Waikato Business News | December, 2020

1995 - 2020 PUBLISHED BY DP MEDIA LTD

Time to C elebrate

Kia ora

We reckon 25 is a good number of years to be in business, particularly when your business is publishing and you’ve ridden out the upheaval of the internet - not to mention the disruption of Covid-19.

So we’re celebrating. In this special issue, you can read about our journey as a staunchly independent publisher, from the startup days through till today with a well entrenched position in the Waikato business community.

And it’s our business community that is vital to our success. We wouldn’t be here without the support of our valued advertisers, many of whom have joined us in this special issue. They wouldn’t have stuck with us if they didn’t know we are widely read, and that puts us on our mettle.

I am frequently told by readers that they value our positivity. It’s not hard to feel positive - I am forever interviewing people doing fascinating things in creative ways. It’s the great pleasure of the role.

I am also often told readers want to know what others in the business community are up to. They enjoy recognising people they know, and my hope is they are also picking up tips for their own venture.

Waikato is in a sweet spot. Small enough for those in the business community to be well connected and supportive; big enough to sustain a full range of businesses and the professionals to service them. Close enough to Auckland to benefit from its economic clout; far enough away to make the living easier.

For me, just over two years in the editor’s job, it’s that supportiveness that has been most compelling. People I talk to are genuinely interested in what others are up to, and for the most part happy to share their own stories.

We’re stoked to have been telling your stories for 25 years. In this issue, our editors reflect on their time in the seat; Sandra Peek remembers a time when bromides were cut up with a scalpel and glued on to paper layouts, while for Mike Blake, the photography was an important part of reflecting the business

community back to itself.

Speaking for myself, the most memorable story is always the most recent, but one highlight was stretching myself to tell the story of a major piece of regional planning, Hei Awarua, the Hamilton-Auckland corridor. To my surprise, given its slightly abstract nature, that has proved to be the most popular story on our website.

But mostly, the job is about having a yarn with a business owner. On that front, among many, many other interviews I really enjoyed spending an hour or so with a couple of young cousins talking about their fishing show, Fishing and Adventure, a crazy 10 year journey of having a go and learning fast. They made for a memorable cover, which we’re reproducing in this publication.

Connectedness is our great Waikato strength, and we at Waikato Business News will continue to play our part.

Our success has been built by amazing people; the editors get their say in these pages, but equally important have been the sales people, production and office staff over the years. It’s a team effort and everyone plays their part.

Ngā mihi nui

Richard Walker Editor

Publisher

Deidre Morris 027 228 8442

Editor

Richard Walker 027 814 2914

Special

Production

Our vision for Hamilton

Kirikiriroa

Ka hua. Ka puaawai. Ka ora.

‘Dreams are realised when people take ownership for creating, fostering and giving life to the vision.’

Shaping our city, together

Hamilton Kirikiriroa is a fantastic city, with the potential to be one of the very best places in the world to live in and to thrive in.

We’re already New Zealand’s fourth largest city with 170,000 people calling Hamilton home. In the space of just three generations, our population has grown more than eight times over.

And we’re also incredibly diverse. The people of Hamilton represent more than 160 ethnic groups, making us rich in wonderful cultural opportunities.

Importantly, we’re young. In Hamilton, our median age is just 32, making us the ‘youngest’ of all New Zealand cities.

Already, Hamilton has everything it needs to be one of the best places in New Zealand and the world to live, work and raise families. In our city, we now have a much stronger focus on environmental issues, intergenerational equity and housing affordability – things we know are important to people who live here.

And while your Council is very focused on looking after the city assets we already have, we want to prepare and plan well for those things which will further improve the wellbeing of Hamiltonians.

Over the last year, Council has been working alongside our community to understand what people in our city want the future of Hamilton Kirikiriroa to look like. We have, through a range of ways, gathered feedback on what people believe we should focus on to ensure Hamilton becomes one of the very best places in the world to live.

Every day Council makes decisions that impact the future of our city and the wellbeing of Hamiltonians. Our decisions always take social, cultural, economic and environmental wellbeing of people into account.

There’s a lot of things we have to do to keep the city running the way it should. We must provide and maintain water services, we must adequately plan for our growing city, we must maintain roads, we must make sure waste can be disposed of safely... and that’s just the start of it. These things are non-negotiable, especially for a city like Hamilton which more and more people are choosing to call home. That important work on essential services and infrastructure won’t stop. But, we do more than that.

With people at the heart of everything we do, we also make choices about how to make our great river city an even better place to be. Hamiltonians have told us the kind of city they want, and where they want Hamilton to be in the future.

We’ve used your feedback to help create five priorities for Hamilton Kirikiriroa. There’s lots of things we have to do, but alongside these there’s lots of opportunities.

Paula Southgate Mayor of Hamilton

We’re looking forward to shaping our city, together.

Shaping a city that’s easy to live in

Ahuahungia teetehi

taaone e tau ai te noho ki roto

What we want

Hamilton is small enough to enjoy a strong sense of community but big enough to be vibrant and interesting.

As we continue to evolve into a metropolitan centre, we have the game-changing opportunity to become a 20-minute city. A 20-minute city is about creating liveable neighbourhoods with local access to amenity that is important to residents. It’s also about linking existing destinations, facilities, places of work and education with safe walking, cycling and public transport connections so our residents can safely access most of the things they need within 20 minutes.

We want our children to be able to cycle safely to school and for people of all ages and abilities to easily access different neighbourhoods, from one side of the Waikato River to the other – by whatever transport option we choose.

People in our city want to live in lively, safe communities with shared identities and public facilities such as libraries, playgrounds and community hubs accessible to everyone. It should be easy for us all to look after our mental and physical health by enjoying our city’s green and open spaces, including the Waikato River paths and stunning places like the Hamilton Gardens.

By investing in cyclepaths and accessways, and utilising our beautiful gully network, we will be able to create a city that our people can easily enjoy and explore. But we’ll also need improvements in public transport – so we’ll work with partners like Waikato Regional Council to get better bus services.

And we’ll need to focus on delivering the amenities and services that build strong communities, both in our existing neighbourhoods and for our new ones, as well as supporting a mix of housing types, including affordable housing.

It’s about finding the right balance between revitalising our established neighbourhoods with investing in new liveable suburbs required for the number of new people choosing to call Hamilton home.

We want a city that’s easy to live in, explore, and connect.

What we’ll focus on

1. We’ll prioritise building connected and safe walkways and cycleways that allow us to move around our city quickly and easily and bring neighbourhoods together.

2. We’ll revitalise our existing neighbourhoods and invest in the creation of our new neighbourhoods to make sure we have a liveable, sustainable city.

3. We’ll encourage new developments in Hamilton to include a mix of housing, including affordable housing options.

4. We’ll enable and support strong public transport connections which help Hamiltonians get easy access to essential services such as education, health centres and supermarkets.

5. We’ll put more focus on our neighbourhoods having a community identity and supporting community spaces across our city.

Shaping a city where our people thrive

Ahuahungia teetehi taaone e puaawai ai ngaa taangata katoa

What we want

Our city is welcoming and offers jobs and opportunities for everyone.

Hamilton already has many advantages and an economy that looks better placed than most to withstand some of the challenges facing other parts of New Zealand. We are located in the middle of the country’s ‘Golden Triangle’ between Auckland and Tauranga and we have plans well in place to become New Zealand’s most important logistics hub.

We are already working closely with central government, iwi and our neighbouring councils like Tauranga, Auckland, Waikato and Waipaa to make sure our region continues to flourish. When Hamilton thrives, our wider region thrives. So we’ll continue to advocate for Hamilton – and Hamiltonians – every chance we get.

We are already home to world-class businesses across a range of sectors, bringing opportunities, jobs and investment, including for our young people. We are a tech-savvy city, with the digital know-how to deliver research and development on the world stage.

Increasingly, our city is a place where people and businesses want to come, stay and grow. Our attractive lifestyle, based upon a vibrant city that’s easy to live in, means more and more

people want to be here.

Young people are now coming to our city (and in some cases, returning home) to find good jobs, buy homes, raise families and become part of our community. This, along with more than 160 ethnic groups making up our city, adds a valuable diversity to Hamilton which brings opportunities and benefits for all Hamiltonians.

We want Hamilton to continue to build on its growing reputation as a centre of excellence within innovation, training, smart and techsector industries. We need the infrastructure and support services in place to nurture and promote sustainable businesses that add value to our city.

We want to actively create opportunities for our people to thrive in their jobs, careers, and lives so they can leverage the wonderful lifestyle and opportunities our city has to offer.

What we’ll focus on

1. We’ll work with partners like central government and other councils to specifically deliver fast and efficient transport connections to connect Hamilton quickly to places like Auckland and Tauranga.

2. We’ll look beyond our borders and work with our regional partners to maximise the opportunities from Hamilton being the hub of the Waikato region.

3. We’ll make sure our economic strength is further leveraged and that Hamilton is known as a great place to work and do business.

4. We’ll empower and enable our diverse communities to share their voice and shape their city.

5. We’ll invest in the right infrastructure to make sure Hamilton is an attractive place for businesses to succeed.

Shaping a central city where people love to be

Ahuahungia te pokapuu o teetehi taaone e arohaina ai e te taangata

What we want

We want our central city to be the vibrant heart of our cosmopolitan and diverse city. A city centre that is thoughtfully designed around people, culture and the natural environment. We

want our city to be alive with hustle and bustle, with people happily living and playing in the central city.

Our central city should be accessible via different transport modes and enjoy easy access to the nearby Waikato River which is celebrated and treasured for the city taonga (treasure) it is.

Our restaurants and bars will offer Hamiltonians choice and entertainment and draw people from outside of Hamilton who know that a visit to central Hamilton is a trip well worth making.

Our central city should support a thriving visual arts and performance scene through our iconic local theatres and bring the area around our Waikato Regional Theatre alive, further linking our city to the stunning Waikato River.

serviced by everything needed to live a full Hamilton life.

