Waikato Business News February/March 2022

sold by real experts.
SPECIAL ADVERTISING WRAP
as are redefining how premium
e.
kato’s best-awarded real estate professionals, they
Russell & Angela
For an elevated real estate
Sotheby’s International Realty to bring a globally
nal reach to their clients.
THOMAS
ertise and an innate ability to listen, Russell
Angela today.
and
experience, call Russell and
Russell Thomas
ults for their vendors. Repeat business is
M.
tangible
+64 20 4004 0360
Russell and
R
russell.thomas@nzsir.com
Angela Thomas are redefining how premium
ussell and Angela Thomas, from New Zealand also by RateMyAgent as the Agent of the Year for
real estate service Sotheby’s is done. International Waikato are redefining the Tamahere Suburb in 2021 and 2022, which is
Angela Thomas
how the best real estate is done, elevating independently awarded based on public opinion.
Recognised as some of the Waikato’s best-awarded real estate professionals, they
M. +64 20 4004 0368
expectations in service with a firm commitment to
are excited delivery. to join New The difference Zealand Sotheby’s is it’s not just International lip service for Realty this to bring It’s no a secret globally that Angela and Russell have angela.thomas@nzsir.com
the talent to
recognised dynamic brand and duo, international they have the reach track record to their to clients. prove it. make one of life’s great stresses anything but stressful.
Now this team are tackling a new challenge Office and opening that’s soon at
With top-notch The husband negotiation and wife expertise team have and established an innate ability to listen, growing Russell the and prestigious Sotheby’s brand across the
65 Devine Road,
Angela deliver themselves very among best results the best for property their vendors. advisers Repeat in business Waikato. is tangible The first New Zealand Sotheby’s International
Tamahere Village,
the Waikato, recognised nationally as 2021’s top
Waikato office is now open and can be found at 65
evidence of their success.
salespeople at their previous organisation and
Devine Road, Tamahere Village, Hamilton. Hamilton
+64 7 464 0184
nzsothebysrealty.com
NOW OPEN IN WAIKATO

Real estate
sold by real
experts.
About
NEW ZEALAND SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty is a specialist
agency that focuses on the sale of mid to high end
property through quality marketing and global networking.
It is part of Sotheby’s International Realty – the world’s
leading luxury real estate company – with a global network
of approximately 1,000 offices and more than 25,000
affiliated independent sales associates throughout
79 countries and territories. It is through this unparalleled
luxury network that NZSIR is able to access and market
properties on an international level.
www.nzsothebysrealty.com
SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
• We are owned by the New York-based Realogy Corporation,
who are the world’s largest real estate franchise company at
the forefront of real estate services globally. We however are
the showcase brand within the corporation, effectively the
jewel in the crown.
• Our exclusive New Zealand listings have access
to feature on the world’s largest real estate website,
www.sothebysinternationalrealty.com. The website
attracts close to, on average, four million visitors per
month alone (3.983m).
• We have the ability to nominate premium properties to
our global brand team so vendors can achieve additional
marketing exposure free of charge.
• We have a massive international social media following on
the SIR YouTube page (400,000 subscribers) and on our other
global social channels (450,000 followers).
Breaking Records
• We hold the Number 1 Residential Sales Record in New
Zealand for 2012, 2014, 2019 and 2020 and in 2021 we sold
three of the top five residential sales and six of the top 15
sales in New Zealand.
• We have also achieved significant sales across all of our
regions, some of which are regional records too. Some of
these are confidential sales so we cannot give more detail.
Russell & Angela
THOMAS
WE ARE AN AWARD
WINNING AGENCY
In 2016 we were awarded the Deloitte Fast 50, Fastest
Growing Services Business in Otago and the Lower
South Island.
In 2017 we won the Deloitte Masters of Growth Award.
In 2020 we won the Best International Agency in the World
for an agency with 5 – 20 offices, having first won the
award for New Zealand and then for Asia Pacific. We are
currently preparing our submission for 2022.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
NZSIR Waikato Director and Sales Associate
Russell Thomas
020 4004 0360
russell.thomas@nzsir.com
NZSIR Waikato Sales Associate
Angela Thomas
020 4004 0368
angela.thomas@nzsir.com

FEBRUARY/MARCH VOLUME 30: ISSUE 2 2022 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS
SHIFT72
TAKES ONLINE
STREAMING
TO THE WORLD
With the pandemic sending many of us indoors to work and
play from home, Hamilton company Shift72 is helping bring
events and entertainment to our living rooms.
As well as being a video
on demand platform,
Shift72 also provides
the platform for festivals,
cinemas, events, galleries
and corporations to stream
video content to an online
audience in a secure digital
environment.
Established by Kiwi,
David White, the business set
up shop in Hamilton in 2010.
White spent his formative
years in Hamilton and studied
marketing at Wintec, it made
sense to return for family and
friends, and be at the heart of
the North Island.
“Strategically it’s (Hamilton)
a really cool location
and we’ve been seeing a lot
of interest from Aucklanders
wanting to relocate for property
prices - it’s easy to
commute.
“If we were in Auckland
or Wellington, we would be
competing with Trademe and
Xero, and a lot of the other
big companies for talent. So,
we can be the cool start-up
here and it’s quite easy – we
can say what’s better milk or
movies? And we get them all
coming in,” he laughs.
Shift72 isn’t White’s first
foray into IT start-ups; a software
technology start-up helping
filmmakers sell their films
direct to their audiences online
sowed the seed for Shift72.
“We got really good at selling
films online and building
that market. We had a lot of
demand for people wanting
our underlying technology. We
took our learnings from selling
films and built the software to
enable others to do it all under
their own brand,” he says.
If we were in
Auckland or
Wellington, we would
be competing with
Trademe and Xero
and a lot of the other
big companies for
talent.
Unknown to many in New
Zealand, Shift72 has been
a video on demand global
leader for many years – with
around 20 percent of the mid
to high end hybrid film market
and most of the major players
on board.
In the last couple of years,
the business has grown exponentially
due to Covid-19 and
Shift72 is playing a big part
moving international film festivals
and other similar events
online.
In fact, it’s the go-to platform
for online streaming
around the world, with film
festival clients such as Cannes
(Marche du Film), Sundance,
Melbourne, Copenhagen, and
New Zealand’s Doc Edge.
Head of growth marketing
Damian Bartolomucci says
the pandemic has accelerated
the growth of Shift72.
“There is a shift in how
entertainment is being consumed
these days. The on
demand trends that were initially
forecasted for 2022 or
2023 came in 2020 and that
growth is continuing right
now. And not just in the festival
space but also the cinema,
event, corporate and the
gallery space as well.”
Damian points out that
what Shift72 is doing in the
digital space doesn’t replace
the experience of live events.
“What we’re providing is
a complement to the cinema
- or other live events. I think
Shift72 CE David White
there’s very much the space
for both. So, it’s just a matter
of how does the cinema
or festival want to curate that
experience.”
There’s nothing quite like
watching a movie on the big
screen, mixing with a crowd at
a gallery opening or red-carpet
event, Damian says.
“When you think of the
kind of blockbuster films
that require the cinematic
experience of sound, and in
some cases - touch when you
think about 4D technology
Continued on page 4

2 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
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021 943 305
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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
3
Six domain name mistakes to avoid
Every business needs a website, and every
website needs a domain name. But often
businesses make mistakes when selecting
their domain name. Here are six domain
name mistakes that you should avoid.
1. Using a .com when
targeting the NZ market
If you are a local business,
with a local or nationwide target
market, you should not
have a “.com” domain name.
The reason is simple: Having a
“.com” domain communicates
“international business”. While
that may sound exciting, when
people want a local business
a “.com” communicates “not
based in NZ”.
For example, if you are
looking for a plumber, and saw
two domains - mooreplumbing.
co.nz and mooreplumbing.com
– the immediate assumption is
that the first one is based in NZ
and the second is based somewhere
overseas. Which one
would you click on?
If you’re a local business
that has an international target
market, then .com makes sense.
But if your customers are all
local, then a domain ending in
“.nz” makes a lot more sense.
2. Only owning .co.nz and
not .nz
The most common domain
name ending for businesses in
NZ is “.co.nz”. However, back
in September 2014 the Domain
Name Commission of New
Zealand released “.nz” domain
names, meaning you could drop
the “.co” part.
For example, my company
is Duoplus, and our domain
name was “Duoplus.co.nz”.
But with that change in 2014 I
was able to register “duoplus.
nz”. So you no longer need to
have “.co.nz” or “.org.nz” at the
end of domain names.
It’s nice to have the shorter
option, however it also creates
a problem: If you don’t buy the
“.nz” version of your domain,
then it is available for anyone to
purchase! This could be a competitor,
or a hacker pretending
to be from your company, or
another company somewhere
in New Zealand that likes the
name.
So if you own a “.co.nz” or
“.org.nz” domain, then for the
sake of your brand, it is a mistake
to let someone else own
the “.nz” version.
3. Or the opposite: Only
owning .nz and not
.co.nz
On the flip side, since “.nz”
is the modern domain name
option, some companies think
that only registering the “.nz”
domain is fine.
The problem with this
approach is that “.co.nz” is still
far more frequently used. This
means that when people know
your company, if they type
your domain name directly into
their browser, or into an email
they intend to send you, they’re
probably going to type “.co.nz”
at the end. If a different company
owns the “.co.nz”, they’ll
receive your website traffic or
emails. Or if no one owns it,
your potential visitor will be
left confused.
I personally prefer to use
“.nz” domain names, as they
are shorter and more modern.
But whenever you buy a
domain name I always recommend
buying both “.co.nz” and
“.nz”.
4. Not buying simple
misspellings of your
domain name
THE DIGITAL WORLD
> BY JOSH MOORE
Josh Moore is the head marketing fanatic at Duoplus, a
Hamilton-based digital marketing agency that helps clients get
more leads and sales through online marketing. www.duoplus.nz
If your domain name has the
potential to be misspelt, do
your customers a favour and
buy the mispellings of your
domain name. This prevents
what is known as “typosquatting”
or “URL hijacking”.
At a convenience level,
it means your customers can
more easily end up on your
website. At a competitor level,
it stops competitors from purchasing
the domain and redirecting
potential traffic to their
own site. At a security level, it
could stop your customers from
getting scammed.
One famous example is the
site Goggle.com – an address
people accidentally type sometimes
when wanting to use
Google. A number of years ago
the site attempted to install a
fake security program on visitors’
computers, one that was
filled with malware.
If misspellings of your
domain have been registered by
other people, in some circumstances
there are legal avenues
that can be taken to reclaim the
domain, but it is a lot more economical
to just pay for an extra
domain name from the start.
5. Making it too complicated
If your domain name isn’t easily
remembered by your customers,
it’s probably too complicated.
When you are hunting for a
domain name, it’s often frustrating
that the names you want are
already taken. This can lead to
creative thinking … and when
it comes to domain names, not
all creative thinking is helpful!
One client we work with
had expanded from NZ to add
branches in Australia, however
their equivalent “.com.
au” domain name was already
taken. So, since they couldn’t
have “xyz.com.au” they had
selected “xyzaust.com.au”. It
looked strange and wasn’t natural
for customers to remember.
6. Failing to buy the domain
that matches a key
product name
The final mistake I see occasionally
is failing to buy an
available domain name that
directly matches a key product
or brand your company sells.
Often companies will develop
products and given them a
brand that is different from
the company name. If there is
a strong marketing focus on
that product brand name, then
it makes sense to purchase the
“.co.nz”, “.nz” and potentially
“.com” domain names for that
brand. If you’re going to invest
in building product brand
awareness, then make sure you
own the domain name.
The nice thing about each of
these domain name mistakes, is
that they’re easily avoidable. It
just takes a little planning and
intentionality.
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Deidre Morris
Ph: (07) 838 1333
Mob: 027 228 8442
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Bryce Griffiths, making waves
at BrickHouse Technologies
BrickHouse Technologies builds on a foundation of industry knowledge
with appointment of Bryce Griffiths as General Manager.
Bryce Griffiths knows what it’s like to
dip his toes in the water, he is a keen
trout fisherman after all! So, when
he was approached to join a fastgrowing
Hamilton-based technologies
company imprinted in the water and
wastewater community, he knew it was
an opportunity he needed to investigate
further.
Fast forward six months and Bryce’s move
into BrickHouse Technologies has seen
him close-out some challenging and longstanding
projects, de-risk BrickHouse’s
supply chain to improve operational
efficiencies and focus on the delivery of
quality outcomes for their customers.
“BrickHouse has a strong history that
spans far beyond a decade. We’re wellknown
and well-respected within our
areas of expertise; from our knowledge
and understanding of the latest
technologies and equipment, to our
ability to tailor wastewater solutions to
meet our customer needs. When I look
back now, it was never a role I was going
to turn down.”
Leading a period of change within the
company, Bryce is proud of what’s been
accomplished across the past six months
while navigating challenges, chaos and
calm.
“Our ability to adapt, is one of the key
reasons we’ve been able to thrive. When
I came into this role, it was just before the
snap-lockdown. Yes, it has been a time of
change, but one that has seen our team
and our technology grow in leaps and
bounds,” Bryce says of his transition into
BrickHouse Technologies.
Leading from the front
2022 thus far has showcased the
company’s talents, as it continues to
navigate the current climate.
“The team we have here at BrickHouse
is fantastic. We’ve grown our people
by 30 per cent to ensure we can
offer our project partners inhouse,
end-to-end services. We have a good
cross-section of skills to maintain our
current relationships and develop future
opportunities.”
No stranger to the industry, Bryce has
spent his international career working
with well-respected multi-national
engineering firms.
“Vertex Group has allowed me to utilise
my full toolbox of skills. Through my
understanding of the sales process, my
mechanical and process engineering
knowledge, and managerial experience,
I get to help our customers facilitate
change.”
A keen family man, Bryce credits his
wife and children as the key drivers to
his success, especially when it comes
to his passion for the environment. He
understands the importance of the
work BrickHouse Technologies provides
and wants to support a clean-green
New Zealand, delivering and designing
innovative sustainable practices.
“I’m quite passionate about New
Zealand and doing things the New
Zealand way – NZ for NZ. My vision is
to be a company who showcases Kiwi
ingenuity at its best, in the New Zealand
market and to the New Zealand clients
we know and understand.”
Managing Director of Vertex Group,
Nick Callagher, believes this is why
Bryce has been so successful. “Bryce’s
integrity is unparalleled. We’ve
immediately seen the impact of his
desire to foster more meaningful
relationships with our team and clients;
he’s the perfect amalgamation of
leadership and our solutions-based
approach.”
“Bryce has always been up for a
challenge. The reason we’ve thrived
over the last six months is through his
progressive attitude and ability to grab
opportunity by the horns. It’s been a
privilege to watch his natural evolution
into BrickHouse.”
Primed for growth
Following its acquisition by Vertex
Group in 2019, BrickHouse Technologies
has grown as a company, and Bryce is
excited to be part of this new phase.
“It’s time for us to take the next step
and really stamp our mark on the
industry.”
The engineering and delivery firm offers
a diverse portfolio of technologies and
solutions. With a strong reputation, its
sights are firmly set on a better future
for all New Zealanders.
“When it comes to water and
wastewater solutions, New Zealander’s
expect more from their essential
services. Our role here at BrickHouse
0800 566 463
brickhouse.co.nz
is to help local government bodies and
industrial users to ensure their water
and wastewater treatment systems are
simple, robust, future-proofed, and safe
for the environment. It’s a privilege to
be a part of this process.”

4 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
Shift72 takes online streaming to the world
From page 1
at the chair level – the existing
at-home technology is
too cost prohibitive to replicate
that experience for most
audiences. So, there is very
much a need for the at-home
complement to the in-person
experience.”
Shift72 also view the
online experience that they
offer as a tool for getting
people back into attending live
events.
“We just got off the phone
with Event Cinemas and they
are using a loyalty programme
whereby if you watch a film
online, you will earn points to
either get free popcorn when
you attend in person or perhaps
a free ticket. A lot of our clients
are using the online experience
to complement or sometimes
even reward their loyal audience
interest,” Damian says.
Shift72’s ability to work
with a wide range of clients
to meet their specific need is a
big factor in their formula for
success.
And providing clients with
exactly what they need, when
they need it has led to the
recent opening of two new
offices in Berlin, Germany and
Pordenone, Italy.
“We’re looking at a much
bigger European expansion
this year. We want to provide
24-hour support to all our clients
across the globe. The benefits
of Berlin and Italy is they
are 12-hours behind (New Zealand).”
Sales manager Luciana
Hoffman says as well as providing
clients with real time
accessibility to Shift72 account
managers, it also makes sense
to have a presence in Europe.
“The main festivals are
based in Europe and it’s a
benefit to have people there to
present our platform in person,
especially as we can no longer
travel as easily (from New Zealand).”
They might be missing out
on the glamour festival events
but Damian and Luciana are
playing their part in the entertainment
industry.
“There’s no sexier industry
to be in than this. It’s exciting.
This is where entertainment
show business, and education
meets technology and being
able to, at the least, be the platform
that brings that to people
- particularly in a time like this
when many are blocked from
doing so - is incredible. We
may not be the creators of the
content but we are the bridge
that allows the public to be
informed and entertained,”
Damian says.
“It’s very rewarding
because of the people you meet
and their different approaches -
from art-related to indie films
and feminist or environmental
film festivals,” Luciana says.
Shift72 might be laying
down roots in Europe but the
heartbeat of the company is
still firmly planted in Hamilton.
Four new staff have recently
joined the Hamilton office taking
the company to nearly 60
and more positions still to be
filled; Shift72 is proudly a Kiwi
business.
“It (being Hamilton-based)
hasn’t been a detractor, we’ve
been able to lure people from
Auckland to come to Hamilton,”
Damian says.
“Strategically, Hamilton’s a
great place. You’re at the centre
of every major North Island
city and within a large city
itself. Hamilton’s got a great
tech sector. Having seen cities
like this back home in Canada,
Hamilton is as big as an emerging
city as it gets,” Damian
says.
At the centre of some of the
up-and-coming talent is the
relationship Shift72 has with
the University of Waikato.
Shift72 were the case
company for the Waikato
Management School Case
Competition last year.
Working in teams, students
analysed the company
over a two-week period and
developed a five-year strategy
to grow the company’s sales,
profits and revenue, by leveraging
its core strengths and
expanding into new national or
global market.
Shift72 followed the
Shift72 sales manager
Luciana Hoffman
competition up with a ‘speed
dating’ event for the students
to interview staff about their
careers.
“Shortly after that we actually
opened up a role for application
that a couple of the students
applied for,” Damian says.
The company also provides
internship opportunities
for students coming out of the
university, which often leads to
full-time positions.
“We’re always talking to
the university to check out new
talent,” Luciana says.
Shift72 Head of
growth marketing
Damian Bartolomucci
Looking to the future,
Damian says the company will
continue with a “growth mindset”.
“We’ll see a lot more of an
expansion into international
markets. There is the event
side, which we’re currently
already in, then there’s the galleries
and festivals – the world
is our oyster in terms of the
verticals we pursue. There isn’t
a business that can’t benefit
from a video library, whether
it’s education, marketing or for
entertainment.”
South By Southwest Film Festival
Dharamshala International Film Festival

