Waikato Business News October/November 2022

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 

VOLUME 30 

ISSUE 10 

READ ONLINE AT 

http://www.wbn.co.nz 

/WaikatoBusinessNews 

The Waikato region’s voice of local business 

BETTLE X D3 PARTNERSHIP 

Bettle & Associates and Auckland-based D3 have inked a 

partnership deal to take performance media to a new level. 

CBD’S FINEST CELEBRATED 

CBD Celebration Awards showcases the diversity of 

businesses that make Hamilton’s central city a destination. 

HAMILTON AIRPORT UPGRADE 

Hamilton Airport has unveiled a $15 million passenger terminal 

refurbishment to welcome visitors to the Mighty Waikato. 

Sweet Pea tops CBD business 

awards 

It was the icing on the cake for Sweet Pea 

Parties topping the shopping category in 

the 2022 Hamilton CBD business awards. 

Specialising in birthday 

party products and 

specialty bakeware, 

Sweet Pea started out as an 

at-home business nearly 12 

years ago. 

It provided founder and 

CEO Kirsty Parker with a 

way to make a living and stay 

at home with her first-born 

William. 

On maternity leave at 

the time and not wanting 

to return to the 9-5 grind, 

she saw a gap in the market 

and decided to take the 

plunge into the party supply 

business. 

“We were having William 

baptised and I wanted to 

theme it all blue and white. 

I couldn't find anywhere in 

New Zealand at that stage 

that had a full complement of 

stock,” she says. 

With the financial backing 

of her mum, Kirsty stepped 

into the world of online party 

supplies and launched the 

Sweet Pea website. 

Ever the pragmatist, 

Kirsty knew she could use the 

website for another online 

business if Sweet Pea was a 

flop. 

“We said, if it doesn't work 

and we don't sell any party 

supplies, then we've still got 

the framework of a website 

and we can rebrand the skin 

of it and sell something else. 

But we launched it in February 

(2012) and it took a couple 

of days before we had our first 

order, and then the orders 

just started trickling in.” 

Her second son was born 

later that year and at the same 

time Sweet Pea sales surged. 

“Hugo was born in September 

and I vividly remember 

coming home from hospital 

and I was back at my little 

desk processing orders and it 

just went from there.” 

Social media marketing 

hadn’t made its mark at that 

stage, so Kirsty advertised in 

the directories at the back of 

magazines. 

“We did spend quite a lot 

of money on advertising in 

the early days. But I think 

we were very lucky because 

we got into the market quite 

early in the piece and we got 

to the top of the ranks in Google 

search for party supplies.” 

It didn’t take long for the 

business to outgrew Kirsty’s 

little home office and move 

into the lounge and the double 

garage. 

“And the next minute the 

car wouldn't fit in because we 

had the entire garage filled 

with stock,” she laughs. 

By the time her youngest 

turned three and was eligible 

for the 20-hours free ECE 

funding, and with stock taking 

over nearly every space in 

the house, Kirsty was ready to 

move to a larger premises in 

the CBD. 

“We only wanted to move 

to the CBD because we lived 

in Claudelands at that time 

and we didn't want to be at 

the Base. We just thought the 

CBD was a great place to be 

because you're central to anywhere,” 

she says. 

Husband Chris joined the 

business adding his support 

to the marketing and IT side 

of the business. 

“We took a bit of a punt 

CONTINUED ON - PAGE 3

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are 

what businesses are built on and how they 

succeed. We understand that to maximise 

the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

A business partner that understands 

your views and goals 

Contact the Bayleys Waikato Commercial 

Property Management team today. 

Jan Cooney 

Head Commercial Property Management - 

Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki 

027 408 9339 

jan.cooney@bayleys.co.nz 

David Cashmore 

Bayleys Commercial Manager - Waikato 

021 943 305 

david.cashmore@bayleys.co.nz 

Gert Maritz 

Senior Facilities Manager - Waikato 

027 230 2514 

gert.maritz@bayleys.co.nz 

Darren Rule 

Senior Facilities Manager - Bay of Plenty & Taranaki 

027 214 1631 

darren.rule@bayleys.co.nz 

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

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 3 

Sweet Pea tops CBD business awards 

having him join the business 

full-time. But we never looked 

back. It was the best move 

that we actually made. He was 

working full time on it after 

hours way before that helping 

load products to the website 

at night.” 

The new space in Princes 

Street was just meant to be a 

showroom, but quickly morphed 

into a retail store. 

“We had a little showroom 

open for a few hours a week 

for people who wanted to look 

at the products. But we really 

underestimated the power of 

in-store retail shopping and 

how much people wanted to 

come in.” 

They were only in the shop 

for two years before they had 

outgrown the space and need 

to explore other options once 

more. 

Their amenable landlords 

Steve and Rachel Morth were 

happy for them to take down 

a wall into the shop next 

door and they doubled their 

space without having to move 

premises. 

By 2020 and a dip in sales 

during the first Covid lockdown, 

Kirsty says it didn’t 

take long for business to pick 

up again. 

Like many businesses relying 

on imported stock and 

dealing with supply chain 

issues, they added more storage 

to make room for larger 

orders. 

“We had to start sitting 

on more stock and we added 

some storage that Steve had 

available at the rear of the 

building. Then we added a 

shipping container and that 

wasn't enough, so we added 

a second shipping container.” 

By the time they were coming 

to the end of the second 

tenancy term, Kirsty knew 

they needed to find somewhere 

else. 

In August 2021, Sweet Pea 

moved to larger premises at 

70 Rostrevor Street. 

From small beginnings, 

there is now 18 staff on the 

payroll including her and 

Chris, and she’s been grateful 

for the opportunity to provide 

jobs for locals. 

“A couple of the people 

we had employed in the early 

days were customers. We haven't 

often had to advertise 

the staff, it’s mostly word of 

mouth.” 

This year, they had to 

replace three full-timers and 

Kirsty says, it’s the first time 

they have had to advertise. 

“When you talk to other 

business owners is staffing 

is always your biggest nightmare. 

But we've been pretty 

fortunate over the years, 

we've had some really incredible 

people work for us and 

some have been with us for 

quite a long time.” 

Not one to rest on her 

party supply laurels, Kirsty 

has branched out into other 

online businesses - adding 

Cake and Kitchen – a one-stop 

shop for cake decorating and 

baking needs, and Jigstore 

selling premium, arty jigsaw 

puzzles - to her repertoire. 

The Cake and Kitchen was 

an obvious business move, 

but Kirsty says Jigstore came 

about as a result of using jigsaws 

to unwind and spend 

quality time with her boys. 

“It’s been a hard couple of 

years for many people with 

Covid and I found I needed 

a stress release. So instead 

of going home and looking 

at my phone or continuing to 

work all hours of the night all 

the time, I needed something 

else.” 

Ever the entrepreneur she 

realised there was a gap in the 

market for quality jigsaws and 

Jigstore was born. 

“We've got the capacity for 

it now that we have a really 

large retail store and a large 

warehouse.” 

She’s also proud to support 

The Cake Detective, a nonprofit 

that provides extraordinary 

birthday cakes to vulnerable 

tamariki, another perfect 

fit for Sweet Pea. 

“Right from day one, we 

supported Laura with products. 

Now she runs Cake 

Detective out of our classroom 

and the cakes get decorated 

here. We know there's 

plenty of people who have a 

much harder life than what 

we do and we believe in paying 

it forward.” 

Hamilton Central Business 

Association general manager 

Vanessa Williams says 

Sweet Pea was a first-time 

entrant this year and they 

were deserving winners of the 

shopping category. 

“Sweet Pea Parties is a 

real asset the central city and 

holds the title of the largest 

party supplies store in New 

Zealand. They have really put 

in the time and effort to grow 

their business, from starting 

out as a home-based business, 

to moving into town 

and recently expanding into a 

larger premises. They have a 

unique offering in the city and 

from the moment you walk 

through the doors you will 

be captivated by the beautiful 

ambience of the store and 

delighted at the array of products 

available. It feels like a 

party waiting to happen.” 

Bettle and D3 partnership taking media 

performance to the next level 

Hamilton-based Bettle & 

Associates (B&A) and Aucklandbased 

D3 have inked a partnership 

deal to take performance media to 

a new level in the Waikato region. 

The combination of B&A’s 

strength in brand and 

marketing and D3’s 

media strategy know-how will 

offer the Waikato a broader 

scope of media services, B&A 

partner Will Peart says. 

“As the media landscape 

continues to change, 

data-driven decision making 

becomes more and more critical 

in high-performance accountable 

media investments, so 

we’ve explored a number of 

models to lead to the best media 

outcomes for our clients. 

“While we have already been 

an accredited media agency for 

most of our existence, this process 

has resulted in our decision 

to evolve this into a partnership 

with D3. They’re 16 specialists 

at the top of the game, led by 

people who think like we do.” 

Hamilton’s leading brand 

and marketing agency, B&A 

partners with clients like DeLaval, 

Fonterra, Farm Source, 

Challenge Fuel, CAL>Isuzu, 

Soudal Gorilla, Mt Ruapehu 

and Beaurepaires. 

Whilst D3 is one of the 

country’s leading independent 

media agencies, working with 

nib, Metlifecare, Ecoya, Milford, 

Peugeot/Citroën, The 

Co-operative Bank and UP 

Education. 

“We’re excited about the 

partnership with the B&A 

team,” D3 partner Richard 

Thomspon says. 

“We have been building our 

offering around a core set of 

principles – digital-first, datadriven, 

consultative, transparent, 

and outcomes focused. So 

to have like-minded partners to 

continue to scale our approach 

is going to be good for both 

businesses, our collective media 

clients and digitally ambitious 

clients across the Waikato.” 

Founded in 2001 by George 

Bettle, the origins of B&A date 

back to the late 90s when network 

agency Grey Worldwide 

made a move into the regional 

centres, including Hamilton. 

Grey’s success was not as 

expected and George, who was 

a senior executive, saw the 

potential in the Waikato and 

bought out the business. 

“George could see there 

was a great opportunity in an 

underserved market and over 

time his level of consultative 

services have grown as he partnered 

with more and more clients,” 

Will says. 

Partners Will and Adam 

Lurman joined B&A in 2007 

and left to pursue careers overseas 

before both rejoining the 

agency in 2018 within months 

of each other. 

“Will and I came back into 

the agency at the same time 

for the same reason, and we’ve 

both taken a slice of it for the 

same reason,” Lurman says. 

“We’re doing smart work, beautiful 

work, interesting business 

transformation and customer 

experience-based work. The 

reputation that George has 

been building forever – client 

work that focuses on outcomes 

– is the thing we’re all invested 

in continuing to grow. The 

added weight of D3 expertise 

will help us continue to grow 

that reputation amongst our 

clients for top-notch, intelligent 

media services.” 

D3 was founded in 2018 

by media planning and digital 

services industry leaders Richard 

Thompson and Alex 

Radford. 

Will says, like B&A, at the 

forefront of D3’s approach is 

building long term relationships 

with clients. 

“They're very like-minded, 

with a similar scale of operation 

and a similar level of maturity 

of business. 

“Our strength, like D3’s, is in 

partnering with our clients, getting 

really deep into the business 

and guiding marketing, 

marketing planning, marketing 

strategy and building brands. 

“This partnership has come 

about out of identifying an 

opportunity here in the market 

and looking for that level 

of expertise that can add value 

Will Peart (B&A), Adam Lurman (B&A), Alex Radford (D3), 

George Bettle (B&A) and Richard Thompson (D3) 

to complement the work that 

we're doing,” he says. 

D3’s mission has always 

been to make media more 

accountable and more scientific 

with a commitment to testing 

and learning. 

The B&A x D3 hybrid media 

team will consist of existing 

B&A media talent team of 15 

and the full force of the D3 team 

of 16, ranging from data consultants 

to media planners to performance 

analysts.

4 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 

Entries open for the 

2023 Waipa Business Awards 

The Waipa Networks Business Awards 

Gala is back again for 2023. Entries 

for the prestigious awards close on 

Wednesday 15 February, 2023. 

Our team 

All entries received are 

judged by an independent 

judging panel of 

experienced industry professionals 

and Waikato University 

representatives. There is 

always a diverse range of businesses 

which enter the awards 

from new and emerging, small, 

medium and large businesses. 

Each are judged on their own 

merit across the range of 

award categories available. 

The awards evening celebrating 

the 2023 finalists 

and local Waipa business 

Liz Stolwyk 

achievement, is set to take 

place at Mystery Creek Events 

Centre on Friday 21 April, 

2023 and is sure to be an 

event not to be missed! 

“Waipa Networks is proud 

to continue our long-standing 

support as the Platinum 

Sponsor of the awards. It’s 

great to be part of an event 

that recognises and rewards 

excellence within our local 

business community” CEO of 

Waipa Networks Sean Horgan 

says. 

Joining the awards for 

Jason Tiller 

2023 are the newly appointed 

Waipa Networks Business 

Awards Ambassadors including 

deputy mayor and Waipa 

District councillor - Liz Stolwyk 

and Jason Tiller from our 

2021 supreme award winner 

- Rocketspark. 

Cambridge Chamber CEO 

Kelly Bouzaid says it has 

been incredible to hear the 

stories of innovation, adaptability, 

resilience, and growth 

that have continued to happen 

despite the challenges in 

recent years. 

“We believe that it is 

more important than ever to 

acknowledge our district’s 

businesses achievements and 

continue to inspire each other 

to continue to be one of the 

most diverse and innovative 

business communities in the 

country.” 

“The awards are an opportunity 

for Waipa businesses to 

celebrate their efforts, drive 

and determination as well as 

their contribution to our communities,” 

Te Awamutu Business 

Chamber CEO Shane 

Walsh says. 

For more information and 

entry details for the 2023 

Waipa Networks Awards 

please visit www.waipabusinessawards.co.nz 

or contact 

the Cambridge Business 

Chamber on 07 823 3460. 

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Ellie Neben 

ellie@dpmedia. 

co.nz 

EDITORIAL 

Janine Jackson 

editor@dpmedia. 

co.nz 

ADVERTISING 

MANAGER 

Joanne Poole 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: (021) 507 991 

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Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

deidre@dpmedia.co.nz 

STUDIO 

Copy/Proofs: 

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SUBSCRIPTIONS 

accounts@dpmedia.co.nz 

2/1 Riro Street, Hamilton 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

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DESIGN 

Process, mechanical and environmental 

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT 

From concept to completion 

CONSTRUCTION 

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COMMISSIONING 

Your end-to-end project specialist 

+64 7 849 1638 

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User experience experts helped Hamilton 

City Council understand its audience. 

Hamilton City Council 

asked Company-X to 

help design the user 

experience (UX) for new and 

upgraded content. 

As part of a larger city-wide 

update of the Hamilton City 

council website, Company-X 

was asked to help design the user 

experience (UX) for new and 

upgraded content supporting its 

Growth Funding and Analytics 

unit. 

There was a lot of 

‘what if’ and ‘how 

can we’ during the 

work with Luke 

and Cory 

“We looked for help putting 

ourselves in the shoes of our 

users,” said Unit Manager Greg 

Carstens. This included understanding 

what outputs and information 

would be most impactful 

to each user group, specifically 

relating to growth data, economic 

analytics, and economic 

development. 

The Council wanted to ensure 

that the user experience was 

optimised for a unique audience 

that was both internal and external 

to the organisation. 

Carstens and his leadership 

team needed a solution that provided 

data to elected members 

and senior staff, but also helped 

to educate a diverse collection of 

external partners about Hamilton’s 

economic performance and 

investment opportunities. 

Most importantly, the team 

wanted to ensure that datadriven 

insights, trends, and 

projections could be shared to 

support increasingly complex 

decisions. 

Company-X software architect 

and senior developer Luke 

McGregor and senior user interface 

(UI) and user experience 

(UX) developer Cory McKenzie 

held several workshops with the 

Council’s Growth Funding and 

Analytics leaders to understand 

the aims and objectives of the 

website. Their previous experience 

on other heavily UX-reliant 

projects benefitted the council. 

“There was a lot of ‘what if’ 

and ‘how can we’ during the 

work with Luke and Cory. It was 

genuinely like a greenfield project, 

starting from the bottom and 

building up,” Carstens said. 

McGregor and McKenzie 

developed eight personas for 


Users first approach drives great user experience 

whom they would design the 

website user experience for. The 

personas included an elected 

member, managing director, 

management accountant, planning 

consultant, two property 

developers and a senior Government 

official. This exercise 

helped understand the types 

of goals and challenges of each 

user. 

“The idea was we had one 

persona per each different category 

of people the council 

thought were going to go use the 

site,” McGregor said. 

“They have significant 

amounts of data and analytics 

within their systems, and they 

wanted to ensure that it was 

available and accessible to the 

public. A key goal was to provide 

ways to highlight insights 

that are linked back to core data, 

all with different elements that 

would be useful to each persona.” 

“Based on those personas, 

we created a high-level journey 

map that provided insights into 

what pages would be on the site,” 

McKenzie said. 

“What are the individual elements 

throughout the site, and 

what supports the distinct ways 

that each persona might interact 

with them?” 

The research led to the creation 

of a user experience design 

with McKenzie creating conceptual 

designs for the council’s web 

team to build. 

Not every persona was 

included in the end design, some 

EXPERIENCED - Cory McKenzie, left, and Luke McGregor 

were encouraged to use the website 

as a contact point to request 

the data they needed. 

“The attributes that you 

want to resonate with the internal 

audience were night and day 

different from the external audience,” 

Carstens said. “But from 

the start, we knew we didn’t 

want a site that split users into 

two distinct groups with Path A 

and Path B. We wanted it to be 

one integrated site because an 

external audience quickly shares 

a lot of the needs of an internal 

audience.” 