We want our central city to be the beating heart of Hamilton which always has something going on for our diverse communities to come together and enjoy.

What we’ll focus on

1. We’ll strengthen the connection and access between the city centre and the Waikato River.

2. We’ll promote daytime and evening activity.

Inner-city dwellers will enjoy a range of apartment options, close to where they work or close to strong transport links that get them to where they need to be. But they will always be close to green open spaces, along the river and with parks like Victoria on the River nearby.

Local, national and international businesses will choose to base themselves in our central city which remains affordable and accessible,

3. We’ll create performance spaces such as the new regional theatre and leverage existing central city spaces to support arts and culture initiatives which offer something unique to our city.

4. We’ll support mixed inner-city living options which encourage people to live in Hamilton’s central city alongside vibrant retail, hospitality and entertainment sectors.

5. We’ll make it easy to get into and around the city through a range of alternative travel options.

Shaping a fun city with lots to do

Ahuahungia teetehi taaone ngahau e tini ai ngaa kaupapa papai hei whai

What we want

We want to make sure our city provides opportunities for all our people to play and have fun - whether it be through organised sport, local playgrounds, events, or our visitor destinations.

A fun city should have something for everyone whether you want to join a local choir or the local quiz team — we want all of us to have something to do and be part of.

We want to build on our growing reputation for hosting outstanding events; events that bring economic benefit, that Hamiltonians love, and that bring people from all over New Zealand to our city.

But small events also have a role in the life of our city. We’re keen to support more arts and cultural events and make sure we have the right indoor and outdoor facilities in place to support local community sports events that people of all ages can get involved in. All of these things add to the sense of community we all value about Hamilton.

We have already invested in world-class stadium and event facilities like Seddon Park, Claudelands Event Centre and FMG Stadium

What we’ll focus on

And we’ll continue to embrace the outdoors, not just the Waikato River but places like Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park, our destination playgrounds and Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake). These facilities provide locals and visitors with memories and experiences that keep people entertained and wanting more. They drive interest and appreciation in our city. They make living here fun.

There’s lots to do in Hamilton, but there’s also quiet spaces for our community. Whether it’s lying under a tree in a local park, taking in the views of the Waikato River or discovering our past at Waikato Museum, we invest in spaces where our people can relax, rest and reflect.

We want Hamilton to be an even better place for everyone to play, with things to do or see around every corner.

1. We’ll develop open community spaces like Korikori Park in Rototuna and Minogue Park in Forest Lake that are accessible to everyone to enjoy and be part of.

2. We’ll invest in and enhance Waikato Museum, Hamilton Gardens, Hamilton Zoo and Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park to create new and unique experiences for our people and visitors.

3. We’ll host and celebrate city events like the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival and Balloons over Waikato.

4. We’ll actively celebrate and promote a city where residents have the opportunity to have fun with their friends and family.

5. We’ll support local sports events by investing in play spaces and we’ll work hard to attract national and international sports events to our city.

Waikato and are home to key visitor destinations such as Hamilton Zoo, Hamilton Gardens, and Waikato Museum.

Shaping a green city

Ahuahungia teetehi

taaone tiaki taiao

What we want

We’ll promote becoming a sustainable city by challenging the way we grow our city and how we live within our city. We love our environment and we’re all committed to protecting it for future generations.

We embrace our individual and collective roles as kaitiaki (caretakers) of our land, water and air. Together, we honour, enhance and protect taonga (treasures) like the Waikato River, and our city’s extensive and unique gully system.

We are proud of our green, clean city and we’re taking a thoughtful and city-wide partnership approach between businesses, organisations and community groups to tackle how our city responds to climate change.

We need to look after what we already have by embracing the sustainable use of natural resources such as our water. We want to enhance our beautiful open green spaces

like Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park, the West Town Belt and Taitua Arboretum which are valued so highly by Hamiltonians. And it’s important we continue to minimise our impact on the land by leading the country in waste minimisation practices.

We want to continue to plan well for the future so we can strongly focus on designing new neighbourhoods like Peacocke in a way where our natural environment can exist in harmony with new homes and services. That means we’ll need a stronger, safer network of alternative transport which offers people real choice and also offers ways to reduce our carbon footprint.

We want to do it right together, so our city will get better by the day and we can leave a legacy we can all be proud of.

What we’ll focus on

1. We’ll protect and restore our natural gully network and the biodiversity of the city to increase how green our city is making it healthier and stronger.

2. We’ll reduce the carbon footprint of the city and build a city that is resilient to the effects of climate change.

3. We’ll mitigate the impact of the city on the health and wellbeing of the Waikato River and Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake).

4. We’ll encourage and enable alternative ways to move safely and quickly around our city.

5. We’ll plan our future as a sustainable city - balancing the natural and built environments so they can live in harmony.

We have a vision for our city but we can’t do it alone

When we work in collaboration with our community, stakeholders, and partners, we get much better outcomes for Hamilton.

Shaping a city and doing it well can only be done together with people who live here and by working with groups that have a stake in our success. So we have purposefully put people at the heart of our thinking and at the heart of the priorities we have outlined here. In fact, it’s the people of Hamilton who so far have shaped these priorities for us.

We also acknowledge that we have a specific obligation to achieve the economic, environmental, cultural and social aspirations of taangata whenua (indigenous people of the land) of our city.

We acknowledge the special place of Maaori in Hamilton’s history and the important role Maaori will play in building our city’s future. Maaori are taangata whenua with kaitiakitanga (guardianship) status. This is important for our city and by keeping open minds, and open hearts, these manaenhancing relationships with Maaori offer all of us opportunities.

Young people also have a huge role to play. We’re a young city, full of the promise arising from talented and well-educated young people who have a huge amount to offer. We need to support them so, in turn, they can contribute in a meaningful way to our future.

Finally, as we move ahead, we should respect and honour all our partners in central government, local government, the wider community, the philanthropic sector and others who have already contributed so much and will continue to shape Hamilton for years to come.

We look forward to working with you, to shape the future of our city, together.

futurehamilton.co.nz

Contact us

Hamilton City Council 260 Anglesea St Hamilton

Email: info@hcc.govt.nz

Phone: +64 7 838 6699

/hamiltoncitycouncil

@hamiltoncitycouncil

/company/hamilton-city-council

We want to make sure our people are at the heart of what we do, which is why we are proud to be working with you, for you.

BACK ROW L-R:

Cr Rob Pascoe, Cr Sarah Thomson, Cr Mark Bunting, Cr Martin Gallagher, Cr Kesh Naidoo-Rauf, Cr Dave Macpherson, Cr Ryan Hamilton

FRONT ROW L-R:

Cr Margaret Forsyth, Cr Maxine van Oosten, Chief Executive Richard Briggs, Mayor Paula Southgate, Deputy Mayor Geoff Taylor, Cr Angela O’Leary, Cr Ewan Wilson

FOSTERS BUILDS great communities

Leading Waikato firm Fosters is delighted to support and partner with the Waikato Business News, and join in celebrating its 25 years.

“For us, Waikato Business News is a really important part of our community for its story telling of business in a positive way,” says Foster Group CEO, Leonard Gardner. Community is important for Fosters, which has a proud heritage stretching back almost 75 years after LG Foster Ltd was formed in 1946 before becoming Foster Construction Ltd in 1973.

“Our purpose is great communities through strong foundations, and we have a really rich heritage of delivering projects that have transformed the way that community works,” Leonard says.

In his 18 years with the company, Fosters has completed many significant projects for the city and region.

That includes the Claudelands arena and conference centre build. “The community impact, amenity and pride of place created there is something I’m really proud of.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

“Our purpose is great communities through strong foundations

Other notable projects during his time include The Verandah at Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake), and a significant build and refurbishment of Centreplace, completed under time pressure to get it finished for the Rugby World Cup.

Fosters is also responsible for both the Torpedo7 and Visy builds in the airport precinct, the latter bringing a major manufacturer based in Auckland down to the Waikato.

The high-profile build for APL at Hautapu has extra resonance because of the two companies’ long-term relationship.

“One of the pleasures of the job has been able to work with businesses that have grown alongside Fosters - and APL is an amazing business that we’re very privileged to have here in the Waikato,” Leonard says.

“The privilege of our role is that we can help support their growth with property solutions and delivering magnificent pieces of infrastructure for them.”

In recent times there have been community placemaking projects like Lakewood in Cambridge, Tamahere Village, and the master planned Union Square multi-building office development in central Hamilton, where earthworks are underway.

“Union Square is all about creating a highly experiential workplace where the people and business can flourish,” Leonard says.

For Fosters, there has to be a sense of purpose to what they do.

“So we ask ourselves the question with our projects: how is this contributing to community? And we want to make sure we do things well.”

Fosters has always reinvested back into the industry through training and apprenticeships, and supported the community with great buildings.

That sense of purpose and commitment has evolved into the establishment of the Foster Group Trust, which comes from a conscious decision to use their growth to invest back into the community.

“I sort of see it as almost a cycle,” Leonard says. “As we invest, the community supports

us so that we can continue to invest into the community.”

One good example is that every employee gets $500 each year to support something within their immediate community.

“I guess it’s one of those things that gives a little bit of purpose to the day job.”

The Trust fund also supports Smart Waikato,

the Boon Street Art Festival, the Community Enterprise Leadership Programme and Hamilton Gardens, among many others.

“Fosters strives to be a responsible corporate citizen within the Waikato community,” Leonard says. “And over 25 years, part of the joy of business is seeing other businesses grow as well as our own team grow and flourish in our capabilities to support and grow community.”

of Waikato business Champion

... By Sandra Peek ...

Someone recently introduced me as having “been an editor” and I was slightly taken aback. Technically she was correct but I doubt that anyone who has been in that role ever fully recovers –once an editor, always an editor.

