all at once, 

particularly if the business was 

previously successful. 

If you don’t get it right, 

customers will simply walk 

away. Get it right and you will 

only increase the value of your 

goodwill! 

Covid-recovery climate: Waikato HR 

company boosts recruitment team 

Hamilton-based human 

resources company 

Everest People 

announced the appointment 

of two new recruiters in April, 

expanding its core recruitment 

team from three to five. 

Managing director Senga 

Allen says the dual appointment 

of Pavan Benepal and Carly 

Apps is a necessary response to 

the steadily growing number of 

Waikato companies employing 

staff post Covid-19. 

“This time last year was an 

incredibly scary time for businesses. 

Covid-19 hit and we saw 

recruitment come to a grinding 

halt, not only in the Waikato but 

nationally,” she said. 

“A year later it’s safe to 

say we’re on the other side 

New Everest People recruiters Pavan Benepal and Carly Apps. 

of that. The latest SEEK NZ 

Employment Report shows a 

whopping 55.3 percent annual 

growth in March’s job advertising. 

At Everest specifically 

we’re seeing a new client 

approach our recruitment team 

every week or two.” 

Everest is finding that businesses 

aren’t simply filling old 

roles on hold due to Covid-19. 

“They’re creating new ones, 

many of which are c-suite 

positions. From an economic 

perspective that’s reassuring, 

because if recruitment is flourishing 

the economy is typically 

healthy too,” Allen said. 

She said the expansion at 

Everest is attributed directly 

to the strength of the Waikato 

economy. “In my role as Chair 

of Waikato Chamber of Commerce, 

I’ve been heartened 

to see many of the key industries 

that drive our economy 

doing well and making plans 

for even further growth. But 

having growth plans is only 

the first step – finding the right 

people to execute those plans 

is even more important. That’s 

the role our team is playing 

in getting the local economy 

back on track.” 

New recruiters Apps and 

Benepal have more than two 

decades of employment experience 

between them. “Adding 

their expertise to the mix, our 

team is better equipped than 

ever to help Waikato businesses 

employ the right people into 

vacant roles,” Allen said. 

Benepal is a qualified veterinarian 

with a PhD in Animal 

Sciences and Molecular Biology. 

She worked across different 

operational roles overseas 

for 15 years before starting her 

recruitment career in 2016 following 

a move to New Zealand. 

She brings to Everest niche 

expertise in the science and 

technology space. 

“I’ve now worked in recruitment 

for five years and built 

strong networks with national 

and global organisations across 

biotech, food, pharmaceutical 

and chemical manufacturing, 

engineering, agriculture and 

commercial laboratory sectors. 

I’ve managed the recruitment 

process for highly skilled, technical, 

sales and senior management 

positions across these 

fields and others,” she said. 

Allen says Benepal’s niche 

expertise is invaluable for 

Waikato businesses seeking 

innovation and growth in the 

science and technology sectors. 

“According to the Waikato 

Region Economic Profile, ‘professional, 

scientific and technical 

services’ is currently one of 

the top five growth industries 

in the Waikato. Pavan is highly 

skilled at sourcing and recruiting 

specialist and technical people 

in this space,” Senga said. 

“That to say, local businesses 

who have traditionally 

sought recruitment help from 

Auckland companies to fill specialist 

roles now have Pavan’s 

niche expertise right here in 

their backyard. She’s a real 

asset to our recruitment team 

and the region, as is Carly.” 

Apps brings 15 years of recruitment 

experience to Everest. 

She’s worked for multiple 

large organisations both in 

the public and private sectors 

including Ministry for Primary 

Industries; Child, Youth and 

Family; Fonterra; Genesis 

Energy; and ACC. Having lived 

in the Waikato for the duration 

of her recruitment career, she’s 

passionate about helping local 

companies hire the right people. 

“Campaign creativity and 

candidate experience are two 

things that are really important 

to me as an experienced 

recruiter,” Apps said. “Creating 

tailored, innovative recruitment 

campaigns is key to success 

in today’s competitive market 

– ads alone don’t cut it. I love 

doing this for clients. 

“Candidate experience is 

equally critical. I believe every 

candidate interaction during the 

recruitment process is an opportunity 

to showcase a business’s 

offerings, culture and enhance 

the employer brand,” she said. 

Allen urged Waikato businesses 

to consider the value of a 

recruitment agency in this post 

Covid-19 climate. 

“Recruiters help remove the 

risk of a bad hire. It’s our job to 

assess and match the right candidate 

to the position and culture, 

whilst letting businesses 

get on with whatever they do 

best. Bear in mind a good candidate 

is often a passive candidate 

so our networks are vital. 

It’s also our job to stay on top of 

any recruiting trends shaped by 

the pandemic,” she said. 

“We’re thrilled to have 

Pavan and Carly on board. 

As a team we look forward to 

finding exactly the right people 

for Waikato businesses as the 

employment trajectory, post 

Covid-19, continues to soar.”


Is serverless right for you? 

By RACHEL PRIMROSE 

Serverless. It’s a buzzword. Love ’em 

or hate ’em, buzzwords give us crucial 

clues into what is trending, and this 

one is loaded. 

Serverless computing is a 

cloud computing model 

in which the cloud provider 

dynamically allocates 

computing resources based 

on demand, and where the 

provider also administers the 

underlying servers on behalf 

of its customers. 

To some it means “little 

to no maintenance”, to others 

“cheaper technology infrastructure”. 

While both are 

true, serverless is by no means 

a panacea. 

Across all three major 

cloud infrastructure providers, 

there is no set monthly pricing 

for serverless infrastructure. 

Pricing is based on how much 

resource (generally number 

of seconds that code runs, 

throughput, and memory) that 

each request consumes. 

Serverless is not necessarily 

going to be cheaper 

for code that runs 24/7, but 

there are other benefits. You 

won’t need a systems administrator 

and developers won’t 

have to learn how to install, 

run, secure and patch a Linux 

server (an increasingly rare 

skill). Running and maintaining 

servers is at a minimum a 

monthly maintenance job, and 

at worse a drop-everythingall-hands-on-deck 

for highrisk 

issues such as the recent 

security vulnerabilities. 

Equally important is the 

supporting services. Serverless 

workloads have limits, 

and don’t always provide 

features such as internet 

access, traditional storage and 

security. 

While handled differently 

across cloud providers, these 

costs are additional to the cost 

to run the code written by 

your software developers. The 

great news though is that compared 

to the cost for multiple 

virtual machines, container 

services or physically hosted 

servers, this is generally lower 

until you get into extremely 

high workloads or if you are 

willing to significantly compromise 

on performance. 

The cloud infrastructure 

cost aside, operational costs 

for serverless are a success 

story but also introduce items 

on your risk register. When 

you select serverless computing, 

the updates to the underlying 

hardware, operating 

system and base programming 

runtime are done for 

you. This doesn’t mean that 

software maintenance doesn’t 

exist – you’ll be informed and 

asked by your cloud provider 

to upgrade or face the consequences, 

which starts with an 

inability to release new functionality, 

and can end up with 

your code ceasing to run. 

You have two important 

risks to consider. You will be 

forced into upgrading platforms 

at some point. This will 

usually be several years in 

the future if your software is 

deployed on up to date platforms. 

The timing and inescapable 

inevitability cannot 

be ignored commercially. 

The second risk is that you 

are effectively outsourcing 

your systems administration 

to your cloud provider. Professional 

consensus is that 

due to scale and customer 

volume the cloud providers 

will do a better job than your 

single sysadmin, but this is not 

guaranteed. 

With risks acknowledged, 

we come to the true advantage 

in operational expenditure. 

There’s no requirement 

for a dedicated systems 

administrator. 

The entire ecosystem 

from deployment to maintenance 

can be looked after 

by your software partner 

or developers, with a little 

help from your cloud provider 

in the form of proactive 

notifications. 

Another common question 

about serverless is the cost 

to develop and scale. This is 

highly dependent on the languages, 

frameworks and type 

of problem you’re solving. 

Swapping out traditional servers 

for serverless solutions 

may not give a good solution. 

In general, there should be no 

additional cost to implement 

serverless code, provided that 

serverless is the correct technical 

fit for the problem. 

