March 2023 - Bay of Plenty Business News

MARCH 2023 VOLUME 7: ISSUE 3 

WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ 

FACEBOOK.COM/BAYOFPLENTYBUSINESSNEWS 

THE 

BONODLEYS 

BBN Franchising columnist 

Nathan Bonney sets himself a 

new challenge for 2023. See p5 

RUNNING 100 

MILES NON-STOP: 

BBN’s Mining Business Wealth 

columnist Freddie Bennett 

considers the lessons. See p9 

ZESPRI’S 

ANNUS 

HORRIBILIS 

CONTINUES 

Kiwifruit growers have been dealt 

another body blow this summer with 

Zespri’s announcement of further 

reductions in payouts. 

Richard Rennie investigates, see page 5. 

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2 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS March 2023 

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March 2023 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 3 

Aero club leads the 

charge in aiding 

coast communities 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

Local businesses and community 

members stepped up in February 

to support Tauranga Aero Club’s 

efforts to deliver food and supplies to 

stranded communities on Te Tairawhiti 

after the devastating effects of 

Cyclone Gabrielle. 

The result was deliveries of almost 

forty tonne of food and supplies by 

truck and aeroplane, much of it to 

small, isolated communities up and 

down the Te Tairāwhiti coast and 

Hawke’s Bay. 

Tauranga Aero Club president 

Darryl Hone said the result of the 

club’s efforts had been well beyond 

his wildest imaginings. 

“We have been getting amazing 

feed back for this effort, it is not 

something we looked for or expected. 

By 5.30pm on the Sunday we had 

finally managed to clear our hanger of 

all the food and supplies donated over 

the course of the three day campaign. 

“We ended up flying 44 flights and 

also had three truck and trailer units 

head out fully laden.” 

A number of the club’s pilot members 

contributed their craft, along 

with two from the aero club itself. 

Among them was pilot Greg 

Missen who was the first flight into 

Hastings aerodrome on the Friday, to 

an area still cut off from Napier and 

Ruatoria fire chief Monty Manuel (left) with 

Tauranga Aero Club pilot Kalarn Mark, at Ruatoria. 

running low on supplies. 

He said it had been gratifying to 

be welcomed with smiles of joy when 

he touched down in his twin engine 

plane at Hastings aerodrome. Being 

able to help out had been a vital way 

to show the people on the coast the 

Bay of Plenty coast communities 

were thinking about them, he said. 

Fellow pilot Kalarn Mark flew his 

family’s 172 Cessna Skyhawk over 

the Raukumara ranges into remote 

Ruatoria. 

His was the first supply drop that 

community had since Gabrielle took 

out the bridge south, leaving only 

The massive collection of food and supplies donated by Tauranga 

community being readied in the club hanger for transport by 

plane and truck to Te Tairawhiti and Napier-Hastings. 

Locals at Ruatoria help pilot Kalarn Mark 

unload his plane on the local airstrip. 

State Highway 35 around East Cape 

accessible. 

At 17 and the holder of several 

national flying competition awards, 

the day had proven an invaluable 

experience for adding valuable hours 

to his log, and on a personal level in 

appreciating the impact such an event 

had upon communities. 

Daryl Hone said there were 

numerous Tauranga businesses the 

club had to thank for their efforts who 

had committed funds and resources to 

the supply drive. 

“We had Warehouse Tauranga put 

up funds for us to buy food, particularly 

noodle meals that are easy to 

fly and easy to eat, we had the Bake 

Shack at the Mount provide dinner 

and lunch for the aero club volunteers, 

completely free of charge. 

We also had Brett Marsh Transport 

and Wetherell Transport donate truck 

units and drivers for runs down there, 

and Pacific Autos supply a smaller 

truck for a run to Te Karaka which 

had been hit really hard.” 

Hone said the club was also 

grateful to those who had donating 

funds which could be used to help 

pay for the fuel used on the east coast 

sorties. 

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The unchanging 

of the guard 

One of the more entertaining 

aspects of the 

New Zealand Labour 

Party’s recent change of leadership, 

has been the decision 

by many headline writers to 

characterise this as a “surprise” 

or “shock” resignation. 

Whether one approved of 

former Labour Prime Minister 

Jacinda Ardern’s performance 

or not, no one ever thought 

her stupid. Indeed, Ardern 

has proven clearly – after a 

succession of lacklustre and 

unsupported Labour leaders – 

that she has been a tremendous 

electoral asset for the party. 

This was not in any way an 

unexpected decision. Her decision 

to step down was inevitable 

based on her astute reading 

of the fact that the shine 

had dimmed on the glow she 

brought to the Labour leadership. 

No smart leader wants to 

go out a loser, and she could 

see that the polls were turning 

against her. 

After her latest triumphant 

overseas tour, it was clear 

that she enjoys an excellent 

reputation abroad. I for one 

would not be surprised to find 

her deservedly ending up in a 

well-paid international position, 

post the election. 

There has been some mention 

that she has suffered 

unpleasant criticism in social 

media. She deserves our sympathy 

for that. But I would be 

surprised if she – or indeed 

any senior politician – does 

not employ staff whose job 

includes reading and shielding 

her from such nonsense. No 

one is obliged to read or take 

seriously the rantings of online 

idiots. 

Who else was there? 

There has been much praise 

on the manner of her transfer 

of power to Chris Hipkins. 

The suggestion is that this was 

swiftly and deftly handled, 

with minimum fuss. Which 

it was. But after all, who else 

was she going to choose? 

She can certainly be praised 

for the smoothness of the process, 

and it clearly initially 

caught the opposition National 

Party off guard. However, 

the opposition appears to be 

recovering. 

Dealing with and enduring 

the onset of Covid 19 has been 

a challenge for us all – both 

politicians and public. But let 

us not forget that, in its early 

days especially, this gave 

Labour an excellent opportunity 

to monopolise their coverage 

in the media with positive 

imagery of Ardern and Hipkins 

daily fronting the press and 

public. 

Not to mention the vast 

sums of free advertising 

expended on the subject, all of 

which was essentially aimed 

at convincing the public that 

Labour was doing a good job 

of handling the crisis. Which 

may well be the case. The government’s 

current resistance to 

any effective analysis of this, 

means that we won’t know the 

real costs for some years. 

What we do know is that 

Labour has been largely 

unconvincing in much other 

than expending millions of 

dollars on fruitless consultations 

and working groups to 

explore far-reaching policy 

aims that seem unlikely to ever 

come to fruition and that were 

in many cases not originally 

campaigned on. As is often 

the case, Labour’s ambitions 

greatly over-reached its ability 

to deliver. 

Let us dispel the notion 

that Hipkins was not always a 

fully committed member of the 

Labour Government leadership 

team that has now abruptly 

David Porter 

announced that its core policies 

are to be killed off. 

Amongst them, especially 

let us not forget the 

poorly justified and expensive 

three waters scheme, which 

attracted a bigger volume of so 

far unanswered public queries 

and criticisms than any other. 

This particular policy is one 

of the few that has so for been 

“parked” for reconsideration. 

Meaning that it was impossible 

to kill for internal political reasons 

and is likely to re-emerge 

if Labour gets back into power 

this year. 

Essentially, Labour, now 

under Hipkins’ leadership, has 

stated that most of its ambitious 

and impossible to implement 

raft of policies has been 

abandoned, in an attempt to get 

out from under them ahead of 

National’s expected electoral 

policy criticisms. So what 

does Labour really believe in? 

And what can it achieve? 

As noted, Ardern is certainly 

not stupid and will be 

deeply missed as a leader by 

Labour. Making a smooth 

transfer of power this early, 

will give the public good time 

to judge the effectiveness of 

her successor in the run-up to 

the elections. 

Making Quality IT, Simple

COVER STORY 


ZESPRI’S ANNUS HORRIBILIS CONTINUES 

Fruit quality losses incurred over this year’s harvest are hitting home hard for Zespri kiwifruit growers this summer. A late February board 

announcement has confirmed what many had been warned to expect, with Green kiwifruit growers experiencing a further 58c a tray reduction 

in payments and organic Green growers a 79c a tray reduction from what they expected last November. 

By RICHARD RENNIE 

The news comes after the 

announcement back in August 

2022 when growers were 

informed of a $1.95 per tray reduction 

in Green payments and SunGold 

growers had a reduction of $2.80 per 

tray. 

The latest reduction has Green 

growers likely to take a collective hit 

of $40 million across the 70 million 

trays harvested, on top of the $136 

million already dealt to them back in 

August. It will leave over half Green 

growers barely breaking even this 

season. 

The earlier August 2022 

announcement had been accompanied 

by the revelation the fruit being 

sent to market had been the worst 

since early 2000s, with some fruit so 

bland Zespri’s own Asian GM had 

described them as potatoes. 

Soft, stained, and rotted fruit 

started to reveal itself post-harvest 

and had failed to fulfil Zespri’s long 

held brand promise of delivering premium 

quality fruit. Chinese social 

media had also started to fire up on 

fruit quality there. 

In a series of town hall meetings 

across the region recently, Zespri 

CEO Dan Mathieson has been delivering 

the bad news last season’s crop 

quality has dealt the sector. The latest 

payment downgrade comes from 

very poor quality fruit shipped in the 

final two export loads of the season 

to Asia and Europe. 

Zespri chairman Bruce 

Cameron confirmed the write 

downs in a written statement 

to growers late February, coming 

after what he acknowledged 

has been a particularly 

tough year for the sector. 

The news has been met with 

anger and dismay by growers, 

prompting grower group New Zealand 

Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated 

(NZKGI) to fire a sharply worded letter 

to the Zespri board. 

