Riverside Adventures boosts South Waikato tourism
From augmented reality to user experience
Businesses from start-ups to big tech companies and global organisations have enjoyed the Company-X experience in the last decade.
Since Company-x began trading in April, 2013, clients have benefitted from expertise in everything from augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR), e-learning modules, software design and development, and user experience (UX) design, both in New Zealand and around the world.
Food assurance provider AsureQuality benefited from Company-X’s augmented reality experience when it built a voice-activated auditing application for the RealWear HeadMounted Tablet.
“AsureQuality enjoyed collaborating with Company-X,” said AsureQuality General Manager of Science and Technology Dr Harry van Enckevort. “They always strive to deliver the right solutions for our needs.”
Natural gas company First Gas and biosecurity system experts Independent Verification Services (IVS) asked Company-X to build VR systems.
First Gas needed a VR training programme for highrisk procedures, while IVS required a VR simulation of a biosecurity risk-filled shipping container.
“The delivered products possessed the ‘wow’ factor we wanted to show that training for high-risk activities can now be virtualised in a fun and engaging manner, removing almost all risk to our people and assets in a cost-effective manner” said First Gas Information Systems Project Manager Reuben Uncles.
“We chose to work with Company-X due to its experience and capability,” said IVS chief executive Peter Webb.
Workplace health and safety regulator WorkSafe included a VR welding fume risk management experience in a national roadshow courtesy of Company-X.
PPL Plastic Solutions Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Coordinator Jackie Uy tried it out. “It’s really good,” she said. “It’s very simple and effective.”
Worldwide leader in milking equipment and solutions DeLaval asked Company-X to build a centralised global e-learning solution to support DeLaval staff and their dairy farming customers around the world.
“Part of the overall success of the programme was our process, developed collaboratively by Company-X and the project group,” said DeLaval’s Lynda McDonald. “This project might not have been so successful without a mature and well-established review and collaboration process.”
Company-X built gamified training to bring innovation to skills development for the corporation.
“We were very impressed with what Company-X put out there,” said Australian Meat Processor Corporation program manager Stuart Shaw.
In the area of software design and development, Company-X clients have long appreciated the team’s commitment and determination.
Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition, called on Company-X to develop long term planning and forecasting software.
Company-X was great. I really appreciated the ‘can-do’ attitude they brought to the project and am immensely happy with the new system.
“Company-X listened very carefully to our issues but were not just a ‘you tell me what you want’ supplier, said Hugh Lemon of Bayer. “Expect them to take ownership of projects, make suggestions and make it happen.”
Company-X hosts Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien O’Connor
March 21.
software specialist Company-X hosted Trade and Export Growth Minister Damien
learned, from Company-X
and directors David
about the company’s role in developing the world’s first roading quality assurance tool Transport Insights. The minister also enjoyed a demonstration of Company-X’s mixed reality headsets.
Canoe Racing New Zealand asked Company-X to automate its canoe sprint racing finish-line.
“The finished product is exactly what we needed and is robust enough to function in the ever-changing weather conditions that an outdoor, water-based sport must operate in,” said Canoe Racing New Zealand International Technical Official Karen Simpson.
Industrial Tube Manufacturing in Hamilton asked Company-X to build a system that used accounting data to optimise factory production.
“Tubemanager has been really valuable to us as part of the lean manufacturing process,” said Industrial Tube Manufacturing assistant general manager Ian Foster. “It will help remove the need for physical job cards and introduce a paperless manufacturing system.”
Jumpflex in Hamilton needed information technology infrastructure that could keep up with international
Technical Due Diligence
demand. Company-X was asked to integrate the web services required to manage the international supply chain processes, from manufacturer to customer.
“The fact that Company-X directors David Hallett and Jeremy Hughes are great software engineers means they only hire really competent and senior engineers. This means we weren’t going to end up with juniors making a mess of various tasks,” said Jumpflex director Jeremy Mould.
“Basically, everything they took on was well thought out and professional looking.”
Philips Search and Rescue Trust asked Company-X to build a new receipting and communication system to free up fundraising staff.
“I had 150 per cent confidence Company-X would deliver what they promised,” said Philips Search and Rescue Trust fundraising manager Kelly Olsen. “I ran some figures and the return on investment was about six months. They used layman’s terms in
Whanau data platform builder Āhau and leading Aotearoa New Zealand open banking gateway BlinkPay were led through a technical due diligence process by Company-X senior consultant Ben Judge.
“All of Company-X’s recommendations were really helpful in our thinking,” said Āhau Kaiwhakahaere Ben Tairea.
“Company-X showed a level of thought leadership around how we can potentially build out our business in the future, that aligned to much of our own thinking,” said BlinkPay Chief Product Officer Adrian Smith.
“Our experience with Company-X has been absolutely exemplar.”
their review, and it was both clear and systematic.”
Clients also recognise the high level of technical leadership that Company-X brings to their software challenges.
