Waikato Business News March/April 2022

MARCH/APRIL VOLUME 30: ISSUE 3 2022 WWW.WBN.CO.NZ FACEBOOK.COM/WAIKATOBUSINESSNEWS 

Cookie 

Cutters 

wins sweet Best Awards 

A collaboration between a design team and a kaumā tua organisation 

has taken home gold and silver awards at the Best Design Awards 2021. 

MWDesign and Rauawaawa 

Kaumātua Charitable 

Trust joined forces to create 

the Kuki Reka Kani cookie 

cutters, which won gold in the 

Toitanga category and silver for 

Public Good. 

Not only are the cookie cutters 

winning awards, but they 

are also providing lucrative 

fundraising for the non-profit 

charity, that provides a range 

of health, social and community-based 

activities and services 

for kaumātua in Kirikiriroa 

(Hamilton). 

Two of the designers on the 

MWDesign team, Georgia Fulton 

and Mike Williams, say it 

was a dream to work with the 

trust and they formed a great 

working relationship. 

“Initially, they came 

to us with an idea to create 

Māori designed cookie 

cutters, because they were 

needing to raise some money 

to upgrade the facilities for 

their kaumātua. One of their 

buildings is badly damaged and 

needs a major upgrade.,” Georgia 

says. 

That process involved lots of 

cups of tea, biscuits and going 

back to the drawing board when 

the ideas didn’t quite gel. 

An attempt to reinterpret the 

traditional gingerbread man and 

house didn’t quite make the cut. 

“We thought we could do a 

tiki and a whare. But of course, 

the moment we mentioned that, 

they were like - no, no, no, no, 

you're not going to eat your 

ancestors, you’re not going 

to eat your ancestors’ house,” 

Mike laughs. 

The idea for the cutters was 

inspired by the trust’s use of 

cooking therapy for kaumātua 

with dementia. Stimulating 

smell, taste and touch senses in 

dementia patients, the trust use 

cooking therapy to help bring 

back memories from decades 

ago. 

Successful in a Whānau Ora 

Commissioning funding application, 

the trust used the money 

to get the project moving. 

Rauawaawa Kaumātua 

Charitable Trust CEO, 

Rangimahora Reddy, is big on 

establishing relationships in the 

community and a conversation 

with Gallagher Groups’ Keith 

Gallagher, put her in touch with 

MWDesign. 

“I approached Keith and I 

just ran a few things past him, 

not necessarily the cookie cutter 

idea, but just said we're 

looking at designing some 

things. Keith put us in contact 

with his research and 

development manager, Rob 

Heebink. We spoke to Rob for 

about 10 minutes, and he just 

said Mike Williams is your 

Continued on page 4

2 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2022 

CRESTLINE SPONSORS THE BEST DESIGN AWARDS 

Congratulations to MWDesign and Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust for their 

award-winning Kuki Reka Kani cookie cutters! 

As passionate advocates of Aotearoa design, Crestline is proud to sponsor the 

Best Design Awards, an annual event that showcases design excellence, and 

support The Designers Institute of NZ as they focus on building the best design 

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Visit our website to view more Best Award entries! www.crestline.co.nz 

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS March/April 2022 

3 

Myth-busting Agile software development 

methodologies 

As Agile software development methodologies have gained 

prominence, they have inevitably spawned some myths over 

the last two decades. 

Agile development will 

solve all development 

problems 

While there is much information 

available about how 

effective adopting an Agile 

approach to develop software 

can be, it is not a silver bullet 

or a cure all solution. 

A major strength of Agile is 

that it brings the client and the 

software development team a 

lot closer and allows all the 

people involved to understand 

each other better. 

Software development 

encounters challenges and 

problems that need to be 

resolved. At times these problems 

can be obscure and difficult 

to explain to a non-technical 

client. But a client’s 

business also has problems 

that the development team 

need to understand. 

Often, in the discussions 

between the client and the 

development team, a solution 

can be developed that is technically 

possible and meets the 

client’s business need in a way 

that neither party could see 

before entering the discussion. 

Agile development does 

not require much planning 

This notion may have come 

about because traditional 

waterfall projects took a long 

time to develop requirements 

and plan a project. 

Agile involves a lot of 

planning. But in this case the 

planning takes place continually. 

A two-week sprint typically 

starts with a planning meeting 

to plan out the tasks for the 

sprint. Daily stand-ups also 

TECH TALK 

> BY MICHAEL HAMID 

allow the plan to be adjusted 

in small increments each day 

to manage any problems and/ 

or issues that arise. This is the 

heart of Agile. The ability to 

review and adjust quickly as 

the development continues. 

This makes the process much 

more efficient. 

Agile doesn’t produce any 

documentation 

The focus of Agile is on 

producing working software 

rather than documentation. 

This does not mean documentation 

isn’t produced. Documentation 

is produced where 

it adds real value to the software 

rather than as the main 

means of communication. 

Face to face communication 

is preferred as it is far more 

efficient and effective in most 

cases. 

Michael Hamid is Professional Services Manager at Waikato software 

specialist Company-X and a teaching fellow at the University of Waikato 

lecturing project management courses. 

Agile development only 

works on small projects 

Because Agile teams are 

normally five to nine people 

there is a notion that Agile is 

not scalable and won’t work 

on larger multi-million-dollar 

projects. 

This is not necessarily the 

case. Scaling in Agile involves 

coordinating multiple Agile 

teams to work on different features 

concurrently. There are 

Agile frameworks like SAFe 

(Scaled Agile framework) that 

have been developed to enable 

multiple Agile teams to coordinate 

their work. 

While this does involve 

more management and coordination 

of the various teams, 

this is also the case when 

using a traditional waterfall 

method. 

Agile development is faster 

This is not really a myth, 

but it needs to be understood 

in context. 

Agile development applied 

well can deliver working software 

faster than a more traditional 

waterfall approach. But 

that is because it approaches 

software development in a 

different way. Traditional 

software development aimed 

to complete and deliver fully 

finished working software 

after the specifications, development 

and testing of the total 

product were completed. 

Agile looks to deliver a 

product that works with the 

smallest amount of functionality 

that people can use and 

then incrementally add more 

features over time. Using a 

traditional method involves 

discussion about all of the features 

that are needed in the finished 

product. In Agile, while 

it is important to have an 

understanding about the longer-term 

vision for the product, 

the discussion focusses on 

what functionality is critical 

for the first release. This discipline 

of constantly evaluating 

how important a feature is to 

the product is invaluable in 

reducing bloated and expensive 

software that have features 

most people don’t use.


Cookie 

Cutters wins 

sweet Best 

Awards 

From page 1 

man. So, good relationships are 

really important to shortcutting 

learning pains,” she laughs. 

With the kaumātua at the 

heart of what the trust does, 

Rangimahora says it was 

really important that they were 

involved every step of the way. 

“They were the ones who 

identified the different types of 

designs that might work. There 

were a lot of conversations in 

this process and like all good 

things nothing happens overnight 

without a lot of support.” 

As well as looking great, 

the design team were given 

the brief to create cutters that 

were user-friendly. The trust 

wanted the cutters to be gentle 

on elderly hands as well as providing 

a large grip for children 

to hold. 

They may seem like humble 

cookie cutters but there 

were technical issues to solve, 

including creating a weighted 

grip for hands not as strong 

as they once were and how to 

ensure the dough didn’t stick to 

the cutter. 

A weighted aluminium 

dowel was added to the grip and 

the patterns reflect the look of a 

chiselled whakairo rākau (wood 

carving) which, as well as being 

beautiful, aided in the cookie 

cutters’ functionality. 

“It’s (the design process) 

not just about the design, it was 

also about the form of the cutters. 

Making sure they worked 

the first time and every time. 

When we were trying to figure 

out why these things weren’t 

working, we looked at some of 

the Māori carvings in the reference 

book we had. We realised 

there were the beautiful chisel 

marks and how the carvings had 

this beautiful relief work, and 

incorporating that worked perfectly 

for releasing the dough. 

That was that was a real ‘aha’ 

moment,” Mike says. 

Georgia says the shapes of 

the cutters reflect traditional 

food icons, such as the pikopiko 

– the tender young fern shoots, 

kaimoana is represented by the 

pāua cutter and the kete (basket) 

used in food gathering. 

She also did a lot of work 

identifying the colours from 

sacred Māori places around 

New Zealand to use for the cutters. 

“The colour of the kete 

reflects the tussock grasses in 

the Tongariro area, the pāua 

colour comes from Te Whanganui-a-Tara, 

the Wellington 

Harbour, and the koru is the 

colours of the pikopiko which 

were traditionally eaten.” 

Nearly every project 

MWDesign takes on provides 

learnings for the design 

team. Collaborating with the 

trust, including having the 

Rauawaawa kitchen and chefs 

available for testing helped 

immensely in the design and 

testing phase, Mike says. 

“As a consultancy, there are 

always lots of things that we 

haven't done before. In fact, 

almost every project is brand 

new. We just work through the 

design process, and you find 

somebody who's an expert. 

Thankfully, the trust had some 

chefs who were a great help 

to us.” 

All of the components of the 

cutters are made in Hamilton; 

the aluminium dowel used to 

weight the hand grip is made 

by Gloster Engineering and the 

cutters themselves are made by 

Active Plastics. 

An assembly line takes 

place at Rauawaawa Kaumātua 

Charitable Trust with some of 

the younger whānau lending 

a hand to get the cutters ready 

to be sold through their online 

store. 

Specialising in product 

design, research & development, 

making stuff for people to 

use, MWDesign have a process 

that includes creativity, design, 

engineering, prototyping, user 

research, ergonomics and more. 

“Our extensive tool kit 

allows us to develop beautiful 

things that people love to use,” 

Mike says. 

“Throughout all of our 

design methods, collaboration 

reigns supreme, often blurring 

the lines between user, designer 

and client. It’s our secret sauce 

for awesomeness!” 

The cookie cutters were 

launched in November 2020 

and since then the trust has 

raised close to $90,000. 

Rangimahora says the building 

upgrade is in its second 

stage and the trust hopes it will 

be up and running by January 

2023. 

“Our cookie cutter money 

has primarily gone towards the 

build, and it's a $2.4 million 

build. That's what they're (the 

cookie cutters) doing, they're 

helping raise this building.” 

To get your hands on some 

Kuki Reka Kani visit buyreka. 

com/collections/kuki-rekakani.


5 

Spring Sheep Milk 

Co. wins Company-X 

Innovation Award 

Innovation is flourishing in the Waikato. 

... and the Company-X Innovation 

Awards goes to... the 

Spring Sheep Milk Co. 

The smart Kiwi business 

began in 2015 and now sources 

sheep milk from 12,700 grassfed 

Zealandia sheep, its own 

breed, from dedicated farms 

across the Central North 

Island. The milk is spraydried 

into powder at Waikato 

Innovation Park at Ruakura in 

Hamilton and is used to create 

high-value nutrition products. 

Its early life nutrition range, 

including Gentle Sheep Toddler 

Milk Drink and nutrition 

powders are sold in China, 

Malaysia and New Zealand. 

Sheep milk is one of the 

most nutritious milks available 

and may be helpful for 

people with stomach or digestion 

intolerances. Grass-fed 

New Zealand sheep milk is 

one of the highest quality 

milks available in the world 

and is clinically proven to 

be more easily digested and 

absorbed than cow’s milk, 

making it the ideal base for 

premium nutrition products. 

The company is jointly 

owned by Pāmu, the New 

Zealand Government, and 

sales and market development 

company SLC, with Ministry 

for Primary Industries support 

through the Primary Growth 

Partnership. It is at the forefront 

of agricultural science, 

working with geneticists, food 

technologists and environmental 

scientists to improve 

production. The number of 

milking sheep is expected 

to quadruple in the next four 

years and the company is also 

eyeing new markets. 

Spring Sheep Milk 

Co. has demonstrated 

a relentless pursuit 

of excellence in 

innovation at all ends 

of the supply chain.” 

The Spring Sheep Milk Co. 

won the Company-X sponsored 

Innovation category 

of the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business Award 

for its Gentle Sheep Toddler 

Milk Drink. The product previously 

won the best infant 

nutrition product at the World 

Dairy Innovation Awards in 

2021. 

The Company-X Innovation 

Award recognises organisations 

that have enhanced 

their success through innovation 

– both in thinking and 

implementing of an idea. An 

innovation can be in a product, 

service, technology or 

process. 

“Spring Sheep Milk Co. 

has demonstrated a relentless 

pursuit of excellence in innovation 

at all ends of the supply 

chain,” said the Company-X 

Innovation Award judges. 

“From the detailed 

research into the benefits of 

sheep milks vs other milk 

products, to understanding 

the trends and dynamics of 

end markets, to ensure Spring 

Sheep’s products excel in a 

highly competitive marketplace. 

Spring Sheep delivers 

on all fronts in growing not 

only its own business but the 

overall sheep milk category 

itself.” 

Spring Sheep Milk Co. 

chief executive Nick Hammond 

accepted the award 

with chief operating officer 

Thomas Macdonald. 

Hammond said the award 

was a testament to his team’s 

dedication and passion for the 

industry. 

“It’s fantastic to be 

SPRING INTO ACTION: Spring Sheep Milk Co. chief executive Nick Hammond, centre, 

and chief operating officer Thomas Macdonald accept the Company-X Innovation 

Award from Waikato Chamber of Commerce chief executive Don Good, right. 

recognised in this way by the 

Waikato Business community,” 

Hammond said. 

“I’m incredibly proud of 

our team – sheep included – 

who are all superstars in their 

own right and continuously 

bring their A-game every day 

to contribute to the success of 

Spring Sheep Milk Co.” 

Company-X co-founder 

and director Jeremy Hughes 

found the Spring Sheep Milk 

Co. story astonishing. 

“I am impressed that the 

Spring Sheep Milk Co. has 

12,700 sheep being milked 

across the Central North 

Island to feed an international 

market,” Hughes said. 

“It’s truly innovative. They 

have had the courage and 

tenacity to take an idea with 

the wow factor and make it a 

reality. 

“It’s exactly the sort of 

innovative, outside of the 

square, idea that we love 

fostering and seeing win 

the Company-X Innovation 

Award.” 

Company-X co-founder 

and director David Hallett 

was also pleased Spring 

Sheep Milk Co. was picked as 

the winner of the Company-X 

Innovation Award. 

“We love working with 

companies who refuse to be 

boxed in and who think differently,” 

he said. “Spring Sheep 

Milk Co. is obviously one of 

those companies and is producing 

a premium product for 

a world market right here in 

the Waikato.” 

Company-X has supported 

the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business Awards 

by sponsoring the Innovation 

Award since 2016. 

Navigate the 

digital landscape 

with us

Fiona Michel 

Braemar Hospital is a proud 

Living Wage employer 

Hamilton’s Braemar Hospital recently 

became the first hospital in New 

Zealand to become an accredited Living 

Wage employer. Newly-appointed chief 

executive Fiona Michel explains why it 

was important… 

In a career spanning three 

decades and including 

senior roles at some of 

New Zealand’s biggest companies 

and organisations Fiona 

Michel has seen the best of 

corporate practice. 

She has also witnessed 

things that, once seen, cannot 

be unseen. 

One is stark evidence of 

New Zealand’s working poor. 

“I know at some organisations 

where I worked, employees 

who worked fulltime had then 

needed food parcels in the same 

week because their wages were 

not enough to feed their family. 

I find that unacceptable in New 

Zealand today.” 

Which is why one of her first 

moves as Braemar’s new chief 

executive was to introduce the 

Living Wage of $22.75 an hour 

for the hospital’s lowest paid 

workers including cleaners, 

laundry staff, sterile supply, 

and kitchen services. 

The rate, which is based on 

a range of measures including 

the cost of food, housing, 

transport, and childcare is 

$2.75 an hour above the minimum 

wage set by the Government 

and is calculated to 

be 68 per cent of the average 

hourly earnings in New Zealand. 

It is adjusted annually for 

inflation and will be reviewed 

again in September. 

Braemar is the first hospital 

in New Zealand to be 

accredited as a Living Wage 

employer. It will apply to 

around 13 per cent of the predominantly 

female workforce. 

Fiona Michel says her decision 

was supported wholeheartedly 

by the Braemar 

board. “We are a charitable 

organisation fully owned by 

the Braemar Charitable Trust 

whose whole ethos is about 

doing good works to improve 

the health of the community. 

So that has to start at home. 

You have to make sure you 

are not party to the working 

poor phenomena when there 

is a clearly researched link 

between poverty and poor 

health outcomes. Once you’ve 

seen the data linking poverty 

to a lack of health, you can’t 

unknow it.” 

A study by the New Zealand 

Human Rights Commission 

three years ago estimated 

50,000 working households 

in New Zealand were living 

in poverty. As food prices and 

rents increase, food banks 

report they are seeing more 

people who are working but 

cannot afford to feed themselves. 

Michel says her drivers 

of fairness and respect for 

others were established during 

her childhood (“my mother 

was a great role model”) but 

validated over more than two 

decades in senior corporate 

roles by recognising what 

people needed to do their best 

work. She has held senior roles 

with the Bank of New Zealand, 

the New Zealand Police, Auckland 

District Health Board and 

Vector, as well as directorships 

and leadership roles with more 

than a dozen private and notfor-profit 

organisations. 

Last year, because of her 

earlier work in the sector, she 

was shoulder-tapped by New 

Zealand Director of Health 

Dr Ashley Bloomfield to help 

oversee the roll out of the 

country’s Covid-19 vaccination 

programme. In the same 

year, she was a finalist in the 

Women of Influence Awards. 

She says each role has 

offered a new challenge and 

provided new skills. But a 

mentor once gave her wise 

advice. “She said, ‘you always 

have to have enough money 

to leave a job. You can’t compromise 

your values and ethics 

because you can’t afford to 

walk away’. The advice has 

always stuck with me. Somewhere 

along the road you have 

to have a line. I have left jobs 

where the values of the leader 

I reported to did not align with 

my own core values.” 

The values at Braemar, 

captured in the phrase ‘the 

Braemar way’, were a large 

part of her decision to pursue 

the chief executive role. In her 

office there is a painting done 

by staff, which articulates what 

makes Braemar special. “It is 

a reminder to me of the values 

held here and the legacy of a 

hospital that has served the 

community well for 95 years.” 

Study at Harvard Business 

School nine years ago convinced 

her she wanted to be 

a chief executive. Four years 

later, her role as Chief Human 

Resources Officer at Auckland 

DHB convinced her that her 

heart belonged in healthcare. 

“What I love about health is 

the selflessness. Their commitment 

to others and a willingness 

to put others first. I do not 

often see that in the corporate 

world.” 

At Auckland DHB and 

the New Zealand Police, she 

also saw the impact of poverty 

on health. But she knew 

little things could make a difference. 

“I knew if I acquired 

a role where I could make 

a difference, I would make 

that my legacy. Braemar’s 

What I love about health is the selflessness. 

Their commitment to others and a willingness 

to put others first. I do not often see that in 

the corporate world. 

accreditation as a Living Wage 

employer was a step towards 

that goal.” 

But she also sees opportunities 

in her role to influence thinking 

beyond Braemar’s walls. 

“The public health sector is 

incredibly restrained on what 

it can say. It gets slated by the 

public for the glacial speed of 

change and scrutinised over 

every cost. [But] the average 

New Zealander has no idea 

what is under the hood. Even 

before Covid became a thing, 

at Auckland DHB, there were 

well over a million patient 

interactions a year, and more 

than 200 languages walking in 

the door; 13 per cent speak no 

English at all. If, on top of that 

the institution is underfunded 

and under-resourced and you 

can’t even have a morning tea 

to bolster staff morale because 

it might end up on the front 

page of the paper as gratuitous 

use of public funds, that makes 

things very difficult. Yet, if we 

said [the health system problems] 

could all be solved in 12 

months if we all paid an extra 

10 per cent tax, that would 

cause outrage.” 

She says, while Braemar 

is a private hospital, it is part 

of the health system, which 

provides opportunities to 

effect and influence change. 

“Sometimes there is more 

power on the fringe than in 

the centre. You have more 

latitude and with the support 

of the board, you can make 

decisions to move quickly to 

make commitments that make 

a difference. That is harder 

to do in a shared public system, 

particularly in the current 

format of health where many 

decisions can’t be made by a 

single DHB. They need to be 

made and the decision shared 

by 20 DHBs all of which have 

unique challenges. In the same 

way, if you tried to get 20 corporates 

together to get something 

done that would have an 

immediate financial impact on 

them. I don’t think they would 

do any better – but the outcome 

would be less public.” 

She supports the intention 

of the country’s move to a 

single health service taking 

over the functions of district 

health boards. “I believe it 

will simplify and enable decision 

making to go faster and 

dismantle clunky systems that 

have been difficult to change 

under the current model.” 

She believes health providers 

in New Zealand – “both 

private and public” – need to 

work together for a common 

good. “I think there is a very 

old-fashioned view that the 

competitor is the company 

across the road. In healthcare, 

I could easily see my colleagues 

in the Waikato region 

and other similarly sized private 

hospitals as competitors. 

