November 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

November/December 2021 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 1 

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021 VOLUME 5: ISSUE 11 

WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ 

FACEBOOK.COM/BAYOFPLENTYBUSINESSNEWS 

WARNING: URGENT ACTION REQUIRED! 

the bay grapples 

with CRITICAL 

housing shortage 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

The need for advance legal 

orders in payment. 

P5 

WORKPLACE WELLBEING 

Establishing a supportive 

workplace can help your 

business.P17 

PUBLIC RELATIONS 

Get your messaging out at 

the right time. 

P22 

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FOR KIWI BUSINESS


Rock project boosted with Terminator 

Bay of Plenty raised innovator and entrepreneur Angus Robson is proud of his 

latest creation’s link to the region, and what it is contributing to Eastern Bay of 

Plenty’s future. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

Robson grew up in Edgecumbe, 

but has forged an international 

career in developing new technology 

and equipment for the quarry 

and mining industry, including founding 

the Matamata-based company 

Rocktec. 

Among his many achievements, 

Robson can also claim building the 

world’s largest trebuchet, a kind of 

medieval catapult which set a new 

world record when it hurtled a massive 

steel block 15 metres in 2004. 

Not counted, but even more spectacular, 

was the Toyota Corolla that 

was hurtled 100 metres by the enormous 

device. But his latest effort will 

deliver some more tangible benefits 

to the Bay of Plenty, despite its daunting 

brand name – The Terminator. 

The Terminator 

Fitted to the front of a heavy excavator, 

The Terminator is a high energy 

rock breaker that has proven instrumental 

in helping accelerate the pace 

of construction at the Opotiki Harbour 

development project. 

The project was the recipient of a 

$79 million Provincial Growth Fund 

and requires 500,000t of crushed 

rock to help construct the seawall 

approaches to the harbour project. 

For Robson, the project has proven 

an ideal opportunity to locally showcase 

a machine he spent over $2 million 

and five years developing. 

Four export sales of The Terminator 

have already been completed, 

including two to the United Arab 

Emirates and two to a vast Canadian 

iron ore mine. 

Typically, mobile rock breaking 

equipment is a hydraulic hammer fitted 

to an excavator, using technology 

that has been largely unchanged in 

over 40 years. 

But combining some smart engineering 

and patented IP, Robson’s 

device can deliver an impact 10 times 

greater than conventional mechanical 

breakers, and is up to 15 times more 

productive than those methods. 

In action, the machine delivers a 

precise, controlled percussive blow of 

up to 4000 tonnes to the rock surface, 

yet puts minimal demands on the 

machine and its operator. 

“There is no movement that sends 

juddering, wearying actions through 

the excavator itself, and the force 

is multiple times more focused and 

precise.” 

Rotorua reaps tough rewards 

The Terminator is currently employed 

at Rainbow Quarry, off State Highway 

38 south east of Rotorua. The 

volcanic andesite rock destined for 

the harbour project is among the 

toughest in the North Island. 

Quarry manager Brian Nicoll said 

the machine’s productivity means the 

quarry is now transporting 12 truck 

and trailer units a day of the broken 

and sized rock to the Opotiki harbour 

site. 

“If we did not have it operating, 

with this tough rock we would be 

lucky to be doing three truckloads a 

day, and this project has required a 

constant supply of rock every day for 

two years.” 

John Galbraith, project manager 

for the Opotiki harbour project, said 

the Terminator has proven invaluable 

in providing exact sized rocks for the 

project. 

“Sizing is critical, requiring five 

different diameters of rock, the Terminator 

can break the rocks down to 

the required sizes, that’s difficult to 

do for most quarry equipment.” 

Robson is proud to be able to keep 

not only the employment of The Terminator 

local, but also its construction. 

Kawerau Engineering is playing 

a key role in assembling and building 

the machines. 

Kawerau Engineering owner Greg 

Adams says The Terminator fits well 

with the company’s specialist engineering 

focus. “Some of what we do 

is quite Formula-1ish, quite technical, 

so it fits in well with our skill set.” 

For Robson the future sales prospects 

of The Terminator are looking 

very positive. 

“There are many sites around 

the world in need of a high energy 

machine like this that significantly 

reduces the number and size of excavator 

machines needed on site. We 

can also use it for recycling solid 

steel that nothing else can break 

economically. 

“In two years of steel breaking 

in Russia with just two hammers we 

saved more than 700,000 tonnes of 

CO2 – the same amount of CO2 that 

the entire transport fleet of NZ emits 

in three weeks.” 

Quarry operator Brian Nicoll (left) with Terminator inventor 

Angus Robson. Photos/Richard Rennie. 

Terminator in action at Rainbow Quarry, south of Rotorua. 

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Tauranga 

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All LINK NZ ofces are licensed REAA08

4 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2021 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

PUBLISHER 

Alan Neben 

Ph: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

EDITOR 

David Porter 

Mob: 021 884 858 

Email: david@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

PRODUCTION 

Copy/Proofs/Graphic Design 

Times Media – Clare McGillivray 

Ph: (09) 271 8067 

Email: clare@times.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

From the editor 

One of the interesting reveals of our cover story this month on the 

region’s housing shortage woes, to me, was that I had not realised to 

quite what extent the region has been victim of its own success. 

As noted local developer 

Scott Adams of Carrus 

Corp points out, a particular 

problem for the Bay of 

Plenty goes back to the high 

cost of land. “You’ve got very 

rich horticultural soils here 

and people are starting to pay 

big bucks for canopy ha,” he 

says. “Then you have to get 

it rezoned, which takes time 

and involves a minefield of 

national policy statements to 

be navigated.” 

All of which makes urban 

development hard work. And 

even though I’ve been in Tauranga 

for more than a decade, I 

hadn’t fully taken into account 

just how the Bay and its beautiful 

beaches are also becoming 

hamstrung by the region’s 

very appeal. 

Nigel Tutt, chief executive 

of Western Bay of Plenty 

development agency Priority 

One, notes that for the last six 

years the growth rate has been 

around double the national 

average. 

And he reinforces the view 

that the Bay, despite its appeal, 

simply isn’t an easy area to 

develop in, with its multiple 

peninsulas and low-lying 

areas. As well, the government 

is placing increasing requirements 

on developers to carry 

out major abatement to protect 

against future flooding and 

other incidents. 

We trust our cover story 

helps readers to learn more 

about the causes of the housing 

shortage phenomenon 

that is hurting the region’s 

development. 

~ 

Meanwhile, a recent news 

report has revealed that New 

Zealand exporters are having 

increasing problems in 

getting their products overseas. 

According to the latest 

ExportNZ Export Barometer, 

more than half of exporters are 

failing to get shipping space. 

There are now growing 

concerns in the business community 

that New Zealand may 

get left behind as the world 

opens up. Assuming that it 

does open up, of course. 

The most common barriers 

are cost and availability of 

transport and logistics, which 

are being experienced by 78 

percent of those surveyed, 

up from 66 percent last year. 

The inability to travel because 

of the pandemic, with resulting 

closed borders and MIQ 

restrictions, was cited by 52 

percent of respondents. 

Recall if you will that the 

Bay is one of New Zealand’s 

leading export centres. Many 

in the business community 

are anecdotally reporting the 

problems being suffered by 

exporters, with standard items, 

such as containerisation costs, 

having soared. 

According to the ExportNZ 

David Porter 

survey, which took in 300 

exporters, businesses are 

adjusting to the difficulties 

with 51 percent reporting 

an increase in export orders. 

That’s up from 36 percent 

last year and 49 percent 

pre-pandemic. 

However, 32 percent 

reported a fall in export 

orders, down slightly on 

last year. According to the 

report, the impact of global 

freight congestion is “staggering” 

for Kiwi businesses 

with increased logistics costs, 

delayed transport and some 

exporters simply unable to get 

shipping space. 

BUSINESS DIRECTOR 

Pete Wales 

Mob: 022 495 9248 

Email: pete@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

EDITORIAL: 

News releases/Photos/Letters: 

david@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

GENERAL INQUIRIES: 

info@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty Business News has a circulation 

of 8000, distributed throughout Bay of Plenty 

between Waihi and Opotiki including Rotorua 

and Taupo, and to a subscription base. 

NEWSBRIEF 

Inspired circuit breaker welcomed by home builder 

“Inspired” is how leading 

national home builder Platinum 

Homes describes the 

Government’s announcement 

on freeing up urban land for 

housing. 

“We desperately need a circuit 

breaker to get more Kiwi 

families into homes and this 

could well be it,” says Chief 

Executive Dave Andrew. 

His company alone has 

plans to build 300 homes 

across the country in the next 

year – a number that could 

easily double – if only there 

was more land available. 

“This initiative, while it 

will obviously take time to be 

implemented, is just what the 

country needs. 

“If we could bundle this up 

with some improvements to 

building consent timelines and 

also address some of our current 

supply chain issues then I 

see the potential for some real 

progress in the home building 

sector,” Dave Andrew says. 

Platinum Homes currently 

has more than 100 homes 

waiting on building consents 

from councils around the 

country. 

“As if that wasn’t bad 

enough, we also face delays 

for some timber products, 

internal wall linings, tapware 

and other products, and 

increasing costs of our building 

supplies. 

“In some cases that 

means we need to steer clients 

towards more available 

choices. In other cases, where 

a client has their heart set on 

a particular feature, we have 

to explain that there could be 

a wait of several months, until 

we get supplies into the country 

or out of a New Zealand 

factory. 

“My only hope is, having 

reached this agreement 

between the Government 

and the National Party, that 

each and every politician in 

the House will do their bit to 

make sure that the momentum 

that has got us this far will 

carry on until the legislation is 

enacted. Only then will New 

Zealand be able to reap the 

benefits. This is a great start.” 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications 

309/424 Maunganui Road, 

Mount Maunganui, 3116 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications specialises 

in business publishing, advertising, design and 

print media services. 

I don’t think [housing] 

prices will fall, but 

you’ll have a better 

range to choose from by 

summer.” – Tony Alexander 

Development is not easy. You’ve got some 

pretty low-lying areas as well as 

peninsulas. And we’ve also 

collectively failed to build up 

as well as out.” – Nigel Tutt 

The Bay grapples with critical housing shortage – page 7 

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Global market shares hit a speed bump 

Investment market update (for the quarter ended 30 September, 2021) 

Since the lows of the 

Covid crash in late 

March 2020 it has been 

an exceptional run for global 

share markets. That run hit 

a significant speedbump in 

September. 

With many markets near 

record highs and valuations 

generally lofty relative to history, 

they were susceptible 

to a pullback. To emphasise 

just how unusually calm it 

had been, until the last day of 

September (when the run was 

broken) it had been 236 trading 

days since the MSCI World 

Index had seen -five percent 

drawdown. That’s the second 

longest period in the past 25 

years. Markets can sometimes 

be volatile, but for most of the 

past year (until recently) they 

haven’t been. 

New Zealand market 

bounces despite Covid 

lockdowns 

After being a laggard to global 

markets, the New Zealand 

share market had a strong 

quarter, boosted by companies 

reporting healthy results in 

August. 

Some may be surprised the 

strong performance has come 

at a time when we’ve been 

hit with the first Covid-19 

community outbreak 

in six months, and 

parts of the country 

remain in 

lockdown. 

Lockdowns 

will impact economically 

exposed 

sectors and companies. 

The good news for investors, 

however, is the New 

Zealand market is dominated 

by defensive companies in 

sectors like healthcare, utilities, 

telecommunications, and 

consumer staples. The earnings 

of these companies are 

less affected by the economic 

environment. 

The silver lining of the 

outbreak is that it’s been the 

wake-up call for many New 

Zealanders to get vaccinated. 

We no longer hold the inauspicious 

title of being the least 

vaccinated country in the 

OECD. This time 

round, 

New 

Zealand 

had little 

choice 

around 

how to 

respond to the 

Covid-19 outbreak. 

Widespread 

vaccinations 

are the only 

way to provide 

countries with 

broader choices 

about how to 

manage Covid-19 

in the future. 

Interest rate rises are 

coming 

New Zealand has been one 

of the first countries in the 

developed world to raise 

interest rates in a post-Covid 

world. On 6 October it lifted 

the official cash rate (OCR) 

by 25 basis points to 0.5 percent. 

Our economy is facing 

pent-up demand and capacity 

constraints – the housing 

shortage being the most obvious 

example – from the tidal 

wave of migrants over the last 

eight years. In recent years, 

that same migration kept a lid 

on wages. 

But now, with borders shut, 

capacity pressures are biting 

and inflation risks are rising. 