And finally, onto a good 

problem to have: a fast 

growing business. In this 

area serverless technologies 

really shine. 

With a support ticket 

(and a good explanation), 

well designed solutions can 

scale from 1,000 concurrent 

requests up to 10,000 in 

hours. With traditional infrastructure, 

building for scale 

can be cost prohibitive during 

the initial design and build, 

whereas serverless solutions 

are largely intrinsically scalable. 

The key to a successful 

serverless implementation 

is good architecture. Serverless 

should always be considered 

in a holistic way, 

starting with good technical 

fit, but always looking at the 

business fit as well. 

At Company-X we have 

great success passing on 

serverless solutions to clients 

with feedback that onboarding 

time is low due to great 

TECH TALK 

tooling, the inherent modularisation 

that serverless code 

and infrastructure provides, 

and that the low infrastructure 

entry cost has made an agile 

approach a reality. 

> BY RACHEL PRIMROSE 

Rachel Primrose is a software architect at software 

development specialist Company-X. 

Working from home and copyright rights: 

the need for certainty of ownership 

In pre-Covid days, if you 

created copyright works 

such as drawings or 

source code as part of your 

job, the odds are you would 

have done so during ‘normal 

office hours’ at your desk 

rather than at 9pm in the 

comfort of your own home. It 

would have been straightforward 

to establish who was the 

owner of copyright (TOOC) 

in those drawings or source 

code. 

In these Covid-affected 

times, however, many officebased 

employees now work 

flexible hours and work from 

home (WFH). Indeed, the 

8.30am-5pm day in the office 

has almost become a rarity 

rather than the norm. As a 

result, ascertaining who is the 

owner of copyright in drawings 

or source code may be a 

little harder to discern; or at 

least, the topic may be open 

for greater debate. 

The need then to be sure of 

who owns what in an employment 

context is perhaps more 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES 

> BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells and a Resolution 

Institute-accredited mediator. He can be contacted at 07 957 5660 

(Hamilton), 07 928 4470 (Tauranga) and benc@jaws.co.nz. 

important now than it was in 

the old days. 

The recent case of Michael 

Penhallurick v MD5 Ltd 

[2021] EWHC 293 in the 

Intellectual Property Enterprise 

Court in England, 

although relating to events 

pre-Covid, illustrates this 

need. 

Penhallurick, a former 

employee of MD5, claimed 

ownership of copyright in 

eight works relating to a 

technique he named “Virtual 

Forensic Computing” 

or “VFC”.* The eight works 

comprised different versions 

of the software code (literary 

works), a graphic user interface 

(artistic work) and a user 

guide (literary work). 

It was established that the 

first two works – the earliest 

version of the VFC source 

code and the object code 

compiled from this code – 

were created in 2005 and 

2006, before Penhallurick 

was employed by MD5 in 

November 2006. The Court 

found these works were not 

relevant to Penhallurick’s 

claim and consequently 

focussed its assessment on 

the remaining six works created 

by Penhallurick after he 

joined MD5. 

The Court found Penhallurick 

was the author of 

the six remaining works and 

therefore was the first owner 

of copyright in them – unless 

any were made in the course 

of his employment by MD5 

pursuant to the IP clause in 

Penhallurick’s employment 

agreements, in which case 

MD5 was the first owner. 

Which of these was the case 

turned on the meaning of “in 

the course of his employment”. 

Why? Because of the 

poor wording of the “Job 

Titles and Duties” and intellectual 

property clauses in 

Penhallurick’s first employment 

agreement. 

The Court ultimately 

found that all of the works 

had been created by Penhallurick 

in the course of 

his employment with MD5. 

Of particular interest to this 

author, and relevance to this 

article given the current (and 

potentially permanent?) fashion 

for working flexible hours 

from home, however, is the 

Court’s finding in relation to 

the third and fourth copyright 

works (“VFC Version 1” and 

the graphical user interface 

(“GUI”) for VFC Version 

1) created by Penhallurick 

in 2007. In respect of these 

works, the Court said: 

“[66] … It seems that Mr 

Penhallurick took on the task 

[of developing VFC Version 

1 and GUI] with enthusiasm, 

to the extent that he took his 

work home some of the time. 

His staff annual appraisal of 

August 2007 suggests that 

much of the work must have 

been done during working 

hours at MD5. But whatever 

the exact proportion done at 

home, it does not displace the 

strong and primary indication 

that it was work done in the 

course of his employment. 

The fact that an employee 

does work at home is relevant 

to the question of whether 

the work is of a nature to fall 

within the scope of the duties 

for which he is paid but it 

may or may not carry much 

weight. Where it is otherwise 

clear that the work is of such 

a nature, in my view the place 

where the employee chooses 

to do the work will not generally 

make any difference. The 

same applies to the ownership 

of the tools the employee 

chooses to use, here sometimes 

Mr Penhallurick's own 

computer system. If it is clear 

that the employee is being 

paid to carry out a task as 

agreed with his employer, 

he may choose to use tools 

supplied by his employer or 

his own tools; either way, 

the task is carried out in the 

course of his employment.” 

Although it is not stated, 

I am confident the same reasoning 

applies to the time of 

day the employee chooses 

to do the work – that is, it 

doesn’t matter whether you 

do the work at 10am or 10pm, 

if the work is carried out in 

the course of your employment 

then any copyright 

rights in it will be owned by 

your employer. 

Standing back, Penhallurick’s 

case identifies two 

important ‘take homes’ 

for both employers and 

employees: 

• first, if an employer is 

going to make use of copyright 

works created by 

an employee before that 

person is an employee, 

then the employer should 

have the employee assign 

copyright in those works 

to the employer at the 

same time the employee 

becomes an employee. 

Alternatively, execute a 

licence agreement with the 

employee at the same time 

the employee becomes an 

employee to enable those 

works to be lawfully used 

by the employer; 

• second, the employer 

should ensure employment 

agreements, but particularly 

those with employees 

whose job it is to create 

intellectual property, 

adequately identify an 

employee’s role and scope 

of duties so that it is clear 

what resulting intellectual 

property the employer is 

laying claim to by virtue 

of the employment agreement, 

irrespective of what 

time of day and where that 

intellectual property is 

created. 

* VFC is a method of retrieving 

an image of the hard disk 

without writing on it, then 

booting up the image on a 

virtual machine so that the 

image can be investigated. 

In developing the technique, 

Penhallurick had used a freely 

available product called VM 

Software to set up the replica 

of the target computer’s hardware 

and operating system. 

As computer programs generally 

have inbuilt safeguards 

to prevent them from being 

manipulated in this way, the 

method developed by Penhallurick 

involved a password 

bypass feature.

VIBRANT CAMBRIDGE 


29 

Cambridge 

roaring ahead 

From page 1 

Waipā section will take riders 

through bush and across 

farmlands with views over the 

Waikato River. 

Also with a recreation 

theme, the Cambridge swimming 

pool facility is opening 

on Williamson Street 

on May 15. 

In acknowledgement of 

the Brian Perry Charitable 

Trust’s $300,000 donation 

towards construction, the 

complex will be named Perry 

Aquatic Centre for the next 

10 years. 

The centre has also been 

gifted the name Puna Kaukau 

O Te Oko Horoi by Ngāti 

Koroki Kahukura. 

The facility boasts a new 

10-lane 25m indoor pool, a 

toddler pool, hydrotherapy 

pool, spa, sauna, children’s 

splash pad and an upgrade of 

the existing 50-metre outdoor 

pool. 

Meanwhile, Cambridge 

Town Hall is set for 

greater use following the 

Cambridge Town Hall 

appointment of seven founding 

trustees. 

Chaired by Cambridge 

chartered accountant Kirsty 

Johnson, the independent 

trust set up by Waipā District 

Council was appointed to 

help drive development and 

promote use of the category 

two historic building in the 

heart of the town. 

In April, the Waipā Networks 

business awards 

returned with a bang after a 

year’s absence, drawing an 

enthusiastic audience ready 

to celebrate. 

Held at Mystery Creek, 

14 awards were dished out 

to a range of businesses from 

across the district. 

The awards were organised 

by the Cambridge Chamber 

of Commerce, which 

streamlined the entry process. 

