At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what businesses are built on and how they succeed. We understand that to maximise the return on your property you need:
Professional property management
A business partner that understands your views and goals
Contact the Bayleys Waikato Commercial Property Management team today.
Jan Cooney
Head Commercial Property ManagementWaikato, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki 027 408 9339 jan.cooney@bayleys.co.nz
Senior Facilities Manager - Bay of Plenty & Taranaki 027 214 1631 darren.rule@bayleys.co.nz
Employment Investigations
From time to time during an employment relationship, issues may arise which require an investigation into alleged conduct.
Misconduct Outside of Work –What can Employers do?
MHow employment investigations are managed,
anaging misconduct that occurs within the workplace can be challenging. Procedural requirements must be met and
Authority and beyond. Some questions to ask are:
KNOW YOUR LAWYER
— JAIME LOMAS
Jaime Lomas is a Director at DTI Lawyers, and alongside Andrea Twaddle, heads the Employment Law Team.
able to make legally defensible findings of fact on whether alleged conduct occurred or not, even in the scenario where it is “he said/she said” and there are no witnesses to that alleged conduct. It is imperative that the investigator has the skills to analyse conflicting accounts, assess whose version of events is more credible, and clearly and concisely report on those findings, so that stakeholders are able to review and
QuintonBoundy v Waimakariri [2022]
Jaime has extensive experience in employment law and dispute resolution. She takes a pragmatic and practical approach to achieve commercial and workable solutions for her clients. She is committed to understanding the issues her clients face and the impact on their businesses or on them personally. Her working philosophy is that obtaining a better understanding of her clients’ needs is key to give them tailored advice to enable them to achieve their goals and objectives.
is a link between the employee’s behaviour and their employment, then an employer is entitled to commence an investigation or a disciplinary process. For example, an employee accused of harassing another employee outside of work hours would have a clear link to that employee’s employment as the conduct impacts another employee. Another example is an employee who, while driving their employer’s branded work vehicle outside of work hours, verbally abuses a member of the public during an instance of road rage. Social media and the digi-workforce have further blurred the line between work and employees’ personal lives. Employees should also be aware that venting frustrations or personal opinions online that may identify and reflect poorly on their employer may lead to disci-
NZERA 616 highlighted the importance of undertaking a fair and reasonable process with respect to allegations of bullying. In this case, the employee raised concerns regarding the behaviour of her Manager and her Executive Assistant, and ultimately resigned claiming unjustified dismissal on the basis that the organisation had breached its duty to provide a safe
With both a specialist Employment Team and a Commercial/Property Team, Jaime and the team at DTI are well placed to meet your legal needs and look forward to working with you.
workplace. The organisation argued that the bullying by the other employees was not foreseeable, that it had treated the issues as a ‘conflict of interest’ and ‘managerial issue’ in terms of the Manager potentially favouring the Executive Assistant, and that the employee had not ‘formally’ raised her concerns. This was not accepted by the Authority Member, who considered that the organisation was aware of previous incidents in respect of the Manager and Executive Assistant, including the undermining of the organisation’s HR team, and that a complaint had been made by the subject employee to the Chief Executive – the informality of the complaint being irrelevant. Also noted by the Authority Member was the honest and frank evidence of the organisation’s witnesses, including for similar incidents, and that four witnesses who gave evidence broke down while being questioned, some 18 months since their experiences they were still feeling the emotional and
psychological impact of that time. Significant remedies were awarded.
Like with misconduct that occurs at work, it is important the disciplinary process is fair and follows any prescribed procedural requirements that are set out in either the employee’s employment agreement or employer’s policies. This would normally include providing the employee with full details of the allegations and all other evidence relied on in support. This could include witness statements, video footage, photographs, and any other documentation. Any information relied on by an employer to support the allegations should be provided. The employee should be advised of their right to seek independent advice and be provided an opportunity to respond to the allegations and evidence. Once the employer has fairly considered the employee’s response, which may include undertaking further enquiry or clarification of any issues in dispute, the employer is then entitled to make a decision on whether the allegations have been
must be considered and managed.
substantiated and what the outcome should be. When it comes to decision making, the conduct of senior employees outside the workplace whose duties impact on reputation and integrity of the company may be more closely scrutinised.
This case is a good reminder for employers that:
• When you become aware of a complaint/concern, there is an obligation to deal with it, irrespective of whether it is raised formally or informally. In this case, the Authority noted that an independent investigation was required, and the organisation knew that, but did not take those steps.
Employers are wise to minimise the risk of ambiguity about what conduct outside of work might impact on employment, by setting out clearly what is expected of employees in employment documentation such as terms or employment, or codes or conduct. Employees should be put on notice of the potential consequences, including dismissal, should misconduct outside work brings or could likely bring the employer’s business into disrepute.
Ordinarily, in instances where an employee’s behaviour could be seen to damage the employer’s reputation, the potential for damage rather than actual proof of damage will be enough. Similarly, the underlying conduct as opposed to the effect of any significant media attention should be considered. For example, the fact of an employee having an accident in an employer branded vehicle after hours is clearly linked to the company, regardless of whether it was reported in the local paper or social media.
Even where it is known that an employee will be leaving the organisation soon, an employer has an obligation to act.
• An employer must manage risks, including psychological risk, where risk of harm is foreseeable.
An employer must take proportionate steps considering that risk.
If in doubt, seek advice. Early intervention and investigation, in particular in the circumstances where there was previous indication of this behaviour, investigation is imperative. In these circumstances (where there is bullying/undermining alleged by two employees in different levels of the organisation against others), an independent investigation is recommended to ensure impartiality and robustness of reporting. DTI Lawyers can assist with workplace investigations. Both Andrea Twaddle, Director and Anna Jackman, Senior Associate undertake independent investigations, and both hold the globally recognised best practice AWI Certificate in Workplace Investigations.
Employers must always ensure the process and outcome is fair and reasonable in the circumstances. The specialist employment law team at DTI Lawyers can assist businesses in relation to all employment matters, including advice on disciplinary processes and whether an employer can take action for misconduct occurring outside of work. For any further information on employment law queries, please contact the specialist employment team at DTI Lawyers.
• There is an intersection between employment obligations and health and safety obligations. Both
You can contact us on 07 282 0174 or anna@dtilawyers.co.nz andrea@dtilawyers.co.nz
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS , JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
By Jaime Lomas, Director and Specialist Employment Lawyer, DTI Lawyers
Anna Jackman and Andrea Twaddle, DTI Lawyers
MyNoke winning with worms
Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction Group, winners’ insight with MyNoke GM Phil Holland
No two days are ever the same for MyNoke general manager Phil Holland. While sometimes he can be office-bound, there’s every chance he could be donning high vis and work boots as he navigates one of the company’s three existing worm farms or looks at one of the 10 new sites the company is set to start up.
MyNoke operates the world’s largest worm farming operation, and it’s set to get even bigger. It was fitting that MyNoke took out the Sustainability gong at the Waikato
Chamber of Commerce Business Awards.
Phil says the company first entered last year when they made the finals.
“We loved the judging process last year so much. The feedback was brilliant; the judges identified two weak points around governance and strategy. We were in the process of setting up a board and having an independent chair in place so it made sense that we should enter again this year having addressed those elements.
“We really enjoyed the
feedback and that was one of the many reasons we entered – having another set of eyes on us, asking questions we might not have asked was really valuable. There’s always that scenario where you’re working in the business so much that there’s sometimes no time to step back. When I look at what we’ve achieved in 12-18 months it’s phenomenal. This award really confirms for us that we’re on the right track in so many ways.”
MyNoke (noke means worm in te reo Māori) began in 2007 when founder Michael Quintern hand selected 10 buckets of worms. Those worms were destined to help solve fibre issues for Kinleith’s pulp and paper mill.
“They would capture all the fine fibre in the wastewater, that was sent to us where we mixed it with a range of other organics and then the worms get down to business.”
Back then, Phil says, a worm farm was seen as a bit “woo woo”. Michael had the tenacity to push past the naysayers and, fast forward to 2022, MyNoke’s
worm population is exploding after what’s been a relatively mild winter.
Today, 3 billion worms are tasked with chewing their way through large volumes of organic waste materials and by-products from the likes of the dairy and animal processing industries, even the treated and sanitised end product from Hamilton’s wastewater treatment plant. And just this month, Hamilton businesses are the first to adopt a new collection scheme where worm food bins filled with food and organic waste are collected and delivered to one of MyNoke’s worm farms, helping divert even more waste from landfill.
Event organisers, accommodation providers, hospitality operators and businesses with on-site cafeterias will fill 140 litre worm food bins with food scraps, shredded paper, handtowels, cardboard boxes and wilted flowers. Once it reaches MyNoke, the worms feast on the waste, reducing it by about 80 per cent and turning it into vermicast – or, worm poop – a rich soil conditioner that is sold in solid or liquid form to agriculturalists, horticulturalists, and gardeners who return it to the soil.
As MyNoke’s worm population has exploded, so too has the business’ operation.
“About 18 months ago we had nine staff, now we have 30,” Phil says. And they’ll need even more soon.
“In two to five years MyNoke will be a very different company. We’re very much growth minded, with a strong R&D team headed up by Michael. They help us improve what we’re doing and to be able to react quickly. We are constantly researching other organic waste streams so we’re ahead of the game when it comes to sustainability and innovation.”
To ensure they have skilled staff to cope with rapid growth, the company has set up an internal training programme – Ako MyNoke – which aims to teach young people all they need to know about worm farming.
“We need people so we can grow our 10 new sites and to do that we have created this training programme. Years ago being a worm farmer wouldn’t have been a career path people would have considered but it is now!”
Ako MyNoke will see participants starting off by learning to drive tractors, the science behind worm farming, financial literacy and general life skills.
“They’ll start off learning all the fundamentals and hopefully their career path will progress… foreman, site manager, perhaps they’ll end up with my job,” Phil says.
While it’s an internal training programme, there will be external component too. MyNoke is partnering with Power Farming to produce videos on how to start and operate farm machinery. That content will be made available to the public because they believe that knowledge and understanding may be useful to others. They haven’t advertised Ako MyNoke. They haven’t had to. Word of mouth has done the job, with up to 12 people on a waiting list to join Ako MyNoke on one of the company’s sites.
The 10 new sites set to begin operations over the next two to three years are dotted around the country, from the far north to the far south.
“We’ve looked at where the optimum sites should be. They’re close to major waste providers, and we’ve worked with a range of stakeholders such as economic development agencies, iwi, industry, farmers, councils, horticulturalists to ensure they understand why our operation is so important.”
And the statistics speak for themselves. Currently, MyNoke’s operation has diverted from landfill over 1.2 million tonnes of waste each year. With 10 more sites coming online, that’s set to grow even more.
“This award really is a huge credit to our team who are incredibly loyal and passionate.” As are their 3 billion worms who do the hard mahi!
Legacy boosts centre roof repaint
When the McKenzie Centre roof gets a much needed repaint in April, a donation from the Legacy Trust will help pay for it.
Legacy Funerals Hamilton branch manager Jordan Goss confirmed the $1500 grant before Christmas and visited McKenzie Centre in Hamilton, when the first term started last week, to congratulate them and have a tour of the centre.
It has been more than 15 years since McKenzie Centre’s roof in Hamilton has been painted and business support coordinator Lillian Martin knows how important it is to maintain it before it needs major repairs.
The charitable trust gets funding from Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People and education ministries targeted specifically at early childhood intervention and support for children from birth to school age - within a 50-kilometre
radius of its Hammond Street base - with developmental delays or disabilities.
But necessary improvements or significant maintenance – such as the roof repaint – are impossible without other funding.
“If we want to do anything like maintenance, we rely on funding grants,” Lillian says.
Legacy Funerals is owned by the Legacy Trust which is a registered charitable trust established by former Tauranga mayor and former Hamiltonian Gregory Brownless in 2007 when he gifted his funeral business to the community.
Since then, more than $3.8 million has been gifted to Bay of Plenty and Waikato community groups. Last year Legacy Funerals moved further
north establishing a venue in Hamilton.
Long-standing Cambridge Funerals, which was acquired by Legacy Funerals in 2018, also underwent a rebrand to carry the Legacy Funerals’ name.
Jordan began his career in the funeral industry in 2009 and is currently president of the New Zealand Embalmers Association.
Part of the reason he joined Legacy Funerals in August last year was the Legacy Trust’s commitment to its communities.
“It’s a great thing from my point of view because not only do we get to support families through their grief in our dayto-day roles in the funeral profession, but we are also able to support the community in other areas.”
Jordan’s partner Renee is currently working on placement with Enrich+ in Te Awamutu - part of the Enrich Group family of organisations, which also includes McKenzie
Centre – that supports people with disabilities and those living with autism and neurodiversities.
“So, I have an understanding of the work Enrich+ does
McKenzie Centre, which turns 40 next year, uses a model of transdisciplinary early intervention which builds a team of health and education professionals around the child and whānau.
and now I’m keen on learning more about McKenzie Centre
and continuing our support,” he says.
“We want to be able to grow our business in the Waikato so we can give donations to many different organisations. We have several groups we want to sponsor and support. We know there’s a need on the ground and how important this grant is for the roof repair.”
McKenzie Centre, which turns 40 next year, uses a model of trans-disciplinary early intervention which builds a team of health and education
professionals around the child and whānau.
“Our highly trained team develop specific strategies, in partnership with parents, to support children to learn and develop to the best of their ability, to achieve both shortterm goals and long-term success. Just as importantly, our staff also provide whānau with effective skills, knowledge and confidence to enable them to practically assist the learning and development of their child whilst at home,” Lillian says.
Hill Laboratories forms strategic partnership with Mérieux NutriSciences
Hamilton-based Hill Laboratories has signed a joint working partnership agreement with Mérieux NutriSciences, who are global leaders in food safety, quality, and sustainability.
Hill Laboratories’ CEO Dr Jonathan Hill says the partnership was established in response to increased New Zealand customer demand for high-quality food safety auditing services for export.
“Partnering with Mérieux NutriSciences allows us to offer our customers a worldclass independent auditing service alongside our existing world-class analytical services.
“Hill Labs’ expertise in food, agricultural and environmental testing perfectly complements Mérieux NutriSciences’ expertise in auditing Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) programmes.
“The Hill Laboratories team will work together with the Mérieux NutriSciences team of experts to provide comprehensive solutions for New Zealand food businesses which will encompass both food safety testing and auditing services. The end result is that we will be better able to support our customers’ full suite of export certification compliance needs.”
Dr Hill says there is strong
demand for food safety auditing services coming from New Zealand’s horticultural sector, particularly fruit packhouses required to meet export food safety regulations.
“Hill Labs already does a significant amount of testing for the horticultural sector. The ability to now offer our packhouse customers and other horticultural clients this top-quality, independent auditing service gives us another string in our bow.”
A growing number of retailers and manufacturers worldwide require food suppliers to demonstrate their commitment to food safety and quality standards through global
food safety programmes, such as those benchmarked and recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI).
Mérieux NutriSciences provides certification and food auditing services that confirm the highest safety and quality levels across the whole food value chain. The company is accredited through the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JASANZ).