Indeed they are in many 

respects. But there is so much 

more we could do if we let go 

the concept of competition 

where there is more value in 

working collaboratively. In in 

this age, in a Covid context, 

where overseas institutions 

are offering New Zealanders 

opportunities, we should all 

be thinking collectively about 

how we can work together 

to retain and attract a highly 

skilled, highly motivated, 

happy workforce in New Zealand.” 

“In a smaller hospital, sitting 

on the fringe, I have the 

ability to rally interest in those 

ideas when others are in survival 

mode just trying to keep 

the doors open.”

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Raglan Bagels rises 

from pandemic 

uncertainties 

Established in 2020, Raglan Bagels is 

another success story that has risen out 

of the global pandemic. 

Like many people facing 

reduced working hours 

and the potential loss 

of jobs, Steve Dube decided 

to reinvent himself and have a 

crack at the food industry. 

Although it’s not quite as 

straight forward as that, he 

started accounting studies 

first, but his love of bagels 

won out in the career transformation 

competition. 

Before the first wave of 

Covid hit New Zealand, Steve 

had been working as a production 

manager for Raglan Food 

Co. He had developed a pretty 

good understanding of the 

food production business but 

had never been responsible for 

the actual food making. 

It was here that Steve 

started his Raglan Bagel journey 

during the first lockdown 

with time on his hands and 

the desire to future-proof his 

career potential. 

“There were no hours at 

Raglan Food Co because we 

couldn't sell that much; all the 

cafes were closed. That's why 

I started studying accounting 

because I wanted to do something 

different.” 

“I got my accounting certificate 

but I found it kind 

of boring. I'd been making 

bagels for a long time and my 

partner said maybe you can 

just do bagels, and we'll see 

how it goes.” 

The very next day Steve 

began working on his food 

Experience care as it 

should be, experience 

the Braemar way. 

Braemar Hospital is one of the largest 

private surgical hospitals in New Zealand, 

and it’s here in Hamilton. 

With more than 100 world class specialists, 

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

including 32 private rooms, at Braemar 

you’ll receive the highest level of care. 

Choose the very best. 

Choose Braemar. 

I did a day in the 

tiny shop to get a 

taste of the public’s 

response and 

within two hours I 

had sold out 

braemarhospital.co.nz 

registration, website and promoting 

Raglan Bagels on 

social media. 

“Within a week, I had 100 

followers on Instagram and 

they were really keen to have 

bagels in Raglan.” 

The thumbs up from the 

local Instagram community 

gave Steve the encouragement 

he needed to get his paperwork 

in order and within a 

month he set up shop in Raglan’s 

very own tiny shop. 

“I did a day in the tiny shop 

to get a taste of the public’s 

response and within two hours 

I had sold out.” 

From a first bake of 150 

bagels, Steve is now producing 

1000 bagels a week out of 

the Raglan Old School Arts 

Centre commercial kitchen – 

also used by Raglan Food Co 

when it started out as Raglan 

Coconut. 

Steve credits the Raglan 

community with supporting 

his business venture, including 

a local supermarket and 

several cafes. 

“When I started a year ago, 

The Shack was the first café 

that contacted me on the first 

day of my Instagram account 

opening. I’m really grateful 

for having such a nice community 

helping other small 

businesses to grow,” he says. 

In August, the local Supervalue 

came on board to help 

Steve when the lockdown 

restrictions forced him to temporarily 

close the tiny shop for 

bagel business. 

“We started with around 

eight packets (of four bagels) 

per week at Supervalue and 

now we sell around 60 packets.” 

The bagel recipe Steve 

uses is one he has developed 

through many trials in the 

kitchen and is a hybrid of his 

favourite New York and Montreal-style 

bagels. 

A Montreal native himself, 

Steve came to New 

Zealand seven years ago; he 

was following his heart after 

a woman he had a ‘crush’ on 

moved to Raglan. His partner 

Dominique Lecourtois runs 

design and dressmaking store 

Lecourtois Couture in Raglan 

and Steve says she has been 

behind his bagel endeavours 

from the beginning. 

When he started his small 

bagel venture, Steve had two 

varieties - a plain and a sesame. 

He now has five types 

of bagels, adding the poppy, 

cinnamon and raisin and an 

everything bagel to the mix. 

The everything bagel combines 

two types of sesame 

seeds, poppy seeds, onions 

and garlic, and Steve says the 

cinnamon and raisin is popular 

with Kiwis. 

“I wanted to do a sweet 

bagel because Kiwis have a 

sweet tooth.” 

With the help of an anonymous 

backer, he has been able 

to purchase new equipment 

and now sells toasted bagels 

with various toppings from 

the tiny shop, in addition to 

the packets of bagels. 

“He's kind of a philanthropist 

and has a lot of businesses. 

He really likes helping small 

business to grow. Because I 

grew so fast, he just gives me 

business advise now,” he says. 

Steve has a lot of ideas for 

the future growth of the business 

and in the long-term he 

envisions Raglan Bagels in 

supermarkets and food stockists 

across the country. 

Plans for a Raglan Bagel 

shop have been put on hold; 

with the heightened level of 

uncertainties around Covid, 

he is content keeping it small 

and adding new varieties from 

time-to-time. 

“At the moment, I'm trying 

to keep all my expenses low. 

So, when Covid is over I can 

step up easily.” 

Get your taste of Raglan 

Bagels at the tiny shop on Bow 

St, Raglan. With the increasing 

Omicron cases Steve is at 

the tiny shop on Saturday only 

and will be back on Wednesday 

as soon as possible. Check 

him out on Facebook and Instagram 

@RaglanBagels.


9 

Planning for 

reconnection 

A simple way I sometimes define the field of public 

relations to those who aren’t quite sure what I do with my 

time, is that it involves intentional communications and 

actions to build reputation and relationships. 

PR AND COMMUNICATIONS 

> BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB 

Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based, 

award-winning public relations agency. 

Over the past two years, 

the pandemic has given 

many organisations an 

opportunity to really ‘show 

their spots’ in these two areas. 

Those who have deliberately 

focused on upping their game 

in the communications space 

have maintained and even 

enhanced their reputations 

through it all. 

These purposeful activities 

served to help maintain relationships 

too – but only to a 

point. I believe it’s fair to say 

most organisations found it difficult 

to build new and enhance 

existing relationships during 

this time. That’s because a 

large part of maintaining and 

building relationships with 

those who are important to us is 

the need to ‘relate’ face to face. 

While Zoom calls and Microsoft 

Teams chats keep information 

flowing, these handsoff, 

virtual meeting places are 

a poor substitute for true relationship. 

We are human, after 

all! We need human connection 

to feel complete. We’ve 

always thrived in partnerships 

and groups, going right back to 

the dawn of humanity. And in 

2022, the basic human need for 

relationship is no different. 

Relate means to “make a 

connection.” Connect means 

“to bring together so that a real 

or notional link is established.” 

It’s very difficult to connect 

without, at some point, being 

with someone in a physical 

space, observing the emotion 

in their eyes, reading their body 

language and shaking hands (or 

bumping the odd elbow!). 

My challenge to you is that 

very soon our business community 

must prioritise reconnection 

– our internal organisation 

cultures and commercial relationships 

are crying out for it. 

For many organisations, we’ve 

tried hard to maintain our reputations 

over the past two years 

by refreshing our frequency of 

internal and external messaging 

while being forced to abandon 

physical connection with 

staff, customers, partners and 

communities. 

The good news is that the 

time for reconnecting relationships 

is only months away. 

You have a window of opportunity 

now to plan to get this 

right. Remember, too, that 

the reputation and relationship 

sides of the PR equation move 

in tandem. When you enhance 

the one, the other improves 

markedly as well. 

To get ready, here are a 

few purposeful actions your 

organisation should plan for 

now and be ready to implement 

from mid-year. 

Create touchpoints 

Think about the rest of your 

year and put some face-toface 

interactional events in 

the diary now. It’s something 

every organisation should 

consider. How about an allstaff 

conference or team day 

out? To reconnect with customers, 

you could think about 

a series of small events in the 

provinces, such as a roadshow 

to showcase new products or 

share information helpful to 

your audience. 

When it comes to in-person 

events, I believe smaller is 

better during 2022 until people 

become more comfortable 

getting together post-Covid. 

Balance casual vs purposive 

Don’t overthink this reconnection 

stuff. Sometimes the 

best thing you can do is simple 

catch up with someone for 

a coffee. But I would say balance 

out the casual chats with 

reconnection that is purposeful. 

It’s important to remember, 

as always, your audiences 

are time-poor just like you. 

So, as you are planning reconnection, 

think about how you 

can offer your staff, customers 

or whomever some ‘value’ 

from each interaction. 

Prioritise the individual 

Reconnection needs to focus 

on the personal. You can’t 

truly reconnect by putting on 

a massive event like a conference 

for hundreds of people. 

You need to find ways to 

have great conversations and 

network with individuals. It 

will take more time, but it’ll 

be worth it. 

Demonstrate your 

commitment 

As you reconnect, find 

authentic and humble ways 

to share with others what you 

are up to. You might want to 

take some photos at a small 

event and write a story in an 

e-newsletter. You might want 

to do a few posts about a client 

event on LinkedIn. You’ll win 

some reputation and relationship 

brownie points with your 

wider audiences by demonstrating 

more widely the care 

you are taking to prioritise 

those who are important to 

your organisation. 

CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE 

OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON 

Supporting the CBD 

- What Can We Do To Help? 

That was one of the questions posed 

by Deputy Mayor, Geoff Taylor, at a 

recent Zoom meeting with the Hamilton 

Central Business Association. 

It’s actually the same thing that we individually 

and collectively as business leaders 

can do – supporting everyone back into 

the office. While Covid is now endemic 

in our society, the time is right to move 

towards greater normality, by encouraging 

(not forcing) staff back into the office and 

provide them with reasons to do so. The 

vast majority we talk to want to come back. 

Some have suggested that staff may not 

want to come back into the offices – in that 

case then I would suggest that you either 

have a culture or environment problem, 

which will need addressing. Many working 

from home have faced challenges – social 

isolation, distractions / interruptions, and 

the lack of a suitable dedicated workspace. 

These are not easily overcome, therefore 

having a dynamic workplace will assist 

bringing existing workers back, while 

both attracting and then retaining new 

staff – staffing has become a major issue 

for almost every business. The “work from 

home” strategy of 2020 seems to have far 

less appeal, evolving more towards accelerated 

models, allowing for a variety of 

flexible work from home options. Remote 

working has its place, but it will not suit 

everyone and needs to be flexible if it is 

to be of genuine benefit to our work-life 

balance. 

“The good news is I’ve found some space for a home office.” 

Our CBD needs its lifeblood back - the 

workers. It’s estimated that pre covid we 

had around 22,000 workers in our CBD 

daily – so that is now significantly down, 

probably by half. This has been highlighted 

even further by pedestrian counts 

in early 2022 being down by a third on the 

2021 figures, which was also down on the 

2020 figures. 

Perception becomes reality, so if we 

start to see more people around the CBD, 

then this naturally creates confidence for 

others, that its actually okay to be back. 

In mid March I observed a morning tea 

shout taking place in the middle of Garden 

Place – 20 or more staff appeared to have 

come from Alexandra Street and congregated 

around a group of tables with food 

and coffee. They were obviously having 

a good time, but what stood out were the 

various interactions that took place in this 

informal setting and the number of passers-by 

who took notice. 

Why come back into the office ? 

• Culture and interaction 

• Collaboration and sharing of 

knowledge 

• Purpose and sense of a common 

mission 

We learn by questioning and sharing 

views, which is a fundamental benefit of 

being together, particularly for younger or 

newer members of your team. It allows 

us to collaborate and share knowledge, 

which in turn achieves better outcomes 

and more thoroughly explored concepts 

and ideas. Much of our learning happens 

by osmosis, by just being there. 

We are at the end of the day, mostly 

Mike Neale - Managing Director, 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton. 

social animals, so those conversations or 

informal meetings over a coffee or around 

the water cooler are invaluable and 

exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to 

replicate remotely. 

Teamwork Makes 

The Dream Work” 

Three of the most common workplace 

factors that occupiers identify as being 

important are: 

• Quality of the space and work environment. 

We have seen a steady 

increase in demand for new or higher 

quality refitted spaces. There has been 

increased difficulty re-leasing poorer 

quality vacant space or extended timeframes 

to do so – this is likely to be 

acerbated by employee expectations. 

• Access to amenities and the variety 

of those amenities. From river walks, 

to swimming and fitness complexes, 

through to a diverse range of eateries 

and hospitality offerings, let alone 

those looking for retail therapy, our 

central city has it all. 

• Location and ease of commute. Multi 

modal transport, with the addition of 

end of trip facilities in buildings, is 

becoming common place. Hamilton 

City Councils aspirations for a “20 

minute city” works to ensure ongoing 

accessibility. 

Increasingly we are seeing businesses 

innovate to bring workers back into the 

office. One prominent law firm has started 

providing lunch one day each week 

for staff, from a different eatery each 

time. This not only provides support to 

local businesses who are struggling, but 

becomes a social occasion and opportunity 

for networking. 

It can be expected that business owners 

and Landlords will in many instances work 

together to create a physical environment 

that is both modern and dynamic, but also 

engaging and flexible as the businesses 

needs change. This will allow Landlords to 

retain Tenants and to have more desirable 

space should they become vacant, which 

will invariably happen at some stage. 

Covid has already caused us to rethink how 

we use space and how we interact internally 

and externally as a business – this will 

continue to develop, as each business will 

have different and evolving requirements. 

So, what can you do to help ? – a big 

thumbs up to those who have continued 

to find ways to make working from the 

office possible, thereby supporting our 

other CBD businesses - to those that have 

not, maybe start to do so and encourage or 

incentivise others to do the same. Supporting 

businesses in the central city, particularly 

those in retail and hospitality which 

have been overwhelmingly hard hit, will 

greatly appreciate the support. In turn they 

will be able to assist others with their support 

– if we all do our bit, the benefit will 

be significant. 

NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed 

Agent REAA 2008 

Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON 

07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz 

www.naiharcourts.co.nz


Hamilton litigation firms 

merge to expand their expertise 

Hamilton law firms Braun Bond & Lomas 

(BBL) and Talbot Law are excited to be 

merging to combine their expertise and 

become one of New Zealand’s biggest 

dispute resolution firms. 

BBL directors Toby 

Braun, Kevin Bond 

and Kieran Lomas are 

pleased to join forces with construction 

and property expert 

Mike Talbot and his team. 

They’ve crossed paths 

many times before, sometimes 

at opposing ends of the table, 

and they know how each other 

responds to the needs of their 

clients. 

“A big part of the attraction 

was the complementary practices 

and personalities both our 

teams have. The client needs 

objective advice and passionate 

advocacy, but they don't need 

someone who loses sight of the 

issues and loses sight that the 

lawyers aren't the enemies. And 

more often than not, the clients 

aren't the enemies. They've 

just got issues to resolve. The 

Toby Braun, Kevin Bond and Keiran Lomas 

complementary nature of 

Mike's practice, his personality 

and his way of practising litigation 

was very attractive to us,” 

Toby says. 

“Specialist litigation firms 

aren't that common. In the past, 

we have been on opposite sides 

on quite a few matters. But 

the advantage of that is we've 

been able to see how we each 

manage disputes. We've had a 

very productive working relationship 

on the opposite sides 

of files and have achieved outcomes 

that fairly reflect where 

the disputes lie for our respective 

clients. And that really 

is an attractive aspect of this 

merger as well,” Mike says. 

BBL’s and Talbot Law’s 

clients include everyone from 

large corporates to neighbours 

in conflict. While the bulk of 

Kieran Lomas, Michael Talbot, Jess Field, Rachel Keightly and Kevin Bond. 

their work is in the commercial 

litigation and construction 

areas, their expertise covers all 

civil disputes from relationship 

property, trust and estate 

matters, resource management, 

employment disputes, professional 

negligence and regulatory 

matters, insolvency litigation 

as well as some family and 

criminal work. 

It was a no-brainer for Mike 

to combine his firm’s expertise 

with BBL’s and with it the ability 

to provide his clients with a 

more complete service. 

“Talbot Law specialises in 

development and construction 

litigation and advice, and 

because of that, you get a lot 

of requests for advice in areas 

in which we don’t specialise. 

For instance, clients may come 

to us with business related 

litigation, but then have queries 

which involve their personal 

situation - trust issues or 

relationship property matters. 

Those are not areas which 

we’ve specialised in, but these 

guys do” Mike says. 

The merger will see Talbot 

Law’s team join forces with 

BBL, growing the new firm to 

20. 

Joining Mike from Talbot 

Law is property, commercial 

and contractual expert and 

senior solicitor Rachel Keightley 

and Talbot’s newest team 

member solicitor Jess Field, 

who clerked at the firm while 

completing her studies at the 

University of Waikato. 

While size isn’t everything, 

Toby says, it’s the breadth of 

expertise that the merger will 

bring that is so exciting. 

“There aren't many dedicated 

litigation firms in the 

Waikato or even in the country. 

So, to have Talbot Law and 

BBL in the same town is relatively 

unusual. Joining forces 

means we’re one of the biggest 

if not the biggest, dedicated litigation 

firms outside of Auckland. 

Bigger doesn't always 

mean better, but it does give 

us a breadth of experience and 

expertise that will be good for 

our clients, and for the disputes 

we are resolving.” 

Mike agrees it’s not the size 

of the firm but the flexibility 

that a firm like BBL can offer 

to clients, regardless of the size 

of the dispute. 

“They still have the flexibility 

to look at disputes 

that might not be the biggest 

dispute going for a client in 

dollar terms but they can still 

make it work in an economic 

sense. This can be a bit of a 

challenge when you're three 

people and all of a sudden two 

matters heat up at once and 

you're pushing the boat out 

in terms of hours and meeting 

deadlines,” Mike says. 

“BBL provides the flexibility 

to be able to increase 

or decrease numbers of people 

working on files to give 

that extra support that can be 

needed to meet deadlines.” 

“The service we offer is 

reasonably unique in that we're 

not a one-person band, so if 

one of us is busy we've still got 

capacity within the firm to take 

on work and get it done,” Toby 

adds. 

The firm is growing in 

response to workflow and it 

made sense to bring in Mike’s 

construction and property 

expertise to the mix. 

“One of the big advantages 

for us is that while we do work 

in that construction space, with 

Talbot Law we are merging 

with one of the most well-respected 

and specialised construction 

firms in the region 

and in the country. So that is a 

significant addition to our combined 

capacity,” Toby says. 

Joining as a principal, Mike 

will not only bring his clients 

on board he will be adding his 

knowledge to existing disputes 

BBL are currently handling. 

“We will continue working 

on our existing clients’ 

disputes. But slowly, I'll meet 

clients of theirs who have got 

issues within my particular 

areas of expertise and more so 

I envisage, vice versa.” Mike 

says. 

The four lawyers all take a 

solution-driven approach to the 

way they practice and they’re 

all on the same page when it 

comes to trying to resolve cases 

as efficiently as possible. Often 

this can mean settling cases out 

of court because of the expense 

and uncertainty involved. 

A relatively small percent 

of BBL’s dispute files get as far 

as a court ruling; the remainder 

usually involve some kind of 

negotiated outcome, often following 

mediation. 

“The vast majority of the 

files we deal with settle before 

they reach court, or outside of 

the courtroom. The longer a 

litigation file goes on for the 

more it costs, often the more 

entrenched the parties get. If 

you've got the ability to have a 

sensible talk about things often 

you can avoid a lot of cost and 

grief and get a similar or better 

outcome,” Toby says. 

While all have a wide range 

of litigation experience, adding 

Mike’s construction and 

property expertise means that 

the firm can advise on and deal 

with any type of commercial or 

civil dispute, and has a depth 

of experience that is difficult to 

rival. Between them and their 

colleagues they have the litigation 

field covered. 

EFFECTIVE & EFFICIENT LITIGATION 

bbllawyers.nz

The Braun Bond & Lomas team. 

Toby Braun 

Director 

Kevin Bond 

Director 

Kieran Lomas 

Director 

Michael Talbot 

Principal 

Erin Anderson 

Senior Associate 

Rachel Keightley 


Liam Hunt 

Associate 

Joe Donald 

Associate 

Emma Rawson 

Associate 

Charles Southall 

Senior Solicitor 

Maddison Kingma 

Solicitor 

Hamish Smylie 

Solicitor 

Jess Field 

Solicitor 

Payten Smith 

Legal Executive 

Vanessa Johnson 

Practice Manager 

Angela Verhoeven 

Legal Administration 

Manager 

Jo-Anne Persen 


Luressa MacDonald 


Renee Ranger 


Ricki-Lee Persen 


Level 1, 127 Alexandra Street, Hamilton, 3204 | 07 839 0900 | bbllawyers.nz


Waikato business owners dedicating 

their profits to passion 

Waikato couple Heather and Rod 

Claycomb are seeing lives changed across 

the world thanks to their unique family 

charity that supports social entrepreneurs 

to start new businesses for the benefit of 

people in need. 