Closed borders are also driving 

up import costs. New Zealand 

is distanced from key trading 

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY 

> BY BRETT BELL-BOOTH 

Investment Adviser with Forsyth Barr Limited in Tauranga, and 

an Authorised Financial Adviser. Phone (07) 577 5725 or 

email brett.bell-booth@forsythbarr.co.nz. 

partners and, as such, global 

supply chain constraints and 

rising freight costs have had an 

even greater impact here than 

abroad. 

Furthermore, unlike other 

countries New Zealanders 

have been breaking out the 

credit cards. Much of our 

strong economy is being 

funded by rising household 

debt for which we’ll eventually 

face a cost. 

The market is pricing that 

by May next year, we will see 

three more rate hikes lifting the 

OCR to 1.25 percent, but the 

environment remains fluid and 

subject to change. The creep 

of the Covid-19 delta variant 

south of Auckland, uncertainty 

over how long level 3 lockdowns 

will be imposed, and 

growing questions around the 

pace of the global economic 

recovery will all influence the 

RBNZ’s trajectory from here. 

A return to (normal) 

volatility 

Recent volatility has broken 

a period of unusual 

calm in markets. Whilst we 

remain comfortable retaining 

a healthy weighting of risk 

assets (shares, property) in 

portfolios, we also believe the 

easiest gains in this cycle are 

likely behind us and that future 

returns will be lower than what 

we’ve seen over recent time. 

This column is general in 

nature and does not take any of 

your personal circumstances 

into account. For personalised 

financial advice, contact Forsyth 

Barr for an overview of 

the services we can provide. 

Securing yourself against the digitus 

impudicus in IPONZ proceedings 

Picture this: You’re a 

local NZ business and 

you’ve just successfully 

defended an opposition to registration 

of your trade mark 

before the Intellectual Property 

Office of New Zealand 

(IPONZ). As a result of your 

win, the Assistant Commissioner 

has awarded you $2850 

in costs. 

The award is not a lot compared 

to what you’ve spent, 

but, hey, at least it’s something. 

Your account details have been 

sent to the losing party and… 

nothing. Silence. Your lawyers 

send a reminder for payment 

and, again, silence. The losing 

party has shown you its digitus 

impudicus. 1 

Frustrating, right? Annoying 

– sure. Especially when 

your lawyer tells you that the 

High Court process to recover 

the meagre sum awarded by the 

Assistant Commissioner will 

cost more than the award itself. 

What’s worse in your case is 

that the loser is based overseas, 

so in addition there’s the whole 

process – and cost – of trying 

to enforce the court’s order for 

payment in the loser’s jurisdiction. 

Arrghh!!! 

In these circumstances, 

your victory can seem a very 

Pyrrhic one, and rightly so. 

Fortunately, there is something 

parties in trade mark, 

patent and design proceedings 

before IPONZ can do to mitigate 

the potential for non-payment 

of costs. That ‘something’ 

is obtaining security for costs. 

The Trade Marks Act 2002, 

the Patents Act 2013 and the 

Designs Act 1953 all have provisions 

2 which enable the relevant 

Commissioner to order a 

party to pay security for costs. 

Section 167 of the Trade Marks 

Act 2002, for example, states: 

167 Commissioner or 

court may require security 

for costs 

1. The Commissioner or the 

court, as the case may be, 

may require a party to legal 

proceedings under this Act 

to give security for the costs 

of the proceedings if satisfied 

that – 

(a) the party does not reside, 

and does not carry on 

business, in NZ; or 

(b) there is reason to believe 

that the party will be 

unable to pay the costs 

of the other party if 

unsuccessful in the 

proceedings. 

2. If the party does not give 

the security required, the 

Commissioner or the court 

may treat the proceedings 

as abandoned by the party 

and determine the matter 

accordingly. 

Looking at the scenario 

I started this article with, it 

would have been prudent for 

the winner to have applied for 

an order for payment of security 

for costs under section 

167(1)(a) if it could establish 

the other side did not reside, 

and did not carry on business, 

in New Zealand. In those circumstances, 

the Commissioner 

should have ordered security 

for costs unless there was 

something in the surrounding 

circumstances that suggested 

the Commissioner should not 

have granted the order because 

it would be unjust on the 

opponent. 3 

Applying may also have 

made the other side think twice 

about pursuing the opposition 

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 07 928 4470 

(Tauranga), 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), and benc@jaws.co.nz. 

– or at least encouraged them 

to negotiate an acceptable 

resolution. 

Despite the apparent ease 

with which orders for payment 

of security may be obtained 

against overseas parties (I 

stress ‘may’), orders for payment 

of security in these circumstances 

are seemingly 

rare. 4 This is surprising given 

the number of proceedings 

involving overseas based vs 

NZ based parties, and indicates 

a remarkable amount of trust 

on NZ based parties’ behalf 

that their opponents will pay 

up if they lose. Either that, or 

applying for security for costs 

in IPONZ proceedings is an 

under-utilised tool. I think both 

are probably correct. 

1. Digitus impudicus (Latin) – the 

shameless, indecent or offensive finger. 

In today’s parlance, showing the digitus 

impudicus is flipping the bird, or giving 

someone the finger. 

2. Section 167, Trade Marks Act 2002; 

section 213 Patents Act 2013; and section 

38, Designs Act 1953. There is no 

provision in the Plant Variety Rights Act 

1987 expressly dealing with security for 

costs in PVR proceedings. 

3. Foodstuffs (Auckland) Ltd v Homecare 

HCI Ltd [1991] NZIPOTM 3. 

4. From reviewing IPONZ decisions on 

NZLII.org. 

BEWARE OF FOREIGN IMITATIONS. 

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

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

realising the full potential of our innovations, particularly 

when exporting them. 

At James & Wells, we can identify your competitive 

edge, offer business strategies for specific markets and 

help you own and leverage your intellectual property to 

ensure no one steals the fruit of your labour. 

www.jaws.co.nz | +64 7 928 4470

6 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November/December 2021

COVER STORY 


WARNING: URGENT ACTION REQUIRED! 

THE BAY GRAPPLES WITH 

CRITICAL HOUSING SHORTAGE 

The Bay of Plenty is by no means alone in facing a critical housing shortage – nationwide home buyers have been facing many of the same 

issues. But what seems to be an especial problem in the Bay is that the shortfall is very much a mixture of two key issues. 

One is the increasing attractiveness and prosperity of the area for incomers, and other is the difficult topography across the region, 

which has made housing growth expensive and difficult to produce. 

By DAVID PORTER 

As developers note, it isn’t easy to get new 

projects going here and some are deeply 

critical of past councils for not moving 

aggressively enough. There are some who in 

fact have welcomed the Labour government’s 

decision to put commissioners in charge of running 

Tauranga City Council, and many applaud 

the commissioners for making hard decisions 

about the future that had been put off for too 

long. 

Sentiment drives prices 

One of New Zealand’s most astute commentators 

on the property sector, Tony Alexander, 

worked as chief economist of the BNZ for 26 

years before resigning in 2019 to hang out his 

own shingle. A widely quoted economic commentator, 

Alexander, recently addressed the 

Tauranga Property Investors Association in a 

Zoom seminar, and said that he expected house 

prices to continue going up at least into next 

year. 

“If you can get your foot on the ladder then 

do so,” Alexander said he advised young people. 

“I don’t think prices will fall, but you’ll 

have a better range to choose from by summer. 

I think there will be some extra vendors coming 

forward over 2022.” 

Alexander said he believed some house 

owners would be hoarding, but a lot would be 

thinking about selling. “The interest rates will 

go up a bit, and the sentiment will change,” he 

said. 

“It’s that sentiment that has driven prices 

up so much.” However, Alexander said, he 

believed prices might be flattening out and 

that house prices would be more interesting for 

buyers by the second half of next year. 

Major reasons for price rises 

Nigel Tutt, chief executive of Western Bay 

of Plenty development agency Priority One, 

reinforced the view that there were two major 

reasons why housing growth rates had been so 

high. 

Turn to page 8 

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Mark Wassung 021 138 3739 | Abigail Wassung 021 0227 8880 | www.wassung.co.nz


COVER STORY 

NEWSBRIEF 

Luxridge Apartments update 

The February 2021 Edition of the BOP Business News 

featured Luxridge Apartments, Tauranga’s newest and 

most luxurious apartment project. Eight months on we 

contacted the developer and discussed the ups and downs 

of developing properties during a global pandemic. Apart 

from the usual feedback about Resource Consent/Resource 

Management delays with the local council, SSLA directors 

Kelly Cotter and Rob Gartshore expressed their views on 

meeting today’s challenges in an ever-changing global market. 

First the good news, apartment living 

is being embraced by the Tauranga 

community as well as the wider New 

Zealand housing market. Luxridge has 

a mix of purchasers from Tauranga, the 

Waikato, Auckland, Wellington, and the 

South Island. Sales continue to exceed 

expectations with 14 of the 24 apartments 

sold. The developer is in negotiations 

with three more prospective purchasers 

but Auckland’s Level 3 restrictions make 

finalizing those sales difficult. 

Slight changes to the architectural 

drawings allow for better use of modern 

building technology. The façade engineers’ 

suggestions ensure a warm, dry 

environment in winter months with crisp, 

fresh living throughout the spring and 

summer. Luxridge Apartments are unique 

in that the building has an on-site fitness 

centre. Purchasers looking for additional 

workspace (without the need to leave the 

building) will find separate office/hobby 

rooms available; these units are adjacent 

to the fitness centre on Level A and two of 

the five units are sold. 

Many purchasers have opted to purchase 

an additional storage unit and there 

are three different size storage units to 

choose from. 

The not so good news. As anyone 

keeping up with the over stretched global 

supply chain knows all too well, costs for 

building materials and appliances continue 

to rise. Raw materials and shipping 

costs are at their highest levels in over 40 

years. In order to meet feasibility requirements, 

Luxridge has instigated price 

increases to meet the cost blowouts. The 

project remains on track with demolition, 

site clearance, and sub-structure work 

expected to begin in the first half of 2022. 

Cotter and Gartshore acknowledge that 

SSLA is in the same boat as all New Zealand 

developers. Developers must keep 

the construction schedule reasonable and 

only promise what they can deliver. The 

Luxridge core team of First Principles 

Architects, WSP Engineering, CMW 

Geotech, Urban Lounge Interiors, the 

Longview Group, and Fluid Engineering 

Consultancy remain dedicated to meeting 

today’s challenges. The Luxridge Apartment 

development that BOP Business 

News featured eight months ago remains 

the Luxridge of today, “Apartment Living 

that Aspires to New Heights”. 

The finished product promises to be 

a new landmark in Tauranga apartment 

living. The Tauranga CBD will benefit 

greatly from Luxridge and all other city 

apartment projects that bring life back into 

the city centre. 

For floor plans and a list of sales, visit 

www.luxridge.co.nz 

From page 7 

“For the last six years the growth rate has 

been around 3.5 percent a year – double the 

national average,” he said. “If you grow that 

quickly you’re going to have challenges.” 

The second reason was simply that the Bay 

wasn’t an easy region to develop in. 

“It’s full of peninsulas and the geography 

doesn’t lend itself to your good old city type 

development,” he said. 

“Development is not easy. You’ve got some 

pretty low-lying areas as well as peninsulas. 

And we’ve also collectively failed to build 

up as well as out. There’s no real incentive to 

change away from the traditional style of housing, 

even though the infrastructure costs are far 

too low. 

“To build more high rises, the planning 

roles will need changes. But the costs for a 

developer are pretty much the same. Land is 

the big problem. Right now we can’t provide 

the capacity needed for what I believe is a very 

reasonable population growth estimate.” 

Perfect storm of problems 

Scott Adams, who heads up one of the region’s 

biggest property developers, Carrus Corp, told 

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COVER STORY 


Rotorua needs to boost 

its build rate 

Adams was dismissive of the past efforts of 

many city councillors, stating that they tended 

to be wedded to supporting the general view 

of older house owners and voters calling for 

“fixed rates for life”. 

‘You end up with these guys who have no 

commercial experience, no qualifications and 

have never taken a risk,” he said. “Some of 

them can’t read a balance sheet. You end up 

asking people to run a multi-billion dollar city, 

but there’re no meaningful decisions getting 

made.” 

Certainly not when growth and infrastructure 

are concerned, he said. Yet he felt the new 

commissioners had made some really tough 

decisions to move things ahead. 

Adams is one of the leaders of the newly 

formed – and somewhat property-centric – 

Urban Task Force, which has recently sent off 

a letter to local government minister Nanaia 

Mahuta. It commended her for putting the 

commissioners in place. Adams also said 

he endorsed sentiment being voiced about 

extending the commission’s term. 