1
Both Hill Laboratories and Mérieux NutriSciences are family-owned, and Dr Hill says the two companies share very similar values, especially the shared focus on quality.
“Mérieux NutriSciences approached Hill Laboratories as its preferred New Zealand partner. Both of our
Commercial mortgage
broking house Omega
Capital has welcomed Nadine Lazzara to its property finance consultant team.
Nadine is an experienced property finance specialist, having worked for over five years in corporate banking prior to joining Omega Capital, specialising in complex residential and commercial property development and
investment projects. Nadine studied in Canada prior to moving to New Zealand in 2012 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing.
“I have a deep knowledge of the wider market, and property-specific insights that are valuable for both experienced and new property professionals,” says Nadine. This knowledge is supported by a
“keen interest in the property industry.”
One of Nadine’s biggest strengths is her ability to foster and maintain genuine relationships, while ensuring her clients achieve their short and long-term development goals. Her personable nature and analytical mind supports the Omega Capital client-focused approach to finance and equity
solutions, making Nadine a natural addition to the team.
Her background includes time in a relationship manager role, solidifying her ability to provide her clients confidence and comfort in their property lending experience.
Omega Capital general manager Noni Martin says she is pleased to welcome Nadine to the team as a great asset to the company.
companies have a shared ambition to help local food growers and manufacturers to meet international food safety and quality standards,” he says.
Mérieux NutriSciences
Australia managing director
Omega Capital welcomes experienced property finance specialist Nadine Lazzara
“Nadine’s background in corporate banking coupled with her deep knowledge of property finance makes her a perfect fit for the Omega Capital team.
“Her appointment brings further strength to our team and our clients, particularly the many property developers we work with, who will greatly benefit from her experience and skills.”
Dr Jonathan Hill
Kevin Goddaer says, “The strategic partnership with Hill Laboratories expands Mérieux NutriSciences' auditing services for the first time to New Zealand, allowing us to better serve the growing Pacific market.”
Lillian Martin and Jordan Goss
Company-X celebrates a decade in business
Waikato software specialist Company-X is celebrating its first decade in business in 2023. Co-founders Jeremy Hughes and David Hallett look back at the foundation of their successful team and at the Company-X philosophies that have mattered most over the last 10 years.
Company-X was founded in 2012 by software specialists David Hallett and Jeremy Hughes.
Both directors ran their own IT businesses before founding Company-X. Hallett was a solution architect and the director of Pulsar Computer Solutions, founded in March 1998, while Hughes was managing director of Ignition Software, which he had started in March 2001.
“I’d been ‘working in and working on’ my first software business with a business mentor for some time and knew it was time for things to change,” Hughes said.
“My business mentor said, ‘Jeremy, you need to get out there and network’ and he named several things that did not come naturally to me.”
Around that time, Hughes went to a presentation by Orcon Internet founder Seeby Woodhouse.
“Seeby was talking about this little internet business that he was running. He figured that there were very slim margins because Telecom had changed everything and he said, ‘I must change something for this to work.’”
Woodhouse soon founded Orcon. “That observation about change was the key for me, and that moment was the inspiration for the formation of Company-X. It was to take the business that I already had and recreate it in a new form. If
you want something to change or grow, then you must change something.”
Hughes had known Hallett through networking events for about four years when he approached him for a business partnership.
“Jeremy suggested that we complete DISC profiles, focused on the personality traits of Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness,” Hallett recalls.
It turned out Hughes and Hallett were a perfect match.
“David and I find enjoyment in quite different aspects of running a business, so the variety in our passions and interests complement our approaches really well, we find,” Hughes said. “Right from the start, David and I based our business on strengths-based serving leadership.”
“Our profiles dovetailed,” Hallett said. “We soon realised through this process that we were both driven to reinvent the way that specialist services were delivered. It helped us decide quite quickly that our companies would cease trading and something new and exciting would arise from the ashes like a phoenix.
The Art of Life consultant Steve Murray proposed Company-X as a placeholder name but it soon gained traction with the pair as a viable brand for the business. They realised how much it
would fit with messaging that supported their hopes for this new venture together
“From a sales perspective, it’s brilliant, because people ask me ‘what is Company-X?’ I answer ‘well, let me tell you about Company-X...’” Hallett explained. “It’s a cool concept that you can play on and do many things with. You can talk about the software company with the x-factor, x marks the spot for software savvy, the Company-X men and women, all sorts of stuff. It’s a fun kind of brand for us.”
The strong desire to build a software development team offer with that real x-factor made Hallett and Hughes appreciate from day one that their hiring strategies were a priority.
“To deliver on a promise of something brilliant, you need brilliant people” said Hallett, “From the start, we’ve focused on building a team of people that we can trust implicitly to represent Company-X and to do the very best they can for our clients.”
The business has grown to around 50, with the majority based in the Waikato but with people across the country and overseas.
“Nowadays, we’re lucky enough to attract frankly awesome staff from around New Zealand and, in fact, from around the world.” said Hughes. “Finding great people is never easy but we’re always
Hallett and Hughes have made a deliberate effort to ensure that the culture and character of Company-X continues to be strong, especially as the business grows in numbers.
Leadership and team coach Tracey Olivier leads every member of the Company-X team through Gallup’s CliftonStrengths assessment tool.
“Company-X was founded on Jeremy and David understanding their strengths and the power of harnessing their differences,” said Olivier.
“They understood the power of each individual understanding their own strengths.”
“CliftonStrengths measures how people think, feel, and behave. On an individual basis it helps people understand
Knowing this is powerful as we can leverage each other’s genius and understand where the gaps are and make allowance for them.”
The use of DISC profiling, CliftonStrengths and Working Genius say something about Company-X culture.
Of the profiling tools, Hallett said: “I find them very fascinating and useful, especially the alternative ways that they enable one to view self and others. For as Socrates supposedly uttered, ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’.”
It’s become a pervasive philosophy in the company,” Hughes said.
“We have this seats on the bus concept, and you use people in the areas of their strength and don’t abuse them for their weaknesses. We started out with this raw concept that that’s how we want to work and build our team, and as we celebrate 10 years, hey ho, there’s this more structured tool which fully supports exactly what we’ve always done. It helps reassure us that we’re well-placed for the next 10 years ahead, and that feels pretty good to me.”
TENTH ANNIVERSARY: Company-X co-founders and directors David Hallett, top, and Jeremy Hughes are celebrating 10 years in business in 2013.
WINNING CULTURE: The Company-X team won the Service Excellence Award and the Global Operator Award at the Westpac Waikato Business Awards in 2018.
blown away by the incredible expertise and enthusiasm that we’ve so often managed to find right on our doorstep.”
How leadership is building culture
Since 2018, Fosters has been working to develop and implement a three-tier leadership programme.
Today, with graduates from all three levels, the business is seeing multiple benefits but most especially a strong ‘one team’ culture.
Fosters Chief Operating Officer Nigel Sun oversees the leadership programme.
“When we started down this path, Fosters was growing fast” says Nigel. “We had a big workload and a lot of good people who had great skills and natural leadership abilities. However, given the nature of the industry, lots of our managers had worked their way up and continued to be ‘on the tools’, finding it hard to delegate.
“When the pressure came on, we realised we hadn’t equipped our leaders to manage their teams well; our sites weren’t working as efficiently as they could be and we noticed our business units were working in silos.
“Very quickly, we recognised the need to lead from the top and empower
our teams to work better” Nigel continues. “Leadership became a company strategy and we committed to increasing leadership skills and awareness across the business.”
With the help of Wintec, Fosters have implemented a beginner, intermediate and senior leadership programme.
The 8-week ‘future leaders programme’ targets young staff identified as future leaders who have minimal leadership experience. An intermediate course helps those already in management roles, further developing their skills over 12 weeks. And for middle management people with the potential to take on senior roles, there’s a 12-month senior leadership course. These courses are by invitation only, with the costs fully covered by the company.
According to Nigel, the benefits to the course participants and ultimately to Fosters are invaluable and multi-faceted.
Implementing leadership initiatives at every level of our business has helped our people understand the kind of business we are trying to create. It has helped our younger staff members to understand the complexities of leadership.
“And, by selecting people from all parts of our business, we’ve noticed an enhancement of relationships and better understanding between the different areas. We don’t have people working in silos anymore.
“Of course, we are seeing people promoted internally”
unique 8-week experience, over 8-months with established leaders from across multiple organisations
he adds. “There’s much bigger contribution to the business from up-and-coming leaders – our ‘future leader’ graduates are active in our people and culture, and health and safety committees. We can see them readily applying what they’ve learned and learning from those who are more
experienced.
“Most importantly, our people are speaking the same language, and this is what builds a positive culture. Bringing strong and positive leaders through is enabling us to both maintain and improve ‘The Fosters Way’.”
Fosters 2022 Future Leader graduates with COO Nigel Sun and Construction Manager Adam Findlay.
Back: Adam Findlay, Chaz Stevenson, Lawrence Watts, Todd Barraclough and Nigel Sun
Front: Hamish Kennedy, Mark Collins, Lars Morrice and Alissa Tobin
Waikato Housing Initiative appoints Aksel Bech as CEO
The Waikato Housing Initiative cochairs Lale Ieremia and Nic Greene have announced the appointment of a new chief executive officer Aksel Bech a long-term resident, business and community leader in the Waikato.
Aksel recently completed two terms as a Waikato District Councillor and was Deputy Mayor from 2019 to 2022.
“Aksel has already had oversight of Waikato Housing Initiative’s activities through his role on the Waikato Plan for the past six years. That means he can hit the ground running at a time when the demands
on our organisation are picking up. We’ll benefit greatly from being able to tap into his experience at this crucial time,” Ieremia says.
The Waikato Housing Initiative (WHI) is a working group that includes representatives from across the housing spectrum. It is working toward a vision of: “Every person and every family in the Waikato
region is well-housed, living in sustainable, flourishing and connected communities.”
In 2018, WHI completed a regional stocktake which established one source of truth for Waikato’s housing shortfall. This stocktake is used extensively by regional authorities to enable discussions around boundaryless planning for optimal housing solutions.
“We are working together to change the current status quo of housing across the Waikato by leading, connecting and facilitating the delivery of affordable, quality and accessible homes in our region. It’s the right time for the Waikato Housing Initiative to appoint a CEO who can lead the strategic
partners and working group. We welcome Aksel onboard to take up that challenge,” Greene says,
Bech says he looks forward to working across the region and across sectors to create positive housing impacts.
“I am very conscious of the lack of affordable housing across our region and the effects felt by far too many people in our regional community.
The work of the Waikato Housing Initiative is crucial. It looks to provide focused, local leadership and align local solutions that work for Waikato people.
“I am honoured and humbled to be given this opportunity of leadership for the Waikato Housing Initiative and look forward to making a positive impact.”
Over the past five years, the Waikato Housing Initiative has worked with local authorities and developers to promote integrated, affordable housing as part of master planned communities. This has included developing a ‘scorecard’ housing providers and developers use to assess their housing projects so they can more closely match the region’s vision and goals for housing outcomes.
Award-winning agency grows digital and marcomms grunt
Hamilton-based public relations agency HMC has announced the promotion of Rosie Miller to senior account managermarketing communications lead, and welcomed Jamie Batters into the newly created position of digital PR content creator.
HMC was established in 2004 and is a two-time winner of the PRINZ PR Agency of the Year Award in 2018 and 2021.
Since joining HMC in 2019, Miller has spent over three years working on a diverse range of clients across many industries including professional services, education, retail, FMCG and property.
Originally from Auckland, Miller’s previous background in the marketing and communications industry gives her a broad, multi-disciplinary range of knowledge that she’s tapped into over the past three years at HMC.
Last month, Miller gained her accreditation in Public Relations (APR) through the PR Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ). Earning the internationally-recognised
certification demonstrates a practitioner’s mastery of strategic communications practice and a commitment to lifelong learning and ethical standards.
“Studying for my APR accreditation gave me wide exposure to PR disciplines that I hadn’t yet worked in, and the process included working closely with experienced industry mentors which I found to be incredibly beneficial,” Miller says.
“It was a great opportunity to reflect and improve my own practice, to the benefit of HMC clients.”
Additionally, HMC has hired a new team member, Jamie Batters, in the niche position of digital PR content creator.
Batters is a Hamilton native, having recently
completed her studies at Wintec gaining a Bachelor of Communication – majoring in Digital Marketing.
Throughout her studies and freelance work, Batters gained a wealth of experience in copywriting, digital content creation, digital marketing, and social media management.
“I’m excited to join the HMC team to foster my continued growth and development, while bringing to the table a fresh perspective on the digital space to assist clients looking to explore this area deeper,” says Batters.
“The diversity this role provides is one of the many perks of working with HMC, and I am already enjoying the breadth of clients and industries that HMC services.”
HMC founder and
managing director, Heather Claycomb, says Miller’s promotion and Batters’ hire are a clear demonstration of how lines are blurring between public relations and marketing disciplines.
“The past few years we’ve seen huge changes in the public relations industry. As an agency, we’ve needed to take the blinders off a bit and broaden the scope of advice we provide clients. So much audience communication happens in digital channels, many of which require you to ‘pay to play,’ and the result of this shift is that the PR industry often steps over the line a bit into the marketing space.
“HMC has invested significantly in upskilling our entire team in the area of digital public relations, which is distinct from digital marketing. Keeping our digital PR skills sharp allows our team at HMC to offer a modern PR approach that gets our clients in front of the right people, at the right
time, on the right channels and with the right image. This requires a strategy that blends both on- and off-line tactics.
“The public relations industry is incredibly dynamic at the moment. Having experienced, highly skilled team members working in the marcomms and digital space is one way HMC is staying ahead of the curve,” explains Claycomb.
HGB getting kicks off 2023 with key appointments
Hamilton strategic marketing agency, HGB kicks into 2023 with two new key leadership roles in place.
Directors Jacqui GageBrown and Kylie Harcourt say the two new roles, general manager and head of creative, reflected the company’s growth and leadership goals and were proud to appoint internal staff to the new strategic roles.
“We’re proud to announce Mitchell Hyde’s new role as HGB general manager, reflecting the huge leadership journey he’s taken this year
and to better support his business management skills development,” Gage-Brown says.
“We’ve also made another key promotion, with Lachlan Blackburn moving to head of creative. Locky has shown great initiative and leadership over the past year which has confirmed he’s ready to take this next step.”
HGB has also welcomed a new face to the experienced team of 15, with Karen Cousins joining as a strategic marketing consultant. Cousins comes with a wealth of public and private sector
experience and is fresh from receiving supreme and gold PRINZ awards for her campaign work in community relations and engagement.
Harcourt said the new appointments capped off a stellar year for HGB and their clients.
“This year we’ve gone from strength to strength and we’re buzzing from the amazing work Mitch, Locky and the rest of our team has delivered on behalf of our clients,” Harcourt says.
“As HGB enters its tenth year creating meaningful experiences for our clients
across New Zealand, we’re invigorated looking at what’s still to come. Bring it on!”
Gage-Brown says.