It was the first time the 

Cambridge Chamber had sole 

charge of the awards, and 

they took the opportunity for 

a refresh, says chief executive 

Kelly Bouzaid. 

“We just went, you know, 

The new Cambridge pool complex opens on May 15. 

what do we love about the 

awards? What don’t love 

about them? What do we need 

to do?” 

That saw them change 

the questions for entrants, 

focusing on company culture 

rather than financials. It 

also saw them keep the event 

moving on the night, and 

Bouzaid says they had positive 

feedback on the energy in 

the room. 

Doing business in 

Cambridge 

Supreme Award winner 

Rocketspark also won 

Excellence in Large 

Business, capping off a 

remarkable year for the tech 

firm since Covid hit. 

A single-minded focus on 

customer service is paying 

off for the Cambridge website 

builder, which has added 10 

team members since Covid 

and is eyeing the Australian 

market. 

The awards came just 

a dozen years after Rocketspark 

started up in Cambridge 

in 2009. Co-founder 

and CEO Grant Johnson says 


We went from a 

point of going, ‘our 

clients can’t open 

the doors, they may 

not survive this,’ 

to suddenly being 

inundated. 

The Cambridge Town Hall Trust signs its Deed, from left, Mary Anne Gill, 

Maxine Nelson, deputy chair Rob Feisst, Dick Breukink, chair Kirsty Johnson, 

Antanas Procuta and Jenny Cave. 

THANK YOU 

for partnering with us 

KEYSTONE 

PARTNERS 

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TOUCHSTONE PARTNERS 

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Cambridge 

roaring ahead 

From page 29 

the establishment of a partner 

network had fuelled its early 

growth, while there was a further 

step change after Covid 

hit and businesses had to 

get smarter with their online 

presence. 

“We went from a point of 

going, ‘our clients can’t open 

the doors, they may not survive 

this,’ to suddenly being 

inundated.” 

Their response was to convert 

all of their team, including 

designers and marketers, 

into the customer support 

team. 

Johnson says they have an 

internal service level agreement, 

more stringent than the 

one promised to customers, 

and which continued to show 

improvement even during the 

“crazy” period of people getting 

online. 

The firm are, Johnson 

says, “fanatical” about customer 

service and customer 

support and run a Slack channel 

to record live feedback, 

which is overwhelmingly 

positive. “There’s sometimes 

bad ones, but you’ll see the 

team comment on it and say, 

‘I’ve reached out to the customer.’ 

It’s just so helpful 

if people tell us what their 

experience is.” 

Being based in Cambridge 

works well for the business, 

he says. It offers a point of 

difference from a big city, 

which can be an advantage 

when it comes to recruiting. 

“Cambridge has a great reputation 

and people want to 

move here.” 

Johnson walks past clients’ 

offices on his way to 

work, and comments on the 

single, or even zero, degree 

of separation when running a 

business in a small town. 

“You have to provide a 

good service and then it’s like 

ripples in a pond. Cambridge 

for us is kind of the stone 

in the pond that it flows out 

from.” 

The firm, whose websites 

are used around the world, 

have strong connections with 

Wintec and the University of 

Waikato, and have employed 

several graduates after first 

taking them on as paid interns 

during study. It was students 

who built the prototype of 

their AI powered search 

engine optimisation tool, 

Flint, and Johnson says one 

of those students has won a 

Fulbright scholarship to New 

York University. 

The team are set to continue 

growing as they start 

a marketing campaign in 

Australia. “We’re confident 

in word of mouth referral 

through the partner network. 

But we know that if more 

people know about us, they 

become customers.” 

Johnson says they have 

The velodrome will be linked to Cambridge by the 

Te Awa River Ride, currently under construction. 

also secured funding through 

BNZ under the business 

finance guarantee scheme to 

“put the foot down” and create 

more roles in marketing 

development and customer 

support. 

With the company also 

strong in Te Awamutu, he 

says many of the Waipā 

business award winners use 

Rocketspark websites. 

“It’s just lovely to be recognised 

locally amongst our 

clients and the support is so 

strong. That motivates us to 

continue what we’re doing, 

but also to not drop the ball 

on doing well.” 

Shaking off Covid 

Another Cambridge 

firm to respond 

strongly to Covid 

was AgDrive, which won 

two Waipā business awards, 

Excellence in Emerging/New 

Business, and Innovation and 

Adaptation. 

It was well-earned recognition 

for the firm’s remarkable 

story less than a year 

after it started. 

The driver training business, 

part of the Ag Technology 

Group based at Hautapu, 

was born out of a stray comment 

over a coffee at a time 

when the company was staring 

down the Covid barrel, 

says director Andre Syben. 

Ag Technology’s engineers, 

who normally spend 

half the year in Germany 

testing and developing Claas 

machinery, were effectively 

grounded by the pandemic 

and the company was casting 

around for alternatives. 

“The AgDrive idea wasn’t 

actually mine,” Syben says. 

“It was an off the side comment 

made by a friend of 

mine. He made the comment 

completely out of the blue. 

He said, ‘What’s going to 

happen to all these contractors 

when they can’t get overseas 

staff?’ 

“He just went on to talk 

about something else, and I 

went, ‘aha’. So I didn’t actually 

come up with the idea.” 

AgDrive was established 

to meet the gap - connecting 

people put out of work by the 

pandemic with contractors 

needing staff for the upcoming 

harvest season. 

They signed a contract 

with the Ministry for Social 

Development and began short 

training courses at Matangi at 

the end of July. 


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Celebrating success 

with the Rocketspark 

community 

at the 2021 Waipa Networks Business Awards 

Every year, finalists in the Waipa Networks 

Business Awards come together to celebrate. 

This year Rocketspark were crowned winners in 

the Excellence in Large Business category and 

the Supreme Award. 

But that wasn’t the only win for the Cambridge 

based tech company, over half the other winners 

were also Rocketspark clients. 

Homebrew Coffee 

Community Contribution Award 

Waste Minimisation - Environmental Award (Highly Commended) 

Kaz. Design. Brand. Web. (Highly Commended) 

Design Partner 

since 2014 

Customer Choice Award (Winner) 

Client since 

2019 

Waste Minimisation - Environmental Award 

Digital Strategy and E-Commerce Award 

Accounted4 (Winner) 

Client since 

2013 

Flourish Wellness (Winner) 

Client since 

2018 

Ag Drive Limited 

Excellence in New / Emerging Business Award (Winner) 

Innovation & Adaptation Award 

Innovation & Adaptation Award (Winner) 

Client since 

2020 

Good Union (Highly Commended) 

Client since 

2016 

Rocketspark 

Leader of the Year Award 

Excellence in Large Business Award (Winner) 

Hamilton Airport - Mark Morgan (Winner) 

Client since 

2020 

Supreme Award (Winner) 

Beautifully simple websites



Cambridge roaring ahead 

From page 30 

Eight months later, they 

have placed more than 60 

people in jobs, and have 

even taken on one graduate 

themselves, a former pilot 

who is now managing their 

warehouse. Others have been 

employed by firms including 

Wealleans and Waharoabased 

horticulture company 

LeaderBrand. 

The AgDrive idea wasn’t 

actually mine, it was an 

off the side comment 

made by a friend of 

mine. He made the 

comment completely 

out of the blue. He said, 

‘What’s going to happen 

to all these contractors 

when they can’t get 

overseas staff?’ 

AgDrive not only gives 

trainees the driver training 

but also supports them in 

their job applications. 

Along with redeploying 

Ag Technology engineers, 

they have taken on four new 

staff for AgDrive, and have 

just signed a contract with the 

Primary ITO to run both tractor 

driving and motorbike and 

quad driving microcredential 

courses for NZQA credits. 

Aimed at people already 

in employment, the weeklong 

tractor course will have 

intakes of 10 or 11, while 

the bike training is set to 

become a twice-weekly, twoday 

course, with a 10-strong 

intake for each. 

General manager Janine 

Peters says the AgDrive ITO 

initiative came after they 

were looking for other avenues 

to ensure the business’s 

long-term future. 

Early signs were encouraging 

after Syben’s wife 

posted the news on their 

Facebook page. “All I heard 

all night was ‘ping’ ‘ping’ on 

her phone. It was inquiry, just 

unbelievable,” Syben says. 

