Waikato Business News February/March 2023

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 

VOLUME 32 

ISSUE 2 

READ ONLINE AT 

http://www.wbn.co.nz 

/WaikatoBusinessNews 

The Waikato region’s voice of local business 

RAGLAN WEATHERS STORM 

Summer trade in Raglan takes a hit when the main road to 

Hamilton slumps and holidaymakers are reluctant to drive 

the windy detour road. Page 4. 

THE BUSINESS OF ART 

Ceramic artist Sarah Bing reckons being an artist is something 

you do for love rather than financial gain and she’s not 

about to starve to pursue the works she loves. Page 24. 

CO-WORKING SPACES IN DEMAND 

Not that long ago working from home was the new normal. 

Fast overtaking the work-from-home trend, The Crate is experiencing 

an increase in demand for co-working. Page 32. 

Waikato poised to be the 

tech region of the future 

The Tron might be a tongue in cheek nickname for Hamilton but 

The Cultivate Trust really do believe Hamilton is the city of the future. 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

2 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 3 

A don’t 

miss dining 

experience 

It’s back! This flagship event 

always sells out, so don’t miss out 

on the hottest ticket in town. 

Like no other dinner, the 

CBD Progressive Dinner 

takes you on a journey 

to some of the best eateries in 

Hamilton town. 

Led by former Victoria St 

Bistro manager and foodie 

Julia Clark, experience six central 

city hospitality venues for 

an unforgettable dining experience 

in the heart of the CBD. 

Previously an annual 

event, this year the dinner has 

changed to twice yearly due to 

its success. 

Hamilton City Business 

Association general manager 

Vanessa Williams says the element 

of surprise is a huge part 

of the experience. 

Created to showcase the 

fantastic hospitality offerings 

Each dinner 

is different so 

diners do not find 

out where they 

are going until 

they arrive at 

each venue. 

in the central city, guests are 

delighted with a food offering 

and a matched drink at each 

place with entertainment along 

the way. 

“It has been a hugely 

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

successful way to showcase our 

eateries and an opportunity to 

meet new people and enjoy a 

dining experience,” she says. 

Previous years have 

included a dance battle at Victoria 

on the River and entertainment 

by the Wai Toko 

drummers down a laneway. 

“The not knowing what 

you are going to get prior to 

going adds to the experience,” 

Vanessa says. 

The first CBD Progressive 

Dinner for 2023 will be 

taking place from 5.45pm 

on Thursday 23 March. To 

book visit events.humanitix. 

com/cbd-progressive-dinner-march-2023 

Our team 

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 

DESIGNER 

Warren Gilbertson 

studio@dpmedia.co.nz 

DESIGNER 

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 

joanne@dpmedia.co.nz 

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 

PUBLISHER 

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Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 027 228 8442 

deidre@dpmedia.co.nz 

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Waikato poised to be the tech 

region of the future 

The Tron might be a tongue in cheek nickname for Hamilton but 

The Cultivate Trust really do believe Hamilton is the city of the future. 

Of course, that includes 

the Waikato, as the 

group aims to capitalise 

on the burgeoning technology 

industry in the region through 

their campaign ‘Tech in the 

Tron’, which aims to attract 

500 skilled tech workers and 

their families to the Waikato. 

Trust chair and Hamilton-based 

Soda Inc’s chief 

executive Erin Wansbrough 

believes not many people outside 

of the region know about 

the tech groundswell that is 

happening in the Waikato and 

the trust wants to change that. 

“Our core drive is to find a 

way in which we can showcase 

the exceptional businesses 

that are here. Like many New 

Zealand regions, we tend to be 

humble in nature and hide our 

light under a bushel.” 

Behind the initiative is 

a collective of private businesses, 

education providers 

and public entities interested 

in growing the Waikato technology 

ecosystem. They all 

share the same woes when it 

comes to growing their business 

capabilities and that is 

attracting talent. 

“There is one large pain 

point common to all in this 

industry, and that is the challenge 

to get enough quality 

talent to fuel their business 

growth. There is a hunger for a 

wide range of skill sets, and in 

particularly there are two main 

choke points in the talent funnel. 

One is the volume of people 

starting out in their career 

…and secondly the technically 

skilled workers. Many businesses, 

but particularly tech 

businesses in New Zealand, 

would tell you a similar story.” 

Kickstarted last year, the 

Cultivate Trust and the subsequent 

Tech in the Tron initiative 

isn’t taking lightly the 

current global economic downturn. 

Erin says, now more 

than ever, Kiwi high growth 

technology businesses will be 

at the forefront of navigating 

this global environment. 

“Their performance and 

growth is directly connected to 

the performance and health of 

larger economic regions. They 

also have an insatiable need 

for talent to fuel growth, however 

the current supply is falling 

well short of demand. The 

need for talent is broad, from 

graduates through to experienced 

and highly skilled people. 

It is acutely felt across 

the New Zealand technology 

industry and it is not going 

away. It must be solved if this 

export economic growth is to 

be realised.” 

The Waikato region continues 

to be the most diverse and 

strongest economic region in 

New Zealand, she says, and it 

is also one of the fastest growing 

technology regions in the 

country and as such the need 

to address the access to talent 

is of upmost priority. 

“The Cultivate Trust 

was formed with a focus on 

addressing the supply of 

strong talent into the Waikato 

region to fuel our technology 

businesses. In doing so it will 

not only result in strengthening 

this local economic growth, 

but due to the significant size 

of this region, it will strengthen 

the resilience of New Zealand’s 

economy,” Erin says. 

Showcasing the Waikato, 

making solid business connections, 

and attracting and growing 

talent is what underpins 

the trust and the campaign. 

Between July and December 

2022 Tech in the Tron 

campaign had over 1 million 

engagements and created 2.5 

million impressions across 

various social media channels. 

Scrolling through the Tech 

in the Tron Facebook page you 

get insights into the lives of 

people working in the industry, 

great tech projects, the 

latest research and development 

programmes, invites to 

Associate Minister for Revenue Dr Deborah Russell and 

Company-X co-founder/director Jeremy Hughes. 

networking opportunities and, 

of course, a snapshot of the 

variety of things on offer and 

available to do in the region. 

Radio DJs, television hosts, 

comedians, you name it, they 

are sure to have a Hamilton 

one-liner in their repertoire, 

Tech in the Tron aims to alter 

those perceptions. 

“It used to be a place that 

people would bypass, it would 

rarely be a destination of 

choice, let alone considered 

as a growing city with strong 

career options. We were very 

aware that many external to 

the region still hold this outof-date 

perception and we 

have to change that if we are to 

ever make significant inroads 

to the talent supply challenge,” 

Erin says. 

“We also knew in order to 

achieve a significant paradigm 

shift it would require a visual 

and engaging marketing campaign 

if it was to have impact. 

Hence #techinthetron was 

brought to life to ‘show and 

not tell’ reality of what is on 

offer within the Waikato. To 

make visible and lift the curtain 

on the vibrant and diverse 

culture, the variety and number 

of globally focussed tech 

businesses, and the career 

opportunities that exist.” 

Originally from Auckland, 

Erin knows the cost that comes 

with big city living and having 

moved to Hamilton four years 

ago, she has found a new lease 

of life living in the Tron. 

“The realities of living and 

working in a large congested 

city can feel like a mug’s game 

at times, with the cost falling 

well short of the benefits. 

When we decided to make a 

change and began to assess 

alternatives, the Waikato 

region quickly stood out as the 

destination of choice. It was 

not just the career prospects on 

offer, or the more favourable 

property market, proximity to 

quality schools, flowing traffic 

or significant increase in time 

available that were appealing. 

What set Hamilton apart from 

other choices was its scale and 

the variety of strong growth 

businesses, particularly tech 

businesses. It was clear Hamilton 

was poised to be the city 

to watch in regard to its economic 

growth, prosperity and 

employment opportunities. 

Add to this its convenient geographic 

position; operating as 

an inland port, and the close 

proximity to Auckland enables 

one to easy connect and do 

business in Auckland, without 

the personal cost that comes 

with large city living. It had so 

many boxes ticked.” 

Alongside the usual social 

media suspects like Facebook, 

TikTok and Instagram, 

the trust runs the Tech in the 

Tron website, as an easy and 

welcoming entry point for people 

who reach out wanting to 

learn more. The trust ensures 

that every contact is quickly 

and warmly followed up, by 

either a direct contact with a 

campaign ambassador or trust 

supporter. 

“The ambassadors have 

been such a point of difference. 

It’s that Kiwi hospitality 

which is authentic and I think 

it is making us stand out as it 

is rare to find deep business 

network so easily accessible,” 

she says. 

“Most of the inquiry we 

have received has been from 

business people asking about 

what businesses are here, what 

jobs are available and how 

they might become introduced 

into this network. The interest 

is most often driven by either 

an individual looking to further 

something from a business 

development perspective 

or it is from a person looking 

to explore career opportunities… 

and the response has 

been strong.” 

The initial formation of the 

Cultivate Trust was driven by 

Economic Development, Science, and Innovation Select 

Committee chair Jamie Strange and Company-X mixed 

realities specialist Lance Bauerfeind. 

Ingrid Leary tries a VR simulation 

a segment of business leaders 

in Hamilton’s tech industry 

with the group being quickly 

underpinned by Hamilton 

City Council, the University 

of Waikato and Te Waka. The 

businesses that lead the way 

in supporting the establishment 

of the trust and bringing 

the campaign to life were 

Gallagher Group, IT Partners, 

Aware Group, Company-X, 

Enlighten Designs, Lightwire, 

LIC, Tuatahi First Fibre, Soda 

Inc, Shift72, Tompkins Wake, 

Deloitte and The Instillery. 

Whilst it might seem 

counter intuitive that businesses 

would collaborate 

rather than compete for such 

scarce talent, Erin says, the 

number of businesses involved 

continues to grow strongly. 

It is recognised what works 

for one will work for all, and 

These business 

people easily 

and frequently 

network one 

on one, and 

preferably in 

person. This 

approach has 

resulted in a 

tightly woven and 

highly connected 

business network, 

underpinned by a 

depth of trust and 

reciprocity. 

that collaboration will add 

power to the project. 

Subsequently the trust 

remains resolute in its focus 

to solve the pain point that is 

common to all, and will continue 

to do all it can to grow 

the volume and quality of talent 

required to fuel the tech 

community. 

Whilst looking to attract 

talent from around Aotearoa 

and the world, Cultivate 

doesn’t want to forget about 

grassroots and Erin has her 

eye on how to support graduates 

into careers in the 

Waikato, and to attract them 

and keep them in the region as 

they begin their careers. 

“It is known that 

universities across New Zealand 

have continued to compete 

on the global stage for 

student enrolments and have 

suffered a significant hit to 

their international student 

numbers in recent years. We 

need to support efforts to grow 

student numbers if we are to 

continue to address future talent 

needs. We believe as an 

industry if we become more 

visible and accessible to all 

tertiary students we will see 

more flow through into jobs,” 

she says. 

“Our research has shown 

that international students 

have a preference to study and 

work in cities with fewer of the 

pain points that come with the 

hustle, bustle, congestion and 

cost of living in a large metropolis. 

As a region we’re already 

placed on the front foot to 

attract these students and subsequently 

employ and retain 

these graduates. We have also 

learned that it is not that students 

don’t want to work as an 

intern or start their career here 

in the Waikato, they just don’t 

know where the businesses are 

or the opportunities that exist, 

and they wouldn’t have a clue 

whose door to knock on,” she 

says. 

Creating authentic, fun and 

welcoming networking events 

is one way that Tech in the 

Tron can breach the divide. 

“It actually comes down 

to laying the foundations and 

doing the basics consistently 

well to support and enable 

those early in their career 

to become connected. To 

understand the landscape, 

the businesses and opportunities 

available to them in the 

Waikato, and to also create 

engaging ways to easily connect 

with and be warmly introduced 

to potential employers. 

The trust has a number of such 

activities planned for the coming 

year that will make it easier 

for this talent to connect and 

get a foot in the door.” 

Building upon the strong, 

positive response to initiatives 

implemented in 2022, Erin 

says the trust have some bold 

plans underway this year. 

“We know to fix the size 

of ‘talent funnel’ and ensure 

it is always flowing we must 

lean into efforts of improving 

diversity and removing barrier 

to entry. This will enable us to 

increase the size and volume 

of our talent funnel as it will 

enable us to reach an untapped 

and deep source of talent.”


WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 

Raglan businesses weathers 

cyclones and road closure 

Summer started with a hiss and a roar in the Waikato over the Christmas 

and New Year’s period lulling us into a false sense of security. 

A 

few short days after 

celebrating the onset 

of 2023, Cyclone Hale 

dumped significant amounts 

of rain on the Coromandel, 

sending holidaymakers back 

to the safety of their homes. 

The first cracks appeared 

in the Kopu-Hikuai Highway 

(State Highway 25A) – a main 

route for travellers heading 

for the eastern side of the 

Coromandel Peninsula. 

Anniversary Weekend 

didn’t fare any better, the 

deluge of rain that causing 

flooding in Auckland also 

impacted the Waikato with 

SH23 between Raglan and 

Hamilton closed, among 

others. 

Cyclone Gabrielle 

wasn’t far behind wrecking 

destruction across the North 

Island, hitting the Hawkes Bay 

with devastating effect. 

As well as the tragic loss 

of lives, the toll of Gabrielle is 

still only coming to light, with 

damages estimated to be at 

least $13 billion NZD. 

Whilst in comparison the 

Waikato got off lightly but 

there have been areas affected 

by these weather events. 

The Waikato District 

Council has had a team of five 

inspectors on the road network 

identifying and recording 

damage to roads, and a couple 

of crews out clearing trees by 

the sides of roads. 

There are many rural roads 

in the district down to one land 

due to slip clearing or washout 

but the main ones include 

SH23/Raglan-Hamilton and 

the Port Waikato-Waikaretu 

Rd. 

Both suffered major slumps 

and are vital roads linking the 

communities to their main 

cities and supply networks. 

A temporary fix by Waka 

Kotahi on the Raglan road to 

create a detour above the slip 

on private land was opened at 

the beginning of March. This 

will give Waka Kotahi time 

to asses the slip and plan for 

long-term resilience of the 

route 

Raglan Business Chamber 

chair Lisa James Pemberton 

says the business community 

feel enormously lucky 

compared to people in worsthit 

regions. 

“If you’d spoken to me 

before the Hawke’s Bay 

fallout, we (the business 

community) would have been 

up in arms, and we would have 

been jumping up and down 

and moaning. But I see that 

in context and when you look 

at what’s happening down 

there (Hawke’s Bay), we’ve got 

nothing to complain about. 

But it is impacting us.” 

Pemberton has been 

touching base with Raglan 

small business owners and 

most are doing well. Many 

have told Pemberton that the 

local support is seeing them 

through, especially when the 

town was cut off after Cyclone 

Gabrielle made the Waingaro 

detour road impassable for 

eight-hours. 

“Our locals have actually 

been keeping us going. We 

were only cut off from the 

world for eight hours, so we 

were hardly blocked off from 

the world at all. But that day, 

we got so many customers, we 

were so busy. Everybody came 

down to support us because 

they had some free time,” she 

says. 

The co-owner of Raglan 

restaurant Orca Eatery & Bar, 

Pemberton has experienced 

courier companies and food 

suppliers going above and 

beyond the call of duty. 

“They are still committed 

to giving us food every day 

or every day that we are 

scheduled for delivery, and 

making sure that they turn 

up on time. The drivers are 

leaving work extra early to get 

out to Raglan,” she says. 

Anniversary Weekend, 

normally a big earner for 

Raglan businesses, took a big 

downturn due to Aucklanders 

being unable to travel after the 

floods. 

I always say 

as soon as 

Auckland can’t 

come, the tap 

basically turns 

off for us. 

With the main road closed, 

Pemberton says, many visitors 

are reluctant to take the detour 

to Raglan. 

“You just don’t get the day 

trippers that are going, ‘look 

it’s sunny, let’s just shoot out 

to Raglan for the day and get a 

bite to eat or rent a kayak or go 

on the Wahine Moe’. They’re 

just not coming out. It’s too 

hard. The road is too scary. No 

one really knows where to go.” 

Added to this was the high 

levels of E.coli in the harbour 

and beaches making it the 

“perfect storm”, she says. 

Waitangi Weekend didn’t 

fare any better in the seaside 

town reliant on making the big 

bucks in summer to see them 

through the colder months. 

“Those two big weekends 

for us in Raglan are the cream 

on top of the summer. They’re 

your last big push to really 

get good money out of the 

summer.” 

Worst affected, Pemberton 

says, are the tourist operators 

providing activities that rely 

on good weather. 

“I know of three operators 

that are based on the water 

or during activities out in the 

region, and the weather has 

actually stopped them. One 

guy said to me it’s the worst 

summer he’s had in the whole 

history of his business.” 

But it hasn’t all been 

doom and gloom, Pemberton 

says, Raglan accommodation 

cancellations are being filled 

by holidaymakers who have 

had to change their plans. 

“People with Airbnb 

accommodation that I’ve 

spoken to have actually ended 

up with a win. They may have 

got a cancellation but those 

cancellations were filled up 

really quickly because no one 

can go anywhere else.” 

Angela 

Williams, 

spokesperson at Raglan iHub, 

says town has seen steady 

visitor numbers with many 

having changed their original 

travel plans. 

“In many cases the 

visitors were planning to be 

in Northland or on the East 

Coast. Circumstances had 

forced them to reschedule and 

head west,” she says. 

Big tech company celebrates decade 

partnership with Company-X 

A US multinational digital communications technology 

giant is celebrating a decade long partnership with 

New Zealand software specialist Company-X. 

Cisco Systems Inc, in San 

Jose, California, became 

a client of Company-X, 

in 2013 shortly after the 

software specialist was founded 

by Jeremy Hughes and David 

Hallett in Hamilton, Waikato. 

Cisco asked Company-X for 

help and expertise with several 

international projects and the 

relationship continues today. 

This makes Cisco one of 

Company-X’s first and oldest 

clients. 

“We’ve been working with 

Company-X for several years 

now and they are a top-notch 

development and technology 

partner,” said iTalent Digital 

Cisco Account Manager Maritza 

Quintanilla. 

“Their team has amazing 

talent, a great mix of innovative 

and creative developers, project 

managers, business analyst 

and quality assurance team 

members who strive to deliver 

results and value. 

“They’ve helped our fortune 

50 client company execute a 

cutting-edge platform, leading 

Company-X 

manages to find 

resources that 

keep updated, 

continuously 

bringing new 

technology and 

development 

insights to our 

organisation. 

the efforts from concept to 

execution and they are a 

genuine pleasure to work 

with . . . flexible, engaged and 

responsive.” 

Quintanilla’s comments 

echo those of Cisco project 

manager Ashela Webb. 

“They handle themselves 

professionally internally with 

peers and leaders. Every 

resource provided to us, from 

program management to 

development, has the ability to 

think on his or her feet and get 

the job done.” 

Hamilton City Council was 

Company-X’s first client by a 

few months. 

The council involved 

Company-X co-founder and 

director David Hallett in the 

architecture of its eServices 

Portal. The job required 

integration with existing 

regulatory information systems 

and various payment gateways. 

The council was one of the 

first local government services 

to use the RealMe identity 

verification service. 

The New Zealand Police 

National Road Policing Centre 

Calibrations Services in 

Wellington was also an early 

client. 

Police Calibration Services 

asked Company-X to build 

a system to record and audit 

speed testing devices and 

calibration results as well as 

assess legal tolerances across a 

range of devices. 

Due to the nature of law 

enforcement, all equipment 

used to assess legal tolerances in 

New Zealand must be regularly 

calibrated for accuracy, while 

ensuring every individual 

device is always accounted for. 

The devices are complex in 

number, type, and technology, 

and include laser guns, radar, 

speed cameras and static speed 

test sites, passive and evidential 

breathalysers, and weighing 

scales. 

It was also critical to ensure 

an ISO 17025 quality process 

was followed, recorded and 

auditable. 

“New Zealand Police 

Calibration Services were 

extremely happy with our 

iterative rapid prototyping 

approach and the speed with 

which we delivered the final 

application,” said Company-X 

co-founder and director Jeremy 

Hughes. “Without heavyweight 

analysis and program 

specification, we were able to 

deliver speed to market along 

with significant cost savings.” 

Calibrations Services 

Manager Senior Sergeant David 

Martin said police had enjoyed 

a long-term relationship with 

Company-X. 

PARTNERSHIP: iTalent Digital Cisco Account Manager Maritza 

Quintanilla, left, with Company-X co-founder and director 

Jeremy Hughes during a recent meeting in San Jose. 

Timeline 

Monday 30 January: 

SH23 closed to one lane due to cracking. 

Tuesday 31 January: 

Crack became 300mm drop. 

Wednesday 1 February: 

Drop became slump. Geotechnical assessments underway. 

Road closed overnight and detour route established. 