HGB is a fullservice agency, based
in the Hamilton CBD, undertaking design, brand creation and positioning, strategic marketing, paid and organic digital and social media advertising,
website development, communications, fundraising sponsorships and more for some of the Waikato’s most recognisable companies.
Lachlan Blackburn, Karen Cousins and Mitchell Hyde
Jamie Batters
Rosie Miller
Aksel Bech
Get connected to Electric Vehicles – the smart way.
If you’re out and about on any New Zealand road these days, and you’ll likely see Electric Vehicles (EVs). They’re becoming quite commonplace on our roads, and there’s a good chance that we may have helped a few of those get up and running!
That’s because as the world shifts to using more sustainable energy sources, we’re using our energy experience and practical insights to help businesses make the move to EVs – for good. Using our experience and smart infrastructure ideas, we help put businesses on the road to sustainability faster, smarter and at just the right price.
Because of this We.EV has seized the opportunity to lead the way in supporting businesses to transition their eets to EVs by investigating, designing, installing and provide an end-to-end solution to meet the customers’ needs to minimise costs now and into the future. Community owned, our vision is simple; to help businesses shape a better, more renewable future We guide and support businesses who want to make the shift to EVs with speci c plans and infrastructure that’s exible, coste ective, and can expand as your EV eet does. From accurate advice to on-the-ground planning, every customer we work with has unique needs and goals. So whether your eet of EVs is large or small, or you’re even just at the early stages of thinking about it – it pays to talk to the local experts rst.
How to get started on your EV transformation
So, you can make the change once, and do it properly, there are a number of things you’ll need to look at, says Craig Marshall, Head of We.EV. He explains it should start with good advice before you start laying cables. “There are a lot of people out there who are keen to help with suggestions and hardware. But it all starts with solid advice that simply comes from handson experience. We’ve been working with energy for decades. And we’ve seen cases where clients were told to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars, when in fact they needed nothing of the sort for their usage.”
So, if you’re ready to make the smarter EV infrastructure choice and you’re ready to take your sustainability goals up a gear – get in touch with the EV experts.
0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz
Driving brighter business futures.
From advice and planning to design and build, We.EV helps businesses become future-ready with their Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure. So whether your eet of EVs is large or small, or you’re even just thinking about it – it pays to talk to the local experts rst.
Rabobank Agribusiness Leadership Awards nominations now open for 2023
The annual trans-Tasman Rabobank Leadership Awards is returning – after a three-year Covid-enforced hiatus – with nominations now open for 2023.
nd a new award
A– recognising an outstanding rural community initiative – has been added to the longstanding prestigious business awards programme.
Run for more than 20 years by agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank, the peer nominated awards recognise outstanding leadership in New Zealand and Australia’s food, beverage and agribusiness industries, with two key business leadership accolades.
The Rabobank Leadership Award honours an accomplished senior agribusiness sector leader, while the Rabobank Emerging Leader Award recognises outstanding up-and coming agri industry talent.
Previous recipients of the Rabobank Leadership Award include former Sanford CEO
Volker Kuntzsch, New Zealand meat industry pioneer Sir Graeme Harrison and New Zealand dairy industry identity Sir Henry van der Heyden.
The Rabobank Emerging Leader Award has gone to recipients including New Zealand dairy producer Mat Hocken, South Australian viticulturist Zachary Caudo and Woolworth’s Anna Speer.
Announcing the opening of nominations for the 2023 Leadership Awards, Rabobank NZ CEO Todd Charteris says the bank was thrilled to welcome the return of the awards programme after Covid restrictions had put a pause on the annual ceremony after 2019.
“New Zealand and Australian agribusiness companies operate in an environment which is increasingly volatile and complex, and the role of
industry leadership has never been more important,” he says.
“So it’s fantastic to have the awards back this year as they not only provide an opportunity to recognise those who are already making a significant contribution to food and agribusiness across the Australasia region, but also to highlight some of the emerging leaders who will help steer the industry into the future.”
Charteris says the bank was also pleased to mark the return of the Rabobank Leadership Awards with the introduction of a new Rabobank Community Leadership Award, with separate Community Leadership Awards to be presented in both New Zealand and Australia.
“The new award will go to an exceptional initiative in each country which provides meaningful benefit to the rural community.
“This new award category aims to shine a light on community initiatives that align with one or more of the key themes linked to the work being undertaken by the Rabo
Planting a new future for Hamilton
The WE LOVE VW team from Ebbett Volkswagen have partnered with the Hamilton City Council and planted the Pukete restoration project at Kauri Grove in Pukete Farm Park. This is a long-term partnership between the two businesses.
The Pukete Farm Park is approximately 11,000sqm in size which is approximately seven-hectares of land. Within the park, there is the Kauri Grove which was first planted in 1997. Starting in 2022, over a three-year period, Ebbett Volkswagen has partnered with to plant additional kauri
trees in the area.
Pukete Farm Park is a large multi-use park utilised by the Waikato Equestrian Centre, with a mountain bike track, dog exercise area, natural parkland and gully areas. At the southern end of the park is the Kauri Grove, a stand of kauri trees with other native vegetation adjacent to the gully in this area. This stand of kauri is significant in Hamilton/ Kirikiriroa as it is one of only a few stands of kauri within the city boundary.
In the middle of last year, the Ebbett Volkswagen team planted 1000 native plants which will be part of an overall grove of 3000 native trees over the next three years. This is planned to be one of the biggest kauri groves within the
Client Councils – groups of the bank’s clients in New Zealand and Australia, who work with Rabobank to address industry and community challenges in farming and agribusiness.
“In New Zealand we have four client councils – two in the North Island and two in the South – and the five key themes they have identified to address are; long-term industry capacity and agricultural education, environmental sustainability, the rural/urban divide, rural health and adaptation/disruption in the rural sector.”
A cash prize of AUD25,000 will be gifted to the winning Rabobank Community Leadership Award initiative in each country in order to help strengthen its impact. Charteris encouraged those involved in New Zealand’s agricultural sector to nominate peers and community organisations and, in doing so, recognise their leadership and positive contribution to the future growth, prosperity and sustainability of New Zealand
food and agribusiness.
“New Zealand-based leaders scooped both the major accolades at the last event in 2019, and it would great to see plenty of entries from this side of the ditch for the upcoming awards.”
The Rabobank Leadership Award recognises an individual who has built an expansive career in management and leadership in New Zealand or
Australian agriculture and has, as a senior executive, led sustained growth and commercial success while demonstrating a wider commitment to the broader community.
The Rabobank Emerging Leader Award acknowledges the contribution and role of up and-coming farmers, and those in the wider agribusiness sector, who demonstrate strong leadership potential. Nominations close on February 17, 2023 - visit www.rabobank.co.nz/leadership.
Hamilton boundaries.
The planting day started with a karakia led by Ngaati Wairere representatives, followed by the health and safety briefing from council staff before the team got down to planting trees. It was a beautiful fresh day and the weather luckily held out so that all the trees were able to be planted.
Over the next few years, the Ebbett Volkswagen team will continue to partner with the council and plant out the remainder of the Kauri Grove in the Pukete Farm Park. With 3000 native trees planted, we will continue to grow the nature around the area and plant a future for the community through this beautiful restoration project.
Tackling the horticulture labour shortage one Kiwi at a time
The University of Waikato won the Prototype Award this year for their Kiwifruit Human Assisted Harvesting (e-BIN), a product that was created during the 2021 lockdown in part, to solve the issue of staff shortagesone of the kiwifruit industry’s biggest problems.
Funded by Zespri, the electronic fruit bin can potentially revolutionise the picking industry by taking most of the heavy lifting out of picking produce, bringing people that potentially weren’t physically able to get into picking jobs into the industry.
The group have consulted with representatives from the picking industry and have worked to refine the fine motor skills on the e-Bin to reduce fruit damage.
Nick Pickering, lecturer at the University’s School of Engineering, says the challenge is to use automation technology to invent something that will assist kiwifruit pickers on orchards and open up jobs to a wider group of people.
“The industry is suffering serious labour shortages especially during harvest, so we’ve come up with this solution that can enable more people to do the job of picking kiwifruit.”
Pickering says the e-Bin aims to be technically feasible, financially viable and desirable for all stakeholders. “The key factor is we needed something simple that can be commercialised quickly
to help address the labour shortages we’re seeing.”
He says picking kiwifruit can be physically demanding work, as people are required to carry a large bag that they fill as they pick. Once filled it can weigh about 25kg and then it needs to be emptied into a larger bin.
The e-Bin takes the hard work out of picking the fruit.
Instead of each individual having to carry around a bag, a group of four pickers walk alongside the e-Bin, which is on wheels. As each kiwifruit is picked, it is dropped into a fruit catcher on the e-Bin. A net cushions and secures the
There
are a
lot of people who love to work outdoors but cannot handle the weight and the regular bending involved in the
harvest.
fruit, before it rolls down and comes to rest in the main bin.
The e-Bin human assisted harvesting project has been a collaboration with Zespri, the project sponsor. It has also involved students and academics from the School of Engineering and industry experts.
Zespri Innovation Leader of Orchard Technology Peter McHannigan says there’s potential to solve many issues with assisted robotics but they must make commercial sense.
“Through this project we are looking at the total financial cost-benefit assessment.”
Garcia Contracting managing director Luciano Garcia says increasing the labour pool has to be the most important goal for this project.
“There are a lot of people who love to work outdoors but cannot handle the weight and the regular bending involved in the harvest.”
Mr Pickering says the e-Bin has been put to the test, first with 3D printed fruit and then out in the field, with researchers looking at a number of factors including productivity and fruit damage. The results are promising in terms of the e-Bin’s ability to reduce fatigue and safely operate in an orchard environment.
“It’s a basic concept and it links the desirability, financial feasibility and practicality in a very simple solution really – as all we have done is removed the weight.”
He says the e-Bin will be validated in trial work this coming season and likely commercialised soon after.
CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON
Mike
Neale,
Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton
Why Is My Building Still Vacant ? – what you can do to change that
As we head into 2023 and you have a vacant building / tenancy, or are likely to, as vacancy rates show signs of increasing, the question invariably reverts to what Landlords need to do to improve their chances of re-leasing their spaces.
The old school of thought from Landlords was “bring me a tenant and I will do whatever they want” – to be clear, we have moved on from that. Matt Stark of Stark Property was the first of any significance to just get stuck in, visually improving the external appearance and internally the functionality and quality of the spaces.
“If you build it, they will come”
- Field of Dreams
Any good commercial agent should be able to guide you through what Tenants are currently requiring or any works that should be completed to attract Tenants. Every property will be different, often dependant on the type or quality of Tenant you are looking to attract. First impressions can often be the final impression that Tenants make – you only get one chance to impress a Tenant.
External Check List – the visual appearance:
• Ensure gardens are maintained, weeds are sprayed, old plants are replaced, the landscaping enhances the property
• Does the building need external maintenance or an upgrade, cleaning, repainting, upgrade of features or colours?
• Are there potholes, water damage/leaks, gutters cleared, do the windows need cleaning or car parks remarked?
• Has the previous Tenant’s signage been removed and made-good?
• Are there too many ‘For Lease’ signs on the property and does this detract from the message you are looking to portray? Too many signs can suggest that the Landlord is desperate Internal Check List – functionality and quality of the work environment
• Ensure there are no roof leaks and that stained ceiling tiles are replaced
• If the floor coverings need an upgrade or replacement, then get on to it. Carpet tiles allow for the future removal/addition of walls and partitions, as well as a method of upgrading worn areas
• Are the walls clean and tidy, do they need repainting?
• Are there lights not working, should the lighting be upgraded to LED, should the ceiling tiles (not necessarily the grid) be replaced?
• Are the toilet and kitchen areas past their use-by date, could a shower be added?
• Has rubbish been left in the tenancy, should you get a commercial cleaner through?
If I had to say whether the external or internal appearance is more important initially, I would almost always suggest the external appearance. Increasingly prospective Tenants will undertake drive-by’s in order to eliminate options - to see whether they like the location and does the first impression of the building / tenancy fit with how they view their business or brand. If you can gain their attention with the external appearance, then you have the opportunity to get them though the building and to understand what changes they would deem necessary for their business requirements – if a Tenant can make the space work, I always work to get a written offer, at least then the Landlord has an opportunity to negotiate a deal, or not.
Buildings with deferred maintenance or those that are poorly maintained, can give a strong impression to Tenants – Tenants are increasingly looking to build long term relationships with good responsive Landlords.
We have all noticed tenancies that have remained vacant for extended periods of time and this will largely come down to 3 factors:
(i) The tenancy does not have the features that a Tenant is looking for (ii) The property is poorly maintained, and this has created an alarm response from prospective tenants (iii) (And I hate to be the bearer of bad news), the rental is too high or the Landlord is unwilling to work with or accomodate market expectations in terms of the rental and/or incentives or assistance that tenants are seeking. Make no mistake, while real estate agents only get paid when a lease or sale is completed, they are acting as an intermediary, with the best agents always working in the interests of their client (the Landlord). The best agents are always available to provide advice and guidance to their clients, fortunately with very few Landlords now proclaiming to be tone deaf when it comes to improving a tenancies leasability.
Medium Density
Living in Aotearoa
Can
we have more dense, compact cities, without sacrificing lifestyle or liveability?
As the cities of Aotearoa grow, many are realising – just as in other countries around the world
– that there is a need for our cities to become more dense. The market response has shown increased demand for inner-city living and medium-density ‘townhouse’ developments, with approximately forty percent of new dwelling consents now for townhouses.
Frustration around loss of productive land and sprawling, car-dependent cities recently led the government to legislate, directing our larger cities and urban areas to densify and increase the number of multi-storey townhouses and apartments.
Hamilton City Council is currently progressing Plan Change 12, with a view to concentrating new development and higher densities in the places where it makes most sense, such as near key transport corridors.
Unfortunately the government legislation hasn’t provided much guidance around how higher density homes should be built. Attempts to meet market demand, and keep prices under control, have seen developers cut floor areas and in some cases important quality-of-life features more than is ideal.
In exploring medium-density housing types with clients, we’ve identified a number of key considerations. If you find yourself in the market for a new townhouse - or have an interest in their development - here are a few things worth
keeping in mind:
Bigger is not necessarily better.
The number of bedrooms is not necessarily the most important thing, but rather the ability to use spaces in multiple ways. Particularly if you’re downsizing from a larger family home, flexibility is crucial, for example spaces that can easily convert from an additional bedroom when needed to a home office or vice versa. Likewise often a single garage is not used for a vehicle but as the storeroom / gym / hobby space or washing room, with the odd night here and there for overflow guests. Having said that,
Living spaces are important.
Living areas, often minimised in smaller footprints, are where a little extra space is most valuable. Ideally there should be allowance for enough dining and lounge furniture to accommodate 2 people per bedroom. Once again, spaces that can have multiple uses make for a more functional dwelling.
Storage, storage, and more storage.
One of the most frequently overlooked or neglected aspects in a medium- or higher-density build is sufficient storage, yet this is important for even the most minimalist of occupants. Children often
come with additional things to store (think push chairs, highchairs, cots, bikes etc.). As does working or studying from home where space to work or to pack equipment away is necessary to avoid permanently sacrificing the kitchen table. Pull down attic stairs and a lined storage space in the ceiling is a great way to add some much-needed flexibility to a design without increasing the floor area.