They have built an indoor 

bike training track at the back 

of their warehouse, meaning 

the training can be held in all 

weathers. It is carpeted with 

astroturf Syben bought before 

Christmas from the Cambridge 

tennis courts, with the 

planned track in mind. 

But they are also looking 

at taking the offering 

on-farm for employers such 

as iwi with a large number of 

employees on grouped farms 

Ag Technology is also 

growing its Diesel Tune 

business with the addition of 

imported TJM four-by-four 

accessories, the first time 

they have sold a physical 

product through the business. 

Meanwhile, their 2500 

sq m warehouse, a business 

which they started just before 

Covid lockdown, is almost 

full. 

Business leader of the year 

Having a plan to deal 

with Covid-19 and giving 

the team confidence 

there was light at the end of the 

tunnel were key elements in 

Hamilton Airport chief executive 

Mark Morgan winning 

Waipā business leader of the 

year. The airport is setting 

records despite experiencing 

lockdown and uncertainty 

because of the pandemic. 

“The award represents 

a few things, I think it represents 

the fact that we got 

through Covid,” says Morgan, 

who was nominated by 

his team. 

“A lot of it was about the 

success of the business in the 

past year. And whilst I can 

take some of the credit for 

the leadership aspect, it was 

a much wider leadership contribution 

by the whole team 

that got us to that point.” 

Faced with the uncertainty 

of Covid, it was important to 

hold the long-term course, he 

says. The airport put together 

a Covid response leadership 

team, and Morgan says his 

approach was for people to 

be clear on what needed to be 

done and then getting on with 

doing it. 

“I think I’m pretty clear on 

my expectations,” he says. “I 

was conscious of hopefully 

never portraying to the team 

any uncertainty, any kind of 

inability to make decisions. 

I just tried to get the team to 

focus on what we could control, 

what we needed to do.” 

His background in operations 

management, including 

leadership stints at Smith and 

Smith, Scenic Coachlines 

and Budget Rent A Car, gave 

him a solid background in 

crisis management. 

“I learned very good communication 

skills, good delegation 

skills, but also I think 

I’ve got a pretty good sense 

for when stuff’s getting done 

and when it isn’t getting done 

and seeing roadblocks.” 

The wage subsidy helped 

them retain their airport hotel 

staff in particular, with a further 

boost coming when it 

became an MIQ facility, and 

there were only “one or two” 

redundancies in the terminal’s 

retail store, which they 

decided to amalgamate with 

the Propellor Cafe upstairs in 

the terminal building. 

Morgan says in the early 

days of lockdown, he couldn’t 

be sure about the security of 

his own job, nor those of his 

leadership team and staff, 

however he chose to move 

forward in as positive and 

transparent manner as he 

could. “We took things one 

day at a time and responded 

quickly to what was needed, 

but always had a strong focus 

on the future,” he said. 

AgDrive took out both Excellence in Emerging/New Business and the Innovation and 

Adaptation Award at the Waipa Networks Business Awards. Photo: Cornegiephotography 

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Leader in legal services 

Committed to the vision of each client 

and the culture of teamwork. 

Since its establishment in 1906 Lewis 

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the Cambridge community. 

Built on more than 100 

years of client relationships 

and service to the 

community, Lewis Lawyers 

today is Cambridge’s largest 

law firm – a progressive, 

modern law firm with offices 

in Cambridge and Hamilton 

serving the greater Waikato 

region and beyond. 

Lewis Lawyers prides itself 

on the quality of its advice 

and the integrity of its 

people. The team at Lewis 

Lawyers draw on their knowledge 

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and resolve disputes for 

clients. Lewis Lawyers is a 

switched-on practice, a young 

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tradition. The team are always 

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benefit from a high level of 

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to detail whilst receiving a 

cost-effective service. 

With a visionary strategic 

plan in place, Lewis’ is growing 

alongside Cambridge and 

the Waikato in a sustainable 

way. Lewis’ has undertaken a 

rebrand and will soon launch 

a new website which truly 

reflects the Lewis’ brand – 

modern, progressive, and innovative. 

During 2020, Lucy Young, 

Mayuan Si and Monique 

Medley-Rush were appointed 

as partners to join existing 

partners Lisa Ware and Matt 

Makgill, with Simon Makgill 

becoming a Consultant. The 

new partners have brought 

strong reputations, in-depth 

knowledge, and experience to 

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and provide quality advice 

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Following the end of 

lock-down, no one expected 

Waikato’s housing market to 

become one of the hottest in 

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Our conveyancing team 

has been busy, navigating 

clients through highly competitive 

multi-offer scenarios 

and providing responsive and 

clear advice in what has been 

quite a confusing market and 

of late, providing advice on 

the extension of the brightline 

period. Solicitor Lisa 

Lynch came on board in October 

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We also continue to experience 

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It has been particularly 

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our Trusts team led by Lucy 

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advising on the relevance of 

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and will specifically work in 

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Continued growth in the 

family and relationship property 

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Lewis’ recruit two additional 

Solicitors, Keryn Morgan 

brings five years’ experience 

to this team and Grace 

Goodger brings experience 

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property area. 

Finally, we see immense 

value in investing in our 

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As a Cornerstone sponsor 

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provide funding and support 

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As part of our community 

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Lisa Ware 

Partner 

33 

Matt Makgill 

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Lucy Young 

Partner 

Monique Medley-Rush 

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Partner 

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Consultant 

Lesley Nielsen 

Associate 

Fiona Ferrier 

Associate 

Donna Lee 

Senior Solicitor 

Caroline Gregory 

Senior Solicitor 

Naomi Lee 

Solicitor 

Lisa Lynch 

Solicitor 

Keryn Morgan 

Solicitor 

Grace Goodger 

Solicitor 

Bhavin Parshottam 

Solicitor 

Leanne Wood 

Legal Executive 

Holly Watson 


Mifa Lin 


Lynn Williams 


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Corner Dick and Alpha Streets, Cambridge | Ph 07 827 5147 

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www.lewislawyers.co.nz



Rocketspark’s Launch draws a crowd 

AWARD WINNERS 

Tonia Hill-Greenhouse Creative. 

Partner of the Year Winner 

Website of the Year: 

Razor Sharp Knives by LW Creative 

Best Branding Package: 

Riverside Escapes by Magic Fingers Graphics 

Best Client Impact: 

Magic Fingers Graphics 

Community Good Award: 

Quick Brown Fox 

Fastest Growing Partner: 

Kaz Design. Brand. Web. 

Best Ecommerce Website: 

Honest Kitchen by Repeatable Design 

New Partner of the Year: 

Frank Communication 

Partner of the Year - Grand Award: 

Greenhouse Creative 

Cambridge-based website builder 

Rocketspark drew a crowd of over 100 

people from all around New Zealand for 

its annual awards dinner. 

Rocketspark has a network 

of design partners 

who create websites for 

people all around the globe. 

To give back, Rocketspark’s 

CEO Grant Johnson, 

after speaking on the company's 

2021 vision which aimed 

to make the world a better 

place, announced they would 

be giving each Design Partner 

a free not-for-profit website - 

for life - voucher. 

The partners would be able 

to choose who they designed 

and gave the website to. 

“With over 750 registered 

partners, we expect this to 

have a big impact. If only 

500 of those partners use 

this voucher, that would be 

$650,000 worth of value each 

year. We can’t wait to see what 

kind of impact that can have 

on the world,” Johnson said. 

Rocketspark’s design conference, 

Launch, held for 

the first time in 2018, spans 

two ac-tion packed days 

of inspiration. 

One of the biggest highlights 

of the event is the 

Rocketspark Partner Awards, 

which saw eight designers 

recognised for their work in 

different areas. 

Partner of the Year 

went to Tonia Hill of 

Greenhouse Creative. 

Head of partnerships Jason 

Tiller presented the award 

saying Greenhouse Creative 

was a standout because of 

their incredible efforts over 

the year. 

“What I love about Tonia, 

is that the way she works represents 

what we stand for in 

the wider world. Her level of 

business and design excellence 

is fantastic and I couldn’t be 

prouder to call her one of our 

partners,” Tiller said. 

Hill said she was incredibly 

humbled by the award. 