Another important goal was 

to quickly educate users who 

might initially come to the site 

with an outdated or uninformed 

view of Hamilton’s economy. 

Council Economic Development 

Manager Mike Bennett said 

“once users learn who our largest 

employers are, we want to make 

it easy for them to dig deeper and 

understand which key sectors 

are behind our growth. It’s also 

important to show how Hamilton 

is part of a region that is 

economically diverse but highly 

integrated. The challenge is to 

use complex data to generate 

useful insights, and then deliver 

it in an authentic and engaging 

way.” 

Company-X’s work also 

provided the Growth Funding 

and Analytics team with clarity 

around customer prioritisation 

and the power of search. “There 

was a recognition of how important 

it is to ensure high-volume 

users can quickly get what they 

know they need, while new users 

can seek out something they 

might not even initially realise is 

there,” said Carstens. “Cory and 

the team really helped us understand 

how powerful search is. If 

done well, it can transform an 

average site into a critical tool.” 

Hamilton City council’s 

Growth Funding and Analytics 

team gained a deeper understanding 

of how to balance the 

relationship between data and 

information and address the 

needs of a diverse set of users in 

a web-based environment. 

Navigate the 

digital landscape 

with us


What the ‘sustainability’ word 

means at Fosters 

Sustainability is trending. It’s a word that is bandied 

about in business, politics and everyday life by just 

about everyone. Yet, real commitment to 

sustainability is not evident everywhere. 

According to Thinkstep, the construction industry is 

one of the primary contributors to climate change in 

NZ, creating 20% of national greenhouse gas emissions. 

Aware that their industry produces 40 - 50% 

of NZ’s landfill waste, Fosters’ leadership team believe that 

just because this is ‘industry standard’ does not mean it is 

necessary. 

As the only construction company to hold both of Toitū’s top 

sustainability certifications, Fosters commitment to environmental 

sustainability is proven through their daily operations. 

The following commitments and initiatives implemented by 

Fosters offer cleaner, more transparent, low-emissions builds: 

• Fosters Toitū carbonzero certification demonstrates 

they are positively contributing to the environment by measuring, 

reducing, and offsetting their carbon footprint. They are 

audited annually under international standards. 

• Fosters Toitū enviromark diamond certification 

demonstrates they have systems in place to reduce the environmental 

impact of the business and the buildings they 

construct. 

• Fosters have the expertise to ensure green builds are 

adaptable and durable, meeting the requirements of future generations 

and creating healthier work environments – gaining 

4+ Green Star certifications. 

At Fosters, sustainability means operating in a way that 

meets the needs of today whilst also ensuring future generations 

will be able to meet their needs. 

Misconduct Outside of Work – 

What can Employers do? 

Managing misconduct that occurs within the workplace can 

be challenging. Procedural requirements must be met and 

any disciplinary action must be lawfully justified. When 

the misconduct occurs outside of work, things get even trickier. With 

the silly season soon upon us and people starting to wind down after a 

busy year, now is commonly the time when issues arising from bad or 

impaired judgment start to increase. The question many employers 

often ask is whether they can do anything to address an employee’s 

bad behaviour if it did not occur at work but in the employee’s 

personal life? The short answer is, like most things, it depends on 

the circumstances. 

The starting point is that employees have the right to privacy and 

to be able to live their lives as they choose outside of work. However, 

when bad behaviour in an employee’s personal life can in some way 

be connected to their job or could impact their employer’s business or 

reputation, an employer is entitled to get involved and take reasonable 

action. If there is a lack of connection between the misconduct 

and the employer’s business and the employee has just done something 

an employer does not approve of, this is unlikely to justify disciplinary 

action. 

Employers should ask the following when deciding whether they 

can do anything about misconduct occurring outside of work: 

• Is the conduct incompatible with the job the employee does? 

• Does the conduct impact other employees? 

• Could the conduct impact on the employer’s trust and 

confidence in the employee? 

If after asking these questions an employer can determine there 

is a link between the employee’s behaviour and their employment, 

then an employer is entitled to commence an investigation or a disciplinary 

process. For example, an employee accused of harassing 

another employee outside of work hours would have a clear link 

to that employee’s employment as the conduct impacts another 

employee. Another example is an employee who, while driving 

their employer’s branded work vehicle outside of work hours, verbally 

abuses a member of the public during an instance of road rage. 

Social media and the digi-workforce have further blurred the line 

between work and employees’ personal lives. Employees should also 

be aware that venting frustrations or personal opinions online that 

may identify and reflect poorly on their employer may lead to disciplinary 

action. 

Like with misconduct that occurs at work, it is important the disciplinary 

process is fair and follows any prescribed procedural requirements 

that are set out in either the employee’s employment agreement 

or employer’s policies. This would normally include providing 

the employee with full details of the allegations and all other evidence 

relied on in support. This could include witness statements, video 

footage, photographs, and any other documentation. Any information 

relied on by an employer to support the allegations should be 

provided. The employee should be advised of their right to seek independent 

advice and be provided an opportunity to respond to the 

allegations and evidence. Once the employer has fairly considered 

the employee’s response, which may include undertaking further 

enquiry or clarification of any issues in dispute, the employer is then 

entitled to make a decision on whether the allegations have been 

KNOW YOUR LAWYER 

— JAIME LOMAS 

Jaime Lomas is a Director at DTI Lawyers, and alongside 

Andrea Twaddle, heads the Employment Law Team. 

Jaime has extensive experience in employment law and 

dispute resolution. She takes a pragmatic and practical 

approach to achieve commercial and workable solutions 

for her clients. She is committed to understanding 

the issues her clients face and the impact on their 

businesses or on them personally. Her working 

philosophy is that obtaining a better understanding of 

her clients’ needs is key to give them tailored advice 

to enable them to achieve their goals and objectives. 

With both a specialist Employment Team and a 

Commercial/Property Team, Jaime and the team at 

DTI are well placed to meet your legal needs and 

look forward to working with you. 

SPECIALIST LAWYERS | 07 282 0174 | dtilawyers.co.nz 

By Jaime Lomas, 

Director and Specialist Employment Lawyer, DTI Lawyers 

substantiated and what the outcome should be. When it comes to 

decision making, the conduct of senior employees outside the workplace 

whose duties impact on reputation and integrity of the company 

may be more closely scrutinised. 

Employers are wise to minimise the risk of ambiguity about what 

conduct outside of work might impact on employment, by setting out 

clearly what is expected of employees in employment documentation 

such as terms or employment, or codes or conduct. Employees 

should be put on notice of the potential consequences, including dismissal, 

should misconduct outside work brings or could likely bring 

the employer’s business into disrepute. 

Ordinarily, in instances where an employee’s behaviour could be 

seen to damage the employer’s reputation, the potential for damage 

rather than actual proof of damage will be enough. Similarly, the 

underlying conduct as opposed to the effect of any significant media 

attention should be considered. For example, the fact of an employee 

having an accident in an employer branded vehicle after hours is 

clearly linked to the company, regardless of whether it was reported 

in the local paper or social media. 

Employers must always ensure the process and outcome is 

fair and reasonable in the circumstances. The specialist employment 

law team at DTI Lawyers can assist businesses in relation 

to all employment matters, including advice on disciplinary 

processes and whether an employer can take action for 

misconduct occurring outside of work. For any further 

information on employment law queries, please 

contact the specialist employment team at DTI Lawyers.

Pacifika director breaking new ground 

Award-winning director Meleane 

Burgess has forged a governance 

career path that others may follow. 

Meleane Burgess 

CMInstD considers 

governance a form of 

service. 

As a groundbreaking director 

from a Samoan background, 

Burgess uses the concept 

of “service” in two senses 

– firstly to the organisations 

she oversees, and secondly to 

the Kiwi Pasifika directors that 

will come after her. 

The Waikato-based director 

received the Pacific Governance 

Leader and Rising 

Governance Star awards at 

the 2022 Women in Governance 

Awards in August. She 

is the managing director of 

Dynamic Advisory Limited, 

former chairperson of the Hillcrest 

High board of trustees 

and sits on the NZ Post board 

as part of the Future Directors 

programme. She also serves 

as a member of the Pacific 

Reference Group for the Ministry 

of Social Development, 

an independent director on 

the Public Trust Board and a 

Council Member of the University 

of Waikato. 

Her first foray into governance 

was not actually as a 

board member. In 2018, Burgess 

set up the Waikato Pacific 

Business Network, which provides 

peer support and advocacy 

for Pasifika business owners 

and directors in the region. 

A chartered member of the 

Institute of Directors and an 

accountant by trade, Burgess 

felt the Pasifika business leaders 

she worked with would 

benefit from a professional 

association. 

“That was my introduction 

to governance – setting up the 

executive committee to take 

the network forward,” she says. 

“Doing that gave me some 

of the initial experience I 

needed in order to move into 

governance – because it was 

very difficult to get onto a 


board.” 

Governance was almost 

“invisible” as an opportunity 

for Pasifika professionals in the 

very recent past, she says. 

“When I started out as an 

accountant, governance was an 

area that was invisible. Pasifika 

businesses and professionals 

were pretty much invisible in 

the Waikato at that time, to be 

honest. We were always seen 

as blue-collar workers, not 

those who become the greatest 

accountants or lawyers or 

doctors. For me, I needed to 

change that for the next generation, 

for my own children who 

will be heading towards those 

pathways.” 

Today, the Waikato Pacific 

Business Network is the organisation 

that is driving Pacific 

economic development in the 

region, she says. And Burgess’s 

governance career has 

also progressed. Establishing 

the network led to invitations 

to serve on organisations at a 

local level, then at a national 

level. In 2022, she completed 

the Institute of Directors 

Mentoring for Diversity 

programme, which matches 

up-and-coming governance 

professionals with experienced 

mentors. 

“That was an excellent 

programme. It gave me the 

platform to learn from an 

incredible mentor. It enhanced 

my ability, my perspective, my 

understanding of governance.” 

Being recognised through 

awards is great, she says, but 

her focus remains on “service” 

to her organisations and 

communities. 

“Growing up as a Pacific 

Islander, service was one of my 

core values. That passion for 

service eventually turned into 

a career – in governance.” 

Waikato River bridge build marks 

two-year anniversary 

Hamilton’s new river bridge to 

Peacocke has celebrated another 

exciting achievement with the final 

form of the bridge revealed. 

The final girder segment 

was lifted into place 

recently with the aid of 

the country’s second largest 

crawler crane. 

“The girder lift was a 

milestone moment in that 

the bridge’s superstructure 

is now finished,” Hamilton 

City Council executive director 

strategic infrastructure 

Andrew Parsons says. 

“The bridge doesn’t have 

a proper deck, handrails or 

lighting yet but the final form 

of the bridge is now complete. 

It’s stunning and there’s nothing 

like it in Hamilton.” 

The bridge beams will be 

visible under the bridge deck 

and are made from the same 

type of weathering steel used 

for the central V-shaped pier. 

With the bridge’s span 

across the river completed, 

the crawler crane will now be 

tasked with lifting a pedestrian 

bridge into place across 

the new Wairere Drive extension, 

at the river bridge’s 

northern end. The footbridge 

was fabricated locally by PFS 

Engineering in Riverlea. 

The bridge also 

represents 

our biggest 

investment in 

environment 

and ecological 

outcomes 

The bridge contract was 

awarded in 2020, with work 

starting in October of that 

year. At $160.2 million, 

it’s the largest capital contract 

awarded by council and 

includes the building of new 

roads in Peacocke. 

Parsons says the bridge is 

not only a significant transport 

connection for the new 

community in Peacocke but it 

will also enable essential services 

to support residential 

development. Hidden inside 

the girders are pipes for water, 

wastewater and cables for 

electricity and internet. 

“The bridge also represents 

our biggest investment in 

environment and ecological 

outcomes. 

“If you look at the bridge 

with no central pier in the 

river there are large areas 

underneath where bats can 

fly. These design elements 

contribute to the environmental 

outcomes from our 

investment.” 

To get the best view of 

activity at the bridge site, people 

are encouraged to access 

the shared path between 

Hamilton Gardens and Howell 

Avenue off Cobham Drive. 

Peacocke is being built 

with the support from the 

Government’s Housing Infrastructure 

Fund, made up 

of a $180.3 million 10-year 

interest-free loan and $110.1 

million of Waka Kotahi NZ 

Transport Agency subsidies. 

The Peacocke programme 

will deliver a new bridge, a 

transport network that caters 

for public transport, pedestrians 

and cyclists, parks, and 

strategic water, wastewater 

and stormwater networks. 

Other work includes protecting 

and enhancing the environment, 

including the extensive 

gully system, opening the 

area to the Waikato River, 

and investigating community 

facilities which are also 

important parts of creating a 

new community in Peacocke. 

When completed, Peacocke 

will be home for up to 

20,000 Hamiltonians.


Waikato businesses showcase 

growth on Deloitte Fast 50 indices 

Hamilton-based concept development 

and prototype production company 

Torutek has been ranked the fastest 

growing Waikato-based company, 

placing sixteenth on the Deloitte Fast 

50 index with 305% revenue 

growth over the past three years. 

The annual Deloitte 

Fast 50 index ranks 

businesses experiencing 

rapid revenue growth 

over three years and sets the 

benchmark for high growth 

businesses in New Zealand. 

Auckland-based game design, 

development and publishing 

studio Legend Story Studios 

Trading took out number one 

spot on the 2022 index with an 

unprecedented 6416% revenue 

growth. 

“This year we’ve seen a 

number of organisations catapult 

to the top of the Fast 50 

index, as well as the highest 

growth percentage we’ve ever 

seen,” Deloitte private partner 

Bill Hale says. 

“It’s clear that some organisations 

have continued to 

thrive despite some tough economic 

times in recent years 

and have shown that what 

would have once been thought 

impossible, is indeed possible. 

It has also been interesting to 

see the mix of industries featured 

on the indices this year, 

with retail, technology, industrial 

products and construction, 

and food and beverage 

seeing particular growth.” 

It’s clear that some 

organisations have 

continued to thrive 

despite some 

tough economic 

times in recent 

years and have 

shown that what 

would have once 

been thought 

impossible, is 

indeed possible 

A number of Waikato-based 

businesses also featured 

on the Master of Growth 

index which ranks the 20 fastest 

growing established businesses 

achieving longer term 

sustained growth. It ranks 

businesses starting from a 

larger revenue base, and over 

five years of revenue growth. 

Civil construction firm 

Waipa Civil saw 277% revenue 

growth over the last five 

years, with outdoor and adventure 

equipment brand Zempire 

Camping achieving 208% 

growth, and clothing and 

accessory design production 

and supply company Global 

Velocity Group rounding out 

the Waikato representation 

with 180% revenue growth. 

“The Deloitte Fast 50 is 

a celebration of fast-growing 

Kiwi businesses right across 

the country, of all shapes and 

sizes. And once again, has 

showcased the innovators and 

entrepreneurs of New Zealand 

business who have, against the 

odds, adapted to thrive in the 

current market,” Hale says. 

To learn more about 

the Deloitte Fast 50 programme 

and all of this year’s 

winning companies, visit 

www.fast50.co.nz 

CELF bringing leaders and community together 

CELF alumni Class of 2020, Power Farming coowner 

and executive director Brett Maber found 

friendship, validation and personal growth on the 

Elevate Leadership Programme. 

The 

eight-week 

programme, delivered 

over the course of eight 

months brings together established 

leaders from different 

kinds of organisations, in an 

effort to increase the elevation 

and social impact of all participants. 

CELF believes in the 

positive impact that connected, 

responsible leaders have on their 

community. Brett describes his 

journey as a business leader like 

building a Lego set without the 

instructions. 

He knew Power Farming was 

achieving at the top of its game 

in New Zealand as well as keeping 

pace with international players 

in the farm equipment field. 

“With CEFL it was like 

someone had run me through 

the instructions and it was nice 

to know that through trial and 

error, and experience that I had 

worked out a lot of the ways to 

do things over the 20 years in 

the business. For my own personal 

growth there was that validation 

aspect to it which was 

quite nice,” he says. 

Spending time on the CELF 

journey, affords participants the 

time to step into a setting that is 

separate from their day-to-day 

business life to reflect on what 

they’ve achieved, what they 

want to achieve and the vison 

they have for their business and 

their team. 

As well as validating what 

he was already doing, CELF 

gave Brett a space to check in 

on Power Farming’s business 

model and success, alongside 

a group of people from a 

diverse range of businesses and 

organisations. 

“It really invigorated you 

to go back and use a lot of the 

things you've learned on your 

business. That’s one of the 

things that I found really cool 

about CELF is that 99% of the 

content was really relevant. 

You almost had steam pouring 

out of your ears after most sessions 

because it really ignited 

that spark to try new things and 

to be able to implement things 

throughout the business.” 

Every CELF business alumni 

is matched to a not-for-profit 

leader who they sponsor thought 

the programme and walk alongside 

them in the same year-long 

leadership journey. 

“Tanya and the team put two 

or three applications in front of 

you. There's no real tie up apart 

from the acknowledgement 

from that person that this business 

is the one that's actually 

funding you through.” 

In Brett’s case, the match 

with Thomas McNabb from The 

Waterboy couldn’t been a better 

fit. 

The Waterboy’s goal is to 

make sport and personal development 

activities an achievable 

option for every kid. 

A rugby fan and junior coach, 

Brett knew this was a charity he 

could easily get behind. To top 

it all off they both attended St 

Pauls’ Collegiate, albeit Thomas 

was there several years after 

Brett. 

“Thomas is the nicest guy 

you'll ever meet. I totally get the 

charity that he runs and think 

it's fantastic,” he says. 