Thursday 2 February: 

Road closed to all traffic, while engineers continued to 

investigate severity of the situation and ongoing risk. 

Friday 3 February: 

Plan actioned to construct a temporary diversion road. 

Saturday 4 February: 

Tree felling began. 

Sunday 5 February through to Saturday 11 

February: 

Felling completed and earthworks begin. 

Sunday 12 February: 

Work halted due to a fatal incident on a nearby site, and 

the impending Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Tuesday 14 February: 

Site re-inspected by geotechnical experts, slump has 

deepened to 2.5m and is now around 30m long. 

Wednesday 15 February: 

Earthworks and road construction resumes. 

Navigate the 

digital landscape 

with us


Business News designer back on the 

job after Cyclone Gabrielle 

Nearly every Kiwi will know someone who has been 

impacted in some way by Cyclone Gabrielle. 

The category 3 severe 

tropical cyclone 

wreaked havoc and 

destruction in the Hawkes 

Bay, Te Tai Rāwhiti/Gisborne 

region, Coromandel, West 

Auckland and many other 

regions around the North 

Island. 

It was only one degree 

of separation to someone 

impacted by the cyclone 

for the Waikato Business 

News as graphic designer 

Warren Gilbertson was one 

of thousands in the firing line 

of what the MetService has 

described one of the worst 

storms to hit Aotearoa in living 

history. 

Awatota Gold course - Photography by Corena 

Able to work remotely in 

Taradale, Warren is back on 

the job after being without 

power for six days. 

But if it wasn’t for his 

quick thinking on the Monday 

night when the cyclone hit 

the Waikato Business News 

may have not made it to the 

printers. 

“I was just about to send 

the final files off to the printer. 

But I found a few errors and 

I didn’t really want to send 

it to the printers that night 

without anybody checking it. 

I redid the files and left them 

on the server up in Hamilton. 

I thought if the power does go, 

I’ll be stuffed,” he says. 

His foresight meant the 

WBN team could do the final 

checks and send the files to the 

printers the next day. 

Warren is the first to admit 

he got off lightly, having to 

evacuate with his partner and 

two children to safety on the 

Tuesday afternoon. 

“Everyone in our 

neighbourhood was watching 

to see how high the creek at 

the end of our street got. Then 

were told to evacuate and 

went to a friend’s place. Then 

the cops came knocking on 

the door there and told us to 

evacuate out of there as well. 

By then we were told it was 

safe to return to our house, so 

our friends came with us and 

had to stay for four days as 

their area was flooded. 

“We had a similar 

downpour a while ago and I 

had a stream of water running 

through my office which is in 

the shed. I had a feeling that 

will happen again so I dug a 

trench underneath the house.” 

It proved to be a prescient 

decision as the trench directed 

water away from his office. 

“There was basically a 

small stream running under 

the house. If I hadn’t dug the 

trench my office would have 

been flooded.” 

The same can’t be said for 

others in his community. Just 

8-km away in Swamp Road, a 

friend’s house was two-metres 

under water at the peak of the 

flooding and like thousands of 

others in his position he’s been 

left with a tonne of silt to clear. 

“Luckily, he got out and 

went straight up the hill. He 

was sitting on top of the hill 

watching it.” 

And as bad as it got 

for Warren, his friends 

and neighbours, it was 

neighbouring community 

Eskdale that felt the full force 

of the floods. 

To get to Taupo from 

Napier you have to go through 

the Esk Valley which usually 

takes just under two hours, 

now this is a nearly seven-hour 

drive via Palmerston North. 

Stories of people fighting 

to escape the flood waters are 

many, Warren says. 

“A close relative that lives 

in Whirinaki (on the coast) 

had to cut a hole through his 

roof with a meat cleaver as 

Eskdale - Photography by Corena 

the rapidly rising flood waters 

gave him no option but to seek 

safety on top of his roof while 

his neighbours had to do the 

same and wait it out until help 

arrived.” 

At the time of writing a 

total of 11 people have died due 

to the cyclone. Eight people in 

Hawke’s Bay, one in Gisborne 

and two volunteer firefighters 

in Auckland. 

But, like the Christchurch 

earthquakes and disasters 

before, rising from the tragedy 

are the numerous stories of 

bravery and resilience. 

Stories of people hiring 

private helicopters to 

drop supplies into cut-off 

communities, neighbours 

getting stuck in with shovels 

to help clear silt, food drives, 

fundraisers, the list goes on. 

There are also the stories of 

people who themselves have 

been impacted by the cyclone 

trying to help people worse off. 

Warren was meant to help 

at a working bee to clear silt 

at his mate’s property on 

Swamp Rd but that was put on 

hold due to more heavy rain 

warnings for the Hawke’s Bay. 

And he worries about how 

long vulnerable communities 

will be able to keep up their 

spirits. 

‘The community support 

has been incredible and it’s 

going to be a long journey for 

everyone affected to get back 

on their feet, to rebuild their 

lives. It’s also taken a huge 

emotional toll on many.” 


We.EV offers Electric Vehicle 

infrastructure analysis 

We.EV has seized the opportunity to 

lead the way in supporting businesses 

to transition their fleets to EVs by 

investigating, designing, installing and 

providing an end-to-end solution to 

meet the customers’ needs and to 

minimize capital costs. Community 

owned, our vision is simple; to help 

businesses shape a better, more 

renewable future. 

We.EV has completed various projects 

throughout the Waikato for education 

providers, councils, large and small 

commercial enterprises. 

”When considering EV charging solutions, 

it’s important to understand your existing 

electrical infrastructure, ensure systems are 

not overloaded but still maximise the use of 

existing assets. Our team can provide you 

with the expert analysis and design required 

before commencing charger procurement 

and installation,” says Head of We.EV 

Craig Marshall. 

There can be considerable costs involved 

with the installation of charging equipment. 

These can include upgrades to existing 

switchboards and cables onsite, the main 

electrical supply or disruptive works involving 

civil (trenching), ducts, pits and charging 

equipment foundations. 

Understanding the options and solutions that 

can minimize costs and maximise charging 

availability before embarking on your project 

is essential. And that’s where We.EV comes in. 

The We.EV team can analyse existing site 

infrastructure, power usage and parking 

locations to produce a report detailing 

recommended EV charging infrastructure 

alongside budget pricing to fit with your 

current needs and allow easy expansion into 

the future. 

We.EV will partner with you and offer our 

know-how and experience to investigate and 

provide a cost-effective EV charging solution 

for your organization. 

0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz 

LEVEL 1, 131 VICTORIA STREET 

120 SQM PRIME COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY 

IN THE HEART OF HAMILTON’S HOSPITALITY 

For Lease 

Directly opposite the new Waikato Regional Theatre 

development, this newly renovated, character filled 

commercial property is surrounded by award winning 

hospitality with spectacular views over the south end of 

Victoria Street. Close to excellent parking options and the 

Waikato Museum – Te Whare Taonga O Waikato. 

This impressive vacancy is a blank canvas for a new tenant 

wanting to locate amongst the action of Hamilton’s nightlife 

and zoned for City Centre under the Hamilton City Council 

Operative Plan. 120 sqm of office space with a small 

kitchenette area located at the rear of the building. This 

property is available now. 

MIKE NEALE 

027 451 5133 

mike.neale@naiharcourts.co.nz 

RA PIRIPI 

021 838 887 

ra.piripi@naiharcourts.co.nz 

MONARCH COMMERCIAL LTD MREINZ 

LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENT (REAA 2008) 

Cnr Victoria & London Streets, Hamilton 07 850 5252 

Further Information Available - Enquire now


Local business wins national awards 

Toyota New Zealand held their Dealership 

Excellence Awards in Auckland in February 

with Hamilton-based Ebbett Toyota having a 

hat-trick of successes taking out three of the 

12 categories. 

Ebbett Toyota collected 

the Parts and Accessories 

Excellence Award 

for the second consecutive 

year, which acknowledges 

Ebbett Toyota’s outstanding 

systems and infrastructure. 

Parts and accessories manager 

Duncan Fraser leads this 

outstanding team and attributes 

this award to the dedication 

and commitment of his 

hard-working team and the 

teams at their branches. 

The accolades didn’t end 

there, as Lexus of Hamilton 

(led by Lennon Singh) and 

Lexus of Tauranga (led by Mike 

Ranstead) were nominated 

for the Lexus Supreme Award 

and chief executive officer 

Tony Coutinho also accepted 

the Excellence in Leadership 

Award again for the second 

consecutive year. 

“This award is not won by 

one single person, as great 

leadership is the responsibility 

of the entire team, so I accept 

this award for all of our Leaders 

at Ebbett Toyota,” Coutinho 

says. 

This year saw a new award 

being added to the night – the 

Citizenship Award. 

The Citizenship Award 

focuses on the Toyota Dealerships 

that support their local 

communities and who make 

positive social, environmental 

and cultural impacts. 

Ebbett Toyota was recognised 

for no less than 10 initiatives 

aligned with the Toyota 

vision of mobility for all and 

was complimented on the deep 

and lasting partnerships gained 

in the community. 

An initiative specifically 

mentioned was the ‘Community 

MOOver’, a community 

van available to not-for-profit 

groups, schools, local sports 

teams, or other organisations 

to use free of charge as transport 

for events. 

“We are really honoured 

to win this award, as we know 

how much of a difference the 

Community MOOver makes 

to so many people,” Coutinho 

says. 

“The Community MOOver 

was never intended to be 

something that would win any 

awards, we simply saw a need 

in our local community and 

did something about it, for no 

other reason than it being the 

right thing to do.” 

Toyota New Zealand’s 

chief executive officer 

Neeraj Lala explains the awards 

celebrate the annual achievements 

of its network and their 

contribution to keeping Toyota 

as the leading mobility brand in 

New Zealand. 

Our stores are an 

integral part of 

this vision, as they 

deliver it to their 

customers and 

local communities 

they support. 

“In 2022, we not only held 

onto our number-one slot 

against some tough competition 

and regulatory challenges, 

but we also successfully 

launched ‘Let’s Go Places’, a 

new company vision focused 

on sustainability, mobility and 

community,” Lala says. 

Lala goes on to say “Despite 

the ongoing supply chain 

impacts in 2022, it was a great 

year for our stores and the Toyota 

and Lexus brands, with customer 

excellence and community 

at the heart of what they do 

every day.” 

For more information about 

Ebbett Toyota’s Community 

MOOver visit www.communitymoover.co.nz 

Toyota NZ CEO Neeraj Lala, Ebbett Toyota’s CEO Tony Coutinho and Steve Prangnel 

Advice to my daughter 

Technology is a great enabler, but we 

must not let it do all the thinking for us. 

We rely on calculators 

or spreadsheets 

to do our maths, 

but we need to be schooled in 

mathematics to understand 

the output. 

We run spelling and grammar 

checks in word processors 

to correct our English, 

but we need to understand the 

rules of writing to both send 

and receive communications 

clearly and succinctly. We 

must learn to handwrite before 

we learn to touch type and 

use dictation services. These 

skills are foundational building 

blocks for our lives. 

We use search engines to 

find answers to questions we 

forgot, but only a good grounding 

in critical thinking will help 

us to understand the answers 

and critique them. 

We can ask artificial intelligence 

tools like ChatGPT to 

write essays for us, but we still 

need to know the subject to 

fact check the response. 

I am a father of two schoolaged 

children. 

Everything has changed 

since I was at school. I was 

lucky to have one computing 

device in a classroom. Now 

every child goes to school with 

a computer under their arm. 

Nothing has changed since 

I was at school and, at the same 

time, everything has changed. 

The next generation still 

needs to learn the classic subjects 

English language, mathematics, 

and science. 

They need to understand 

how things work and become 

creative. 

The more vocabulary you 

have in the arts and sciences, 

the more interesting thoughts 

you will have, the more relationships 

you will build, the 

more emotions you will feel. 

We are called to be creators, 

not just consumers. For that 

reason, learning the fundamental 

subjects and everything 

else that I learned at school is 

still super important. 

We need English, maths, 

and science, even though 

we are not going to have to 

Supporting Career 

Pathways 

TECH TALK 

BY BEN JUDGE 

Ben is a senior consultant at 

Waikato software specialist 

Company-X. 

apply them in the way that 

we did previously because the 

machines will step up. But we 

need those things so that we 

can participate in and grow 

from a creative process, to 

make sure we are not simply 

consumers of something else’s 

creative process. 

The Ebbett Volkswagen team are huge supporters of 

the community, and we want to continue to inspire 

and promote the trades. 

CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF 

NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON 

Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

Latest Retail Occupancy 

Figures – Hamilton CBD 

The latest report provides a summary 

of the Hamilton retail occupier 

survey conducted in December 

2022, surveying nearly 500 retail tenancies 

and in excess of 80,000sqm of space. 

Conducted between NAI Harcourts and 

CBRE Research, the survey is based on a 

store-by-store analysis of the Hamilton 

Central Business District and reports on 

stock levels, vacancy rates, net uptake and 

tenancy mix. 

Following an 18 month period of 

continuous decrease in vacancy, the 

Hamilton CBD retail vacancy rate increased 

for the first time, during the second half of 

2022, moving from 5.5% in June 2022 to 

6.1% in December 2022. 

Retail stock and new development 

activity 

Due predominantly to a couple of 

completed refurbishments, the size of 

the monitored Hamilton CBD retail stock 

increased modestly in the past six months. 

Redevelopments were completed at 65 

Bryce Street for Up in Smoke, as well as 

at 161 Victoria Street, where a 384sqm 

refurbished unit was available for lease 

during our year-end survey. 

There are several redevelopments 

currently underway in the Hamilton CBD 

with implications for the retail sector, one 

of the most significant remaining, the new 

Waikato Regional Theatre at the south end 

of Victoria Street, which upon completion 

in 2024, is expected to provide new 

hospitality offerings that can activate the 

surrounding streets and area. 

Hamilton CBD 

retail composition 

by store type 

Demand 

Retail churn activity, or the changeover 

from one retail business to another, 

accelerated during the second half of 2022, 

impacting over 3,000sqm of retail space in 

the CBD. Services and Food retailing were 

the two most active sectors, with Bars & 

Pubs also experiencing reasonable activity. 

Tenant sentiment appears to revolve 

around the current erratic trading patterns 

and the uncertain economic environment 

we have in front of us. Both locally and 

nationally, existing retailers are seeking 

greater consistency in trading, before 

committing to long term leases and tenancy 

re-fits, which are capital hungry projects. 

“As of December 2022, Prime 

retail space accounts for 38% or 

30,500 sqm of the total CBD retail 

stock. Secondary stock is 24,800 

sqm (31%), similar to Tertiary at 

24,600 sqm (31%)” 

Conclusions and outlook 

Overall, the Hamilton CBD retail 

market maintains its healthy fundamentals 

with low vacancy (the current 6.1% overall 

vacancy rate is well below the 6.9% annual 

average in the past five years); reasonable 

refurbishment/redevelopment activity 

(with some truly transformational projects 

in the pipeline); and strong tenant demand 

especially by Services, Bars & Pubs and 

Personal retailing businesses. 

Quarterly (seasonally adjusted) retail 

sales values released by Statistics NZ for 

the Waikato region show that sales values 

The team were honoured 

to host a group of 

students from several 

high schools and their 

career advisors as part of the 

Automotive ‘Bus Tour 2022’ 

which was organised by MITO. 

This was a great opportunity 

for the Ebbett Volkswagen 

team to talk about the changes 

in the industry and what this 

means for future automotive 

technicians, as well as the skills 

needed for the future. 

With PHEV (Plug in hybrid) 

and HEV (Hybrid Vehicle) 

models being readily available, 

automotive technicians are 

using actual hard tools less 

and more computer diagnostic 

tools to fix vehicles. 

Choosing an automotive 

career is becoming more 

technical, and the Ebbett 

Volkswagen team offered an 

insight into the industry to help 

the students of tomorrow make 

informed decisions that will be 

best for them. 

https://www.welovevw.nz/ 

story/career-pathways-in-theautomotive-industry 

https://www.mito.org.nz/ 

Vacancy 

Over the six months, vacant space 

increased by 579sqm. Prime vacancy 

includes 290 and 291 Barton Street 

(previously occupied by The Bedroom Store 

and Caroline Eve respectively). 

Secondary grade vacancy experienced 

a more material increase over the last six 

months, moving from 2.1% to 4.7%, with 

four recently vacated units including 127 

Alexandra Street (previously NUA), 16 

Hood Street (previously Kung Fu Pot) and 

228 Victoria Street (previously Shan Yuan) 

in addition to 10 Garden Place vacated by 

bakery business Volare. 

In Tertiary grade, vacancy decreased 

somewhat, moving from 7.6% in June 2022 

to 6.8% at the end of the year, essentially 

representing the uptake of one previously 

vacant retail unit on the corner of Victoria 

and Liverpool Streets by Little Split P, the 

second-hand kid’s stuff retailer. 

increased by 3.5% in the third quarter of 

2022, making Waikato the second fastest 

growing region in New Zealand after only 

Otago (that has been benefiting from 

the return of international tourists), and 

outpacing the growth of major population 

centres (Auckland recorded a quarterly 

increase of 1.6%, with Wellington and 

Canterbury recording 2.0% and 2.9% 

respectively). 

While high inflation and rising interest 

rates are undoubtedly squeezing household 

budgets, the transformation of Hamilton’s 

CBD into a niche retail destination 

is continuing, albeit there are some 

headwinds. 

For a full copy of either the 

Industrial, CBD Office or CBD Retail 

Surveys, or to register to receive 

future surveys automatically, email: 

hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz 

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


Short-term sacrifice 

for long-term benefit 

There has been much discussion and 

analysis in recent weeks as to where 

the blame should lie in the wake of 

Cyclone Gabrielle. 

Politicians arguing over 

whose government 

is responsible for the 

obvious infrastructure deficit. 

Articles written about the 

forestry industry’s role in worsening 

the impact of the storm. 

Likewise calls have been made 

to find ways of recovering the 

cost of climate change impacts 

from those companies who have 

profited from the extraction 

and use of fossil fuels. 

Reflecting on this I can’t 

help but consider that the problems 

we’re currently facing are 

at least in part due to our collective 

reluctance to listen to 

experts, especially when their 

advice requires short-term sacrifice 

for long-term benefit. 

Politicians, at times, forget 

that their role is governance, 

and can’t help but meddle 

or pursue pet projects, feeling 

that their ‘common sense’ 

holds greater value than expert 

advice. 

And as voters we don’t help, 

aspiring to the social services 

and infrastructure of wealthy 

European economies but at 

the tax levels of the U.S., we 

leave politicians with an impossible 

dilemma, encouraging 

short-termism in the interest of 

appearing to deliver something. 

The obvious example at the 

moment is our transport infrastructure. 

The Key government, 

unhappy that existing priorities 

didn’t align with their ideology, 

created the Roads of National 

Significance. Labour, in turn, 

finding this a poor ideological 

fit, dropped several large roading 

projects – at the expense 

of continuity and a predictable 

pipeline - in favour of funding 

public transport projects. And 

so it goes on. 

Instead, would it not make 

sense to give Waka Kotahi 

(NZTA) a mandate to deliver 

a world class transport system 

that moves people and 

freight as efficiently as possible, 

whether that be by private 

or public means, by road, rail, 

sea, or air? Leave the transport 

planning to the experts, and 

politicians can focus on asking 

the hard questions to ensure 

appropriate plans and targets 

are in place, and argue over 

funding levels and where the 

money should come from. 

Likewise, had we listened 

to the experts on climate 

change, we would undoubtedly 

have taken considerably more 

action, considerably earlier 

than we have. While our international 

reputation and leadership 

are more powerful than 

the direct impact of our emissions, 

one can only conjecture 

whether taking an expert-led, 

best practice approach would 

have resulted in more action on 

the global scale. 

However, leading the way 

would have provided opportunities 

to develop technologies 

and processes that we could in 

turn have marketed to the rest 

of the world, boosting our economy, 

and helping to fund the 

cost of adaption and mitigation 

necessary to live with climate 

change. Unfortunately those 

opportunities have largely 

passed us by, and we have now 

only the costs of inaction. 

To bring my point back to 

the architecture and construction 

industry, the absence of 

experts can be felt in many 

of the issues facing the sector 

today. 

At the industry level, there 

is no one responsible for considering 

the big picture, how 

our systems of building actually 

function. So despite new materials 

and more stringent standards, 

we put a house together 

more or less than same way that 

we did 60 years ago. Meanwhile, 

architects, engineers and 

other consultants work only on 

a project basis, focused on the 

commission immediately in 

front of them. 

At the development or subdivision 

level, design experts 

are often involved too late, 

thus roads are laid out and 

land carved into individual 

titles before anyone is engaged 

to consider how dwellings 

might be arranged and other 

LANDMARKS 

BY PHIL MACKAY 

Phil MacKay is Business 

Development Manager at 

Hamilton-based PAUA, 

Procuta Associates 

Urban + Architecture 

amenities provided – in short, 

how people will live in and use 

the space. 

