CEO skydiving to support cancer care in the community
With 72 New Zealanders being diagnosed with cancer every day at a time of mounting pressure on healthcare services, it’s an issue that affects the whole community. Cancer Society Waikato/Bay of Plenty CEO, Helen Carter, says now is the time to turn the tide and is calling on businesses to get behind her as she makes the ultimate jump for cancer.
“While the thought of jumping out of a plane makes me ‘jump out of my skin’ in terror, it pales in comparison to the grit, courage and determination of those I’ve met with cancer that keep fighting,” says Helen.
Jump For Cancer is a fundraiser that raises money to support Cancer Society services in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
The Cancer Society is 100% community funded and relies on donations from the public to run its services at no cost to its clients. These include oneon-one supportive care from experienced nurses, regular support groups, access to wellbeing grants and counselling, transport to treatment and accommodation at the Cancer
Cancer Society CEO Helen Carter
Society’s Lions Lodge close to Waikato Hospital.
“I can’t understate what a difference the funds we raise will mean to our local community who rely on the practical support we offer.
“Hearing how much our work is valued inspires me to keep fighting for funding and if that means jumping out of a plane and hopefully inspiring others, I’ll do it.”
Helen is urging businesses in the community to support her jump and says she would love to see other CEOs take on the challenge with her.
Jumps take place in either Tauranga on Saturday 20 May and Taupō on Saturday
Please make this jump count by supporting me and donating to the Cancer Society. Or join me and we can jump for cancer together!
27 May and are free for participants once $1000 has been fundraised.
To donate or sign up, visit jumpforcancer.org.nz/
At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what businesses are built on and how they succeed. We understand that to maximise the
your
Traffic count estimation made easy
Enhanced software boosts productivity.
Company-X has enhanced the world’s first national transport quality assurance tool to help improve evidence-based decision making across the sector.
The Waikato software specialist has added a Traffic Count Estimation (TCE) module to Transport Insights.
Company-X designed and developed the TCE module for use by Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, city, and district councils on behalf of client Te Ringa Maimoa Transport Excellence Partnership.
“The Transport Insights TCE module provides a more consistent way for councils to estimate the traffic volumes on their roads,” said Company-X business analyst Bryan Miles.
The module is based on the Traffic Monitoring Estimation Best Practice Guidelines published by the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia NZ (IPWEA NZ) Roading Infrastructure Management Support (RIMS) special interest group.
Miles shared details of
These
estimates
are extremely important for planning what road work needs to be done where and when.
the module with the sector at the Roading Infrastructure Management Support (RIMS) Forum in Christchurch in March.
Traffic estimation feeds into various aspects of roading network management and planning. Estimating the traffic count across a roading network was challenging. Road Controlling Authorities (RCAs) used various manual, and thus labour intensive, error prone processes to estimate traffic counts.
Handling thousands of rows of data in one spreadsheet means there is a much higher chance
of putting the wrong value in a cell or copying the wrong formula to a cell.
The TCE module removes manual analysis, resulting in a more consistent result across the network.
“If I had to put an amount
of time saved by using the tool, I would say it was in the two-to-three-month realm,” said Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Road Asset Information Specialist Simon Chu.
“Taking the process away
from a manual to a more automated process means there’s a much lower chance of errors.”
Te Ringa Maimoa, formerly the Road Efficiency Group, is a joint initiative between Local Government New Zealand and Waka Kotahi. It has partnered with Company-X since 2015.
Waipa District Council Asset Information OfficerTransport Kim Wright said: “Transport Insights helps us make better asset management decisions.”
Company-X helps councils migrate to new data standard
Company-X is also working closely with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency to help councils migrate to the new Asset Management Data Standard (AMDS).
Without a national data standard Waka Kotahi and 68 Road Controlling Authorities including the Department of Conservation, have an inconsistent approach to data capture and definition across the transport sector.
AMDS enforces a tighter level of control on data that is loosely defined. The tightening of constraints means those datasets need updating to comply with the standard, leading to more consistent use across the roading sector.
Company-X worked with the AMDS Programme at Waka Kotahi to help define the standard, providing critical advice ensuring the standard was implementable at Waka Kotahi and the 68 RCAs. Company-X was also intimately involved in prototype migrations and resolved many issues which fed back into changes to the standard.
Data standards are documented agreements on representation, format, definition, structuring, tagging, transmission, manipulation, use, and management of data.
Waka Kotahi consulted with Company-X’s transport sector subject matter experts Jeremy Hughes and Nigel Lynton as AMDS was defined. Between 1992 and 2014 Company-X co-founder and director Hughes worked with Lynton on the business analysis, data design and modelling of Thinkproject’s Road Assessment and Maintenance Management (RAMM) database. Their combined quarter century of experience not only gave them an unparalleled knowledge of RAMM’s data design but an essential grasp of the purpose and goal of that design.
Te Ringa Maimoa Transport Excellence Partnership also consulted with Company-X on how to include minor structures in the standard.
Company-X also assisted with the AMDS prototype migration. The project tested migration of real-world data to the standard. It also validated
the ability to implement the standard across the NZ roading sector including RCAs, maintenance contractors and professional engineering services.
Hughes’ team at Company-X developed toolsets to enable automated rapid migration to AMDS and testing.
Company-X’s automated toolsets interrogate the data in RAMM and, in the migration process, ensures it has the right structure and is migrated to the right location.
“AMDS is starting to have real impact on how we are thinking and working,” said Wellington City Council’s Pamela Brown.
“We are preparing for the implementation into our database and already planning how it will enable us into digital engineering.
“AMDS is just in time for us as we support the data and information needs of the large, complex, and ambitious Let’s Get Wellington Moving projects. The interest and support from across the sector is fantastic as we make the changes we need for a new way of working.”
Insightful - Waipa District Council Asset Information Officer Kim Wright uses Transport Insights.
WCL Group delivers over 20 years of quality painting and plasterboard services in the Waikato
Proudly family-owned and operated, WCL Group having been around for over 20 years providing professional painting services and now plasterboard service across the Waikato.
idely known as the painting and plasterboard professionals, WCL are highly respected within the construction industry for providing a quality and professional service.
They place a big emphasis on family with two generations currently working in the company, bringing a range of talents to the business.
Hamish Wilton a qualified quantity surveyor, started out in the building industry at 25 and then took up a role managing a local painting company.
By 1987 Hamish and wife Janice had set up a painting business in partnership with others in the trade, before finally going it alone in 1999 when they established Wilton Contracting Limited.
We can now o er factory coatings from everything from doors through to pre coating cladding before it heads to site and are prepared to scale this side of their operation up to suit demand.
From left to right: Luke Orr, Mike Young, Hamish Wilton & Tim Wilton.
We control such a signi cant number of key trades, which has proven to be worthwhile for all our clients and suppliers.
Always looking for ways to innovate, WCL have introduced, and continue to add, products and services that deliver the best possible service and results to their loyal clients.
Most recently the team have added WCL Ceiling Battens to their suite of services and built a customised spray booth at their Pukete premises.
WCL Stop the World is the Ceiling Batten, Plasterboard Supply and Installation and GIB Stopping side of the business and general manager and director Mike Young is excited about the future for the group. “Being new to the business is very exciting and we have already grown and achieved so much,” he says.
“While Mike is not family, he is as good as having had known him for some 20 years. He is a very welcome addition to our group and with his previous experience from the construction
industry and police he brings a unique skill set to the table,” Hamish says.
Having a staff of over 100 employees all based in the Waikato allows WCL the advantage to offer its full range of services to their client across the region.
With providing quality work top priority, WCL introduced the installation of the ceiling battens to allow better control of the complete interior envelope of the project.
Tim Wilton and Luke Orr, joint managing directors of Wilton Contracting, have worked hard to establish the business to operate at scale and provide high quality work.
Tim, son and nephew Luke have worked together and are proud to have recently launched their customised spray booth WCL Factory Coatings.
The internal spray booth measures 19-metres by six-metres and it’s one of the biggest in-house booths in New Zealand and the only one in the Waikato.
“We can now offer factory coatings from everything from doors through to pre coating cladding before it heads to site and we are prepared to scale this side of the operation up to suit demand.”
The painting operation through to paint touch-ups and maintenance is Tim’s role. This is something he oversees with the help of his two supervisors.
Tim is responsible for quality control and day-to-day supervision of staff and contractors, and he is always looking to improve the painting side of the business.
WCL believe their model is far more than just getting the job done, it’s professionalism, presentation, client liaison and their unique maintenance model that sets them apart from the rest. “We were the first ones to have a designated touch-up team. We accept it as part of our costs. We understand what the builder has to do to get their product across the line,” Tim says.
Hamish says he is now very content and excited for the future of WCL Group with the management structure in place, as he now begins his retirement journey with wife Janice, while still remaining involved and he looks forward to watching the business grow and develop.
WCL have gone from strength to strength with regards to initiative and volume of work, they are a well organised operation and contribute hugely to the industry,” testimony from WCL’s plasterboard supplier.
Resene has been a long term partner to Wilton Contracting and we look forward to continuing this mutually rewarding relationship well into the future.
Attracting international business, events and leisure travellers
Following another unusual tourism summer season, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism (HWT) and our operators are now in the thick of the ‘trade season’ – when we actively market the Mighty Waikato to the world.
‘Trade season’ refers to the time of year when we market and sell our region, products, services and new visitor experiences to the travel trade – wholesalers, inbound tour operators, travel agents and online retailers. The travel trade plays a significant role in attracting international visitors to New Zealand and the Waikato region by encouraging travelers to spend more time exploring what we have to offer.
Following the pandemic, independent travellers are still organising and planning their own trips directly online, however the travel trade remains important in reaching larger numbers of potential
international visitors, particularly in our long-haul markets such as Europe, United States, Canada, China, Japan and South America, plus our number one visitor market, Australia. By establishing relationships with key operators and agencies, and engaging a mix of distribution partners, we help our region and tourism operators tap into an effective channel to market and reach target consumers.
At the same time, our team are engaging with the conference, meetings, events, exhibition and travel incentive sector, talking about the benefits of meeting and doing business in the Mighty Waikato.
The business event and convention market is key to the continued success of our region. Not only do conference delegates spend more than the leisure traveller but evidence also indicates they are likely to return for a holiday with family and friends if they have a favorable experience while attending their conference.
The expo will attract hundreds of buyers from across the globe ranging from established markets like Australia, the USA, UK as well as emerging tourism markets.
Key events that form foundations for this time of year include the eXplore trade show being held in Auckland, TRENZ (Tourism Rendezvous New Zealand) in Christchurch and MEETINGS in Wellington.
The eXplore show is one of the largest trade events for NZ-based inbound tour operators, wholesalers and travel agents. This year’s event was the first back since 2019 due to the pandemic and included more than 100 tourism businesses from across the Central North Island exhibiting their experiences, accommodation and tours to over 180 travel trade representatives.