The couple are both 

entrepreneurs themselves 

who own two 

successful Hamilton-based 

businesses, award-winning PR 

company HMC and dairy biotech 

company Quantec. 

They founded All Good 

Ventures three years ago out 

of a shared passion to see 

people from all corners of the 

globe freed from deprivation 

through others’ clever business 

ideas. 

Since its inception, the 

Claycombs’ charity has 

already helped to launch nine 

new social enterprises across 

the world including various 

parts of New Zealand, as well 

as Australia, Canada, Uganda 

and Kenya. They will support 

a handful more this year following 

their annual application 

which opens next month. 

“In our experience, there’s 

a surprising amount of people 

worldwide with a heart to start 

‘good’ businesses. Businesses 

that put all profit towards 

access to healthcare or education; 

delivery from food 

deprivation; or perhaps work 

opportunities for the unemployed, 

just to name a few 

examples,” Rod said. “Sadly, 

most don’t have the resources 

or business expertise to 

launch. That’s where All Good 

Ventures comes in.” 

Uniquely, the charity 

doesn’t simply fund social 

enterprise ideas and walk 

away. “Our one-of-a-kind 

model is to offer three key 

things to social entrepreneurs 

who apply and are accepted 

by All Good Ventures. We call 

these the three Ms, or Money, 

Mentoring and Muscle.” 

“In short, our chosen ventures 

receive seed funding ranging 

from $5,000 to $20,000 to 

kickstart their business idea; a 

year’s worth of business mentoring 

via a dedicated business 

mentor, starting with a business 

plan; as well as extra “muscle” 

support with jobs that crop up 

in their first year of business,” 

Heather said. 

One of the first social enterprises 

supported by All Good 

Ventures is OneDay Health, 

which launches health centres 

in the most remote parts 

of Uganda. Their goal is that 

one day, every rural Ugandan 

will access quality healthcare. 

OneDay Health recently 

launched its 29th health centre 

and has treated 65,000+ 

patients. 

“When we first met 

All Good Ventures we had 

launched eight OneDay Health 

Centres, but we had much bigger 

dreams. At that time they 

gave us the biggest grant we 

had received, which helped us 

start launching health centres 

in two whole new regions of 

Heather and Rod Claycomb 

Northern Uganda,” said Oneday 

Health co-founder, Kiwiborn 

Nick Laing. 

Another All Good Ventures 

supported social enterprise 

is Restore Enterprises. 

This Australian-based business 

launched just last year 

and aims to employ people 

with disabilities, injuries and 

mental illness to manufacture 

and restore furniture for sale. 

The goal is to nurture their 

employment skills in a secure 

environment, and later see 

them move into permanent 

work with other employers. 

“The support provided 

by All Good Ventures - both 

financial and business-related 

- has been pivotal to us launching 

and to how far we have 

come since. We would recommend 

them to any emerging 

social enterprise, even if 

you're only at the very early 

concept stage,” said Restore 

Enterprises Co-founder, Seath 

Holswich. 

Remarkably, since the 

Claycombs started All Good 

Ventures three years ago it has 

been financed mostly through 

all annual profits from Heather’s 

public relations business 

HMC, now a social enterprise 

itself, and personal donations 

from the founders plus a few 

friends and family. 

In a recent effort to secure 

the charity’s funding stream 

well into the future, Heather 

and Rod started the All Good 

Ventures named fund, which 

sits within Momentum Waikato’s 

group of regional endowment 

funds and was made 

public this month. Driven by 

Craigs Investment Partners 

and Forsyth Barr, Momentum’s 

investment program 

is providing excellent ongoing 

returns for a variety of 

Waikato community entities 

and projects. 

“This is a very exciting step 

for All Good Ventures. Via 

this newly established fund, 

anyone can make a donation 

or leave a bequest which will 

be wisely invested to generate 

ongoing returns for All 

Good Ventures. This means 

All Good Ventures can support 

social entrepreneurs in perpetuity 

for many generations to 

come,” Rod said. 

Momentum chief executive 

Kelvyn Eglinton describes a 

named fund with Momentum 

Waikato as an effective way 

for local for-purpose organisations 

to secure greater investment 

income, as they benefit 

from the scale and diversity 

of the regional endowment 

fund in Momentum’s 

care. 

“Many small to medium 

for-purpose organisations, 

have their capital sitting in the 

bank providing minimal interest,” 

says Kelvyn. “It makes 

sense for such entities to put 

that money into Momentum’s 

regional endowment fund, like 

All Good Ventures has, as its 

scale and the expertise of our 

investment partners Craigs 

and Forsyth Barr ensure much 

greater returns, providing a 

meaningful and sustainable 

income stream and/or capital 

growth.” 

Anyone can give to the 

All Good Ventures Fund 

via momentumwaikato.nz/ 

donate. Donations small and 

large, ongoing and one-off, are 

all welcome and celebrated. 

Hiring tradespeople 

just got a little 

easier with Meport 

Kerwan Rose - Meport 

Hamilton local and aspiring 

entrepreneur Kerwan 

Rose has created 

technology that automates the 

background checking process 

for recruitment agencies and 

employers hiring tradespeople, 

eliminating the need for multiple 

background checks. 

Rose launched Meport in 

March 2022, just one year 

after he started working on the 

concept – an impressive feat 

for the 24-year-old business 

founder. 

Like many successful startups, 

Meport provides a unique 

solution to a business problem. 

While working for a recruitment, 

immigration and training 

agency, Rose noticed that 

candidate compliance is a slow 

and disjointed process, with 

several background checks 

required to ensure that potential 

employees are compliant 

with site and company regulations. 

Meport features compliance 

software that automates 

the background checking process 

for new candidates seeking 

employment, appealing to 

recruiters and employers who 

want to simplify the recruitment 

process when recruiting 

tradespeople. 

“My goal is for Meport to 

be a widely used system that 

helps Kiwis get into employment 

faster and smarter. New 

Zealand is currently experiencing 

a number of labour 

shortages, particularly in the 

trades industry, and I hope that 

Meport will help to ease some 

of these issues,” Rose says. 

Rose, who grew up in Te 

Awamutu and is of Ngāti 

Maniapoto descent, discovered 

his love for technology in 

computer science classes at St 

Paul’s Collegiate in Hamilton. 

He studied information systems 

and computer science at 

the University of Waikato and 

has worked in a variety of jobs 

including labour on building 

sites, 3D modeling and web 

development – all excellent 

preparation for his new role a 

business founder. 

With a solid idea and some 

market validation, Rose placed 

second in one of Soda’s seed 

grants in 2021, winning $3,000 

cash to put towards advancing 

his business idea. 

“The Soda seed grant and 

support from family and friends 

gave me the confidence to fully 

commit to creating Meport,” 

says Rose, who has been working 

with the Hamilton-based 

business growth ecosystem for 

the last six months. 

Starting a new business 

always comes with challenges 

and, for Rose, being a sole 

founder has been difficult. 

“I’m used to team sports 

and thoroughly enjoy working 

with others, sharing, and brainstorming 

ideas. Being a sole 

founder has been tough and 

lonely at times,” Rose says. 

That’s where having an 

experienced mentor to guide 

him along his entrepreneurial 

journey has been a lifesaver. 

Soda matched Rose with the 

Australian co-founder of 

CONQA Construction Software 

– Daniel O’Donoghue. 

“Daniel shared his startup 

journey with me, and I was 

able to apply these learnings to 

Meport which has helped me 

avoid and overcome personal 

and business challenges. I’ve 

introduced things like morning 

rituals and routines, started 

managing my time smartly, and 

overall am trying to deliver the 

best possible product to market 

by being the best founder I can 

be,” Rose says. 

“Kerwan is a humble, 

authentic, and hungry young 

founder. I have zero doubt Kerwan 

is on the path to becoming 

one of New Zealand’s tech 

leaders, and it’s a true privilege 

to be part of his journey.” 

O’Donoghue says. 

Initially Meport has 

launched as software as a service 

(SAAS) targeting recruitment 

agencies and employers, 

but Rose has big ambitions. 

“As Meport gets bigger 

there are other features I plan 

to integrate, such as the ability 

for tradies to showcase their 

work portfolio, find work and 

connect with one another. I 

also want to introduce Meport 

to the Australian market within 

two years,” Rose says.


13 

Gamechanger: Google’s New 

Performance Max Campaigns 

Producing Amazing Results 

If you’re not familiar with 

the term “programmatic 

advertising” it refers to 

using automated technology for 

buying digital ad placements 

online. 

That may sound a little confusing, 

so let’s start by looking 

at the opposite: Manual placement. 

Manual placement is 

where you choose which websites, 

or group of websites, you 

want your ads to show on. You 

might choose to show your ads 

on news sites, or MetService 

or Trade Me, or websites that 

talk about topics related to your 

product or service. Or alternatively 

your agency might create 

a remarketing campaign where 

THE DIGITAL WORLD 

> BY JOSH MOORE 

Josh Moore is the head marketing fanatic at Duoplus, a 

Hamilton-based digital marketing agency that helps clients get 

more leads and sales through online marketing. www.duoplus.nz 

“Programmatic Advertising” has been 

touted as the “next big thing” for a few 

years, but Google’s new Performance Max 

campaigns are delivering programmatic 

results never seen before. 

ding more or less for specific 

conditions. But the reality is 

that manual adjustments can 

only allow for a small number 

of factors and we can never 

be agile and fast enough to 

respond to all the little signals 

that could indicate whether 

someone who is about to see 

an ad is more likely to be your 

perfect next customer. 

Enter the world of programmatic 

advertising: The promise 

of programmatic advertising is 

that, instead of taking just a few 

signals into account, by using 

data insights and algorithms 

it can respond to thousands of 

signals to serve ads to the right 

user at the right time, and at the 

right price. The end result is 

that programmatic advertising 

should be able to produce better 

results - more leads and more 

sales – for the same ad spend. 

The problem though, is that 

gaining access to programmatic 

advertising has been prohibitively 

expensive, and most 

results haven’t been as amazing 

as was hoped. 

That is, until now, with 

Google’s brand new “Performance 

Max” campaigns. 

Google have been making 

enormous strides in “smart 

campaigns” and “smart bidding” 

over the last few years 

inside of Google Ads. These 

campaigns and bidding strategies 

use increasingly powerful 

Artificial Intelligence to analyse 

thousands of signals when 

showing ads to users, in order 

to improve performance. 

They have recently combined 

all of their learning into 

a brand-new campaign type 

called “Performance Max” and 

the results are leaving other 

programmatic advertising providers 

in the dust. 

Performance Max campaigns 

allow advertisers to run 

ads across all of Google's channels 

like YouTube, Display, 

Search, Shopping, Gmail, and 

Maps from a single campaign, 

and then uses Google’s incredible 

depth of data to get your 

ads in front of the right people 

at the right time. It's designed 

to complement normal keyword-based 

Search campaigns 

to help you find more converting 

customers. 

Performance Max cam- 

they show ads to people who 

have previously visited your 

website. 

When your digital marketing 

agency examines the 

results of your campaigns, they 

might find that certain times 

of day produce better results, 

or certain days of the week, or 

times of the year. In addition to 

that, certain demographics of 

people might be more likely to 

enquire or buy. Or they might 

discover that people who have 

an interest in particular topics 

are more likely to become customers. 

With all these pieces of 

data there are opportunities to 

optimise the campaign by bidpaigns 

were only made available 

in January this year, but 

the results we have seen so far 

with Duoplus clients have been 

substantial. 

In ecommerce campaigns 

the magic figure to measure is 

“ROAS” – which stands for 

“Return On Ad Spend”. If you 

have a ROAS of 8, for example, 

it means you received $8 in 

revenue for every $1 spent on 

ads. We had one client whose 

Shopping campaigns were only 

returning a ROAS of around 5. 

They are consistently hitting a 

ROAS of 10-15 with Performance 

Max. That means for 

every $1000 in ad spend, these 

campaigns are now generating 

$10,000 - $15,000 of ecommerce 

revenue! 

Likewise, with non-ecommerce 

clients, we have seen 

Performance Max produce far 

more leads than their previous 

Display (image ad) campaigns. 

One client, who has very high 

performing Search campaigns, 

was getting only a small number 

of leads per month from 

their Display campaigns. With 

Performance Max they are now 

getting 600% more leads than 

their Display campaigns were 

producing. 

(Note: It’s important to 

remember that Performance 

Max is a powerful replacement 

for Display and Shopping 

campaigns. It doesn’t replace 

Search campaigns that show 

text ads on Google’s search 

results pages.) 

So, the promise of programmatic 

advertising being 

a gamechanger is now coming 

to fruition. Google’s new Performance 

Max campaigns are 

making programmatic advertising 

accessible to everyday 

businesses and are producing 

incredible results for many clients. 

If you have Google Ads 

campaigns running, keep your 

keyword-based Search campaigns 

going, and test switching 

your Shopping, Display 

and even YouTube campaigns 

to Performance Max, and 

measure the results. It’s highly 

likely to leave you smiling. 

Balloons over Waikato – Who says you 

can’t run an event in RED 

The Red Setting didn’t 

stop Balloons over 

Waikato take to the 

skies. Not being a ticketed 

event, or relying on gate sales, 

gave them the freedom to think 

outside the box to keep delivering 

this iconic event to the 

many thousands of people who 

love the site of hot air balloons 

floating en masse across the 

city. 

Balloon pilots and their 

balloons from all over New 

Zealand attended Balloons 

over Waikato. With no public 

attendance permitted at any of 

the events, they chose parks 

and launch sites every morning 

to make best use of the breeze 

to take them across different 

parts of the city to impact as 

many people as possible. The 

message was clear, ‘Look up to 

see us flying over your neighbourhood’….and 

they did. 

Thousands engaged with the 

event over event week, thrilled 

for the return of the balloons, 

many commenting on the joy 

they bring, especially in these 

stressful times. It’s an event 

for families and so many stories 

were shared of children’s 

delight in seeing the balloons. 

With the ZURU Nightglow 

normally attracting close 

to 80,000 spectators, more 

thinking outside the box had 

to occur. The result was a 

stunning, never before seen 

show held on the grounds of 

FMG Stadium Waikato that 

was filmed and released online 

at the same time the ZURU 

Nightglow would normally 

have occurred. 

The event stakeholders 

were hosted in pods of small 

numbers and treated to a special 

night of entertainment 

and a Glow Show performed 

on the hallowed rugby turf 

of FMG Stadium Waikato. 

The end result was truly 

spectacular, and the resulting 

online video watched 

by more than 20,000 on the 

Saturday evening. 

Over the last three years, 

the event team have experienced 

running the 2020 event 

on the cusp of Covid, to last 

year’s event enjoying a record 

attendance and now having to 

run this years’s in the Red Setting. 

Covid has certainly been 

challenging for the events’ 

industry, but the team were 

determined that if it was possible 

to safely deliver an event 

in the Protection Framework, 

they would do it. In a country 

that has been starved of the 

joy of being part of an event 

in recent months, it was wonderful 

to be able to bring the 

magic of hot air ballooning to 

the community for everyone 

to enjoy. 

The video is on Balloons 

over Waikato website so 

please go and enjoy www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz


New Brand Identity 

Logo 

for 

Tainui Group Holdings 

Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) recently 

launched a new brand identity. 

The brand was launched 

by TGH chair Hinerangi 

Raumati-Tu’ua at the 

Tuurangawaewae Marae poukai 

at Ngaaruawaahia and follows 

an extensive consultation 

and design process. 

Raumati-Tu’ua says the 

new brand establishes an identity 

that is aligned to Waikato-Tainui 

and reflects the more 

recent growth and direction of 

the company. 

“This new brand is 

grounded in the significance 

of the hoe (paddle) to Waikato-Tainui. 

Hoe steered the 

great Tainui waka on its journey 

to Aotearoa. It is symbolic 

of the courage of our tuupuna 

in forging a new future, and it 

signifies the close affinity of 

our iwi to the Waikato River 

and our identity as river people,” 

Raumati-Tu’ua says. 

“It is also an acknowledg- 

ment of pre- and post-colonial 

tuupuna who galvanised the 

local economy through their 

entrepreneurship, growing 

and harvesting goods which 

they transported to market via 

their highway – the Waikato 

River.” 

TGH chief executive Chris 

Joblin says the brand review 

was undertaken at a time of 

significant change and growth 

for TGH including the delivery 

of game changing projects 

for the iwi and the region at 

the Ruakura Superhub, across 

the Kirikiriroa CBD and in the 

future along the Hamilton to 

Auckland corridor. 

“TGH has been on a journey 

over the past five years to 

transform the way we work 

and ensure our internal culture 

is strongly aligned to Waikato-Tainui 

and our remit as the 

commercial arm of the iwi,” 

We are immensely proud of this brand 

and we look forward to living up to its 

promise as a symbol of the important 

role of TGH to deliver commercial 

leadership with an iwi worldview. 

Joblin says. 

“It also reflects the strong 

growth that TGH is experiencing 

and the economic wealth 

we are creating for the iwi 

today and for generations to 

come.” 

Development of the brand 

included a comprehensive 

process to ensure the new 

identity was led by tribal perspectives, 

tikanga, histories 

and cultural considerations 

alongside business objectives 

and needs. 

The process included the 

establishment of Kupu Toi, an 

advisory group of tribal leaders 

to provide advice and guidance 

at all stages of the review, 

as well as kanohi ki te kanohi 

(face-to-face) interviews with 

tribal leaders, kaumaatua, rangatahi, 

business partners and 

kaimahi (employees). 

“We acknowledge and 

thank all those who contributed 

to the review, particularly 

the members of Kupu Toi who 

are Ani Willis, Tuku Morgan, 

Rahui Papa and Renata Te 

Wiata. We also acknowledge 

the work of brand agency Iceberg, 

led by Martin O’Sullivan.,” 

Joblin says. 

“We are immensely proud 

of this brand and we look forward 

to living up to its promise 

as a symbol of the important 

role of TGH to deliver commercial 

leadership with an iwi 

worldview.” 

About the Brand Identity 

The tohu (symbol) within 

the logo is a combination of 

two iconic symbols for te ao 

Maaori: the hoe and the takarangi. 

The hoe is shown in the 

shape of a diamond, a silhouette 

that is distinctive 

to Waikato iwi. The design 

inside the hoe is a reference 

to the takarangi, which is an 

intersecting spiral pattern that 

signifies humanity’s celestial 

origin and our past, present 

and future. It is often used in 

carving. 

When combined with the 

takarangi and its generational 

story, the hoe becomes a tohu 

that is interwoven with who 

we are and our past, present, 

and future. The hoe also links 

to the logo of our parent entity, 

Waikato-Tainui, which is an 

interpretation of a waka. 

Tongikura (Proverb) 

Kia tuupara te hoe kia tau ki 

te pae. 

Paddle the canoe together to 

reach the new horizon. 

The new brand identity 

includes this tongikura which 

has been crafted by Rahui 

Papa. It references the business 

aspirations and goals 

held by TGH and the importance 

of working together, in 

unison and in partnership, to 

achieve success. 

The new colour palette 

is inspired by te taiao, the 

environment. The majority of 

TGH’s assets are held in property 

and this is reflected in 

the new primary brand colour 

of green, with other hues of 

nature and the awa (river) 

alongside. 

1 

Top artist to judge National Contemporary Art Award 

National Contemporary 

Art Award 2022 judge 

Reuben Paterson. 

Entries are open now for 

the National Contemporary 

Art Award 2022. 

With a cash prize pool of 

more than $27,000, the annual 

National Contemporary Art 

Award (NCAA) competition 

brings the best in Aotearoa New 

Zealand contemporary art to 

Hamilton’s Waikato Museum 

Te Whare Taonga o Waikato. 

Reuben Paterson (Ngāti 

Rangitihi, Ngāi Tūhoe, Tūhourangi), 

one of the country’s top 

contemporary artists, has agreed 

to be the judge for NCAA 2022. 

Known for his creations in glitter 

and diamond dust, Paterson 

will use the competition’s blind 

judging process to select final- 

ists and prize winners for this 

year’s prestigious Award. 

“I’m thrilled to step into this 

role for 2022,” says Paterson, 

who is acknowledged as part 

of a third generation of contemporary 

Maaori artists defining 

their own modes and methods 

of art making. 

“I hope that artists throughout 

Aotearoa – established 

and emerging – are inspired to 

stretch themselves creatively 

and enter their work. I’m looking 

forward to seeing what they 

come up with!” 

Paterson’s signature style 

draws from both his Maaori 

and Scottish ancestry, combining 

pattern and design 

with non-traditional media. 

Recently his sculptural work 

Guide Kaiārahi, a spectacular 

10-metre-tall waka made with 

hundreds of iridescent crystals, 

was installed at the entry 

to Auckland Art Gallery Toi o 

Tāmaki. 