In it NZKGI chair Mark Mayston 

asks the board to explain how they 

got their initial orchard gate return 

estimate so wrong back in November, 

and how the latest announcement was 

an extreme deviation 

from what 

they had been 

led to expect last November. 

In the letter Mayston challenges 

Zespri’s supply chain transparency, 

grower communications and forecasting 

ability, denting grower confidence 

in the single seller model. 

Industry insiders are pointing to 

labour shortages as the key reason 

for poor quality fruit outcome, and 

a rise in Psa infections has also been 

reported in some orchards. 

Growers have reported poor 

quality harvesting techniques 

from contracted picking gangs 

resulting in fruit damage that 

only appears as fruit ripens, 

either in cool storage or on the 

shelf. 

The bad news has continued 

to pile up for the sector, 

with Cyclone Gabrielle 

also hitting some Gisborne 

and Hawke’s Bay orchards 

hard, many only in early stages of 

establishment. 

Meantime a summer with low sunshine 

hours and high levels of rainfall 

is playing havoc with efforts to ripen 

fruit in time for this year’ harvest, 

as summer daylight hours start to 

shorten rapidly. 

Dan Mathieson has been assuring 

growers at a series of town hall meetings 

in Katikati and Te Puke Zespri 

has been digging deep to determine 

how it got its November forecast so 

wrong, leaving growers well short in 

February. 

He has acknowledged the original 

payment forecast was “significantly 

overstated”, and apologised to growers 

for this. 

He also acknowledged the on-going 

impacts the season’s atrocious 

weather was having on the sector, and 

said Zespri intended to continue to 

work closely with NZKGI to support 

growers. 

BUSINESS NEWS COLUMNIST LEADS A 

CHARGE IN PORK PIE RUN FOR CHARITY 

Bay of Plenty Business News franchising columnist, Nathan Bonney is taking this Mini 

to Invercargill – and aims to raise a huge $100,000 for KidsCan along the way. 

Nathan has joined forces with 

another franchise personality 

Matt Woodley to take on the 

fundraising challenge . 

The Pork Pie Charity Run is a 

biennial fundraising road trip based 

loosely on the route taken by the 

Blondini Gang in the classic Kiwi 

movie Goodbye Pork Pie. 

The first run took place in 2009 

with 36 teams making the trip from 

Kaitaia to Invercargill over 5 days. 

The subsequent six runs have seen 

participant numbers increase to a 50 

car maximum, with the run extended 

to six days on the road. 

For 2023, the Charity Run will 

once again be supporting KidsCan, 

New Zealand’s leading charity dedicated 

to helping Kiwi kids experiencing 

hardship by providing food, 

jackets, shoes and health products to 

schools and early childhood centres 

across New Zealand. 

And in 2023, long-time friends 

and franchise personalities Nathan 

Bonney and Matt Woodley, are teaming 

up under the name ‘The Bonodleys’ 

to hit the road with a Big Hairy 

Audacious Goal – to raise $100,000 

for the cause. 

Nathan is a Director of franchise 

brokers Iridium Partners, while Matt 

is CEO of the Donovan Group, whose 

brands KiwiSpan and Coresteel operate 

franchisee/licensee networks 

nationally. 

Support Kiwi kids 

The Bonodleys are very keen to 

engage with and solicit support from 

across the franchise sector. According 

to the 2021 Franchising New Zealand 

survey, 90 percent of franchise brands 

return profits to the community, and 

almost two-thirds contribute more 

than $20,000 a year. 

‘The Pork Pie Charity Run is a fantastic 

cause and a fun event, and one 

that brands can get behind – they can 

engage and involve their franchisees 

throughout the country and feel great 

that they are directly contributing to 

creating better futures for Kiwi kids,’ 

says Matt. ‘100 percent of donations 

are going directly to KidsCan.’ 

And Nathan reports, ‘Initial support 

from the franchise community 

has been fantastic. 

The Franchise Association of New 

Zealand had the team (and Mini) 

along to its annual Christmas Party 

and we have already had donations, 

support and pledges from Franchise 

New Zealand media, Columbus Coffee. 

The Coffee Club, Crank’d Media, 

Economist and VIP Home Services.’ 

Brands which make donations of 

$1000 and greater have the opportunity 

to have their logos displayed 

on the Mini up to and over the event 

from Paihia to Invercargill. 

‘By donating to our team, you’ll 

be helping KidsCan to provide essentials 

to kids across New Zealand,’ 

Nathan ends. 

‘With these essentials, kids can 

Matt Woodley (left) and Nathan Bonney 

with the Mini they’re taking to Invercargill. 

participate in learning and have the 

opportunity for a better future. We 

would love your help to reach our 

fundraising goal, no amount is too 

big or small! To find out more, email 

nathan@iridium.net.nz or go straight 

to our fundraiser page at www. 

porkpiecharityrun.org.nz/page/ 

TheBonodleys Thank you for your 

generosity!’


Taking better care of our city 

Complaints about overlong grass and outof-control 

weeds have been a consistent 

theme amongst the communications we have 

received from city residents of late. 

By ANNE TOLLEY, Tauranga 

Commission Chair 

The wettest winter, spring 

and summer on record, 

coupled with mild temperatures, 

have created optimum 

growth conditions and 

that means our normal mowing 

and maintenance schedules 

haven’t been ‘cutting it’. 

Soft ground conditions 

have also prevented machinery 

working a lot of the time 

and we now have a significant 

catch-up effort underway to get 

on top of the situation, with 

high profile sites being prioritised 

and contractors working 

extended hours and on Saturdays. 

Looking beyond these 

short-term issues, Tauranga 

City Council is looking to progressively 

take back control of 

much of our parks and open 

spaces maintenance work, as 

existing contracts come to an 

end. 

This exciting initiative is 

all about ensuring Tauranga 

remains a great place to live 

and play and follows a recent 

assessment of these maintenance 

activities, which indicated 

that we can achieve a 

higher level of service than 

the current contract model is 

delivering. 

We want everyone to be 

proud of their city and keeping 

Anne Tolley 

our open spaces well-maintained 

and beautiful is a key 

contributor to that. 

So in future, activities like 

weeding, gardening, mowing, 

keeping pests at bay, looking 

after our dunes and walkways, 

keeping Mauao and other parks 

and reserves in perfect condition 

and attending to customer 

requests will be done in-house, 

by staff who are totally focused 

on great outcomes. 

TCC is looking to 

progressively take 

back control of 

much of our parks 

and open spaces 

maintenance work.” 

This is not about reducing 

costs – it’s about doing more 

with our current budget. That 

means owning the condition of 

our greenspace assets, delivering 

a high-quality service and 

being more agile in the way 

we assess our priorities and 

respond to community feedback. 

It will also create efficiencies 

across workstreams 

and by incorporating our transport 

network greenspaces, we 

will be able to deliver a consistently 

better ‘look and feel’ 

across all of our streets, gardens, 

parks and reserves. 

Another key aspect of 

‘greening’ our city is an ongoing 

focus on creating shady 

areas by planting more trees, or 

as a short-term solution, installing 

shade structures. As climate 

change impacts our weather, 

shade will become increasingly 

important, both for the comfort 

of park users and in providing 

sun protection. 

These initiatives directly 

contribute to the ‘prioritise 

nature’ element of our city 

vision, which states that Tauranga 

is a city where “…we 

celebrate, protect and enhance 

our natural environment”. I 

think that is a goal we can all 

aspire to – working together 

to create the change our city 

needs. 

Nga mihi 

Lord of the Bins. 

One ring to avoid it all. 

Lord of 

the Bins. 

One Ring to 

Remove it All 

Quite a clever name 

and slogan for a waste 

removal business, you 

might think. That’s obviously 

what Nick Lockwood and Dan 

Walker, the operators of the 

business in Hove, England, 

thought when they chose the 

name and phrase. 

Alas, Middle-Earth Enterprises, 

LLC, who owns the 

rights in “Lord of the Rings” 

and “One ring to rule them all” 

in the UK, do not share their 

thinking. 

As recently reported and 

discussed, 1 Middle-Earth 

Enterprises has demanded 

Messrs Lockwood and Walker 

change their business’s name 

and slogan on the grounds they 

infringe Middle-Earth Enterprises’ 

trade mark rights. 

Add to that the use of an 

almost identical font for “Lord 

of the Bins” to the “Lord of the 

Rings” font by Messrs Lockwood 

and Walker and you 

can certainly see where Middle-Earth 

Enterprises is coming 

from. 

Mr Lockwood described 

Middle-Earth Enterprises’ 

letter as “bully-boy tactics”, 2 

while Mr Walker claimed, 

“We’re just trying to make 

people smile and make a 

living”. 

While the latter may be so, 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES 

> BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells. He can be 

contacted at 07 928 4470 (Tauranga), 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), 

and ben.cain@jamesandwells.com 

on reviewing the facts I would 

have to dispute Mr Lockwood’s 

assertion. Middle-Earth Enterprises 

is the owner of very 

valuable trade mark rights, and 

as the owner of those rights it 

will – like many other businesses 

– enforce those rights 

if it perceives they are under 

threat. 

In this case, the threat to 

Middle-Earth Enterprises’ 

rights might not be obvious – 

collecting waste is, after all, a 

kingdom away from a quest to 

save the world from consummate 

evil – but it is present 

nonetheless as many a trade 

mark lawyer will tell you, particularly 

given the use of “One 

ring to remove it all” and the 

use of an almost identical font 

for “Lord of the Bins”. 