In October 1993 I was one of three experienced journalists – with Grant Hubbard and Philippa Stevenson – who formed Byword Publishing. The Business Development Board, chaired by David Braithwaite, wanted to outsource its business newsletter and we were a suitably enterprising trio.

David soon convinced the board we should be given the masthead. It was a far-sighted move. The Business Development Board is long gone but Waikato Business News continues to be the media’s strongest champion of Waikato business. A good publication can act as the glue in its community, building awareness

and knowledge, sparking connections, presenting opportunities. Celebrating, discussing, disagreeing, recording the life of the community, its pages open to everyone. Waikato Business News is that gem.

I was nominated editor by Grant and Philippa in a totally democratic process. They both had busy freelance and PR businesses and I had just recently left the Waikato Times. I had the most time available so I was it! Philippa dropped out after a few months to focus on her freelancing then, about a year after startup, Grant also came to the reluctant conclusion that feeding his family was incompatible with endless hours of unprofitable slavery managing a fledgling business newspaper. I gulped, but by then I was hooked.

A monthly newspaper sounds like such a leisurely enterprise. Sell some ads, write a few stories, regularly catch up with interesting people for coffee, drag money out of the rare rogue who tries advertising in a last-ditch effort to save his failing business. How hard can it be? Actually, it can be a weeny bit challenging at times. I was not only editor, but owner, production manager and often

business manager, backup ad designer, backup sales rep, and whatever else. I’m sure current owner Deidre Morris wears a similar number of hats.

But it was incredibly stimulating too. It’s a huge privilege having access to the best and most interesting business minds, both locally and on a wider scale. Once trust is established those relationships can produce treasure troves of business intelligence.

My interest was always in knowing and understanding business, so Waikato Business News became a newspaper that hunted for insights, case studies and practical knowledge that would interest and help businesses. I was delighted when I was told by one business owner that every month he applied something he’d learned from that month’s issue.

My ideal reader!

There were some people who were always fantastic to interview, such as John Fletcher, then HR director of NZ Dairy Group. Nothing was off the table but our deal was that he could read the copy before it went to print. It was a rare concession on my part and highly

trusting on his, but it worked beautifully. He was completely forthcoming and insightful. Only once did he ask me to delete some copy to save him from being fired!

With others, the interview was an opportunity to sit back and think about things that never ordinarily get aired: the toll their business took on other parts of their life, the challenges too sensitive to be allowed into any story, paths not taken.

Like all free newspapers, we survived or thrived on our ability to attract advertising. We were incredibly lucky with some key people in the sales manager role. Kim Hill, who had previously started and grown her own business, then later Deidre Morris. They were particularly skilled at helping clients understand the purpose and value of our policy of not allowing editorial and advertising to be linked. Clients often pushed hard at that door, some because they simply loved negotiating (I’m looking at you, Owen Embling!), others because they’d been misled by marketers or PR practitioners. To those business people my response was always the same: “We would love you to advertise but we won’t accept your ad if it’s conditional on editorial space. But, regardless of whether you advertise, if your business has a good story to tell we will run it.” And yes, we did lose advertising because of that policy.

There were many others in our team who made great contributions – journalists, columnists, designers, sales reps, photographers, admin and managers. And a handful of people in the business community who always had our back. The late Jim Grace, a man of integrity and law, seemed to have an uncanny sense of when a phone call to comment encouragingly on the latest issue would be most welcome.

The mechanics of producing a newspaper has evolved hugely since the early 90s. Then, it was much more time consuming and manual. Stories, photos and advert content was handed on a disk to an imaging service and hours later it came back as bromides that then needed to be cut up with a scalpel and glued on to the paper layouts. By the time the completed newspaper was ready to be driven to the printer the floor was a sea of discarded offcuts, many of them with glue attached! It was a glorious leap forward for mankind when computer technology made that process redundant.

But after eight years of never allowing myself a proper break I was ready to pass on the torch. It has been so good for our business community that Deidre Morris was the person who took on the challenge. It takes guts, humour, creativity and endless hard work to reach the 25 year milestone. Well done everyone who has helped it get there.

It’s a huge privilege having access to the best and most interesting business minds. “

Fourteen years in the hot seat

... By Mike Blake ...

It began in 2002 when at a family gathering Deidre mentioned she was looking for an editor for the newly acquired Waikato Business News.

My wife Eileen and I were quite comfortable playing our roles in a corporate environment in Auckland, but a move back to the great city of Hamilton offered an even more comfortable lifestyle…we thought.

So, a deal was agreed, hands were shaken, and after our resignations were accepted by the Auckland team, our Ponsonby home was put up for rent and we moved to the town where it all began (for me anyway).

I had joined the Waikato Times as a cadet reporter in 1965 and a career emerged from

the sound teaching of editor John Barrett, news editor Ken Coates, chief reporter Claude Coombes and others.

But this latest move to Hamilton was not a done deal, really, until we saw what we were getting ourselves into with Waikato Business News.

On an early visit a copy of the paper was reverently laid in front of me. It was a 16-page tabloid newspaper with the potential to grow.

And as I had made several moves away and back to Hamilton I felt I knew the town and many of the key people making it buzz.

Eileen and I said yes and sealed the deal.

A couple of my first moves were to visit the Waikato Chamber of Commerce and chat to CEO David Robinson, then on to the Business Development Centre and CEO Sandra Perry.

Both these organisations were geared to direct me to business happenings throughout the city. One with established businesses,

the other with early set ups…the hopes and aspirations of young people willing to get out and give it a go.

Meanwhile I went out, camera in hand, to record as many business functions as possible and include attendees’ faces in the paper.

The tactic worked as people were pleased to see themselves in WBN and others, in turn, wanted theirs to be there next time. This meant they needed to attend some of the functions.

This also meant attendances went up and host businesses got a better bang for their buck. And people would seek out the paper which led to ever-increasing circulation numbers.

Advertisers received positive feedback and everyone felt they were on a win…win...win.

Quite quickly, Deidre could see the benefit of giving the paper a better look and began printing on gloss paper. Another bonus for advertisers and much better photo reproduction.

Business News

The group expanded, firstly adding two scientific magazines, NZ Bioscience magazine and NZ Laboratory News. Then New Zealand Grey Power came to us with a proposition to write, produce and print their national magazine.

Having the title of ‘Group Editor’ bestowed upon me meant these were all my ‘babies’.

Earlier I had been elected to the board of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce. This was a good move and under the leadership of Dr Steven Saunders (Dr SAS) along with the expertise of several board members elected from professional organisations within the city, the Chamber progressed. After a few years Steven retired and it became my turn at the helm. Thank goodness for a strong team on the board and in the office. When I stood down, some six to eight years later the board very kindly honoured me with life membership.

Eileen and I are ‘semi-retired’ now and live in a great spot at the rapidly forming Tamahere Country Club.

I felt I knew the town and many of the key people making it buzz. “

GORDON CHESTERMAN

“ We profile the marketing maestro who rides a Harley Davidson “

The WaikatoTainui Raupatu Claims Settlement Act is passed by Parliament. 1995

OUR STORY, YOUR STORY

25 years of business, sporting and cultural highlights in Waikato

1997

DIGGING IN

Brothers build marketresponsive drainage business

Hobbiton set is built near Matamata for filming of Lord Of The Rings trilogy (guided tours start on 2002).

1999

ALAN GRANT

Pam Corbett talks to the man driving the growth of Lollipop’s Playlands in New Zealand and Australia

Single sculler Rob Waddell wins Olympic gold in Sydney.

2001

ROBOTICS FUTURE

Collaboration boosts sector’s potential

2001

2002 2000 1999

Fonterra is established in October 2001 following the merger of the country’s two largest dairy co-operatives, Waikato-based New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Cooperative Dairies, with the New Zealand Dairy Board.

Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts opens at University of Waikato.

Publishers change at Waikato Business News

Waikato Business Publications purchases the publishing assets and rights from Sandra Peek’s Byword Publishing Ltd

Waikato Stadium opens with a Super 12 rugby match between the Chiefs and the Crusaders.

Te Waka

builds for future

Waikato is coming of age, with Te Waka wellpoised to aid the region’s future development.

The potential is huge, with industries across the region that are of national size and scale, says the regional development agency’s chair, Hamish Bell.

He points to established industries like agriculture and horticulture, construction, health and education as major contributors. He also notes that specialised manufacturing, manufacturing and food technology, IT and the rapidly growing distribution and logistics industry are all industries to watch as companies look to the Waikato as a key geographic hub.

Hamish says in recent years there has been an increasing awareness of the region’s economic scale, and of its livability and attractiveness.

That is seeing professionals and business owners flocking to the Waikato – attracted by strong business growth and the highly desirable lifestyle the region offers.

Te Waka is playing a vital role and creating impact by building relationships with iwi, local and central government and business.

“We believe that economic development is a foundation for broader wellbeing,” Hamish says.

“Our role as an economic development agency

should be as an enabler and connector. To say, how can we enhance economic development, and use that as a basis to provide further leverage to build the Waikato, to create employment and wellbeing.”

Challenges come from the region’s diversity, including its geographic spread and large number of stakeholders – though he notes that a growing level of collaboration can make a real difference, citing the recent win for the region in attracting the national head office for the New Zealand Institute of Skills & Technology, a collaborative effort with iwi and Hamilton City.

“We're here to lift economic performance across the region, support and enable business and industry growth, and attract business and investment,” Hamish says.

He cites the Ruakura inland port development as an example of the role Te Waka can play. The port will be a major employer and save distribution costs in the North Island, but will also enable the attraction of further industry providing further jobs. “It is a very significant project that has major ramifications. We put time and attention into that, it has a very big dollar return.”

Te Waka recently brought together the chief executives of key freight and logistics companies together with key freight owners in a forum to discuss the economic benefits of Ruakura as a logistics and supply chain

proposition. They looked at how Te Waka could work in partnership with industry to accelerate the port development’s impact on the region’s economy.

