Waikato Business News August/September 2023

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 

VOLUME 31 

ISSUE 8 

READ ONLINE AT 

http://www.wbn.co.nz 

/WaikatoBusinessNews 

The Waikato region’s voice of local business 

PIKO GIN WINS SILVER 

Infusing gin and the unique flavours of Aotearoa has won 

Waikato’s Clark Lane Distillery a silver medal at the Asia 

Spirits Challenge - PAGE 6 

LOCAL PR GOES GLOBAL 

Waikato-based Brainchild director Angela March has been 

selected as one of only 26 women for the Global Women in 

Public Relations Empower programme - PAGE 13 

THE BUSINESS OF ART 

Art lovers from all over the Waikato and beyond will be flocking 

to the annual Raglan Arts Weekend exhibition and studio 

trail this Labour Weekend - PAGE 14 

Lucy earns 

her gluten 

free daily 

bread 

What began as a gluten free 

bread making experiment for 

health reasons has turned into a 

growing business for Raglan local 

Lucy Donaldson. 

CONTINUED - PAGE 3 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

SOLD 

Gym 

$699,000 

Hospitality 

$839,000 

Pizza Franchise 

$895,000 

SOLD 

Superette 

$650,000 

Retail Franchise 

$749,000 

SOLD 

Rural Services 

$2,400,000 

SOLD 

Construction 

$3,500,000 

Skin Clinic 

$620,000 

SOLD 

Mechanic 

$295,000 

Manufacturing 

$8,000,000 

SOLD 

Professional 

$3,400,000 

Service Station 

$575,000 

SOLD 

Automotive 

$325,000 

Engineering 

$2,000,000 

All LINK NZ offices are licensed REAA 2008 

Thinking of selling? 

Start here with a confidential call. 

0800 225 999 

LINKBUSINESS.CO.NZ

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 

Grayson Clements associate 

thrives on simplifying the 

complex for clients 

Grayson Clements’ Associate Lawyer, Philip McHugh, thrives on 

complexity and the challenge of navigating uncertainties. 

What sets him apart, 

however, is his 

ability to put the 

individual, his client, at the 

center of the issue and develop 

bespoke legal solutions to 

protect them, their interests, 

and their families. 

Philip was recently 

promoted from lawyer to 

associate at Grayson Clements, 

a law firm based at Hamilton’s 

Innovation Park. The firm was 

established in 2008 by directors 

Michael Grayson and Andrew 

Clements with the desire to 

grow a firm that was “a little bit 

different” in its value-driven, 

client-centric approach. It now 

employs 26 legal professionals 

across a wide range of areas. 

Philip’s love of learning is 

clear, and it’s an approach that 

he carries into his interactions 

with clients. 

He has a Bachelor of Arts, 

majoring in philosophy and 

political science, another 

Bachelor of Arts, majoring in 

history and religious studies 

and a Bachelor of Arts with 

Honours in Religious Studies 

from Victoria University in 

Wellington. After forging a 

successful career in retail, 

including a stint in the 

complaints department for 

a small ship cruise line in 

London, Philip went back to 

university to study law in 2015, 

graduating with a Bachelor of 

Laws with Honours in 2018. 

He has been practicing as a 

solicitor since then, reaching 

associate level after only four 

years of his admission to the 

bar. 

He is also passionate about 

developments in emerging 

technologies, including 

blockchain, encryption, and 

AI and the developing legal 

framework to regulate it. 

At his best in complex 

situations, Philip is passionate 

about helping his clients 

achieve their goals with simple 

legal solutions. 

“Just because your life is 

complex, doesn’t mean your 

legal structure has to be,” he 

says. 

When I’m working 

with a client, I start 

by getting to know 

them, what drives 

them, what their 

internal motivators 

are. By knowing 

this, and building a 

great relationship, 

we can come to a 

legal solution that 

best suits their 

needs and can 

grow as they grow. 

It’s no surprise then that 

Philip thrives on making his 

clients feel comfortable with 

their legal structures and 

explaining complex legal terms 

in plain language. His specialty 

is in helping individual and 

corporate clients structure 

their relationships with 

deeds, agreements and other 

documentation, and he has 

a particular interest in the 

interplay of legal persons 

(companies, trusts, Limited 

Philip McHugh 

Grayson Clements – Design, Deliver, Protect 

Partnerships, etc) to protect, 

preserve and commercialise 

his clients’ potential. 

“As a lawyer, I love 

exploring the ‘what if’ 

scenarios with clients, going 

down rabbit holes and getting 

to the heart of a situation and 

exploring the opportunities 

from there. It’s really satisfying 

when you’ve explored all the 

options available and come 

to a solution that is beneficial 

for the client, not just in 

protecting their assets, but also 

in knowing you have looked at 

Grayson Clements was established in 2008 by lawyers Michael Grayson and Andrew 

Clements, who both had a desire to grow a firm that focused on designing solutions, 

delivering results and protecting people. Their work and reputation have gained 

traction and their client base has grown organically to a point where they now have 

a team of 26 staff across a range of practice areas. 

every possibility and come to 

the best solution based on their 

needs. 

“I’m particularly interested 

in the technology space as it 

relates to the law, especially 

as so much of it has not been 

legislated and there’s no 

right answer. There’s a huge 

amount of work to be done in 

that space and that can only 

come through us, as legal 

professionals, learning more 

and doing more work in the 

field to establish some best 

practices.” 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are 

what businesses are built on and how they 

succeed. We understand that to maximise 

the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

A business partner that understands 

your views and goals 

Contact the Bayleys Waikato Commercial 

Property Management team today. 

Jan Cooney 

Head Commercial Property Management - 

Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki 

027 408 9339 

jan.cooney@bayleys.co.nz 

David Cashmore 

Bayleys Commercial Manager - Waikato 

021 943 305 

david.cashmore@bayleys.co.nz 

Gert Maritz 

Senior Facilities Manager - Waikato 

027 230 2514 

gert.maritz@bayleys.co.nz 

Darren Rule 

Senior Facilities Manager - Bay of Plenty & Taranaki 

027 214 1631 

darren.rule@bayleys.co.nz 

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

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


3 

Sally Valentine, Lydia Henderson, Lucy Donaldson and Loren Hickman-Mabin 

Lucy earns her 

gluten free daily bread 

FROM - PAGE 1 

Lucy’s gluten free bread 

is now stocked in stores 

across the Waikato, Bay 

of Plenty and Auckland, and 

she’s churning out around 

1200 loaves a week. 

It was while breastfeeding 

her third child and watching 

him struggle with colic that 

prompted Lucy to cut gluten 

and dairy from her diet to give 

him some relief. 

It worked for him and Lucy 

also noticed that her eczema 

and stomach pains also eased 

up. 

“I was originally an operating 

theatre nurse and I 

used to think the eczema was 

due to washing my hands 

with surgical scrub so often. 

But now I think I may have 

had an underlying gluten 

intolerance.” 

Lucy says like many people 

on a gluten free journey she 

struggled to find bread that 

didn’t compromise on taste 

and texture in comparison to 

normal bread. 

No stranger to baking, 

Lucy had been making traditional 

sourdough for many 

years and decided to experiment 

with making gluten free 

sourdough. 

“I couldn't find any bread 

that I actually liked so I 

started on a mission of making 

Ed Hemming, Lucy Donaldson and Ryan Simmons 

my own. And then I became 

super obsessed with it until I 

got it to the point where I was 

like - man, this is a better than 

anything I can buy, I wonder 

if anyone else would enjoy it,” 

she says. 

Lucy had always been a 

fan of bakery Volare sourdough 

so she decided to make 

a cheeky call to co- owner Ed 

Hemming. 

“I wondered why the biggest 

bakery in the Waikato 

wasn’t doing anything gluten 

free so I tracked down Ed’s 

number and gave him a call.” 

The call couldn’t have 

come at a better time for both 

parties; Volare owners Ed and 

Ryan Simmons were keen 

to do a gluten free range but 

didn’t have the time and they 

were happy to support Lucy to 

make a go of baking and selling 

gluten free bread. 

“They had lots of people 

asking about gluten free 

bread so they knew there was 

a demand. But they wanted to 

do it right with a purpose-built 

bakery to make sure that if 

you're calling it gluten free 

there's no possibilities of cross 

contamination. I wasn't sure 

at our first meeting where it 

would go or what would come 

of it, but after a long chat we 

decided to start a business 

together.” 

With her youngest only 18 

months old at the time Lucy 

wasn’t sure how she would 

manage but the decision was 

Sally Valentine, Lucy Donaldson and Lydia Henderson 

taken out of her hands a short 

while later when New Zealand 

went into its first COVID 

lockdown. 

Not wanting to take the 

risk in uncertain times, they 

decided to put the business 

idea on the backburner. 

And, like so many of us 

during lockdown, Lucy got her 

bake on and set about perfecting 

her sourdough. 

“We kept in touch. But it 

was all up in the air of whether 

we should be doing this. I was 

still quite driven about it, even 

though I didn't really know 

whether it would happen or 

not.” 

Two years later in April 

2022 after lots of baking 

trial and error, and several 

lockdowns, they opened a purpose-built 

bakery in Grasslands 

Place in Hamilton. 

In the first three months 

Lucy worked really long hours 

five days a week trying to keep 

up with the production. 

“I’d get up super early to 

head to Hamilton to bake the 

bread, drive back to Raglan, 

pick up the kids and take them 

into Hamilton. My husband 

would pick them up and then 

I'd slice all the bread, pack 

it, take it down to Volare and 

then go home.” 

Having been a theatre 

nurse helped with the stamina 

off pulling such long shifts and 

being on her feet all day. 

“Ed and Ryan were instrumental 

in getting someone to 

help. They said this isn't sustainable. 

Yes, you’ve got to 

do long hours when you first 

go into business, but it’s not 

sustainable when you’ve got a 

young family. To be honest we 

weren't expecting it to be so 

popular, so quickly.” 

Ed’s business mind and 

Ryan’s baking expertise coupled 

with the thousands of 

hours of Lucy’s gluten free 

baking experimentation was 

the perfect storm for a successful 

business. 

“I couldn't have done it 

without them and they say the 

same about me. It was a perfect 

combination of the three 

of us because we all have different 

things to offer,” Lucy 

says. 

It’s still hard graft but 

she now employs five staff 

who help her get the bread to 

market. 

As well as being stocked 

in every Volare store in the 

Waikato and Auckland, lots of 

health food stores now stock 

the gluten free range. 

Lucy’s bread is also sold on 

the Volare stand at the Hamilton 

and Cambridge Markets 

and is sold online and 

delivered direct to customers 

nationwide. 

The range includes a sourdough, 

a fruit bread, a seedy 

loaf and a tradition white 

loaf which, Lucy says, will 

work perfectly at a sausage 

sizzle and ideal for the kids’ 

lunchboxes. 

Having grown so quickly, 

Lucy is now focusing on 

expanding the Auckland 

market. 

“We're just trying to perfect 

our systems at the moment 

and trying to increase our 

Auckland client base. Logistic 

for us is really hard being 

a fresh product. So we’re just 

trying to fine tune those kind 

of practices to make it more 

accessible for people.” 

Having grown up in Raglan, 

Lucy credits the entrepreneurial 

and spirit she experienced 

in the small surf town 

to giving her the confidence to 

start a business. 

“Raglan has changed a lot 

and the community size has 

grown, but I still think that 

it is full of people supporting 

new ideas and each other, 

which is probably why it continues 

to attract so many new 

people - nothing to do with 

the surf of course. Having that 

support behind me I think 

really gave me the confidence 

to put myself out there and 

give it a go.”

4 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 

SWIFT launches $50,000 scholarship scheme 

South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) has launched a 

$50,000 scholarship scheme to help South Waikato residents 

of all ages with their tertiary education. 

SWIFT chief executive 

Amanda Hema says 

applicants who are not 

eligible for the Government’s 

fees free programme may 

receive up to $5,000 ($1,000 

for course related costs and 

$4,000 for study fees). People 

who are eligible for the Government’s 

fees free programme 

may receive up to $1,000 for 

course related costs in their 

first year. 

The scholarship programme 

is not only for school leavers. 

“SWIFT endorses ‘whole of 

life’ education and welcomes 

Hema says the 

scholarship scheme has 

been designed as part 

of the trust’s purpose 

to create educational 

initiatives in the South 

Waikato district 

applicants who are in employment 

looking to upskill and or 

members of the community 

who are looking to reintegrate 

into the job market by upskilling 

or gain employment in 

another industry sector,” Hema 

says. 

The scholarships are open 

to returning applicants as constant 

upskilling and development 

is encouraged. 

“The scholarships won’t be a 

‘one and done’. If an individual 

continues to study beyond their 

first tertiary qualification or for 

extended years beyond their 

programme, they can 

apply each year. 

“All applicants are 

welcome and we would 

especially love to hear 

from people who are 

the first in their family 

to undertake tertiary 

education because we 

can refer them to other 

organisations which 

can assist financially 

or advise on enrolment 

in their chosen 

Amanda Hema 

field. Qualifications that help 

the applicant to gain employment 

in South Waikato will be 

prioritised.” 

Hema says the scholarship 

scheme has been designed as 

part of the trust’s purpose to 

create educational initiatives 

in the South Waikato district 

and will run for five years from 

2024 to 2028. 

“Additional support beyond 

financial scholarships is 

deemed essential for all applicants 

and we also believe it is 

important to create scholarship 

cohorts. A pastoral care 

programme and support is 

expected to be developed with 

potential partners over time.” 

SWIFT’s preferred tertiary 

providers for the scholarships 

are Toi Ohomai Te Pukenga 

or University of Waikato. Te 

Wānanga o Aotearoa and Open 

Polytech are also recognised as 

potential providers. 

“This is because Toi Ohomai 

Te Pukenga Tokoroa Campus 

is easier to access for people 

within South Waikato District 

and the Waikato University 

provides transportation to its 

Hamilton Campus.” 

Applications for the scholarships 

are open until Tuesday, 

October 31 and can be made at 

swift.org.nz/scholarship. 

Successful applicants will 

be announced on Saturday, 

November 18 at the first public 

open day for Pukenga Rau, the 

South Waikato Trades Training 

Centre. 

Championing our stars of regenerative tourism 

In late September we 

launched an initiative to 

shine a light on regenerative 

tourism’s potential to 

transform Waikato communities, 

the environment and the 

visitor experience for the better. 

Titled ‘Tiaki in Waitomo’, 

the programme explores the 

stories of tourism operators in 

and around Waitomo Village 

to showcase the steps many 

of them are taking to make 

sure the experiences they offer 

actively contribute to the community 

and environment. 

While this care for people 

and place has been ingrained 

in their businesses for a long 

time, their efforts are part of a 

growing movement underway 

across our industry, and their 

stories – told through engaging 

personal videos and case studies 

– aim to inspire other tourism 

businesses to consider ways 

they can be even more of a force 

for good. 

This shift towards sustainability 

and a regenerative 

approach, where tourism businesses 

actively contribute to the 

community and environment, 

is more important than ever as 

we head into a summer period 

that promises to be one of our 

busiest for years. Kiwis will be 

travelling around our country 

for their Christmas/New Years 

holidays and Statistics New 

Zealand data shows monthly 

international visitor numbers 

are now sitting at more than 

80 per cent of 2019 pre-Covid 

numbers. 

I’m unashamedly biased, 

TELLING 

WAIKATO’S STORY 

BY NICOLA GREENWELL 

Chief executive, Hamilton & 

Waikato Tourism 

but I think the videos and stories 

created as part of the project 

are incredibly heartwarming. 

From riparian planting 

and the use of solar panels for 

energy generation to pest control 

and an unwavering focus 

on employing and selling local, 

there are fantastic activities 

happening in Waitomo that are 

both inspiring for manuhiri and 

that other tourism businesses 

can learn from and integrate 

easily into their own operations. 

The efforts of operators and 

the Waitomo community are 

having an impact too – locals 

are reporting more native 

birdlife and environmental 

monitoring is showing cleaner 

waterways, healthier caves and 

more abundant glowworms. 

Developed in collaboration 

with Waitomo District Council, 

the Department of Conservation, 

isite representatives and 

local tourism businesses, these 

operator stories provide the 

‘wow factor’ for the launch but 

our work with these partners 

also takes a wider holistic view. 

Working together, we’ve 

run workshops with operators 

regarding Tiaki, worked with 

individuals on initiatives within 

their own businesses and set the 

wheels in motion for Tiaki signage 

across the Waitomo district. 

Alongside our Waitomo 

operators we are sharing the 

Tiaki messages through our 

channels, digital platforms and 

onsite in their places of business 

to help educate manuhiri/ 

visitors about the part they also 

play in caring for our people 

and place 

We’re incredibly proud of 

Tiaki in Waitomo and we can’t 

wait to see where it goes. Over 

the next few months we will 

work closely with like-minded 

industry bodies including Tourism 

New Zealand, Waitomo 

District Council, Department 

of Conservation, iwi, tourism 

operators, media and others to 

share these fantastic Tiaki in 

Waitomo stories far and wide. 

We hope to continue to grow 

the Tiaki in Waitomo concept 

Our team 

DESIGNER 

Kelly Gillespie 

kelly@dpmedia.co.nz 

DESIGNER 

Warren Gilberston 

design@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 

in the year ahead and, funding 

permitting, hopefully replicate 

it in other Waikato communities. 

In doing so, we will bring 

the fantastic mahi being done 

by our local tourism operators 

into the light and enable sharing 

of knowledge about how we 

as an industry can help rise the 

regenerative tourism tide for 

the benefit of our region. 

PUBLISHER 

Deidre Morris 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

Mob: 028 437 5623 

deidre@dpmedia.co.nz 

••• 

STUDIO 

Copy/Proofs: 

studio@dpmedia.co.nz 

SUBSCRIPTIONS 

accounts@dpmedia.co.nz 

131 Victoria Street, Hamilton 

Ph: (07) 838 1333 

www.wbn.co.nz 

- 

www.dpmedia.co.nz

Company-X 

Innovation Award 

finalists announced 

Company-X’s Jeremy Hughes joins innovation 

award judges. 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 5 

A 

trio of Waikato businesses 

are competing 

for this year’s Company-X 

Innovation Award. 

Helix Flight Manufacturing 

Machines Ltd, Flight 

Structures Ltd and Emergency 

Consult, all based in Hamilton, 

were named finalists of 

the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business Awards 

on September 13. 

Company-X co-founder 

and director Jeremy Hughes 

was one of the Innovation 

Award judges and presented 

the finalists with certificates. 

“It is so good to see 

innovation thriving in the 

Mighty Waikato,” Hughes 

said. 

