2018-19 Year Book

Bay of plenty 

YEAR 

BOOK 

CELEBRATING BAY BUSINESS | 2018-19

THE BAY 

OF PLENTY 

A great place to 

work and live 

FROM THE EDITOR 

DAVID PORTER 

WELCOME 

TO THE 

INAUGURAL 

EDITION 

of the Bay 

of Plenty 

Business 

News Yearbook. We felt there was 

a need for a quality publication that 

celebrated the range and quality of the 

many businesses and benefits of the 

Bay and have been delighted by the 

support we have received by so many 

enterprises in the Bay region. 

Please note that we decided not to 

attempt to divide the issue into various 

sections, but rather to allow readers to 

dip in and experience the huge variety 

of businesses across the Bay. The contents 

section provides full details of the 

companies and organisations we have 

covered. 

I relocated to Tauranga from Hong Kong 

almost a decade ago after some years 

working abroad in Asia and Europe. I 

knew I was moving into unfamiliar terrain. 

To the best of my recollection, I’d never 

spent more than a day in the city many 

years previously, and recalled only that it 

seemed full of orchards and was seen as 

something of a retirement centre. 

A fifth generation Kiwi, I’d spent most 

of my career abroad, and chose the Bay 

for the simple reasons that the weather 

seemed benign, it was conveniently 

close to the major metros but promised 

a more relaxing experience than living 

in a high rise Asian city. Judging by the 

stats, the Bay seemed to be commencing 

a growth curve. And of course it 

was near the sea with great access to 

beaches and boating. 

It was only when I began writing about 

local companies that I came to appreciate 

the vast range of fascinating business 

activity across the region. 

As Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless 

notes in his opening article, Tauranga 

has held a spot at the top of the 

population growth table for decades 

and has now become the country’s 

fastest-growing regional economy. The 

city’s population is set to reach 198,335 

by 2063 – 73,181 more than today. 

“Our city provides great living opportunities 

for young and old,” says Brownless. 

The Port of Tauranga, featured in the 

Yearbook, is the country’s largest and 

most efficient port, handling about five 

times the export volumes of Auckland. 

This contributes to the Bay of Plenty’s 

high levels of employment growth. 

Nigel Tutt, Chief Executive of Western 

Bay economic development agency Priority 

One, notes that the strong growth 

in the region has been occurring across 

all sectors. 

“We believe that this cross-sector 

growth is driven by our being a popular 

destination and the maturing of the 

business community here,” says Tutt. He 

adds that Priority One business members 

are continuing to indicate confidence 

about the future, both for their 

own business prospects and the region. 

“It’s clear that people in the business 

community love to be based here, enjoying 

the mix of business and lifestyle 

and opportunities to collaborate.” 

And it’s not just the Western Bay. Rotorua 

Mayor Steve Chadwick points out 

that the Rotorua District is undergoing a 

transformation, investing in infrastructure 

to support growth, and reviving and developing 

key facilities of importance. 

“Central government and its agencies 

are also investing in Rotorua – in key 

roading projects, our lakefront development 

and further development of our 

forest,” says Chadwick. 

“During recent years, Rotorua’s revitalization 

has included the emergence 

of new businesses, reinvestment by 

existing businesses, and a local economy 

performing consistently above the 

national average for GDP growth.” 

What perhaps most defines the Bay of 

Plenty is the willingness on the part of 

both business and the bureaucracy to 

come together and collaborate across 

the region to foster business, export, 

education and other opportunities. 

Bay of Plenty Business News is proud 

to provide a snapshot of the region’s 

development and enterprise in our 

inaugural Yearbook 2018-19. 

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS: YEARBOOK 2018-19 | 3

Contents 

6 Greg Brownless, Mayor Tauranga 

City Council: Partnering to sustain 

growth 

8 Craigs Investment partners: One 

of NZ’s largest advisory firms 

committed to the Bay of Plenty 

11 Trustpower: Successfully bundling 

energy and telco services 

12 Port of Tauranga: New Zealand’s 

busiest port 

14 Zespri predicts continued strong 

growth for kiwifruit sector 

16 Comvita: Paengaroa’s sweet 

success 

18 Oliver Road: Focused on luxury 

and lifestyle 

20 Ingham Mora: Experienced, agile 

and focused 

22 Our Place Tauranga 

24 Vessel Works: New marine precinct 

sees strong growth 

26 2degrees: Connecting Bay 

businesses with their customers 

28 Nigel Tutt, Chief Executive, Priority 

One: The secret of the Western 

Bay’s success 

30 Bayleys: Family values underpin the 

Bay’s largest full-service real estate 

agency 

32 James & Wells: Championing 

innovation in the Bay 

33 Enterprise Angels: Drawing on 

members expertise to drive earlystage 

investment success 

34 WNT Ventures: Incubating 

nationwide tech startups from the 

Bay 

35 Hobson Wealth: Unique focus on 

private wealth 

STEVE CHADWICK, 

Mayor of Rotorua 

36 Swipedon’s smart tech finds a 

global market 

37 Tabak’s focused approach to 

selling a business 

38 Kristin Dunne, Chief Executive, 

Tourism Bay of Plenty: Destination 

management strategy transforming 

bay tourism 

40 Cucumber is all grown up 

42 EC Credit Control: Proactive 

debt prevention pays off for Bay 

businesses 

43 Link Business Brokers specialise in 

selling businesses 

44 Forsyth Barr: It’s all about trust 

45 Stratus Blue: Humanising 

technology for SME’s 

KRISTIN DUNNE, 

Chief Executive, Tourism Bay of Plenty 

4 | BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS: YEARBOOK 2018-19

Publisher 

Alan Neben 

021 733 536 

alan@nmmedia.co.nz 

Editor 

David Porter 

021 884 858 

david@nmmedia.co.nz 

For advertising inquiries 

please contact: 

BY NIGEL TUTT, 

Chief Executive, Priority One 

Business Director 

Pete Wales 

022 495 9248 

pete@nmmedia.co.nz 

46 Strategic Pay: Not a payroll 

company 

48 Kale Print: Success through 

evolution 

49 Radius Althorp: Our home is your 

home 

50 PMG’s Property philosophy 

52 Crombie Lockwood: Risk 

management for small and large 

Kiwi companies against cybercrime 

53 Kinetic grows its team in the Bay 

54 Farmer Autovillage: Bringing 

automotive excellence to the Bay 

56 Steve Chadwick, Mayor of Rotorua: 

Lifting Rotorua to the next level 

58 Kilwell has helped everyone from 

fishermen to Jedi knights 

60 Michelle Templer, Chief Executive, 

Rotorua Economic Development: 

More growth ahead for Rotorua 

62 Cheal: Leaders in sustainable 

development 

64 The Shine Collective ‘gets’ the 

regional business story 

65 Deloitte: Making an impact in the 

Bay of Plenty 

66 Chambers of Commerce: Working 

for Bay of Plenty business 

Design 

Tammy Johnson/ 

Tania Hogg/Kelly Milne 

bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Neben Morris Media 

12 Mill Street, Hamilton 

PO Box 1425, Hamilton, 3240 

(07) 838 1333 

info@nmmedia.co.nz 

www.nmmedia.co.nz 


PARTNERING 

TO SUSTAIN 

GROWTH 

BY GREG BROWNLESS, 

MAYOR, TAURANGA CITY COUNCIL 

TAURANGA HAS 

HELD A SPOT at the 

top of the population 

growth table for 

decades and has 

become the country’s 

fastest-growing 

regional economy. 

People are coming to Tauranga from 

around the country seeking jobs, homes 

and investment opportunities in this 

stunning coastal setting. Our population 

is set to reach 198,335 by 2063 – 73,181 

more than today. 

Tauranga has a location that is hard to 

beat, perfectly positioned as it is in the 

golden triangle of economic prosperity 

(Auckland/Tauranga/Hamilton). 

The golden triangle accounts for more 

than 50 percent of our national GDP, 

and sees more than 40 percent of 

New Zealand’s freight movements. 

Driving this is the Port of Tauranga, the 

country’s largest and most efficient 

port, which handles about five times 

the export volumes of Auckland. This 

contributes to the Bay of Plenty’s high 

levels of employment growth. 

This bodes well for the future of Tauranga. 

Our city provides great living opportunities 

for young and old. I believe 

however that we need to tackle housing 

affordability, transport issues and urban 

intensification for Tauranga to continue 

to be a great place to live and work. 

Future-proofing core infrastructure 

To provide for growth, the council 

is opening land in both the east and 

west of the city, providing existing 

growth areas with future-proofed 

core infrastructure, timing investment 

and delivery of infrastructure with 


the needs of the market and the city, 

thinking ahead about our urban form 

and how the city should grow and 

evolve. There is ongoing investment 

in the CBD, with major projects to reinvigorate 

the city centre and provide 

more community amenities. 

Building a successful city is a complex 

and challenging business. To help 

with this challenge we work in partnership 

with organisations like Priority 

“Our city provides great living 

opportunities for young and old. 

I believe however that we need 

to tackle housing affordability, 

transport issues and urban 

intensification for Tauranga to 

continue to be a great place to live 

and work.” 

One and The Chamber of Commerce. 

Priority One was established in 2001 by the 

Tauranga and Western Bay Of Plenty business 

community in partnership with local 

authorities. This is a unique set-up within 

New Zealand. It was the first economic 

development organisation to be initiated 

by a business community and funded by 

council. The Tauranga Chamber ensures 

that the views of over 800 businesses are 

heard and included in our future plans. 

And they actively engage council on the 

topics of interests for their members. 

We need our partners to help us address 

our growth challenges, like urban 

intensification, housing and transport. 

To tell us what they want the future of 

their communities to look like and to be 

on board with and even lead defining 

the solutions. The projects we deliver 

together will change the business landscape 

and urban fabric in which we all 

work and live. 


CRAIGS 

INVESTMENT PARTNERS 

One of NZ’s largest investment advisory firms, 

committed to the Bay of Plenty. 


TAURANGA-HEAD- 

QUARTERED CRAIGS 

INVESTMENT 

PARTNERS, 

is celebrating its 35th 

anniversary. Since the 

firm was founded by 

Neil Craig in Whakatane in 1984, it has 

grown into one of New Zealand’s largest 

investment advisory and investment 

banking firms, providing services to 

individuals, trusts and companies as well 

as advising on some of New Zealand’s 

largest corporate transactions. 

‹‹ 

LEFT: NEIL CRAIG 

AND FRANK ALDRIDGE: 

CRAIGS HAS A GENUINE 

COMMITMENT TO 

CLIENT SERVICE, 

SUPERIOR ADVICE AND 

A LOYAL CULTURE. 

PHOTOS/DEAN PRESTON. 

Craigs has a nationwide network of 

branches from Kerikeri to Invercargill, 

and in early 2019 opened their 18th 

branch - Havelock North in the Hawkes 

Bay. Craigs currently has around 480 

employees including more than 140 investment 

advisers around New Zealand. 

Craigs is 51 percent owned by approximately 

200 employees. Employees 

having “skin in the game” encourages a 

genuine commitment to client service, 

superior advice and a loyal culture. The 

remaining 49 percent is owned by strategic 

partner, Deutsche Bank. 

In 2015, Craigs entered the Australian 

market via the 50 percent ownership 

of Wilsons, a business offering similar 

investment services across Melbourne, 

Sydney and Brisbane. 

Firmly based in the Bay 

Chairman Neil Craig and Managing 

Director Frank Aldridge are committed 

to the firm’s head office remaining in 

Tauranga, where around 190 employees 

are based, including 18 investment 

advisers. Craigs is currently looking at 

options to move to larger premises in 

the Tauranga CBD. 

“Thirty-five years in business is a major 

milestone,” says Neil Craig. 

“The business has grown significantly 

in size, as has our product offering. 

Being of the size we are now really does 

count. As well as the financial backing 

to exceed all regulatory requirements, 

it means we can afford the systems and 

research personnel and resources that 

are at the core of our business.” 

Frank Aldridge adds: “Putting our clients 

first is at the centre of what we do. Our 

service is all about long-term partnerships. 

We have multi-generational client 

relationships and we value and nurture 

those ties.” 

Malcolm Carr, a Craigs Investment Partners 

client, notes that his family’s association 

began approximately 35 years ago 

when his father Ian first met Neil Craig in 

Whakatane. 

“Ian had a real passion for the share 

market and had for a long time dealt 

with a bigger Auckland firm. It was Neil’s 

down to earth approach that convinced 

my father he’d be best dealing with 

Craigs. Our family continues to appreciate 

that close relationship with both Neil 

PHOTO | PORTS OF TAURANGA 


and Craigs. We are now into the third 

generation of a close association.” 

Innovative investment options 

Craigs offers a suite of services from 

managed portfolios and broking services, 

to KiwiSaver, UK pension transfers 

and other savings solutions. 

Craigs takes their corporate 

social responsibility seriously 

The firm’s savings solution platform 

(mySTART) was introduced to offer clients 

a way to invest smaller sums, with the 

option for payments on a regular basis. 

“mySTART makes investing a lot more 

accessible, whether you are starting out, 

building up a portfolio or investing for 

your children or grandchildren. 

“You can drip feed or invest lump sums 

when it suits you,” says Neil Craig. 

Craigs also offers access to private 

equity investment alternatives, both 

local and international. Craigs Private 

Wealth division is the major part of the 

business, with $16 Billion* in client funds 

under management. 

The firm has one of New Zealand’s 

largest private wealth research teams, 

covering all major sectors, including 

New Zealand and global companies as 

well as fixed income issuers. 

The Investment Banking division, 

Deutsche Craigs, based in Auckland, 

is highly rated, recently winning the 

Euromoney - Best Investment Bank New 

Zealand Award for the fourth year, as 

well as FinanceAsia’s Best New Zealand 

Investment Bank Award. 

Also based in Auckland is the Institutional 

Equities division, which deals with 

institutions in New Zealand and offshore, 

and a fund management division 

(QuayStreet Asset Management), with 10 

actively managed funds. 

Frank Aldridge says the firm’s focus 

since its inception has been to help New 

Zealanders build their wealth. 

“We believe that investing is for everyone, 

no matter their starting point,” he says. 

“We continuously look at ways of reaching 

more New Zealanders, hence our 

opening in Hawkes Bay. We are working 

hard to offer services for clients with 

different goals and needs in a way that 

suits them – whether it is personalised 

long-term relationships or digital, adaptable 

solutions.” 

*As at January 2019 

10 | BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS: YEARBOOK 2018-19 

“IT IS IMPORTANT for us as corporate 

citizens and as individuals to support 

the communities we operate and 

live in. Our support for the community 

is imbedded in the fabric of our 

culture,” says Neil Craig. 

Craigs has two national partnerships 

- Community Foundations of 

New Zealand, fostered through a 

long-standing relationship with Acorn 

Foundation, and Hospice New Zealand, 

through the Waipuna Hospice. 

“But while we are a national firm, 

much of our sponsorship is primarily 

local in the communities where our 

branches operate and our employees 

live. 

“For us it is important to not only help 

New Zealanders be wealthier, but also 

see communities prosper and grow 

by supporting invaluable organisations 

around New Zealand.” 

Some recent examples of 

support in the Bay 

General /Arts & Culture 

Waipuna Hospice 

Acorn Foundation 

Readers & Writers Festival 

Garden & Arts Festival 

On the Couch 

Tauranga Art Gallery – Children 

of Mallarme & Art For Kids 

Fashion Fundraiser 

Molly Morpeth – Whakatane 

Rotary Art Auction 

Sporting 

Bay Oval Trust 

BOP Cricket 

BOP Steamers 

Riding for the Disabled 

Mount Beach Hockey Tournament 

Mount Croquet Tournament 

Craigs Investment Partners Limited 

is a NZX Participant firm. Adviser 

Disclosure Statements are available 

on request and free of charge. 

Neither Craigs Investment Partners 

Limited nor Deutsche Craigs Limited 

are registered banks within the 

meaning of the Reserve Bank of 

New Zealand Act 1989. The Craigs 

KiwiSaver Scheme (Craigs KiwiSaver) 

is issued and managed by Craigs 

Investment Partners Superannuation 

Management Limited. The Craigs 

KiwiSaver Scheme Product 

Disclosure Statement is available at 

craigsip.com. 

0800 272 442 

TAURANGA@CRAIGSIP.COM 

CRAIGSIP.COM

TRUSTPOWER 

THE HEART OF 

THIS SUCCESSFUL 

BOP ENERGY and 

telecommunications 

business is found in 

the authenticity of 

the people it attracts, 

and their unique approach to ‘zigging’ 

when others are ‘zagging’. 

An approach to life and work that 

has led Trustpower from strength to 

strength since its inception as Tauranga’s 

first power station in 1915. 

Speaking about the Trustpower approach, 

Business Improvement and 

Innovation Specialist, Jeremy Levy says, 

“We often zig when others zag. We’re 

focused on helping our customers and 

communities we work in, we respect 

our shareholders, and we aren’t afraid 

to take calculated risks.” 

Some of the more notable zigs include 

being based regionally, adopting Activity 

Based Working, selling their lines business 

and keeping generation and retail, 

demerging, and bundling energy (power 

and gas) and telecommunications to offer 

better value for their customers. 

Trustpower was the first major company 

in New Zealand, and one of only a 

handful in the world, to bundle energy 

and telco services. 

Marketing Communications Manager, 

Carolyn Schofield explains, “We could see 

synergies between the two but it hasn’t 

been quick or easy. There is a quote from 

an industry analyst from 2000 that says 

‘Convergence of energy and telecommunications 

is like white-water rafting – rapid 

motion, quick decision making and calculated 

risks – unless companies are committed 

to the ride they shouldn’t head down 

the canyon.’ We are committed to the ride, 

and the fact that several competitors from 

both the telco and energy sectors have 

launched their own bundled offers is the 

greatest endorsement of our strategy that 

we could have.” 