Joining HWT from the Mighty Waikato were 11 operators including Hobbiton Movie Set, Discover Waitomo, Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, Riverside Adventures, Hamilton Gardens, Novotel Tainui Hamilton, Castaways Resort, The Red Barn, Cornerstone Alpaca, Spellbound Waitomo and Hidden Lake Hotel.
This show is a key activity of Explore Central North Island (ECNI) which is a marketing collective of eight regions including Hauraki-Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Tairawhiti-Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Ruapehu, Great Lake Taupo, Rotorua, and Hamilton & Waikato. We work together to actively promote our regions and experiences to international tourism trade – a strong force which positions the best of the North Island.
After four years, the most
significant international business-to-business travel trade event on New Zealand’s tourism events calendar, TRENZ, is returning.
The expo will attract hundreds of buyers from across the globe ranging from established markets like Australia, the USA, UK as well as emerging tourism markets. Each exhibitor will undertake over 50 15-minute meetings over three days.
Trade ready operators in attendance alongside HWT include Hobbiton Movie Set, Discover Waitomo, Waitomo Adventures, Roselands Resort, Hamilton Gardens, and The Red Barn.
MEETINGS is the only national tradeshow in New Zealand for the business events industry.
Held in June each year, this two-day event brings together hundreds of buyers and sellers of conference and incentive travel, from across NZ, Australia and further afield to grow mutual business events opportunities and share knowledge and ideas.
The Mighty Waikato will be there in force in 2023 with Claudelands Conference & Exhibition Centre, Novotel Tainui Hamilton, Discover Waitomo, Hamilton Gardens, Hobbiton Movie Set, Jet Park
Hotel Hamilton Airport, The Red Barn and our HWT business events team all attending. Feedback from the travel trade and business events buyers continues to be positive about the Mighty Waikato as they are excited to build or renew relationships, hear about the new products and experiences emerging across our region. Our region is well positioned to take advantage of our growing popularity as a ‘mustvisit’ destination on traveller itineraries and business events calendars, and we continue to work hard to maximise the positive economic and community benefits that our visitors bring to the Waikato.
TELLING WAIKATO’S STORY BY NICOLA GREENWELL
Chief Executive, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
Building Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Ensuring the Trustworthiness and Security of Enterprise Applications
Responsible AI
The emergence of AI is revolutionising the landscape of business operations, prompting numerous organisations to explore the potential of AI to enhance their efficiency and gain a competitive edge.
As AI advancements rapidly evolve, there is an increasing need for regulations to ensure the reliability of AI systems and prevent any harm they may cause. For instance, recent news reports indicate that Samsung workers made a significant mistake by utilising ChatGPT which has now been banned in Italy due to privacy concerns.
In addition to worrying about data security, individuals using AI tools, such as ChatGPT, frequently ask themselves whether the answers provided by AI that appear to be correct are actually accurate. As users, it can be challenging to discern the correctness of AI-generated answers. In certain instances, an erroneous response from AI may result in significant adverse effects.
Therefore, after being dazzled by the remarkable capabilities of AI tools like ChatGPT, it
seems necessary for us to take a step back and consider how to build responsible AI. Some companies, such as Microsoft, a partner of OpenAI, have proposed responsible AI principles to govern the design, building, and testing of machine learning models to ensure fairness, inclusiveness, reliability, safety, security, transparency, and accountability. Additionally, Microsoft has unveiled the Azure OpenAI service on its Azure cloud platform.
The Azure OpenAI service, which provides programmatic access to OpenAI language models, is now generally available and includes support for chat interactions with the GPT model. Microsoft has integrated OpenAI models with various services, including Bing, GitHub Copilot, and Microsoft 365, and is exploring the potential of using ChatGPT in enterprise-grade applications on the Azure service.
Restrict information only to those who are involved
Incorporating AI services such as ChatGPT in enterprise-grade applications requires stringent demands on data security and
the accuracy of the AI-generated content. By using Azure OpenAI, customers can leverage the same models as OpenAI while benefiting from the security features of Microsoft Azure, such as private networking and regional availability.
Microsoft said it is hosting the OpenAI models on its Azure infrastructure, and all customer data sent to Azure OpenAI remains within the service. The prompts and completion data may be stored temporarily by the Azure OpenAI Service in the same region as the resource for a maximum of 30 days. It is important to note that this data is not sent to OpenAI, and it does not use customer data to train, retrain, or improve the models in the Azure OpenAI Service.
Moreover, to ensure data security and reliability, users can integrate Azure OpenAI service with other Azure services. For example, Microsoft demonstrated a demo where it integrated Azure OpenAI with Azure Cognitive Search service. The data of the knowledge base is stored in an Azure Cognitive Search index, which allows the implementation of various building blocks for security and filtering, such as document-level granular access control. In the demo, information about the project of an office move to enhance team collaboration is restricted to involved members only. If someone who is not involved types "Is there a move or office space change coming?", the AI-generated response will be "I don't know,"
Iconic 3D building a first for Southern Hemisphere
The first commercial building built from 3D printed concrete in the southern hemisphere has been completed in Hamilton, New Zealand.
The new Creators Forest Lake building embraces indoor-outdoor flow, featuring textured concrete walls and large sliding doors on the kitchen to give the teachers the option to open or close rooms off from the outside, or increase their play-space and serve food and drinks directly outside.
Completed on time through the peak of post-COVID supply chain issues by Iconic Construction Ltd, general manager Johnny Gordon says using QOROX walls was a massive time-saver due to the quick printing and setting time.
“There was a seven-day turnaround from the 3DCP walls being printed to being fully installed and filled, using QOROX’s
game-changing technology. It was impressive, particularly when you compare it with traditional masonry blocks or timber methods,” Gordon says.
“Six sections of QOROX 3D printed walls at a combined length of 15 metres long and three metres high, were printed in under five hours. Within the space of a day and a half, we had an entire length of wall finished inside and out.”
Gordon says the time saving was noticed by other trades on site, particularly the quick wall installation, which was completed in just two and a half days by two people.
QOROX founder Wafaey Swelim says the speed of construction was due to the innovative technology and the construction “ink”, made from 80 percent of material sourced in New Zealand.
Gordon says being able to build texture into the wall design brings architectural interest into the space, while also being functional.
“You don’t often think of concrete as warm and welcoming, but having the texture allows us to bring personality into each wall, and also serve a functional purpose to hold and transfer heat which is great for all seasons.”
“We were so impressed by the 3D printed concrete texture, that we added it into the kitchen island facade along with a curved edge.”
The next development by Iconic is already in the pipeline, with Iconic and QOROX working with local designers to bring to life the possibilities of 3D printing in New Zealand commercial and residential construction.
indicating that no documents are available that provide information about the project.
Generate trustworthy responses and prevent abuse and harmful content
Another consideration for using AI in enterprise applications is how we can make responses trustworthy and prevent abusive and harmful content. One approach to ensuring trustworthiness is to cite the resources used to generate responses. In the demo from Microsoft mentioned earlier, it provides source citations for the facts presented, users can validate the information and gain confidence in the accuracy of the response.
Preventing abusive and harmful content requires a more proactive approach. This is where content filtering comes in. The content management system of the Azure OpenAI Service screens out potentially harmful content by running the input prompt and generated completion through a series of classification models. If harmful content is detected, the system either returns an error or flags the response as having gone through content filtering. In summary, ensuring trustworthiness and preventing abusive content are crucial considerations when using AI in enterprise applications. By citing sources and utilizing content filtering, these applications can provide accurate and reliable responses while maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all users.
TECH TALK BY JIADONG CHEN
Jiadong Chen is a cloud architect at Waikato software specialist Company-X and a Microsoft Most Valued Professional.
Figure 1 Source: Microsoft
Figure 2 Source: Microsoft
We.EV offers Electric Vehicle infrastructure analysis
We.EV has seized the opportunity to lead the way in supporting businesses to transition their fleets to EVs by investigating, designing, installing and providing an end-to-end solution to meet the customers’ needs and to minimize capital costs. Community owned, our vision is simple; to help businesses shape a better, more renewable future.
We.EV has completed various projects throughout the Waikato for education providers, councils, large and small commercial enterprises.
”When considering EV charging solutions, it’s important to understand your existing electrical infrastructure, ensure systems are not overloaded but still maximise the use of existing assets. Our team can provide you with the expert analysis and design required before commencing charger procurement and installation,” says Head of We.EV Craig Marshall.
There can be considerable costs involved with the installation of charging equipment. These can include upgrades to existing switchboards and cables onsite, the main electrical supply or disruptive works involving civil (trenching), ducts, pits and charging equipment foundations.
Understanding the options and solutions that can minimize costs and maximise charging availability before embarking on your project is essential. And that’s where We.EV comes in.
The We.EV team can analyse existing site infrastructure, power usage and parking locations to produce a report detailing recommended EV charging infrastructure alongside budget pricing to fit with your current needs and allow easy expansion into the future.
We.EV will partner with you and offer our know-how and experience to investigate and provide a cost-effective EV charging solution for your organization.
0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz
How will AI impact your business?
Is artificial intelligence coming for your job?
Arecent report from Goldman Sachs suggests that generative artificial intelligence systems will affect 300 million full time jobs worldwide, and significantly disrupt the labour market.
It’s got some people worried. Some 62 percent of Americans believe AI will impact jobs over the next 20 years, according to a Pew Research Center report released recently [April 20].
According to Professor Bernhard Pfahringer, co-director of Te Ipu o te Mahara AI Institute at University of Waikato, there is nothing to fear.
“Twenty years ago, artificial intelligence was an aspiration, but now it is a reality with far-reaching implications,” he says.
“It is a tool with huge potential to help us all, and change the way we work and live, just like the Internet did.”
Professor Pfahringer is a lecturer in the Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University. His research focuses on AI, deep learning and machine learning.
He spoke about ChatGPT, AI and its implications at a learning lunch organised by the Waikato Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) committee in April.
Professor Pfahringer said that AI tools have the potential to boost productivity and save labour costs across many industries, but many also lead to unemployment in certain roles or sectors.
“Some jobs will disappear, but new ones will emerge.”
Roles that could be impacted by the new technology include administrative and legal services, journalism and content creation, web coding and software engineering.
ChatGPT is a large language model created by OpenAI that predicts the next word in a sequence of words, and, by iterating the process, can create long sections of text, says
Professor Pfahringer.
The chatbot is trained on huge amounts of publicly available information on the Internet, including news and journal articles, alongside open-source computer code.
There are other similar generative AI models, including Google’s Bard and those that produce images, video, audio and text based on prompts, currently available. New innovations and improved interactions are also in the pipeline.
Professor Pfahringer believes that, in the future, AI will be incorporated into word processing programmes, like spell checker apps are today.