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
5
Company-X wins Best Professional
Service Innovation Award
A decade of world-leading software savvy delivered with a can-do attitude has won Company-X its fourth innovation award.
Hamilton Central Business
Association
named the creator of
software for multi-nationals,
government departments,
and enterprises the winner of
the Best Professional Service
Innovation Award in February.
The Company-X team of
nearly 60 software specialists
is based at Wintec House in
Hamilton.
The latest win comes after
a series of innovative Company-X
software projects
benefiting the medical profession,
transport sector, food
processing, quality assurance,
video production, and big tech
industries.
Senior software developer
Jiadong Chen built an innovative
image classifier prototype
app using artificial intelligence
(AI) to detect bacterial and
viral pneumonia in lung chest
radiographs. The app won
Microsoft's international Most
Valuable Professional Global
Cloud Skills Challenge competition
in 2021.
“The world has changed
due to the COVID-19 pandemic
since 2020,” Chen said.
“Medical staff around the
world have shown bravery and
resilience in the fight against
COVID-19, and some even
sacrificed their lives while
performing their duties. As an
ordinary person, as a programmer,
I also want to help. Therefore,
using AI to try to help
diagnose lung diseases, such
as viral pneumonia, bacterial
pneumonia, is an idea that I
am interested in trying. And I
am excited about the result and
glad to be able to help.”
This win recognises
our expertise in a
range of technologies
and our experience in
delivering innovative
solutions in diverse
industries
Company-X built the
world’s first national roading
data quality assurance solution
for the Road Efficiency
Group (REG), a collaboration
between Local Government
New Zealand and Waka
Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.
The REG Insights portal is
used by every road controlling
authority in New Zealand in a
national change management
programme.
Gamified e-learning safety
and efficiency training software
was built by Company-X
for AsureQuality in Hamilton.
Gamification is the use of
game elements in non-game
activities, enhancing engagement
and understanding in
e-learning environments.
A virtual reality simulation
of a DeLaval rotary shed
was also built by Company-X
for dairy farmers to challenge
each other in best practice at
its National Agricultural Fieldays
stand.
Company-X built Voxcoda
using text-to-speech technology
to create voice-over audio
files. There is no longer the
need to hire voice talent, a
studio, and a sound engineer.
Voxcoda outputs in multiple
languages.
A complex range of innovative
software solutions have
been provided by Company-X
to Cisco since 2013.
“Company-X’s key
strength is building and managing
highly proficient software
development teams for
domestic and international
clients,” said Company-X
co-founder and director Jeremy
Hughes.
“This win recognises our
expertise in a range of technologies
and our experience
in delivering innovative solutions
in diverse industries,”
added fellow co-founder and
director David Hallett.
Augmented and virtual
reality specialist Lance Bauer-
feind said the win proved that
Company-X was consistently
“leading edge” when developing
new solutions.
Company-X won the Independent
Software Vendor category
of the Reseller News
Innovation Awards in 2020
INNOVATION: Software specialist Company-X co-founders and directors
David Hallett, left, and Jeremy Hughes are celebrating winning the Hamilton
Central Business Association Best Professional Service Innovation Award.
and 2019, and is a finalist in
the yet to be announced 2021
awards.
Company-X also won the
Roading Asset Management
Innovation Award at the Road
Infrastructure Management
Forum in 2017.
Navigate the
digital landscape
with us

Rabobank
head office
makes
strategic
move to
Hamilton
Rabobank New Zealand’s new head office
in Hamilton — the Rabobank Centre —
opened its doors at the end of last year
and the bank’s employees have settled into
their new office space in Union Square at
the south-end of the city’s CBD.
Home to around 80 Rabobank
New Zealand
employees, the move
saw 50 head office staff make
the shift north from Wellington
to join the Waikato regional
team, who had previously been
based in the bank’s Hamilton
office on London Street.
Rabobank New Zealand
CEO Todd Charteris says the
relocation to Hamilton follows
the bank’s decision in late
2019 to move its head office
from Wellington to support its
growth strategy into the future
as the country’s only specialist
food and agribusiness bank.
“We are New Zealand's only
totally focused food and agri
bank. Coming to a place like
the Waikato is just such a great
strategic fit, because obviously,
it's a real hub for food and agri
tech, a massive food producing
region, and its proximity to the
likes of Auckland, but also the
Bay of Plenty.
“The new Rabobank Centre
will be a place where our
employees, farmers and community
leaders can come
together to share ideas to further
advance the industry and to
help the bank’s clients achieve
their goals.”
Originally from South
Otago, Charteris has been with
Rabobank for 22 years, including
a stint in Australia before
moving back to New Zealand to
take on the CEO role.
You could say farming is in
his blood with dairy farmers on
Rabobank New Zealand
CEO Todd Charteris.
Rabobank interior
his mother’s side and a stock
agent father, he grew up on
smaller farms.
“All my school and university
holidays were spent working
on farms or shearing.”
Along with the majority of
the bank’s head office employees,
Charteris happily made the
move to the Waikato.
“The people that have
moved here are certainly enjoying
it, they're enjoying the lifestyle,
there’s a lot more space,
and the weather is just way
better.”
Charteris says Rabobank’s
move to Hamilton kickstarts
a growth opportunity for the
business.
“Part of the reason coming
here is a long-term commitment
and we want to continue to
grow. We're really looking forward
to supporting our clients
but also to take the opportunity
to support new lending opportunities
with some of the country's
top food and agri business
operations.”
Whilst there are huge uncertainties
for businesses worldwide
due to Covid, Charteris
says, New Zealand’s food and
agri sector is buoyed by some
exciting global opportunities.
“There’s some challenges
and we're working closely with
our clients to help them through
some of those challenges. We'll
spend quite a bit of time looking
to engage with policymakers
and politicians, to maximise
New Zealand’s new Rabobank
head office in Hamilton.
the opportunity, because whilst
there's some challenges, there's
some great opportunities and
we really want to grasp those
along with our clients.
“What Covid has reminded
us of is the economic strength
of the New Zealand’s agri sector
and primary production.”
Alongside this ever-changing
global situation, Charteris
says, the food and agri sector
is taking its environmental
responsibilities seriously and
meeting head on some of the
market expectations.
“There's some great examples
where people are dealing
with the environmental challenges
and we have to continue
to learn from each other, and
to look for new and innovative
ideas to address those challenges.”
Charteris says the move to
the Waikato is a big reflection
on who they are and what they
stand for. “It’s about helping
us embed a mindset across our
business centred on getting
closer to our clients, regardless
of where we work across New
Zealand, so we can make even
better and more effective decisions
for them.
“The bank already has a
strong ties with the community
in the Waikato, and with
more of our team now based
here, we’re looking forward to
further strengthening our links
with the region’s farming and
business community in the
years ahead.”
He says the bank’s commitment
to its clients and the wider
agricultural sector was a key
consideration in the new office
fitout.
“We wanted some of the
very best materials. And we
wanted to support the New
Zealand wool industry. So, we
sourced wool from three clients
around the country — the
Chrystalls from Taihape, the
Sutherlands from South Otago
and the Olivers from the King
Country — to produce carpet
for the new office.”
Occupying the top two
levels of the five-level Union
Square Building with the lower
levels occupied by other financial
services providers.
“Union Square combines
retail, office and lifestyle space
and will eventually include
several cafes and restaurants,
a wellness centre, end-of-trip
facilities and a parking complex.
It’s also located close to
Hamilton’s central transportation
hub which gives our
employees plenty of options
for their commute to and from
work,” he says.
The office combines spaces
for focused individual work
through to collaborative team
work and formal presentations.
The new centre was blessed
by local hapu at a short ceremony
held at the end of last
year and an official opening
event is now being planned for
later in 2022.
“This will be attended by a
range of clients, industry, business,
government and community
leaders, along with service
providers who have helped
bring the new centre to fruition,”
Charteris says.
Exceptional service is everything
Service is at a premium
these days – Have you
tried ringing anyone
lately? Chances are you’ll get
a series of automated messages
that run on and on; then
told the queue is too long and
you’ll need to ring back later;
and finally, you’ll need to go
online for assistance.
If you are lucky enough
to speak to someone, there
is a high chance that due to
everyone working from home,
you are not able to get the
assistance you need at that
time. This is utterly frustrating.
Time is money and businesses
need to respect the time
that belongs to customers, or
they’ll become ex-customers!
Don’t under-estimate the
power of personal connection,
relationships and how the concept
of “preferred providers”
works. It has never been easier
to create a point of difference
by having someone who
is helpful and knowledgeable
answering the phone!
Instead of funnelling dollars
into advertising, businesses
should move some of
this budget across to increasing
resources in the customer
service area – having great
people answering the phone,
meeting and greeting customers,
and following up on queries
and complaints in a timely
manner.
When a business delivers
exceptional service, it
overrides other factors such
as price. People’s lives have
become very busy, and this
leads to being ‘time strapped’.
There is an opinion that people
who are time strapped are
often less focussed on cost -
instead they focus on service
and solutions.
Of course, some businesses
are right up there on the excellence
ladder and WOW what
a delight it is to do business
with them. They:
• Answer the phone and
return calls
• Look genuinely pleased to
see their customers
• Retain their staff, building
up a great knowledge base
• Promote a friendly and
can-do culture within their
team
• Provide clear timeframes
for delivery of product or
services
• Know what stock they
have and happy to source
other product on request
• Provide easy parking
instead of using the carparks
themselves!
• Ring and advise as soon
as the order is ready for
pickup
• Provide after sales service
(including replacing faulty
goods as appropriate)
THE BUSINESS EDGE
> BY BRENDA WILLIAMSON
Brenda Williamson runs business advisory service
Brenda Williamson and Associates www.bwa.net.nz
If your staff are working
from home, then seriously
consider how they can remain
connected with customers.
Your interface needs to be
seamless, and customers
should be oblivious to where
your staff are working. Too
often I am hearing “sorry, they
are working from home, and I
can’t get hold of them” as an
excuse for poor service. It is
easy for businesses to fall into
the trap of not only wasting
customers’ valuable time but
their own time by going round
and round in circles and double
handling problems.
What a great way to start
the new year by having a
renewed focus on customer
service. For those businesses
who are doing an exceptional
job, I salute you!

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8 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE
OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON
Commercial & Industrial: Sole Agency v General Agency
This has always been a conundrum
for vendors and landlord alike.
Sole Agency
This is when you appoint a single agent
and give them the sole responsibility for
leasing or selling your property.
General Agency
This is where you chose to appoint a number
of agents and it’s a winner takes all situation,
but giving no one any real responsibility
for selling or leasing your property.
The benefit with a sole agency is that
the agent knows if a deal is transacted,
then they will be remunerated accordingly.
On this basis, they will put more time and
focus into getting a result – in fact they are
there to get you the best offer, not just any
offer. A clear and consistent message will
go to the market and the agent will ensure
that every effort is taken to facilitate the
best terms for you (their client - the person
or persons paying their fee). As there are
far fewer properties for sale than leases and
more buyers than tenants, this is mostly
prevalent in sale situations.
“My personal view is that
almost without exception, you
should appoint a sole agent
when selling, but only if you
want to get the best price”.
Furthermore, it needs to be promoted
through both digital and print media, as
well as active promotion to the agents and
company databases – you will need to sit
down with your chosen agent to discuss the
strategy that best reflects the target market
and buyer pool for your property.
With a general agency, where a number
of agents are appointed, the odds of
completing and getting remunerated is
less, its often first in and first served. The
agents are there to get you an offer which
they believe will do the deal, not necessarily
the best deal. So on this basis, they are
likely to spend less time and effort on your
property. This most often relates to leases
where there is a greater volume of properties
for lease and a relatively small pool of
potential tenants.
It would be fair to say though, that over
the last few years industrial leasing has
defied this traditional norm – there is still
a shortage of leasing supply and strong
demand for leasing industrial properties.
Are there better ways to get you property
leased or sold, while maintaining
either a sole or general agency?
Sole Agency: it can depend on your own
personal circumstances, but a property
never has as much appeal as it does when it
comes to the market for the first time. This
is often when an Auction, Tender or Deadline
Private Treaty is most effective – it is
‘no-price’ marketing that pits buyer against
buyer, in order to create competition and
maximise the sale price for the Vendor. If
you are looking to lease and it’s a genuinely
desirable property, then:
• Consider giving the agent a sole agency
for a month, to see what they can do
and whether they can create some competition
to get the best terms on paper.
Leverage may establish a longer lease
term, better rent review provisions and
having to offer fewer incentives.
• Following the sole agency period,
allow it to revert to a general agency
authority, so the agent can complete any
unfinished work.
Mike Neale - Managing Director,
NAI Harcourts Hamilton.
General Agency: often a property covered
in various agency’s signage gives the
wrong message – desperation.
• Consider allowing only one (or possibly
two) companies signs on the property
• Consider allowing only one or two
agencies to promote it on the various
websites. The other agencies can still
have a general agency authority, but
will only be paid I they front up with
an offer – if they do, then ensure they
are one of your preferred agent in the
future, as they will have proved their
worth.
What I dislike most about a general
agency authority if the lack of consistency
around the marketing content and marketing
strategy. Some agents have become notorious
for using appalling photography – retail
photo’s taken in the dim hours, with not a
pedestrian in sight or office/industrial buildings
with storm clouds on the horizon and
not a hint of sunlight hitting the building.
You would be surprised how often the
details for the same property vary, from
floor areas, to the rental or even number of
car parks. As a Landlord or Vendor, ensure
the information you provide is both correct
and current.
Sales and leasing is a partnership shared
with the agent putting in the hours, expertise
and negotiation skills, while the Vendor/Landlord
should be investing in marketing
and the agents remuneration.
Leasing is the most time consuming
aspect of a commercial agents life, it’s also
the aspect that adds the most value for a
Landlord, so one piece of advice – don’t
chip the leasing agents commission. Many
of you will know Shaun Cosgrave who
spent a couple of years with us in the commercial
field – his one comment to me, that
we should be paid twice as much for leasing,
as he believed Landlords often had little
appreciation of the amount of work and
effort that goes into getting a lease across
the line.
We are fortunate in Hamilton, in that
the vast majority of Landlords (but not all),
understand the value that a lease brings and
therefore pay a full and fair commission -
in a number of cases that come to mind,
they actually offer to pay more than a standard
leasing commission.
NAI Harcourts Hamilton
Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed
Agent REAA 2008
Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON
07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz
www.naiharcourts.co.nz
The Unbound team
Unbound named
in the top three
percent by Google
Hamilton-based digital marketing agency Unbound has not only
achieved 2022 Premier Partner status in the Google Partners
programme but has been named in the top three percent of
partners in New Zealand.
I love Hamilton. It’s a great city with lots of
opportunities and great people. A lot of
people run down Hamilton but from a business
point of view it’s a great place to work
The accolade, which
recognises Unbound
as one of Google’s
top-performing digital marketing
agencies from across
the globe, is part of the new
Google Partners programme.
Unbound founder and
CEO Quentin Weber says
changes to the Premiere Partner
status reflects the team’s
dedication to raising the bar
and delivering outstanding
results.
“We are committed to
understanding our clients’
business and delivering
results that matter to them.
“We are online experts,
but our ability to understand
what the digital data means
for a business and find ways
to make a positive difference
to the bottom line is what sets
us apart.”
A dedicated digital marketing
agency with clients
around New Zealand, including
JB Hi-Fi, Gallagher and
Work from Home Desks,
Unbound helps businesses get
more traffic and helps them
turn that traffic into sales.
Established in 2015 by
Weber, Unbound is the only
Google premier partner based
in the Waikato.
With a targeted offering
of online advertising (PPC),
SEO, conversion rate optimisation,
analytics and reporting,
Weber says they are a
true specialist agency.
“We live and breathe digital,
and that gives us a real
opportunity to be the best at
what we do.”
The Google Partners programme
has undergone significant
changes for 2022,
including redefining what it
means to be a Premier Partner
through new, advanced
programme requirements and
offering new Premier Partner
benefits to support growth
and success with Google Ads.
“We are just a little old
Hamilton agency, we’re not
like some of the big Auckland
agencies with big clients. We
weren’t sure if we were going
to keep the status after the
shake up,” Weber says.
Originally from Tauranga,
Weber moved to Hamilton for
university in 2000. He lasted
six months in a science and
teaching degree before beginning
his journey into marketing.
With five years at Noel
Leemings and another five
years at the Radio Network,
Weber was firmly hooked on
advertising.
In 2013, he became a business
partner in advertising
agency Dori Media and when
his business partner moved
to Christchurch a few years
later, Unbound was born.
“When he moved to be
nearer family, we made the
decision to split ways. He
continued doing the website
side of things and my focus
(with Unbound) is purely on
online advertising.”
Located in Garden Place,
Unbound is actively involved
in the Hamilton business
scene, and proudly supports
Hamilton Central Business
Association and the Waikato
Chamber of Commerce.
“I love Hamilton. It’s a
great city with lots of opportunities
and great people. A lot of
people run down Hamilton
but from a business point
of view it’s a great place to
work,” he says.
Not bound by geographical
limitations, Unbound works
with clients from Christchurch
right up to Kerikeri.
“We’ve always been happy
to look after anyone, anywhere
in New Zealand. We
know we can do a great job
for anyone because we know
the market.”
Over the past couple of
years, Weber says, they have
struggled to get skilled staff.
“Advertising on Seek and
TradeMe is just a waste of
time now. Most of the people
I’ve recruited in the last year
have been through personal
connections and referrals.”
Weber says the business is
growing and he expects the
team of nine to grow over the
next year.
“We’ve got good systems
and processes in place and
we know we can help more
businesses around New Zealand
to get success online. We
are finding more and more
businesses need help in that
space.”
As a Premier Partners
in the Google Partners programme,
Unbound has access
to innovative tools, resources
and support to help their clients
succeed and grow online.
Google Ads Marketing
senior director Davang Shah
says the top 3% Google Partner
in New Zealand are companies
that stand out based on
their commitment to developing
product expertise, building
new client relationships
and helping their current clients
to grow.
“Congratulations to our
Premier Partners, we look
forward to supporting them
as they help their customers
succeed online.”
For more information and
to learn more about Unbound,
visit unbound.nz