The fact that Trustpower is already the 

fourth largest provider of fixed line broadband 

services in NZ, and were top of the 

Netflix ISP Speed Index for ten months in a 

row demonstrates their success. 

The next year will see Trustpower continuing 

on this exciting journey as they work 

with Spark to bring wireless broadband 

and mobile services to their customers. 

If you ask the Trustpower team what 

makes it a great place to work, you get: 

“The fact that no day is the same as 

there’s always something new, exciting 

ATRIUM: OLIVIA SULLIVAN, WAYNE 

ANNAND, FRAN O’NEIL, SEAN HANSON, 

CHARLIE LOCKINGTON. PHOTO/ 

TRUSTPOWER. 

and challenging on the horizon. Such 

a great culture too with awesome 

people that I look forward to coming 

to work with,” says Victoria Petrie. 

“Trustpower encourages you to be 

yourself and enjoy your work life,” says 

Jeremy Levy, Business Improvement and 

Innovation Specialist. 

The Trustpower ethos is all about people 

being real and authentic, thinking 

creatively, innovating, and speaking 

up if it’s not working. 

0800 36 98 45 

WWW.TRUSTPOWER.CO.NZ 

ISP OPS TEAM IN ACTION. 

PHOTO/CHRIS PARKER. 


SECTION HEADER 

HOME TO 

NEW ZEALAND’S 

BUSIEST PORT 

THE BAY OF PLENTY 

IS home to New 

Zealand’s largest and 

most efficient port. 

Port of Tauranga’s 

success in becoming 

the country’s international 

hub port has had a huge impact 

on the economic health of the Bay of 

Plenty and its status as one of New Zealand’s 

fastest-growing regions. 

Port of Tauranga is not only the largest 

container port in New Zealand, but also 

the largest bulk cargo port. It exports 

the majority of logs, dairy products and 

kiwifruit from New Zealand to international 

markets. 

The port is connected by road and rail to 

Hamilton, Auckland and the central North 

Island, and the company’s investment in 

inland freight hubs and other ports has 

created a national network giving importers 

and exporters efficient global access. 

Visiting cruise ships have also had flowon 

benefits for the local tourism industry. 

The Bay of Plenty has the second 

largest cruise spend in the country and 

the number of ship visits is increasing, 

with Tauranga consistently voted a leading 

destination by cruise passengers. 

The Port’s recent growth in cargo 

volumes has been fuelled by a $350 

million investment in capacity expansion 

to accommodate calls by the largest 

container vessels that visit New Zealand. 

The investment included deepening 

and widening the shipping channels, 

and expanding cargo storage and 

handling facilities. 

“Our customers often refer to our cando 

attitude when it comes to logistical 

challenges or finding solutions to tricky 

problems. This approach has made us 

New Zealand’s port for the future.” 

– Mark Cairns 



Since the programme was completed 

in 2016, annual container volumes 

have increased by more than 24 

percent. 

Port of Tauranga’s Chief Executive, 

Mark Cairns, says the company’s large 

property portfolio, comprising 190 ha 

on both sides of Tauranga Harbour, 

gives it plenty of room to grow as cargo 

volumes continue to rise. 

“We’ve got the space to expand without 

expensive and unwelcome reclamation,” 

says Cairns. “Plans are already 

under way to extend our container 

wharves using existing port land, and 

we have ordered another container 

crane for delivery in 2020.” 

The port is majority-owned by the 

region’s ratepayers. Bay of Plenty 

Regional Council’s investment arm, 

Quayside Holdings, owns just over 

54 percent of the shares, and since 

Port of Tauranga was listed on the 

New Zealand Stock Exchange in 1992, 

Quayside has been paid more than 

$700 million in dividends from port 

profits. 

A $200 million infrastructure fund has 

been established to help the regional 

council invest in iconic assets. The fund 

was set up in 2008 through a share issue 

by Quayside. 

The fund has been used to kickstart 

major projects throughout the Bay 

of Plenty, such as the new tertiary 

education campus in Tauranga city, 

redevelopment of Opotiki Harbour 

and the Scion Science Innovation Park 

in Rotorua. 

The port also supports a number of 

smaller community projects, such as 

work to enhance the walkways on 

Mauao, the revered mountain that 

stands sentinel to the entrance of 

Tauranga Harbour and the port. 

“It’s important to us that we look after 

the environment and the community 

in which we are lucky enough to 

operate,” says Cairns. “We have an 

important role to play as an investor in 

community wellbeing.” 

Port of Tauranga offers a range of 

tertiary education scholarships, as well 

as sponsoring and donating to causes 

in the arts, sport, environment and 

business sectors. 

Cairns says the company’s key to 

success is its long-term, mutually beneficial 

relationships. 

“Ultimately, our relationships with our 

employees, suppliers, customers and 

the community are the key to our success 

and ongoing economic benefit 

for the Bay of Plenty region.” 

+64 7 572 8899 

PORT-TAURANGA.CO.NZ 

New Zealand’s international cargo 

gateway at Tauranga 

Handles 32% of all New Zealand log 

and sawn timber exports 

Handled 40% of New Zealand containers 

(nearly 1.2 million TEUs (20 ft equivalent 

units) in the year to June 2018) 

2.8 km total quay length with 14 berths 

208 permanent staff (as at June 2018) 

190 ha of land in Tauranga 

14.5 metres shipping channel depth 

1,747 ship visits in the year to June 2018 

Investments in ports in Whangarei and 

Timaru, as well as inland freight hubs in 

Auckland and Christchurch 


ZESPRI 

Predicts continued strong growth 

for kiwifruit sector 

‹‹ 

BUMPER KIWIFRUIT CROP EXPECTED. 

PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

THE KIWIFRUIT IN- 

DUSTRY IS A cornerstone 

of the Bay of 

Plenty economy and 

as New Zealand’s 

biggest horticultural 

export makes a 

significant contribution to regional and 

national GDP. 

The outlook continues to be positive 

for the industry, which is making good 

progress towards towards its goal of 

increasing sales to $4.5 billion by 2025, 

says Daniel Mathieson, Zespri’s Chief 

Executive Officer. 

As the Bay of Plenty Business News 

Yearbook went to print, the kiwifruit 

harvest was already off to an early start 

with the Southampton Star - the first 

charter vessel carrying Zespri SunGold 

- heading off to key markets China and 

Japan in late March. 

“We’re making good progress towards 

our goal of increasing sales to $4.5 billion 

by 2025 while further strengthening 

a sustainable business platform,” says 

Mathieson. 

“Overall, this has been another record 

season for Zespri and the industry in 

terms of sales volumes. That’s come 

on the back of our focus on sustaining 

good value across the supply chain 

from grower to consumer and the 

excellent work on orchard and through 

post-harvest to deliver a great crop with 

good taste.” 

Zespri is forecasting continued growth 


in demand across its key markets with 

Japan and China continuing to perform 

strongly as it expands into new areas 

within these markets. North America 

remains a growth market, on the back 

of increased demand for SunGold, and 

Zespri is seeing excellent growth in 

Southeast Asia and East Asia. 

Zespri Chief Grower and Alliances Officer 

David Courtney says in total, Zespri 

expects more than 600,000 pallets of 

kiwifruit to be shipped offshore this 

season, carried in 18,000 containers and 

45 charter vessels. 

And for the first time, Zespri is also 

expecting to supply more Gold kiwifruit 

than Green this season. 

“Last season we supplied 76 million 

trays of Green and 65 million trays of 

SunGold,” says Courtney. 

Zespri’s latest estimates when we went 

to print in early April were that it was 

on track to supply 75 million trays of 

SunGold this season, while Green was 

expected to be below 75 million trays. 

Zespri Global Supply 

Daniel Mathieson notes that while New 

Zealand-grown kiwifruit will continue 

to provide the bulk of supply, Zespri is 

continuing to work with its global growing 

partners to provide Zespri-quality 

non-New Zealand-grown kiwifruit as part 

of its global supply strategy (ZGS). 

“We’re excited about the future and 

believe the best is yet to come as we work 

to introduce the goodness of kiwifruit and 

its health benefits to an even larger global 

audience in the years ahead.” 

- Daniel Mathieson 

“This supply is critical in keeping our 

brand top of mind for all 12 months of 

the year, and ensures that consumers 

can still access premium Zespri quality 

and tasting kiwifruit in those months 

when New Zealand-grown fruit isn’t 

available,” he says. 

This year, the harvest of Northern Hemisphere 

Zespri kiwifruit was expected to 

exceed 19.1 million trays, up almost 25 

percent on the 15.4 million trays recorded 

in 2017/18, largely on the back of a 

boost in SunGold production. 

“The success of our global supply strategy 

stems from the long-term partnerships 

we’ve developed with non-New 

Zealand-based growers and suppliers,” 

says Mathieson. 

“These allow us to produce premium-quality 

tasting locally grown kiwifruit in 

Italy, South Korea, Japan and France, with 

our exports from France and Italy used to 

help supply our other key markets.” 

Zespri believes the success of the Sun- 

Gold variety is helping attract more consumers 

to the kiwifruit category, which 

still makes up a relatively a small proportion 

of the global fruit bowl market. 

Zespri and the kiwifruit industry are consequently 

in a strong period of supply 

growth, working hard to fulfil growing 

demand. The marketing entity announced 

in December 2018 the release 

of 700 ha of additional SunGold licence 

as well as 50 ha of Organic SunGold. 

“We know that supply growth gives us an 

opportunity to serve even more consumers 

while sustaining good value across the 

supply chain from grower to consumer.” 

0800 155 355 

HTTP://WWW.ZESPRI.COM 

DANIEL MATHIESON: GLOBAL SUPPLY 

HELPS SUPPORT DEMAND FOR 

KIWIFRUIT. PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

‹‹ 

‹‹ 

SOUTHAMPTON STAR LOADING FIRST 

KIWIFRUIT EXPORT CROP. PHOTO/JAMIE 

TROUGHTON/DSCRIBE MEDIA. 


SHOWCASE SECTION 

PAENGAROA’S 

SWEET SUCCESS 

LOCATED 35KM SOUTH 

OF TAURANGA and 

46km north east of 

Rotorua is the small 

Bay of Plenty town of 

Paengaroa; the home 

of NZX-listed Comvita 

(NZX:CVT). Paengaroa has been the 

natural health company’s base for more 

than 44 years, since its inception in 1974 

when beekeepers Claude Stratford 

and Alan Bougen set out to create a 

business that would help people live 

healthier lifestyles while caring for the 

environment. 

As the world’s appetite for real and natural 

foods and remedies grew through 

the 1990s and 2000s, Comvita went 

from strength to strength. It was the first 

company to export Manuka honey to 

Britain in jars, and in 2003 the company 

began trading publicly on the New 

Zealand stock exchange. 

Today, Comvita has more than 36,000 

hives under direct control throughout 

New Zealand and 500 staff across the 

world. In Asia alone, the company has 

150 branded retail outlets. Comvita’s 

Paengaroa campus houses the compa- 

“We’ll continue to focus on acting in a manner which preserves the natural 

environment while developing innovative and quality natural health products 

that improve consumers’ quality of life around the world, and in turn, 

deliver value for our shareholders.” - Scott Coulter 


COMVITA HAS CONSUMERS THROUGHOUT 

THE WORLD. PHOTOS/COMVITA 

ny’s corporate offices, honey packing 

and production facilities, warehouse 

and a state-of-the-art honey testing 

laboratory. 

Science plays key role 

Science has played a key role in cementing 

Comvita’s international success and 

growing consumer understanding of 

the benefits of Manuka honey globally, 

says Comvita CEO Scott Coulter. 

“We collaborate with world-leading 

scientists and clinicians to undertake 

laboratory research and clinical trials 

to advance the science behind the 

ingredients used in our products. In the 

2018 financial year, we invested $3.1m in 

research and development,” he says. 

In 2016, a randomised, placebo-controlled 

clinical study undertaken in conjunction 

with the University of Reading 

and Massey University, and published 

in the European Journal of Nutrition, 

demonstrated that intake of Comvita’s 

Fresh-Picked Olive Leaf Extract can 

positively affect blood pressure and 

cholesterol levels in pre-hypertensive 

individuals. 

For Manuka honey, there are more 

than 300 published papers in medical 

journals, 20 of which have been 

authored by Comvita’s own research 

team. 

While most honeys have medicinal 

properties because honey creates 

hydrogen peroxide (an antiseptic), 

Manuka honey also has high levels of 

a non-peroxide antibacterial property, 

which makes it very useful in treating 

wounds. Over time, as more people 

have learnt of the benefits and unique 

differences of Manuka honey, it has 

grown in popularity and received 

endorsement by celebrities and royals 

alike. 

Comvita uses the Unique Manuka Factor 

(UMF®) grading system to provide 

consumers’ assurance of the product’s 

potency and quality. 

Coulter says when it comes to UMF®, 

there really is no comparison. 

“Only the UMF® testing process measures 

all three signature compounds; 

Leptosperin, DHA and Methylglyoxal, 

that together indicate high quality, 

authentic Manuka honey – while other 

systems measure only one,” he says. 

Comvita has consumers throughout 

North America, Europe and Asia. The 

company estimates 60 percent of all 

products sold end up in the hands of 

Chinese consumers, whether sold in 

mainland China or elsewhere. Comvita’s 

most ambitious China project to date 

was the formation of a joint venture 

company inside China, called Comvita 

Food (China) Limited. 

Coulter says this was an evolution of the 

business’ long-term relationship with 

its distribution partner in China, Zhu 

Guangping. 

“We formed the joint venture in July 

2017 and hold a 51 percent stake.” 

Dynamic and growing market 

The natural health market is dynamic and 

growing, says Mr Coulter. 

“Consumers are taking a more proactive 

approach towards managing their 

health, and information on how to do so 

is readily available. It’s an exciting time.” 

To support continued growth, the 

company is currently extending its 

warehouse at Paengaroa. The new build 

includes more than 2000 additional 

racked pallet spaces, plus large bulk 

pallet stacking of many hundreds more. 

In line with the company’s founding 

ethos, sustainability is at the forefront 

of the build. Once completed, the 

new East Wing warehouse will include 

a 270kW photovoltaic solar system on 

the roof, generating 370,000kWh of 

power per annum (the average power 

consumption of 53 New Zealand households), 

and allow for rainwater from the 

roof to be stored and used to supply a 

significant portion of the site’s water use. 

Into the future, Coulter has no doubt 

Comvita’s founding principles will continue 

to guide the company forward. 

0800 504 959 

COMVITA CO-FOUNDER 

ALAN BOUGEON 

WWW.COMVITA.CO.NZ 


FOCUSED ON 

LUXURY AND 

LIFESTYLE 

FOUNDED IN 2017, 

OLIVER ROAD 

ESTATE AGENTS is 

a unique, specialist 

real estate agency 

that focuses solely on 

the sale of luxury and 

lifestyle properties across the Bay of 

Plenty. 

Challenging the traditional agencies, founder 

and director Cameron Macneil believes 

that marketing and negotiating the sale of 

unique, high-value properties should never 

involve a one-size-fits-all approach. 

“It shouldn’t be about standard 

packages, discounted offers, agency 

shareholder profits, nor the corporation’s 

growth or dominance,” he says. 

“In the modern world of real estate, 

many of the elements of a traditional 

model that previously encouraged and 

rewarded office location, agent numbers 

and market dominance do not actually 

positively influence or advantage 

the sale of a luxury or lifestyle property. 

18 | BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS: YEARBOOK 2018-19 

‹‹ 

HARBOUR DRIVE, OTUMOETAI.

Buyers are now independent entities 

that have, through modern media, a 

wealth of information available to them 

to locate and research real estate.” 

Unique branding approach 

One of the first things people notice about 

Oliver Road is how different the branding 

feels compared with most agencies, says 

Macneil. One highlight of the “look” is the 

firm’s classic black and white branding. 

“The idea with Oliver Road’s visual identity 

is to create an association with the type 

of properties we sell, and that association 

can actually act as a priming mechanism. 

Over time, buyers scrolling through Trade 

Me learn that when they see our logo, the 

attached listing is going to be a high-quality 

property, and that in itself is adding real 

value to our client proposition.” 

This principle is adhered to in every 

carefully curated piece of marketing 

material that Oliver Road puts out, he 

says. Whether it’s the stunning property 

signage, 20-page property brochures, or 

online presence across a number of digital 

media outlets, there’s a sense of quality 

and bespoke design, which Macneil says 

is seldom found with larger agencies. 

Macneil is passionate about Oliver 

Road’s unique style. And he believes 

wholeheartedly that two different 

agents / agencies can and will generate 

two entirely different outcomes. 

“People make decisions based on how 

they feel. If they walk up the driveway 

past a shabby corflute stapled to the 

fence, get handed an A4 printout by 

some lacklustre agent, then struggle to 

find the information they need about 

the property on the agent’s website, 

their entire experience of viewing and 

considering purchasing that property is 

going to be clouded in negativity.” 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Some highlights of Oliver Road’s first 

year in business have included selling 

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd’s waterfront 

mansion, a 932sqm modern Victorian 

mansion in Pyes Pa, and a very challenging 

luxury property on Minden 

Road, Te Puna, the vendor of which had 

this to say: 

“After three years on the market with a 

number of agents, our luxury property 

in Te Puna was no closer to being sold. 

Enter, Oliver Road. Cameron’s approach 

is refreshing to say the least. At each 

step of the process we felt he listened 

to us, developed clear strategies, then 

had the confidence (and competence) 

to implement them. 