“Company-X has sponsored 

the innovation award since 

2017. It was an honour to be 

asked to join the panel of judges 

this year. Even experienced 

businesspeople learn 

something from the process 

of entering and the feedback 

process in these awards, and 

that goes for judges too. I loved 

hearing about the journey our 

innovators are on. I enjoyed 

the process tremendously.” 

This category recognises 

organisations that have 

enhanced their success 

through innovation - both in 

thinking and implementing of 

an idea. 

Their innovation can be in 

a product, service, technology, 

or process. 

Businesses entering the 

Innovation category are 

required to have a minimum 

of two full time equivalent 

employees and annual net 

turnover more than $1 million. 

“Company-X Innovation 

Award finalists are a 

testament to the creativity and 

ingenuity of Mighty Waikato 

companies,” said Company-X 

co-founder and director David 

Hallett. “We’re proud of their 

work, and excited to see what 

they do next.” 

Head judge Dr Heather 

Connolly of Waikato 

University’s Management 

School said the panel of 29 

judges was impressed with the 

quality of the finalists. 

“We were also pleased to 

see the number of entries up 

on last year, with a total of 76 

entries this year. The calibre 

of entrants was excellent and 

From left to right, Flight Structures founding director Jon Kerr and business manager Sally Kerr, 

Emergency Consult chief executive Jenni Falconer, Helix Flight Manufacturing Machines global 

marketing manager Graham Brown and Company-X co-founder and director Jeremy Hughes. 

it’s always encouraging to see 

businesses enter for the first 

time,” Connolly said. 

“As judges we feel 

privileged that the entrants 

again have provided us with 

the opportunity to find out 

more about what makes them 

special. And as businesses in 

the region, there are some 

amazing things happening.” 

Even experienced businesspeople 

learn something from the process 

of entering and the feedback 

process in these awards 

Project manager 

joins Company-X 

Company-X has announced 

Basundhara Rai has joined the 

software specialist as a senior project 

manager. 

Hamilton-based Rai manages planning, 

scheduling, budgeting, execution, and 

delivery of projects for a number of 

Company-X clients. 

Rai came to Company-X with extensive 

experience as a project manager and 

business analyst with a diverse range of 

multinationals. Rai joined Company-X 

from Canadian multinational media 

conglomerate Thomson Reuters where 

she was a project manager responsible for 

legal content for the United Kingdom and 

European Union. Before that Rai worked 

for US multinational financial services firm 

JP Morgan Chase and Co as an associate 

project manager and senior business 

analyst. 

Rai is a certified scrum master, certified 

in the most popular agile scaling framework 

in the world, Scaled Agile Framework 

(SAFe) and is Project Management 

Professional trained. 

Rai has a postgraduate degree in 

Information Technology and a Master 

of Business Administration from Narsee 

Monjee Institute of Management Studies in 

Mumbai, India. 

Rai, who joined Company-X in June, 

said she was enjoying immersing herself 

in Company-X culture getting to know its 

clients and their projects. 

“It has been extraordinary,” Rai said. 

“It is awesome to connect and collaborate 

with such bright minds, each with different 

specialties.” 

Company-X professional services 

manager Michael Hamid said: “We are 

Basundhara Rai 

delighted to welcome Basundhara to the 

Company-X team. She has come up to 

speed on several projects very quickly 

and our clients are already benefiting 

from her project management skills and 

experience.” 

In a short period, I have 

experienced the array 

of software services 

Company-X provides. 

I have already learned 

so much and am really 

looking forward to 

expanding my knowledge 

horizon. 

Acquisition led 

to Innovation 

Award 

Software specialist Company-X’s 

acquisition of Pepper Creative 

in 2019 led to the development 

of the innovation award winning 

software Voxcoda. 

The inspiration for 

Voxcoda came from 

Pepper Creative founder 

Lance Bauerfeind, who joined 

Company-X as product owner 

of the software after the acquisition. 

Voxcoda uses artificial 

intelligence to generate 

natural-sounding audio files 

from text. This makes it a 

cost-effective and efficient 

way for businesses to create 

voice-overs for their products, 

services, and marketing 

materials. 

In October 2020, 

Company-X won the 

Homegrown Innovators 

Independent Software Vendor 

category for Voxcoda in IDG’s 

Reseller News Innovation 

Awards. The judges praised 

Voxcoda for its ability to 

automate a labour-intensive 

manual process and introduce 

automated 

workflow 

technology to transform the 

process for users. 

“Voxcoda is one of the jewels 

in the crown of our acquisition 

of Pepper Creative,” said 

David Hallett, co-founder, and 

director of Company-X. “It’s a 

product that revolutionises the 

way that companies create and 

manage voice-overs.” 

Voxcoda was also 

instrumental in Company-X 

becoming an Amazon Web 

Services (AWS) Partner. AWS 

Partners are companies that 

have demonstrated expertise 

in using AWS services to 

help customers achieve their 

business goals. Company-X was 

awarded AWS Partner status 

following an AWS foundational 

review of Voxcoda. 

“We are excited to become 

an AWS Partner,” said Jeremy 

Hughes, co-founder, and 

director of Company-X. “This 

partnership will allow us to 

provide our customers with the 

best possible cloud solutions 

and help them to achieve their 

business goals.” 

The acquisition of Pepper 

Creative was a strategic move 

by Company-X to expand its 

capabilities in extended reality. 

Lance Bauerfeind 

As a result of the acquisition, 

Company-X was able to build 

a state-of-the-art virtual reality 

(VR) training programme for 

First Gas. The VR training 

programme uses a true-to-life 

VR model of the Te Kowhai 

Main Line Valve in the Waikato 

to train First Gas employees on 

how to safely operate the plant. 

Company-X also built 

a VR welding fume risk 

identification and control 

implementation experience for 

WorkSafe. The VR experience 

allows WorkSafe employees to 

learn about the risks of welding 

fumes and how to control 

them. 

“The acquisition of Pepper 

Creative has been a major 

success for Company-X,” said 

Hughes. “We have been able 

to develop innovative new 

products and services, such as 

Voxcoda and the VR training 

programmes for First Gas and 

WorkSafe. We are excited to 

continue to innovate and grow 

our business in the years to 

come.”

6 

Piko gin wins 

silver with the 

flavours of 

Aotearoa 

Infusing gin and the unique flavours 

of Aotearoa has won Waikato’s Clark 

Lane Distillery a silver medal at the 

Asia Spirits Challenge. 

Co-founders Andrew 

Thomson, Andre 

Vandenberg, Duncan 

Otto and Mark Flyger knew 

they had stumbled onto something 

special when they tasted 

their first batch of pikopiko-infused 

gin. 

"Winning this medal validates 

the exceptional quality 

we consistently aim to offer," 

Otto says. 

Like many good business 

plans of late, the idea was conceived 

during the Covid-19 

lockdown by a group of blokes 

Piko co-founders Andrew Thomson, Andre 

Vandenberg, Duncan Otto and Mark Flyger 

over a friendly beer discussing 

how they might experiment 

with Duncan’s small distillery 

sitting in the shed at his Clark 

We’ve discovered one 

of the nice ways to 

drink it is with a slice 

of cucumber, some 

cracked pepper and 

just a little tonic 

Lane home in Te Pahu. 

“We had experimented 

with adding different flavours 

to alcohol but this was a different 

experience (making 

alcohol from scratch). We did 

a bit of research and with the 

first initial taste we knew we 

had something pretty good, 

we just needed to do a bit of 

refining,” Duncan says. 

There are several 

things that set Piko 

apart from other 

gins, he says, including 

the all-important 

distinctive, sweet 

asparagus-like flavour 

from the pikopiko 

combined with the 

alcohol which is distilled 

in fresh spring 

water sourced from a 

friend’s property at the foothills 

of Pirongia. 

“During the journey, we 

found that, because we make 

our own base alcohol where 

97% of gin distilleries don’t, 

we get a very clean alcohol. 

It's not bitter, it's a very nice 

flavour.” 

Harvested annually, the 

pikopiko fronds were originally 

sourced locally but the 

team have since planted hundreds 

of asplenium bulbiferum, 

commonly known as 

hen and chicken fern, on a 

friend’s farm in Taranaki to 

provide a consistency in quality 

and flavour. 

Their gin journey has also 

seen a move from Duncan’s 

home still to larger distillery 

equipment based at his pub 

Biddy Mulligans on Hood 

Street in December last year. 

They’ve also taken on sales 

and marketing manager Stuart 

Atiken to help boost the profile 

of Piko – starting locally 

before moving to the international 

markets of China, Japan 

and the UK. 

Aitken says Piko is a highend 

gin and this is reflected in 

the price – retailing at $95 for 

a 700ml bottle. 

“We've been targeting premier 

liquor outlets, such as 

Hamilton Beer and Wine, the 

Keg Liquor Merchant, Cambridge 

Fine Wine and the 

Mount Wine Barrel. We've got 

it in places like Ernest and Palate 

and others have expressed 

an interest.” 

They are currently bottling 

around 500 Piko gins a month 

and keen to go bigger when 

the time is right. 

“Our long-term plan is to 

open up a commercial distillery 

somewhere so it’s not 

upstairs (in Biddy’s) and 

introduce a few new products 

over time,” Duncan says. 

In the meantime, being 

based at Biddy’s means they 

can hold Piko tastings upstairs 

at the pub. 

“We’ve discovered one of 

the nice ways to drink it is 

with a slice of cucumber, some 

cracked pepper and just a little 

tonic,” Aitken says. 

Dubbed as the world’s 

most important gin competition, 

the team have also 

entered Piko into the London 

Gin of the Year Awards and, 

with a silver at the Asia Spirits 

Challenge, they are hopeful 

for some positive results in 

November. 

••• 

Book a Piko gin tasting at 

sales@clarklanedistillery. 

co.nz or 027 560 4621 

Option 1 - $30 pp for 1 hour 

tasting. Three different mixes 

of Piko gin to taste. 

Option 2 - $60 pp for 2 hours. 

Three different mixes of Piko 

gin with tapas and a cocktail. 

Procuta Associates 

Urban + Architecture 

07 839 6521 

www.pauaarchitects.co.nz 

“ 

Architecture takes you to a place you are 

unlikely to arrive at on your own. It is the 

ultimate opportunity to make your home or 

work environment personal and purposeful.


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

Chamber 

announces 

business 

awards 

finalists 

5. 

6. 

The finalists in this year’s 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce 

Business Awards, supported by 

Foster Construction Group, were 

announced recently at an event at 

Waikato University’s The Pā, with 21 

businesses named in the line-up. 

Head judge Dr Heather 

Connolly of Waikato 

University’s Management 

School said the panel of 

29 judges was impressed with 

the quality of the finalists. 

“We were also pleased to 

see the number of entries up 

on last year, with a total of 76 

entries this year. The calibre of 

entrants was excellent and it’s 

always encouraging to see businesses 

enter for the first time,” 

Connolly says. 

“As judges we feel privileged 

that the entrants again 

have provided us with the 

opportunity to find out more 

about what makes them special. 

And as businesses in the 

region, there are some amazing 

things happening. Of note 

this year was a strong international 

trade element among the 

entries.” 

Tickets for the gala dinner, 

to be held at Claudelands 

Event Centre on November 17, 

are available for purchase at 

www.waikatochamber.co.nz/ 

business-awards-2023/ 

Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Business 

Awards finalists 

7. 

8. 

BUSINESS GROWTH AWARD 

Treadlite NZ 

MS Civil Construction Limited 

Pure Lighting 

13. 

COMMUNITY 

CONTRIBUTION 

Dive Zone Whitianga 

South Waikato Investment 

Fund Trust (SWIFT) 

Ninja Valley 

9. 

10. 

FOR PURPOSE AWARD 

Hospice Waikato 

Central Kids Early Education 

South Waikato Investment 

Fund Trust (SWIFT) 

14. 

1. Abdullah Hussaini, Claire van der Most | 2. Chontelle Burkitt, 

Jenni Falconer| 3. Tania Cooper, Tanekaha Murphy| 4. Megan 

Weir, Ben Weir | 5. Chris Gardner, Jason Dawson, Vicki Jones 

6. Jason Cowan, Mark Morgan, Jeremy Hughes | 7. Jo Goodwin, 

Megan Campbell, Sean Williams | 8. Richard Ferdinands, Leonard 

Gardner | 9. Tania Witheford, Heather Connolly, Ellie Wilkinson 

10. Pat Mellsop, Jane Hill, Kylie Harcourt | 11. Tania O’Sullivan, 

Frances McInnes, Jason Trower | 12. Amardeep Khasariya, Tash 

Davies, Mark Wylie, Craig Tamblyn | 13. Scott Ratuki, Adam 

Findlay, Ross Pacey, Ben Royfee| 14. Shaun van Praagh, Whetū 

Taukamo, Heather Connolly, Jess Vanxay 

INNOVATION AWARD 


Machines Ltd 

Flight Structures Ltd 

Emergency Consult - 

Rethinking Healthcare 

Delivery 

INTERNATIONAL 

TRADE AWARD 


Machines Ltd 

Manta5 Hydrofoil Bikes 

Invivo Wines 

MARKETING AWARD 

Treadlite NZ 

Hamilton Airport 

Pure Lighting 

11. 

MICRO BUSINESS 

Neuflow Projects 

Wyreframe 

CFO 4 U 

PEOPLE & CULTURE AWARD 

MS Civil Construction Limited 

Ninja Valley 

Wyreframe 

SERVICE EXCELLENCE 

AWARD 

My Mortgage 

Normans Transport 

Safety Genius 

SUSTAINABILITY AWARD 

Dive Zone Whitianga 

NZ National Fieldays 

Society Inc 

EMERGING LEADER 

OF THE YEAR 

Carl Saywell 

Adam Norman 

Jenni Falconer 

12. 

The Waikato Business Awards 

are supported by Foster Construction 

Group, while the category 

sponsors are Chow:Hill 

Architects, Company-X, Deloitte, 

Hamilton Airport, Mitre 10, 

Montana Food & Events, Sky- 

Point Technologies, Sleepyhead, 

Tompkins Wake, Trust Waikato, 

the University of Waikato and 

Wintec Te Pūkenga. 

The judging process is 

sponsored by 2degrees, while 

other support sponsors include 

ACLX, Air New Zealand, Barker 

Photography, Claudelands, 

Emblems, Fairview, INDx 

Media, Virtual Print, and 

Waikato Business News.

8 

Fund launch marks 

20 years of Waikato 

Engineering Careers 

Association 

1. 2. 

More than 100 engineering leaders, educators and 

supporters gathered to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 

Waikato Engineering Careers Association at the University of 

Waikato’s impressive new The Pā recently. 

3. 

4. 

The occasion was marked with the launch 

of a new Waikato Engineering Education 

Fund, focusing on innovation, diversity 

and equity in the sector. 

Hanga-Aro-Rau, the Workforce Development 

Council for Manufacturing Engineering and 

Logistics, is applauding the launch, with the sector’s 

skills shortage set to grow by 38 per cent to 

40,000 workers by 2028 if immediate action is 

not taken. 

The council’s chief executive Phil Alexander-Crawford, 

who attended WECA celebrations, 

says WECA’s fund spearheads a direct regional 

response to the shortage, supporting innovation 

and underrepresented groups in our community. 

“This approach is hugely encouraging for our 

sector as Aotearoa faces critical skills shortage. 

Women are a major source of untapped talent 

and are a big part of the solution and we are also 

fortunate to have a growing Māori and Pacific 

WECA Life Member nominee Roger Evans and 

General Manager Mary Jensen cut the cake. 

Event organisers Destiny Iraia and 

Monique Aitchison of FutureForce® 

Careers Hub with Sally Birch, Mary 

Jensen and Maddie Walker of WECA. 

community. These people are increasingly essential 

for creating an innovative and skilled workforce,” 

Alexander-Crawford says. 

WECA general manager Mary Jensen says 

marking the 20-year milestone was a way to celebrate 

the strong foundations of the region’s engineering 

sector. 

The association was founded in 2003 to combat 

disconnection between the tertiary education 

system and employers, who were struggling to 

work together to build a workforce. 

“Before WECA was established, engineering 

and manufacturing was somewhat a hidden 

industry. WECA has been able to bring our sector 

to life for young people. It’s paid off, with those 

who have been involved for 20 years still around 

today – testament to the fact that training and 

growing your own workforce from the ground up 

grows strong businesses,” Jensen says. 

WECA was the brainchild of Roger Evans of 

Stafford Engineering, a long-time proponent 

of skills development in the region’s business. 

Evans was nominated for a WECA Life Membership 

at the celebration. 

“Roger, and those like him have been a strong 

employer voice and generous crusader for better 

skills and training in our region.” 

Jensen says in two decades the WECA team 

has attended more than 60 Careers Expos, spoken 

to 1000s of young people, built websites, 

facilitated work placements, and lobbied on 

behalf of the sector. 

“We’ve advocated for members, including 

seven years on the Waikato Labour Market 

Forum and, more recently, supporting Pam Roa 

of Longveld in her role with the Regional Skills 

Leadership Group. Our members have also profiled 

more than 100 young engineers across a 

broad spectrum of roles in the regional careers 

resource, FutureForce Careers Hub.” 

Jensen also represents the region – and 

WECA - on the Industry Stakeholder Group for 

Hanga-Aro-Rau, the workforce development 

council. 

The Waikato Engineering Education Fund 

will be managed by Momentum Waikato Community 

Foundation and is primarily for scholarships 

for trainees, apprentices, and professionals 

in the Waikato engineering sector, with 

a focus on innovation, equity and diversity. 

To donate: www.momentumwaikato.nz/donate. 

WECA’s 20th Anniversary Celebration 

was supported by Vulcan, Beca, University of 

Waikato, Wintec – Te Pūkenga, Hanga-Aro-Rau 

and FutureForce Careers Hub. 

5. 

7. 

9. 

11. 

6. 

8. 

10. 

12. 

1. WECA originals Lou Ewington, Steve Andrew, Bruce Howatt and Roger Evans, Stafford Engineering. 

2. A great crowd celebrating WECA’s 20th anniversary at the University of Waikato Pā. | 3. The crew from 

Vulcan, Jason Merrie, John Teuru, Geoff Maisey, Dean McGovern and Rod Hagan with WECA Chair Mike 

Welten. | 4. University of Waikato Professor Janis Swan, Wintec – Te Pūkenga’s Trudy Harris and Smart 

Waikato’s Kris Anderson. | 5. WECA Board Member Mike Duke, of University of Waikato, and John Gallagher 

of Gallagher Group. | 6. Pam Roa of Longveld and Janice Lapwood of Momentum Waikato. | 7. Owen Embling 

of Convex, Shelley Wilson of Wintec - Te Pūkenga and Longo Takataka of Longveld. | 8. David Hallett of 

Company-X, Rosie Spragg of Te Waka, Les Roa of Longveld and Keith Gallagher of Gallagher Group. 