Despite a range of successes, Hamish says Te Waka, formed two years ago, is the newest economic development agency in the country and has been on a learning cycle.

To meet its goals, it has launched a revised strategy, with a tighter focus on creating impacts that drive wellbeing outcomes in the next two to five years, and provide a platform for the future.

“We're laying a foundation now to have a much stronger partnership with iwi, with government agencies and with business and local government.

“It's fantastic the region has finally got together behind one economic development agency.

“The biggest opportunity for us is, if we work together off the base we have created, we have more inherent natural talent in so many ways than any other region. So it's time for that to happen.

“Te Waka is not meant to be the icing on the cake. We are a platform - the board that the cake can sit on, that helps bring people together and to enhance and champion the best of what's already there.”

Hamish Bell

Boosting the city centre

Hamilton Central Business Association has played a vital role in a sustained burst of central Hamilton activity since the association’s inception in 2008.

HCBA represents the businesses based in the central city, to be their voice on issues of strategic importance to the CBD, to promote the businesses and their offerings to the public and to contribute to and collaborate on projects that support the city centre business economy.

It is uniquely positioned as an organisation that can work with the local business community, the Hamilton City Council and other key players and investors in the city to ensure the CBD is a desirable commercial business hub, shopping, dining and entertainment destination. HCBA does this by building strong, effective relationships to support, advocate and promote the central city on behalf of the 1,200 business and property owners that make up the membership.

HCBA has plenty to point to as it promotes the city centre as a bustling, active, innovative, vibrant place that offers exceptional businesses and experiences.

The CBD has gone on a journey of rebuild and development, from businesses to buildings,

from residential to commercial, and there is no sign of that slowing down.

Among a slew of current projects, office block Tristram Precinct is due for completion in early 2021, and earthworks are underway for Union Square, with its first tenants to be AA Insurance and Rabobank. Also in the immediate pipeline is a build for ACC, along with the much anticipated start to work on the Waikato Regional Theatre.

Apartment living has also been boosted with new builds including the mixed-use Parkhaven and London Central. Meanwhile, retail has seen the opening of Riverbank Lane, as well as the redevelopment of Centre Place and an increase in boutique style independent retailers. Wide ranging hospitality offerings contribute to the vibrant landscape of the central city with eateries Gothenburg, Banh Mi Caphe, Mr Pickles and Palate all boasting views of the Waikato River.

Two parks have been developed on Victoria Street. HCBA was on the Embassy Park Working Group and Riff Raff Trust during a redevelopment of the park in a collaboration of community, business and local government. Following that was the development of Victoria on the River, which has created a further valuable link to the river.

HCBA General Manager Vanessa Williams and

LEFT

ABOVE

The CBD Awards have become an annual fixture.

BELOW

The Chinese Lantern Festival adds life and colour to the city centre.

her team have shown off the central city with their annual awards held on consecutive years in high-profile venues Riverbank Lane, Hamilton Hotel and the former IRD building, capped off in 2020 with a transparent marquee on the riverside.

They also provide an annual activation programme which sees more than 100 events held in the four main public spaces in the CBD: Garden Place, Victoria on the River, Embassy Park and Civic Square.

HCBA is a non-political organisation driven by a voluntary executive committee contributing to the revitalisation, support and promotion of the Hamilton CBD.

www.hamiltoncentral.co.nz

A bustling Victoria on the River has helped connect the city to the Waikato River.

Community and relationships at Stark Property’s core

In 2010, while in the process of looking for a suitable central city office space for his father’s company, Matt Stark and wife Jaimee realised the lack of commercial leasing opportunities in the city with the option of full office design and fit out. There was a need for well-designed workspaces throughout the CBD.

The first space they worked on took the form of an events space with meeting rooms and a full cafe, located on the top floor of a fivestorey office building overlooking Garden Place in central Hamilton.

In 2012, the first commercial property was purchased in central Hamilton marking the beginning of Stark Property and the development of multiple buildings and unique spaces. Over the years, Stark Property has developed a passion for revitalising the Hamilton CBD with a vision of utilising the city’s most beautiful natural asset - the riverfor all Hamiltonians to enjoy.

Projects include award-winning South Bloc; the Knox Street property underwent a full internal and external refurbishment in 2016. The redevelopment was completed while working above a fully operating private hospital. The completed project has received multiple architecture and design awards.

Since then, Stark Property has taken on numerous notable projects including Tristram Precinct at 20,000sqm, with multiple substantial tenants bringing more than 750 workers into the Hamilton CBD. The Riverbanks development comprising boutique retail and hospitality through a laneway connects the public to the Victoria on the River civic development and provides sought-after premium office space with some of the best views in the city, overlooking the Waikato River.

Stark Property’s Panama brand offers exceptional co-working with thoughtfully

designed work spaces and flexible contracts, catering to businesses across a range of industries and providing professional, innovative and functional spaces. The Panama team looks after day-to-day operations so businesses can focus on what they do best. Panama has grown substantially, with more than 40 businesses represented and working from beautiful locations throughout the CBD.

Hills Village is Stark Property’s first residential development. Nestled on the brink of the Waikato River with direct access to the city centre, the collection of high-end apartments is the first of it’s kind in Hamilton. The pocket-neighbourhood is a master-planned community of residential living, work-live apartments and commercial offices. The project continues to contribute to the transformation of Hamilton East, providing another great connection to the river and again adding to the revitalisation of the Hamilton city centre.

Revitalisation of the Hamilton CBD remains at the core of Stark Property. Fostering a sense of community, working closely with others and building meaningful relationships is at the heart of everything we do.

www.starkproperty.co.nz

Tristram Precinct

Hills Apartments

Panama Square

PLACEMAKING for people

People and community are at the heart of Hamiltonbased PAUA Architects and their designwork.

These have also been driving values for principal architect Antanas Procuta since his return to the Waikato 25 years ago and these values have seen the practice being commissioned a range of standout projects.

developments is there's no sense of character or neighbourliness.

“Architecture is ultimately about people and the way we live - it's really important to remember that it's not foremost about buildings.”

The ‘people and community’ approach saw PAUA Architects focus on creating a sense of neighbourhood when masterplanning the Jack’s Landing development near Rotoroa (Hamilton Lake), and PAUA is taking the same attitude to a village development with the Brian Perry Charitable Trust using modular homes.

A similar project awarded through a design competition is a sustainable mixed-use neighbourhood in Taupō. With about 60 households and a commercial centre with half a dozen shops, and apartments above, it was to be an exemplar development for the council using a concept of neighbourhood enclaves, as well as environmental strategies throughout the design.

“This idea of community is very important,” Antanas says. “It's really about creating identity and enhancing a sense of ‘home’. Too often what happens with housing

Taupō is also the site for the NZ Clean Energy Centre, which reflects PAUA’s strong environmental interest - “a common thread through all our work”.

A building to both showcase clean energy - such as bio-fuels - and to provide a base for clean energy research organisations, the Clean Energy Centre was built using recycled concrete and primarily heavy timber construction rather than steel.

Heat is drawn via a ground-source heat-pump from below the building, and the facility uses solar and wind power.

The Clean Energy Centre is another example of a project PAUA Architects has won through a design competition, and Antanas is proud that the practice does well against much larger firms in such competitions.

Pencarrow House -Tamahere, Waikato

NZ Clean Energy Centre - Taupo

Similar ideas to the Taupō build were used when PAUA supported Hukanui Primary School in developing its ecoclassroom, ”The Living Room”, built with untreated macrocarpa rather than treated pine, and incorporating an earth brick wall. PAUA is also supporting the Fairfield Project, a proposed environmental education centre providing educational opportunities for surrounding schools, tertiary institutions and the broader community.

The sustainability thread runs through PAUA Architects’ extensive residential portfolio, including a Cambridge house that gained the country’s first HomeFit PLUS rating, and a 6-HomeStar-rated Pencarrow home, both ratings from the NZ Green Building Council.

Linked to its environmental commitment is an interest in heritage work, including a number of historic houses around the Waikato and the recent award-winning renovation of St Mary’s Convent Chapel in Hamilton.

Meanwhile, a long-standing relationship with Waikato iwi and hapū includes marae and whare design work by senior architect Richard Mauriohooho, and now sees PAUA designing the new Cambridge police base, a partnership between New Zealand Police and WaikatoTainui, with Tainui Group Holdings as landlord.

PAUA Architects appointed a business development manager this year, among other recruitments that will see it increase in size to

around 10 practitioners. The practice is busy post-lockdown with a range of projects, and Covid-19 has motivated PAUA Architects to reflect and focus on the future.

Newly appointed business development manager Phil Mackay says: “I think the Covidchanged world probably brought more focus to the practice in terms of how we best respond to client and community requirements, what our strengths are as a practice, and the direction of work that is important for the future, which is ultimately about sustainability and new ideas for living and building.”

At the core of any PAUA project is the same concern.

“It's about placemaking; getting to the essence of what underlies a client's brief, the essential characteristics of the site and its context,” Antanas says.

“Whatever our clients are involved in, it's actually working really closely with a client to understand what's really important for them, and untangling the knots of their requirements to create order and connnections and beauty all at the same time.”

3 Anzac Parade, Hamilton office@PAUAarchitects.co.nz T 07 839 6521

Aotea Bach - Aotea Harbour, Waikato

2003

2008

2004

NICOLA PERE

Hamilton mum goes global with baby bibs business

2004

2008

SLUDGE TO SAND

Waikato-based Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell win double sculls Olympic gold in Beijing - backing up their first gold in 2004.

PETER MOLAN City firm revolutionises waste treatment

2009

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Hamilton airport.

First building opens at Waikato Innovation Park.

Torpedo 7 has Raynes

Frustrated TGH boss says: “Consider the big picture

Powering the region for 100 years

WEL Networks is marking a proud 100 year history of bringing electricity to the Waikato in 2020, a history that sees it poised to continue to deliver to the region as a 100 percent community owned company.