It’s possible Messrs Lockwood 

and Walker might not 

have attracted Middle-Earth 

Enterprises’ wrath if they had 

used “Lord of the Bins” in a 

different font and not used the 

“One ring…” slogan. 3 

A more cautious approach 

however would have been not 

to use the name at all (as, interestingly, 

Hutt City Council 

(NZ) chose not to do in 2021 

for one of its electric recycling 

trucks 4 ). 

The unfortunate reality 

Lord of the Bins, making headlines in The Sun, UK on Feb 

2, 2023. www.thesun.co.uk/news/21258015/lord-of-the-bins-change-name 

though is that Messrs Lockwood 

and Walker ‘chose… 

poorly’ (to quote the Grail 

Knight from “Indiana Jones 

and the Last Crusade”). 

As I wrote in an article for 

this publication in 2019, 5 when 

it comes to choosing a name 

for your business, product 

or service, it makes sense to 

choose wisely. 

That means conducting a 

trade mark search before you 

settle on a name and calling a 

specialist trade mark attorney 

for advice. 

Thus it is that one ring to a 

trade mark attorney by Messrs 

Lockwood and Walker could 

have avoided it all. 

1. Eg. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/feb/04/refuse-firm-lord-of-the-bins-ordered-to-change-its-name-by-tolkien-franchise; https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/thepanel/audio/2018876728/the-panel-with-allan-blackman-and-julia-hartley-moore 

2. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/21258015/lord-of-the-bins-change-name/ 3. As the makers of a children’s game called “Lord of the Bins” have done: https://lumaworld.in/products/lord-of-the-bins-a-strategy-card-game-to-learn-waste-management 

4. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/trucky-mctruckface-christened-as-one-of-lower-hutts-seven-new-recycling-trucks/HU5Z5KEZR5QQGBKNBDK7ZB5PXY/ 5. https://bopbusinessnews.co.nz/intellectual-property-issues/names-have-power-so-choose-yours-wisely/


Helping SMEs recover in 

wake of Cyclone Gabrielle 

Aotearoa was rocked by 

an extreme weather 

event in February, with 

Cyclone Gabrielle leaving 

many Kiwis dealing with the 

aftermath of such an unprecedented 

and horrific event. 

Many households and businesses 

were severely damaged, 

undoubtedly causing significant 

trauma and distress for 

those involved. 

As we turn our attention to 

clean up and recovery in the 

wake of Cyclone Gabrielle, 

there are some things small 

business owners can keep in 

mind to help them get through 

WORKPLACE WELLBEING 

> BY BRIDGET SNELLING 

Bridget Snelling, 

Xero New Zealand Country Manager. 

and back in business. 

Advice for small 

business owners: 

1. Get in touch with 

customers and suppliers 

No doubt there will be disruption 

to your day-to-day operation, 

which is likely to cause 

delays for your customers. 

Proactively reaching out to 

discuss the situation will help 

get everyone on the same page 

when it comes to deliverables 

and working through the 

recovery in the near future. 

Likewise, reach out to your 

suppliers to check in on how 

they fared and what sort of 

delays they’re facing when it 

comes to operating. 

Having a grasp on this will 

give you the insight necessary 

to plan around any shortages 

or obstacles your business may 

face in the short term. 

2. Government support 

schemes 

In the aftermath of an incident 

like Cyclone Gabrielle, the 

Government can support the 

recovery with financial aid. 

For example, the Civil 

Defence Payment could be an 

option to consider. 

If your insurance is unable 

to cover the extent of the damage, 

there are opportunities to 

seek additional relief to get 

you back on your feet as soon 

as possible. 

3. Take stock and plan 

ahead 

Natural disasters are something 

we often don’t consider 

as part of our business plans 

until it’s too late. 

Now’s the time to review 

your business protocols around 

natural disasters to ensure you 

and your employees know 

what to do in the event of an 

incident. 

Creating a Civil Defence 

pack with important numbers 

and information would also 

be helpful, as well as regularly 

checking your first aid kits. 

As we start to recover and 

rebuild, small business owners 

can take the lessons learned 

from Cyclone Gabrielle and 

investigate ways to mitigate 

the impact of potential future 

incidents. 

For example, if your business 

was brought to a standstill 

due to the cyclone, what 

role could digitalisation play 

in helping you reopen and get 

back on track in the future? 

Cloud-based tools and technology 

can help businesses 

operate during challenging 

times, like when we saw Kiwi 

small businesses embrace 

e-commerce in droves during 

the Covid-19 lockdowns in 

2020. 

4. Look after your and 

your staff’s wellbeing 

Events like this can be quite 

traumatic, especially if you or 

your employees have experienced 

major damage to property 

or belongings. 

Taking care of your 

wellbeing – as well as your 

employees’ wellbeing – is so 

important in these times of 

hardship. 

At Xero, we’ve extended 

the Xero Assistance Programme 

to all small businesses 

in the North Island, regardless 

of whether they are subscribers 

or not. 

This means any small business 

owner, employee or their 

family in the Bay of Plenty 

will have access to three free 

confidential counselling sessions 

through XAP until Friday 

31 March. 

To anyone wanting to 

access XAP, simply message 

xap@xero.com. 

Now’s the time to show 

support for your employees, as 

well as taking care of your own 

personal wellbeing. 

LOOK TO THE STARS – 

2023, the year of LEOs 

ADVERTORIAL 

In early February, I finished drafting 

a piece about how 2023 would 

be a massive year for Low Earth 

Orbiting satellites – think Starlink, 

the most famous company in this 

growing sector. 

Then Cyclone Gabrielle hit. 

Our teams leapt into action. 

2degrees deployed test units we had 

into the field to provide backhaul 

(that’s getting info from a cell site 

into our network), helicoptering 

units into Gisborne, and we weren’t 

the only one. The single unit in 

Wairoa was whipped off a bach and 

used as the town’s only method of 

connection. 

We have expedited introducing 

a Starlink Business offering, making 

10 enterprise grade devices 

available to emergency services to 

help with Cyclone recovery efforts, 

and opened registrations of interest 

from our business customers. 

LEOs are here – and they are 

going to be a core component of the 

telco mix going forward. 

The telecommunications market 

is about to be revolutionised – 

again – thanks to tens of thousands 

of satellites being deployed by 

companies such as SpaceX, Amazon, 

and OneWeb. 

Already thousands of Kiwis 

have snapped up SpaceX Starlink 

units – allowing remote dwellers to 

get online where no mobile or fibre 

services are available. 

But that’s just the start. This 

year will be when they move from 

a handy way to connect the bach 

to the web into a major offering 

for businesses and a key tool for 

redundancy and resiliency in geographically 

diverse and challenging 

countries such as ours. 

Another major benefit will be 

service such as additional mobile 

coverage when in remote areas – a 

huge benefit for thousands of farmers, 

boaties, trampers, and adventurers 

generally. 

For companies like 2degrees, 

we aren’t in a position to launch 

our own LEO network (Starlink has 

a constellation of more than 3,300 

low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites 

providing high speed broadband 

connectivity to some 45 countries), 

but we are in a position to innovative 

via the technology – and help 

Andrew Fairgray, Chief Business Officer, 2degrees 

Kiwi businesses ensure it’s suitable 

for their needs. 

Late last year we established a 

proof of concept in the Chatham 

Islands, as remote as it gets in 

New Zealand. The Te Whero Aura 

medical centre on the island now 

employs a Starlink unit to ensure 

its telemedicine links are always 

available and of great quality, and 

we expect other organisations with 

unique needs to follow suit. 

As an additional arrow in the 

2degrees quiver, Starlink and other 

LEO products that will make it 

highly attractive for the many 

farms and other organisations 

located in the countryside requiring 

high speed connectivity. Far from 

a replacement or even competitor 

for the UFB network, LEO services 

have their place in our service stable, 

providing greater options and 

flexibility for the varied needs of 

our business customers. 

And, yes, Starlink is perhaps 

the ultimate redundancy solution 

for disaster recovery and business 

continuity. As a failover service, 

it can keep you connected even if 

cables are washed away, cell towers 

upended in a quake, or any other 

major disaster strikes. Again, having 

this additional option is invaluable 

for creating solutions for specific 

use cases as they emerge. 

While 2023 is a year where 

many are expecting challenges, it’s 

also one where we can expect satellite 

internet to come of age. You 

might even say it’s written in the 

stars.


Business 

vs dating 

“You don’t know what you don’t know” is a well-known adage. 

“You don’t know who you don’t know” is equally valid in my opinion. 

“I never knew who I was living with until I spent a year trapped at 

home with them.” This is the catch cry of many in our post-Covid 

society. People are hitting the internet in droves to find their next exwife, 

ex-husband or consciously coupled life partner. 

CREDIT CONTROL 

> BY NICK KERR 

Nick Kerr is regional manager for DebtFree NZ Ltd and director 

of International Private Investigations Ltd. He can be reached 

on 021 876 527 and Nick@debtfreenz.com 

People are swiping left, 

swiping right and social 

media is stalking potential 

mates with an RSI enduring 

level of dedication; They 

have learned that you cannot 

know too much about a person 

if you are to successfully couple 

with them in a long-term 

fashion. 

If this level of investigative 

fervor was used in the business 

world I would be one very 

impoverished credit management 

advisor, not to mention a 

very bored fraud investigator. 

The separation between 

personal and business life is 

essential to have a good worklife 

balance (many of us have 

learned that the hard way), but 

just because the arena is different, 

awareness of warning 

signs should be no less diligent. 

The reason this, some 

may say, strange comparison 

has come to me is the result of 

two phone calls I received just 

last week. 