This will speed up the process of transcribing, analysing and organising vast amounts of information - helpful for a range of professions, from legal and human resources, to media, public relations and education. .
Another positive is that using AI frees people up to focus on higher level tasks and critical thinking, says Professor Pfahringer.
“There will be higher productivity and a better quality product.”
To ensure equity, he believes that subscribing to generative AI models and other emerging technologies should be made widely accessible to schools, community organisations and in business settings.
There are some concerns surrounding these AI tools
however, including accuracy, the generation and distribution of fake news and misinformation, implications for creatives and creativity, cheating on assignments, and copyright and plagiarism, among other things.
There is also concern about how te ao Māori and other world views outside the dominant US-centric mainstream are reflected or accommodated by commercially dominant large language models.
For those using ChatGPT for research or content generation, accuracy is still a concern.
Professor Pfahringer says that these “are hallucinations; sometimes AI just makes things up”.
ChatGPT doesn’t always produce factually correct text, although articles can read as entirely plausible on first read.
“This is a risk, especially if you do not take a critical approach and accept it as fact, and then share it as false information.”
The takeaway is, use AI tools to speed up your work processes, for idea generation or as a starting point, but double check everything.
Creativity and critical thinking can not be easily replaced.
Humans are still very much needed to manage the process and ensure accuracy.
–
By Kate Monahan Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Waikato committee deputy chair
CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON
Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton
Building Energy Efficiency
Ratings - NABERS
There has been increasing interest and Tenant requirements around building efficiency in recent years, particularly from government and corporate occupiers. We started with Green Star, which from a Hamilton perspective was often a costly exercise where Tenants were rarely prepared to pay the associated rental freight for the rating, to the more attainable NABERS rating system.
NABERSNZ (New Zealand version of NABERS - National Australian Built Environment Rating System) and Green Star are two sustainability rating systems used in Australia and New Zealand to measure the environmental performance of commercial buildings. While both rating systems aim to promote sustainable buildings, they differ in their approach and focus.
NABERS Ratings:
NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures the energy efficiency, water usage, and waste management of existing commercial buildings. It was developed in Australia in 1998 and has since been adopted in New Zealand as well. NABERS ratings are based on actual building performance data, which is collected over a period of 12 months and benchmarked against other buildings.
The NABERS rating system is designed to assess the environmental impact of buildings, primarily focused on measuring their operational energy efficiency, such as how much energy is used for heating, cooling, lighting, and hot water systems. On a scale of 0 to 6 stars, a 6-star rating represents marketleading environmental performance, while a 0-star rating indicates that the building has a high environmental impact. NABERS ratings are used to benchmark building performance and provide the building owners with recommendations for improvement.
There are 3 types of NABERSNZ ratings – Base Building, Tenancy or Whole Building, which measures a combination of both Base Building and Tenancy ratings.
Green Star Ratings:
Green Star is a comprehensive rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of new buildings, as well as major refurbishments. It was developed by the Green Building Council of Australia in 2003 and has since been adopted in New Zealand as well. The Green Star rating system assesses a building’s environmental impact in nine categories, including energy, water, materials, and indoor environment quality.
Green Star ratings are based on a points system, with a building needing to achieve a certain number of points in each category to attain a rating. Green Star ratings range from 1 to 6 stars, with a 6-star rating representing world leadership in sustainable building design and construction.
Benefits of NABERS in New Zealand:
NABERSNZ has several benefits for building owners and occupants in New Zealand.
Firstly, NABERSNZ ratings provide building owners with an understanding of their building’s energy and water usage and waste management performance. This information can be used to identify areas of improvement and implement energysaving measures, which can lead to cost savings on energy bills.
Secondly, NABERSNZ ratings can increase the value of a building. A higher NABERS rating indicates that a building has lower environmental impact and is therefore more attractive to potential tenants and investors.
Thirdly, NABERSNZ ratings can improve the indoor environment quality of a building. This is because buildings with high NABERS ratings are more likely to have features such as efficient lighting and air conditioning systems, which can improve the comfort and health of occupants.
Lastly, NABERSNZ ratings can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand. Buildings account for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand, and improving the environmental performance of buildings can help to reduce these emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
In conclusion, NABERS and Green Star are two rating systems used in Australia and New Zealand to measure the environmental performance of buildings. While both rating systems aim to promote sustainable buildings, they differ in their approach and focus. NABERS is a performance-based rating system that measures the energy efficiency, water usage, and waste management of existing buildings, while Green Star evaluates the environmental design and construction of new buildings and major refurbishments.
NABERS ratings appear more realistically attainable than Green Star, particularly for owners of existing commercial buildings, therefore providing a valuable tool for improving the environmental performance of buildings and increasingly seen as a means of demonstrating environmental responsibility and compliance with regulations. The significant benefits for building owners and occupants in New Zealand, include cost savings on energy bills, increased building value, improved indoor environment quality, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
For more informationwww.nabersnz.govt.nz
Professor Bernhard Pfahringer
Tupperwarea tale of two (IP) issues
In early April, news broke1 that Tupperware, the well known US-based food storage brand, is in serious trouble.
With rising debts and falling sales, Tupperware warned that it could go bust unless it can quickly raise new financing.2
Tupperware finds itself in this predicament seemingly as a result of a failure to innovate, both in product design and distribution methods, and despite attempts to freshen up its products in recent years and reposition itself to a younger audience.3 As one expert reportedly4 commented, Tupperware - while considered innovative many years ago - was perhaps not as inventive and stylish as other (kitchenware) brands such as Joseph Joseph.5 Add to its innovation woes the arguable fact that the ‘Tupperware’ brand name has become a common name in general public use (in trade mark speak, ‘generic’) for food storage containers, and Tupperware (the company) faces a task of Herculean proportions to survive, let alone once again prosper.
Tupperware’s problems highlight the need for all businesses to ‘stay relevant’: that is, continually innovate in product and/or service design and delivery to meet the needs and wants of customers. As Peter Drucker6 once declared, businesses must “innovate or die”. In more common parlance, “stay ahead of the pace of change or you’re toast”.7 In saying this, it is important to note that innovation doesn’t have to come with a huge price tag: innovation can be small and cheap – it might be a small change in how you do
something, or a slight shift in how you communicate what you do. Big or small, opportunities for innovation are everywhere – you just have to be open to them.
Tupperware’s problems also highlight the need for brand owners to protect their brand name from becoming ‘generic’–as ‘Escalator’ and ‘Aspirin’, for example, did and ‘Sellotape’ and ‘Jandals’ arguably have (at least in New Zealand). Stopping a trade mark from becoming generic in New Zealand requires a fine balance of promotion and policing (as Tasman Insulation, the maker of ‘Pink Batts’ insulation, found out in the course of litigation between 2012 and 20158). Promote the name too much in a manner which makes consumers perceive it as noun, or fail to stop people from using the name as a noun, and brand owners could find themselves in Tupperware’s shoes or, worse, facing a claim to de-register their trade mark. It will be a huge pity if the lid on Tupperware’s future is firmly sealed shut in the next few months. I, for one, hope the brand can be saved – all it needs (apart from a shed load of money) is the right kind of love.
1. https://www.bbc.com/ news/business-65237293
“Tupperware warns of collapse unless it finds funds”
2. https://www.bbc.com/ news/business-65243711
“Tupperware: Why the household name could soon be history”
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES
BY BEN CAIN
Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells and a Resolution Institute-accredited mediator. He can be contacted at 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), 07 928 4470 (Tauranga) and benc@jaws.co.nz.
3. As fn 2 above
4. Neil Saunders, managing director of retail at the consultancy GlobalData, see fn 2 above
5. https://www.josephjoseph. com/
6. Peter Drucker was an influential AustrianAmerican author, mentor and consultant who is considered the father of modern business management: https:// www.businessnewsdaily. com/10634-peter-druckermanagement-theory.html
7. https://hbr.org/2014/12/ innovation-on-the-fly#
8. See Tasman Insulation New Zealand Limited v Knauf Insulation Limited [2014] NZHC 960 and Tasman Insulation New Zealand Ltd v Knauf Insulation Ltd [2015] NZCA 602
Australia lays out the “big welcome” mat for NZ citizens
Dear Prime Minister Hipkins…
Congratulations on your promotion, and for this timely opportunity to contribute our 30+ years of experience in New Zealand immigration work to help inform your thinking about your approach to the immigration portfolio.
The recent announcement by the Australian Government to enable New Zealand citizens to pathway easier and quicker to Australian citizenship is very much welcomed, and will finally allow NZ citizens in Australia to enjoy the same benefits that New Zealand confers on their citizens in New Zealand. What impact will this on the NZ job market and NZ employers?
HHistorically the immigration portfolio was seen as somewhat of a poisoned chalice, and it was not until the first John Key government in 2008 that this approach changed, and immigration began to be viewed more as an economic tool rather than just a means to protect New Zealand jobs. The immigration portfolio has since developed into one of significant strategic importance which influences many aspects of New Zealand society, workforce and the economy. Immigration is now a key Government portfolio.
Looking at the big picture.
istorically, NZers have had the right to live and work in Australia without a visa under the TransTasman Travel Arrangement (TTTA) since 1973. However, they have not been entitled to the same benefits as Australian citizens. For example, they have not been eligible for government assistance, such as social security payments, and they have to pay higher fees for healthcare and education. On the other hand, Australians (& Australian resident visa holders) have had full rights to live and work in New Zealand. Australia also tightened its rules in 2001 as it viewed (correctly) that too many migrants were using New Zealand as a back-door entry to Australia.
New Zealand should not rest on its laurels and expect that it continues to be one of the most desired migrant destinations, as it is not, and we are trending backwards. In fact, we will be doing well just to hold onto the new migrants that we do initially attract to this country.
Now, from July 1, 2023, NZers who have lived in Australia for four years or more, and meet health and character requirements, can be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship and will then have all the rights that such citizenship confers.
We are an aging population and, by 2028, 1 in every 5 people will be 65+ years. Our birth rate of 1.6 children is well below the replacement rate of 2.1. Our rural townships are losing infrastructure and services, and while our schools need more teachers now, in a few years’ time school rolls will be declining and these teachers will need to find other jobs or go overseas. Family and lifestyle have always been the main reasons migrants choose New Zealand. However, these alone may not be sufficient to attract and retain the people and skills our country needs to maintain our living standards, let alone to grow. We need younger people who can contribute more, and for longer, to New Zealand.