Hughes said: There are some common themes in the feedback that people have given us over the years that make me incredibly proud of our people. Experienced innovators, thought leaders,
User Experience (UX)
Hamilton City Council asked Company-X User Experience (UX) lead Cory Mackenzie to help design the user experience (UX) for new and upgraded content supporting their growth data, economic analytics and economic development programmes. The goal was to identify, understand, and attract their target audience and then ensure the information was presented in a way that addressed their core needs.
“Even before the project started, we knew we were going to be working with experienced professionals who could deliver what we needed,” said Hamilton City Council Economic Development Manager Mike Bennett.
Online job scheduling and management software company Magnetize asked Company-X to review its software for usability issues.
Full replacement was recommended as a cost-ef-
and great to work with. It is so rewarding to hear. Brilliant to get that kind of feedback. Boom! That’s gold for us.”
“Our ability to build and maintain enduring partnerships has long been part of the Company-X DNA,” Hallett added. “With so many partners describing us as part of their team, we know this will continue in our second ten years and beyond.”
fective way forward. The web and mobile app were reimagined as a new Software as a Service (SaaS) solution to streamline systems for heavy equipment and machinery operators.
“We were talking constantly with The Instillery general manager Richie Jenkins about our frustrations, and he said, ‘If you’re going to do this, you’ve got to get Company-X onboard.’ I asked, ‘Who’s the best in the industry?’ and he said, ‘Company-X.’ So here we are, said Magnetize chief executive Paul Lyons”.
Waikato
O’Connor (right) on Tuesday,
O’Connor
co-founders
Hallett (left) and Jeremy Hughes (centre),
Riverside Adventures boosts South Waikato tourism
After ticking along as a small family-run tourism operator for nearly 10 years, Riverside Adventures is on a growth trajectory that is bringing 6,500 visitors a year to South Waikato to enjoy glow worm kayak tours, Waikato River bike trails and paddle boarding.
ouple Sally and Steve Hastie started the company in 2012 with Sally’s parents Mike and Ann Paget. “It was small for the first few years with Mum and Dad going most of the work,” Sally says. “Then about seven years ago we started gearing up the business.”
Sally and Steve built the business to four to five thousand visitors a year before Covid struck, effectively knocking out international travellers who were half its customer base.
The Hasties turned their attention to the domestic market.
“This strategy worked with many Kiwis coming to South Waikato for the first time and being blown away by what is on offer,” Steve says.
“Our hero product is an amazing twilight kayak glow worm tour. This activity can be enjoyed by anyone with a basic level of fitness – if you can sit upright, you can paddle a kayak! The tour showcases one of the natural hidden gems of the
South Waikato, topped off by the reflection of twinkling stars on the calm waters of Lake Karāpiro.”
When Covid travel restrictions finished, Hasties started to realise their dreams to grow the business to the next level with funding assistance from South Waikato Investment Fund Trust (SWIFT) and the Government-funded Regional Business Partner (RBP) Network.
SWIFT Chief Executive Amanda Hema says SWIFT’s funding recognised Riverside Adventures’ potential and the Hastie’s commitment to grow their business despite the challenges they have faced from Covid and recent weather events.
Sally says the company had outgrown its premises so was moving to a larger, five-acre site just down the road at the northern end of the Waikato River Trail with a new operations building and safer access to the lake and bike trail.
“Initially we got $15,000
We provide kayak, bike, SUP and ebike hire, transport shuttles to all bike trails in the central North Island, guided bike and kayak tours, and fully inclusive multi-day tour packages. Our true strength is the way we welcome people to the region. How our customers ‘feel’ is just as important as ‘what they do’.
Steve and Sally Hastie
feasibility support from SWIFT that was super helpful for the move. We could never have afforded that and now the $5,000 from RBP and SWIFT for business advice has been invaluable.
“We have also taken an opportunity to open a new shop at the velodrome in Cambridge and, as our product offering keeps increasing as we do more for schools and corporate groups, our staff numbers have gone from two to three full timers up to six full timers and seven part-time or casual staff.
“We have also had in our plans for some time to build accommodation units and we are now building six lakeside self-contained units – two will take a family of four, plus four king studios – so we will have accommodation for 10 to 12 people.
”By offering accommodation, our clients can do some other activity in
South Waikato, such as taking the Te Waihou walkway to the Blue Springs near Putāruru. We want people to stay in South Waikato –there’s so much to do in the area that people don’t even realise. We collaborate with other businesses to keep people in the area longer.”
Amanda says Riverside Adventures feeds into other destination products that SWIFT has supported over the years. “They showcase the natural beauty of South Waikato and are strengthening the diversification of business types in our district.”
Sally says business adviser Kim Hill has been very helpful as Riverside Adventures has plotted its business growth. “Whenever we had questions, she was a sounding board.
“Kim has helped us to set three-to-five-year financial targets. They are mainly to do with our
A lot of cycling groups want to stay somewhere together as they do the trails. Also, some people who do the glowworm tour are not comfortable driving back in the dark to other accommodation.
took on its first full time staff member Memorie Brooky in the role of business development in October 2021. Then over December 2022 to January 2023 it took on three more full-timers. “Our goal is to employ more staff from South Waikato for cleaning, grounds work, guiding, customer service roles and more –we plan to have nine new staff over the next five years.