The pair developed a good 

friendship over the year on 

CELF and Brett still considers 

Thomas a good mate. 

“Just seeing his passion for 

what he does and the kind of 

person he is, it's really neat that 

we can we can help support his 

cause as well.” 

Brett and Power Faming 

also got behind another of 

Thomas’ initiatives, the Taka 

Wairua Tupu Program, a personal 

development for rangatahi 

youth aged 16- and 17-year-olds 

at schools in the Piako area. 

“To actually hands-on see 

what that programme does for 

some kids that could be heading 

down the wrong paths and to see 

them graduate is awesome.” 

Witnessing the transformation 

of a young woman they 

sponsored on the programme 

made such an impact that she 

was recently offered fulltime 

work at Power Farming. 

“She's doing really well, 

is proactive and one of our 

up-and-comers which is pretty 

cool, right? She really excelled 

despite a tough home life sometimes 

and now to be able to offer 

her the opportunity. I'd love 

to continue that story on and 

see where that goes. But that's 

exactly why we do it.”

Chamber welcomes 

new board member 

The Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

welcomes a new board member Caroline 

Batley, while Peter Nation and Emily 

Zhang have been re-elected. 

They join current board 

members Senga Allen, 

Jason Cargo, TJ Asiata, 

Tracey Clark, Andrew Boyd and 

Quinton De Bruin who weren’t 

up for re-election this year. 

The chamber board had 

three positions available. Peter 

Nation, Phil Monahan and Emily 

Zhang being at the end of their 

three-year term were standing 

again for re-election and were 

automatically nominated. 

In addition to Peter, Phil, and 

Emily’s nominations, there were 

four other nominations: Caroline 

Batley, Grant Coombes, Janey 

Haringa and Tim Pearson. 

Caroline Batley has worked 

as a solicitor at Bell Gully and 

is currently a banker for ANZ. 

She has governance experience 

through Otago University academic 

boards, as a sheep and 

beef farm trustee, president of 

Auckland Young Professionals, 

and committee member for Seddon 

Cricket Club and Waikato 

Women's Fund. 

Peter Nation has been on the 

chamber board for three years, 

Ebbett Volkswagen 

support mental 

wellness 

Ebbett Volkswagen’s 

WE LOVE VW 

initiative has been 

supporting NZ Thoroughbred 

Breeders Association so that 

they can help with mental 

wellness initiatives for their 

staff, friends and colleagues 

within the industry. The 

Ebbett Volkswagen team 

supported the NZ Thoroughbred 

Breeders Association 

by donating their WE LOVE 

VW campervan as an auction 

item at the NZTNA National 

Breeding Awards in July. The 

and is currently CEO at NZ 

National Fieldays Society Inc. 

Emily Zhang has 12 years’ 

banking experience, is a founder 

of several businesses and has 

also been on the chamber board 

for three years. 

The chamber extends its 

appreciation to Phil Monahan 

for his three years of service 

on the board, and all those that 

stood this year. 

Chamber chief executive Don 

Good says he was encouraged 

by the high standard of business 

people who had put their names 

forward for election. 

“The competition for places 

donation of the VW Campervan 

was greatly appreciated, 

and it was part of a 

“Wicked Weekend Wairarapa 

auction” which raised $2,800 

for mental wellness support 

within the Thoroughbred 

Breeders Association. 

The NZ Thoroughbred 

Breeders Association will 

be able to continue to support 

the mental wellness of 

the people in their industry. 

Both Ebbett Volkswagen 

and the association believe 

this is important after the 


and the quality of the candidates 

this year is validation of 

the strong position the chamber 

is in. 

“Despite the disruptions by 

Covid, the chamber has managed 

to successfully hold a twice-delayed 

Waikato Business Awards, 

the first standalone Hall of Fame 

and dozens of other events for 

members. 

“The chamber is in good 

heart, with good people, strong 

finances and a large body of work 

ahead to support out members 

and improve their prosperity. 

And to top it off we have a board 

comprised of highly competent 

people who each bring their own 

unique skillset to the table and, 

collectively, they will help the 

chamber to build on our success 

in the coming year.” 

challenging last few years 

for the racing industry and 

their wider community. For 

the people who work in the 

thoroughbred industry it is 

a lifestyle, not just a job. It is 

great knowing that together 

we can help take a proactive 

approach to create a thriving 

workplace by starting conversations 

around mental health 

and wellbeing. 

Find out about all the 

great community initiatives 

the Ebbett Volkswagen 

team do. 

www.welovevw.nz 

CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE 

OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON 

Banks – We Need Them, 

More Than They Need Us ? 

The most common topic of discussion 

in relation to commercial and 

industrial real estate over the last 

month or so, has been around finance 

and borrowing – or increasing difficulty 

with this. To be clear, what follows might 

seem an unfair assessment of the banking 

industry, that is full of good people, but 

seemly constrained by the banks increasingly 

restrictive internal credit policies. 

We are having discussions every day, so 

it’s fair to say that where there is smoke, 

there is likely to be fire. Consistently we are 

being told by the banks that they have the 

ability to lend money, but what is the saying 

? - actions always speak louder than words. 

Their appetite certainly seems to have 

diminished over the last nine months or so. 

Finance and the ability to borrow is a 

critical element for development, whether 

it be residential, commercial, industrial 

or infrastructure, to enable us to develop 

and continue to grow as a city, and also as 

a country. Without capital it’s also incredibly 

difficult to invest in, upgrade and modernise 

assets. 

Invariably banks are now requiring 

much greater security and assessment of 

cashflow serviceability in order to lend. 

Tightening lending restrictions, along with 

rising interest rates is already causing some 

pain, which appears only likely to increase 

in the short term. 

Even as land and construction costs 

have increased through 2020 and 2021, the 

ability to borrow at viable interest rates, 

still paved the way for development continue. 

Second mortgages are now being 

put under the spotlight, along with second 

tier non-bank lenders either charging near 

uneconomic interest rates, wanting repayment 

or charging penalties. 

“It is well enough that 

people of the nation do not 

understand our banking 

and monetary system, for 

if they did, I believe there 

would be a revolution before 

morning” – Henry Ford 

While it seems highly unlikely that we 

are going to see an avalanche of mortgagee 

sales, we are already seeing signs of vendors 

being “instructed” that they need to 

get their house in order. Put simply, they 

will need to sell assets, often their best 

assets, as these are likely to realise the best 

prices. 

The Reserve Bank’s CFR (Core Funding 

Ratio) was cut in April 2020 from 75% 

to 50% in order to support banks lending 

during the economic uncertainty caused 

by Covid. On 1 January 2022 this limit 

was returned to 75% - the issue is that the 

tap, often due to Reserve Banks decisions, 

seems to either be turned on fully or turned 

off completely, rarely having times where 

there is a nice steady flow of finance causing 

neither a flood nor a drought. 

Talking to a particular developer last 

week, banks are not looking to lend on 

many development projects and second 

tier lending at 12% plus, make many projects 

unviable. They have resorted to sourcing 

private funders at around 8% - not 

ideal, but they can make projects work at 

this level. Once a project is completed, first 

tier bank lenders come back into play. 

To be clear, many of the parties with 

these issues are not new to the market 

or fly by nighters. Hamilton remains 

extremely fortunate to have an extensive 

pipeline of development at various stages 

of actual construction and well underway, 

as often its ‘proposed’ developments that 

are delayed or put on hold. 

They may say they are lending, but to 

many it obviously doesn’t feel like it – 

for our financial institutions to consistently 

back their development horses for 

the entire race – particularly the stayers 

with proven or reliable track records. Different 

if it’s a horse on its first outing, 

with no pedigree or previous race experience. 

Every horse will have a bad outing or 

two, but the most successful trainers and 

owners know a good thing when they 

see it. 

The challenges we have are 

unlikely to be long lasting and financial 

institutions will want to retain 

these clients as the market returns 

– Hamilton and the Waikato have 

strong fundamentals for the future, 

so the risk seems minimal. We 

are increasingly a desirable place 

to live and to conduct business, 

we have strong geographic benefits 

within the golden triangle and 

the likelihood of a major disaster is 

negligible. 

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

10 

Bartercard NZ turns 30! 

This month Bartercard NZ turns 30. Founded in 1991 on the Australian Gold 

Coast, Bartercard is the world's largest trade exchange and New Zealand’s 

leading business trading currency, attracting new customers and increasing 

sales. The concept allows businesses to exchange goods and services without 

using cash; instead, they use trade dollars. Bartercard started in New Zealand in 

1992 and has over 10,000 cardholders, with 50 staff across 12 regional offices. 

bRewards was introduced in late 2019 as a way for members to refer new 

businesses to the Bartercard ecosystem and earn valuable bPoints, which can 

be exchanged for everyday spend gift cards, including grocery and petrol 

vouchers. Since its launch, some members have been rewarded hundreds of 

dollars worth of gift cards. 

Supporting NZ businesses to grow 

Over the years, Bartercard has helped many businesses grow and realise their 

potential by filling some of their spare capacity with new customers and 

through access to its interest free business lending. 

Bartercard’s Interest Free Line of Credit allows many members to cover the 

essential start-up costs of their business or invest in revenue-generating 

expenses such as marketing and advertising, interior fitouts, equipment, 

larger premises, and extra storage space sourced through Bartercard’s 

cashless ecosystem. It’s offered as a cash-alternative currency that comes 

without the interest rates of a business bank loan. 

Some members use their trade dollars to invest in properties, allowing for 

spare capital to be invested into bricks and mortar. Bartercard is an excellent 

opportunity to fill empty seats and idle capacity for accommodation 

providers, restaurants, bars and cafes. 

Over the years, Bartercard has built strong strategic alliances with many 

sporting teams, charities, and business groups to help save cash and sell 

unused assets, including Heart Kids NZ, Sky Sport Breakers, Chiefs rugby 

and the Blue Light charity. These organisations use Bartercard to sell 

unsold advertising space, sponsorship packages and tickets. With the trade 

dollars they’ve generated, they’re saving cash by offsetting some of their 

expenses using Bartercard for costs associated with functions, raffle prizes, 

merchandise and the equipment needed to run successfully. 

Mixing business and pleasure 

Bartercard’s online Marketplace has millions of dollars worth of products 

and services available to allow members to offset cash expenses by 

acquiring them through the trade exchange, conserving cash flow. Many 

members also use their trade dollars for lifestyle purchases, such as dining 

out, accommodation and hobby activities. 

Ongoing success 

While the business has diversified over the years, the very essence of 

Bartercard remains for its members; growing their sales and attracting 

new customers when they want them. 

Bartercard NZ Chief Operating Officer Paul Hebbink has been with 

the business since its early inception and was recently presented with 

an Outstanding Service and Dedication Award at the team’s national 

conference. “It was an honour to receive this award and a complete 

surprise. I am extremely proud of what the business has achieved over the 

years. Bartercard allows our members to continue trading through these 

challenging times and conserve that all-important cash. We have 

some big growth plans, and I’m excited about our future.” 

As part of the 30th birthday celebrations and to thank its members, Bartercard is 

giving away 30 gift hampers made up of 30 products available through its online 

Marketplace. Any member who transacts 30 or more sales and purchases or 

transacts more than T$3000 in trade volume (trade dollars) goes into the draw to 

win one of these 30 exclusive hampers. 

Winners will be announced in early December.

Business awards celebrate success, 

resilience and positivity 

A veritable who’s who of Waikato celebrated 

the winners of the annual Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce Business Awards, supported by 

Foster Construction Group, tonight at a glittering 

gala dinner at a sold out Claudelands Arena. 

Profile Group was the 

crowned the overall 

champion, taking out the 

Foster Construction Group 2022 

Supreme Award, along with the 

Business Growth and Service 

Excellence awards. 

Chamber chief executive Don 

Good says Profile Group represents 

a family of powerhouse 

businesses that form New Zealand’s 

only integrated supply 

chain for aluminium window 

and door solutions. 

“Profile Group is on a journey 

to redesign how they do 

business, how they manufacture 

even more efficiently, how they 

reimagine and repurpose waste 

streams, regenerate the natural 

world around us and enable 

their people to realise their full 

potential across all facets of the 

businesses. 

“Their success is driven by 

an excellence of service ethos. 

Their structures, processes, 

Elevate makes creative careers more accessible 

Council building, 

museum closed immediately 

Waipā District 

Council has evacuated 

the Te 

Awamutu Museum and 

an adjacent staff building 

following a seismic assessment. 

Chief executive Garry 

Dyet made the evacuation call 

recently, following a report 

which shows the building is 

at 20 per cent of the National 

Building Standard, with a 

Grade D building rating. In 

the event of an earthquake, 

Grade D buildings represent 

a risk to occupants between 

10-25 times that expected for a 

and more importantly – people 

– set the standard for service 

excellence both nationally and 

internationally.” 

Judges said Profile Group are 

world class role models around 

future vision, long-term strategy, 

innovation and product design, 

operational execution, ongoing 

commitment and an ethos 

of genuine care for the people, 

community, Aotearoa and the 

environment. 

MilktechNZ’s Gustavo 

Garza was named CEO of the 

Year. MilktechNZ is a leader in 

designing electronic milking cup 

removers with future-proof technology 

and accessories for herringbone 

and rotary cow sheds. 

MilktechNZ also took out the 

Innovation Award. 

Judges said Gustavo’s entrepreneurial 

spirit, his energy and 

passion for the business that 

he has created, and the way he 

spoke of the team who have 

new building. 

Dyet said the seismic risk 

issues were discovered when 

council was looking at doing 

some work to replace the roof 

and windows. 

“The issue was identified 

then and on the basis of health 

and safety, I made the call to 

evacuate the building; I was 

simply not prepared to put any 

staff member or any member 

of the public at risk.” 

Around 78 staff across the 

council’s service delivery and 

community services team work 

in the building, but not all at 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 

joined him on his journey, was 

inspiring. Gustavo sets aspirational 

goals for his business and 

sets high standards for himself 

and his team, including around 

values and behaviours. He shows 

a warmth and care toward his 

team that is genuine, and a satisfaction 

in progressing and 

enabling others that is humbling. 

Aware Group’s Jo Mickleson 

was named Emerging Leader of 

the Year. Aware Group is a globally 

recognised leader in emerging 

technologies. It provides a 

range of innovative solutions and 

services that focus on artificial 

intelligence, big data and Internet 

of Things. 

Judges said Jo’s focus on 

keeping people at the core of 

all decisions and actions is one 

of the primary leadership traits 

that her team greatly respect. 

Jo has gone above and beyond 

in building the capabilities of 

the senior leadership team with 

steady improvements being 

implemented that have developed 

empathy, business acumen 

and broader leadership skillset in 

the team. 

Good says the quality of the 

four Emerging Leader finalists 

was exceptionally high with Jo 

A 

fresh, 

learn-your-way 

version of Creative 

Waikato’s Elevate 

Programme is open for applications 

now - boasting the same 

game-changing content, in an 

even more accessible format. 

The big difference being 

Waikato artists can now access 

the free, Elevate Creative 

Careers programme on their 

own time, online and without 

the need to travel. 

The previous version's barrier 

of needing to allocate a full 

day’s mahi to attending live 

weekly workshops - has been 

replaced with a suite of pre-recorded 

workshops that participants 

can work through in their 

the same time. 

“Our staff are used to being 

very agile – Covid made sure of 

that,” Dyet said. “We will be 

able to house staff elsewhere 

and some will work from 

home for a short time while 

we work this through. Except 

for museum staff, I don’t 

think it will cause too much 

disruption.” 

Dyet said the museum 

would be closed until further 

notice. 

“Right now, our priority 

is working alongside mana 

whenua, the Office of Kingi 

Mickelson competing against 

managing director / founder of 

(AGP) Architectural Glass Products 

David Bunting, Young New 

Zealander of the Year and Nau 

Mai Rā founder Ezra Hirawani, 

and Chiefs Rugby general manager 

commercial Kate Rawnsley. 

Good says it was great to be 

back to the full complement of 

600 people at Claudelands. 

“The calibre of entries this 

year shows the resilience and 

Tuheitia and the Te Awamutu 

Museum Trust Board to ensure 

all the taonga in the museum 

are taken care of. Along 

with staff, that is my absolute 

priority and we will work 

through this carefully and 

meticulously.” 

“It is inconvenient and disappointing. 

But our focus now 

is working through the next 

steps to see what kind of remedial 

work is required.” 

Council’s main building 

across the road in Roche St in 

Te Awamutu is not impacted 

and is open as usual 

positivity of Waikato businesses 

as they emerge from the impacts 

of Covid. 

“It was wonderful to have 

finalists and winners from all 

over the Waikato. And while 

international headwinds remain 

strong, the Waikato is in a good 

place with strong foundations. 

“The region is booming. You 

can see wherever you go that 

the Waikato is establishing itself 

as New Zealand’s economic 

powerhouse behind Auckland. 

Benefiting from its proximity 

to Auckland, its strong farming 

A full list of the award winners are as follows: 

foundation, its booming tech 

industry, strong construction 

sector, superb educational entities, 

its highly efficient and well 

located logistics industry and the 

major work being undertaken 

• Business Growth Award (sponsored by Deloitte): Profile Group – AGP 

• CEO of the Year Award (sponsored by University of Waikato): Gustavo Garza – MilktechNZ 

• Community Contribution–Commercial (sponsored by SkyPoint Technologies): Discover Waitomo 

• Community Contribution – Non-Commercial (sponsored by Montana Food and Events): 

Waikato Hauraki Coromandel Rural Support Trust 

• Emerging Leader of the Year Award (sponsored by Mitre10 Mega): Jo Mickleson – Aware Group 

• For Purpose Award (sponsored by Trust Waikato): HMS Trust 

• Innovation Award (sponsored by Company-X): MilktechNZ 

• Marketing Award (sponsored by Chow:Hill Architects): Shift72 

• Micro Business (sponsored by Sleepyhead): The Chopping Block Limited 

• People & Culture (sponsored by Hamilton Airport): EAS 

• Service Excellence (sponsored by Tompkins Wake): Profile Group 

• Sustainability (sponsored by Wintec Te Pūkenga): MyNoke 

• Supreme winner (sponsored by Foster Construction Group): Profile Group 

Applications for the 2023 Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards will open in April 

Full covergae of this fabulous event will be featured in our next edition of Waitkato Business 

News including stories from the winners, sponsers and guests! 

own time, around their own 

unique schedules. 