“Every year the National 

Contemporary Art Award is full 

of eclectic, bold, and original 

work from artists at all stages 

of their careers. It’s a highlight 

of our calendar here at Waikato 

Museum,” Director Museum 

& Arts at Waikato Museum Te 

Whare Taonga o Waikato. Liz 

Cotton says. 

“I am very much looking 

forward to hearing Reuben’s 

KEY DATES: 

thoughts on the entries and celebrating 

his winning selection 

for 2022.” 

The National Contemporary 

Art Award was launched 

in 2000 by the Waikato Society 

of Arts and has been facilitated 

and hosted by Waikato Museum 

since 2006. Leading New Zealand 

law firm Tompkins Wake 

and nationally-renowned architects 

Chow:Hill have been its 

co-sponsors since 2014 and 

2015 respectively. 

Now in its 22nd year, NCAA 

attracts original entries every 

year from New Zealand artists 

based in this country and overseas. 

This year’s exhibition will 

be held at Waikato Museum 

from 6 August to 13 November 

2022. 

Entries open until 1pm, 1 June 2022 

Finalists announced week commencing 13 June 2022 

Prize winners announced Friday 5 August 2022 

Exhibition open 6 August – 13 November 2022 

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Urban + Architecture 

Contact us 07 839 6521 

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15 

Brand vs 

identity vs logo 

I was thinking about how to explain the fundamental importance 

of brand, especially how to differentiate between brand, identity 

and logo, when I got pulled into a TV binge of Yellowstone. 

TELLING YOUR STORY 

> BY VICKI JONES 

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

management consultancy. Email vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce 

Business Awards 

On March 11 we finally held our Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster 

Construction Group, after postponing several times 

from the original date in November. Even then it was a 

hybrid event, split over two venues and beamed out to 

many of the entrants’ workplaces, their favourite pubs, 

restaurants and into their homes. 

Now, I’m no academic 

but I do know that the 

origins of the word 

brand are just as you’d expect 

– related to cattle-ranchers 

marking their beasts, over 500 

years ago. The brand was the 

tool that was used to burn a 

symbol into the skin and these 

symbols were, in effect, very 

early logos. 

It wasn’t until the pace 

of change hit fast-forward 

with the industrial revolution 

that companies really started 

to use graphical devices to 

stylise the name of a product 

or a service, to make it stand 

out from the ever-increasing 

noise in their marketplaces. 

I’m not sure what it says 

about the human race that 

two of the oldest trademarked 

logos in the world are both for 

beers – Bass and Stella Artois. 

But it didn’t take long for 

the logic to catch on and the 

logo as a way of differentiating 

your offer and connecting 

with audiences became a thing 

of great value and importance. 

Trademarking a symbol 

didn’t really come in until the 

1880s, so it wasn’t until then 

that companies started to think 

about protecting the use of the 

fonts and colours that they put 

alongside those symbols – the 

elements that we refer to as 

their brand identity. 

The way we talk about 

brand, identity and logo has 

evolved greatly over the years, 

but here’s my ever-simplistic 

take on the matter. There are 

plenty of variations to these 

explanations but here’s how it 

works in my brain. 

Let’s make up an example 

again – how about Smiths 

Accounting Services. 

Smiths Accounting Services 

has a simple, contemporary 

and clear logo. An easy to 

read and professional looking 

font, and a stylised image of 

a bar chart as a symbol to sit 

alongside the name. That’s the 

logo. Nothing out of the ordinary 

there. 

Their designers have put 

together a suite of design 

items that support the logo, 

to help build consistency in 

the way they present themselves 

in their marketing and 

advertising. That’s logical, of 

course, because if they’re consistent, 

people will recognise 

them more. Chop and change, 

customers will get confused. 

They’ve also thought about 

how they want to be perceived. 

They’ve thought about 

their audience and what they 

relate to, understand and like. 

The designers have focused 

their attention on design elements 

that will appeal to the 

kind of clients they want to 

attract. They’re targeting 

small to medium businesses 

so haven’t gone for a look 

that makes them look goldplate 

expensive. Instead, the 

colours are warm and friendly, 

but still businesslike. 

They’re a relatively new 

firm who could have tried 

to hide that newness with a 

deliberately old-fashioned and 

traditional design but, no, they 

want to keep it real so have 

opted for neutrally trendy, not 

too out-there. 

The way we talk 

about brand, identity 

and logo has evolved 

greatly over the 

years, but here’s my 

ever-simplistic take 

on the matter. 

Everything in the toolkit 

that makes up their identity 

– fonts, colours, additional 

design shapes or features, 

and even style of photography 

– have all been carefully 

considered to reflect the true 

essence of Smiths Accounting 

Services. 

And that’s where we get to 

the modern meaning of brand. 

Essentially, there are three 

types of brand – corporate, 

product or personal – and I’m 

really focusing on corporate. 

But the same general principles 

apply. 

Unlike logo and identity, 

brand is not something you 

can see. It’s reflected in the 

interactions, the ethos, the 

philosophy on the organisation. 

It’s all about perception 

– a perception that we can 

manage and lead by having 

principles and behaviours 

clearly defined. Behaviours 

that our staff are motivated to 

reinforce and principles that 

our customers can admire. 

This is where I come back 

to the TV series, Yellowstone. 

It’s the story of the vast Dutton 

Yellowstone Ranch in 

Montana. It follows the dramas 

that beset the family, the 

staff and its neighbouring 

communities, as time, money 

and dirty dealings ensue. 

A stylised Y is proudly 

emblazoned on buildings, 

liveries, cattle and, you soon 

discover, its people. But just 

as with the modern marketing 

brands, the rancher’s brand 

means more than ownership. 

It carries the weight of reputation, 

generates loyalty and 

represents a way of being 

and behaving that is deeply 

engrained in more than just 

the symbol. 

Through the intangible 

brand that the family has 

created (not always good in 

this case, mind), Yellowstone 

creates a largely inexplicable 

force that keeps its people 

entwined, or draws them back. 

In a way, it represents the 

strengths of a brand, where the 

Y is more than simply a shape 

scorched into tissue, but a connection 

that burns deep in the 

soul. In principle, something 

every company aspires to. 

Some ask why we go to such 

lengths to put on the Awards. Our 

purpose is simple: to recognise 

outstanding Waikato businesses and to 

inspire others to achieve great and lasting 

success right here in the Waikato. 

There is not a finish line, a final 

whistle nor a personal best or world record 

in business. It is, in the immortal 

words of John Mitchell, “a journey”. 

More so than in most fields of human 

endeavour, commerce goes on ad infinitum. 

As an example, our overall winner 

DEC Pharmaceutical is not a company 

that many would recognise, yet they 

began after World War 2 and occupy a 

building on Te Rapa Rd that most will 

have travelled past many times. Their 

70-year story of innovation after innovation 

and the subsequent regenerations 

is a testimony to longevity and resilience 

through hard work and bringing 

great ideas to market. 

To enter and complete the Awards 

entry application requires a team-based 

reflection process that in itself is hugely 

valuable to your company. Having a 

confidential external review by highly 

experienced Waikato business leaders, 

which is overseen by the University 

of Waikato Management School, gives 

you amazing feedback. It is difficult to 

buy that level of insight and advice. 

To be recognised and awarded accolades 

by your peers is truly humbling 

and uplifting. Your success can inspire 

your team and other companies to strive 

for greatness. 

By Don Good, CEO of Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce. 

Entries open for the 2022 

Awards on Tuesday, April 19, 

right after Easter. 

Get your team together, take 

the plunge, enter the Awards, 

and inspire yourselves. 

WAIKATO CHAMBER 

OF COMMERCE 

BUSINESS 

AWARDS 

PROUDLY 

SUPPORTED BY 

206594AC


Getting a foot in the door… 

With our unemployment rate sitting at 3.2 percent in 

February this year, border closures and massive talent 

shortages, employers are doing it hard right now. That said, 

I speak to candidates every day who are also frustrated and 

can’t understand why they can’t get a new job. 

We speak of transferrable 

skills and 

exploring different 

options but how do you 

get a foot in the door when 

you have limited experience, 

perhaps been away from the 

workforce for several years 

(parenting, learning, recovering 

from an illness, etc) or 

you’re a student wanting to 

find your first role. Employers 

tell us they want experience 

and that’s fair enough, 

but many are also reverting 

to…. “let’s hire for attitude 

and teach”. Thank goodness! 

In my experience the best 

place to start when you’re 

Employers tell us 

they want experience 

and that’s fair 

enough, but many are 

also reverting to…. 

“let’s hire for attitude 

and teach”. Thank 

goodness! 

coming back into the workforce 

or starting afresh is to 

recognise the importance of 

clarity. By this I mean, spending 

time thinking about where 

you see yourself in the future. 

There are oodles of great providers 

in the Waikato who can 

help sift through your brain 

and identify your strengths 

and weaknesses, but more 

importantly know the skills 

and knowledge you’ll need 

to achieve your goals in the 

future. Whether you’re 18 or 

58 talking to a career specialist 

can help guide your next 

steps which is invaluable. 

If you’ve been out of the 

workforce for a while don’t 

despair. Now is the time 

to shine and show future 

employers that you are ready 

to work. Similarly, if you’re 

at the end of your career you 

can still make a significant 

contribution to the workforce 

– you may want more flexibility 

or work part time, but 

this can generally be accommodated. 

So how do you get 

started? 

• Get some help to get your 

CV updated to present 

you in the best possible 

light. Be overt about your 

transferrable skills (this is 

where a career specialist 

can help you) and list these 

on the front page of your 

CV. 

• Know your skills, your 

values, and your interests – 

this will help you identify 

companies that fit you. 

• Learn how to get prepared 

for an interview and how to 

answer those tricky questions 

that come up – for 

example, if you’ve been 

out of the workforce due 

to illness be upfront about 

that in your cover letter 

and explain how you will 

get back up to speed for 

your new employer. Think 

about refreshing your referees 

if you’ve been out of 

the workforce for a period. 

Who could speak on your 

behalf? 

• Practice, practice, practice 

– if you need help to 

prepare for an interview – 

ask a friend, a parent, or a 

recruiter. 

• Explore ways to gain new 

skills – think about online 

learning or getting certified 

in something practical 

like first aid or forklift. 

These things will help you 

get a foot in the door. 

You have plenty to offer 

and there are opportunities 

out there. Sometimes you 

just need to find the right 

employer who will give you 

a chance and support your 

development. More employers 

are open to teaching their 

new hires so if you can show 

PEOPLE AND CULTURE 

> BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, Everest – All about people TM 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

that you’re willing to learn 

you will become a valued 

employee in no time at all. 

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Surfing For Farmers 

season wraps 

up with woollen 

surfboard giveaway 

Farmers from across the country will soon 

be hitting the waves on woollen surfboards 

as the lucky winners of a new competition 

run across the 2021/22 Surfing for 

Farmers’ season. 

The surfboards – made 

from a new wool cloth 

sourced from New Zealand 

sheep – will be awarded 

to one lucky participant at each 

of the 23 Surfing for Farmers 

(SFF) locations around New 

Zealand, including in Raglan. 

Around 30 farmers from 

all over Waikato – Hamilton, 

Waipa, Te Awamutu, Otorohanga, 

Waitomo, Te Kauwhata, 

Whatawhata, Pirongia, Te 

Akau, Taupiri and Glen Murray 

– took to the surf under the 

expert guidance of instructors 

from Raglan Surf School and 

Green Wave Raglan throughout 

the SFF season. 

The surfboard competition 

was run by Rabobank, one of 

SFF’s premier sponsors, and 

the winners were announced 

at the season’s final SFF events 

during March 

Speaking earlier this week, 

Rabobank New Zealand Country 

Banking general manager 

Bruce Weir said every participant 

at an SFF event over the 

season has gone into the draw 

to win one of the surfboards. 

Launched in Gisborne in 

2018, Surfing for Farmers 

encourages farmers to take a 

couple of hours each week to 

head to the surf to help better 

manage stress and improve 

mental health. The initiative 

has gone from strength to 

strength over recent years and 

more than 1000 farmers have 

attended events across the 

summer. 

Weir says the bank has been 

involved with the initiative 

since its inception and Rabobank 

staff have played key 

roles in supporting the sessions 

at locations up and down the 

country. 

“We’re very proud to support 

the SFF programme and 

the fantastic work it’s doing 

to reduce farmers’ stress and 

improve well-being. The 

events are free and provide an 

opportunity for those new to 

the sport to receive lessons and 

tips from a qualified instructor. 

The sessions also provide 

farmers with a chance to relax, 

grab a bite to eat and get to 

know some of the other participants.” 

Weir says one of the key 

drivers behind the launch of 

the surfboard competition was 

the opportunity it provided to 

highlight just one of the amazing 

products that can be made 

from New Zealand wool. 

“The wool industry in New 

Zealand has had a tough time 

over recent years, and as a 

food and agri banking specialist, 

we’re committed to playing 

our part to get it back on its 

feet.” 

The surfboards being given 

away have been developed by 

Barron Surfboards in Tauranga 

and are made from woolight – a 

new wool cloth which replaces 

the traditional fiberglass. The 

woolight product is also now 

being used in the construction 

of a whole range of other products 

including boats, kayaks, 

swimming pools and spas. 

“We’re really proud to be 

giving away the woollen surfboards 

as they’re not only a 

great way to show our support 

for the wool industry, but 

they’re also much better for the 

environment,” Mr Weir said. 

In addition, he said, the 

surfboard giveaway would 

allow farmers to continue their 

involvement and progression 

with the sport. 

“Over recent months I’ve 

headed down to a few of the 

SFF sessions at Ohope and 

Raglan and, from the discussions 

I’ve had with farmers in 

attendance, it’s pretty clear that 

a few of them have really got 

the surfing bug,” he said. 

“I’m sure the boards will 

get plenty of use over the 

months ahead and that we’ll 

see the surfboard winners back 

to take part in the new SFF season 

later in the year.” 

Catering for all occasions 

Weddings, wedding platters, birthdays, 

corporates plus many more. 

We bring the restaurant to you! 

Professional buffet catering for 60-5000 guests. 

www.southernspitroast.co.nz 

E: graham@ssbbq.co.nz 

0800 2 SPITROAST


19 

Celebrating 15 years of creating 

tailored office spaces in the Bay 

Offering a complete soft fit out service means commercial furniture 

specialist Modern Office can take care of all aspects of a project, 

delivering the client the finished result with less hassle. Modern 

Office is proud of this full service which they’ve perfected over the 

last 15 years. The result has seen satisfied clients in the Bay of 

Plenty and Waikato and a growing reputation for being a reliable 

supplier across this region and the rest of the country. 

David Littlewood and 

business partner Adam 

Hazlett started Modern 

Office in 2007 and the 

team now consists of sales, 

marketing and procurement 

professionals, as well as an 

installation team that can 

deliver, install and relocate 

commercial furniture. 

With many years of experience 

in the office furniture 

and soft fit out sector, Modern 

Office has forged a respected 

reputation with architects and 

designers and some of New 

Zealand's best quality manufacturers 

and suppliers. They 

also import their own furniture 

range under the Mobel 

brand, and operating from a 

1200 sqm warehouse in Tauranga 

means Modern Office 

has steady stock levels and 

ready supply to take care of 

clients’ needs quickly and 

efficiently. 

Juliet Scott is Modern 

Office’s Waikato representative. 

With over 20 years’ of 

experience in Office Furniture 

sales, Juliet is well-versed 

on workspace requirements. 

She loves the variety of this 

industry, as every enquiry 

is different, each customer's 

requirements are unique and 

the office as we know it keeps 

evolving. She loves going on 

this journey with a client and 

seeing the end result. 

The team is keen 

to build on this 

success by offering 

great products and 

professional service, 

and added value 

to help clients to 

increase productivity 

while reducing costs. 

Within the Waikato, Modern 

Office are making their 

mark; they were honoured to 

recently work with Waikato 

Regional Council to provide 

office furniture for their new 

premises, and also relocated 

existing office furniture to 

ensure a cost effective solution. 

This was their largest 

project to date in the region, 

and one that they’re extremely 

proud of. 

Modern Office customised 

a solution to fit the council’s 

needs, sourcing flexible and 

ergonomic furniture specifically 

suited to their budget 

and the requirements of its 

team of over 500 staff. Competitive 

pricing, an ability to 

deliver what the client needed, 

project management around 

the installation and after sales 

service were key factors that 

won Modern Office the tender 

on this project. 

The team has also worked 

within many other sectors 

including health care and real 

estate in the Waikato region, 

assisting a local Waikato 

health provider with refurbishing 

their three floors of 

office space to create a more 

functional, modern work 

environment that supports the 

needs of a highly functional 

team. 

Modern Office has a strong 

presence in the real estate sector 

having worked with many 

real estate companies in Hamilton 

to date by not only completing 

fit outs, but also offering 

a floor-planning service 

including rendered drawings 

to bring a space to life. 

The team has fitted out 

co-working spaces to supply 

furniture to suit the requirements 

of each tenant and 

still maintain consistency in 

design, and work with existing 

customers who are experiencing 

growth within their 

local office or expanding into 

the regions with new office 

spaces. Modern Office is 

eager to grow with clients and 

help their workspace evolve 

as the business grows and 

changes over time. 

Modern Office provides 

furniture such as task chairs 

and desks but specialises 

in entire office fit-outs, taking 

care of clients’ changing 

needs. With a head office in 

Tauranga and a growing presence 

in the Waikato and other 

regions across New Zealand, 

Modern Office’s longevity 

and experience in the industry 

has meant many successful 

furniture fit out projects have 

been completed. 

The team is keen to build 

on this success by offering 

Juliet Scott, Modern Office’s Waikato representative. 

great products and professional 

service, and added 

value to help clients to 

increase productivity while 

reducing costs. Their furniture 

allows a changing workspace 

to reflect its evolving and 

growing business and they 

pride themselves on placing 

office furniture that is built 

to last the years and building 

strong and positive ongoing 

relationships with clients. 

Onwards and upwards to the 

next 15 years!


The power of Dynamic Dashboarding 

For today’s business leaders, having 

access to timely, reliable information is 

key to making informed decisions. While 

organisations are collecting and processing 

increasing amounts of data, finding ways 

to effectively communicate and present the 

extracted insights remains a challenge. 

As technology and software 

progresses, we 

have seen the value of 

‘bookkeeping’ skills decline 

and the importance of reporting 

and communication 

increase. This has been facilitated 

through the use of programs 

such as Xero, MYOB 

and other cloud-based ERPs 

(Enterprise Resource Planning), 

which have transformed 

and improved financial processes 

with their user-friendly 

platforms and speed. 

The next step in the journey 

is visualising this data which 

is where dynamic visualisation 

or dashboarding programs 

such as Microsoft Power BI 

& Tableau come in. Through 

the power of dynamic dashboarding, 

these tools promise 

to provide deeper insights to 

users and further propel the 

accounting profession into the 

digital age. 

In essence, these software 

applications provide a 

dynamic, user-friendly platform 

to turn data - both financial 

and non financial - into 

meaningful insights. Presented 

to the user visually, through 

charts, tables and graphs called 

visualisations, these come 

together to build dashboards 

which tell a story about the 

data. Each visualisation is 

highly customisable, and is 

able to draw on data from various 

different sources to display 

its findings. 

From a pure data perspective, 

these visualisation tools 

have increased processing 

power and ability to handle 

large datasets. Their processing 

power allows users 

to seamlessly draw together 

multiple datasets, link them 

through common variables, 

and combine variables from 

all datasets onto a single visualisation. 

Gone are the days of 

having the prior year’s data on 

one screen and the current year 

on the other, trying to compare 

static reports that are only snippets 

of a complete story. 

Perhaps the most compelling 

part of Dynamic Dashboarding 

is its interactivity 

and interconnectedness. No 

visualisation is static, i.e. more 

information can be presented 

by clicking on the bars of a 

bar chart, or hovering over 

certain elements to show further 

detail. Furthermore, each 

visualisation on the page can 

be influenced by those around 

it. Let’s consider a company 

looking into the demographics 

of its customer base. They 

have a column chart detailing 

the ages of the customers and 

a pie graph showing what percentage 

lives in certain areas. 

A user could click on a suburb 

shown in the pie graph, 

which would then influence 

the column chart to only show 

the age distribution of people 

who lived in that suburb. 

This allows users to deep dive 

into their data, while minimising 

the number of charts 

and graphs that are displayed. 

