Waikato Business News April/May 2021

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32 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2021 VIBRANT CAMBRIDGE 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 RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL Experienced Quality Service with Modern Marketing Get the best of both worlds with Neale’s proven track record for over 15 years. If you are thinking of marketing your property, and are looking for a top performer, contact Neale for a confidential chat. PGG Wrightson is a nationwide company with a robust integrated marketing team supporting its agents. “ We have once again been very happy with Neale’s professional approach, great communication and industry experience. We would recommend Neale to anyone considering selling their property as an agent with energy, integrity and expertise. ” Neale Grubb Lifestyle and Rural Sales Consultant M 021 939 548 E ngrubb@pggwrightson.co.nz www.pggwre.co.nz PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under the REAA 2008. Helping grow the country
VIBRANT CAMBRIDGE Leader in legal services Committed to the vision of each client and the culture of teamwork. Since its establishment in 1906 Lewis Lawyers has been part of the fabric of 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 to add value to transactions and resolve disputes for clients. Lewis Lawyers is a switched-on practice, a young firm in its approach, built on tradition. The team are always ready to roll up their sleeves and do what is necessary to get the job done and clients benefit from a high level of commitment and attention 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 strengthen our existing business and provide quality advice to our clients. Following the end of lock-down, no one expected Waikato’s housing market to become one of the hottest in New Zealand. 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 2020 and brings valuable property law experience to the conveyancing team. We also continue to experience strong growth in our property development hub, as we build for the future. Major investment in infrastructure and community development continues to unlock our region, socially and economically further enhancing Waikato’s appeal. Lewis’ has considerable expertise and vast experience in both commercial and property law and transactions. Lewis’ routinely advise individuals, families, businesses, and local authorities in relation to the buying and selling of commercial property, commercial leasing, and property development, from small scale subdivisions to the sale of multi-apartments in newbuilds. WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS April/May 2021 Farming and agribusiness continue to be a critical pillar of Waikato’s stability. “Farm sales are up this year as the rural sector remains resilient despite challenges”, indicates Matt Makgill. We have extensive experience and expertise in providing legal services to the rural sector including sale and purchases, rural leases, equity and debt financing, contractual arrangements, and farm succession planning. It has been particularly busy in the Trusts space. With new Trust legislation going live on 30 January 2021, our Trusts team led by Lucy Young has spent considerable time working with clients and advising on the relevance of retaining Trusts and how any variations, resettlements or wind ups should occur. New solicitor Bhavin Parshottam joined the team in May 2021 and will specifically work in the Trust Law area. Continued growth in the family and relationship property areas of practise has seen Lewis’ recruit two additional Solicitors, Keryn Morgan brings five years’ experience to this team and Grace Goodger brings experience and passion in the relationship property area. Finally, we see immense value in investing in our community. As a Cornerstone sponsor of the strong and vibrant Cambridge Business Chamber, we provide funding and support to enable the Chamber to lead and support a strong connected business Community. As part of our community philosophy, we also undertake pro-bono work, particularly to support local organisations and provide lawyer assistance to support the Citizens Advice Bureau. Lisa Ware Partner 33 Matt Makgill Partner Lucy Young Partner Monique Medley-Rush Partner Mayuan Si Partner Simon Makgill 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 Legal Executive Mifa Lin Legal Executive Lynn Williams Legal Executive Tui-Emma Tyler Practice Manager Juhli Burnett Jen Stubbs Anna Wiggins Amber Brettell Nikita Saunders Lisa Griffiths Audrey Drumm Megan Knights Georgia Fisher Janet Crouch Rhiannon Hudson Corner Dick and Alpha Streets, Cambridge | Ph 07 827 5147 45 Seddon Road, Hamilton | Ph 07 848 1222 www.lewislawyers.co.nz
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Waikato Business News April/May 2021

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