Once a traditional lines company, it is moving with the times to become an energy services business, all while giving back to the community and playing a key role in the region’s economic and social development.

The story of the introduction of electricity supply to the Waikato began in 1912 when the Borough of Frankton started constructing lines and a generating plant with the first residential property receiving electricity supply in 1913. In February 1920 a meeting was held to consider a proposal to constitute an Electric Power District for portions of the Waikato and Waipa Counties. This meeting 100 years ago resulted in the formation of the Waikato Electric Power Board, which later became the Central Waikato Electric Power Board (CWEPB).

• In 1931 the power board sold 10 million units of electricity – by 1961 this had grown to 145 million.

• In 1967 the power board installed its first computer system.

• In April 1974, a 33 kilovolt supply was switched on to supplement the 11 kilovolt system that had operated since the 1920s.

• In 1989, an amalgamation with the Hamilton City Council Electricity Department saw the formation of Waikato Electricity Limited (WEL).

• In 1998 the Electricity Industry Reform Act required WEL to sell off its retail business and thus lose direct contact with its customers.

Today WEL’s electricity network spans the region from Maramarua in the north to just south of Hamilton city, from Raglan in the west to Tauhei in the east. It connects more than 93,000 residential properties and small businesses, plus more than 800 commercial and industrial sites, delivering more than 1,200 Gigawatt hours of electricity annually.

WEL Networks continues to identify and invest in new technologies to serve the future needs of its communities and customer expectations.

An example is the Te Uku wind park near Raglan. The 28-turbine park was built in partnership with Meridian. WEL owns and manages the electrical lines and substation within the wind park and the high voltage line connecting to the national grid.

Climate goals, coupled with the acceleration of electrification, solar, batteries and EVs, are changing the energy landscape.

Energy hardship is a significant issue in the region, which is why WEL Networks continues to upscale its low-cost electricity retailer, OurPower, following a successful trial period.

So far more than 2000 OurPower customers, many of whom face energy hardship, have saved over $1.1 million, and WEL Networks is embarking on further customer growth. This includes a solar farm plan - partnering with community-minded Waikato land owners to produce electricity through solar generation that will help provide cheaper power to OurPower customers.

A CWEPB employee working on an air break switch in the 1970s.

LEFT

The company’s micro-grid project is another example of adapting to a changing environment by integrating new solar and battery energy storage system technology into the traditional network to harness renewable power.

To support EV growth, the company has invested in the growth of an electric vehicle charger network with 25 chargers located across the Waikato, and, in partnership with Counties Power, has an EV charging appOpenLoop.

“We’re proud of our contribution to the Waikato region over the last century and for our track record of innovation and achievement,” says WEL Networks chief executive, Garth Dibley.

“Our communities remain at the heart of our business decisions, ensuring they continue to benefit and thrive from our ongoing success.”

www.wel.co.nz

Benefit goes back to community

The Waikato community gets the benefit of WEL Networks running as a successful energy services business.

WEL Energy Trust has for 20 years been giving back via grants, investments and discounts as sole shareholder of the company.

The nature of the return to the community has changed over time, but the key is that trustees own the company on behalf of the community, says WEL Energy Trust chief executive Raewyn Jones.

She points to substantial investments over the past 20 years, including Waikato Innovation Park and Momentum Waikato, both of which WEL Energy Trust was instrumental in setting up.

Expanding into the delivery of ultrafast fibre was another significant development, Raewyn says. “The network was built ahead of time and budget. During Covid, it proved its worth - we've had world class fibre.”

This year WEL Networks sold its UltraFast Fibre share so it can further unlock its energy potential, deliver to the changing needs of customers and a changing landscape, and continue its journey towards a sustainable and innovative energy future.

Raewyn Jones also points to the Trust’s significant contribution to the establishment of the Waikato Wellbeing Project, which is focused on helping the region work towards the UN’s sustainable development goals, as a highlight of recent years. “That's the Trust taking a leadership role within the community and bringing people together.”

WEL Energy Trust became the sole shareholder of WEL Networks in 2000 although community ownership was not a certainty after regulatory changes in the early 1990s.

WEL’s predecessor companies were essentially community owned, but with the reforms of the 1990s there was a move away from community ownership, with the WEL Energy Trust owning a third of the company, a US energy company owning a third and the remaining third owned by customers. Through a process of complex and often acrimonious ownership battles through the 1990s, ownership finally reverted to the community at the turn of this century.

“From the company perspective, WEL Networks runs as a successful business but it's 100 percent the community that gets the benefit of that,” Raewyn says. “That’s something people should be proud of.”

www.welenergytrust.co.nz

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the launch of the Waikato Wellbeing Project in February 2020.

Hamilton BORN AND BRED

Chedworth Properties has been dedicated to the growth of Hamilton city since the 1960s.

First at the helm were Hector Webb and Duncan Murray, both seriously influential in the development of the city, with developments under the Chedworth Properties umbrella over the years having included the Hillcrest Basin, Chedworth, Pukete, Fairview Downs, Sherwood, Coleraine, St James, and Horsham Estate.

Today, director Jon Webb and development manager Tony McLauchlan are steering the company using the same family philosophy which focuses on delivering sections for those in the mid-market.

Chedworth Properties’ latest development is Greenhill Park which offers 2000 sites over 136 hectares in north east Hamilton.

This is the city’s first medium density suburb

and already 500 sections have been developed and sold.

A proud point of interest is that Chedworth Properties has sold more than 6000 sections in its various development projects within Hamilton City’s boundary since the company began business in the 1960s. According to Jon Webb the company has had many opportunities over the years to take their expertise elsewhere.

“But we have stuck loyally to Hamilton, the place we can honestly call home,” he said. “It has been satisfying to grow with the city and see so many people take advantage of our developments.”

Chedworth Properties itself has grown with

the City. In its early years it would build around 20 sections per year, however as the City has grown so has Chedworth Properties’ operations to keep up with demand, now building around 100 sections per year.

Chedworth Properties’ long history in land development in Hamilton has also seen it at the forefront of many of the changes.

It has been satisfying to grow with the city

Certainly the rules and regulations governing land development have changed dramatically between the 1960s and today and Chedworth Properties has had to adapt to these changes.

Gone are the days of a simple subdivision application being quickly prepared and processed by Council, with Chedworth Properties now engaging a raft of Urban Design, Planning, Engineering, Geotech, Landscape, Ecology, Survey, Transport and Legal experts to prepare applications and assist in the delivery of its subdivisions.

Jon strongly believes that the Chedworth’s team of consultants and contractors is one of the key reasons why Chedworth has been successful. As he says, “they all take immense pride in their work and are passionate about delivering communities which people will enjoy living in”.

Jon also sees Waikato Business News as part of this team, having had a long standing relationship with them and he is therefore not at all surprised that they are celebrating more than 25 years of success in Waikato alongside the likes of Chedworth Properties.

Certainly during Chedworth’s time in business in Hamilton it has seen a significant change as New Zealanders have come to grips with living on smaller sites and affordable housing has become more of an issue. While smaller sections are part of the solution to affordable housing, the design of roads and storm water infrastructure, in particular, also play an important role. The design of subdivisions therefore now requires a lot more attention to detail and co-ordination of infrastructure which

Chedworth Properties achieves through the use of design guidelines and a design review committee.

Jon says that Chedworth Properties is providing people with a superior level of amenity, setting new standards for subdivision in Hamilton. The completed houses give an excellent indication of the effort that has gone into landscaping and design.

“There is a stunning variety of house designs, floor plans and materials on display,” said Jon. “A great deal of care has been taken with landscaping and fencing.”

Rather than just rely on covenants to ensure quality design, Chedworth Properties utilises a design review committee which requires builders to have their designs accepted at three stages: concept, detail and final.

“We’re not trying to create palaces, but we are trying to ensure that the houses facilitate a better community and interact better with each other and their environment,” says Tony.

“In managing business this way we are going to ensure that Greenhill Park is done well and is an exceptional place to live.

“We want people who live at Greenhill Park to be proud of their homes,” he said.

This latest Chedworth Properties undertaking comes after a long line of successes across Hamilton and with many more sections still to build at Greenhill Park, Chedworth Properties will continue to play an important role in Hamilton’s future.

Waipā A DISTRICT ON THE MOVE

Waipā has gone from strength to strength in the past 25 years, with a list of achievements that includes the opening of the Avantidrome outside Cambridge and the Sir Don Rowlands Centre at Karapiro, along with high-profile industrial builds for Visy and APL.

Lake Rotopiko

It has been growing strongly as New Zealanders have recognised its appeal as a place to live, and growth in tourism has added to a solid agricultural base.

Residential cells continue to be opened up, while industrial development is roaring ahead at the airport precinct and Hautapu, and mixed-use style apartment living received a boost from the Lakewood development close to central Cambridge.

“The district has a strong agricultural sector and is an attractive place to live,” Mayor Jim Mylchreest says.

“We are building a reputation for being the home of champions and also as a sport-related

visitor industry, with major sporting events coming to Waipā, and Cambridge in particular.”

Waipā regularly hosts elite sporting events, including international track cycling at the Avantidrome and the World Rowing Champs at Lake Karapiro in 2010.

The district boasts rowing, canoeing and cycling high-performance centres, and its sporting facilities includes the ASB Stadium Te Awamutu Events Centre, seating up to 800 spectators. CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Waipā economic development manager Steve Tritt at Lakewood

The Avantidrome

Te Awamutu library

The equine industry is important to the district

Cycling has enjoyed a boom thanks partly to the Avantidrome and the building of Te Awa cycleway, the Hamilton section of which is under construction. Cycleways are also being built and upgraded to Lake Ngaroto and Pirongia.

Meanwhile, the district’s picturesqueness has seen Cambridge pick up Most Beautiful Large Town and Best Street in consecutive years in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards.