‘Slicers’ can also be used to 

change what is displayed on 

the dashboard. Using our location 

example, different territories 

could be selected from 

the slicer and the data viewed 

on a single dashboard. This is 

in contrast to tools like PowerPoint, 

which would need 

Business Value 

Early 

1970s 

Generation I 

2000s 

Generation II 

Today 

Generation III 

Future-2025 

Next Generation 

Finance 

Time 

• Digitally enabled processes and data provide real time 

settlement and information 

• Drastic change in Finance service delivery model 

• New Finance skills required to compete 

• Greater demands for business and financial insights and analyses 

• More complex processes moved to shared services and outsourcing 

• RPA and Cloud becoming mainstream 

• Manage fundamentals (cost & spending) as primary role 

• Multi-process shared services; optimise processes for low cost 

• Core ERP systems capability 

• Manage book-keeping & accounting as primary role 

• Focus on securing and managing capital and expertise Finance functions (treasury, tax) 

• Centralise internal processes 

multiple slides to display the 

information for each location. 

The reports produced are 

versatile. The insights can be a 

key component in management 

decision making. Although, 

the detail and analysis availability 

is largely dependent 

on the quality of the data collected. 

The level of detail that 

the reports allow mean managers 

can drill down into the data 

to find trends and track progress 

against certain metrics. At 

the same time, the reports can 

be used to provide overviews 

at board meetings, where the 

appeal and simplicity of the 

visualisations allows high 

level information to be communicated 

effectively. This 

adaptability has meant such 

reporting tools have become 

both relevant and essential at 

all levels of business. 

For large groups, Dynamic 

Dashboarding can make tracking 

and comparing between 

members of the group much 

more simple. As an example, a 

group of companies with similar 

charts of accounts could 

be tracked from the same 

dashboard, allowing a user to 

quickly switch between companies 

and make meaningful 

comparisons. 

From an efficiency standpoint, 

Dynamic Dashboarding 

allows for models to be 

refreshed automatically as 

new data comes in. This is 

because the visualisations are 

based on formulas, allowing 

users to benefit from updated 

information without having 

to make changes. Updates to 

the model are generally only 

needed when the type of data 

changes, or the user is wanting 

new information to be shown. 

From an accounting perspective, 

this is transforming 

the way we are able to communicate 

financial information to 

our clients and their stakeholders. 

For example, through linking 

platforms such as Power BI 

TAXATION AND THE LAW 

> BY TRACEY CLARK 

Tracey Clark is a PwC director based in the Waikato office. 

Email: tracey.e.clark@nz.pwc.com 

or Tableau with Cloud based- 

ERPs like Xero or MYOB,, 

information can flow through 

to create live, interactive 

reports. This can make things 

like tracking expenses and 

examining performance ratios 

both simple and more effective. 

Unlike other reporting 

software, the data updates flow 

through from Xero or MYOB 

in real time, allowing for up to 

date analysis. 

Software like this also 

allows us to extend beyond 

the typical financial reporting 

clients might expect. It 

can be used to visualise all 

types of data. For example, a 

business may wish to conduct 

a demographics analysis on 

their customer base, or present 

the results of a survey in 

an effective, insightful way. 

This allows those who provide 

financial reporting services to 

their clients to extract more 

value and utilise data that 

before, due to their inability to 

derive insights, may have been 

meaningless. 

Overall, Dynamic Dashboarding 

provides the tools 

to extract value from data 

in a multitude of new ways. 

We expect this software to 

become more prevalent within 

businesses of all sizes, and 

quickly becoming essential 

as a reporting tool in today’s 

technology- enabled world. 

In any case, there is no doubt 

that it will influence the way 

we work, and will further fuel 

the demand for deeper analysis 

and insights. 

New scholarship honours 

alumnus and former council 

member Scott Bartlett 

A 

new scholarship set up 

by ASB, Kordia and the 

University of Waikato 

will provide financial support 

to outstanding students in their 

final year of study in a conjoint 

degree, or degree with a double 

major, spanning business management 

and the sciences. 

The Scott Bartlett Memorial 

Scholarship has been established 

to remember Scott, an 

electronic commerce graduate, 

respected business leader, and 

former member of the university’s 

council and ASB’s board. 

Scott died in late 2020 at the age 

of 40 after a battle with cancer. 

Before his passing, Scott 

was Group CEO of mission 

critical technology provider 

Kordia. He joined the company 

in 2012, stepping into the 

top role in 2016, and played a 

pivotal role in the growth of the 

business into new areas, such 

as cyber security and cloud. He 

was widely regarded as one of 

the most talented young business 

people in New Zealand. 

ASB’s Chief Executive 

Vittoria Shortt, a University 

of Waikato Distinguished 

Alumna, says she is proud to 

support Scott’s memorial scholarship 

on behalf of ASB. 

“Scott was a good friend and 

colleague. ASB Chair Dame 

Therese Walsh and I want to 

acknowledge the influence 

Scott brought to New Zealand. 

A scholarship dedicated to Scott 

is a wonderful way to remember 

his legacy. In doing so, we 

can support future business 

leaders.” 

Kordia Group CEO Shaun 

Rendell worked alongside Scott 

for many years as CFO and was 

appointed acting CEO at Kordia 

when Scott was ill. 

“Kordia has long supported 

scholarships at the University of 

Waikato, and we are delighted 

to co-fund this memorial scholarship 

in Scott’s name. 

“Part of what made Scott a 

brilliant business leader was his 

passion for developing talent 

and helping people succeed. He 

would be very happy to know 

that his legacy will support 

the next generation of leaders 

entering the New Zealand business 

scene through the scholarship.” 

The Scott Bartlett Memorial 

Scholarship will be awarded to 

three students each year, with 

applications being taken from 

2022 and the first scholarship 

being awarded in 2023. Each 

scholarship is worth $4,000 

for students completing the 

final year of either a conjoint 

degree, or a degree with a 

double major. Majors must 

be from the Waikato Management 

School and one (or more) 

of the Schools of Science, 

Mathematical and Computer 

Scott Bartlett 

Sciences, or Engineering. 

Vice-Chancellor Professor 

Neil Quigley says Scott’s commitment 

and dedication to the 

University of Waikato has made 

a lasting impact. 

“Scott made many exemplary 

contributions during his 

career, and to the direction 

of the university during his 

time on council. We are very 

pleased, alongside ASB and 

Kordia, to honour his memory 

through this scholarship, and to 

financially assist outstanding 

students who will no doubt go 

on to have great careers as Scott 

did.”

VIBRANT CAMBRIDGE 


21 

You get so much 

more in Cambridge 

Set amongst heritage buildings, wide 

streets, and award-winning eateries, 

Cambridge’s range of speciality shops 

includes fantastic art galleries and 

antiques, artisan and local foodie finds, 

jewellery and homewares. 

Cambridge has a regional 

reputation for boutique 

shopping at its best 

and has become a destination 

for a shopping experience, 

now boasting a large range of 

designer and lifestyle clothing. 

So much more than just 

our main street, Cambridge is 

a town of primarily small to 

medium well-run businesses, 

doing great things in our commercial, 

industrial and ag sectors. 

Cambridge is currently 

the highest growth area in the 

Waipā district with developments 

already well advanced in 

growth cells to the west of the 

town. When complete the new 

areas will accommodate 2,500 

houses, a new 1000-pupil primary 

school and a range of 

commercial areas including a 

large supermarket. 

Investment in road and rail 

within the region continues to 

unlock our district socially and 

economically further enhancing 

Waipā’s appeal. 

Recently, our town opened 

and celebrated Te Awa River 

Ride's newest section. 

The $6.7 million section 

links the Grassroots Trust 

Velodrome with Hooker Rd in 

Tamahere and includes three 

bridges, 5.4km of concrete 

footpath as well as 1.2km of 

timber boardwalk. 

When complete, Te Awa 

will be a 65km shared cycle/ 

walkway running largely 

alongside the Waikato River, 

between Ngāruawāhia and 

Lake Karāpiro. 

Kelly Bouzaid 

CEO – Cambridge 

Business Chamber 

Employment opportunities 

are diverse and Cambridge is 

a serious contender as a place 

to live if you’re looking for an 

easier quality of life but one 

which still keeps you within 

the golden triangle of Auckland, 

Tauranga and Hamilton. 

The Cambridge Business 

Chamber is in a privileged 

position to work with such a 

diverse group of businesses. 

We are a strong and vibrant 

chamber, dedicated to the 

overall wellbeing of our business 

community. 

No other organisation represents 

the business community 

like a Chamber of Commerce. 

If you are thinking about 

opening a business here in 

Cambridge, give us a call, 

you’ll be pleased you did. 

Kelly Bouzaid 

CEO – Cambridge Business 

Chamber 

Proud to work with Construction 

Advantage on this project 

Plumbing - Drainage - Gas fitting - Heating 

CONTACT US 

Office hours: 

Monday to Thursday 7.30 am till 5.00pm 

Friday 7.30 am till 4.00pm. 

Phone: 07 8237263 

Local agents for The Fireplace selling and installing Jetmaster 

Gasco fires. Local agents for Central Heating New Zealand 

Administration: Sharon - office@cominsplumbing.co.nz 

Pricing /technical: Andrew – andrew@cominsplumbing.co.nz

Harkness Henry 

and Cambridge 

Law joining forces 

Two well-known and proudly Waikato owned law firms are 

joining forces in April this year, growing their ability to service 

the wider Waikato region. Harkness Henry and Cambridge 

Law have a proud history in the Mighty Waikato and plan 

to strengthen bonds further in a joint partnership moving 

forward under the Harkness Henry brand from 1 April 2022. 

Managing Partner of Harkness Henry, 

Matthew Peploe notes “both our teams 

are excited about the move. We have 

similar values, share a great sense of 

client care and we’re very confident our 

people will work well together to help 

our clients build better lives”. 

As well as the obvious benefits to 

business and clients, the cultural fit 

has been a really important factor in 

the decision to align Cambridge Law 

with Harkness Henry. “We are not trying 

to fit a square peg in a round hole or 

bring together two very divergent firms 

and teams that don’t fit” notes Peploe. 

Chad Danswan, Managing Partner of 

Cambridge Law said “the opportunity 

arose from a history of working 

together. Matthew and I realised we 

had a mutual opportunity that would 

benefit our people and our clients 

moving forward. This fitted nicely with 

discussions my fellow Cambridge 

Law Partner Dean Clarke and I had 

been having on Dean’s succession 

and building a strong future for our 

Cambridge firm”. 

There’s an important shared belief 

driving this decision, that you can’t beat 

having local presence, local owners 

and great local people at the core of 

enduring client relationships which both 

firms have built in the Waikato to date. 

“Both firms and the respective Partners 

are well known to each other having 

worked with mutual clients for a 

couple of years now and this seemed 

a very logical next move for us” noted 

Danswan. 

The move broadens Harkness Henry’s 

local office presence with offices in 

Hamilton, Paeroa and now Cambridge, 

complementing Harkness Henry’s 

growth strategy and clear focus in the 

Waikato. “Our team is excited about the 

Cambridge opportunity, several of our 

team live nearby or work with clients in 

the area already and the fast-growing 

area has great future potential for us all” 

notes Harkness Henry Chief Executive, 

Simon Wickham. 

The Cambridge office remaining open 

is key: “It’s a joining of forces, definitely 

not a take-over” noted Wickham. 

“The local Harkness Henry office in 

Cambridge will continue with the same 

great people Cambridge clients know 

and trust and we’ll add further expertise 

to the great service the Cambridge 

team are well known for”. 

For Cambridge Law and their current 

clients, Harkness Henry will add inhouse 

experience and capacity 

for Cambridge based clients to 

complement and enhance the 

expertise presently offered by local 

Partners Chad Danswan and Dean 

Clarke and the current team based in 

Cambridge. Harkness Henry will extend 

the firms’ service offering with a wide 

range of specialist lawyers on tap with 

extensive expertise in Employment, 

Commercial, Resource Management 

and Public Works, Litigation, Trust and 

Estate planning, Alcohol Licensing and 

Property/Construction law expertise. 

57 Queen Street, Cambridge | 07 827 5111 | www.harkneshenry.co.nz



23 

From Cambridge Farmers’ Market to 

New Zealand-wide success for FRUNEY 

Lovingly handcrafted by the Reviakin 

family in Hamilton, FRUNEY is a 

confectionery company with a passion 

for creating fine chocolate, dragée, 

and fruit honey spreads. 

With just $1000 in 

their back pocket, 

Julia and husband 

Andrei established FRUNEY 

in 2019. 

Yearning for a taste from 

their homeland Russia, they 

started making their own 

unique fruit honey blends, 

“We started with fruit 

honey which is quite a popular 

product in Russia but we 

hadn’t seen it here in New 

Zealand,” Julia says. 

“Later, when we added 

chocolate to our range, we 

got instant feedback from customers, 

we saw that chocolate 

attracts people. I know that's 

very obvious, but people love 

chocolate.” 

Realising that chocolate is 

an excellent basis for creativity 

and the couple decided to 

add the much-loved confectionary 

to their product range. 

“Chocolate is fun and 

beautiful and delicious, and 

we try to reflect it in our products,” 

she says. 

The couple came to New 

Zealand four years ago, 

Andrei was studying for his 

third degree in strategic management 

at the University 

of Waikato and Julia was on 

maternity leave with their first 

child Ella. 

Julia says they both have a 

strategic way of thinking. 

“We create a plan, think 

twice and then try and see if it 

is what we expected.” 

During September and 

October of 2019, the couple 

had created the concept of 

FRUNEY and the fruit honeys, 

by November they got 

their food certificate and were 

approved for the Cambridge 

Farmers’ Market in December. 

“It was perfect timing for 

pre-Christmas shopping. I 

remember we had a busy markets 

schedule till the end of 

March 2020 and then Covid 

started.” 

Ever optimistic, Julia says 

every crisis brings an opportunity. 

They quickly set about creating 

their website to try and 

stimulate sales, and in May 

their neighbour wrote an article 

about FRUNEY for the 

Seasons magazine. 

“I am not really sure if it 

was the article that worked 

for us or if it was something 

else but in June we started our 

wholesale journey,” she says. 

“We tried as much as it was 

possible after the pandemic hit 

to be very active and participate 

in important events, and 

plan to be active in the future 

as well. You have to be a good 

manager, creative thinker, 

flexible and motivated, and 

have a ton of ambition to 

curate a business successfully 

in Covid period.” 

They hit the Auckland 

Food Show, The Great NZ 

Food Show in Hamilton, Seriously 

Good Food Show in 

Tauranga, gift fairs in Auckland, 

the Chocolate and Coffee 

Show, Home and Garden 

show and more. 

“We are also part of the 

local Waikato Food Inc. It’s 

a community we love being a 

part of.” 

In May 2021, they won 

two medals at the Outstanding 

Food Producers Awards; the 

Ruby Chocolate, pistachios 

& Raspberries won a bronze 

medal and Passionfruit Honey 

won a silver medal. 

The chocolate-making 

journey hasn’t come without 

its trials and tribulation; 

before coming to New 

Zealand, Julia and Andrei 

owned a design plumbing 

showroom in Moscow, so the 

chocolate business was very 

new to them. 

YouTube became their 

tutor and lots of practice 

helped to refine their chocolate 

making techniques. 

“We didn’t know how 

to temper chocolate and so 

on. We didn’t have special 

courses or special education 

but with lots of practice we 

became better and better.” 

As well as the handcrafted 

chocolate, they added chocolate 

covered dragée to their 

product range. 

“We use only the best 

ingredients we can find and 

try to use local ingredients 

when possible,” she says. 

The Cambridge Farmers’ 

Market was the couple’s very 

first market and their very first 

sales took place there. 

“Cambridge is a beautiful 

market in the fresh air, a beautiful 

location and people.” 

They also travelled to the 

Hamilton, Tauranga and the 

Auckland markets. The markets 

were a great place to 

gauge how the general public 

reacted to their products, Julia 

says. 

“The markets are the best 

place to start, you can understand 

how people like your 

product, their tastes and needs, 

you can talk with customers 

and get a feedback, listen and 

clarify your thoughts. And the 

most important thing - you 

don’t need a lot of money for 

that.” 

With the birth of their son, 

the couple have pared back 

their market trade but they 

now have 150 stockists across 

the country. 

Julia says the business has 

grown quickly but from time 

to time they have reached 

their production limits. 

“We are in a permanent 

process of how to improve our 

capacity. Hopefully we will 

continue to grow as fiercely as 

the last two and a half years.” 

They are currently redesigning 

their packaging and 

adding new products, and 

Julia hopes it will be another 

step in FRUNEY’s growth. 

For Easter they have 

three flavours of Easter egg 

shaped blocks; a Ruby chocolate 

with freeze dried raspberry, 

plum and cranberry, a 

milk chocolate with hazelnut 

dragée and chopped roasted 

hazelnuts, and a white chocolate 

with cookies and white 

chocolate crisps. 

“We are always thinking 

of adding new products to our 

usual range and new seasons. 

We will create special Mother's 

Day chocolate cards (bars) 

with a bespoke poem from 

New Zealand author Jessica 

Ulrichs.” 

With Christmas being the 

busiest time of the year for 

confectionary companies, 

Julia says they will be updating 

their 2022 collection ready 

for the festive season. 

“The Christmas collection 

is beautiful and contemporary. 

Our customers will love them, 

they are perfect as a complimentary 

gift or as a part of a 

gift box.” 

The chocolate power couple 

are also in the planning 

stages of opening a store in 

Hamilton in 2023. 

You can find FRUNEY 

confectionary in the Waikato 

at the Hamilton Beer and Wine 

Co, Country Providore, More 

than Flowers, Found, Little 

Mash, Home sweet Home, 

Leven, Flo & Frankie, Direct 

from the Market, Farmshop 

Gordonton, Morrinsville Gallery, 

VETRO, Bird Cage, 

Red Kitchen, Fabrik and 

the Flower Crate, and more. 

Or visit them online at www. 

fruney.co.nz.



Turning construction ideas 

into valuable property assets 

challenging 

The Cambridge commercial property sector has in the last 12 

months continued to see good levels of development activity, 

despite the ongoing challenges that Covid brings to the 

construction industry. 

At the forefront of this 

sector is local Cambridge 

firm, Construction 

Advantage Ltd. Based in 

one of their previous projects 

at 48 Empire Street, Construction 

Advantage Ltd offers a 

complete property development 

package to their clients – from 

initial feasibility studies and 

cost consultancy, through project, 

development and construction 

management plus design 

and build. 

The business has excellent 

working relationships with 

local contractors, tradespeople 

and professionals and has a 

policy to buy local whenever 

practical. 

We provide endto-end 

services, 

managing projects 

from start to 

finish, dealing with 

everyone from 

lawyers, Council, 

agents and funders. 

This successful formula has 

seen the completion late last 

year of the new Hunting & 

Fishing store in Oliver Street, 

forming part of a new retail precinct 

opposite Mitre 10 that also 

includes the relocated Guthrie 

Bowron store and existing 

FiT gym. Waipa Council have 

already indicated their desire to 

see the Carters Flat area evolve 

from its traditional industry 

uses to a more mixed-use focus 

including retail, commercial 

and residential. 

At 1902 Cambridge Road 

the Construction Advantage 

Ltd team are building a new 

standalone office building next 

to one of their previous projects, 

Little Thinkers Childcare. 

Working closely with the developer 

and LAD Architecture the 

Construction Advantage Ltd 

team identified a shortage of 

good quality office accommodation 

with construction now 

underway to deliver this latest 

building for an existing local 

business. Plans have also been 

made to develop out the site on 

the other side of Little Thinkers 

later this year to provide two 

new retail and office buildings 

in an area which will see further 

residential development in the 

short to medium term. 

Director of Construction 

Advantage Ltd, John Mason, 

sees the company as being 

Waipa centric and offering a 

niche development service 

locally. “We provide end-toend 

services, managing projects 

from start to finish, dealing with 

everyone from lawyers, Council, 

agents and funders. Our 

continued growth in the last 12 

months has seen us make some 

key hires to grow the team and 

support our existing and future 

pipeline of projects”. 

This period of growth 

has coincided with the 

backdrop of Covid 

with the construction industry 

facing constant challengers 

from costs escalation and 

shortage of materials. John 

says, “Being local and using 

local businesses has been key 

in assisting us managing the 

Covid fall out and mitigating 

cost increases which the whole 

industry has faced”. 

The importance of buying 

local and being proactive has 

been highlighted with their 

current project at The Village 

@ Leamington. This is the 

final Stage 3 development of 

land next to the Five Stags pub 

which started last year to build 

basement car parking, ground 

floor commercial space and 

two floors of 30 apartments. 

With the steel frame now up 

to roof level this project is the 

largest construction project 

underway in central Cambridge 

with completion expected later 

in the year. 

Given Waipa Council 

remain keen to see further 

multi-storey development in 

the town the team at Construction 

Advantage Ltd are well 

placed to support local property 

owners and achieve their own 

vision of “turning construction 

ideas into valuable property 

assets”. 

Our expertise gives 

your construction 

project an advantage 

Integrity | Value | Quality | Honesty | Sustainability | Innovation | Success 

Construction Advantage specialises in 

managing developments and delivering 

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clients. 

Our significant commercial and industrial 

project experience ranges from fit out 

works, through to million dollar projects. 