“Cameron’s obvious depth of knowledge 

and passion for his profession was 

evident right from the start and at all 

times we felt he had our best interests 

at heart. Most importantly in our case, 

he instinctively knew what needed to 

be changed in order to attract the right 

buyer and within just 32 days of listing, 

our property was sold. To anyone 

considering selling a high-end property 

in the Bay of Plenty, and to anyone 

wanting to get it right the first time, we 

strongly recommend engaging Oliver 

Road Estate Agents.” 

‹‹ 

MINDEN ROAD, TE PUNA. 

Although Oliver Road is often asked to 

sell standard residential properties, Macneil 

and his colleague Jason Eves stand 

by their commitment to working only with 

a select few clients in the luxury and lifestyle 

market. Some of their industry peers 

find it hard to understand, but as Macneil 

puts it: “If you’re a specialist, you do one 

thing and you do it well. We also don’t 

sell farms or commercial properties, nor 

do we manage rental properties.” 

021 800 889 

WWW.OLIVERROAD.CO.NZ 

JASON EVES AND CAMERON MACNEIL: 

A NEW APPROACH TO MARKETING REAL 

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS: YEARBOOK 2018-19 | 19 

ESTATE. PHOTOS/ SUPPLIED. 

‹‹

‹‹ 

ENERGETIC AND STRATEGIC: GRANT NEAGLE, TOM BESWICK AND MAT FLOYD. PHOTOS/DEAN PRESTON. 

EXPERIENCED, 

AGILE AND 

FOCUSED 

Grant enjoys working closely with clients 

and believes that getting a deep 

understanding of what makes their 

businesses tick is essential to being 

able to identify opportunities and so 

add real value. While he has clients 

across most industries, he particularly 

enjoys assisting growth focused businesses 

achieve their goals, regardless 

of their industry. 

INGHAM MORA IS THE LARG- 

EST independent accounting 

practice in the Bay of Plenty. 

Originally founded in 1965 by 

Graeme Ingham, later joined by 

Peter Mora, the firm developed 

the people, expertise, processes, 

systems and technology to power 

clients through every critical decision. The 

firm prides itself on combining Big Four 

capabilities with a substantive knowledge 

of the local market. 

Ingham Mora is proud of the depth 

of experience of its senior partners 

and team, coupled with its innovative, 

energetic and forward-thinking new 

directors. Profiled below are three of 

those new directors - Grant Neagle, 

Tom Beswick and Mathew Floyd. 

Grant Neagle 

Prior to joining Ingham Mora in 2017, 

Grant was a director at PwC where he 

worked with MNCs, tertiary institutions, 

individuals, iwi and privately owned businesses 

across most industries. 

Grant’s extensive repertoire includes 

tax planning and structuring, trusts, 

immigration, property, crypto currency, 

international tax and strategic 

business advice, as well as business 

planning, coaching and mentoring. 

That said, Grant sees himself more 

broadly as a business advisor assist- 

“Ingham Mora has control over its own 

destiny and the directors can make quick 

operational and strategic decisions. This 

allows us to be nimble and adaptable - 

we’re not beholden to a head office in a 

major metro.”- Grant Neagle 


N. 

ing clients with all aspects of their 

business from start-up and structuring 

considerations to taxation and strategic 

business advice. 

“I’m commercially focused and enjoy 

finding practical and pragmatic solutions 

to issues.” 

While he is a focused individual with an 

eye for detail, he has an easy style which 

helps put clients at ease. 

Beswick says he enjoys helping his clients 

run better businesses so they have less 

stress, more free time and more money. 

His clients often tell him they appreciate 

how clearly he explains things and he puts 

a lot of focus into ensuring he and his team 

respond quickly to client requests. 

“What appealed to 

me about Ingham 

Mora was the size 

and makeup of the 

partner base. It’s 

great being able 

to have all of the 

decision-makers in 

one room.” 

- Tom Beswick 

forecasting and structuring. This is, of 

course, on top of getting the basics right 

by providing straightforward, efficient tax 

and year-end accounting processes. 

“It’s amazing to work with a client and 

give them the confidence to push forward 

with a project or show them how 

achievable something is,” he says. 

“It is really the client side of things that 

makes it enjoyable. It’s a great feeling to 

make clients’ lives less stressful and help 

businesses achieve their goals.” 

Outside the office Neagle enjoys all 

manner of water sports, the gym and 

Crossfit. He and his wife Tamsyn have 

a young daughter. Tamsyn is also an 

accountant, which he says makes for 

“fascinating” dinner conversations. 

Mat said he was attracted to join Ingham 

Mora by the firm’s adaptive approach to 

embracing and leveraging technology 

(such as Xero), and the directors’ friendly, 

approachable demeanour. 

Tom Beswick 

Beswick joined Ingham Mora in 2016. The 

move closed the circle for Beswick, who 

grew up in Tauranga, attending Bethlehem 

College and Tauranga Boys’ College. 

He was previously financial controller for a 

large forestry company based in Auckland. 

He worked for eight years for a Big Four 

firm, which took him to Dublin, the Cayman 

Islands and Vancouver. 

Beswick now leads a team of four accountants. 

His client base is small-to-medium 

sized businesses. He has a wide range of 

clients and experience in industries such 

as the trades and construction, orchards, 

financial investments, rentals and retail. 

His repertoire includes helping new 

businesses get going, business and 

succession planning, forecasting, and 

family trust management. Through Xero, 

he acts as a “virtual CFO” to an increasing 

number of clients. 

In his spare time he enjoys golf, going to 

the gym, and getting out of the office for 

family time. His Canadian-born wife is a preschool 

teacher and they have three young 

children aged seven and under. 

Mathew Floyd 

Mat joined Ingham Mora in 2017 after 

spending the better part of a decade at 

KPMG in Tauranga, which he has been lucky 

enough to call home for most of his life. 

Mat has a special interest in nurturing 

growth opportunities for small to medium 

businesses through business planning, 

“I like that we are 

locally owned and 

operated. That helps 

us to be agile and 

gives us the ability 

to make and execute 

decisions quickly.” 

- Mat Floyd 

In his down time, Mat enjoys social sports, 

spending time with friends and family and 

makes the most of life in the Bay of Plenty. 

He and his wife Tiffany have a four-year-old 

son who keeps them on their toes at home. 

07 927 1200 

WWW.INGHAMMORA.CO.NZ 


OUR PLACE 

TAURANGA 

GREAT CITIES HAVE 

VIBRANT CITY 

CENTRES. The purpose 

of Our Place 

Tauranga - a multifaceted 

downtown 

container complex 

- is to transform a temporary space into 

a place where more people want to live, 

work, learn and play. The objective is 

to take an amazing central location and 

make the city centre exciting and relevant 

to new markets and demographics. 

The team behind local company Little Big 

Events are working in partnership with 

the Tauranga City Council’s Heart of the 

City programme to help create a vibrant, 

safe and successful CBD, where more 

people want to live, work, learn and play. 

“The objectives of the strategic project 

are to provide a coordinated offering 

of activities in the space, which align 

with and enhance the Heart of the City 

programme of work, providing opportunities 

for both residents and visitors to 

utilise and enjoy the space,” says Little Big 

Events Chris Duffy. 

The complex offers a seed of growth for 

small start-up business concepts, with 

the containers providing an opportunity 

for people with great ideas, product 

and services to enter the market with the 

longer term idea of potentially progressing 

to a bricks and mortar establishment. 

They have been selected from a variety 

of categories and chosen for their ability 

to enhance local businesses, as opposed 

to competing with them. The aspiration 

is to create a symbiotic relationship 

between Our Place and existing CBD 

businesses as a way of invigorating overall 

traffic and trade. 

“The Our Place Tauranga workshop 

programme is an essential part of the 

project, creating an environment to empower 

the community with learnings and 

discoveries,” says Duffy. 

These workshops range from kids’ art 

classes, printmaking and various horticulture 

subjects to culinary orientated 

workshops, that will be hosted at the Bayleys 

Pop-up Kitchen. Whether it’s a skill to 

be learnt with your hands or expanding 

your mind through inspiring speakers 

and cinema, the discovery programme is 

designed to surprise and delight whilst 

providing every opportunity for participants 

to learn new skills and experience a 

sense of accomplishment. 

Ben Lawton, from the Salvage Co-Op, 

describes Our Place Tauranga as: “A 

great community destination, family and 

pet (dogs) friendly where small business 

can setup without large overheads, gain 

exposure and build their brand for future 

opportunities within the CBD.” 

Our Place Tauranga is an all-embracing 

project for the community. As such, it 

has support from a number of local and 

corporate entities, which form the “Our 

Place Tauranga Family.” 

The social enterprise aspect of the 

project means that continued support 

from the business community helps with 

operational costs. Interested parties who 

would like to become involved are encouraged 

to contact Our Place Tauranga. 

f 

021 294 2164 

OURPLACETAURANGA 

BEN LAWTON 


THE VOICE OF BUSINESS IN THE BAY 

9 OUT OF 10 

WORKPLACE DECISION MAKERS 

READ PRINT MEDIA 

The written word gives your business 

RECOGNITION / CREDIBILITY / INFLUENCE / RESULTS 

Advertising contact: Pete Wales, Business Director pete@nmmedia.co.nz | 022 495 9248 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Statistic sourced from TWOSIDEUK

NEW MARINE PRECINCT 

SEES STRONG GROWTH 

TAURANGA’S NEW 

MARINE PRECINCT 

IN Sulphur Point 

has been showing 

strong growth since 

it opened in August 

2018. 

Featuring the country’s biggest vessel 

hoist Hikinui, with a 350 tonne and 12m 

wide lifting capability, the high-spec 

6300 sqm hardstand is owned by Tauranga 

City Council’s Vessel Works. The 

hardstand is the precinct’s centrepoint, 

with half a dozen marine companies 

at various stages of setting up or 

re-establishing business operations 

around it. 

They include Tauranga businesses that have 

had a long association with the area such as 

Hutcheson Boat Builders, as well as companies 

like Super Yacht Coatings, owned by 

Mark Hanna and Regan Woodward - originally 

from the Bay - who are relocating their 

main operational base from Auckland to a 

new purpose-built facility at the precinct. 

Hanna says the overall response from 

clients to completing their refits at Vessel 

Works has been really positive. 

“That extends to the region hosting 

crews generally, which the crews have 

loved, and also the ease captains and 

crews have had in finding different 

subcontractors and products when 

comparing to major cities,” he says. 

As of January 2019, more than 25 

vessels had been serviced at Vessel 

Works since August, according to 

precinct director Phil Wardale. The 

heaviest to date was a fishing vessel 

weighing 298 tonnes, the lightest a 10 

m-wide, high performance catamaran 

weighing six tonnes, and the most 

unusual an unmanned autonomous 

underwater survey drone. 

And Wardale emphasised the precinct 

wasn’t just attracting superyachts. As 

of January 2019, more than two-thirds 

of the vessels lifted had been “black 

boats” – i.e. larger commercial ferries 

and fishing boats that had previously 

needed to get hauled out at other 

ports - not just white boats for recreational 

use. 

The Bay of Plenty Regional Council is 

the funding partner for the project, 

contributing $5 million to a total cost of 

around $12 million, mostly covered by 

the sale of Tauranga City Council properties 

at and near the site. 


ONSITE SERVICE PROVIDERS AT THE MARINE PRECINCT 

Hutcheson Boatbuilders 

Hutcheson Boatbuilders has been in the marine 

business since 1993 and is well-known nationally for its 

high-quality boat building workmanship. 

Pacific 7 

Pacific 7 is a marine contracting company that supplies 

marine services to local and central government, including 

piling, surveying, salvage and mooring. 

Super Yacht Coatings 

SYC specialises in fairing and painting large luxury 

vessels and has worked for numerous boat builders, 

shipyards and yacht owners worldwide since its formation 

in 2011. 

Pachoud Yachts 

Pachoud Yachts is an innovative boat-building company, 

specialising in the construction of luxury composite 

yachts, which has been operating in the Bay for more 

than three decades. 

RMD Marine 

RMD Marine is a fishing company, fishing from the 

West Coast to the East Coast of the North Island. The 

company owns and operates fishing vessels ranging 

from 15mto 26m in size. RMD Marine have been 

working with Aotearoa Fisheries since 1993, the largest 

Iwi-owned fisheries company. 

Specialised Metal Fabricators Ltd (SMF) 

SMF offers contract manufacturing, metal fabrication 

and machining services, including all types of marine 

stainless steel, aluminium and other metal-based work 

across the full range of boat hardware. 

Matamata Motor Trimmers (MMT) 

Matamata Motor Trimmers is a locally owned and operated 

business, which is a well-established specialist 

in clears, covers and upholstery. They cover anything 

from curtains, carpets, umbrellas, indoor and outdoor 

covers, clips and more, and occupy a corner site on 

Cross Road at Vessel Works. 

‹‹ 

DEMAND STRONG FROM LARGE 

COMMERCIAL VESSELS: 

PHOTO/VESSEL WORKS. 

Key drivers for councils’ support were to 

encourage the growth of the marine sector, 

and business more generally in the Bay. 

Vessels have so far stayed for an average 

of 12 days on the hardstand, worked on by 

the precinct’s marine companies and other 

suppliers from around Tauranga. For example, 

the 45m long Encore superyacht was 

up for 15 weeks receiving a new paint job 

from Super Yacht Coatings. In addition, the 

permanent crew of five moved into the city 

for the duration of the maintenance work. 

Mark Hanna says the precinct has succeeded 

in attracting increased marine 

business to the area. 

velops further as the precinct development 

matures.” 

Don Mattson, owner of Hutcheson Boat 

Builders, says his company has been 

busier than expected. 

“We also contract some of our staff 

to Vessel Works to assist the vessel 

lifts and storage on the hardstand for 

servicing,” says Mattson. “We’re having 

to provide staff a lot more than we 

thought we would, but that’s a good 

problem to have.” 

The precinct also includes facilities for 

fishing vessels for offloading of catch, 

loading of ice and fuel in addition to 

a commercial ferry ramp and wharf 

berthage for the resident and visiting 

fishing fleet. Work continues on 

future-proofing these facilities and Tauranga 

City Council will keep monitoring 

the use of wharf space to evaluate the 

need for future facilities. 

07 577 7270 

WWW.VESSELWORKS.CO.NZ 

“You only need to look at the hardstand 

now and the variety of vessels currently 

having work completed, which in 

turn creates great opportunities for the 

different businesses associated with the 

precinct. Hopefully this grows and de- 

‹‹ 

THE 45M SUPERYACHT ENCORE IS RELAUNCHED AT THE 

NEW MARINE PRECINCT. PHOTO/VESSEL WORKS. 


2degrees 

Connecting Bay businesses 

with their customers 

2degrees was originally launched as a mobile company for the 

consumer market in 2009, but has now evolved to be a full service 

telco and is an increasingly valued partner in the business space. 

‹‹ 

DEDICATED SUPPORT: SHAWN SMITH AND ANDY BELL. 

PHOTO/DEAN PRESTON. 


THE COMPANY HAS 

ITS ORIGINS back 

in the 1990s when 

a Maori Trust was 

established to launch 

the country’s third 

mobile network after 

winning the rights to 3G spectrum. 

“Andy’s my point of call, 

whereas with other business 

you can get lost in their 

system. 2degrees is very 

personalised. I just want to 

deal with one person, so that 

is great.” - Jesse Rutherford, 

Aquaholics 

The company was officially founded in 

2001 and after successfully advocating 

for regulatory realignment it began 

construction of its mobile network. The 

official launch in 2009 signalled the onset 

of significantly lower mobile costs 

for New Zealanders. The cost to send 

a text or make a call halved overnight 

and the duopoly was forced to follow 

suit. 

In 2011 Business Mobile Plans and 

services were launched and in 2015, 

2degrees also acquired New Zealand’s 

fourth largest ISP, and from then has 

offered broadband services across the 

country. In terms of mobile coverage, 

to date, 2degrees have invested over 

$670 million in their nationwide network 

and associated infrastructure and have 

a mobile network that covers 98.5 

percent of the places New Zealanders 

live and work. 

Business is a major focus area for 2degrees, 

highlighted by the creation of a 

new Chief Business Officer role last year, 

filled by Ana Sever. 

2degrees’ chief executive Stewart Sherriff 

said the role was designed to accelerate 

the innovation for Kiwi businesses 

the company is known for. 

Sever says 2degrees is an amazing company 

built in New Zealand for the local 

marketplace. She describes the company 

as being: “Unburdened by old thinking 

and old systems, it is nimble, fast and 

flexible with people who are passionate 

and customer-inspired.” 

Hands-on service 

In the Bay of Plenty, Territory Managers 

Andy Bell, and Shawn Smith have built 

a strong reputation for their hands-on 

approach and accessibility. 

“We were a challenger brand in terms 

of the business sector locally, and 

we’re very happy with how locals have 

responded to our services here,” says 

Bell. “2degrees has been Fighting for 

Fair for Kiwis for the last 10 years and 

we’re determined to continue that battle. 

Local small businesses often find 

themselves fighting for fairness and the 

best deals for their customers, so we 

think this is something Kiwi businesses 

can really identify with - working hard 

to make sure they get the best deal in 

town.” 

“The bottom line is very important for 

all businesses and we ensure we get 

the best value we can for our clients. 

For example, we have developed 

excellent relationships with a number 

of the local charitable trusts, where we 

provide efficient and cost-effective 

services to help them do more for the 

community.” 

Cam Hill, Community Impact Director 

of Good Neighbour, a Bay charity 

focused on food rescue and community 

gardens, puts it succinctly: “We work 

“We switched because we 

knew the 2degrees’ guys, 

what they offered us was 

very good, their price was 30 

per cent cheaper, and they’re 

very hands on.” - Ben Tuck, 

Bronco’s Sportsworld 

with 2degrees because we’ve had such 

good service from them.” 

Bell believes companies switch providers 

based on a combination of reliable 

services, great coverage and best value, 

but above all because they seek personalised 

New Zealand-based customer 

service from their provider. 