“Thank you so much, it 

means a lot to me. In the same 

way I’m invested in seeing 

my clients succeed, I feel that 

Rocketspark is invested in seeing 

me succeed,” she said. 

For more information about 

Rocketspark and Launch, see 

launch.rocketspark.com. 

Airport sees record 

passenger numbers 

Mark Morgan at Hamilton Airport as a new 

Origin Air service begins to Palmerston North. 

Hamilton Airport is 

racking up records as 

it rebounds from the 

onslaught of Covid-19, though 

chief executive Mark Morgan 

says they remain cautious 

about the future. 

In March, the airport had 

a record 38,000 passengers, 

the most it has ever seen for 

a month including when there 

were flights to Auckland 

and Australia. The previous 

record of about 37,000 was in 

November 2019. 

While Air New Zealand’s 

domestic market has 

rebounded to the same level 

as pre-Covid, Waikato has 

exceeded that, at about 120 

percent of pre-Covid volumes. 

Capacity has also 

increased, with Christchurch 

up 24 percent and Wellington 

14 percent as the airport hosts 

more flights than ever before. 

“Wellington and Christchurch 

are very good routes 

for Air New Zealand out of 

Hamilton, because of a good 

blend of corporate business 

and leisure travel,” Morgan 

says. 

He says his sense is the 

previous 55:45 mix in favour 

of business travel is likely 

to have been reversed post- 

Covid, though no survey has 

yet been undertaken. 

In May, Originair’s Palmerston 

North route was 

boosted by the addition of 

morning and evening flights 

meaning business travellers 

can fly out and back on the 

same day. Regular flights 

are also departing for Nelson, 

leaving on Friday and returning 

on Sunday for travellers 

wanting a weekend getaway. 

All in all, confidence 

levels are high. 

Hamilton has been 

quite unique in that 

we’ve benefited 

strongly from 

national lockdowns, 

border restrictions 

and Auckland’s 

periodic lockdowns. 

“All in all, confidence 

levels are high. Hamilton 

has been quite unique in that 

we’ve benefited strongly 

from national lockdowns, 

border restrictions and Auckland’s 

periodic lockdowns,” 

Morgan says. 

He gives the example of 

Waikato people planning a 

holiday in Queenstown who 

may decide to fly out of Hamilton, 

rather than risk Auckland 

being in lockdown. 

Passenger volumes are up 

so much that an overflow car 

park has been built, and the 

long-term intention is to shift 

the car rental companies into 

a separate area on the left as 

people leave the airport. That 

would free up about 100 further 

public car parks. 

Nevertheless, the leadership 

team is taking a cautious 

approach to its forecasting 

and is budgeting only for a 

near recovery to pre-Covid 

levels for the period from 

July 1 this year to next June 

30. The airport delivered a 

profit in June 2020 and is on 

track for a record profit in 

June 2021. 

Morgan says cash flow 

was strong right through 

Covid because of their existing 

diversification strategy, 

including property development 

in Titanium Park, ownership 

of the Jet Park Hotel, 

and ownership of the farm 

north of the runway. 

Jet Park, with about 60 

rooms, is operating as an 

MIQ facility and is likely 

to remain so until at least 

April next year. Debt levels 

declined during Covid 

following successful land 

sales. Stage four of the Central 

Precinct is sold out, and 

development is due to start in 

spring on stage five, with two 

lots already pre-sold. Morgan 

expects they will begin issuing 

titles in about 12 months. 

Morgan says they are 

working closely with Waka 

Kotahi NZTA and Waipā 

District Council on the farm, 

with a private plan change 

to rezone the area industrial-commercial. 

He hopes 

they will be lodging a consent 

application towards the 

end of the year. 

“There is still demand for 

larger blocks, and there’s a 

shortage of industrial land 

in the region. And we are 

more affordable than north Te 

Rapa.” 

That area is, he says, a 15 

to 20 year project with major 

infrastructure work required.


‘Great team’ key for 

Construction Advantage 

When the Little Thinkers Kindergarten in 

a new Cambridge subdivision opened on 

time for the new term this year teacherowners 

Alicia Oliver and Ilonca Raymond 

breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

Two years in conception, 

the new build was still 

in the planning stages 

when the Covid-19 lockdown 

brought business across New 

Zealand to a halt in March 

last year. 

Luckily, the team at local 

commercial construction firm 

Construction Advantage met 

the demanding circumstances 

head-on. 


makes a point of detailed client 

consultation. Lockdown meant 

it could not follow its usual 

practice of careful face-to-face 

meetings with Alicia and Ilonca 

in the lead up to the build’s start. 

Not daunted, the team 

designed and consented the 

three-room, high-vaulted project 

over Zoom, keeping Ilonca 

and Alicia in the loop via email. 

But, says Construction a timber-framed roof structure were happy to let us be in contact 

disruption of Covid, the build- 

Advantage director John on a 45-degree angled roof on 

with the architect so that ing was still finished, as per the 

Mason, the result required the high profile site, but it gives we could design the building original time line. 

an accelerated delivery programme 

the centre a spacious, quality according to what we wanted. “During lockdown, we 

starting in July 2020. 

Despite the Covid delays, the 

Construction Advantage team 

met the original completion 

date of December 1, allowing 

the centre to open for term one 

feel,” John says. 

Ilonca says they could not 

fault Construction Advantage. 

“I have owned my own kindergartens 

in Hamilton running 

out of renovated houses. Alicia 

As we are not only the owner 

of Little Thinkers, we are also 

teachers, teaching in the classrooms, 

we wanted to ensure 

that the building was workable 

for us. 

were kept informed via email 

of where we were at, in terms 

of the build. Our building was 

started in July and we took over 

at the beginning of December. 

Even after we took over, they 

this year. 

Oliver and I were keen to start “Construction Advantage were very supportive of any 

For the company, Covid- 

19 was just one of the challenges 

the kindergarten posed. 

Detailed planning and coordination 

was needed to carry out 

the build in conjunction with 

busy adjacent subdivision and 

tenant works. 

our own kindergarten in Cambridge 

as we could not find one 

with a similar philosophy here. 

“We were fortunate to be 

contacted by the developer 

of the subdivision and John 

Mason the owner of Construction 

Advantage. They were 

were amazing throughout this 

whole project. We felt that we 

were an integral part of the process, 

always welcome to come 

on site and definitely our ideas 

were always valued. When we 

had our first meeting with them, 

they were very confident that 

issues that arose and are still 

contactable now five months 

later. 

“We cannot fault Construction 

Advantage. They were so 

supportive of us and so happy 

for us to be fully part of this 

“As well, it was time consuming 

and a challenge to build vision in early childhood and ished on time. Even with the extremely supportive of our the whole project would be fin- 

Continued on page 

36 

Our commercial team gives your 

construction an advantage 

Development & Project Management 

Level 1, 3/48 Empire Street, Cambridge 

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& Build 

Project 

Management 

Construction 

Management 

Phone 07 823 0331 

constructionadvantage.co.nz 

Development 

Management 

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Studies 

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‘Great team’ key for Construction Advantage 

From page 35 

project. We have a beautiful 

building and the building complements 

our amazing programme 

and amazing staff.” 

A second recent challenge 

for the company was the construction 

of the new Professional 

Farm Services building, 

with high-end architectural finishes, 

in Cambridge. 

The rebuild was complex 

because it involved the demolition 

and re-building of a 

retail space while the business 

remained operational. 

The high-profile site is 

bounded on two sides by overhead 

power lines and tucked 

up against existing buildings. 

As always, the team loved the 

challenge, and while careful 

consideration of the building 

sequencing and methodology 

was needed, they landed precast 

panels on an existing party 

wall stabilised by a steel frame 

founded on concrete piles. 

Professional Farm Services 

owner Lynda McMillan was 

rapt with the entire build process. 

“We were considering 

knocking down our old showroom 

and office area and were 

keen to deal locally. We met 

with John and his team and 

both my business partner Dave 

and I came away feeling confident 

about using them. John 

was easy to deal with and, after 

a second meeting, we did not 

really want to go anywhere else. 