Development & Project Management 

Level 1, 3/48 Empire Street, Cambridge 

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& Build 

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Construction 

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Phone 07 823 0331 

constructionadvantage.co.nz 

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25 

Harnessing 

Growth, 

Succeeding 

in Uncertain 

Times 

Lewis Lawyers Commercial Property Team 

Lisa Ware 

Partner 

Matt Makgill 

Partner 

Strength in Experience 

Our market-leading commercial property 

team is the go-to team for relevant and complex 

real estate transactions and projects in 

Cambridge and the wider Waikato region. 

Major investment in infrastructure and 

community development continues to unlock 

our region, socially and economically further 

enhancing Waikato’s appeal. 

Although COVID-19 is an unrivalled 

pandemic bringing with it a melting pot of 

challenges for the commercial property industry, 

our clients have found strength in the 

immense level of our collective experience. 

This, coupled with our commitment to the 

vision of each client and the culture of partnership, 

has meant our clients feel confident 

in turning to us for all their legal needs, and 

also when they face particular challenges to 

their business or project. 

Our team is well versed in navigating clients 

through some of the newer issues that are 

arising in the area of project financing, such 

as tougher banking rules and regulations, 

increased indemnity and personal guarantee 

demands, alternative private financing arrangements 

and renegotiating contracts. 

Our legal services are designed to be 

swift, and if there are any delays we will keep 

you well informed. We aim to be accurate 

and efficient, and each case receives legal advice 

tailored to the individual situation. As a 

small team, you will almost always deal with 

the same solicitor, but we have the ability to 

work collaboratively between ourselves. 

During the uncertain times of the Covid 

pandemic, we have taken three concrete 

steps to position Lewis Lawyers for success: 

• We continue to experience strong growth 

in our commercial property hub, as we 

build for the future. We are delighted to 

have had Kate James join our commercial 

property team. She has quickly slotted 

in working with our large developers on 

their commercial property and development 

projects. Kate has been practicing 

since 2007 and is a specialist in the acquisition 

and disposal of commercial property, 

commercial leases with particular 

expertise on design and build leases, and 

large-scale development and infrastructure 

projects. 

• We rebranded and launched a new website 

which truly reflects the Lewis’ brand 

– modern, progressive and innovative. 

• We have increased our legal tech budget, 

with a focus on digital transformation. 

While since early 2020, we have the infrastructure 

in place to work seamlessly 

from home or the office to promote resilience 

and business continuity, our current 

work is in taking the time to ensure our 

entire team knows how to fully utilize and 

leverage the technology that, in turn, assists 

our lawyers and legal staff to deliver 

better client service, which in the end 

makes the firm more efficient and productive. 

Property Development 

Our team of property development experts 

provide property development services 

throughout the Waikato and wider New 

Zealand. Our team is well regarded for its 

in-depth local knowledge and technical expertise. 

We work with clients to deliver projects 

that achieve strong outcomes that protect 

their property interests. 

We act for large scale residential and 

commercial developers, private clients, large 

investors, Mum and Dad investors, and local 

authorities. We advise on development 

and subdivision projects, construction projects, 

acquisitions, and disposals, across the 

residential, commercial, rural, and industrial 

market. 

• Subdivisions 

• Resource consents 

• Easements/encumbrances 

• Joint venture arrangements 

• Unit title staged developments 

• Multi use developments 

• Body corporate matters 

• Partition agreements 

• Land use and zoning 

Commercial Property 

Whether you are looking to acquire or sell 

commercial property or are a current landlord 

or tenant, our Commercial Property 

lawyers have the skills and expertise to assist 

in a variety of matters. We understand your 

obligations under lease or sale and purchase 

agreements and your ongoing compliance 

responsibilities. We can also assist in negotiating 

terms and conditions and managing 

conflict. 

Our team have extensive knowledge in 

the applicable legislation and experience in 

preparing, negotiating and reviewing documentation, 

including: 

• Sale and purchase of commercial and industrial 

property 

• Drafting, reviewing and negotiating leases 

and sub-leases 

• Rent reviews and disputes 

• Renewals 

• Motel/hotel acquisitions and leasehold 

agreements 

• Overseas Investment Office 

considerations 

Monique Medley-Rush 

Partner 

Kate James 


Fiona Ferrier 

Registered Legal Executive; Associate 

Donna Lee 


Lucy Young 

Partner 

Caroline Gregory 


Lesley Nielsen 

Registered Legal Executive; Associate 

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

45 Seddon Road, Hamilton | Ph 07 848 1222 

www.lewislawyers.co.nz



The Glass Printery moves home business 

to Cambridge village 

Relocating to the Cambridge town centre 

isn’t the first time The Glass Printery has 

moved premises but it’s a little closer than 

the last move. 

The glassware and 

ceramic print and supply 

specialists recently set 

up shop at 30A Victoria Street 

and owners Carly and Rick 

Dean haven’t looked back. 

“We love being in town. 

Cambridge definitely has a cool 

vibe and it's just getting more 

vibrant. There are really cool 

businesses going up and where 

we are things are starting to 

develop,” Carly says. 

The couple had been operating 

their business at home in 

Te Miro and are enjoying being 

in the thick of things in Cambridge. 

“We love having a bit more 

contact with people, because 

we were quite remote working 

from home with the majority of 

our business online,” she says. 

Rick is a specialist glass and 

ceramic screen printer. He has 

built a solid reputation and has 

a wealth of knowledge in this 

field since he began the trade 

in 1993. 

Much of what he has learned 

has been on the job and after 

10 years working for another 

screen printing business, he set 

up shop himself. 

Carly says Rick did really 

well at bursary art and after 

finishing school he bummed 

around for a few months surfing 

and playing music, but his 

love of art was the determining 

factor in his eventual career 

choice. 

That career started in 

Christchurch where the couple 

grew up, married and started a 

family. 

It was the Christchurch 

earthquakes that set the wheels 

in motion for their first big 

move. Like many, it shook 

their world and with their business 

and home in the Red Zone 

they decided to make the move 

north. 

As fate would have it, they 

went on a road trip to the 

Waikato to visit family two 

months before the earthquakes 

and fell in love with Cambridge. 

“I kind of had itchy feet 

but we were always bound 

to Christchurch because our 

business was in town. When 

the earthquake hit, I was like, 

‘what's keeping us here?’ So 

it was an easy decision in the 

end.” 

After settling in Cambridge, 

Carly joined forces with Rick 

to create The Glass Printery. 

“I take care of the business 

operations, sales, contacts, 

quotes and a bit of marketing 

as well,” she says. 

While the couple relished 

the move to the new town, 

Carly says the teenage children 

weren’t that happy and as soon 

as they could they headed to 

Wellington. 

“They moved to Wellington, 

as soon as they turned 18. They 

were out of here,” she laughs. 

Daughter Thea has moved 

back with her partner Jarome 

and they both work in the business 

now. 

Thea takes after her father 

and uses her creative skills on 

the screen printing and design 

work, and Jarome takes care of 

social media marketing, website 

development and screen 

printing. 

“They've added quite a 

lot to the business. I think it’s 

because they’ve got a new, 

young perspective.” 

After the earthquake, the 

couple were well adept at 

revising their business and by 

the time Covid hit they adapted 

once more and opened an 

online shop called Glass Pimps 

to cater for one-off personalised 

giftware. 

Previously the business 

had catered to larger consignment 

and Carly says it was fun 

helping people find the perfect 

lockdown gift, and the novelty 

Covid wine glassware range 

proved to be a hit. 

“We did it as a bit of a laugh 

but they literally sold like hotcakes 

online because people 

were at home on their computers 

killing time and buying,” 

she says. 

The two arms of the business 

have found a new home in 

Cambridge and customers can 

check them out for specialised 

runs for the commercial and 

domestic markets as well as the 

one-off customised gifts. 

The couple pride themselves 

on their professional 

service and high-quality branding. 

“You can trust that we will 

make your logo or design look 

unique and professional. We 

still screen print using the original 

old school (fully kiln fired) 

method. This creates a scratch 

resistant top of the line finish 

with an end result that digital 

printing cannot reproduce,” 

Carly says. 

Bringing comfort 

to families during 

difficult times 

With years of experience, the team at Cambridge 

Funerals are committed to leaving a legacy of 

kindness, compassion and care as they help families 

through difficult times. 

Cambridge Funerals are uncompromising in 

providing the highest possible standard of care for 

everyone they deal with, and a non-judgemental and 

safe environment so families can feel comfortable 

to share in their sadness. “We are focused on 

ensuring the needs of the family and their loved 

ones are met. We only get to do a funeral once, so 

it’s important that it is done right” says Jono Gibson, 

Funeral Director & Branch Manager. 

“The heart of what we do is to provide a guiding 

hand to the family throughout the funeral planning 

process. We also spend a lot of time listening 

and gaining trust, because it’s important that we 

really capture their life story so we can celebrate 

someone’s life with a truly unique service, in a 

meaningful way” Jono adds. 

Jono is joined at Cambridge Funerals by 

experienced Funeral Directors Ian Calvert and Tim 

James, who assist in looking after the families and 

organising funeral arrangements. Their other “staff 

member” is office dog Charlie, a Labradoodle, who is 

much-loved by the team and the families that visit. 

“Charlie is great, he senses when people aren’t doglovers 

and stays out of the way… but he also senses 

when visitors need comforting and will often curl up 

on the floor next to them or rest his head on their 

lap.” Says Jono. 

Cambridge Funeral’s is owned by a charitable trust, 

the Legacy Trust, profits are distributed back into the 

community. “We take a great sense of pride in being 

able to give back to local charities. Recently donations 

have been made to the Cambridge Woodturners Club 

who make wig stands for cancer patients, and the 

Cambridge Girl Guides to assist them in attending an 

upcoming jamboree.” Says Jono. 

As a local Funeral Director and Rotarian, Jono is 

well-known and respected in the community, and he 

and his wife Ashleigh have a one year old son Monty. 

Jono Gibson 

Funeral Director/Manager 

Kiri Ranall 

General Manager 

Since 1945 Cambridge Funerals has been the 

first port of call for those wanting to discuss their 

funeral wishes. 

Cambridge Funerals is owned by a charitable trust (Legacy 

Trust), which means that our profits got back to the 

Cambridge community 

Specialising in all types of funerals, from traditional to 

contemporary, nothing is ever too much trouble. To find out 

more, please call 07 827 7649 and let’s make the time to talk. 

www.cambridgefunerals.co.nz


How a Cambridge 

business reinvented 

itself during lockdown 

Article written by Kate Stace 

Cambridge business Fiasco Cases is 

celebrating its two-year anniversary after 

successfully 'pivoting' amid the COVID-19 

chaos during the first lockdown. The 

secret of its success was swapping its 

product offer from protective cases for 

stage gear of touring rock bands…to 

work-from home desks. 

“When the pandemic hit 

two years ago, the events 

industry came to a grinding 

halt. We lost 90 percent 

of our business in ten days as 

musicians, tours, and festivals 

shut down in New Zealand and 

around the world,” says Joe 

Bradford co-owner of Work 

from Home Desks. 

The aptly named Fiasco 

was dealing with a real life 

fiasco. The team rallied 

together and brainstormed new 

product ideas to keep the business 

alive. 

“We knew the world was 

changing and innovation was 

key. As morbid as it sounds, 

one of our ideas was plywood 

coffins. In the end, the team 

decided on wooden work- 

from-home desks, and plastic 

portable screens for shops to 

protect staff from infection 

while serving customers”. 

In just ten days they 

designed, tested and transformed 

their factory production 

line with new products 

to assist businesses and consumers 

during a pandemic. 

They could manufacture both 

using existing machinery and 

staff skills, while materials 

were sourced from suppliers 

unlikely to be affected by 

border closures. The desks 

are constructed from the same 

sturdy materials as their original 

equipment cases. 

“A business comes down to 

its team. We had a crisis and 

worked with our people and 

their complementary skills to 

create a solution. We had to be 

agile and focus very quickly,” 

says Joe. 

Two years down the track 

and Fiasco Cases has morphed 

into two new businesses called 

Work from Home Desks and 

Screen Serve, doubling the size 

of its factory and also the number 

of employed staff. 

“We have brought a niche 

section of manufacturing back 

into the Waikato region and 

created more local jobs during 

a pandemic. We are really 

proud of that achievement,” 

says Joe. 

Today, they are not only 

making desks but an entire 

home office with accessories; 

including stands for plants, 

computers and phones as well 

as shelving, footrests and note 

pads. All products embody the 

Scandi furniture style that is so 

popular right now. 

How can local businesses 

be more resilient during a 

pandemic? 

First Retail Group managing 

director Chris Wilkinson, presented 

to Waipā District Council 

elected members recently. 

He gave advice on the need 

for local businesses to develop 

greater resilience to weather 

Matt Waterhouse (left) and Joe Bradford (right) standing next to a work-from-home 

desk that their Cambridge company produces. Their original product line is behind 

them, which is rugged cases to protect the stage equipment of touring rock bands. 

the COVID-19 storm during 

uncertain times. 

As Fiasco Cases demonstrated, 

it’s all about being 

agile and adaptable to rapidly 

changing consumer values. 

According to research from 

First Retail, there has been a 

paradigm shift in the values 

of everyday Kiwis as they 

become accustomed to living 

in a COVID-19 world. 

Flexible working means 

people are buying more home 

office equipment and will 

sometimes search for alternative 

spaces to do their jobs such 

as cafes or libraries. People 

are spending more time in their 

own neighbourhoods and supporting 

locally made products. 

Longer periods at home meant 

a bigger focus on ‘nesting’ as 

people sought to beautify their 

homes and gardens. 

Wilkinson commented that 

there is a surge in spending 

of premium items as consumers 

move towards a culture 

of indulgence and wanting to 

surround themselves with nice 

things, explaining the phenomenon 

as having an ‘adult security 

blanket’. 

More than ever people are 

looking to escape their home 

for experiences, whether it be 

in a nearby hospitality venue, 

local day trips or regional 

trips. As the international border 

remains locked there is a 

greater appetite for domestic 

travel which has implications 

for promoting Waikato in other 

regions. 

According to Wilkinson, 

business owners need to take 

the time to understand what 

their customers want and what 

drives them. This means an 

ongoing dialogue with people 

who shop with them and 

people who don’t; and understanding 

the reasons why. They 

need to create goods, offers 

and experiences to reflect the 

new ways that locals are living 

working and relaxing during a 

pandemic. 

The sentiment was supported 

by Waipā District 

Mayor, Jim Mylchreest. 

“I recommend businesses 

take a collective focus and 

share market and customer 

insights with each other to 

help our town centres build 

resilience. It would be great 

if progressive business owners 

would consider extending 

a helping hand to more traditional 

traders in order to help 

them understand the changing 

market and the opportunity 

that exists around it,” says 

Mylchreest. 

First Retail Group are a 

world leading consultancy who 

specialise in working with progressive 

district councils like 

Waipā District Council. 

CAMBRIDGE 

info@waipadc.govt.nz 

0800 924 723 

www.waipadc.govt.nz



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29 

Proposed rates increase stays 

steady despite tumultuous year 

PUBLISHER 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

Email: deidre@dpmedia.co.nz 

••• 

Keeping the rates increase steady against 

a tumultuous year has been no easy feat, 

but maintaining the limit set through the 

Long Term Plan was a key priority, Waipā 

District Council deputy chief executive 

officer, Ken Morris says. 

Rates across the district 

are proposed to rise by 

an average of 4.3 percent 

for the 2022/23 year, despite the 

district facing many challenges 

over the past year, Morris says. 

“Since we approved the 

Long Term Plan in June 2021, 

the economic climate has 

changed dramatically. Inflation 

is driving up prices in record 

amounts, which in turn could 

impact the costs and timing of 

the services we provide to our 

community. 

“We’ve had to take a hard 

look at our work programmes 

to identify where we can tighten 

our belts in order to keep Waipā 

rates within the limits set in the 

Long Term Plan.” 

One area of change that 

continues to be an issue across 

the district is recycling contamination, 

which has resulted in 

increases in service costs. 

“Over the past 12 months 

we have constantly seen contamination 

by the way of rubbish 

bags, medical waste, oil 

and other undesirables in our 

recycling bins and its simply 

not on. Our Waipā residents 

can do better. 

“Contamination costs us all, 

and if we don’t start to rein this 

in, we might have to change the 

way we provide the service,” 

Morris says. 

Some of the options council 

is considering are increasing 

the annual recycling charge, 

undertaking more recycling 

audits or reducing the number 

of collections to offset the 

increasing cost of disposing of 

the contaminated materials to 

landfill. 

Another change to the Long 

Term Plan is deferring $5.28m 

for the Te Awamutu – Ngā Roto 

– Pirongia cycleway by one 

year to 2022/23, due to delays 

in achieving landowner agreements 

for the favoured off-road 

section. 

The third major change is 

the timeframe to implement 

the council’s urban mobility 

programme, designed to 

improve connections across Te 

Awamutu, Kihikihi and Cambridge, 

due to Waka Kotahi NZ 

Transport Agency not able to 

fully fund the requested 51 percent 

co-share. 

“Council remains committed 

to delivering the urban 

mobility programme for our 

communities so we will continue 

to do the preliminary 

design work for these pathways 

so we’re ready to go when 

co-funding becomes available,” 

Morris says. 

A public consultation document 

sets out the three major 

changes from the Long Term 

Plan for the Annual Plan. Waipā 

Mayor Jim Mylchreest also 

encouraged residents who were 

interested to read the full draft 

2022/23 Annual Plan itself. 

“I encourage residents who 

are interested in further detail 

to take a look at the full document, 

it’s only 84 pages and it’s 

all there in the content.” 

Rather than hitting the consultation 

road with COVID-19 

protocols and Omicron sweeping 

the country, public consultation 

will take an innovative 

new direction for the Annual 

Plan this year, Morris says. 

“We know people are trying 

to limit interactions and public 

gatherings at present, so we’ve 

put together an online webinar 

series called ‘A Cuppa with 

your Council’ where people can 

head online to learn about the 

draft 2022/23 Annual Plan. 

“Our elected members and 

staff will make a short presentation 

but the majority of the session 

caters for questions from 

our community. 

“We want to make sure 

our community has their say 

throughout this consultation 

period, so we’ve taken an innovative 

approach and created 

this series in lieu of face-toface 

meetings which are simply 

not socially responsible at this 

time. It’s our way of offering 

the same open discussions for 

our ratepayers from the comfort 

of their own homes.” 

The ‘Cuppa with your 

Council’ series covers the district 

with events for Ohaupo, 

Pirongia, Te Awamutu, 

Kihikihi, Cambridge and 

Karāpiro, as well as topic-specific 

business and rural sector 

webinars. People can register 

to attend a webinar by heading 

to bit.ly/3CKRtc9. 

“We know our farmers and 

rural landowners often shoulder 

larger rate bills due to 

their larger land size, and we 

acknowledge that, and we want 

to talk with them, and hear their 

questions,” Morris said. 

Consultation opens will run 

until 5pm, Wednesday 20 April. 

The full draft 2022/23 Annual 

Plan, consultation document 

and submission forms will be 

available at waipadc.govt.nz/ 

letstalkannualplan, with people 

encouraged to have their say 

online, via email, in person at a 

Waipā District Council office or 

library, or by post. 

PRODUCTION MANAGER 

Kelly Gillespie 

Email: kelly@dpmedia.co.nz 

DESIGNER 

Ellie Neben 

Email: ellie@dpmedia.co.nz 

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES 

Please contact: 

ADVERTISING ACCOUNT 

MANAGER 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

Email: joanne@dpmedia.co.nz 

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EDITORIAL: 

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News releases/Photos/Letters: 

editor@dpmedia.co.nz 

PRODUCTION: 

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SUBSCRIPTIONS: 

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

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31 

When a Family is in Business 

Family businesses are a common occurrence in New Zealand, 

and the Waikato Region is no exception. It can make sense for 

a family to work together, share their resources and reap the 

rewards of success by building up their family wealth. 

Families will know each 

other well, there will 

be a high sense of trust 

and usually a lot of common 

ground. Traditions and family 

values often feature highly. 

A family run business can 

be a real drawcard for recruiting 

staff because not everyone 

wants to work for a large 

corporate. A family business 

can be nimble - i.e. they can 

change direction as they like 

and are able to make decisions 

quicker than say an international 

corporate. This not only 

simplifies things but offers a 

greater sense of belonging for 

its workers. 

In my opinion, family businesses 

often undersell themselves, 

and with the current 

labour shortage, there is no 

better time to use this family 

card. “We are a locally 

owned family business who 

really care about our staff. …”. 

Including this sentence in a 

job advert sets the scene and 

portrays a workplace that will 

appreciate its staff. 