“I want us to go back to a democracy, but 

we’re not ready for that yet so we need another 

three years with these guys at the helm,” he 

said. “And hopefully that period will start to 

attract better quality elected members who can 

actually govern the city the way it needs and 

deserves to be.” 

Need for more flexibility 

Adams noted that one of New Zealand’s fundamental 

flaws was that local government was 

responsible for the planning and implementation 

of trunk infrastructure. In many other 

countries, it tended to be the central or state 

government that put the infrastructure in the 

ground. In addition, the Local Government 

Finance Act caps the amount of money that 

can be borrowed. “That will have to change 

and I think the government has realised that, 

and that’s why you have all these reforms coming 

in to change it.” 

Adams takes the view that a particular 

problem for the Bay of Plenty goes back to the 

high cost of land. “You’ve got very rich horticultural 

soils here and people are starting to 

pay big bucks for canopy ha,” he said. 

“Then you have to get it rezoned, which 

takes time and involves a minefield of national 

policy statements to be navigated.” 

His view was that it was difficult to find a 

Turn to page 10 

Bryce Heard, chief executive of the 

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce, 

said there was a definite shortage of 

houses in Rotorua. 

“We’ve got to build 6,000 houses in the 

next 10 years, according to our numbers. 

But we’re currently building at the rate 

of about 260 a year, so we’ve got to get 

that up to 600 a year – and all of them are 

needed now.” 

Heard noted that one of the key elements 

of Rotorua topography was that 

the region drained into the lakes, meaning 

problems with storm water etc to be considered 

by developers. 

“Whenever you develop more land 

you have to deal with these infrastructure 

issues,” he said. 

“The existing cost of abatement is more 

than elsewhere, which makes it difficult to 

bring on big new blocks for urban development 

and Rotorua has been quite static in 

population for nigh on 30 years. 

“But over the last decade we’ve seen a 

25 percent increase and that was a bit of a 

shock to the system,” said Heard. 

“The ability to keep up with that growth, 

infrastructure-wise, has been stretched as 

escalating property prices have put even 

rentals beyond the reach of many here. So 

property prices continue to rise and government 

keeps putting in unsuitable changes, 

Bryce Heard, chief executive, 

Rotorua Chamber of Commerce. 

eg capital gains tax. With landlords building 

almost half of the houses, government 

action has actually made the shortage more 

acute.” 

However, Heard said he was aware 

Council was trying very hard and working 

on measures to try and improve housing 

access and affordability in the region. 

We’re seeing increased demand from both local and out of town buyers 

who are seeking a change of lifestyle and the kind of freedom you can 

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COVER STORY 

EASTERN BAY IN URGENT 

NEED OF HOUSING 

Karl Gradon, General Manager, 

strategy, Toi Eda 

Karl Gradon, general manager for 

strategy at Toi EDA, noted that while 

the housing situation was bad in Tauranga 

and Rotorua, in fact the two worst 

towns in the region statistically were Kawerau 

and Opotiki. 

“You will not find worse conditions in 

the region for overcrowding and housing 

shortages,” he said. 

“It’s absolutely critical in the Eastern 

Bay. We have the leading rate of rheumatic 

fever in the country, which is a key indicator 

for overcrowding and dampness.” 

Gradon said he felt there was a huge 

challenge in the region, but disagreed with 

Kainga Ora’s decision to continued investing 

in Tauranga and Rotorua to try and 

resolve housing challenges. 

“We have had extensive discussions 

with them,” he said. While they were said 

to be considering the difficulties in Opotiki, 

there was no sign of immediate change, he 

said. 

“There’s a huge amount of [housing] 

work especially with the amount of work 

to be done and the huge jobs being created 

in the Eastern Bay,” said Gradon, who estimated 

there could be 7000 jobs created by 

2030. 

“We don’t have constructors to build 

them and that means we have to attract talent,” 

he said. “We’ve already seen where 

projects are bringing people home, but they 

don’t have anywhere to live.” 

Gradon noted that Opotiki was a large 

centre of new kiwifruit developments. 

“We’re asking central government to 

come to the Eastern BOP and provide a 

total support package to build new resident 

housing in outlying rural areas rather 

than focusing on problems that are real, 

as in Tauranga and Rotorua, but not as 

systematic.” 

From page 9 

way through national policies on issues such 

as the environment in order to carry out urban 

development. 

In the end developers might be best off to 

pay massive premiums for land that is already 

zoned residential. “You still pay massive 

amounts of money and just sit there land banking 

for years,” he said. 

Smart Growth to play key role 

Peter Winder, who recently tendered for and 

took over as chairman of Smart Growth from 

Bill Wasley, who was appointed one of the 

Tauranga commissioners, said there were a 

number of property rising issues facing the 

region. 

Winder said these were “… fundamentally 

rapid population growth and high rates of previous 

pre-Covid immigration, as well as quite 

significant domestic migration towards attractive 

places to live, like Tauranga and the Western 

Bay”. 

The increasing acceptance of home offices 

was one element he said, noting that the ability 

to work from anywhere means that people 

have more choice as to where they live than 

they might have had previously. 

“Other things for the region include the fact 

that we have had a very strong export economy 

and the resurgence of kiwifruit,” he said. 

“All of these things that are part of the BOP 

economy have contributed to that. Even in a 

post -covid world, where net inwards migration 

from offshore has been zero, the potential 

for ongoing moves out of Auckland towards 

places like Tauranga remains high.” 

Winder said that, on the one hand there had 

been very strong growth and on the other, Tauranga 

and Western Bay were quite complicated 

and constrained in terms of their topography 

and the availability of lands that can sensibly 

be developed for housing. 

“And that’s not necessarily a result of crazy 

planning rules. It’s a reflection of the particular 

geology and topography and it’s part of what 

makes the area attractive. We have wonderful 

beaches and a beautiful harbour, but it’s a 

tricky place to build.” 

Tauranga City has recently written to the 

Ministry of the Environment and made it clear 

that in the medium term it is unable to meet 

the requirements of the national policy statement. 

However, said Winder, there was regular 

ministerial level engagement with the Western 

Bay and a number of groups supporting Smart 

Growth. 

The work on Smart Growth provided an 

opportunity to deal with a range of really complicated 

questions in one of the areas most 

challenged by growth, said Winder.. 

“Yes, we will see progress, but it won’t be 

overnight.”

COVER STORY 


CLASSIC GROUP PARTNERS WITH NZ SUPER 

FUND TO TACKLE HOUSING SHORTAGE 

A new land development company established by Tauranga-based developer Classic Group and the $58 billion 

NZ Super Fund aims to use its scale and capital to increase housing supply in New Zealand. 

Classic Group Directors Peter Cooney and Matt Lagerberg 

Kaha Ake (Stronger Together) aims to 

develop and market a range of sites across 

New Zealand with a focus on meeting the 

demand for housing. 

The partnership’s first development will be 

in Warkworth, North Auckland delivering more 

than 500 lots for a new community to be developed. 

Over the coming years the partnership 

expects to achieve a development pipeline of 

upwards of 3,000 sites for new homes. 

Classic Group Director Peter Cooney says 

the company sees this as an opportunity to find 

solutions to some of the property sector’s complex 

and historic challenges. 

“We’re delighted to partner with NZ Super 

Fund. With the long-term financial support this 

partnership offers, Kaha Ake will be in a strong 

position to support the development of homes 

for Kiwis at a pace and scale that will help meet 

the demand for quality affordable housing.” 

“In a complex and challenging industry, we 

want to work collaboratively alongside councils 

and Government to develop land and enable the 

building of homes and communities throughout 

the regions, at pace and scale,” Cooney says. 

“We see a major opportunity ahead to 

address the scale and infrastructure problems 

bedeviling New Zealand’s property sector. NZ 

Super Fund shares our commercial mindset and 

sense of social responsibility, and we look forward 

to working together.” 

NZ Super Fund Manager, Direct Investments 

Hishaam Mirza says the investment is 

part of a broader strategy to increase the Fund’s 

exposure to real estate. 

“It’s great to be able to partner with a highly 

experienced New Zealand developer in Classic 

Group. We believe our capital can help create 

a break-through moment for a sector weighed 

down with interconnected challenges of affordability, 

land supply, lack of scale, poor infrastructure 

and compliance. 

“In line with our commitment to responsible 

investment, sustainability will be at the forefront 

of Kaha Ake’s approach.” 

The Classic Group has 25 years’ experience 

in the property sector and includes Classic 

Developments (a land development company) 

and Classic Builders (one of New Zealand’s 

largest residential builders). 

Its projects include a joint venture partnership 

with Western Bay of Plenty District Council 

to deliver affordable housing in Omokoroa, 

a 13.8 hectare joint venture project in Papamoa, 

Hishaam Mirza 

120 hectares of future development in Tauriko, 

a 72 lot subdivision in Queenstown, Edgewater 

Apartments in Hobsonville, 650 lot subdivision 

at Ramarama (Hunua Views) in Auckland, 

as well as having worked with Kainga Ora 

on KiwiBuild developments in Tauranga and 

Christchurch. All up, Classic currently has a 

land pipeline of approximately 3,000 sections. 

Kaha Ake anticipates making announcements 

on future development opportunities in 

due course. 

Ideal lifestyle location in the BOP close to the Katikati town 

centre and in easy reach of Tauranga, Auckland and Hamilton 

Private quality flat to gently sloping land with peaks of the 

harbour, quality fencing and established planting peacefully 

situated well off the main road 

A modern yet comfortable sprawling single level home with 

timeless architectural and designer touches, and all the must 

haves/mod cons. 

Large Flexible floorplan provides countless desirable options 

suited to variety of individual, family, blended family and 

extended family needs 

Quality built-in furniture throughout 

Indulgent Master Suite 

Beautiful, yet functional, family kitchen with fully appointed 

scullery 

Mudroom entry and high spec laundry 

Resort style living with pool house, studio and gym, and 

expansive outdoor gathering options 

Generous internal access garage and storage or hobby room 

Two substantial quality sheds provide additional opportunities 

to work, store or play 

Supplementary income or lifestyle through well established and 

set up Avocado Orchard with strong projected productivity 

Full suite of Bosch and Smeg appliances throughout kitchen as 

well as Bosch & Miele laundry appliances 

Concrete indoor pool heated with an Oasis heat pump and 

with a Badu Swimjet system for stationary swim training 

Advanced pool care with Quantum Photocat Oxidation ACP 

Bedrooms: 5 Bedrooms 

and pH Perfect Doser and Pentair Chlorine Feeder 

Bathrooms: 3 + 1 (Studio) 

Manual pool cover and HVAC pool house ventilation system 

Powder Rooms: 2 + 1 (American Barn) 

Swish automated sliding door safety barrier 

Living: 3 + 1 (Studio) 

2.66 Ha of established Avocado orchard with a further 30 trees 

Garaging: I/A Double Garage + 77m2 American Barn + 72m2 Pole Shed 

on order as well as 1.15 Ha approx of Lifestyle land for 

Floor Area: 480 m2 House + 68 m2 Pool House + 41 m2 Studio/Gym 

enjoyment or further orchard development 

Land Area: 3.81 Ha (2.66 Ha approx. Avocados)


COVER STORY 

LOCKWOOD ATTRIBUTES COMPANY 

SUCCESS TO “KEEPING IT LOCAL” 

By DAVID PORTER 

One of New Zealand’s most recognised 

and trusted brands, Lockwood Homes, 

now in its 70th year, believes one of the 

secrets to its longevity has been its focus on 

local sourcing. 

“In a world where many companies rely on 

global manufacturing chains to help produce 

their products, our capability to source our 

main manufacturing element – timber – has 

seen our business thrive,” said managing director 

Andrew La Grouw. 

La Grouw told Bay of Plenty Business News 

the company originally got underway in Wellington, 

but soon realised Rotorua was becoming 

the North Island’s major timber town The 

nearby pine forest plantations and timber 

mills of Kaingaroa Forest were the key driver 

for Lockwood to establish manufacturing in 

Rotorua. 

“Not only have we forged an enduring relationship 

with local suppliers, but the advantages 

of local sourcing have become even more 

relevant during these Covid times, allowing us 

to increase our manufacturing capacity to meet 

current demand.” 

A family business 

La Grouw is a grandson of one of the two 

Dutch founders who set up the company in 

Rotorua in 1951. As one of New Zealand’s 

most iconic innovative manufacturing success 

stories, family-owned Lockwood has proven to 

be as enduring as it is successful. 

La Grouw acknowledged that a few decades 

there were a few issues with some residents 

regarding Lockwood Homes as somewhat 

“noisy” because of its innovative system for 

locking the components together. 