Work full-time? Live 

rurally? Recently graduated? If 

a creative career has been just 

out of reach for whatever reason 

- time, money, space, stress, 

covid - Elevate has the material, 

resources and support to help 

finally make it happen. Completely 

free with no hidden fees. 

All the artist needs is 

self-motivation, wi-fi, to currently 

reside in Waikato, and 

their eyes set on achieving a 

sustainable, financially viable 

creative career. 

“It has been awesome to see 

how the ELEVATE programme 

has continued to develop,” 

Creative Waikato CEO Dr Jeremy 

Mayall says. 

“Our team has put together 

a range of useful resources, processes, 

information and support 

that have been put into 

action with Waikato creatives to 

help take local creative careers 

to the next level.” 

Aside from the workshops, 

participants can expect a professional 

development plan, 

monthly online hui, and support 

from industry experts at 

Creative Waikato. 

“This next iteration of the 

programme is all about accessibility,” 

Mayall says. 

“It has been designed to 

provide additional flexibility, 

where you can set your timeframes, 

work to your schedule, 

still get all the information and 

resources, and become part of a 

supportive community of creative 

professionals as well. We 

are excited to see where Elevate 

creatives will take their work 

next!” 

All criteria, FAQ’s and 

sign-up forms are on the Creative 

Waikato website or at elevatecreative.co.nz. 

Anyone on the fence is 

encouraged to apply anyway 

and the process should make it 

clear. Participants can exit the 

programme any time. Follow 

@creativewaikato for future 

updates and announcements.

S E P T E M B E R / O C TO B E R 2 0 2 VOLUME 30 

WAIK ATO REGION’S 

The Waikato region’s voice of local business 

R E A D O N L I N E AT 

http://www.wbn.co.nz 

/WaikatoBusinessNews 


MYOB announces the New Zealand winners 

of its 2022 Partner Awards 

Business management platform 

MYOB has unveiled the winners of its 

anticipated Partner Awards for 2022, 

celebrating those who have supported 

businesses of all sizes to thrive and 

succeed, together. 

The New Zealand winners 

of the MYOB Partner 

Awards 2022 for 

Accounting Practice of the Year 

are Waikato-based firm Singh & 

Associates Ltd. 

For the second year running, 

Accounting Practice of the Year 

New Zealand was awarded to 

Singh & Associates Ltd, who 

judges say embodied this year’s 

theme of ‘thrive and shine’ and 

are investing in their growing 

team. 

The practice is actively 

involved in the community and 

participates in the ‘Mana in 

Mahi’ programme supported 

by the Ministry of Social Development, 

focused on providing 

long-term employment for people 

starting a new career. 

This year marks the 14th year 

of the awards, recognising the 

accountants, bookkeepers and 

consultants who go above and 

beyond to ensure local small and 

medium businesses succeed. 

The awards run across Australia 

and New Zealand and 

span five categories; Accounting 

Practice of the Year, Bookkeeping 

Practice of the Year, Certified 

Consultant of the Year, as well 

as the debut awards Educator 

of the Year and Education Partner 

of the Year with the two new 

awards recognising the educators 

and institutions that are 

inspiring the next generation of 

professionals. 

The Partner Awards were 

judged by a panel of MYOB 

executives, including chief sales 

and support officer – Daniel 

West, who says the awards are 

an opportunity to reflect on the 

important role accountants and 

bookkeepers play in supporting 

businesses to achieve their 

ambitions. 

“We’re emerging from two 

incredibly challenging years and 

our partners have been there 

every step of the way, creating 

a path of opportunity for the 

businesses they serve. Partners 

are a vital asset in our business 

community and our awards 

platform is designed to help celebrate 

and recognise all their 

efforts – putting leaders among 

our partner community in the 

spotlight,” West says. 

“This year was all about celebrating 

those who have helped 

their customers to thrive and 

shine together, and our winners 

have really embodied that notion 

across the last 12 months.” 

Bank customers manage home loans and credit 

cards well in challenging times 

At a time of rising 

costs, consumers are 

continuing to manage 

their credit cards and home 

loans well according to data 

insights released by the New 

Zealand Bankers’ Association 

today. 

“In these challenging times 

it’s great to see people using 

banking products and services to 

help stay ahead financially,” says 

New Zealand Bankers’ Association 

chief executive Roger 

Beaumont. 

“Nearly 46 per cent of people 

with a home loan are ahead 

on their repayments, which is 

up 1.8 per cent compared to the 

previous six months. People 

behind on their loan repayments 

dropped from two per cent of 

all home loans to 1.05 per cent, 

which is a very positive trend in 

the current environment. 

“This means many people 

with home loans continue to be 

well placed as interest rates rise 

from historic lows. As interest 

rates declined over recent years, 

these borrowers likely retained 

their repayments at the same 

level, or increased them, to help 

repay their loans faster, which 

shows a good level of financial 

capability.” 

The information relates to 

the six months from January 

to June 2022 and was collected 

and aggregated from NZBA’s 10 

main retail member banks. 

In this period customers 

took out 44,681 new home loans, 

of which 58.2 per cent were 

issued to first home buyers. The 

average value of all home loans 

was $304,655, and the average 

of value of home loans for first 

home buyers was $505,741. 

“People are also managing 

their credit cards well, with 66.6 

per cent of card balances paid 

off in full without incurring any 

interest costs. We’re delighted to 

see people showing they know 

how these products work and 

getting the most out of them. 

“While consumers are being 

smart with home loans and 

credit cards, it’s also fair to say 

that banks are continuing to lend 

responsibly. That’s particularly 

important as we face some economic 

headwinds. 

“Anyone experiencing financial 

difficulty should contact 

their bank as soon as possible. 

The sooner you talk to your 

bank, the more likely they’ll be 

able to help. 

ISSUE 9 

9 in 10 workplace 

decision makers read 

Print media 

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All for One, and One for all? 

A core principle of trade mark law is that a 

trade mark – a business’s ‘badge of origin’ – 

should be distinctive. 

Distinctive’, in law, 

means that the trade 

mark should not be 

descriptive of a business’s 

goods or services and should 

be capable of distinguishing 

a business’s goods or services 

from those of other businesses. 

In plain English, a trade 

mark should set your goods 

or services apart from your 

competitors’ – noting that a 

really distinctive trade mark 

should set your goods and 

services apart from every other 

business. 

Often-cited great examples 

of distinctive trade 

marks are APPLE and GOO- 

GLE since neither describes 

the products and services 

the respective companies 

provide and both are highly 

memorable. 

Closer to home, great 

examples, in my view, are 

ZESPRI and XERO – again, 

neither describes the products 

and services the respective 

companies provide and 

both are highly memorable. 

SPARK, in my view, is 

another great trade mark. 

It is evocative, memorable, 

and cleverly alludes to information 

and communication 

technology without being 

descriptive. It has the inherent 

ability to set the telco’s 

goods and services apart 

from its competitors at the 

very least. 

Readers may remember 

that ZESPRI was the name 

chosen to replace “New Zealand 

Kiwifruit Marketing 

Board”, while SPARK was 

the name chosen to replace 

“Telecom New Zealand”. 

Readers may also remember 

that when first revealed, the 

ZESPRI and SPARK names 

were not universally well 

received. I don’t think too 

many would dispute now, 

however, that they have 

become very strong and well 

recognised brand names. 

if you’re going 

to change your 

name as part of 

a re-branding 

exercise (because 

of course you 

can change your 

brand identity 

without changing 

your name), 

then you must 

make sure your 

new name is 

distinctive and, to 

the best of your 

knowledge 

Which brings me to 

Vodafone. On 28 September 

2022, Vodafone New 

Zealand announced it will 

be re-branding in 2023 to 

ONE NEW ZEALAND. The 

rebrand follows infrastructure 

firm Infratil and Brookfield 

Asset Management’s 

acquisition of Vodafone NZ 

in 2019 for NZ$3.4 billion 

($1.9bn). *1 

To say that the decision 

to change to ONE NEW ZEA- 

LAND has been met with 

mixed reviews would be a 

huge understatement. On 

the one hand, you have those 

who think the change is “a 

good change”; on the other, 

you have those who consider 

ONE NEW ZEALAND to be “a 

missed opportunity to name 

the company something 

bolder, brighter and more 

distinctive”; and in the middle, 

you have those who say “I 

don’t hate it. [But] I don’t get 

excited by it…”. *2 

Also thrown into the 

mix is that the ONE NEW 

ZEALAND name is already 

being used by what has been 

labelled ‘a far right organisation’ 

*3 called One New 

Zealand Foundation (ONZF). 

According to a Twitter post 

from Ben Moore (Technology 

Editor, BusinessDesk NZ), 

reported in a recent article on 

Stuff *3, Jason Paris, Vodafone’s 

CEO, was not aware 

the ONE NEW ZEALAND 

name “had a negative history” 

before the re-brand 

was announced. This begs 

the question, why wasn’t he 

aware? What searching for 

identical or similar trade 

marks was undertaken during 

the name selection process? 

This case highlights that if 

you’re going to change your 

name as part of a re-branding 

exercise (because of course 

you can change your brand 

identity without changing 

your name), then you must 

make sure your new name is 

distinctive and, to the best of 

your knowledge, no one else 

is using an identical or similar 

name – even in relation 

to unrelated goods or services. 

In relation to the latter, 

a search of the Internet and 

relevant trade mark registers 

is vital. 

It is also desirable, of 

course, that your target audience 

likes the name you are 

proposing to use – perhaps 

even love it. 

So…all for One, and One 

for all? Maybe not at the 

moment, but you can be sure 

that like Zespri and Spark 

before it, Vodafone/One New 

Zealand will commit significant 

resources to making 

ONE NEW ZEALAND not 

just its trade mark but a powerhouse 

of a brand. 

*1: www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/vodafone-new-zealand-at-oneahead-of-2023-rebrand/ 

*2: campaignbrief. 

co.nz/2022/10/11/buildinga-new-brand-for-new-zealand-vodafone-nz-rebrandsto-one-nz/ 

*3: www.stuff.co.nz/ 

business/130021267/ 

far-right-group-one-newzealand-foundation-happy-to-share-name-with-rebranded-vodafone 

INTELLECTUAL 

PROPERTY ISSUES 

BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate 

at James & Wells and a 

Resolution Institute-accredited 

mediator. He can be contacted 

at 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), 

07 928 4470 (Tauranga) and 

IP protection, simplified. 

We’ve been championing innovation since 1979. 

A safe pair of hands delivering outstanding results. 

jamesandwells.com

Five-page plan or 

back of an envelope? 

Are you going with your gut when planning 

your marketing activity or following a 

detailed plan? 

A 

few years ago, when 

we only talked about 

‘HR’ people and ‘People 

and Culture’ was a fledgling 

concept, the fabulous Anne 

Aitken spent the day with my 

old team. Through a range of 

hugely entertaining exercises, 

we soon understood more 

about what made each of us 

tick. 

One particular task that 

stuck with me was designed 

to help us understand our attitudes 

to planning ahead, using 

the analogy of how organised 

we are for our holidays. We 

gathered in the courtyard and, 

through a series of questions 

and discussion, put ourselves 

in order. 

At the front of the queue 

was the person who needed to 

have carefully researched lists, 

calendars and itineraries. She 

wasn’t going to go anywhere 

without detailed scenarios and 

back-up options, all carefully 

documented. 

At the back was the person 

who would book last minute, 

throw a few things in a bag and 

see where life took him. 

Back then, I was closer to 

the front than the back. OK, I’ll 

be honest, I was second from 

the front. With number one, I 

looked at the tail of the queue 

with a mixture of horror and 

admiration. 

Nowadays, I’d definitely be 

further down the line. But why? 

Is it that I know I can benefit 

from what I’ve learned from 

experience? Or that I have a 

bit more confidence to be able 

to deal with whatever might 

knock my plan off course? Or 

that I care less about the worry 

of facing challenges – so long 

as we’re all safe and well, let’s 

just go with the flow. If I have 

the funds to get out of most 

situations, surely, so it’s all 

hunky-dory. 

Recently, I’ve been comparing 

this analogy to that of 

marketing planning, and how 

attitudes and expectations vary 

across my range of people I’ve 

been working with. 

For some, the fear of getting 

tripped up is driven by 

the need for high levels of 

accountability. Responsibility 

to shareholders or funders, 

mixed with reputational risk, 

sees many organisations have 

planning processes that sink 

into infinite levels of detail. 

This is all well and good, but 

some fail to acknowledge the 

need for flexibility because, as 

the Covid years have taught us, 

sometimes things just change. 

Being able to write a robust 

comms and marketing plan 

is a valuable skill. Understanding 

and documenting 

all the parameters, making 

TELLING YOUR 

STORY 

BY VICKI JONES 

Vicki Jones is director of 

Dugmore Jones, Hamilton-based 

brand management consultancy. 

vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz 

recommendations to achieve 

goals, setting budgets and timings 

for tactical activities – all 

that’s essential to the smooth 

running of any marcomms 

activity. 

A detailed plan 

feels like it will 

give you the 

reassurance of 

having looked at 

the options from 

every angle 

But sometimes I look at 

monster-sized plans and baulk 

at the thought of the work that 

would be needed to change the 

plan if any aspect needed to 

change, or if one idea didn’t 

quite work as expected. 

If you run a small business, 


you probably have personal 

pressure and responsibility 

for making sure your marketing 

money is spent effectively, 

so a detailed plan feels like it 

will give you the reassurance 

of having looked at the options 

from every angle. 

Planning ahead as far as 

you can gives you comfort that 

your marketing will maintain 

your presence in the minds 

of your potential customers, 

but maybe don’t carve it into 

a block of wood unless you’re 

prepared to do some sanding. 

Having the knowledge 

and confidence to react to 

new opportunities or walk 

away from ones whose appeal 

has waned are vital components 

of successful marketing 

and communications. A 

simple over-arching plan for 

your business, with top-level 

goals and strategies, is best 

supported by a series of tactical 

plans, with plans for more 

focused initiatives that can be 

more bendy in their reaction to 

the prevailing winds. 

Our holiday-planning 

example might see you booking 

six weeks in America and, 

with a few weeks to go before 

you get on the plane, firming 

up details of a couple of places 

you want to be on certain days. 

What happens in between? 

Well, those gaps get filled in 

closer to the time. 

Social media marketing 

allows us to be like our colleague 

at the end of the line, 

and act immediately. But even 

our spontaneous traveller 

needed passport, visa, access 

to cash, just as on over-arching 

top level plan should be your 

organisation’s essential marketing 

guidebook. 

Travel well. 

Government completes 

immigration 

re-balancing act… 

The recent re-opening of the Skilled Migrant and Parent 

residence categories largely constitutes the completion 

of the Government’s plans to “re-balance” New Zealand’s 

immigration policies, and it is certainly helpful to have 

had the uncertainty surrounding these categories 

finally addressed. 

The Skilled Migrant category (SMC) 

has been the main job-based residence 

category through which, historically, 

more than 50% of all migrants gained 

New Zealand residence. The SMC has been 

suspended from when New Zealand closed its 

borders in April 2020 and there was no resident 

visa pathway for migrants until the 2021 

Resident Visa began in December 2021 – and 

this visa only catered for migrants already 

in New Zealand and holding certain types of 

work visas. The Green List straight-to-residence 

visa, which began in July, also only 

caters for some 90 roles and migrants must 

additionally meet very particular eligibility 

criteria. At least many nurses can now apply 

directly for SMC residence and do not have to 

go down the Green List 2 year work to residence 

route! 

The resumption of the SMC was long overdue 

because it is an absolutely critical piece 

of the immigration puzzle. Many of the skills 

that New Zealand desperately needs would 

bypass us for other countries as no-one is 

going to relocate across the world with their 

family if they do not have the security that 

they can stay long term. They also need New 

Zealand residence to buy a house! The SMC 

will resume with the first Expression of Interest 

selection draw on 14 November. The Government 

has also released a consultation 

paper promoting a significant simplification 

of the SMC points regime from around mid- 

2023. 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

07 834 9222 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

pathwaysnz.com 

The Parent residence category, which 

enables parents to join their children in New 

Zealand, has been closed since 2016. While 

firstly, the Labour opposition, and then the 

Labour Government, ran election campaigns 

promising to re-open the category this has 

been a very long time coming. Some 2,000 

parents who have Expressions of Interest 

already submitted, and who meet the revised 

eligibility criteria, will be able to be approved 

for residence in each year. At this rate it is 

expected that it will take 3-4 years to clear 

the present queue. In addition, new Expressions 

of Interest, submitted after 12 October, 

will now go into a ballot draw from which 500 

parents a year will be able to gain residence. 

Children must sponsor their parents for 10 

years and need to evidence taxable income 

of at least 1.5 times the New Zealand medium 

wage – the level of actual income required 

also depends on the number of parents being 

sponsored and the number of sponsors. 

Because every family’s circumstances are 

very different there will never be a parent policy 

which is “fair and equitable” to everyone, 

as it is simply not possible to quantify all of 

the humanitarian considerations involved, 

and weigh these alongside a family’s financial 

standing. 