Time will tell on what impact these changes will have on the New Zealand job market. With higher wages and a lower cost of living, and the range of job opportunities in Australia, coupled with a desire for younger NZers to throw off their “covid shackles”, the likelihood is that there will definitely be a strong pull factor. In addition, families with school-aged children, who had previously been reluctant to consider a move to Australia due to potential education costs may now reconsider their plans. With some 700,000 kiwis in Australia most NZers have friends and family there who can provide support and guidance should they decide to relocate. It is also only a 3-4 hour flight, and the cost is cheaper than flying many domestic routes. Australia is already very active on NZ job sites targeting NZ teachers
New Zealand must attract the migrants it wants, and needs, in an increasingly competitive and dynamic international market, and one where people can now work-from-home anywhere in the world. We no longer enjoy the competitive advantages
and nurses, and many other roles and with many including attractive relocation grants. In short there are many incentives to move!
we once had, but one thing within our control is to make the immigration process easier and quicker, and world-leading, and to promote “the visa process” as one reason to choose New Zealand. Online visa applications, and the move to more automated assessment processes, will help but there is a very long way to go.
(As an interesting aside many kiwis (& NZ residents) in Australia are eligible to vote in the NZ general election and the NZ Government has recently made a temporary change to widen the eligibility criteria….)
One area which would help is for the Government to engage in more robust and well-planned policy settings, and to pressure-test such settings before these are implemented. It is acknowledged that policies have been necessarily “reactive” over the past 3 years but there have been too many instances of back-tracking of newly introduced policies when better planning and consultation would “get-it-right-firsttime”. The new Active Investor Policy should be first on the chopping block! We also need forward looking policies which are fit-for-purpose in today’s world. Policies which focus on enabling the most desirable migrants the opportunity to experience New Zealand and, if they choose to stay, then great. We should not demand that these people commit indefinitely to stay.
The potential impact on NZ employers could be very significant. They are already experiencing skill shortages and now stand to lose more skilled staff. Further, in order to retain their existing staff, employers are being required to pay higher wages, but at some point, and given the talk of recession, some employers will have no choice but to batten down the hatches – something that will both further hurt the economy and will directly promote movement across the ditch.
Employers will be left with the option of attracting and employing migrant workers, but this is a highly competitive market for the right skills and, in an international marketplace, NZ has definitely lost its shine. The other increasingly attractive, and possibly the most feasible option, is to invest in technology to reduce reliance on staff and to identify and promote business production and efficiencies across the board. Previously NZ’s lower waged economy had tended to negate and stifle the need and desire for such investment – something which is no longer the case!
The Australian Government announcement is definitely a big win for New Zealanders who wish to take up, and benefit from, the opportunities available in the “lucky country”, but it is NZ employers who will be on the losing side. The challenge for New Zealand will be to stop the trickle turning into a flood.
The Productivity Commission report into immigration recommended a Government Policy Statement to set a clear strategic direction for immigration policy. This would be a good start and provide some overriding guidance (ideology!) to inform policy settings with a focus on what immigration can deliver for the good of New Zealand in the longer term. What about a work-from-homein-NZ visa? People could live in New Zealand and work anywhere in the world, now that would really put New Zealand on the map! Yes - Prime Minister!
Waipā Businesses shine at awards
The Waipā Networks Business Awards celebrated a variety of diverse local businesses from across the Waipā region recently at a night of celebration and glamour.
This year has seen a strong field of entrants, both in quality and number of entries, doubling the number from 2021.
From new and emerging, small, medium and large businesses - each were judged on their own merit across a range of 16 award categories.
A judging panel of experienced industry professionals were led by two head judges Howard Davey and Heather Connelly of the University of Waikato - Management School.
“The level of innovation and adoption of technology often in more ‘traditional’ businesses was outstanding. The strategic thinking and application were very impressive, ie ‘walking the talk’, taking time out to think about future directions and choices. Nurturing and developing workers and building resilient teams came across strongly. Finally, a dominant theme was the client relationship and understanding customers’ needs. Overall, the level of innovation, energy, and commitment, as well as outright success bodes well for the future of the district,” Davey says.
Cambridge Business Chamber CEO Kelly Bouzaid says the chamber was delighted at both the diversity and calibre of applications for the 2023 awards.
“We are in a privileged position to peek into businesses of all ages and stages and see the calibre of leadership, innovation, culture and sustainability. We have seen resilience and robustness within our business community, and we are inspired and proud of their achievements.”
10. 12. 14. 13. 11. 9. 7.
Treadlite New Zealand team with Waipa Networks CEO Sean Horgan
Winners of the 2023 Waipā Networks Business Awards
SUPREME WINNER
Treadlite NZ Ltd
CUSTOMER CHOICE
The Smoke Collective Barbecue – Cambridge Fresh Choice Supermarket - Te Awamutu
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR
Emily Hudson – Homebrew Coffee – Cambridge Darryl-Lynn Wilken – Varntige - Te Awamutu
LEADER OF THE YEAR
Peter Nation – NZ National Fieldays Society
COMMUNITY
CONTRIBUTION
Grinter’s Funeral Home and Rosetown Funeral Home
EXCELLENCE IN LARGE BUSINESS
Treadlite NZ Ltd
EXCELLENCE IN MEDIUM BUSINESS
Resolution Retreats
EXCELLENCE IN SMALL BUSINESS
Grinter’s Funeral Home and Rosetown Funeral Home
EXCELLENCE IN EMERGING/NEW BUSINESS Maple and Stone
INNOVATION AND KNOWLEDGE Squoodles Educational Resources
DIGITAL STRATEGY AND E-COMMERCE Squoodles Educational Resources
WASTE MINIMISATION – ENVIRONMENTAL Rotary Cambridge Urban Miners
JUDGES CHOICE Ignite Arts Academy 1. Jim Goddin from Grinter’s Funeral Home and Rosetown Funeral Home and Waipā District Council Mayor Susan O’Regan | 2. Joelene Ranby from Resolution Retreats and Te Awamutu Business Chamber CEO Shane Walsh | 3. Findex Te Awamutu associate partner Jarrod Godfrey and Daryl-Lynn Wilken from Varntige | 4. University of Waikato Pro Vice Chancellor Matt Bolger and Ignite Arts Academy Raymond and Maxine Nelson | 5. Rocketspark co-founder Jeremy Johnson and Tracy Morgan from Squoodles Educational Resources | 6. Waipā District Council Deputy Mayor Liz Stolwyk and Emily Hudson from HomeBrew Coffee | 7. Steve Hastie from Riverside Adventures Waikato and Destination Cambridge general manager Ruth Crampton | 8. Richard Upperton from Treadlite NZ and PAUA Architects Business Development Manager Phil Mackay | 9. Aroha Croft from The Smoke Collective Barbecue and Cambridge & Te Awamutu News editor Roy Pilott | 10. Fieldays CEO Peter Nation and APL Window Solutions manager Danielle Stowers-Boon | 11. Cambridge Business Chamber chair Tracy Olivier and Jim Goddin from Grinter’s Funeral Home and Rosetown Funeral Home | 12. Tracy Morgan from Squoodles Educational Resources and Craigs Investment Partners advisor Chantal Baxter | 13. Daniel Billings from Maple and Stone and Cambridge Raceway CEO Dave Branch | 14. Mark Hanlon from Rotary Cambridge Urban Miners and Waipā Council Waste Minimisation advisor Sally Fraser
CONTRIBUTION TO TOURSIM AND/OR HOSPITALITY
Riverside Adventures Waikato
The Business of Art Emerging artist makes an impact
Exploring the creatives in the business of art
Pounamu Wharekawa (Ngai te Rangi, they/ themme/ia) is a relative newcomer on the art scene in Hamilton but they are already making a big impact.
A self-described “indigenous baddie, fine artist, illustrator and muralist”, Pounamu makes art that speaks about the “intersections of identity through the lens of a queer, small town turned urban Māori living their best boring life in the big smoke of Kirikiriroa”.
Using vibrant technicolour to depict contemporary versions of Māori pūrākau (legends), atua (deity) and ancestors, Pounamu reimagines them as if they were a cast of rich and diverse characters dancing at the club in downtown Aotearoa.
“I feel like you can’t avoid your own identity. As a takatāpui Māori, feminine person there's no way to avoid any of my lefty views coming into my art because I value my own existence and that of my peers. So, all of my work is a love letter to them and the people I know, and I feel like that in itself is political. These are trans people, these are square people, these are beautiful mana wāhine who are under appreciated in our society.”
Participating in the Boon Street Art Festival in 2021, their mural of a feminine atua on Liverpool Street was created in their last year of Wintec media arts studies.
“It is about how when you’re in the city or a different place from where you whakapapa to/ where you grow up it’s easy to feel lonely or like it’s not where
you belong. The mural depicts a rangatahi and a tīpuna hongi-ing, kind of a play on the saying my ancestors walk with me - so the idea that no matter how alone you feel, your ancestors are always there with you.”
This stunning piece of street art is not their first mural though, it was a mural Pounamu had painted while at Wintec that caught the eye of Boon Street Festival director Craig McClure.
“He saw my first ever mural and he just hit me up to be in the mural festival, so that was pretty cool.”
Making these sorts of connections is something Pounamu has actively fostered in the pursuit of being a fulltime artist.
I feel really lucky to be working fulltime as an artist. I was not expecting it to be this close after graduating.
“I worked really hard, going out to events and making friends with people that were in really good positions to offer me work or help nurture me. At one event I just happened to meet someone who was really good at funding applications. She fully took that on for me and she did not expect anything in return for it.”
The early success, coupled
with past experiences of undervaluing their work, has given Pounamu the confidence to negotiate with clients’ booking commission work.
Being able to price accordingly is something Pounamu has put a bit of thought into.
After all there’s a lot of time that goes into a painting regardless of its size.
“I like to have a price range in mind that I will never go under. But I’ll also ask the client what their budget is and then I can offer a range of different of things that I can do for them.”
Before Wintec, Pounamu had tried their luck at making a living as an artist but they didn’t have the business sense at the time to value their work.
“Basically, I was trying to sell original illustrations for 30 bucks, which is the same as a print price. Obviously, I wasn't doing very well. Like, I just spent 10 hours on this painting and I got $20 for it.”
Pounamu credits Wintec
for helping build their business acumen and professionalism.
“For me, the thing that was most helpful about Wintec wasn't the technical stuff it was building relationships with my classmates and artists. And being able to be better at scheduling, because if you're having to do assignments, then you get used to knowing what a deadline is.”
For Pounamu, working with others on commissions or collaborations with other artists provides a social aspect that working solo doesn’t.
“I'm lucky I don't have to take on much that I don't vibe with. Some of it can be a little bit more exciting than others, obviously. At the end of the day, I really like working with clients because I feel like it's a lot more of a collaborative process.
“A lot of artists don't like doing commissions full stop, and they’d rather focus on their own stuff. But I find that it can be quite lonely as an artist, it’s
very introspective, because you aren't really talking to anyone.”
Being able to make a living from art as an emerging artist is something they don’t take lightly.