Ben Tuck, owner of Tauranga’s Bronco’s 

Sportsworld, says he switched from 

another telco to 2degrees because he 

liked their offering. 

“We work with 2degrees 

because we’ve had such good 

service from them.” - Cam 

Hill, Good Neighbour 

“We switched because we knew the 

2degrees team, what they offered us 

was very good, their price was 30 per 

cent cheaper, and they’re very hands 

on. We’ve had a good run with them.” 

Jesse Rutherford, of plumbing company 

Aquaholics, says she has found 

2degrees much more responsive than 

other providers she has tried, to the 

point of having a senior executive drop 

in just to make sure everything was 

meeting their needs, and who helped 

save the company a lot of money on its 

service. 

“Andy’s my point of call, whereas with 

other telcos you can get lost in their 

system,” says Rutherford. “2degrees is 

very personalised. I just want to deal 

with one person, so that is great.” 

2degrees emphasises that it is very much 

about giving dedicated support to its 

customers, about market leading mobile 

plans, reliable broadband and cloud 

solutions that enable businesses to work 

more efficiently. 

Sever notes that all of 2degrees’ services 

allow business people the freedom 

to stay in touch with what matters. 

“We do our bit, then let them get on 

with doing theirs.” 

‹‹ 

NEW ROLE: ANA SEVER. 

PHOTO/SUPPLIED 

0800 022 249 

2DEGREESBUSINESS.CO.NZ 


THE SECRET OF 

THE WESTERN 

BAY’S SUCCESS 


BY NIGEL TUTT, 

Chief Executive, Priority One 

THE WESTERN BAY’S 

POPULARITY HAS 

been built on several 

years of economic 

growth, and it’s a 

pretty compelling 

story. 

Our headline statistics are impressive, 

with 4.1 percent GDP growth in 2018. 

We’ve been ahead of the New Zealand 

growth rate for five years now. Alongside 

this we are seeing strong business 

unit and job creation, and low unemployment. 

Our economy is strong. 

Those stats only tell some of the story 

though - there are a couple of things that 

add context to the state of our economy: 

• The strong growth that we’ve had is 

seen across all of our major sectors, 

which is great. We’d be concerned 

if the growth was only coming from 

a couple of sectors, but the shape of 

our economy is well-balanced across 

a range of industries. We believe 

that this cross-sector growth is driven 

by our being a popular destination 

and the maturing of the business 

community here. 

• Aside from the numbers, we believe 

that it’s also important to test the feeling 

in the business community. When 

we recently surveyed our business 

members, a couple of key messages 

stood out. Firstly, businesses in this 

area remain really confident about the 

future, both for their own business 

prospects and the region foremost, 

and slightly less so for the rest of the 

country. Growth was expected by 71 

percent over the year. What I found 

of real value was the overwhelming 

positivity of the comments that we 

got in the survey. It’s clear that people 

in the business community love to be 

based here, enjoying the mix of business 

and lifestyle and opportunities 

to collaborate. They see the region 

moving forward and they’re really 

excited about being part of it. 

So we should be very pleased with how 

our economy is performing at the moment 

- we’re the envy of pretty much 

every city in New Zealand, both for the 

stats we’re seeing but more importantly 

for the amount we can get done and 

our collaborative nature. 

Business attractions 

The Western Bay of Plenty is an increasingly 

attractive place for businesses to 

move to. In mid-2018, we launched a report 

from Middlebank consultants, which 

highlighted that the Port of Tauranga is 

the most efficient and best channel to 

“We’re also a 

great place to 

grow a company 

and... our capital 

network in this 

region is a key 

driver of that.” 

bring goods into the country. This makes 

us an attractive destination for import, 

export or distribution businesses to move 

to. We’re also seeing large numbers of 

professional services companies moving 

or setting up branch offices here. 

We’re also a great place to grow a 

company, and I’d like to highlight our 

capital network in this region as a key 

driver of that. It ranges from early stage 

investment with WNT Ventures and a 

really strong Enterprise Angels network, 

through to the larger end of town with 

Oriens Capital, Quayside Holdings and 

Craigs Investment Partners. 

There is no doubt our future is bright, 

and a key part of that will be the opening 

of the University of Waikato’s new 

campus in Tauranga’s city centre. We 

expect the university will provide a huge 

boost to the area, improving our ability 

to attract and retain skilled talent. 

Alongside Toi Ohomai and Te Whare 

Wanaga o Awanuiarangi, the new campus 

will provide the Bay of Plenty with 

a great tertiary offering. 

While the economy is strong and our future 

prospects are bright, it doesn’t mean 

that there isn’t a lot of work to do ahead. 

Expect to see a focus on higher value 

industries and job creation so that we 

can increase our prosperity as a region to 

grow in a smart and sustainable way. 



BAYLEYS 

FAMILY VALUES UNDERPIN THE BAY’S 

LARGEST FULL-SERVICE REAL 

ESTATE AGENCY 

AFTER FOUR-AND- 

HALF DECADES OF 

SERVICE to the New 

Zealand community, 

Bayleys is now the 

country’s largest 

full-service real estate 

agency. It stands as a proud market 

leader offering an unmatched portfolio 

of property-related services and 

expertise across residential, commercial 

and industrial, and rural property sales, 

along with commercial property management 

services. 

Simon Anderson, the chief executive 

officer of Realty Services, which operates 

Bayleys in the Bay of Plenty, said 

the firm’s people share and are united 

by values built into the business from 

the beginning. 

“The family values instilled by Bayleys’ 

founder Graham Bayley remain a driving 

force in our business culture to this 

day,” he says. 

“This means our people are approachable 

and genuine, and are fully committed 

to go the extra mile to deliver 

exceptional service to our clients.” 

Bayleys has been behind the marketing 

and sale of thousands of properties 

in the Bay of Plenty over the decades, 

encompassing all sectors of the real 

estate market, including residential 

and lifestyle, commercial and industrial 

property, and rural property. 

Residential property ranges from first 

home buyer and entry-level residences 

through to high-end waterfront 

homes, from holiday homes to apartment 

sales, and from lifestyle blocks 

through to subdivision section sales. 

The Tauranga residential team is headed 

up by Dickie Burman, while Tony 

Skegg manages the Mount team. 

Commercial and industrial property 

ranges from retail and office space 

through to warehousing and manufacturing 

plants, and entails not only 

sales, but also leasing. Business sales 

also sit within this division. Mark Walton 

is the commercial manager for the 

Bay of Plenty. 

Rural property covers dairy, grazing 

and sheep & beef farms, forestry, 

cropping, horticultural blocks and 

orchard properties and is managed 

throughout the Bay by Matt Clutterbuck. 

‹‹ 

SIMON ANDERSON 


BAYLEYS HAS EXPERTS ACROSS ALL OF THE 

FOLLOWING SECTORS: 

Commercial 

• Commercial, industrial and retail 

property sales 

• Investment property sales 

• Office, industrial and retail leasing 

• Project and development sales and 

marketing 

• Land sales 

• Syndicated property sales and 

projects 

• Business sales 

• Tourism, leisure and hospitality sales 

• Capital markets 

• Kiwi services 

• Residential 

• Residential property sales 

• Apartment sales 

• Waterfront property sales 

• Lifestyle property sales 

• Project and development sales and 

marketing 

• Residential property management 

• Residential letting 

Country 

• Rural, lifestyle and farm property 

sales 

• Rural property leasing 

• Viticulture and horticulture property 

sales 

• Sector specific marketing and 

insights 

Property Services 

• Facilities management 

• Consultancy services 

• Project management 

• Valuations and advisory 

• Property and asset management 

• Corporate services 

• Focused leasing services 

• Funds management 

• Lending services 

Jan Cooney oversees the commercial 

property management services, which 

range from lease negotiations, valuations, 

and operational consultancy, 

through to physical property management 

on a day-to-day level. 

As they have grown in the region, 

Bayleys have ensured their people 

concentrate on the fundamentals of 

knowledge, commitment, service, 

transparency and best practice operations. 

This delivers the type of real estate 

experience that has had clients coming 

back to Bayleys for decades. 

“Relationships matter to us,” says 

Anderson. 

awards. It is the second consecutive 

year Bayleys Mount Maunganui has 

won the coveted REINZ award. In 

addition, Bayleys Tauranga won the 

medium country office of the year at 

the REINZ awards. 

Bayleys BOP also took home the Bayleys 

national award this year for the highest 

volume of residential properties sold 

at auction during the 2017/18 calendar 

year, with an impressive success rate of 

close to 75 percent. 

“Our in-depth knowledge and experience 

ensures clients throughout the Bay 

of Plenty have positive experiences in 

all of their dealings with Bayleys,” says 

Anderson. 

“That totally underpins our company 

mantra Altogether Better.” 

07 578 2118 

BAYLEYS.CO.NZ 

“Service matters to us. Trust, reliability 

and the desire to exceed expectations 

are the fundamentals that define us.” 

Award-winning performance 

Bayleys Mount Maunganui was this 

year crowned New Zealand’s top-performing 

small residential office at the 

Real Estate Institute of New Zealand 


JAMES & WELLS 

Championing innovation in the Bay 

WHEN IT 

COMES TO 

INNOVATION, 

the Bay of 

Plenty really 

does live up 

to its name. From produce-packaging 

solutions and integrated orchard-tomarket 

systems, to agricultural robotics, 

electric bikes, sustainable farming 

techniques and cloud-based services, 

the region is a hive of creativity and 

inventiveness. 

As New Zealand’s leading privately 

owned intellectual property (IP) law 

practice – and the 2018 winners of the 

New Zealand IP Specialist Law Firm 

award – James & Wells is proud to have 

been supporting innovation in the Bay 

for more than 20 years. Over that time, 

we have helped protect a multitude 

of brands and innovations, as well as 

resolve IP disputes, across a wide variety 

of industries and organisations. 

Today, we have a multi-disciplined team 

of specialists on the ground in Tauranga, 

including trade mark attorneys, patent 

attorneys and IP lawyers. Working closely 

with clients, we assist in identifying and 

maximising the value of companies’ IP, 

from brand selection and R&D through 

to commercialisation and market expansion. 

Whatever clients are developing – 

be it new plant variety rights, machinery, 

software-as-a-service or an artisan food 

or beverage brand – our team can help 

them understand and plan how best to 

protect and commercialise your IP assets. 

Many of James & Wells’ clients in the Bay 

are successful exporters and we work 

with them to ensure that their IP rights 

are secured and maintained in overseas 

markets in a timely manner. Using a 

well-established network of overseas 

counterparts, we focus on making what 

can be a complicated process simple, 

straightforward and transparent. This 

helps us ensure we provide exporters 

with the best, most up-do-date advice 

and services for protecting their IP internationally. 

In recent years we’ve also built up a specialist 

Asia division to assist clients doing 

business in, or looking for investment 

from, Asia. We now have four professionals 

in our team, all fluent in Mandarin, 

as well as speakers of Japanese 

and Korean. So if your sights are set on 

exporting into or securing investment 

from Asia, we can help you. 

And if our clients get into any kind of IP 

strife, we have New Zealand’s largest 

IP litigation practice on hand. With 

internationally recognised expertise and 

a proven track-record, we help clients 

of all sizes resolve IP and fair trading 

disputes. 

We are committed to championing 

innovation and its contribution to economic 

growth in the region. 

07 928 4470 

WWW.JAWS.CO.NZ 

‹‹ 

“ James & Wells is proud to have been 

supporting innovation in the Bay 

for more than 20 years,” says Senior 

Associate, Ben Cain (benc@jaws.co.nz). 

Ben is based in the Bay of Plenty and 

Waikato and is a Resolution Instituteaccredited 

mediator. He specialises in 

resolving disputes involving trade marks, 

domain names, copyright, plant variety 

rights and confidential information. 


ENTERPRISE 

ANGELS 

Drawing on members’ expertise to drive 

early-stage investment success 

SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 

2008, early-stage investment 

group Enterprise 

Angels has become a 

key element in the Bay of 

Plenty’s entrepreneurial 

ecosystem. 

It is now the biggest angel group in 

New Zealand, with some 210 high net 

worth individuals as members across 

both the Bay and the Waikato. Enterprise 

Angels has facilitated the investment 

of almost $40 million in nearly 80 

early-stage and established businesses 

across a variety of industries, says Executive 

Director Bill Murphy. 

As of April this year, the Enterprise Angels 

portfolio has had 21 exits out of 80 

companies - with 11 providing positive 

returns and 10 negative. And that is 

seen as a very solid performance for 

an investing group in the very high risk 

early-stage space. 

Recent successes include companies 

such as Engender, which provided a 5.2 

times return over five years to Enterprise 

Angels investors, and SwipedOn, 

which provided a 2.4 times return over 

a 12 month period. 

“Almost every company we invest in, 

is invariably not based in the export 

market it is targeting and either has to 

go offshore physically, or its market 

focus has to be offshore,” notes Murphy. 

Enterprise Angels continues to develop 

its international connections and to help 

New Zealand start-ups successfully build 

their bridge into offshore markets, he 

says. 

In New Zealand, Angel investment in early-stage 

companies is typically between 

$250,000 and $1 million. Investment 

amounts for individual Angel investors 

will typically be in the range of $10,000 

to $50,000 per investment. Enterprise 

Angels says that investing through a fund 

structure that holds 20 or so companies 

helps to spread the risk and early this year, 

the group launched its third fund, which is 

targeting from $2 million up to $6 million. 

Long-time Enterprises Angels’ member, 

Beppie Holm, says the group now has 

a much more realistic understanding 

of what is achievable for New Zealand 

early-stage companies. 

“A bigger fund means in essence that it 

can invest in and provide better opportunities 

for the investors who may be in 

there with a relatively small amount of 

money, but can spread that money over 

a larger number of companies.” 

“ We add real value 

to start-ups in 

terms of skills and 

expertise, as well 

as capital.” 

- Bill Murphy 

Murphy says the group also enjoys 

strong support and advice from its seven 

Strategic and 13 Corporate Partners, 

which provide access to a significant 

pool of the region’s most experienced 

business people and investors. 

Enterprise Angels tends to look for 

investment opportunities with unique 

innovation and technology and the ability 

to scale up globally. The group invests 

in IT technology, but also in agri-tech, 

food, hort-tech and biotech companies. 

Murphy says Enterprise Angels’ success 

stems from the fact that when considering 

investments it can draw upon a 

membership core of highly experienced 

investors who work closely with entrepreneurs 

and innovators. 

‹‹ 

ENTERPRISE ANGELS BOP TEAM: 

NINA LE LIEVRE, JAKE HOFFART, LARA 

GREENWAY, BILL MURPHY, KELLY 

TAYLOR, COURTNEY DICK AND KRISTEN 

JOINER. PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

07 571 2520 

WWW.ENTERPRISEANGELS.CO.NZ/ 

YEARBOOK 2018-19 | 33

WNT VENTURES 

Incubating nationwide tech startups from the Bay 

THE SUCCESS OF 

TAURANGA-BASED 

TECHNOLOGY 

incubator WNT 

Ventures always 

comes back to 

the importance of 

people, says Chief Executive Officer 

Carl Jones. 

“When we are conducting due 

diligence on a potential investment, 

not only do we look at the technology, 

market size, finances and intellectual 

property, we look at the founder and 

their team.” 

Founded in 2014, the incubator was 

conceived through the collaboration 

of predominately local investors who 

still play an active role in the company. 

This who’s who of Tauranga business 

leaders and entrepreneurs is coupled 

with a small team of individuals 

experienced in building early stage 

companies. 

WNT Ventures focuses on a simple 

premise - investing into pre-revenue 

technologies with strong intellectual 

property positions and global 

aspirations. It looks for private sector 

technology as well as that sourced from 

universities and research institutes. 

WNT’s portfolio companies have raised 

a total of $71 million to date. 

Helping startups scale up 

As a tech incubator, WNT receives 

access to Callaghan Innovation’s 

repayable loan scheme, which 

alongside WNT Ventures’ own funding, 

helps their companies to scale faster. 

“ We work alongside our companies 

and Founders as an active investor, so 

alignment of values and mutual respect 

is of utmost importance when deciding 

to invest.” - Carl Jones 

WNT’s first fund of $3.35 million was 

deployed into seven companies, 

including Onesixone. Founded by 

Tauranga locals, the Onesixone team 

developed an innovative softwarehardware 

solution, SoundSwitch, which 

enables DJs to seamlessly integrate 

lighting with live audio. 

In early 2018, Onesixone was acquired 

by Denon DJ, owned by US company 

InMusic Group, which has a stable of 

top music and consumer electronics 

brands including Numark, Akai and, 

Rane. 

Onesixone’s early acquisition is a 

notable achievement. As significant is 

the commitment Denon DJ has shown 

to the region and to expanding the 

operations in Tauranga and Auckland. 

The acquisition also gives credibility to 

WNT’s investment philosophy, which has 

investing as a partnership . 

Other portfolio companies include 

Auckland cleantech companies 

Avertana and Mint Innovation, the 

latter having recently raised over NZ$5 

million; Cambridge software company 

Nyriad, which raised NZ$20 million in 

late 2018; along with Otago University 

agritech spin-out, Mastaplex, which 

raised nearly $750,000 in late 2018. 

In early 2018, WNT Ventures raised 

$4.4 million in a second fund, and 

received a further $4.5 million 

commitment from Callaghan Innovation 

for new investments. This second 

fund demonstrated strong support 

for the current model and is targeting 

investment into 8 – 10 companies, with 

five already committed. Once the fund 

is fully invested, WNT Ventures aims to 

raise a much larger fund likely in late 

2019. 

07 577 1848 

WWW.WNTVENTURES.CO.NZ 

While the incubator has portfolio 

companies across the country, the 

founders wanted WNT Ventures to be 

based in the heart of the Bay’s thriving 

and innovative economy. 