The Government originally announced a 

“re-set” of New Zealand’s immigration policies, 

and then later amended this to a “re-balancing”. 

However, for many of us working in 

the immigration industry it just feels like we 

are back to where we started! 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011


Transport specialists appointed 

Specialists are on board to help build 

a business case which will define 

Cambridge’s transport infrastructure 

for the next 30 years. 

Waipā District 

Council has 

appointed Invise 

as lead consultants for the 

Cambridge Connections 

project. Council has allocated 

$300,000 for the project 

and work has gathered pace 

Artist's impression 


since the adoption of the 

Waipā Transport Strategy in 

May this year. That strategy 

formally confirmed the 

need for a third bridge in 

Cambridge. 

Invise, an infrastructure 

advisory company, has 

already led the Cambridge 

Connections Stakeholder 

Group in its first workshop. 

The group includes elected 

councillors and Cambridge 

Community Board members 

plus iwi representatives. It 

also includes those with a 

direct impact on the transport 

system including Waka 

Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, 

the heavy freight industry, 

passenger transport planning 

experts and others. 

bayleys.co.nz/commercial 


Retail opportunities at Union Square 

Cnr Anglesea and Hood Streets, 

Hamilton Central 

• Retail offerings starting from 50sqm up 

(approx) with occupancy beginning 2023 

• Beautifully designed and strategically located in 

Hamilton's CBD 

• Union Square envisions a complimentary mix of 

retail, cafes, and restaurants plus a wellness 

centre 

Join the neighbourhood with over 2,500 people 

working above 

bayleys.co.nz/2312891 

Expressions of Interest (unless sold prior) 

96 Ulster Street, Hamilton 

Rebecca Bruce 021 063 5165 

rebecca.bruce@bayleys.co.nz 

Chris Beasleigh 021 597 856 

chris.beasleigh@bayleys.co.nz 

SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED REAA 2008 

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, 

LICENSED REAA 2008 

Group manager service 

delivery Dawn Inglis said 

the first Cambridge Connections 

workshop drove home 

the complexity of the project 

and laid out the requirements 

of a Waka Kotahi NZTA business 

case. That business case 

will be essential to securing 

a 51 per cent government 

subsidy for a third bridge in 

Cambridge. Without it, the 

full cost of the bridge would 

have to come from ratepayers 

across the district, she says. 

“However, this project 

is not just about a bridge. 

It’s about how to build the 

best possible transport network 

for Cambridge, taking 

into account existing 

Master Plumbers 

take a bow 

The Waikato Master 

Plumbers awards’ 

night is the pinnacle 

event each year and attracts 

interest from all over the 

greater Waikato. 

Close to 200 people 

attended, including Hamilton’s 

Mayor Paula Southgate 

and other dignitaries for a 

night of black tie, dinner and 

awards’ celebration. 

Celebrating the best in the 

industry, the awards are one 

of the largest events run by 

Waikato Master Plumbers. 

Alongside the award 

winners, the night also recognised 

apprentices gaining 

their New Zealand registration 

certificates - a very 

important milestone in their 

journey in the industry. 

The major award was won 

by J T Carter Plumbing based 

in Te Aroha and Hamilton 

taking out the Waikato Master 

Plumber of the Year for 

2022. 

This award recognises a 

Master Plumbers’ member 

who clearly demonstrates 

business acumen and drive 

for success. The recipient 

exemplifies the highest levels 

of professionalism and 

service. 

infrastructure, climate change 

and the changing needs of a 

growing population.” 

The Cambridge Connections 

business case will be 

complete by June next year. 

Implications will be considered 

as part of the council’s 

2024-2034 10-year plan. 

This award 

recognises a 

Master Plumbers’ 

member 

who clearly 

demonstrate 

business acumen 

and drive for 

success. 

The top apprentice award 

went to James Roberts from 

Good Buggers Plumbing. 

James graduated with awesome 

results in plumbing and 

gas fitting. He was identified 

as a real team player – helping 

his classmates when they 

were struggling. 

Lance Cuff from Hamilton 

City Council was recognised 

with the Outstanding Services 

to the Industry Award. 

A well-deserved award for 

all the hard work that building 

inspector Lance has put 

into the Waikato Plumbing 

Dawn Inglis 

industry. 

The personal growth and 

development award went to 

Jared Iti. In 2021 he achieved 

a National Waka Ama title 

and qualified to paddle at the 

world champs - showing true 

grit and determination in his 

chosen sport. More recently 

Jared was part of the men’s 

gold winning team. 

The Industry Excellence 

award went to Julena Phillips 

from J T Carter Plumbing. 

One of many things Julena 

has achieved is the development 

of a social media campaign 

through JT Carters 

for customers to nominate a 

deserving family to receive a 

free bathroom make over. JT 

Carters are currently working 

with the family to surprise 

the worthy candidate. 

Procuta Associates 

Urban + Architecture 

CAMBRIDGE POLICE HUB 

Contact us 07 839 6521 

www.pauaarchitects.co.nz

Google’s Latest 

Algorithm Changes and 

What It Means for 2023 

In 2022 Google made several algorithm changes with 

how it ranks websites in search results. Their latest big 

adjustment, called “The Helpful Content Update”, sends a 

clear signal for what will affect rankings in 2023 and beyond. 

Having your website 

rank highly in Google 

can have a significant 

impact on your business. 

However, what is required to 

get a website ranked well is 

constantly adjusting. 

The Helpful Content 

Update 

With the “Helpful Content 

Update” Google’s stated goal 

was to, “ensure people see more 

original, helpful content written 

by people, for people, in search 

results.” 

Sounds fantastic, but what 

did it mean for the average 

sparky or plumber trying to 

grow a profitable business? 

A simple explanation is that 

Google wants to see content on 

your site that answers the questions 

your customers are often 

asking – and to do it in the most 

accurate and informative way 

possible. 

Think of the kind of answers 

you give to people when you're 

on the phone with them or 

standing on their porch giving 

them a quote for work. That’s 

the content Google is keen to 

show in their search results. 

Accordingly, they tweaked 

their algorithm to start rewarding 

businesses who clearly 

demonstrated that they are 

trustworthy experts with 

well-established authority in 

their field. 

What happened as a 

result? 

For many businesses, not 

much at all. 

Google’s 2022 updates 

appear to be taking a long-term 

view. If you were already publishing 

content in which you 

had clear expertise that related 

to search queries, you’re in a 

good space. Your rankings are 

likely to have improved a little. 

But many businesses who 

were trying to rank high in 

Google by paying for backlinks 

through overseas agencies felt 

the hammer come down. This 

is because most paid link-building 

schemes use lots of short 

articles that don’t really say 

much. In other words, they 

aren’t very helpful. And having 

an SEO strategy that doesn’t 

include content on your site is 

not going to work well going 

forward. 

So, Google was cleaning 

house and removing the junk. 

Where did that leave small 

business in New Zealand? 

By people, for people 

Google’s stated goal was to, 

“ensure people see more original, 

helpful content written by 

people, for people, in search 

results.” 

The key here is not to try and 

improve your ranking by tricking 

Googles search bots, but to 

simply write real content about 

real questions for real people. 

When creating content for 

your site, Google suggests you 

ask yourself a few questions: 

1. Do you have an existing 

or intended audience for 

your business or site that would 

find the content useful if it came 

directly from you? 

2. Does your content 

clearly demonstrate first-hand 

expertise and a depth of knowledge 

(for example, expertise 

that comes from having actually 

used a product or service, 

or visiting a place)? 

3. After reading your 

content, will someone leave 

feeling they’ve learned enough 

about a topic to help achieve 

their goal? 

If your team or SEO agency 

is already doing this, you don’t 

need to worry too much. But 

if your SEO strategy doesn’t 

include content, it’s time to 

revisit it. 

Go the extra mile 

How original does it have 

to be? Most blogs out there say 

more or less the same thing 

as their competitors. Every 

plumber has a blog about how 

to choose a plumber, when to 

call an emergency plumber, and 

how to unclog a drain. 

You can do better. 

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 


Our advice would be to write 

articles that stand out from the 

rest: 

• Make sure your content 

adds value to your readers 

– you want them to leave 

satisfied. 

• Add something 

unique to your content that differentiates 

you from your competitors 

and makes your offering 

more compelling – make 

them want to call you. 

• Tell stories of people 

you have helped to clearly 

demonstrates that your products 

or services are awesome 

– so they see you as the expert 

who can help them. 

Understand the intersection 

of their why and your why 

Think about why people are 

searching for the keywords you 

want to target. And then find 

where that intersects with why 

you want people to visit your 

site. 

• Are they doing 

research about a product and 

want to know the pros and 

cons? 

• Do they want to 

know which brand is the most 

affordable, or has the best performance, 

or looks the nicest? 

• Perhaps they are 

simply looking to see who 

offers the best deal on a product 

they have already decided to 

purchase. 

Write content that addresses 

their why and be sure to remember 

your why in the process. It’s 

not just about getting traffic to 

your site; it’s about turning that 

traffic into potential customers. 

So, answer genuine questions 

with your content and plan how 

this content can lead readers to 

become a customer. If you forget 

this step, you could write a 

lot of content that gets a decent 

amount of traffic, but doesn’t 

produce any new customers. 

Crafting a content strategy 

Writing helpful content 

isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For 

many marketing managers and 

business owners, taking time 

to write detailed content will 

draw you away from where you 

are most needed in the business. 

But this doesn’t mean 

you need to give up on having 

strong Google rankings. Just 

make sure that the staff or SEO 

agency assigned to the work has 

an intentional plan for developing 

clear and helpful content on 

your site. 

Rich opportunity 

here in world-class 

Waikato 

Along with investment in 

world-class infrastructure 

that enables the 

Waikato to host a wide variety 

of exciting and economically 

important events, the region 

is seeing the ongoing development 

of experiences and facilities 

geared not only to attract 

visitors but also appeal to 

mighty locals. An integral part 

of strategic planning for future 

growth is ensuring the Waikato’s 

tourism and tourism-related 

sectors continue to thrive 

and therefore provide ongoing 

economic and social benefits 

across our communities. 

As well as ensuring the 

experiences we offer will be the 

sort that our future manuhiri 

(guests) seek, it’s also vital we 

invest and build so we are not 

caught short in the future and 

have the basics in place, such 

as enough beds for our visitors. 

In terms of guestrooms, 

a report prepared for Hamilton 

City Council detailing the 

economic impact of the city’s 

accommodation shortage 

revealed that by just next year 

a further 160 hotel rooms and 

serviced apartments will be 

needed in the city, and a further 

850 rooms by 2033. 

The report notes that more 

than half of Hamilton’s motel 

rooms are currently off the market 

for use for emergency housing 

– and that lack of accommodation 

in the city means 

facilities like Claudelands Conference 

& Exhibition Centre 

lose business. 

While our mighty Waikato 

region has room for growth, 

this must be managed carefully 

so we keep supply ahead 

of demand and avoid any boom 

and bust which would be to the 

detriment of our region and our 

people. 

Although tourism, like 

other sectors, faces headwinds 

such as rising construction 

and labour costs, together with 

labour shortages, forward planning 

and investment is essential 

– and it’s exciting too. 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

works to a strategic destination 

management plan, 

teaming with our councils and 

economic development agency 

Te Waka, plus a range of sector 

organisations and central Government, 

to deliver the best for 

our region, both right now and 

in the future. 

I want to take this opportunity 

to highlight some of the 

many diverse developments 

underway now, some due for 

completion before the Christmas 

break. 

First-off, the investment 

and work being undertaken by 

owner Tainui Group Holdings 

at the ibis Hamilton Tainui 

Hotel is to be resoundingly 

applauded. 

TELLING 

WAIKATO’S STORY 

BY NICOLA GREENWELL 

Interim General Manager, 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

The 126-room ibis was one of 

three managed isolation facilities 

in the city during the Covid-19 

pandemic. 

The three-month $8 million 

redesign and refurbishment 

is due for completion in 

early December. Amongst local 

businesses involved is Designwell, 

a Hamilton-based team 

with expertise in interiors and 

architecture. 

Coming up at Hamilton Zoo 

is a new entry precinct that connects 

with the adjacent Waiwhakareke 

Natural Heritage Park. 

Hamilton City Council owns 

and operates both and says the 

vision in linking the two is to create 

a visitor-friendly conservation 

zone. 

Honouring the Waikato’s 

connection with the land and 

mana whenua was front of mind 

for designers working on the $15 

million refurbishment of the 

terminal building at Hamilton 

Airport. 

Along with earthquake 

strengthening work, improved 

passenger and departure areas 

including dedicated workspaces 

and a new café, the refreshed 

terminal showcases the Waikato 

Māori culture with several art 

installations already in place and 

further to come before the official 

opening early next month. 

Waikato Regional Airport, 

which operates Hamilton Airport, 

called on Māori design 

specialists, Eugene Kara (Ngati 

Koroki Kahukura) and Norm 

Te Hira (Ngati Haua), to advise 

on the cultural aspects of the 

refurbishment. 

Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and 

Bird Park has celebrated its 50th 

birthday with a number of forward-thinking 

developments 

underway. 

Right now, the excitement 

is all about 3,000 giant wētā 

eggs that are about to hatch in a 

breeding programme pioneered 

by the park’s scientists. 

This summer visitors to the 

park will be able to take a backof-house 

tour to learn about the 

ongoing breeding programmes 

being undertaken there, including 

for the rare and endangered 

giant wētā. 

Also in the behind the scenes 

tour will be the chance to see how 

the park trains its birds to assist 

in the monitoring of their health. 

In other developments that 

will eventually see a total rebuild 

of the acclaimed kiwi house and 

bird park over the next few years, 

a new nocturnal house experience 

and visitor facility will be 

built. 

These will be certified as ‘living 

buildings’ by the International 

Living Futures Institute 

and constructed of materials 

that are either recycled or free of 

90-plus percent of the chemicals 

identified on the internationally 

recognised Red List as being 

harmful. 

The final stage of the 65km 

Ngāruawāhia-Lake Karapiro 

Te Awa Great River Ride – the 

Hamilton-Tamahere section – is 

nearing completion and scheduled 

to open next month 

Work is also progressing 

at pace for the new Waikato 

Regional Theatre, scheduled to 

open in June 2024. 

Located overlooking the 

Waikato River at the South End 

of Victoria Street on the site 

of the old Hamilton Hotel, the 

world-class performing arts centre 

complex will include elements 

of the heritage building. 

With one of the largest populations 

of Pacific Islands people 

outside Auckland, the Waikato 

will shortly see the completion of 

the first ever pan-Pacific hub in 

the country, the K’aute Pasifika 

Village. 

Being constructed opposite 

the FMG Waikato Stadium on 

what was the Hamilton Bowling 

Centre, the hub is the result of 

determined effort by K’aute Pasifika 

over the past two decades. 

Community and cultural 

events will take place in the distinctive 

traditionally inspired fale 

building facing Seddon Road, 

while health, wellbeing, childcare 

and early learning services will 

be located in the village development 

immediately behind it. 

There is indeed rich opportunity 

here in the mighty Waikato 

– right now with these developments 

and others around the 

region, and in the future.

18 HBCA AWARDS 


CBD Awards 

Hamilton Central Business Association (HCBA) hosted 

the revamped CBD Celebration Awards, sponsored 

by Spark Business and supported by Mediaworks, in 

an event focused on celebrating the businesses that 

make up the central city. 

Held at two of Hamilton’s 

finest venues, 

the evening kicked off 

at the Ferrybank Park before 

heading across the road to The 

Meteor for the awards’ ceremony. 

With a backdrop of the 

Waikato River, the park 

was brought to life with the 

musical notes of the Trenwith 

brothers providing live 

jazz from the band rotunda, 

complemented by Good 

George cocktails and canapes 

from the River Kitchen. 

The 220 guests were able to 

view the development of the 

park extension due for completion 

in December 2022. 

The Meteor provided the 

glitz and glamour of the 

night, transformed by event 

staging company Royal Lab 

coupled with a delicious 

banquet of food provided by 

SkyCity Hamilton. 

Momentum Waikato’s 

CEO Kelvyn Eglinton 

ensured the evening flowed 

smoothly as MC for the night 

and sax player Lewis McCallum 

provided mid-ceremony 

entertainment, which had 

the guests dancing in the 

aisles. 

With subtle lighting from 

SBI Productions and the 

evening captured on camera 

by Moving Media Ltd, the 

awards provided a Hamilton 

offering at every turn. 

Hamilton Central Business 

Association general 

manager Vanessa Williams 

was especially delighted 

with the evening after a 

rough couple of years for the 

CBD weathering the Covid 

storm. 

“It really was a night of 

celebration and appreciation 

of these businesses and what 

they’re offering in the CBD. 

A reoccurring theme of the 

award recipients was their 

determination to be in the 

central city,” she says. 

“Our retail vacancy rate is 

looking positive, we’re still 

at the lowest we’ve been for 

a number of years now and 

which, all things considered 

over the past few years, is an 

amazing place to be. 

“We have a number of 

significant developments 

underway in the central city 

and the excitement of welcoming 

returning and new 

major events into the city in 

2023.” 

The broad range of businesses 

celebrated at the 

awards, Vanessa says, showcases 

the diversity of offering 

in the central city. 

“From a tyre shop to the 

more traditional food and 

retail offerings, professional 

services to experiences, 

health and beauty places and 

to those working in the public 

good space, it takes them 

all to really create a vibrant 

and unique CBD. 

“They make Hamilton’s 

central city a destination 

and a place like no other.” 

The CBD Awards have 

continued to evolve to suit 

the priorities occurring in 

the market at the time and 

this year was no different. 