9. University of Waikato Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor Alister Jones telling the story of The Pā. |10. Graeme 

King of Mainline and Dean McGovern of Vulcan. | 11. The JP Marshall crew Alex Mowles, Marcus Heayns, 

Adrian Marshall and Blair Ussher. | 12. WECA Manager Sally Birch, University of Waikato Senior Deputy Vice 

Chancellor Alister Jones and WECA original Lou Ewington. | 13. Beca’s Vinal Kumar, Iona Young and Richard 

Douch with University of Waikato’s Jess Vanxay. | 14. Dave Stuart of Stafford Engineering, Mike Welten WECA 

Chair, Peter Wilkinson of Wilkinson Transport Engineers and Roger Evans. | 15. Raffle winner David Hallett of 

Company-X and Monique Aitchison of FutureForce® Careers Hub. | 16. Hanga-Aro-Rau Chief Executive Phil 

Alexander-Crawford, WECA General Manager Mary Jensen and Hanga-Aro-Rau’s Hagen Tautari. 

13. 

15. 

14. 

16.

Get connected to Electric 

Vehicles – the smart way. 

ews 

If you’re out and about on any 

New Zealand road these days, and 

you’ll likely see Electric Vehicles 

(EVs). They’re becoming quite 

commonplace on our roads, 

and there’s a good chance that 

we may have helped a few of 

those get up and running! 

That’s because as the world shifts to using 

more sustainable energy sources, we’re 

using our energy experience and practical 

insights to help businesses make the move 

to EVs – for good. Using our experience 

and smart infrastructure ideas, we help put 

businesses on the road to sustainability 

faster, smarter and at just the right price. 

Because of this We.EV has seized the 

opportunity to lead the way in supporting 

businesses to transition their fleets to EVs 

by investigating, designing, installing and 

provide an end-to-end solution to meet the 

customers’ needs to minimise costs now 

and into the future. Community owned, 

our vision is simple; to help businesses 

shape a better, more renewable future 

We guide and support businesses who 

want to make the shift to EVs with specific 

plans and infrastructure that’s flexible, costeffective, 

and can expand as your EV fleet 

does. From accurate advice to on-the-ground 

planning, every customer we work with has 

unique needs and goals. So whether your 

fleet of EVs is large or small, or you’re even 

just at the early stages of thinking about 

it – it pays to talk to the local experts first. 

How to get started on 

your EV transformation 

So, you can make the change once, and 

do it properly, there are a number of things 

you’ll need to look at, says Craig Marshall, 

Head of We.EV. He explains it should start 

with good advice before you start laying 

cables. “There are a lot of people out there 

who are keen to help with suggestions 

and hardware. But it all starts with solid 

advice that simply comes from handson 

experience. We’ve been working with 

energy for decades. And we’ve seen cases 

where clients were told to invest hundreds 

of thousands of dollars, when in fact they 

needed nothing of the sort for their usage.” 

So, if you’re ready to make the smarter 

EV infrastructure choice and you’re ready 

to take your sustainability goals up a 

gear – get in touch with the EV experts. 

0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz 

Driving 

brighter 

business 

futures. 

From advice and planning 

to design and build, We.EV 

helps businesses become 

future-ready with their 

Electric Vehicle charging 

infrastructure. So whether 

your fleet of EVs is large or 

small, or you’re even just 

thinking about it – it pays to 

talk to the local experts first. 

we-ev.co.nz


CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF 

NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON 

Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton 

New Tenant Interest? 

- Role of your 

Commercial Agent 

This is a leasing market where we are 

starting to see some warning signs 

– with increasing vacancy rates, 

Landlords are often keener to get a Tenant 

signed up and less reputable Tenants see 

this as an opportunity. For Landlords, not 

every not every Tenant is a good tenant 

and sometimes it can be best to steer clear. 

What are some of the warning signs? 

• Asking to draw up a lease offer without 

having seen the property 

• A long term lease offer at the asking 

rental, along with a significant rent 

free period 

• Asking for a significent cash contribution 

to fitout 

• Asking to reduce the deposit to one 

months rental 

• Asking to defer payment of the 

deposit 

• They don’t have a solicitor 

The downside to signing a commercial 

lease with a poor or undesirable 

tenant, has various downsides 

and risks for a landlord. 

These include: 

a) Non-payment of rent: Disreputable 

tenants may have a history of 

not paying their rent on time, or at 

all. This can result in a loss of rental 

income and financial/emotional 

strain on the property owner. 

b) Property damage: Problem tenants 

may not take good care of the 

property, leading to damage that 

can be costly to repair. They might 

also make unauthorized alterations 

to the space, which could further 

devalue the property. 

c) Legal issues: Disreputable tenants 

may engage in illegal activities 

on the premises, such 

as drug manufacturing 

or distribution, which 

can lead to legal troubles 

for the property 

owner. If such a 

tenant engages in illegal 

activities or causes 

harm to others on the 

property, the property 

owner could potentially be held 

liable for damages or injuries. 

d) Eviction difficulties: If a tenant with 

a bad reputation refuses to vacate 

the premises when the lease is terminated, 

it can be challenging and 

costly to evict them through the 

legal process. This can result in a 

prolonged vacancy period and lost 

rental income. 

e) Insurance invalidation: Unauthorized 

uses and alterations may invalidate 

your insurance policy. 

f) Increased management workload: 

Dealing with a problem tenant can 

be time-consuming and stressful. 

You may need to invest more time 

and resources in property management 

and legal proceedings. 

To mitigate these risks, it’s essential 

for landlords to conduct thorough tenant 

screening, including background checks 

and references, before entering into a lease 

agreement. Some of this should be undertaken 

initially by the Agent and some by 

the Landlord or their legal advisor. 

Additionally, having a well-drafted 

lease agreement that clearly outlines 

expectations and consequences for lease 

violations can help protect the landlord’s 

interests. Seeking legal advice or consulting 

with property management professionals 

can also provide valuable guidance in 

dealing with disreputable tenants and minimizing 

potential downsides. 

What should I expect from my real 

estate professional? 

While it can be a fine line between what 

information you can ask for and what is 

commercially sensitive or an over reach, 

the following are some items you might 

consider asking: 

• Do they own any assets, such as a 

house? 

• Can their accountant provide a 

statement of position? 

• Can they provide a rental bond or 

even a bank guarantee? 

• Could the rental be maintained 3 

months in advance at all times? 

• Does anybody in their office know 

of this potential tenant ? have they 

asked around? 

• Can we find out who their previous 

Landlord was and talk to them, or 

even the Landlord for where they are 

currently living? 

• Should a credit check be completed? 

• If they are on an overseas passport, 

do they have appropriate visa’s and 

how long do those visa’s last? 

I believe that a competent commercial 

agent should give you 

good advice and be able to act 

as a sounding board for suggestions, 

as how to mitigate 

any potential issues. As a 

team, we constantly strive 

to provide advice and solutions 

that mitigate risk for 

our clients. 

We had a recent case where a 

potential tenant enquired. Fortunately, 

within our office we try to keep an eye on 

the Public Notices in the Waikato Times 

and application notices for liquidation etc 

– in this instance, one had shown up several 

months priors, for the same director. 

A copy of the notice was provided to 

the potential Landlord and a face-to-face 

meeting set up between the two of them, 

which the agent also attended. The Landlord 

is an experienced commercial owner, 

so the landlord works were limited and a 3 

month deposit was agreed and paid before 

the keys were handed over. Thus, the landlord 

was fully informed of the risks before 

a decision was made and hopefully mitigating 

as much as possible, any risk. 

Under Real Estate Agents Act 2008 

we advise all parties that they need to 

seek their own legal and other professional 

advice before signing anything 

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 

Tech Talk: User 

Experience and User 

Interface design is 

about more than 

look and feel 

There is a misconception that user 

experience (UX) and user interface 

(UI) design exist to make a system 

look and feel good. 

This is just scratching the 

surface. 

The role of a UX 

specialist is to ensure that a 

product goes to market with 

the greatest chance of success. 

This is made possible by working 

to understand the needs 

of a system’s users, and creating 

a user-friendly product 

that helps real people get their 

tasks done. 

When you’re going to market 

with a product, you need 

to have strong marketing and 

sales strategies behind it. 

Investing in great 

design means 

getting it right the 

first time. 

You’ll want to put extra 

thought into the onboarding 

experience and keep an eye 

on adoption rates and churn, 

you need to know exactly how 

many people are using your 

system. 

The development team and 

client need to work closely 

together to ensure the product 

achieves your sales objectives, 

minimises churn, and maximises 

adoption. 

But in terms of what goes 

into the user interface, if you're 

selling the product that you're 

building, then you probably 

want to think about when are 

the key moments in this experience 

that we close the deal 

or upsell the customer a larger 

plan? Thinking about where 

are the sales opportunities 

within the context of the user 

experience? How are we going 

to excite and delight, entice? 

Often when a product is 

falling short in the market, 

businesses will say they’re 

wanting to improve adoption 

or retention rates. 

When we review the user 

interface, we can identity UX 

and UI issues that are inhibiting 

success. 

Software businesses want 

to improve conversion, adoption 

and retention rates, and 

look to marketing and commercial. 

However sometimes 

when the stone is turned over 

to have a look at the product 

there are UX issues and opportunities 

missed to delight 

users! 

Investing in great design 

means getting it right the first 

time. 

Another way to think about 

it is, without investment in 

good design, businesses run 

the risk of paying the high 

price tag for a product that 

ultimately fails in the market. 

TECH TALK 

BY BRIANA CHRISTEY 

Briana Christey is a 

user interface and user 

experience consultant at 

Waikato software specialist 

Company-X. 

This can tarnish their brand 

reputation and puts them 

in a tricky decision to either 

cut their losses or try again 

by reinvesting good design, 

rebuilding and rebranding 

which can come at a very large 

cost. 

There's a well-known quote 

from former Jaguar chief executive 

Ralf Speth that summarises 

it well: "If you think 

good design is expensive, you 

should look at the cost of bad 

design." 

Often the problem is cluttered 

and confusing UI that 

results in a high cognitive load 

for the user to navigate and low 

overall product satisfaction. 

Achieving simplicity in 

design requires real understanding 

of users, so that the 

UI can be designed to exactly 

what they need, at the right 

time, and in the right order in 

their intuitive journey to complete 

tasks. 

Without a doubt, quality 

of design is directly related to 

product success in the market.

ey Toyota whats u 

with your used car benefits? 

We've just upped everything to 5 years. 

TOYOTA CERTIFIED 

5 YEARS 

HYBRID BATTERY WARRANTY 

+ 

5 YEARS 

WARRANTY 

+ 

5 YEARS 

FREE WOF CHECKS 

+ 

5 YEARS 

AA ROADSERVICE 

Toyota Certified 

HAMILTON 5 Kahu Crescent, Te Rapa Park Hamilton, 07 838 0499 

MORRINSVILLE 85 Avenue Road North Morrinsville, 07 889 7678 

TE AWAMUTU 29 Kihikihi Road Te Awamutu, 07 872 0017 

Warranty, AA Roadservice, WOF Checks and Hybrid Battery Warranty available on Toyota Certified hybrid vehicles imported by Toyota New Zealand that have been first registered overseas, 

excluding vehicles used for fare or reward, rental, and vehicles owned by businesses and travelling more than 40,000km per year. See Toyota.co.nz for terms, conditions and exclusions.

12 HR MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 


Navigating restructures 

and outplacement in a 

changing economy 

In today’s ever-changing economic landscape, employers 

often find themselves in the challenging position of 

having to restructure their businesses to stay competitive 

and adapt to market shifts. 

While these changes 

are often necessary 

for survival 

and growth, they can also 

be emotionally taxing for 

employees and business 

owners. Managing restructures 

and outplacement effectively 

is not only a legal and 

ethical responsibility but also 

crucial for preserving a positive 

company culture and 

reputation. Here are our tips 

for managing change with 

good faith in mind: 

Transparent 

Communication: 

Open and honest communication 

is key. Employers 

should clearly communicate 

the reasons behind 

the restructure, its potential 

impact on employees, and the 

company’s commitment to 

supporting affected individuals 

throughout the process. 

Upfront Planning: 

Careful planning is essential. 

Employers should outline 

their goals and the desired 

outcomes of the restructure, 

identifying which roles will be 

affected and how they intend 

to fill the gaps. 

Support and Training: 

Invest in training and 

upskilling programmes to help 

employees adapt to new roles 

or acquire new skills. This 

not only benefits the employ- 

ees but also ensures the company 

has a more versatile and 

skilled workforce. 

Outplacement Services: 

Providing outplacement 

services, such as career 

counselling, resume building, 

and job search assistance, 

demonstrates a commitment 

to the well-being of 

outgoing employees and helps 

them transition into new roles 

smoothly. 

Legal Compliance: 

Ensure your restructure complies 

with all NZ Employment 

Laws. It is critical to follow 

a robust process and not 

to pre-determine any potential 

outcomes. Seek advice if 

you’re considering changing 

your business model. 

Employee Wellbeing: 

Monitor the emotional wellbeing 

of your employees. Offer 

counselling/coaching services 

or access to support networks 

to help them cope with the 

stress of change. 

Maintaining Company 

Culture: 

Protect your company’s 

culture by fostering a sense 

of unity among remaining 

employees and emphasizing 

the company’s values and mission. 

Feedback and Evaluation: 

Continuously gather feedback 

from employees and 

assess the effectiveness of 

the restructure. Make adjustments 

as needed to improve 

the process. 

In a changing economy, 

adaptability is the key to survival. 

Employers who manage 

restructures and outplacement 

with empathy, 

transparency, and a commitment 

to employee well-being 

will not only navigate these 

challenges successfully but 

also emerge with a stronger, 

more resilient business poised 

for future growth. 

If you need support during 

a change process or outplacement 

services for your employees, 

contact 0800 EVEREST. 

PEOPLE AND 

CULTURE 

BY SENGA ALLEN 

Managing Director, 

Everest People. 

Specialising in workplace advice, 

recruitment, training and 

coaching. 

www.everestpeople.co.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 HR MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT 13 

Local PR brain selected for global programme 

Waikato-based Brainchild director 

Angela March has been selected as one 

of only 26 women from 20 countries to 

take part in the Global Women in Public 

Relations Empower programme. 

Developed by Global 

Women in PR, 

Empower connects 

PR experts at the top of their 

game with the next generation 

of PR women through a 

cross-border mentoring and 

learning programme. 

March is using the opportunity 

to, not only grow her 

own skillset, but she hopes to 

use the knowledge gained by 

some of the best PR experts to 

inspire other women in PR. 

“I've been pretty lucky all 

my career to be surrounded by 

lots of strong female leaders 

- both those I have reported 

to and the many inspiring clients 

that I’ve watched lead by 

example. This felt like a really 

great opportunity to grow my 

own leadership skills and to 

be able to return the favour 

to others coming up in the 

industry.” 

The only Kiwi selected to 

take part in the programme, 

March has recently met online 

with her mentor Havas Red 

Spain PR director general Ana 

Picó Alvarez. 

“I'm really excited to be 

working with somebody who 

deeply understands how 

an agency works, and a PR 

agency at that. It’s an awesome 

opportunity to connect 

with and learn from women at 

the top of the field globally. I 

am blown away to be counted 

in this group of mentees.” 

I've had lots 

of exposure to 

businesses, small and 

big, and across many 

different industries. I 

love being able to tell 

their stories. 

The learning element of 

the Empower programme 

involves regular masterclasses 

given by industry experts 

on topics such as leadership 

skills, business management, 

and career planning. 

There will also be opportunities 

for the mentees to participate 

in panel discussions, 

a thought leadership project 

and international networking. 

As well as regular virtual 

networking meet-ups for mentees 

and active social media 

engagement to help create a 

sense of community. 

March fell in love with PR 

while studying communications 

at Unitec. 

“My major was originally 

in event management and 

then I found out this whole 

other world of PR. And actually, 

looking back PR 

really was a great fit. 

Even though I didn't 

have any clue what PR 

was until I came across 

it at university.” 

Serving on her high 

People and culture: 

a pillar for business 

success 

As cultivating a good culture becomes ever more vital for 

retaining staff, Asset Recruitment’s Executive Recruitment 

and Business Development Manager, Judy Davison, looks 

at the essential elements of an effective people and 

culture strategy. 

running high school campaigns, 

March has since gone 

on to work for some of New 

Zealand and the world’s biggest 

brands. 

“I've had lots of exposure 

to businesses, small and big, 

and across many different 

industries. I love being able to 

tell their stories.” 

March started PR and 

content agency Brainchild 

in 2020; in the middle of 

the Covid pandemic and just 

before having her first child 

with number two following 17 

months later. 

“I've been growing my 

business and growing my 

family at the same time,” she 

laughs. 

The Empower programme 

has come at a perfect time for 

March to continue developing 

her skills in the ever-changing 

PR landscape. 

“Making sure that we're 

always ahead of the pack and 

able to deliver best in class 

work that’s up with what's 

happening in the international 

space is important to 

me and it’s important for our 

clients.” 

GWPR’s 24-hour global 

speed mentoring initiative in 

2021, involving 300 women 

on International Women’s 

Day, served as the springboard 

for this programme. 

school council, March 

had organised campaigns 

for Students 

Against Drunk Driving 

and promotions 

for school events but it 

wasn’t until later that 

she joined the dots and 

realised what she had 

been doing was PR. 

“It was PR at a very basic 

high school level.” she laughs. 

From humble beginnings 


Your recruitment 

asset in Waikato. 

Angela March 

New Zealand’s most 

popular job listing 

sites have a plethora 

of vacancies for roles such as: 

‘Group Head – People and 

Culture’, ‘People and Culture 

Adviser’, ‘People and Culture 

Manager’. At Asset Recruitment, 

the demand for skilled 

candidates in these roles is 

just as high. 

“More and more workplaces 

are placing people and 

culture as a strategic priority 

They can’t afford not to. People 

and culture-related initiatives sit 

alongside HR, business development, 

and sales and marketing strategies 

– it has that much influence on an 

organisation’s operations. 

for their organisation,” says 

Judy. 

An article by Deloitte 

recognises that influence, 

acknowledging culture, leadership, 

and strategy as the 

three pillars which must align 

for business success. 

At Asset Recruitment, 

Judy has seen this strategic 

priority come through 

in organisation-wide placements, 

where culture-fit is an 

integral part of the recruitment 

process whatever the 

role. “It’s a non-negotiable for 

most businesses these days,” 

Judy says. “It doesn’t matter 

how great a candidate’s 

skills and experience may be, 

if there’s no values alignment, 

it won’t be a successful placement.” 

So, what’s required for an 

effective people and culture 

strategy? 

“Cohesion,” says Judy. 