An introduction to Agile
software development
TECH TALK
> BY MICHAEL HAMID
Michael Hamid is Professional Services Manager at Waikato software
specialist Company-X and a teaching fellow at the University of Waikato
lecturing project management courses.
The Agile development methodology
is both a very popular and an effective
method for developing software.
Agile first came to prominence
in the early
2000s and its influence
has grown significantly since
then.
So, what is Agile and how
does it work?
Before Agile became popular,
the prevailing software
development methodology was
known as the waterfall method.
This approach attempted to
organise software development
into a series of steps that naturally
flowed one after the other,
like a waterfall.
First, requirements were
gathered and documented.
Government removes
parking requirements for
Hamilton developments
Developers in the city
will no longer be
required to provide
a minimum number of carparks,
as Hamilton City Council
implements a government
directive to remove the rule
from its district plan.
Under the National Policy
Statement on Urban Development,
central government
has required many councils to
remove requirements for minimum
carparking spaces from
District Plans as of 20 February
this year.
That means for developments
like new apartments,
offices or townhouses, developers
are no longer required to
provide a minimum number of
carpark spaces on-site. Accessible
car parking on-site will
still be required.
Hamilton Mayor Paula
Southgate said she knew there
was already concern in some
parts of the city about streets
clogged by parked cars and said
this change would go down like
a “lump of lead” for some people.
But council’s hands were
tied.
“The government is trying
to rapidly increase the availability
of houses as well as
ensure councils provide more
transport choices apart from
private cars. I don’t necessarily
agree this is the solution, but
I acknowledge government’s
efforts to do something about
the housing crisis. Saying that,
we have relayed our concerns
directly to government and
we’ll keep doing that” she says.
“Some developers may
still choose to provide on-site
carparks in both residential
and commercial developments
because that will be what the
market demands. But council
cannot force them to take that
view.”
District Plan Committee
Chair councillor Ryan Hamilton
said staff had been directed
to look for every option available
to counter the negative
consequences of the change.
Options were being considered
around how to manage
rubbish and recycling bins
on collection days, storage
requirements for e-scooters and
bikes, and design of footpaths
and roads, he says.
“We know there will be
consequences and we will do
what we can to manage them.
And we will continue to challenge
government if there are
ill-considered or unintended
poor consequences for Hamilton
residents as a result of government
policies.
“At the end of the day, we
need to acknowledge this will
support more intense development
in our city as well as
council’s aspirations around
climate change and the provision
of different transport
options. It’s not all bad; we just
need to see how it plays out.”
Further changes to the District
Plan required by the government
will be notified for
public submissions in August
this year.
Based on these requirements
the product was then designed.
Once the design was complete,
the product would be developed
or built. Then it would
be tested and if there were any
problems found during testing,
they would be fixed. Once this
was complete the product was
launched or released.
While this method worked,
it has several problems. The
main problem is that it took
a long time to get through
all the steps and release software.
This delay often meant
that requirements changed
during development. Changing
requirements often introduced
more delays as the changes
needed to be incorporated into
the project. This often introduced
more bugs and errors.
During the 1990s software
development teams tried to
find ways to handle these
changes and get software
out into the market faster. At
the same time lean management
ideas were propagating
through the manufacturing
sector. Agile incorporated
some ideas from the lean
philosophy like shortening
feedback loops and delivering
benefits to users sooner.
In the spring of 2000, a
group of 17 software developers
met in Oregon to consider
how to do this. From this and
subsequent meetings, the key
principles of Agile were developed.
This group first developed
the Agile Manifesto that
outlined the four key values:
1. Individuals and interactions
Experience care as it
should be, experience
the Braemar way.
over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive
documentation
3. Customer collaboration
over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over
following a plan.
They also added the following
insight to the list above:
while there is value in the
items on the right, we value
the items on the left more.
Further to the key values,
they also outlined 12 principles
to back up the values.
These principles emphasised
delivering software frequently
using shorter delivery
cycles, welcoming changing
requirements at any point
in the delivery cycles, using
working software as the main
measure of progress, and regularly
reflecting and looking
to improve the development
process incrementally.
Agile changed the way
software development teams
worked together. Instead of
requirements being developed
by business analysts into written
specifications, that were
interpreted by architects into
designs, that were then given
to software developers to
code and then testers to test,
small multidisciplinary teams
worked together with the business
to develop software in
shorter time frames. Terms like
stand up, scrums and sprints
started to be used to describe
a process that focussed a lot
more on closer collaboration,
faster release times and
continuous iteration and
improvement.
In many ways, Agile tried
to incorporate the idea that
developing software was more
like a journey than a destination.
Many software projects
start with an idea and as the
idea is developed, it changes
and evolves as more is discovered
about how people use the
software and how it could be
used in a different way.
Whilst Agile is no silver
bullet, it is a very effective
and efficient way to develop
software.
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10 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
Be a Mighty Local
- support our Waikato
businesses
By Nicola Greenwell
Interim general manager, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
With the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions,
many of our Waikato businesses continue
to be severely impacted, particularly those
directly involved in the tourism, events, and
hospitality sectors.
With Omicron travel-wary
consumers,
our bars, cafés, and
restaurants, as well as retail and
transport businesses, are being
affected alongside our accommodation
providers, activities,
and attractions.
There are Waikato companies,
including some of our
smaller home-grown and often
family-owned operations, that
are hurting badly.
Our events sector has been
severely impacted with many
consumer and business events
postponing until later this year
or 2023, or even cancelling
entirely. This affects all those
local businesses in the event
supply chain – for example,
audio visual providers, food and
beverage suppliers, transport
companies and so on.
Very sadly, some businesses
across these sectors are having to
significantly downsize or hibernate
with jobs being lost, and
there are others telling us they
are highly likely to have to follow
suit.
So, it is imperative that we all
get behind our local businesses
in ways that we can – and here
in the Waikato we are very fortunate
to have many companies
that have goods and services that
are first class and highly desirable.
Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
(HWT) certainly welcomes
the recent government
announcement of a further level
of interim support for struggling
businesses, but we strongly
encourage our mighty local people
to keep up their wonderful
support of the businesses in our
region.
Whether it is visiting our
fabulous Waikato attractions,
dining out at your favourite
local eatery, or picking up some
takeaways, or shopping at local
stores, you are helping them to
stay in business at this challenging
time – and to continue to be
able to provide employment in
our communities.
Our Mighty Local initiative
continues to spread the good
word about supporting local.
We launched Mighty Local
two years ago at the start of the
COVID outbreak to build awareness
of the remarkable companies
in our region and the many
ways you can support them. The
initiative remains as valid today
– head to mightylocal.co.nz for
further information and ideas.
While there will be some
understandable concerns around
staying safe in the current red
setting, we are blessed here in
the Waikato that many of the
great experiences and attractions
our region does best are in the
wide-open spaces of our amazing
outdoors.
Added to this, all businesses
interacting with the public,
including our tourism and hospitality
companies, have policies
and procedures in place to ensure
your safety and enjoyment under
the current setting.
Here at HWT we continue to
promote the Waikato in a variety
of ways, encouraging local residents
to get out and enjoy our
region, as well as inviting people
from other regions to visit
and experience our many special
places.
We are teaming up with
Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) to
ensure the Waikato region gets
the best exposure in the collaborative
and successful national
‘Do Something New, New Zealand’
campaigns that encourage
Kiwis to direct their discretionary
spending toward travel.
As part of this partnership to
inspire more people to experience
more of our tourism offerings
we are currently running a
campaign to highlight that the
Waikato is where you can get
even more out of our remaining
summer. A high-energy video
invites viewers to trail blaze by
walking or cycling one of our
many tracks, savour the flavour
at our eateries, make memories
enjoying our attractions and
have an epic day out here in the
Waikato. Check it out at waikatonz.com/summer
Coming up, the Waikato is
part of the TNZ autumn campaign
to encourage Kiwis to go
on holiday over the shoulder
season with plenty of activities
and attractions on offer even as
the weather cools down.
In another initiative with
TNZ, we recently invited TVNZ
Breakfast to film live from Hamilton
when the best of the city
– our street art, Hamilton Gardens,
Hamilton Zoo and other
locations – were beamed out
nationwide. There was also a
cross-over showing the thrills of
blackwater rafting at Waitomo.
Despite the challenges many
of our businesses are facing,
there has been cause for some
celebration too.
The culinary genius of
three Waikato restaurants has
been recognised in the widely
reported Cuisine Good Food
Awards. Palate, on Alma Street
in Hamilton, was awarded two
hats for being consistently outstanding
– the judges said, ‘to eat
at Palate gives diners a sense of
having experienced something
special’. Mr Pickles Bar & Eatery,
overlooking the river, was
named as one of the restaurants
to watch this year, as was Alpino
in Cambridge.
Another recent national
award winner is Discover
Waitomo, which took home the
Tiakina Taiao environmental
leadership award in the Outdoor
Awards. Presented by Recreation
Aotearoa, this award honours
Discover Waitomo, owned
by the Tourism Holdings group,
for kaitiaki of the three glowworm-studded
caves in which it
operates tours – Waitomo Glowworm
Caves, Ruakuri Cave and
Aranui Cave. The company has
carried out ecological protection
in the caves and the surrounding
region for a number of years. It
has a dedicated environmental
team, climate monitoring systems
in the caves, and offers
environmental education programmes.
We have also celebrated the
winners in the Hamilton Central
Business Association’s CBD
Awards honouring businesses
in the city that have made a real
impact over the past year. Our
congratulations to them all.
Waikato business heart is
strong, says awards judge
The Waikato business
community is relatively
small, but with a big
heart, diverse, and ambitious.
If you need evidence, just
check out the finalists in the
2021 Waikato Chamber of
Commerce Business Awards.
The winners will be
announced on March 11,
selected from a total of 75
entries - the event rescheduled
twice from November
and February due to Covid-19
lockdown restrictions.
Head judge is the University
of Waikato’s Director of
Engagement and Executive
Education Dr Heather Connolly.
She says they weren’t
sure what to expect for these
awards, that perhaps businesses
would be put off entering
because of the uncertainty
around Covid, but it turned out
to be the opposite.
“We found that businesses
came forward to promote
themselves. They’d gone
through so much change
during Covid and what shone
through was how businesses
had drawn on the strength of
their staff to get into a better
position. We found businesses
are doing some great and
unique things on the ground,
and they are shining.”
Dr Connolly has been
involved in the business
awards for around nine years,
and head judge for the past
three.
She says she and her fellow
judges, all 30 plus of them,
were impressed with the calibre
of entries from a raft of
different sectors.
“Familiar names, but new
names too,” she says. “There
are businesses in the Waikato
region doing great things, but
they are largely hidden, particularly
in IT, and it’s always
good to see new businesses
coming through.”
The chamber launched the
awards at the premises of the
awards’ key sponsor Foster
Construction Group.
“That may have also had
a bearing on the high number
of entries too,” Dr Connolly
says. “It meant business owners
and leaders could question
the judges and chamber representatives
about any aspect of
the awards, and after that we
ran two online zoom sessions
where people could get questions
answered before working
on and submitting entries.”
As head judge, Dr Connolly
ensures judges cover
all aspects of business practice
and she makes a point of
bringing new judges on board
each year.
“A more senior judge will
go out and visit a business with
a newer one and if there’s even
a sniff of a conflict of interest
then a judge will withdraw
from any involvement with
that particular business or category.”
That may sound simple, but
Dr Connolly says the Waikato
business community is
relatively small and close-knit
so there are numerous occasions
where there is conflict.
The University of Waikato
sponsors the CEO of the Year
category and it’s a category
that’s kept strictly confidential,
says Dr Connolly. They do not
release the names of all CEO
entrants; simply announce the
winner.
Award judges must be
independent from the Waikato
Chamber of Commerce and
the panel includes bankers,
directors, independent consultants,
accountants, strategists,
representatives from not-forprofits
and past award winners.
“We make sure we keep the
process alive and vibrant, and
that all voices can be heard.
We have some robust conversations
when we get together,”
Dr Connolly says. “Robust and
confidential, often looking and
relooking at an issue or topic
within the submission several
times and with different people.”
She says it’s this rigorous
judging process, led by the
University of Waikato with
the full support of the Chamber
team, that gives the awards
their status in the business
community.
The very nature of Dr Connolly’s
position as director of
engagement and executive
education, means she’s a link
between ‘town and gown’.
She’s a business strategist
with a small business lens,
working as a consultant before
Dr Heather Connolly
returning to the University of
Waikato to study for her PhD.
As a strategist she’s aware
that businesses and universities
need to adapt as they try to
read and prepare for the future.
To that end, Executive
Education at the University of
Waikato offers ongoing shortstyle
courses, which aren’t
formal qualifications, but tailored
for business people who
haven’t the capacity to commit
to an MBA, or who want
themselves or their staff to
upskill in a particular area of
business. For example, project
management, design thinking,
finance, Artificial Intelligence
and machine learning.
“So they understand the
language of future trends,”
Dr Connolly says. “But
always what comes through
is the human side of leaders.
Bringing people together
is the strongest part of their
organisation, so we offer leadership
development as well.”
The University of Waikato
MBA remains a popular programme,
drawing people from
all walks of life. There are
50 participants in the current
graduating class.
The qualification was
significantly revamped and
refreshed two years ago, to
make it more cross disciplinary
and more problem based.
“So instead of offering separate
papers for each subject
we brought them together;
economics with supply chain
management and strategy with
marketing. We introduced a
paper called Creating Positive
Disruption, and also focused
on moving managers to leaders.”
Another part of Dr Connolly’s
wide brief is to bring students
and business together;
students get workplace
experience by taking on a specific
project or doing an internship
before they graduate, and
business leaders come to campus
to talk to students about
business practice.
“They’ll be taking on our
students and in turn those students
can come back to class
as guest speakers too. It’s a
circle if you like, and it makes
the university-business relationship
stronger,” Dr Connolly
says.
“They’re amazing inspirational
leaders,” Dr Connolly
says. “They’ll talk about their
careers, predictions for business
and the skill sets they’ve
developed. I’d really like to
know what they’d tell their
20-year-old selves if they
reflect on their own careers,
what they’d do differently,
what advice they’d have for
the next generation of female
business leaders.”

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
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12 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
Life-Changing
fashion reinvents
runway show
Four New Zealand fashion labels have
taken their runway aspirations into their
own hands after New Zealand Fashion
Week was cancelled due to Covid
restrictions.
Holi Boli Navy Floral
Dress currently in
production for Autumn.
Hamilton-based fashion
label Holi Boli and
Waikato-based ReCreate
joined Tonic & Cloth and
Duffle&Co in a reinvented
runway event designed to highlight
the impact these brands
are creating in the lives of their
makers, as well as showcase
the best of their collections on
the catwalk.
The Life-Changing Fashion
show, provided a platform for
the designers to share the values
of sustainability and considered
creation, with thoughtfully
designed fashion that
makes a positive impact in the
lives of the people who make
their products. Each collection
fairly employs more than 80
garment makers.
ReCreate began as an idea
to provide fair employment
for women in the marginalised
community of Dey Tmey,
Cambodia. Founded by Erica
Gadsby in 2013, ReCreate provides
opportunities for training
and personal development
within their Dey Tmey workshop
and through production
partners in Cambodia.
“This event is a wonderful
opportunity for us to collaborate
and promote each other’s
brands, as we are all essentially
working towards the same
vision — to transform lives
through fashion,” Erica says.
“It’s not only about designing
clothing that makes women
look good… we also want
them to feel good, knowing
that their garment has made
such a positive difference in
somebody else’s life.”
Holi Boli, an ethical
women’s clothing manufacturer
and fashion label, was
started by Ana and Daniel
Wilkinson-Gee following a
I want women to feel
beautiful and strong
in our clothes, no
matter what they
face each day. And
I want those that
make our clothes to
be empowered and
honoured through
the process
visit to India in 2006. Now
employing 21 women and
having trained a further 170
in design and sewing, Holi
Boli is making a real difference
in the lives of women by
providing them with the skills
and opportunities for a better
life. More recently, they have
From left Ana Wilkinson-Gee from Holi Boli, Jodie
Woods from Tonic & Cloth, Emily Long from
Duffle&Co and ReCreate Clothing's Erica Gadsby.
added a New Zealand production
component which continues
to support these women
throughout the pandemic.
“The show came together
very quickly within about
eight days. We were blown
away by the positive response
from those we reached out to,
collaborate with us, to help our
My business, my staff, their brand
Internal communications is
a hot topic right now and
getting it right means more
than taking care over timing,
channels and content. Making
sure it speaks from the heart of
your brand is vital.
During these times of
restrictions on our everyday
lives, keeping staff informed,
motivated and safe is a priority.
For many small to medium
organisations, this has been the
first time they’ve had to communicate
widely to staff with
such frequency or complexity.
For many, a chat in the
smoko room has been enough
to keep staff up-to-date with
changes that might impact
how they work, or share news
from the boss’s office. In the
old days, a friendly note in a
pay-packet was pandering, but
now, we care more about our
people’s loyalty and welfare.
The challenge a lot of business
owners face is being clear
and consistent around their
brand, especially for a small
company that has grown over
years. For some, defining their
brand hasn’t even really been a
‘thing’, relying on reputation,
visibility, word-of-mouth and
social media to keep the calendar
full. So having to think
about what their brand should
mean to their staff can be unfamiliar
territory.
Let’s invent Colin’s Plumbing
Co. Colin went out on his
own 10 years ago when his
boss retired. He knows his
trade and values his clients. He
knew he needed to look professional
so invested in a good
logo that looks smart on his
shirts and vehicles. He’s OK
with Facebook, does a tiny bit
of local advertising and sponsors
a few causes that mean
something to him.
Business boomed recently
and he’s now got a dozen staff.
He’s not consciously had to
think about how his brand is
experienced by his customers
because he’s always been the
face they see, the personality
they engage with. But now,
there are customers he may
rarely meet, and he’s having
to trust his team to epitomise
Colin’s Plumbing Co. He
needs to think about what that
really means and then make
sure they understand it, live it
and respect it.
One of his guys can be a bit
brash. Colin loves his energy
but is nervous he’ll offend a
customer one day. Another is
an amazing technician but shy,
so can struggle to communicate
well.
And as for the one with
a big laugh and outrageous
sense of humour? Well, he
charms customers all the time
but one day his potty mouth is
going to get them into trouble.
Colin doesn’t want to be
dictatorial – do it my way or
you’re out. He doesn’t want
to overload his team with lists
of rules about how to behave,
other than what H&S says he
has to.
Taking time to think about
what your brand is all about
is worth doing properly, but
sometimes it can be as simple
TELLING YOUR STORY
> BY VICKI JONES
Vicki Jones is director of Dugmore Jones, Hamilton-based brand
management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz
as articulating what matters to
your business the most. The
experts talk loftily about setting
a vision and values and
yes, of course, that’s incredibly
important in terms of a
clear direction. But for some
it’s as simple as thinking about
what you want customers to
say about their experience.
Some teams might glaze
over when you talk to them
about ‘brand values’, but
really you’re only defining
what matters for your business.
Talking about a ‘vision’
might inspire most teams,
but others are content simply
knowing your end-game, reassurance
that they’re turning up
to work for a reason other than
the cash.
Colin could shower his staff
with gifts, shout muffins every
week and throw the mother of
all Christmas parties but, if
they don’t care about his brand
and his business, that may not
be enough.
Colin’s ongoing challenge
is to keep his team reminded
of what’s at the heart of his
business and reflect it in the
way they behave and interact
with their clients.
He could put it all in a
booklet for his staff. But if he
hasn’t talked to at least some
of them about what should be
in that booklet, and it’s never
discussed again, they’re not
going to care. Equally, if he
drags them into long workshops
of painful introspection
and uncomfortable personal
sharing, they’re not going to
appreciate that either.
Finding a middle ground is
the sensible place for a lot of
small businesses. Sometimes
it can be as straightforward as