Good development master 

planning, with appropriate 

experts involved, would provide 

opportunities to create 

well connected, resilient communities, 

with ample housing 

and recreation space, but also 

to consider from the outset how 

best to manage stormwater and 

minimise impacts of extreme 

weather. 

Finally, at the scale of individual 

houses, only a very small 

percentage are now designed 

by architects, with most being 

built by group housing companies. 

Affordability is the biggest 

challenge in building individual 

houses, however in the interest 

of minimising costs and size 

often liveability is the trade-off. 

Architects have the knowledge, 

training, and skillsets to find 

creative solutions to exactly this 

sort of problem, but rarely work 

with housing companies in NZ. 

Perhaps more collaboration 

between these two groups is necessary 

to address the challenges 

in providing affordable, comfortable 

homes for our populace. 

We live in the age of social 

media, where everyone is an 

armchair ‘expert’. Add to that 

the kiwi DIY mentality and it’s 

easy to see why we dismiss too 

readily the real experts. However, 

there is urgency to address 

the challenges we face, and the 

payoff in benefits to our society 

is worth it. We have many very 

clever specialists in our country 

– it’s time to listen to what they 

have to say. 

The Recovery Visa - and 

how immigration can help 

with the recovery 

Our hearts go out to the people, businesses 

and communities who have 

been devastated by the recent floods 

and Cyclone Gabrielle. We all know it will 

take much longer than everyone hopes to 

fully recover from what has happened but, 

perhaps, immigration settings can play a role 

in speeding up this process. 

Firstly, the Government has announced 

the launch of the Recovery Visa. This visa 

falls under the Specific Purpose Work Visa 

Category and will enable visas to be issued 

for up to 6 months for workers to work for 

a New Zealand employer in roles associated 

with - providing emergency response, 

immediate clean-up work, assessing risk or 

loss, infrastructure, building and housing 

stabilisation and/or repairs and work that 

directly supports the recovery (e.g. producing 

relevant material for road rebuild, transport 

drivers etc). 

The Government has committed to such 

visa applications being approved within 

7 days and to refunding the $700 fee for 

successful applications. While the SPWV 

cannot be extended at the end of the 6 

months, most workers who have proved their 

worth, and who have supportive employers, 

should have little trouble transitioning to the 

longer-term Accredited Employer Work Visa. 

The intention and quick action of the 

Government in introducing the Recovery 

Visa is to be commended as is the apparent 

minimization of the normal visa “paperwork”. 

However, many people will simply use this 

as an opportunistic opening to enter the 

country with the intention to stay, and the 

Government will need to ensure any such 

workers actually do complete the work they 

came to do before considering any future visa 

extensions. 

The need for urgent manpower to help 

with the recovery may also encourage 

the Government to consider the option 

to “regularise” the status of the estimated 

10,000 to 14,000 people who are currently 

unlawful in New Zealand. This could be 

achieved through the same Recovery Visa and 

would provide these people the opportunity 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

07 834 9222 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

pathwaysnz.com 

to regain their lawful status, and to restart 

their lives in New Zealand in a constructive 

and meaningful manner. It is acknowledged 

that providing such an “amnesty” to people 

who have flouted the law is not something 

that should be considered lightly. However, 

given the country’s current needs this 

would seem to present a one-off, justifiable, 

and immediate opportunity to utilize this 

significant potential labour pool who, in 

turn, should (hopefully) repay the country 

by being highly motivated and appreciative 

of such a life-changing opportunity being 

afforded to them. This opportunity could be 

offered in a more controlled manner to those 

people who have immediate family who are 

New Zealand citizens or residents, and who 

are willing to provide accommodation and/ 

or some form of sponsorship or guarantee 

that their family member will not, again, 

become unlawful. 

The need for New Zealand to plan for 

significant infrastructure investment is welldocumented 

and is now at the top of the 

political agenda. Until last July the previous 

Migrant Investor policies had been very 

successful in attracting billions of dollars 

of investment to New Zealand. While the 

new Active Investor Policy, which began in 

September, is still in its early days this policy 

is not currently conducive to any form of 

infrastructure investment. The opportunity 

for the Government to tap into migrant 

investors to help fund the countries’ future 

infrastructure needs is apparent – it is just a 

matter of if, how and when the Government 

may wish to avail itself of this significant 

opportunity. While some people may see this 

as “selling New Zealand residence” this has 

to be balanced with the needs and priorities 

of the country. 

Recent events have shown that New 

Zealand has to “up-its-game” and make 

some bold, and forward-thinking, decisions 

about what is needed, and then get on with it. 

A pragmatic, big picture, approach to these 

challenges will only confirm the key role and 

contribution that immigration settings can 

play towards delivering these outcomes. 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Neighbourhood set up to deal with 

climate challenges 

A brand-new neighbourhood in Hamilton’s south-west, a 

decade in the making, is a model for city planning, cuttingedge 

urban design and environmental resilience. 

The hearings panel 

released their decision 

recently on the structure 

plan for the 740-hectare 

Peacocke neighbourhood 

which will eventually be home 

for up to 20,000 people. 

The plan sets out how 

the Peacocke area will be 

developed; guiding housing 

style and density, transport 

connections and community 

spaces, as well as determining 

how the area’s cultural heritage 

and natural environment will 

be protected. 

Hamilton City Council’s 

City planning manager Dr 

Mark Davey says this is the 

gold standard for how to plan 

new neighbourhoods in the 

country. 

Davey says the need for 

environmentally resilient and 

‘spongey’ urban development 

is getting a lot of airtime right 

now. 

“It’s important that we 

can respond to the changing 

climate and more intense 

rainfall events. Part of our plans 

is making sure we’re managing 

our stormwater right through 

This will be a 

New Zealandleading 

exemplar of a 

well-planned, 

resilient 

community 

that enhances 

the natural 

environment 

and provides 

for higher 

density housing 

near the central 

city. Peacocke 

represents 

best practice in 

urban design 

and ecological 

outcomes. 

wetlands and enough green 

spaces to provide drainage. 

Peacocke will be set up from 

the beginning to deal with 

some of the climate challenges 

the country is facing.” 

Some of the requirements 

of building houses in the area 

include 50m buffer zones 

along the Waikato River, major 

gullies and known bat roost 

sites. It also identifies areas 

where bats might fly from 

one habitat to another, for 

protection from light and other 

impacts of housing. These 

areas will be restored through 

hundreds of hectares of native 

plantings, weed control and 

pest and predator control. 

Davey says the purpose of 

these planning provisions was 

to enable high-quality urban 

development which at the same 

time restores and enhances the 

natural environment. 

“This plan has always 

been about striking the right 

balance between providing 

more housing and protecting 

those parts that make our city 

special – like the gully network 

and our native bats. Living 

in Peacocke alongside and 

nearby these huge ecological 

corridors will be a very special 

experience for future residents. 

It’ll be like living in an urban 

forest” 

“This is already council’s 

biggest ever investment in the 

environment, when you add 

work that private developers 

will do as part of their 

subdivisions – the benefit for 

our native bats, trees, birdlife 

and river will be incredible.” 

Much of this work was 

already under way as part of 

construction of the Southern 

Links transport network. 

“Council had a head start 

and is already delivering 

World-first passive solar home with 3D 

printed concrete walls open to public 

The first solar passive 

house in the world 

featuring 3D printed 

concrete walls is opened its 

metaphorical doors to the 

public for the first time. 

The Huia house, built by 

Craft Homes and designed 

by architect Duncan Firth 

invited architects, builders 

and the wider public to visit 

their first ‘mid-build open 

home’ in Auckland to see the 

mastery behind the impressive 

structure recently. 

The north-facing 3D 

printed concrete walls, 

built by Hamilton-based 

company QOROX are key to 

the environmentally passive 

solar design, with the cement 

substrate locally sourced 

in New Zealand’s North 

Island. Built to withstand 

a range of environmental 

factors, the walls exceed 

seismic standards, are fire 

and waterproof and transmit 

heat incredibly well due to its 

strong structure and textured 

finish. 

Concrete walls 

are completely 

waterproof so 

if a flood event 

occurs, like those 

that devastated 

parts of Auckland 

and the East 

Coast recently, 

the walls 

wouldn’t need 

to be torn down 

and replaced 

like their timber 

counterparts. 

QOROX director Wafaey 

Swelim says the Huia would be 

able to reap the benefits of 3D 

printed concrete in all seasons 

for the entirety of its lifetime. 

“Concrete walls are 

excellent at maintaining a 

consistent temperature to 

keep a heat warm or cool as the 

weather changes so are perfect 

for a solar-heated home,” 

Swelim says. 

The Huia concrete walls 

feature curves, ridges and 

textures, expertly printed 

and custom-designed to the 

customer’s unique tastes. 

“The walls were printed 

in only 20 hours of printing 

using two staff and installed 

on-site over three trips - an 

impressively short timeframe 

when compared to traditional 

building methods. 

“It truly is construction for 

the future,” Swelim says. 

3D printed concrete by 

QOROX is BRANZ appraised 

as a replacement for masonry 

walls or concrete walls and 

was tested and designed over 

a two-year period to meet 

all New Zealand conditions. 

The walls also achieve the 

many of the enabling pieces 

of infrastructure in this plan 

through the construction 

of a new river bridge and 

arterial roads that run 

through Peacocke. These will 

be reaching completion late 

2023, in time for housing 

development to get under way.” 

required acoustic performance 

for multi storey buildings 

and townhouses, making 

for a comfortable living 

environment. 

The passive solar home 

is built to capture maximum 

sunlight, warmth and airflow 

throughout the day, without 

interrupting its impressive 

view. 

Learn more about 

QOROX’s 3D printed concrete 

applications in commercial, 

civil, residential and 

landscape construction, visit 

www.qorox.co.nz.

12 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 

REMARKABLE WOMEN 13 

Deductibility of selfemployed 

expenses 

Recently, the IRD has released 

guidance on the tax treatment of 

expenses incurred by self-employed 

contractors. 

For the self-employed, 

it’s a pertinent 

reminder of the distinction 

between deductible and 

non-deductible. 

In July 2021, the IRD 

released an interpretation 

statement IS 21/06, outlining 

the income tax and GST 

treatment of meal expenses 

incurred by self-employed persons. 

This has since been reaffirmed 

with the recent release 

of technical decision summary 

(TDS) TDS 22/18, which 

delves into the implications of 

meal, travel and accommodation 

cost deductibility. 

The case discusses a taxpayer 

who operated a farm 

while also doing contract 

work in another city. As there 

was a requirement for the 

worker to be on site for the 

job in another city, costs were 

incurred for travel back and 

forth between the farm and 

the city and for rental accommodation 

in the city. The IRD 

examined whether deductions 

should be allowed for the cost 

of the trips between the city 

and the farm, the cost of meals 

in the city, and accommodation 

expenses in the city. 

With regards to meal 

expenses, a company would 

ordinarily be able to deduct 

these, subject to the entertainment 

rules. However, when 

it comes to self-employed 

contractors, the risk that the 

meals constitute a significant 

private element increases. IS 

21/06 made it clear that, in 

general, self-employed individuals 

cannot deduct meal 

expenses. The IRD takes the 

view that anything a member 

of society pays for during 

the course of normal life is 

inherently private and therefore 

no deduction can be 

taken. For example, where 

a contractor pays for meals 

and coffee while working in a 

different city, this is deemed 

to be private and non-deductible. 

An exception exists 

where expenditure on food is 

“extra”. This can occur where 

the nature of the work restricts 

to the point that spending over 

and above what is standard is 

needed. Simply working out of 

town isn’t enough for this distinction, 

but it may be allowed 

if the location is remote, or 

the hours are unusual. As for 

the taxpayer, in this case their 

meal expenditure was deemed 

non-deductible given that no 

extra cost could be proved, 

and all meal expenses were 

part of ordinary consumption. 

A similar conclusion was 

reached concerning travel and 

accommodation expenses. 

Section DE 2 of the Income 

Tax Act 2008 allows a deduction 

for the business use of a 

motor vehicle. However, it is 

well established that travel 

from work to home is generally 

considered private use, provided 

the work is not required 

to be performed partly at 

home. In this case, the taxpayer 

was travelling from one 

workplace to another. Because 

they were travelling between 

two unrelated places of work, 

the cost of travel could not 

be said to be incurred while 

deriving income from either 

workplace. Had the taxpayer 

been required to travel from 

one location to another as part 

of their work duties for one 

specific job, these costs would 

have been deductible. The 

taxpayer was also denied a 

BUSINESS IN THE 

WAIKATO 

BY TRACEY CLARKE 

Tracey Clark, Director, 

Advisory, PwC 

deduction for their accommodation. 

As with meal expenses, 

accommodation is seen as a 

necessary expense to live in 

society and, as such, private 

in nature. Although the work 

required the taxpayer to be in 

a location away from home, it 

did not have a sufficient connection 

to the income producing 

activity, as the accommodation 

costs were a result of 

the taxpayer’s personal preference 

to work in that city. 

So what does this mean? 

In general, the distinction 

between deductible and 

non-deductible is largely 

determined by the connection 

to the individual’s income 

earning activity. In order to be 

deductible, the expense must 

arise specifically as a result 

of the work performed, as 

opposed to being incidental to 

the income earning activity. 

Taxpayers should ensure 

they have adequate documentation 

to support their deductibility 

claims, and note that 

the GST treatment of these 

expenses usually follows the 

income tax treatment. 

Tax laws are complex and 

constantly changing. We 

love working with our clients 

to solve a wide range of tax 

issues. 

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, 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 trucks4). The 

unfortunate reality 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-ofthe-bins-ordered-to-changeits-name-by-tolkien-franchise; 

https://www.rnz. 

co.nz/national/programmes/ 

thepanel/audio/2018876728/ 

INTELLECTUAL 

PROPERTY ISSUES 

BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate 

at James & Wells and a 

Resolution Institute-accredited 

mediator. He can be contacted 

at 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), 

07 928 4470 (Tauranga) and 

benc@jaws.co.nz. 

the-panel-with-allan-blackman-and-julia-hartley-moore 

2. https://www.thesun.co.uk/ 

news/21258015/lord-of-thebins-change-name3. 

As the 

makers of a children’s game 

called “Lord of the Bins” have 

done: https://lumaworld.in/ 

products/lord-of-the-bins-astrategy-card-game-to-learnwaste-management 

4. https://www.nzherald. 

co.nz/nz/trucky-mctruckface-christened-as-oneof-lower-hutts-sevennew-recycling-trucks/ 

HU5Z5KEZR5QQGBKNBD- 

K7ZB5PXY/ 

5. https://wbn. 

co.nz/2019/03/07/nameshave-power-so-choose-yourswisely/ 

Women 

with a 

mission 

With the world 

celebrating International 

Women’s Day in March it 

was an opportune 

moment for Waikato 

Business News to 

approach a group of 

women in Waikato who 

play key roles in business 

and learning. 

While there are many 

more, who we have 

introduced to you over the 

years, we know you will 

enjoy reading these brief 

profiles and discovering 

more about what has 

encouraged this group to 

head their fields. 

Braun Bond & Lomas is proud 

to have recently recruited 

several remarkable women to 

join their already strong team. 

The new additions bring a variety of experience. 

Sophie Newman joined 

the firm in December 

from another Hamilton 

firm and Jessica Perry recently 

moved north from Wellington, 

to join the team. 

A senior solicitor, Sophie 

does a range of civil and 

employment work and Jessica’s 

background in construction 

has already proved 

valuable and she is enjoying 

working with the directors on a 

variety of files. 

The newest team member 

is Helen Bond who brings a 

strong civil focus to the team. 

Operating in an open plan 

environment, Braun Bond & 

Lomas is committed to offering 

flexible working with a strong 

focus on health and wellness. 

Senior Associate Erin 

Anderson says the unique 

working environment 

contributes to the wellbeing 

and positive culture at BBL. 

“I have plenty of flexibility 

and enjoy the variety of 

work that I get to do. Mentoring 

new staff is a key aspect of 

my role and one I find particularly 

rewarding. We have a 

great team environment, and 

the new people always seem to 

merge seamlessly. I think the 

culture here contributes to people’s 

ability to be themselves 

and find a good work/life balance. 

I know that career progression 

and job satisfaction is 

important to the management 

team and that means we are 

always given opportunities to 

take on new responsibilities.” 

Erin Anderson knows full 

well the importance of providing 

flexibility for lawyers 

juggling career and family. An 

experienced litigator with a 

Traditionally, 

law was a male 

dominated 

profession, and 

the tables have 

quite radically 

turned, which is 

fantastic. At BBL 

we understand 

the importance 

of creating 

a far better 

environment for 

women to be in. 

Connecting Talented People 

With Great Kiwi Companies 

Brigitta Warren Founded RecruitNet 

With A Simple Vision – To Connect 

Talented People With Great Kiwi 

Companies. 

Brigitta stumbled into recruitment as 

a 20-something after a stint as a Scientist. 

She quickly realised she’d found her groove. 

Fuelled by her love of people and her unwavering 

ability to get stuff done, she permanently 

packed away her lab coat as her reputation 

as a first-class Recruiter flourished. 

Hard-working, well-connected, tenacious, 

and energetic; when it comes to executive 

and leadership appointments Brigitta is 

now the right-hand woman for many leading 

companies across New Zealand. As a qualified 

career coach, Brigitta offers career transition 

and outplacement services to clients, 

as well as transformational coaching for job 

seekers. 

RecruitNet helps awesome companies 

hire talented people who stick around to 

drive business performance. They want to 

know what gets each candidate out of bed in 

the morning. What drives them to succeed? 

broad practice in civil litigation 

and employment law, Erin has 

been practicing law for over 

10 years, alongside raising her 

children. 

She’s the first one to admit 

that being a mother of three 

and working fulltime in law 

can be all consuming. It can 

be demanding, exhausting and 

incredibly rewarding (being a 

mother and a lawyer). 

“Nobody can tell you how 

to juggle a job like this and I’m 

Brigitta Warren, Founder and Consulting Director 

What environment will they thrive in? 

Most importantly, does this all match with 

who the employer is and what they offer 

their people? 

Anybody can pick up a resume and tick 

off experience for a role. But for Brigitta 

and the RecruitNet team, the process is 

much deeper. It’s about asking the right 

questions and listening to uncover the pot 

of gold. 

Brigitta is proud of her dedicated team, 

with extensive networks and a passion for 

making people’s lives better. She looks forward 

to helping great kiwi companies continue 

to prosper and grow. If your business 

requires HR and/or Recruitment support, 

give Brigitta at RecruitNet a call today. 

brigitta@recruitnet.co.nz 

+64 21 466 732 

sure there’s other professions 

that are equally demanding. 

There is no manual for how to 

balance your career and have a 

successful marriage, family life 

and get to school sports and 

dance recitals or whatever your 

commitments might be.” 

And while there might not 

be a written guide for creating 

work/life balance, Erin is 

keen to pass on her knowledge 

as a lawyer and as a working 

mother. 

www.recruitnet.co.nz 

Level 1, 127 Alexandra Street, Hamilton, 3204 | Phone: 0064 7 839 0900 | www.bbllawyers.nz 

“You are lucky if you find 

a career you enjoy and a great 

place to work. I am lucky. I 

enjoy my work and this is a 

great place to develop junior 

lawyers and watch them 

flourish.” 

She believes that BBL, as a 

firm of dedicated litigators, has 

created a model in which the 

collective team has a depth of 

knowledge, experience, expertise 

and resources.

14 REMARKABLE WOMEN 




CA ANZ welcomes new appointment 

to board 

Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand 

(CA ANZ) has welcomed Traci Houpapa to its 

board of directors. 

Motherhood brings new demands as well as 

promotion for hardworking lawyers 

The remarkable women at iCLAW are working together to help other remarkable women find their feet. 

On the board at Chiefs Rugby, Traci is an awardwinning 

company director, a recognised industry 

leader and a trusted advisor to Māori and 

government in strategic and economic development. 

“Traci brings a wealth of experience in governance 

and leadership for private and public sector entities. She 

will add strong holistic perspective to our board table, 

to help us deliver on our strategic vision of delivering 

a world class member experience.” CA ANZ Chair John 

Palermo says. 

Traci has been awarded the Massey University 

Distinguished Alumni Service Award for services to New 

Zealand agribusiness and Māori, and named amongst 

the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women in the World. 

Traci is a Chartered Fellow of the New Zealand 

Institute of Directors, the highest level of the IODs 

Chartered categories, making her a nationally recognised 

role model for other directors and business leaders. 

She has been named as one of the top ten most 

influential women in NZ agribusiness and the Listener’s 

top ten influencers in NZ. She won the Westpac Fairfax 

Media Women of Influence Board and Management 

Award and has been named on Westpac’s NZ Women 

Powerbrokers list. 