Now into its fifth year, and with two 

investment funds totaling nearly $8 

million, WNT Ventures record includes 

the 2018 acquisition of Tauranga 

company, Onesixone Ltd. To date 

‹‹ 

THE WNT VENTURES TEAM. 



HOBSON WEALTH 

Unique focus on private wealth 

David Le Breton has more than 20 years 

in banking and financial advisory roles in 

Australasia. He and his family moved from 

Auckland to Tauranga for the lifestyle in 

2014 to join one of the big four banks, 

before moving to Hobson Wealth Partners 

late last year to open the new office. 

“I was attracted to Hobson by the people 

in the business,” he says. “When the 

opportunity to join the team came up, 

and in Tauranga, I jumped at it.” 

BOUTIQUE INVEST- 

MENT ADVISORY 

FIRM HOBSON Wealth 

Partners has extended 

its reach into the Bay of 

Plenty, recently adding 

Tauranga to its network 

of offices in Auckland, Wellington and 

Christchurch. 

‹‹ 

“Last year we met two great advisers 

whom we thought would immediately 

fit in to the Hobson Wealth culture. Our 

Tauranga manager David Le Breton (ex 

ASB Private Wealth) started late last year 

and Roger White (ex ANZ Private Bank) 

joined in early February,” says Hobson 

Wealth’s Managing Director, Warren 

Couillault. 

LIFESTYLE ATTRACTIONS: DAVID LE BRETON 

AND FAMILY. PHOTO/DEAN PRESTON. 

Enterprise Angels and Oriens Capital - 

which Couillault described as “a dream 

location” with other investment-focused 

companies. He also notes the firm’s 

ability to move quickly on the decision 

to open in the Bay reflects a key aspect 

of the firm’s unique approach. 

Hobson Wealth Partners was set up 

nearly three years ago with Couillault 

leading a buy-in by the then management 

of Macquarie Group’s NZ 

private wealth business. Macquarie has 

retained a small strategic stake in the 

business, which gives Hobson Wealth 

access to Macquarie’s world-class 

securities research and global insights, 

enabling Hobson Wealth to deliver bespoke 

investment solutions to its clients. 

“Working for an organisation majorityowned 

by its employees, and charting its own 

course was a huge draw card for me, aligning 

with my own values.” - David Le Breton 

Roger White has had a 21-year career 

in banking, with the past five years as a 

senior private banker. He also owned 

and operated a successful retail business 

for 11 years. He’s a Tauranga Coast Guard 

volunteer and seizes every opportunity to 

spend time fishing from his jet ski. 

“Joining Hobson Wealth gave me an 

opportunity to join a leading private 

wealth advisory team with a focus on the 

client,” he says. 

“A big attraction was being able to offer 

my clients a tailored solution that is personalised 

to their circumstances.” 

07 926 2010 

HOBSONWEALTH.CO.NZ 

“The Bay of Plenty is a good healthy 

market for us, and having these great 

advisers in the region will help us both 

service our existing clients better and 

grow our client base.” 

Hobson Wealth Partners has moved into 

The Vault, in Tauranga’s downtown CBD 

- also the home of Quayside Holdings, 

Ownership allows fast responses 

“We’re quite unique,” he says. “We own 

the business ourselves, all of the key 

people are hands-on shareholders and 

we are nimble and can react quickly to 

our clients requirements. We don’t have 

any other business potentially undermining 

our focus.” 

‹‹ 

DREAM LOCATION IN BAY: ROGER 

WHITE AND DAVID LE BRETON. 



SWIPEDON’S 

smart tech finds a global market 

SWIPEDON EXEMPLIFIES 

THE KIND OF smart tech 

company that has found 

supportive capital and 

a pathway to profitable 

overseas markets from a 

base in the Bay of Plenty. 

The Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) 

company, which has created an 

innovative worksite visitor management 

solution that replaces old school 

sign-in paper-based visitor books, was 

acquired last October by UK AIM-listed 

SmartSpace Software Plc for $11 million 

in cash and SmartSpace shares. 

“ From our perspective, we 

can show to other potential 

start-up companies that it 

can all be done from within 

the Bay.” - Hadleigh Ford 

But SwipedOn co-founder and Chief 

Executive Officer Hadleigh Ford - who 

stayed on with the rest of the management 

team after the sale - says one of 

the fundamental aspects of the deal 

was that SwipedOn maintained and 

grew the company from its base in 

Tauranga. 

SwipedOn has an exclusive offer for all 

Bay of Plenty businesses. Subscribe to 

any plan using the coupon code BOP- 

10LOCAL and get 10% off your first subscription 

payment. Offer valid through 

to midnight 31 December, 2019. 

And he says SmartSpace - a leading 

provider of Workspace Management 

Software for smart buildings, commercial 

spaces and hospitality - was onside 

with this from the start. 

“They recognised we have a pretty special 

culture within the business,” says Ford. 

“It was crucial that we maintained this culture 

as we scaled and joined a larger entity. 

We’re proud to be a very BOP-centric 

company. The majority of our investors 

are from the Bay, we utilise all of our 

professional services and even outsource 

some of our digital marketing here.” 

Ford notes that post the SmartSpace 

acquisition, the company was even 

more firmly rooted in the Bay and has 

recently taken out a long-term office 

lease on the Strand, in Tauranga’s CBD. 

This has also generated a number of local 

employment opportunities, with the 

group currently looking to fill a series of 

development roles based in Tauranga. 

SwipedOn went to market with a $1 

million capital raise that closed in January 

2018, which was backed by Tauranga-Based 

Enterprise Angels members, 

Quayside Holdings, the New Zealand 

Venture Investment Fund and Warehouse 

Founder Stephen Tindall. For the start-up’s 

investors, the sale to SmartSpace represented 

an excellent return on investment. 

SmartSpace chief executive Frank Beechinor 

said the company investigated several 

acquisition opportunities in visitor management 

in the UK, the US and Europe. 

‹‹ 

THE SWIPEDON TEAM: STAYING ON 

IN TAURANGA. PHOTOS/SUPPLIED. 

“We decided on SwipedOn as we felt it 

met our criteria of offering good value, 

had a scalable technology, a worldwide 

customer base, a strong team and established 

SaaS management processes 

with the potential for significant growth.” 

SwipedOn was founded in 2013 by Ford, 

who at the time was working as a harbour 

pilot, guiding large vessels into New Zealand 

ports. Both he and co-founder Ben 

Scott, the company’s Head of Product 

- who joined SwipedOn in 2014 - share a 

background as superyacht skippers. 

The company has some 20 staff with 

over 3,000 customers worldwide, largely 

in the UK and US, with large corporations 

such as Fujitsu, Estee Lauder, Mitsubishi 

and Hugo Boss using its visitor management 

software. 

“From our perspective, we can show to 

other potential start-up companies that 

it can all be done from within the Bay,” 

says Ford. 

07 807 9454 

WWW.SWIPEDON.COM 


TABAK’S FOCUSED 

APPROACH TO 

SELLING A BUSINESS 

IF YOU’RE A BUSINESS OWN- 

ER, it’s likely that at some point, 

you’ve entertained the idea of 

selling. But despite its importance 

as the most viable exit 

strategy, for many, selling often 

gets relegated to backburner 

status. It’s a complex and timely task, 

especially when tackled alone. However, 

thanks to a skilled team of local business 

brokers, you needn’t have to. 

“ At Tabak, we strongly 

believe that establishing 

a fair market value is 

vital to the successful 

outcome of the sales 

process.” – Kevin Kerr 

With 18 years of history in the Bay of 

Plenty, Tabak Business Sales operates 

with a sincere, yet precise approach. 

Owners’ Kevin Kerr and Paul Brljevich 

outline the reasons behind this ethos 

and alleviate some of the apprehension 

associated with selling. 

Says Kevin. “Our reputation is our 

hallmark and we will only ever represent 

quality clients who are showing 

sustainable future profits. This allows us 

to be selective and gives us the capacity 

to allocate each listing the time and 

focused attention it deserves.” 

Before listing a business for sale, Tabak 

assesses how effectively it operates, 

before evaluating its potential worth in 

the market place. 

Establishing fair value 

“At Tabak, we strongly believe that 

establishing a fair market value is vital 

to the successful outcome of the sales 

process,” says Kevin. “We stand by our 

valuations and will only present business 

owners with a realistic market price.” 

This step in the process highlights the 

importance of using a business broker. 

It’s here Tabak focuses their attention. 

Paul adds that Tabak goes further than 

just connecting buyers with sellers. 

“We work to create and nurture a relationship 

between the two, based on the 

information we are given. Each buyer 

in our database is pre-qualified, then 

verified and categorised by budget and 

interest. This not only saves time, but also 

ensures our listings are seen by the right 

people. Most of our sellers are well-recognised 

businesses and when listed with 

Tabak, their identity remains completely 

confidential from start to finish.” 

‹‹ 

BUSINESS OWNERS PAUL AND KEVIN EXPLAIN 

THE SALES PROCESS TO CLIENTS. 

The focused team approach and nationwide 

network gives Tabak the advantage 

of greater marketing leverage. Experienced 

brokers are supported by proven 

systems, adding a valuable backbone 

to the buying and selling process. Tabak 

says its credible track record allows the 

firm to provide a superior service when 

it comes to selling a business. 

The best time to sell your business could 

be right now, so don’t miss the opportunity 

to engage with the experienced 

Tabak team, say the owners. 

“ We work to create and 

nurture a relationship 

between the buyers 

and sellers, based on 

the information we are 

given.” – Paul Brljevich 

0800 482 225 

WWW.TABAK.CO.NZ 


DESTINATION 

MANAGEMENT 

STRATEGY 

TRANSFORMING 

BAY TOURISM 


BY KRISTIN DUNNE, 

Chief Executive, Tourism Bay of Plenty 

Tourism can help our region flourish 

and it engenders a sense of pride and 

vibrancy. Importantly, tourism attracts 

people to live, work and do business. 

In the Bay of Plenty our employment 

stocks are mirroring the tourism industry’s 

economic growth – trending upwards. 

In the year ended March 2016, there 

were 7,440 people employed in the 

tourism sector in the Coastal Bay of Plenty 

region - which includes the Tauranga 

City, Western Bay of Plenty District and 

Whakatāne District catchments - compared 

with 6,220 in the year ended 

March 2013. It is estimated there will 

be a further 4,000 jobs in the tourism 

industry over the next 10 years. 

Key contribution to economy 

The Visitor Economy injects more than 

$1 billion per annum into our economy. 

However, the benefit of tourism must 

be broader and more measurable than 

just financial. The role of Tourism Bay 

of Plenty is to work alongside other 

stakeholders to stimulate regenerative 

outcomes as a result of tourism. 

We need to manage the type and pace 

of tourism to enable our industry, community, 

environment and visitors to flourish. 

This will all occur as a result of collaboration 

and the co-creation of stories, 

product and resource. Tourism Bay of 

Plenty is leading the charge of insisting 

that tourism outcomes are measured 

by social, environmental and cultural 

improvements, as well as economic. 

Tourism Bay of Plenty has evolved from 

a purely destination-marketing focused 

organisation into a broader Destination 

Management Organisation (DMO), 

where all facets of impact from the 

visitor economy are considered within 

our roles. We’ve hired specialist talent in 

partnerships management, destination 

development, Māori economic development 

and market research. 

These roles have expanded our capabilities 

and resource to enable us to help 

new and emerging tourism businesses 

get off the ground and be exported to 

the world. 

“Our purpose is to grow tourism for 

the benefit of our community. This 

ambition can only be achieved through 

coordinated engagement with the 

community and the industry that we 

represent.” - Kristin Dunne 

In 2017, Tourism Bay of Plenty developed 

the Visitor Economy Strategy 

2018–2028. The plan sets out to transform 

the Coastal Bay of Plenty into a 

developed destination with more things 

to see, do and spend money on, and 

spread visitors further across the region. 

Tourism Bay of Plenty is entering into 

new territory. Our purpose is to grow 

tourism for the benefit of our community. 

This ambition can only be achieved 

through coordinated engagement with 

the community and the industry that we 

represent. 


CUCUMBER IS 

ALL GROWN UP 

YOU WILL FIND 

CUCUMBER IN 

THE HEART OF 

TAURANGA’S CBD. 

And no, Cucumber 

isn’t a supplier of 

vegetables, but a 

world-class incubator for digital creativity 

and thinking, which has become a 

staple in Tauranga’s tech landscape. 

Cucumber’s high quality digital skills 

have put them on the map as a trusted 

and knowledgeable digital partner over 

the last 15 years, both here in the Bay 

and with clients throughout New Zealand 

and Australia. The company’s evolution 

from a small website development 

company in 2004 into an enterprise 

digital partner in 2019, is a testament to 

its leadership team, talented staff and 

culture. 

Cucumber’s innovative approach to tackling 

challenges for clients has cemented 

their reputation and created long-term 

relationships with a number of wellknown 

businesses. They have built world 

class digital solutions for the likes of Contact 

Energy, Independent Stevedoring 

Ltd, Scion, Port of Tauranga, Tui Garden 

Products and PGG Wrightson. 

Says General Manager, Aidan Lett: 

“When you combine a fresh approach 

with some serious technical skills and 

a fun culture, you get some amazing 

results.” 

Proof of this is Cucumber’s recent 

international award for digital marketing 

personalisation on Contact Energy’s 

Sitecore web platform. 

“It’s great to see our team doing things 

no one else is doing globally and getting 

the recognition they deserve,” says 

Lett. “We have a real passion for getting 

results for our clients, so it was fitting that 

the award was in the category for best 

business outcome or ROI from a digital 

experience.” 

The business has really expanded in 

recent years to include consultancy and 

developing custom-built software - such 

as their log counting tool for ISL, or their 

mobile biosecurity app for Scion. 

Solving the impossible 

Cucumber’s Tech Lead Roland Rich says 

that due to advancements in technology, 

his team can now solve problems 

that just a few years ago were considered 

impossible. This includes artificial 

intelligence and machine learning 

for image processing, creating mobile 

applications that work seamlessly 

when offline, or using the latest cloud 

technology to ensure our applications 

and services are always available for 

customers. 

“Technology moves incredibly fast, and 

if you don’t innovate you can get left 

behind very quickly,” says Rich. 

Although much of Cucumber’s reputa- 

AIDAN LETT 


tion comes from their world-class technical 

ability, the firm’s number one value 

- as decided by their 40 strong team - is 

putting Customer Success first. 

Lett stressed Cucumber’s focus on 

removing self-interest from the client relationship. 

“Yes we need to make money 

and want our shareholders to get dividends, 

but this comes from delivering 

the right solution for our clients and 

creating long-term relationships with 

them,” he says. “We don’t want to deliver 

a preconceived solution that suits 

our needs, we want great experiences 

for our clients’ customers. A customer 

who truly loves the online experience 

they have, will often tell their friends and 

in 2019 awesome (or not so awesome) 

experiences are very easily shared with 

large numbers of people.” 

One long-standing client is Independent 

Stevedoring Ltd, which Cucumber 

worked with in developing a log-scanning 

application. 

“Cucumber took the time to understand 

our business problem, and the 

key to success in this project was being 

involved with the team every step of the 

way,” says Paula Clode from ISL. 

“They are passionate about the work 

they do, think about things the way I 

wanted them to and there were no surprises 

along the way as I was so involved 

- it was a true partnership.” 

Cucumber is focused on investing 

resources into upskilling existing staff, to 

keep attracting and retaining the very 

best in the business. They’re also focused 

on growth, have recently brought 

on a Strategic Partnerships Manager to 

also help take Cucumber to a new level. 

With this newly bolstered team - which 

still includes founding shareholders – a 

fast growing services business and a 

passionate team of self-confessed tech 

geeks, thinkers, marketers, hackers, innovators, 

creatives and builders behind 

them, there’s no doubt that Cucumber is 

ready to go and grow a bigger garden 

in 2019 and beyond. 

0800 CUCUMBER 

HELLO@CUCUMBER.CO.NZ 

“If your organisation 

wants to transform 

with the adoption of 

digital technology, 

but is unsure where 

to begin, we can 

help navigate this 

seemingly complex 

landscape with you.” 

- Aidan Lett 

TT 

AIDAN LETT WITH ROZANNA LILLAS 


EC CREDIT CONTROL 

Proactive debt prevention pays off for Bay businesses 

EC CREDIT CONTROL IS 

NEW Zealand’s largest 

debt collection and 

credit management 

company, used by more 

than 68,000 Australasian 

businesseses. 

Nick Kerr, the Bay of Plenty Area Manager 

since 2007 and a Terms of Trade 

Specialist, says the global financial crisis 

a decade ago changed his approach 

from reactive debt collection to a debt 

prevention focus. 

“We now set up systems within businesses 

that can accurately analyse and 

identify risky debtor behaviour and 

impending insolvency events,” says Nick, 

who is frequently asked to speak at industry 

group conferences both here and 

in Australia because of the company’s 

unique approach to credit management. 

Those systems have helped Bay clients 

avoid an estimated $10 million-plus in 

bad debts over the past five years, he 

says. 

“For example, we effectively used our 

tools to accurately predict a local building 

company collapse to the week and 

managed to get most of our subcontractor 

trade clients off site without significant 

loss.” 

“His training and continued support has 

ensured our staff have a clear policy 

to follow, which has resulted in the 

company now having a very strong 

and healthy position in relation to our 

creditor ledger.” 

Debbie Heyworth, of Grower Direct, 

describes Nick’s support as priceless 

and says she recommends him to any 

company big or small. 

“He’s supportive and very knowledgeable 

in helping us get our business 

creditors/debtors practices in line.” 