“Culture must be company-wide, 

so a strategy must 

draw upon all aspects of a 

business. Define your company 

culture, demonstrate it, 

and continually develop it as 

your company evolves. Only 

then will it be a pillar for business 

success.” 

[CTA] Looking for candidates 

that align with your culture? 

Give Asset Recruitment 

a call today. 

Locally owned and operated, Asset 

Recruitment has been positioning excellence 

for more than 30 years. 

We align great candidates with great opportunities. If 

you’re looking to hire or would like to discuss your 

career opportunities, get in touch with our team. 

Temporary 

Recruitment 

Permanent 

Recruitment 

Executive 

Recruitment 

Industrial 

Recruitment 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz


The Business of Art 

EXPLORING THE CREATIVES IN THE BUSINESS OF ART 

RAW brings art lovers to the artists in 

weekend long exhibition and studio trail 

Visitors from all over the Waikato 

and beyond will be flocking to the 

annual Raglan Arts Weekend this 

Labour Weekend. 

Richard Page 

What started as a 

group of artists 

running a local 

group exhibition, has since 

grown to be a major event that 

not only profiles established 

and emerging local creatives 

but also delivers a boost to the 

local economy. 

In its 13th year, RAW has 

been managed by Nicky Brzeska 

since 2019, and with an 

extensive background in PR, 

she has added her flair for running 

large international campaigns 

to the mix. 

Launching a new device for 

a multinational tech company 

where the budget is of no consequence 

is a far cry from running 

a small-town art event on 

a tight purse string, but Nicky 

was up for the challenge. 

“My brief was to re-energise 

the arts weekend and to make 

sure we got more artists on 

board. The first thing I really 

wanted to do was to sort out 

the brand.” 

Creating a brand that would 

attract more artists, and art 

lovers who hopefully become 

art buyers, Nicky says, was 

a fundamental place to start 

for RAW. 

“If it feels like there's a 

brand and an identity, then 

people come to really love and 

support that. And then it creates 

an energy that other people 

want to be a part of.” 

Like many non-profit 

events, RAW has traditionally 

relied on advertising from local 

businesses and grants from 

charitable organisations but, 

Nicky says, an event like RAW 

that has been running for so 

long needs to look at how it can 

stand on its own two feet. 

“The team have always done 

phenomenally well getting the 

grants. But these grants are the 

same pots of money but with 

more people applying. And 

funders are saying they want 

to be seen to be supporting 

new initiatives.” 

So, after a successful 

rebrand and a 2019 Easter 

Weekend event, Nicky was 

looking forward to 2020 and 

working towards attracting 

larger sponsorships and establishing 

solid partnerships. 

The popular Preview Exhibition 

has always kicked off 

RAW three weeks before the 

event; it provides an opportunity 

to check out the artists’ 

work before hitting the 

art studio trail around Raglan 

Whāingaroa. 

But 2020 delivered COVID 

and the Preview Exhibition 

managed an opening 

night before the government 

announced the cancellation 

of all indoor gatherings of 

more than 100 people, and 

a week later the country was 

in lockdown. 

“We postponed it until 

October and then the new 

alert level meant we had to 

push the Preview Exhibition 

online. Then we were gunning 

for April, and then had to delay 

April to October (2021). So, it 

was three delays,” she says. 

Nicky was essentially trying 

to run three events with the 

April 2020 funding. 

“We got COVID subsidies 

but it was difficult and we just 

had to get very creative with the 

money we had.” 

This year Nicky has been 

able to establish a partnership 

plan that also had to be delayed 

due to COVID. 

Local partnerships with 

longtime sponsors Tony Sly 

and art foundation the Chartwell 

Trust, and new supporters 

Rangitahi housing development 

and Bayleys Real Estate 

Raglan have kicked into action 

this year. 

“I looked at how could we 

make these partnerships all fit 

together, instead of them just 

being random sponsors with 

advertising in a brochure. It's 

paying attention to how these 

brands can engage authentically 

with us.” 

Nicky Brzeska 

The partnerships identify 

with a pillar – grow, connect, 

inspire, ignite – that represents 

how they can contribute to the 

growth of the arts weekend. 

“Grow is Rangitahi and 

they are supporting The Hatch, 

which is our emerging artists 

exhibition, as well as funding 

additional admin hours. Bayleys 

Real Estate is Connect 

and they’re funding an artists’ 

bus tour and the opening night 

cocktail event. The Chartwell 

Trust is our Inspire partner, 

which is the next phase for 

us and it will be about bringing 

the arts weekend to life. 

Tony Sly is Ignite and that 

will be talks, workshops and 

demonstrations in the future,” 

she says. 

The partnerships are vital to 

the survival of the arts weekend 

and they significantly reduce 

the reliance on the ever-decreasing 

grants. 

“We’re trying to create a 

sustainable business model 

because it is getting tough out 

there to just keep trying to 

get grants.” 

Despite the COVID setback, 

Nicky is confident in the Raglan 

Arts Weekend’s ability to grow. 

They may be at full capacity 

with their artists but Nicky 

knows there are still lots of 

opportunities to pack a punch 

for the arts. 

“We have over 60 artists, 

and over 30 of those are new 

to RAW. We still have the same 

number of studios because we 

have several large group exhibitions, 

which means people 

have only one studio location to 

visit to see a number of artists’ 

work. But we can't just have 

an infinite number of artists; 

If you've got too many artists, 

there's less visitors per artist.” 

A life drawing workshop, 

created and run by RAW artist 

Dominique Marriott, is a first 

this year for the arts weekend 

and, Nicky says, the new partnerships 

will support more 

public art activities. 

“We want people to know 

as soon as they arrive in 

town that something special 

is happening.” 

The flow on effect is significant, 

she says, more RAW 

visitors mean more business 

for the local cafes and restaurants, 

accommodation and 

tourism providers. 

“It’s just about growing this 

in a sustainable way, together 

with the growth of Raglan 

itself, and not overwhelming 

the town, which struggles 

already with issues like parking 

and space in cafes over 

busy weekends like this,” Nicky 

says. “Maybe in time, we might 

shift RAW to its own dedicated 

weekend to spread some 

of the retail opportunities for 

our local businesses across the 

year, but it’s too early in the 

event’s marketing to be able to 

make that decision now.” 

The Raglan Arts Weekend is a Creative Raglan event run by the 

Raglan Community Arts Council. 

Preview Exhibition at the Raglan Old School Arts Centre 

Friday 29 Sept to Monday 23 October 2023, open daily, 10am to 2pm 

RAW Open studios self-guided art trail 

Saturday 21 October to Monday 23 October, 10am to 5pm 

Shortydubs 

Jane Galloway


An open letter to 

the new government 

It seems all anyone can talk about at 

the moment is the upcoming, hotlycontested, 

general election, with 

political parties making promises 

they’re backing themselves to keep, 

and the country thinking about which 

leaders will help with the current 

challenges we’re facing. 

I’m diverting slightly today 

from the usual format of 

my columns so bear with 

me! As a mortgage adviser 

speaking with clients daily 

about the ups and downs of 

property, lending and personal 

finance, I thought writing a 

letter to our new leaders could 

offer valuable perspective on 

the changes that are needed in 

this space. 

First home buyers are traditionally 

the segment of property 

purchasers the government 

wants to support. I’d like 

to see the income cap criteria 

for the first home loan vary a 

little like the first home grant 

caps do, by region. You’re 

likely to need to earn more in 

Auckland or Wellington to purchase 

a similar type of home to 

other regions. 

Starting with some positivity, 

the first home loan is 

working really well. Since the 

changes made to first home 

loans in 2022, the increase in 

first home buyers being able 

to use the first home grant has 

been huge. Pre-approval is 

possible, it helps the process go 

smoothly, and we have plenty 

of options in terms of lender, 

rates and structure. It’s a big 

tick from me on this front! 

However, there are some 

challenges too. 

For first home buyers, one 

of the biggest ones is having 

existing personal debt. Banks 

are always tougher on approving 

loans for new borrowers 

when they have consumer 

debt in place, for example car 

loans, credit cards, Afterpay 

or personal loans. I’d love to 

see the government reward 

first home buyers who actively 

save, spend their money wisely 

and have no existing debt. A 

simple credit check included in 

the application to Kainga Ora 

would verify this. It would be 

great to see these first home 

buyers provided with additional 

first home grant funds, 

similar to those building a 

new home, as it incentivises 

would-be borrowers to reduce 

their debt and become more 

attractive to a lender. 

For most middle-income 

households, their single biggest 

cost is childcare for their 

under-5s, and it worries me 

that it’s more expensive for 

working parents to return to 

work than it is to stay home - 

dependent on their income. It’s 

a big cost, with some families 

spending up to $20,000 per 

year on childcare and they’re 

barely making ends meet. Supporting 

these families would go 

a long way to getting parents 

back to work - if they choose to, 

of course - which in turn supports 

businesses. 

Property investors have 

been somewhat of a scapegoat 

for the current government 

as interest deductibility was 

removed, the bright line test 

switched back to ten years and 

rent freezes have been talked 

about. I think this approach is 

all wrong - the investor-tenant 

relationship is symbiotic and it 

should be treated as such. Each 

needs to support the other and 

policy-makers would do well 

to consider more carefully the 

impact of these rushed pieces 

of legislation. From my perspective, 

supporting the reversal 

of these policies is a win for 

tenants, who are currently paying 

higher rents and have less 

surety because some investors 

are being forced to sell 

property to pay tax on income 

they’ve actually already spent - 

on paying the bank. More still 

are selling existing properties 

in favour of new builds, which 

is more disruptive for tenants. 

It’s no secret that CCCFA 

has been the most challenging 

piece of legislation to hit 

the financial services industry 

in years, and unfortunately, I 

haven’t seen any big changes 

to the problem it was trying to 

solve - protecting vulnerable 

borrowers. To actually achieve 

that outcome would mean 

administrating more compliance 

across smaller lenders 

and that takes more resources 

and a united industry. 

What it has done is frustrated 

advisers and bank staff, 

and add to an already high 

BEYOND THE 

BANKS 

BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON 

Claire Williamson is a mortgage 

advisor for My Mortgage 

workload for little to no gain 

for borrowers. Although I gripe 

about it from time to time, 

believe it or not, banks actually 

have really good mechanisms 

in place for picking up vulnerable 

borrowers, and I think 

the Responsible Lending Code 

does a great job of that already. 

We don’t need another set of 

rules! 

I would also be happy to 

see LVRs for investors reduced 

to 50% for existing properties 

and a further increase in RBNZ 

limits for low LVR lending. 

Put simply, let’s allocate more 

funding for lower deposits - 

it’s tough for first home buyers 

who are outside eligibility 

for the first home loan, so this 

would allow more of them to 

get into their own homes. 

I accept that not everyone 

wants to own a house - this 

is something a lot of people 

assume is the case and a lot 

of young people are transient. 

They don’t want to put down 

roots; they want to live with 

their mates and spend their 

money on smashed avocado, 

and that’s ok! (and if you’d 

like to do both, check out my 

book Smashed Avo to Smashed 

Goals!) 

Property and lending is 

a tough gig, and I’m sure no 

government will get it 100% 

right. But from someone out 

there in the trenches talking 

to those doing it tough to fulfill 

their goal of home ownership, 

I hope this advice is useful for 

our incoming leaders and can 

set in motion positive changes 

to future lending for Kiwis. 

Dear Prime Minister 

Hipkins… 

and cost on all New Zealand 

Migrant exploitation - a blight 

New Zealand has historically had a reputation as being 

relatively 

Congratulations 

free of corruption, 

on your promotion, 

but this reputation 

and for this 

is at 

timely 

serious 

risk 

opportunity 

with the current 

to contribute 

high incidence 

our 30+ years 

of migrant 

of experience 

exploitation 

in 

now New rife Zealand in the immigration country. work to help inform your thinking 

about your approach to the immigration portfolio. 

Reports of substandard properties 

crowded with migrant workers with 

Historically 

no food are likely 

the immigration 

just the tip of 

portfolio 

It is quite was seen probable as somewhat that there of are 

a 

the 

iceberg. 

several 

poisoned 

thousand 

chalice, 

workers 

and 

in these 

it was 

same 

not 

situations 

until the 

throughout 

first John 

New 

Key 

Zealand. 

government 

Most of 

in 

these 

2008 

workers 

that this 

have 

approach 

been duped 

changed, 

by a range 

and 

of 

immigration 

scams involving 

began 

unscrupulous 

to be viewed 

tricksters, 

more as 

money 

an economic 

lenders, 

tool rather 

various 

than 

intermediaries, 

just a means 

migration 

to protect New 

agents 

Zealand 

and New 

jobs. 

Zealand 

The immigration 

portfolio 

based 

employers. Many 

has 

have 

since 

paid 

developed 

large amounts 

into one 

of 

of 

money, 

significant 

sometimes 

strategic 

as 

importance 

much as $50,000, 

which 

to 

influences 

obtain their 

many 

job 

aspects 

and their 

of 

work 

New 

visa, 

Zealand 

and 

have 

society, 

sold 

workforce 

everything 

and 

to 

the 

realise 

economy. 

their dream 

Immigration 

of a better 

is now 

future 

a key 

for 

Government 

their family 

portfolio. 

in New 

Zealand. 

Looking 

A dream 

at the big 

many 

picture. 

will never realise. 

These 

New Zealand 

scams are 

should 

all premised 

not rest 

on 

on 

an 

its 

offer 

laurels 

of 

and 

employment 

expect that 

from 

it continues 

a New 

to 

Zealand 

be one 

employer 

of the most 

who 

desired 

has been 

migrant 

accredited 

destinations, 

by Immigration 

as 

it is not, 

New 

and 

Zealand 

we are trending 

(INZ), and 

backwards. 

this is where 

In 

the 

fact, 

problem 

we will 

begins. 

be doing 

The 

well 

employer 

just to 

accreditation 

hold onto 

the new 

regime 

migrants 

was introduced 

that we do 

in 

initially 

July last 

attract 

year 

with 

to this 

the 

country. 

objective to ensure only suitably credentialed 

We are 

employers 

an aging 

could 

population 

employ 

and, 

migrant 

by 

workers. 

2028, 1 in 

However, 

every 5 people 

the accreditation 

will be 65+ 

application 

years. 

Our birth 

process 

rate of 

was 

1.6 

undertaken 

children is 

as 

well 

a 

below 

“high 

trust” 

the replacement 

model with employers 

rate of 2.1. 

simply 

Our 

having 

rural 

to 

townships 

declare that 

are 

they 

losing 

met 

infrastructure 

financial, employment 

and 

services, 

and 

and 

compliance 

while our 

thresholds 

schools need 

with 

more 

very 

little, 

teachers 

if any, 

now, 

substantiating 

in a few years’ 

evidence, 

time school 

or 

checks 

rolls will 

undertaken. 

be declining 

It is 

and 

now 

these 

apparent 

teachers 

that 

INZ 

will need 

employer 

to find 

accreditation 

other jobs or 

status 

go overseas. 

has provided 

Family 

“Government 

and lifestyle 

credibility” 

have always 

to a number 

been 

of 

the 

“unscrupulous” 

main reasons 

employers 

migrants 

who 

choose 

have used 

New 

this 

Zealand. 

standing 

However, 

for their 

these 

own 

alone 

financial 

may 

gain 

not be 

– 

something 

sufficient to 

that 

attract 

could 

and 

have 

retain 

been avoided, 

the people 

or 

at 

and 

least 

skills 

minimised, 

our country 

if the 

needs 

accreditation 

to maintain 

process 

our living 

had been 

standards, 

more robust. 

let alone to grow. We 

need 

The 

younger 

second 

people 

stage of 

who 

the 

can 

work 

contribute 

visa process, 

more, 

the 

and 

Job 

for 

Check, 

longer, 

normally 

to New Zealand. 

requires the 

role 

New 

to be 

Zealand 

advertised 

must attract 

and evidence 

the migrants 

there 

are 

it wants, 

no New 

and 

Zealanders 

needs, 

available 

in an increasingly 

and qualified 

competitive 

to work in 

and 

the role. 

dynamic 

The fact 

international 

that a Job 

Check 

market, 

can 

and 

be approved 

one where 

for 

people 

a role for 

can 

which 

now 

no 

work-from-home 

work experience 

anywhere 

or qualifications 

in the world. We 

are 

no longer enjoy the competitive advantages 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

required speaks (again) to the very low level 

of scrutiny applied to this process. Then, 

after 

we once 

arriving 

had, 

in 

but 

New 

one 

Zealand, 

thing 

the 

within 

migrant 

our 

worker 

control 

finds 

is to make 

there 

the 

was 

immigration 

no actual job, 

process 

or the 

employer 

easier and 

no longer 

quicker, 

has 

and 

any work 

world-leading, 

available, 

or 

and 

they 

to 

begin 

promote 

working 

“the 

only 

visa 

to 

process” 

find their 

as 

role 

one 

terminated 

reason to 

within 

choose 

the 

New 

90 day 

Zealand. 

trial period. 

Online 

visa 

The 

applications, 

cost to New 

and 

Zealand 

the move 

of this 

to 

immigration 

more 

automated 

fraud 

assessment 

is significant. 

processes, 

The Government 

will help 

now 

but there 

has to 

is 

allocate 

a very long 

resources 

way to 

to 

go. 

address the 

humanitarian 

One area which 

needs of 

would 

these 

help 

workers, 

is for 

and 

the 

to 

seek 

Government 

out and bring 

to engage 

to account 

in 

the 

more 

employers 

robust 

and 

and 

agents 

well-planned 

who are 

policy 

parties 

settings, 

to these 

and 

scams 

to 

– 

pressure-test 

something much 

such 

easier 

settings 

said 

before 

than done! 

these 

More 

are implemented. 

significant is the 

It is 

reputational 

acknowledged 

damage 

that 

New 

policies 

Zealand 

have 

has 

been 

suffered 

necessarily 

with the 

“reactive” 

integrity 

over 

of 

the 

our 

past 

immigration 

3 years but 

system 

there have 

being 

been 

so easily 

too 

many 

compromised. 

instances of 

It 

back-tracking 

is little wonder 

of 

that 

newly 

the 

Government 

introduced policies 

has now 

when 

ordered 

better 

an urgent, 

planning 

but 

belated, 

and consultation 

review into 

would 

the accredited 

“get-it-right-firsttime”. 

employer 

work visa 

The 

regime 

new 

- 

Active 

after denying 

Investor 

there 

Policy 

was 

any 

should 

problem 

be first 

just 

on 

a 

the 

few 

chopping 

days beforehand! 

block! 