“But performance has been steadily increasing 

over time,” he said. “We sorted out the noise 

issue about 20 years ago. And we’re constantly 

looking at how we can improve our system.” 

La Grouw said most of its product as manufactured 

in the factory to make it easy to get to 

residents’ sites. 

Humble beginnings, global presence 

“From our humble beginnings, with our first 

home built as a fishing bach in Rotorua, to now 

having constructed more than 50,000 Lockwood 

homes and buildings around the world, 

we are extremely proud of our rich history,” 

says Andrew. 

“Today we have a team of more than 50 

people at our head office in Rotorua where the 

components for our homes and buildings are 

still manufactured to exacting standard by our 

team of skilled craftsmen and women.” 

La Grouw said the company had supplied 

Lockwood homes to all corners of the globe. 

“But I am most proud of all the Lockwood 

homes that have been built in New Zealand for 

Andrew 

La Grouw 

kiwi families. High quality housing is important 

to family health and wellbeing, and I’m 

proud of our tradition of setting and maintaining 

our own quality standards. We are honoured 

to have shared the lives of all our employees, 

some of which have been with us for more than 

35 years.” 

He said the company was proud to say that 

the average length of time our staff members 

stay with was 11.5 years, compared with the 

national average of just four years. 

Lockwood has been voted New Zealand’s 

Most Trusted Building Brand in 2013, 2014 

and 2016 and runner up in 2015, 2018, 2019, 

2020 and 2021. 

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Nitro Circus is coming 

to Trustpower Baypark 

Summer is on the horizon and Trustpower Baypark has just confirmed that Nitro 

Circus will be coming in February 2022. In the meantime, there are also other 

exciting events coming up for the entire family to enjoy. 

Baypark Speedway 

The opening night has been 

delayed due to alert level restrictions, 

but Baypark Speedway 

will start off the season with a bang 

by combining Opening Night with 

Fireworks on Saturday 6 November. 

This will be followed by a line-up of 

race nights throughout the season to 

keep the speed demons entertained. 

All speedway dates can be found at 

www.bayparkspeedway.co.nz 

Did you want to treat one of your 

valued clients? Or how about coming 

to Speedway for your Staff Christmas 

party? We have a number of 

exclusive, spacious corporate boxes 

with balconies to entertain up to 20 

guests comfortably. These boxes are 

also available on an annual basis to 

cover the entire Speedway Season. 

Please contact us on events@bayvenues.co.nz 

or 07 577 8593 for more 

information. 

7 Days Live 

The 7 Days Live tour is now officially 

an annual tradition. And this 

year our (not very) brave comedians 

will smash out 13 shows in 13 towns 

around New Zealand with (nearly) no 

fear at all. Jeremy Corbett, Dai Henwood, 

Paul Ego and the team jump in 

a van and bring much-needed comedy 

to the nation, laughing directly in the 

face of Covid-19 (wearing a mask of 

course). 

Don’t miss this show – part quickfire 

stand-up from the country’s best, 

on 16 December and part a completely 

un-censored and un-edited 7 

Days show, it’s exactly the medicine 

we need in 2021 (along with the vaccine 

of course). Be there to see our 

comedy heroes, live! 

Polo in the Bay 

New Mount Maunganui event, Polo 

in the Bay, has this week chosen to 

postpone their inaugural event to January 

22, 2022. 

Event Director, John Guise, says 

that a challenging year has just got 

even harder for the entire events 

industry. 

“Every organiser is faced with 

incredibly difficult decisions right 

now and after a year like 2020, we 

were all hoping these disruptions 

might be behind us for this Summer.” 

Every year, we’ll be kicking off 

the Mount Maunganui Summer with 

fast-paced entertainment and firstclass 

hospitality – it’s a weekend 

that’s hard to resist. 

The inaugural event features some 

of New Zealand’s most talented Polo 

players going to head-to-head in their 

provincial colours and this fresh Polo 

format brings you closer to the action 

– there isn’t a bad seat in the house. 

We have a range of hospitality 

options available, from a casual picnic-style 

Family Zone, to Private 

Marquees and the VIP Pavilion with 

specialty bars, catering and lounge 

areas. 

Polo in the Bay features include: 

• Movember Brunch (R18) 

• The Polo Lawn (R18) 

• VIP Pavilion (R18) 

• Private Marquees (R18 – limited 

spaces) 

• Free Family Zone (unlicensed – all 

ages) 

• Après Polo – Eat + Drink + Play at 

our Official Dining Precinct 

Tickets available from www. 

polointhebay.co.nz. 

Nitro Circus 

Buoyed by the strong momentum 

of the Covid-19 vaccination rollout, 

action sports leaders Nitro Circus 

have revealed plans to return to 

Tauranga’s Trustpower Stadium, for 

the first time in 5 years, on Monday 

Feb 7th, 2022. This announcement is 

part of a comprehensive 

tour of outdoor stadiums 

across New Zealand & 

Australia in early 2022. 

This news comes with 

Nitro Circus is in the middle 

of a six month, 27-city 

North American tour which 

stretches from coast to coast, 

hitting major markets such as 

Seattle, Phoenix and Nashville. 

The brand has emerged from the 

lockdown challenges of 2020 in a 

position of strength: its total number 

of shows worldwide this year marks 

an increase of more than 33% from 

2019. 

One of the biggest names in action 

sports, and the face of Nitro Circus’ 

2022 tour, is Sunshine Coast’s Ryan 

Williams. The BMX & scooter world 

champion and three-time X Games 

gold medalist is thrilled to ride for 

his home country fans once again. 

“It’s crazy that after touring Australia 

and New Zealand every year since 

2010, it will have been three years 

since we have gotten to do a show 

in front of the best action sports fans 

in the world. We love New Zealand 

crowds!” Williams says. “Now we 

are primed to send it! We’ve used that 

time at home to work up a bunch of 

insane new tricks and trust me, you do 

not want to miss these shows!” 

In the decade since launching its 

touring business, which debuted in 

Australia and New Zealand, Nitro 

Circus has gone on to perform on 

five continents and established itself 

as a major global live event property. 

To date, Nitro Circus has performed 

more than 360 shows in over 30 countries 

worldwide in stadiums, arenas 

and festivals with an exciting blend of 

action sports excitement, jaw-dropping 

stunts and outrageous fun. 

Tickets go on sale Friday November 

12th through nitrocircus.com. 

It’s never too early to start 

thinking about Christmas 

It’s that time of year again when your 

work social committee starts to brainstorm 

ideas for your staff Christmas 

party. What have we done before? 

How can we make it better than last 

year? 

Sure you could invite everyone 

to the conference room for drinks, or 

go out for dinner – but that’s all been 

done before. Why not celebrate the 

festive season at Baypark this year 

and indulge in a delicious Christmas 

feast created by our award-winning 

Executive Chef? Why not make your 

party extra special and visit BayStation 

and enquire about Drift-triking 

or Blokarts? To book or make an 

enquiry call 07 577 8560 or email 

events@bayvenues.co.nz. 

Tauranga’s Premier Venue 

Trustpower Baypark is Tauranga’s 

Premier Venue for conferences, meetings, 

entertainment and exhibitions. 

Offering a complete package in one 

convenient location that features state 

of the art meeting rooms, in-house 

catering, audio visual services, professional 

conference organiser (PCO) 

and marketing/promotional services. 

For more information on any events, enquiries for Trustpower Baypark venues, BayStation activities or service on/off site from BayCatering, BayAudioVisual 

visit www.trustpowerbaypark.co.nz or email events@bayvenues.co.nz. 

Legal support from ‘I do’ to ‘I don’t’ 

From prenups to childcare arrangements to divorce, Holland Beckett Law’s newest Associate, 

Katherine Dyer, can support you through it all. 

A Family Law specialist, Katherine’s ability to deal with complex matters 

sets her apart. Katherine started at Holland Beckett as a summer clerk 

in 2014, before joining permanently as a graduate two years later. 

She is a very well-regarded family law specialist, with regular Court 

experience and a unique ability to deal with challenging cases. 

Katherine is passionate about achieving practical solutions for her 

clients, including through out-of-court dispute resolution methods, 

where possible. 

Her extensive experience includes contracting out agreements 

(“prenups”), post-separation relationship property disputes, 

care of children and guardianship issues, family violence 

matters, estate claims, adoptions, and dissolutions 

of marriage (“divorce”). 

Congratulations on your promotion, Katherine. 

Katherine Dyer 

Associate 

DDI 07 928 7095 

katherine.dyer@hobec.co.nz 

hobec.co.nz 

HOBJ200022–BN


NEWSBRIEF 

Flooding maps updated 

for Western Bay of Plenty 

Newly updated flood hazard maps for rural 

areas and small settlements in the Western 

Bay of Plenty have been published 

recently. 

The new maps have been produced to provide 

up-to-date and accurate flooding information 

for properties outside Waihī Beach, Katikati, 

Ōmokoroa and Te Puke. 

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s 

Group Manager for Policy, Planning and Regulatory 

Services, Rachael Davie says, “For most 

rural areas and some small settlements, it is the 

first time that flood modelling has been used, 

and the team have been able to correct a number 

of historical inaccuracies in this process.” 

The possible effects of climate change 

have also been taken into account, including 

increased rainfall intensity and sea level rise 

(where applicable). 

Rachael says, “People looking to make 

informed decisions about building, buying property 

or preparing for natural hazards will now 

have updated information to work with.” 

The updated maps will be 

• shown on relevant property files and Land 

Information Memoranda (LIMs); 

• used when processing building and resource 

consents; and 

• used for updating the District Plan when its 

review starts in 2022. 

The new flood maps, along with other natural 

hazards which have already been identified, 

can be viewed on Council’s natural hazards 

webpage with an interactive online map. Any 

one can browse the map or search for a specific 

property by address or Parcel IDs. Affected 

property owners have also been notified by mail. 

Council’s work to update flooding maps 

for rural areas and small settlements is part 

of a multi-year project with the Bay of Plenty 

Regional Council. The remaining natural hazard 

maps for the District such as coastal erosion, 

coastal inundation, tsunami, landslide and liquefaction 

will be completed over the coming years. 

LOCAL GOVERNMENT 

Urban transformation needs 

to start now 

2060 

Tauranga is growing quickly and that means 

we need to focus our efforts on the things that 

need to happen to accommodate growth and 

safeguard our great lifestyle. For a start, we 

need to think about building up and not just out. 

And we need to think differently about how and 

where we live and how we get to work, school 

and tertiary education. 

By ANNE TOLLEY, Tauranga 

Commission Chair 

Anne Tolley 

Over the next 30 years, it’s 

estimated that 15,000 

more people will be living 

on the Te Papa peninsula 

– the area between the Harbour 

Bridge and Barkes Corner. 

That means we need to start 

work now to transform Te Papa 

into a place where more and 

more people can live, work, 

study and play. 

Te Papa urban transformation 

will take time, but the key things 

it will provide are: 

• Greater housing choices and 

more dwellings within our 

existing footprint. 

• People-friendly streets. 

• A thriving economy. 

• More efficient public transport 

and increased bus use. 

• More opportunities for walking 

and cycling. 

• More connected neighbourhoods 

with great public 

amenity. 

• A more sustainable and 

greener urban footprint. 

• Connection to a vibrant city 

centre. 

Work is underway on a number 

of fronts to start our urban 

transformation process, including 

plan changes to allow housing 

styles that are better suited 

to peoples’ needs, such as apartment 

buildings and duplexes. Of 

A concept drawing on how housing in central areas such as 

Te Papa could change gradually over time. Photo/Supplied. 

course, those changes have to 

be matched by improvements to 

facilities and services, so that our 

great city lifestyle is safeguarded. 

At the same time, work has 

started to futureproof Cameron 

Road, the Te Papa’s main transport 

corridor, largely funded by 

a $45 million Government grant. 

The first stage of this project 

focuses on the section between 

17th Avenue and the CBD and 

will provide morning and evening 

bus clearways (with a move 

to dedicated bus lanes as demand 

increases); wider paths and better 

and safer crossings for pedestrians; 

a dedicated two-way cycle 

way; and more trees and planted 

areas. 

Aging water and wastewater 

infrastructure will also be 

renewed and upgraded to provide 

for an increasing population, 

while stormwater systems 

will undergo environmental 

improvements to prevent run-off 

contaminating waterways and 

Tauranga Harbour. 

Stage 2 of this project will 

complete the job of transforming 

the whole corridor from the CBD 

right through to Barkes Corner 

and beyond to the Tauriko business 

and commercial areas. 