“I feel really lucky to be working fulltime as an artist. I was not expecting it to be this close after graduating. But I was lucky enough to have built up quite a decent client base while I was still studying.”
Much of that study time was through the COVID lockdowns and meant time to get stuck in assignments, as well as contemplate how to get work out in front of the public.
“I think COVID was a really good way for people to stop concentrating so much on exhibitions. Because that's one of the big things as an artist, you're meant to do. I think people were experimenting more with other ways to get their art out into the world.”
For Pounamu, it seemed like an ideal time to build an
Instagram following and a website with the hope of selling art.
“It felt like heaps people were getting art over COVID because we were spending so much time in our houses and so buying art was a way to tolerate being stuck in our homes,” they laugh.
As well as paintings and large-scale murals, Pounamu offers a range of prints and t-shirts through their website.
The small-scale offerings contribute towards about half of Pounamu’s income, but more importantly it makes their art more accessible.
“When I was studying and we had to figure out what we value in art and creativity. One of the big ones for me was trying to think of different ways that I could make my work more accessible to people like me, or students or someone on a benefit.”
Check out Pounamu’s work at www.pounamuwharekawa. com.
The three “diseases” destroying our once world-class health sector
Age, Education and Inaction.
Doctors & nurses. We do not have enough, and they are disappearing.
When the NZ Rural Health Network chair Dr Fiona Bolden claims “it is not too dramatic to say we are seeing a collapse of health services in rural areas,” we need to wake up and take notice and act.
Age
The numbers tell a stark story of age:
• Median age of all GPs is 54 with 14% over 65.
• One third plan to retire within five short years.
• 50% will be retired within 10 years.
• 80% of our rural GPs say they have suffered some form of burnout.
We need over 800 new doctors every year and we only train 550. That need can only grow, and the supply is being artificially constrained by our education system.
Our hospitals are in crisis and no amount of rearranging the deck chairs and back office staff will improve our frontline. In a crisis there are times when you simply need numbers of expert hands and the best frontline troops; our primary health doctors, are under pressure, leaving the vocation, and we are not replacing them quick enough.
Our GPs are the ones who know you and your family’s
health intimately. They are up close and personal and more than anyone else can prevent a health crisis with a patient if the symptoms are caught early. That avoids overloading our hospitals.
The answer is… we simply need more doctors and nurses.
There is plenty of distressing commentary about it. When Starship Hospital cannot use its assets because of lack of staff, our most vulnerable children are at risk.
Education
The core of the problem is our education system.
We are being held to ransom by an educational duopoly at a time when we need to train more medical staff.
Supply of new doctors is being artificially restricted by the two New Zealand universities with medical schools that aggressively protect their patch.
The two medical schools are acting as if they are a duopoly and they need to be challenged.
A duopoly is where two entities have dominant or exclusive control over a market.
The Commerce Commission is looking at all forms of anticompetitive behaviour but is missing the boat when it comes to the education of doctors.
Immigration has been proven to be a false solution.
75% of foreign educated doctors leave New Zealand within
By Don Good, CEO of Waikato Chamber of Commerce.
three years of arriving, and this government has held onto tough immigration settings.
Your health is at risk because it is clear we are not training enough doctors.
Inaction
The solution is action not inaction. The solution is creating a new medical school at Waikato University.
If we want good healthcare for ourselves and future generations, we must hit up our local MPs on this issue now.
If you are in a rural Waikato electorate your MPs are Louise Upston, Scott Simpson, Tim van de Molen, Barbara Kuriger, David Bennett and Andrew Bayly. If you are in Hamilton, it is Tama Potaka in the west and Jamie Strange in the east. It wouldn’t hurt to chase up the aspiring election 2023 candidates like Ryan Hamilton & Georgie Dansey now that they have announced their intentions to run for election.
Prevention is always better than a cure. We need the University of Waikato Medical School to ensure we have enough doctors to keep us healthy and out of hospitals.
Use your vote this year to get a new medical school.
The road to perfection
It’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot recently – the road to perfection is littered with disappointment. Or sometimes with compromise. So, what does it mean for our marketing?
I’ve come to the conclusion I’m too old and battleweary to expect that very much in my life will come out as perfectly as I might hope it would.
I’m relieved to say that with every brand review or campaign I start working on, I still can’t help begin by thinking “what if we can do something that really blows people’s socks off?”
The relentless effort, dedication, and perseverance needed to strive for the best campaign, the best piece of marketing, the best ad, is often what drives our endeavours as comms and marketing people. But even with all that toil and tribulation, perfection may still be elusive.
I was born a bit cynical, I have to admit. (I vividly recall being told to look it up in a dictionary when I was about seven.) But I think age and wisdom have rounded off the sharp corners of my cynicism and softened me into a healthier realist.
The older I get, the more uphill the journey towards perfection seems to be, and the pain of setbacks, criticism, or obstacles that can lead to disappointment is still painfully all too real.
It often feels like there are too many stars that need to align to be able to shine brightest. But that doesn’t mean we can give up entirely.
Perhaps we can blame social media (go on – let’s!) for the fact that we are surrounded by so many great examples of marketing brilliance, and we hope in our heart of hearts that we too could achieve the same level of greatness.
When we don’t feel our efforts meet the perfection
TELLING YOUR STORY BY
VICKI JONES
Vicki Jones is director of Dugmore Jones, Hamilton-based brand management consultancy. vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz
criteria, we can blame lack of budget or resources, lack of opportunity, a lack of understanding on the part of our customers or, too often, a lack of understanding within our own businesses.
But the reality is that at least one of those factors, or one of many others, is likely to mean we simply must compromise on our lofty vision. We can cripple ourselves trying to make something perfect, when we could just as easily be running ahead of the rest with something that’s not perfect but still pretty darn good. Or, worse, do nothing at all through fear of failure.
I’ve been admiring the youthful and resilient optimism of my daughter recently, who has finished her Bachelor of Creative Media Production degree. She’s keenest on the post-production side of film and wants to be an editor.
Watching her working a few projects to build up her portfolio, I hold myself back from telling her it’s ok to lower her standards.
She’ll show me footage that
she’s editing and share her frustrations about the quality, or the light, or the saturation or some other technical terms that mean diddly squat to me. Looks alright to me, I say! Until, on the third time of viewing, I can see what she’s concerned about and admire her tenacity in trying to make it right.
The clients won’t notice but, as she rolls her eyes and says, she will. And that matters.
The speakers at her graduation told the newly capped crowd to aim high, to set seemingly unachievable goals, because the higher you aim, the higher you’ll reach.
That aspiration for perfection is right to be encouraged, for sure. But knowing when to compromise on your standards can be a key to success.
Think about the impact of time constraints, deadlines, and available resources, all of which might force a refocus. In some cases, achieving perfection in one area may come at the cost of another. Balancing competing priorities may require compromises to find a middle ground that still meets your goals.
There may be situations where the pursuit of perfection may not significantly contribute to the desired outcome, making it harder to justify investment.
When it comes down to it, the decision to compromise on perfection depends on the specific context, goals, and priorities. It requires thoughtful consideration to strike the right balance.
Aiming for perfection may be the ideal, but compromise is better than never getting off the starting blocks in the first place.
THE GRAND CALIFORNIA
Do you know someone who needs a bit of rest and relaxation? The team at Ebbett Volkswagen run an amazing initiative called WE LOVE VW.
The Ebbett Group WE LOVE VW is an opportunity for the team to give back to the community through various initiatives. One such initiative is the chance for deserving individuals to take a well-earned break in the fourberth Volkswagen Campervan Kiwifornia.
The team have had a huge uptake of this great asset and they want to continue to share it with the community.
All you need to do is visit: https://www.welovevw.nz/
grand-kiwifornia and put in a nomination for yourself, a family or friend member, maybe even for a community or charity group. This campervan can be available for a weekend or even up to a week. Tell the team why you or your
organisation deserves a break in the Grand Kiwifornia. It’s as easy as 1,2,3. Find out what else the Ebbett Volkswagen team do for the community.
https://www.welovevw. nz/grand-kiwifornia https://www.welovevw.nz/
Creating a better future with innovative and sustainable solutions
Rodney Stirling
Future-focused ventures continue to take shape across Aotearoa – New Zealand and BTW Company is applying sought-after specialist expertise and innovative technologies to deliver successful outcomes.
With offices in KirikiriroaHamilton, Ngāmotu
- New Plymouth, Whāingaroa
- Raglan and as of this year, Taupō, BTW’s teams are on the ground for many and varied infrastructure, land development, civil works, and renewable energy projects.
Since 1973, BTW has been empowering property owners, communities, and project decision makers by providing a professional and collaborative consultancy, with a commitment to adding value through the intelligent application of leading-edge technology.
With an ecosystem that focuses on everything through the lens of their core values, BTW has built a strong culture, established strategy-level relationships with partners, and works efficiently to achieve results.
BTW is made up of 90+ professional surveyors, civil
and structural engineers, planners, UAV pilots, environmental scientists, 3D scanning specialists, BIM, and GIS experts with extensive experience on projects throughout Aotearoa - New Zealand and internationally.
Our team is Consistent, Reliable, Professional & Considerate
Managing Director, Grant Aitken says, “BTW’s passionate about the places we support, the people we work with and the communities that benefit from the services we provide. We all have a role to play in the protection and growth of economic, social and cultural identity systems that support us. With meaningful connection and engagement, great things can happen.”
BTW’s kapa includes surfers, kite surfers, fishers, equestrians, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, runners, cyclists, waka ama crew, musicians, artists, travellers… the list goes on. As a kaitiaki for whenua and culture, BTW invests expertise and funding into community and conservation projects across Aotearoa.
Many of their team volunteer for wellbeing and environmental conservation projects that are making a difference for communities, and along our coastline and maunga. Regardless of the nature or scale of a project, experience tells us that the right outcome starts with engaging the right people at the right time. Being an integrated, multidisciplinary consultancy means
cross-discipline collaboration and support from end to end. Call BTW today about a project you have in mind. From the early stages of landowner, Iwi and Hapū, and public consultation, to delivering detailed design and project management, BTW can provide valuable project insights and expertise across Surveying, Engineering, Planning and Environmental disciplines.
THINGS TO EXPECT WHEN YOU
Work with Landmark Homes.
Unbeatable experience
Landmark Homes was founded by Debbie and Paul Clarke 45 years ago. Their knowledge and expertise saw Landmark grow from a small Tauranga-based company into an award-winning nationwide business. Right from the beginning, Debbie and Paul established a construction and quality control protocol that all Landmark Homes franchisees still adhere to today.
We believe a home built by Landmark Homes should last a lifetime. That’s why we have a rigorous quality control procedure to make sure our buildings stand the test of time.