Immigration 

We also need 

New 

forward 

Zealand 

looking 

has responded 

policies 

as 

which 

it always 

are fit-for-purpose 

does – and turned 

in today’s 

the screws 

world. 

completely 

Policies which 

around! 

focus 

It 

on 

is 

enabling 

now vetting 

the 

every 

most 

application 

desirable migrants 

to the “nth” 

the 

degree 

opportunity 

and has also 

to 

announced 

experience New 

that 90 

Zealand 

day trial 

and, 

periods 

if they choose 

are no 

longer 

to stay, 

allowed 

then great. 

in migrant 

We should 

worker 

not 

employment 

demand 

that these 

agreements. 

people 

It 

commit 

will not 

indefinitely 

now be such 

to 

a 

stay. 

simple or straightforward process to end 

any 

The 

such 

Productivity 

employment 

Commission 

relationship and 

report 

the 

time 

into 

to 

immigration 

process all applications 

recommended 

will materially 

a 

Government 

increase. 

Policy Statement to set a clear 

strategic 

Whether 

direction 

these 

for 

changes 

immigration 

achieve 

policy. 

the 

desired 

This would 

objective 

be a 

of 

good 

reducing 

start and 

the 

provide 

current 

high 

some 

level 

overriding 

of migrant 

guidance 

exploitation 

(ideology!) 

we will 

to 

just 

inform 

have 

policy 

to wait 

settings 

and see. 

with 

We 

a focus 

suspect 

on 

those 

what 

perpetrators 

immigration 

who 

can deliver 

have scant 

for the 

respect 

good 

for 

of 

the 

New 

rules 

Zealand 

will 

in 

continue 

the longer 

to 

term. 

flout them, and 

law-abiding 

What about 

employers 

a work-from-homein-NZ 

will continue to pay 

a higher 

visa? 

price 

People 

to do business. 

could 

It 

live 

would 

in New 

have 

been 

Zealand 

so much 

and 

better 

work 

to 

anywhere 

have taken 

in 

a little 

the 

more 

world, 

time 

now 

and effort 

that 

to 

would 

get the 

really 

process 

put 

and 

desired 

New Zealand 

outcomes 

on 

right 

the map! 

in the 

Yes 

first 

- 

place 

Prime 

– 

now 

Minister! 

all New Zealand has to pay the cost. 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

07 834 9222 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

pathwaysnz.com 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011


Unleash the power of AI to increase 

productivity in your business 

What if I told you that the most popular 

business productivity tools—apps 

like Google Sheets, Google Docs, 

and Excel—could now harness the 

boundless power of ChatGPT? 

Imagine having an extraordinary 

mind at your side, 

ready to assist, suggest, 

and co-create within the 

very applications you rely on 

daily. Writing emails, product 

descriptions, and even policy 

documents for you; generating 

spreadsheet formulas based on 

plain English, or cleaning up 

data in seconds based on plain 

English instructions. 

This is not science fiction; 

it's the current reality that 

businesses are taking advantage 

of, and those who aren’t 

are getting left behind. 

A joint study just released 

from Harvard, MIT, Warwick 

Business School and Boston 

Consulting Group tested 

over 700 consultants, requiring 

them to complete a series 

of tasks. Half of them were 

allowed to use AI, the other 

half were not. The results were 

amazing. The consultants who 

used AI completed tasks 25% 

quicker and produced 40% 

higher quality in their results! 

What is more, the consultants 

who performed the 

worst in their benchmark tests 

before the experiment, had the 

biggest jump in performance 

when using AI, with a 43% 

improvement. The top consultants 

still got a boost, but less 

of one, meaning that using AI 

can be a significant leveller in 

THE DIGITAL 

WORLD 

BY JOSH MOORE 

Josh Moore is the head 

marketing fanatic at Duoplus, 

a Hamilton-based digital 

marketing agency that 

helps clients get more leads 

and sales through online 

marketing. www.duoplus.nz 

terms of performance across a 

team. 

Welcome to a world where 

ChatGPT becomes your indispensable 

partner in achieving 

unparalleled excellence. 

So how do can you use 

ChatGPT in everyday business 

to increase productivity? Here 

are some ideas. 

Create Spreadsheet 

Formulas Using Plain 

English 

You can now use GPT within 

Cars, cars, cars! 

I 

had the experience 

yesterday of driving through 

the Knighton Rd/Cameron 

Rd/May St area. We had been 

asked to comment on v urban 

design, or lack thereof, in the 

area – that’s another story. 

However, one of the things 

that immediately stood out was 

the number of cars parked on 

the street, and in driveways and 

across footpaths. 

This is the unfortunate outcome 

when insufficient parking 

is provided on site. This is particularly 

true in areas with a lot 

of student flats, which typically 

have higher numbers of cars 

per houshold or property. 

There is a general move 

underway – though not without 

some resistance – in society 

and from central and local government, 

to reduce our dependence 

on cars, and to enable 

and encourage more public 

transport use, walking and 

cycling. Largely this is driven 

by our ugrent need to reduce 

carbon emissions, transport 

being our second largest producer 

after agriculture. 

With my productivity hat 

on, I cannot see how it is efficient 

to move millions of people 

around in individual metal 

boxes. I readily acknowledge 

that public transport is not 

suitable for every place or situation. 

But the beautiful thing 

is that when more people use 

public transport or active 

transport modes, it also makes 

the roads freer and easier for 

Google Sheets or Microsoft 

Excel to write formulas for you. 

There is a small setup process 

that is required, but once 

connected, you can save considerable 

time and effort. 

Let’s look at an overly simple 

example. Having entered 

sales data for last year, you can 

ask GPT in plain English, for 

the formula you need to calculate 

the totals. For example, 

“total all sales figures in cells 

c3 to f3.” 

GPT replies saying, 

“Assuming the sales figures 

are in cells C3, D3, E3, and F3, 

you can use the following formula: 

=SUM(C3:F3)” 

But where the power really 

kicks in is writing complex 

those who genuinely need – or 

just really want – to drive. 

Having said that, and while 

our team would love to see a 

future with fewer cars – architectural 

practices after all being 

often idealistic, green-minded 

places – we are pragmatic 

enough to recognise that, at 

least in the immediate future, 

most households have at least 

a couple of vehicles, and therefore, 

require somewhere to put 

them. 

The 2020 National Policy 

Statement on Urban Development 

(NPS-UD), prevents 

local councils from requiring 

developers to provide a set 

minimum number of carparks 

in new developments. While 

well-intentioned, and appropriate 

to encourage higher 

density development in city 

centres, the broad application 

of this rule to all urban areas 

formulas for you that would 

normally take an Excel expert to 

write. Things like XLOOKUP, 

INDEX, LEFT, MID, RIGHT, 

MATCH, REGEXEXTRACT 

and more. With ChatGPT connected 

you can just describe in 

plain English what you want to 

happen, and it will create the 

formula for you. 

Easily Extract Specific 

Information From Your 

Spreadsheet 

You can also use some specific 

GPT functions to extract 

information from within cells. 

This can be extremely useful 

for extracting names, emails, 

domains, or company names 

LANDMARKS 

BY PHIL MACKAY 

Phil Mackay is Business 

Devolpment Manger at 

Hamilton-based PAUA, 

Procuta Associates Urban + 

Architecture 

means private developers are 

less likely to include adequate 

parking provisions for new 

housing. 

Until a change is made to 

allow councils more scope to 

control parking in suburban 

developments, the burden will 

fall on ratepayers to provide 

additional on-street parks, and 

we will see suburban streets 

increasingly crowded with 

parked cars. 

from a big list of data. 

For example, if we have a 

list of full names, and you want 

to extract the first names, and 

remove duplicates, you can 

use GPT_EXTRACT to quickly 

achieve that without any complex 

formula. 

e.g. We can use the formula: 

=GPT_EXTRACT(B3:B11, 

”unique first names”). 

Almost instantly the result 

comes back with the first 

names from that range. 

The power comes in 

ChatGPT understanding what 

you want to extract. You might 

hand it a list of contacts where 

all the information is in a single 

cell, and you can ask it 

to extract names and email 

addresses or company names, 

and it understands and pulls 

out the data. 

One of our team members 

spent three hours manually 

creating some very 

complex formulas to extract 

URLs from a long list of data. 

Another team member used a 

ChatGPT function to achieve 

the same result in less than 

four minutes! 

Access Internet 

Information from Within 

Your Spreadsheet 

There are other functions 

where GPT will access its 

knowledge base to provide 

information we didn’t already 

have in the sheet. 

=GPT_TABLE("Make a 

table of the top 3 Korean car 

manufacturers with their 

annual revenue and number 

of employees") 

Sheets returns a table with 

the data almost instantly. 

That’s wild! 

Creating Emails and Policy 

Documents in Google 

Docs 

One of the things ChatGPT has 

become famous for is its ability 

to write very well-written content. 

Let’s look at two scenarios. 

In the first scenario you 

want to create a professional 

and friendly email to thank 

everyone who attended your 

recent networking event. Simply 

use plain English in the 

custom prompt box to tell Docs 

what you want and then let it do 

the work for you. 

We can tell GPT that we 

want it to, “create a brief thank 

you email to send to the people 

who attended our networking 

evening.” 

The results come back 

within seconds, and it’s very 

well-written. 

In the second scenario, you 

could get GPT + Docs to create 

social media marketing content 

for your business. 

For our example, we could 

tell GPT that we want it to, 

“write a LinkedIn post, welcoming 

our new sales manager, 

Tim Major, formerly 

Queensland Territory Manager 

for XYZ Widgets in 

Sydney.” 

The result is superb. If you 

haven’t tried it before, try these 

prompts as examples and you’ll 

be suitably impressed with it 

returns. 

I don’t know how many 

times I have sat at the keyboard 

waiting for inspiration, trying 

to find just the right words, and 

ending up with a result I’m not 

entirely happy with. 

Never again! While the 

results aren’t always perfect, 

it is much faster to edit than 

to start from scratch. The 

speed and productivity boost 

that comes from embracing 

AI is so impressive, that every 

office-based company needs 

to be embracing AI to boost 

productivity and effectiveness, 

or alternatively find yourself 

struggling to keep up with the 

competition.

There’s an audience 

for every business 

on TikTok 

TikTok is not just for Gen Z, and 

businesses who do it well are reaping 

huge rewards, according to awardwinning 

PR agency HMC. 

HMC director Heather 

Claycomb says if your 

business isn’t on the 

platform yet, now is a great 

time to be first and capture a 

loyal audience, because others 

will follow. 

“TikTok is not a trend, it is 

a platform that has changed 

the face of social media permanently. 

Our team believes most 

businesses will be on it within 

the next five years.” 

HMC has helped several 

businesses lean into TikTok 

and overcome any pre-conceived 

perceptions they may 

have about the platform. 

Hamilton Central Business 

Association (HCBA) general 

manager Vanessa Williams 

started using TikTok to promote 

the many and varied 

shops and businesses in Hamilton’s 

CBD. She admits she 

knew very little about the platform 

before she started but 

says its short-form video content 

has been a game-changer 

for the organisation. 

“When TikTok crossed our 

radar as a tool to promote the 

CBD’s businesses, I felt lost. 

But even then, I could see it 

was a hand-in-glove fit for our 

objectives. Short, snappy videos 

seemed like the perfect way 

to showcase these businesses 

to a new audience of younger 

digital natives,” she says. 

“HCBA promotes a diverse 

range of businesses, so we 

must attract a variety of people 

of different ages and interests. 

We were already leaning 

heavily into Facebook 

and Instagram but felt that 

we lacked a good channel to 

reach a younger audience. Tik- 

Tok plugged that gap for us 

and was where we could post 

punchy, engaging compilation 

videos.” 

Can I find my 

audience on TikTok? 

So, can other businesses find 

their audience on TikTok? 

With over 1 billion monthly 

active users around the world 

the answer is most likely yes. 

Although many assume it is a 

platform for teens, research 

shows 61.6% of users are over 

25, and 170 million users are 

aged 35-44. 

HMC’s social media expert 

Jamie Batters says most businesses 

can benefit from Tik- 

Tok, and it pays to do your 

research first. 

“See if your competitors are 

on the platform already. If they 

are, have a look at their content 

and the amount of engagement 

they’re getting. That’s a 

quick way to see if TikTok has 

an audience you can capture,” 

she says. 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, 17 A 

Can I provide value to my 

audience on this platform? 

Reaching an audience is one 

thing but turning them into 

customers is another. The key 

is deep engagement – getting 

them to watch your videos 

then seek you out for advice. 

How do you achieve that? For 

Jamie, it’s about giving them 

something valuable first. 

“TikTok lends itself to quick 

explainer videos, light-hearted 

how-tos, life hacks, “day in the 

life” videos, and educational 

tools. If you’re a lawyer or 

accountant, what great advice 

can you give for free? 

“Younger users are turning 

to the app for discovery 

purposes in place of Google. 

Nearly 40% of Gen Z members 

prefer TikTok over Google 

for online searches, and 

we are experiencing a shift of 

users utilising the platform as 

a search engine.” 

Work to a plan 

TikTok success comes from 

playing a longer game, which 

puts an emphasis on consistency 

and frequency of content. 

That may sound daunting, but 

Vanessa insists it’s well within 

reach of most businesses, provided 

they get one thing right. 

“Planning is everything. 

That’s one of the early things 

Jamie did with us – we sat 

down with her and laid out a 

3-month map of the content 

we wanted to capture on video. 

Working to a plan freed us 

from the weekly stress of ‘What 

now?’” 

How difficult is it to 

create video content? 

A cursory look on TikTok will 

show you that most of the best 

content has been created with 

a simple point-and-shoot of 

the phone video. For Jamie, 

keeping things simple is better. 

“Bring it back to basics. The 

key is giving your audience 

something they’ll find valuable. 

That’s how you become a 

resource that people will turn 

to when they need your product, 

service, or advice.” 

Our 

Democracy 

Needs You 

The General Election is upon us, and 

voting is one of the foundations of 

democracy, and with democracy 

comes so many freedoms. 

There are many 

nations where voting 

is not offered and 

many more where there is 

only one “real” alternative, 

so it is a rare privilege to be 

able to pick your representatives 

and one that over the 

broad sweep of humanity on 

this planet has been offered 

to very few. 

We need good people to 

stand for election and to 

show common sense in Parliament. 

Sadly, this trimester 

there have been a few 

whose behaviour has not 

met the public’s standards, 

and many more members 

of Parliament who simply 

have not delivered. 

Good luck to all the candidates. 

In today’s world the concept 

of elected service to 

your community is forgotten 

by many, yet we want 

the best, most meritorious, 

candidates to represent us 

in Parliament or on Council. 

Whatever your politics, 

when Members of Parliament 

voluntarily close 

their political careers and 

get the opportunity to look 

back on their time in Parliament, 

with its review of 

why they stood for election, 

we should read or listen to 

their speeches in appreciation 

of their service. 

It is easy to be partisan 

and block your ears to the 

words of the people and 

parties you may not support. 

But the Chamber is a 

broad church with its members 

spread across the political 

spectrum. 

In the hurly burly of 

electioneering, we as voters 

often miss why a candidate 

stands for election. 

Accordingly, when two of 

our serving politicians voluntarily 

step down and get 

to deliver their valedictories, 

we should listen and 

appreciate their contributions. 

Hamilton East has both 

Jamie Strange and David 

Bennett retiring this electoral 

cycle. 

We encourage you to 

head to Parliament TV On 

By Don Good, CEO of Waikato 

Chamber of Commerce. 

Demand and watch Jamie’s 

valedictory from 15 August 

and David’s on 23 August. 

The Chamber is also 

hosting a debate for the 

Waikato business community 

to hear from the Labour 

and National candidates for 

the Hamilton East & West 

electorates two weeks out 

from New Zealand’s General 

Election. 

Join us on Tuesday, 

October 3 as Labour’s 

Georgie Dansey (Hamilton 

East) and Myra Williamson 

(Hamilton West) go headto-head 

with National’s 

incumbent Hamilton West 

MP Tama Potaka and candidate 

for Hamilton East 

Ryan Hamilton. 

The debate will be moderated 

by former Hamilton 

City Councillor, Mark Bunting. 

This event is open to 

non-Chamber members, 

however registration is 

required in advance on our 

website: https://business. 

waikatochamber.co.nz/ 

events/calendar. 

Jamie Batters 

Vicky Redwood and Vanessa Williams 

Want to learn more? 

Tune in to CRUNCH, HMC’s 

podcast designed to lift the lid 

on public relations and communications. 

In the latest episode, 

HCBA general manager 

Vanessa Williams and marketing 

manager Vicky Redwood 

share how they are leveraging 

TikTok to boost reputation and 

relationships and social media 

expert Jamie breaks down 

what TikTok can achieve, and 

how to do it well – using a real 

success story. www.wearehmc. 

co.nz/ep-2-the-pr-power-oftiktok-using-short-form-vid/ 

Connect - Grow - Inspire - Represent


October is breast cancer awareness month 

Breast cancer is the most common 

cancer in New Zealand women. One 

in nine women will get breast cancer 

over their lifetime. 

In the Waikato, more than 

400 women, and in NZ, 

over 3000 women are diagnosed 

each year. Sadly each 

year in NZ, we lose 600-700 of 

our loved ones to this disease - 

more than our annual road toll. 

There are women diagnosed in 

their early 20s right through 

to their 90s. Although it is less 

common, men can also get 

breast cancer, with 20-30 NZ 

men diagnosed annually. 

Breast cancer isn’t just one 

disease, there are many different 

types. Thanks to research, 

modern-day treatment and care 

is tailored to the type of breast 

cancer, as well as the wishes of 

each individual woman diagnosed. 

Tailoring of treatment 

and care has been made possible 

through research advances. 

Improving cancer patient 

outcomes through 

research 

The Breast Cancer Research 

Trust is our local charitable 

trust which enables funding 

for clinical trials and research. 

Trust chair Professor Ian 

Campbell says the vision of the 

& APPEARANCE MEDICINE CLINIC 

DERMATOLOGY, VASCULAR, PLASTIC SURGERY, 

GYNAECOLOGY & APPEARANCE 

DERMATOLOGISTS 

MEDICINE CLINIC 

“The lotus flower has 

been traditionally regarded 

“The lotus flower has been 

as a symbol of regeneration, 

traditionally regarded as a 

healing and enduring beauty. 

symbol of regeneration, healing 

Make an appointment with 

and enduring beauty. Make an 

one of our highly skilled 

appointment with one of our 

specialists today and let us 

highly skilled specialists today 

and let us help you achieve your 

help you achieve your health 

health and beauty goals this 

and beauty goals this year... 

so as the lotus flower, 

you can blossom too.” 

trust is to gain knowledge and 

save lives, and the mission is 

to improve breast cancer outcomes 

for patients through 

research. 

Campbell has led many 

Waikato-based breast cancer 

clinical trials over the past 

25 years. Waikato has been a 

centre for over 50 studies and 

clinical trials introducing new 

surgeries, radiotherapy techniques, 

drug treatments and 

devices. The trust also enables 

research for better quality of 

life, reduced side effects and 

better communication of complex 

treatment options. 