Of course, when family 

members work together, the 

familiarity aspect needs to be 

managed. It is easy to create 

an ‘us and them’ situation without 

realising it – meaning you 

are either ‘family’ and given 

privileges or on the outer as 

‘non-family’ and have a feeling 

of not belonging. A clearly 

defined business structure with 

set responsibilities for all the 

team (including family) helps 

with this. More importantly 

ensure that staff only have 

one person they report to. The 

very thing that sets family 

businesses apart from others 

(flexible, friendly, and relaxed) 

is the very thing that can tear it 

apart. It becomes very confusing 

if different family members 

become involved with the 

same issue and over-ride decisions 

made by others. It also 

becomes a way for staff to play 

the situation to their advantage 

– wouldn’t you go to the family 

member who will give you 

the answer you want?!! 

In my opinion, family 

businesses often 

undersell themselves, 

and with the current 

labour shortage, there 

is no better time to 

use this family card. 

When the family business 

has different generations 

working together, the ‘old and 

the new’ need to consider each 

other. In fact, a family business 

could easily have three 

generations working together. 

Yes, the older generation has 

the experience but what the 

younger generation lacks in 

experience, they more than 

make up for in technological 

know-how! In my opinion 

the older generation needs to 

ensure they don’t smother the 

next generation with the old 

way of doing things. Having 

worked with several inspiring 

young managers, I am a great 

advocate of young people. 

Younger people have a completely 

different philosophy to 

life and given the opportunity 

to shine, they will move the 

business into a different direction. 

I guarantee they will tend 

to work smarter, not harder. 

Technology is their go to, and 

this is the way of the future. 

There is a risk of old family 

businesses being so steeped in 

tradition, they become out of 

date and inefficient. 

To make the most of a family 

business, have an organisational 

chart which is visible to 

all the team. Promotion of family 

members should be based 

on merit, not bloodline and any 

family members entering the 

business know where they fit in 

and who they report to. Never 

let a junior family employee 

overrule a more senior staff 

member. 

If there is conflict and discontentment 

amongst family 

members, it may be helpful 

to have a ‘clear the air’ session 

with a non-family facilitator 

so everyone can turn the 

page, enjoy working together 

to achieve results and create a 

legacy for future generations!! 

THE BUSINESS EDGE 

> BY BRENDA WILLIAMSON 

Brenda Williamson runs business advisory service 

Brenda Williamson and Associates www.bwa.net.nz 

Amanda Hema 

SWIFT chief 

executive 

Anita Goodman 

SWIFT community 

liaison coordinator 

Shannon Double 

SWIFT operations 

manager 

South Waikato Investment Fund Trust 

(SWIFT) appoints chief executive 

South Waikato Investment 

Fund Trust (SWIFT) is 

focusing on the future 

with a new chief executive and 

a refreshed emphasis on supporting 

communities and businesses 

in the region to manage 

the impact of the pandemic and 

rapidly increasing inflation. 

The trust has recently 

appointed Tirau local Amanda 

Hema as chief executive. 

Hema brings extensive 

community experience and 

networks to SWIFT, supporting 

the trust’s strategy of building 

long-term connections for 

the collective prosperity of the 

region. 

She joins SWIFT after 

working as a consultant for 

the last six years, following a 

decade with the South Waikato 

District Council as general 

manager for community services. 

Prior to this, Hema was 

the chief executive of Cambridge 

Chamber of Commerce, 

and strategic projects manager 

for the South Waikato Economic 

Development Trust. 

Of Hema’s appointment 

SWIFT’s chair Bruce Sherman 

says, “Amanda’s connections 

with the South Waikato District, 

and experience in local 

government make her the ideal 

person to lead our strategy of 

focusing on connecting businesses 

with regional service 

providers, building business 

resilience, and ensuring great 

outcomes for our community. 

“In the last five years more 

than 75 additional businesses 

have set up in the district, 566 

more people are in work and 

1700 more people are calling 

the South Waikato home. Since 

2017, SWIFT is pleased to 

have assisted economic development 

within the district with 

funding support for businesses 

and key projects of over $16 

million. 

“The trust has overseen this 

period of rapid growth with the 

support of Francis Pauwels and 

we’re grateful for his contribution 

in recent years, and wish 

him well for his future endeavours.” 

Sherman and the SWIFT 

board recognise that after a 

period of expansion it is time 

to double down on existing 

investment, and support businesses 

in the community by 

leveraging the trust’s networks 

and connecting them with local 

service providers. 

“SWIFT is focused on longterm 

community economic 

development and building business 

resilience,” Sherman says. 

“Business attraction never goes 

away, but in the current environment 

the most important 

contribution we can make is to 

ensure our existing businesses 

thrive in the face of significant 

economic headwinds.” 

To enable SWIFT’s strategic 

shift from rapid growth to 

business resilience, fostering 

sustainable partnerships and 

long-term investment, two new 

community-based roles have 

been created - operations manager 

and community liaison 

coordinator. 

“Businesses and start-ups 

in the South Waikato need 

more than seed funding. They 

need passionate, long-term 

support from SWIFT and local 

support services to help them 

achieve their goals in the face 

of the concentrated headwinds 

of COVID-19, supply chain 

issues and inflationary pressures. 

“We’re delighted to have 

appointed Shannon Double as 

operations manager and Anita 

Goodman as community liaison 

coordinator, who will work 

together with the community to 

deliver positive outcomes over 

the long term,” Hema says. 

As a South Waikato resident 

of more than 25 years, 

and systems focused, Shannon 

is excited to be involved with 

the trust to further create and 

implement policies and procedures 

to make connections, 

grow people and businesses 

within the South Waikato. 

Anita joins SWIFT with a 

diverse 15-year career year in 

Hamilton, including an apprenticeship 

as a transmission line 

mechanic and projects with 

Transpower, HR and events 

with Fonterra and most recently 

events and sustainability with 

Hamilton City Council.


WAIKATO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

Record Business Awards celebrate 

success and adaptability in turbulent times 

After two postponements over the last six months, the annual 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by 

Foster Construction Group, took place recently, with the winners 

celebrating their success among their peers. A record number 

of entries showcased the extremely high calibre of businesses 

operating in the Waikato. 

DEC Pharmaceutical 

was crowned the 

overall champion on 

the night, taking out the Foster 

Construction Group 2021 

Supreme Award along with 

awards for International Trade 

and Service Excellence. 

DEC Pharmaceutical provides 

a range of contract 

manufacturing and laboratory 

services from its cGMP manufacturing 

facility in Hamilton, 

Waikato. DEC Pharmaceutical 

is another Waikato success 

story that many may not 

be aware of. This substantial 

established manufacturing and 

export business is a top performer 

in healthcare and life 

science products globally. 

The judges praised DEC 

Pharmaceutical’s talented 

leadership team, highly skilled 

Raewynne Pearson of SVS 

Laboratories – Emerging 

leader of the year award. 

and diverse staff, uncompromising 

quality and processes, 

strong international partners 

and distribution, and continuous 

focus on technical innovation 

and financial improvement 

as they consistently deliver 

world class results, in heavily 

regulated overseas markets. 

Tainui Group Holdings 

chief executive Chris Joblin 

was named CEO of the 

Year, acknowledgement of the 

Group’s impressive work on 

multiple large-scale projects. 

The judges noted how 

Chris’s strategies put the collective 

good above pure financial 

success. He has created 

a culture of purpose, inclusiveness 

and enablement. He 

works with and leads his team 

sharing the responsibility to 

build and improve the organisation 

through the outcomes 

they achieve. With clarity of 

purpose, he articulates his 

vision and builds a high performing 

team. 

Momentum Waikato also 

had an impressive night, winning 

awards in the Not for 

Profit and Community Contribution 

categories for the 

incredible work they have 

done in the Waikato over the 

past few years. Other winners 

included Fish City Hamilton 

(Marketing & Social Media), 

Designwell (Micro Business 

of the Year), Spring Sheep 

Milk Co (Innovation), Sanctuary 

Mountain Maungatautari 

(Social & Environmental 

Sustainability), Shift 72 (Business 

Growth & Strategy) and 

Raewynne Pearson from SVS 

Laboratories Limited (Emerging 

Leader of the Year). 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

chief executive Don 

Good was very pleased with 

the calibre of contestants. 

“After a record-breaking 

number of entries, followed 

by two unfortunate postponements 

of the gala dinner, we are 

incredibly grateful to finally be 

able to celebrate our finalists 

and our winners in a manner 

befitting the occasion. It has 

not been an easy two years for 

the business community and 

we are so proud of the resolve 

shown by Waikato based businesses 

during Covid.” 

The recent Omicron outbreak 

forced the Chamber to 

push back the already postponed 

gala dinner from February 

9 to March 11 and transition 

the event from solely 

physical, to a hybrid physical 

and virtual event. Representatives 

from each finalist and 

core sponsors were invited to 

two black-tie dinners – one 

at Claudelands Event Centre, 

the other at the Atrium at Wintec 

– with each limited to 100 

attendees. This was in conjunction 

with an exclusive livestream 

of the event enabling the 

teams of each finalist to feel a 

Sanctuary Mountain trustees Mary 

Jensen and Don Scarlet receive the 

Social & Environmental Award. 

part of the night. 

“After a tough year for 

everyone it is great to see so 

many businesses focussing on 

their customers, staff and the 

wider community. Congratulations 

to the winners and a massive 

thank you to our suppliers, 

particularly H3, Montana, 

ACLX and Wintec for helping 

us transition to a hybrid event. 

And thank you to our judges 

and my Chamber of Commerce 

team for making tonight 

possible,” Don said. 

2021 award winners are: 

Not for Profit Award (sponsored 

by Trust Waikato): 

Momentum Waikato 

Marketing & Social Media 

Award (Chow:Hill Architects Ltd) 

Fish City Hamilton 

Micro Business of the Year 

Award (Sleepyhead): 

Designwell 

International Trade Award 

(SkyPoint Technologies Ltd): 

DEC Pharmaceutical Ltd 

Innovation Award (Company-X): 

Spring Sheep Milk Co. Gentle 

Sheep Toddler Milk Drink 

Community Contribution Award 

(Montana Food & Events): 

Momentum Waikato 

Social & Environmental 

Sustainability Award (Wintec): 

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari 

Service Excellence Award 

(Tompkins Wake): 


Business Growth & Strategy 

Award (Deloitte): 

Shift72 Limited 

Air New Zealand People’s 

Choice Award: 

TBC on the night (public vote) 

Emerging Leader of the Year 

Award (Mitre 10): 

Raewynne Pearson, Laboratory 

Manager, SVS Laboratories 

Limited 

CEO of the Year Award (The 

University of Waikato): 

Chris Joblin, Chief Executive 

Officer,Tainui Group Holdings 

Limited 

Foster Construction Group 

2021 Supreme Award Winner: 


Applications for the 2022 Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards will open in April. 

Congratulations to Rae Pearson 

Emerging Leader of the Year 

100% New Zealand - Keeping it Kiwi



33 

DEC wins Supreme 

Over the coming weeks, The Chamber of Commerce is sitting 

down with each of the winners from the recent Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction 

Group, to find out what they did to stand out from the crowd. 

This week's ’Winners’ Insights’ is with Ryan Marra, CEO at DEC 

Pharmaceutical, winners of the Service Excellence, International 

Trade and overall Foster Construction Group Supreme Award. 

The Waikato has a long, 

proud history of being a 

heavy hitter in the agricultural 

sector, both nationally 

and internationally. Despite 

this, some of the region’s 

globally renowned companies 

sometimes fly under the radar 

without receiving the recognition 

they deserve. DEC 

Pharmaceutical is one such 

homegrown hero, a life science 

business focusing on human 

and animal health technologies. 

DEC is best-known for 

its patented CIDR implant, a 

slow-release implant manufactured 

for use in animals, specifically 

cows, sheep and goats, 

which delivered progesterone 

hormone to the bloodstream. 

CIDR effectively allows the 

farmer to synchronise the fertility 

cycle for their stock in 

order to complete artificial 

insemination on the same day. 

The company has recently 

undergone an internal revolution 

with a leadership change, 

resulting in a dramatic cultural 

shift. CEO Ryan Marra credits 

DEC’s success at the Awards 

to changes to the operational 

structure, with a renewed focus 

on people and transparency. 

“We went through all our 

systems and processes and 

evaluated them, ensuring we 

have an easily defined strategy 

that everyone is aligned with 

and can buy into. We’ve made 

it extraordinarily transparent, 

so at any point, any employee 

can check the strategy's progress, 

including where every 

individual in the company is 

at with their goals, from the 

CEO to interns. It’s served to 

motivate our team and increase 

accountability.” 

DEC is driven by perfection. 

They believe technology that 

advances human and animal 

technologies must be made, 

made better, made perfect. The 

strategy changes have followed 

this mission, resulting in a 100 

percent DIFOT (deliver in full 

on time) rate with international 

customers and a first batch failure 

rate of 0.003 percent. 

Ryan is exceptionally proud 

of how his team has adapted to 

the changes in strategy and the 

results DEC are seeing. 

“With the cGMPs (Current 

Good Manufacturing Practices) 

in the pharmaceutical industry, 

there is no opportunity for callbacks 

or product recalls. What 

we make deserves nothing less 

than perfection. Every detail 

matters, our global clients 

demand excellence and we 

settle for no less. Our tightly 

controlled process ensures that 

we are doing it once, and we’re 

doing it right. Our team is a 

massive reason why we rank 

number one to Zoetis for contract 

manufacturing out of 150 

global competitors.” 

The new strategy focuses 

on utilising core competencies 

with the ambitious goal of transitioning 

into the human space. 

DEC established a new R&D 

team to achieve this, prioritising 

development over research 

and working with innovators to 

bring their ideas to life. 

“We are just about to put 

out a funding call. Our animal 

and human health technology 

departments will be 

doing a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style 

programme to provide funding 

or mentorship for exciting 

new healthcare technologies. 

Whether these are at the early 

prototype stage or a finalised 

concept, we want to work with 

them to ensure quality and 

scalability by design. This way 

DEC can partner with innovators 

and give their technologies 

the best chance to navigate 

DEC Supreme Awards from left CEO Ryan Marra, quality 

assurance director Nigel Kapoor, and COO Philip Butler. 

industry regulations, and get 

their product off the ground,” 

said Ryan. 

DEC Pharmaceutical’s first 

time entering the awards was 

undoubtedly a major success. 

The opportunity to reflect on 

their achievements was valuable 

to Ryan and his team, 

allowing them to take a step 

back and evaluate their position 

and accomplishments. 

“We were quite surprised 

by how much work goes into 

the application but found the 

reflection process rewarding, 

looking back and seeing what 

we’ve achieved. It can be 

challenging for a little Kiwi 

company to blow your own 

trumpet and put ourselves forward 

sometimes. We knew we 

were up against some pretty 

incredible companies leading 

their industries globally. I’m 

so proud of all our past and 

present employees who have 

contributed to winning these 

awards.” 

When it comes to living and 

working in the Waikato, Ryan 

wouldn’t have it any other way 

and has some excellent advice 

for other businesses seeking 

to grow and develop in the 

region. 

“Waikato people call a 

spade a spade, we’re loyal to 

other Waikato businesses, and 

all want each other to succeed. 

It’s pretty special. My advice to 

other businesses in the Waikato 

is to utilise the resources 

around you and don’t be afraid 

to share what you’ve got. Pick 

your partners well. Sharing 

your technology with partners 

helps springboard them 

quickly, saving them money 

and decreasing timelines while 

providing a good pathway forward 

for both parties. Something 

you can only do with 

other partners in the Waikato.” 

WHY JOIN 

THE CHAMBER? 

WAIKATO CHAMBER 

OF COMMERCE 

BUSINESS 

AWARDS 

PROUDLY 

SUPPORTED BY 

CONNECT 

GROW 

We are the connectors of the 

Waikato business community 

We empower local businesses 

by growing skills and capability 

REPRESENT We act as the trusted, 

respected voice of local 

business 

2022 WAIKATO BUSINESS 

AWARD NOMINATIONS 

OPEN IN APRIL! 

Congratulations to all the 2021 

participants! Entries open for the 

2022 Awards on Tuesday, April 19. 

Connect - Grow - Represent 

Level 1, Wintec House, Cnr Nisbet and Anglesea Streets, 

HAMILTON | 07 839 5895 | info@waikatochamber.co.nz 

TO BECOME A MEMBER OF 

THE CHAMBER OR FOR MORE 

INFORMATION, VISIT US AT: 

www.waikatochamber.co.nz

It takes 

a team 

When a DEC engineer pauses to retool a state-of-the-art 

injection moulding machine, he is putting in place a small, 

perfectly placed, piece of a much bigger system. 

A system that starts with visionary individuals and teams who conceive 

brilliant ideas to improve health outcomes and save lives. A system that 

turns ideas into prototypes, into a product, into a commercial reality and 

then into better health outcomes all over the world. 

This is a system that deserves perfection in its delivery. Which means it 

takes everyone involved at DEC practising to make perfect, every day. 

Supreme 

Business 

Award 

International 

Trade Award 

Service 

Excellence Award 

Thank you to every member of the DEC team. 

We collaborate to make. We make perfect. 

And we put the processes in place to repeat.



35 

CEO of the Year is a team player 

Over the coming weeks, the Waikato Chamber of Commerce will 

be talking to each of the award winners from the recent Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster 

Construction Group, to find out what they did to stand out from 

the crowd. This week’s ‘Winner’s Insight’ is with Chris Joblin, 

CEO at Tainui Group Holdings, winner of the 2021 University of 

Waikato CEO of the Year. 

Meeting Chris Joblin 

for the first time, 

you quickly understand 

that this is a man who 

doesn’t seek the spotlight. 

It’s not a surprise, therefore, 

that the winner of CEO of the 

Year is constantly bringing his 

answers back to focus on his 

team throughout the interview. 

“For me, I’m a pretty humble 

person, so winning this 

award has taken a bit to sink 

in,” Chris said during our 

talk at the Novotel Hamilton 

Tainui, one of Tainui Group 

Holdings’ (TGH) many investments 

in the region. 

“It’s a huge achievement, 

one that I’m really proud of. 

But one of the things that 

really means a lot to me is that 

my team felt that I was worthy 

and nominated me. Having 

that accolade from them is 

really important. It’s not just 

about me, it’s a reflection on 

TGH and the things that we’re 

doing. My role is just to facilitate 

and lead that, but the hard 

work is done by a whole lot of 

people.” 

That hard work includes 

a range of projects across the 

Waikato and New Zealand, 

with property being the group’s 

biggest investment, but also 

including stakes in natural 

resources such as fishing, agriculture 

and forestry, as well as 

equities and infrastructure. The 

biggest project currently on the 

books is the Ruakura Superhub, 

which Chris talks excitedly 

about. 

“The things that we’re 

doing at TGH are pretty exciting; 

it’s not every day you get 

to build a multibillion-dollar 

property development. In 

another three or four months 

when you start to see buildings 

going up there, I think 

it’s really going to hit home to 

people just how big and how 

important it’s going to be to 

our region. It’s going to drive 

a lot of economic prosperity to 

our community, and obviously 

to our owners Waikato Tainui, 

so it’s really exciting.” 

You also get the sense that 

TGH are just getting started. 

“Some of the things that 

you’re starting to see from 

TGH now, and what you will 

see in the future, are going to 

blow people’s minds,” Chris 

said in his acceptance speech 

at the award ceremony. 

“We’re hugely aspirational, 

we want to see our iwi and our 

region really thrive. It’s really 

cool to work in an organisation 

that has an inter-generational 

focus. As a CEO that gives you 

a lot of freedom, and the ability 

to think outside the square and 

do good things.” 

Some of that aspiration 

will, in future, focus on Hamilton’s 

CBD. 

“We have the privilege 

of being an intergenerational 

investor, which means we can 

look long term. It means that 

we can invest in ways that 

others don’t because we know 

that we’re going to own these 

assets for a long, long time. So 

we look at things like the CBD, 

around creating something 

centred around public transport 

that’s a lot more vibrant, 

that will attract more activity 

into the CBD.” 

Like many investors in 

large-scale projects, the pandemic 

has affected the development 

plans of TGH, in particular, 

the new five-star Te 

Arikinui Pullman Auckland 

Airport Hotel. Chris explained 

that rather than just continuing 

with the original plans, 

they completed the shell of 

the building first, then waited 

to see what the impacts of 

Covid would be. Now they’re 

going back and fitting out the 

rooms so it more closely aligns 

with the time they see tourism 

returning. 

While the brakes were 

applied when it came to TGH’s 

tourism portfolio, in other 

areas the pandemic sped up 

their plans, in particular the 

opportunities Ruakura will 

provide. 

“One of the things that I 

really focus on is looking for 

the opportunities in every situation. 

When you look at Covid 

and the changes around supply 

chains and supply chain constraints, 

localism versus globalism, 

being able to look and 

see where those opportunities 

are, rather than focusing on 

the negative and making sure 

that you can invest in them and 

accelerate them. Some of the 

global trends that were occurring 

over a generation have 

accelerated into a period of two 

to three years due to Covid. So 

there’s always opportunities, 

and having that positive mindset 

to be able to see what the 

opportunity is, to be able to 

pivot to take advantage of that 

is really important.” 

Once more, Chris brings 

the conversation back to focus 

on his people, and how prioritising 

them during Covid was 

really important. 