The first call was from a 

friend seeking advice: she had 

matched with a chap on a popular 

dating app, they had begun 

chatting, the guy seemed like a 

genuine ‘good bloke’ and he 

asked her if she would like to 

meet up. 

She had his name and did a 

full social media stalk on him 

and could not find anything 

at all, bar a very locked down 

Facebook page. 

She mentioned that all of 

his pictures were quite dated 

and none clearly showed his 

face. Also, he wanted to meet 

in a rest area near a forest. 

After reviewing the evidence 

I deduced that her conversation 

with this person was 

possibly the prelude to a very 

unpleasant experience. 

The second call was from 

a client who had completed 

some earthworks for a major 

development in the South 

Island. 

The developer had not paid 

the final progress claim of 

$115k. 

I asked him the usual questions: 

“Did you submit a payment 

claim with the correct 

paperwork? Is there an agreed 

‘terms of trade’ and does it 

have the proper provisions? 

Did you credit check the 

developer? How old is the debt 

and who is the debtor?” 

My client had done all of 

the post engagement steps perfectly 

but unfortunately he did 

not do a credit check or simple 

google search. 

I did one while he was on 

the phone and the first four 

results were a picture of the 

developers face with headlines 

like, “Bad paying developer 

strikes again,” “Developer 

sentenced to home detention 

for fraud,” and “Bankrupt 

developer found guilty.” 

His credit report linked him 

to three aliases used within 

the last 12 months and several 

judgements against his true 

legal name. 

My client will be suing for 

the remainder through his lawyer, 

but it doesn’t look good 

as there a quite a few others in 

line. 

The two scenarios above 

demonstrate to me that best 

practice is best practice in all 

areas of life. My friend avoided 

a potentially dangerous situation 

and my client learned a 

very expensive lesson. 

Just a thought 

Nick 

Business continuity and disaster 

recovery in 2023 

Our thoughts go out to all those who have been affected in the recent 

cyclonic events and our thanks to those incredible folk who are 

involved in the response and recovery efforts. The work will continue 

long after Gabrielle has exited the headlines. Friends, family, friends we 

have not yet met, and businesses who have been affected will need our 

support and assistance for a long time. Let’s look out for each other 

and, where we have opportunity, let us do what we can. 

TECH TALK 

> BY YVONNE BLANCH 

Yvonne Blanch is an Account Manager at Stratus Blue. 

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

As we have seen with the 

catastrophic weather 

events that have 

affected our country in the 

last few months, damage from 

natural events can be swift 

and devastating and have long 

term consequences, not only to 

families and homes, but also to 

businesses and livelihoods. 

Previously damage from 

weather events may have been 

able to be remedied quickly, 

with power restored, roads 

cleared and communication 

networks operational, but 

such has been the severity of 

Cyclone Gabrielle that long 

term and widespread damage 

has been suffered by our communications 

infrastructure and 

the power and transport networks. 

Our IT relies on these 

utilities to continue to function. 

All businesses should 

plan for what they can do to 

mitigate any issues, continue 

business as best they can and 

maintain livelihoods while services 

are being restored. 

Does your business have 

a Business Continuity and 

Disaster Recovery (BCDR) 

Plan? If you do, it is a good 

time to review and update it, 

taking into account what we 

are learning from the weather 

events of 2023. If you don’t 

have a BCDR plan, there is no 

better time than the present to 

start. 

BCDR planning doesn’t 

just cover what to do with your 

IT infrastructure, applications, 

data, internet access and telecoms 

but also all other operational 

facets of your business 

such as where you work (office 

and home), how you travel, 

what to do in the event of theft 

or power outage etc. Do you 

have up-to-date and securely 

accessible in all circumstances 

contact information of your 

employee’s next of kin? 

Your IT Account Manager 

should be able to assist with 

advice on and implementation 

of solutions regarding your IT. 

Make contact and start talking. 

You should consider what 

hardware, applications, data, 

and functionality your business 

requires to function and 

how long you can function 

without it. 

How will you protect it? 

How will you access it and 

operate it in disaster scenarios? 

Also, how can you keep 

it secure while operating in 

less-than-optimal situations? 

The bad actors aren’t going 

to go on holiday and wait until 

you’re back to normal before 

resuming their attacks. Your 

vulnerability will be noted 

and added protection will be 

required against the digital 

as well as the warm blooded 

looters. 

Let’s work together for 

recovery but also to make our 

business landscape more resilient 

and robust in the future. 

The worst thing we can do is 

not learn from the past.


100-mile ultramarathon reveals 

secrets to timeless business success 

Running 100 miles / 162 km non-stop is not for the faint of heart. 

But undertaking such an impossible challenge can uncover scary, 

uncomfortable – and profitable – truths about our lives and 

businesses. Not tempted to slip into your running gear? Fear not. I ran 

100 miles so you don’t have to. 

In February, I ran a 26-hour 

gauntlet of lakes, forests and 

trails to finish the Tarawera 

Ultramarathon. 

Running the equivalent 

of four back-to-back marathons 

all day and all night can 

change a person. The experience 

reveals harsh, controversial 

and compelling truths 

about our lives, businesses and 

relationships. 

Now, I can reveal these 

secrets to you. Be warned: 

What you’re about to see cannot 

be unseen. 

MINING BUSINESS WEALTH 

> BY FREDDIE BENNETT 

Guinness World Record Holder, podcast host and bestselling author, 

Freddie is known as ‘The Profit Hunter’. He helps business owners 

enjoy more time, money and freedom by discovering and extracting 

hidden profits in their companies. Freddie@conqueryourmedia.com 

1. You’re never ready for 

what happens next 

I am not a runner. Four 

years ago I was overweight, 

unhealthy, depressed and 

drunk. One day I decided to 

quit self-destruction and see 

what I was capable of. 

Sure, I’ve run a few marathons 

and slow ultramarathons 

since those dark days, but 

never anything close to 100 

miles. 

In fact, prior to this race, I’d 

only run 50 miles once in my 

life…and that was three years 

ago. 

But when you set your 

sights on a goal, you cannot 

wait until you feel ‘ready’. 

Because if you do, you will be 

waiting for an eternity. 

Go. Now. Take the first 

step. 

2. Don’t get drunk on data 

Thanks to the wonders of technology 

I could track my speed, 

heart rate, oxygen, cadence, 

altitude … and a whole lot of 

stuff I didn’t even understand. 

It’s easy to get drunk on 

data, but choose creation over 

consumption. 

I stumbled along the first 

few miles, eyes glued to smartwatch, 

worrying about my race 

going ‘wrong’. 

But only when I looked 

up and decided to create the 

adventure I wanted to experience, 

did a smile appear on my 

face. 

3. Confidence is a con 

I desperately wanted to feel 

confident about running 100 

miles. 

But what would happen if 

we knew confidence would 

never arrive? Would we stop 

the pursuit of our goals? Or 

would we say, “confidence 

be damned” and take action 

anyway? 

The confidence I was seeking 

arrived not at the start line, 

but at the finish. 

Stop waiting, start deciding. 

4. Everyone needs a little 

‘crazy’ in their life 

I’ve lost count of the number 

of people who called me 

‘crazy’ to even attempt running 

100 miles. 

For a people-pleaser who 

likes to be liked, that was a 

bitter pill for me to swallow. 

But one person’s ‘crazy’ is 

someone else’s ‘everyday’. I 

don’t care whether it’s ultramarathons, 

golf, nordic walking, 

hardcore knitting, extreme 

reading or whatever else floats 

your boat … find your thing 

and throw yourself into it with 

a passion that makes non-believers 

shake their heads in 

disbelief. Life’s too short to 

live someone else’s dream. 

5. Be a warrior, not a 

worrier 

The worried mind sees a challenge 

and imagines all the 

things that could go wrong. 

The warrior mind only sees an 

opportunity of victory. 

If I only thought of fear, 

dread and all the things that 

might go wrong, I would have 

packed my bags and gone 

home during those terrifying, 

dark, hours running alone 

through Rotorua forest all 

night. 

When you are afraid: take 

decisive action. Then the fear 

won’t matter. Keep taking 

action, and the fear will not 

exist. 

6. You don’t need another 

expert 

After running 100 kilometres, 

my feet were falling apart, 

my stomach churning and my 

mind in pieces. And I was just 

over halfway through the race. 

At that point I can categorically 

say: I knew I didn’t need 

another performance coach, I 

didn’t need another self-development 

book to read, I didn’t 

need another mindset podcast. 

All I needed was all I had: 

My self-belief, and the knowledge 

I could back myself to 

deliver. 

You already have everything 

inside you, you just need 

to unlock it. 

7. Time cannot be beaten 

Tick, tick went the clock. I was 

falling behind schedule, and at 

risk of missing my cut-off time 

window. 

No matter what hacks, 

shortcuts and quick fixes we 

try … one day, time will run 

out. 

The finish line is inevitable 

for us all, whether we like it or 

not. The good news is that we 

have control: We get to choose 

whether we arrive on our 

hands and knees, or whether to 

turn up in style. 

8. Become a master of 

completion 

I used to be a big ‘ideas’ guy. 

I loved to start things: businesses, 

relationships, projects, 

adventures. 

But I wasn’t so good at 

finishing them. Completing 

things means overcoming 

challenges, obstacles and 

issues, which isn’t very fun. 

When you become a ‘completer’, 

you prove to yourself 

that you can exceed your 

expectations. 

9. Create your own future 

The best way to predict the 

future is to create it. 

In the final few miles, I 

imploded. My thoughts turned 

to failure. How embarrassing! 

How many people would I 

let down? How stupid would 

I look? I was terrified by an 

outcome that hadn’t even happened 

yet. 