Te Papa urban transformation 

is a critical building block 

for Tauranga’s future and we’re 

working with our regional and 

central Government partners, 

local residential and business 

communities and tangata whenua 

to ensure we get it right. 

Change won’t happen immediately, 

of course, but the actions 

we are initiating now will help us 

accommodate growth, reduce car 

dependency, reduce our carbon 

footprint and create a more sustainable, 

people-friendly city. 

ADVERTORIAL 

Out of the box 

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Network, is an out-of-the-box software-defined wide 

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management and operation of a business’s WAN. 

Insight Network provides organisations 

with network control 

and visibility, business insights, 

data safety, and application prioritisation, 

and, most importantly, 

2degrees has made sure it’s simple 

and easy to use. 

Partnering with Fortinet, a leading 

security provider and a Gartner 

Magic Quadrant leader, to deliver 

Insight Network, the solution provides 

larger businesses with the 

ability to bring sites together with 

this new cloud-based solution and 

move away from legacy WAN 

products and privately owned links 

between offices. 

2degrees Chief Business Officer 

Andrew Fairgray says the team is 

excited to have further strengthened 

2degrees’ product suite with 

Insight Network, continuing to provide 

solutions that Kiwi businesses 

want and need. 

“We know more than ever 

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their options when it comes 

to the cloud and the opportunity 

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“So it was important to us to 

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what we know our customers are 

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convenience and simplicity, 

so they can focus on what matters 

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Some of the key features of 

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and what’s not on their network 

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help users make the right decisions at 

the right time, take control, and make 

changes with an easy-to-understand 

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For example, Insight Network 

assists with application prioritisation, 

which means organisations can 

make sure the network is supporting 

the business as it should. This 

includes being able to assign bandwidth 

so high priority applications 

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Security was paramount when 

designing Insight Network, and 

Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business Officer, 2degrees. 

the solution helps keep data safe 

and manage threats. The packages 

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options, which are more important 

than ever in the current climate. 

As business has evolved so has 

where we work, and Insight Network 

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“So, whether your people are 

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This seamlessness also means 

WAN can be extended to employees’ 

homes by utilising applications or 

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their home connections. 

2degrees is proud to offer an 

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“When customers partner with 

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about Insight Network.


NEW APPOINTMENTS 

BBN’S GUIDE TO NEW PEOPLE AND NEW ROLES ACROSS BUSINESS IN THE BAY 

To feature in New Appointments email us at new.appointments@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Swathe of new executive appointments 

across the Bay of Plenty 

Rebecca 

Dean 

Rebecca joins Tompkins 

Wake’s Tauranga office as a 

Senior Associate in the dispute 

resolution team. Rebecca specialises 

in family law, including 

parenting disputes, relationship 

property disputes, contracting 

out and separation agreements, 

protection of personal 

Paul 

O’Driscoll 

David 

Forbes 

David 

McConnochie 

Get the expert help you need 

Forsyth Barr 

Do you have a plan on how to best 

meet your future financial needs? 

Ensuring that you have enough income 

to see you through retirement and are 

able to manage unforeseen changes in 

income can be a significant challenge. 

At Forsyth Barr we have a dedicated 

team who can help you to plan, build 

and manage an investment portfolio 

to suit your needs. 

Fees and charges will apply if you elect to have a 

continuing relationship with Forsyth Barr. 

and property rights matters, 

paternity, Oranga Tamariki Act 

1989 matters, and family violence. 

Rebecca practiced in the 

Wellington region for just over 

15 years, and has extensive litigation 

experience, as well as 

regularly representing clients 

at mediation. 

In 2014 Rebecca was 

appointed to the Lawyer for 

Child panel and received regular 

appointments from the 

Court as Lawyer for Child and 

Lawyer to Assist. 

Cheryl 

Drought 

Cheryl joins Tompkins 

Wake’s Rotorua team, representing 

clients in a wide range 

of disputes with a specific 

focus on family law, particularly 

relationship property, settling 

property matters, and contracting 

out agreements. Cheryl 

Nicola 

Muir 

Brett 

Bell-Booth 

also represents clients in Family 

Protection Act and Will disputes 

(challenges to Wills and 

claims against estates). 

Cheryl enjoys working 

with clients to ascertain the 

best strategy to deal with their 

legal problem. She looks for 

practical solutions, focusing on 

resolving disputes before they 

escalate. 

Philip 

Kilpatrick 

Andrew 

Davis 

Karl 

Mabbutt 

Whether you need to maintain a 

certain level of income, or grow funds 

to help future generations reach their 

financial goals without the burden of 

debt, we can provide the expert help. 

Contact us for a free review of your 

investments in confidence and a 

no-obligation discussion on how we 

can help you achieve your future 

financial goals. 

40 Selwyn Street, Tauranga | (07) 578 2737 | forsythbarr.co.nz 

TAU6195-04 © Forsyth Barr Limited April 2021 

Lauren 

Gamble 

Lauren joins Tompkins Wake’s 

Tauranga office as a solicitor in 

our Disputes Resolution team 

with a focus on family law 

and civil litigation. Lauren was 

admitted to the Bar in 2019 and 

before joining Tompkins Wake, 

previously worked at a boutique 

law firm in Tauranga specialising 

in family law. 

Tess 

Blacklock 

Tess joins Tompkins Wake’s 

Tauranga office as a member 

of our Property & Real Estate 

team. Tess is experienced 

in residential conveyancing 

as well as Wills, EPAs and 

Estates. 

Kirsty 

Wyndham 

Formed in 1998, the Rotorua 

Sustainable Charter is an 

incorporated society based at 

APR Consultants comprising 

many businesses committed 

to sustainable outcomes 

and to continually improving 

their environmental & social 

performance. 

The Rotorua Sustainable 

Charter is pleased to welcome 

Kirsty Wyndham to the team in 

the newly formed role of Marketing 

and Communications 

Advisor. 

Kirsty brings with her 

over 15 years of Tourism and 

Marketing experience, building 

some of the most incredible 

activities into must-do 

adventures! 

With a passion for doing the 

right thing, Kirsty is looking 

forward to working with Charter 

members with their sustainability 

journeys, sharing their 

sustainability and conservation 

stories. www.rotoruasustainablecharter.org. 

Chad Hooker 

Bay Venues is pleased to 

announce that Chad Hooker 

has been appointed as its new 

CEO. Mr Hooker has been the 

Director of Operations at H3, 

Hamilton City Council’s event 

and venue division since 2010. 

In his current role Mr 

Hooker has overseen the 

operation of FMG Stadium 

Waikato, Seddon Park and 

Claudelands Events Centre. 

He has also been responsible 

for attracting and delivering 

major events on behalf of 

Hamilton including sporting 

world cups across rugby, football, 

rugby league and cricket 

as well as the highly successful 

HSBC NZ Sevens. 

Prior to his role with H3 

he spent over a decade managing 

shopping centres, 

including leading Westfield 

Chartwell Shopping Centre in 

Hamilton through two major 

redevelopments. 

Mr Hooker explains that 

he is “passionate about ensuring 

that public venues like 

those operated by Bay Venues 

deliver exceptional benefits 

for the community. That they 

enhance Tauranga as a great 

place to live and provide economic 

opportunities to local 

businesses. 

“ My focus will be on supporting 

the Bay Venues team 

to further develop as a high 

performing team, so that they 

can continue to provide the 

best possible service to Bay 

Venues customers and the 

community.” 

“Bay Venues operate a wide 

range of community facilities 

and I am excited to see how we 

can best maintain and develop 

them for the long term. As Tauranga 

grows, I look forward to 

exploring opportunities for 

Bay Venues to work with Tauranga 

City Council and the 

wider community to contribute 

to the ongoing development of 

the city and region.” 

Simon Clarke, Bay Venues 

Board Chair, says that ‘the 

Board are excited about the 

experience and leadership that 

Chad will bring to the organisation. 

He has a strong balance 

of commercial and community 

experience and his enthusiasm 

for the industry is evident. We 

are confident that he will lead 

the Bay Venues team positively 

as kaitiaki (guardians) 

of Tauranga’s key community 

facilities.” 

“The Board would also 

like to acknowledge and thank 

Adam Ellmers for stepping 

into the CEO role over the last 

few months. He has done a 

great job and we look forward 

to his ongoing leadership contribution 

as he returns to the 

Chief Financial Officer role on 

Chad’s arrival.” 

Mr Hooker will start with 

Bay Venues on Monday 8 

November 2021. 

Greg 

Stephenson 

Tauranga-based legal 

tech start-up, LawVu, has 

announced the appointment of 

Greg Stephenson in their newly-created 

role of Chief Marketing 

Officer. 

Greg joins LawVu with an 

extensive background in marketing 

across global markets 

for companies such as LinkedIn, 

Vodafone, and Garmin. 

With an appetite for the ambitious 

start-up scene in NZ, he 

will play a key role in helping 

LawVu in its global expansion.


NEWSBRIEF 

EDS attack on forestry ignores 

threat of climate change 

The forest industry is calling a media statement from 

the Environmental Defence Society an ill-informed 

rant against forestry which ignores the threat of climate 

change. 

Forest Owners Association President, Phil Taylor, says 

he would not have expected what amounts to a denial of 

the significance of climate change from an environmental 

organisation. 

“EDS acknowledges the need to address climate 

change. But then EDS condemns the central role plantation 

forests must play over the next three decades if we 

hope to get New Zealand to carbon neutral. At the moment, 

our forests offset a full third of all New Zealand industry 

and agriculture emissions. As we head to the critical next 

three decades of the global fight against climate change, 

our forests will be even more important.” 

He says the huge challenge to reduce greenhouse gas 

emissions at source is vital. 

“But without fast growing plantation trees filling the 

carbon gap the task would be politically and technically 

impossible. Without more exotic forest plantings, farmers 

would have to severely cut back on their stocking rates to 

compensate. Their production would fall. Does the EDS 

want that?” 

Phil Taylor says the EDS suggestion to plant more 

native trees for carbon sequestration may make sense – 

but only in the long term. 

“The climate scientists tell us we need real action 

now to avoid a runaway catastrophe. We don’t have long 

enough to wait for native trees to lock up carbon from the 

atmosphere. Pines and eucalyptus do it in years. Even the 

fastest growing indigenous trees take decades.” 

“Indigenous forest carbon sequestration hardly registers 

by 2050. It can only become significant in the 22nd 

century. To change the Emissions Trading Scheme to 

favour carbon in native trees, as the EDS wants, flies in the 

face of science and jeopardises any attempts to get New 

Zealand to Carbon Zero by 2050”. 

Phil Taylor says the EDS complaint about foreign 

investment in forestry is also misplaced. 

“EDS claims of unspecified ‘vast swathes’ of overseas 

investment reads as cheap xenophobia. Most overseas 

interests in forestry in New Zealand earn no carbon credits. 

Forests earn their own way economically.” 

“Forests are also vital for the developing bio-economy 

in New Zealand to replace unsustainable use of 

petrochemical derived products. And it can be done over 

a small area. It’s not ‘swathes’ as EDS would have us 

believe. The 380,000 extra hectares of new planting the 

Climate Change Commission envisages would take less 

than four percent of the current hill country farm estate 

out of farming – and the least productive farmland at that.” 

Phil Taylor says large and small exotic forests harbour 

substantial intrinsic biodiversity, contrary to EDS’s claim. 

“EDS says it supports farming, while it attacks forestry. 

The fact is that there is at least as much indigenous habitat 

in our forests as there is on farmland.” 

Christmas entertaining and 

gifts: What’s tax-deductible 

A wonderful Christmas season is almost here, and Christmas parties are being planned. For 

any business, these times are just as important as the busiest time of the year. 

Entertainment expenses 

have always been a bit 

of an ambiguous area for 

business owners and in-house 

accountants. If I was to give 

one suggestion it would be 

this: what may’ve been tax-deductible 

in the past, may not be 

anymore, things have changed. 

Entertainment is part of 

your business, and this is fully 

accepted by the IRD. You can 

claim the cost of entertainment 

to build up business contacts, 

keep your employees happy, 

or promote your goods or 

services. 

When you are spending 

money on entertainment, a 

good question to ask is this: If I 

spend this money, will I generate 

extra income? If the answer 

is yes, you may be able to get a 

tax deduction. 

You can claim 100 percent 

of food and drinks you provide 

at a conference, education 

course or similar event 

that lasts for four consecutive 

hours or more. 


of the food or drinks 

if it’s a light meal, and consumed 

as part of the manager’s 

employment duties. For 

example: Once a month, senior 

managers at A2Z Ltd meet in 

their executive dining room 

to review the month’s figures. 

The light meal of sandwiches 

and fruit is 100% deductible. 


if you supply entertainment 

to promote your products or 

services, for example if you 

run a networking event with 

the purpose of promoting your 

business. 