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
13
Te Huia report
highlights financial,
environmental
failings
The Waikato Chamber of Commerce
recently commissioned a report on the
financial and environmental viability
of the Hamilton-Auckland commuter
train, Te Huia, which shows the
service costs considerably more than
it does to drive and it creates more
carbon emissions.
social enterprises keep moving
forward during these difficult
times,” Ana says.
“There was such a beautiful,
calm, joyful spirit on set.
The women from Silverfox
model agency brought professionalism
mixed with heart.
Maher shoes kept our Holi
Boli models walking in freedom.
Ollie from Kauri Bay
Boomrock events venue (Clevedon)
gave us a safe place
and warm welcome at their
breath-taking, indoor-outdoor
location on a hill overlooking
the Hauraki Gulf. Citizen kept
us all hydrated with their delicious
non-waste drink products.
We're super grateful to
all these amazing brands who
made this event possible."
Tonic & Cloth, founded
by Jodie Woods, is a clothing
brand with a heart for empowering
women. Using natural
fibres, each garment allows
women to truly be themselves.
“I want women to feel
beautiful and strong in our
clothes, no matter what they
face each day. And I want
those that make our clothes to
be empowered and honoured
through the process,” Jodie
says.
Emily Long’s brand
Duffle&Co bridges the gap
between everyday luxury and
conscious, considered design
with handcrafted bags that
don’t compromise your values.
Each piece is created through
slow, fair and ethical production,
and by implementing
age-old artisanship techniques
that empower small groups of
talented artisans. Proudly certified
as a B Corporation and
Climate Positive, meticulous
attention to detail goes into
each Duffle&Co piece, from
the hand signed labels from
each maker to the trees that are
planted from each purchase.
With the ethos of collaboration
over competition, the
Life-Changing Fashion event
was supported by a selection
of like-minded businesses
who are also challenging
the status quo within their
respective industries.
Silver Fox Management
represents the models who sizzled
down the runway with a
diverse range of sizes, heights,
ages and looks — creating
a relatable and empowering
experience for all women with
the confidence and radiance
that each model brought to the
stage.
The Edit skincare, with
founder Michelle Devereux,
brought more than 25 years
of fashion and beauty knowhow
to achieve a fresh, natural
makeup for the runway. The
Edit’s skin-perfecting curation
of natural products was used
to create the luxurious base for
each look.
Citizen provided refreshment
to event guests with
sustainable beverages that
fight food waste by upcycling
food instead of letting it go to
waste. Every Citizen product
is made using edible surplus
food or food by-products,
which is then re-worked into
delicious drinks.
The analysis was produced by final
year Waikato University student
Nicholas Farrell who was studying
for a Bachelor of Management Studies.
It shows that per trip from Hamilton to
Auckland, driving costs $48 compared to
$294 on Te Huia – made up of a $12 fare
and a $282 subsidy. And based on the assumption
of one person per vehicle, carbon
emissions for the same trip are 20kg
per person driving, but 31.5kg per person
on Te Huia.
The report also found that patronage
KPIs are just half of year one predictions
in the Te Huia business case, with an
overall load factor of 26 per cent; journey
times are 91 minutes driving compared
with 145 minutes on Te Huia; and the
implementation of the train service has
seen a congestion reduction of just 0.13
per cent.
The Regional Council are introducing
significant upgrades to the service this
year to attract a great deal more patronage
but given Te Huia’s $100 million price
tag, there needs to be real accountability
from those who strongly supported and
advocated for its implementation.
It is fair to say ratepayers and businesses
will have some serious questions
in the lead up to local body elections later
this year about whether the service is justified
and whether it’s a good use of taxpayers’
and ratepayers’ hard-earned cash.
The service also contributed significantly
more carbon emissions. Would it
not be best for the government to invest in
other technologies? We’re going to start
seeing more and more electric and hydrogen
vehicles on our road in the next few
years, it seems a more sensible invest-
By Don Good, CEO of Waikato
Chamber of Commerce.
ment would be to improve our roading
and EV charging sites.
There were several reasons for commissioning
this report on behalf of our
members. The first was to ensure transparency
around the data of this service,
and to provide a benchmark to be able to
view the success or failure of initiatives
by regional and central government to attract
more patronage.
We also wanted to showcase the high
quality of graduates coming out of the
University of Waikato, as well as encourage
this generation to grapple with
the reasons behind large financial investments
such as Te Huia – they have to live
with the results of previous generations’
decision making.
Lastly, we believe there needs to be
wider debate on important issues such as
this leading up to the local government
elections this October. Prudent spending
of your hard-earned rates and taxes is an
issue that the Chamber is willing to address.
We hope that this report generates
much-needed debate around the viability
of the Te Huia service, and we welcome
you to contact us with your feedback.
The full report can be read on our website:
waikatochamber.co.nz/other
making brand values part of an
ongoing narrative, by casually
referring to them when you’ve
done something that reinforces
them. Do that too much,
it becomes glib. Do it just
enough and it’s reaffirming.
The businesses that have
brand conversations with their
staff, literally or by example,
are those who will have found
galvanizing staff easier during
these times of disruption, and
will come through stronger
when it’s all over.
206594AA

14 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
It’s coming home…
the return of NZ’s IP
It's coming home
It's coming home
It's coming
Football's coming
home
Anyone who was in the
UK (or supported the
English football team)
in 1996 will undoubtedly
remember the dulcet tones of
David Baddiel and Frank Skinner
as they ‘sang’ ‘Three Lions’
in support of England’s Euro 96
campaign. How could you not?
The song blared out of every
radio on every building site and
in every home at all hours.
Alas, poor England, they did
not win…again…and the trophy
did not come home.
But something that is – or
at least appears to be – coming
home (to New Zealand, that
is) is the country’s intellectual
property. To be more specific,
Kiwi businesses appear to be
either moving production of
their goods back to New Zealand
or just making it here in the
first place.
I know of at least three businesses
in the Waikato and Bay
of Plenty who have brought,
or who are in the process of
bringing, their manufacturing –
and therefore their intellectual
property – back home to New
Zealand from China. One recent
example is EGO in Hamilton,
who, in the January/February
2022 issue of Waikato Business
News, was reported as having
plans to “shift manufacturing
from China to New Zealand in
the very near future with the
Auckland base destined to be the
manufacturing plant, design studio
and showroom all in one”. I
also know of start-up businesses
who are not even considering
manufacturing in China: they
want to manufacture at home.
The big question, of course,
is why? The cost of labour in
China, for example, is much
cheaper and China has recognised
technological and
manufacturing expertise.
China is also geographically
much closer to major markets
like Europe, India and Japan,
making distribution much
easier than from New Zealand.
From talking to business
owners, I believe the reasons
are control, speed and (thanks
to Darth Covid) cost. By control,
I mean control over their IP,
what happens to it, and who has
access to it; by speed, I primarily
mean speed of response to
market and customer demand;
and by cost, I mean, of course,
the cost of shipping goods to
New Zealand which has dramatically
increased over the last two
years.
There’s no doubt that Covid
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES
> BY BEN CAIN
Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells and a Resolution
Institute-accredited mediator. He can be contacted at 07 957 5660
(Hamilton), 07 928 4470 (Tauranga) and benc@jaws.co.nz.
has accelerated the movement to
bring the country’s intellectual
property home. There’s equally
no doubt though that China,
for one, will remain a significant
manufacturing source for
New Zealand businesses. What
remains to be seen is what balance
will be struck between the
two, and how Kiwi returnees
and New Zealand government
policies, for example, will influence
the future of manufacturing
in New Zealand.
Navigating
murky waters
One thing that’s abundantly
clear about our world at
the moment is: there is a
lack of clarity just about everywhere
you look.
How much disruption will
Omicron cause? Can I visit our
customers in China this year? Are
property values diving? Will my
kids ever be able to buy a home?
Can I cope with another round of
online schooling? Should I order
Christmas presents now to avoid
shipping delays?
As a business owner or manager,
how do you run a business,
manage a team, sell products,
recruit new staff and maintain a
semblance of calm in such uncertain
times? Well, I’m sorry to
say there’s no magic bullet. But
there are a few communications
actions you can take to make the
journey smoother as you navigate
these murky waters.
Keep Talking
When you’re not sure what the
future holds, it’s easy to put off
communicating or just shut down
completely. That’s the worst
thing you can do.
The act of communicating to
and with your team can, in itself,
be a calming influence. Look for
ways to maintain regular communication,
even if you don’t
always have something major
to say. Staff, customers and your
community will appreciate you
for taking the time and putting
your relationships first.
Say What You Know, Admit
What You Don’t
As a leader, people want to see
you try to make sense of things.
That can be stressful, especially
when you are uncertain of the
future yourself.
A good rule to follow is tell
people what you know now
while freely admit what you
don’t know. People respect an
authentic, honest and vulnerable
leader and communicator.
Simple and Often
When people are dealing with
uncertainty, there is a lot of
‘noise’ you are going to be competing
with. At the moment, people
are dealing with health worries,
schooling issues and work
stress while the media bombards
us with fear-mongering headlines.
This requires leaders to communicate
often, which means
regularly repeating important
messages. And it also requires
simplicity, which can be the most
difficult aspect of communication
delivery.
Put Systems in Place
If you didn’t read my article in
the last issue of Waikato Business
News, go find it online. I
talked about putting together a
few regular channels and systems
for internal communication.
If you don’t put some rigidity
around your communications
timelines and channels, it just
won’t happen.
This also extends to external
communication, with your customers,
suppliers, stakeholders
and community. Plan out your
communications timeline and
stick to a schedule.
Offer Light Relief
Remember that a little fun goes
a long way. We’re all in this
boat together, so we may as
well have a few laughs along
the way.
PR AND COMMUNICATIONS
> BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB
Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based,
award-winning public relations agency.
Prioritise staff team-building,
give your customers something
for nothing, or donate to
a worthy cause in your community
for instance. We all need
a little something that makes
us feel happy during uncertain
times – something a bit healthier
than that Friday G&T.
I reckon we’ve got around
12 more months of unprecedented
uncertainty ahead. So,
hopefully a few of these tips
will help you get through.
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 7 957 5660

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
15
GENERATIONS OF STYLE
Core
$
19490 *
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FROM
DRIVEAWAY
Standard features for all models:
• 8 inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay
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$
21
DRIVEAWAY
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FROM
Excite
490 *
Excite features additional to standard:
• 6 speaker Yamaha 3D Sound
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• Sat Nav
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*$19,490 is the driveaway price for the MY21 MG3 Core and *$21,490 is the driveway price for MY21 MG3 Excite. Offer applies to new vehicles sold between 1st February and 31st of March 2022 or while stocks last. ^!Warranty T&Cs at https://mgmotor.co.nz/owners/warranty.
1 The Boulevard, Te Rapa, Hamilton | (07) 838 1249
www.winger.co.nz

16 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
Business student proves it’s never
too late to study
At 62-years-old, Terry Glenister decided it wasn’t too late to
expand on his business knowledge and resources. So, in 2020
he enrolled to study business at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa.
Terry completed a Certificate
in Small Business
and Project Management
and two years on has
grown his business to a place
where he didn’t think was once
possible.
“The proof is in the pudding,
I started off as a small
business and now I’m looking
at going into a stage where I
may need to employ someone
to keep it ticking at full service,”
says Terry who runs a
health and safety business.
The Te Awamutu local
admits that he wasn’t the best
when it came to the technology
side of things but since completing
his study he is now far
more confident.
“The fact that I’m able to
use XERO (accounting software)
and understand it, meet
with my accountant and understand
the terms he’s using and
not be so afraid of doing something
financial on my banking
app, it’s great.”
Terry studied at TWoA’s
Mangakōtukutuku campus
in Hamilton with kaiako
Donna Robinson - business kaiako
Terry Glenister - business student
The proof is in the
pudding, I started off
as a small business
and now I’m looking
at going into a stage
where I may need to
employ someone to
keep it ticking at full
service
(teacher), Donna Robinson, in
what he described as friendly,
relaxed and fruitful environment.
For Donna, it’s important
to create a comfortable learning
environment for tauira
(students) in order for them to
build the confidence they need
to grow their business.
“I aim to draw out confidence
in people and let them
know that they have potential.
It’s about relatabilty too, they
realise I’m just like them and
we all just have to start somewhere,”
says Donna who is a
business owner herself.
With a Master of Business
Administration and a Masters
in Financial Capability for
Indigenous, Donna is a well
versed kaiako who is passionate
about teaching and sharing
her knowledge.
“I love my kaupapa (programme)
and seeing tauira
evolve and transform over the
year of study. As an adult you
get to experience education in
an entirely different light. It’s
about pulling on life experiences
and wisdom learnt over
the years and applying that into
the programme,” she says.
Donna believes the programme
is a great opportunity
for those who want to provide
an income for themselves and
their whānau and go forward
with confidence in their business.
“If you’ve got an inkling
of why you want to be in business,
then let us show you the
how because it’s going to be
transformational.”
For more information or
to enrol in a business programme
at TWoA, visit
www.twoa.ac.nz.
Number of homes for sale doubles in Hamilton
but rental properties are scarce
The number of homes for
sale in Hamilton has
nearly doubled compared
to the same time last
year but the number of rental
properties available in the city
is at an extreme low says real
estate agency Lodge.
Lodge Real Estate managing
director Jeremy O’Rourke
says the number of residential
properties currently for sale
in Hamilton sat at 780 at the
end of January, which was a
vast improvement on the 410
available on the market at the
same time last year.
Lodge City Rentals, Hamilton’s
largest property management
company by volume,
however, has just 75 properties
on their books currently, and
55 of those are small studios
considered most suitable for
students. That leaves only
around 20 rentals suitable for
families.
“It’s harder than ever for
Hamilton renters. Families
especially are really struggling
to get into homes in the
city, with the number of quality
rental listings well down,”
Jeremy says.
However, for those people
putting their homes on the
market for sale, most were
looking to buy elsewhere in
the city. “There’s potential
for a few of these homes to
enter the rental pool, as investors
continue to see value and
demand in the Hamilton market.
But there is no quick solution
to our rental shortage in
the city.”
Jeremy points to a shifting
market, overall, where buyers
can be more discerning because
they have more choice as
listings increase. However,
buyers also face rising interest
rates and controls on bank
lending under the Credit Contracts
and Consumer Finance
Act, which was making everyone
more cautious, he says.
“Finance is really hard to
get right now, and it takes longer
to be approved so that’s
also starting to impact on conditional
sale periods which
are being pushed out and
extended while buyer finance
is approved.”.
In some cases houses were
taking up to one month longer
to settle than they normally
would as people navigate these
new financial challenges,
Jeremy says.
The Hamilton market
still represents good value,
with the median house price
reported by the Real Estate
Institute of NZ for December
was sitting at $870,000 which
is still below the national
median of $905,000.
People are also still moving
to the city and the completion
of infrastructure like
the Waikato Expressway later
this year would drive further
development and interest in
the Waikato region.
“Our farming sector is
strong and there are businesses
with global growth prospects
relocating to Hamilton as our
infrastructure improves, so we
don’t see the city’s housing
Lodge Real Estate
managing director
Jeremy O’Rourke.
market going backwards anytime
soon, but we certainly
don’t expect to be seeing the
freakish growth that we had
last year,” Jeremy says.
Developments in the northwest
of the city, at Temple
View, and north of the city, at
Horotiu, were also attracting
new buyers.
While January is always
a quieter month for house
sales, this January’s sales figures
were especially low. This
was expected as people took a
longer break after contending
with COVID-19 throughout
2021, he says.