When we think of the future, 

the fear creeps in. But it never 

has to happen. We always have 

a choice whether to continue on 

our present path. 

10. Remember who will be 

there at the finish line 

I crossed the finish line, fell to 

my knees and saw my family 

cheering. 

When it mattered – when I 

really needed support – no-one 

else was there for me. Not 

the business partner who had 

promised me a life of riches; 

not the performance coach 

who ‘really wanted me to succeed’; 

not the boss who ‘had 

all my best interests at heart’; 

not the elusive customer who 

‘was definitely going to buy 

soon’. 

It is often those who support 

us the most who get the 

least of our time and attention 

in return. 

One day, you will reach the 

finish line. 

Who will be by your side? 

Give those people the version 

of YOU that they truly 

deserve. 

IP protection, simplified. 

We’ve been championing innovation since 1979. 

A safe pair of hands delivering outstanding results. 

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J&W Quarter Page Advert.indd 1 

2021-12-28 5:31 PM


When the proverbial hits the fan 

FRANCHISING 

> BY NATHAN BONNEY 

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

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

Just when business was 

thinking the worst of 

the economic impacts 

of Covid were behind us, we 

are reminded by flooding in 

Auckland and the significant 

impact of Cyclone Gabrielle 

that there are always risks 

involved in business, and 

unfortunately these are sometimes 

unforeseen and completely 

unrelated to the trials of 

business-as-usual. 

It re-enforces how essential 

it is for businesses to have 

asset and business interruption 

insurance, and business continuity 

plans covering every 

aspect of the business from 

supply chain, human resources 

and, depending on the business, 

even stretching to utilities 

provision. 

For businesses operating 

within a franchise structure, 

there are some additional considerations 

for when the proverbial 

hits the fan. 

It is critical to understand 

the obligations in your franchise 

agreement, starting with 

fee structures; some systems 

generate fees or royalties 

based on turnover, whilst some 

have a flat or minimum base 

It [Cyclone Gabrielle] re-enforces how 

essential it is for businesses to have asset 

and business interruption insurance, and 

business continuity plans covering every 

aspect of the business from supply chain, 

human resources and, depending on 

the business, even stretching to utilities 

provision. 

fee. Whilst the former is tied 

directly to revenue, the latter is 

independent, so what happens 

if you are not generating any 

revenue? 

The flat fee issue raised 

its head during Covid and 

lockdowns, and responses 

from franchisors varied 

considerably. 

I would suggest it’s now 

taken into consideration by 

many franchisors, franchisees 

and their professional advisors, 

and is certainly something 

that should be discussed and 

covered before entering into a 

franchise agreement. 

Some franchise agreements 

also have what are called minimum 

performance standards. 

These are designed to ensure 

franchisees grow and focus on 

their business. 

In effect this means if a 

business is underperforming 

the franchisee risks being in 

breach of their franchise agreement. 

But what happens if 

external factors hamper business 

performance? Will these 

clauses be evoked and how 

will they be managed? 

You should understand any 

restraints from the franchise 

agreement on supply chain 

and approved suppliers and the 

impact of interruptions on your 

franchised business. 

Finally, should the worst 

occur, and you need to exit 

the franchise, you should 

understand the termination 

provisions of the franchise 

agreement. 

Luckily, the above considerations 

will usually be 

addressed and understood 

through due diligence before 

entering a franchise agreement, 

and furthermore there 

are a number of advantages of 

being part of a franchise when 

the proverbial hits the fan. 

First and foremost, as a franchisee, 

you are not alone. You 

have the support of the franchisor 

and in many cases, the support 

of other franchisees. They 

may have experience in the 

situation you find yourself, and 

have pre-prepared contingency 

plans ready to go. 

Whilst it’s good to know 

that you’re not alone, access to 

additional external resources 

can be huge. 

After the Christchurch 

earthquake we witnessed 

incredible support within franchise 

systems ranging from 

franchisees and franchisors 

physically getting stuck in 

and assisting with cleaning, 

clearing and getting back to 

business, loaning stock, assets 

and even staff, through to franchisors 

providing additional 

financial support in the form 

of fee holidays and re-directing 

marketing spend to rebuild 

sales. 

Most franchise systems are 

likely to have intrinsic supply 

chain and cost advantages 

including insurance, supply 

chain robustness, and the 

marketing power and reach to 

assist with rebuilding business 

levels. 

Year-end tax 

considerations 

TAXATION 

> BY ANDREA SCATCHARD 

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

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

As we are fast approaching the end of 

the 2023 tax year, there are some key 

developments that need to be actioned before 

31 March (for those with a standard balance 

date) along with some standard year-end 

tax issues to consider and some recent 

developments that you should also bear in 

mind as you work through your year end. 

Bad debts 

Do you have receivables 

that are not likely to be 

paid? Make sure these 

bad debts are properly written 

off in your accounts before 

year-end so that they can be 

deductible. 

Imputation credit account 

Your imputation credit account 

must have a credit balance at 

31 March. This applies to all 

taxpayers, regardless of balance 

date. A debit balance will 

result in a penalty so it is wise 

to pay careful attention to this 

especially if you have paid out 

imputed dividends, received 

tax refunds or have a loss of 

shareholder continuity. 

Depreciation 

Check your fixed asset register: 

are you using the correct 

depreciation rates? Remember 

to depreciate new assets from 

the beginning of the month 

of acquisition, not just from 

the date of purchase. On the 

other hand, if you have pooled 

assets, these can be depreciated 

for the full year of purchase. 

If you are writing off 

assets, make sure they have 

been disposed of by year-end. 

Low value assets 

Remember that assets that cost 

less than $1,000 can be immediately 

deducted, rather than 

depreciated, as long as you 

didn’t buy more than one of 

the item on the same day from 

the same supplier. 

Trading stock 

Have you considered reviewing 

your trading stock valuation? 

A stocktake should be 

done at balance date, and any 

trading stock that is obsolete 

may be able to be re-valued. 

You must be able to substantiate 

valuations that are below 

cost. 

Losses – forfeited if 

continuity breach 

If you are expecting to carry 

forward tax losses and your 

company has had a change 

in shareholding during the 

year, you may want to check 

whether the shareholder continuity 

and business continuity 

rules have been breached. 

A breach of both can result 

in all of your tax losses being 

forfeited. 

Fourth quarter FBT returns 

31 March also marks the end 

of the FBT year, regardless of 

your financial balance date. 

The March quarter (or annual) 

FBT returns are due to be filed 

by 31 May 2023. 

This presents an opportunity 

to use the various alternate 

rate options to reduce the 

FBT payable from the standard 

63.93% rate. 

GST mixed use taxable 

and non-taxable supplies 

If you are GST registered and 

have assets that are used to 

make both GST taxable and 

GST exempt supplies, you 

may need to make an annual 

change of use adjustment in 

the GST return period that 

includes your balance date. 

GST invoicing changes 

from 1 April 2023 

Gone are the days of GST tax 

invoices (kind of). I remind 

you that from 1 April 2023, the 

current requirements for tax 

invoices are being relaxed. 

It will no longer be necessary 

to hold a valid tax invoice 

to claim an input tax deduction 

and details of what you need 

to provide your customers in 

relation to sales are changing. 

You don’t need to change 

your existing practices, but 

you may find that you get different 

looking documents from 

your suppliers for purchases 

you make. 

UOMI rate increase 

IR use of money interest rates 

have shot up recently, currently 

sitting at 9.21% for 

underpayments of tax. If we 

see further rises in the OCR, 

we can expect that the IR rate 

may also increase further. 

This high interest rate 

makes it much more attractive 

to make use of tax pooling to 

minimise your overall interest 

cost. If you have provisional 

or terminal tax payments to 

make, and do not already use 

tax pooling, I urge you to look 

into this. 

The tax pooling process not 

only minimises your interest 

cost, it can also provide the 

flexibility to make your tax 

payments at times that suit 

your own cashflow patterns. 

Navigating all of the tax 

rules and obligations can be 

a nuisance for people who 

understandably just want to 

focus on running their business. 

If you have questions or 

would like help managing your 

end of year tax affairs, please 

seek advice from your tax 

accountant or adviser.


Escape with Armageddon 

– entertainment and fandom at its finest, since 1995 

By SCOTT YEOMAN 

William ‘Bill’ Geradts, owner 

and operator of one of New 

Zealand’s largest public 

expo events, Armageddon, is by 

his own description “an old school 

nerd”. 

He beams in from Christchurch, 

his office visible in the background 

and full of an assortment of figurines 

and other entertainment 

paraphernalia. 

Bill explains how he is currently 

listening to a podcast about a group 

of guys rewatching the original Star 

Trek: The Next Generation from the 

1980s. 

In his next breath – and this is 

the secret to Armageddon’s success 

– Bill is talking about the hit 

2023 show The Last of Us, Game 

of Thrones, and the new trailer for 

The Flash which has just “dropped 

today”. “Feed me more,” he says 

with a laugh. 

The 52-year-old’s appetite for 

entertainment is insatiable – he is a 

Doctor Who obsessive, he creates 

and publishes comics and graphic 

novels – but at the same time is in 

no way stuck in the pop culture of 

the past. 

Armageddon wouldn’t still be 

around if he was. 

“We’re always evolving, and 

that’s why it’s called Armageddon,” 

Bill says. “It’s a name that means 

nothing. It is just a cool name for 

what we’re doing. It’s not a Comic-Con, 

it’s not an anime event, it’s 

not a K-pop festival, it’s not a gaming 

expo. It is a bit of everything, and 

that’s where our strength lies.” 