Another category of entertainment 

expenses is only 50 

percent deductible because 

they have a significant private 

element. Even if you think 

that the private element was 

more or less than 50% of the 

expense, you can only claim 

50 percent as a deduction. 

Corporate boxes, marquees, 

tents or similar exclusive areas 

at cultural, sporting events 

or away from your business 

premises, are only 50 percent 

deductible. 

You can deduct only 50 

percent of the cost of food and 

drink you provide at your business 

premises, it may be a celebration 

meal or a party. This 

rule applies whether the entertainment 

is provided to staff or 

to guests invited from outside 

the business. Example: A2Z 

Ltd holds a Christmas party 

for its employees at work. The 

company can claim 50 percent 

of the costs. 

Another area worth your 

TAXATION 

> BY VALERIE ROWE-MITCHELL 

Accounting and other money matters with Valerie Rowe-Mitchell, 

owner of Emerald Business Advisers. Valerie can be reached on 

07 579 5777 or valerie@emeraldbusiness.co.nz 

attention is gifts of food and 

drink. 

The IRD is clear that gifts 

of food or drink that will provide 

a private benefit to the 

recipient and a business benefit 

to the taxpayer are only 

50 percent deductible. For 

example: Real estate agent 

Bob delivers a bottle of champagne 

to a client. Bob can only 

deduct 50 percent of the cost of 

that bottle. 

Bob also sends a gift basket 

containing a bottle of wine, 

cheese and various household 

items such as tea towels 

and soaps. He can deduct the 

full cost of the tea towels and 

soap, because these items are 

not food and drink. But he can 

only deduct 50% of the cost of 

the food items. 

And of course, if the 

expense doesn’t help your 

business earn extra income, 

it’s a private expense and no 

tax deduction will be allowed, 

even if you paid for it out of 

your business account. 

Team building and social 

interactions with customers 

and suppliers are an important 

part of running a successful 

business, keep accounting for 

it correctly and keep building 

those strong successful 

relationships. 

This article is substantially 

based on the IRD’s Entertainment 

Expense guide and if you 

have questions or just would 

like to say “Hi” please email: 

valerie@emeraldbusiness. 

co.nz 

Covid’s ongoing impact on franchising 

Without question, 

Auckland’s continued 

lockdown is 

most acutely felt in Auckland, 

but if we use the old butterfly 

analogy, businesses based in 

the regions – whilst up and 

running – are affected to some 

extent. 

This may vary depending 

on their reliance on travel or 

tourism, whether they require 

stock or services, originated 

in or through Auckland, or if 

their markets are in Auckland. 

Clearly we have an economy 

that is running in different 

gears. 

These impacts and influences 

are not unique to any 

particular business model, but 

there are some additional fac- 

FRANCHISING 

> BY NATHAN BONNEY 

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

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

tors from the ongoing lockdown 

that specifically affect 

franchised businesses. 

Uncertainty creating 

paralyses 

The greatest difference I have 

seen during this Auckland 

level 3 lockdown and previously 

is the influence on business 

confidence. 

During previous lockdowns, 

we noted potential 

franchise business purchasers 

either holding off on purchasing 

decisions or not proceeding. 

This behaviour based on 

apprehension has resurfaced 

and is definitely stronger 

amongst investor and potential 

franchisees, across the country. 

More people are deferring 

decisions. 

What is very different this 

time around is a universal 

inability to plan and execute 

business plans. 

Franchisees and franchisors 

alike are feeling less confident 

around what the future holds 

and unable to make decisions 

and or execute business plans. 

The implications of the 

country being in different levels 

is also being felt as Auckland 

based franchisors are 

unable to travel. The lack of 

clarity and lack of plan has 

created a continuing holding 

pattern for many. 

Additionally, and extremely 

frustrating for franchisees and 

franchisors alike, is the lack 

of control or ability to solve 

issues themselves. 

Franchisors usually operate 

within a framework where 

they have the answers for their 

franchisee’s problems based 

on tested experience and processes. 

Currently they don’t 

have solutions for franchisees 

not being able to trade, 

and many of the implications 

derived from that situation. 

Regional movement to 

intensify 

My enthusiasm for the franchise 

business model and its 

application to regional New 

Zealand is extremely well documented 

and I have written on 

it on several occasions. Lower 

housing prices, lower rentals, 

less competition combined 

with the opportunity to achieve 

a desirable lifestyle contribute 

to the attractiveness and 

success rate of many regional 

franchised businesses. 

There is plenty to indicate 

that regions are doing well and 

I fully expect that when people 

can exit Auckland, the numbers 

doing so will increase. 

As discussed previously, many 

will need to find business 

opportunities in the regions 

and will look towards franchising 

as a safer option. 

International brands 

expansion into New 

Zealand 

The entry into New Zealand 

and growth of international 

Franchisees and franchisors alike are 

feeling less confident around what 

the future holds and unable to make 

decisions and or execute business plans. 

franchised brands and system 

is one area that remains difficult 

to predict. 

Six months ago, New Zealand 

was perceived internationally 

as a safe place and 

open for business. We have 

been working with a number 

of international brands to 

enter or expand into the New 

Zealand market and there has 

certainly been a desire to do 

business here. 

But as other countries open 

up their economies and New 

Zealand stalls, that’s perhaps 

not the current view. 

Additionally, restrictions 

on travel into the country seriously 

retard international business 

access. 

At the same time as many 

businesses and business models 

including franchising are 

not without challenges, past 

experience and the bounce 

back from 2020s’ lockdowns 

have demonstrated that the 

systemised approach to business, 

fast track start-up and 

ramp-up models of franchising 

will see continued growth in 

this sector.


How to get back in touch with the 

reason why you got into business 

There’s a reason why you’re in business. It’s what makes you turn up 

each day and keep pushing. Maybe it’s the freedom of being your 

own boss, the satisfaction of helping others, the thrill of upskilling, or 

even just the life your job affords you. 

Self-employment can be a 

rewarding, but demanding 

way to make a living. 

It takes persistence, dedication 

and resourcefulness to 

work for yourself and build a 

successful business. 

Sometimes, the pressure 

and stresses of work can get 

in the way of why you started 

your business in the first place. 

It’s tough out there, and you 

can end up bogged down, confused, 

or losing touch with 

what’s at the core of why you 

do it. 

When I’m talking to small 

business owners, there are 

many sources of stress for 

small business owners. Below 

are just some of the key ones, 

but there are many ways to 

overcome these and reconnect 

with why you’re in it. 

I’m stressed about 

money 

The small business economy 

is a major part of Aotearoa’s 

economy, contributing more 

than a quarter of GDP and 

accounting for 97 percent of all 

businesses across the country. 

When our small business 

community is humming, 

everyone benefits. Whatever 

your industry, there are digital 

tools to help you keep better 

track of how your business is 

doing. 

For example, signing up 

to Digital Boost will give 

you the tools and insight you 

need to understand how to 

improve your cashflow and 

productivity. 

It’s free, only takes a minute, 

and can really help Kiwi 

small business owners with 

their understanding of money 

issues within their business – 

as well as the potential solutions 

to them. 

I’m working too much 

For many Kiwis, making the 

decision to become a small 

business owner is rooted in the 

ability to be their own boss and 

live more flexibly while working 

fewer hours. 

But this isn’t always the 

case – small business leaders 

are telling us they are working 

unsustainably long hours. 

According to a survey of 

more than 1,000 small business 

owners and sole traders 

across Aotearoa, one in three 

small business owners feel 

they’re working too many 

hours a week. 1 

Not only this, but more than 

a quarter of them believe the 

number of hours they work per 

week is unsustainable. 2 

Overworking can have a 

negative impact on your wellbeing 

and eventually lead 

to burnout, not to mention 

directly impacting your bottom 

line as you’re less likely to 

make your best business decisions 

when under pressure. 

Digitisation is the key to 

unlocking time and streamlining 

administrative tasks, with 

almost half of small business 

owners thinking their wellbeing 

would be improved by 

making their business more 

productive with digital tools. 

I’m not looking after 

myself 

When you’re focusing on the 

success of your business, it can 

be easy to let things like your 

WORKPLACE WELLBEING 

> BY CRAIG HUDSON 

Craig Hudson is Xero’s managing director for New Zealand 

and the Pacific Islands. 

wellbeing fall down the priority 

list. 

But you’re not doing your 

best work when the pressures 

of life and business get too 

much. Now’s the time to take 

control of your wellbeing and 

the health of your business. 

That’s why Xero has 

developed the Self-Employed 

Check-In, a guide to improving 

resilience and wellbeing in 

the workplace with a focus on 

self-employed Kiwis. 

By establishing routines 

and rhythms, setting clear 

boundaries, managing stress 

with the tools available, taking 

small steps to look after yourself 

and finding support, the 

guide details how little steps 

can add up to big changes over 

time. 

I’m worried about my 

team’s wellbeing 

It’s hard to know what to do 

when your team is struggling. 

But as a manager, you need to 

help make sure they’re cared 

for and have the support they 

need. 

Establishing a supportive 

work environment is not 

only the right thing to do, it 

can make your business more 

profitable. 

There are also wellbeing 

support services you can offer 

your team. If you use Xero, 

you, your employees and families 

have access to free confidential 

professional counselling 

sessions through the Xero 

Assistance Programme (XAP). 

By understanding what’s 

getting in the way of your 

why, you can get back on track 

faster and reconnect with what 

made you start a business in 

the first place. 

It’s time to take action and 

reconnect with your why. 

Visit Xero.com/whywereinit 

to find out more. 

1. 32.7% of small business owners 

believe they work too many hours a 

week. 

2. 28.3% of small business owners don’t 

think it’s sustainable to keep working 

the number of hours they currently do.


NEWSBRIEF 

Council’s credit rating 

remains strong 

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has 

retained its strong AA credit rating. 

International credit rating agency Standard 

& Poor’s (S&P) says that despite a planned 

investment of $168 million in infrastructure 

projects during 2022-2024 (partly funded by 

debt) Council’s financial position is strong. 

Council’s AA rating gives assurance to 

lenders that any debt carried comes with a very 

low credit risk and strong capacity to repay 

debt drawn down for significant infrastructure 

or unplanned events. 

The score also allows Council to access 

lower interest rates from the Local Government 

Funding Agency. 

Council’s Group Manager Finance and 

Technology Services, Kumaren Perumal says a 

strong and stable credit rating in the face of a 

large capital expenditure programme, and the 

impact of COVID-19, shows our investment 

approach is sound. “We’re in a great position 

and the rating provides confidence that if we 

need to borrow funds because of an unexpected 

event, we can do that. 

“This credit rating result also provides our 

stakeholders and communities with assurance 

that Council has fiscal discipline and a prudent 

approach to financial management.” 

The S&P report says Western Bay’s regional 

economy is looking similarly strong. 

“Western Bay’s location and economic 

profile mean it will outperform domestic 

peers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is 

because the pandemic has had a limited effect 

on the largest industries of agriculture, forestry, 

and fishing, which account for about 20 percent 

of economic output. … Western Bay is also 

less reliant on tourism than other councils.” 

S&P is a global credit agency that gives out 

ratings based on factors such as finance, debt 

repayments and the economy. Their independent 

credit ratings indicate an organisation’s 

ability to take on and repay debt in the future. 

Suburban desk talk 

The way we access and use workplaces was 

already undergoing change prior to the pandemic 

outbreak, but the global health crisis accelerated 

some of those trends in the office sector. 

Advances in technology, a 

more diverse workforce, a 

flight to quality, the importance 

of global marketplaces and 

changing expectations around 

property requirements, were all 

having an impact on the space 

that companies and office-based 

operators were committing to. 

There was never a “one size 

fits all” template in the office 

market, however what is becoming 

clear is that businesses that 

embrace new ways of working, 

are flexible, and leverage technology, 

will thrive in the post- 

Covid economy. 

The work-from-home mandate 

saw office workers plugging 

in from widespread locations, and 

since then, there has been serious 

reconsideration about where 

employees could be based going 

forward, with CBD premises not 

necessarily being the sole answer. 

This emphasis on having a 

more distributed workforce is a 

trend being seen globally and in 

New Zealand, as corporates and 

larger businesses opt to positively 

fragment their physical space 

footprint beyond the usual centralised 

head office model. 

Lloyd Budd, Bayleys’ director 

Auckland Commercial & 

Industrial, believes that the way 

offices are designed, how occupancy 

costs are approached, and 

this evolving distributed workforce 

model will structurally 

change office space dynamics 

and the suburbs will take on new 

meaning. 