Research examples enabled 

by the trust include: 

i) Using a sophisticated laboratory 

test that examines 

50 different aspects of a 

tumour, the result of this 

test indicates the risk of 

breast cancer recurrence. In 

women with very low risk 

of recurrence, this test may 

help doctors in the future to 

select women who can safely 

avoid radiation therapy (and 

after breast cancer surgery. 

Cosmetic and Reconstructive 

Plastic Surgery 

Cosmetic and Reconstructive Plastic surgery 

Adult and Paediatric Dermatology 

Adult and Paediatric Dermatology 

Vascular Surgery and 

Ultrasound Scanning 

Vascular Surgery and Ultrasound Scanning 

Appearance Medicine 

Gynaecology and fertility specialist 

Cutera Appearance Laser Skin Medicine Rejuvenation 

and Re-surfacing 

year... 

So as the lotus flower, you can 

blossom too” 

Cutera Laser Skin Rejuvenation 

IPL Treatments Beauty Therapy 

Beauty Therapy Treatments 

Medical Tattooing 

ii) Waikato researchers are 

currently partnering with 

the Breast Cancer Foundation 

NZ to introduce 

(via research) a technology 

for women with advanced 

breast cancer (ABC). The 

“ABCpro study” is introducing 

electronic reporting of 

symptoms and treatment 

DERMATOLOGY, 

its associated side-effects) side 

VASCULAR, 

effects for women livfort 

she 

PLASTIC 

is experiencing. provided 

SURGERY 

her with a sense of 

ing with this incurable form 

Medical Tattooing 

of breast cancer. Participating 

women complete a 

weekly online survey and 

report on their symptoms 

and side effects. If there is 

a deterioration in either, 

an email alert is sent to an 

ABC nurse, who then contacts 

the woman to discuss 

how to manage the discom- 

The aim of the “ABCpro 

study” is to be more proactive 

in managing symptoms 

and side effects, to improve 

quality of life, and reduce 

hospital admissions and 

urgent health reviews. 

Local Hamilton woman 

Huia is taking part in the ABCpro 

study, and she says this has 

support and peace of mind. 

Marius Rademaker BM, FRCP, FRACP, DM 

Amanda Oakley MBChB, FRACP, DipHealInf 

Sarah Hill MBchB, DERMATOLOGIST 

FRACP 

Sarah Hill MBchB, FRACP 

VASCULAR SURGEONS 

“For me, being a participant 

in the ABC study 

meant that I was going to 

receive extra immediate care 

and support. It feels like a 

wrap-around service.” 

The ABC tool has enabled 

Huia to connect with an ABC 

nurse who provides her with 

ideas to help self-manage 

her symptoms and any side 

effects. 

“I’ve built a really good 

rapport with my nurse, which 

has been great.” 

Additionally, the ABC tool 

has aided Huia in connecting 

with specialists such as a 

physiotherapist, lymphedema 

nurse, and a dietitian, contributing 

to a better quality of life. 

Huia speaks highly of the 

ABCpro study and the important 

role the regular surveys 

have played in helping her 

monitor and manage her 

symptoms and side effects. 

An initial analysis of 

patient feedback shows this 

is an easy-to-use survey tool 

that alerts a nurse to symptom 

issues. This has overall 

helped patients feel they could 

carry on their life “as normal”, 

with some control over 

their symptoms and knowing 

support was available when 

needed. These factors reduce 

anxiety and improve quality of 

life, enabling ABC patients to 

maintain a positive mindset. 

David Ferrar VASCULAR MBChB, FRCS, SURGEON FRACS (Vascular), DDU (Vascular) 

David Ferrar MBChB, FRCS, FRACS (VASCULAR), DDU 

Thodur Vasudevan FRACS (Vasc), FRACS (Gen), FRCS 

(VASCULAR) 

Paul Haggart MBChB MD, BSc, FRCS 

Paul Haggart MB, ChB, MD, BSc, FRCS 

COSMETIC 

COSMETIC 

& RECONSTRUCTIVE 

AND RECONSTRUCTIVE 

PLASTIC SURGEONS 

Stuart McNicoLL PLASTIC MBChB, SURGEONS FRACS (Plastics) 

Ahmed Alkadhi Stuart MBChB, McNicoLL FRACS MBChB, (Plastics) FRACS (Plastics) 

Michael Woodfield Ahmed MBChB, Alkadhi MBChB, FRACS FRACS (Plastics) (Plastics) 

Brandon Adams Michael MBChB, Woodfield FRACS MBChB, (Plastics) FRACS (Plastics) 

Arthur Yang MBChB, FRACS (Plastics) 

Arthur Yang MBChB FRACS (Plastics) 

APPEARANCE 

GYNAECOLOGIST 

MEDICINE 

Laura Miller BM, PaDipOMG, MRMed, FRANZCOG 

Sonya Ferguson App Medicine Nurse RCompN 

Pip Walker BBMedSci, MBChB, FRANZCOG, AGES certified 

Stella Wilkins App Medicine Nurse RCompN 

Madeleine McNicoLL APPEARANCE App Medicine MEDICINE Nurse RCompN 

Sonya Ferguson App Medicine Nurse RCompN 

Megan Lyons Laser Therapist 

Stella Wilkins App Medicine Nurse RCompN 

Debbie Casson 

Madeleine 

Cosmetic 

McNicoLL 

Tattooing 

App Medicine Nurse RCompN 

Juliette Smith Megan Beauty Lyons Therapist Laser Therapy 

Debbie Casson Cosmetic Tattooing 

CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT 

p 07 838 1035 e appts@tristramclinic.co.nz 200 Collingwood St, Hamilton www.tristramclinic.co.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 PINK WALK 19 

How to support 

someone you know 

who has been 

diagnosed 

• Be considerate. Stick to 

short visits, and don’t overwhelm 

your friend or colleague 

with advice, information 

or horror stories. 

Finding out someone you care about 

has breast cancer is a life-changing 

moment. Once the initial shock is over, 

you may find you don’t know how to 

behave towards them, what to say or 

how to support them. 

Tips for employers: 

• Be supportive and flexible. 

While some companies cannot 

sustain a woman taking 

a lengthy time off work, if 

yours can, it can remove 

a huge amount of stress 

for the woman. The added 

stress of financial worries 

can be lessened somewhat if 

an employer is flexible. 

• Take the woman’s privacy 

into account. While work 

colleagues can be close, 

make sure you ask her permission 

before making an 

announcement at work. It 

can be embarrassing and 

distressing for her if her 

illness is disclosed without 

her permission. 

Tips for work colleagues: 

• Contact your friend or colleague 

when you hear of 

their diagnosis. The longer 

you leave it, the harder it 

becomes. Sending a note 

to let them know you are 

thinking of them can mean 

the world. 

• Be specific in your help. It 

is often very difficult for 

women to accept help from 

others. Ask, “When can I 

cook you dinner?’’, rather 

than “Would you like it if I 

cooked dinner sometime?’’. 

Tips for partners: 

A partner may be at a loss as 

to what is the best strategy in 

caring for their wife or partner 

while dealing with their own 

emotions. A woman diagnosed 

with breast cancer needs their 

partner’s support more than 

ever before. There are countless 

ways family and friends 

can help, but a life partner is in 

a unique position to help emotionally. 

Here are a just a few: 

• Before appointments, help 

her make a list of questions 

to ask the doctor. Continue 

supporting her throughout 

her treatment, wellness 

plans and follow-up care for 

the future. 

• Ask what she wants and 

needs, and ask her to be 

truthful in telling you what 

she does and does not want 

from you and others. 

• Listen to her without judging 

or trying to come up 

with answers or solutions. 

• Communicate. Reassure 

her of your continued love. 

Illness can bring couples 

closer together but can 

also make any weakness in 

relationships more apparent. 

Open communication 

can help the relationship to 

survive the stressful time of 

change. A tender touch, a 

hug or holding a hand can 

often say more than words. 

• Recovery often takes longer 

than just the treatment 

time. It can take a long time 

to get back to normal and 

you both may not be at the 

same stage of recovery at 

the same time. Often, for 

women, the full impact of 

breast cancer doesn’t sink 

in until after treatment is 

completed, and by then, her 

partner may think things are 

on the up and up. Women 

may continue to experience 

a loss of confidence and fear 

of cancer recurrence. 

Tips for patients: 

• Accept help, or better yet, 

ask for specific help. This is 

not only to help you cope. 

Family and friends often 

feel inadequate because 

they do not know what to 

do. They appreciate being 

asked to do specific things 

to help (e.g. picking up children 

after school, sitting 

with them at chemotherapy, 

cooking a dinner) as this 

can lessen their feeling of 

helplessness and provide 

you with some practical 

help at the same time. 

• Be patient when dealing 

with shocked and frightened 

friends and family. 

Every person may react differently; 

they too need some 

time to wrap their head 

around the diagnosis. 

• Be honest if someone is 

being unhelpful. Set boundaries 

for visiting hours and 

gently guide your support 

people in their “help”. They 

may feel at a loss as to what 

is the best way to help and 

support you. 

ENTER 

NOW! 

WWW.PINKWALK.CO.NZ 

Entertainment from 4.30pm | Walk/Run from 5.45pm 

Pink Walk distance: 3.8km | Run distance: 5km 

Wear your BREAST pink or yellow finery to support breast cancer awareness. 

Prizes for BEST dressed individuals, BEST dressed group & BEST dressed pooch. 

Proudly supported by DPMedia 

26 OCTOBER 2023 

HAMILTON LAKE, INNES COMMON

20 PINK WALK 


Join the circle of gaining 

knowledge and saving lives 

Every year, the lives of thousands 

of women diagnosed with breast 

cancer fall apart. As do the lives of 

those around them. You can make a 

difference by supporting women taking 

part in breast cancer research. 

Your support provides 

the Breast Cancer 

Research Trust (BCRT) 

with vital funds to hold 

these lives together through 

evidence-based breast cancer 

research. Neither Te Whatu 

Ora Health NZ – Waikato nor 

the BCRT receives any direct 

Campbell 

Campbell 

Oncoplastic 

Breast Oncoplastic 

Surgeon, Breast 

Assoc. Surgeon, Prof 

Assoc. Prof 

Linda 

Gilbert Linda 

Gilbert 

Breast 

Physician Breast 

Physician 

Diana 

Astwood Diana 

Astwood 

Breast Care 

Nurse Breast Care 

Nurse 

government funding, and rely 

on fundraising, grants and 

donations in order to continue 

improving breast cancer 

outcomes through research. 

If you would like to know 

more about the BCRT, or how 

you can support us, please visit 

www.breastcancerresearch.org.nz. 

Ian 

Campbell Ian 

Support the Breast Cancer 

Research Trust Pink 

Walk & Run on Thursday, 

October 26 at Hamilton 

Lake, Innes Common. 

Entertainment from 

4.30pm with the walk/run 

starting at 5.45pm 

The Pink Walk & Run is 

an organised sports event that 

brings together individuals 

and groups to help raise awareness 

and FUNds for breast 

cancer research. The event is 

suitable for all ages and capabilities, 

with options to walk 

3.8km around Hamilton Lake 

or run 5km around the Lake 

and Innes Common. 

Littlies can have their face 

painted by one of the talented 

artists and have a photo taken 

NZ leading Private Breast 

NZ 

NZ 

leading 

leading 

Private 

Private Breast 

NZ Care leading Care 

Service Private ServiceBreast 

Care Care Service Service 

Care Service 

Ian 

Ian Campbell Ian 

Campbell Oncoplastic 

NZ Leading Private Breast Care Service 

Campbell Ian • Specialisingin Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Surgery 

Campbell Breast Oncoplastic 

Oncoplastic Campbell • Specialisingin Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Surgery 

Ian Oncoplastic 

Breast 

Surgeon, Breast Oncoplastic 

• and Specialisingin Medical • Specialising Care Breast including Breast 

Cancer 

Cancer Breast Diagnosis, 

Diagnosis, Reconstruction, 

Surgery 

Surgery 

NZ 

• Specialisingin 

• leading Specialisingin Medical Private 

Breast Care Cancer 

Breast including Diagnosis, 

Cancer Breast Diagnosis, 

Surgery Reconstruction, Surgery 

Campbell Surgeon, 

Assoc. Breast Oncoplastic 

Breast Surgeon, Prof Reduction and Medical and and Medical Care Enlargement. Care including including Breast Breast Reconstruction, 

• 

• 

Assoc. Prof 

and Specialisingin Medical Breast including Cancer Diagnosis, Reconstruction, Surgery 

Surgeon, 

Specialisingin Medical and Care Breast 

Enlargement. including Cancer Breast Diagnosis, Reconstruction, 

Surgery 

Assoc. Surgeon, Breast 

Oncoplastic Professor Prof Reduction • and Specialisingin Care 

Medical 

and Service Augmentation. 

Care Breast including Cancer Breast Diagnosis, Reconstruction, Surgery 

Assoc. Surgeon, 

• 

Reduction 

Investigationand 

and Enlargement. 

treatment of Breast Lumps, Breast 

Prof 

Breast Assoc. Prof Reduction and • Medical Reduction 

Investigationand and Care Enlargement. and including Enlargement. 

treatment Breast of Reconstruction, 

Linda 

Breast Lumps, Breast 

• Specialising 

• 

Reduction in Breast and Enlargement. 

Cancer Diagnosis, Surgery 

Surgeon, 

Assoc. • Pain, Prof Investigationand Lactation • Reduction and Problems, Medical treatment and Care Enlargement. 

treatment Breast including of Breast of Infections, Breast Lumps, Reconstruction, 

Nipple Breast 

Linda 

Pain, Investigationand Lactation treatment Problems, treatment of Breast Breast of Lumps, Breast Infections, Breast Lumps, 

Gilbert Linda 

Nipple Breast 

Assoc. Prof 

and Medical 

Linda 

• 

• Pain, Reduction 

Pain, Investigationand 

Investigationand Lactation Care including and Problems, Enlargement. 

Reconstruction, 

Breast Linda Discharge Pain, Lactation and Pain, Lactation 

female Problems, 

Lactation and Problems, 

and treatment male treatment Breast 

female Problems, Breast 

breast 

and 

of Breast 

Infections, of 

male Infections, 

problems. 

Breast 

Breast Lumps, 

Lumps, 

breast Infections, Nipple problems. 

Breast 

Nipple Breast 

Gilbert 

Gilbert Reduction Discharge Enlargement. and female and male breast problems. Nipple 

Discharge Pain, Lactation and female Problems, and Breast Infections, problems. Nipple 

Breast Gilbert Breast Gilbert Linda 

• Pain, Investigationand Lactation Problems, treatment Breast of Breast Infections, Lumps, Nipple Breast 

• 

Discharge 

Riskassessment, 

and female 

Linda 

• Investigation 

Physician 

• 

Discharge • 

Discharge 

Riskassessment, and treatment and female of and female 

family 

and family Breast Lumps, male history 

male Breast 

breast problems. and 

breast 

genetics 

problems. 

advice 

Physician 

• Discharge Pain, family 

and Lactation history 

male 

and female family Problems, and 

breast 

history and male Breast genetics 

problems. 

and breast genetics Infections, advice 

Gilbert 

problems. 

Nipple and 

GilbertBreast 

• along Riskassessment, Pain, with Lactation advice 

• along Riskassessment, along Problems, Breast 

with ongoing family 

Infections, 

with ongoing family history history 

Nipple 

and genetics advice 

Discharge 

testing 

ongoing 

• 

Discharge family 

and Riskassessment, female 

along 

surveillance. 

and 

with and female history 

male 

ongoing family 

and and 

breast history problems. 

surveillance. male genetics 

and genetics and 

breast 

genetics 

problems. advice 

advice advice 

Breast Physician Physician Breast 

• 

along 

Theopportunity 

with 

• 

along • Theopportunity Theopportunity with ongoing 

with to surveillance. to participate • Risk • assessment, • ongoing 

along Riskassessment, with 

family 

to participate 

surveillance. 

ongoing 

history participate 

family 

and 

surveillance. history 

genetics 

in the 

in in the 

and 

advice 

latest 

latest in latest the genetics clinical 

clinical 

latest advice 

Physician 

clinical 

Physician 

Renee 

Diana Diana 

• research. Theopportunity along • research. • with research. 

Theopportunity along 

ongoing Theopportunity with to surveillance. participate ongoing 

to participate to to participate 

surveillance. 

in 

in 

the 

the in latest 

latest the in the latest clinical 

clinical latest clinical clinical 

Edwards 

Diana Astwood 

Diana research. • The opportunity research. • research. 

Theopportunity to participate to in participate the latest clinical 

the latest clinical 

Diana 

research. 

Astwood Diana Breast Imaging Breast Breast research. Imaging at: imaging Imaging at: at: at: 

Astwood 

Breast Astwood Care Care Breast Breast Imaging Imaging at: at: at: 

Nurse Breast 

Nurse 

Breast Care 

Breast Care 

Care Breast 

Breast 

Imaging 

Imaging Breast at: 

at: 

Imaging at: 

Nurse 

Nurse 

Nurse Breast Care 

Nurse 

Ph 

Ph 

07 839 1114 | Fax 07 839 1118 

Email: 07 

ian@stanne.co.nz 

839 1114 | Fax | Fax 07 07 839 1118 

39 1114 Ph Ph 07 839 07 | Fax 839 111407 1114 | Fax 839 07 | Fax 839 1118 07 1118 839 1118 

839 36 Email: Clarence Email: Ph 07 ian@stanne.co.nz 

839 

Street, 

1114 

Hamilton 

| Fax 07 839 1118 

n@stanne.co.nz 1114 

36 Email: 

| 

Clarence Fax 07 839 1118 

36 Email: Clarence ian@stanne.co.nz 

Street, Street, 

Hamilton 

ian@stanne.co.nz Hamilton 

nce Street, 36 36 Clarence Hamilton 

Street, Hamilton 

ence Street, Hamilton 

Ph 07 839 1114 | Fax 07 839 1118 

with one of the characters 

from Enchanted Entertainment. 

Stilt walkers will also 

be roaming the crowds, thanks 

to Free Lunch Street Theatre 

Company. Our Masters of Ceremonies 

Stu from The Breeze 

Waikato and Anne-Marie Case- 

Miller (Celebrant Waikato and 

BCRT Trustee) will keep you 

on your toes throughout the 

event. 

Wear your pink finery for 

breast cancer awareness or yellow 

in support of breast cancer 

research, even better, mix pink 

and yellow together. We’ve 

got fantastic prizes for the 

best dressed adult, little person 

(under 5), young person (5 

– 12), group as well as a great 

raffles to win. Medals for the 

first, second and third runners 

in each category. 