Armageddon Expo started in 

Auckland in 1995 and over the past 

28 years has grown to include events 

in Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, 

Tauranga and Palmerston North. 

There have also been Armageddon 

events held in Melbourne. 

“It’s been my baby since we created 

it,” Bill says. 

The “we” being him and his “very 

patient wife” Adele. 

“We did a couple of years’ worth 

of Doctor Who video days beforehand, 

and that evolved into Armageddon, 

and pretty much really, in 

my 20s, it was just a great way to 

pay for all my geek stuff that I was 

buying. That’s the whole reason it 

was created. I needed to buy Doctor 

Who videotapes from England and 

they were expensive.” 

Now Armageddon attracts thousands 

of people each year. At the 

annual Tauranga event alone, between 

10,000-11,000 tickets are sold. 

This year will be Armageddon’s 

seventh year in Tauranga, always at 

Trustpower Baypark Arena. 

“One of the things I love most 

about Baypark is that it gives us room 

to breathe,” Bill says. “We’re bringing 

some extra gaming stuff this year 

and we needed room to do it, and 

we’ve got the room here.” 

Armageddon takes over the whole 

indoor arena for the weekend, as well 

some of the space outside. 

“It’s got all the facilities we need, 

it’s easy to use, it’s reasonably central, 

it hits a good base around the 

Bay of Plenty,” Bill says. 

“But, at the end of the day, it’s just 

a great venue and that just makes it 

easy when you can pretty much rock 

up, know that things are going to 

get looked after, and know that the 

show is going to go well. The staff 

are great. We’ve always had a really 

good experience at Baypark. It’s one 

of the venues I always look forward 

to.” 

Armageddon will be hosting its 

first high school Esports league event 

in Tauranga this year, as well as a 

K-pop concert – another first for the 

Tauranga event. 

“We’re always looking for the 

new thing. We’re always looking for 

the next thing,” Bill says. 

“The main guest for this show is 

from Stranger Things, and he’s one 

of the most current guests we’ve 

hosted because he’s right in between 

seasons. He’s done a lot of different 

things. We put a lot of resources into 

bringing him to Tauranga, because 

we wanted to bring one big guest to 

the show.” 

That is English actor Jamie Campbell 

Bower, who is also known for his 

parts in Sweeney Todd: The Demon 

Barber of Fleet Street, The Twilight 

Saga, Camelot, The Mortal Instruments: 

City of Bones, Harry Potter 

and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, 

and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of 

Grindelwald. 

Other special guests at the Tauranga 

event will 

include cosplay 

superstar 

Alyson Tabbitha, 

Tauranga Armageddon 2023 

is on March 25th and 26th 

at Trustpower Baypark 

Arena, 81 Truman Lane, 

Mount Maunganui. 

animation voice 

actor Brian Beacock, 

and young New Zealand 

actress Amie Donald, mostly 

known for her role in Sweet Tooth 

and, more recently, for playing an AI 

doll in the movie M3GAN. 

There will also be the usual eclectic 

mix of exhibitors – dozens and 

dozens of stalls covering every corner 

imaginable of pop culture, fantasy, 

anime and animation, gaming, tech, 

comics, collectibles, movies and TV. 

This is entertainment and fandom 

at its finest, plus plenty of food vendors 

and retailers to keep everyone 

well fed. 

Tickets start at $10 

for children and $15 

for adults. 

William ‘Bill’ Geradts 

“I think that one of the strengths 

that Armageddon has is that we see a 

lot of families, young and older, coming 

together to the show,” Bill says. 

“There is stuff that parents love 

and there’s stuff that the kids love. 

And it’s not often that you can both 

enjoy different aspects of the same 

thing. This is a fun family event.” 

Tauranga’s 

Premier Venue 

Trustpower Baypark is Tauranga’s 

premier venue for conferences, 

meetings, entertainment, 

and exhibitions. It offers a complete 

package in one convenient 

location, featuring state of the art 

meeting rooms, conference and 

expo spaces, in-house catering, 

audio visual experts, and marketing 

and promotional services. 

For more information and enquiries about events at Trustpower Baypark, please visit www.trustpowerbaypark.co.nz or email events@bayvenues.co.nz


Western Bay joins taskforce 

to get young people in work 

Imagine all young people under 25 engaged in 

appropriate education, training, work or positive 

activities in their communities – that’s the goal of a 

new programme rolling out in Te Puke and Maketu. 

Western Bay Mayor, James 

Denyer has joined the programme 

– Mayor’s Taskforce 

for Jobs – adding our rohe to a 

nationwide network of Mayors, working 

together to get all young people 

16-25 working, training or contributing 

to their communities. 

Other councils in the Taskforce 

have created initiatives that have seen 

over 380 people placed into apprenticeships, 

enabled 500 people to gain 

their driver licence, and supported 700 

education and training opportunities. 

According to a recently released 

study from the Salvation Army, 

the Bay of Plenty has the highest 

proportion of young people not in 

employment, education, or training 

in Aotearoa, so this programme has 

some work to do (in June 2022, 18.7 

per cent – or 6500 – of 15- to 24-yearolds 

in the region were not in education, 

employment or training). 

This much needed Western Bay 

version of the programme will be 

focused on helping youth in Te Puke 

and Maketu where support is most 

needed (over 400 young people 

unemployed, or not in the workforce, 

source: 2018 Census). 

This complements the existing 

youth employment programme ‘Katikati 

Poutama – Pathways for Rangatahi’ 

already in action at the western 

end of the District. 

The new Taskforce team will be 

working closely with existing local 

providers, and partnering with Colab, 

a group of social sector organisations 

based in Te Puke. The partnership 

will ensure that the Taskforce builds 

on their existing good work. 

To assist Mayor James in making 

the Taskforce goal a reality, a new 

coordinator Davina Edwards, has 

joined the team. 

Davina’s role will be focusing 

on tailoring the Taskforce’s mission 

to our Western Bay communities 

and connecting communities with 

opportunities. She will be helping to 

create paths and remove the barriers 

between our young people and education, 

training, and jobs. 

Mayor James says, “Our District is 

so full of opportunities just waiting to 

be seized, but our young people can 

be stopped at the first hurdle. 

“Often it’s something we take for 

granted, like having access to driver 

licensing and testing, that blocks 

people from working towards their 

goals. 

“I’ll be working with Davina to 

understand what we can do to remove 

those hurdles, and be an advocate for 

our young community.” 

Existing businesses in our local 

communities also stand to benefit 

from the programme with access to 

new recruits, so it’s a positive for the 

whole community at a time when a lot 

of people are doing it tough. 

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer, meets with the new Mayor’s Taskforce For Jobs 

co-ordinator, Davina Edwards. Together they plan to get work with young people in Te Puke 

and Maketu to help them find new education, training and employment opportunities. 

For Davina, tailoring the solution 

to the community and its needs is the 

key to success. 

“I’m new to the Western Bay and 

I’ve spent the last few weeks making 

my way around the rohe speaking 

with our communities and tangata 

whenua. Our District is rich with cultural 

diversity and that strong social 

fabric is something we can tap into to 

build successful programmes.” 

Chris Johnstone, Colab coordinator 

says, they are excited about this 

great initiative. 

“This is a great opportunity to 

work in partnership with Western 

Bay of Plenty District Council and 

the community, to provide good outcomes, 

training and employment for 

our young people.” 

Council is a supporter of Colab 

and all the things they do for the Te 

Puke community. We look forward to 

working with them on this project. 

Check out the Mayors Taskforce 

for Jobs website www.mtfj.co.nz/ for 

more information. 

More information about Colab can 

be found on their website www.colabcommunity.nz. 

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ROTORUA’S QE HEALTH OPENS THE DOORS TO MULTI- 

MILLION DOLLAR HEALTH AND WELLNESS FACILITY 

Aaron Randell moves the carved stone into the new reception. 

QE Health has opened the doors 

to its new $19M purpose-built 

health and wellness facility 

in late February following a karakia 

(blessing). 

QE Health Chief Executive, Dr 

Aaron Randell, says the blessing and 

opening of the facility, now located at 

1084 Hinemaru Street, is a significant 

milestone for everyone involved in 

the project. 

“Plans for the new facility began 

way back in 2019, so between Covid 

lockdowns and rising building costs, 

there have been many challenges 

along the way – it was a great feeling 

to acknowledge that journey,” says 

Aaron. 

The former QE Health building on 

Whakaue Street was originally built 

80 years ago as a convalescent home 

for soldiers returning from WWII. 

“The building was never intended 

to be used for more than 15 years, 

but here we are more than 80 years 

later, with a new facility, which will 

serve the community for generations 

to come,“ he says. 

While most services have 

re-opened at the new facility, the 

geothermal pools will not open until 

Monday 6 March. 

As part of the karakia, a rock was 

moved from QE Health’s former garden 

to the new facility’s reception. 

The rock originates back to the 1980s 

when the former Patient’s Association 

funded a Japanese-inspired garden as 

a quiet space for patients staying at 

QE Health. 

QE Health Trustee, Mary Lean, 

says local sculptor Trevor Nathan has 

now carved a koru and the year ‘2023’ 

into the rock as the completion date of 

the facility. 

“The rock symbolises a new 

beginning for QE Health and carries 

the spirit of the original building and 

what QE Health embodies into the 

new facility,” she says. 

QE Health will host a community 

open day on Saturday, 11 March 

where members of the public can walk 

through and experience the facility 

themselves. Hosted by NZME, the 

event will also feature a free BBQ 

and spot prizes. A formal ministerial 

opening will take place on Friday, 10 

March. 