HAMILTON CENTRAL BUSINESS AWARDS
Putting the
fun into food
wins café
top award
It’s not often the CBD Business Awards
comes up with a best of the best but taking
out three categories put Cream Eatery
ahead of the bunch this year.
Cream won best café, best
social media and the
café won best space for
design studio Designwell.
Celebrating a year in business
recently, Cream owner
and fab baker Chrissy Houghton
says the award is the icing
on the cake for the stylish central
city eatery.
“It's really exciting. Especially
after the end of our first
year, which has been pretty
wild with all lockdowns and
stuff. It's nice for our team, I
think, quite exciting working
somewhere that is recognised
that way.”
Chrissy owns and runs the
café alongside husband Luke,
who is the brains behind some
of the sensational food coming
out of the kitchen.
She also creates special
occasion cakes under the moniker
Chrissy Cakes and is the
talent behind the countertop
baked goods at the café.
Cream Eatery
owners Chrissy and
Luke Houghton.
The cinni bunz are a hot
favourite and the delectable
cinnamon bun even has its own
range of merchandise as well,
including tees and tote bags,
which are designed and printed
in Hamilton.
A chef by trade, Luke is
always adapting the menu to
showcase not only what’s seasonal
but to allow his creative
culinary flare shine through.
Chrissy describes the menu
items as seasonal, fun, traditional
mixed with the unexpected
and to cater to her love
of a sprinkle, she says the cabinet
food is like something from
a refined children’s party.
One of the favourites dishes
on the menu – Luke’s Fried
Eggs – keeps the punters coming
back for more.
“The fried eggs have a cult
following,” she laughs.
So popular they sold take
home fried egg kits for Father's
Day during the last lockdown.
“They got all the different
elements they needed - the
bread, the eggs, the whipped
feta, the spice. It was really
well received.”
They’ve since morphed the
kit into just selling the spice
mix to give people a taste of
the dish from the comfort of
their home.
Hospitality businesses have
been one of the biggest losers
in the ever-evolving pandemic
climate and Chrissy says for
many it has meant make or
break.
“I think we were quite
lucky we weren't open in 2020.
Because we could spend that
time watching what some of
our favourite cafes in Melbourne
and Sydney were doing
and saw that not a lot of people
were doing it here (in New
Zealand). We took a lot of
those ideas, and they just kept
us going.”
The couple waited until
December 2020 to start work
on the café, with Luke doing as
much of the work as he could.
“We spent Christmas break
with Luke tiling because January
is kind of a write off for
tradies and he did a lot of stuff
just to get us open as quickly
as we could. We felt like we've
been waiting a long time by
then.”
The wait started back in
2019 after they sold the name
and brand of their previous eatery
Winner, Winner in Hamilton
East to Burger Fuel in 2017
(the pair have nearly 30 years
hospitality experience between
them).
They stuck it out for a while,
learning as much as they could
and once the business became
a franchise they moved on.
“Luke doesn’t like keeping
things the same for long and
franchises tend to have a menu
that they keep for years and
years.”
They spent 2020 formulating
their plans for Cream and
of course watching the pandemic
play out.
“We wanted to bring something
different to the CBD and
appeal to a wide range of people.
I love looking out at the
café at lunch and seeing all
the different types of people
who come in and enjoy our
space. We're always striving to
provide a space where people
feel welcome and staff want to
serve you and give you the best
experience they can. That's
really important to me. And
Luke just likes to have fun in
the kitchen and do things a little
bit differently.”
The goal for the eatery this
year is to ride the Omicron
wave and then look to expanding
the kitchen and dining area
later in the year.
“We want to get through
the next couple of months as

HAMILTON CENTRAL BUSINESS AWARDS
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
19
unscathed as possible and preparing
for what that might look
like, especially if we have to
close down for any period of
time.”
In the year they’ve been
open, the café has grown in
popularity and outgrown the
space, Chrissy says.
“We tend to get full at lunch
and it would be nice to have
a bit more space for people.
We’ve outgrown our kitchen as
well and we need more fridge
space and dry storage space for
our chef to be able to work.”
Hamilton Central Business
Association general manager
Vanessa Williams says Hamilton’s
CBD is continuing
to evolve and the high-quality
developments happening
around the city attract high
calibre tenancies like Cream
Eatery.
“From the moment they
opened their beautifully
designed doors, Cream have
had a loyal following. They
have shown adaptability and
flexibility during alert level
changes and working within
the required frameworks, they
have held industry events to
support their sector and they
are quickly becoming a landmark
feature of Garden Place.
We were really excited to see
them take out the Best Café
and Best Social Media awards
and with Designwell, winning
the under 250sqm award for
the Cream Eatery space.”
The goal for eatery this year is to ride the
Omicron wave and then look to expanding
the kitchen and dining area later in the year.

20 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
HAMILTON CENTRAL BUSINESS AWARDS
Hamilton CBD's Best in Business
With a timeframe that has included three
postponements, two lockdowns and a
move into red – the 2021 CBD Award
winners can now be announced.
Utilising the skills of
an expert panel of
judges, close to 80
entries were received showcasing
Hamilton’s CBD’s
Best in Business across a
number of sectors. So it is
with much delight that we are
able to share the award winners
and place getters in each
category.
Hamilton Central Business
Association (HCBA) general
manager Vanessa Williams is
proud to host an awards programme
that recognises the
achievements of the central
city businesses.
“Hamilton’s CBD awards
are about providing the opportunity
for businesses across
all sectors to put themselves
forward and to be assessed by
a panel of judges, to sell the
story of their business and to
celebrate their remarkable
successes. It was heartening to
see so many businesses enter
the awards at a time when the
city was in and out of lockdowns,
changing alert levels
and facing the uncertainly of
a continuously changing environment.”
HCBA chair Dwight Egelhof
echoed the same sentiment
and was impressed by
the variety of businesses in
the mix.
“Hamilton’s central city
boasts an amazing and unique
array of businesses and it is
therefore with absolute pleasure
that we can all recognise
them and celebrate them. It
feels like the results have been
a long time coming, with judging
completed in September
last year, but the timeframe
does not take away from their
exceptional achievements and
we are delighted to see such a
strong mix of small and large
businesses recognised in the
awards.”
It is fair to say that the
original plans for the Hamilton
CBD Awards 2021 would
likely have made it the best
celebration yet, as HCBA
with the support of Spark and
MediaWorks, looked to showcase
the ‘best’ businesses in
the CBD with an epic night of
celebration at the new Union
Square development in Hamilton’s
central city.
However, in the true style
of adaption, the awards evening
is taking a slightly different
turn with an intimate
event for award recipients
being held early March at
Hamilton’s central city boasts an amazing
and unique array of businesses and it is
therefore with absolute pleasure that we can
all recognise them and celebrate them.
Ernest Lounge Bar on Alexandra
Street, catered by Banh
Mi and with Moving Media
on site to capture the night in
action.
As main sponsor of the
CBD Awards, Spark Business
Greater Waikato region
operational & site lead Fabian
Pathirana was delighted to see
an event taking place, albeit
on a much smaller scale, to
recognise the award recipients.
“We know what a challenging
time it has been for the
business community over the
past few years and to be able
to hold an event to celebrate
the success a business has
been able to attain in 2021, is
well deserved,” Fabian says.
GM MediaWorks Waikato
Justine Dixon, agrees. “It is
an extraordinary battle that
businesses have had to face
and continue to face through
the pandemic. As a sponsor
of the CBD Awards, we are
delighted to be able to contribute
to a platform that recognises
the ‘best’ business in
the CBD.”
Hamilton’s CBD continues
to go from strength to strength
and HCBA are proud to able
to recognise the companies
who all contribute to making
Hamilton a great place to do
business.
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FUEL
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HAMILTON CENTRAL BUSINESS AWARDS
Strategic Design Creates a
Truly Waikato Workplace
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
21
Collaborative design by Chow:Hill Architects came to the fore in the award-winning design
of Waikato Regional Council’s new headquarters in Hamilton’s CBD.
The eye-catching new headquarters of the
Waikato Regional Council (WRC) on the corner
of Tristram and Ward Streets in Hamilton’s CBD,
is a carefully-created, purpose-built workplace for one
of the Waikato’s most important employers to thrive.
More than 500 council employees, who previously
worked from multiple locations across the city,
now have a 7,000m 2 , four-storey premise that reflects
the diversity of the organisation’s catchment area
and embraces an ‘activity-based’ means of working.
Fundamental to Chow:Hill’s design of the WRC
interior was giving staff flexibility via an agile floor
plan, collaborative workspaces and task-oriented
work environments. Additional features included
strategically placed technology charging stations,
a range of lockers and storage facilities, activitybased
work settings and breakout rooms.
Chow:Hill Director, Brian Squair, says the desire
of WRC to encourage a new way of working
meant the design team had an opportunity to
bring spaces to life with a variance of colour,
material and statement artwork.
The desired
outcome of the
overall design
was to create a
contemporary
unifying work
environment.
“We wanted to reflect the whenua (land), awa (river)
and moana (sea) of the Waikato Regional Council’s
catchment area, while creating everyday opportunities
for connection and conversation between staff and
visitors,” Squair explains.
“While productivity and employee wellbeing is
at the core of our design, we also embraced
innovative workplace design principles to create
a future-proof, agile environment benefiting the
council for years to come.”
Special features within the Stark Property-built
premise include a kowhaiwhai pattern in the carpet
which doubles as a wayfinding and navigation tool,
a neutralised floor plan which accommodates changes
in work protocols allowing for movement among staff,
and an expansive staff café designed as a breakout
space for collegial interaction.
“Creating a central hub for the Council community
required thoughtfulness of design and innovative
elements to allow for a new way of working,”
says Squair. “That meant our design team focused
on design principles that would achieve this unique
workplace strategy.”
Those design principles included: capturing
‘neighbourhoods’ related to aligned work type and
team activity; integration of technology to include a
plug and play work philosophy; and provision of work
settings to suit different ‘styles’ of work.
Squair says Chow:Hill’s plans for the future design
of Hamilton’s CBD focus on shaping innovative
workspaces that exploit natural environmental
influences, raise health and wellness awareness,
and balance concentration needs with collaborative
needs, delivering both individual and social outcomes.
Shaping
Possibilities.
chowhill.co.nz
Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau
Level 3, 135 Broadway
Phone: +64 9 522 6460
Email: office@chowhill.co.nz
Hamilton/Kirikiriroa
119 Collingwood Street
Phone: +64 7 834 0348
Email: hmlstudio@chowhill.co.nz
Christchurch/Ōtautahi
Level 1, 76 Victoria Street
Phone: +64 9 522 6460
Email: office@chowhill.co.nz

22 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES
Unique wellbeing in nature
workshop for business
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s corporate experiences seek to bring balance and
perspective to our work lives. Participants of our programmes recognise they’re feeling
burnt-out and stressed and are seeking to restore their wellbeing, vitality and humour.
Our one day Forest
Immersion workshop is
a series of guided invitations.
These offer new perspectives
and ways in which to
deepen your connection with
nature and benefit your wellbeing.
We’ve also partnered with
the wonderful Nature & Nosh
team to offer up a two day
Nature of Work package.
Nature of Work is a twoday
programme designed
to enhance the wellbeing of
employees.
Connecting with the natural
world improves mood, concentration,
and sleep, restores
mental activity, reduces stress,
lowers blood pressure and
boosts the immune system.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s
own research measuring
our programme’s success
showed participants’ moods
and blood pressure positively
impacted on completion. We
can help you take care of your
people.
Day 1 – Forest Immersion
The first day of the programme
in the stunning Sanctuary
Mountain Maungatautari ngahere
is a series of guided invitations.
These offer new perspectives
and ways in which
to deepen people’s connection
with nature and benefit
their wellbeing. Not simply
a walk in the woods, it is the
conscious and contemplative
practice of being immersed in
the sights, sounds and smells
of the forest to support healing
and wellness, to notice, reflect
and interact with the environment.
And what's more, these
valuable skills are not just for
the outdoors. They can assist in
all areas of life. Forest Immersion
can be booked alone as a
one day workshop.
Day 2 – Nature & Nosh
The second day brings in our
Nature & Nosh partners and
offers a range of unique forest
experiences that could include
a rongoā workshop, planning
meeting, team lunch or leadership
session in our wonderful
bush boardroom setting. The
second day can be tailored to
suit your organisation and run
as either a half a day or full
day. Experiences to prime participant’s
brains, increase clarity,
and promote creativity.
The two days can be subscribed
to separately to suit
your business’s needs. The
activities are slow paced with
lots of stops and a maximum
continuous time walking of
just over an hour, so the moderate
track gradients and distance
should not pose a problem to
anyone of reasonable walking
ability. The days are spent in
Te Tui a Tane southern enclosure
based in the Events Centre
which provides overhead protection
from the weather.
What’s in it for your
business?
• Opportunities to reframe
and offer perspective
• Encouraging creativity
through exploration
• Saturated in forest vibes
(technically phytoncides)
that support immunity
• Authentic team integration
and connectedness
• Safety in which to explore
and be courageous
• Tools and strategies (both
mentally and physically) to
manage challenge
• Great food, great hosts,
amazing setting.
Nature of Work Package
The package can include wellbeing
report for the group,
where health indicators of
participants – blood pressure,
heart rate, mood – are recorded
before and after the programme
to show change. All data collected
remains anonymous, is
aggregated and treated as confidential.
Accommodation for overnight
retreats can be arranged
and lunch and snacks are
catered for.
Take our 1 day Forest
Immersion workshop or for
a 10% discount choose our
Nature of Work package.
These programmes cater for
a minimum of 5 people and
maximum of 12. Contact us to
book your team.
Contact:
wellbeing@maungatrust.org
www.sanctuarymountain.
co.nz/nature-of-work
Joyce Fleming Facilitator
of Forest Immersion
Rosie Cahalane Facilitator
of Forest Immersion
Come and explore
our world!
Nature of Work
Nature of Work is a two-day
programme designed to enhance the
wellbeing of employees.
Connecting with the natural world
improves mood, concentration,
and sleep, restores mental activity,
reduces stress, lowers blood pressure
and boosts the immune system.
Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s
own research measuring our
programme’s success showed
participants’ moods and blood
pressure positively impacted
on completion. We can
help you take care of
your people.
Ancient New Zealand forest
surrounded by the world’s
longest pest-proof fence

CONFERENCE, EVENTS AND VENUES
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
23
Mighty local know-how – and a little magic
Experts, mighty locals and good listeners.
That’s the winning combo Business Events
Waikato delivers to any organisation, large
or small, interested in staging an event in
the Waikato region.
Business Events Waikato
is an arm of Hamilton
& Waikato Tourism
(HWT).
Aimee Tyson, who heads
up the unit has extensive experience
in tourism, sponsorships
and events.
She and her colleague Harriet
Beattie offer event planners
advice that is free, but invaluable
and impartial, for any conference,
meeting, team incentive
or event in the Waikato
region.
The assistance they provide
is based on their on-the-ground
knowledge and includes providing
recommendations for venues,
accommodation, pre and
post experiences, organising
site visits and sourcing quotes –
and sometimes some magic too.
Both are passionate about
the world-class facilities and
experiences on offer here,
and as well as promoting the
Waikato to business planners
outside the region, they encourage
local organisations to stage
their events locally.
“We always like to say
that there’s a bit of magic
here in the Waikato too,” says
Aimee. “People can hold
a function underground in
caves (Waitomo), enjoy New
Zealand’s only working tea
plantation (Zealong) or experience
an event on a movie set
(Hobbiton).”
Importantly, she and Harriet
know how to listen to what a
client wants – and then ensure
that precise needs and expectations
are not just met but also
exceeded.
“Asking pertinent questions
and listening carefully to
the answers is crucial to really
understanding what event
planners are looking for,” says
Aimee.
“We believe listening creates
a feeling of respect, connection
and goodwill – and what better
way is there to start and continue
the professional relationships
we want to have with people
keen to hold their business
events in the Waikato.”
“I have worked with the
Hamilton & Waikato Business
Events team throughout 2021
and they have exceeded my
expectations. Their knowledge
of the region, venues, activities
and services on offer is vast
and their recommendations
have been well matched to the
event. They facilitate connections
and continue to foster
them far beyond your initial
contact. I wouldn’t hesitate to
recommend them to anyone
looking to hold and event in the
Hamilton & Waikato region.”
Danielle Young, GSO Event
Coordinator, Fonterra says.
Balloons over Waikato
- still filling the sky with colour!
Balloons over Waikato
have lift off with a virtual
nightglow on Saturday,
March 19 and will still fill
the skies with balloons every
morning.
The team has been working
hard to look at all options to
deliver this iconic event, ensuring
they are working within
the current protection framework
and still delivering a
great experience for everyone,
Balloons over Waikato general
manager Michele Connell
says.
“Balloons over Waikato
is a little different from other
events, in that we do not rely
on ticket sales and attendees,
which current restrictions of
100 person limits have forced
the many event cancellations
we have seen over the previous
few weeks.
“We are unique in our free
status and that afforded us the
ability to think outside the
square and look at how we
could still provide some ballooning
joy to the community.’
Balloons will be flying
from predetermined sites every
morning and the launch site
will be based on the breeze
direction and the ability for
flight over the city to impact as
many people as possible. “As
we will not be launching with
any public involvement, the
messaging will be - whether
you are on your morning commute
to work, on the way to
school or still at home in your
PJs, just look up and enjoy the
magical sight,” she says.
The spectacular ZURU
Nightglow will go online and
Michele says everybody is
invited to enjoy this quintessential
event virtually this year
through Balloons over Waikato
social media channels.
“We are thrilled to be able
to provide the glow show experience
that thousands love,
people will still be experiencing
the magic of the balloons
inflating and glowing to a choreographed
soundtrack of your
favourite tunes, though this
time from the comfort of the
couch.”
The team will be investing
in filming the Nightglow
and releasing through multiple
social media channels on
Saturday, March 19 at 8pm
and inviting the public to the
ZURU Nightglow – Virtual
Edition.
The huge popularity of the
event means many thousands
will still get to enjoy it from
the comfort of their own home
and will be marketed as ‘Grab
some popcorn, set up some
picnic blankets and get the
whole family together!’
“It has been a roller coaster
ride within the event industry,
with what seems like never-ending
challenges to overcome.
We are confident however
we will still be able to
deliver this iconic event in a
different way that provides an
experience for our balloonists,
engages the public and supports
the wider community,”
Michele says.
We’re
here to
help
Meet in the
Waikato
Be a Mighty Local
- we’re here to help
with your next
business event
businessevents@waikatonz.com
www.meetwaikato.com