Access to Transportation.
Individual needs and preferences vary, however being in close proximity to public transport routes at least provides the option of alternative modes of transport. Likewise if you’re fortunate to be able to buy within walking distance of your workplace. Particularly if you’re downsizing, making do with one vehicle for the household instead of two may be an advantage, and may enable the repurposing of some garage space for storage or another use. And of course you’ll feel better about yourself by doing your bit for the planet, not to mention your physical and mental health.
Access to green or recreational space.
The health benefits of access to outdoor recreational spaces are fairly well understood to be significant, with links to longer life expectancy, fewer mental health problems, improved cognitive functioning, better mood and healthier babies, to name a few. If you’ve had opportunity to view Hamilton from above recently, you’d know that it is in fact quite green. However, with a smaller section, considering proximity to the nearest park becomes even more important.
Considerations for medium-density houses based on the work of my colleague Andrea Mead.
More specific information about medium-density housing can be found in the guide ‘Medium’ by architect Guy Marriage.
When it comes to writing, is a bot or human best?
In the public relations industry, using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop stories is one of the trends we are watching with huge interest. Using online bots to do your writing for you is no longer an unrealistic, sci-fi dream. It is reality and creative agencies and journalists the world over are embracing the technology.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, there are apps you can use that scour the internet and write stories on your chosen topic. Think that the writing can’t possibly be ‘that good’? Well, think again – it is pretty impressive.
If you want to have a go, try this free app: https://chat.openai.com/chat. You simply type in a question and the bot will write an entire – very intelligent sounding – article about the topic. The technology trolls the internet to find information and puts it together into a logical story format. I would challenge anyone to distinguish between human and bot authors with most of the articles produced.
If you are the parent of a high school or university student, I imagine many of your children are using this sort of technology already to write assignments, essays and do research. It’s one thing to do some Googling to find answers to questions, but a whole other ballgame to have a bot do your homework for you!
On the professional side of things, I’ve seen articles about how content agencies are using this technology. And I’ve seen journalists talk about using AI to help them write news articles. Here’s an entire story in The Guardian written by a bot - shorturl.at/vyQ49.
While the use of bots to write articles brings up some ethical issues for me personally and concerns around plagiarism and accuracy, it certainly looks like the technology is here to stay. That means, as a communications professional, it is important for me and my team to set boundaries around its use.
We certainly would never use an AI app to write something and pass it off as our own. And if we ever decide to use AI to help with background research or thought-starters on
a client story or project, we will declare that to a client. Honesty, transparency and ethical practice will always come to the fore for us.
You may also ask, “Heather, are bots going to write you out of a job?” Check back with me in five years’ time, but I can pretty confidently say no. That’s because my team and I are in the business of helping organisations build reputation and relationships using strategic communication. And achieving goals in this space requires a human touch.
While on the surface, using AI for your writing tasks might look like the easy and cheap option, I believe that when it comes to purposeful writing, you still need a human. Here are three reasons why:
Context
Sure, you can get a bot to write a factual article on “how to become a CEO” (yes, you literally can). But you won’t get context. Does geography matter? Is it different in different industries? Does gender matter? Does personality come into play? Does your approach need to change depending on age and stage of career? Does the change in leadership requirements post-pandemic come into play?
A human will always offer the benefit of taking a step back, assessing the environment and writing an article that takes into account the context of the day. This is what makes something worth reading for the people you are trying to impact.
Connection
While a bot can give you some facts on a topic, the best writing makes a human connection. To change perceptions, gain cut-through, create impact or persuade, the
BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB
award-winning public relations agency.
very best way to achieve these communications goals is to tell personal people stories that connect an audience with the author’s subject.
In my lifetime, will a robot be able to make a human connection? I suppose, never say never! But for now, you need a human behind the keypad to create a true emotional connection that resonates.
Caution
Let’s say you throw caution to the wind and get a bot to write your website blog stories, social media posts and media releases without a filter. My prediction: it would only be a matter of time until you are caught out by your audience. How are you checking facts? Where has this information come from? Are you plagiarising a competitor? Have you taken into account current events?
Only a human can continually assess and scan the environment in which you are communicating to determine how something will land with an audience, and what needs to be changed in order to not to offend, anger or annoy. And that is an incredibly important skill when it comes to protecting your reputation and relationships.
One thing is clear: the use of AI in the writing field is emerging but growing at a rapid pace. My advice is to pressure test what you read and when developing your own writing and content, opt for a human. It’s the safest, most ethical solution.
Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based,
Artificial Intelligence as smart as a lawyer, struggles with basic facts
A chatbot built by Artificial Intelligence (AI) company OpenAI is as smart as a high court lawyer.
AI research and development company
OpenAI’s chatbot trailed humans by 17 per cent in the Bar Exam set by researchers from Chicago Kent College of Law, Bucerius Law School in Hamburg, and the Stanford Center for Legal Informatics.
Researchers believe the next version of ChatGPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer), version 4 due for release this year, will surpass its performance.
Version 3.5 exceeded expectations and scored passing grades in the Torts and Evidence categories.
We asked ChatGPT to write an editorial about itself for the Tech Talk Column of Waikato Business News.
This is what it produced: “ChatGPT is a powerful language generation model that has the ability to understand and respond to natural language input. Developed by OpenAI, this AI model is trained on a massive amount of data and can generate human-like text in a wide range of contexts.
“In recent years, ChatGPT has been used in various applications such as chatbots,
TECH
TALK
virtual assistants, and automated content generation. The technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with machines and automate repetitive tasks.
“One of the most striking features of ChatGPT is its ability to understand context and generate text that is appropriate for the given situation. This makes it an ideal tool for businesses that need to communicate with customers in a natural and
AI has come a long way in the last year, but still has a long way to go
human-like way. For example, a customer service chatbot powered by ChatGPT can provide personalized support and assistance to customers, thus reducing the need
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.
HBY CHRIS GARDNER
Chris is communications manager at Waikato software specialist Company-X and a historian.
for human customer service representatives.
“Another potential application of ChatGPT is in content creation. The model can be trained to write articles, blog posts, and other types of content in a specific style and tone, which can save businesses a significant amount of time and resources. This is especially important in today's fast-paced digital world where keeping up with the latest trends and providing fresh content is essential to maintaining a strong online presence.
“However, it's important to note that ChatGPT is not a substitute for human creativity and critical thinking. The AI model can generate text based on the data it has been trained on, but it is not capable of original thinking or understanding complex ideas and emotions. Therefore, while ChatGPT can be a valuable tool for businesses, it should be used in conjunction with human expertise and oversight.
“In conclusion, ChatGPT is a cutting-edge AI technology that has the potential to transform the way businesses interact with customers and create content. While the technology is still in its infancy, it holds great promise and businesses should explore how they can incorporate it into their operations.”
Impressive, and extremely useful.
Less impressive is ChatGPT’s ability to deliver simple facts. A four-paragraph history of Appuldurcombe House, Isle of Wight, contained no less than five factual errors. When questioned about the errors by a subject matter expert, it was able to correct them.
AI has come a long way in the last year, but still has a long way to go.
istorically 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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 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!
Gallagher women recognised for creativity and leadership at Women in Security Awards
Gallagher women are leading the way with lead engineer Kirsten Nel and chief product officer Meredith Palmer recognised by Women in Security Awards Aotearoa (WiSAA) for their outstanding contributions to the security industry.
Engineering award
recipient Kirsten was recognised for her response to the worldwide component shortage. When supply chain disruptions affected the security industry, Kristen was tasked with steering her team through re-engineering multiple product lines to use components that were able to be sourced. This was a hugely challenging time when the impacts on manufacturing and supply of security hardware were quite literally putting the lives of people at
risk. Working with a wider team under intense time restraints, Kirsten’s team was able to meet increased demand, attract new and significant partnerships, and prevent dangerous safety disruptions for people around the world.
“I would love to be that initial spark for someone else and to encourage others to find their passion within the electronics or engineering industry,” Kirsten says. “I regularly visit high schools to talk to students about Gallagher, electronics, and
engineering in general. I particularly like to show others that even though this is a heavily male dominated field, women can succeed and excel within the industry. There are no limits on what we can achieve.”
Executive award winner Meredith was recognised for her exceptional leadership skills during a time of transition within Gallagher, where the business identified the need for a major transformation to enable future scale aligned with growth plans. Rising in the ranks from a team lead to chief product officer in record time, Meredith played a critical part in directing Gallagher’s ambition toward becoming an adaptive, collaborative and customer-centric team. Through strategic planning, talent development and cultivating an environment that values open dialogue, she has
laid the groundwork for Gallagher’s future growth and achievements.
Meredith believes that as a leader, actions speak louder than words. “Every interaction throughout the organisation is important. If I can have a positive impact on
even one person, no matter who it is or where they are in the organisation, that is a good outcome.”
Women in Security Awards Aotearoa was created by The New Zealand Security Sector Network (NZSSN), Women in Security & Resilience Alliance (WISECRA), and Defsec New Zealand to honour exceptional women making advancements in the security industry. This year’s judging panel included Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor, Jennie Vickers, and Ngaire Kelaher CPP PSP.
Director personal liability more acute as tough times bite business
In the current economic environment, many companies are going to be facing situations where solvency is at risk or where there is a need to incur obligations to stay alive. Company directors must be ultra-vigilant when it comes to their directors’ duties. Incurring obligations on behalf of the company, failing to act in the company’s best interests or failing to spot financial trouble in an organisation early and being slow to mitigate risks can all increase a director’s personal risk.
This is the key message from Wayne Hofer and Andrew Grenfell on a recent episode of the Tompkins Wake podcast. Each share their deep understanding of directors’ responsibilities and liabilities under the Companies Act and how to minimise personal risk. Wayne is a partner, and
commercial litigation and insolvency lawyer at Tompkins Wake, while Andrew has over 17 years of corporate turnaround, restructuring and insolvency experience with McGrathNicol.
Freedom vs Responsibility
The very structure of companies in New Zealand gives directors the freedom to take business risks, not only for the benefit of their company but for the economy as a whole.
That freedom is offset with the obligation to act with integrity. Risks must be taken within the framework of a full knowledge of the situation in which the company is trading. As Andrew explains, there is a degree of nuance in assigning responsibility.
“The courts are clear that
it's not about bad business judgment per se. Directors can act with integrity and still get things wrong. Directors come under scrutiny when they ignore red flags and continue trading recklessly.
“I've been involved in cases where board reports clearly showed that the directors were fully cognizant of the financial trouble the company was in but continued to incur obligations on behalf of the company.
“When you've chewed through your own equity and are putting creditors’ capital at risk, that's when a liquidator will be very interested at looking into the actions of the directors,” Andrew says.
Ignorance doesn’t wash
In tough economic times, the obligations and duties of a director are more acute. The onus is on directors to actively seek out relevant information and courts no longer accept claims of ignorance as an acceptable defence. Wayne outlines the new landscape.
“Insofar as solvency is concerned, the days of a director saying ‘I didn't know the company was in such a bad situation’ are gone. Courts assess situations based on what directors could reasonably have known and should have known.
“Directors are obliged to
be fully aware of the company’s situation, perhaps not on a daily basis, but frequently enough to know how the business is doing. If cashflow is becoming an issue, it is the job of directors to dive deeper into their obligations,” Wayne says.
Act sooner than later
The sooner directors spot reg flags and act, the greater the options available to them to find effective solutions. Andrew cites a case that came across his desk during the Covid pandemic.
“I was brought into a situation which was the result of the vaccine mandates. When the mandates hit, the company was faced with an overnight reduction in workforce. As a result, they didn't have staff to do the work, which resulted in a sudden drop in income.
“When the directors realised the company wouldn’t have money to meet its debts, they immediately came to speak to us. Because they consulted with us early in the piece, there were options we could employ to help them trade through,” he explains.
Incurring obligations
Certain companies will also look to trade out of a rough patch which may include incurring liabilities.
“In the simplest terms, directors must ensure they don't illegitimately incur an obligation that the company can't achieve in the future. The role of a director is not to avoid risks, but it’s making sure the risks they take are reasonable in the circumstances,” Wayne says.
Mechanisms and options
When turnaround experts are called upon for help, they have a responsibility to ask: Is there a path out of this that can be reasonably relied upon?
In Andrew’s experience, the answer is often yes.
“There are mechanisms we can use to help businesses come back from the brink. We can help them make compromises with landlords and suppliers. We might use
structuring techniques to allow a company to continue to trade if the underlying business is viable.
“There are situations whereby you can continue to trade at the behest of your creditors. In that situation, it is critical creditors become part of the decision-making process, to agree or disagree to a proposed plan of action. With creditors onboard, a company can work its way through the risk.
“If directors want to keep themselves safe and build resilience into their business, they should consult advisors as soon as things look shaky. Expert counsel at the appropriate time will assist them in determining the best way through,” Andrew says.
To listen to this episode of Off The Clock visit: https:// info.tompkinswake.co.nz/ off-the-clock-episode-2
Wayne Hofer
Andrew Grenfell
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Entry level homes attract growing interest, first home buyers and investors see opportunity
Interest in entry level homes in the $500,000 to $600,000 price bracket is leading activity in the Hamilton property market, with transactions in this range accounting for 20% of total sales by Hamilton real estate agency Lodge Real Estate.
Lodge Real Estate
managing director
the median price pulling back, first home buyers and investors are seeing the opportunity and taking it with both hands,” Jeremy says.
Jeremy O’Rourke says this is a marked increase from the 10-12% of the market this price bracket usually accounts for, and is due to a significant rise in first home buyer and investor activity.
“There’s really strong interest in the market from both of these buyer profiles, and they’re not just looking; they’re ready to transact. With
“This has already been demonstrated by the uptick we’ve seen in open home attendance for late January, with the number of people attending up 40% compared to early December, as buyers return from their summer holidays ready to set up their new home for 2023.”
He says this movement is crucial for the rest of the market, as first home buyers release first home sellers further up the ladder to upgrade and buy their next home.
“It would have been a challenge to find a decent property in the $500,000$600,000 bracket 18 months ago, but with the considerable price adjustments buyers have recognised that they can now find good value in this segment of the market.”
Renewed interest from
investors is being driven by high rental demand across Hamilton, with only 30 available properties out of a total of over 3700 properties under management at Lodge City Rentals.
National rental prices have increased 4.4% in the 12 months to December 2022 as measured by Statistics NZ, with Hamilton rents following a similar upward trend.
“Lodge City Rentals had its biggest leasing month in our 40 year history in December. The team signed 175 tenancies. Thirty eight percent (38%) of those tenancies were people coming from outside the city and looking to rent before potentially buying property.
Investors are seeing this pressure on rents, and thinking they can buy ahead of the market.
“With both investors and first home buyers active, we could find competition ramps up, as the stock in the $500,000 to $600,000 price bracket gets snapped up within
the next few months.”
He says interest rates continue to be a key factor in buyers’ urgency, with the fear of missing out on an achievable rate top-of-mind. Even with ANZ cutting its home loan rates by 55 basis points effective from 2 February, after the news that unemployment rose to 3.4%, Jeremy says it’s still hard to predict how interest rates and inflation will track over the next 12 months.