“We both felt confident 

Construction Advantage would 

get us through. They proved to 

be efficient, were a pleasure to 

deal with, their quantity surveyor’s 

attention to detail was 

impressive, and the site manager 

lovely. I often say you are 

only as good as your team and 

John has an awesome team. 

That said, he personally stayed 

in touch throughout. 

“We are pleased with the 

end result, completed to a high 

standard and any little issues 

after handover were dealt with 

efficiently. 

“John asked me afterwards 

if there was anything his team 

could have done differently to 

improve but I could not think 

of anything. This was a big deal 

for us but we felt we were in 

good hands and I would, and 

have, recommended him. 

“They were a pleasure to 

deal with and nothing was hard 

work. Throughout the course of 

the build, including the interruption 

of Covid-19 our project 

ran efficiently and was handled 

in a professional manner. We 

witnessed a 'great team' who 

worked well together to provide 

results on a very high standard. 

We can highly recommend 

Construction Advantage Ltd 

as a construction company and 

would not hesitate to engage 

them again." 

It is this attention to teamwork, 

careful client consultation, 

and a firm commitment 

to deliver on time – all aspects 

of the Little Thinkers and Professional 

Farm Services builds 

– that remain at the core of the 

company’s approach to doing 

business today. 


offer a complete property 

development package to their 

clients – from initial feasibility 

studies and cost consultancy, 

through project, development, 

and construction management, 

and design and build. As a 

result, the company can manage 

everything from property 

purchase, tender for services, 

cost containment and on-time 

on-budget project completion. 

The teams sees itself as 

Waipā-centric and pride themselves 

on keeping a lid on costs 

through their excellent working 

relationships with local contractors, 

tradespeople, engineers, 

designers and architects. As 

well, the Construction Advantage 

team is proactive in buying 

local whenever practical. 

John sees his company sitting 

neatly in niche development. 

“We provide end-to-end 

services, managing projects 

from start to finish, dealing with 

everyone from real estate agents 

through to project funders. Typically, 

our team starts with feasibility 

studies and a look at the 

numbers. We always strive to 

formalise a bankable project at 

the start, rather than confront a 

set of unaffordable drawings.” 

The success of the team’s 

business philosophy perhaps 

can be measured in the extraordinary 

amount of repeat business 

(up to 90 percent) offered 

to the Construction Advantage 

team. This, says John, is a direct 

result of “the time we take to 

look after the client”. 

Construction Advantage’s 

first big private job was the 

Hillcrest Medical Centre in 

Hamilton. Again, this was an 

end-to end project delivered on 

a very short timeframe on a difficult 

site surrounded by busy 

roads, with minimal parking 

and difficult access. 

Starting the double storey 

build in February 2017, the 

team worked closely with their 

clients to deliver consulting 

rooms to doctors two days early 

in November that year. 

However, all previous builds 

have been eclipsed by Construction 

Advantage’s latest 

project – a $14-million development 

in town consisting of 

a two-storey residential block 

atop a floor of retail with underground 

parking. 

The team are currently preparing 

to build the new Hunting 

and Fishing on another site in 

Cambridge, the combination 

of the two projects is great evidence 

of the way Cambridge is 

booming. 

While many of the team’s 

projects involve the latest 

in building technology, the 

company last year completed 

the Tapapa wharenui, outside 

Tirau, using a traditional 

rammed earth building technique. 

The wharenui is the first 

of three buildings on the site. 

Started right on lockdown the 

build, during which the company 

worked alongside members 

of the Tapapa Marae Trust, 

was completed six months later 

in October. 

Whānau Project Manager 

Martin Miles said whānau 

found Construction Advantage 

open and interactive in their 

communication and reporting. 

“They are cognisant of the 

statutory requirements and their 

application to tikanga; and have 

undertaken kōrero to align these 

principles as applied to our 

project successfully on a number 

of occasions. We have no 

hesitation or reservation in our 

association with Construction 

Advantage." 

The showcase of the company’s 

completed projects is varied 

and impressive. 

Builds include everything 

from duplex villas to a 

complex of multi shed storage 

facilities at the Hamilton 

Airport industrial site. 

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WAIPĀ 


37 

Waipā set for continued growth 

High growth, low debt - Waipā is in an 

unexpected sweet spot that gives the lie 

to early Covid forecasts. 

Mayor Jim Mylchreest 

says he’s thankful the 

economists’ predictions 

haven’t come to fruition 

in the district. 

“The growth, both in subdivisions 

and households, 

and industrial growth, is far 

exceeding expectations.” 

Infometrics research shows 

Cambridge and Waipā have 

held up well against Covid, 

with a report recording the 

district with a modest 0.5 per 

cent increase in GDP for the 

12 months to December 2020, 

well above the national 2.6 per 

cent decrease. 

Mylchreest acknowledges 

the downside around affordability, 

but says the council is 

flat out keeping up with the 

development coming its way. 

Industrial development is 

pronounced around Hautapu 

and the airport, and Mylchreest 

says Te Awamutu is also picking 

up with a new Bond Road 

development starting, and also 

some redevelopment in the 

town. 

Major earthworks are also 

underway on the western outskirts 

of Cambridge in growth 

cells dubbed C2 and C3. 

Mylchreest says Waipā’s 

policy is that growth pays for 

growth, with developers footing 

the bill for much of the 

infrastructure work around the 

three waters, and the costs then 

affecting section prices. 

“And then of course, as we 

get increasing capital value in 

the district, there's more ratepayers 

to pay for what needs to 

be done.” 

That sees Waipā proposing 

what it says are some of the 

lowest rates rises in the country 

over the next 10 years, with 

the long-term plan proposing 

increases of 4.2 percent and 4.1 

percent in the first two years, 

averaging out at 1.8 percent 

over the decade. 

Mylchreest says they are 

helped by going into the 

growth period with historically 

low levels of debt, following 

more than a decade of paying 

it down. There will be a “massive 

increase” in borrowing, 

which will be at low interest 

rates. 

“In the last 10 year plan, we 

were talking about a debt level 

of about $13 million. And now 

with all of the infrastructure - 

and a lot of it will be funded 

by that growth - we're talking 

about a peak debt over our 10 

year plan of about $340 million.” 

Mylchreest says that still 

gives them about $100 million 

in “freeboard”. 

Cambridge Chamber of 

Commerce chief executive 

Kelly Bouzaid, however, 

sounds a note of caution. 

She says on the surface the 

Jim Mylchreest 

town and district are doing 

“incredibly well”. But she 

warns that fatigue remains a 

factor for some Cambridge 

businesses after a year of 

Covid. Business continuity 

issues, the ability to find skilled 

and unskilled labour and the 

challenge of rebuilding remain 

real challenges, and economic 

recovery should remain part of 

the conversation, she says. 

“There's a lot more under 

that surface.” 

Part of her issue is a lack of 

Cambridge-specific statistics 

to know exactly how the town 

is travelling. 

She has a foot traffic count 

for the town, and would like 

similar levels of detail for other 

indicators as well, and says 

businesses are also looking for 

the data. 

As someone close to the 

business community, she 

says the uncertainty when the 

region went into level two worried 

people. 

“There's also still a high 

Kelly Bouzaid 

level of fatigue. And you 

know, those choices: Do we 

hire someone? Don't we hire 

someone? What do we do? 

“And then you see the 

braver people making those 

decisions and flying, but 

they're in the IT and construction 

sector.” 

It is tougher in some industries 

than others, she says, with 

hospitality definitely struggling 

with a lack of staff. 

On the positive side, she 

says the “totally locally” culture 

is embedded, with people 

spending more, including 

a welcome increase in spend 

from Hamiltonians. 

Local body reforms 

With local authorities 

facing upcoming 

change over the provision 

of the three waters and a 

government-announced review 

of the local body structure, 

Mylchreest has strong views 

on keeping decision making 

close to communities. 

“I'm a great supporter of 

decentralisation, I suppose, 

rather than centralisation - 

getting the services delivered 

close to the population that 

they're supposed to be servicing. 

“There's some opportunities 

for councils to become 

more responsive to their communities. 

So from that perspective, 

I think there's some great 

opportunities there. 

“But if the intention for the 

review is to reduce the number 

of local government entities, 

take more services away from 

rural and provincial New Zealand, 

then I'm dead against it. 