24 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
New Zealander of the Year finalist
sows seeds for zero waste
From thousands of nominations 21
finalists across seven award categories
were selected for the Kiwibank New
Zealander of the Year awards and
Whaingaroa/Raglan is home to finalist
Jacqui Forbes (Ngā Ruahine).
The community waste
expert is a finalist for
New Zealand Environmental
Hero of the Year and the
organisation Jacqui heads, Para
Kore Marae Incorporated, was
a semi-finalist up for New Zealand
Community of the Year.
As kaihautu matua (general
manager) for the zero-waste,
not-for-profit organisation, Jacqui
spearheads the innovative
Para Kore zero waste education
programme.
Established in 2009, Forbes
has led Para Kore since its first
days, bringing together a team
of educators who have delivered
workshops and connected
with more than 400,000 people
throughout the country.
From topics such as composting,
food sovereignty,
circular systems, DIY, environmentally
friendly products,
ikura (waste-free periods), gardening
and micro-greens, Para
Kore empowers and supports
marae and organisations across
Aotearoa to work towards zero
waste.
A humble, quiet achiever,
Jacqui began her work life as a
school teacher in kura kaupapa
and kōhanga reo before moving
to Raglan 24 years ago.
Tired of travelling over the
hill into Hamilton for work,
she sought out opportunities in
Raglan, including local relief
teaching.
From there she moved into
an education role with Xtreme
Zero Waste, the groundbreaking
Raglan resource recovery centre
whose ethos is based around
diverting rubbish from landfill.
Jacqui has always had an
affinity with the land, brought up
in Fielding, her whānau didn’t
have a lot of money and she
learnt the importance of minimal
waste and using the resource that
you had to the fullest.
“I grew up in my mother’s
childhood home with the values
of not wasting. My mum
was a solo mum, her parents
had passed away and we lived
in their home with gardens, fruit
trees, berries. We were poor so
eating for us was outside roaming
around picking fruit. There
was always something to eat
– something was always in season,”
she says.
They were the days of buying
items that lasted through the
generations, and they were made
with the intention of lasting several
lifetimes.
“My mum only bought what
she needed. Old stuff was highly
valued, like old furniture and
there was never a change to new
stuff.”
The seeds for minimising
waste were sown during her
childhood and Jacqui also holds
strongly to the Māori world
view in all that she does in the
waste space.
“From the beginning, we
have tried to strengthen our connection
with Ranginui, Papatūānuku
and the atua whānau. If
we can get people outside and
appreciative of the natural word,
and being part of and enjoying
the natural world, they will be
more responsible in their lives to
ensure a healthy natural world.”
Jacqui says the early conversations
that started the Para
Kore journey were initiated by
Waikato Regional Council staffers
Gannin Ormsby and Susa
Kupa who had wanted to help
marae with waste minimisation.
“He (Gannin) called hui
in 2008 wanting to talk about
marae recycling and that was
from him going to hui and seeing
how much rubbish there
was.”
Others came on board,
including Eric Pene from the
Tribal Development Unit of
Waikato Raupatu Lands Trust,
Pine Campbell a founder of
Xtreme Zero Waste, Carol
Henry from Waikato Regional
Council and Marianna Tyler
from GreenUp Ltd.
Working in education at
Xtreme Zero Waste at the time,
Jacqui was invited and through
pestering from another Xtreme
Zero Waste founder Rick
Thorpe, she agreed to take part
in the development and implementation
of the project.
Not long after, Xtreme Zero
Waste became the project coordinator
of Para Kore at the
request of the Waikato Regional
Council.
The following year, with
the help of funding from the
Sustainable Management Fund,
a pilot programme took place
at Raglan’s Poihakena Marae,
Tūrangawaewae Marae in
Ngāruawāhia and Kirikiriroa
Marae, the largest urban marae
in Hamilton.
Not satisfied with driving a
recycling kaupapa, the steering
committee consisting of Jacqui,
Carol, Marianna and Pine set a
goal of working towards zero
waste.
But it’s much more than just
looking at waste streams, the
Para Kore team strive to deliver
life-enhancing outcomes for
Māori through building a circular
economy, increasing biodiversity,
supporting climate justice
and action, food sovereignty
and regenerating ecosystems.
Jacqui points out these
are the sort of systems
Māori were operating under
Jacqui Forbes
pre-colonisation.
“The circular economy is
about designing waste out, keeping
resources in use and regeneration,
which has similarities to
te ao Māori (Māori worldview)
and other indigenous systems.
The significance of the indigenous
view though is that it’s
based on whakapapa, based on
relationships, on being from
the natural world - which we
are. It’s not like a made-up fairy
tale. We didn’t come from Mars
or Venus, we are from here, we
are from the natural world,” she
says.
In 2010, Para Kore became
its own entity as Para Kore
Marae Incorporated and Jacqui
says this made sense for them to
come out from under the Xtreme
umbrella and to identify as a
Māori organisation - by Māori,
for Māori.
From the pilot project
of three marae, close to 600
marae, whānau, hapū, iwi, kura,
kōhanga reo, puna reo, kindergarten,
community organisations,
events, churches, tertiary
institutions, companies, community
gardens, and kaumātua rōpū
across the country have joined
the movement.
And it hasn’t been a hard sell,
Jacqui says, with not many opting
out.
“I always say whenever
you go and speak, and share
the kaupapa, it’s always worth
it because you’re sowing the
seeds.”
The regional and national
judging panel includes representatives
comprising of the awards
patron, presenters, sponsors,
community leaders and independent
experts.
The winners will be
announced on Thursday, March
31. The awards evening format
is currently being worked
through due to Omicron.
Catering for all occasions
Weddings, wedding platters, birthdays,
corporates plus many more.
We bring the restaurant to you!
Professional buffet catering for 60-5000 guests.
www.southernspitroast.co.nz
E: graham@ssbbq.co.nz
0800 2 SPITROAST

REMARKABLE WOMEN
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
25
Women
with a
mission
With the world
celebrating International
Women’s Day in March it
was an opportune
moment for Waikato
Business News to
approach a group of
women in Waikato who
play key roles in business
and learning.
While there are many
more, who we have
introduced to you over the
years, we know you will
enjoy reading these brief
profiles and discovering
more about what has
encouraged this group to
head their fields.
Helping families navigate
sensitive legal matters
Like many women Kerry Reed doesn’t
see herself as remarkable. However,
a legal career dealing with sensitive
family issues and now also being a mum
herself, has endowed her with a few super
powers.
Kerry’s expertise is in all legal matters
related to personal affairs, such as drafting
wills and enduring powers of attorney, as
well as advising on trust structures.
She works with clients who need advice
on residential care subsidies and those moving
to a retirement village. Kerry has an
interest in elder law and incapacity issues,
working closely with clients and their families
to make plans to protect their wealth and
assets. She is experienced with estate administration
and succession planning.
“I really like working with people and
understanding the family and relationship
dynamics. I think that’s why I quite like this
area of law because you really get to know
your clients and their family. Some of my clients
have been in extremely vulnerable situations,
and it’s amazing to help them navigate
through those obstacles and see the relief for
that individual or family at the other side.”
A memorable case for Kerry, was an
estate file where the executor was based in
a very remote village on the other side of the
world and didn’t speak a word of English.
“We had to find an external court approved
interpreter to assist us in getting the documents
properly explained and witnessed
before we could file them in court. Communication
was quite challenging at times.
However, the outcome that we achieved was
financially life-changing for the beneficiary.”
Having transitioned from a large law firm,
Kerry Reed
Kerry is loving her new associate role at DTI
Lawyers. The move was all about providing
a wider-ranging service to her clients.
“Larger firms tend to limit the areas of
law that a lawyer can specialise in and clients
often have to deal with multiple departments.
My wish has always been to work
closely with my clients across a range of life
and legal experiences – for me it is about
building solid relationships based on trust.
When you know what is happening in that
person’s life, including their family and work
lives, I believe you can offer more meaningful
and practical advice.”
The associate commercial, property and
private client lawyer is thankful for the family-friendly
environment at DTI Lawyers.
“DTI Lawyers is very supportive. All of
the DTI directors have children, some have
really young children and work-life balance
is equally important to them,” she says. “As
a firm, we don’t accept that having a normal
family life should be a barrier to success;
either for ourselves or for our clients”.
Forging a path to protect what matters most
In today’s fast-paced world, we
are often encouraged to strive
for work-life balance. Mother of
three and Gallagher Global General
Manager Animal Management, Lisbeth
Jacobs, has embraced the best
of both as she has forged a global
career that has led her to the Mighty
Waikato.
Lisbeth (51) believes the notion
of having to choose between work
and life is forcing people, particularly
women, to sacrifice their personal
lives for their careers and viceversa.
“The idea of work-life balance
implies that working is not living,”
she says. “I don’t think it’s about
having to choose. It’s about fitting in
all the different things you do in your
life, of which working is one.”
You could say Lisbeth has found
the winning formula. She joined
Gallagher’s senior leadership team
in 2021 and is based at the agri-tech
company’s global HQ in Hamilton.
She is charged with leading a
team of around 300 people, who are
based in Hamilton and in key markets
around the globe. This team is
delivering world-leading agricultural
management solutions - from physical
and virtual fencing technology to
animal weighing and electronic identification
systems, including software
applications - that are enabling
farmers’ businesses to thrive.
Lisbeth’s career has been truly
global and her roles varied, from
strategy, business development and
technology management roles in
Belgium and China with global steel
wire company Bekaert, to international
strategy with New Zealand’s
business and executive development
group, Icehouse.
Lisbeth Jacobs
Lisbeth was also Executive
Director at UniServices Ltd, the
commercialisation arm of The University
of Auckland, helping to bring
its services, consultancy and intellectual
property to markets around the
world.
Before joining Gallagher, Lisbeth
was General Manager Innovation
and Sustainability at Fletcher
Building. She is also a member of
the NZ Institute of Directors and
holds non-executive directorships on
BRANZ and NorthPower. Lisbeth
has a PhD in materials engineering
from The University of Auckland
and has been Honorary Consul of
Belgium since 2013.
An engineer’s daughter
Originally from Antwerp in Belgium,
Lisbeth is the middle daughter
of an engineer and a historian. The
positive outlook and determination
she inherited from her parents are
values she has tried hard to instill in
her three daughters.
Her youngest is boarding at St
Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton. Her
two eldest daughters are twins - one
is studying medicine in Belgium and
the second engineering at The University
of Auckland.
They all share their mother’s
strong sense of character.
“I’ve got three strong minded
daughters who have their own firm
opinions, which I enjoy,” says Lisbeth.
“I’ve always encouraged them
to be clear about what they want,
because I think it’s important to have
purpose, and work hard to achieve
it.”
While Lisbeth has always worked
in typically male industries, Lisbeth
is adamant that, whether you’re male
or female, it should simply come
down to who is the best candidate for
the job.
Her determined nature means
she is always striving for constant
improvement from both herself and
those around her.
“I’m always asking; how can we
make that better, bigger or faster?
How can we do this differently?
How can we adapt to the changing
environment? I think this curiosity
has naturally led me into roles with
a link to technology or to innovation
or sustainability.”
Finding her niche
Gallagher is focused on customer-led
innovation and development. And
it is where Lisbeth has found her
niche. She splits her time between
Hamilton and her family home in
Auckland, which she shares with
her husband, a telecommunications
engineer.
“Gallagher is a truly global company
home-grown in New Zealand.
The team here are dedicated to innovation
and always wanting to do
things better. The company’s vison
to protect what matters most and
the values that underpin its strategic
direction are very much aligned to
my own. I feel at home here.”
Lisbeth believes there is an
increasing understanding of the role
agriculture plays in New Zealand’s
sustainability and environmental
protection efforts.
“There is growing recognition
that agriculture can and needs to be
part of the solution. In my mind, this
is where the future of farming lies.
Moving back to a more holistic agriculture-type
approach where farming
is part of the ecosystem of life on
the planet.”
She believes Gallagher is well
positioned to keep working alongside
farmers and help them be part of
the solution.
“Our team has enormous value to
add through our innovative agri-tech
solutions and expert advice, which is
helping farmers work more productively,
more sustainably and use real
data to drive their business decisions.
“New Zealand’s agricultural
industry is ready to tackle change
head-on,” says Lisbeth. “Gallagher
is already playing a crucial role in
making that happen and I am proud
to be part of the team leading the
charge.”
gallagher.com | +64 7 838 9800

26 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
REMARKABLE WOMEN
Mel’s career has wings with Signature Homes
From receptionist to marketing and sales,
Signature Homes Waikato has provided Mel Reid
with the wings for her blossoming career path.
Headhunted for the role as a
22-year-old working in retail,
Mel says moving to the new
job has been life-changing.
“Keir, one of the owners, liked
my customer service and asked me to
come and work for Signature Homes.
I had always worked in retail, and
working here was one of the best
things I have ever done. I just really
love the construction industry and
I’ve even ended up building my own
house.”
Her career path has taken a few
twists and turns, and after heading
overseas for a few years, Mel
returned to New Zealand, had a baby
and didn’t think twice about contacting
the Signature team to see if they
would have her back.
“I was only looking for part time
work in the beginning but I knew I
wanted a job with Signature because I
really loved working for them.”
A two-day a week marketing role
grew to full-time, seeing Mel take
care of new enquires, supporting the
sales team with contracts, setting up
events like the Home Show and Fieldays,
looking after the show homes
and she is the face behind the social
media.
In Mel’s time taking care of the
marketing for Signature Homes
Waikato they have won the Signature
Homes National Franchise marketing
award two years in a row.
She’s grateful for the professional
and personal support that working for
Signature Homes offers. “They really
do care about their team, their clients
and are proud of the work they do,
and the homes they build here in the
Waikato.”
A health issue last year, saw her in
hospital for several weeks battling a
rare auto-immune disease.
“I lost my vision at work when I
went to hospital I needed blood transfusions,
plasma exchanges and steroids.
Luckily, I got my sight back.”
Living with Myelin Oligodendrocyte
Glycoprotein (MOG) Optic
Neuritis means Mel heads to the hospital
once a month for a seven-hour
transfusion and says work always has
her back.
“I’ve never felt bad or guilty. I’ve
always felt supported by them. There
was never any pressure to come back.
They just wanted the best for me.”
Having the regular blood transfusions
and plasma exchanges made
Mel really think about the amazing
commitment people make to donating
their blood.
“I’ve always thought about
donating blood to the New Zealand
Blood Service. Because it’s
nice thing to do but I’ve never had
the time or never actually thought
about doing it. But when I was in
hospital for two weeks, having
plasma exchanges and transfusions,
and there would have been like 80
donors in one bottle. Now I realise
how important it is to donate blood
if you can, because things might
have been a lot different if the blood
wasn’t available. There are so many
Mel Reid
other people out there like me who
rely on transfusions long term.”
As well as being supported
through her health scares, Mel says
the Signature owners - Andrew Buttimore,
Jamie Buttimore and Keir Bettley
have allowed her to grow professionally.
Last year she completed an online
course to help develop her social
media skills; the course was partly
funded by Signature Homes and
Māori economic development organisation
Te Waka.
Through her work Mel has been
able to grow her passion for photography
and it’s something she does in
her spare time as well.
“I love to get out and take photos
of the Signature houses and on the
weekends I like to practice. Lately
I’ve been involved in directing photo
shoots of our new houses for ad campaigns.”
Creating a positive environment
at work is important to Mel, she’s the
go-to for organising team building
and celebrating special events.
“We’ve got 30 staff here and as
you can imagine it’s pretty full on
in the office. People here call me the
team mascot because I’m really big
on being in a happy workplace,” she
laughs.
For someone who is working fulltime,
professionally growing in her
role, raising a family and overcoming
major health issues, Mel is humble
about being picked to be Signature
homes remarkable woman.
“I thought I would be the one
organising this and when Keir asked
me to get it sorted, I said – yep, who
do you want to feature, and he said -
you obviously because you’ve been
such a massive, positive impact on
the business. I just thought that was
so awesome.”
0800 082 888 | www.signature.co.nz
Family is at the heart of
Ana-Maria Funeral Services
For Ana-Maria Richardson her role as a funeral
director is all about family.
As a career it requires much
compassion, empathy, support,
planning, and organisation.
Ana-Maria believes it’s the role
of the funeral director to relieve
families of much of the load as possible
when they are at their most
vulnerable.
“Some families like to be
hands-on and that is important too,
as it helps with the grieving process.
Together we can arrange a
meaningful and memorable funeral
Each and every family
becomes like a part of
my family as we support
them through the
journey of farewelling
their much-loved family
member.
service,” she says.
“All families are unique in that
their needs and wishes are different
and it’s so important to take the time
to listen to grieving families. It is
from this sharing that we can create
a fitting tribute for their loved one.”
Ana-Maria has a genuine interest
in the families she cares for as
they come to terms with the loss of
a loved one.
“Each and every family becomes
like a part of my family as we support
them through the journey of
farewelling their much-loved family
member.”
With over 20 years providing
caring and compassionate services
as a funeral director, Ana-Maria is
passionate about supporting families
in their time of need.
“Bereaved families need to feel
they can place their trust in you to
carry out their wishes and know that
their loved one is being taken good
care of in a dignified and respectful
manner,” she says.
When a loved one dies, even
if the death was expected, it is an
emotional time.
Families may feel shocked and
confused, and not know where to
turn or what to do first. The many
practical arrangements may seem
daunting. Ana-Maria takes the pressure
off the grieving family and
assures them that she will take good
care of their loved one, and help
and guide them in planning a fitting
farewell for their loved one.
The move to the funeral industry
in 1999 was a natural transition for
Ana-Maria.
“When I decided to have a
change of career, working in the
funeral industry appealed as my
previous role as a school secretary
involved not only helping and caring
for the children but their families
too. Care and concern for people’s
wellbeing was a treasure that I
inherited from my mum.”
She approached various funeral
homes in the city with her heart set
on proving she was an ideal fit for
the role of funeral director.
“An opportunity arose in one of
the larger funeral homes in Hamilton.
You might say the rest is history,
but I must say that the professional
training I received and the
experience I gained there has been
Ana-Maria Richardson
invaluable,” she says.
With husband Peter in support,
the decision was made to establish
her own funeral home in a Spanish
Mission style house in Grey Street,
Hamilton East in 2019.
With a background in accounting,
marketing and management,
Peter has been heavily involved
in all aspects of the business and
in 2021 he joined her as partner in
Ana-Maria Funeral Services.
206689AB
Phone: 07-211 4654 or 021 881 229
Email: ana@ana-maria.nz
www.ana-maria.nz
Ana-Maria Funeral Services is a Registered Funeral
Home and a member of FDANZ. As a member we must
abide by their standards – commitment to provide a
thoroughly professional and high-quality service.