Enter a team of representatives 

from your business, club 

or school or get together as 

many friends and family members 

as possible to form the 

best team. All registered teams 

will go into a draw to win a 

fantastic prize! There is also 

a prize for the biggest team 

registered. 

Dogs bring a lot of joy to 

our lives. From cuddles on the 

couch to the funny photos we 

capture – our fur babies are 

just as much part of the family 

as anyone else. The Pink 

Walk & Run event welcomes 

paw-rents to bring along their 

fur babies and don’t forget that 

there is a prize category for the 

best dressed dog. 

Cross the finish line and 


Care Service 

hang around for a gold coin 

donation sausage sizzle 

(proudly provided by Braemar 

Hospital), a Shot Coffee hot 

beverage or an ice-cream by 

Mr Whippy. 

So gather the troops and do 

your bit to raise awareness and 

FUNds for breast cancer! 

Register now at www.pinkwalk.co.nz 

On behalf of all the brave 

women (and handful of men) 

going through breast cancer 

and partaking in trials, the 

Breast Cancer Research Trust 

would like to thank our gold 

sponsor Braemar Hospital, 

silver sponsor Direct Group 

Uniforms and all our other valued 

sponsors and supporters. 

Without you this event would 

not be possible. 


Care NZ leading Service Private Breast 

Care Service

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 PINK WALK 21

22 PINK WALK 


Early detection 

saves lives 

From the Breast Cancer Foundation 

National Register we know that if a 

woman has a screen detected breast 

cancer i.e. diagnosed when small, her 

chance of being breast cancer free at 

10 years is over 95%. This is for women 

from all ethnic groups. 

Breast screening 

We recommend women start 

having mammograms from 

age 40 (annually to 50) and 

then two yearly. Breast cancers 

in women under the age of 

50 tend to be more aggressive 

hence annual mammograms 

from age 40. If a woman has a 

strong family history or gene 

mutation identified in a close 

relative, mammograms may be 

recommended to commence at 

an even younger age. 

Currently free breast screening 

mammograms are available 

from age 45 – 69 years through 

the Breast Screen Aotearoa 

programme. In NZ there is 

work being done on raising 

the screening age to 74 years. 

Breast screening in women 70 

years and older is very effective 

as cancers show up well 

on mammography in this age 

group. 

Mammograms are 

important as they; 

• Can show changes in the 

breast often months or years 

before anything can be seen 

or felt, 

• Can detect breast cancer 

early, which means a very 

good chance of cure, 

• Can detect about 75 percent 

of unsuspected cancer 

in women under 50 and 85 

percent in women over 50, 

• Are safe because only very 

small amounts of radiation 

are used in two-yearly 

screening, though may 

cause anxiety because some 

changes that are detected 

are not due to cancer but do 

require further work-up to 

prove this, 

• Early detection and ensures 

that treatment is less radical 

treatment e.g. breast conserving 

surgery and sentinel 

node biopsy (removal 

of only 2-3 armpit lymph 

nodes) versus mastectomy 

and axillary node dissection. 

BreastScreen Aotearoa is 

New Zealand's free two yearly 

breast screening programme, 

for women aged between 

45-69 years. 

Please phone 0800 

270 200 to enrol in this 

programme or online at 

www.timetoscreen.nz 

We encourage women to 

be breast aware: 

Some breast cancers may not 

be seen on mammogram, so it 

is important to be breast aware. 

Changes in the breast to 

look out for and report to 

your doctor; 

• A new lump or thickening 

• Change in the size or shape 

of the breast 

• Skin reddening, dimpling 

or puckering 

• Any change in the nipple, 

such as clear or bloody discharge 

that occurs without 

squeezing, or a turned-in 

nipple 

• Or a rash or reddening or 

scalyness of the nipple 

• Breast tenderness or pain 

Nine out of 10 symptoms 

are not due to cancer, but it’s 

important so see a doctor to 

be sure. Proper assessment 

and referral for appropriate 

further work-up is needed 

to determine whether breast 

changes are benign/innocent or 

breast cancer. 

What can you do to reduce 

breast cancer risk? 

All women are at risk of breast 

cancer, and risk increases with 

age. Understanding breast 

cancer risks – those you can 

control and those you can’t – 

may help you to improve your 

breast health; 

• Regular exercise – at least 

four hours per week; coming 

along to the annual 

Pink Walk and Run is a 

good start! 

• Eating a healthy diet 

including low fat and 

sugar, and lots of fresh fruit 

and vegetables, 

• Maintaining a healthy 

weight, especially after the 

menopause, 

• Keep alcohol intake to 

less than 10 drinks per 

week. Ensure you have 

alcohol free days, 

• Breast-feed if possible. 

Breastfeeding for 12 months 

or more is associated 

with a reduction in breast 

cancer risk, 

• Know your family history. 

Most women who are diagnosed 

with breast cancer 

have no family history. A 

small proportion get breast 

cancer because of a heritable 

cancer gene mutation. 

If you have a number 

of relatives affected by 

breast cancer on the same 

side of the family (mothers 

or fathers) your risk may 

be increased. Talk to your 

doctor about your family 

history, you may need to 

start breast surveillance at a 

younger age. 

While the rate of death 

from breast cancer is gradually 

slowing, the numbers 

are still far too high – each 

death robs a Kiwi family of 

a mother, daughter, wife, 

or sister. We still need to 

keep getting the message out 

about early detection. With 

early detection, as well as 

better treatments developed 

through research, more and 

more women will survive 

breast cancer. Early detection 

also means that those 

diagnosed undergo less radical 

treatment, for example; 

breast conservation surgery 

rather than mastectomy; no 

chemotherapy versus need 

for chemotherapy. 

Positioning 

Excellence 

Prosthesis 

and bra fitting 

specialists. 

For more than 30 years, we’ve been aligning 

great candidates with great opportunities, and 

‘positioning excellence’ throughout Waikato. 

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

commitment to excellence, we’re 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. 

Our friendly staff can help you with: 

• Your new prosthesis 

• Post surgery bar fitting 

• Te Whatu Ora funding 

• applications 

Proud Supporters of 

the Breast Cancer 

Research Trust 

Ruth 

Fleur 

Temporary | Permanent | Executive | Industrial 

07 839 3685 | www.assetrec.co.nz 

Te Awa, The Base, Te Rapa Road, Hamilton 

phone 07 849 2662 | globe www.brashop.co.nz 

Supporters of the Waikato Breast Cancer Research Trust

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 PINK WALK 23 

Easy 

NO DEPOSIT 

6.9% P.A. FINANCE 

99 

FROM 

$ 

PER WEEK * 

GL MANUAL $98.97 per week (total payable $25,831.17) 

was $22,990+orc NOW $21,490+orc ***Save $1,500*** 

GL CVT $114.86 per week (total payable $29,978.46) $24,990+orc 

RS AUTO $137.53 per week (total payable $35,895.33) $29,990+orc 

RS AUTO Two tone $139.84 per week (total payable $36,498.24) $30,500+orc 

* TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Weekly payments based on nil deposit, 6.9% p.a. fixed interest rate, 5 year term, $10.35 PPSR fee, $130 UDC 

loan fee and$200 dealer origination fee. On-road costs are payable to the Dealer. Suzuki Finance is provided by UDC Finance Limited. 

Lending criteria, fees and standard terms and conditions apply. Offer available 1-31 October 2023. Excludes Jimny, fleet purchases, demo 

vehicles and all other promotions. For info on our Real Value 3 year/100,000 km comprehensive warranty, 5 year/100,000 km powertrain 

warranty, PLUS a full 5 year roadside assistance plan, visit www.suzuki.co.nz


Trusts and the 39% tax rate 

- is there another solution? 

On 18 May 2023, the Taxation (Annual Rates for 2023-23, 

Multinational Tax, and Remedial Matters) Bill was introduced 

into Parliament. If passed, the Bill will see the income tax 

rate for trusts increase from 33% to 39% from the 2024-2025 

income tax year, i.e. from 1 April 2024 for trusts that have a 

31 March balance date. 

The Commentary to the 

Bill states: 

“Aligning the 

trustee and top personal 

tax rates at 39% would help 

ensure that trusts cannot be 

used to circumvent the top 

personal tax rate. This would 

improve the fairness and progressivity 

of the tax system, 

protect the revenue base from 

erosion, and improve the 

Government’s ability to raise 

revenue.” 

So, it appears the change 

in the trust rate is being made 

to stop people using trusts to 

avoid the top personal tax rate 

of 39%. Therefore, the question 

becomes, are trusts being 

used for this purpose? 

My answer to this question 

is “no”. Trusts are not being 

used for this purpose, but the 

way trusts are taxed means 

that this can be the outcome. 

This distinction is important, 

and in my view, why the proposed 

39% trust tax rate is 

an imperfect solution. While 

there may be a policy argument 

to support rate alignment, 

what’s being proposed 

is too blunt and will likely 

result in over-taxation. 

I’ve been recommending 

the use of trusts for almost 20 

years for numerous reasons 

including: 

- asset protection – 

both commercial and 

matrimonial, 

- flexibility, 

- succession and survivability, 

and 

- governance and managing 

family relationships. 

A company is an interim 

taxing vehicle because its profits 

are taxed at 28%, and then 

taxed again when the profits 

are distributed (with a credit 

typically available for the tax 

paid by the company) to its 

shareholders. A company is 

a very normal commercial 

entity through which to own 

and operate a business for 

profit. Income is reinvested 

and the value of the company 

grows over time. 

In the same way that 

income of a company may 

be reinvested to grow a business, 

a trust is similar in that 

it is often used to grow family 

wealth and capital over 

time – akin to the family nest 

egg. Distributions are made, 

but often, the focus is on 

strengthening the trust’s balance 

sheet for the betterment 

of the family e.g. children and 

grandchildren. 

However, unlike a company, 

once income of a trust 

is taxed, it is not taxed again. 

This is arguably where the 

anomaly arises. The solution 

of increasing the trustee tax 

rate to the top personal tax 

rate is too simplistic. There is 

an assumption that trustees 

will distribute all income to 

beneficiaries to make sure the 

’right’ amount of tax is paid 

but this disregards and undermines 

the numerous other 

reasons why someone would 

want to put their assets and 

wealth into a trust. 

An alternative change 

would be to introduce a trust 

imputation credit regime, 

where, like a company, trusts 

become an interim taxing 

vehicle. Tax would be paid 

by the trust when income is 

derived and at the 33% trust 

rate. The trust would record 

tax credits based on the tax it 

pays, which could be attached 

to distributions of income to 

individuals and then taxed at 

the recipient’s tax rate. 

One reason in favour of 

this idea is that unlike a ‘natural 

person’ (to use the legal 

term), a trust cannot eat a 

meal, take a holiday or wear 

clothes. It cannot consume 

the assets it holds, so doesn’t 

it make sense that as the value 

of those assets are transferred 

to its beneficiaries, those distributions 

are then taxed 

based on their own personal 

TAXATION 

AND THE LAW 

BY HAYDEN FARROW 

Tax Partner, PwC 

circumstances? Rather than 

apply the highest rate of tax 

to every dollar a family trust 

earns when it is trying to save 

and invest assets for the family 

to consume at some point 

in the future. This option 

would solve any concerns of 

’circumvention’ of the 39% 

personal tax rate. 

It’s worth noting that the 

Regulatory Impact Assessment 

issued with the draft legislation 

included the following 

comment: 

“We also considered other 

options to address misalignment 

between the trustee tax 

rate and the top personal 

tax rate, including taxing 

trustee income at the principal 

settlor’s personal tax 

rate, or introducing an imputation-style 

system for trusts 

(which would ultimately 

tax beneficiaries on distributions 

of trustee income at 

their personal tax rates). An 

imputation style system, in 

particular, could improve the 

long-term robustness and sustainability 

of the tax system. 

However, both options would 

involve fundamental reform 

to the taxation of trustee 

income. These approaches 

would be significantly more 

complex to design, implement, 

and administer.” 

For those of us who have 

had to deal with the two, five 

and ten year Brightline rules, 

interest deductibility for new 

builds, residential rental loss 

ring-fencing, GST’s change of 

use rules and the list goes on - 

we know that complexity is not 

a valid reason to refrain from 

producing new legislation. 

I can’t help but wonder if 

IRD’s own policy team may 

prefer an imputation system 

for trusts, ‘robust and sustainable’ 

are strong words. Consideration 

needs to be given to 

pausing the change and providing 

the resources to consider 

other options. 

Chantel Booysen joins 

management team at JetPark Hotels 

At a pivotal time when 

there is a growing 

demand for in-person 

gatherings, JetPark Hotels has 

appointed Chantel Booysen as 

group business development 

manager (Corporate & MICE). 

Booysen will play a crucial 

role in showcasing JetPark's 

refurbished accommodation 

and outstanding conference 

facilities. 

Based in Auckland and 

working across JetPark’s 

hotels in Mangere, Hamilton 

and Rotorua, JetPark Hotels 

director of sales and marketing 

Angelique van der Merwe 

says the team is confident that 

Booysen will help take their 

business to new heights. 

She brings considerable 

experience to the JetPark 

team, particularly her understanding 

of the corporate market, 

conferences and events, 

which JetPark has identified as 

a key area for strategic growth. 

"Her track record speaks 

volumes about her ability to 

forge meaningful relationships 

and drive revenue growth, 

and we are confident that she 

will play a pivotal role in our 

continued success,” van der 

Merwe says. 

“With a career spanning 

diverse roles in New Zealand 

and overseas, Chantel has had 

numerous successful stints 

with renowned establishments. 

She has not only secured and 

nurtured new clients, but also 

significantly elevated sales for 

these establishments, which 

is a testament to her skills in 

client acquisition and account 

management.” 

Her experience in sales, 

account management and 

marketing equips her with 

a solid understanding of the 

hospitality sector, and van 

der Merwe says she will be an 

enormous asset for JetPark 

Hotels. 

Booysen says one of the 

main attractions to the role 

was the opportunity to build 

relationships with JetPark’s 

clients. 

“I’ll be looking after multiple 

properties, and I have the 

privilege of being able to connect 

with both new clients, 

plus old clients I have met 

before,” she says. 

"I'm thrilled to be part of 

the JetPark family where I 

can contribute to the owners’ 

vision of creating exceptional 

experiences for their clients. 

What excites me most is the 

emphasis JetPark places on 

building relationships and 

their genuine passion for their 

guests. I really care about 

understanding clients’ needs 

first, before providing a suitable 

solution. This is where the 

JetPark family and I are a great 

fit!” 

She says JetPark has beautiful 

purpose-built conference 

facilities that are wellequipped 

to cater to both 

accommodation and events 

and conference needs. 

“The location of the hotels 

makes so much sense if you’re 

running an event and you’ve 

got people coming in and 

out from the airport. Parking 

and travelling time is 

reduced – you don’t pay 

for parking. Plus we have 

a shuttle service from 

Auckland airport. And 

guests can stay here 

while they attend the 

conference. It’s a 

no-brainer.”

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 CONFERENCE & EVENTS 27 


Kerr and Ladbrook Catering triumphs again 

Securing the Supreme Overall Award 

at the New Zealand Industry Wedding 

Awards 2023 is a testament to 

excellent teamwork and unwavering 

customer trust. 

Kerr and Ladbrook 

Catering, a name 

synonymous with 

excellence in the catering 

industry, has once again set 

a benchmark for unparalleled 

service and culinary expertise. 

The Supreme Overall 

Award at the New Zealand 

Industry Wedding Awards 

2023 is not just a win, it's a 

resounding recognition of the 

dedication, passion and commitment 

that the team pours 

into every event, Kerr and 

Ladbrook Catering CEO Hayley 

Smith says. 

"This achievement stands 

as a testament to our team's 

pursuit of excellence and our 

unique ability to craft unforgettable 

culinary experiences,” 

she says. 

“The award holds exceptional 

significance for Kerr 

and Ladbrook Catering; it's 

an acknowledgment of our 

team's passion and dedication, 

and the trust our valued 

customers place in us." 

Hayley believes what 

truly sets Kerr and Ladbrook 

Catering apart is their deeply 

ingrained commitment to personalised 

service. 

“Every customer engagement 

is marked by our dedication 

to understanding and 

fulfilling individual needs and 

expectations. It's this personal 

touch that has earned us not 

only the trust of our customers 

but also recognition from 

industry peers.” 

The award nomination 

was driven by customers and 

industry professionals who 

have experienced and admired 

the exceptional service delivered 

by the Kerr and Ladbrook 

team. 

"We believe that behind 

every success story is a team 

that goes above and beyond. 

Our chefs, event managers and 

support staff are what makes 

Kerr and Ladbrook Catering 

thrive, and we deeply value 

and appreciate their tireless 

dedication," Hayley says. 

The win comes on the back 

of previous awards gained 

throughout the years. 

Clinching the Best Caterer 

award in 2016, 2019, and 

2022, Kerr and Ladbrook have 

established themselves as a 

force to be reckoned with in 

the catering landscape. 

“These past achievements 

have undoubtedly played a 

pivotal role in shaping our 

company's trajectory, driving 

us toward the pinnacle of 

success – the Supreme Overall 

Award in 2023,” Hayley says. 

With a remarkable legacy 

spanning over 17 years, 

Kerr and Ladbrook Catering 

has consistently redefined the 

art of catering, impressing 

clients with an unwavering 

commitment to quality and 

innovation. 

Renowned for their 

exceptional offerings across 

a diverse range of events, 

including weddings, corporate 

gatherings, special milestones, 

race days and conferences, 

they are a trailblazer in the 

catering domain. 

“Our ability to cater to a 

multitude of occasions, from 

the most lavish weddings to 

high-profile corporate events, 

has showcased our adaptability 

and versatility. With each 

event, we weave a culinary 

narrative that not only tantalises 

the taste buds but also 

leaves an indelible mark on 

every guest,” she says. 

Hayley says the key to Kerr 

and Ladbrook Catering's success 

throughout the years lies 

in their pursuit of excellence. 

“We have continuously 

evolved, refining our skills and 

pushing boundaries to create 

unforgettable experiences. The 

Supreme Overall Award at the 

New Zealand Industry Wedding 

Awards 2023 stands as 

a testament to our dedication, 

highlighting the culmination 

of our efforts and the mark we 

have made on the industry.” 

And she adds, they look 

forward to continuing their 

journey of redefining culinary 

artistry and leaving an indelible 

mark on every event they 

touch. 

Kerr and Ladbrook Catering’s 

success is a reason for celebration, 

and we want you to be a part of 

it! Secure your spot for a festive 

Christmas event before November’s 

end and enjoy exclusive access 

to our unbeatable Christmas 

Promotional Packages! 