Looking to the year ahead, Jeremy says most factors point to the Hamilton market picking up because city growth and pressure on accommodation
is not slowing. More people are seeing Hamilton as a great lifestyle choice, with major events such as the FIFA Women’s World Cup set to invigorate the city.
“With the amount of new interest in the market, and buyers ready to transact, motivated vendors ready to fund a strong marketing campaign and price their home to the market should see results.
“While the election later in the year may prove to be a point of distraction, we see the positive signals for 2023 balancing its impact.”
Ventia to partner with WEL Networks across Waikato electricity network
Waikato-based electricity provider
WEL Networks has awarded a contract to Ventia to undertake a range of services across their network in the Waikato.
Kicking off in April 2023, the scope of the work will involve the design, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of new electricity infrastructure across their growing network.
WEL Networks connects more than 96,000 residential properties, small businesses and nearly 1,000 commercial and industrial sites to a power supply within its network area.
WEL Networks chief executive Garth Dibley said WEL was looking forward to working closely with Ventia, a company that is well known for its client focus, passion for innovation and sustainability.
“It’s great to have Ventia partnering with us to ensure we continue providing the high quality and reliable electricity network we’re renowned for,” Dibley said.
“Our partnership is an excellent fit because like us, Ventia has a strong track record and reputation for helping communities grow and develop.”
Ventia general manager
electricity and gas Craig MacDonald said that with more than 60 years of providing services to New Zealand’s electricity industry, Ventia was pleased to be able to bring its expertise to WEL as it looks to develop its network over the coming decade.
“We bring our capabilities, scale and a talented and diverse team to partner long-term with our clients in the New Zealand electricity industry,” MacDonald says.
“We’re excited to commence this contract with WEL, a company with a strong commitment to innovative and sustainable energy
solutions and supporting the communities in which they operate.”
The work will be led by
“Our
Accounted4 wins Xero NZ People’s Choice Award
Accounted4 was announced the winner of the Xero NZ People’s Choice Award at the NZ Xero awards held in Auckland.
Presented by Xero NZ country manager Bridget Snelling, the entrants for People’s Choice are nominated by New Zealand’s small businesses.
‘"Accounted4 received a huge number of nominations for going above and beyond for their clients. Their clients
Accounted4 received a huge number of nominations for going above and beyond for their clients.
say they most value their personable advice, prompt and honest communication, and their genuine interest and care. No problem is too small, no question too hard and their business advice is second to none. Congratulations Accounted4,” Bridget says.
Accounted4 directors Martyn Steffert and Kim Antonio, along with business manager Christine Stevenson and client services manager Alex Davey, accepted the award on
behalf of the Accounted4 team. Speaking at the awards ceremony Christine said, “It is an honour to accept this award on behalf of our 30 strong Accounted4 team back in Cambridge. I would like to thank all clients who nominated us and importantly thank our entire team who are so passionate about Xero that our clients can’t help but love it. Thank you Xero for providing this beautiful software that all of us love so much!”
Ventia project director Karen Boyes.
teams are excited to commence this relationship with WEL Networks and look forward to supporting the development of the Waikato region,” Boyes says.
Another year, another marketing rethink?
It’s that time of year again. The navelgazing time. When you come back from the break thinking about what you want from the year ahead for your business. What will it mean for your marketing?
You’re either facing 2023 with renewed vigour and optimism or with trepidation. Nothing new there – it’s the cycle of life.
You’re probably thinking about financial year end and budgets, whether to reset how much you allocate to marketing for 2023-2024, and where to focus your energies to reach some goals.
Repeating the same strategies as last year for your marketing, communications and advertising might be exactly what your business needs. If it’s been working, well done! If it seems right, you’re doing great. But do you really feel as certain as you need to?
Assumption is the mother of all mistakes, they say. So, even if you feel like you’re on the right track, take some time to run a sense check, at very least, over your plans.
Whether you only spend a little on your marketing, or a lot, there are constantly changing factors around us that should make us pause and evaluate.
There are very few businesses who can ignore the impact of changing market conditions. For example, are supply or delivery issues putting your prices up, when customers are watching the pennies? If so, what is your marketing doing to keep you on their want-list? If conditions are constantly evolving, your marketing strategy should reflect the challenges, or at least be working to weather them.
Do you know what success looks like for your marketing
activities? Reviewing your strategy, you can look at your measures of success of the previous year's efforts and identify areas that you might need to tackle differently.
How detailed you are about those measures will vary across different businesses and scenarios but it’s sensible to have some kind of yardstick, however simple, to reassure yourself that what you’re doing is working.
Have you had more press coverage than previous years? More online engagement? Can you see tangible changes in sales, foot traffic or just general enquiries? Not every marketing and comms dollar can be directly attributed to a specific sale, but even the most basic measure that reassures you you’re on the right track is better than throwing money into the marketing abyss and not knowing if it is doing anything for you.
As scary as it sometimes seems, technology is always advancing rapidly, and new tools and platforms are constantly emerging. Adapting your marketing to embrace them may not be essential but, let’s be frank, it probably is unless you want to get left behind.
As always, knowing how your audience engages, or would engage with new forms of marketing is the most important consideration. But the attitude that you or your brand holds about being a leader or a follower is also a factor.
For example, will you be leaping into using influencers
TELLING YOUR STORY
BY VICKI JONES
Vicki Jones is director of Dugmore Jones, Hamilton-based brand management consultancy. vicki@dugmorejones.co.nz
on Instagram, or diving into GoogleAdwords because everyone in your industry is doing it? Or would you be giving it a go because no-one else in your sphere is there yet and, if there are ways you can make it work with some smart thinking, you’re prepared to make the first jump?
Probably the most challenging for many of us is about re-evaluating the big-picture goals. Is your vision for the future of your business the same as it was last year? Whether it is lofty or conservative, having something to aim at makes sure we’re pointing our marketing in the right direction.
And I’m not just talking about the kind of things we talk about in terms of measures, I mean the single overarching objective – the ‘why’ as many call it. It’s harder to set tangible goals if there’s no clarity about the ultimate reason for being of your organisation.
So, even if you feel that your marketing strategies are on track, the start of a new year is always a good time to take a step back and review your plans.
It may take only a small change in direction to make sure you stay competitive, adapt to changes in the market and feel confident that your investment and approach really is what your brand needs to face the year ahead.
Hamilton –the capital of New Zealand?
Media opinion writers are debating Hamilton’s promotion to being our capital city.
Christmas and January is traditionally a slow news period, which is perhaps why the issue was raised in the first place, but we can’t let this debate slide past without notice.
Flattered as we are by the depth of logic in moving the capital to Hamilton in a Stuff article by Charlie Mitchell in January (Why Wellington should no longer be the capital of New Zealand), we do not want the beltway to shift to our city. A government’s conservative, constrained and bureaucratic culture would ruin the exciting, action orientated, youthful and lowkey ethos that are Waikato hallmarks.
However, we feel Peter Dunne’s article What Wellington needs to do if it wants to be a credible capital on January 16th, in reply to Mitchell’s original suggestion, needs correcting, albeit tongue in cheek.
Geographic centralisation, which is central to Dunne’s argument to keep Wellington as NZ’s capital does not occur in other parts of the world. That theory would see the capital of the USA somewhere near the northern Kansas/ Colorado/Nebraska borders, Canberra would have to move into the Simpson Desert or close to Alice Springs (many in Australia would applaud that move), the French would
need to shift Paris and the Eiffel Tower to ClermontFerrand, England would exit London after a long tortuous debate and several referenda with Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. After having a Brexit what would they call a shift of the capital city to either Birmingham or Leicester?
Centralisation as a business strategy is good for backroom tasks and often rightly favoured in times of crisis, but is a disaster if you have quality people and opportunity as it severely curtails their ability to innovate and secure new solutions. Centralisation is usually the hallmark of an untrusting, dictatorial or nanny state leader and invariably chokes innovation and represses people. Look at Russia.
When Dunne dredged up “a city that relishes in the bogan appellation of the ‘Tron’,” from a 2011 article, you immediately knew he was out of touch. A decade ago, Hamilton shed this tag, and embarked on a growth trajectory that has the potential for it to become New Zealand’s second largest city. Let’s face it – the Tron is gone.
Dunne’s article is typical of what we observe of Wellington politicians who don’t get out of the beltway. If he’d come up here regularly, he would have seen the growth in Hamilton and the wider Waikato, which has accelerated especially
By
along the Expressway. We have room to grow, there is no need to squeeze people in. We have a young population profile which makes for a vibrant and growing city. There is plenty of new housing, industry that is expanding, and a growing prosperity in towns such as Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Morrinsville, Te Kauwhata, Raglan, Tirau, Thames, Coromandel, Tokoroa and Otorohanga. Aucklanders already understand this and are moving to the region. The Waikato Expressway makes it easier to live in a regional town and work in Hamilton. Businesses are moving here already. It is great to welcome Rabobank and ACC who have seen the light in moving from Wellington, but we should ask, “please leave the politicians behind”.
Don Good, CEO of Waikato Chamber of Commerce.
AHV NZ formally launched
Dairy industry stakeholders attended the formal launch of AHV NZ at the end of last year. Since its inception in February 2022, close to 300 dairy farmers in the Waikato and Canterbury have started using AHV solutions with good success.
Distinguished dairy industry speakers Sir Henry van der Heyden and Jeremy Hill in his capacity as Adjunct Professor at the Riddet Institute at Massey University shared their views on global dairy trends. Sir Henry emphasised the importance of the NZ dairy industry in feeding the growing global population and the need for more milk from New Zealand as we can produce it sustainably. Science and technology are key to enabling the NZ dairy sector to adapt to changing consumer needs and climate change. Prof Hill
shared data generated from the Delta model that the Riddet’s Sustainable Nutrition Initiative have developed to evaluate what role different foods play in global nutrition. Prof Hill used the model to explain the global contribution of dairy to 26 out of the 29 essential nutrients in the model and what role dairy plays in the environmental greenhouse gas footprint in New Zealand from a consumer and producer perspective (only 1%). This model is being used to advise governments and policy makers around the globe and why more efficient food
production including efficient dairy cows is needed in order to meet global nutritional needs.
AHV introduced its full-service concept to New Zealand earlier this year, built to properly guide and support dairy farmers in their transition to its innovative solutions, which are developed with the science of quorum sensing (QS). These solutions focus on the biochemical communication between selected bacteria (i.e., quorum sensing). By inactivating their QS, we can eradicate biofilms, and the immune system of the animals is supported in a natural and effective way. AHV’s solutions fit very well with the global trends and needs, as they are there to proactively improve the longevity and productivity of dairy cows through optimized health.
“We are proud of and thank our early adopting customers who are the trail blazers of the NZ dairy industry. Our team
has grown to six territory managers and we are recruiting to expand geographically into other parts of New Zealand,” AHV New Zealand managing director Janneke van Wagtendonk says.
“Our customer journey starts with prioritizing cows through (herd test) data analysis, for our AHV udder, energy or fertility solutions. Once customers get good results with individual cows, we aim to support the entire herd to improve longevity and productivity through optimized health. We stay close to customers and provide expert advice until farmers feel comfortable with our new AHV concept, and we aim to keep empowering farmers to use our new and innovative tools. AHV NZ have proven the QS solutions work equally well in New Zealand, as advice is adapted and adopted to suit the NZ market. We are looking forward to continue
$37 million funding to improve Hamilton travel options
A$37 million package of upgrades has been given the go-ahead to improve biking, walking and public transport options in Hamilton.
Hamilton City Counci formally approved the Transport Choices Initiative Funding Agreement with Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency in which the transport agency will fund $33.2 million towards the proposed 28 climate friendly transport projects. The council will contribute $3.8 million to bring the total package of projects to $37 million.
Deputy Mayor and Infrastructure and Transport Committee chair, Angela O’Leary,
says the funding means the council can bring forward 28 important transport upgrades.
“This funding will help us join the dots between more parts of the city,” O’Leary says. “The projects are relatively simple upgrades that will make a big difference. These projects will really start to open up the city.”
The proposed 28 projects, due to be completed before June 2024, range from footpath upgrades to new bike and walkway connections.
Council’s public transport and urban mobility manager, Martin Parkes, says that while the list of projects looked imposing, most were relatively small
in scale. “It’s a suite of small to medium changes that we can make around the city.”
Parkes says there were simple “tweaks” that would enhance existing infrastructure, such as improving bike lanes along Killarney Road so that commuters and students could connect more easily to the Western Rail Trail.
“The Western Rail Trail is an excellent off-road facility but first you have to get there. With this funding we can make it safer for people to bike from Frankton to the rail trail so they can get more easily into town or school,” he says.
One of the larger projects was a proposal to relocate bus
our partnership with NZ dairy farmers in 2023.”
Animal Health Vision
AHV International was founded in 2014 by a team of Dutch veterinarians and researchers. Its mission is to empower farmers worldwide through innovation in animal health, applied in sustainable solutions and value-added advisory service. This way, the farming community is supported to take (proactive) control over their animal health
and business results, and to improve the efficiency, social welfare, and environmental management of their farms. The AHV portfolios include key solutions in the form of mainly feed supplements that support uterine health and udder health for optimal fertility, production, and longevity. As AHV work from the animal’s life cycle, they also offer solutions for optimal calving and transition, energy and digestive management, calf rearing and young stock health, among others.
stops from the Rototuna Shopping Centre onto Horsham Downs Road to help improve the shopping centre amenity and make the buses easier to get to. New bus shelters were proposed to be built on both sides of the road with a raised pedestrian crossing for safer pedestrian access. Public consultation was due to start shortly.
Parkes says the proposed 28 projects were at various stages of development, with concept designs and project plans required to be signed off by elected members through the Infrastructure Operations Committee before formal community engagement.
“The council’s transport strategy, Access Hamilton: Ara Kootuitui Kirikiriroa, clearly shows us what we need to do to make it safer and more enjoyable for people to move around the city. It’s all about opening up our streets and helping people get to where they need to go safely and efficiently,” O’Leary says.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency announced December last year that Hamilton City Council would receive a oneoff grant from the Transport Choices investment package. Since then, council and transport agency staff had been working to confirm the final number and budget of projects that would move forward.
Transport Choices is an investment package within the Waka Kotahi Climate Emergency Response Programme
that supports local councils to begin immediate work for reduction of emissions by developing safer, greener and healthier travel options. Transport in Hamilton currently makes up about 64% of the city’s total emissions.
Transport Choices funding is currently indicative until Waka Kotahi works with councils to explore how projects can be progressed in line with Transport Choices timeframes.
Funding decisions will be finalised once the project list and detail are confirmed between council and Waka Kotahi.