Traci is also a Distinguished Alumni of the Institute of 

Strategic Leadership (Australasia), has an MBA (Massey 

University) and is a Member of the New Zealand Order 

of Merit. 

Administrative Excellence 

When the manager can’t 

do the job without you, you’re 

doing something right! 

At Asset Recruitment, 

Aysha Townsend is the team’s 

right-hand woman… and their 

left hand for that matter. As 

Administration & Recruitment 

Coordinator, she’s the 

voice on the end of the phone, 

the first face clients and candidates 

see as they walk 

through the door, and the person 

responsible for ensuring 

the business runs smoothly. 

“I don’t think I could do 

my job without her,” says Carmel 

Strange, Asset Recruitment 

Manager. “Our success 

is down to having Aysha at the 

helm. She knows our business 

well, is an exceptional judge 

of character, works extremely 

hard, and is very loyal.” 

Aysha 

Townsend 

Administration & 

Recruitment Coordinator 

Our business is to position 

excellence across Waikato 

and we began by hiring 

Aysha. She is remarkable. 

Up at the crack of dawn 

Aysha’s day starts before 

many of us are out of bed 

with an ascent of the 1349 

Hakarimata Stairs. Once 

she’s swapped running shoes 

for high heels, the mum of 

two is responsible for Asset 

Recruitment’s busy reception 

desk, profiling candidates, 

sourcing references, and 

liaising with clients. 

“I walked into Asset 

Recruitment 13 years ago 

looking for a temp job and 

Carmel employed me on 

reception instead,” recalls 

Aysha. “I came from the media 

industry so the role was very 

different but I’ve been here ever 

since. Our team hasn’t changed 

all that much so I’ve been able 

to work with the same women 

for much of that time. That in 

itself is pretty remarkable.” 

Positioning excellence 

Aysha’s administrative 

role is deceptively diverse. 

With multiple touchpoints 

across the business, both 

internally and externally, it’s 

an integral position within the 

organisation – as it is for so 

many Waikato companies. 

“Our clients often tell us 

they want an Aysha in their 

business,” says Carmel. “Our 

response is, if we have one 

on our database we’ll give 

it to them. Aysha has the 

characteristics and skills 

of an exceptional frontline 

administrator. She’s calm 

under pressure, measured in 

her approach, and very efficient 

no matter the task at hand.” 

“Our business is to position 

excellence across Waikato and 

we began by hiring Aysha. She 

is remarkable.” 

For more than 30 years, we’ve been aligning 

great For more candidates than 30 with years, great we’ve opportunities, been aligningand 

‘positioning great candidates excellence’ with great throughout opportunities, Waikato. and 

‘positioning excellence’ throughout Waikato. 

We strive for excellence and quality in all we do. As part of 

our We commitment strive for excellence to excellence, and quality we’re in focussed all we do. on As part finding of 

the 

our 

right 

commitment 

fit for both 

to 

job-seeker 

excellence, 

and 

we’re 

employer. 

focussed on finding 

the right fit for both job-seeker and employer. 

So, if you’re currently looking to hire or would like to 


discuss your career opportunities, get in touch with our 


team. team. 

Temporary| Permanent|Executive|Industrial 

07 07 839 839 3685 | | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Supporters Supporters of of the the Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust Trust 

Aasha Foley, Olivia Day, Simmi Singh and Shannon Whyte 

Lawyers Aasha Foley, 

Olivia Day, Shannon 

Whyte and Simmi Singh 

of iCLAW Hamilton organised 

a clothing drive with 

local women in the Waikato 

business community ahead 

of hosting the inaugural 

“SupportHER sale” a Dress 

for Success event intended 

to raise funds and celebrate 

International Women’s Day. 

All the proceeds raised from 

the sale of preloved designer 

clothing at the SupportHER 

sale are used to support Dress 

for Success Hamilton, a notfor-profit 

organisation that 

exists to help Waikato women 

to thrive in life and work 

through a free employment 

dressing and development 

programme. 

While successful in their 

own careers, they all know 

how difficult it can be for 

women trying to get back on 

the employment ladder, for 

whatever reason. 

As working mums, they all 

went through the challenge 

of coming back to work after 

maternity leave and know how 

hard the juggling act can be. 

Having children is an experience 

that differs for everyone. 

This was quite keenly felt 

when they all fell pregnant at 

around the same time. 

The initial shock of realising 

four integral members 

of the team would be out of 

action was quickly subdued by 

their efforts to come up with 

solutions that suited iCLAW 

and their individual careers. 

“We spent a great deal of 

time talking with one another 

about what support in returning 

to work would look like, 

and what structure and support 

we would need to develop 

as a both a team and as a business 

for that,” Aasha says. 

We are fortunate 

to have and be 

able to offer a 

considerably 

flexible working 

environment for 

our team, and 

not just for the 

parents; we grew 

iCLAW with the 

intention, and 

systems in place, 

to be able to work 

from anywhere, 

anytime well 

before COVID-19 

hit our shores. 

The systems and support 

that enabled flexibility at 

iCLAW proved to be crucial for 

these women, for very different 

reasons. 

Being the now mother of 

two boys meant managing 

partner Aasha had valuable 

insight into what returning to 

work might look like for the 

other three. 

“Having previously experienced 

maternity leave in 2019, 

returning to work in 2020 we 

learnt as a firm, some valuable 

lessons about our operational 

structure including 

the strengths of women when 

working in a supportive environment. 

It was important to 

us that we were able to emulate 

that support for our staff; 

I personally strive to show our 

team that we can lead the way 

in having both a rewarding 

career and a family,” Aasha 

says. 

“65% of our firm are 

women, and so one thing we 

discuss often is the ‘mental 

load’ and fatigue that we seem 

to all juggle daily in both our 

personal and working lives. 

That support network exists 

because of the culture we have 

as a firm. It’s critical to hear 

feedback from one another, 

particularly that we all battle 

that internal monologue.” 

For Olivia managing the 

return to work meant taking 

the full year of maternity leave 

off to learn how to manage her 

daughter’s medical needs. 

“My daughter has severe 

allergies so she’s still not 

in daycare. I’m very fortunate 

with the flexible working 

arrangements I have with 

iCLAW that allow me to work 

from home two days a week 

along with the great support 

I have at home. It is a privilege 

to be surrounded by people 

who understand the challenges 

of motherhood and the 

back to work juggle like these 

women do.” Olivia says. 

For Simmi balancing career 

and family meant returning to 

work sooner to put time into 

the work that she loves. 

“I returned to work after 

only six months of maternity 

leave, which was important 

as it allowed me to get part of 

my identity back and do something 

for me. Being a lawyer 

is a big part of who I am. My 

child and our family are always 

a top priority, however what I 

quickly learnt was that it is 

also okay to do something for 

yourself (thanks to my incredibly 

supportive family). I really 

enjoy the flexibility around my 

role as well. Legal advice can 

be produced from anywhere at 

any time, you just need a good 

team,” Simmi says. 

Shannon returned to work 

when her daughter Mila was 

six months old, but it wasn’t 

smooth sailing. 

“Settling into my return 

to work took some time. Our 

Phone (07) 929 4300 

daughter has severe eczema 

which presented itself at 

around five months old and 

has been troublesome to manage. 

Returning to work meant 

I was able to get something 

back for myself – I’m passionate 

about working with people, 

and of course the muchneeded 

adult interaction,” 

Shannon says. 

“I’ve been fortunate to 

have a team of ladies around 

me experiencing motherhood 

together - that support has 

been invaluable.” 

Taking maternity leave 

wasn’t a time for them to fall 

off their career path, in fact, 

their contributions and value 

to the firm was recognised 

during their maternity leave 

when Aasha announced to 

Olivia, Shannon and Simmi 

their promotion to Associates 

of the firm. 

“The promotion reassured 

us of our roles in the firm, we 

were being recognised as the 

upcoming leaders,” Simmi 

says. 

“It was a confidence boost, 

one that can be much needed 

after maternity leave.” Shannon 

says. 

This promotion has meant 

taking on the responsibility 

of mentoring other young 

lawyers, armed with valuable 

insight from both their experience 

at work and as parents to 

young children. 

“With everyone now back 

Email info@iclaw.com 

Level 2/286 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton 3204 

on board, we are proud to have 

a built a team of mentors that 

can provide their support, with 

the added value of experience, 

to our next generation,” Aasha 

says. 

Managing partner Aasha 

Foley is a specialised strategic 

commercial lawyer, specialising 

in structuring, property, 

finance, and employment 

advice. Aasha’s diverse expertise 

includes managing complex 

mixed-use developments, 

governance, mergers and 

acquisitions and intellectual 

property. 

Olivia Day specialises in 

employment law and both 

employers and employees on 

a diverse range of matters. 

Olivia also has diverse experience 

in all areas of property 

and commercial law her 

expertise includes structuring 

and shareholders agreements. 

Shannon Whyte specialises 

as a commercial lawyer 

with expertise in property, 

finance, and relationship 

property. Shannon’s general 

practice experience extends 

across all areas of commercial 

law including structuring 

advice utilising Trusts and 

Partnerships. 

Simmi Singh comes from 

a dispute resolution background. 

She now predominately 

works in iCLAW’s 

corporate commercial team 

specialising in intellectual 

property rights.

16 REMARKABLE WOMEN 




Every decision Waikato-based law firm McCaw Lewis makes is driven by 

three core values: Manaakitanga, Kotahitanga and Whāia te iti Kahurangi. 

It is through this lens that 

the firm has fostered a 

talented, passionate and 

driven group of female leaders. 

McCaw Lewis’ whānaufirst 

approach has enabled 

all staff to seek and establish 

a healthy balance between 

mahi and family. This has 

been especially important for 

Amanda Hockley and Laura 

Monahan, both of whom have 

young tamariki. 

Being able to put family 

first has not put the stoppers 

on a career they both love; 

in late 2020 the pair of 

hardworking lawyers stepped 

up into directorship. 

Founded in 1919, McCaw 

Lewis has grown to become one 

of Waikato’s leading law firms, 

with a team of about 40 staff 

specialising in commercial, 

Te Tiriti o Waitangi, property, 

dispute resolution, asset 

planning, environmental/ 

natural resources, workplace 

law and Māori land. 

Amanda Hockley 

As a parent of two young 

sons, and leader of the firm’s 

asset planning practise, 

Amanda Hockley says the 

flexible working arrangements 

at McCaw Lewis provide 

the best possible work/life 

harmony for her. 

“At McCaw Lewis we 

changed our terminology on 

this concept a bit,” she says. 

“We realised that a lot of 

us were striving for a work/ 

life balance however we 

were rarely able to get that 

balance perfect. Sometimes 

the pendulum swings towards 

whānau more and others work 

requires a bit more attention. 

The term ‘harmony’ is used 

in recognition of the swinging 

pendulum. 

“I feel so lucky to have 

flexibility - just yesterday 

morning I was at my sons’ 

school triathlon and didn’t 

get into the office until the 

afternoon. Nobody blinks 

an eyelid about that – even 

clients are supportive.” 

While COVID has changed 

the course of how many people 

work, Amanda says the high 

trust model has always been 

part of the McCaw Lewis 

culture. 

“We operate in a really 

high trust environment. We’re 

dealing with people’s money, 

their families and matters that 

require absolute confidence.” 

This model of trust flows 

into Amanda’s practice; 

dealing with the intricacies 

of asset ownership structures 

and helping grieving families 

work through the estate 

administration process for 

their loved ones. 

“It’s also the kind of work 

that is well suited to females,” 

she says. 

“As women we often have 

a strong empathetic side 

which is so important with 

this work type. We deal with 

family dynamics as well as 

the black letter of the law. It 

requires good judgement, an 

ability to think laterally and 

a strong understanding of 

relationships.” 

A legal career wasn’t 

necessarily on the cards for 

Amanda. Overseas travel 

beckoned when she left high 

school but her father took 

her along to a University of 

Waikato open day, she spoke 

to the law department, liked 

what she saw and heard, and 

the rest is history. 

She managed an overseas 

stint during her time at law 

school going on a university 

exchange to Copenhagen, 

Denmark for six-months. 

“I guess I was able to have 

it all in that instance,” she 

laughs. 

Starting out with McCaw 

Lewis when she graduated, 

Amanda was with the firm 

for around two and a half 

years before overseas travel 

beckoned once more. This time 

to Perth, where she worked 

for a national firm working in 

banking and finance. 

Amanda Hockley 

“The deals and the 

dollars were big so it was 

exciting work, but it was very 

transactional and missing that 

client intimate approach that 

McCaw Lewis holds so dear.” 

After five and a half years 

in Perth, the birth of Amanda’s 

second son prompted a return 

to home soils and back to the 

McCaw Lewis fold in 2017. At 

the time it was a no-brainer 

for Amanda to return to a 

firm she knew was providing 

a work culture conducive to 

family life. 

At McCaw Lewis 

we are hiring for 

the person and 

making sure their 

values align with 

us. We can teach 

them whatever the 

job is after that. It 

has really worked 

well - we’ve got 

such a great 

culture here and 

I genuinely love 

coming to work. 

“I was attracted back to 

McCaw Lewis when I came 

back from Perth, because 

that whānau first culture was 

so strong and I knew that it 

would be a great place to work 

having two young sons.” 

And those values are 

something the McCaw Lewis 

whānau don’t take lightly. 

“We’ve really worked 

hard to embed our values. 

They are all important but 

manaakitanga has been so 

integral in particular in the 

last couple of years because it 

has been so difficult for people 

mentally,” she says. 

It’s something the firm 

takes very seriously when 

they are recruiting new staff 

as well. 

Amanda is a trustee 

of ConneXu, a significant 

charitable trust established 

to provide disability support 

services; Angel Casts, a 

registered charity supporting 

parents, family and whānau 

through the loss of a child; 

and Age Concern Waikato, 

an organisation dedicated to 

enhancing the quality of life 

for older people. She is also 

a member of the Auckland 

District Law Society trust law 

committee. 

Laura Monahan 

The leader of McCaw Lewis’ 

commercial practise, Laura 

Monahan takes great pride 

in building relationships and 

getting to know the businesses 

she represents. 

While Laura has an 

established career in general 

corporate and commercial 

matters including advising 

on corporate structures (with 

a special interest in limited 

partnerships), drafting 

commercial contracts, 

and advising on sales and 

purchases of shares and 

business assets, she has been 

working in recent years to 

develop a specialist knowledge 

in Māori commercial matters. 

Working in this realm 

has helped Laura gain a 

greater appreciation and 

respect for clients who may 

operate differently than other 

corporate clients. 

“My background is general 

corporate/commercial work. 

Māori commercial at its core 

is the same work but with 

exciting personalities and 

additional considerations. 

You’re not just dealing with 

a General Counsel or a CEO; 

you are potentially dealing 

with trustees who have to wear 

multiple hats, and they’ve got 

a thousand other things to do 

during their day.” 

Laura says McCaw Lewis 

take their obligations in 

working with iwi clients 

seriously, providing te reo and 

tikanga support. And whilst it’s 

challenging doing the juggle – 

being a mum, working fulltime 

and acquiring knowledge of te 

ao Māori - it’s something she 

truly enjoys and appreciates. 

“As a Pākehā woman 

starting to walk in te ao Māori, 

it’s meant a bit of upskilling on 

my part. I took te reo Māori at 

school and really enjoyed it but 

I didn’t feel 100% supported 

in it. McCaw Lewis and the 

team have just been so good 

about their support in terms 

of helping me get to grips with 

Laura Monahan 

some relatively unfamiliar 

concepts – one of our key 

values is manaakitanga and 

that really rings true for me.” 

This year all of the firm’s 

the directors, including Laura 

and Amanda, have signed up 

for a year-long Te Wānanga 

o Aotearoa course called He 

Papa Tikanga to learn about 

traditions, concepts, values 

and protocols and how some 

of these concepts can be 

applied at McCaw Lewis. 

“It’s been just a really 

exciting opportunity for me, 

not one I think I would have 

got in many other firms. So 

that’s something that I think 

just really makes us stand 

apart,” she says. 

The importance of building 

relationships and walking 

alongside her clients is not 

something new to Laura; 

an inhouse legal role at a 

healthcare company raising 

finance and building luxury 

hospitals around the United 

Kingdom helped shape the 

lawyer she is today. 

“It was interesting working 

inhouse, being behind the 

business rather than kind 

of slightly separate from 

it. And it’s something I’ve 

tried to carry through - I’m 

part of a team rather than 

someone simply instructing 

clients as their lawyer, sitting 

in another building and not 

really knowing much about 

the business. It’s something 

I try to bring to my practice 

now. There’s that feeling of 

really being in the business 

with them.” 

Like many young people 

trying to figure out what they 

will do with their lives, Laura 

didn’t necessarily know that 

law was going to be her thing. 

“I’d always done 

academically well at school; I 

liked words and I liked writing 

and languages. And to be 

perfectly honest, I kind of fell 

a little bit into law because 

of that, and – luckily - quite 

enjoyed it.” 

Being academic is one 

thing but, Laura says, a good 

work ethic will take you even 

further. 

“My parents owned a local 

panel beating business (Rod 

Wood Collision Repair Centre) 

and my sisters and I grew 

up with the mentality that 

things wouldn’t be handed to 

you - you had to go out there 

and make things happen 

for yourself, like they did 

when starting their business. 

They also instilled in me a 

real passion and respect for 

entrepreneurism.” 

Laura spent four years 

working for a large corporate 

firm in Auckland when she 

graduated and it made her 

realise that having work/life 

harmony is an important part 

of being good at your job. 

“While it was a wonderful 

experience, given the hours of 

work involved to ‘get ahead’ I 

could never marry up the idea 

of how I would have a family 

and spend time with them 

while still having a fulfilling 

career.” 

Like Amanda, Laura values 

the flexibility working at 

McCaw Lewis affords her as 

a working mum to two young 

daughters. 

“It is wonderful to work in 

a place that is fully supportive 

of having a life, whether it’s 

family or anything outside of 

work.” 

Laura is a trustee on the 

Waikato Family Centre Trust, 

a trustee on the Angel Casts 

Charitable Trust and she is 

on the Waikato Diocesan Old 

Girls Association committee. 

Cathy O’Shea - Property Brokers 

Cathy O’Shea is as Irish as they come and it’s something that has given her 

the edge in the real estate business. 

The Property Brokers’ 

manager at the recently 

opened Raglan office, 

Cathy brings with her that 

genuine Irish hospitality, the 

gift of the gab and a fierce belief 

in connecting with people, 

and building professional and 

personal relationships. 

While in her heart of hearts 

she might be Irish, and a 

Gaeilge speaker as well, the 

close to 40 years Cathy has 

been in New Zealand gives her 

excellent Kiwi credentials. 

“I consider myself Kiwi now 

and I even kind of forget that 

I have an Irish accent. Sometimes 

other people point it out 

to me,” she laughs. 

That ‘Kiwiness’ came to the 

forefront at the office opening 

with Cathy playing the guitar 

and singing ‘Tūtira Mai Ngā 

Iwi’ with local kaumātua Sean 

Ellison. 

Cathy has strong real estate 

credentials as well, having been 

in the business for over 20 

years. 

She took her first steps into 

real estate with Lodge in Hamilton 

and only just left to join 

Property Brokers in 2021. 

She liked the family-focused 

feel of Property Brokers 

and relished making the move 

to Raglan with husband Chas 

Farrant, also a Property Brokers’ 

agent and keen surfer. 

“Property Brokers are very 

focused on the regions and they 

do a huge amount in the community 

and a huge amount of 

sponsorships,” she says. 

Identifying the needs in the 

Raglan community is one of 

Cathy’s responsibilities and it’s 

one she takes seriously. 

In a former life she was a 

social worker and she taught 

Irish history at Waikato 

University. 

“I have a passion for history, 

but also the living history 

and the living culture, and the 

responsibility that we all have 

no matter what business we’re 

in to actually be part of the 

community.” 

Of course, real estate is 

what lights her fires now and 

she bring a wealth of knowledge 

to the Raglan office. 

Working on large-scale subdivisions 

meant Cathy gained 

a substantial backgound in 

the workings of the RMA and 

helped landowners with creating 

over 450 titles in Northeast 

Hamilton over 10 years. 

When it comes to largescale 

projects patience is a 

virtue. 

Along with seeing things 

through no matter how long 

I have patience in 

bucket loads. One 

deal for a large 

piece of land took 

three years to 

negotiate but it all 

came together in 

the end. 

they might take, Cathy says 

even the residential sales can 

require a mindful and patient 

approach as she helps people 

navigate selling a home, and 

on most occasions a home 

that has been a part of the 

family for many years. 

“When people buy and sell 

it’s right up there with death 

of a spouse or a partner in 

terms of stress. You’re invited 

on board during a period 

that’s very traumatic for some 

people. You get involved very 

intimately with their lives. 