“Larger companies and businesses 

with scale are proactively 

looking to the core + flex model 

of office space with a consolidated 

central location supported 

by smaller satellite flexible 

spaces in the suburbs that can 

expand and contract to cater for 

varying staffing and work flows. 

“Those businesses with a core 

+ flex model in place, will be able 

to have different teams working 

safely from different premises for 

a far more efficient use of time 

and resources should other disrupting 

events occur in the future. 

“Many office-based businesses 

operate on a project basis 

rather than an office hours basis, 

and so can accommodate flexible 

ways of working in the suburbs – 

with one upside being fewer cars 

making the commute in and out 

of CBDs.” 

Budd says work-from-home 

as an operational office business 

model will not become our new 

workplace normal. 

“We are social beings and if 

we’re isolated in our homes – 

even with the best technology 

and support – there’s just not the 

same capacity to build culture 

and be inspired. 

“Face-to-face interactions 

drive innovation and connection 

– video link meetings from home 

don’t achieve that in the same 

way. 

“There’s also physical work 

space health and safety concerns, 

potential for security or confidentiality 

breaches and likely productivity 

drains in working from 

an often-busy home situation. 

“I think businesses will have 

work-from-home as a backup 

plan and to allow flexibility in 

certain situations, but not as a 

broad-stroke mandate.” 

Budd says a move to suburban 

office space in smart mixed-use 

precincts could see the revitalisation 

of retail and hospitality in 

those areas resulting in stronger, 

more consolidated neighbourhoods 

where a real village atmosphere 

prevails. 

“Perhaps micro-communities 

could evolve within a commercial 

strip or shopping centre with 

a mix of office space, boutique or 

niche retail and hospitality such 

as a whisky bar for after-work 

drinks, a classy hairdresser or 

barber premises, a tailor, a farmers’ 

market-type store with artisan 

suppliers or the like. 

“It’s an opportunity to redefine 

the look, feel and service 

offerings that suburban locations 

offer.” 

www.bayleys.co.nz/workplace/ 

industrial/insights/data-centres 

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 

A business partner that understands your views and goals 

Contact the Bayleys Tauranga Commercial Property Management team today. 

Bayleys Tauranga 

Commercial Property Management 

07 579 0609 

jan.cooney@bayleystauranga.co.nz 

SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


You can leave the house 

without burning it down 

How you leave a relationship, be it employment, personal or business, is just as important as 

how you behave within it. 

We all know the saying 

“you only get 

one chance at a first 

impression”. Well your last 

impression is just as important 

and can have far reaching 

consequences. Especially in 

business. 

I have had occasions where 

I spend a lot of time working 

with a potential client on solving 

a credit issue the likes of 

which I have seen hundreds, if 

not thousands of times, and the 

client just won’t get on board. 

As we will never be able to 

work together we decide to 

part ways. 

Now, in this situation, I 

could either tell the client, “I 

wish you the best of luck with 

the issue, if you decide that I 

can be of value please give 

me a call” or detail what the 

disastrous consequences of his 

poor judgment will be, wait for 

them to happen, then call him 

and say “not such a bad idea 

now is it buddy!” 

I have had this situation 

crop up quite a few times since 

I began my career. 

Sometimes the clients’ 

decisions have cost them hundreds 

of thousands of dollars 

whereas my solution would 

have cost a few grand. 

Let me tell you the temptation 

to make the “I told you 

so” call can be very strong, but 

me looking petty and making 

the client feel stupid will have 

long lasting and very negative 

effects on both my reputation 

and the willingness for the client 

to refer other people to me 

to assist them with avoiding 

similar issues. 

Who wants to refer business 

to a pompous dork who 

made you feel stupid? 

Facing up to being 

cheerleader 

For employees this also 

applies. When you are a passionate 

and dedicated professional 

you do not simply work 

for a company or organisation, 

you become the face of it, its 

cheerleader. Its welfare and 

success becomes your mission 

and sometimes the focus of 

your life. 

CREDIT CONTROL 

> BY NICK KERR 

Nick Kerr is a Business Advisor at NJK Advisory Ltd. 

He is also director of International Private Investigations Ltd. 

Nick can be reached at nick@nzipi.com 

Sometimes jobs don’t work 

out, roles become stale or the 

employees’ passions change. 

The employee meets with the 

employer, states their wish to 

depart respectfully and moves 

on. 

I have met the aforementioned 

employees while they 

held the role and after they had 

departed. 

When asked, they simply 

say that they chose a new 

direction and that they wished 

the old team well. 

These people seem to fit 

well into the new environment 

and are generally successful. 

The fact that they were an 

ardent advocate of the previous 

employer and now another 

does not seem hypocritical or 

unusual, that is just who they 

are. 

Sometimes the employee 

quits in a dramatic, over the 

top and sometimes violent 

way blaming all and sundry 

for their decision to leave. He 

or she then insults everyone 

they work with on the way out 

and afterwards takes every 

chance to run down the old 

employer and former 

team members. 

They may raise 

overblown or exaggerated 

personal 

grievances against 

the former employer 

and actively discourage 

people from engaging with 

the business for vague and 

unprovable reasons, seemingly 

out of spite, when only months 

before they were all “No ‘I’ 

in team” and “Together 

Everyone Achieves More” 

while being passionate 

cheerleaders. 

Such people may find 

it very hard to get ‘buy in’ 

from their new teammates, 

employers and clients alike, 

Sometimes jobs 

don’t work out, 

roles become stale 

or the employees’ 

passions change. 

The employee meets 

with the employer, 

states their wish to 

depart respectfully 

and moves on. 

as they will seem fickle and 

hypocritical. 

Just remember that the client 

that you embarrassed, the 

former teammate that you ran 

down, the employer that you 

ridiculed publically and the 

business that you tried to damage, 

may be the referrer or reference 

that you need to get that 

promotion, large deal or other 

life changing opportunity. 

Everyone knows someone and 

that someone may know the 

someone who has a very dim 

view of the last impression you 

made. 

Just a thought 

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First on the scene 

Photos from the recent Tauranga Chamber of Commerce BA5 with PMG Funds. 

Photos by Salina Galvan 

1 

2 3 

4 

1 Elena Smirnova, Jeremy Levy (Trustpower Ltd). 2 Mark Inman, Andre Jay (Bay of Plenty Youth Development Trust). 3 Steve Smith (EmbroidMe Tauranga), Valerie Rowe-Mitchell (Emerald 

Business Advisers Ltd). 4Shane and Angela Hale (Sign Creations). 

5 6 

7 

Confidential 

personal 

5 David Hill (NZHL), Mark Walton (Bayleys Commercial), Natasha Stocks (PMG). 6 Chris Symes (Oxygen8 Consulting), serviceAlan Neben (BOP Business News). 7 Lani Wreaks (Tauranga Chamber 

of Commerce), Jenna Tournier (Booking Rooster), Matt Cowley (Tauranga Chamber of Commerce), Moira Moroney (Booking Rooster). 

Confidential 

Key items when preparing your 

personal 

service 

ADVERTORIAL 

business for sale 

When preparing your business for sale it is important to identify 

the parts of your business that you have control over and which 

can have an impact on the value of your business. 

At Tabaks we have a 

detailed checklist that 

we go through with 

business owners which outlines 

the key parts of your 

business such as the owners 

input, systems & processes, 

staff structure, leases, customer 

& supplier agreements, 

Worksafe and Health 

& Safety to name a few. 

The importance of having 

these elements of your 

business in a current, well 

presented and documented 

order cannot be overstated. A 

buyer who is looking at your 

business will want to satisfy 

themselves that they are able 

to walk in on day one and the 

business systems will continue 

to operate as normal 

without you as the owner 

being there. This makes 

up the goodwill part of the 

transaction. 

If, as an example, the systems 

& processes are all in 

the current owners head and 

are not documented, or the 

owner is so vital to the business 

operation that the business 

cannot operate without 

him, then the intangible asset 

value is diminished. This is 

also the same if the lease on 

the premises expires soon or 

there are no details of customers 

and supplier arrangements, 

work safe creditation 

or Health & safety records. If 

these are not documented or 

current they will have an impact 

on the business goodwill 

value and attractiveness to a 

purchaser. 

Presentation is also a factor 

that some business owners 

do not pay enough 

Selling 

atten- 

your busines 

tion to. I have come across 

cases where the vehicles are 

dirty and unkept (they do not 

need to be new but should 

be clean and presentable) or 

the premises and offices were 

not clean and tidy. This first 

impression is going to reflect 

badly on a purchaser who is 

looking at your business. 

I urge business owners to 

have a critical look at your 

business from the outside 

BETTER BUSINESS SALES 

> BY PAUL BRLJEVICH 

Director at TABAK Business Sales. Paul can be reached on 

027 693 4079 or paulb@tabak.co.nz 

and see how your business 

presents, not only from a 

physical point of view but 

also internally i.e. systems & 

Selling your business? 

processes. This is the view a 

purchaser is going to get so Remember, when you 

We connect quality businesses with serious bu 

you want to make sure it is a 

We connect quality good one. businesses with serious buyers 

Unfortunately there are 

some parts of your business 

operation that are out of your 

control such as Covid, Government 

policy, supply and 

labour shortages. These are 

affecting some businesses 

more than others but here in 

the Bay of Plenty I suggest 

that we are doing much better 

than a lot of other areas. 

decide it is time to consider 

selling your business make 

sure that you take the time 

to prepare it and change the 

things that you can control so 

that you maximise the presentation 

and goodwill value 

of your business. 

Selling your business? 

We connect quality businesses with serious buyers 

Confidential 

personal 

service 

For more information call: (07) 578 6329 

or email: tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

For more information call: (07) 5786329 

or email: tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

Licensed REAA (2008) 

147 Cameron Road 

www.tabak.co.nz 

For more information call: 

or email: tauranga 

Licensed REAA (2008) 

Licens


Metaverse: The 

new buzzword in 

technology 

In October, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg made the 

announcement that while the Facebook app might be the 

cornerstone of the company, the future of the company belongs to 

the Metaverse. The corporate behemoth is set to hire 10,000 people 

over the next five years in the European Union to build this metaverse 

and transform how we interact digitally. 

The metaverse, short for 

“meta-universe,” designates 

a cyberspace parallel 

to physical reality where 

a community of people can 

interact in the form of avatars. 

The concept was coined 

by author Neal Stephenson in 

the 1992 science fiction novel 

“Snow Crash”. It refers to 

the merging of physical, augmented, 

and virtual reality in a 

shared online space. 

In essence, the “Metaverse” 

started as a science fiction 

thing and while defining the 

term is not easy, one thing is 

probably true. 

The term will not be 

defined by one single person 

or company, it will be defined 

by many, and it will evolve. 

The language we use to 

describe the future today is 

ever-changing. 

Google the term metaverse 

and you’ll find several 

definitions. 

Video giants 

Currently, two of the biggest 

players in this space in 2021 

are video game companies 

Epic Games, maker of Fortnite 

and Roblox Corporation, 

maker of kids gaming phenomenon, 

Roblox. 

Both games boast a world 

of many experiences where 

avatars can create new worlds 

and games, hang out with 

friends, catch a concert, or 

even go to the movies. Each 

with their own cryptocurrency, 

players can buy and trade 

items or “skins” to customize 

their characters. 

It seems crazy to think that 

in a digital universe, social 

status is still represented by 

the brands your avatar wears. 

Brands such as Gucci made a 

splash in May when a Gucci 

handbag sold for $4,155. 

This inspired Gucci to 

create an entirely customised 

virtual experience on Roblox 

which acquired approximately 

20 million visits, and hundreds 

of thousand Roblox users 

acquired new items for their 

avatars to parade. 

In 2020 Roblox corporation 

generated a total revenue 

of over NZ$1.2 billion, all 

through the sale of its virtual 

currency “Robux” which 

players use to purchase virtual 

items created by Roblox as 

well as the community of creators 

on the platform. 

Fortnite on the other hand, 

generated more than 5 billion 

within its first year, with a 

model of being a free game, 

this revenue transpired solely 

from gamers leveling up on 

their aesthetics. 

Social norms crossing 

over 

While we might look at this and 

think these are simply games, 

it highlights how “in real life” 

social norms are crossing over 

to a digital space, a Travis 

Scott concert on Fortnite drew 

a crowd of 12.3 million and Alt 

music duo Twenty One Pilots 

had a sold-out Takeover Tour 

with a concert entirely within 

the Roblox platform. 

The ability to purchase 

brands and experience concerts 

as a digital character is 

still for now predominately in 

a 2D world and yet the monetary 

investment for these conglomerates 

continues to rise as 

people search for more ways to 

TECH TALK 

> BY MARIETTE TOLMAY 

Mariette Tolmay is the marketing lead at Stratus Blue. 