After the success of the 

inner-city campaign Love 

the Centre which encouraged 

the public to reconnect 

with the city centre and to 

show the business community 

some love using the tagline 

‘There is always something 

to do, see, eat, drink 

and love when you visit 

Hamilton’s city centre.’ 

It made sense to carry 

this brand across the CBD 

Awards and invite the general 

public to participate by 

nominating businesses they 

love. 

This proved to be a hit 

with both the public and 

business community with 

over 100 entrants across the 

nine categories. 

For a full list of winners 

visit lovethecentre.co.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 HBCA AWARDS 19 

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 CBD AWARD WINNERS 

PROMOTION 

INNOVATION 

PUBLIC GOOD 

SHOPPING 

Winner 

Journey + Co 

Cloudland 

Earth Diverse 

Sweet Pea Parties 

Runner Up 

Bull & Bear 

Unbound 

Op Shop for Breast Cancer 

Precious Metals 

Highly Commended 

Last Place 

Texas Radio 

Dumpling House 

Found Store 

ACTIVITY BASED 

EXPERIENCE 

HEALTH & BEAUTY 

EXPERIENCE 

BARS / RESTAURANTS 

EAT & DRINK 

DAYTIME 

EAT & DRINK 

Winner 

Boon Hamilton Street Art 

ProStyle 

Bahn Mi Caphe 

Cream Eatery 

Runner Up 

Confinement Escape Rooms 

The Skin Spa 

Mr Pickles Bar and Eatery 

The Grumpy Baker 


The Pottery Studio 

High Above 

Last Place 

Le Rendez-Vous 

ESTABLISHED BUSINESS 

NEW BUSINESS 

CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Winner 

Scott’s Epicurean 

Hanrad Bespoke Rugs 

True Store 

Runner Up 

The Pottery Studio 

Capital Tyres 


Mitchell Vincent Collection 

Sentinel Café 

SPONSORED & BROUGHT TO YOU BY

20 HBC AWARDS 


CBD Awards 

www.texas-radio.co.nz 

43 Ward Street, Hamilton


The Waikato is 

absolutely booming 

The Waikato is booming compared to the rest of New 

Zealand, and it’s based on solid foundations. 

Old data tells new story 

I waded into a data lake and 

solved a 300-year-old mystery. 

Our confidence in our economy 

was clearly articulated in the 

recent Westpac Mcdermott Miller 

Regional Economic Confidence Survey. 

We sit at a strong plus-16% net confidence 

for the September quarter, with every 

other region except Wellington at negative 

net confidence. 

So why are we confident? One reason is 

the ‘trickle around’ theory that goes: one 

year’s great dairy payout results in three 

years of economic growth for the Waikato. 

With now two and potentially three 

years of strong dairy returns, the export 

dollar foundations of the Waikato 

are looking strong. 

Waikato is confident 

in our future, which 

attracts others seeking 

opportunity to live and 

grow. We have many 

major industries as our 

foundation; we have 

room to grow 

However, we’re no longer solely reliant 

on dairy. We’re a region of manufacturers 

that are growing: you see the likes of Gallaghers, 

Prolife Foods, Profile Group, Porters, 

Power Farming, and recently you see 

Sleepyhead looking to set up in Ohinewai. 

We have world-class tech firms such 

as Company-X, IT Partners, The Instillery, 

Aware Group, Shift72 and SkyPoint 

Technologies employing talented graduates 

out of The University of Waikato and 

Wintec Te Pukenga. 

With a benign geography, we’re a 

region with rapid growth in sectors such 

as health, agtech, education, professional 

services, and importantly logistics. 

The latter is evidenced by Tainui Group 

Holding’s wonderful Ruakura Superhub, 

Hamilton Airport’s Titanium Park development, 

the University’s Pa project, Innovation 

Park’s recently opened building, 

ACC’s new building on Collingwood St, 

as well as Foster’s Union Square development 

that houses Rabobank’s headquarters. 

The evidence is in concrete. Businesses 

and their people are migrating to 

the Waikato. 

Waikato is confident in our future, 

which attracts others seeking opportunity 

to live and grow. We have many major 

industries as our foundation; we have 

room to grow. 

We have a chance to avoid congestion 

that so besets others. Our geography actually 

gives us a competitive advantage. 

The Mighty Waikato will be a powerhouse 

of the New Zealand economy long 

into the future, as well as being a great 

place to live, to bring up families, to work, 

prosper and play. 

Written by Don 

Good, 

CEO of Waikato 

Chamber of 

Commerce. 

I 

found the lost medieval 

priory house of Appuldurcombe, 

Isle of Wight, UK, 

by curating a data lake - a 

centralised raw data storage 

repository - over 30 years. 

The exact location of the 

old Appuldurcombe Priory 

house has eluded experts since 

its demolition between 1690 

and 1720. Visitors have picked 

my brains on the location 

since 1982 when, aged nine, 

I became a schoolboy guide 

there. 

Appuldurcombe Priory was 

founded in 1090. It became 

the seat of the Worsley family 

in 1529 when Henry VIII’s 

whipping boy Sir James Worsley 

inherited the lease from his 

wife Anne’s parents. 

Sir Robert, 4th Baronet 

Worsley of Appuldurcombe, 

demolished the priory and 

built a masterpiece of Baroque 

architecture. 

I became more determined 

to find the site of the priory 

after conducting guided tours 

of Appuldurcombe in 2018 

for Company-X co-founder 

David Hallett and 2019 for 

senior software developer Rob 

Scovell. 

The second question any 

visitor to Appuldurcombe asks 

is where was the priory house. 

In 1720 Sir Robert wrote he had 

not ‘left one stone standing’. 

In 1781 Sir Richard Worsley 

claimed, ‘the old priory house 

was situated a small distance 

from the present mansion.’ 

The first question any visitor 

asks is why the current 

house is in ruins. It suffered 

catastrophic damage during 

the Second World War and 

stripped for building materials 

before the Government halted 

demolition on the grounds of 

its architectural merits. 

I embarked on a combined 

textual criticism and data validation 

exercise during the last 

COVID-19 lockdown. 

Three vital pieces of data 

helped solve the puzzle. 

Sir Robert’s annotated 

drawing of the old priory 

house, estate accounts kept 

by the Steward of Appuldurcombe 

Caleb Dowding, and 

Lady Anne Worsley’s letters to 

her father Lord Weymouth of 

Longleat House. 

They suggest the old priory 

house was demolished and 

rebuilt Baroque-style one wing 

at a time. 

The accounts show construction 

was well underway 

by November 19, 1701, when 

Sir Robert paid “Mr Fisher, 

Stonecutter” for putting up 

chimneypieces, one in the 

“best chamber over the chapel” 

and another in the dressing 

room. 

Lady Worsley’s letters suggest 

Appuldurcombe’s new 

chapel, best chamber and 

dressing room were built over 

the priory’s northeast wing 

containing the stable and 

chapel. 

“The Chappell goes up 

apace,” Lady Worsley wrote in 

1701. “I wish he would let them 

go on as fast with the rest of the 

building, that we might see an 

end of it, which I hard hope to 

do.” 

The accounts show when 

the chapel block was completed 

Sir Robert moved onto 

the Great Hall at the centre of 

TECH TALK 

BY CHRIS GARDNER 

Chris Gardner is 

Communications Manager at 

Waikato software specialist 

Company-X. 

the building. First, he repaired 

the hall, following the Great 

Storm of 1703, and then rebuilt 

it. Archaeologists suggested, 

early this century, that the 

internal ground floor wall of 

the Great Hall may be from the 

old priory house. 

Sir Robert left more than 

one stone standing. 

He finished by demolishing 

the southern wing of the priory 

containing the Great Drawing 

Room and Library, building 

the south elevation of the new 

house containing the southeast 

pavilion (Drawing Room), 

Library and southwest pavilion 

for Dowding to occupy. 

The function of rooms in Sir 

Robert’s new Baroque house 

mostly matches those of the 

priory proving, beyond reasonable 

doubt, that one is constructed 

on top of the other. 

Archaeologists uncovered 

foundations of an earlier building 

beneath the southern elevation 

of the current house in 

1986 as well as Tudor rubble. 

Architectural historians 

describe Appuldurcombe as 

eccentric, unusual and strange 

on account of its large protruding 

pavilions dominating the 

central block. Pavilions are 

usually set back into the main 

building, or completely separate 

of it. One reason for such 

an unusual footprint is that 

it follows the footprint of the 

original priory house. 

My work shows poor quality 

data in insolation can tell a 

very misleading story, and an 

abundance of good quality data 

can set the record straight. 

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24 CONFRENCE AND EVENTS 


Hero events are fun & bring many 

benefits to the mighty Waikato 

With world-class facilities and ready access thanks 

to our geographic location and top-notch transport 

links, the Waikato has increasingly become one 

of the most popular places to host ‘hero’ events – 

events that not only attract local attendance but 

also visitors from outside the region, both from 

throughout New Zealand as well as internationally. 

These hero events are 

enjoyable, entertaining, 

and often 

make the headline news. 

Importantly, they also they 

bring economic, cultural, 

and social benefits to the 

Waikato. From dollars 

spent directly on the likes of 

accommodation, in eateries 

and bars, creating employment 

opportunities and 

on-flow of the visitor expenditure 

into our communities, 

to sharing the regions 

history and stories and 

creating a sense of community 

pride. 

From December 8-12 the 

Special Olympics Summer 

Games New Zealand will be 

staged at various venues in 

Hamilton Kirikiriroa when 

more than 3,000 athletes, 

Set to be the 

largest women’s 

sporting event 

in the world 

ever, the FIFA 

Women’s World 

Cup 2023 is being 

hosted next July 

in various cities 

in New Zealand 

and Australia, 

including in 

Hamilton 

Kirikiriroa 

coaches and supporters are 

expected in the city. 

Special Olympics is a 

global organisation giving 

people with intellectual 

disabilities opportunity 

to train and compete in a 

range of sports, representing 

their region at national 

events and their country 

internationally. 

The multiple day event 

sees Special Olympics athletes 

from around the country 

compete in 11 different 

summer sports including 

athletics, football, swimming, 

basketball, and 

equestrian events at venues 

across the city. 

It is no secret to proud 

mighty locals that the 

annual Fieldays at Mystery 

Creek is the southern 

hemisphere’s largest agricultural 

event. 

This year’s Fieldays is 

being held from November 

30-December 3 when 

ground-breaking innovations, 

along with shopping, 

competitions, demonstrations, 

live shows, and tasty 

food prepared by some of 

New Zealand’s top chefs 

will tempt and entertain 

visitors. 

New Zealand’s biggest 

sporting party returns to 

Hamilton’s FMG Stadium 

Waikato, the spiritual home 

of rugby in the region, when 

the HSBC New Zealand Sevens 

takes place on January 

21-22. 

Full men’s and women’s 

tournaments will play 

out across two fields at the 

stadium with special zones 

dedicated to festival, party 

and family activities. 

Set to be the largest 

women’s sporting event in 

the world ever, the FIFA 

Women’s World Cup 2023 

is being hosted next July in 

various cities in New Zealand 

and Australia, including 

in Hamilton Kirikiriroa. 

Being selected as one of 

the World Cup host cities is 

a major feather in the cap 

for the Waikato community 

as a whole. 

Hamilton has also been 

confirmed as one of the 

cities to stage a number 

of play-off games with the 

result that in February 10 

top women’s football teams 

We’re 

here to 

help 

from across the globe will 

take to Waikato Stadium to 

compete for the final three 

qualifying spots in the cup. 

As part of the fun and 

games, the Football Ferns, 

who have already qualified, 

will also play a series of 

friendly matches with these 

teams. 

To stay up to date 

with events, hero or otherwise, 

that are happening 

in the Waikato and 

find out about the latest 

things to see and do in the 

region, sign up for Hamilton 

& Waikato Tourism’s 

free quarterly newsletter. 

Follow this link waikatonz.com/sign-up-for-ournewsletter/ 

Meet in the 


Be a Mighty Local 

- we’re here to help 

with your next 

business event 

businessevents@waikatonz.com 

www.meetwaikato.com

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 CONFRENCE AND EVENTS 


25 

Stars set to shine at Seddon Park 

Cricket fans can look forward to a 

massive summer with visits to 

Seddon Park from the India and 

Sri Lanka men’s teams, Bangladesh 

women as well as the return of 

crowds to domestic cricket. 

The action will burst 

into life when India 

arrives in New 

Zealand to play the BLACK- 

CAPS in three T20s, and 

three ODIs including one in 

Hamilton on 27 November. 

Playing at home for the 

first time under new coach 

Ben Sawyer, the WHITE 

FERNS will play Bangladesh 

at Seddon Park in an ODI a 

week before Christmas on 18 

December. 

ND Cricket chief executive 

Ben MacCormack 

was looking forward to the 

return of the WHITE FERNS 

after the successful hosting 

of the world cup earlier this 

year. 

“Last summer’s ICC 

Women’s World Cup did so 

much to promote the game, 

and it will be great to see 

the WHITE FERNS in action 

back at Seddon Park. 

“And to have India and 

Sri Lanka visit here means 

cricket fans can look forward 

to a summer of top-quality 

cricket.” 

Sri Lanka’s arrival in 

New Zealand will round out 

a jam-packed Seddon Park 

schedule this summer on 31 

March. 

Domestic competitions 

for Northern Districts are 

sprinkled between the international 

matches, headed by 

the Dream11 Super Smash 

which has been scheduled 

to coincide with the school 

break and summer holidays. 

The latest iteration of 

New Zealand’s domestic T20 

league will welcome back 

families, children, crowds, 

and fun, following the challenges 

of last season’s 

Covid-related restrictions. 

Beth Mooney of Australia fielding on the boundary as the sun sets 

at Seddon Park during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 

Seddon Park will host 

three matches – Otago (6 

January), Wellington (28 

January), and Central Districts 

(3 February) – with the 

Northern Brave men defending 

the title they claimed last 

season, and women looking 

to build on the positive 

foundation laid last season. 

There will also be the 

traditional diet of Plunket 

Shield (four-day), Ford Trophy 

and Hallyburton Johnstone 

Shield (one-day) for 

men and women respectively 

through the summer. 

“This summer is all about 

welcoming back crowds 

and providing fans with the 

best possible opportunity to 

get out and experience the 

action first-hand, to let their 

hair down and have a good 

time,” said MacCormack. 

“This is a brilliant competition 

for showcasing 

excitement, action and fun, 

while still retaining a really 

serious edge in terms of 

high-performance – it’s the 

ultimate cricket mix.” 

MacCormack also confirmed 

ticket prices at all 

BLACKCAPS and WHITE 

FERNS games would remain 

the same as last year’s discounted 

levels. 

“New Zealand Cricket 

have recognised the challenges 

of the current environment 

– and their priority 

is to make international 

cricket as accessible as possible. 

“After the previous seasons’ 

restrictions from 

Covid, we want to ensure 

Seddon Park fixtures remain 

affordable and welcoming.” 

Hospitality packages and 

memberships for the season 

are still available, please 

contact: hospitality@ndca. 

co.nz for more information. 

Photo credit: Andrew 

Cornaga / 

www.photosport.nz 

Northern Brave celebrate winning the 2021/22 Dream11 Super Smash final at Seddon Park 

Seddon Park matches 2022-23 

CHRISTMAS PARTY 

AT THE CRICKET 

BLACKCAPS V INDIA 2ND ODI 

SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER, 2PM 

FIRST BALL AT 2.30PM 

Match day hospitality at Seddon Park. 

Limited spaces available. Don’t miss out! 

Individual & group packages 

from $360+GST pp. 

Contact Seamus on 021 675 716 

or email hospitality@ndcricket.co.nz



waikato Business News, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 

New Ag Drive expansions aiming to expose 

more of Waikato to agriculture 

A whole raft of new courses and new 

Ag Drive Team Building Days facility 

aims to expose more people to 

Agriculture in a fun and safe way. 

Ag Drive is the Waikato’s 

largest agricultural 

vehicle training 

provider and was the winner 

of two 2020 Waipa Business 

Awards for excellence in new/ 

emerging business and the 

Innovation and Adaptation 

Award. 

Located just 15 minutes 

from Hamilton CBD at the 

iconic Mystery Creek site, Ag 

Drive Team Building Days will 

give people a chance to experience 

agriculture first-hand in a 

purpose-built outdoor facility. 

Guests will have the chance 

to off-road drive in Polaris 

LUVs (Light Utility Vehicles) 

and participate in LUV soccer, 

tyre-pull and digger challenges, 

experiencing a range of terrains 

and conditions in an iconic agricultural 

setting. 

Ideal for corporates, businesses, 

and the general public, 

the Ag Drive Team Building 

Days venture can cater for up to 

20 guests at a time. 

“We wanted to bring agriculture 

to the wider business community. 

A lot of the local economy 

is agriculture-related yet 

not many people get the chance 

to experience it first hand,” says 

Andre. 

“The last two years have seen 

teams working apart, alone, 

from home. Now is the time to 

bring everyone back together, 

have some fun and learn some 

new skills. It’s about giving 

more people the opportunity to 

get out there and give it a go, in a 

fun and safe environment.” 

Managing Director Andre 

Syben says launching Ag Drive 

Team Building Days is the natural 

next step in a series of extensions 

for Ag Drive agricultural 

vehicle training. 

Ag Drive recently announced 

some exciting new one-day 

courses designed to help the 

rural sector keep their staff safe 

and compliant with the latest 

Health and safety requirements. 

New initiatives on offer 

include One-Day Safe Operator 

courses for tractors, motorbikes, 

quads, and side-by-side 

vehicles. Many employers aren’t 

aware that they are required to 

provide adequate training to 

their staff. Aiming to educate 

people on the importance of 

health and safety, AG Drive is 

also launching refresher courses 

that should be attended annually. 