And if you have any empathy - 

if you’re not a cyborg - you get 

very involved with them, you 

are happy for them, you’re 

sad for them. So it’s a rare 

Our success 

is no seacret 

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enjoy the 

stunning ocean views and unique coastal lifestyle 

that Raglan has to offer. Let our experienced team 

help you find the perfect property today! 

For all your residential, lifestyle, rural, commercial and 

property management needs contact us today! 

Property Brokers Raglan 

07 825 7170 25/27 Bow Street, Raglan 3225 

privilege to be with people at 

that moment in their lives,” 

she says. 

When Property Brokers 

took over from LJ Hooker 

in Raglan, Cathy says, they 

had to fill the huge jandals of 

much-loved agent Kyle Leuthart 

who had passed away 

suddenly several months 

prior. 

“We are very proud to continue 

the incredible legacy of 

LJ Hookers in Raglan. Kyle 

was the number one agent in 

Raglan and we see it as a real 

honour to carry that on.” 

Just like Kyle was a massive 

figure in the Raglan 

community, it’s important to 

Cathy and Property Brokers 

that their agents embrace 

Raglan and the culture of 

small-town life. 

“All our staff and agents 

live in Raglan. That’s a criteria 

for joining. We can’t take 

somebody who doesn’t live 

here, because they just won’t 

get it.” 

And Raglan is the top of 

the list for people wanting to 

escape city living, Cathy says. 

“There’s a current trend of 

people in their 50s wanting 

to just stop and sell up the 

big house with all the empty 

rooms and go to the beach. So 

Raglan is right up there with 

Waihi and Whangamata. 

“We are also launching 

an exciting new product of 

Holiday Home Management 

for those wanting to invest 

in Raglan and block out 

holidays for themselves. We 

then take care of the shortterm 

management for them, 

which gives them a return 

that helps pay the mortgage 

AND they get to enjoy the 

beach.” 

07 838 2079 

Level 6, 586 Victoria Street | PO Box 9348 | Hamilton 3204, New Zealand 

pb.co.nz 

Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 

PB066496

18 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 F.B HALL & CO 100 YEARS 19 

Wood Automotive thrives 

with South Waikato 

support 

Ten months ago Bevan Wood bought 

Wood Automotive from his Aunty Kathy 

and Uncle Barry Wood who had owned 

and operated the small automotive 

service and repair business for 30 years. 

From left: Moses, Bevan, Mike, Kylie and Clarice 

oday, with support from 

Government-funded Regional 

Business Partner (RBP) 

Network, RBP manager Soda, South 

Waikato Investment Fund Trust 

(SWIFT), and the South Waikato 

District Council’s WORKit MTFJ 

initiative that places young people in 

jobs or training, the business is on 

the verge of becoming one of the 

biggest automotive repair shops in 

South Waikato. 

“We have four people on the tools 

– me, senior mechanic Mike and 

apprentice Clarice (aged 21) who 

worked for my Aunt and Uncle plus 

new apprentice Moses (aged 24) 

who came on board in July 2022 and 

two in the office – my Mum Kylie, 

who does the accounts, and our new 

receptionist Amy. If we take on one 

more person, I might be the biggest 

automotive shop in the district.” 

Bevan says the success and 

growth he is now experiencing was 

by no means guaranteed when he 

took over the business. 

“When I started on my own, I was 

struggling to keep up with the 

workload and was juggling family life 

with my partner Hayley and our two 

young kids Brady who is five and 

Lincoln who is three. I needed help 

with what to do around staff – what 

were good ideas, and what were bad 

ideas – and getting my name out 

there.” 

Through another new business 

owner, Bevan heard about the 

Government-funded Regional 

Business Partner Network that 

connects business owners with 

advice, people, and resources to help 

them work through their challenges 

and grow their businesses. 

Bevan contacted the Waikato 

regional growth agency that helps 

businesses apply for RBP business 

capability support. RBP funds 

around 50% of the support up to 

$5,000 and usually the business pays 

the rest – but to make the RBP 

network more accessible for 

businesses in South Waikato, SWIFT 

I was originally going to buy another automotive 

business, but my uncle said, ‘Why don’t you take 

over the family business?’ It seemed like a good 

idea, so I came to work for him four years ago and 

started picking everything up. 

Wood Automotive apprentice Clarice 

contributes the lion’s share of the 

business’s contribution, up to 

$4,500. 

SWIFT chief executive Amanda 

Hema says SWIFT’s co-funding 

helps to build the capability of South 

Waikato entrepreneurs and small 

business owners through which they 

gain the confidence to grow. “This 

results in long term community 

benefits as the businesses we 

empower provide jobs and training 

for local people as well as increasing 

economic activity in the district,” she 

says. 

Bevan was introduced to Phil 

Wicks from BSP Advisors who has 

worked with many small to medium 

sized businesses. 

“He’s given advice on heaps of 

things, and it has all helped. I am an 

auto electrician and mechanic – 

that’s what I do best – but I was 

getting bogged down trying to deal 

with customers and do paperwork.” 

Phil said, ‘Get a receptionist. It will 

make you more productive in the 

business.’ So I got a new receptionist 

and it was the best thing I ever did. 

“Phil comes every second or third 

week when I have time to see him. 

He sets goals for me to achieve in 

terms of changing the way we 

operate. For example, the techs were 

not writing down all the parts they 

use. Now every repairs order comes 

past me so I can check them. 

“Phil also connected us with a 

great website designer who has just 

done a website for us that really 

jumps out at you. It’s just gone live 

and it’s awesome. 

“I wouldn’t be where I am now 

without RBP, SWIFT, Soda and BSP. 

When you are a business rookie like I 

am one of the best things to do is get 

a business advisor to help you out. 

I’m glad I did. I’ve recommended to 

other businesses that they should 

connect with SWIFT to see how they 

can get business support to help 

their growth.” 

The other agency that has been 

invaluable in helping Bevan to grow 

his business is WORKit MTFJ 

which has helped to fund wages and 

tools for one of his apprentices. 

“I’m always up for training and 

apprenticeships. I like teaching and 

we need more young people coming 

through. There are only a couple of 

young guys in Tokoroa that own 

workshops. My apprentices are 

great. Clarice is just coming up two 

years in her apprenticeship. She’s 

just a knowledge absorber. The 

other apprentice Moses has just 

completed a four-day course in 

three days.” 

About the Regional Business 

Partner (RBP) Network, SWIFT 

and WORKit MTFJ 

The RBP Network is a gateway 

that connects small-to-medium 

business owners to advice, people 

and resources to work through 

challenges and/or grow. Funded by 

the New Zealand Government, the 

RBP Network consists of 14 regional 

growth agencies throughout the 

country that assist businesses to 

apply for the support they need and 

access funding support from RBP. 

RBP fund about 50% of the 

business capability up to $5000 and 

the business pays the rest. To make 

the RBP network more accessible for 

businesses in South Waikato, SWIFT 

contributes the lion’s share of the 

business’ contribution (up to 

$4500). In 2022 SWIFT supported 

12 local businesses through the RBP 

Network, with fantastic feedback and 

many continuing the services of their 

mentors afterwards. 

WORKit MTFJ is a joint initiative 

between the South Waikato District 

Council and Mayors Taskforce for 

Jobs (MTFJ) and is funded by the 

Ministry of Social Development 

(MSD). WORKit MTFJ is part of a 

number of nationwide Community 

Recovery Programme projects 

working towards one vision: to have 

all young people under 25 being in 

appropriate education, training, 

work or other positive activities in 

their community. 

Soda, has a long history of 

supporting entrepreneurs to 

accelerate their growth and became 

the manager of the Regional 

Business Partner Programme in July 

2022. With their experienced 

business growth advisors, the Soda 

team undertakes an initial 

consultation with businesses to tailor 

the best solutions to help them grow. 

SWIFT Chief Executive 

Amanda Hema says 

SWIFT’s co-funding 

helps to build the 

capability of South 

Waikato entrepreneurs 

and small business 

owners through which 

they gain the 

confidence to grow. 

www.swnz.co 

www.swift.org.nz 

www.regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz 

www.woodautomotive.co.nz



Once the 

water recedes 

Seeing the pictures of the devastation 

to Hawke’s Bay, it is easy to forget the 

cyclones also hit Northland, Auckland, 

Coromandel, Gisborne, Port Waikato, 

Matamata-Piako, Waitomo, Waihi Beach 

and many other parts of New Zealand. 

One of the first responses 

of many of our 

members was “How 

can we help?” those affected 

by the cyclones. In short, the 

first responders do a magnificent 

job, and letting them get 

on with what they are trained 

and resourced to do is sensible. 

This Government has been 

good at crisis management, 

and they will put more dollars 

and other resource into those 

areas that are affected by the 

storms to get them through the 

initial shock of the devastation. 

The opportunity for a real 

contribution by our members 

and other businesspeople to 

these communities comes 

in the long months after the 

initial heroes have done their 

job. 

It is commerce that these 

communities need. It is trade 

that will fill their tills, pay the 

bills and help restore their 

well-being. 

Paying customers who 

make the effort to buy goods 

and services from businesses 

that have been hit by nature 

will be a godsend. It might be 

a bottle or two of Hawkes Bay 

red from Esk Valley, or making 

a salad with a lettuce from 

Gisborne, or a couple of coffees 

and a pie from one of the cafes 

in any of the towns that have 

been blitzed. 

Your custom, your cash, 

buying their goods will be 

one of the most revitalising 

responses you can contribute 

to getting hard hit communities 

back on their feet. 

As an example, many 

Waikato people holiday in 

the Coromandel. It is a pain 

with State Highway 25A out of 

action but an extra 30-minute 

travel through Waihi to the 

eastern side of the peninsula 

or a trip up the western side 

to Coromandel township, even 

if it is for a weekend, will help 

put cash into their tills and 

allow them to re-stand their 

businesses up. Some of you 

will be fixing your baches from 

the destruction of the winds 

and rain. That dollar spend 

will flow through the small 

communities and lift their 

spirits and their businesses. 

We know economic 

conditions are tough at present, 

but your targeted purchasing 

will be an investment in 

returning their community to 

prosperity. 

It is not the hero stuff of a 

TV interview or a newspaper 

article, but the effect of your 

By Don Good, CEO of Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce. 

buying decisions and cold hard 

cash will have a huge effect on 

the speed of their recovery. 

There but for the grace of 

nature goes the rest of the 

Waikato. 

Whatever your point of 

view on climate change, the 

intensity and damage from 

weather events forces us 

to understand, adapt and 

overcome the future effects of 

these Black Swan events. Our 

political masters need to act 

quickly to restore an acceptable 

standard of living to those 

affected and simultaneously 

plan and implement activities 

to ensure they do not occur 

again as a bare minimum. 

Actions that anticipate future 

weather induced events such as 

flooding, drought or pandemic 

need to be anticipated and 

substantial measures put in 

place to lessen the impacts. 

We need to note the 

infrastructure that has 

survived the recent events and 

extend and improve them. 

Regional and Local Councils 

along with Transpower and 

the mobile phone network 

companies will be looking at 

the resilience of their assets 

and seeing gaps that they must 

rectify fast. 

Waikato property 

prices go up down 

south 

Lore tells us that a property’s value doubles every 10 years, 

but whether this is true depends on where you live. 

New data from 

realestate.co.nz shows 

that more than half 

of New Zealand’s 76 districts 

saw annual average asking 

prices more than double in 

the 10 years between 2013 and 

2022. For those districts where 

annual average asking prices 

did not double, most saw an 

increase of around 50% or 

higher. 

Sarah Wood, CEO of 

realestate.co.nz, says the data 

shows that property values 

increase long-term: 

“Peaks and troughs are 

normal. But this data tells 

us that we are unlikely to see 

average asking prices trend 

downwards in the long run, so 

those who are seeing a dip in 

their area shouldn’t lose hope,” 

she adds. 

Waikato: prices go up 

down south 

With an increase of 157.0%, 

annual average asking prices 

in South Waikato grew more 

than any other district in the 

Waikato region compared to 

2013. This was followed by 

the Hauraki district, which 

experienced 142.9% growth in 

its annual average asking price 

in 2022 compared to 2013. 

“Growth has been steady 

in most districts throughout 

the Waikato in the last decade. 

Seeing this growth to annual 

average asking prices outside 

the main centre of Hamilton 

reflects the labour market 

in the region, dominated by 

industries like manufacturing 

and agriculture.” 

“It is quite different to the 

Auckland region where we see 

the highest annual average 

asking prices in Auckland City 

because that is where most 

people live and work,” says 

Wood. 

Compared to 2013, annual 

average asking prices increased 

Across the board, 

annual average 

asking prices 

have increased in 

all parts of New 

Zealand in the last 

decade, which I 

think is important 

to remember 

amid the fall 

we have seen to 

prices over the 

last 12 months. 

by 138.3% in Otorohanga, 

133.6% in Waipa, 132.6% in 

Waikato, 125.8% in Matamata- 

Piako, 120.4% in Hamilton 

City, and 84.6% in Waitomo. 

More than meets the eye 

with Discover Waitomo 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported 

by Foster Construction Group, insight with Community 

Contribution - Commercial Award winner Discover Waitomo. 

You’d be hard pressed to 

find a Waikato person 

who hadn’t visited the 

stunning glow worm caves at 

Waitomo, perhaps as a school 

kid or as a parent who’s taken 

their family there. 

But what most people 

don’t realise is that Discover 

Waitomo – the company that 

operates the cave tours and 

black water rafting – is much 

more than just a tour operator. 

They also operate local 

events such as the Waitomo 

Trail Run. 

Commercial manager 

Christine Mans says it’s a 

major event that supports the 

community. 

“We had 2200 entries and 

we’ve also run the event in the 

middle of a pandemic… We’d 

just come out of the first lockdown 

and our little village of 

about 100 people went from 

having almost nobody here to 

being packed and humming for 

the weekend.” 

Discover Waitomo don’t 

put on events like the trail run 

for the money. Instead, it’s 

because it helps build awareness 

of the region itself and 

for the other operators nearby 

such as cafes, restaurants and 

accommodation providers. 

“It’s the right thing to do 

as a cultural and community 

business. And as a publicly 

listed company, we have strong 

mandates around FutureFit, 

which is all about reducing 

our carbon footprint and sustainability, 

and around looking 

after people,” Christine says. 

And that was recognised 

by the award judges who said, 

“The passion for their people 

was evident with talking 

to Discover Waitomo and was 

refreshing to see. Profitability 

went negative [during Covid], 

but a long-term view of what 

business may look like on the 

other side of Covid and the 

desire to keep their community 

together saw them invest time 

and effort into their people, 

plus considerable working capital 

to produce a greater good 

for the wider community.” 

Environmental manager 

Shannon Corkill says Discover 

Waitomo’s values were longheld 

and were leant on heavily 

during the pandemic. 

“Those core values are 

whanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, 

and manaakitanga. 

Whanaungatanga means family 

in Māori which, for us, 

means providing jobs for local 

people, local hapū, helping 

out with donations, support 

in-kind and other specialist 

services to local community 

groups, providing pathways for 

rangatahi by taking part in initiatives 

that establish employment 

and skills development 

for local youth. 

“The kaitiakitanga aspect 

means we take really seriously 

our guardianship of the precious 

taonga that we operate 

out of. 

“Cave ecosystem health 

is linked to catchment and 

stream ecosystem health so 

it makes sense that we also 

work to improve the catchment 

ecosystem. We help with 

fencing to exclude stock from 

waterways and plant the riparian 

margins of streams and 

wetlands.” 

Discover Waitomo also 

maintains hundreds of pest 

traps and bait stations in the 

area. 

“And manaakitanga is all 

about us being the best hosts 

we can be for our visitors. So, 

we’re big on health and safety 

initiatives, we embrace our 

Māori culture and we help 

raise everyone’s knowledge 

of te reo, incorporating that 

in our tours, correspondence 

and signage. And we’re always 

looking at new training and 

development initiatives and 

progression opportunities to 

increase staff engagement.” 

In the midst of the pandemic 

in 2021, former Hamilton 

Waikato Tourism chief 

executive Jason Dawson saw 

what Discover Waitomo had 

done to take care of its people 

during a tumultuous time. 

They’d kept staff on, moving 

some into ‘Jobs for Nature’ 

roles. Jason encouraged Discover 

Waitomo to enter the 

Business Awards. 

Last year they were finalists 

in the sustainability category. 

This year, they took out 

the Community Contribution 

– Commercial Award. They 

were also finalists in the recent 

Tourism NZ awards in the conservation 

category. 

“Both times it was really 

interesting to go through process 

and have judges here 

to help us reflect on what 

we have achieved in what 

has been a very challenging 

“It’s good to meet 

businesspeople 

who are also 

doing great 

work and not 

from a tourism 

perspective. 

They’re from 

a range of 

industries so 

getting advice 

and reflections 

from different 

background 

is always very 

useful.” 

environment,” Christine says. 

But it’s not just the business 

being judged that benefits. 

Christine says it works 

both ways. 

“As we talked about Future- 

Fit this round, one judge said 

he Googled ‘Future Fit’ and 

said he was keen to apply that 

to his business. With another 

judge we had a good korero 

about how he could break 

through barriers to introducing 

te reo into his business 

because for us te reo is business 

as usual. So actually, it’s 

joint sharing of information 

and ideas. Judges have had 

‘aha!’ moments just like we 

have.” 

Waitomo District Mayor 

John Robertson says he 

was thrilled to see Discover 

Waitomo recognised at the 

business awards. 

“The business is a huge 

contributor to both the 

Waitomo and Otorohanga districts 

from an economic, social 

and cultural perspective. Their 

resilience through the pandemic 

is incredible and I congratulate 

them on this win 

wholeheartedly.” 

Not surprisingly, the Discover 

Waitomo team won’t be 

resting on their laurels with 

this win under their belts. 

They’re looking to the future 

– always with its community 

and cultural focus – but with a 

regenerative lens too. 

“We’ve always been on that 

sustainability path but Covid 

has enabled us to stop and 

think about what future will 

look like.” 

Whatever the future looks 

like for Discover Waitomo, you 

can bet the small immediate 

community will benefit. 

“For us it’s about supporting 

each other, taking care of 

the community and our people. 

That’s our philosophy as a 

business and that’s supported 

by Tourism Holdings Limited, 

it’s supported by the Ruapuha 

Uekaha Hapū Trust, it’s supported 

by the Department of 

Conservation. It’s very much a 

team effort, and this award is 

recognition for all.” 

Connect - Grow - Inspire - Represent 

Shannon Corkill accepting Discover Waitomo’s award.

22 HR AND RECRUITMENT 



HR AND RECRUITMENT 23 

Another International Women’s Day, 

Another Day With Less Pay 

Another International Women’s Day is about to be celebrated but New Zealand women are not 

celebrating the lack of movement in pay gaps. 

Mi n d T h e G a p 

campaigners say 

the pay gap has not 

moved from over nine percent 

on average with some sectors 

facing a much larger gap, and 

co-founders Dellwyn Stuart 

and Dr Jo Cribb say they want 

the Government to move fast 

to implement mandatory 

reporting of pay gaps. 

The co-founders welcomed 

the Government move to refer 

the issue of pay gap transparency 

to an advisory group last 

year but Stuart says there is 

mounting pressure on women 

and ethnic communities 

who are facing even greater 

hardships. 

“Since our campaign was 

launched in October 2021, 

women, Māori, Pasifika and 

ethnic minorities have been 

We know 

mandatory 

reporting works 

– we’ve seen its 

success in the 

public sector. We 

look forward to 

the outcome of the 

advisory group 

to be expedited 

quickly. 

impacted disproportionately 

by new issues such as 

the cost-of-living crisis and 

the impacts of flooding in the 

northern and eastern parts of 

the country,” Stuart says. 

“We know from overseas 

experience that requiring 

businesses to measure and 

report their pay gaps is an 

important first step towards 

establishing a mandatory pay 

transparency system that will 

make a real difference to the 

lives of New Zealand women 

and our ethnic communities. 

But it is important that the 

work is completed quickly so 

we can get on with making the 

many more changes New Zealand 

needs.” 

But while the New Zealand 

Government is talking about 

addressing pay gaps, Cribb 

says we have fallen behind 

internationally with Australian 

Prime Minister Albanese 

last month introducing a bill 

into the Australian Parliament 

that will require all employers 

with over 100 staff to report 

their gender pay gap by 2024. 

“While our government has 

talked about it, the Australians 

are acting. How long will 

the wait be until a New Zealand 

Prime Minister makes 

the same statement in our 

House,” Cribb says. 

“We have prided ourselves 

across this side of the ditch 

on our human rights record 

how serious we take equity 

and how fair we are. We often 

looked over the Tasman with 

a sense of smugness at how 

advanced we were. But in 

terms of pay transparency and 

addressing pay gaps, the Aussies 

have thrashed us.” 

Cribb says MindTheGap 

has proven that a large part 

of New Zealand wants Government 

and businesses to 

address pay gaps. 