Mylchreest says the district’s attractiveness as a place to live has been boosted in recent years by the building of amenities including a new library and swimming pools.

The new pool, nearing completion in Cambridge, is an indoor facility including a 25 metre pool, and learners and toddlers pools, which will add to the existing 50 metre outdoor pool.

In neighbouring Te Awamutu, a $4.4 million rebuild in 2016 transformed the town’s library, while its museum showcases the rich social history of Waipā, including an exploration of the New Zealand Land Wars.

Stories of the Land Wars are also among 169 unique stories shared in Te Ara Wai Journeys, a free self-guided tour of Waipā sites.

“Being able to tell those stories to the community has been really important,” Jim Mylchreest says.

Since it was launched in December 2019, thousands of people have taken the journey via the website.

Industrial activity is set to remain an important part of the district’s future, including development around the airport and at Hautapu. Mylchreest says the developments are providing an impetus for jobs in the district, while the expressway is an important transport linkage enabling ready access to Auckland and Tauranga.

While the land’s productivity means much of it is farmed, the district has also supported environmental projects including the iconic Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, which plays an important New Zealand conservation role thanks to its pest-proof fence. “The other area that we've worked hard on over the last 25 years is protecting the peat lakes that are left in the district.” That includes Lake Rotopiko, near Ohaupo, where the National Wetland Trust have eradicated pests to form a wetland garden which is now a safe haven for native wildlife.

The district has a strong agricultural sector and is an attractive place to live “

But it is the primary sector that remains the district’s foundation, Jim says. Dairying is a cornerstone, with the equine thoroughbred industry also important, and horticulture, including blueberry and kiwifruit growing, gaining in significance.

“Producing top quality food for the world is the strength long term for Waipā.”

Cambridge’s award-winning main street

OF PRINT READERS TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY READ IN MAGAZINES OR NEWSPAPERS

SOURCE : TWOSIDES UK 94%

OUR STORY, YOUR STORY

Ebbett Group

defined by growth, innovation, and progress

There are always challenges in business –it’s how you respond that determines success.

The Ebbett Group, with the surety of its deep roots and loyal customer base dating back to 1928, has faced down the challenges of 2020 and focused on investment to position itself strongly for the future.

Not only have the Ebbett Group taken the opportunity to undergo a complete update of their own brand, they have taken on a range of new car brands, brought a new dealership

on board and accelerated the building of new premises, including doubling the size of their VW dealership at the new site in Te Rapa.

And, if that wasn’t enough, the Group have plans in place to continue the pace of growth and development through 2021. Those plans include a large scale head-office dealership development next to Volkswagen in Te Rapa, due to open in March, which will feature an on-site paint and panel facility and a tyre shop.

This expansion will be followed by a brand new multi-franchise development in Pukekohe as well.

Even General Motors stopping the sale of new Holden vehicles in New Zealand in 2020 was

a challenge they met head-on by advocating strongly for Holden owners and taking on the role of HSV national parts distributor. With these moves, Holden fans and customers can rest easy knowing the Ebbett Group is committed to supporting their Holden ownership experience long into the future.

In June, Karamu Holden in the Hawke’s Bay was brought into the Ebbett Group and rebranded as Ebbett Hawkes Bay. New brands were also introduced throughout the North Island, with Kia and MG in Pukekohe; Hyundai and Isuzu in Tauranga; Isuzu, Seat, Cupra, and GM Special Vehicles in Hamilton; Kia and Nissan in Wellington; and Renault in Hawke’s Bay.

In addition, upon Ebbett Skoda moving to their

service remains at the heart of their business, with the Group believing that is best delivered through sustained progress.

I couldn’t be prouder of every person in this business

new premises in Hamilton East they became the largest Skoda dealership in New Zealand!

Through all these developments, a strong adherence to values of Respect, Integrity, Care and Excellence ensure personal customer

Managing Director Ben van den Engel said 2020 was a year no-one in the group predicted.

“But the choices were simple – cut back or push on and, whilst we were careful to take appropriate action through the most uncertain times, we strongly felt that our people, our customers and our business would be best served by continuing to work hard moving forward.

“We have taken on new brands, opened new dealerships, continued to deliver the highest levels of customer service and even broken

some sales records in the last few months –I couldn’t be prouder of every person in this business for the effort they have put in this year under such challenging circumstances.”

The Ebbett Group’s stability and strong values have proven invaluable in helping it prosper through a difficult year. While quick to admit the business benefits hugely from its past, the company has not been slow in using those deep roots as a springboard for a very bright future.

Ebbett Hamilton’s new Te Rapa dealership, opening March 2021

Having been in business for over 80 years, we know what it takes to stand the test of time.

All the best to the team for the next 25 years ahead. Here are some of our most memorable moments since 1995.

1999

Gallagher enters Fuel Systems business

2000

Gallagher Command Centre launches.

2006

New perimeter technology developed – the release of the high speed configuration range.

2013

Gallagher opens a new state-of-the-art facility in Kansas City, United States, which highlights the company’s commitment to customers in North America.

2015

Gallagher Security becomes mobile.

2016

1995

Gallagher (formally known as Cardax)

Security Prox Readers hit the market .

2012

Gallagher donates much needed infrastructure to improve 1500 families’ lives in two communities in South Luangwa, Zambia.

2015

Gallagher launches the world’s most powerful energizer – the M10,000i Electric Fence Energizer.

TODAY

The company distributes to 160 markets around the world and employs over 1000 people globally.

2020

A new facility called the Gallagher Customer Service Centre, which opened in Melbourne, Australia, doubled Gallagher’s capacity and improves logistical capabilities as well as customer & technical support.

2016

A giant Chiefs jersey adorns the Gallagher building to celebrate the start of the Gallagher Chiefs partnership.

Gallagher develops Contract Tracing functionality to support the world’s COVID-19 efforts.

2019

Gallagher ranked number one privately owned tech company in New Zealand in the TIN Report.

2020

2018

World’s first fully integrated solar energizers – the S200 and S400 – are launched.

2020

Six awards won in the first six months of the year.

Gallagher strengthens commitment to responsible business practices with new Risk & Responsibility team.

Fast facts

VALUE OF PAPER AND PRINT

“Newspaper ads are viewed 2.5 times longer than the average digital ad”

81% OF PEOPLE have bought an item or visited a place after reading about it in a magazine.

Magazines deliver outstanding performance. With a return of 130%, magazine advertisements produce the highest ROI of all media channels

- GFK Australia 2015

56%

OF PEOPLE REGARD PRINT MARKETING AS THE MOST TRUSTWORTHY OF MEDIA CHANNELS

SOURCE : TWOSIDES UK

GLOBAL STUDY: MOST PEOPLE HIGHLY VALUE PAPER AND PRINT!

Recently commissioned by Two Sides, this consumer survery reports global attitudes toward paper and print, as well as toward corporative environmental claims.

For the paper and print industries global markets and consumer preferences remain widely diverse and difficult to predict - yet there is at least one major source of agreement: Around the world, people like and want print on paper! 9

WORKPLACE DECISION MAKERS READ PRINT MEDIA

CHOOSING THE PAPER OPTION:

In terms of reading preference and tactile experience, people prefer print on paper compared to reading from a screen or electronic devices.

WE STILL NEED THE creative juice

In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote that

the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Two centuries on and faced with the impacts of both the digital revolution and Covid-19 on the advertising world, King St CEO Chris Williams agrees.

Despite the exponential growth in advertising platforms available to King St over the last 20 years, and an economy turned inside out by this year’s pandemic, Chris notes one thing remains true.

“Despite all the change, we still need strong ideas, and clever execution of those ideas. We still need to get people’s attention, achieve the cut-through in the mass of messages. In the end we still need the creative juice.”

Chris, who bought Hamilton’s only full-service advertising company back in 1999, says the internet and digital revolution have been “amazing drivers” in his industry.

“The digital space is creating unbelievable change across everything. Media consultancy has changed beyond belief with players such as Netflix, Neon, YouTube, Spotify. We have had to change our mindset completely. Social media is an additional layer and very complex to deal with.

“In the past you just had a choice of a couple of radio stations, local TV, the papers, and maybe outdoor. Now there are so many platforms and so many ways of helping a

business reach their customers.”

During the last 21 years Chris has grown King St from four employees to a specialised team of 23, with offices in Hamilton and Tauranga.

And the complexity of the options available to the agency to get their clients in front of clients means Chris has to admit he no longer fully understands how some staff go about doing their jobs.

“While other agencies have specialised, say in digital, King St have very proudly remained a full- service agency. That means I don’t claim to know exactly how some of the complex technology is operated – there are many

specialisations now. I do know just enough to be dangerous really!

“Google and Facebook for example are really complex platforms. Sometimes we have to create work that is really specific to the platform, say with YouTube, where you have to make six-second clips – to do that effectively you really have to think how to break through on that specific platform, rather than adapt the material from a longer form – it certainly keeps us busy with our thinking caps on.

“The challenge is how to give the best advice on how clients should spend their hard-earned cash, how to most effectively get them in front of their customers and prospects. Then,

“

Despite all the change, we still need strong ideas, and clever execution of those ideas.

of course, we match this with smart strategy and clever creative that we execute to the highest quality possible across all platforms. And our work is very trackable now – we can very quickly work out what is successful and make changes if we need to.”

Chris says 2021 is sure to challenge his King St team.

“The lockdown rebound is slowing, a lot of the discretionary spend is going to go. It will be a major challenge for the economy and the agency.

“Research shows in adverse conditions people go with brands and companies they trust.

Companies are going to have to appeal to both the head and the heart. Digital platforms can struggle to make that emotional connection with the audience. We are going to have to work that out. Companies will have to ask themselves what makes their customers tick and how best to tackle that connection.

“I think we’ll see a return to basics – remember what got you here, look after that, treasure every new lead.