REMARKABLE WOMEN
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
27
Recruiting remarkable women
At Asset Recruitment, we pride ourselves on positioning excellence,
and matching exceptional candidates with exciting roles. To celebrate
International Women’s Day 2022, we’re celebrating two female leaders
we’ve had the privilege of recruiting for Waikato organisations.
Michelle Dale
Property Manager Team Leader
Glasshouse Property Management
A career takes flight
Moving to the other side of the world at the age
of six had a profound effect on Michelle Dale.
It sowed the seed of what became her lifelong
dream… to work as a flight attendant for Air
New Zealand. However, her drive to travel
young, meant she started her OE at 18 and had
a variety of roles before settling into London’s
finance scene.
“I was working at Accenture in London and
was at the stage where if I was going to progress,
I needed to sit my accountancy papers.
I decided I’d take a break, train as a flight
attendant, and have a year of fun. Instead, I discovered
a whole new career at Air NZ.”
From a flight attendant across all cabins,
to leading the economy team, it was a missed
promotion and feedback that she needed more
business knowledge, that saw Michelle take up
a role on the ground. “I learnt a lot about leadership
and HR working in the office as a PA to
different GM’s in Air New Zealand.”
However, it was when she became Cabin
Crew Manager and had 20 Flight Service Managers
reporting to her, each of whom had 10-14
crew reporting to them, that Michelle found her
real passion. She loved leading leaders.
Recognising transferable skills
Michelle’s time at Air New Zealand was pre-
COVID and pre-motherhood. Today, Michelle
is Property Manager Team Leader for Glasshouse
Property Management, a position she
secured with the help of Waikato’s number one
recruitment company, Asset Recruitment.
On paper, any similarities between air travel
and property management may be few and far
between, but Asset Recruitment could identify
Michelle’s transferable skills, making her an
ideal candidate to put forward.
That, and Asset’s trusted relationship with
Michelle’s future employer, has resulted in
an extremely successful placement, where
Michelle is once again, leading leaders.
Nic Wetere
Chief Executive Officer
Bodco
Curiosity enhances career
Curiosity may have sent Alice in Wonderland
down the rabbit hole, but for Nic Wetere, her
innate curiosity of people and process has
seen her climb the ladder.
A University of Waikato alum, it was
working as a qualified chartered accountant at
Ernst & Young, then on her big OE in London,
where Nic really found herself. “I was
thrown into the deep end at 26, managing a
team of 14. It was an interesting experience
and I learnt very early on the need to establish
a chain of respect with people, particularly
with those older than me. I had a lot that I
could learn from them.”
Career growth and development
A return to Hamilton saw Nic knock on the
door of Asset Recruitment, where the team
immediately saw Nic’s leadership qualities.
Over the past decade, Asset Recruitment have
watched and supported Nic’s career growth
and development within the Waikato, placing
her first at Heathcote Appliances as Finance
Manager, then Canary Enterprises as Accountant,
where she progressed through the ranks
from General Manager to CEO.
“I had to learn from the ground up but that
enabled me to grow and develop. My natural
curiosity meant I learnt and challenged why
we were doing something. When I see an
opportunity or a challenge, I ask, how can we
do this better? How can we be faster, smarter,
different? Mistakes happen. How do we learn
and cope with it?”
Enabling opportunity
Today, Nic is CEO of Bodco, a global supplier
of nutritional and lifestyle milk powder based
products. Nic admits she’s still very much on
a learning curve, but part of her ethos is making
sure she has the right people around her.
“I’ve been very strong bringing women
through into leadership roles. It hasn’t been
a purposeful decision, it’s just happened. I’m
enabling women to see an opportunity and
giving them the confidence that they can do it.
But people have done that to me so I’m passing
it on.”
Furthermore, Nic’s relationship with Asset
Recruitment has also strengthened, with many
of Nic’s appointments being shortlisted and
placed by Asset. No longer just a candidate of
Asset Recruitment, Nic is now also a client,
knowing where to turn when she’s looking to
grow her team.
Asset Recruitment has assisted Nic and
Michelle on their career paths. As Waikato’s
number one recruitment company, Asset
is committed to positioning excellence and
remarkable women.
| 07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz | Level 10, KPMG Centre, 85 Alexandra Street
206626AA
Care adds point of difference at Harkness Henry
Pastoral care and courtroom
powerhouse litigators might
not always seem a natural fit
but as leader of the Harkness Henry
litigation team, Sarah Rawcliffe
believes it’s care that adds a real
point of difference to the work she
does. Fostering a team culture that
creates a happy, engaged team also
supports and delivers more satisfied
clients and better outcomes.
An experienced commercial litigator,
advising clients on a broad
range of commercial disputes, Sarah
joined Harkness Henry in 2008,
quickly rising through the ranks and
her impact was recognised by the
firm in her promotion to partner in
2016.
“While the law is important it’s
also critical to have a sense of care
for the people you’re advising” Rawcliffe
says.
Sarah frequently advises on complex
commercial disputes, property
matters and her ability to understand
financial accounts sees her regularly
instructed by insolvency practitioners
and creditors regarding liquidations,
receiverships and compromises,
dealing with issues relating
to securities, insolvent transactions,
director breaches and recoveries. It’s
a high stakes, high emotion environment
that demands the best.
She also has in-depth experience
helping clients grapple with tough
matters like prosecutions by Worksafe
and the Ministry of Primary
Industries, advising clients during
the investigation phase, negotiations
with prosecutors, dealing with insurers
and appearing in court to defend
charges or for sentencing.
Professional Conduct Committees
conducting investigations
against health practitioners under
the Health Practitioners Competence
Assurance Act 2003 also call on
Sarah to act as legal advisor.
She’s also a cheerleader in the
firm; building strong collegial bonds
and fostering solid client relationships;
having fun is important to
Sarah and that fits well with the culture
of Harkness Henry. “It’s great to
have partners here, like Sarah, that
are top lawyers and top people,” says
Harkness Henry Chief Executive
Simon Wickham.
“It helps break down any stigma
about stuffy hierarchical, ego driven,
old firm thinking that some law firms
became known for. Sarah’s definitely
a powerful woman but a lot of that
power is the mana and respect she’s
earned from clients and our team
through demonstrating strength and
care.”
This became even more evident
during the Covid lockdowns which,
like many Kiwi businesses, forced
www.harknesshenry.co.nz | +64 7 838 2399
the Harkness Henry team to work
from home. Sarah took her pastoral
care role to heart and relished the
opportunity to recreate a sense of
connectedness, albeit online.
“I wanted to make sure that our
team felt really connected to each
other and connected to Harkness
Henry and to our clients.”
This included the usual team
meetings and Thursday drinks, but
Sarah added an element of challenge
and fun to the Zoom catch ups.
“During the lockdowns, we
would have at least two activities
a week. We all took photos of our
fridges and then submitted them to
guess whose fridge it is. We did virtual
escape rooms, quizzes, a scavenger
hunt where we had to run away
and find something in the house and
bring it back.”
In a busy legal firm, Sarah says
staying in touch with your colleagues
plays an important role in keeping
people connected to their work and
their wellbeing.
“We have got amazing people
here, although it can be too easy to
get very busy and focused on the client
work and the outcomes. Making
sure that everyone is personally okay
is really important to all of us on our
leadership team.”
As well as having a real heart for
her colleagues, Sarah also gives back
locally in many ways. She has been
on the True Colours Charitable Trust
board for around 12 years and for
the past seven years she’s been one
of the key figures behind the Melbourne
Cup Day Long Lunch, the
major fundraiser for the trust.
The True Colours’ team provide
wraparound support to Waikato families
who have a child with a serious
Sarah Rawcliffe
health condition or who are grieving
the death of their baby or child. They
receive no funding from the DHB
and only through volunteer effort
like Sarah’s and the generous support
of local businesses and sponsors
do they get what they need to make a
real difference locally.
“I feel very fortunate to be
involved with the trust and helping
them do the very important work
they do.”
Sarah is passionate about her litigation
work, her career and getting
the best possible outcome for her
clients.
“When clients come to see me,
it’s usually not for a positive reason.
I’m not the kind of lawyer that
you come to see when you’re happy
about something,” she says.
“Usually, something has gone
wrong and it’s my job to do the problem
solving in a stressful time for
them, providing clients with practical
solutions, and advising them on
all the options available to them that
they don’t always see initially by
themselves.”
Holding honours degrees in both
law and management, Sarah has a
broad range of experience, developed
across an impressive career
that includes previous work at Phillips
Fox in Auckland, as a senior
solicitor for Islington Borough
Council in London, and as in-house
legal counsel for one of the United
Kingdom’s largest housing developers.
She loves helping others build
their career and assisting the team at
Harkness Henry build better lives for
them and their clients (plus of course
a win in the courtroom!)

28 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
REMARKABLE WOMEN
Legal career
worth the journey
Braun Bond & Lomas Lawyers - Waikato senior associate Erin Anderson’s legal
career path may have had some twists and turns but it was worth the journey.
She’s the first one to admit
that being a mother of three
and working fulltime in law
can be all consuming. It can be
demanding, exhausting and incredibly
rewarding (being a mother and
a lawyer).
“Traditionally, law was a male
dominated profession, and the
tables have quite radically turned,
which is fantastic. In many firms,
it’s a far better environment for
women to be in.”
An experienced litigator with
a broad practice in civil litigation
and employment law, Erin has been
practicing law for 10 years, alongside
raising her children. Something
she says she couldn’t have
done without the support of her
family.
“Nobody can tell you how to
juggle a job like this and I’m sure
there’s other professions that are
equally demanding. There is no
manual for how to balance your
career and have a successful marriage,
family life and get to school
sports and dance recitals or whatever
your commitments might be.
Sometimes it’s a matter of making
it up as you go along and hoping
for the best,” she laughs.
Erin’s journey started with a
Bachelor of Arts in politics and
philosophy, and her legal studies
were a happy accident.
“Jurisprudence forms a big part
of political science and I was interested
in the different perspectives
so I added a law degree as well.
I was fortunate to end up where I
did.’
She joined Braun Bond &
Lomas in 2012 and, after spending
several years at a large Hamilton
firm, she recently returned to the
firm. She believes that BBL, as
Traditionally, law was
a male dominated
profession, and the
tables have turned,
which is fantastic.
a firm of dedicated litigators, has
created a model in which the collective
team has a depth of knowledge,
experience, expertise and
resources.
“You are lucky if you find a
career you enjoy and a great place
to work. I am lucky. I enjoy my
work (most days) and this is a great
place to develop junior lawyers and
watch them flourish.”
Erin sees her role as getting
the best possible outcome for her
clients, whether that is through
Level 1, 127 Alexandra Street,
Hamilton 3204
Phone: 0064 7 839 0900
www.bbllawyers.co.nz
Erin Anderson
traditional litigation, arbitration or
alternative dispute resolution.
She emphasises the importance
of consulting with clients
to develop a strategy to achieve
their goals, then implementing and
adapting that strategy as the file
progresses.
And it’s not like what is depicted
on TV, Erin’s quick to point out, a
lot of the negotiating happens outside
of the courtroom in the lawyer’s
office.
“A lot of our work is dealing
with the parties, meetings between
the parties and correspondence
back and forth trying to resolve
the dispute. Ultimately, a lot of
files resolve at one point or another
without needing judicial intervention.
Everything else just becomes
strategic, it’s about building the
most leverage and pressure for
your client to get the best result.”
“Disputes can be stressful
and deeply emotional for those
involved. The role of the lawyer is
to be an objective advisor, an advocate.
It’s about getting the client
the best result possible in the circumstances,
and that’s a win.”
Erin is enjoying the collaborative
work approach at BBL and
the focus on work/life balance and
wellness. These things are becoming
increasingly important in the
legal industry and across many
professions.
A love affair
with real estate
After a career in teaching, Julie Hanna fell in love
with real estate the moment she completed her
very first sale in Raglan 22 years ago.
The house in Whale Bay, by
today’s standards, would be a
bargain but it was a top sale
back then, delivering the vendor
$395,000.
“The first weekend I was on I
sold the house in Whale Bay. At that
stage, it was the highest sale in Raglan,”
she laughs.
From that moment forward
Julie’s trajectory in real estate has
gone from strength to strength and
she has been in the top 20 percent
of Ray White performers for several
years.
When she started helping out her
real estate husband Dave parttime,
Julie quickly realised it’s the sort of
job you need to commit to fully.
“You can’t do real estate parttime.
It’s either one thing or the other. So, I
handed in my notice.”
Not that she didn’t enjoy teaching,
she spent a lot of her career teaching
at Huntly Primary and College and
also travelled around the Waikato as
a special education advisor.
“I loved my 26 years teaching but
I certainly love real estate more than
I loved teaching.”
What brings Julie her biggest joy
is matching people with houses, and
making sure they are really happy
afterwards.
She often works with people over
a number of years, as they move
from house to house, until she finally
finds the perfect place for them.
“For me, it’s not so much about
a quick sale. It’s about matching the
right property for the right person.
Some people can look for years and
it’s not the right one, and then all of
a sudden, I know I’ve got the one for
them.”
Community is important to Julie;
she’s the local Justice of the Peace
and she supports a good many fund
raisers.
As Raglan’s only female real
estate auctioneer, she has had a lot
of fun over the years doing charity
auctions; from breast cancer to Ronald
McDonald House to the local
schools and arts centre auction, Julie
loves to use her skills to raise money
for a good cause.
“I love auctioneering, even as a
little kid I loved the call of the auctioneer.
A charity auction is less formal
so I always have a lot of fun at
a charity auction. I’ll always say yes
to a charity auction no matter what.”
Always one to do her bit for the
community, Julie and husband Dave
have recently joined the Raglan
Community Patrol. A countrywide
initiative in partnership with the
police, community patrol’s goal is to
reduce crime and harm through the
active presence of trained patrollers.
“We think the patrol is a great
way of giving back to the community.
Once we’ve completed our
Julie Hanna
training, we will be rostered on to
go out in the patrol car and patrol the
streets for three hours”
Like many businesses during
the Covid lockdowns, a real estate
agents’ ability to fully do their job
was limited.
Although Julie was busy finalising
deals she had started prior to
the lockdown, without open homes
to attend she used the free time to
deliver groceries to vulnerable people
in the community.
“I was doing that sometimes six
hours a day. I really enjoyed it, especially
getting out to our seniors who
were pretty frightened in that first
lockdown.”
During this time, she also
gained her credentials to run
Zoom auctions.
“I went in screaming and not
wanting to do it but I was encouraged
to by head office and I ended up
really enjoying the Zoom auctions.
They went really well and they all
sold under the hammer.”
Julie says Covid hasn’t dampened
the appetite for real estate in Raglan
with lots of people realising they can
find the work/life balance without
having to live in a big city.
“Like me, people and businesses
have realised that work can be done
at home. I was doing Zoom auctions
with a nice jacket and my trackies
on,” she laughs.
“People are just loving the lifestyle
at the beach and Raglan does
offer all of that, and it’s not too far
to travel to Hamilton and Auckland
if need be.”
Ray White Raglan
Julie Hanna
Licensee Agent
and Auctioneer
0274 418 964
julie.hanna@
raywhite.com
@RayWhiteRaglanRealEstate

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
29

30 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
What’s driving exceptional M&A outcomes?
Over the past year, the New Zealand market
has experienced a surge in the volume of
deal activity as well as a significant increase
in the valuations achieved.
While valuation multiples
fluctuate, and
depend on a wide
range of factors, such as the
sector and current macro
backdrop, we have observed
some common attributes
across businesses achieving
high valuation outcomes. In
this article we describe the
wider macro environment and
summarise some of the business
characteristics.
What’s happening in the
macro environment?
Multiple factors are at play
in the buoyant New Zealand
market. Global markets, particularly
private equity (PE)
firms, have ample cash as a
result of low interest rate environments,
monetary policy
stimulus and growing superannuation
funds.
COVID-19-related lockdowns
have increased global
connectivity and made New
Zealand more accessible to
foreign buyers (particularly
American and European).
Previously, this country was
viewed as somewhere where
investments were hard to
manage given the distance
involved. However, we have
now completed numerous
deals without the buyer physically
visiting New Zealand.
The pandemic has also
highlighted the value of businesses
operating in countries
with strong fundamentals,
such as political and regulatory
certainty. Throughout the
pandemic, New Zealand has
been seen as a ‘safe haven’,
driving inbound investments.
Some sectors are particularly
popular right now.
These include, technology and
renewable energy, especially
those with an ESG focus and
healthcare. This is driven
by an aging population and
global focus on the importance
of healthcare.
Successful acquisitions
have created a ‘snowball
effect’ by providing confidence
to other business owners
seeking solid returns and
significant capital gains on the
sales of their businesses. With
many high valuation sales in
the market, owners are looking
for their ‘slice of the pie’.
What attributes are driving
exceptional outcomes?
The following attributes are
common across businesses
achieving high valuation outcomes:
Clearly outlined growth
opportunities. Many New
Zealand businesses have
not yet capitalised on rapid
geographic expansion, leaving
this as a tangible growth
opportunity area. There is a
strong correlation between a
company’s growth prospects
and the multiples achieved.
Having a clear growth strategy
with evidence of execution
ability are critical to investor
interest and valuation.
Ability to sell into large
markets. Traditionally, Australasian
businesses have
tended to trade at a discount
to international peers, primarily
as a result of having a perceived
smaller total addressable
market. Businesses that
have either entered, or are
able to easily scale into larger
offshore markets (e.g. SaaS
businesses) have attracted
significantly higher valuation
multiples. Natural Pet Food
Group (NPFG) and Ziwi are
good examples of this. Both
entered and demonstrated
strong growth in the large
North American and China
markets.
Premiumisation. Ultra-premium
products are increasingly
in demand from consumers
and the companies
that produce them are equally
sought after, with particular
focus on acquiring existing
high profile brands. Examples
include Ziwi, Allpress or My
Food Bag.
First-rate management
teams. Management teams
that are able to clearly articulate
the unique selling point
(USP) and vision of the business,
and then execute upon
the strategy.
Disruptive products or services.
A company’s ability to
disrupt a traditional industry
or model commands a premium
multiple. For example,
Education Perfect is disrupting
the traditional delivery
model through being online.
Both NPFG and Ziwi are
disrupting the traditional kibble-based
pet food industry.
First mover advantage and
defensible positions. Companies
with products or services
that were first to market
or with a market position that
is largely unchallenged. My
Food Bag had a clear first
mover advantage in New Zealand
through being the first
provider to launch nationwide
and becoming a name synonymous
with meal kits.
TAXATION AND THE LAW
> BY RUTH DEACON
Ruth Deacon is a PwC manager based in the Waikato office.
Positive tailwinds in the
sector. Businesses operating
in sectors driving or benefiting
from change, particularly
where this has been expedited
by COVID-19 and accelerating
a transition that would
have otherwise occurred over
many years. For example,
Education Perfect and Mighty
Ape with the shift in consumer
behaviour to online, and Ziwi
and NPFG with the increasing
humanisation of pets.
Resilience to COVID-19.
Some sectors have demonstrated
incredible resilience,
or even taken advantage of
COVID-19 adversities. Companies
with capability to
respond swiftly to the intricacies
of the pandemic with
innovative solutions have seen
the best results. For example,
the technology sector as a
whole, with notable spotlight
on e-commerce companies
and ‘work-from-home’ capability
providers. Ninja Kiwi
and Education Perfect both
fared well during the pandemic.
ESG aligned. Environmental,
social and governance (ESG)
considerations are increasingly
moving from the periphery
of the investment decision
framework to a more central
role. Investors are seeking
companies they feel comfortable
investing in long-term,
and align with public interest.
Move to digital. Software as
a Service (SaaS) and other
digitally enabled businesses
have attracted premium valuation
multiples. This reflects
unique IP and large global
market opportunities with the
ability to scale quickly via a
digital business model. Recent
examples include Timely,
EzyVet, Ninja Kiwi and Education
Perfect. We are also
seeing more investors using
the ‘Rule of 40’ as a screening
tool to measure the balance of
growth and profitability. This
rule states that a company’s
combined revenue growth rate
and EBITDA margin should
exceed 40%.
While valuation is a function
of numerous converging
factors, and can result in large
variances, currently multiples
are experiencing extreme
highs - ones that some would
consider ‘all time highs’. If
investors are mulling a potential
sale in the near future,
there is no better time to integrate
the attributes into the
business than now.
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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
31
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32 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
HR MANAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT
Preventing burnout in your business
It’s everywhere, isn’t it? Exhaustion, malaise, apathy, low energy
and burnout. Yes, even after a great summer and in some cases,
a long holiday, ongoing pressures in the work environment and
our Covid ridden communities are likely to be causing significant
damage to your team’s morale and performance. Assuming your
team has role clarity, is adequately supported, resourced and
trained, here are some tips on how you can prevent and reduce
instances of burnout in your team.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
> BY SENGA ALLEN
Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM
www.everestpeople.co.nz
Self-reflection: Encourage
your team to cultivate an ability
to self-reflect on their own
wellbeing, their overall health,
and watching for warning signs.
Help think in positive ways by
posing questions like: how
much exercise am I getting, am
I eating a balanced diet, what
are my sleep patterns like, do I
ask for help?
Taking leave: Monitor your
team’s annual leave balance
and make sure they are taking
their full leave complement
each year. While some staff like
to stockpile leave so they can
take extended trips overseas,
make sure this is not impacting
on their wellbeing before you
approve. For those employees
who need more than just
encouragement to take leave,
many employment agreements
have provision to enforce taking
annual leave.
Working smarter - not
harder: If your team is struggling
with a high workload,
support and encourage them
in identifying ways to increase
their efficiency and achieve
a better output to effort ratio.
Better prioritisation, workflow
management and a continuous
improvement culture will also
support your staff to better
manage their workload.
Getting off the grid: The rising
use of smartphones and laptops
in the work environment makes
it difficult for staff to “unplug”
after hours, on weekends and
when on leave. Highly engaged
staff may feel obligated to follow
up these after-hours communications
as they come in.
This constant connection to
work is being increasingly
blamed for causing anxiety and
burnout. As a manager, you
need to lead by example. Give
your team some clear guidelines
about what is expected,
strategies about prioritising and
giving them the message that it
is okay to “switch off” until the
next working day. If you are one
of the culprits of sending after
hours emails, not only should
you reflect on your own potential
burnout, but you should get
into the habit of saving outgoing
emails to draft and sending
these the next working day.
Socialising and having fun:
Getting your team together in a
social environment helps build
relationships, boosts morale
and breaks down barriers. This
may be as simple as getting
people to take their breaks away
from their desk. Other ideas for
socialising include corporate
sports teams, organising social
gatherings and running corporate
team building events such
as go-kart racing and laser tag.
Furthermore, make sure your
work environment is fun, that
people enjoy their time at work,
laugh and feel part of a team.
Making everyone responsible:
Finally, educate your
team about burnout and how to
develop greater resilience and
coping skills. Create discussions
about burnout and have
a process for staff to follow
should they recognise symptoms
of burnout in either themselves
or another member of the
team.
If you are worried about any
of your team members, listen
to their concerns, validate their
emotions, and offer support.
These actions can immediately
help lighten the load.