She can be contacted at mariette@stratusblue.co.nz. 

“live” within a digital world. 

Conversation around a 

more tangible, actualized Internet 

seems only more pointed in 

light of our current shelter-inplace 

reality in response to the 

coronavirus pandemic. Where 

the online world echoes and 

fulfills real-world needs and 

activities. 

So what will this 

“Metaverse” mean to us? 

At the moment, people 

interact with each other online 

by going to websites such 

as social media platforms or 

using messaging applications. 

The idea of the metaverse is 

that it will create new online 

spaces in which people’s interactions 

can be more multi-dimensional, 

where users are 

able to immerse themselves in 

digital content rather than simply 

viewing it. Its ambitions 

are to alter the way we work, 

play, spend and consume 

technology. 

If all this sounds beyond 

your ken, know that instead 

of checking your phone first 

thing in the morning, at some 

point you will be checking into 

the Metaverse. 

Professional advice 

may be required 

October 1 was not only the dawning of a new month, but it was an 

interesting day for tax legislative development in New Zealand. 

ACCOUNTING 

> BY ANDREA SCATCHARD 

Andrea Scatchard is a Tax Partner at Deloitte, based in the Bay of 

Plenty. She can be contacted on ascatchard@deloitte.co.nz 

Following an initial consultation 

phase, the 

well-publicised and 

debated changes to the brightline 

rules and the ability to 

deduct interest on residential 

properties took effect from that 

date. 

This is despite the legislation 

not having been passed, 

the consultation period for 

the draft legislation still being 

open and the accompanying 

detailed commentary (which 

provides a more accessible 

description of the rules) only 

being subsequently released 

on October 12. 

The legislation is not 

expected to be passed until 

March next year and while 

there is precedent for retrospective 

application of new 

tax legislation, this is contrary 

to New Zealand’s Legislation 

Guidelines and more 

commonly occurs where the 

changes are either taxpayer 

friendly or are aimed at closing 

known loopholes. These 

changes definitely are neither 

of those. 

The interest denial changes 

are contrary to the general tax 

principle that costs incurred 

in earning taxable income are 

able to be claimed against that 

income, and are an example of 

the Government using tax policy 

settings to drive taxpayer 

behaviour and achieve a nontax 

goal of improving housing 

affordability. 

Interestingly the official 

documents released with the 

draft legislation show that 

Inland Revenue did not support 

the proposals, considering 

that they will lead to higher 

rents and may reduce the supply 

of new housing developments. 

Time will tell what the 

true effect will be. 

The developments represent 

some very important and 

very complex law changes that 

will affect various types of 

residential landlords and other 

investors in residential land. 

Given the breadth of the 

changes and the fact that the 

commentary to the draft legislation 

is 129 pages long it is 

just not possible to adequately 

summarise the changes in this 

article. 

Readers can find more 

detail in our Deloitte Tax Alert 

at www.deloitte.co.nz, and a 

series of information sheets 

issued by Inland Revenue on 

the changes can also be found 

at https://taxpolicy.ird.govt.nz/ 

publications/2021/2021-other-interest-limitation 

Review rules in detail 

While landlords with a simple 

residential rental property 

should generally be able to 

understand the interest denial 

rules easily enough, taxpayers 

with more complicated circumstances 

will need to review 

these rules in more detail and 

seek professional advice on 

their application to the calculation 

of taxable income and 

payment of provisional tax. 

Some of the complex situations 

will include taxpayers 

with mixed commercial/residential 

use properties, mixed 

use borrowing (either for 

mixed commercial/residential 

properties or where some 

properties held are excluded 

from these rules), land which 

contains an existing property 

where a new build may be 

added, subdivided land and 

properties where borrowing 

needs to be refinanced. 

In the same week, Inland 

Revenue also released, but 

with much less publicity, a 

draft Interpretation Statement 

on the application of the 

land sale rules (including the 

brightline test) to “changes in 

co-ownership, subdivisions, 

and changes of trustees”. 

An Interpretation Statement 

is not a change in law 

but rather is the Commissioner’s 

interpretation of how the 

existing law applies, so once 

this is finalised following the 

consultation period we should 

expect it will be applied retrospectively 

by Inland Revenue. 

The draft Interpretation 

Statement highlights a range 

of scenarios where there is a 

change in ownership interests 

in land which may result in a 

“disposal” for the purposes of 

the land sale rules, with the 

consequence possibly being 

a surprise tax cost (for example, 

if the change in ownership 

occurs within the brightline 

period). 

It also makes it clear that in 

Inland Revenue’s view registration 

of a change in ownership 

percentages on the land 

title will restart the brightline 

period for the owners. This 

will be of particular interest 

to friend or family groups 

that buy property together and 

subsequently make changes to 

their respective proportions of 

ownership. 

Submissions on the both 

the draft legislation and Interpretation 

Statement can be 

made until 9 November 2021, 

although whether the Government 

will take this feedback on 

board remains to be seen.


When chicken 

hits the fan: what 

is good crisis 

comms? 

The impact of a bad story can be devastating, so 

when chicken or doughnuts hit the fan, respecting 

the public with the correct response means they’ll 

respect you back.” 

Life is full of challenges, particularly in the world of business. News 

can go viral overnight, with organisations finding themselves in a 

bad PR storm before they even know it. But if there’s one thing 

that people love, it’s a comeback story. Ingenious, well-planned 

messaging can be just what’s needed for a brand to fight their way 

back to success. 

In the UK in 2018, KFC faced 

a problem: they ran out of 

chicken. For a fast-food 

restaurant with chicken as their 

main menu item, this was quite 

the mess up. 

It culminated in a dramatic 

news broadcast from police 

pleading with people to stop 

calling them to report the lack 

of chicken (yes, really). 

While this could have been 

an embarrassing and financially 

damaging scenario, KFC 

pulled out an astonishing turnaround, 

giving us a lesson in 

great crisis management. 

Firstly, they put the status 

of each restaurant on 

their website and constantly 

answered questions on social 

media. Pretty standard stuff. 

But their main stroke of 

inspiration came from their 

marketing team who rolled 

out a series of brilliant newspaper 

advertisements showing 

a bucket of their iconic 

chicken... with one main difference. 

They rearranged the 

KFC letters to read “FCK”. 

It was a bold move to use 

such risqué language and not 

sugar coat the mess up – but it 

went down a storm. 

Their ability to laugh at 

themselves and take complete 

ownership of the mistake resonated 

with people. They were 

open, quick to respond, and 

stayed faithful to their brand 

voice. 

Customers loved this transparency 

and praised them 

widely. KFC took back control 

of the headlines and people 

were celebrating them, rather 

than cursing them. 

Other organisations, however, 

have not done so well in a 

crisis. In the same year, Krispy 

Kreme were opening their first 

store in New Zealand. They 

had been running an extensive 

PR campaign for weeks, getting 

journalists along to a special 

preview event and offering 

thousands of freebies to the 

first 100 customers. 

Over zealous and fired 

But hours into opening, an 

“over zealous and tired” security 

guard turned a Filipino 

woman away from getting free 

doughnuts because he assumed 

that she wasn’t a Kiwi. 

Krispy Kreme responded 

by justifying the incident, saying 

their competition T&Cs 

stipulate that only residents of 

the specific country the competition 

is taking place in can 

enter it. They did also apologise, 

but people thought that 

their response was defensive, 

full of empty words, and came 

too late. 

The incident prompted 

fury, with people accusing the 

company of racial profiling 

and renaming them “KKK” 

(Krispy Kreme for Kiwis 

only). The Philippine Ambassador 

even got involved. 

Krispy Kreme’s big opening 

went from sweet to sour. 

So, what can be learned 

from these two incidents? We 

THE LAST WORD 

> BY JAMES HEFFIELD 

Director of Bay of Plenty marketing and PR consultancy Last 

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

james@lastwordmedia.co.nz. 

all know that people and companies 

are imperfect and will 

slip up. But these days, mistakes 

are difficult to hide – the 

lines between organisations 

and the public are more blurred 

than ever, as proven by how far 

and quickly word spread about 

these two scandals. Therefore, 

having good crisis communications 

is crucial. 

Getting your messaging 

out at the right time, in the 

right tone, and in a meaningful 

way are vital tactics to turning 

things around, as are authenticity 

and taking ownership 

of mistakes. The impact of a 

bad story can be devastating, 

so when chicken or doughnuts 

hit the fan, respecting the public 

with the correct response 

means they’ll respect you 

back. 

NEWSBRIEF 

Employment market update 

New Kiwifruit 

Breeding Centre 

launches to boost 

innovation 

Healthier, better tasting 

and more sustainability-focused 

varieties are 

the goals of the new 

50/50 joint venture Kiwifruit 

Breeding Centre that 

opens its doors this week. Matt Glenn 

The Kiwifruit Breeding 

Centre (the Centre) has been established 

by Plant & Food Research and Zespri to take 

their 30-year relationship of successful kiwifruit 

breeding to the next level. 

With about 45 staff, the Centre is based in 

Te Puke, and operates out of Kerikeri, Motueka 

and Mt Albert. It will also have a presence offshore 

in selected kiwifruit regions. 

The Centre will be jointly funded by Zespri 

and Plant & Food Research, a New Zealand 

Government-owned Crown Research Institute. 

The organisations will share royalties from any 

future commercialised new varieties. 

The Centre’s inaugural CEO Matt Glenn 

said he was drawn to the opportunity to lead an 

organisation focused on science and commercial 

success. 

“The Centre will be key to the future success 

of New Zealand’s iconic kiwifruit industry. 

Plant & Food Research and Zespri have laid a 

very strong foundation. They now want us to 

spread our wings and develop new cultivars that 

will delight consumers all around the world.” 

The Centre aims to extend New Zealand’s 

position as the world’s leading innovator in 

kiwifruit. Experienced agrifood and innovation 

sector director Michael Ahie is Chair of the 

Kiwifruit Centre Board. Mr Ahie is Chancellor 

of Massey University and a former Chair of 

Plant & Food Research. 

We are currently working 

within interesting times and 

the only constant seems to be 

change. With daily updates 

and mandates, changing rules 

and legislation, business is 

changing too. 

Like many others, the recruitment 

sector is experiencing 

supply issues, with our product 

– being our people – being in 

short supply, but high demand. 

For recruiters, times such as these 

are relentlessly demanding. 

Many sectors are absolutely 

booming, and recruiters can’t 

keep with demand and need quality 

staff to help enable them to 

keep up and to grow. While there 

has been plenty of movement in 

terms of people changing jobs 

in the past 18 months, there are 

simply not enough trained and 

qualified people to fill the current 

demand. 

Looking at some recent stats 

from a survey of job seekers 

which dated back to June 21, 

many of the people actively 

looking for work were from the 

Healthcare and Education sectors, 

closely followed by Retail 

and Tourism. Unsurprising, and 

suggesting clear evidence of 

the toll that Covid has taken on 

these sectors and recent mandates 

around vaccinations. 

One out of five New Zealanders 

are actively looking for work. 

These are the candidates that 

respond to job advertisements, 

One out of five 

New Zealanders are 

actively looking for 

work. 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

> BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

Talent ID are Recruitment Specialists and can support you through 

your recruitment process. Please feel free to talk to us about this by 

calling 07 349 1081 or emailing kellie@talentid.co.nz 

and applications through traditional 

advertising methods have 

drastically reduced. It’s the passive 

candidate that we now need 

to be looking for, those who are 

not actively looking, but are open 

to a new opportunity. 

Some of the main reasons that 

people are looking for a new job 

include better career prospects/ 

change of career, better pay, loss 

of job, and more flexibility. 

Top three goals 

So what are the top three goals that 

these candidates looking for in a 

new role? 

At the top of the list is job 

security – which makes total sense 

given the uncertainly we are living 

with presently. 

Secondly, achieving work/life 

balance, followed by company 

culture/fit. A competitive salary 

also plays a major part. It really is 

a candidate-driven market at present 

and we are seeing pay rates 

increase substantially. 

To sum up, the demand for staff 

is high across all sectors. Attracting 

passive candidates is the key to 

filling roles, but be prepared to pay 

well, and offer key benefits. It’s 

interesting to note that flexibility 

and the ability to work from home 

is no longer being considered as an 

additional benefit to job seekers, 

but more of a given as to how we 

work nowadays. 

On average it is now taking 

people less than a month to find a 

new role, which is very fast. Good 

candidates are extremely hard 

to find and generally have multiple 

offers to choose from. Be 

prepared.

November/December 2021 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 23

November 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

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