In 2015, frustrated at not being able to 

find a private investigation company to 

refer to that understood his clients’ needs, 

Nick also started his own company, 

International Private Investigations. IPI 

specialises in debtor profiling and tracing, 

fraud investigation and process serving. 

“ Over the years Nick has helped us out with putting all the 

right contracts in place for all the different aspects of our 

business and also helping us out on our debt collecting 

systems. His professionalism and knowledge have been 

very effective in streamlining the day-to-day running of our 

business.” - Aaron Jones, AJs Electrical 

Through its subsidiary NZ Repossession 

Services, it conducts more than 100 medium 

to high risk repossessions per year. 

“I have a passion for small business and 

a desire to help them avoid the pitfalls 

that I have seen ruin so many,” says Nick. 

“Large companies have the resources for 

in-house credit management teams, but 

I believe that turnover should not dictate 

the quality of advice that you can access.” 

027 713 2128 

NICK.KERR@ECCREDITCONTROL.CO.NZ 

Nick says that effective bad debt 

prevention comes from understanding 

debtor behaviour, drivers and symptoms, 

as well as significant information 

networks in the varied industries that EC 

Credit Control’s clients trade in. 

“Of course this means nothing without 

clients that trust your input and information, 

as we are often advising our clients 

to reconsider potentially lucrative deals 

due to our red flag systems.” 

Dayle O’Callaghan, of Textiles Alive, 

says Nick’s knowledge, experience and 

advice has been invaluable in ensuring 

her company is always protected legislatively, 

with a practical and very effective 

credit control policy. 

‹‹ 

EC CREDIT CONTROL’S NICK KERR WITH CLIENT ROB 

GIBSON, CENTRAL FOUNDATIONS LTD. PHOTO/ALEX 

PORTEOUS. 

42 |

LINK 

Business Brokers 

specialise in selling businesses 

HAVING THE 

RIGHT TEAM 

BEHIND you can 

mean the difference 

between 

selling your 

business at a great 

price and not selling your business at 

all, says LINK Business Brokers General 

Manager Steven Matthews. 

“When you partner with LINK, you are 

engaging with more than 120 years of 

expertise and knowledge,” he says, noting 

the company has established itself as 

an industry leader. 

“ When you 

partner with 

LINK, you are 

engaging with 

more than 120 

years of expertise 

and knowledge.” 

-Steven Matthews 

“The growth of the company has been 

very intense. LINK is now the largest specialised 

business brokerage in the world.” 

The company has gone from strength 

to strength, with yet another successful 

year in 2018 under the team’s belts. 

LINK Bay of Plenty pride themselves on 

the unique way they facilitate hundreds 

of successful business sales every year. 

They attribute their success to: 

Confidentiality key 

“When preparing to sell a business, clients 

will often be focused on confidentiality 

alongside getting a good price 

and the legalities of signing it over,” says 

Steven. 

“LINK has very strong policies and procedures 

in place to maintain confidentiality.” 

If a seller’s plans become known to the 

wider world, this can have repercussions 

on the sale. The right buyer could be 

deterred by picking up wrong preconceived 

ideas. Or rumours of a sale could 

tempt suppliers to change their terms, 

make customers look elsewhere or 

cause employees to leave, any of which 

can hurt the business and the sale price. 

LINK ensures confidentiality is maintained 

during every stage of the sale. 

From the way the business is marketed 

through to the signing of the papers, a 

LINK Broker will work to ensure they get 

the best outcome. 

And while there are some exceptions to 

this rule, businesses are only identified 

where this will not compromise the 

business or the sale in any way. 

Team approach 

LINK says its exceptional success rate 

attests to the quality of its Brokers. The 

team is made up of carefully selected 

Business Brokers, all of whom have 

extensive previous business experience 

and have been chosen based on their 

ability to manage a varied range of key 

industry sectors. 

The brokerage professionally manages 

the sale of business ranging from 

small one man (or woman) enterprises, 

through to million dollar-plus businesses. 

All of the brokers are committed to 

providing clients with the highest level 

of service through the exciting and 

challenging journey of either buying or 

selling their business. 

‹‹ 

THE LINK TEAM: WORKING FOR THE BEST 

BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS OUTCOMES. NEWS: PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

YEARBOOK 2018-19 | 43

FORSYTH BARR 

It’s all about Trust 

NEW ZEALANDERS 

HAVE PUT THEIR 

trust in Forsyth Barr 

for personalised 

investment advice 

and service for 

more than 80 years. 

Investment Advisers - Andrew Davis, Brett 

Bell-Booth, David McConnochie and 

Philip Kilpatrick - are all NZX Accredited 

Authorised Financial Advisers and are 

available to provide clients with professional, 

personalised and confidential 

investment advice. 

‹‹ 

PUTTING CLIENTS’ INTERESTS FIRST, 

DAVID MCCONNOCHIE, BRETT BELL- 

BOOTH, ANDREW DAVIS AND PHILIP 

KILPATRICK. PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

Forsyth Barr’s reputation is founded 

on integrity, the highest standards of 

service and research-driven investment 

advice. The business has one of New 

Zealand’s leading research teams, while 

global affiliations ensure research coverage 

of major investment markets. 

The business started from humble beginnings 

in Dunedin in 1936 and over a period 

of more than 83 years has expanded 

to 21 offices across the country, employing 

more than 300 staff. Forsyth Barr is a 

foundation New Zealand Exchange firm 

(NZX), an accredited market participant 

and is proud that it has remained 100 

percent New Zealand owned. 

The Tauranga office has been in operation 

for more than 15 years. The local 

From experienced investors to those 

just starting out, they can advise on a 

full range of investment services from 

portfolio management, investment 

advice and sharebroking, to cash management 

and saving options, including 

KiwiSaver and a range of investment 

“Thanks to the support of our clients and 

the hard work of our people, we are a 

successful business.” - David McConnochie 

funds covering all sectors. 

Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser 

Andrew Davis says he is motivated to 

deliver service and performance to 

clients, which in turn builds long-term 

and trusted relationships. 

“Because of this focus on performance 

and service, Forsyth Barr has over $7 

billion of portfolio funds under advice 

and management.” 

David McConnochie says the firm puts 

clients’ best interests first. 

“Thanks to the support of our clients 

and the hard work of our people, we 

are a successful business,” he says. “We 

are proud to support a number of local 

community groups. In addition, Forsyth 

Barr provides support and sponsorship 

to organisations throughout the country.” 

To find out more about Forsyth Barr 

or to arrange a no-obligation meeting 

to discuss your investment objectives 

in confidence, call 07 578 2737 email 

tauranga@forsythbarr.co.nz or visit the 

office at 40 Selwyn Street, Tauranga. 

This column is general in nature and is 

not personalised investment advice. 

Disclosure Statements for Forsyth Barr 

Authorised Financial Advisers are available 

on request and free of charge. 

07 578 2737 

WWW.FORSYTHBARR.CO.NZ/ 

CONTACT-US/TAURANGA/ 


STRATUS BLUE 

Humanising technology for SMEs 

‹‹ 

HANDS-ON APPROACH: TONY SNOW AND ERIC SMITH. PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

STRATUS BLUE HAS 

DEVELOPED A strong 

presence throughout 

the Bay of Plenty over 

the past five years 

providing outsourced IT 

services, with a particular 

focus on small and medium-sized 

businesses, says co-founder Tony 

Snow. 

“We understand Business Speak - and 

we can also translate human to geek.” 

Snow’s background is in business, 

while co-founder Eric Smith is a systems 

architect. Together they can pull each 

other’s ideas apart to develop strong 

and dynamic outsourced technology 

“ Downtime means money 

lost and after an extensive 

selection process we couldn’t 

be happier with the decision 

to have Stratus Blue as our 

technology partner. Their 

advice, proactiveness, 

responsiveness and ability to 

treat us like human beings, 

is second to none. - John 

Heyworth – Textiles Alive 

solutions for companies, from ground to 

the cloud, says Snow. 

“When we began back in 2013, we 

looked at other IT support companies 

and realised they were mostly run by 

technical people. But technology is just 

a tool - it isn’t necessarily the outcome 

in itself. We don’t alienate clients by 

making assumptions - we find out what 

they need.” 

Stratus Blue focuses on bringing corporate 

and enterprise software to clients 

ranging from solo entrepreneurs to 

business with up to 100 or so staff. 

Stratus Blue understands that identifying 

relevant trends or solutions can be 

time-consuming and take a business away 

from serving its clients. “We will take the 

time to understand where your business 

is at, what your IT needs are, and what 

software, applications and infrastructure 

need to integrate with one another.” 

He notes that small businesses share 

the same fears - and aspirations - about 

responding to the need for growth. 

“We look at practical and relevant solutions 

that clients are geared to handle 

and are aligned with their risk profile. 

Our goal is to make our clients’ businesses 

run more efficiently and contribute to 

their bottom lines.” 

“ Decisions on hardware and 

solutions to technical issues 

to do with legacy systems 

and future projects have 

been resolved rapidly and 

with excellent attention to 

detail. I have no hesitation in 

recommending Stratus Blue.” 

- Dr. Richard Thurlow, CEO, 

Waipuna Hospice Inc. 

The ROI approach 

Stratus Blue operates what it calls its ROI 

cubed approach. This breaks down to: 

• Run, Optimise, Improve – learning 

how a business runs, how it can optimise 

IT systems, and identify areas for 

improvement or innovation. 

• Risk Of In-action – analysing the risk 

of not doing anything in terms of 

technology. 

• Return On Investment – Stratus Blue’s 

team believes IT should be an investment, 

not a cost. 

0800 2 ASSIST 

ASSIST@STRATUSBLUE.CO.NZ 


STRATEGIC PAY 

Not a Payroll Company 

STRATEGIC PAY HAS 

WORKED IN the Bay of 

Plenty for more than two 

decades and, since 2016, 

has had a physical presence 

in Tauranga with 

Senior Consultant Cathy 

Hendry based in the region. 

The company works with clients across 

the region, from Tauranga, across to 

Whakatane, down to Rotorua and 

beyond. 

Strategic Pay partners with Business 

Owners, Directors, Chief Executives, 

their Executive Teams and HR professionals. 

While you may have heard the name, you 

need to be clear that Strategic Pay is not 

a payroll company. It is New Zealand’s 

largest source of remuneration knowledge. 

The company provides innovative 

solutions to organisations on their 

remuneration and reward practices which 

are closely aligned with their business 

objectives. 

“Our interest in pay is in the context of 

remuneration and rewards,” says Cathy 

Hendry. 

“Our business is assisting you to make 

and communicate pay decisions that are 

right for your organisation, no matter the 

size or industry you are in.” 

“Strategic Pay are very 

good to deal with - 

comprehensive reporting, 

great benchmarking across 

industry and very helpful in 

conducting remuneration 

talks. Cathy Hendry is 

particularly good. We’ll 

use Strategic Pay again in a 

heartbeat.”– New Zealand 

Windfarms Limited 

Growing remuneration database 

Strategic Pay has the most representative 

database of employee remuneration 

in New Zealand, of more than 

200,000 employees from organisations. 

From this Strategic Pay produces an 

unrivalled suite of more than 30 general 

market and industry reports annually. 

The company reports across every 

sector, most industries and at every 

level, covering Directors Fees, CEO and 

Executive Remuneration, and management 

and employees pay. The company 

also conducts commissioned bespoke 

remuneration and policies research on 

behalf of clients. 


info@strategicpay.co.nz 

Strategic Pay’s database is continuing 

to grow with Private Sector being the 

largest. The company’s rich data sources 

across all sectors gives clients access 

to better and broader comparative 

information to ensure they are paying 

their employees competitively against 

the market, and can attract key talent. 

As consultants, Strategic Pay assists 

organisations with initiatives as large as 

developing a remuneration and reward 

strategy, to activities as discrete as sizing 

and pricing a single particular job. And 

to everything in between, such as designing 

a short-term incentive scheme 

or doing pay equity analysis. 

Understanding stakeholder expectations 

Strategic Pay is experienced and 

knowledgeable in interpreting and 

“I trust the advice I receive 

from Cathy Hendry from 

Strategic Pay. They are 

highly credible and very 

interested in the subject 

of remuneration and the 

business I work in - nothing 

is a problem.” - Financial 

Markets Authority. 

“Strategic Pay have always 

been highly responsive to 

our needs and requests at 

all levels of our business. 

The not-for-profit sector 

can have its challenges but 

these are fully embraced 

and understood by the 

consultants who work in this 

area.” - Presbyterian Support 

Services Northern 

using data and has a depth of understanding 

of stakeholder expectations. 

However, the company sees its core 

strength as being able to tailor solutions 

to suit its clients’ organisations. 

“We aim to share our knowledge and 

train your employees to better equip 

your organisation,” says Hendry. 

“We run public and in-house short 

courses for business owners, executives 

and HR professionals on remuneration 

and reward topics, and train clients in 

our job evaluation methodologies so 

they can do job sizing themselves. We 

also have technology solutions to assist 

organisation with managing their salary 

review process.” 

‹‹ 

STRATEGIC PAY’S NATIONWIDE STAFF: 

TAILORING SOLUTIONS TO SUIT THEIR 

CLIENTS. PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

With a local regional base, Strategic Pay 

is well placed to assist business across 

the Bay of Plenty. Contact Cathy Hendry 

at cathy.hendry@strategicpay.co.nz. 

So, no - Strategic Pay is not a payroll 

company 

07 8346581 

‹‹ 

CATHY HENDRY 

WWW.STRATEGICPAY.CO.NZ 


KALE PRINT 

Success through evolution 

TAURANGA’S KALE 

PRINT IS A familyowned 

business 

with a reputation as 

the leader in their 

field for quality and 

service, owing its 

continued growth and success to the 

embracing of new technology and a 

clear focus on the future, grounded in 

generations of print experience. 

“It’s a constantly changing industry,” says 

Stephen Kale, who started the business 

in 1984 with his wife Jill. 

“Keeping up with the newest technologies 

means we can provide a 

greater value service for our clients,” 

says Stephen. “Every new technology 

acquisition is driven by our desire to 

create a better experience for the 

customer.” 

With a staff of 40, Kale Print is now the 

leading print company in the Bay of 

Plenty, providing a wide range of print 

solutions for local businesses, as well as 

companies throughout New Zealand 

and Australia. 

Wealth and expertise 

“We have very high staff retention, 

which in turn creates a wealth 

of knowledge and expertise,” says 

Stephen. “We have some of the most 

knowledgeable and passionate people 

in the industry working at every stage 

of the process.” 

General Manager Peter Lloyd says 

Kale Print’s staff also includes a dedicated 

team of specialist consultants, 

from various design and print backgrounds. 

“They all pride themselves on delivering 

great service and helping our clients 

find innovative ways to break through 

the competition and get their customers 

attention,” he says. 

“It’s a truly valuable part of the Kale Print 

experience that sets us apart from our 

competition.” 

Embracing of new technology, such 

as Kale Print’s hybrid ultra violet (HUV) 

offset printing machine - a first for the 

Bay of Plenty - allows for instant drying, 

helping the company meet the market’s 

demand for small-to-medium run packaging 

and printing. 

“We’re producing more jobs than we 

ever have, but trends are tending towards 

shorter runs, and the need to provide 

faster turnaround and finishing.” 

“We’ve become a full end-to-end solution 

for commercial visual communications, 

providing design and print services 

for not only traditional marketing and 

stationery requirements, but also signage, 

vehicle wraps, labels and packaging,” says 

Peter. “Print’s certainly not dead.” 

“ Keeping up with the 

newest technologies 

means we can provide a 

greater value service for 

our clients.” 

– Stephen Kale 

‹‹ 

GENERATIONS OF PRINTING 

EXPERTISE: STEPHEN, BRENT AND 

GAVIN KALE. PHOTO/SUPPLIED 

Meeting clients’ growing needs 

Kale Print has made a significant 

investment in IT which will take 

customer experience to another 

level this year, including: 

• Transparent access to workflow, 

enabling job-tracking in real time. 

• Online access for better customer 

engagement and rapid quote 

response. 

• Freeing up our team to spend 

more valuable time with clients to 

understand their needs. 

0800 252 537 

KALEPRINT.CO.NZ 


RADIUS ALTHORP 

Our Home Is Your Home 

LOCATED AT PYES PA 

IN TAURANGA, just 20 

minutes from popular 

Mount Maunganui 

beach, Radius Althorp 

sets the benchmark for 

Rest Home, Hospital, 

Respite, Dementia and Palliative care 

in the Bay of Plenty. 

With its native trees and relaxing walkways, 

its light, spacious interiors and its 

warm welcoming staff, Radius Althorp is 

a home away from home for residents, 

their families and whanau. 

This all-encompassing aged care facility 

brings good old-fashioned traditional 

Kiwi values back into caring for the elderly 

and always goes the extra mile. 

A dedicated team of activities co-ordinators 

ensures that residents are engaged, 

entertained and active on a daily basis, with 

a host of indoor activities and social outings 

to suit all interests. The team also celebrates 

numerous events throughout the year such 

as an annual winter ball, spring gala and a 

plethora of cultural occasions. 

The premises at Radius Althorp are 

always immaculate yet exude a homely 

and warm atmosphere with plenty of 

natural lighting, spacious living areas 

and various indoor and outdoor spaces 

where residents can share private time 

with their visiting loved ones if desired. 

The hospital rooms are also very large 

and sunny. All downstairs rooms lead 

outside to beautifully tended gardens 

and restful social spaces. 

If you have any questions or would 

like to look around Radius Althorp, 

call (07) 543 2912. 

07 543 2912 

RADIUSCARE.CO.NZ/ 

WAIKATO-BOP/RADIUS-ALTHORP 

Radius Althorp prides itself on providing 

an excellent standard of nursing and best 

care experiences for residents so that families 

and loved ones can feel confident the 

commitment to care is second to none. 