“We just need to be open 

minded and try and influence 

the direction that government 

is taking.” 

The difficulties will come 

if the Government fails to take 

note of what local government 

is saying, and is instead driven 

by bureaucrats in Wellington, 

“who probably don't really 

understand rural and provincial 

New Zealand”. 

Waipā is in a good position 

when it comes to the three 

waters. “We've invested heavily 

in infrastructure, we've 

been funding depreciation and 

keeping up with our renewals.” 

There is still a lack of detail 

coming out of central government, 

and Mylchreest’s question 

is how areas struggling 

with their infrastructure will be 

supported. 

“Our responsibility as 

a council is looking after 

our ratepayers, and I don't 

want to see our ratepayers 

paying twice. 

“If the government stepped 

in and said, ‘Look, we're going 

to be helping out these other 

localities,’ well then I'm pretty 

relaxed about it. But if there's 

going to be cross subsidisation 

across the territorial boundaries, 

then it's a question we're 

going to have to ask the community, 

are they prepared to be 

into it?” 

Mylchreest says he goes 

along with some of Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce chief 

executive Don Good’s comments 

around the difficulties 

posed to business by different 

standards and development 

requirements across 

local body areas. 

The growth, both 

in subdivisions and 

households, and 

industrial growth, 

is far exceeding 

expectations. 

“Making it easier for businesses 

is obviously something 

that we should be looking at 

collectively. 

“But local bodies are not 

just set up for businesses, 

they're set up for the community 

as well. So it's always a 

balancing act. 

“You know, what are the 

community values that people 

want to see happening in their 

own local area, as opposed to 

just being purely focused on 

business?” 

CAMBRIDGE 

info@waipadc.govt.nz 

0800 924 723 

www.waipadc.govt.nz


Waipa Networks CEO Adam Fletcher 

Rotary Cambridge Urban Miners 

KAZ 

WAIPĀ NETWORKS BUSINESS 

AWARDS WINNERS 

It was a night to remember when 14 

awards were handed out at the Waipa 

Networks Business Awards, held at 

Mystery Creek in April. 

Supreme Award: 

Rocketspark 

Excellence in Emerging/New Business: 

AgDrive 

Excellence in Small Business: 

Cambridge Top 10 Holiday Park 


Excellence in Medium Business: 

Resolution Retreats 

(Highly commended: Essential Insurances) 

Excellence in Large Business: 

Rocketspark 

(Highly commended: Magills Butchery) 

Innovation and Adaptation Award: 

AgDrive 

(Highly commended: Good Union) 

Digital Strategy and E-Commerce Award: 

Flourish Wellness 

Waste Minimisation – Environmental Award: 

Accounted4 

(Highly commended: Homebrew Coffee, 

Rotary Cambridge Urban Miners) 

AgDrive 

Christmas Festival Society 

Contribution to Tourism – Regional Award: 


Community Contribution Award: 

The Christmas Festival Society 

(Highly commended: KAZ) 

Leader of the Year: 

Mark Morgan (Hamilton Airport) 

Employee of the Year: 

Lily Hooker (More Real Estate) 

Customer Choice: 

Homebrew Coffee (Cambridge) 

Magills Butchery (Te Awamutu) 

Judges Choice Award: 

Magills Butchery 

PHOTOS: CORNEGIEPHOTOGRAPHY 

Magills 

Flourish Wellness


39 

Resolution Retreats 

A night for celebrating success 

Homebrew Coffee 

Rocketspark 

Accounted4 

Essential Insurances 

Mark Morgan 

Lily Hooker with team


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RAIN WATER 

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Young entrepreneurs 

turn out in numbers 

Waikato’s budding entrepreneurs came 

together at Wintec’s Atrium, for the 

annual Lion Foundation Young Enterprise 

Scheme’s Kickstart Tīmata event. 

Speed coaches Don Scarlett 

and Hollie Wilson of Mercury Energy 

Entrepreneurs and Waikato business 

leaders in a brainstorming session 

A 

record turnout of more 

than 400 year 12 and 13 

students took part in the 

day, where they had the opportunity 

to pick the brains of over 

60 Waikato business leaders in 

a speed coaching session. 

Regional coordinator Penny 

Bunting is thrilled with the 

enthusiasm and support for 

the experiential business programme, 

in which the years 

12 and 13 students start up and 

run a real business. 

The young entrepreneurs 

will conduct market research, 

plan, budget, and turn problems 

into challenges in the 

year-long competition. 

“Supporting YES is really 

important, as some of these 

young people go on to become 

the employers of the future,” 

Bunting said. 

“The business skills they 

develop are complemented 

by team work, communication, 

negotiating and decision 

making. It’s a great learning 

experience.” 

YES Companies enter 

regional and national competitions, 

culminating in the 

National Awards where the 

Lion Foundation Young Enterprise 

Company of the Year is 

announced. Regional awards 

will be held in November. 

Jamie Russell of Loop Carshare, Senga Allen 

of Everest, and Linda Nelsen Caie of Smart Waikato 

sharing key advice in an expert Q&A session. 

Speed coaches Mark Donovan of Cabernet 

Foods, Ra Piripi of the Southern Trust and 

Linda Nelsen-Caie of Smart Waikato. 

Penny Bunting, YES Regional Coordinator 

with students from Sacred Heart Girls College 

John Gallagher talking business with 

students from St Peters School, Cambridge. 

Speed Coaches Jason Nepia of Te Waka 

and Nanise Ginnen of Impact Hub 

James Rhynes of Lasertec Imaging 

mentoring students from St Peters Cambridge 

Dion and Donna Wright of Oak Financial, Gina Scott and Corren Ngerengere of 

Waikato District Council and Mary Jensen of Smart Waikato preparing to speed coach 

Young Entrepreneurs from Hamilton Girls High School


Don’t let gold slip though your fingers…. 

Last month I addressed the employment market in the 

Waikato and the war on talent. This month let’s have a chat 

about retaining your stars – and most certainly not letting 

that gold slip through your fingers. 

Contrary to popular 

belief, most people 

don’t leave a good 

job for more money. The 

number one factor why 

people leave employment 

is because of their direct 

supervisor, and most importantly, 

their direct supervisor’s 

behaviour. That’s kind 

of scary, isn’t it! Covid has 

amplified employee attraction 

and retention even more. 

Let’s break that down – if 

you were truly valued during 

Covid, cared for, supported, 

and even developed, then it’s 

less likely that you’re on the 

prowl for a new job right now. 

However, if during Covid you 

felt isolated, your boss wasn’t 

living up to the company’s 

publicised values, or you 

felt vulnerable and exposed, 

then chances are the loyalty 

to your current employer has 

been tested – and you may 

feel the need for change. 

In the current talent short- 

age, it’s vital that businesses 

focus on retention. I mean 

truly focus on retention! If 

you’re waiting until an exit 

interview to tell you what’s 

going on, then you’ve missed 

a golden opportunity. Not just 

to keep a productive member 

of your team but to identify 

and fix problems in your business 

before you lose other 

people. Employee retention 

is a critical issue as companies 

compete for talent in a 

tight economy. The cost of an 

employee is around 2.5 times 

an employee’s salary depending 

on the role – let alone the 

other soft costs such as lowered 

productivity, decreased 

engagement, training costs 

and cultural impact. 

If you google employee 

retention you’ll find a myriad 

of solutions and strategies to 

help you retain valuable team 

members, but let me take you 

back to what I said before – 

the direct supervisor has the 

most impact on why employees 

move on. When was the 

last time you or your people 

leaders took a long hard look 

at what their behaviour was 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

doing to the culture and climate 

of the business? What 

pain points are you creating 

in the business? What 

could you be doing (intentionally 

or unintentionally) 

that could be leading your 

employee to the exit sign? 

When was the last 

time you or your 

people leaders took 

a long hard look at 

what their behaviour 

was doing to the 

culture and climate 

of the business? 

Do you actually know why 

people leave your company 

or do you just guess? Personally, 

I think this is the first 

place to start if you want to 

retain the golden stars in 

your team. Ask yourself…. 

“what could I start, stop or 

keep doing that would make 

my workplace better?” And 

then – ask your people the 

same questions! You might 

be delighted and surprised by 

their responses. 