A lot of the risk involved in 

Agricultural machinery is due 

to people underestimating the 

machinery and overestimating 

their skill level. In an effort 

to reduce this risk Ag Drive has 

also launched Operator Competency 

assessments. Employers 

can send their new staff through 

to be assessed on their entire 

range of machinery so that both 

the employer and staff can be 

aware of what extra training is 

required. 

The new courses are a culmination 

of the feedback from the 

primary sector received over the 

last 2 years 

“Our training is interactive, 

industry-leading but also fun. 

The phrase, “Health and Safety” 

doesn’t need to be something 

that’s feared says director Andre 

Syben. “We have invested heavily 

in tractors, machinery, bikes, 

and side-by-sides and our commitment 

is to get people trained 

and safe in the industry. The 

statistics for on-farm injuries 

are simply horrific and we are 

here to do something about it “ 

The Mystery Creek site with 

its rolling terrain replicates 

real on-farm situations and the 

experienced tutors work alongside 

participants and tailor the 

course to their personal training 

needs. 

Everyone is different says 

head tutor Les Waghorn “what 

works for one individual or 

group may not work for another 

as past experience dictates 

the type of training they may 

require” 

Ag Drive also has a nationwide 

mobile training service 

available for groups that may 

be unable to come to their Mystery 

Creek site so it’s not just 

a Waikato-based service says 

Syben. 

Ag Drive is also rolling 

out two-day secondary school 

courses in 2023. Course costs 

have been reduced to help 

schools get on board. It is our 

way of giving something to the 

industry says Syben. 

If you are keen to learn and 

discover more call 0508 AG 

DRIVE or email paulasyben@ 

agtechnz.com or go to their 

website www.agdrive.co.nz 

CORPORATE TEAM 

BUILDING 

Team Building Activities & Challenges with an 

Agricultural Twist 

Only 10 minutes from Hamilton! 

Ultimate Adventure Package: 2-2.5 hours 

Off-road Polaris Tour 

Tyre-Pull Challenge 

LUV Soccer 

Digger Challenge 

$250 pp 

paulasyben@agtechnz.com 

www.agdriveteambuilding.co.nz 

0508 24 37483

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2022 CONFRENCE AND EVENTS 27 


Q&A with H3’s Senior Conference and 

Functions Manager 

With business events booming, H3 

Senior Conference and Functions 

Manager Leanne Jack provides some 

insight into her role, why she loves 

what she does and what makes H3’s 

venues the perfect event locations. 

Tell us about yourself and 

your role within H3’s Conference 

& Function team. 

I started with H3 eight years 

ago as a Conference and Function 

Coordinator based at FMG 

Stadium Waikato, and shortly 

after I moved to Claudelands 

Conference & Exhibition Centre 

and became a Conference and 

Function Manager. Since then, 

I’ve worked in the Business 

Development team and now I 

am the Senior Conference and 

Functions Manager tasked with 

looking after a team of six dedicated 

coordinators who take 

care of all business events at 

GLOBOX Arena & Events Centre 

Claudelands, FMG Stadium 

Waikato and Seddon Park. 

What do you enjoy most 

about working in events? 

I love the fast-paced environment 

of events and the 

ever-changing requirements. 

No two events are the same, no 

matter how big or small they 

all have their different needs. 

I enjoy getting to meet lots of 

engaging individuals from different 

walks of life, from corporates 

to associations to everything 

in between. I love the 

collaboration we have with 

other suppliers, from catering 

to AV requirements and theming 

to security. We all work 

together as a cohesive team and 

have the same end goal, keeping 

the client and guests happy 

and returning to our venues. 

We have an exceptionally talented 

and dedicated team of 

professionals that work so well 

together, we are very lucky to 

have each other to learn from 

and grow with. 

What impact does conferences 

and functions at 

H3’s venues have on our 

community? 

Conferences and functions 

have a huge ripple effect 

on our community. Each person 

visiting the region spends 

money on food, accommodation 

and transport services. 

Some conferences we host can 

range from two to three days 

which encourages delegates to 

shop and support local Hamilton 

and Waikato businesses. 

We are proud of the contribution 

that conferences and functions 

have on Hamilton and the 

Waikato region, and we hope 

we can continue to attract new 

and returning client, visitors 

and event attendees. 

What customer experience 

can clients expect when 

bringing their event to one 

of H3’s venues? 

Tried and tested – here at 

H3 we pride ourselves on doing 

events well, collaborating effectively 

with many different contractors 

to provide world class 

events. Our H3 team genuinely 

want to make true connections 

and provide valuable service 

and event delivery to each 

client. We understand there 

are challenges with planning 

any event, but with 470+ years 

of combined event management 

experience across the H3 

team you can trust us to help 

guide and support you every 

step of the way. We are fortunate 

to have close relationships 

with our key partners and work 

closely with them to provide 

everything the client requires to 

bring their event to life. 

Were there any conferences 

or functions that 

stood out for you this year 

and why? 

A standout event is the 

TUANZ Rural Symposium 

which had to change their event 

date 6 times in the last 2 years 

due to the pandemic. Seeing 

rescheduled events successfully 

take place is a huge highlight for 

me and my team. 

Another standout event was 

the Crane Association Conference 

held in July. It’s incredibly 

exciting to see so many cranes 

set up in the Claudelands Exhibition 

Plaza towering over our 

venue. Due to the large scale 

of this conference many other 

venues would struggle to host 

this type of event. 

Other standout events 

include the New Zealand Vets 

Conference, Electricity Engineers 

Association Conference, 

New Zealand Wound Care Society 

Conference, Water New 

Zealand Conference, Master 

Builders House of the Year 

Awards and New Zealand Thoroughbred 

Horse of the Year 

Awards. We are very fortunate 

to host a diverse range of events 

and it’s our privilege to help the 

client’s vision come to life. 

What business event space 

throughout H3’s venues is 

your favourite and why? 

The Heaphy Rooms at 

Claudelands Conference & 

Exhibition Centre is my favourite 

space. These rooms can be 

used as three separate spaces 

or one large space seating up 

to 900 people. The Heaphy 

Rooms can be changed quickly 

and easily from a conference 

room into a large gala dinner 

within one hour. 

Lighting and theming can 

totally transform this space and 

with such a large and versatile 

room, clients can really think 

outside the box. I’ve been lucky 

enough to see many different 

events take place in this space 

and it still ceases to amaze me 

what events can be brough to 

life in the Heaphy Rooms. 

To find out more 

about H3 and explore its 

range of events spaces, 

visit h3group.co.nz 

Arena Lounge 

Heaphy Room 

Boardroom 

MEET YOUR 

SPACE 

When you need a location for a meeting, a 

workshop, a hui or a huddle, we have a variety 

of spaces across our three premier venues to 

perfectly suit all types of events. 

Visit H3group.co.nz and explore 

our spaces today. 

CLAUDELANDS 

FMG STADIUM WAIKATO 

SEDDON PARK




Flexible coworking space launches 

in Hamilton central 

Co-working space The Crate plans to 

complement the energy of Hamilton’s 

town centre with the opening of a new 

facility in the city—modelled 

on its highly-popular Rosedale 

flexible working office space. 

The 

multi-use 

co-working space is on 

526 Victoria Street and 

feature similar facilities to 

The Crate’s successful Auckland-based 

offering. 

It will offer 90 desks 

with a mix of both flexible 

and dedicated workstations, 

boardrooms, office suites, 

virtual offices, business coffee 

lounge and meeting rooms. 

The workspaces cater for full 

teams, individuals, sole-traders, 

and companies. 

The Crate director Dean 

Payn says expanding his flexible 

working space model to 

the heart of Hamilton’s CBD 

is about fulfilling the city’s 

demand for different working 

styles as its commercial sector 

blossoms into a regional 

powerhouse. 

“The Crate has been 

wildly successful in Auckland 

and now we have an opportunity 

for growth into other 

New Zealand cities. Hamilton’s 

commercial dynamism 

made it the obvious next 

step,” Payn says. 

Just as in Auckland, Payn 

says many Hamilton workers 

are asking their employers 

for extra flexibility in terms 

of where and when they can 

do their jobs. Working from 

home full-time might not be 

suitable for everyone and 

many companies are searching 

for locations that facilitate 

a hybrid working options 

plan as well as full-time 

office space. 

People’s lives have radically 

changed due to the disruption 

over the last two 

years, and they need more 

workplace options. 

“The Crate’s workspace 

is a great solution for modern 

companies in need of a 

venue that offers all the amenities 

and benefits of a large 

The Crate’s 

workspace is a 

great solution 

for modern 

companies in 

need of a venue 

that offers all 

the amenities 

and benefits of 

a large office 

space, without 

any of the 

administrative 

worries 

office space, without any of 

the administrative worries. 

“Our job is to give you or 

your team the best and most 

productive workday. You’ll 

be looking forward to getting 

back to work on Monday,” he 

says. 

What sets The Crate’s 

business model apart—and 

made it so popular among 

Auckland companies—so its 

focus on building a collaborative 

and genuine business 

community. 

Payn wants the newest 

workspace in Hamilton to 

be a similar “hub” that businesspeople 

across the city 

can leverage to foster productive 

relationships that both 

help boost their own companies 

and develop Hamilton’s 

thriving commercial sector. 

“The Crate Hamilton will 

be packed full of highly experienced 

people with amazing 

skills. That sense of community 

and mutual support is 

what makes The Crate so special. 

Our aim is for this new 

space to be the glue that connects 

businesses. 

Change Payn says the 

workspace is carefully 

designed to maximise productivity 

with multiple work 

zones, meeting rooms and 

break-out areas while facilitating 

a real sense of community 

and creating business 

networking opportunities. 

“We created lightening 

in a bottle with The Crate in 

Auckland,” Payn says. 

“So, if you’re looking for a 

flexible working space with a 

real human edge, pop down, 

grab a complimentary barista 

coffee and check it out.” 

For more information 

visit: https://thecrate.co.nz/ 

hamilton/overview/

$15m upgrade for Hamilton Airport 

Hamilton Airport has unveiled a 

$15 million passenger terminal 

refurbishment to welcome 

visitors to the Mighty Waikato. 

The upgraded terminal 

was unveiled to the 

public today after 16 

months of work. It involved 

structural strengthening, a 

plush new departure area, 

brand new furniture, fittings 

and and flooring, more dedicated 

work spaces for travellers 

and a modern, new 

colour scheme that reflects 

the natural colour pallet of 

the Waikato region. 

The terminal is also 

home to commissioned cultural 

artworks, an integral 

part of the terminal refresh. 

Maaori design specialists 

Eugene Kara (Ngati Koroki, 

Kahukura) and Norm Te Hira 

(Ngati Haua) collaborated 

with Archimedia Architects, 

Adrian Morton Landscapes 

and airport staff to co-design 

an environment that draws 

on the rich cultural history 

of the greater region. 

Te Hira has infused the 

terminal ceiling and carpet 

design with cultural 

references to Waikato Awa 

(Waikato River) and Pu 

korero (deep history) of 

Pekapeka tou roa (longtail 

bat). Kara, in his role 

Building a future-fit workforce 

The World Economic 

Forum’s Future of Jobs 

Report (2020) anticipates 

that around 50% of 

workers globally will need 

reskilling by 2025. New 

Zealand’s workers will be no 

different. However, it appears 

we are not doing enough to 

meet the opportunities that 

are being presented to us. Our 

workforce is an essential pillar 

in delivering value for our 

country, our economy and all 

New Zealanders. But, we know 

many traditional jobs will 

evolve or disappear completely 

as technology enables greater 

efficiency and changes the way 

we work. Our workforce must 

therefore continually evolve to 

meet changing environmental, 

social and economic needs 

through upskilling, reskilling 

and expanding our talent pool, 

or we risk falling behind our 

global counterparts in the ‘war 

for talent’. 

So, as a nation, how do we 

as pukenga toi (project art 

curator and designer) has 

called on the expert skills 

of master weaver, Tina Wirihana 

(Te Arawa, Tainui 

Iwi) to produce a bespoke 

woven ceiling that promotes 

a warm and calm feeling in 

the arrival and departure 

gate area. 

A stunning pekapeka 

kapua (pekapeka cloud formations) 

designed by Kara, 

covers the glass balustrades. 

Three further cultural artworks 

will be in place in time 

for an official opening in 

early December. 

Waikato Regional Airport 

Ltd group chief executive 

Mark Morgan said the 

cultural narrative throughout 

the refurbishment 

was incredibly important 

because the terminal now 

truly reflects the heart of 

Maaoridom and therefore 

the heart of the region. 

“I’m very proud of what 

we have achieved together. 

The days of arriving at a 

functional and soul-less 

Hamilton Airport are gone. 

There can be no doubt, upon 

landing in Hamilton, that 

refine and upskill our workforce 

to be fit for the future? 

There are two clear ways: 

the first is to look at the talent 

and development potential we 

have at home and the second 

is to look at our immigration 

settings. 

Singapore is a small 

advanced economy, comparable 

to New Zealand, that has 

consistently outperformed 

its peers by investing in their 

workforce. They have made it 

a priority to continually build 

and refine their in-country 

workforce, promoting collaboration 

between government, 

business and academia to 

encourage lifelong education 

and training. 

Singapore’s national initiative, 

‘Skillsfuture’, is an 

example we could draw on. 

The programme provides its 

citizens with opportunities to 

learn throughout life regardless 

of their starting point 

(early education, mid-career or 


you’ve arrived in a special 

region, rich in cultural tradition. 

I think that’s brilliant.” 

Morgan said planning 

for the upgrade began well 

before the Covid-19 pandemic 

which decimated airports 

and air travel around 

the world. 

A stunning 

pekapeka kapua 

(pekapeka cloud 

formations) 

designed by 

Kara, covers 

the glass 

balustrades. 

Three further 

cultural artworks 

will be in place 

in time for an 

official opening in 

early December 

“It was a major bump in 

the road and we certainly 

considered every angle very 

carefully before deciding 

to soldier on. That decision 

speaks to the confidence 

we and our Board have in 

Hamilton and the wider 

post-retirement) in the drive 

towards an advanced, inclusive 

society. 

New Zealanders appear 

up to the task, and in PwC’s 

recent Global Hopes and Fears 

survey, 77% of New Zealand 

respondents noted they were 

ready to learn new skills and 

retrain, but only 32% said their 

employers were investing in 

their skills. 

This is a huge opportunity 

for businesses. Similar to Singapore 

we need to encourage 

businesses, unions, academia 

and the Government to work 

better together to promote 

lifelong learning that engages 

everyone, no matter their age, 

skill set or experience. 

For us to grow and sustain 

a future-fit workforce, we first 

need to understand the workforce 

we need to build to meet 

future demands. Anticipating 

future needs isn’t an exact science 

in a world that’s changing 

at pace, but we can focus 

region,” he said. 

“This was a huge investment 

and I’m proud of our 

decision to stay the course 

despite an unprecedented 

environment. It illustrates 

absolute confidence in 

the airport as well as the 

strength of our domestic 

tourism offering and the 

wider Waikato economy.” 

Waikato-based Livingstone 

Building were lead 

on where we put our energies 

- starting with the sectors and 

skill sets where we already 

have the foundations to win. 

Take climate tech as an 

example. New Zealand is 

known globally for our natural 

resources and our desire to 

look after them. We also have a 

burgeoning startup ecosystem 

which, in recent years, has seen 

an increase in climate-based 

investing. So, climate tech is an 

area where we could have the 

licence to operate, and the credentials 

to compete for a significant 

share of the global market. 

Other areas could include 

agritech, sustainable technology 

and medtech/biotech. 

Now is the time to develop 

a national workforce strategy 

that sets out how we are 

going to target, skill and retain 

the talent we need. A national 

workforce strategy could combine 

the powers of government, 

educational institutions, 

businesses and unions and get 

them working together to support 

skills development across 

all parts of our workforce. 

Secondly, complementing 

an in-country strategy, we 

need to review, adjust and continually 

adapt our immigration 

settings. Recent studies show 

a decline in New Zealand’s 

appeal as a destination of 

choice for expats. But with the 

right policy settings in place, 

contractors and all major 

sub-contractors were Waikato-based, 

he said. 

“That was important 

to our shareholders - five 

Waikato councils - and we 

fully supported that. Our 

contractors did a fantastic 

job and we were able to keep 

our terminal open the whole 

time with very little disruption 

to passengers.” 

Coming weeks will be 

as part of a national workforce 

strategy, we will be able to 

attract and retain talent with 

the skills we need for a more 

prosperous future. 

This is an opportunity to 

build on our reputation as a 

politically stable and socially 

progressive society to attract 

talent from around the world. 

Australia is already doing it, 

recently lifting the country’s 

migration cap by 35,000 to 

address its current skills gap. 

We have seen governments 

over time willing to target specific 

skilled workers to enter 

New Zealand. This was evident 

recently during COVID-19 border 

restrictions with carve outs 

made for essential healthcare 

workers, technology sector 

workers and shearers. 

The Minister of Finance 

has indicated that changes 

to immigration settings are 

expected to take effect in the 

next couple of months, with 

fast visa processing under the 

Accredited Employer Scheme 

and further changes due to be 

announced. 

Of course, flexibility is key. 

Change is ongoing, and creating 

and nurturing a future-fit 

workforce is not a one-time fix. 

This is why sometimes we will 

get it wrong, and sometimes 

we will get it right. But, that 

doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be 

giving it our all. New Zealand 

spent “ironing out any kinks” 

before a formal opening of 

the new terminal in early 

December. 