Proposed projects:
Strategic cycling and micromobility
• Bader Street connection to River Path, and Hospital
• Killarney Road – SH1C Greenwood Street to Western Rail Trail (WRT)
• Gallagher Drive and Kahikatea Drive
• Heaphy Terrace –Boundary Road to Brooklyn Road
• Pedestrian crossing on Brooklyn Road and cycle Lane development
• Claudelands Park Connection
• End of Trip FacilitiesBike and Scooter Parking
• Frankton East / Lake Domain to Western Rail Trail
• Level Crossing – Killarney Road
• Bike Parklets – Grey Street, St Andrews Shops, and Barton Street
• Western Rail Trail (WRT) to Frankton Station
• Rifle Range RoadSH23 (Massey Street) to Avalon Drive (SH1C)
• Hall Street/Mill Street - between Kent Street and Victoria Street
• Riverlea connections
• Killarney Road –Queens Avenue to Western Rail Trail
• Level crossings –Claudelands East and Brooklyn Road Public transport
• Bus shelter replacements
• Thackeray Street bus stops
• Hukanui Road bus stops Horsham Downs Road Lake Road/Commerce Street roundabout Rotokauri Road / Baverstock Road bus stop and accessibility
• Hyde Avenue bus stop and accessibility
• Pembroke Street bus stops
• Anglesea Street (south) bus stop improvement
Walkable neighbourhoods
• Tristram Street/Anzac Parade – walking and cycling link from Palmerston to Clarence Street
• Hayes Paddock –crossing, bus stop improvement and intersection reconstruction. Bike parking and local interactive space.
• River Road footpath western side –Kirikiriroa Bridge to Comries Road
Janneke van Wagtendonk
F B Hall & Co celebrate 100 years
After 100 years in the plumbing business, there will be some stories to tell about F B Hall & Co.
And the team are hoping to unblock the memory pipelines of former staff and clients, and put together the recollections of F B Hall’s past.
“This old Hamilton company has touched a lot of lives in its 100 years and I hope the reach we can achieve these days, with online communication, means that people can send through their stories and help us to paint the picture of how F B Hall has impacted the lives of the people involved,” shareholder Joe Calkin says.
An email account has been set up - history@fbhall.co.nz - and Joe says they would love to hear from anyone who has a story to share.
Whilst there are no longer any descendants of the original company directors involved, FB Hall is very much run like a family business
The current shareholders Joe Calkin, Mike Wilson, Bruce Wallace, Jason McLaren, Glen Mackintosh, Matt Hart and James Nixon, have a combined experience of nearly 180 years in all parts of the trade, they are a formidable knowledge bank.
Joining the company in
1996, Joe was a certifying plumber – gasfitter. Of the current shareholders, James was the last to join as an apprentice in 2004.
‘’Colin Middlemiss and Wayne Hodgetts, our most recent retirees, were both on the cusp of 50 years, in fact many of the staff and shareholders have been involved with the company for 20 plus years. There are tradesmen here who spend more ‘quality time’’ with their leading hand than their parents, and this results in a business that feels like a family,’’ Joe says.
‘’Any companies strength is its staff, its culture and its heart, and we enjoy the opportunity to try and make F B Hall a supportive happy place.”
Managed by Joe, F B Hall currently has 49 staff, including 12 apprentices who are all at various stages of their apprenticeship.
“We make a commitment to hire apprentices every year and build a work force, rather than trying to buy one,” he says.
The total staff numbers to pass through FB Hall & Co Ltd during the 100 years of business is near impossible to count, but between the ‘Life
Members’ and those who just pass through, they could number well over 1000.
The end of 2015 marked the end of era with Ken Douglas retiring from the manager’s chair and handing over to Joe; along with Ken and his brother Colin also a previous shareholder in the company, the Douglas name had had a longstanding association with the company. Eric Douglas, Ken and Colin’s father, joined the company as the ‘after school
boy’ in 1935 and Ken’s retirement saw an 80-year span of the Douglas name at F B Hall.
From modest beginnings in 1923, Mr Frederick Benjamin Hall, Jack Wainscott and Frances Lound joined forces as company directors to supply plumbing services to Hamilton and the greater Waikato.
Drawing a wage of seven pounds each a week, the trio would have been making the princely sum of $116 in today’s currency.
The company began life in Alexandra Street, Hamilton, and as well as plumbing services they provided products for the dairy industry – most notably the manufacture of large dairy cylinders.
Plumbing was a different ball game back then, requiring a different skill set to that of today’s plumbers.
Water pipes were run in galvanized metal with lead basin connectors, soil and wastes in either lead or cast iron, drainage in glazed earthenware with cement joints, and excavation done with a team of
drain-layers and labourers.
Transport was by pushbike, hand cart or, if you were lucky, a model-T Ford truck.
Fred and his wife Beatrice Hall were English immigrants; Fred brought his engineering and plumbing skills from the old country which was well suited to the demands of manufacturing for the burgeoning New Zealand dairy industry.
Taking on the role of foreman, Jack Wainscott was skilled in working sheet metals and soldering cream cans for the Matangi Dairy Factory Glaxo plant.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing, the company hit hard times during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but the three directors managed to navigate the economic turmoil of the time. By the mid-1930s, things were looking up and a new plant was added; including a lathe costing 21 pound 10 shillings, soldering irons at 1 pound 16 shillings and two ladders costing 7 pounds. Such was the work ethic and the dedication to FB Hall’s success, the company directors
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
worked solidly for 14 years before finally being allocated two weeks of holiday each year in 1937.
By 1939, the company, having returned to profitability, included in its assets one Ford Car (cost 290 pounds), one Ford Truck (363 pounds), and one bicycle (4 pounds, 16 shillings, 3 pence).
Not long after, the growth of the business meant a move to larger premises growing company across the road, which included a show room featuring solid fuel fires of all kinds (wood or coal fired), bathroom fixtures and tap-ware.
The workshop out the back had a drive shaft running at high level through to the rear of the building driven by an electric motor. This powered a number of large belts which in turn drove the lathes, drills, grinders and, towards the end of its life, the old corrugated-iron roller (which F B Hall still have) used for making water tanks and veranda roofs.
Like many companies assisting the war effort, FB Hall did quite well during World War II, most likely due to an increased demand for agricultural produce.
In 1954 Jack Wainscott and
Burty Hall (Fred’s son) retired, selling their shares to Hanwell Seymore, Eric Douglas and Burt Asplin - the very first apprentice that F B Hall ever trained.
Fred Hall passed away in 1956 and his wife Beatrice continued the business, a very uncommon occurrence in the 1950s.
Around 1959 she sold her share to the remaining directors. Eric Douglas took up the role of manager around this time. Between Hanwell and Eric they started to put systems
CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
in place to improve productivity, some of which are still are still being used today.
Ces Pollock started with Halls in 1950 and by 1958 was the senior tradesman. Ces attained the titles of foreman in the 1960s, manager in 1980 when Eric retired, and retired himself in 1990.
The original team of F B Hall had all but left when the torch was passed to the next generation of shareholders during the 1960s-70s.
A new breed which included names like Garry Woodcock, Paul Ravlich, Colin Trebes, Graeme Coleman, Colin Douglas, Colin Middlemiss and Wayne Hodgetts began to steer F B Hall into the future, with
Ken Douglas as manager. By 1965, the company had outgrown the Alexandra Street premises and a new workshop was built in Pembroke Street, converting an old house into additional office space. This site served the company for well over 30 years but in 1998 it was time for modernisation and expansion so the company up sticks again to the present site in Greenwood Street.
Over the years F B Hall & Co Ltd have been involved with many jobs of all sizes; carrying out the plumbing, gas-fitting, drainage and roofing tasks around Hamilton and the Waikato.
From Waikato Hospital and the university science blocks
in the 1920s; to many of the high-rise buildings which comprise the city’s skyline in the 1960s, to the dairy factories of the greater Waikato during the 1970s and 80s, F B Hall has been a major player in building the region and employing its citizens.
In recent times F B Hall has carried out contracts which include The Base Shopping Centre, Tetra Pak, Innovation Park New Building, Waikeria Prison development, Tristram Street Precinct, Union Square development, The University of Waikato Pa project, and Tainui Project Hauata-ACC, to name a few.
Share your F B Hall and Co stories at history@fbhall.co.nz.
Ibis Hotel
Ibis Hotel
Creating mighty ambassadors
As we continue to see growing numbers of international travellers back in our region as well as our domestic visitors it’s important that we, as a sector, ensure their experience here is as welcoming and enriching as possible. It was with this thinking in mind that we developed our Waikato Ambassador programme back
in 2019, with the first edition being Kirikiriroa Hamilton. Thanks to central government funding during Covid, we have also been able to build on the success of this programme and complete our editions for the Waikato, Waipā, Ōtorohanga-Waitomo and Matamata-Piako districts, which we are very excited to be launching in February.
The Ambassador Programme is designed for anyone engaging with visitors who come to the Waikato. The purpose is to help create storytellers and ambassadors who can connect with people and authentically engage with what all New Zealanders understand as ‘manaakitanga’ and ‘kaitiakitanga’.
The programme helps to build pride and knowledge of
the history, special places and people of our region to proudly share with manuhiri; to extend an understanding of what it takes to authentically connect with visitors from all around the world, to contribute to the ongoing and future success of the region by providing simple tools to enhance customer service and create memorable visitor experiences right across the mighty Waikato region.
Participants engage in a three-hour workshop delving into the history and unique stories which shaped the region - the Waikato River, including early Māori history and legends, the experience of early explorers and European settlers, the Waikato land wars, right through to the exciting regional growth and economy of today.
Each of the editions have been developed in collaboration with their respective councils, community groups and individuals and feature the special stories, places and people of each specific city/ district.
The programme is open to
The programme helps to build pride and knowledge of the history, special places and people of our region
everyone - from hospitality,
retail and event staff and volunteers or those working in accommodation, activities, and transport such as taxis or ubers. Thanks to the Covid recovery funding we received from central government it is free to attend until 30 June.
From 1 July a small fee of $30 + GST per person will be introduced to cover operational costs.
So as business leaders in our community we encourage you to take up the opportunity for yourself and your co-workers or team members to become Ambassadors and help us showcase this amazing place we all call home.
This will also help to ensure we are all visitor ready for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 tournament and matches being played in Kirirkiriroa
TELLING
WAIKATO’S STORY
BY NICOLA GREENWELL
Interim General Manager, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
in just a few months’ time and enhance our manuhiri’s experiences within our region so that they return home and share the stories and manaakitanga of the mighty Waikato.
Visit waikatonz.com/ ambassador for more information.
Council to float major waste initiatives
Waipā District Council will float a range of proposals to leverage government incentives aimed at helping communities minimise waste.
Councillors viewed an updated draft plan to minimise and manage waste in Waipā. The plan must be reviewed every six years for council to continue receiving the government’s waste levy. The levy, worth close to $400,000 this financial year and climbing, funds most of Waipā’s waste minimisation activities. The exceptions are kerbside recycling, emptying litter bins and enforcement of illegal dumping which are funded by rates.
Transport manager Bryan Hudson said in the last few years there had been massive change in the waste minimisation space, opening up opportunities for communities prepared to embrace and drive change.
“We’ve seen the near collapse of the international recycling commodity market while community expectations and awareness of waste have increased.
“Waste minimisation is no
longer just about reduce, reuse and recycle; the focus is on a circular economy, making use of all resources as many times as possible. That’s where we need to get to and we can leverage government incentives to help.”
Council’s draft plan will propose actions to reduce contamination in kerbside recycling, plan for a Waipā-wide resource recovery network and help divert and reuse construction and demolition waste.
The plan will also propose two big changes Hudson predicts will be of huge community interest: a complete rethink of rubbish collection plus concrete moves to introduce a kerbside food waste service.
“For more than 20 years, Waipā’s household rubbish has been collected by private companies using wheelie bins or pre-paid bags. We’re one of few councils in New Zealand which doesn’t provide a rates-funded rubbish collection. But early costings suggest a rates-funded service could be a cheaper and better option for ratepayers so it’s time to look
at that again.”
A food collection service would also be a focus of the draft strategy, he said, noting around 50 per cent of Waipā household ‘rubbish’ was actually organic waste.
“We’ll certainly be looking at activities to encourage home composting and community composting. But there may come a time when providing a food waste service will be compulsory in New Zealand because of government commitments around reducing methane emissions from
landfills.”
“There is a funding package on offer from the Ministry for the Environment to help councils start food waste services. Potentially that funding could cover the capital cost of trucks and bins and other project costs. It’s an opportunity our community simply must consider.”
Council will consult the community on the draft waste minimisation plan next year, as required under the Waste Minimisation Act.
While still offering traditional morning and afternoon sessions, the Kindergarten also has school day hours and, from the beginning of August, is now open 8am–5pm to better cater for city families.
• learning based on Te Whāriki (NZ Early Childhood Curriculum)
Office report gave them the highest rating, with these points among the review findings:
Whitiora Kindergarten offers:
At Kip McGrath, our focus is to help your child reach their full potential
Part of the Waikato Kindergarten Association family, Whitiora Kindergarten has been a mainstay of early childhood education in the central city for almost 75 years, with many generations of Hamiltonians attending during this time.
• 20 FREE hours from 2-years-old
We make learning relevant and engaging which boosts self-confidence and success in class. Students can be taught in centre or online face to face at home. Give your child a boost today.
• passionate, qualified teachers
• close connections with Whitiora Primary School
• a well-resourced and huge outdoor play area
Learning to succeed at Kip McGrath
Whitiora – your kindergarten in the city – now open 8am–5pm weekdays
Hamilton has two Kip McGrath Centres that have been providing excellent up to date and relevant tuition for over 20 years. They offer individual learning programmes tailored to the specific needs of each student as identified in the initial free assessment.
Whitiora Kindergarten, near Waikato Stadium and handy to the CBD on the corner of Abbotsford and Willoughby Streets, is now offering extended hours for greater convenience for families working and living in the central city.
“My son loves books — and all because of his teachers,” was just one comment received by a parent in the most recent Whaanau & Family Survey.
CENTRE • PHONE NUMBER
• safe, caring and stimulating environment
• a focus on our unique Enviroschools programme
Mathematics, English, spelling, reading, and writing are taught, including NCEA math and English. Programmes are modified as children achieve their goals,” Kip McGrath principal Paul Kelly says. “Our goal is to help students succeed in class. We do this through weekly 70--minute tutoring sessions that are personalised for every student and include one-on-one attention.”
Address kipmcgrath.co.nz/centre
CENTRE • PHONE NUMBER
“The atmosphere of focused activity reflects the children’s engagement in learning,” was another.
Hamilton East - 29 Hukanui Road, Fairfield, Hamilton 3214 | 07 853 5013
“Children’s language, culture and identity are highly visible and valued. Learning partnerships between the kindergarten and home guide individual children’s programmes for learning. The learning programme is tailored to all children’s abilities, emerging interests and needs. Complexity is added to play which empowers children’s sense of what they know and what they need to learn. Children are considered confident and are curious about the world around them.”
Hamilton West - 89 Rimu Street, Whitiora, Hamilton 3200 | 07 848 2262
Address kipmcgrath.co.nz/centre
Whitiora Kindergarten’s most recent Education Review
For older children, Whitiora Kindergarten (like
all Waikato Kindergarten Association services) offers the Cool 4 School transition programme for four-year-olds, which aims to give parents and their child(ren) assurance that they will be a happy and successful learner at school. Kindergarten staff work together with families/whaanau to prepare each child for their transition to school by developing specific learning priorities in relation to the NZ Curriculum (Te Whāriki) and the NZ Primary School Curriculum. With 20 free hours available weekly for children from two-years-old, families often find the Association’s 8am–5pm kindergartens a cost-effective and consistent service for their preschool education needs.