“We have numerous businesses 

who have led the way 

by registering their pay gap 

reporting. Almost 9000 people 

signed a petition urging 

action on pay gaps, we have a 

poll that shows 75% of kiwis 

want mandatory reporting 

and charities and unions have 

told us how urgent this is.” 

‘We know mandatory 

reporting works – we’ve seen 

its success in the public sector. 

We look forward to the outcome 

of the advisory group to 

be expedited quickly.” 

Currently for every dollar a 

Pākehā male earns, a Pākehā 

woman is being paid 89 cents, 

a Māori man 86 cents and a 

Pasifika woman 75 cents. 

Change is in the air... 

There are times when business owners and 

leaders must make tough calls. 

No one enjoys making 

decisions that could 

impact on individual 

team members, but when you 

have responsibility for deciding 

whether a business can keep 

trading or must downsize there 

is a lot to navigate. 

Employers have a legal 

obligation to consult staff 

before they make hard calls. 

Many clients ask us why they 

have to consult when the 

writing is on the wall – “I need 

to make some changes so I 

may as well just get on with 

it”. However, experience has 

shown us that there is often 

more than one way to eat an 

elephant. Whilst you might 

think it’s fait accompli, other 

people in your business might 

come up with a brilliant idea 

or alternative that could 

significantly change your 

thinking or the outcome. To 

really consult with an open 

mind, you need to have just 

that – be open to all sorts 

of different thinking and 

concepts. Many employers 

start consultation with a 

decision in mind which could 

be limiting their ability to 

consider alternatives. 

The next question clients 

ask us is “so how long do I 

need to consult for”. There 

is no prescribed duration 

of consultation, but a good 

employer will generally take 

1-2 weeks to consult properly, 

and in some cases longer 

– and by consultation, I 

mean actively engaging your 

employees in discussions, 

providing them with all the 

information necessary to help 

them understand why change 

may be required, giving them 

an opportunity to come up 

with ideas and alternatives, 

making sure the employer 

truly considers those ideas 

with an open mind, and 

potentially re-engaging in 

ongoing conversations to 

finetune ideas and options. 

Only when that period of twoway 

dialogue has occurred, 

should an employer make 

and confirm a decision. 

Employers are entitled to 

make change in their business, 

but they cannot unilaterally 

make those changes without 

consulting with people who 

may be affected by that change. 

If you are thinking of 

making change in your 

PEOPLE AND 

CULTURE 

BY SENGA ALLEN 

Human Resource Specialist and 

Managing Director, Everest 

People. Waikato people and 

culture specialists. www. 

everestpeople.co.nz 

business in 2023 firstly get 

some expert advice before 

acting. The days of inviting 

someone into your office and 

telling them they no longer 

have a job because times are 

tough – are over. Every single 

person deserves to be treated 

with respect and dignity when 

terms of employment could be 

affected. My rule of thumb 

when navigating change is to 

ask myself ‘if this was my son 

or daughter facing a possible 

redundancy, how would they 

like to be treated”. 

With the right advice, 

support and process to follow, 

employers can make changes 

without crushing people or 

forking out large sums of 

money if they haven’t acted in 

good faith. Change is difficult 

and being a leader of change is 

no easy task. The best results 

in change, come from diverse 

perspective and genuine 

dialogue. 


Great Expectations: 

what to expect when applying for a job 

Had a job interview but no call back? Submitted your CV but haven’t had an 

email? Judith Bright, Asset Recruitment’s Permanent Recruitment Specialist 

looks at how best to manage expectations when applying for a job. 

Waikato’s recruitment 

market has 

started strong in 

2023, providing job seekers 

with permanent and temporary 

employment opportunities. A 

revival of tourism activities, 

ongoing need for healthcare 

workers, a surge in administrative 

requirements, and 

increasing demand for industrial 

products and supplies 

have seen Waikato employers 

continue to advertise for a 

variety of roles. 

Job seeker numbers also 

tend to increase in the first 

quarter of the year, with the 

prospect of a new job or challenge 

appealing to many. But 

applying for a new job takes 

time, energy, and commitment. 

There’s the preparation of your 

CV, the writing of your cover 

letter, and the submission 

before the job listing closes! 

While your effort won’t be 

immediately rewarded, understanding 

the recruitment process 

your potential employer 

undertakes to select a new 

staff member, can help to manage 

your expectations of the 

job-seeking experience. 

The recruitment process 

Judith Bright, Asset 

Recruitment’s Permanent 

Recruitment Specialist says 

companies actively recruiting 

for new team members 

will go through a carefully prepared 

process. “They’ll start by 

identifying the need for additional 

resource and then market 

the role. This is followed by 

the review of CVs, short-listing 

of candidates, and interviews, 

before an offer is made. 

It’s a process that can take a 

week or two and, in the case 

of executive positions, this can 

extend to several weeks or even 

months,” she says. 

Waikato, and indeed much 

of New Zealand’s, employment 

market and the tight supply 

of quality candidates means 

employers are fast-tracking 

recruitment processes, offering 

positions to ensure job seekers 

are presented with an offer 

in an increasingly competitive 

market. 

So, for candidates who 

have put the time, energy, and 

effort into applying for a new 

role, what can they expect in 

return? 

“Organisations are well 

aware of the competitive 

recruitment landscape so 

We are seeing 

a number of 

organisations 

recruit faster 

than ever before 

because they 

know if they 

don’t act quickly 

and provide job 

seekers with 

an indication of 

their interest, 

candidates will go 

elsewhere.” 

good employers will have 

streamlined their recruitment 

processes to ensure they 

don’t miss out on quality candidates. 

That means a quick 

turnaround time between each 

stage of the recruitment process 

and regular communication 

along the way,” explains 

Judith. 

Top tips to understand the 

recruitment process 

Confirm interview expectations. 

Upon confirmation of an 

interview, ask whether the 

company has any particular 

interview approach they follow 

or questions/tasks they 

would like you to prepare for. 

Preparation is key when it 

comes to successful job interviews. 

Your recruitment 

asset in Waikato. 

For more than 30 years, we’ve been aligning 

Wishing you a safe and happy Christmas 

great For more candidates than 30 with years, great we’ve opportunities, been aligningand 

‘positioning great candidates excellence’ 

a prosperous with great throughout 

New opportunities, Year. 

Waikato. and 

‘positioning excellence’ throughout Waikato. 

We strive for excellence and quality in all we do. As part of 

our We commitment strive for excellence and quality in all we do. As part of 

07 839 to 3685 excellence, | www.assetrec.co.nz 

we’re focussed on finding 

the 

our 

right 

commitment 

fit for both 

to 

job-seeker 

excellence, 

and 

we’re 

employer. 

focussed on finding 

the right fit for both job-seeker and employer. 





team. team. 

Temporary| Permanent|Executive|Industrial 

07 07 839 839 3685 | | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Supporters Supporters of of the the Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust Trust 

Ask for a clear timeline of 

the process. 

At the end of your interview, 

ask when you can expect to 

hear from the company on 

their decision. If they’re interviewing 

other candidates 

they’ll have time set aside for 

those as well as a deadline to 

select their preferred person. 

This will ensure you know 

whether to expect a response 

in a few days or a week. 

Be upfront about remuneration 

expectations. 

Some job advertisements 

provide an indication of the 

offered salary; others keep it 

vague. Have the confidence 

to ask about remuneration 

and state your expectations. 

For the majority of positions, 

there is always room for negotiation, 

but both parties need 

to having a starting point! 

Looking for a new role in 

2023? Get in touch with the 

Asset Recruitment team. They 

have been positioning excellence 

across Waikato for more 

than 30 years. 

Founded in 2006, our team of specialists have 

decades of shared expertise with national and 

international reach and experience. 

We are your trusted people partners with a 

practical and relationship-focused approach. 

Everest People are ready to work with your team; 

to build capability and culture, provide practical 

human resource solutions and workplace advice, 

recruitment, training and coaching. 

everestpeople.co.nz 

0800 383 737 

People & Culture | Recruitment | Training & Coaching 

Partnering with Everest was a great 

decision for our business, the standard 

of care and level of expertise is first class. 

- Richard & Sophie Knauf, 

Directors, Zempire Camping Equipment


Exploring the 

creatives in 

The Business of Art. 

It’s not hard to miss the bright yellow brick house on 

Upper Wainui Road in Raglan, 

The colour on the outside 

is a hint to what’s on the 

inside of ceramic artist 

Sarah Bing’s home and workshop 

gallery. 

Known for her large and 

small quirky sculptures, 

keep-cups, candles and other 

homeware, Sarah’s work pops 

with colour. 

Bing Ceramics is an arty 

business Sarah has been 

organically shaping for several 

years and it is her only paid 

job, after having given up work 

as a creative director for an 

Auckland property developer. 

The likes of Seth Rogan, 

Serena Williams, Brad Pitt and 

Johnny Vegas are throwing a 

pot or two and waxing lyrical 

about the meditative benefits 

of ceramics. 

It might be a dirty business 

but clay has been enjoying 

a surge in popularity as an 

artistic medium in the past few 

years, and Bing Ceramics is 

riding the pottery wave. 

It seems even the 

Hollywood A-listers are getting 

in on the act, building their 

own pottery studios in their 

mega-mansions and hitting the 

potters’ wheel. 

Sarah is definitely 

benefiting from the renewed 

interest in this age-old art 

form. 

While it took a few years to 

wean herself off the certainty 

that her Auckland income 

provided, she hasn’t looked 

back. 

“I was doing three days’ 

work, two days’ pottery, then 

two days’ work, three days’ 

pottery.” 

A six-month family trip 

to India saw Sarah quit 

her Auckland job with the 

intention of getting stuck into 

the ceramics business when 

she returned. 

That was three years ago 

and she’s happy to say it only 

took a year of potting fulltime 

before she was out of the red. 

The Business of Art 

“I remember when, 

halfway through a Raglan Arts 

Weekend a couple of years ago 

I totted up the day’s sales and 

it meant my spreadsheet had 

broken even and I had finally 

paid for everything. I was so, 

so excited! We had a massive 

celebration and cracked open 

a bottle of champagne,” she 

laughs. 

Despite the success, Sarah 

admits that being an artist 

is something you do for love 

rather than financial gain 

“It’s definitely a passion 

thing. Some artists are getting 

amazing money for their work 

but it still doesn’t work out that 

great, when you consider how 

much effort, time and love you 

have to put into something.” 

And she knows she’s in 

a privileged position with 

husband Dave Duffin working 

fulltime as a videographer at 

the University of Waikato but 

the ceramics pays its way. 

“The way I work it is if 

Caption 

there’s enough money in the 

Bing Ceramics account, then 

I’ll pay myself 600 bucks a 

week. And if there’s not, I 

won’t. But like the last four or 

five months, I’ve paid myself 

every week.” 

Sarah reckons her ceramic 

sales are a really good indicator 

of how the economy is doing. 

“The Raglan Arts Weekend 

is my biggest weekend of sales. 

In previous years I’ve sold 

bigger pieces but not as many. 

But this year, people were 

obviously feeling the pinch. I 

still sold the same amount, but 

it was all smaller pieces. I think 

it shows that people still really 

want to support even if they 

don’t feel loaded.” 

When it comes to her 

homeware range, Sarah can’t 

compete with the cups and 

plates at stores like K-Mart 

and The Warehouse, but she 

believes people are more 

discerning when it comes to 

where and how their purchases 

are made. 

“I definitely think we’re 

much more aware of where 

things come from and the 

impact that choosing to buy 

from corporate has on the 

world and the environment 

and society. There’s definitely 

a growing class of educated 

consumers who want to buy 

things that have integrity, and 

are prepared to pay a little bit 

more for that. They value the 

handmade story.” 

Starting out without much 

of a business plan, Sarah knew 

she had found the thing that lit 

her creative fire, and she was 

determined to make a living 

making ceramics. 

It was only recently that 

she took part in a Creative 

Waikato course for artists 

called Elevate. 

The free online programme 

is designed to help creatives 

unlock the skills to build a 

sustainable career in the arts. 

“I used to feel very 

conflicted about the role of 

money and making art. Like, if 

you make money off your work, 

you’re a sellout. Obviously, I 

want this to be a sustainable 

income, I still pay the same 

bills as everybody else, so I 

do need to make money. And 

I’m super passionate about 

the process of making, so I 

need to be able to pay for my 

materials and other costs. The 

Elevate course removed a lot of 

that conflict and made me just 

pull my head out of my artistic 

arse,” she laughs. 

The myth of the starving 

artist who only makes it 

big when they’re dead isn’t 

appealing to Sarah and as well 

as selling her own, she does clay 

workshops and commissions – 

it means she can play with clay 

and make some money at the 

same time. 

“I would say about a third 

of my earning comes from 

workshops, a third from sales 

and a third from commissions.” 

Recent commissions 

include tiles for an Art Deco 

hotel in Melbourne and tile 

edging for a skate bowl in 

Tauranga. 

“A Melbourne construction 

company got in contact with 

me and they needed to replace 

the heritage tiles like for like, in 

order to get heritage approval. 

He said I was the only person in 

all of Australasia and he could 

find who would do custom 

tiles, which I don’t think is 

right, but maybe I’ve just got 

the best SEO,” she laughs. 

Sarah’s own home is 

decorated with Bing handmade 

ceramics and tiles. She is her 

own guinea pig when it comes 

to trialing new products. 

“We’ve been renovating 

our house for a long time and 

I have very expensive taste 

in tiles. I was killing myself 

over these beautiful tiles that 

I really wanted to use in the 

bathroom. And I thought I 

have clay and a kiln. Why don’t 

I make them myself and then I 

can have exactly what I want,” 

she says. 

Through Instagram she 

was able to gain customers 

who liked what they saw and 

commissioned Bing bespoke 

tiles for their own homes. 

A keen DIYer, Sarah also 

did the tiling herself having 

first practiced and perfected 

her tiling skills in her own 

home. 

She credits her grandad for 

her can-do attitude; wherever 

the creative urge took young 

Sarah, her grandad was there 

to help her gain the skills to 

do it herself. 

“The Spice Girls were 

super popular when I was 

a kid and I really wanted 

platform shoes. I came from 

a pretty poor family and 

we didn’t have the money 

for a $100 pair of Pulps. So 

grandad helped me make me 

this pair of platform shoes 

with wood from the firewood 

pile, and we drew around my 

foot and cut out the platform 

soles. Then we nailed leather 

on and I hobbled around the 

house for ages on these 15cm 

tall blocks of wood,” she 

laughs. 

Combining her creative 

flair with the practical skills 

she learnt from her grandad 

is something that Sarah is 

able to add to her business 

acumen. 

As an artist she’s not afraid 

to do the less glamorous work 

like banging out 50 keepcups 

on the wheel in a day or 

slogging away in someone’s 

bathroom installing Bing tiles 

because in the end she knows 

it pays off. 

“Making the production 

work I know people will 

buy definitely supports my 

sculptural work for now, and 

that’s a balance I’ve learned 

to be ok with.” 

And whilst it might 

sometimes seem like 

production line work, every 

piece Sarah creates is uniquely 

Bing, awash with colour and 

joy, and handmade with love. 

Photography by Dave Duffin

26 BALLOONS OVER WAIKATO 


WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 BALLOONS OVER WAIKATO 27 

WELCOME BACK to 

Balloons over Waikato 

Tuesday 14th – Saturday 18th March 2023 

After a closed couple of 

years, Balloons over 

Waikato ‘Welcomes 

Back’ our community to a 

much anticipated fully open 

event for everyone, which 

will include public morning 

flying, an all-new ZURU Nightglow, 

the return of Special 

Shapes, International pilots, 

and balloons from all over the 

world. 

Hot Air Balloons will bring 

magic to the Waikato skies, 

from Tuesday 14th March 

with the Hamilton City Council 

Opening Fiesta, lifting off 

from Innes Common, Hamilton 

Lake. Throughout the week 

competitive flying tasks continue 

each morning from Innes 

Common with the Grassroots 

Trust Lift Off, WEL Energy 

Trust Muffins in the Morning, 

the First Credit Union Fun Friday 

and the Radius Care Cash 

Grab on Saturday morning. 

The Balloons will pop up in 

other locations this year, with 

the appearance of the CBD 

Events Walk Through Balloon 

setting up in Garden Place on 

Saturday 11th March, from 1pm 

– 4pm and again on Thursday 

16th March from 4pm – 7pm. 

Then on Friday evening you 

can either head to the Base in 

Te Rapa to enjoy the hot & fiery 

Base Basket Burn or follow 

the balloons to Mighty River 

Domain, Lake Karapiro, when 

the Balloons visit Waipa from 

5pm – 8pm. 

The Special Shaped Hot Air 

Balloons are always the stars of 

the show, and Event Manager 

Michele Connell, is thrilled 

with the 2 Special Shapes who 

will fly at the festival after a 

2-year absence. 

“We have 2 gorgeous Special 

Shapes coming from the 

USA, Tico the Sloth and Tiger. 

Special Shapes are truly unique 

and with none residing in NZ, 

they are simply stunning to see 

both on the ground and in the 

air, and we are so excited to 

have them back with us again”. 

Both Special Shape balloons 

are from upstate New York in 

USA, owned by twin brothers 

Scott and Todd Monahan. 

Tiger stands 22 metres tall, 

and was born/built in Brazil 

in 2020. He will be flown at 

the festival by Australian Pilot 

Craig Farrell. Tico the Sloth 

is quite a bit taller, standing 

33.5 metres tall, and he enjoys 

floating through the air, rather 

than hanging from Trees. He 

was born/built also in Brazil in 

2019 and will be flown by Pilot 

and owner Todd Monahan. 

The ZURU Nightglow this 

year has moved to a more 

central location, in the venue 

where it all began …. The 

Claudelands Oval. 4 hours of 

live entertainment will run on 

the main stage, with carnival 

rides and games, food trucks 

and the glorious orchestrated 

hot air balloon glow culminating 

in the SkyCity Hamilton 

Fireworks Extravaganza. 

Michele Connell remembers, 

“ In the 1990s the very 

first Nightglow was held at 

Claudelands with 10 balloons 

and a crowd of around 4000. 

Fast forward 23 years later, 

and the event has grown into a 

crowd of over 85,000 wanting 

to attend. Our community is 

a very different place in 2023 

and to ensure, we continue 

to provide a family friendly, 

fun, and safe environment 

for everyone, we felt the move 

back to where it all began at 

Claudelands was a good one.” 

Recognising the different 

needs of the ZURU Nightglow 

fans is very important to the 

Balloons over Waikato team, 

and they understand large 

crowds are not for everyone. 

So, plans are coming together 

for the ZURU Nightglow to be 

live streamed as well. Watch 

the social media channels and 

website for more details. 

However you connect 

with Balloons over Waikato, 

whether it be coming to Innes 

Common, heading to the 

ZURU Nightglow, dancing at 

the Base Basket Burn, watching 

the Live Stream or just 

standing on your front lawn 

in your pyjamas waving to the 

balloons as they float by each 

morning … this event is for you 

and we are so delighted to Welcome 

Back our community, 

our international balloons and 

the event we all love later this 

month. 

Visit www.balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz 

for all the information 

you need, or like us on 

Facebook for the most up to 

date daily flying information. 

Balloons over Waikato visits Waipā 

Balloons Visits Waipā returns to Mighty River Domain at Lake Karāpiro this month, six years after its first visit in 2018. 

Feature Balloons will 

include Tico the Sloth 

and Tiger, as well as 

the walk-thru experience. 

The event promises a fun, 

free night out for the whole 

family. 

The event, supported with 

$5,600 from Waipā District 

Council’s district promotions 

fund, will be held at the 

Domain on Friday 17 March 

from 5pm - 8pm. Locals are 

encouraged to go along with 

a picnic and enjoy the live 

band, food trucks and of 

course the Balloons. 

The theme for this year is 

“Welcome Back”, welcoming 

international balloonists, 

special shapes and inviting 

the public to enjoy the 

festival, following the 

previous year’s cancellation 

due to COVID-19. 

Waipā mayor Susan 

O’Regan says it’s fantastic 

the event has returned to the 

district. 

It’s an exciting 

free event 

to enjoy. 

Having these 

spectacular hot 

air balloons 

in our own 

backyard is 

really special 

and makes it 

so much more 

accessible 

for families to 

attend. 

Visit www.whatsonwaipa.co.nz for more information. 

AGROWQUIP 

IS NOW BRANDT. 

Expanded Reach. Unrivaled Support. 

For more information 

contact 

Jenni Muhlmann 

Media & PR Manager 

027 292 4220 

Michele Connell 

General Manager 

021 608 883 

Proudly supporting Balloons over Waikato.

28 BALLOONS OVER WAIKATO WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, FEBRUARY/MARCH 2023 BALLOONS OVER WAIKATO 29 

your one stop 

shop for 

events 

Proudly supporting Balloons 

over Waikato for 23 years! 

We value events and the vibrancy they bring to our city and the 

visitors they attract. They create a sense of pride for Hamiltonians 

and bring an economic boost to our great river city. 