Catering@kerrandladbrook.co.nz | 07 838 9338 | www.kerrandladbrook.co.nz

28 CONFERENCE & EVENTS 


Late Night Lounge Ernest dominates 

2023 Waikato Hospitality Awards 

Hamilton Late Night Lounge Ernest, 

a trailblazing establishment in the 

Waikato hospitality scene, celebrated 

a resounding victory at the 2023 

Waikato Hospitality Awards. 

BY EDITH SYMES 

Winning an impressive 

four awards out 

of seven nominations, 

this outstanding achievement 

solidifies Ernest's status 

as an industry leader, marking 

them as the nightspot of choice 

for guests seeking an unparalleled 

bar experience. 

Since its grand opening in 

November 2021, Ernest has 

captivated guests with its distinctive 

blend of sit-down 

seating, top-tier service, and a 

curated selection of premium 

beverages spanning from delicious 

cocktails to exquisite 

wines. 

Among the accolades, 

Ernest bartender Roberto 

Valenzuela proudly secured the 

title of Outstanding Bartender. 

With over two decades of bartending 

experience, he has dedicated 

relentless effort to reach 

this milestone. 

“Creating unique experiences 

through my cocktails has 

always been a passion of mine. 

This award has been a long 

time coming and I am grateful 

for the recognition from my 

peers,” he says. 

Ernest also claimed Outstanding 

Front of House Team 

and Outstanding Bar. These 

awards serve as a testament to 

the unwavering commitment 

of the team to elevate the standard 

of service and hospitality 

in the Waikato region. However, 

the crowning achievement 

was the coveted Overall 

Supreme Award presented 

to the establishment with the 

highest number of nominations 

and votes, a great recognition 

of industry support. 

Craig Loveday the visionary 

behind Ernest says the team 

was thrilled and humbled to 

receive these awards. 

“It is a testament to the 

hard work and dedication of 

our team, who consistently go 

above and beyond to create a 

memorable experience for our 

guests. We look forward to continuing 

to push boundaries and 

raising the bar in the Waikato 

hospitality scene." 

Ernest can be found at 30 

Alexandra Street, Hamilton, 

open Wednesday to Saturday 

from 4pm till late. 

Now there’s 

just the barbie 

to match with 

those sauces 

BY EDITH SYMES 

An enterprising Raglan 

couple who started out 

six years ago making 

their own brand of chimichurri 

sauce at the Raglan Old 

School Arts Centre kitchen are 

now about to launch locally a 

traditional style of woodfire 

barbeque from their native 

Argentina to help promote 

their products. 

The venture follows on 

from an Argentinian-style 

barbecue catering business 

which Ben Parodi and wife Ani 

have set up to push their popular 

range of sauces. 

Cooking with 

charcoal or wood 

gives a much 

better flavour than 

cooking with gas 

“We found that more and 

more people were asking 

about the barbeque itself,” 

Ben says. 

So on a recent trip back 

home Ben met with Asaparri 

– a factory specialising in 

products for cooking over fire 

– and as a result will launch at 

Labour Weekend a woodfire 

and charcoal barbeque that, 

he says, challenges the Kiwi 

idea of summertime-only outdoor 

cooking. 

He decided to import the 

barbecue himself because, 

unlike a gas barbecue, it has 

a firebox that keeps on burning 

and creating the embers 

on which to cook – in turn, 

evoking warmth and ambience 

for outdoor eating at 

any time. 

The fire transforms 

this method of cooking 

into a year-round event, 

Ben insists, and continues 

the South American 

tradition that he and Ani 

grew up with of socialising 

around a woodfire barbecue 

Diego Nicholson and Ben Parodi 

– specialty sauces at the ready. 

“The weather is not 

important, it’s the experience 

of being out,” says Ben. “And 

cooking with charcoal or wood 

gives a much better flavour 

than cooking with gas.” 

Ben and Ani’s business 

Salsa Brava started small in 

2017 with the idea of making 

and selling chimichurri – 

found originally in the cuisines 

of Argentina and Uruguay – as 

a way of sharing their culture 

through healthy food for Kiwi 

tables. 

The uncooked sauce using 

parsley, olive oil, oregano, 

garlic, onions and chilli began 

as something of a labour of 

love – the pair growing and 

chopping the parsley themselves 

from their home. 

Early on they travelled the 

country with up to 800 jars 

of the sauce stacked on top of 

their campervan in search of 

retail outlets. 

The rest is history, a range 

of their sauces now sold in in 

many outlets in the Waikato. 

While Ani in particular 

these days is busy with the 

couple’s two young children, 

Ben’s been getting all fired 

up about the barbeques Salsa 

Brava has imported to promote 

the sauces. 

He and fellow native 

Argentinian Diego Nicholson 

are currently showing off the 

woodfire barbecue at Waikato 

Home & Garden Show, but 

will be back at Raglan doing 

demos in a fortnight. 

*Catch them Labour Weekend 

at The Hut in Rangitahi, 

Saturday October 21 at 10am.

WAIKATO 

WAIKATO 

BUSINESS 

BUSINESS 

NEWS, 

NEWS, 

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 

2023 

2023 CONFERENCE & EVENTS 29 

H3 hosts successful AuSAE Linc 2023 

The H3 team recently welcomed over 150 association executives and industry leaders to Claudelands 

for The Australasian Society of Association Executives (AuSAE) Leadership, Insights, Networking and 

Connections (Linc) Conference 2023 – the largest gathering of association executives in New Zealand. 

During the two-anda-half-day 

conference, 

association 

executives engaged with 

regional exhibitors and business 

events experts from 

across the country. The 

conference featured keynote 

speakers, workshop sessions, 

thought-provoking panel 

discussions, and networking 

opportunities, all designed to 

inspire, educate, and connect 

attendees. 

Melissa Williams and Brett Jeffery 

Brett Jeffery, AuSAE’s General 

Manager expressed his 

gratitude for the team behind 

the venue. 

“The event was undoubtedly 

a triumph, and much of 

that success can be attributed 

to the dedication and professionalism 

of the venue staff.” 

“H3’s commitment to excellence 

manifests in seemingly 

small yet crucial details—arriving 

punctually, continuously 

checking on the well-being of 

attendees and staff.” 

“Moreover, the management 

style is one of respect 

and courtesy; the team possesses 

an extraordinary ability 

to coordinate with their team 

in a way that is both effective 

and respectful.” 

“The event logistics were 

flawless. The capability to 

manage behind-the-scenes 

activities without causing any 

disruptions was commendable, 

adding another layer of 

excellence to our event. It’s 

exceedingly rare for me to find 

no room for constructive feedback.” 

“From the high-calibre 

catering to the meticulous 

attention to detail, every aspect 

of our event was handled with 

utmost care. I eagerly look forward 

to the possibility of future 

collaborations.” 

Melissa Williams, H3 Business 

Development and Sales 

Manager - Business Events, 

remarked, 

“After many years of close 

collaboration with Brett Jef- 

fery – AuSAE’s General Manager, 

and Aimee Tyson, Events 

Manager at Business Events 

Waikato, it was great to see the 

event finally come to fruition.” 

“AuSAE Linc provided us 

and our regional partners with 

the opportunity to showcase 

our unique Waikato offering. 

Guests were invited to experience 

Hobbiton Movie Set 

Tours, The Red Barn, Hamilton 

Gardens, Novotel Hamilton 

Tainui, Ibis Hamilton 

Tainui, River Ride Cycle 

Way, the exceptional catering 

from our exclusive partner, 

Montana Food and Events, 

and our conference centre, 

Claudelands.” 

Melissa shares, “AuSAE 

Linc is renowned for encouraging 

innovation and fostering 

growth, and we couldn’t be 

prouder to have been a part of 

this event and provide a space 

for association leaders to focus 

on their development and that 

of their teams. 

“Congratulations to Brett 

Jeffery and the AuSAE team 

Heaphy Rooms, Claudelands Conference and Exhibition Centre 

for a successful conference and 

thank you to our regional partners 

for delivering an exceptional 

experience.” 

H3 understands that no 

two events are the same. 

Whether you’re planning a corporate 

conference, wedding, 

trade show or just looking 

for a business meeting room, 

Claudelands has the ideal 

space and facilities to accommodate 

your needs. It’s flexible 

and multifaceted event spaces 

can be tailored to suit events of 

all sizes and types, ensuring a 

seamless and successful event. 

H3 is home to Hamilton’s 

premier event venues – 

FMG Stadium Waikato, Seddon 

Park and Claudelands, 

which includes GLOBOX 

Arena, Claudelands Conference 

& Exhibition Centre and 

The Barn. 

Discover Claudelands at 

H3group.co.nz and contact the 

team today. 

Heaphy Prefunction 

HLive Lounge 

Brooklyn Room 

MEET YOUR 

SPACE 

When you need a location for a meeting, a 

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

of spaces across our three premier venues to 

perfectly suit all types of events. 

Visit H3group.co.nz and explore 

our spaces today. 

CLAUDELANDS 

FMG STADIUM WAIKATO 

SEDDON PARK

30 CONFERENCE & EVENTS 


FIFA Women’s World Cup 

highlights positive power 

of events 

The success of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia 

provides a copybook example of how well-run events can have a positive 

impact and leave a lasting legacy, says Aimee Tyson, Events Manager for 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism. 

Hamilton hosted five 

matches as part of 

the tournament, 

attracting tens of thousands 

of fans who provided 

vibrancy and a welcome 

boost to tourism spend across 

Waikato. But beyond the 

economic benefits, the tournament 

also made a positive 

impact in a range of other 

areas, Tyson says. 

“It fostered inclusion 

and opened the door for 

important discussions around 

pay parity between male and 

female athletes. It encouraged 

environmental awareness 

through achievement of green 

building certification by all 

participating stadiums and 

initiatives like tree planting 

days for fans, and respect 

for and awareness of Māori 

culture through pōwhiri 

welcoming players and fans at 

matches in New Zealand.” 

Preparations for the 

tournament led to upgrades 

to the changing rooms of 30 

Meet in your own backyard! 

stadiums and community 

sporting facilities that hosted 

visiting teams, resulting 

in individual rather than 

communal showers and 

conversion of urinals into 

gender neutral bathroom 

facilities. Ultimately, this 

has created a more inclusive 

environment for many of our 

current and future female 

athletes, Tyson says. 

“The FIFA Women’s World 

Cup is massive but the way it 

was organised this year, with 

a commitment to leaving a 

legacy for New Zealand and 

Australia, is an example of 

how event planners of today 

are working to ensure their 

events can be a force for 

good.” 

Tyson says event managers 

and tourism operators alike 

are embracing regenerative 

tourism, a concept that is part 

of New Zealand’s Tourism 

Industry Transformation 

Plan. While turning a 

profit is important for the 

sustainability of any event, 

she says the industry is acutely 

aware that maintaining 

community support requires 

their events to contribute 

across all four well-beings 

– cultural, societal and 

environmental, as well as 

economic. 

This more enlightened 

thinking is becoming 

commonplace for events of all 

sizes, from sports events and 

music festivals to trade shows 

and conferences. 

“We’re seeing some 

impressive initiatives from 

conference organisers who 

are bringing their events 

to the Waikato. There’s a 

strong desire to celebrate and 

support host communities 

and conference organisers 

are putting huge efforts into 

offering low-carbon activities 

or options.” 

Rather than providing 

a bottle of wine or another 

conventional gift for a speaker 

at an event, some conference 

organisers are now expressing 

their thanks by donating to a 

local community group of the 

speaker’s choice, Tyson says. 

Other common initiatives 

include field trips to 

exchange knowledge or take 

part in activities such as 

tree planting, community 

engagement by international 

speakers who are attending 

events, and sourcing of food, 

drink and other supplies from 

the local region. 

Be a mighty local! 

The Waikato has award winning venues, unique attractions and a proven track record for 

delivering exceptional events. 

To book with a local supplier or to find out more visit meetwaikato.com 

With Covid-19 

restrictions 

behind us and 

what we hope 

will be a record 

event season 

heating up, 

Hamilton and 

Waikato are well 

placed to enjoy 

the benefits.

Nick Juett has had 

an exceptional career 

in hospitality 

Find out about what brought him 

to the Waikato to manage JetPark 

Hamilton Airport Hotel. 

Q Tell us a bit about yourself 

& your experience? 

A Originally from the United 

Kingdom, I began my 

career at the Haven Hotel 

and worked my way up 

to general manager for 

the hotel. After I gained a 

wealth of knowledge, my 

passion for travel took 

me elsewhere and I have 

worked for many years 

as hotel manager in many 

countries including the 

Caribbean, the Philippines, 

Vietnam, Turkey, Italy, 

India, Fiji, and now New 

Zealand. 

Q What brought you 

to the Waikato? 

A I have a great love for travel 

and have been lucky to find a 

career that has let me travel 

to so many beautiful places 

in the world. New Zealand 

is a gorgeous country so, 

naturally, it was on the list 

of destinations for me. And 

of course, my wife is a Kiwi. 

Q What inspired you to 

pursue a career in hotel 

management? 

A I was inspired by a 

combination of personal 

interests and experiences. 

My interest with hotel 

management grew as I had 

the opportunity to travel 

and stay in different hotels. 

I observed the impact that 

a well-managed hotel 

can have on a traveller’s 

overall experience and 

learned that it’s not just 

about the accommodation, 

but creating a seamless, 

enjoyable experience. 

Q Why do you enjoy 

managing the JetPark 

Hamilton Airport Hotel? 

A I truly enjoy the day-to-day 

operations that come with 

running a hotel and have a 

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 CONFERENCE & EVENTS 31 

true commitment to guest 

satisfaction. The dynamic 

nature of the hotel industry 

creates new challenges and 

opportunities continuously 

and I love getting to meet 

so many people with such 

diverse backgrounds. My 

staff and their development 

are also a key component 

to what drives me and the 

promotion of the local area 

as a desirable and versatile 

destination is what makes 

working at JetPark 

Hamilton Airport Hotel so 

worthwhile. 

Q How does the hotel 

engage with and 

contribute to the local 

community? 

A JetPark Hotels are all 

about community, which 

is another reason it’s such 

a wonderful place to work. 

JetPark Hotels support the 

Make-A-Wish foundation, 

Animal Welfare Fellowship, 

Women’s Refuge, Dress for 

Success and more. On top 

of these charities the hotel 

group supports, JetPark 

Hamilton supports other 

community organisations 

such as the NZ Blood 

Services blood drive we are 

hosting this October. 

Q With the growing demand 

for responsible and 

green travel, are there 

any sustainability or ecofriendly 

practices your 

hotel has implemented? 

A JetPark Hotels and JetPark 

Hamilton Airport Hotel are 

doing our part to help keep 

our country green. Here 

at JetPark Hamilton, we 

have removed all single 

use products, made sure 

all our packaging is ecofriendly, 

use low energy 

lighting, eco-friendly metal 

pens, and we have glass 

milk bottles from Raglan’s 

Dreamview Creamery in 

every room. We are all for 

helping each travel reduce 

their carbon footprint. 

Q Can you share a 

memorable guest 

testimonial or feedback 

story? 

A Is it corny if I say there are 

too many? There’s many 

that stand out, so I guess 

I’ll talk to our most recent 

event here at the hotel. They 

wrote a beautiful thank you 

letter to the team as their 

event was a marvellous 

success. 

Q What is your vision for 

JetPark Hamilton and 

The Propeller Restaurant and Bar 

what would you like to 

see for the Hamilton 

property? 

A JetPark Hamilton Airport 

Hotel has so much to 

offer. I would love to see 

our conferencing sector 

gain even more traction 

including adding weddings 

to our register. We also 

have a wonderful bistro, 

Propeller Restaurant & 

Bar, and we are currently 

working on a new and 

innovative menu to satisfy 

all those traveling as 

well as be a lunch/dinner 

destination for the locals. 

The list goes on as there’s 

multiple ways this hotel 

can continue to grow and 

succeed. 

Q Anything else 

you’d like to add? 

A If you haven’t made it out to 

JetPark for a meal, a night’s 

stay or an event, I hope you 

keep us in mind and stop in 

to visit! 

Find out more about JetPark at 

jetparkhamilton.co.nz.

“Working with Fosters 

was a genuinely 

professional experience 

that guaranteed the 

standards of excellence 

NIWA required.” 

Michael Bruce, NIWA Regional Manager 

NIWA’s new purpose-built Hamilton facility is a $45 million injection in 

Waikato-based science for the benefit of the nation. 

The environmental research complex is on the University of Waikato campus and 

includes 5,000m² of laboratory space and office facilities, alongside standalone 

workshop and storage buildings. It strengthens long-standing partnerships with 

both the University and Waikato-Tainui. 

The old NIWA building was about 30 years old, and Regional Manager Michael 

Bruce says “It had become apparent that a purpose-built, state-of-the-art 

facility was needed to meet our needs, now and into the future, to ensure NIWA 

can continue to provide worldclass environmental science. 

“We also needed a space that was going to attract and retain skilled people, 

many of whom could choose to work anywhere in the world.” 

NIWA’s new main building includes 900m 2 of advanced laboratory space with 

extensive bench space, temperature controlled rooms, wet labs, an electrically/ 

magnetically shielded room (Faraday cage), a lead-lined X-ray room, walk-in 

sample/specimen fridges and freezers, a radioisotope lab, eDNA preparatory 

clean room and multiple fume cupboards for controlled experimentation. 

The upper floor provides sophisticated research and office facilities for more than 

150 scientists, technicians and support staff, working across NIWA’s freshwater, 

climate and marine science disciplines, with extensive accommodation for 

visiting scientists and collaborators. 

Fosters was chosen for this build project on the basis of their reputation. 

“Fosters are clear leaders in the Waikato for a project of this size and 

complexity,” explains Michael. “They’re known as a highly competent team with 

a proven record. Throughout the entire process, tender to completion, they were 

an easy team to work with.” 

The project team included Fosters, TBIG Project Management, Beca Engineering, 

Warren and Mahoney Architects, and Labworks. It was a large group to 

coordinate, on a project with many moving parts. 

“Fosters were the cornerstone, keeping the project moving, within budget and 

on-time,” says Michael. “All the time, meeting our high expectations for Health 

and Safety by keeping everyone safe on site.” 

Building to 5 Green Star Principles was vital to meet NIWA’s sustainability 

principles. It also added another level of complexity. 

“Having this intricate and compact design delivered on time, on budget and 

to spec shows Fosters were exceptional at organisation and delivery,” says 

Michael. 

“They were also exceptional at communication. This wasn’t just a box-ticking 

exercise for their team; we were included at every step, and that made the 

project work so well. Working with Fosters was a genuinely professional 

experience that guaranteed the standards of excellence NIWA required.” 

Got a build project in mind? 

Get in touch with Fosters today! 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ 

07 849 3849

Waikato Business News August/September 2023

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?