Students work within a supportive, small group setting run by trained qualified teachers. “They quickly develop a sense of achievement and discover learning is not only successful – it’s enjoyable too,” Paul says. They also have several students who just work online. This has grown since the lock down and will be a growth area for the centres.
The sessions feature a mix
of books, worksheets and com puter activities providing the variety that a student’s brain needs to keep engaged, motivated and learning. As the student gets older, they have more input into the content of the lesson. This tailors tutoring to their needs and increases engagement, ensuring the time range of students from duxes of schools to those who really struggle, including dyslexic students.
Free assessments can be made online at Kipmcgrath. co.nz or by ringing Paul 07 8482262. Help your child now.
Other WKA kindergartens with 8am–5pm hours include Peachgrove, Chartwell, Deanwell, Hamilton West and Insoll Kindergartens in Hamilton, Leamington Kindergarten in Cambridge and Newcastle Kindergarten in Ngaruawahia. Call 0800 CHILDREN (244 537) or find out more information on our website kindy.nz/ whitiora
How to keep your child safe online
Gen Z has well and truly become the Intenet Generation, and with that internet safety becomes an even more prevalent issue. According to a 2020-21 report by the UK's Ofcom, those aged 5-15 use internet-enabled devices for an average of six hours per day, highlighting just how much time the UK’s kids spend online. However, that same report details, shockingly, that only 27% of parents use broadband filters to prevent access to explicit online content.
With this in mind, experts at US legal marketplace UpCounsel have offered five expert tips for parents on how to keep their children safe online.
“Whilst we adults are often put to shame by our children’s ability with technology, this doesn’t mean kids are fully in control of what they experience on the internet. Unfortunately, online bullying is a prevalent issue that affects children mentally in a highly negative way, sometimes suffering in silence as they don’t know what steps to take to combat issues online.
So, what steps can parents take to keep their children safe online?
— 1. Set rules and stick to them
Being the provider of the internet as well as the majority of their technology, you as
the parents have control over what media your child consumes online. Firstly, have a mature conversation with your child about what they like to do online, as well as how long they think they use their device for. This will help you gauge if they are being healthy with their time online.
“If you have concerns, limit their screen time by setting shut-off times or other boundaries that work for you.”
— 2. Know what tech devices your kids are using
“To fully understand and know what your children are doing online, it’s highly important you keep on top of what devices they’re using. This can be dedicated gaming devices such as an Xbox or PlayStation, a laptop or computer and also a mobile phone.”
Ofcom’s aforementioned
report stated that 100% of the 3,300 teenagers in the 16-17 range they surveyed had their own mobile device, with that number reducing slightly to 97% for those aged 12-15. To access the internet, 98% of the 16-17 age range use personal devices such as a mobile or laptop, with that number again reducing slightly to 94% in the 12-15 age range.
“What those figures represent is that a huge proportion of online activity comes through exclusively personal devices, which are harder to manage than household communal devices. Encourage your child to be open regarding accessing their devices, and when possible keep abreast of their search history. If anything of concern or note arises, talk to your son or daughter.”
If the pattern of behaviour continues, step three is the
next course of action.
— 3. Be aware of parental blocks and other in-built safety features
Modern technology has responded to the issue of cyberbullying by featuring increasingly strong levels of protection, through physical changes such as fingerprint sensors to over-the-air software updates.
On Apple devices, within the settings you can limit screen time as well as control the content through restriction software that comes free with the device. Beyond that, the messenger feature even scans images for potential nudity and responds with a viewer warning, alongside the ability to inform an adult.
On Android devices, you can create a profile that lets you have administrative control over settings such as passwords or what default setting the browser uses. Downloadable apps can limit screen time, block online purchases and track the whereabouts of your child using the in-built location setting, a feature seen also on Apple devices.
Finally, your broadband provider can block explicit and illegal content using server technology, meaning that instead of having to manually
check and block websites you’re worried about, it’s done automatically.
— 4. Learn to spot when your child might be struggling with online behaviour
When children become victims of online bullying, or other kinds of threats, you will be able to notice a change in their behaviours if you pay attention. Has your child become more reclusive? Perhaps they’re prone to anger after playing a video game, especially one promoting shooting or other violence?
“Again, in this situation, communication is king: talk to your son or daughter about their experiences, what made them react emotionally, and from there monitor further how they’re doing. You may not be able to solve the issues
immediately, but showing that you’re caring and aware will make a huge difference to their outlook over time.”
— 5. If your child is being cyberbullied, make sure they know what to do
This sounds relatively simple but when you chat to your child about online safety, make them fully aware that the first thing they need to do is tell an adult what’s going on. The pressures of bullying on young shoulders can have a devastating impact on their mental health.
“We should help our children identify what is online bullying, and how they should deal with it from both sides, and how important it is to save the evidence too. Taking these big steps will drastically limit how effective online bullying is.”
Welcome to Kip McGrath Hamilton
Learning to succeed at Kip McGrath
Maths tuition and English tuition to primary and secondary children - Hamilton
Hamilton has two Kip McGrath Centres that have been providing excellent up to date and relevant tuition for over 20 years. They offer individual learning programmes tailored to the specific needs of each student as identified in the initial free assessment.
he first Kip McGrath Education Centre opened its doors in Newcastle NSW 46 years ago. Founded by school teachers, Kip and Dug McGrath, that first tutoring centre has grown since then into a global franchise network of 600 tutoring centres owned and operated by qualified and experienced teachers with a common motivation: a passion
Mathematics, English, spelling, reading, and writing are taught, including NCEA math and English. Programmes are modified as children achieve their goals,” Kip McGrath principal Paul Kelly says. “Our goal is to help students succeed in class. We do this through weekly 70--minute tutoring sessions that are personalised for every student and include one-on-one attention.”
Offering tutoring to children from pre-school through to Year 13 in reading, spelling, comprehension, English and maths, our 90 tutoring centres in New Zealand, Fiji and Samoa can be found in both metropolitan and regional
Students work within a supportive, small group setting run by trained qualified teachers. “They quickly develop a sense of achievement and discover learning is not only successful – it’s enjoyable too,” Paul says. They also have several students who just work online. This has grown since the lock down and will be a growth area for the centres.
Delivering a curriculum that is proven, each child is assessed according to the National Curriculum and a programme is written for that child based on their individual needs. Nothing inspires a Kip tutor more than a smile from a child who finally “gets it”! To watch a child suddenly start to enjoy learning and develop confidence in their abilities naturally translates into better results at school.
• Experienced and qualified teachers using proven teaching methods
• The curriculum is written by qualified teachers according to National Standards
While the primary focus is to improve or extend a child’s learning outcomes, the real value in attending a Kip McGrath Education Centre is the teachers that tutor at each centre. For our tutors, teaching is not a job, it is a vocation.
The sessions feature a mix
At our centres we provide:
• A free educational assessment
• An individual learning program
• A wide variety of resources and activities that cater to the individual learning styles of your child
of books, worksheets and computer activities providing the variety that a student’s brain needs to keep engaged, motivated and learning. As the student gets older, they have more input into the content of the lesson. This tailors tutoring to their needs and increases engagement, ensuring the time
• Computer-assisted learning
So if you are looking for a tutoring experience that will improve your child’s confidence, encourage them to enjoy learning and help them improve or extend their literacy and numeracy, contact the Kip McGrath Hamilton Centre today.
with the tutors is well used. The centres cater for a wide range of students from duxes of schools to those who really struggle, including dyslexic students. Free assessments can be made online at Kipmcgrath. co.nz or by ringing Paul 07 8482262. Help your child now.
For more information about how Kip McGrath Hamilton can assist your child to achieve to the best of their ability call or email us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Paul and Rosemary Kelly receiving awards for their two centres in Hamilton from Storm McGrath CEO of Kip McGrath. Australasian Conference in July
Paul and Lexus working on a math problem.
Managing working capital in uncertain times
Cash is often referred to as “King” when it comes to operating a business however, working capital management is the driver of when the cash is utilised. Here we explore the importance of working capital and the three pillars of managing it.
Working capital is made up of current assets and current liabilities, and these normally include net cash, debtors, inventory, creditors and other payables. Working capital management is effectively managing these assets to drive the business’ profitability and increase its value.
While working capital management is often overlooked as generating little benefit to businesses and is frequently considered the accountant’s responsibility, it’s actually an operational issue that is a key part of business. Effective working capital management has a positive impact on overall financial performance of an entity; partly through lower interest costs, proactive debtor
management (less bad debts) and increased inventory turn. The lower the amount of working capital required in a business, the more funds are available to distribute as profits to its shareholders, pay down term debt or reinvest into business growth through new opportunities, locations, or product and service offerings.
Between the global pandemic, supply chain and geopolitical issues, the last couple of years have been rocky. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has depleted the cash reserves of many businesses and stretched their working capital.
Meanwhile, as a result of supply chain issues, businesses are typically holding higher inventory values due
to increased lead times and unknown shipping delays. This approach is understandable, given that sales would be impacted if inventory is not available, however having the wrong mix of inventory can also be detrimental to a business.
Pillar one
One way businesses can increase the flow of cash into their bank account is to lower the inventory turn days. Managing inventory levels and mix should be a joint effort between the people or teams responsible for purchasing raw materials or finished goods, manufacturing, finance and sales. Understanding exactly what is already in stock, the current and upcoming demands of customers and consistently communicating with suppliers and logistics providers to understand lead times, will help manage inventory to support sales and minimise excess stock levels. Manufacturing businesses should ensure they have enough time between receiving their raw materials
and manufacturing to meet customer demands.
Pillar two
Another way businesses can improve their working capital is turning debtors into cash faster. Things to consider include:
• Should terms of payment be updated?
• Should customers pay upfront in part or full, or in seven days, rather than on the 20th of the month? Are there effective collection procedures?
• Are terms of contract and milestones being invoiced correctly?
• Are invoices being sent in a timely manner?
• If businesses are receiving a deposit, is the deposit high enough?
Pillar three
Lastly, the negative working capital items – overdrafts, credit cards and creditorsneed to be considered.
Businesses should consider the timeliness of payments in
line with agreed terms such as:
• Are invoices paid before the due date?
• Can items being paid for on the credit card be invoiced and paid on the 20th.
• Will suppliers give an early payment discount?
• Is the overdraft nearly always ultilised and should be replaced with a term facility at a lower interest rate?
Managing each of the three pillars of working capital management will assist businesses to increase cash availability and improve operational efficiency.
Gallagher accelerates international expansion with Australian acquisition
Gallagher Group is accelerating its commercial expansion across Australian and international markets with its acquisition of Norton Livestock Handling Solutions in Australia.
Norton LHS was founded in 1989 by brothers Tom and Peter Russ. The company is widely acknowledged for offering Australian-made high-quality sheep and cattle handling equipment, farm gates, and sheep and cattle yards under its family-values brand.
New Zealand-based global general manager for Gallagher animal management Lisbeth Jacobs says while times are tough right now for businesses and farmer customers, Gallagher is doubling down on its investments into quality products and solutions and premium customer service.
“Through the pandemic and current global events, we have proven that we can continue to supply our farmer customers. With control of the product design and manufacturing processes in New Zealand and Australia, Gallagher was less impacted by Covid-19 lock downs than those businesses that rely on imported components and offshore manufacturing. As a result, we have been able to capture additional market-share.”
Lisbeth says consumers
are increasingly looking for responsibly sourced, highquality protein products and farmers are tackling growing compliance and traceability regulations.
Weighing, monitoring individual animal performance and recording data enables farmers to respond to these growing demands, maximise productivity and run more efficient and sustainable farming operations.
“Norton’s Australasian operation and capability is just what we’ve been looking for to continue to support our customers as demand for animal handling solutions continues to grow.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Norton team into the Gallagher family and are excited about what we can achieve together through our combined passion for quality and customer experience.
“Building long term relationships with customers and resellers has always been part of our DNA and in these turbulent times this is proving more important than ever for our customers. People know they can rely on us to walk
Through the pandemic and current global events, we have proven that we can continue to supply our farmer customers.
With control of the product design and manufacturing processes in New Zealand and Australia, Gallagher was less impacted by Covid-19 lock downs than those businesses that rely on imported components and offshore manufacturing. As a result, we have been able to capture additional market-share.
beside them in tough times as well as the good.”
As another long-standing family business serving the agricultural community, the acquisition of Norton’s manufacturing experience is the perfect complement to Gallagher, and a boost to the growth plans for both brands.
Norton currently holds a strong market position in the South Eastern Australia region. But with Tom and Peter looking to pursue other interests, and as the business continues to scale, Gallagher’s expertise in manufacturing and distribution and international reach will optimise results.
For more than two decades, Gallagher has collaborated closely with Norton. Tom and Peter say that there were just too many synergies between the two companies for this not to be a perfect fit.
“We have a 20-year working relationship with Gallagher, so we knew from the get-go that things were going to work out well when we began discussions.
“Norton has been a part of our family for so long, it just wasn’t an option to hand it over to an unknown. Being familyrun just as we have always been, Gallagher will be able to enhance the business values that have been really important to us.
“The exposure for Norton under the Gallagher
management is a great opportunity. The Gallagher brand is already well known in Australia and its existing position in the market and established sales channels will help the growth of Norton sales advance quickly.
“In a few years, we’ll be proud to drive past the Norton factory and know that the Norton name, and team, are in good hands.”
Malcom Linn, general manager for Gallagher Animal Management in Australia says his team is delighted to add Norton’s range of products to its line-up of solutions.
“For over 80 years, Gallagher has led the way in the agricultural industry. This acquisition further cements our commitment to investing in farming products and equipment that make farm life
easier and support customers to operate smarter and more profitably.”
The acquisition was finalised on at the end of November at which time the Norton team of around 45 people were welcomed as part of the Global Gallagher family, under Lisbeth’s overall leadership.
THE WAIKATO BY LEE BILLINGTON
Lee is a PwC manager and advisory
Lisbeth Jacobs
PropertY & development
Adding value through innovation across a wide range of specialist services. SURVEYING | ENGINEERING | PLANNING | ENVIRONMENT
A passion for our professions and for the regions.
Ngāmotu – New Plymouth
Kirikiriroa – Hamilton Whāingaroa – Raglan Taupō
Greenhill Park CONTINUES TO GROW
Greenhill Park CONTINUES TO GROW
With Stages 18, 19 and 25A nearing completion, Chedworth Properties has just released a limited number of new lots for sale in Stage 20 of Greenhill Park.
With Stages 18, 19 and 25A nearing completion, Chedworth Properties has just released a limited number of new lots for sale in Stage 20 of Greenhill Park.
Sections in Greenhill Park have a reputation of being in high demand. All sites in Stages 16 and 17 that were completed last year have been sold, and the majority of Stages 18, 19 and 25A have been sold, with limited sites left. Purchasers should get in quick to secure a section in the newest release - Stage 20.