The new facility’s layout will provide 

visitors with a much-improved 

visitor experience with the gym, 

QE Health CEO, Dr Aaron Randell and Dr Anaha Hiini who led the blessing. 

Pilates studio, Rachel Pools and 

clinic rooms all easily accessible to 

one another. 

“Our new health and wellness 

facility enables us to take our unique, 

clinically integrated approach to 

health and wellness to the next level,” 

says Chief Executive, Dr Aaron 

Randell. 

“One of our aims is to provide 

additional health and wellness options 

for more Kiwis – an aspect which is 

becoming increasingly important as 

our population increases and ages,” 

he says. 

QE Health is New Zealand’s only 

clinically integrated health and wellness 

centre. It provides a complementary 

range of personalised clinical 

health services to help people reach 

their wellbeing goals. 

The new facility has been funded 

through a series of predominately 

loans and some grants from Kānoa, 

the Government’s Regional Economic 

Development & Investment 

Unit, Rotorua Trust, and Rotorua 

Lakes Council. 

How to prepare 

your business 

for sale 

For business owners, the thought of selling your business may be quite 

daunting. However, if you prioritise preparation and engaging with the 

experts, the process can be simpler than you think! 

Minimising costs 

and increasing 

annual profit by 

a modest amount 

can add to the 

potential sale 

price.” 

There’s no such thing as 

preparing for the sale 

too early. Preparing your 

business for sale is a process 

that requires careful planning. 

The longer you have to prepare 

your business, the better 

chance you have at successfully 

selling it – not to say that 

it can’t be done quickly if need 

be. 

It is important to determine 

an exit plan early on, establishing 

a solid understanding of 

the drivers of business value 

and targeting the level of profits 

likely to deliver a successful 

sale at the desired value. 

A crucial step in preparing 

a business for sale is determining 

its value. A business 

appraisal analyses every aspect 

of the business, from the market 

value of its assets to its 

future earnings prospects. 

An expert’s opinion, who 

has relevant comparable business 

sales data, on what your 

company is worth will help 

you determine whether now is 

the right time to sell; and how 

much you might be able to sell 

it for. 

It will also give an insight 

into how to improve the business 

before placing it on the 

market. 

Timing is everything. 

Bringing the business to market 

when it can be shown to be 

running at peak efficiency, and 

with a solid record of profits 

trending upwards, is always 

going to result in more buyer 

interest. 

This may require trimming 

of costs, greater sales, and 

increased profit margins and 

reviewing other variables. 

Minimising costs and 

increasing annual profit by a 

modest amount can add to the 

potential sale price. A healthy 

and thriving business with 

robust financials and a smooth 

operation is likely to sell more 

easily. 

A business is more attractive 

if its success isn’t solely 

dependent on the owner’s 

operational know-how, technical 

skill or personal relationships 

with clients or suppliers. 

Having an experienced, 

reliable management team 

demonstrates that the business 

will remain successful 

post-sale. 

Clear signs that there are 

competent staff tasked with 

spreading the workload and 

helping drive the business forward 

are crucial to giving buyers 

confidence that the business 

will continue to perform 

post sale. 

Getting the records in order 

is one of the most important 

steps you can take to prepare 

your business for sale. Review 

all financial statements from 

BUSINESS SALES 

> BY STEVE CATLEY 

Steve Catley is a Business Broker at LINK Business Brokers. He can be 

contacted at 021 341 117 and steve.catley@linkbusiness.co.nz 

the past few years and make 

sure they’re accurate and up 

to date. 

Your accounts should be 

organised and include everything 

relevant to the business. 

It is also key to provide 

a set of ‘normalised’ accounts 

to show maximum operating 

profits, as well as your actual 

accounts. 

This means adding back 

expenses that are not directly 

related to operations – and 

being prepared to discuss these 

with potential buyers. This can 

make a big difference to the 

selling price. 

You may have experience 

running a successful business, 

but does that mean you are 

right person to sell it and to 

achieve the best return? 

Hiring a team of experienced 

professionals, who can 

represent your business appropriately, 

have experience in 

business sales with access to 

relevant comparable data and 

an insight of the industry will 

help you find the best position 

for your business.


NEW APPOINTMENTS 

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

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

Appointments signal a strong start to 2023 

Despite the challenging weather events so far this year, there is no shortage of drive in our local business community. This month we feature 

new appointments in accounting, recruitment, insurance, finance and IP law, as well as introducing new talent in local arts and tourism. 

Craig Rossouw 

Trans-Tasman accounting and advisory 

firm William Buck is delighted 

to announce the promotion of Craig 

Rossouw to Associate Director, Audit 

& Assurance. 

Craig joined William Buck’s Tauranga 

Audit and Assurance team in 

2020 and has a wide range of experience 

in audit and accounting, including 

in South Africa and the United 

States. 

Craig previously ran his own 

accounting, audit and assurance practice, 

prior to moving to New Zealand 

from South Africa. 

As Associate Director he moves to 

a leadership position in the Tauranga 

office working alongside director 

Richard Dey. 

Lucy Clack 

Tradestaff Tauranga is pleased to 

announce the appointment of Lucy 

Clack as team leader. “With over six 

years experience as a fitness coach I 

have always had a passion for helping 

people reach their potential and 

achieve their goals,” says Lucy. 

“After spending four years travelling, 

I am excited to bring my knowledge 

and love for connecting with new 

people to my current role at Tradestaff. 

My goal is to continue building relationships 

with past, current and new 

clients and supply them with the best 

service and candidates in the Bay. My 

time with Tradestaff so far has been a 

fantastic experience and I’m looking 

forward to leading the team and growing 

our relationships with our valued 

clients and candidates.” 

Michael Dent 

Hallam Jones Insurance and Superannuation 

Ltd, welcomes Michael 

Dent to Hallam Jones. 

Michael has successfully obtained 

his New Zealand Certificate in Financial 

Services Level 5 in Life, Disability 

and Health Insurance. He is currently 

working towards his lending 

accreditation. 

For Michael, this marks a complete 

change in direction from running 

his own electrical business for 

the last 24 years. Michael has always 

had the desire to help people, so if 

you want an advisor who is willing to 

go the extra mile to find you increases 

in cover for reasonable prices, or, 

savings in fees with comprehensive 

cover, Michael is the adviser you 

need to talk to. 

Sam Oughton 

First Mortgage Managers Limited 

(FMML), manager of First Mortgage 

Trust (FMT), New Zealand’s largest 

non-bank first mortgage lender has 

appointed Sam Oughton as a Business 

Development Manager, based in their 

Christchurch office. 

Sam Burgess, Head of Lending 

for First Mortgage Trust says, “We 

are delighted to have Sam join our 

Christchurch team. First Mortgage 

Trust have provided investment and 

property finance opportunities to 

kiwis for over 25 years, with business 

continuing to grow.” 

Sam Oughton brings over 10 

years’ experience in the finance, property 

and real estate sector, as well as 

experience as a registered property 

valuer. 

Tonia Brugh 

Renowned IP specialist Tonia has 

re-joined James & Wells as Partner 

in their Tauranga office. 

Tonia gained significant international 

experience working with mega 

US media technology companies 

such as Apple Corp, Warner Bros. 

and Google. 

Tonia is passionate about supporting 

Pasifika and Māori entrepreneurs 

in her work. 

She is an advocate of te reo Māori 

and tikanga and assists a number of 

Māori Boards in a pro-bono capacity, 

as well as acting as Co-Chair 

on the Pacific Island Community 

Tauranga Trust (PICTT) and supporting 

her esteemed Trustees at Te 

Murumāra Foundation (Te Aka Māori 

Dictionary). 

New Tauranga Art Gallery Trust and Tourism 

Bay of Plenty board trustees appointed 

Tauranga City Council is pleased to announce it 

has made new appointments to the Tauranga Art 

Gallery Trust (TAGT) and Tourism Bay of Plenty 

(TBOP) boards. 

Passionate contemporary 

visual arts leader, Zara Stanhope, 

has been appointed to 

the TAGT board, and respected 

local mana whenua representative, 

Charlie Rahiri, has been appointed 

to the TBOP board, with approval 

from Western Bay of Plenty District 

Council, as a joint TBOP 

shareholder. 

City Development & Partnerships 

General Manager, Gareth 

Wallis, says Zara and Charlie bring 

with them a wealth of expertise 

and experience to the council-controlled 

organisations (CCOs), and 

will help ensure both boards continue 

to deliver great community 

outcomes, events, and activities for 

Tauranga locals and visitors. 

“I’d like to acknowledge the 

mahi from our current council-controlled 

organisation board members 

and welcome the new trustees 

for Tauranga Art Gallery Trust 

and Tourism Bay of Plenty. We’re 

delighted to have such high calibre, 

respected, and experienced people 

We’re delighted 

to have such high 

calibre, respected, and 

experienced people 

joining these boards.” 

– Gareth Wallis 

joining these boards,” says Gareth. 

“It strengthens what is already a 

great platform for decision making 

and shaping an engaging, inclusive, 

and vibrant city full of opportunities 

for everyone to enjoy.” 

Zara Stanhope 

Currently Director of the Govett-Brewster 

Art Gallery | Len 

Lye Centre in Ngāmotu, Zara has 

served as an aspiring trustee on the 

Tauranga Art Gallery Trust board 

since 2021 and comes strongly 

endorsed by the current board for 

her contributions to date. 

Zara has an extensive career 

history in the local, national, and 

international art and academia 

realms. She holds a PhD plus tertiary 

and postgraduate qualifications 

in art history, accounting, and 

communications. 