“I care about our team, so 

most of all it’s about putting 

people first. I think that’s the 

most important thing, and by 

putting people first it means 

that we’ll be really well positioned 

once we come out the 

other side of this. In difficult 

times is when leaders shine, 

and Covid has definitely been 

a difficult time for most.” 

While you can feel that 

Chris sees TGH as a family, 

he also spoke proudly of his 

two children, and wanting to 

find more time to spend with 

them as they embark on their 

own careers. His daughter is 

currently at the University of 

Waikato, and his son, who is 

at high school, has his own 

small enterprise already – a 

fishing related business where 

he’s manufacturing and selling 

equipment. 

So as the winner of the 

CEO of the Year award, what 

leadership advice does Chris 

have? 

“My advice to business 

leaders is to be authentic. I’m 

a big believer in authenticity 

as a leader, and knowing what 

your strengths are and how you 

can use those to inspire others 

around you. I think that’s really 

important. But the other thing 

for me in a business setting is 

to be aspirational. There are 

always opportunities, and you 

need to have the fortitude to 

go out and make them happen, 

because they’re there, and if 

you don’t have that aspiration 

it’s really hard to make things 

happen.” 

One of the common threads 

running through the Business 

Awards speeches were the 

amazing things happening in 

the Waikato that are flying 

under the radar. 

“People here are pretty 

down to earth. We as a collective 

group, we’re pretty understated, 

but we’re doing amazing 

things. And that’s one of 

the things I really like. Everywhere 

you look there’s awesome 

stuff happening. Think 

about the IT sector and their 

involvement in the film industry 

– most people wouldn’t 

even know that is happening in 

our region, but it’s huge.” 

On the other hand, Chris 

agrees that we could be putting 

Chris Joblin – CEO of the Year 

ourselves out there and telling 

our story more. 

“As a region we probably 

don’t celebrate success well. 

That’s definitely something 

we need to do better, because I 

firmly believe that we’re entering 

our moment in the sun. You 

look at the big strategic economic 

drivers; they’re aligning 

really quickly for our region. 

Congratulations 

to all the winners at the 

Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business 

Awards 2021 

Given our location, our workforce, 

and the ability to connect 

into our tertiary institutions 

and provide quality people 

into roles, there’s just lots 

that’s happening. We’ve just 

got to be aspirational enough 

and willing to go and make it 

happen, and that’s what TGH 

as a business is endeavouring 

to do.” 

Mauri ora ki a 

koutou katoa!



Momentum Waikato in a hurry to build 

community resilience 

Momentum Waikato took home two of 

the silver ‘vortex’ trophies from the recent 

Waikato Business Awards ceremony – 

those for ‘Community Contribution’ and 

‘Not-for-Profit’. 

The region’s community 

leadership foundation 

exists to create 'A Better 

Waikato for Everyone, 

Forever'. 

Since its founding in 2015, 

Momentum’s board and staff 

have been aggressively pursuing 

their twin strategic objectives 

of leading transformational 

projects and building a 

regional endowment fund. 

The judges’ statement 

for the ‘Community Contribution’ 

Award showed their 

efforts are making a difference. 

“Momentum Waikato 

demonstrated a range of community 

contribution that has 

had significant impact on 

Waikato today and well into 

the years to come. 

“Momentum Waikato is 

particularly well known for 

championing the development 

and fundraising for 

the Waikato Regional Theatre. 

The judges were also 

impressed at the growth of 

the fund, the use of growth 

targets, extensions to giving 

circles and especially the 

development of the Houchen 

wellbeing retreat.” 

The judges’ view on the 

‘Not for Profit’ Award was 

equally enthusiastic. 

“We were impressed by 

both the reach and scale of the 

community impact achieved 

by this not-for-profit organisation 

in the six short years 

since its formation. 

“Their leadership team 

demonstrated an entrepreneurial 

and agile business-minded 

approach, innovating their 

operational models to streamline 

the organisation and 

extend the depth and breadth 

of change it offers the community.” 

Momentum Chief Executive 

Kelvyn Eglinton says 

winning such recognition is a 

huge honour. 

“These awards are a tribute 

to our donors and supporters, 

who make what we do happen 

- we simply ‘connect and convene’ 

to help bring their projects 

to life. 

“These are people who 

recognise philanthropy can 

create positive change in our 

communities and want to be 

generous in a smart and strategic 

way over the long term,” 

says Kelvyn. 

Momentum is most 

well-known for driving the 

Waikato Regional Theatre, 

its first signature transformational 

project. 

This 1300-seat riverside 

multi-function performing 

arts centre will be an exciting 

entertainment destination, a 

springboard for the region's 

professional performing arts 

industries and a huge boost to 

the Hamilton CBD. 

Momentum is still raising 

funds to complete the build 

- the current goal is $80 million, 

with about $7 million 

still being sought. 

After many trials and tribulations 

delayed the project, 

the new Waikato Regional 

Property Trust, which will 

own the theatre, signed the 

construction contract with 

Fosters Group in July 2021, 

with work starting on site 

soon after. 

As of March 2022, demolition 

and site preparation are 

well advanced - the theatre is 

due to open in early 2024. 

The ‘public-community-private 

partnership’ approach of 

the theatre project is without 

precedent for a large civic facility. 

Momentum has navigated 

this uncharted territory, while 

delivering a range of community 

support, thanks to its flexibility 

and clear purpose. 

Pūniu River Care, a marae-based 

social enterprise in Te 

Awamutu, is a great example 

of an impressive community 

Kelvyn Eglinton – CEO of Momentum 

Waikato, winner of the Community 

Contribution and Not For Profit Awards 

organisation that Momentum 

funded early on. A nursery-build 

grant in 2016 catalysed 

a nationally recognised 

eco success story. Unlocking 

such potential by bridging gaps 

in existing funding models is 

key to Momentum’s mission. 

As the award judges noted, 

a key proof point was the gifting 

of the Houchen Retreat in 

Glenview to Momentum in late 

2019. In partnership with the 

Wise Group, a ‘wellbeing village’ 

is being developed, providing 

wrap-around support 

services and a test case for this 

promising model of care. 

Momentum’s agility has 

come to the fore during the 

Covid pandemic. A example 

has been 'The Greatest Needs 

Appeal', which has quicky 

sought and delivered significant 

donations to effective 

frontline community groups 

distributing food and winter 

essentials during the lockdowns. 

During its first five years up 

to 2020, Momentum’s regional 

endowment fund goal was to 

reach $25 million, which it 

achieved through bequests, 

donations and trust transfers 

in June 2020, with total assets 

reaching $32 million in June 

2021. 

Now into its second fiveyear 

strategic term, Momentum 

has an endowment fund 

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momentumwaikato.nz



37 

What does it take to win the Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce Business Awards? 

Foster Group CEO Leonard Gardner says 

a winning business is well-rounded with a 

solid commercial offering, a clear strategy, 

and sustainable financials. Importantly, 

winning businesses tend to show strong 

commitment to their people and close 

interaction with other businesses to benefit 

the wider community. 

Currently the major 

sponsor of the Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce 

Business Awards, Fosters was 

the supreme winner in 2017. 

Leonard admits he was not 

enthusiastic about entering at 

first. 

It’s great to see more 

business leaders 

taking the initiative 

to critically assess 

their business and 

measure up against 

other businesses on a 

level playing field 

“I thought, ‘there is so much 

we need to work on to get Fos- 

ters right’. Also, I didn’t think 

it was a good thing to put our 

heads above the parapet, so to 

speak. 

“However, Foster leadership 

made a decision to enter 

- for the sake of the wider Foster’s 

team. 

“When it came down to it, 

the process proved to be very 

simple but also really beneficial. 

The questions that we 

had to answer helped us to 

critically reflect on the business. 

The awards judges came 

through and asked thoughtful 

and respectful questions. It was 

a highly positive experience.” 

Anticipation of the awards’ 

night did a lot to bring the team 

together, everyone rooting for 

a win. “Winning the Supreme 

Award was beyond exciting,” 

Leonard says. “It helped 

to boost our confidence and 

hugely improved the Foster’s 

profile, which we have significantly 

benefited from since.” 

The move to sponsoring 

the awards was a natural fit 

Supreme Business of the Year 2017: Foster Construction Group. 

– based on that experience as 

well as the clear alignment 

with the Foster’s purpose of 

building ‘great communities 

through strong foundations’. 

“It’s obvious that one of the 

key foundations of our community 

is the strength of Waikato 

business,” Leonard continues. 

“As a community, it’s important 

that we recognise and celebrate 

success and versatility, 

all the while aspiring to do 

better. The awards do this well, 

recognising a raft of different 

business principles including 

service excellence, community 

contribution, sustainability and 

innovation. We are extremely 

proud to support the event.” 

The 2021 Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce Business Awards 

saw a record number of entries. 

Leonard says this indicates the 

robustness of the Waikato business 

community. 

“It’s great to see more 

business leaders taking the 

initiative to critically assess 

their business and measure up 

against other businesses on a 

level playing field,” he adds. 

Entries for the 2022 competition 

will open in April. The 

awards are open to any business 

in the Waikato. 

Nau mai, haere mai! 

Accommodation | Meetings | Dining 

jetparkhamilton.co.nz 

jetparkhotels


Looking back over 

30 years… 

This month we celebrate 30 years in 

business which is quite a milestone 

in the ever-changing and challenging 

world we live in these days. and one 

well-worthy of taking a little time to reflect 

on how we got here. 

In the late 1980’s I was a financial analyst 

with the Government-owned Development 

Finance Corporation and, after being made 

redundant when DFC finally succumbed to 

the sharemarket crash, I swore never to be 

employed again. In my role at DFC I was 

connected with Asian investors and entrepreneurs 

and decided to set up our new business 

to focus on this market. In the beginning my 

wife, Trisha, and I managed a hostel at Lake 

Karapiro for New Zealand’s first international 

students to attend (Cambridge) high school in 

New Zealand. We then expanded our international 

student business to Hamilton and 

later throughout New Zealand. At the same 

time, we set up our immigration business and 

leased a small office in the KPMG building. 

There was no email or internet and all communications 

were by fax, phone or post. 

Our first Chinese employee began in 1995 

and this was also when I first visited China. 

China was key to our business growth in the 

late 1990’s and was when our role in opening 

of the China education market for New 

Zealand was recognized with an Export Commendation 

Award. In 2002 we merged our 

student and immigration businesses into one 

business with our current name, Pathways to 

New Zealand Ltd, and since this time have 

focused on building the immigration business. 

In 2007 I was appointed chairman of the 

national immigration association, NZAMI, 

and subsequently led the industry through the 

regulation of immigration advisers in New 

Zealand. 

2008 was a milestone year when we were 

joined in business by Martin King who had 

immigrated to New Zealand, with his kiwi 

wife and young family, after working in 

recruitment management for a public company 

in London. Our business had got to the 

point where it needed an injection of new 

skills, energy and vision and Martin had all of 

these attributes in bucketloads. With Martin 

onboard our business quickly refocused and 

has since tripled in size, and our Wellington 

Office, where our son Tim also works, was 

opened in 2015. 

With 30 years of experience, over 20,000 

clients from over 100 different countries, 

many hundreds of millions of migrant funds 

invested, and many local and multinational 

corporate clients, Pathways continues to be 

one of New Zealand’s foremost and most 

respected and successful immigration companies. 

Fundamental to this success is our 

staff. We have been privileged to have many 

wonderful, hard- working and conscientious 

staff throughout our business journey and we 

cannot thank them all enough. We especially 

remember our very dear friend Heidi who 

passed away last year after 15 years with us. 

Somethings never change – every day we 

come to work and something new and different 

will happen….and the 70 hour work 

weeks! Yes, it is great to reflect on the past, 

and another record year, but the reality is that 

we have never been busier, and it is the future 

we are now focused on! 

Te Wānanga o 

Aotearoa appoints 

Nepia Winiata as 

chief executive 

Te Wānanga o 

Aotearoa recently 

announced the 

appointment of 

Nepia Winiata 

(Ngāti Raukawa) as 

chief executive. 

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa 

chairperson Vanessa 

Eparaima said she was 

grateful to be able to appoint 

someone with Mr Winiata’s 

experience, knowledge and 

understanding of the organisation 

into the role. 

Nepia has been acting chief 

executive for almost a year, 

was deputy chief executive for 

five years and has held several 

senior leadership roles across 

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa for 

more than 12 years. 

Eparaima says that while 

Te Mana Whakahaere were 

impressed by the high calibre 

of the candidates who applied 

to lead the organisation, 

Nepia’s experience, his considered 

and decisive leadership 

through the many challenges 

and disruptions due to COVID- 

19 in recent years, and his deep 

understanding and passion for 

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa and its 

purpose, ensured that he was 

the successful candidate. 

“Nepia has shown outstanding 

leadership through recent 

exceptional disruption and 

uncertainty ensuring business 

continuity for Te Wānanga o 

Aotearoa, in what has been 

a difficult time for all across 

Aotearoa. 

“His strong commitment to 

our kaupapa (purpose) means 

ongoing stability for our 

organisation and consistency 

for our kaimahi (staff). Nepia 

remains focused on the quality 

of our offerings and all that we 

do, while also bringing fresh 

ideas and vision to seek out 

new opportunities.” 

Te Wānanga o Aotearoa is 

among New Zealand’s largest 

tertiary education providers 

with more than 20,000 full- 

time tauira (students) and more 

than 1500 kaimahi across 80 

sites throughout the country. 

Nepia brings more than 30 

years of experience across the 

education, corporate, finance 

and processing sectors to his 

role. 

“I’m very humbled and 

grateful to be appointed to 

the role, and I’m excited to 

take this opportunity and continue 

to further advance the 

aspirations of Te Wānanga o 

Aotearoa,” Winiata says. 

“Te Wānanga o Aotearoa 

has made education accessible 

to all New Zealanders for 

many years and I’m focused 

on ensuring we continue to 

deliver on our promise of quality 

programmes and quality 

educational outcomes for our 

tauira.” 

Eparaima says Te Wānanga 

o Aotearoa, which provides 

education from certificate to 

master’s level and delivers 

more than 60 per cent of all te 

reo Māori education in the tertiary 

sector, was excited by the 

skills and experience Winiata 

brings to the role. 

“Te Wānanga o Aotearoa 

plays a key role in lifting 

Māori participation and qualifications 

in te reo Māori and 

we’re enhancing all our programmes 

and educational 

delivery. We’re focused on 

quality teaching, digital learning 

and are excited about new 

possibilities in the vocational 

education space. 

“We have a major role to 

play in increasing vocational 

training opportunities to learners, 

and especially to Māori. 

Nepia is committed to ensuring 

we achieve our potential in this 

arena, and we look forward 

to continuing our momentum 

with this kaupapa under his 

leadership.” 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

07 834 9222 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

pathwaysnz.com 

Everest 

PROPERTY 

• Commercial Property Investment & Finance 

• Business Investment & Finance 

• Residential Property Investment & Finance 

25 Ward Street, Hamilton everestproperty@xtra.co.nz 0274 742 326

Chedworth Properties appoints 

new General Manager 

Brendon Hewett has made the move from 

Auckland back to the Waikato to take 

the role of Chedworth Properties General 

Manager, responsible for delivering the 

Greenhill Park development. 

From his first job out of 

university as a Resource 

Officer at the Waikato 

Regional Council, to managing 

Chedworth’s massive Greenhill 

Park development, Hewett has 

his firmly feet back on Waikato 

soil. 

“I received a call from Jon 

Webb (Director - Chedworth 

Properties) asking if I was keen 

to come and help him with the 

Greenhill Park development. I 

looked through the www.greenhillpark.co.nz 

website and it 

looked like a great project and 

something I was eager to be a 

part of”. 

It was an easy call to make 

for the small-town boy (he 

grew up in Kawakawa); having 

started his career in the 

Waikato, he fondly remembers 

his time working as a planner 

Aerial of the completed Stage 16 at Greenhill Park. 

for the Waikato regional council 

for nearly four years. 

“The Waikato always felt 

like a really comfortable, nice 

place to be for me. I’ve lived in 

Auckland for the last four years, 

and I’d drive over the Bombay’s 

back to the Waikato and 

it almost felt like I was driving 

home,” he says. 

What really appealed to 

Hewett is the owner-occupier 

covenants on the development, 

in addition the planner in him 

was attracted to the general feel 

of the development and care 

given to meeting the needs of 

the families that will live there. 

He believes the owner-occupier 

allows for a great community 

atmosphere as well as having 

homes for home buyers rather 

than investors. 

“The homes built in the 

development are sold to people 

who are going to live in them. 

The properties are not sold to 

investors, which I thought was 

quite refreshing and makes it 

really rewarding for the design 

and site teams involved to see 

how much people love living 

there. The whole layout of the 

site is really well thought out, 

with the end-users in mind. 

There’s a lot of green space, 

obviously a massive focus on 

making sure it’s a nice place to 

live”. 

He loves the challenges of 

working in the Greenhill Park 

development, but it’s not new 

territory for the 34-year-old; he 

left a job as Planning and Subdivisions 

Manager for a building 

company in Auckland. 

Chedworth Properties General 

Manager Brendon Hewett. 

With two months in the new 

role, Hewett has hit the ground 

running with the completion of 

stage 16 and 17, and the preparation 

for the next stages 18, 19 

and 25A which are underway 

this March. Brendon and Jon 

are also busy planning the new 

Neighbourhood Centre. The 

shift from residential to commercial 

development within the 

Neighbourhood Centre presents 

a unique new set of challenges 

and opportunities. 

“We’ll be researching the 

community needs and looking 

at activities like childcare, 

superette, cafes, restaurants. We 

are looking at taking the best 

features of other developments 


such a Hobsonville Point, but 

also abroad in places like Melbourne 

and Sydney, to deliver a 

high quality space for Greenhill 

Park and its residents.”. 

This Neighbourhood Centre 

will act as the development’s 

hub; a place where families can 

meet for coffee, go out for dinner 

with friends and drop the 

children off at day care centre 

on the way to work. 

“There will be a lot of green 

space around the neighbourhood 

centre zone and playground 

facilities. It will be great 

place for people to be able to go 

with the kids on the weekend.” 

It’s Hewett’s job to take 

care of the smooth running of a 

39 

development that will see over 

1800 new homes. The aim is to 

provide work life balance for 

residents in Greenhill Park. He 

reckons Greenhill Park’s location, 

just minutes from the CBD 

makes it an attractive prospect 

for buyers looking for a place to 

call home. 

“It’s easy access to the 

city, but also the new Waikato 

Expressway which will make 

your trip to Auckland, Tauranga 

or Taupo really quick. It is really 

opening up the Waikato in terms 

of that transport network.” 

Along with the residential 

areas, there’s also an industrial 

area planned to the south of the 

development between Webb 

Drive and the new Hamilton 

bypass. This will see the development 

of 40 acres of industrial 

land bordering the inland port. 

It’s just another aspect of the 

role that he is looking forward 

to embarking on. 

“It’s a great opportunity to 

use my skills in planning and 

land development” 

Brendon also considers himself 

lucky to be surrounded by a 

great project team that includes 

Urban Designers, Landscapers, 

Drainlayers, Earthworks Contractors, 

Surveyors, Engineers. 

both the Waikato Regional and 

Hamilton City Councils, the 

network providers such as WEL 

Networks… the list goes on. 

“It has been great to get to 

know the award-winning project 

team (“We are Waikato” 

Best Team award winners 

2017). It’s a development that 

everyone involved can be proud 

of, and I know the team is dedicated 

to making Greenhill Park 

an exceptional place to live”. 

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Foster Construction Group 2021 Supreme Winners, 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 

Fosters’ purpose is Great Communities through Strong Foundations. 

One of the foundations of our community is the strength of Waikato business. Supporting the 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards completely aligns with Fosters’ purpose. 

As a community, we are proud to celebrate success, and we congratulate every business that 

entered, those nominated and, of course, those businesses and people judged the best in the 

Waikato in the 2021 Business Awards. 

Congratulations and thank you for making a positive impact in the Waikato. 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards Winners 2021 

Not for Profit Award | Momentum Waikato 

Marketing & Social Media Award | Fish City Hamilton 

Micro Business of the Year Award | Designwell 

International Trade Award | DEC Pharmaceutical Ltd 

Innovation Award | Spring Sheep Milk Co. 

Community Contribution Award | Momentum Waikato 

Social & Environmental Sustainability Award | Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari 

Service Excellence Award | DEC Pharmaceutical Ltd 

Business Growth & Strategy Award | Shift72 Limited 

Air New Zealand People’s Choice Award | Jet Park Hotel Hamilton Airport 

Emerging Leader of the Year Award | Raewynne Pearson, SVS Laboratories Limited 

CEO of the Year Award | Chris Joblin, Tainui Group Holdings 

Foster Construction Group 2021 Supreme Award Winner | DEC Pharmaceutical Ltd 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

Waikato Business News March/April 2022

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