We have been part of Balloons over Waikato since its first ascension in 2000. We’re 

proud to once again be a strategic partner and to sponsor the Hamilton City Council 

Opening Fiesta. 

This year we celebrate… 

whatsonwaipa.co.nz 

WaipaHomeofChampions 

waipa_nz 

Being home to New Zealand’s 

premier hot air 

balloon festival 

Thousands of 

spectators 

over five days 

of events 

A special 

event theme of 

welcome 

back 

The return of international 

balloons, special shapes and the 

public after a two year absence. 

Six times voted 

Best Waikato Event 

by Hamiltonians 

Use of Council owned sites 

Innes Common, Hamilton Lake, 

Claudelands Oval and Garden Place 

$1000 Cash Grab 

Spectacular! 

Saturday 18th March, 7am onwards 

Spend your Saturday morning amazed at 

the skills of the pilots as they attempt to win 

$1000 cash from the top of a pole. 

Visit the Radius Care tent for a free brekkie 

and blood pressure test. 

Latitude homes 

Proudly sponsored by 

Anthem homes 

/HamiltonCityCouncil 

@hamilton_city_nz 

07 838 6699 

hamilton.govt.nz

30 CONFERENCE AND EVENTS 



CONFERENCE AND EVENTS 31 

JetPark staycation 

Editor Janine Jackson has a staycation in Hamilton 

and experiences the hospitality, warmth and 

comfort of JetPark Hotel. 


It’s easy to see why JetPark 

Hotel Hamilton Airport won 

the people’s choice award 

at the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business Awards 

last year. 

And while that seems like 

a long time ago, the genuine 

warmth that radiates from the 

staff still rings true today. 

I’m not much of a jetsetter, 

but there’s a few things that 

tick the boxes for me when it 

comes to accommodation – 

and that’s a great shower and 

crisp sheets on a comfortable 

bed, and JetPark certainly 

delivered. And whilst not top 

of my list, the friendly staff 

add another level of comfort 

to the stay. 

The rooms are spacious 

and being that they were 

freshly decorated last year, it 

feels like a newly built hotel. 

There’s the usual tea and 

coffee making facilities - yay 

for Dilmah English Breakfast 

– television with more 

channels that I can ever get at 

home, ironing board and iron 

and plenty of room to hang 

your clothes. 

Sometimes it’s the small 

details that count, like the 

delicious biscuits to have with 

that English Breakfast cuppa. 

What hit the sweet spot 

though was the two-person 

size spa bath in the gorgeously 

tiled bathroom. 

Add some of the sublimelyscented 

Koura Kawakawa & 

Kowhai Body Wash and you’ve 

got yourself a slice of luxury. 

If you’ve got the time 

and the inclination, there’s a 

1.5-metre-deep pool, located 

near the gym and it’s perfect 

for a refreshing dip after a 

workout or to an enjoyable 

soak on a balmy Hamilton day. 

A staycation doesn’t 

necessarily give you enough 

time to think about exercise, 

but a perfectly formed gym 

has all the equipment needed 

to get your heart rate up and 

if you don’t fancy plunging 

into the pool there’s a sauna to 

relax in afterwards. 

Tennis anyone? Well, yes, 

that’s on the cards as well at 

JetPark and remember that 

pool well what could be better 

than a sweaty game of tennis 

and diving into the swimming 

pool to cool off. 

The hotel, like all 

hospitality businesses, has 

had its fair share of ups and 

downs; when the business 

changed hands in 2019, the 

facility underwent a $3m 

renovation. After a grand 

opening in December things 

were looking peachy for 

JetPark Hamilton. 

We all know the story from 

here on – COVID, lockdowns… 

A three-month close-down 

period to replace all the beds 

and furnishings, the hotel 

welcomed its first guests back 

in August 2022. 

Completely refreshed from 

top to bottom, the hotel was 

deep-cleaned, refurnished 

and refurbished. The $4 

million make-over included 

contactless check in via a 

smartphone app, upgraded 

conference facilities and a 

resurfaced tennis court. 

The Propeller Restaurant and Bar 

Looking to dine in during 

your JetPark stay, The 

Propeller Restaurant and Bar 

offers a selection of dishes 

made from local produce, 

homemade desserts with 

local brewery Good George 

on tap and a wine list that 

meets every need for all 

occasions. I’m not usually 

one for chicken burgers, my 

experiences in the past have 

been dried up chicken breast 

but it was the kimchi that 

seduced me. I reckon kimchi, 

Korean fermented cabbage, 

is perfect for adding zing to a 

dish (kimchi/cheese toasties 

are divine). But kimchi can 

only take a dish so far, the chef 

cooked the chicken breast to 

perfection, it was succulent 

and was nicely chargrilled, 

which added to the overall 

flavour. My dinner guest had 

the lamb shank, which he says 

was melt in the mouth and 

tasty. We both can’t go past 

tiramisu for dessert and, while 

it wasn’t a traditional tiramisu 

- the savoiardi biscuit replaced 

with a soft chocolate sponge 

- it had all the flavours of the 

much-loved Italian trifle. 

A buffet breakfast rounded 

off an enjoyable dining 

experience at The Propeller 

the next morning. 

I took a fancy to the 

automatic pancake machine 

– shooting out two tasty little 

pancakes at the press of a 

button. Topped off with banana, 

bacon and maple syrup from 

the buffet – what’s not to like. 

With something for everyone, 

including the kids, Cocoa Pops 

need I say more, there was the 

usual selection of scrambled 

eggs, beans, toast, cereals, fruit, 

Danish pastries and more. I’m a 

bit of a coffee snob and I can say 

with conviction the Americano 

was perfect – achieved by the 

perfect combination of a welltrained 

barista and awesome 

beans.





Better together 

coworking provides the opportunity to share costs, intellectual smarts and collaboration 

OFFICE / DESK / MEETING / EVENT SPACE 

Co-working spaces overtaking work-from-home 

and traditional offices 

The Crate Flexible Office Space – a coworking facility on Auckland’s 

North Shore – is experiencing an overwhelming number of inquiries 

weekly compared to any other time since it was founded 10 years 

ago - demand is booming in the new reset. 

A 

few months ago, 

working from home 

was the new normal, 

and few held out hope of a 

complete return to the office. 

While that trend seems to be 

holding steady, it isn’t the 

whole story. From The Crate’s 

current experience, co-working 

is fast overtaking the workfrom-home 

trend. 

CEO and founder of The 

Crate facilities in Auckland 

and Hamilton, Dean Payn, 

says the question of whether 

working from home would win 

or a triumphant return to the 

office was in order, the answer 

has landed somewhere in the 

middle. 

“Many workers acquired 

quite a taste for working from 

home, while others longed for 

the office. This has led to many 

businesses adopting a hybrid 

working model, with some 

workers working from home 

and others in the office or a 

rotating shift of onsite and offsite 

workers. 

“While this can be done 

with traditional offices, it could 

be more financially feasible, 

leading to some necessary 

downscaling to a better setup,” 

Payn says. 

The Crate points out that 

businesses quickly realised 

that co-working spaces were 

the answer to how to adapt to 

a post-COVID world. Co-working 

spaces mean companies 

can pay for one desk or many 

and get all the amenities of a 

working office - no arduous 

leases either. 

“This has cut costs 

dramatically. 

Not only do 

businesses not 

have to worry 

about leases, but 

they also don’t 

have to worry 

about overhead, 

amenities, and 

maintenance 

costs. 

“Moreover, this setup is 

more flexible. Everyone is 

keenly aware of the possibility 

of further disruption--the 

recent floods and Cyclone 

Gabrielle being a case in 

point–-so co-working spaces 

mean that entire businesses 

can instantly switch between 

onsite and home. “ 

Payn says The Great Resignation, 

the big Quit or Great 

Reshuffle, is another factor in 

play. 

It’s a current trend in which 

employees voluntarily resign 

from their jobs because the 

Covid Pandemic reset how 

people think about work and 

its place in their lives. 

“People want more balance, 

to be able to set their own timetable 

and take more time for 

family and themselves; they 

want an end to rush hour and 

the hustle and bustle of the 

corporate office,” Payn says. 

Established businesses 

aren’t the only ones driving 

demand for co-working spaces. 

These spaces allow freelancers 

and small startups to work in 

offices without the prohibitive 

costs usually associated. 

More Kiwis than ever 

before are looking to freelance, 

start their own business, or 

join the gig economy. Co-working 

spaces like The Crate offer 

facilities that fit the bill--low 

cost, amenities provided and 

no burdensome leases. 

Moreover, co-working 

spaces provide excellent networking 

opportunities. 

“Small businesses and independents 

can brainstorm, collaborate, 

and make contacts, 

all from within their office. 

This saves the time and effort 

generally associated with networking 

and makes it more 

direct and personable,” Payn 

says. 

The Crate provided some 

tips on what to look for in a 

co-working space: 

1. Location 

Consider the location of the 

co-working space. It should be 

easily accessible and close to 

public transportation options. 

It should also be in a safe and 

secure area, with nearby amenities 

such as restaurants, 

cafes, and shops. 

2. Amenities 

Make sure the co-working 

space you choose has the 

necessary amenities to support 

your work. This may include 

fast and reliable internet, private 

meeting rooms, printing 

and scanning facilities, a 

kitchen with refreshments, and 

comfortable seating areas. 

3. Community 

“A co-working space should 

foster a sense of community 

and provide opportunities for 

networking and collaboration,” 

Payn says. 

Look for spaces that regularly 

host events and activities, 

such as workshops and 

social events, to help you connect 

with others in your field 

and expand your professional 

network. 

Additionally, consider the 

size of the community and 

the mix of industries and professions 

represented, as this 

can play a role in the opportunities 

for collaboration and 

networking. 

For more information visit: 

https://thecrate.co.nz/ 

The Crate flexible office space becomes your 

place when you join The Crate. Feed on the 

vibe of collective productivity, form valuable 

connections and work your way in our 

premium coworking space. 

Ditch traditional fixed term leases and create 

your own ideal coworking space. Choose from 

dedicated or hybrid desks, private suites, 

or rent by desk offers, and also gain access 

to our events spaces, meeting rooms, and 

onsite barista! 

See video tour 

07 444 4800 | www.thecrate.co.nz | 526 Victoria Street, Hamilton Central 3204 

TheCrate Hamilton Full page ad.indd 1 

1/12/22 3:31 PM





H3 showcases what their charming event 

space can offer your next function and 

business event 

Positioned among willow trees, The Barn at Claudelands is 

a unique venue for corporate, private, and public events. 

Tucked away in the heart 

of Hamilton, The Barn 

is a charming and rustic 

event space that is growing in 

popularity. Positioned on site 

at Claudelands next to The 

Grandstand and Claudelands 

Conference & Exhibition 

Centre, The Barn has hosted a 

range of successful corporate, 

private, and public events and 

is home to the weekly Sunday 

Hamilton Farmers’ Market. 

Melissa Williams, H3 

Business Development & Sales 

Manager - Business Events, 

says The Barn offers event 

organisers a unique space, 

leaving guests surprised, 

impressed, and making the 

event memorable. With 

800sqm and a capacity of 

650 people, clients are free to 

transform The Barn however 

they wish and bring their event 

to life. 

“Clients are looking for 

different spaces that wow their 

guests – this is definitely a 

space that’s out of the ordinary 

yet comfortable and inviting. 

Over the past few years, 

we’ve been excited to see 

the popularity of this venue 

increase, welcoming a range 

of business events there such 

as the OfficeMax Sales Awards 

Dinner, Hill Laboratories 

Christmas Function, BCD 

Group Games Day, Power 

Farming Top Gun Sales 

Conference, and this month 

the Foodstuffs Expo 2023.” 

Melissa says the lush 

surrounding outdoor space 

is most attractive as it allows 

for events to take place both 

inside and outside. “We 

encourage event organisers to 

utilise the significant indoor 

and outdoor flow The Barn 

has to offer. This space also 

provides a perfect opportunity 

to showcase large machinery, 

industrial equipment and 

vehicles, all while remaining 

on-site and working within the 

parameters of different event 

budgets.” 

Not only is The Barn an ideal 

space for your next business 

event or team building day, it 

is perfectly suited to private 

functions such as celebrations 

and weddings as well. With 

the ability to host up to 440 

banquet style or 650 cocktail 

style, the options are endless. 

H3 is home to Hamilton’s 

premier event venues – FMG 

Stadium Waikato, Seddon 

Park and Claudelands, which 

includes GLOBOX Arena, 

Claudelands Conference 

& Exhibition Centre, The 

Grandstand and The Barn. 

Discover The Barn at 

H3group.co.nz and contact the 

team today. 

Experts, mighty locals and good listeners. That’s the 

winning combo Business Events Waikato delivers to any 

organisation, large or small, interested in staging an event 

in the Waikato region. 

Business Events Waikato 

is an arm of Hamilton 

& Waikato Tourism 

(HWT). 

Aimee Tyson, who heads 

up the unit has extensive 

experience in tourism, 

sponsorships and events. 

She and her colleague 

Shellie Moses offer event 

planners advice that is free, 

but invaluable and impartial, 

for any conference, meeting, 

team incentive or event in the 


Mighty local know-how 

“People can 

– and a little magic 

Waikato region. 

The assistance they 

provide is based on their 

on-the-ground knowledge 

and includes providing 

recommendations for venues, 

accommodation, pre and post 

experiences, organising site 

visits and sourcing quotes – 

and sometimes some magic 

too. 

Both are passionate about 

the world-class facilities and 

experiences on offer here, 

and as well as promoting the 

Waikato to business planners 

outside the region, they 

encourage local organisations 

to stage their events locally. 

“We always like to say that 

there’s a bit of magic here in 

the Waikato too,” says Aimee. 

Importantly, she and 

Shellie know how to listen to 

what a client wants – and then 

hold a function 

underground 

in caves 

(Waitomo), enjoy 

New Zealand’s 

only working 

tea plantation 

(Zealong) or 

experience an 

event on a movie 

set (Hobbiton).” 

ensure that precise needs and 

expectations are not just met 

but also exceeded. 

“Asking pertinent questions 

and listening carefully to the 

answers is crucial to really 

understanding what event 

planners are looking for,” says 

Aimee. 

“We believe listening 

creates a feeling of respect, 

connection and goodwill – and 

what better way is there to start 

and continue the professional 

relationships we want to have 

with people keen to hold 

their business events in the 

Waikato.” 

We’re 

here to 

help 

Meet in the 

Waikato 

Be a Mighty Local 

- we’re here to help 

with your next 

business event 

businessevents@waikatonz.com 

www.meetwaikato.com





New Zealand’s biggest mountain bike 

stage race is coming to Tokoroa 

For the first time in history, the South Waikato region is helping host the biggest mountain bike stage race in New Zealand. 

The Tineli Volcanic Epic 

will take place from 

23-26 March, across 200 

kilometres of New Zealand’s 

spectacular North Island 

geothermal region in Rotorua, 

Taupō and Tokoroa. 

Some of the 520 competitors 

will be packing their passports 

as they travel from all 

corners of the world to experience 

New Zealand’s hidden 

treasures on wheels. 

Nduro Events marketing 

and sponsorship manager Mike 

Cockin is excited to bring this 

first-time event to the South 

Waikato. 

“This event is about showcasing 

the region with different 

rides across different routes 

through unique places,” Mike 

says. 

The four-day mountain bike 

race is set through unique forest 

trails, some only accessible 

in the Tineli Volcanic Epic, with 

competitors riding between 40 

to 60 kilometres per day. 

After the race, competitors, 

whānau and viewers can enjoy 

the region and everything it has 

to offer from local food, music 

and beverages. 

Mike loves how each region 

has its own culture. “Our idea is 

to leave a good impression for 

riders and supporters to showcase 

the region’s attractions, 

local hospitality, and food. 

“It’s been exciting working 

alongside the South Waikato 

District Council and helping 

bring people to the region, 

working hand in hand with 

them. 

“Harnessing the power 

of mountain biking is a great 

way to bring outsiders into the 

South Waikato in a sustainable 

way through incredible trails.” 

This race sees both solo 

competitors and those in pairs, 

riding new courses every day, 

with each track offering a new 

challenge and terrain for riders 

to experience. 

The race starts in Rotorua, 

before heading to Taupō, then 

Tokoroa and then finishing 

back in Rotorua. 

“The South Waikato offered 

unique trails, but we also loved 

the idea of showcasing what 

Tokoroa has to offer,” Mike 

says. 

“The South Waikato District 

Council has been really encouraging 

and we want to help them 

celebrate their region and bring 

people here. 

“We want to create ways 

for the Tokoroa community to 

get involved, it’s our first event 

and it’s a sell-out and we want 

to make it an annual event for 

years to come. 

“We’re hoping the event can 

help lower barriers for locals 

who are keen to get into mountain 

biking, it’s a platform to 

engage people in the region.” 

South Waikato Mayor Gary 

Petley says the district is looking 

forward to hosting stage 

three of the Volcanic Epic at 

Cougar Mountain Bike Park. 

“South Waikato recently 

hosted The Elite Road 

National Championship and 

it’s exciting to have another 

cycling event in the district. 

“Council invests significantly 

in supporting cycling 

and it is great event organisers 

recognise the potential and 

utilise the facilities. 

“We encourage our community 

to come along and 

cheer the riders on as they take 

on the trails of Cougar Park.” 

To find out more about 

the event and where you can 

go support and experience 

everything South Waikato 

has to offer, check it out here: 

https://www.volcanicepic. 

co.nz/ 

Regenerative Tourism key to future 

tourism industry 

‘Sustainability’ is a buzzword that is now mainstream. It has been talked about for the past 20 years 

or more, especially in corporate New Zealand. 

Transparent bottomline 

reporting and 

initiatives such 

as carbon zero, energy 

efficiency, water conservation 

and recycling, are familiar 

tactics to the sustainability 

journey. However, we 

are now moving one step 

further in to regenerative 

tourism which includes those 

environmentally friendly 

aspects as well as elements 

such living wage, host 

communities, well-being and 

a social licence to operate. 

In the New Zealand 

context, sustainability is 

‘kaitiakitanga’ - guardianship 

of our land, water, air, people, 

culture and communities 

for future generations. 

Regenerative tourism is 

focused on the prosperity of 

people and place, and aims 

to enrich a community by 

actively contributing value 

across the four well-beings 

- social, cultural, economic 

and environmental. It takes 

the concept of sustainability 

and builds on it - elevating 

it from aiming to sustain the 

environment and mitigate any 

negative impacts, to tourism 

positively contributing to a 

destination. 

As such, a place-based 

approach is central to 

the regenerative tourism 

philosophy. By understanding 

all the elements of a 

destination’s eco-system 

we can determine how to 

create mutually beneficial 

relationships for all 

involved and ensure tourism 

regenerates the community 

and environment it is a part 

of. 

Regenerative tourism 

is a key foundation of 

Waikato’s Destination 

Management Plan. Our 

approach to regenerative 

tourism is two-fold – the 

first being to enable our 

visitor economy businesses 

to understand and embrace 

regenerative tourism; and 

the second being to educate 

our manuhiri (visitors) about 

how to care for our region 

and positively contribute to 

our communities during their 

time with us. While tourism 

success has been measured 

in economic terms to date, we 

are moving into a new era of 

thinking - how to create value 

more broadly for the benefit 

of our people, our place, and 

collective prosperity. 

To support tourism 

operators across the Waikato 

to further embrace the 

concept of regenerative 

tourism, Hamilton & Waikato 

Tourism have developed the 

Mighty Waikato Sustainability 

Programme. 

To participate in the 

programme, operators are 

asked to sign up by donating 

$50 towards Waikato 

RiverCare, who are committed 

to cleaning up Waikato’s 

waterways. Participating 

operators will then have a 

one-on-one sustainability 

coaching session with InStep 

resulting in a two-page 

report to explain where they 

are doing well and identify 

opportunities for action to 

continue their sustainability 

journey. 

Many of our tourism 

operators are early adopters 

of this ethos and have been 

undertaking some amazing 

regenerative tourism mahi 

(work) for many years, and it is 

about enabling them to share 

these fantastic stories about 

how they are caring for their 

people, place and community 

with their manuhiri. 

We realise that the 

topic of sustainability and 

regenerative tourism is a 

large and varied one and it 

can sometimes be daunting in 

terms of where to start or how 

operators can easily and costeffectively 

integrate measures 

into their business. 

Our Mighty Waikato 

Sustainability Programme 

takes the view that an 

accumulation of small 

commitments from locals 

and visitors alike can create 

massive results. 

We are keen to bring others 

with us across the mighty 

Waikato, so feel free to find out 

more about the programme 

plus helpful resources and 

tools here: waikatonz.com/ 

industry/regenerative-andsustainable-tourism 

TELLING 

WAIKATO’S STORY 

BY NICOLA GREENWELL 

Chief Executive, Hamilton & 

Waikato Tourism 

Whatever you’re planning, we 

can provide the infrastructure, 

people, facilities and know-how 

to make your event a success. 