Once you understand why 

people stay or leave your 

company, then you can go 

about making improvements 

or changes as you need to. 

Beware though – one size 

doesn’t fit all. Flexible work 

hours, for example, are very 

attractive to some employees, 

but not to others. There are 

many employees who thrive 

on the whole 8am start, 4pm 

finish routine because it’s how 

they structure their world. 

Lastly, some employee 

turnover is healthy for business 

– we get that. Change is 

good! But you certainly don’t 

want your best and most productive 

employees leaving in 

droves because they can find 

a culture and leadership that 

empowers them elsewhere. 

When was the last time 

you sat down and put some 

thought into retaining your 

best employees? 

Keep putting yourself out there 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY VICKI JONES 

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

management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

When your order books 

or appointment 

schedules are full, 

it’s tempting to pull the plug 

on marketing, for fear of being 

overloaded. 

There’s nothing worse 

than having to say ‘no’ to new 

business because you’re too 

busy. Or not being able to supply 

your customers because 

you can’t get stock in quick 

enough, or are understaffed. 

But that doesn’t mean marketing 

shouldn’t still be high 

on your list of priorities. 

Cast your mind back to the 

heady days of adolescence. 

Picture yourself day-dreaming 

about that divine being in the 

year above you at school, the 

one you really hoped would go 

out with you. 

You had to do all you could 

to make sure they noticed 

you. You went to the parties 

you thought they’d be at. You 

tried to be on the same bus 

home. You even joined some 

random club in which you 

had no real interest, purely 

in the hope they’d notice you 

and fall in love. 

Even if they were dating 

someone else, you still tried 

to stay on their radar. You 

never know, right? Their date 

would let them down eventually, 

wouldn’t they? And 

you’d be there, perfectly positioned 

for them to fall into your 

loving arms. 

You didn’t want to come 

across as a creepy stalker, but if 

you weren’t in the right place at 

the right time, some other lucky 

person would be, and no-one 

wants that heart-wrenching 

disappointment. 

The business of attracting 

customers is (for most of 

us!) far more competitive and 

even more fickle than teenage 

angst-ridden romance. 

After what has been a hard 

year for many, it is not surprising 

that tough decisions 

needed to be made about 

marketing and advertising 

investment. If the money’s not 

coming in, or your logistics are 

impacted, you’ve naturally had 

to rethink. 

As much as I may roll my 

eyes at the vagaries of digital 

marketing and social media, it 

has been a cost-effective life 

saver for many a small business 

over the last few months. 

Through creative thinking, 

and often with only moderate 

technical know-how, many 

businesses have embraced digital 

marketing more effectively 

than they previously might 

have done. 

To stand out, they had to 

think differently, come up with 

new offers or partnerships, 

or simply tell their story in a 

whole new way. And that’s no 

bad thing. 

For some businesses, it’s 

been a time to take stock and 

take a good hard look at where 

their marketing was heading. 

When things get tough, 

you really get to realise how 

tough your brand is. If it’s not 

strong enough to stand out or 

be admired in difficult times, a 

shift is needed. 

Turning up at all those 

parties isn’t going to work 

if the object of your unrequited 

affections doesn’t 

notice you – or notices you for 

the wrong reasons. 

I was pleasantly surprised 

during 2020 at how many 

small businesses focused on 

how they presented themselves 

to the market, using the time to 

come up with a more contemporary 

look. Not just change 

for the sake of change, but an 

update to genuinely reflect the 

truth about their business. 

For some, the need to bring 

greater clarity to their message 

has been highlighted as the battle 

for customers got harder. 

In that crowded room at the 

high school party, a distinctive 

look might have helped you 

stand out. 

But when that special person 

finally talked to you and 

you waffled like a gibbering 

wreck, or had nothing sensible 

to say, what were the chances 

of them talking to you again? 

Pretty low, right? 

Or, it all went OK but, by 

the second date, they realised 

that you were really not 

the person that matched the 

initial impressions. Ghosting 

or a painful dumping 

probably ensued. 

We marketers talk a lot 

about brand character, personalities, 

attributes and human 

personas for businesses and 

there are good reasons for that. 

As consumers, we generally 

relate our relationship with a 

business like we do with an 

individual. We fall in and out 

of love with brands because 

of bad or good experiences, 

just as we do with people. 

So, taking the time to maintain 

your story and ensure the 

way you present it is a true 

and fair reflection of how you 

want to be perceived, is useful 

at any time. 

Taking time to work on 

your brand is valuable investment 

for future development. 

Whether your dance card is 

full or if times are tough, this 

reflection and reassessment is 

likely to bring you greater dividends 

when it is time to get 

yourself back out there. But 

don’t leave it too long to search 

for love again.


43 

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· Further scope once the tourists return 


Therese Bailey 021 707 641 

therese.bailey@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Lovely Destination Cafe $265,000 


· Plenty of free parking, an easy destination 

· Well supported by the local community 

· Sales are steady year after year 

· Great team already in place 

· Location also ideal for private functions 

There’s 

never been 

a better 

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Workplace Safety Training 


Reuben & Rick 021 133 0624 

reuben.haddonsilby@linkbusiness.co.nz 

$220,000 

Hamilton 

· ASWEFA franchise, great support network 

· Highly valued service in wide demand 

· Growth driven by regulatory compliance 

· Guarantees minimum revenue for rst 6months 

· Modelling indicates owner’s income $214K 

· Price plus premises tout 

linkbusiness.co.nz/EL02532 

Tony Andrew 021 938 560 

tony.andrew@linkbusiness.co.nz 

SOLD Open Gat to Great Prots $599,000 

Hamilton 

· Booming industry, great prots 

· Essential products for building industry 

· Large purpose-built workshop 

· Operations Manager in place 

· Established brand, limited competition 


Andrew & Reuben 021 133 0624 

reuben.haddonsilby@linkbusiness.co.nz 




Money Maker $1,550,000 


· Very well-known local brand 

· 95% managed, great team in place 

· No specialised industry knowledge is required 

· Very unique & exclusive sectors to the business 

· 2021FY forecasted prot trending to show 

$450K 


Alanah Eagle 021 606 345 

alanah.eagle@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Proven Retail Flooring $180,000 


· High-end showroom with quality product lines 

· Outstanding systems and support 

· Family friendly working hours, 5.5 days 

· Plenty of forward orders scheduled 

· Growing revenues & growth opportunities 

· Price plus stock 




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LINKBUSINESS.CO.NZ

Walter van den Engel - Director, Ebbett Hamilton 

THE NEW EBBETT HAMILTON DEALERSHIP 

is a culmination of 3 years of construction 

which had been in the planning stages on 

and off over the last 30 years. The new 

25,000m² site was purchased in 2018 and 

designed as a one-stop-shop to showcase 

VW and Holden, along with servicing, sales, 

parts, paint and panel and a tyre shop. 

Ebbett Group Director Walter van den Engel 

explains that they wanted a building partner 

who could manage a complex project, 

ensuring different functional spaces would 

work together as a customer-focused facility. 

“Foster’s values and credentials were the 

right fit” says Walter. “We were confident in 

their ability to deal with a major build - where 

things change and don’t always go to plan.” 

Walter speaks from prior experience; Foster 

having worked on Ebbett Toyota and the 

refurbishment of Ebbett’s city site in 2002. 

Stage 1 saw the construction of the VW 

dealership and workshop. Suddenly, in 

February 2020 Holden pulled out of New 

Zealand and the project had to change to 

accommodate other brands. Then, in March, 

the country went into Covid-19 lockdown. 

“This was the real test” continues Walter. 

“Our development was well underway when 

all this happened. We asked a lot from 

Fosters and this was where they shone. 

It was never a case of ‘we can’t do that’, 

rather it was ‘let’s see how we can make this 

happen’. 

“The project became a moving target – what 

was the dealership to look like and how 

would it function with VW, GMSV, Seat, 

Cupra and Isuzu? Plus, we still needed to 

accommodate Holden used cars, parts and 

service. 

“Thanks to the trusted relationship we enjoy 

with both Foster and our architects Chow:Hill, 

and their interpretation of our needs, the 

result is fantastic. We’re very happy with our 

new home.” 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

Waikato Business News April/May 2021

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