“Looking ahead I’m excited by the challenges, it’s time for the old dogs to step up. While we haven’t been through a pandemic, I had my first job during the ’87 stock market crash –we’ve sailed some stormy seas before.”

CHRIS WILLIAMS

Out and about

Some of the many people who have made an appearance in Waikato Business News over the years.

David O’Neill

Karen Thomson and Maureen Tims

Biren Patel and Tesh Randall

Sir William Gallagher, David Barnett, Jack Ninnes and Steve Hayidakis

Vanessa Williams and John Lawrenson

Kingsley Field, Gaye Barton, Mike Blake and Roger Laybourn

Harshmmen Kaur and Nick Dromgool

Toby Morris and Te Radar

Paula Sutton and Chris Simpson

Melissa Clothier, Malcolm and Julie MacDonald

Andrew Wood and Senga Allen

Chantal Baxter, Natasha Harvey and Glenn Forster

Michael Bassett-Foss

Sarah Wollerton, Ella Warren and Alice Norton

Mike Neale, Nicole Hartopeanu and Sarah King

Carey West and Jeremy Hughes

Adrian Paterson, Trish Tate and David Bennett

Sarah Rundstrom, Brian Squair and Vicky Williamson

Sandra Hutton and Donna Cunniffe

Mark Morgan and Dion Merson

Jon Tanner and Andrew Flexman

Lou Cables, Ross Townshend and Bronwyn Main

Ashleigh Turner, Lee Ann Muntz, Vaughan Payne

Geoff Taylor and Martin Gallagher

Kirstie Dawson-Smith, Paula Sutton and Terry Wilson

Terry and Roy Braggins and Bruce and Pamela Nixon

Sandy Guscott and Katrina Van de Ven

Rob Pascoe, Dick Breukink and Paula Southgate

Michelle Bailey

Peter Nation, Ron Fleming, Richard Walker, Beth Jobin

Lodge leader looks at an ever-changing real estate world

It’s an ever-changing world for those engaged in today’s real estate industry.

This sector has seen many highs and lows during the past 25 years with mortgage interest rates being the ruler in most cases.

In Hamilton a very positive Lodge Real Estate managing director, Jeremy O’Rourke, has seen many of them from the time he began his career as a keen young sales representative to today where he sits in the seat of power.

Lodge is Hamilton’s largest real estate company.

The sales teams use a multitude of communications platforms to ensure vendors and buyers are knowledgeable in all aspects of their property sales and purchases.

“Go back a few years (at least 25) and you would see salespeople using radio telephones to keep in touch with the office,” said Jeremy. “Now with mobile phones the gaps have closed and they are in close contact with vendors, potential buyers, their teams and the office.”

“In that time newspaper advertising was very strong with a majority of households receiving a copy of the ‘daily rag’, he said. “Now with population growth and sadly circulation decline, this form of communication has taken on a scattergun style and is used mostly in niche market publications aimed directly at a target audience.

“Face-to-face communication is most important, as it has been from the beginning of property sales. And in what is a developing

electronic world this is an essential element in successful real estate selling,” said Jeremy.

The exponential growth in the use of electronic platforms seen in the use of texting, Messenger, Instagram, Snapchat and email has opened many doors through which vendors and buyers can step.

“At the same time sales teams are growing with customer needs.”

Jeremy says that since the Covid-19 lockdown the strong introduction of Facebook, Google and Trade Me have been used to target people in the market as well as those who are planning to come on board as either sellers or buyers.

“All the methods of communication we have included are consumer-centric and speed up reactions by our sales teams towards vendors and buyers,” said Jeremy.

“We have never before seen this rate of change in the sector…it’s like a freight train screaming up the main trunk line…it’s enormous and is improving our service delivery.

“It allows our people to spend more time in front of clients who can then appreciate the amount of background work that has been done.

“There has been a general increase in consumer protection. Unlike the old days of ‘Let the Buyer Beware’ our job today is to ‘Make the Buyer Aware’.

“This has led to salespeople increasing their levels of due diligence when listing properties

Jeremy O’Rourke

and, in turn, taking better care of customers overall.

According to Jeremy more young people are taking up real estate sales as a career.

“When I told my parents I wanted to become a real estate salesperson, they didn’t believe it. It was not seen as a career – certainly not one they thought I should take. But I have proved them wrong and have made a success of my chosen profession.

“It is exciting to see the number of younger people stepping up to the plate to join our ranks,” Jeremy said.

“They are inquisitive and ask questions as well as listening to the needs of vendors and buyers.

“This helps them stand firmly by the real estate edict of today…

“Make the Buyer Aware”

If it’s a rush job, don’t say no... say

NOW!

To work in the advertising business is to work in the land of perpetual deadlines, imposed and (I must confess) self-imposed.

All my life I’ve always said “Now” instead of “No.” Most creative industries have grueling work schedules and deadlines.

No matter what kind of work you’re in, do it fast, on-time, and do it perfectly.

SOURCE : DAMN GOOD ADVICE - GEORGE LOIS

Stiles and Hooker Architects and Engineers

This is a team at the top of its game, producing quality projects with passion.

From its home in the mighty Waikato, the team of 30 at Stiles and Hooker have been delivering locally, nationally and internationally for many valued clients for nearly on 40 years, with a big celebration planned for next year.

Stiles and Hooker has a strong focus on the industrial / food processing sector.

Dairy process plants, meat processing plants, beverages & wineries, honey and their

associated energy, water and water treatment services are Stiles and Hooker’s niche.

Stiles and Hooker Ltd has close associations with all the food industry process specialists in New Zealand, adding value to project success due to their vast experience, understanding of the requirements of the plant, the space and hygiene requirements that need to be incorporated in the various factories.

Almost all dairy process sites in New Zealand include buildings and structures designed by Stiles and Hooker.

Director and general manager Glenn McHardie said: “We enjoy delivering quality projects, “working together and coming up with clever solutions excites the whole team.”

Glenn says: “The ‘together’ includes our design professionals, the building contractor and the process engineer, delivering outstanding results for the clients.

“We enjoy the challenge which means working on extremely fast track projects where once the project is approved it is ‘all go’. The contractor is often on site preparing the

The Stiles and Hooker team

ground immediately, the foundations are in for consent, and we are working on the detailed design of the upper structure.”

Beyond putting an effective structure and skin over process equipment, what makes Stiles and Hooker shine in its niche market - New Zealand’s leading industrial/food process facility design team - comes down to three main elements.

Our depth of knowledge, shared over many years with our clients’ businesses including critical focus on effective flow and masterplanning on specific sites.

The ability to orchestrate the parts involved to give advice that is practical and only involves a few of the experienced Stiles and Hooker team as opposed to having a multitude of specialists not owning the whole process.

The company has consciously decided to remain medium in size, for efficiency and to provide clients with direct access to the directors, ensuring the philosophy of the business is never diluted.

Working with excellent clients around the country and producing ‘the goods’ on each project has earned 85 percent in repeat business.

We go strong for our clients and while, as a professional business, we depend on them, they accept our strengths and come to rely on us.

“We accept and relish the design challenge, and take immense satisfaction in the part we’ve played in the shared success of the of the overall project,” says Roger Baker, director, engineer

The practice is a member of ACE, the Association of Consulting and Engineering. Three directors are members of Engineering New Zealand. One director is an associate of the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA).

CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

Our approach

We listen

Our team focuses on effective listening, enabling us to determine a client’s requirements and desires from project inception to its full realisation. We are a personable group of professionals to whom you can chat in confidence. We invite you to enjoy the process with us.

We collaborate

We pride ourselves on getting projects off to a decisive start by collaborating with key players early during the design process. Added to that we have taken the proven benefits of collaboration a step further, gathering the best and most dynamic architectural and engineering minds under one roof. This team effort will deliver optimal results for your project.

We Innovate

For our talented team, using innovation to come up with smart solutions that help our clients do better, is part of everyday life. We look for ongoing improvement so the solutions we offer are both creative and effective for our clients’ projects.

We deliver

We have a proven track record, with industry respect for the thorough level of documentation we provide and our sound management of projects. We are motivated to deliver projects for our clients that strike the right balance between quality, cost-effectiveness and timely delivery.

FROM TOP

Tony Wade and associate director Scott Lawrence

Directors Iain Brown, Roger Baker, Glenn McHardie,

The company in brief

Looking back to the beginning…

Roger Stiles and Roydon Hooker founded the engineering and architectural practice of Stiles & Hooker Limited in 1981.

Nearly 40 years later the business continues to run strong under the watch of current directors: Iain Brown, Roger Baker, Glenn

McHardie and Tony Wade.

Stiles and Hooker has a strong future with ongoing succession planning, which includes welcoming Scott Lawrence this year as associate director, with a plan to become a director in 2021

A company with heart

Our purpose: To deliver quality projects with passion

Our focus: We are New Zealand’s leading industrial/food process facility design team. We do the best by the project by being approachable, experienced and connected.

Our culture:

1. Integrity… We do right by the project – we do right by the team

2. Customer focus… We make them part of our team so we truly understand them and deliver on promises

3. Team… We collaborate to succeed together

4. Quality… We use our skills and knowledge to provide quality we are proud of

5. Passion… We celebrate our vision becoming reality… enjoying the journey

6. Balance… We are balanced in all we do: Family, health, work and play

Design essence

We believe that a building should reflect the unique characteristics of its location, function and the identity of the client for whom it is being built.

This helps us to ensure we create an environment that best suits our clients needs and expectations.

The Stiles and Hooker team gains great satisfaction from creating buildings of enduring quality that add immense value to the lives of the people who interact with them.

Quality assurance

We use the latest and greatest technical tools.

Our in-house technologies are continually being audited to ensure they are up-to-date. This means we consistently utilise the latest technical tools, enhancing our company’s capacity to deliver exceptional projects.

Our professionals and technicians keep abreast of new developments in design trends, building processes, materials and technologies to ensure they are equipped to provide clients with the most sound advice and ultimately great buildings.