The team at Landmark Homes Waikato is passionate about building amazing homes and seeing their clients’ dreams come true. This highly experienced team can oversee unique designs and help explain the building process to their clients by helping them though the design process. Landmark Homes builds unique and individually designed homes to suit each client’s needs and dreams.
Our quality guarantee
We guarantee that when you build with Landmark you will receive a home built to Master Build standards, delivered by professional team with no nasty budget blowouts.
CBD south-end looking better every day
Union Square’s carpark building is now open, adding another 300-plus private car parks to the CBD. And the third building in this exciting new development (Building E) is expected to be ready in August.
Very quickly, the south-end of Hamilton’s CBD is changing, growing and attracting enquiry from notable businesses –which is exactly what Fosters had in mind when they first floated the idea of the Union Square development in 2019.
A Fosters joint venture project, Union Square is Hamilton’s marque office and retail development, bringing to Hamilton a world-class commerce environment. The precinct uniquely combines retail, office and lifestyle space and offers proximity to multiple public transport options, childcare providers, and hotels.
Designed and built with the specific intent for occupiers to ‘Experience Better’, Union Square incorporates large inviting common spaces that encourage a sense of community. This, paired with exceptional architectural design, offers an experiential
workplace to help businesses attract and retain talent.
Within a short walking distance, tenants can soak up Hamilton’s already vibrant south-end, with inspiring exhibitions at the Waikato Museum, a tasty selection of cafes, bars and award-winning restaurants. The new 1300-seat Waikato Regional Theatre, set for completion in 2024, will add world class music and theatre to the offering.
Wellness is a key focus at Union Square with a gym, yoga and Pilates, and green spaces on offer within the precinct. End of trip facilities include over 30 shower/WC amenities, within individual buildings and the new car park building. These are professionally managed and supported with lockers, ironing and hair drying facilities.
And the Union Square App – being developed with Company X - will add efficiency for
tenants. Users will be able to book a yoga session, order coffee, book a meeting room in the business centre or even a share car to visit a client.
“Fosters are honoured to play the role we have in reshaping the south-end of the CBD with the Union Square and Theatre projects. Both projects are prime examples of our continued commitment to investing in Hamilton City, with a view of building a strong future for the wider Waikato business community,” Fosters Develop Director Rhys Harvey says.
Like-minded businesses – Rabobank, AA Insurance, Craigs Investment Partners –have already moved into Union Square. While the likes of Company X, BBO, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Harcourts and James & Wells are due to move into Building E, referred to as the Union Square Business Centre, by the end of the year. Within the business centre, there will be state of the art meeting rooms and conference facilities which precinct tenants will be able to book by the hour, day, or week.
Craigs Investment Adviser for Hamilton Stuart Anderson says moving into Union Square has been a fantastic experience. “We chose Union Square
as we wanted to give our business room for future growth. We also wanted to enhance our ability to educate our staff and clients through better technology and innovative spaces. Most importantly, we wanted to provide our team with a vibrant and safe workspace, including secure private parking, which is increasingly hard to find in the CBD.
“The lift in energy on day one when our team arrived was obvious” continues Stuart. “The workspace has exceeded expectations on overall aesthetics, services (including the café and facilities) as well as feeling like we’re part of something new and exciting, that will keep changing as more of this development takes shape.
“Combined with the new Regional Theatre development, we’re really looking forward to the south end of the CBD becoming a great place to work and grow together as a team.”
More than 150 people attended the Union Square rooftop shout at the end of April. The event combined a celebration of the new car park, plus an update on the CBD from Fosters, Hamilton Central Business Association, the Waikato Chamber of Commerce, and the Waikato Regional Theatre.
Mana whenua gifts name to St Peter’s Cambridge/3Ms joint venture subdivision
Nearly two years ago,
St Peter’s Cambridge entered into a joint venture with property developer, 3Ms of Cambridge.
The partnership will see 32 of the school’s 170-hectare farmland transformed into a residential subdivision over the next four years.
In a recent dawn ceremony, mana whenua - Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Hauāgifted the name Arikirua to the subdivision.
Mana whenua liaison Karaitiana Tamatea says Arikirua is the name of the nearby Paa site located on the banks of the awa.
“As the awa was historically ‘state highway one’ for our tuupuna it was a logical place to have a paa site, coupled with the suitability of the nearby fertile land for growing crops. This name is significant to mana whenua, and naming the subdivision Arikirua reinstates the mana of the whenua. Both iwi trusts support the gifting of the name.”
St Peter’s Cambridge School Trust Board chair John Macaskill-Smith says the school is grateful to Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā for the gifted name.
“The meaning is incredibly significant, and we value the
connection it provides to the whenua and the farming history of the local area. For us, having a gifted name for this subdivision is just the beginning. We look forward to building a close relationship with mana whenua to help us bring the meaning of Arikirua to life by sharing more stories about the land and connection from the past, to the present and into the future.”
In February 2022, St Peter’s announced that proceeds from the sale of the subdivision land will go into the school’s Endowment Fund.
The newly established, intergenerational endowment fund is
artner
designed to ensure the school’s long-term financial independence for the benefit of current and future students.
Accumulated funds will be used to further develop the school’s world-class facilities and educational options, while also providing scholarships, grants, and additional student support into the future.
“We’ve structured the joint venture with 3Ms to see returns coming into the endowment fund over many years. With careful investment, over coming decades the endowment fund should grow into a substantial and diversified investment
“We really enjoyed hosting a great range of Hamilton businesspeople at the rooftop shout” says Rhys. “It was a great opportunity for people to experience some of Union Square and to hear about the ongoing development of this area of town.
“For us the car park is a forward-looking investment for both the city and our Union Square tenants. The rooftop also happens to offer fantastic views over the city – perhaps we can make rooftop CBD updates a regular thing in the future!”
portfolio, making it one of the most significant school endowment funds in New Zealand,” Macaskill-Smith says.
The first of over 300 sections in the Arikirua subdivision will be available for sale in late 2024 to early 2025.
Since works began last year, 3Ms has focused its development activity on earthworks, stormwater pipeline installation and
groundwork preparations for roading and infrastructure. Owl Farm – the school’s demonstration dairy farm joint venture with Lincoln University, and partners Ballance Agri-Nutrients, Dairy NZ, Fonterra Farm Source, PGG Wrightson and Westpac - remains operational on the school’s property and will continue as a working farm for the foreseeable future.
Mana whenua gift subdivision name to St Peters Cambridge
Hawkins delivers more than meets the eye on ACC build
As the main contractor of the Accident Compensation Corporation regional offices, Hawkins is responsible for delivering the project, including the base build works for Tainui Group Holdings and the integrated fitout for the Crown Tenant ACC.
hawkins.co.nz
Amohia Ake, Waikato ACC Centre, Hamilton.
Hawkins delivers more than meets the eye on ACC build
As well as delivering a significant landmark building, Hawkins central regional manager Ben Connick says a huge success for the Project Hauata build is the implementation of the social procurement initiatives for Waikato-Tainui affiliated subcontractors.
Jones Electrical are proud to be associated with The Tainui Group Holdings and Hawkins Construction with The ACC New Home Development Project.
172 Ellis St, Hamilton P 07 847 9428
E lyndon.jones@x tra.co.nz
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“The training, development and financial outcomes achieved for these businesses and individuals have been significant. We now have data and reporting tools which can demonstrate the flow of money back into the Waikato-Tainui business community from THG’s investment. There is so much more we can do with this data and I feel the project team have created a great prototype to build on for future projects.”
The project began back in October 2022 and like most large-scale projects undertaken over a long period of time, Ben says, they faced challenges at certain points during the build.
“Many of the supply chain constraints and environmental challenges encountered on Project Hauata were not apparent during the early planning stages,” he explains.
“I feel proud of the way our team have overcome these challenges through a mighty work ethic, innovative sequencing and methodologies. The ability for the team to quickly react to the changing market and implement alternative procurement processes was also a key factor in mitigating time impacts, escalation and shipping constraints.”
Ben says the project was set up for success through TGH’s forward thinking and decisive approach to procurement processes, which aligned with the market conditions, along
with the investment in a great design and consultant team.
Delivering a circa 10,000m2 landmark building in Hamilton’s CBD, Ben says,
Projects of this significance are the reason many of us work in this industry
is a project the Hawkins team will feel proud of for decades to come.
“Projects of this significance are the reason many of
us
Both Tainui Group Holdings and Hawkins have a long-standing history in the Waikato.
“While
companies
Waikato home for
The striking new regional offices developed by Tainui Group Holdings for the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) were recently opened.
Kiingi Tuheitia also unveiled the new name for the building - Amohia Ake. The name takes its significance from a Waikato-Tainui tongikura (saying), “Amohia ake te ora o te iwi, ka puta ki te whei aothe wellbeing of the people is paramount.”
The 8,500 square metre offices, in three distinctive pavilions bearing Waikato-Tainui tribal designs, will initially accommodate around 800 ACC staff, bringing together two existing Hamilton offices for ACC.
Te Whakakitenga o Waikato, the Waikato-Tainui parliament chair Parekawhia
McLean says the new home for ACC in Hamilton is a case study in the successful commercial development of whenua that came back to the iwi through the 1995 settlement process, and will produce benefits for all.
“Waikato-Tainui has proudly developed this whare as a long-term home for the hard-working kaimahi (staff) of ACC in a way that benefits ACC, Hamilton, our wider region and Waikato-Tainui itself.”
Ownership of the underlying whenua, which is a former maara kai or vegetable garden in pre-colonial days is retained by Waikato-Tainui,
with ACC taking a long-term lease over the new offices.
The Minister for ACC Peeni Henare says this is a significant development for both Waikato-Tainui and ACC.
“I’m delighted to see the culmination of this iwi and crown partnership and the vibrancy this will bring to the local CBD in the post-COVID era.”
ACC chief executive Megan Main says the new office provides an opportunity for ACC kaimahi to work together in the CBD.
“This new long-term home brings together around 800 people who were previously working from two offices. The new space is in the heart of this important community, close to transport links and provides a great base for our work to improve lives every day.”
Mayor Paula Southgate, TGC chair Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’úa, ACC CEO Megan Main, Kiingi Tuheitia, ACC chair Hon. Steve Maharey, Te Whakakitenga chair Parekawhia McLean, TGC CEO Chris Joblin, Te Arataura chair Tukoroirangi Morgan, Waikato-Tainui CEO Donna Flavell
Also present at the karakia and opening alongside Kiingi Tuheitia were Hon. Nanaia Mahuta, ACC Chair Hon.
Steve Maharey, ACC CEO Megan Main and Andrew Milne, Deputy Chief Executive, Strategy, Engagement
and Planning, along with TGH Chair, Hinerangi Raumati-Tu’ua, TGH CEO, Chris Joblin and around 130 guests.