Charlie Rahiri 

Endorsed by Te Rangapū Mana 

Whenua O Tauranga Moana Committee, 

Tourism Bay of Plenty is 

pleased to now have mana whenua 

representation on their board. This 

will improve decision making at 

governance level, by enabling 

tangata whenua participation and 

improving relationships with mana 

whenua across Tauranga Moana. 

Charlie holds qualifications in 

Te Reo Māori, leadership, Māori 

mentoring, communications 

and health promotion, and has a 

wealth of governance experience 

as a Chair, trustee, and committee 

member. 

Charlie has a notable career 

history in advisory and management 

roles, particularly in Māori 

development, partnerships, and 

education. 

The Tauranga Art Gallery Trust 

is a council-controlled organisation 

of Tauranga City Council, and 

Tourism Bay of Plenty is a joint 

council-controlled organisation 

with Western Bay of Plenty District 

Council. 

The new appointments commenced 

from Thursday, 1 and 

Friday,16 December 2022 respectively, 

for a three-year term. 

RESIGNATION 

Stephen Cleland 

The Tauranga Art Gallery Trust 

Board announce that Stephen Cleland 

has resigned as Director of 

the Tauranga Art Gallery to pursue 

other opportunities. 

“During his time at the Gallery, 

Stephen has led our organisation 

through a challenging period, 

overseeing a number of strategic 

changes and realising ambitious 

exhibitions and programmes along 

the way. This work has placed the 

gallery in a strong position for 

future success” said TAGT Board 

Chair Rosemary Protheroe. 

Megan Cleverley, Tauranga Art 

Gallery business development and 

relationships manager, has been 

appointed acting director while the 

Board works through the recruitment 

process.


2023: When will it be over please? 

Last October my monthly 

column was entitled 

‘2022: It just feels 

different.’ 

In that column I remarked 

that the world seems to have 

changed in many ways over 

the period since 2017. I posed 

the question: “Is it just me, or 

does the world feel different? 

Really, weirdly, different?” 

I went on to say that for me, 

there’s now a permanent sense 

of impending doom. 

Now we’re in 2023 I can’t 

help but feel that for most of 

us the heightened anxiety 

that was induced in the four 

or five years preceding 2022 

hasn’t subsided. If anything, 

it has multiplied exponentially 

already this year – and we’re 

only in March (scary face 

emoji). 

Does the world feel different? 

Bloody oath it does! 

Floods that devastate large 

swathes of land, displacing 

and killing people and leaving 

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED? 

> BY ALAN NEBEN 

Alan Neben is a Mount Maunganui local and experienced New Zealand 

publisher. His columns provide a light-hearted perspective on social 

changes effecting New Zealanders. 

communities in chaos with the 

seemingly impossible task of 

rebuilding lives and infrastructure 

are what we see on CNN 

in overseas countries – not 

what we expect to see here in 

New Zealand. 

And to be so hot on the 

heels of the unprecedented 

Auckland floods, one has to 

ask: “What have we come to?” 

The geography and geology 

of Aotearoa provides a 

backdrop for amazing postcard 

photos, but, on the downside, a 

host of challenges for building 

roads and bridges and houses. 

Most New Zealand towns 

and cities are either sited 

on a coastline or a riverside 

– DANGER. 

We’ve been hearing about 

the potentially catastrophic 

impacts of global warming for 

years now – the general consensus 

is that these impacts 

will have devastating effects 

in the future. When exactly? 

Well, nobody could really say 

… but soon. 

It seems to me that ‘soon’ is 

actually ‘now’. 

For how many years have 

we slagged-off the weather 

forecasters? But have you 

noticed that as of 12 February 

2023 we have become far 

more wary of their warnings of 

impending rain and storms? I 

certainly have. 

Forecasts that before 12 

February may have been dismissed 

with a fair dollop of 

scepticism, are now feeling 

more real and anxiety inducing. 

‘She’ll be right’ has been 

turfed out as a response, 

replaced with, ‘God, don’t let 

this one be the one that gets 

us!” 

When a New Zealand town 

was deluged with rain and 

flooded on a Saturday, in the 

past we have tended to say, 

’bad luck’, ‘bit of a freakish 

downpour that one’, ‘one in 

one hundred years’, ‘unprecedented’ 

… then on Monday 

we’ve continued to argue with 

the building inspector that, 

“the piles don’t need to be that 

deep”, and “the engineering 

calculations are ‘bloody over 

the top’.” 

I suspect we won’t be arguing 

those points so vigorously 

anymore now. 

Unfortunately, it seems to 

me we often need the wake-up 

call of a real disaster to spur us 

into action. 

If Christchurch hadn’t happened, 

would we ever have 

embarked on the nation-wide 

rebuild we now call ‘earthquake 

strengthening’? 

If Whakaari White Island 

had never happened, I expect 

tourist trips to the volcano 

would still be running. 

If the Mosque shooting 

hadn’t occurred, I suggest I’d 

still be allowed to keep a stash 

of automatic ‘hunting’ rifles at 

home. 

Out of each these disasters 

have come change for the 

better: better buildings, safer 

tourism and a lesser chance of 

local mass killings of innocent 

people. 

The recent floods have 

bought out the best in people 

– communities have banded 

together to help those in need, 

people have given freely to 

those impacted, Canterbury 

people have been nice to 

Auckland people, and, perhaps 

most hearteningly for me, I 

hear an entire nation feeling 

for its effected people. 

Even the opposition political 

parties have largely steered 

clear of political sniping in 

relation to the Government’s 

disaster response (so far). 

Let’s build on this national 

spirit of caring and empathy 

and unite to find effective 

solutions to the climate change 

challenges our country now 

faces. 

There will be change, there 

must be change, to how we 

build and where we build and 

the roads we use to travel to 

where we build. It won’t be 

done without some pain and 

some heartache, and it certainly 

won’t be done overnight, 

but let’s start now. 

Looking to the devastation 

from the recent earthquakes in 

Turkey and Syria, one of the 

major causes of the massive 

loss of lives is linked to the 

huge number of non-compliant 

buildings in those countries 

– estimates suggest 7.5 

million buildings in Turkey 

alone are illegally constructed 

(non-compliant). 

Steel is expensive, so leaving 

it out of the construction 

process can be quite cost-effective 

in the short-term. 

Here in New Zealand we are 

starting from a comparatively 

strong position then when considering 

how we change our 

planning procedures to better 

mitigate the effects of weather 

events in the future. 

We generally have effective 

codes for building and 

infrastructure, good compliance 

and little corruption. If 

the codes need changing and 

the compliance needs to be 

administered differently, I like 

our chances of achieving those 

changes more than the chances 

of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan convincing 

Turkish builders not to 

cut corners by leaving out the 

steel. 

As the Russia Ukraine war 

threatens to boil over into 

a world war, the death toll 

continues to rise in Turkey 

and Syria, and the destruction 

of the flood events her in 

Aotearoa New Zealand continues 

to overwhelm us, my concerns 

about a lack of decent 

restaurant service due to 

Covid-19-induced staff shortages 

seem fairly inconsequential 

– from now on no more 

restaurant complaints from me 

in 2023! 

More warning needed for 

minimum wage increase 

1 April 2023 will see 

the adult minimum 

wage increase to 

$22.70 per hour 

from the current 

hourly rate of 

$21.20 – a 7.1% 

increase. With 

this, the training 

and starting-out 

minimum wages 

will also both 

increase to $18.16 

per hour – a rise 

from the current 

minimum rate of 

$16.96 per hour. 

Whilst many believe 

that it is quite a significant 

jump, others 

consider it fair as it keeps in 

line with inflation. 

Economic and political 

commentator Bernard Hickey 

believes that previous minimum 

wage hikes over the last 

five years have been “double 

inflation”, whereas this year 

will be more in line with the 

rate of inflation, adding that: 

“In real terms, this is actually 

a slow-down in the minimum 

wage increase.” 

Overall, minimum wages 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

> BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

Talent ID are Recruitment Specialists and can support you through 

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

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

have steadily increased from 

$16.50 in 2018 to $22.70 in 

2023 and while this must be 

a relief for minimum-wage 

workers, some might argue 

that this rise, combined with 

the recent floods, as well as 

the aftermath of Covid-19, 

might place significant strain 

on some small business owners 

who are hanging onto their 

companies and livelihoods for 

dear life. 

Further to the above, a survey 

conducted by Retail NZ, 

recently revealed that 57% of 

retailers will reduce the work 

hours available to their teams 

while 41% plan to reduce staff 

numbers. Others are planning 

on increasing retail prices, 

reducing store hours, with a 

small percentage even considering 

shutting down their businesses 

entirely. 

According to this survey, 

the wage hike will impact 

employees “at every level, not 

just those on the minimum.” 

As one retailer said, “Most 

of my staff are paid above the 

new minimum wage, but they 

too, will expect an increase 

to maintain the differential. 

That’s where the expense 

comes in. I don’t think the 

government understands the 

expectations of employees 

already above the minimum 

wage.” 

These views suggest 

this increase might place 

unplanned strain on certain 

businesses, and quite possibly 

the mental wellbeing of these 

business owners. 

This wage increase might 

mean massive relief to struggling 

families. Whilst it might 

be inevitable and in line with 

inflation, taking into consideration 

the financial year-end 

and the fact that April is right 

around the corner, more warning 

time could have given 

small businesses the opportunity 

to better prepare for this 

“hairy” jump in wages, as it 

has been referred to on a few 

occasions. 

* Sources: 1news.co.nz, Human 

Resources Director NZ


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MC15846A

March 2023 - Bay of Plenty Business News

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