HR MANAGEMENT AND RECRUITMENT
Changes and challenges
facing Waikato’s
recruitment market
COVID-19 may have brought most things
to a standstill; most that is but for the
recruitment industry. Asset Recruitment’s
Executive Recruitment and Business
Development Manager, Judy Davison,
looks at the changes and challenges of
recruitment in 2022.
Since the COVID-19
pandemic began, our
industry has experienced
a level of previously unimaginable
demand. Closed borders
and restricted immigration,
alongside the growth of sectors
such as technology, construction,
marketing and those
deemed essential, have seen
the recruitment industry play a
pivotal role in our economy’s
growth.
Recruitment demands in
Waikato reflect the region’s
growing reputation as a preferred
destination for both
business and lifestyle. There’s
a marked increase in the number
of temporary positions
becoming permanent amongst
our commercial and industrial
clients. We’re recruiting for
roles that have been newly
created due to COVID-19
demands – healthcare and
social assistance, education
and training, finance and
insurance, communications
and marketing.
Things are different from
what they were two years ago.
The way we recruit is more
fast-paced and proactive.
We’re also supporting our clients
to adapt to the constantly
changing recruitment landscape.
That will continue in
the months ahead as we navigate
the borders reopening,
Kiwis returning to New Zealand
and a new wave of immigrants
looking to make New
Zealand home.
So, what are the changes
and challenges we can expect
to face in 2022?
The changes
• Kiwis returning: we’re
expecting an influx of Kiwis
to return permanently to
New Zealand. Waikato will
be a viable proposition for
many of these candidates
who would previously have
settled in Auckland.
• Immigration increasing:
another welcome change
for the recruitment industry
is the expected increase in
those emigrating to New
Zealand. The majority of
immigrants take up roles
in industries which are desperately
in need of staff.
• Increased costs: with interest
rates and living costs
on the rise, we expect
candidates, particularly
those returning from overseas,
to have high salary
expectations.
The challenges
• Retaining top talent: We’re
encouraging clients to
review their staff packages
and ensure the environment
they’re providing team
members is fair and meets
expectations.
• Competition: There’s competition
for good candidates
and although the pool
is likely to increase with
borders reopening, candidates
seeking work are
savvy and know what they
want.
• Candidate requirements:
Data shows more than
half of New Zealanders
are thinking of resigning
in their current role. This
poses challenges for both
recruiters and employers to
find and retain talent.
Responding to change
As we all know, change has
been the only constant these
past two years, but it can be
managed with a well-documented
recruitment strategy.
The new year is always a great
time to review your organisation’s
recruitment processes
and policies, and to partner
with experienced recruiters.
How to find outstanding
employees in 2022
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
Positioning Excellence
Locally owned and operated, Asset Recruitment
has been established for more than 30 years.
We’re specialists in temporary, permanent,
executive and industrial recruitment.
If you’re looking to hire or would like to discuss career opportunities,
do get in touch with our team. We position excellence in roles across
different industries and sectors, working with both candidates
and clients to secure the right fit for temporary, permanent and
contract positions.
Recruit with Excellence. Recruit with Asset.
Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial
07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz
33
Maria McCarthy - Senior Recruitment
Consultant and Brigitta Warren - Director.
New Zealand’s workforce is at its most static point in over 30
years. Understandably, many people have opted to stay put as
we navigate through choppy covid waters.
While we still face
pandemic disruption
in the short term, stability
beckons on the horizon.
Sensing that, many kiwis hope
to change jobs in 2022, with
some tempted abroad. Meanwhile,
as border rules relax for
kiwis overseas, followed by
other nationalities later in the
year, local businesses will look
to attract new workers.
At RecruitNet, we’re confident
the local manufacturing
and engineering job market
will remain buoyant in 2022.
Over the last two years, the
industry hasn’t slowed down –
it sped up. Primary industries
like timber, agriculture and
dairy also expanded, creating
exciting new jobs for those
willing to explore new opportunities.
We believe the push from
consumers to support local and
buy local was partly behind the
growth and that this behaviour
is here to stay.
People want to support kiwi
companies more than ever. We
want to work for them, and we
want to buy from them. We
want to feed our families with
food from local suppliers. This
mindset won’t change as the
borders open and the strains on
global supply chains ease.
If you’re looking to expand
your manufacturing team and
bring in outstanding talent in
2022, RecruitNet can make it
easy for you. We understand
the industry, and we know the
local job market.
Trust us to do the heavy
lifting so that you can stay
focused on your business
priorities.
Contact the team today to discuss
your recruitment needs.
Email: info@recruitnet.co.nz
Call: 021 466 732

34 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
The Borders are Opening
– so what can employers
expect now?
Very soon after our article last month
highlighting the need to open New
Zealand’s border - the Government
announced its five-step plan to do exactly that!
So what will this look like, and what does it
mean for employers desperately short of the
skills they need for their businesses now?
Step 1 — From 28 February 2022 - New
Zealand citizens and residents from Australia,
and other eligible travellers under the current
border settings
Step 2 — From 14 March 2022 - All New
Zealand citizens and residents, other eligible
travellers under current border settings, working
holiday visa holders and, most importantly
- skilled workers earning at least 1½ x the
median wage can be approved a border exception
(ie; paid at $40.50ph or higher)
Step 3 — From 13 April 2022 - Current
temporary work and student visa holders
with a valid visa and who have been caught
offshore, and who can still meet their visa
requirements.
Step 4 — July 2022 - All travellers coming
from Australia (irrespective of citizenship),
visitors from visa-waiver countries, and visitors
from other countries who hold a valid
visitor visa – and work visa holders approved
under the Accredited Employer Work Visa
regime which begins 4 July. This accreditation
regime will effectively replace the current critical
purpose entry for skilled workers.
Step 5 — October 2022 - All visa categories
will reopen and back to “normal?”
The immediate take-outs from the above
are that working holiday visa holders, who
have traditionally been a significant source of
casual and seasonal workers will start returning
from March, and in time for the kiwifruit
harvest. And, importantly, employers will be
able to begin bringing in those higher skilled
workers from 13 March, and solely on the
basis that these workers are being paid at 1½
x the median wage. The same border excep-
Level 2
586 Victoria Street
Hamilton 3204
Level 3
50 Manners Street
Wellington 6011
07 834 9222
enquiries@pathwaysnz.com
pathwaysnz.com
Richard Howard
tion request process is to be followed but,
rather than an employer having to make a case
that the worker is required for a time-critical
role of national economic importance, or has
unique skills, all the employer will need to do
is evidence the required pay rate. In December
the Government announced a border exception
for up to 780 IT workers and auditors and
set remuneration thresholds for the various
specified roles. This announcement, and the
work which finally culminated in the policy
detail being released on 11 February, is now
all largely redundant and will be superseded
by the 13 March changes.
The border opening is, however, a double-edged
sword as it also opens up the very
real likelihood that the scarce skills employers
have been desperately holding onto over
these last two years will be even harder to hold
onto in the future. These skills have been heldback
in New Zealand due to Covid-imposed
considerations, and overseas opportunities are
now beckoning. A recent news article quoting
30% higher wages for “tradies” in Australia is
an indication of the challenges New Zealand
employers are going to increasingly face as
border barriers reduce. In addition, enticing
highly skilled workers to New Zealand in the
absence of any long-term residence pathway
is another challenge
The good news is that the border is opening
and skilled workers can soon enter New
Zealand…and lets all hope they do!
Gallagher empowers
customers to easily
manage vaccine
mandates
Leading security manufacturer Gallagher
is helping customers keep pace with the
ever-changing COVID-19 requirements in
New Zealand.
The launch of their My
Vaccine Pass enhancement
will enable customers
to link a user’s My
Vaccine Pass status and expiry
to their access credential with
helpful workflow notifications
to users and their managers.
“Since its release in
November, the My Vaccine
Pass has become an integral
part of daily life, just like carrying
a driver’s licence, scanning
in at the supermarket, and
wearing a mask,” Gallagher’s
regional sales manager for
New Zealand and the Pacific
Islands Brad Small says.
“So, it’s no surprise that
we’ve had more than 50 prominent
businesses enquire about
a My Vaccine Pass enhancement
with our Command Centre
Mobile in recent months.
“With many businesses now
mandating that all employees
and/or visitors are vaccinated
before allowing entry on site,
customers asked us for an easy
way to streamline vaccination
status with their access control
system.”
While many customers
were already using Gallagher’s
Competencies to ensure only
fully vaccinated people are
granted access to a site, Gallagher
explored other solutions
to authenticate this process and
help customers streamline vaccine
pass management.
Operationally, customers
scan the New Zealand Government
issued My Vaccine Pass
QR code into the Gallagher
Command Centre Mobile App
using the camera on the mobile
device.
Through being
agile in response
to the needs of our
customers, we’ve
come up with a
straightforward way
that businesses can
ensure they remain
compliant with
vaccine mandates
and health and safety
precautions to keep
their staff and site
safe
Gallagher’s Command
Centre software will validate
the pass and add the expiry
date as a competency for that
user’s profile.
Access will be granted until
the My Vaccine Pass expires,
at which point access to configured
areas can be removed.
Leading up to the removal
of the user’s access, Gallagher
can send SMS and email notifications
to the individual and
their manager to remind the
user to get their booster vaccine
before it impacts their
ability to work.
“Through being agile in
response to the needs of our
customers, we’ve come up
with a straightforward way
that businesses can ensure
they remain compliant with
vaccine mandates and health
and safety precautions to keep
their staff and site safe,” Small
says.
General manager of Gallagher
Certified Channel Partner,
Watchu Security, Justin
Fisher says this enhancement
will add value to customer.
“Like all products coming
from Gallagher you know it
will work, as the R&D is solid.
With something as important
as the security of health during
the COVID-19 pandemic, the
new Gallagher My Vaccine
Pass enhancement will be a
great asset and relief to our clients,
along with ourselves, as
we merge this new control into
our everyday lives.”
Gallagher’s My Vaccine
Pass enhancement is just one
example of how Gallagher
is committed to meeting the
evolving needs of customers
and working together to ensure
customers are positioned to
move securely into the future.
With the Proximity and
Contact Tracing Report being
another example – Gallagher
customers can use the report to
help identify cardholders who
have shared an area simultaneously
with a cardholder
who has tested positive for
COVID-19.
“We know that the safety of
people is now at the forefront
of business considerations
more than ever before, so
we’re continually innovating
to help our customers navigate
these uncertain times through
maximising their Gallagher
security solution,” Small says.
For more information on
how businesses can protect
their world during the COVID-
19 pandemic visit security.gallagher.com/COVID-19.

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS February/March 2022
35
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All LINK NZ offices are licensed REAA08

“Fosters successfully delivered this
project in extraordinary conditions.”
Emily Zhang, Developer
A successful design-build for internationally
listed company TOMRA has left Developer
Emily Zhang eager to work with Fosters again
in the future.
The 35-week project was delivered on time
and on budget (in fact two days earlier than
the completion date at Tender), the team
pulling out all the stops to keep the project on
track through two lockdowns.
The result is a 1,700 metre sq office and
3,400 metre sq warehouse facility, including a
research centre for the berry picking machine
manufacturer.
“Procuring supplies from Auckland was
a major challenge, lockdown creating a
breakdown in the supply chain” says Emily. “It
was a miracle we got everything done on time.
Fosters successfully delivered this project in
extraordinary conditions.
“I attribute this success to their capability
to make things happen. There was great
communication between Fosters, the civil
construction team and the subcontractors.
“Fosters flexibility, cost-saving initiatives
and efficiency through the project all greatly
contributed to the successful outcome.”
Emily chose Fosters based on their solid
market reputation, adding that she was
“also impressed by their contribution to the
community.”
She’s very pleased with the results and says
she’d choose them again.
“Based on this experience, I have pretty good
faith in Fosters. I appreciate that they delivered
what they promised. In the current conditions,
this was significant.”
FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

ate ability to listen, Ru
sold by real experts.
dors. Repeat busines
88 Braid Road
NOTHING COMPARES
- LUXURY, STYLE &
VIEWS
Russell and Angela Thomas are redefining how premium
real estate service is done.
Recognised as some of the Waikato’s best-awarded real estate professionals, they
are excited to join New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty to bring a globally
recognised brand and international reach to their clients.
With top-notch negotiation expertise and an innate ability to listen, Russell and
Angela deliver the very best results for their vendors. Repeat business is tangible
evidence of their success.
Inspired by river and golf course views, this luxury St Andrews home
caters to the most fastidious buyers and consummate entertainers. An
architectural jewel, it has opulent amenities at your beck and call. It’s
easy to imagine living here and soaking up the magnificent lifestyle. The
property’s resort-like vibe is accentuated through outdoor features such
as a spa pool, beautiful decking and glass veranda, alfresco niches, a
built-in outdoor kitchen, and a putting green. A grand entrance provides
an impressive introduction to the home’s high-stud designer interior fully
automated with Control 4 technology. Drapes, lighting, heating, and
security are all at fingertip control.
Living and entertaining options abound, and numerous appointments
ensure year-round comfort. Opulent living requires a magnificent kitchen,
and this home doesn’t disappoint thanks to imported Brazilian marble,
black custom cabinetry, an abundance of Miele appliances, and a butler’s
pantry. Open plan living, highlighted by a living flame gas fire set in a
stunning natural stone feature wall and a picture frame television, create a
perfect space to relax or enjoy good conversation with friends. Guests are
accommodated in a five-star wing and two further spacious bedrooms are
served by a sleek, stylish bathroom. The piece-de-resistance, panoramic,
self-contained penthouse suite deserves a big round of applause. It treats
occupants to an office, gym, kitchenette, a glass veranda framing the vista,
and a grandmaster bedroom with a full en-suite bathroom and bespoke
Angela today.
dressing room.
For an elevated real estate
experience, call Russell and
Nothing is left to chance in this home, including the large deep garage
currently housing vehicles, a full-size pool table, Russell and fixed Thomas
steel cabinetry.
The prized location, close to the CBD, connects to river walks and
cycleways, golf course and cafes.
M. +64 20 4004 0360
russell.thomas@nzsir.com
www.88braidroad.com
Angela Thomas
M. +64 20 4004 0368
angela.thomas@nzsir.com
Office opening soon at
65 Devine Road,
Tamahere Village,
Hamilton
+64 7 464 0184
nzsothebysrealty.com
NOW OPEN IN WAIKATO

Real estate sold
by real experts.
Russell and Angela Thomas are redefining how the best real estate is done. They are excited to have joined
New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty and offer Waikato a premium alternative that is locally based, with
enormous national and global reach.
Angela and Russell blend top-notch negotiation expertise and the ability to truly listen, resulting in the very best
results for their vendors. Repeat business is tangible evidence of their genuine affinity with people.
If you would like to preview new listings Russell and Angela are bringing to the market in the coming
weeks, please contact them today.
Russell Thomas
M. +64 20 4004 0360
russell.thomas@nzsir.com
Angela Thomas
M. +64 20 4004 0368
angela.thomas@nzsir.com
nzsothebysrealty.com
Each office is independently owned and operated. NZSIR Waikato Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.