PwC’s annual CEO survey
Over the past few years, adapting to change and volatility has become a constant and we’ve already seen that play out this year, with the disruption caused by the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle. These events are set against a backdrop of other immediate issues such as higher inflation, the threat of recession, continued supply chain challenges and ongoing labour and skills shortages.
Results from PwC’s annual CEO Survey
show that these
concerns are dominating the CEO agenda as leaders look to drive profitability in the face of
numerous headwinds.
To help navigate this we can use insights from the 2023 PwC CEO survey, which collected data from almost 5,000 CEOs in 105 countries and territories, including 142 Aotearoa New Zealand CEOs. Here we explore key areas of prioritisation identified in the survey and how businesses can apply the insights.
Digital Transformation
Survey results show that CEOs are investing in technology to transform their businesses and ensure long-term growth and prosperity. In Aotearoa
New Zealand there is a particular focus on new technologies, such as cloud, automation and artificial intelligence (AI). When it comes to technology, the majority of business leaders are making investments with an emphasis on reinventing, rather than just maintaining their current business (63% compared to 37%).
Sustainability & ESG
When the survey was conducted in late 2022, CEOs in Aotearoa New Zealand were more focused on their economic environment with only 8% feeling extremely or highly exposed to climate change. When asked about actions their company has taken to prepare for climate risk, the focus is firmly on implementing initiatives, innovating products and processes, and developing a strategy. Applying an internal price on carbon in decision-making is at the bottom of the table, with 61% saying they
Waikato Business Awards launch event showcases last year’s winners
The Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards recently opened at an official launch at 2022 supreme winner Profile Group’s PPL site in Te Rapa. Applications for the prestigious awards are now open, and aspiring businesses and individuals have until midday Friday, June 30 to submit their written entry highlighting the strengths and achievements of their business. Attendees at the launch event heard from 2022 winners including Supreme Award winner Profile Group and Emerging Leader
winner Jo Franzen.
Chamber CEO Don Good says he was always impressed by the region’s innovative and high-performance business spirit that shone through in the awards.
“The awards are a superb opportunity for businesses to increase their exposure, and receive professional insights and recommendations on their strategy.”
Entrants receive detailed feedback from the judge's assessment, which can then be used to grow, develop and improve their business.
“Every year we hear from entrants about how beneficial that feedback is from the judges,” Good says.
The judging team of more than 30 Waikato business leaders, headed by the University of Waikato’s Dr Heather Connolly, reviews each application before selecting who will progress to stage two.
Stage two involves a two-hour site visit with judges asking questions about the application and the business. Finalists will then be selected, with the winners of each category announced at a Gala Dinner on Friday,
have no plan to do it. However, companies need to understand the importance of factoring an internal price on carbon, which is essential for organisations to adequately anticipate and manage the risks of the transition to a zero carbon economy.
Innovation
Businesses are adopting a culture of innovation to continue to be ahead of competitors and respond to customers’ changing needs. The survey shows that CEOs are investing in research and development, collaborating with partners and leveraging emerging technologies to achieve this, driving growth and differentiation.
Talent and Culture
This remains an ongoing challenge for businesses, particularly in the tech space and healthcare industry, with a high demand for skilled workers. There is an opportunity for CEOs to think about how they can best use technology, such as automation, alongside their employees to ease the pressure
BY MARK MCCABE
and drive longer-term transformation. The survey showed that 86% of NZ CEOs are investing in upskilling their workforce in the next year, and 92% are developing leadership and talent to drive the productivity of their workforce in the next 12 months. A further 83% are planning to upskill and reskill their employees.
Learn more about what’s on the minds of CEOs in Aotearoa New Zealand at www.pwc. co.nz/insights-and-publications/ceo-survey/ ceo-survey-2023
November 17.
The chamber will host drop-in info sessions for people wanting to know more about the entry process. These will take place on Friday, May 26 and Friday, June 23 and are open to everyone. Attendees will receive guidance on how to write an impressive application and learn what stands out to the judges.
For more information about entering the awards or to register to attend the drop-in sessions, visit www.waikatochamber.co.nz/ business-awards-2023/
Lunch with Barry Soper
They say politics and business don’t mix.
But it’s election year, and chances are the 2023 General Election - scheduled for Saturday October 14will impact us all, one way or another.
There is the excitement of the campaign, the spectacle of waving signs on the side of the road and live debates, new policy statements and bold promises, and a lot of media coverage.
Then the result, with the potential to change people’s lives and livelihoods.
What can the business community expect from this election?
To get some insights into the process, veteran political
journalist Barry Soper is coming to Hamilton for an exclusive lunch event on Wednesday May 31, organised by the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) and the Institute of Directors (IoD) Waikato committees.
As the longest serving member in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, Barry has a unique behind-the-scenes view on politics gleaned from decades of reporting on prime ministers, world leaders and politics.
Barry is currently political editor at NewsTalk ZB, and is a frequent political commentator on television.
He began his career in the 1970s working for The Southland Times, and has also
worked for Otago Daily Times, Waikato Times and APN. He moved to broadcast media, then parliamentary reporting and served an unprecedented three terms as chairman of the press gallery.
Through his work, Barry has got to know and travelled with many of our Prime Ministers, starting with Sir Robert Muldoon, followed by David Lange, Geoffrey Palmer, Mike Moore, Jim Bolger, Jenny Shipley, Helen Clark, John Key, Bill English, Jacinda Ardern and current PM Chris Hipkins (Barry’s 11th PM).
So, what can we expect in the lead up to the October elections?
Come along and hear from Barry as he dishes up
his opinions and insights over lunch in a light-hearted presentation.
Astute and witty, with a great sense of humour, Barry’s event is a must-attend for Waikato business people and community leaders and is open to anyone.
The event, 2023 General Election: insights and observations from Barry Soper, will be held at the FMG stadium, from 11.30am to 1.30pm on Wednesday, May 31. The ticket price of $89+GST includes delicious grazing platter food, with all dietary requirements catered for. There will be a cash bar available, and free parking on site. Please register either through the PRINZ website (www.prinz.org.nz) or via the Institute of Directors website (www.iod.org.nz) under the Events tab.
BUSINESS IN THE WAIKATO
Managing Partner, PwC
Barry Soper
Waikato housing market insights with Kiwibank chief economist
Waikato house prices are expected to stabilise over the next year or two, and home loan rates will start falling by the end of 2023, according to Kiwibank economist Jarrod Kerr.
Speaking at a recent event hosted by Waikato Real Estate, Kerr explained that global inflation had peaked and was declining, which would help bring New Zealand’s inflation under
control. He says around half of the inflation experienced in New Zealand was coming from offshore, so it was essential to examine what was happening globally.
He added that domestic
inflation was mainly driven by the cost of building houses, which had gone up by 20-30% in recent years.
The Waikato housing market is of great interest to Waikato Real Estate, a local and family-owned Property Management company led by Michelle Pearson.
“We are managing a portfolio of over 1,200 properties in the greater Hamilton area, so working alongside our property owners to understand
market conditions is key to their success and ours,” Michelle says.
During the discussion, Kerr also highlighted that there was a good chance New Zealand had already entered a technical recession. He pointed out that the fourth quarter of 2022 had seen a contraction of 0.6%, which could lead to two quarterly contractions, which technically means a recession.
He warned that the worst of the recession could still be yet to come, as the Reserve Bank of New Zealand and Treasury were forecasting a recession to begin in the middle of 2023.
Kerr also spoke about the outlook for builders and developers, who were facing high borrowing and material costs and high wages. He says the industry was likely to experience a massive ramp-up in construction followed by a significant slowdown, as has been the trend in New Zealand in the past. However, he added the Hawkes Bay rebuild, which was expected to begin soon, could slow down the process.
Increased regulation around owning rental properties was discussed. Kerr says the RBNZ’s introduction of
Debt-to-Income rules, slated for April 2024, are a possible disruptor and something property investors should keep an eye on.
When asked by the audience what he would do if his mortgage was coming off a fixed rate. Jarrod pointed out
Create a culture of content to build trust
Every business has a story to tell, knowledge to share and news about what is happening within the company or organisation.
From a florist to a lawyer, to a hotel, each has their own niche to discuss with their current and potential customers.
Putting this knowledge and news down on ‘paper,’ and publishing it on your owned channels (website, e-newsletter, social media etc.), is a great way to inform and get potential customers over the line, especially if your goods or services require due diligence on the customer’s part or are linked to significant decision-making.
Customers might use a blog you’ve written or a ‘how-to’ video you’ve created to decide which product options work best for them, different ways to use a product, or learn about services you offer that they don’t currently use.
Moreso than ever before, customers do their due diligence online and want to first trust you before they will buy from you. That’s why your business must continually develop and promote content –articles, tip sheets, how-to videos, slide shows, podcasts - to showcase your experience and build that trust over the long-term.
Developing content – and ‘giving’ it away for free – is also
PR AND COMMUNICATIONS BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB
Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agency.
an excellent way to build the profile (and trustworthiness) of your employees and leadership team.
Getting started
Your website is the first and most important place to house content, so this needs to be up to scratch. An important starting point is creating a content hub where news, articles, videos, podcast episodes, PDFs for download, infographics and more can be regularly uploaded to one singular place (usually a tab on your main menu).
Your goal is going to be to drive people back to that
content over and over again through all your company’s communications channels. And when the content is good, each time your audience visits, you’ll put a deposit in the trust bank.
Keeping it going
You really need to think about how you can create a culture of content in your business. Try to make best practice communication one of your key business values and start sharing your news, knowledge and expertise with your audiences.
Making content creation part of your organisational culture will make it easier to commit to regularly populating your content hub and sharing that content in different ways through each channel under your control.
Here are three ways to stay on track and committed to ongoing content creation:
Reminders: You could set a reminder each month to make sure you set aside an hour to put something together.
Involve others: Perhaps there is a reliable staff member who could be put in charge of the task of seeking out content ideas. We’d definitely encourage getting as many of the team involved
as possible; this means more ideas and it can be a morale boost to reflect on team successes and demonstrate their knowledge.
Plan: Another way to keep yourself committed is by laying out a quarterly calendar, with key topics for each month and team members assigned to each action. Include goals and measurables in your plan so you can stay on track.
If you need some ideas of what content to develop or need a starting point for your blog or articles, try ChatGPT for some thought-starters.
Tools that will help
We encourage our clients to move beyond the written word, and there are a range of tools that can help you create something visual without the help of a graphic designer. Canva.com is a great place to start for this, where you can presentations, slide shows, charts, infographics, social media imagery and more.
Others to try include: Lemonly.com for infographics and CapCut.com video maker. And give an AI image generator a try, for instance OpenAI’s Dall-E. There are a range of tools out there to help make the content creation job easier.
that he cannot provide financial advice but can share what he does himself. Recently, he had a loan to re-fix and he opted to split up the loan and fixed for a short period only, feeling that interest rates will fall towards the end of the year.