Located on 114 hectares, Mystery Creek 

Events Centre offers unique indoor and 

outdoor spaces, with the ability to cater 

for anything from conferences and trade 

shows to large-scale concerts or festivals. 

Catering for all occasions 

Weddings, wedding platters, 

birthdays, corporates plus many more. 

We bring the restaurant to you! 

A unparalleled 

space for hosting 

versatile events 

Let’s talk 

07 843 4497 

info@mysterycreek.co.nz 

Professional buffet catering 

for 60-5000 guests. 

www.southernspitroast.co.nz 

E: graham@ssbbq.co.nz | 0800 2 SPITROAST 

MYSTERYCREEK.CO.NZ


EAS builds culture of care 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster 

Construction Group, insight with People and Culture winner EAS. 

In 2014, Carey Penn was 

working as an electrician at 

Fonterra. 

He was working long hours, 

not conducive to a work-life 

balance. So, he made the decision 

to go out on his own with 

a view to working less and 

spending more time with his 

family. 

When Carey started EAS 

(Electrical and Automation 

Solutions), one of his ‘whys’ 

was about spending your time 

doing what brings you joy. 

For me, it’s not 

just a money 

thing. I’m not 

motivated by 

gross profit or 

sales goals. What 

brings me real 

joy is helping 

other people. 

Fast forward a few years 

and little did Carey know that 

the business’ organic growth 

would mean that he’d end 

up starting his day at 7am, 

finishing at 4.30pm, heading 

home for dinner with his family 

before working on quotes 

and invoicing from 7-11pm. 

Overwhelmed by his workload 

and the transition from technician 

to business owner and 

manager, Carey took a call 

one day from business mentor 

Tony Fraser-Jones. 

“I remember saying to him, 

I don’t have time for a business 

mentor with everything 

I’ve got on my plate. But then I 

thought about it again and figured, 

what harm can it do?” 

It was a smart decision 

that led Carey to slowly making 

a mindset shift about how 

he wanted to run his business, 

putting in place strong support 

networks and devouring lots of 

books about business management 

and leadership. 

Along the way, Carey has 

also taken time to crystalise his 

‘why’. 

“I started bringing people 

on board and we kept growing. 

There came a point when 

I need to get back to my ‘why’. 

I was parked out at Manu Bay 

thinking about that and it was 

there I realised I just love helping 

people and I knew I needed 

to use that ‘why’ to drive the 

business. 

“I wasn’t aiming for a certain 

business size or financial 

goal; it was down to having 

more time in my life and helping 

people.” 

And it’s that foundation 

of helping people that Carey 

has indeed built his business 

on. EAS marketing manager 

Sarah Johnston recognised the 

work the company had done to 

develop and build a culture of 

care and support for the team 

and thought the new Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce Business 

Awards category – People 

and Culture – would be a good 

one to enter. 

It turns out she was right. 

This was the first year EAS 

had entered the awards. And 

while they were blown away to 

first of all make the finals, they 

were even more blown-away 

to win the People and Culture 

category. 

Sarah says as EAS has 

grown, they decided to bring in 

consultant Laurent Sylvestre 

to help formalise the company’s 

values. 

“Everyone got together 

for a day to work out what we 

all believed our values, what 

we all agreed on and what it 

meant. And those were ‘grow 

together, people matter’, which 

fundamentally embodies who 

Carey is… that it’s all about 

other people and trying to do 

our best by them. That shared 

vision is ingrained in everything 

we do.” 

The People and Culture category 

judges say that one of 

things that stood out during 

their visit was the care, the 

desire to help, and provide 

support for the EAS team 

both professionally and personally. 

Another was that the 

consistency in communication 

(planned and ad hoc) and team 

interaction was a key success 

factor for the business. 

That’s evident in the ‘life 

catch ups’ that Carey has 

implemented. 

“Carey realised he wasn’t 

catching up the team as much 

as he used to, so now he has 

‘life catch ups’ with everyone.” 

Yesterday he took one of his 

apprentices out for a beer and 

the pair got talking about how 

the apprentice was keen to buy 

his first house. 

“So we talked about what 

steps he’d need to take to do 

that. I asked him what are the 

things you can influence to get 

to your goal faster and he came 

up with scenarios for that. I 

love helping people think outside 

the box and challenging 

them. I’m always pushing the 

boat out about how I can do 

better and help people better. 

I’ve spent so much time with 

my mentors who’ve helped me 

and now it’s my time to give 

my people the support and 

motivation to do better and be 

better.” 

It’s fair to say Carey didn’t 

have those sorts of interactions 

or support when he was 

an apprentice learning his 

trade. Notwithstanding that 

Sharesies didn’t exist when 

Carey was an apprentice, it 

would be a stretch to imagine 

an employer in the 1990s setting 

up a staff shares savings 

scheme. But that’s exactly 

what’s happened at EAS. A 

Sharesies savings scheme is 

linked to how the company is 

doing. Stocks are discussed 

with the team and they diversify 

the stocks to spread the 

risk. Wins and losses are part 

of the learning and teaching 

process. 

Judges said EAS works offsite 

across many locations but 

through a company-wide commitment 

to wellbeing, camaraderie 

and support it is a deserving 

winner of the People and 

Culture Award 

Staff numbers now sit at 

around 16 with the company 

advertising for another four 

staff. 

“The business grew 28 per 

cent last year and we’re tracking 

at around 40 per cent this 

year,” Sarah said. 

“We might still be relatively 

small, but I think what we do is 

really special. A lot of us work 

here because of the culture.” 

Winning the People and 

Culture Award was affirmation 

the company is on the right 

track. 

While their goal was to 

reach the finals, Carey hadn’t 

banked on having to deliver a 

speech if they won. 

“Two of my worst fears is 

getting eaten by sharks and 

public speaking… But anyway, 

I went out and bought my first 

ever suit to wear to the gala 

dinner. Normally you’ll find 

me in jeans and Doc Martens! 

So, we’re there – a bunch of 

tradies, drinking champagne. 

And then we saw the videos 

of who we were up against 

and we were like ‘holy s**t, we 

won’t win this. But when they 

announced EAS was the winner, 

we were just star struck. I 

was pretty emotional…. I was 

choking up the whole way. 

“When you get an award – 

among some really amazing 

other businesses as finalist 

– that recognises why you do 

what you do, that’s just incredible. 

You look back at the journey 

and how far you’ve come 

and it’s pretty raw emotional 

stuff.” 

Carey says he was chuffed 

that Hauraki Mayor Toby 

Adams – who also owns an 

electrical company – came up 

to congratulate the EAS team 

on the night. 

“He told me it was so 

good to see a trades company 

up there on stage. So hopefully 

other tradies look at the 

awards and back themselves to 

enter next year. Really, we’re 

used to just getting on with 

fixing stuff, we’re not great at 

celebrating success. Hopefully 

our win sets the foundation for 

other tradies to jump in there.” 

Don’t stop believin’! 8 in 10 Kiwis have had business 

ideas but held back by budget and self-belief 

New Zealanders are known for their ingenuity and now new survey findings confirm that while 

the majority of us have had an idea for a business, only half follow it through to fruition. 

The 2023 MYOB Belief 

Barometer provides a 

snapshot of the current 

state of the entrepreneurial 

spirit and self-belief amongst 

potential and existing business 

owners, and comes as MYOB 

draws focus to its strategic and 

technological transformation 

to a business management 

platform. 

The survey of 1,000 adults 

(18 yrs+) from across New 

Zealand found potential business 

opportunities are seemingly 

endless, with more than 

8-in-10 (85%) New Zealanders 

saying they’ve had an idea 

for a business, and more than 

three quarters (77%) of those 

surveyed saying they believed 

they are capable of starting a 

business. However, only half 

(50%) of those who have had 

an idea for a business, have 

taken action to start it. 

So, what’s holding potential 

entrepreneurs back from 

bringing their ideas to life? Not 

having the financial backing or 

support to pursue the idea was 

the number one reason (55%), 

followed by time commitments 

(47%) and a fear of failure 

(42%). 

Similarly, greater financial 

security (67%) and the confidence 

to back themselves 

(47%) were the top two choices 

when respondents were asked 

what would have made the 

most difference to them actually 

pursuing their idea to start 

a business. 

MYOB spokesperson Jo 

Tozer says while it’s no surprise 

that finances were the 

biggest hurdle, acting on the 

strength of their belief in their 

idea to explore avenues that 

could help them overcome 

these barriers could unleash 

the opportunities people are 

hoping for. 

“Innovation is part of our 

DNA in New Zealand, and we 

see this every day in the range 

of SMEs that provide the backbone 

to our economy - but 

it’s brilliant to see that more 

widely, such a significant proportion 

of New Zealanders 

have considered starting a 

business. What’s key is having 

that confidence to back 

themselves. When armed with 

self-belief and the right tools 

and support, we could easily 

see more of these ideas make 

it past a chat around the BBQ.” 

Moving past the start line 

Despite confidence levels 

holding back some potential 

entrepreneurs, more than a 

third (37%) of business founders 

who took the plunge to 

start a business said they were 

extremely or very confident 

that their first business would 

succeed, followed by 40% who 

were moderately confident. 

Asked who they would 

credit with being their biggest 

believers (supporters) when 

they started their first business, 

most Kiwi entrepreneurs 

said their partner (39%) while 

just slightly less (36%) said 

they were their own biggest 

supporter, and 31% said they 

had a supportive friend. 

Further highlighting the 

importance and value of 

mindset and self-confidence, 

self-belief was also ranked consistently 

by those respondents 

who have started a business, 

as one of the top three factors 

influencing how well their first 

business did. Also credited as 

being influential to their business 

success were loyal customers, 

and their work ethic/ 

commitment. 

I’ve got no doubt that 

there are some absolute 

game-changing ideas out there 

and it would be a shame for 

these start-up dreams to be 

left unrealised because of any 

self-doubt in this area. This 

is precisely why MYOB has 

evolved into a platform that 

Kihikihi site eyed for housing, skatepark 

More housing – and a potential new site for a skatepark – are on the cards for Kihikihi. 

streamlines key business workflows 

- bringing everything 

together in one place where 

business owners can manage 

their entire business. We want 

to empower business owners 

to feel confident in their decisions 

and focus on unlocking 

their potential, so we’ve done 

the legwork for them. 

“Starting a business is not 

only a big commitment but a 

very brave one – particularly in 

a time packed with economic 

challenges and uncertainty,” 

Tozer says. 

“We know that what can 

often start out as a passion 

project or developing something 

unique to help others can 

very quickly evolve into much 

more, and with that growth 

comes even more responsibility 

– like getting finances and 

reporting sorted for tax time, 

or managing inventory and 

sales. The thought of this can 

be incredibly daunting and it’s 

important to recognise that 

business management doesn’t 

come naturally for everyone. 

Council’s Finance and 

Corporate Committee 

recently approved the 

first step in developing the four 

hectare Stockade Reserve in the 

centre of town. 

The reserve bordered by 

Whitmore, Hall, Grey and 

Rolleston Streets has been 

identified as a potential site for 

new housing. Consideration 

will also be given to building 

a brand new skatepark on the 

site. Other potential sites for a 

skatepark, already investigated 

in Kihikihi, have so far proven 

unsuitable. 

Council’s deputy chief executive 

Ken Morris says Stockade 

Reserve has historically been 

used by Riding for the Disabled. 

But a recently purchased council-owned 

property in Kihikihi’s 

Herbert St would be made 

available for riding, freeing 

Stockade Reserve up for much 

needed housing and the promised 

skatepark. 

“It’s early days so there’s a 

lot of work to do yet. But the 

decision to fund a masterplan 

for the site means we can now 

take the first step to see what 

can be achieved.” 

Morris confirmed there 

were no plans for high-density 

housing on the site which also 

accommodates existing council 

water infrastructure. He says it 

was too early to say how many 

houses, and of what type, might 

be built. That would emerge 

when a masterplan from 

Waipā-based architects was 

complete. Community consultation 

would be a critical part of 

drafting a masterplan. 

A masterplan was unlikely 

to be available before August 

this year. 

Council’s vision 

is for pleasant, 

medium 

density housing 

that would 

be designed 

alongside the 

community. 

We don’t want 

is something 

plonked in 

the middle of 

town that’s not 

supported.


Boon Street 

brightens up 

Dinsdale 

The popular Boon Street Art Festival brought love and 

colour to Dinsdale and parts of the central city. 

The new artworks can 

be admired around 

the Dinsdale Shopping 

Centre and next to the Waikato 

Museum, as well as on Bryce 

St next to the Seddon Park 

Stadium, at the Norris Ward 

Brya Rose 

Park Arts Centre and at 127 

Collingwood St. 

Pick up a Boon Street mural 

map showing street art from 

the past seven years at the 

Central and Dinsdale libraries, 

Hamilton Gardens and 

Waikato Museum. 

The map can also be downloaded 

from the Boon Street 

Art Festival website. To find 

out more, follow @boonstreetart 

on YouTube, Facebook, 

Instagram and Twitter. 

Stevie Templer 

Pounamu Wharekawa 

Thinking about starting 

a business ‘for good?’ 

Here are five essentials to get right. 

Bill Gates was once a 

guest on David Letterman’s 

Netflix show, 

My Next Guest. One of the 

dialogues from that episode 

stuck with me. Letterman was 

trying to impress Bill Gates 

with his clever thoughts about 

what sort of businesses Bill 

should invest in. Needless to 

say, they were awful – albeit 

funny - ideas. After a few wild 

suggestions, Bill politely nods 

and says: “Having the idea is 

the easy part.” 

Why did that stick with me? 

Probably because it’s so true. 

Over the years, I’ve often come 

up with interesting ideas. It’s 

usually met with an eye-roll 

from my wife and All Good 

Ventures co-founder, Heather 

Claycomb. 

But to my credit, some of 

my ideas have actually been 

good. In the mid-90s, after 

being frustrated with my car 

windscreen always being 

dusty, I thought that a readyto-use 

window-cleaner wipe 

would be a good idea. Cue the 

eyeroll from Heather. Five 

years or so later, windscreen 

ready-to-use cleaning wipes 

hit the scene. Ten years ago, I 

commented that an automated 

writing software should be 

something Heather’s communications 

business should 

develop to streamline their 

team’s writing process. Cue 

her eyeroll. Of course, AI tools 

like Chat GPT are now revolutionising 

the way people search 

and write. 

My point? The idea is the 

easy part. It takes a lot of 

time, effort, money and perseverance 

to deal with all of the 

setbacks that come along with 

actually creating a profitable, 

sustainable business out of a 

great idea. 

Our family charity, All Good 

Ventures is about to launch its 

fifth round of funding and support 

for social entrepreneurs. 

Every year, we have no shortage 

of good ideas. And many 

good ideas that, if successfully 

implemented, would benefit 

many deprived people in New 

Zealand around the world. The 

challenge for us, as an enabling 

organisation, is becoming 

clearer every year: How do we 

choose the entrepreneurs who 

will turn their idea into reality? 

From our experience supporting 

14 social entrepreneurs, 

across seven countries 

to start new businesses for 

good, we’ve seen first-hand 

five critical attitudes and principles 

founders must adopt to 

be successful. 

• The idea’s the easy part – 

Yes, I’m going to bang on about 

that one first. Why? Because it 

is most important that you realise 

this upfront. The hard part 

is yet to begin. And it will get 

boring, and it will get tedious. 

And, as your lofty and gallant 

vision of using your idea to 

help people in need turns into 

a strategy and a five-year plan, 

you will eventually need to 

decide what you’re going to do 

for the next 12 weeks. And the 

next 12 weeks. And the next. 

And so on. Take a reality check 

right up front and decide, “Can 

I actually take my vision for 

social good and focus myself 

on execution?” If you burn out 

easily after ‘the easy part,’ this 

attitude is a red flag. 

• Your expectations for 

progress will always 

exceed reality – Kevin Costner 

had a great line in an old 

movie, Field of Dreams. “If I 

build it, they will come.” This 

translates into, “Just build 

the business or product and 

people will buy it.” My experience 

with business start-ups 

Rod Claycomb, founder of 

All Good Ventures 

is that this rarely happens. 

For most of us, and especially 

those of you who haven’t built 

an enterprise before, there 

will be numerous unforeseen 

steps. There will be competition. 

You will need long-term 

sustainable profit to give you 

the flexibility to achieve your 

expectations. The process will 

be slower and more expensive 

than you ever thought. Are you 

ready for the challenge? 

• Social entrepreneurship 

cannot be a ‘side hustle’ 

– This is related to my first 

two points. I will put it more 

bluntly. Can you work at least 

30 hours a week in the business 

for two years without 

remuneration? Are you able to 

do this amongst all of the other 

obligations in your life? Can 

you focus your efforts firstly on 

getting to a stage where your 

business idea can actually pay 

you what you need? And can 

your business idea support you 

at the same time as it is supporting 

those ‘in need’ either 

through working in your business 

or being part of your supply 

chain? 

• Profit cannot be sacrificed 

– Since our inception, All 

Good Ventures has existed to 

support seed funding for social 

entrepreneurs just starting out. 

What we’ve seen over the first 

four years is that the profits 

in a social enterprise typically 

need to be higher than normal 

businesses. One-for-one 

models, giveaways, and catering 

to vulnerable communities 

all require higher margins 

to achieve your ‘higher’ goals. 

And don’t be fooled into selling 

your social goal as a competitive 

advantage – that benefit 

only goes so far. I’m going to 

be a bit controversial here, but 

a prevailing attitude we are 

seeing in the social enterprise 

sector is that the sole business 

focus should be on: ‘people 

not profit’ or ‘planet not 

profit.’ Alternatively, All Good 

Ventures preaches: ‘people by 

profit’ and ‘planet by profit.’ 

Are you prepared to embrace 

profitability and strive like 

mad to achieve it? Because 

if you’re not, you’re basically 

setting yourself up for short 

stint in business, with the loser 

being the people you set out to 

help in the first place. 

• Grants are not part of 

the sustainable strategy – 

There is so much grant money 

sloshing around these days in 

the social enterprise space that 

it’s easy to get lulled into striving 

for the big checks to flood 

in. It is a trap. As soon as the 

grant money lands, the focus 

often shifts to the grant money 

running out! This in turn takes 

your focus and time away from 

building the business. Don’t 

get me wrong - grants can be 

a crucial part of building the 

foundation. But there are 

some caveats that we’ve seen 

derail entrepreneurs’ focus. 

Is a part of your idea driven 

by how much grant money or 

funding you can get for your 

idea? If so, I would suggest 

imagining a space where there 

is no grant money and asking 

if your idea can succeed without 

it. 

If you’ve started 2023 with 

a great idea for a social enterprise, 

I urge you to think carefully 

about these five points. 

If you think you can conquer 

each, then give it a go! 

All Good Ventures is a registered 

NZ charity founded in 

2018. It supports social entrepreneurs 

to start businesses 

for good with money (grants), 

mentorship, and muscle 

(in-kind support): www.allgood.ventures. 

It has supported 

14 enterprises in seven 

countries and on 1 March its 

2023 support and grant round 

opens to new applications. 

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“Fosters are a reputable company. They 

do what they say they will, give good 

advice and when they need expertise, 

they’re not afraid to go out and get it.” 

Lorraine Owsley (left) & Merv Owsley (right) 

Impressed with Foster Group’s seamless execution 

of their earlier warehouse extension project in 

Te Rapa, Merv and Lorraine Owsley knew who 

to call after scoping a new investment property 

near Hamilton airport. 

“Fosters was one of three building companies to 

tender for our Te Rapa project and their presentation 

was second to none,” Merv said. 

“We were impressed from the word go; they were 

an exceptional company to work with. So when 

we decided to build a new warehouse at Rukuhia, 

we didn’t even go out to tender. We started with 

an empty site, gave Fosters our ideas and engaged 

them to do a total design and build, with our input.” 

Merv and Lorraine are delighted with their new 

development at 32 Ingram Rd, Rukuhia, which 

features nearly 3000m² of warehouse space, a 

large canopy area and a high-spec office building. 

Concreting around the entire 7500m² site provides 

easy vehicle access. 

The couple particularly appreciated Fosters’ 

collaborative approach and extensive network of 

industry contacts, engaged to ensure the project’s 

design was examined from every angle. 

“At times there would have been up to 10 people 

providing input in the meeting room, all giving their 

expertise and advice,” Merv said. 

“You’ve got to go to the right people to get the right 

information, and Fosters did that very, very well.” 

The warehouse, finished in November 2022, was 

completed on budget and ahead of time, allowing 

the couple’s first tenant to move in a month earlier 

than planned. 

Merv believes honesty is one of the Foster Group’s 

key strengths. 

“Fosters are a reputable company. They do what 

they say they will, give good advice and when they 

need expertise, they’re not afraid to go out and get 

it,” he said. 

“It was the total package.” 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849

Waikato Business News February/March 2023

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