“Perhaps we’ll celebrate 

then but right now, we still 

have plenty to do. We’ve got 

three more culturally significant 

pieces of artwork coming 

and we want to make 

sure those are in place and 

looking fantastic as soon as 

possible.” 

Group Customer Experience Manager Angela Beardsmore, CEO Mark Morgan and Group General 

Manager Airport Operations Ben Langley on Friday, before the refurbished terminal opened. 

WAIKATO’S 

WORKFORCE 

BY GRIERE COX 

Griere Cox is a partner 

at PwC New Zealand and 

supports clients across the 

public and private sectors 

to understand current 

workforce challenges, and 

plan for future workforce 

opportunities. 

has the opportunity to lay 

the foundations of a national 

workforce strategy that can 

evolve and adapt with the 

world around us. This is an 

investment that can enable us 

to compete on the global stage 

and support the long-term 

future of all New Zealanders. 

And it is an investment that we 

should make. 

Read more about how our 

workforce can enable greater 

prosperity in PwC’s latest 

report: Building prosperity, a 

pathway to wellbeing for all 

Aotearoa- www.pwc.co.nz/ 

insights-and-publications/ 

building-prosperity.html


2023 we’re 

coming for you! 

At this time of the year, many clients start to ask questions 

like – what’s coming up in 2023? Do you see the market 

changing next year? Will we see more candidates seeking 

new roles? Well, I do wish I had a crystal ball as it would make 

our lives easier, wouldn’t it? 2022 has been tough for many 

businesses and the historic amount of disruption over the last 

few years has left us feeling a bit shell shocked. 

Recently Gartner 

(gartner.com) surveyed 

over 800 HR leaders 

across 60 countries and all 

major industries to identify 

their priorities and challenges 

for 2023. Data is better than 

a crystal ball! First up 60% 

of respondents put “leader 

and manager effectiveness” 

on their list, followed closely 

by organisational design 

and change management 

(53%), employee experience 

(47%), recruiting (46%) and 

the future of work (42%). 

So, what’s driving these 

priorities? 

Globally organisation’s 

face uncertain and confusing 

times – rising inflation, 

scarce and expensive talent, 

and global supply constraints. 

• Employee expectations 

have changed considerably 

– more want flexible 

work policies and when not 

available, lack of flexibility 

affects their decision to stay 

with their employer. 

• Employees want to 

feel like they have a shared 

purpose with their employer 

– they want to feel connected 

to a business that takes 

actions on issues they care 

about. 

• Not surprisingly 

well-being is topping the list 

for employees and the Gartner 

report tells us that 70% 

of companies surveyed have 

introduced new well-being 

benefits or increased the 

amount of existing well-being 

benefits. 

• Lastly, 82% of 

employees surveyed said it’s 

important for their employer 

to see them as a person, and 

not just an employee. 

2023 and how 

to tackle it…. 

• Work on how to 

become a humancentric 

leader – be authentic, act 

with purpose, be empathetic 

– show genuine care and concern 

for employee wellbeing, 

be adaptive – enable flexibility 

and support the unique 

needs of team members. 

• Involve your 

employees in change decisions 

– engage your workforce 

as active participants in 

making and shaping change. 

Consider shifting the ownership 

of change planning to 

your employees. Start early 

conversations about change! 

• Develop your leadership 

skills in a volatile 

labour market – consider 

building your sourcing capability 

to find accessible, not 

just available talent. Identify 

alternate skills and experiences 

that can fill your 

vacancies, target potentially 

internally first, incentivise 

mobility and focus on building 

your onboarding and 

induction practices. Many 

employees leave in the first 

three months because reality 

versus what they were sold is 

drastically different! 

• Refresh your thinking 

about matching your 

business planning to today’s 

reality. If the last three years 

PEOPLE AND 

CULTURE 

BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, 

Everest – All about people tm 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

has taught us anything is that 

we need to be more agile, 

flexible, and responsive to 

what’s happening right now 

and how we can keep ahead of 

the trends. 

For me I think 2023 is 

going to be a bumpy ride 

with global headwinds at our 

door. We can’t keep doing 

the same thing year after year 

and expect different results. 

Spend time now planning for 

2023 and how you’ll adjust 

your sails. 

Handling Staff 

Departures with Care 

As the end of the year approaches, it’s the time of year 

when people start assessing their current job situation 

and you’ll start to see a few leave in anticipation of 

starting a new position to kick off 2023. 

Staffing changes happen 

all the time, but when 

it’s an integral member 

of the team who is in a leadership 

position then you 

need to handle the departure 

announcement carefully to 

mitigate potential risks. As 

we all know, really important 

staff members’ exits have 

the potential to create team 

unrest, customer unrest and 

can even lead to negative 

rumours in the industry if 

handled poorly. 

Because of these potential 

risks, it’s worth pausing 

and putting your PR hat on. 

How are you going to communicate 

this announcement 

internally, to staff, and externally, 

to clients, stakeholders, 

the industry and wider 

public? 

What risks are there – will 

staff feel concerned about 

the future of the company or 

their jobs? Will clients wonder 

if their projects or contracts 

are at risk? Is there a 

perception that the leader 

takes a lot of company IP and 

reputation with them, and 

how do you manage that? 

A well-planned communications 

strategy can ease a 

key staff transition and mitigate 

risks to the company’s 

reputation or projects. 

Here are seven things to 

think about when communicating 

about leadership 

transition at a company or 

organisation: 

GATHER YOUR 

INNER TEAM 

You’ll want to get key 

members of your team 

together immediately to start 

planning next steps. Keep 

things confidential and limited 

to just those who need 

to know. 

MAKE A PLAN 

Alongside your HR and 

recruitment plans, develop 

a communications strategy. 

This is your road map for 

communicating about the 

leadership change. You need 

to decide what to say and 

how to say it, and to whom, 

and in what priority order. 

This is a detailed planning 

process, and generally 

includes gathering information, 

considering audiences, 

setting strategic communication 

objectives, crafting key 

messages, looking at communication 

risks and mitigation, 

and planning a timeline 

for all communications. 

DOT THE I’S AND 

CROSS THE T’S 

It’s important to be thorough 

and consider every possible 

scenario with your communications 

execution and 

delivery to do it well. 

PREPARE THE 

COMMUNICATIONS 

Once you have your road 

map written, and signed off 

on by leadership team, it’s 

time to ‘do the doing.’ This 

may involve crafting bullet 

points for the staff announcement, 

with all the key messages 

you want to convey. 

This is typically followed 

up by an email letter that 

goes out to all staff, confirming 

the contents of a face-toface 

staff meeting. Another 

letter should then be sent to 

PR AND 

COMMUNICATIONS 

BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB 

Managing Director, 

Everest – All about people 

www.everestpeople.co.nz 

other audiences, including 

clients and stakeholders. 

As part of this preparation, 

it’s worth spending time 

brainstorming questions you 

may get asked so you are 

not caught out. In any situation 

where there is change, 

it can be upsetting, and it’s 

best to be prepared and have 

responses in place to assure 

staff and clients if needed. 

Get your email databases 

ready in advance, so everything 

is drafted, approved 

and you are ready to press 

send on the day of the 

announcement. 

STAFF COME FIRST 

In any announcement of 

this kind, talk to staff first 

before clients and other 

stakeholders, and do it in 

person where you can. If necessary, 

if you need to make 

the announcement across 

multiple office locations, 

consider getting staff in a 

Zoom call, and ensure the 

senior leaders at those locations 

have been briefed prior 

so they can answer follow-up 

questions. 

MEDIA/PRESS RELEASE 

When a key leader moves 

on to another role or even 

retires, it can be a great 

chance to celebrate their 

achievements and contribution 

to the industry, region 

or community. Write a media 

release for an industry publication, 

business paper or 

local media outlet. There 

is often a good story to tell, 

especially if it’s a long-serving 

team member. A media 

story can also help with 

recruiting a new person into 

the role. 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

Don’t forget about sharing 

the news on your social 

media channels as a last 

step. A post on your business’s 

LinkedIn page may be 

appropriate.

Fieldays is entering its 54th year as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest 

agricultural event and it’s expected to be a terrific summer event. Like 

many other organisations, Fieldays was massively affected by COVID, 

leading to a change from its original date in June to a sunnier date at the 

end of November. Because of this, visitors will have the added benefits of 

longer daylight hours, warmer days and organisers will enjoy an increased 

interest from international visitors from the Northern Hemisphere. Although 

the date of the event has changed, the classic Fieldays atmosphere hasn’t 

so visitors can be excited for tan lines and good times this November. 

Resting on its 3 pillars of education, innovation, and globalisation, Fieldays 

will be packed with many things to see and do. This year, the event is 

celebrating forestry with the opening of a brand-new Fieldays Forestry 

Hub. A collaboration between Fieldays and an advisory group comprising 

of Te Uru Rākau – New Zealand Forest Service, Forest Growers Levy 

Trust, Scion, NZ Forest Owners Association, Red Stag, NZ Farm Forestry 

Association and Future Foresters, this will be a large-scale exhibit of the 

entire Forestry industry, including science, careers, and the value of wood. 

This hub will give visitors the chance to explore the many facets of the 

forestry and wood processing sector and how the sector has a vital role in 

mitigating climate change. 

Fieldays will also have their Fieldays Innovation Hub and accompanying 

Innovation Awards. Designed to help innovators in their journey to 

accelerate the growth of their products, the Innovation Awards give keen 

innovators the opportunity to show off their innovations in the hopes of 

winning their chosen category. The Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here 

Careers Hub has been developed further to be aimed specifically at people 

of any age who are keen to have a career in the Primary sector. Sponsored 

by the Ministry of Primary Industries, visitors will be able to talk to people 

working in primary industries such as farming, apiculture and aquaculture 

and get further information from experts. The Hauora Taiwhenua Health 

& Wellbeing Hub is set to be three times bigger than previous years, 

and visitors and exhibitors will have the opportunity to get health advice, 

check-ups and connect with health support groups, all under one roof. The 

goal of this hub was to reach people that usually wouldn’t receive regular 

check-ups or health care. 

‘We believe that the most important asset on your farm is you’ NZ National 

Fieldays Society Chief Executive Peter Nation says. 

‘We know that workers in the primary industries aren’t great at looking 

after themselves – both physically and mentally. What we’re doing here is 

making healthcare accessible and easy because everything you need is 

under one roof. We’ve helped many people over the years through this hub 

and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s going on this year.’ 

Fieldays will be running Fieldays TV again this year in tandem with their 

physical event. Fieldays TV proved to be such a success that organisers 

felt it needed to be reinstated to stay connected with people that couldn’t 

physically attend the event. The online digital content continues the 

conversations happening at the physical event, celebrating NZ food, 

education in the kitchen and topics that are on the minds of those in the 

primary sector. 

Chief Executive Peter Nation says ‘Unfortunately, some exhibitors won’t be 

in attendance due to ongoing issues from supply chain and resourcing.’ 

‘But rest assured if you’re planning on attending Fieldays this year, it will 

still be the place to meet your friends and bag a good bargain. We’ll have 

the same event with the same atmosphere at the same venue but this time 

it’ll be at a different time of the year. Fieldays in summer – same, same but 

different!’ 

Fieldays allows people to come together to connect and learn and 

organisers are preparing for a huge turnout. This year will be unique as it 

will be a one-off opportunity to see what a summer event will be like and 

Fieldays looks forward to welcoming visitors through the gates of Mystery 

Creek on the 30th November. 

SAME SAME 

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fieldays.co.nz 

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BUILDING A STRONGER WAIKATO THROUGH LEADERSHIP 

We keep 

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Our key reason for being in business 

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Power Farming NZ | powerfarming.co.nz


Waikato uni students solve 

sustainability problems 

Students have been working to find 

solutions for sustainability problems 

posed by local organisations, and have 

shared their insights as part of the 

University of Waikato’s Impact Lab. 

Impact Lab is part of 

the Work-Integrated 

Learning (WIL) papers at 

the University, providing an 

opportunity for students from 

all disciplines to collaborate 

Bachelor of Business students, Joel 

Liddle, Kyle Martin and Akshay Aolaskar 

and develop transferable 

skills. 

Year three student teams 

presented their findings on 

topics such as Tauranga City 

Council Student Transport, 

Trees at The Meteor, and the 

University’s Community Herb 

Garden Project. 

Bachelor of Business 

(BBus) students, Kyle Martin, 

Joel Liddle, Akshay Aolaskar, 

and Bayley Graham teamed 

up with Bachelor of Social 

Sciences (BSocSc) student 

Chloe Logan to create - one 

of the most exciting central 

city areas in New Zealand - on 

behalf of the Tauranga City 

Council. 

Impact Lab 

provided a lot 

of opportunities 

to get handson 

experience 

and work on a 

project - it was 

very much a 

drawcard 

The group investigated 

sustainable transport options 

for students in Tauranga, an 

area undergoing significant 

growth and development. 

Mentored by Priority 

One’s innovation manager 

Shane Stuart, the students 

valued the hands-on, realworld 

practical approach to 

learning. 

“For a lot of us, it’s very 

hard to get work experience, 

especially in entry-level roles. 

Impact Lab provided a lot of 

opportunities to get hands-on 

experience and work on a 

project - it was very much a 

drawcard,” Kyle says. 

Before Impact Lab there 

was no data on how students 

University’s Community 

Herb Garden Project students 

travel to and from the Tauranga 

campus. 

Akshay says he specifically 

asked to be part of the Tauranga 

project, “because the 

whole idea of sustainability 

while supporting a community 

is key.” 

Joel says he enjoyed working 

with people from different 

backgrounds and subject 

areas within the university 

and valued the chance to work 

with the community to share 

knowledge. 

Another group looked at 

how The Meteor Theatre in 

Hamilton might reorganise 

and rejuvenate the Trees at 

the Meteor event, including 

accessibility improvements 

for the community, after 

Covid-19 and management 

changes impeded the event 

over the last two years. 

It was made up of BSocSc 

students, Petra Williams and 

Melissa Jardine, BBus students 

Omar Abdullahi and 

Callum Johnstone, and Bachelor 

of Management Studies 

with Honours student Jacob 

Oak Archvarin. 

The event, which normally 

raises around $20,000 each 

year for local charities, will 

use the student’s findings for 

future events. 

WIL papers connect academic 

learning to the practical 

applications of the workplace. 

It’s a compulsory component 

of all undergraduate degrees 

and includes work placements 

and work-related projects. 

As part of their study, 

students can spend up to 

400 hours in the workforce 

acquiring and applying essential 

professional skills that 

prepare them for life after 

university. 

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Rick Johnson 021 911 485 

rick.johnson@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Successful Engineering Business 

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· Established Waikato brand for 60+ years 

· Management Team in place 

· Impressive profitability to working owner 

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Rick Johnson 021 911 485 

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Import/Wholesale/Distribution 

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· Designed, imports & distributes B2B 

· Exceptional systems, well est CRM & customer 

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· Impressive sales & profits, minimal 

normilisations 

· Secure lease in place until 2028 


Therese Bailey 021 707 641 

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Scott Miller 027 301 6543 

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Multipurpose Automotive $395,000 


· Heavy & light auto services 

· Strong lease, reasonably rent in busy town 

· 4 bay high roof building & 2 drive thru bays 

· Solid, profitable with room for growth 


Andrew Whyte 022 097 0065 

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· Imported & supplied by master distributor 

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Scott Miller 027 301 6543 

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· Operating for 17+ yrs, $150k cash surplus 

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CBD Franchise Cafe $275,000 

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Know Your Numbers 

Knowledge 

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Come see us 

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All LINK NZ offices are licensed REAA 2008

“To achieve what Fosters did, within 

budget and timeframe was exceptional.” 

Mark Kennedy, Altus National Operations and Supply Chain Manager 

Darren Marshall, Richard Bott & Mark Kennedy from Altus 

Industrial aluminium and window system 

manufacturer Altus have consolidated their two 

Hamilton sites into one, recently moving into a new 

aluminium extrusion plant on Maui Street. 

Stage one of this two-stage project involved 

demolishing an existing building and replacing it with 

the new plant whilst the site was still operational. 

Altus asked Fosters to tender for the project based 

on Altus National Operations and Supply Chain 

Manager Mark Kennedy’s recommendation – he had 

worked with Fosters before. 

“We underwent Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) 

with four companies, Fosters proved to be the 

most professional and proactive” says Altus Project 

Manager Richard Bott. “We had highly specific 

requirements; Fosters asked questions we didn’t 

think of and made thoughtful suggestions around 

building smarter. We were impressed.” 

Altus Project Engineer Darren Marshall says that 

going into the project, sustainability wasn’t a 

key consideration. However, Fosters demolished 

4,000sqm of building and managed a 96% recovery. 

“We were blown away by that and really pleased 

with the result” he says. 

Timeline critical, the project had to be finished by 

September 2022. The pandemic created many 

unexpected challenges. 

“To achieve what Fosters did, within budget and 

timeframe was exceptional” says Mark. “Fosters 

exceeded even my expectations. They kept 

operations running through lockdowns, managed 

material delays and significant design changes.” 

During construction, Altus purchased a different 

press which meant adjustments to plant layout, 

foundations, and floor slabs. With very tight 

tolerances for set-out, the team also had to achieve 

alignment within 2-4mm in the critical areas. 

“Fosters took all of this in their stride” continues Mark. 

“They had a good understanding of what we wanted 

to achieve, and they never lost sight of the end game. 

“There were plenty of opportunities for delay and 

extra cost, but Fosters were always solutionsfocused 

and committed to the drop-dead date. 

“We’re amazed at the finish, timing and quality of 

this build and we’re pleased to have commenced our 

next project already, working with much of the same 

team.” 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

Waikato Business News October/November 2022

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