As well as a full suite of inpatient services, 

Radius Althorp also offers outpatient 

services to the general public including 

ACC Registered Physiotherapy assessment 

and Hydrotherapy treatment. Keep 

On Your Feet classes are held regularly to 

assist with pain issues, help prevent falls 

and keep residents and the elderly in the 

community in top form. 

0800 000000 

XXXXXXXX.CO.NZ 


PMG’S 

Property philosophy 

OVER THE PAST 26 

YEARS, Taurangafounded 

Property 

Managers 

Group (PMG) 

has launched 

30 investment 

property offerings and four unlisted 

property funds, totalling $300 million. In 

addition, the company manages a large 

number of privately owned commercial 

properties in the Bay of Plenty. 

The company is the trusted partner to 

more than 600 investors, some of whom 

are third-generation clients, and manages 

more than 100 properties nationwide for 

its investors. PMG’s strategies for buying 

assets are simple: location, add-value, and 

treat people well. 

PMG is in the process of evolving its 

name to the abbreviated PMG and 

refreshing the brand to better reflect 

what it does and ensure it stays relevant 

in the changing marketplace, says Chief 

Executive Officer and Director Scott 


‹‹ 

CEO, SCOTT McKENZIE (BACK ROW 

SEATED) WITH THE TAURANGA TEAM. 


McKenzie. In the Q&A below, he outlines 

PMG’s performance and philosophy. 

Q. What is PMG’s philosophy? 

A. We value growing relationships as 

much as we value growing returns. The 

two are inextricably linked. Performance 

is all that matters. We have skin in the 

game - we invest alongside our clients 

because we have confidence in our 

people to add value and generate 

strong returns. We now have thirdgeneration 

clients who trust us to grow 

their wealth because we have done 

right by their families in the past. 

template’ on property syndications 

with the Securities Commission in 1995. 

Since then, we’ve launched a number 

of sector-specific funds to provide 

investors choice. We’ve focused on the 

services we offer, and relationships we 

hold with our tenants to ensure they can 

be productive and happy. 

“At PMG we 

measure success 

by how well we 

facilitate human 

interaction with 

real estate and the 

impact this has on 

people’s lives.” 

- Scott McKenzie 

Q. What differentiates PMG? 

A. Being approachable and having a 

community conscience. Our clients 

have a direct line to us, investors don’t 

have to go via a financial advisor 

to find out about our activities or 

offerings and our tenants can call 

us directly and get the facts from 

the source. One of our goals this 

year is the implementation of our 

ESG (Environmental, Social and 

Governance) policy - the three central 

factors measuring the sustainability and 

ethical impact of our business. 

Q. How does PMG put the client first? 

A. We listen. And it really is that 

simple. We value and prioritise our 

relationship with our clients - it’s at 

the centre of everything we do at 

PMG. We communicate regularly 

with them and ask for feedback so 

that we can fill the gap between 

their expectations and what we 

can deliver. One of our company 

values is transparency. We are fully 

accountable and focused on building 

and maintaining trust. Another key 

value is approachability - our door is 

always open. 

Q: How is the PMG brand evolving? 

A: To better convey the evolution of 

Property Managers Group, the new 

brand has been developed to reflect 

constant evolution/modernisation, whilst 

celebrating the past through the subtle 

retention of the PMG orange and a 

modern iteration of the building blocks. 

Q. How does PMG measure success? 

A. When we think of success in business, 

most of us will think of revenue. And 

while we can never take our eye off 

what sustains business and what moves it 

forward, at PMG we see success as being 

more than that. For us, it’s a balance of 

happiness and success for our clients, our 

business, our team members, and our 

community. In truth, we are all in business 

together. 

0800 219 476 

WWW.PROPERTYMGR.CO.NZ 

Q. How is PMG evolving? 

A. We have continually evolved to 

meet the needs of our clients, investors, 

tenants, contractors and suppliers, from 

our roots as a manager of commercial 

property in 1992, to ‘cutting the 

‹‹ 

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: SCOTT McKENZIE (CEO), MATT McHARDY (HEAD 

OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & INVESTOR RELATIONS), TONY BRINDLE 

(DIRECTOR, BODY CORPORATE) AND BRIAN BERRY (ASSET MANAGER). 



CROMBIE 

LOCKWOOD 

Risk management for small and large 

Kiwi companies against cybercrime 

AS ORGANISATIONS 

OF ALL SHAPES 

and sizes embrace 

ever more 

sophisticated 

computer networks, 

e-commerce 

solutions, mobile connectivity and 

social media initiatives, the risk of 

suffering a potentially debilitating 

cyber-attack has increased 

exponentially. 

Crombie Lockwood’s Cyber Practice 

Leader Elizabeth Harbison says certain 

misconceptions about cybercrime mean 

many New Zealand companies are 

potentially leaving themselves open to 

tremendous risk. 

During 2018, Aura Information Security 

partnered with Perceptive to undertake 

a market research report focusing on 

cybersecurity in New Zealand. Almost 40 

percent of the 231 surveyed businesses 

IT decision-makers estimate they are 

targeted by more than five phishing or 

ransomware attacks per quarter. More 

than 20 percent of respondents said this 

number is closer to five to 10 attacks 

per quarter. Most respondents also 

anticipate cyber-attacks will become 

more frequent and complex. 

“ I think there is a general 

perception that cyber-attacks 

affect large multinational 

businesses and criminals 

leave small businesses alone. 

Unfortunately that isn’t the 

case.” - Elizabeth Harbison 

“Among general business owners in 

New Zealand, there is still something of 

an ‘it won’t happen to me’ mentality,” 

says Harbison. 

“In countries such as the US – a more 

litigious environment where the 

ramifications of a data breach are 

potentially much more damaging – cyber 

risk management is a prime concern. 

Understanding the threats and managing 

risk in these scenarios is crucial for all 

businesses, regardless of their size.” 

But cyber insurance as a product is 

maturing to meet the challenge, says 

Harbison. 

Guidance around IT security best 

practice, third party benchmarking, 

contract analysis, advice on incident 

response planning and even a breach 

Crombie Lockwood is one of New 

Zealand’s largest insurance brokers, with 

a team of around 900 people across 

more than 25 offices. In 2014, Crombie 

Lockwood was acquired by Gallagher, 

the world’s fourth largest global insurance 

broker, adding global support to 

its local expertise. Backed by Gallagher’s 

Cyber Liability Practice, Crombie 

Lockwood delivers a full complement of 

cyber risk management and insurance 

services to New Zealand clients. 

cost calculator can be made available to 

Crombie Lockwood clients. 

It is now much easier to have the tools to 

react to such an attack more quickly and, 

potentially, with less ongoing interruption 

to business, she says. But while companies 

might divert more of their budget to 

their IT infrastructure – including security 

measures – criminal hacks have nothing 

to do with system robustness. 

“Unfortunately, there is no way around 

the fact that cybercrime will increase as 

industries rely on more complex digital 

tools and systems. However, most of 

the time it’s behavioural vulnerability 

rather than system vulnerability that 

leads to a breach. At the end of the day 

having cyber insurance is more crucial 

now than ever before.” 

07 579 7600 

CROMBIELOCKWOOD.CO.NZ 


KINETIC GROWS ITS 

TEAM IN THE BAY 

KINETIC 

RECRUITMENT 

HAS INCREASED 

AND diversified its 

consultancy team 

in response to the 

surge in economic 

growth and increasing demand from 

clients across the wider Bay of Plenty 

region 

Originally founded in Wellington in 

1997, the agency now has offices in 

Auckland and Christchurch, and has 

been in Tauranga since 2015. The agency 

specialises in corporate business 

services, recruiting for both temporary 

and permanent roles. 

“We have really grown in the Bay over 

the past four years,” says Regional Recruitment 

Manager Cherie Hill. 

The team has been developed and 

diversified, with specialists in both 

temp and permanent placements, as 

well as three generalists, including one 

focused on the retail and hospitality 

sector. 

“We now have a larger footprint over 

into the Eastern Bay and Whakatane, 

as well as Kawerau, and we also have a 

consultant based at an office in Hamilton 

for the Waikato.” 

Kinetic Recruitment strives to find the right 

fit between talent and client, says Cherie. 

“Talent is hard to find, but there are good 

people in the Bay. What has changed is 

that we are seeing a real focus by clients 

on making sure they have the right people 

specifically for their company. 

“It used to be a bit of a case of clients 

making sure they had bums on seats, 

but they are much more selective and 

“ We make it a real priority to ensure the 

talent we recruit is the right fit for our 

clients.” - Cherie Hill 

picky now. They place a priority on securing 

the best talent for their business.” 

Cherie cites a recent meeting with a 

kiwifruit industry client and notes the 

company management had put a lot of 

time and thought into making sure they 

were well set up to meet the challenges 

for the expected growth in the sector 

over the next few years. 

‹‹ 

THE KINETIC RECRUITMENT BAY 

TEAM: ALICIA GORDON, RETAIL AND 

HOSPITALITY SPECIALIST; KARINA 

SANDISON, TEMP SPECIALIST; TERRI 

WRIGHT, PERMANENT CONSULTANT; 

CHERIE HILL, REGIONAL RECRUITMENT 

MANAGER; AND ASHLEIGH CRAIG, 

PERMANENT CONSULTANT. PHOTO/ 

DEAN PRESTON. 

“We make it a real priority to ensure the 

talent we recruit is the right fit for our 

clients,” she says. 

“We regularly spend time onsite with 

our clients so we can really understand 

their company culture and how their 

business works. We want to be a trusted 

advisor for our clients.” 

Services 

• Full recruitment services 

• HR services 

• Psych testing 

• Reference checking 

• Career development and coaching 

• Outplacement services 

07 281 2509 

WWW.KINETIC.CO.NZ 


FARMER 

AUTOVILLAGE 

Bringing Automotive Excellence to the Bay 

FARMER AUTOVILLAGE 

HAS DEVELOPED 

AN award-winning 

reputation as a true 

destination dealership 

with exceptional 

customer service since it 

opened in 1991. 

‹‹ 

MIKE FARMER WITH HYUNDAI 

SALES SPECIALIST JIM LOW. 

The family-owned business now carries 

11 major vehicle brands with a selection 

for all budgets - as well as a state of the 

art workshop and a café - across its city 

block-length of Mount Maunganui’s 

Hewletts Road. 

Farmer Autovillage isn’t just a vehicle 

dealership. The company’s services have 

been extended to windscreens and 

tyres, and it now has a new dedicated 

Campervan Service Centre at 6 

MacDonald Street. 

Group Managing Director Mike Farmer 

says Farmer Autovillage is very pleased 

with where its brands are positioned 

and the range of options and services it 

offers. And he notes the company had an 

exceptional 2018, bringing home awards 

for both sales and after-sales service. 

Blair Woolford, General Manager for 

Farmer Audi, Volkswagen and ŠKODA, 

was named Sales Manager of the Year 

2018 for both Audi and ŠKODA. Shaun 

Marburg won Audi’s Sales Specialist 

of the Year Award. Shane Jeffcoat was 

named ŠKODA’s Sales Specialist of the 

Year, while Mark Ferguson won the Audi 

Group Parts Manager Award, and Bevan 

Sheppard was a finalist for Audi’s Group 

Service Manager Award. 

Hyundai superstar salesman Jim Low, 

who has taken out the brand’s Sales 

Consultant of the Month 21 times since 

2017, won Sales Consultant of the Year in 

both 2017 and 2018. 

The 2018 Volkswagen Awards also 

saw Farmer Autovillage pick up the 

5-Star Customer Experience Passenger 

Service Award , 5-Star Customer 

Experience Commercial Sales Award and 

Commercial Service Department of the 

Year. 

AN EXCITING FUTURE 

With an award-winning team providing 

award-winning service right in the Bay, 

Farmer Autovillage is growing. 

Dave Briscoe, who manages the Great 

Wall and Haval brands, notes the 

company has recently taken on the iconic 

MG marque. 


‹‹ 

“We started with Haval and Great Wall 

in July 2018 and from the get-go the 

interest and acceptance has been huge,” 

he says. 

To support the growth of the electric 

market in Tauranga, Farmer Autovillage is 

leading the electric charge by providing 

on-site charging solutions for customers. 

Blair Woolford says there are exciting 

times ahead with the introduction of 

electric car options expected across 

Farmer Autovillage’s range. 

“On the Audi side our first full electric, 

the large SUV e-tron quattro generated 

a huge amount of interest to the point 

where we presold 10 cars before 

anybody had seen or driven one,” says 

Woolford. 

FARMER AUTOVILLAGE (LEFT); (ABOVE) 

THE AWARD-WINNING TEAM INCLUDES 

MARK FERGUSON, BEVAN SHEPPARD, 

MICHAEL FARMER, BLAIR WOOLFORD, 

AND SHAUN MARBURG. PHOTOS/DEAN 

PRESTON. 

“ Farmer Autovillage is a renowned and 

trusted name in the Bay of Plenty.” 

- Robert Dunne, Movember Foundation 

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT 

Mike Farmer says while there is a lot of 

interest in alternate powered vehicles, 

internal combustion engine-powered 

cars will remain solid for the immediate 

future across every brand in New Zealand. 

If you’re considering a new vehicle, you’ll 

be able to find what you are looking for 

at Farmer Autovillage. 

Farmer Autovillage’s full brand range 

includes: Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen, 

Audi, ŠKODA, Subaru, Jeep, Ram, Haval, 

Great Wall and MG. 

“Our achievements last year have 

cemented our reputation for continuous 

improvement in everything we do,” 

Farmer says. 

DRIVING SUPPORT IN THE BAY 

While Farmer Autovillage is a destination 

dealership, the team is also committed 

to supporting a number of community 

initiatives and organisations, such as the 

Mount Surf Lifeguards, and events such 

as the annual Bethlehem Night Before 

Christmas and Breast Cancer Support 

Service Tauranga Hot Pink Walk. 

Farmer Autovilllage has recently 

partnered with the Movember 

Foundation, a national sponsorship 

that extends beyond the Bay of 

Plenty. As their official drive partner, 

Farmer Autovillage has supplied the 

Foundation with Subaru’s most-popular 

SUV, the Outback. 

Mike Farmer says the Farmer Autovillage 

team is passionate about the association. 

“Movember Foundation is not only just 

about prostate cancer, it’s about men’s 

overall mental and physical heath, which 

unfortunately is too often over-looked 

in our society. Our enthusiasm for this 

partnership is relentless, and together 

we look forward to making a real 

difference in 2019.” 

07 578 6017 

FARMERAUTOVILLAGE.CO.NZ 


LIFTING 

ROTORUA 

TO THE 

NEXT LEVEL 

BY STEVE CHADWICK, 

Mayor of Rotorua 

ROTORUA IS UNDER- 

GOING A TRANS- 

FORMATION. 

We’re growing and 

progressing and it 

hasn’t all happened 

by accident. This 

transformation has involved a concerted 

and collaborative effort by council, 

iwi, business sectors and the community 

to bring about positive change. 

It provides the direction for everything 

we do – that’s our big picture. Having 

initially focused on some short-term 

priorities, in 2017 we developed the next 

chapter in our journey towards 2030, The 

Rotorua Way, which identified our district’s 

strengths, the things that combine 

to make our district unique. 

Building on those strengths – our active 

environment and lifestyle, strong Te 

Arawa culture and diverse economic 

opportunities – is reflected in projects 

we’ve more recently committed to in 

our 2018-28 long-term plan. 

We’re investing in infrastructure to 

support growth and reviving and 

developing key facilities of importance 

“Just a few years ago, Rotorua was 

a district that was standing still and 

predicted to decline. That’s not a 

future we were prepared to accept so 

we set out to change it.” 

During recent years, Rotorua’s revitalisation 

has included the emergence 

of new businesses, reinvestment by 

Just a few years ago, Rotorua was a district 

that was standing still and predicted to decline. 

That’s not a future we were prepared 

to accept so we set out to change it. 

In 2013 we adopted the Rotorua 2030 vision, 

which set an enduring pathway for 

ongoing progress and a positive future. 

to our community as well as our visitor 

economy. Central government and its 

agencies are also investing in Rotorua 

– in key roading projects, our lakefront 

development and further development 

of our forest. These are projects that will 

provide commercial opportunities and 

create more jobs. 


existing businesses, and a local economy 

performing consistently above the 

national average for GDP growth. 

Our population is growing, bucking 

previous predictions, and we 

welcome that, not just for the sake of 

growth, but because it will enhance 

our community and the district’s 

future. 

Growth does present challenges, including 

in housing, an issue not unique 

to Rotorua. We’re got quite a lot in the 

pipeline and council’s role will be to 

encourage developers and landowners 

to go ahead with their plans. Part of that 

encouragement comes through investment 

in infrastructure and facilities. 

Tourism, forestry and farming remain 

key economic drivers for our district 

and there’s a need to look at how we 

create better synergy between job 

skills gaps in a variety of sectors and 

tertiary education. 

Protecting the natural tāonga of our 

district is increasingly important and 

investment in wastewater infrastructure 

is one way council contributes 

to this. We’ve also got a project 

underway to revitalise our unique 

77 hectare Sanatorium Reserve, a special 

geothermal area adjoining the 

lakefront. There’s an environmental 

lens on everything we do to ensure 

we protect what makes our district 

special and unique. 

Partnerships have really been the 

key to what council has been able to 

achieve in recent years, because we 

recognise that working together, tatau 

tatau, is the way to achieve the outcomes 

we all want for our district. 

Council is working alongside Te 

Arawa, who now sit at the council 

committee table and have direct 

input into our decision-making, as 

well as working with our various 

business sectors, with developers 

and landowners, with government 

agencies and importantly, with community 

groups, neighbourhoods and 

schools. 