All clients may be assured of quality and peace of mind when Stiles and Hooker works with them.

We provide the quality assurance you deserve being registered with TELARC New Zealand (ISO 9001) 2015.

694 8870 19black.co.nz

Fill a Bowl

15 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 021 360 906

fillabowl.co.nz

Gates Optometrist

1 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 6996 gatesoptometrists.co.nz

Gails Floral Studio

7 Worley Place, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 0988 gails.co.nz

Harper Inc

2/19 Worley Place, Hamilton Phone: 07 834 0017 harperinc.co.nz

Hart Jewellers

12 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 5666

High Above

36 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 021 199 7355 highabove.co.nz

Kebab Salateen

26 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 3375

Magazine Designer Clothing

19 Worley Place, Hamilton Phone: 07 834 3106 magazineclothing.co.nz

Margaret Wallace Clothing Alterations

25 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 5834

OFF & ON

25 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 949 9836 offandon.co.nz

OOBE

43 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 850 5231 oobe.co.nz

RUBY

25 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 834 0210 shop.rubynz.com

Sol Studio

36 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 834 1012

Starbucks

Corner Ward Street & Worley Place

Phone: 07 839 7302 starbucks.co.nz

Star of India

4/39 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 949 8342

starofindiahamilton.com

Sunshine Health

7/11 Worley Place, Hamilton Phone: 021 0239 6096

Trade Aid

4/19 Worley Place, Hamilton Phone: 07 838 1410 tradeaid.org.nz

Texas Radio

43 Ward Place, Hamilton Phone: 07 839 5615

texas-radio.co.nz

Ward Street Barber

12 Ward Street, Hamilton Phone: 07 838 2620

Bartercard proves its worth in the Waikato

An opportunity knocked, and the now Bartercard NZ COO, Paul Hebbink snapped it up.

He bought the Bartercard Waikato franchise (as it was then structured) in 1999. Paul then spent the next three years in the mighty Waikato, along with his business partner, driving the Bartercard franchise from strength to strength.

The Bartercard principles of assisting small business owners to gain new customers and conserve cash through its digital currency of trade dollars was a key to the franchise proving its worth in Waikato, a region well known for its large number of small business enterprises (SMEs), and it’s still as important today. The branch is thriving and is helping thousands of card holders benefit from the cashless currency.

After 28 years in New Zealand, Bartercard has 10,000 cardholders turning over eight to 10 million trade dollars a month. There are now 13 regional offices and the membership base continues to expand through its referral programme, bRewards.

Bartercard has helped assist many businesses to grow and realise their potential by putting their spare capacity to use.

In the real estate sector trade dollars are used to invest in properties. It allows for spare capital to be invested into bricks and mortar.

For accommodation providers, restaurants, bars and cafes, Bartercard is a great opportunity to fill empty seats and idle capacity.

The Bartercard presence in Waikato is also visible through its strategic alliances and support of sports teams and events as Paul believes in investing back into the community which supports the Bartercard brand.

In rugby the Chiefs have had the advantage of Bartercard support for the past few seasons, as has Magic Netball and going back a year or two the V8s.

Sponsorship Manager for the Waikato Chiefs, Kate Shirtcliff has commented “Bartercard has a long-standing relationship with the Waikato Chiefs through our sponsorship scheme. Bartercard has allowed our organisation to approve capital expenditure projects based on a portion of that expense being purchased on trade. We primarily use our trade dollars for accommodation when the team is touring, team manager expenses, functions and events, sponsorship events, operating expenses, and some capital expenditure. Bartercard has really helped us to preserve cash where we've needed to, and it's a great support network for other charities and organisations looking for sponsorship.”

ATTRACT NEW C USTOMERS

Today, Paul holds the position of Chief Operating Officer for Bartercard NZ and is based out of Auckland. As he would say, his blood runs green and he is proud of what the business has achieved over the years. The business is recovering well post-Covid and the flexibility of the alternative digital currency is allowing its members to continue trading through these uncertain times, and conserve that allimportant cash.

“

Bartercard has really helped us to preserve cash where we've needed to

It has been an exciting journey for Bartercard since its inception in New Zealand in 1992, and the journey continues with the next phase of its growth strategy aligning itself to the crypto world, Qoin, which launched New Zealand wide in October 2020.

Bartercard.co.nz Qoin.world

Increase your customer base and geographic reach through Bartercard’s referral network (and that’s on top of your cash paying customers!)

“We have seen a steady increase in customer traffic with very little effort on our behalf – we put this down to being a Bartercard member and being exposed to a network we wouldn’t have had if we were just in a cash business.”

— Linda, local cafe owner

Find out how your business can benefit. Contact Bartercard today on 07 834 3443

Paul Hebbink

Bartercard NZ COO

Our future together

... By Deidre Morris, Waikato Business News director

Coronavirus has sent ripples into our lives that have affected us in so many ways. This year, as Waikato Business News celebrates 25 years, it’s meant the traditional pause to take stock of past and future is especially compelling and confusing.

When I look back on the extraordinary experience of working with the Waikato business community so deeply for so long, I am both grateful and proud of what we’ve achieved as a community. It’s an amazing foundation that this community has built with hard work, innovation, and incredible integrity. And I like to think Waikato Business News has

played a strong role in some of those gains.

But, as I’ve been thinking about what the next 25 years – or 50 years – will look like, I feel I need to draw a line under the past and recognise that the future will probably look different. Being flexible has always been important in business, and now more than ever the Waikato business community’s leadership is needed to help our region and country adapt and find the new opportunities that will help us thrive.

My first realisation of how special the Waikato business community is happened before I arrived. I tried to start a rival business newspaper from Auckland and got sent packing; businesses here valued Waikato Business News and they weren’t about to encourage an Auckland upstart! So I changed tack and bought Waikato Business News, and I haven’t looked back!

It’s not until you live in this region that you really see its magic. I am still blown away by

what this community achieves on the global stage by great Waikato companies and downto-earth people. I’ve seen more business achievements come from this region than I ever did in Auckland.

The clients I’ve established a particular rapport with have all been straight shooters. I love working with the kind of people you can have a great debate with and then go and have a beer together. Some are important to me for a mix of reasons: it’s been wonderful watching Ebbett’s grow, for example. They live their values and I’ve learned so much from Ben and Walter.

I’m very proud that Waikato Business News has earned the respect of business people who also work with integrity. That translates into operational decisions, such as maintaining an ad/editorial ratio that is respectful to the audience. As a team we have core values that we try to stick to. It evolves every day but the key is to be flexible and keep lines of communication open.

Our children have grown up learning the realities – sometimes harsh but sometimes very beneficial – of parents who run a timeconsuming business. We lived with highly organised routines at home but they also had a mum who was great at fundraising for their overseas school trips and who was able to show up to school sports events. Everything was about preparation.

One of my major motivations for owning a business was to put myself in a situation where I was solely responsible for the results, both of the business and myself.

There was the freedom to choose every day what was most important, and to set my own limits on the income I could achieve. But I also wanted to understand myself: what skills do I really have, and what is the right thing to do in any given situation? Those are things I would not have been able to explore if I’d stayed working for someone else.

Now I have gathered 25 years of priceless memories of people and achievements, for me, Waikato Business News, and the Waikato business community.

When I think about the many good people who’ve sweated blood alongside me in Waikato Business News, there are a handful of women who have changed my life and who I’m in awe of. Sally Birch: writer, seller, genuinely interested in people and it showed, a gorgeous warm, gentle person. Bev McIntosh: she’d had a tough life but she was always beautifully presented and professional, always with a smile on her face. Tania Hogg, a lovely, gentle person. So many of our good people headed off on their own adventures then came back. They were family.

I like to believe Waikato Business News is trusted and has earned its place in the community.

That became clear when my partner and I ended our relationship and we split the business. It was tough but I have been

amazed and humbled by the support I’ve been given. In this business community, if you’ve done business with integrity, the support is phenomenal. It’s given me back my sense of pride in myself. Thank you everyone for your kindness.

Being included in the Mystery Creek 50 year celebrations was a thrill and another indication of how Waikato Business News is perceived. My inclusion in the time capsule was the first issue of Waikato Business News that I did flying solo after the business split. It felt momentous.

I am still ambitious for Waikato Business News and the Waikato region. As well as growing the publication, I hope we can develop closer relationships with the region’s organisations that are also ambitious. I want us to be the link and a force for helping the Waikato move forward.

Media has changed so much over the past 25 years but newspaper has been making a quiet comeback. There is so much available online but print is still trusted. We will continue to ask the same questions we always have: how can we make it work best for you? I want your business to be thriving in 100 years, so how can we work together to achieve that?

Waikato Business News has a solid past and we’re looking forward to an incredible future.

The way we Waikato businesses achieve our goals might need to change in this weird new world, but Waikato business is smart and flexible. We can do it together!

I have been blessed over the decades with the people I have worked with and for, and I have felt the responsibility, accountability and pressure of building and maintaining the WBN brand.

For this publication in particular, on top of my role as managing director, I found myself back where I began - beating the pavement as a sales rep. With so many businesses and individuals suffering from the effects of

“

Waikato Business News has a solid past and we’re looking forward to an incredible future.

nationwide lockdowns and a rapidly changing environment, I really had no idea how this might pan out but it felt good to be out again spending time with our clients and doing what I love. The support and respect I felt with every call was a very humbling, positive and proud experience.

The team here got me through some tough times, and helped to reshape the business; they are dedicated, loyal, hardworking and very passionate also about what they do.

I am blessed and feel truly grateful to be surrounded by such good people - so a massive thank you to them.

To our advertisers - thank you for investing and trusting. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our very loyal readers, clients, partners and associates.

would like to congratulate on their 25th year in business. We are proud to support and continue to be your print partner of choice.

To celebrate we are offering your readers this fantastic deal

www.dpmedia.co.nz