DESIGNER
Kelly Gillespie kelly@dpmedia.co.nz
DESIGNER
Warren Gilberston design@dpmedia.co.nz
Kiwibank economist Jarrod Kerr
Michelle Pearson
Craigs Investment Partners open office at Union Square
Craigs Investment Partners (Craigs) has opened the doors to its newly appointed office in Hamilton’s Union Square development.
One of New Zealand’s leading investment advisory firms, Craigs says the new space allows for the continued growth of its advisory and client base, and signals its ongoing commitment to Hamilton’s CBD and the greater Waikato region.
“Craigs has been a part of the Hamilton community since it first opened its doors here in 1995. In the mid-nineties, the demutualisation of insurance and power companies led to many New Zealanders owning shares for the first time. Craigs & Co. had queues down the street, with people eager to enlist the support of sound financial advice,” says Craigs’ Investment Adviser Stuart Anderson.
Since then, the Hamilton branch has grown to a team of more than 30 advisers and
support staff, servicing close to 6,000 client relationships in the region with over $2 billion in funds under management.
“The Hamilton branch plays an active role in the Waikato community, many advisers are involved with community organisations, recognising the importance of giving back to their local area,” says Anderson.
People-centric design
The Union Square development is a people-focused project designed to encourage activity back into the CBD, and the Craigs’ office includes several features designed to enhance employee and client experience.
Craigs engaged Jigsaw Architects (Jigsaw) to come up with a flagship design
concept that could be progressively rolled out to its nationwide network of branches, overlayed with a local sense of place.
“Our brief was to design a space that achieved a high value outcome for both clients and employees, recognising the esteem that Craigs is held in, and celebrating its financial, social and environmental success,” says Registered Architect and Jigsaw Director Lance Adolph.
“To achieve this, we utilised spatial planning to maximise daylight and long external views. Quality materials and unique design elements were thoughtfully incorporated to promote a sense of optimism and local identity.”
Design factors were used to support employee health and wellbeing, and meet the functional needs of the space. Care was given to ensure a balance of visibility, security and connection between staff and client spaces.
“The office features an employee wellness room,
ergonomic considerations throughout, and a wellequipped lunchroom complete with fresh herb garden. An emphasis on natural materials, good access to daylight and integrated artworks combine to make it a place employees want to be,” says Anderson.
“For our team and our clients, we’ve included a library stocked with investment publications. Investor education is a cornerstone of our business. Each of our clients comes to us with unique circumstances and investment goals. We work in partnership with them to provide advice tailored to
their personal needs, backed by extensive research. The investment library is an extension of our commitment to build our clients’ knowledge and confidence as investors. We want our new branch to be an ‘Investment Centre for Excellence’, and building our advisers’ and clients’ knowledge will always be at the forefront of what we do.”
Adolph says the Craigs office exemplifies a shift in expectation around office spaces. “Health and wellbeing
Craigs' Hamilton team in their new office
Alaska delivers high-end fitout for Craigs Investment Partners’ Union Square offices
Multi award-winning construction and fitout company Alaska has brought their expertise to the new Craigs Investment Partners’ offices in Union Square.
Joining other blue-chip organisations such as Rabobank and AA Insurance Service Centre, BBO and Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, it was important to Craigs IP that they created an office space to match the landmark building, while enhancing employee and client experience.
Alaska director Liam Osborne says the team oversaw every detail of the build portion of the project from inception to completion, and in a very short timeframe.
“It was a reasonably tight programme, with a start date just prior to Christmas, in order to get the Craigs team into the new spaces, as they had to move out of their existing office by late March.”
Liam describes the project as high-end with lots of spaces for client meetings with AV and acoustic requirements, an
appealing cafeteria space positioned on the level three corner of the building and a bespoke board room and reception area.
A job of this calibre meant getting the best contractors at the right price and Alaska has experience in droves when it comes to managing premium office fitouts.
“As the main contractor, we managed the build; from obtaining pricing from all sub trades and suppliers, negotiating and letting the contracts with them when the job was awarded, and managing them throughout the programme to when we handed over the job on time to Craigs,” Liam says.
Led by Liam as the contracts manager, the project was backed up by project manager Matthew Wade running the day-to-day site management and quantity surveyor John Lillywhite controlling all the costs
and awarding contracts.
With over 20 different contractors to manage, it takes the experience of a team like Alaska to execute the visionary design and architecture of this project.
Most of those contractors are based in the Waikato, including FB Hall Plumbing, Zero Fire, Feist Electrical, Van Dykes Flooring, Waikato Decorators, CM Glassware, Impact Tiling.
“I’d say 70 per cent of the contractors on this job are Waikato based,” he says.
The construction industry is always fraught with challenges, and Liam says they had to work around some of their Auckland-based contractors who were impacted by the recent floods.
Alaska is not new to working in the Waikato, with a number of quality builds and fitouts in their portfolio, including Tainui Group Holdings projects, Cambridge Police Hub new build, Hancocks Forestry Management’s new Tokoroa office build, IR Fitout in Hamilton, KMPG offices and CTEK.
“We’ve been very active in Hamilton and the wider Waikato over the past ten years.”
Building relationships and connections is an important part of being active in the industry for the 17 years Alaska has been operating.
“There are projects that have presented opportunities, as well as some repeat clients. We have quite a lot of repeat business in the Waikato,” Liam says.
Kiwi owned and operated with offices in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Invercargill, Alaska has been delivering excellence since 2006.
Alaska is known for their ‘user friendly’ approach and delivering on time, on budget, every time.
Craigs Investment Partners open office at Union Square
continue to gain a stronger emphasis as companies increasingly embrace the triple bottom line – especially when they can see real benefits through improved employee engagement and client satisfaction.”
For Craigs’ Investment Adviser Laura Thomas, the move has been invigorating. “Walking into the office felt like my third ‘first day’ at Craigs,” says Thomas, who was employed as an assistant and then associate, before leaving to further her financial management career in the UK, and then returning in 2021 to become an adviser.
“We are loving having more space to host events and grow the business. We have already hosted a Young Professionals event and will welcome Chamber members for an event in June. The office is warm and inviting, and extremely user-friendly with client and employee carparking, and plenty of meeting spaces all equipped with screen technology for video calls.
“Craigs has been a supportive place to work, providing training and promotion opportunities, and leaving the door open for me to return after my travel. As an investment adviser you can have a big impact in your client’s lives. I am supported by our research and administrative teams to give my clients the best chance of success. The new office space feels like another string in the bow for our client offering.
“Craigs has grown quickly, and we have needed to embrace new systems and technology to accommodate that growth, but at our heart we are a grassroots company with deep ties to our
community. I think our new office reflects that.”
Sustainable choices
Architects are seeing a higher awareness and desire for sustainable outcomes, says Adolph, as companies like Craigs look to reduce the environmental impacts of their operations.
“In the Craigs office, we have favoured materials with green certification, some achieving a full lifecycle cradle-to-cradle loop. Lighting is on tighter zone circuits, utilising daylight harvesting and occupancy sensors for reduced energy consumption. There are a number of timbers in play in the office, celebrating the natural environment while providing a higher carbon sink than more highly processed materials,” he says.
Local connections
Jigsaw’s concept referenced local iconic bridge structures and materials into the design language. “With their strong relationship to the Waikato River, the industrial form of these bridges represents a sense of connection and opportunity for the region.
Abstracting these for material and geometry design language provided the perfect analogy for Craigs’ connection to Hamilton and the greater Waikato,” says Adolph. The Craigs’ Hamilton branch services clients as far as Pukekohe, Raglan, Coromandel and Taumarunui.
The local references continue in the lunchroom, where a commissioned artwork by Ben Bartels, the brother of Craigs Investment Adviser Nick Bartels, is on display. The mural is a celebration of the Waikato, featuring hot air
balloons, the Fairfield Bridge, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the Raglan surf break, Hobbiton, and more.
The reception area features a topographical map of New Zealand made by Jonty McCool, son of retired adviser Johnny McCool. Made from totora, the map identifies Craigs’ 19 offices throughout the county and will be installed in each office over time.
Adolph says the reception area is the part of the space that excites him the most.
“The combination of materials and spatial configuration are really successful. This is a space with strong textured surfaces and spatial layering, resulting in in a depth of experience which would not have been achieved with a generic design response.”
The nature of investing
Another notable artwork commissioned for the office is a bull and bear feature across staff lockers, representing the cyclical nature of investment with a rising ‘bull market’ and a falling ‘bear market’. Framed newspaper clippings further tell the story of market ups and downs over time – major floats and market corrections – where Craigs’ advice was sought by local journalists.
Anderson says the installations are a nod to the company’s history and influence, and provide reassurance through current market conditions.
“Market corrections are a normal part of the investment cycle. It helps for our clients to know that their adviser will have navigated periods like this before, probably more than once. That reassurance can help investors stay the course to realise their objectives in the long-term.”
FROM PAGE 28
The eighth Cohort of the Community and Enterprise Leadership Foundation’s(CELF’s) Elevate Leadership Class 2023 commenced their CELF Leadership journey at the Hidden Lake Hotel, Cambridge.
Harry Wilson – Ngati Kororki Kahukura joined us to welcome the Class, drawing attention to Lake Te Koo Utu, the leadership of King Taawhiao and the importance of place.
Back row: Cam Corkill (BNZ), Abdullah Hussanni (HMS Trust), Steve Parker (WEL Networks), Harry Wilson (Ngati Koroki Kahukura), Greg Carstens (HCC), Tom Jackson (Prolife), Anna King (Braemar), Toby Cunnliffe-Steel (RIDE NZ)
Middle row: Prof. Brad Jackson (UoW), Heidi Gleesen (True Colours), Carmen Jacobsen (NZ Police), Kate Shaw (ConnexU), Jenni Falconer (Emergency Consult), Johann Roozenburg (APL), Megan Austen (Golden Homes), Tamsin Webb – HCC
Front row: Will Loughrin (NZ Police), Avan Polo (Lifesaving NZ), Hugo Parcell (Power Farming), Tania Pointon (SEED), Joanne Turner (Hamilton Christian Night Shelter), Tracey Olivier (CliftonStrengths), Tania Witheford (CELF)
www.celf.org.nz
Fosters’ engineering team are sheet metal specialists.
With a tendency to obsess over the finer details, the team delivers products that are fit-for-purpose, made to fit and crafted with finesse.
Working with mild steel, stainless steel and aluminium, we offer drafting, design, profile laser cutting, fabrication and installation services.
We can, and do, take on project work – bespoke oneoffs or large quantity products.
If you would like to talk to us about an engineered solution, please get in touch.
Contact Dean Fletcher Phone: 021 180 0208 Email: deanf@fosters.co.nz
APL, Hautapu
Salvation Army
Royale Cars