There’s a lot underway, challenges to 

overcome and still a lot to be done, 

but much has already been achieved 

and Rotorua is now a place where 

people are looking to live, work and 

invest. 

The impetus is there to lift Rotorua to 

the next level for the benefit of residents 

now and into the future. 


KILWELL HAS 

HELPED EVERYONE 

FROM FISHERMEN 

TO JEDI KNIGHTS 


FROM BENTLEY CAR 

PARTS TO BOMB DIS- 

MANTLING ROBOTS, 

yacht masts to aerospace 

components, fishing rods 

to some of the most iconic 

weapons in film history 

– a Rotorua company is using cutting-edge 

technologies to supply the world’s best. 

Kilwell Sports has a legacy of designing 

and manufacturing fishing rods. But many 

of the products manufactured by its 

associate business, Kilwell Fibretube - such 

as weapons for the Star Wars movies - go 

unrecognised, in some cases even to staff. 

The companies are owned and 

managed by the third generation of 

the Wells family and in 2018 Kilwell 

Fibretube celebrated 50 years of manufacturing. 

The birthday marked a significant 

milestone for the company, which 

used the occasion to open up about its 

long-standing history of innovation. 

“We produced a very expensive tube for 

an English company and it turned out it was 

supplied to Bentley for behind their car 

seats to stop the car compressing if it rolled. 

We’ve also supplied an English company 

with arms for bomb dismantling robots.” 

Wells says the company’s longevity is 

down to good ideas and innovative 

individuals who are open to change. 

‹‹ 

MANAGEMENT TEAM: (FROM LEFT) 

NEVILLE PODMORE (FACTORY 

MANAGER), WILL LONDON (SPECIAL 

PROJECTS/FABRICATION), JASON 

DANIELS (PRODUCTION MANAGER), 

CRAIG WILSON (CEO), AMANDA 

WELLS (DIRECTOR) AND GEOFF WELLS 

(DIRECTOR). PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

Retired director, Jeremy Wells, who 

served 56 years at both Kilwell Sports & 

Kilwell Fibretube, says apart from Kilwell 

fishing rods and Kilwell fresh water lures, 

the components Fibretube produce are 

all unbranded, which means most of its 

products and operations have remained 

unidentified for a long time. 

“Our creativity has often come about 

from customer requests,” he says. 

“We only ever made fishing rod blanks and 

customers often wondered if we could 

make a tube, or something similar to their 

specifications. Over time, the more requests 

we got, the more experience we gained. 

“For the past 50 years, we’ve been willing 

to try and satisfy every request and to do 

so promptly, meaning we have become 

more knowledgeable in fields other than 

fishing rods.” - Jeremy Wells 

“He had the vision and foresight to 

move into manufacturing tubular fibreglass 

fishing rod blanks. Up until then 

we had imported all the components 

and made fishing rods with pieces we 

imported.” 

Marketing director Amanda Wells says the 

company’s longevity is down to strong after 

sales service, together with innovative 

manufacturing ideas and a very knowledgeable 

and loyal workforce. 

“Our high staff retention is due to the 

internal culture and the satisfaction for 

staff making and selling products they’re 

passionate and interested in,” she says. 

“The range of tubing components made 

is endless,” he says. 

“Many of them are for sporting use, but 

more and more are being used in industrial 

application. Many years ago we produced 

28,000 squash racquet shafts annually for 

Dunlop, Slazenger and Spalding. We also 

made 200 carbon fibre tubes for the Star 

Wars movie to be used as lightsabers – 

characters such as Darth Vader and the 

powerful Jedi Knights are all our customers.” 

Today, rowing and yachting are the 

largest consumers of sporting carbon 

composite tubing. Aerospace, mining 

and industrial componentry also occupy a 

significant proportion of production. 

“For the past 50 years, we’ve been willing 

to try and satisfy every request and 

to do so promptly, meaning we have 

become more knowledgeable in fields 

other than fishing rods.” 

3D printing encourages creativity 

Wells says the recent innovation of 3D 

printing has shifted creativity internally, 

with staff coming up with ideas and 

other ways of working in carbon fibre 

laminate manufacturing. 

Jeremy Wells says a major milestone 

for the company was when his brother, 

John G. Wells, came up with the idea for 

Kilwell Fibretube in 1968. 

“The annual acknowledgment and 

celebration of our Staff Service Awards 

is a Kilwell tradition. Kilwell’s aspiration 

for the future is to continue to lead in 

innovation and technology, ensuring 

the company will still be here putting 

a global spotlight on Rotorua and 

New Zealand for another 50 years and 

beyond.” 

07 345 9093 

KILWELLFIBRETUBE.CO.NZ 


MORE 

GROWTH 

AHEAD 

FOR 

ROTORUA 


BY MICHELLE TEMPLER, 

Chief Executive, Rotorua Economic 

Development 

Pullman Hotel development and the 

$4.4 million Rotorua Airport upgrade, all 

demonstrate confidence in the future of 

the district and will create a significant 

number of jobs. 

Te Puia opened their stunning new 

wharekai as part of a multi-million dollar 

transformation, which also includes a 

Wānanga Precinct, tā moko studio and 

new kiwi house. 

THERE’S A STRONG 

FEELING OF confidence 

in Rotorua 

with a pipeline of 

investment projects 

underway that will 

change the face of 

the city over the next five years. 

Rotorua is a destination with a strong 

identity, a distinct vision and it clearly 

understands the opportunities the 

people, land and rich history provide 

and how they can shape the future. This 

vision, together with extraordinary support 

from key players in town including 

iwi, local government, business and 

education providers, is helping the city 

to attract quality investment. 

A series of investment announcements 

this year, including the Lakefront and 

Forest developments, the five- star 

Rotorua has secured one of the largest 

grants so far from the Provincial Growth 

Fund, with the Government investing 

$27.4 million - matched by the Rotorua 

Lakes Council - to develop and enhance 

Rotorua’s lakefront and Whakarewarewa 

Forest. It is anticipated the projects, once 

complete, will generate more than $350 

million in private and iwi investment, and 

“This development and growing business 

confidence present opportunities to 

attract more investment and unlock 

economic growth for local businesses.” 

- Michelle Templer 

potentially more than 600 jobs for the 

region, supporting the growth of the 

tourism sector and the vibrancy of the city. 

New capital investment flow 

Another encouraging sign of business 

confidence is the large amount of capital 

investment in new and existing properties. 

In the accommodation sector, a 

multi-million dollar expansion is underway 

in the Regal Palms Rotorua Resort, following 

the building of five-star apartment 

complex on Peace Street, the opening 

of a new motor inn at Fairy Springs, and 

improvements to the former Grand Hotel. 

And it’s not just the accommodation 

sector that’s building confidence in the 

destination. A number of new restaurants 

opened at the end of last year, including 

a new Good George craft beer pub. 

Another large development underway 

is the Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa. 

Developed by Pukeroa Oruawhata in 

conjunction with acclaimed spa and 

wellness provider Belgravia Leisure, 

the $30 million Wai Ariki spa will have 

multiple spa and wellness offerings, including 

a themed Maori cultural bathing 

experience. 

The impact of all this investment on 

business confidence is clear. In APR 

Consultants’ December 2018 Business 

and Public Confidence survey, the 

Rotorua business and public indexes 

both showed improved confidence 

levels and were generally more positive 

than the national business indexes. Over 

the next 12 months, Rotorua businesses 

expect local general business conditions 

to improve, economic activity to 

increase and profits to increase. 

This development and growing business 

confidence present opportunities to 

attract more investment and unlock economic 

growth for local businesses. Our 

role at Rotorua Economic Development 

is to continue to attract that investment, 

help businesses grow, and work with 

them to nurture and develop the talent 

they need to support that growth. 


CHEAL 

Leaders in sustainable development 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRABB 

NOT A COMMON 

NAME BUT certainly 

one that has 

gained significant 

presence 

throughout the 

Bay of Plenty, 

Hawkes Bay, Waikato, Ruapehu and 

Central North Island over the last 75 

years. Decades of experience and a 

documented history of many thousands 

of projects, Cheal has built a 

reputation for quality work and a high 

performing team. So, what do they 

actually do? 

In brief, Laurie Cheal was a Land Surveyor 

who set up shop in a vastly different 

Taupo in 1940. His involvement 

in surveying and the development of 

the Taupo township saw his operation 

grow into what now has over 60 employees 

and offices in Taupo (which 

remains the organisation’s Head 

Office), Rotorua, Hamilton, Napier, 

Ohakune and Taumarunui. As a salute 

to Laurie, the Cheal name has been 

consistently applied through many 

different organisational structures and 

business partnerships over the years. 

No longer just a Surveying practice, 

Cheal now employs Civil, Structural 

and Geotechnical Engineers, Land 

Surveyors and Resource Management 

Planners along with a strong support 

team. The Directors and Shareholders 

are all full-time employees and 

play an integral part in the business, 

both from a strategic and day to day 

perspective. 

Cheal is all about Land Development, 

but in a good way says Business Manager, 

Rebecca Hawke. “Our Vision is to be 

leaders in the sustainable development 

of our environment – and not sustainable 

in the buzz-word sense, but a true 

commitment to our work having a positive 

effect on the future of New Zealand, 

from below the ground to the top of a 

structure and everything around it”. 


B 

‹‹ 

NICK DAVIES, ROTORUA REGIONAL 

MANAGER & PRINCIPAL (CENTRE). 

Development of a piece of land is 

costly and requires many processes 

and red tape to be overcome. The 

multi-disciplinary offering that Cheal 

provides ensures that most aspects 

of a development can be dealt with 

under one roof using qualified professionals 

who are hand-picked for 

the job. 

‹‹ 

3D MODEL OF THE SIR HOWARD MORRISON 

PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE, ROTORUA 

The projects Cheal is involved in 

vary immensely but are treated with 

equal importance by its team. At 

a grass roots level, the company 

continues to be fully invested in 

its client base for small residential 

subdivisions, boundary adjustments, 

simple land use or resource consents, 

geotechnical investigations or small 

retaining walls. Thinking bigger? 

Civil engineering design for roads, 

residential and industrial multi-lot 

subdivisions, structural design and 

strengthening for earthquake-prone 

buildings, geotechnical analysis of 

liquefaction-prone ground, design 

and construction of irrigation dams, 

surveying of large-scale property 

boundaries. Cheal Planners are highly 

skilled with submissions and hearings 

on District and Regional Plan changes. 

Bigger still? Try 3D laser scans on the 

inner workings of hydroelectric power 

stations, survey set-out for ski-field 

gondolas, mapping for mountain-biking 

parks, the list goes on and the 

company is proud of its involvement 

across all areas. 

Setting and maintaining high standards 

starts with the inner workings 

of the business and Cheal prides 

itself in having created exceptionally 

strong systems, values, brand and a 

dedicated leadership team. Add to 

that a consistent strategy of recruiting 

the right people for the business at all 

levels the blueprint is one that sustains 

ongoing growth and a strong team 

culture. 

In such a technologically advanced industry 

it is critical to keep up with (and 

ideally stay ahead of) the competition. 

Cheal is not a company that follows 

the pack, nor a company that ignores 

development. Cheal is a leader – 3D 

laser scanning, drone surveys, a high 

level of investment in hardware and 

software and a team that is highly 

skilled in using it. 

The Cheal workforce is diverse, with 

technical professionals from 12 countries, 

highly qualified and experienced, 

exactly what one would expect from a 

company selling professional expertise. 

Cheal believes that the recruitment 

of the right people is critical to 

the success of the organisation and its 

ability to deliver to its most important 

stakeholders, its clients. 

07 378 6405 

REBECCAH@CHEAL.CO.NZ 


‹‹ 

THE SHINE COLLECTIVE TEAM: (FROM LEFT, STANDING) MANAGING DIRECTOR JACKY 

JAMES, REBECCA MALCOLM, STACEY MAIN AND JULIE FIDDES, WITH BUSINESS MANAGER 

HEATHER LANG AND LISA GLASS (SITTING). PHOTO/SUPPLIED. 

THE SHINE 

COLLECTIVE 

‘gets’ the regional business story 

James says the nature of the work means 

the business is also making a significant 

contribution to the success of local economies, 

by supporting clients to grow and 

achieve their own business objectives. 

Rebrand reflects diversity 

The diversity of work saw the business 

rebrand this year to The Shine Collective 

– to better reflect its strategy and project 

management expertise, as well as the 

integrated communications work it has 

become known for. 

FROM THE SPARE 

BEDROOM OF HER 

HOME, looking after 

one part-time contract, 

Jacky James could 

never have imagined 

her communications 

agency would grow as much or fast as 

it has. 

In just six years, The Shine Collective 

has grown exponentially from a 

home-based, one-person operation 

to a business with offices in Rotorua 

and Tauranga, seven staff, and clients 

across New Zealand and Australia. 

James says the pace of the growth has 

been “amazing”. 

“We live in a world where communication 

is at everyone’s fingertips, but knowing 

how best to reach those you want to listen, 

is more important than ever before.” 

She takes great satisfaction in being 

able to run an award-winning strategic 

communications consultancy from the 

regions, working with clients throughout 

the country and across the Tasman. 

“One of the biggest advantages of our 

Bay of Plenty location, and the work that 

we do, is that we ‘get’ the regions and 

their people,” she says. 

“We understand regional business, industry 

and communities, and the unique 

challenges and opportunities that are 

presented in the regions. Equally, we 

have all spent time working in the cities so 

we can bridge both environments easily.” 

“We have a proven track record on small 

and large projects, and on a local, regional 

and national level. It’s this record, and recommendations 

from our clients, that have 

seen us grow at the rate we have. 

“Our biggest asset is our team, and we 

draw on the strengths and skills of each 

person to deliver outstanding results for 

our clients – from strategic communications, 

community engagement and issues 

management, through to marketing 

communications, social media and event 

management. 

“We firmly believe every business has a 

story – the magic is in the telling.” 

021 577 871 

SHINECOLLECTIVE.CO.NZ 


R 

DELOITTE 

Making an impact in the Bay of Plenty 

DELOITTE HAS 

BEEN OPERATING 

INTERNATIONALLY 

for 150 years and 

has a history in New 

Zealand dating 

back more than 100 

years. The firm as it is known today has 

been helping clients, their people and 

the community solve problems and 

achieve remarkable results since 1990. 

The appeal of this Big Four professional 

services firm, says Deloitte, lies in their 

purpose to make an impact that matters. 

They bring together a depth and 

breadth of expertise from local, national 

and global teams to provide solutions 

that add value and help clients win in a 

competitive market. 

In 2013, Deloitte saw an opportunity to 

service the Bay of Plenty and merged 

with Hulton Patchell Rotorua, who had 

been operating for over 30 years. Six 

years later, the local team of down-toearth 

subject matter experts provides a 

full range of business support to the Bay. 

“Being connected in our community 

enables us to connect clients with each 

other and create new opportunities,” 

“ Being connected in our community 

enables us to connect clients with each 

other and create new opportunities.” 

- Lee Gray. 

says Rotorua Managing Partner Lee 

Gray. 

Deloitte can help with the design and implementation 

of strategy, legislative compliance, 

corporate finance and general 

business advisory - providing decision 

support for all commercial activity. The 

‹‹ 

THE DELOITTE ROTORUA TEAM: 

CONNECTED TO THE COMMUNITY. 


team also offers a range of tax services 

and bespoke consulting solutions. 

But it isn’t just Deloitte’s size, expertise 

or services that sets them apart. It’s also 

their point of view drawn from local 

roots and a strong sense of purpose that 

earns trust and confidence from clients. 

“It’s really all about relationships,” says 

Rotorua Partner John McRae. “People 

you can trust to do the right thing, help 

you before you need help and do the 

hard yards with you when the shoulder 

needs to be put to the wheel.” 

07 343 1050 

NZROTORUAENQUIRIES@ 

DELOITTE.CO.NZ. 


CHAMBERS OF 

COMMERCE 

Working for Bay of Plenty business 


WE LOVE 

SUPPORTING 

YOU, WE love 

pushing your 

ideas forward 

and we love 

people who get involved with business. 

The combined Bay of Plenty Chambers 

of Commerce are where you want to be 

with your business. They are a passionate 

group of member-driven associations 

that are there to support you and 

your business. 

They are connected, truly independentand 

strong advocates who help 

push for what is needed by business in 

the Bay of Plenty. 

Membership benefits range from creative 

events where you learn better business 

skills, Business After 5 events where you 

get to network with others in your business 

community, and an organisation that 

is prepared to put your views and ideas 

first, because we advocate for business. 

Our national and local business partners 

will see you also save on business 

items. We have access to member discounts 

with organisations that provide 

services to business. 

And, we belong to a nationwide 

organisation that works collectively to 

advocate for your interests. 

Value is the chamber’s number one 

driver. Membership is about ensuring 

you get the value from your business 

community for the effort you put in. 

That’s because we were established by 

people like you, who want to collaborate 

so they can compete more effectively 

in the Bay, an area where there is 

growth, opportunity and fun. 

Join us to experience the value that 

chamber membership brings. 

You can contact us at: 

Tauranga Chamber of Commerce 

www.tauranga.org.nz 

Rotorua Business Chamber 

www.rotoruachamber.co.nz 

Eastern Bay Chamber of Commerce 

www.ebopchamber.co.nz 

“We love 

everything there is 

about business.” 

THRIVING COMBINED BAY OF PLENTY 

CHAMBER: TAURANGA ( GROWING CITY, 

OPPOSITE), ROTORUA (BUSY EVENT 

CENTRE, RIGHT), WHAKATANE (TOURIST 

HIGHLIGHT WHITE ISLAND, BELOW). 

‹‹ 

QUINN O’CONNELL 


Oliver Road Estate Agents Limited | Licensed REAA 2008 

www.oliverroad.co.nz

2018-19 Year Book

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