Sections in Greenhill Park have a reputation of being in high demand. All sites in Stages 16 and 17 that were completed last year have been sold, and the majority of Stages 18, 19 and 25A have been sold, with limited sites left. Purchasers should get in quick to secure a section in the newest release - Stage 20.
“Since the sales launch of Stage 20 in early February, we received numerous enquiries from interested buyers and have already made a presale” advises Brendon Hewett, General Manager of Chedworth Properties.
“Since the sales launch of Stage 20 in early February, we received numerous enquiries from interested buyers and have already made a presale” advises Brendon Hewett, General Manager of Chedworth Properties.
Mr Hewett says the new lots in this release offer a warm and welcoming community, close proximity to the future Neighbourhood Centre, a short drive from the Waikato Expressway, and provides an easy commute for people working in the city.
Mr Hewett says the new lots in this release offer a warm and welcoming community, close proximity to the future Neighbourhood Centre, a short drive from the Waikato Expressway, and provides an easy commute for people working in the city.
“These lots are in an ideal location for families to build their new home with access to parks and amenities” he says.
“These lots are in an ideal location for families to build their new home with access to parks and amenities” he says.
“The success of our previous releases underlines the appeal of Greenhill Park as the community continues to take shape. With only 39 lots available in Stage 20, we expect they will sell quickly.”
“The success of our previous releases underlines the appeal of Greenhill Park as the community continues to take shape. With only 39 lots available in Stage 20, we expect they will sell quickly.”
With lot sizes ranging from 210m2 to 368m2, and a block of high density lots available, Greenhill Park Stage 20 offers sections suited to anyone looking for a new place to call home. The sections are priced from $384,082 to $494,500 incl GST (if any).
With lot sizes ranging from 210m2 to 368m2, and a block of high density lots available, Greenhill Park Stage 20 offers sections suited to anyone looking for a new place to call home. The sections are priced from $384,082 to $494,500 incl GST (if any).
Greenhill Park, located north east of central Hamilton, will accommodate more than 1,800 homes when finished. Over 500 homes have been built with thousands of people already calling Greenhill Park home.
Greenhill Park, located north east of central Hamilton, will accommodate more than 1,800 homes when finished. Over 500 homes have been built with thousands of people already calling Greenhill Park home.
The community will feature over 16 hectares of land set aside as open public space, numerous wetlands, walking and cycling paths, and a wide range of parks and playgrounds, providing the perfect setting for memorable family moments.
The community will feature over 16 hectares of land set aside as open public space, numerous wetlands, walking and cycling paths, and a wide range of parks and playgrounds, providing the perfect setting for memorable family moments.
Stage 20 has the additional benefit of being very close to the future Neighbourhood Centre, which is currently being designed by Hamilton based Edwards White Architects.
Stage 20 has the additional benefit of being very close to the future Neighbourhood Centre, which is currently being designed by Hamilton based Edwards White Architects.
Plans for the future Greenhill Park Neighbourhood Centre include a supermarket, specialty stores and a range of dining options, bringing convenient shopping right into the heart of the neighbourhood. In addition, there is planned space for a small medical clinic which will service the local community. Chedworth Properties are currently taking enquiries for interest in tenancies (contact Brendon on 021 608 817).
Plans for the future Greenhill Park Neighbourhood Centre include a supermarket, specialty stores and a range of dining options, bringing convenient shopping right into the heart of the neighbourhood. In addition, there is planned space for a small medical clinic which will service the local community. Chedworth Properties are currently taking enquiries for interest in tenancies (contact Brendon on 021 608 817).
Interested purchasers can call Chedworth Properties on 0800 639 929 or visit www. greenhillpark.co.nz for more information. With Stages 18, 19 and 25A nearing completion, Chedworth Properties has just released a limited number of new
Interested purchasers can call Chedworth Properties on 0800 639 929 or visit www. greenhillpark.co.nz for more information. With Stages 18, 19 and 25A nearing completion, Chedworth Properties has just released a limited number of new
completed last year have been sold. The majority of Stages 18, 19 and 25A have been sold with limited sites left,
“Since the sales launch of Stage 20 in early February we have sold multiple lots and we are receiving numerous
“Since the sales launch of Stage 20 in early February we have sold multiple lots and we are receiving numerous Hewett says the new lots in this release offer a warm and welcoming community, close proximity to the future Neighbourhood Centre, a short drive from the Waikato Expressway and provides an easy commute for people
Hewett says the new lots in this release offer a warm and welcoming community, close proximity to the future Neighbourhood Centre, a short drive from the Waikato Expressway and provides an easy commute for people
“These lots are in an ideal location for families to build their new home with access to parks and amenities” he
“These lots are in an ideal location for families to build their new home with access to parks and amenities” he
“The success of our previous releases underlines the appeal of Greenhill Park as the community continues to take
“The success of our previous releases underlines the appeal of Greenhill Park as the community continues to take
With lot sizes ranging from 210m2 to 368m2, and a block of high density lots available, Greenhill Park Stage 20 offers sections suited to anyone looking for a new place to call home. The sections are priced from $384,082 to
LEVEL 1, 131 VICTORIA STREET
Rodney Stirling
Our team is Consistent, Reliable, Professional & Considerate
Directly opposite the
Waikato
Our team is Consistent, Reliable, Professional & Considerate
Our team is Consistent, Reliable, Professional & Considerate
Our team is Consistent, Reliable, Professional & Considerate
Rodney Stirling
Rodney Stirling
Rodney Stirling
Rodney Stirling
Rodney Stirling
PAUA Architects: Shaping Cambridge for over 25 years.
Architect Antanas Procuta has been contributing to and helping to shape the town he calls home for over 25 years.
Initially working from home in Cambridge, Procuta was joined early on by architect Richard Mauriohooho, who recently celebrated 25 years with the practice. Longstanding team members have been a strength of the practice, with architect Geoff Lentz also marking 20 years this February.
Despite taking up premises in Hamilton in 2001 and completing projects across the Waikato, the practice has maintained strong roots in Cambridge, with both Procuta and strategic development manager Phil Mackay based in the Town of Trees. The practice has played an important part in shaping the town, with past work including the masterplanning of the Cambridge Park subdivision, the urban and architectural design of Le Quesnoy Place townhouse enclave, residential homes, and the recently completed Cambridge Police Hub.
The common theme running through these projects is the importance of local context, with each project acknowledging and building
on the unique character of Cambridge. In Procuta’s words: “The focus of our design is the individual, crafted response to the site, to the client and to their brief.”
Cambridge Park
In 2003 PAUA was engaged to prepare the overall urban concept and masterplan for a 330-household residential subdivision – now known as Cambridge Park.
The neighbourhood is centred on a public green space at the heart of the community and designed to continue the original 1863 arcaded street design for Cambridge. The road and pedestrian walkway layout references this grid pattern to prioritise pedestrian activities through the neighbourhood. In 2009 the project won the Living Streets Aotearoa ‘Golden Foot Award’ for Walkability.
Le Quesnoy Place PAUA was approached in 2004 by a local developer wanting to build on the unique character legacy of Cambridge.
Inspired by Cambridge’s sister-city relationship with
Le Quesnoy in France and occupying an enviable location on the banks of the Waikato River, the neighbourhood comprises fifteen, high-quality, two-storey homes designed to complement each other with similar architectural forms, materials and features.
Papillon Townhouse
Built for a local farming couple, this townhouse was designed around the conceptual idea of creating courtyard spaces and a sense of spaciousness within a smaller site. This idea prompted the ‘papillon’, or butterfly, shaped layout of the floor plan.
A traditional architectural form was chosen to link with neighbourhood church buildings and houses in what is one of the earlier-settled areas of Cambridge. Local materials such as Hinuera stone were chosen alongside other high performing materials to craft a contemporary home that respects the context of the local area.
Cambridge Police Hub
The architectural brief was to provide a design that
reflected the new approach in New Zealand policing and acknowledged the nature of the collaborative partnership between Waikato-Tainui and the NZ Police in this development.
Reflecting on the importance of water in Māori culture, Senior Architect Richard Mauriohooho based
the shape of the building on a Waka Hourua, or double hulled waka.
The orientation of the building also makes reference to local maunga - Maungatautari, Pirongia, Maungakawa, and Kakepuku - through the alignment of walls and windows, while local materials were used in
keeping with Waikato Tainui strategies.
As well as the prominent Hinuera stone wall featuring a ‘niho taniwha’ pattern, recycled wood and bricks from the police house previously on the site have been used as features in the new building, connecting to the history and context of the site.
Cambridge Police Hub
Papillon Townhouse
Le Quesnoy Place
ChatGPT: The New Online Tool Taking the World by Storm
A new tool was launched to the world in November 2022 called ChatGPT. Within five days it had more than 1 million users, breaking all records for user growth. By mid-January it had an estimated 96 million users.
So, what is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a state-ofthe-art chatbot tool that can provide intelligent, human-like responses to any question or prompt given to it. It's based on a deep learning model called GPT-3, which is trained on a massive amount of data, and because of this, it can understand and generate text in a way that is similar to human writing. It can be used for various tasks such as customer service, content creation, and even language translation. (And guess what? ChatGPT wrote that paragraph you just read!)
Users are calling it the biggest evolution in technology since the launch of the internet.
But while the term “chatbot” might make you think of the chat bubble on the bottom right of websites, ChatGPT is quite different. It is a super-intelligent AI tool that can answer almost anything. Unlike Google, it doesn’t just find content online and return the links to you. Instead, it creates the answers based on what it knows – as if someone is sitting on the other end of the chat writing a reply to you.
For example, a personal trainer listed his age, weight and goals and asked it to create a full workout plan, customised to his needs. It gave a great response, so he asked it to then create an eating plan and shopping list, based on his goals and workout plan. It returned a detailed and impressive answer within seconds.
You can ask it to write a poem around a specific theme and give it certain words it needs to include. Or give it a meeting transcript and ask it to
summarise the action points.
One AI expert wanted to learn a new complex machine learning technology, and instead of doing his own research he asked ChatGPT to explain it to him. He said ChatGPT laid it out step-bystep and it took him 30 minutes to learn what would normally have taken a whole day. It can write code, based on whichever language you ask it to write in and troubleshoot code that has a problem. It can brainstorm topics or headlines, or write detailed explanations about topics in whatever tone of voice you ask it to write in.
Soon ChatGPT will be able to be integrated into chatbots on websites to provide more natural and personalised interactions with customers, without there being a human on the other end. This will create the ability for businesses to provide fast, efficient customer service, without having to pay for as many staff to be available on live chat the whole time.
When it comes to marketing, ChatGPT is exceptionally good at writing content. In my marketing agency, we have used it to write email promotions, article ideas, headlines and whole content articles. It isn’t perfect, and definitely needs a human reading over it, but it can dramatically speed up content creation and learning of specific topics.
Our SEO team helps our customers get ranked strongly in Google and have been using ChatGPT significantly. They have found three ways ChatGPT can be especially useful in SEO:
1. Content generation: ChatGPT can be used to
THE DIGITAL WORLD
BY JOSH MOORE
Josh Moore is the head marketing fanatic at Duoplus, a Hamilton-based digital marketing agency that helps clients get more leads and sales through online marketing. www.duoplus.nz
generate high-quality, unique content for a website, which is important for SEO. By providing a prompt about a specific topic, ChatGPT can generate an article or blog post that includes relevant keywords and phrases, making it more likely to rank well in search engines.
2. Keyword research: ChatGPT can also be used to assist in keyword research. By analysing large amounts of text and identifying patterns and trends, ChatGPT can help identify keywords and phrases that are relevant to a specific topic, which can be used to optimise website content.
3. Metadata optimisation: ChatGPT can generate meta titles and descriptions for the website pages. This can be useful in making sure that the metadata is compelling and keyword rich, which can help to improve the search engine visibility of the website.
Of course, while ChatGPT can assist in SEO, it's not a replacement for a comprehensive SEO strategy and should be used in conjunction with other SEO best practices. But it sure is useful for getting more done faster.
If you haven’t tested ChatGPT out for yourself yet, simply head to chat.openai. com and sign up for a free account. I guarantee it will make you say “wow”!
Transferable Skills Can Take You Anywhere!
The bookend to a year – December and Januaryare typically times where people take a long hard look at their careers. Am I happy doing what I do? Am I still enthusiastic about the industry I work for? Where else can I add value?
One of the biggest challenges we see when talking to candidates is the perception by employers about long tenure in one industry. “Oh, you’ve been a teacher all your life –I don’t see how you can be an event manager”. This is where the magic of a transferable skill set is critical. Transferable skills are exactly what they sound like – the skills that you use in every job, no matter the title or field. Some transferable skills are hard skills like coding, data analysis or other technical skills –and some are soft skills like communication and relationship building. Think of transferable skills as part of your career tool belt!
When you’re considering shifting from one career field to a very different one, identifying your transferable skills will help match your career to new opportunities without the fear of matching one title to another. These are the key skills you should be promoting at the beginning of your CV. Transferable skills can help you land a new job – no matter how ‘unmatched’ your skill set might appear to be.
Though every employee has transferable skills, employers do seek out certain transferable skills more than others. For example, leadership is a skill that most companies will be looking for at every level in their business. Now on the face of it you might not think you’ve
been a leader – but dig deeper – have you coached sports teams? Have you ever had to take the lead on a project and get a team to follow through and accomplish shared goals? Leadership skills aren’t only your ability to supervise and manage a team – and they often connect with other key skills like communication, problem solving and relationship building.
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
BY SENGA ALLEN
With a global talent shortage, it’s vital that employers too pursue nontraditional candidates to expand their talent pipeline.
With a global talent shortage, it’s vital that employers too pursue non-traditional candidates to expand their talent pipeline. Companies can no longer meet their
Managing Director, Everest – All about peopletm www.everestpeople.co.nz
talent needs through previous methods – they need to look beyond a direct career match or industry experience. To fill critical roles in 2023 businesses will need to be more comfortable assessing candidates on their abilities to perform in their role and their transferable skills, not just their credentials and prior experience. If you’re thinking about a career shift or simply looking for a new role, now is a great time to brainstorm and create the list of transferable skills you have. Update your CV and seek advice if you need some support to identify the tools in your toolbelt!
BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY AT UNION SQUARE
“We have a fabulous ofce in a very cool building; it far exceeds our initial concept. Once the precinct is nished, I believe Fosters will achieve their vision for that thriving business hub.”
“We are very happy to be here. Our people will get to be part of a vibrant community where they can lunch at a local café, go to the gym, and meet socially after work.”
“We can clearly see the future of this precinct and the future development of the south-end of town… Combined with the unique people-focused experience that Fosters are creating, it makes for an attractive proposition for our business, our staff, and our clients.”
Union Square’s next ofce building, due in Q3, has limited ofce space left to lease.
With frontage on Anglesea Street and the Union Square boulevard, there’s great brand visibility, while a smart corporate feel and lobby entrance (with concierge service) adds a superior level of professionalism. From the end of trip facilities or parking to cafés, retail, and a business and wellness centre – Union Square will offer everything that your team of working professionals will need. Plus, a readymade community of like-minded business professionals.