“Mem is amazing – she does everything from putting people into the water on kayaks and on bikes to doing the accounting. Steve had worked with her at the New Zealand School of Tourism. It was very scary taking a full timer on but it has 100 per cent paid off.”
About the Regional Business challenges and/or grow. Funded by the New Zealand Government, the RBP Network consists of 14 regional growth agencies throughout the country that assist businesses to apply for the support they need and access funding support from RBP. RBP fund about 50% of the business capability up to $5000 and the business pays the rest. To make the RBP network more accessible for businesses in South Waikato, SWIFT contributes the lion’s share of the business’ contribution (up to $4500). In 2022 SWIFT supported 12 local businesses through the RBP Network, with fantastic feedback and many continuing the services of their mentors afterwards
Riverside Adventures kayak tour
Riverside Adventures cycling
HMC welcomes return of senior account manager
Nicola Lee
Award-winning PR and communications agency HMC has appointed Nicola Lee as senior account manager, welcoming her back to the role after a few years away to raise her young family.
Nicola has worked across several sectors providing strategic communications planning and advice, including education, fundraising, health, consumer, agriculture, science, energy, local government and stakeholder relations. Her key strengths include strategic planning and implementation, digital PR, project management, stakeholder management and media relations.
A skilled writer, Nicola has helped clients and organisations write successful award entries and has a special interest in fundraising and community relations communications.
Nicola has led several successful client projects from planning through to implementation, including managing the announcement of New Zealand’s first medicinal
cannabis company’s IPO on the New Zealand Stock Exchange, and the national public announcement of groundbreaking research findings on a nitrogen reducing plantain seed – both of which generated significant global media interest.
“It’s a thrill to be back in a role that enables me to help clients succeed while also providing a challenge and allowing me to continue to grow as a PR practitioner,” Nicola says.
As senior account manager at HMC, Nicola will work across a portfolio of clients in the agricultural, science, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.
HMC director Heather Claycomb says she’s pleased to welcome Nicola back.
“Having worked with Nicola previously I knew
As an agency we continue to grow our capability in the digital and creative sector, continually adapting to the needs and direction of our clients, while also continuing to deliver the strategic advice clients have come to really value us for.
she would be a great fit for the team again, and she has slipped back into her role effortlessly with clients already benefiting from her skills and expertise.
Nicola Lee
Virtual health service, Emergency Consult, announces new board chair
Emergency Consult has announced Dr Peter Crow as its new chairman of the board, effective immediately.
Dr Crow has been working with Emergency Consult’s board for a number of months. Impressed with his deep experience in corporate governance and strategy, chief executive Jenni Falconer says he was a logical choice for the role of chairman.
“We’re excited to be welcoming someone of Peter’s calibre to the Board,” says Falconer, “We started this business with a strong desire to help people - to take emergency medical expertise out of the hospitals and into communities - and we’ve grown quickly. And while we’ve been intelligent and agile in that growth, we know that Peter will bring a new level of business acumen and strategic thinking to help us realise further potential.”
Dr Crow formally accepted the position in March. “It is an honour to be invited to the board of this innovative health business. It’s a privilege to work with Jenni and
Dr Martyn Harvey [clinical director] and a team of dedicated health professionals. I look forward to governing with impact,” Crow says.
Dr Crow is an independent board director, advisor, author, speaker and educator with international expertise in corporate governance and strategy. His sector knowledge extends across healthcare, technology and innovation, agribusiness, professional services, local government, manufacturing and distribution.
He has a doctorate in corporate governance and strategy and is a chartered member of the Institute of Directors. Dr Crow is also a member of several international institutions including the Global Peter Drucker Society, the European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, and the International Corporate Governance Network.
Dr Crow replaces outgoing chairman Myles Whitcher,
who announced his resignation from the board last month. Whitcher had worked with the doctors who founded Emergency Consult since 2020. He helped shape the business in its early days and was made chairman in May of 2022.
Initially set up to provide rapid remote medical response to New Zealand’s general public, the founding team soon realised that various medical colleagues could benefit from their assistance too. Emergency Consult now partners with healthcare providers nationwide.
“We’re able to ease some of the pressure from rural hospital waiting rooms, relieve emergency services, and support our colleagues in emergency departments (EDs) across Aotearoa. We also bolster clinical capability in aged residential care facilities and community clinics. And provide onthe-spot treatment in pharmacies,” Falconer says.
Dr Peter Crow
Montana Group announces Mark Wylie as new CEO
Montana Group has announced that Mark Wylie has been appointed as its Chief Executive Officer, effective from 23 February 2023.
The new position was established to lead the company into its next phase of growth and development and as Montana Group looks to meet the growing needs of our customers and stakeholders.
Directors and shareholders Dallas Fisher and Troy Reid are thrilled with the appointment and are confident that Mark’s leadership and vision will help Montana Group to achieve its strategic goals and lead them into the next chapter of our growth and success.
“We believe that this is the next step in the evolution of our company and will enable us to continue to grow and succeed in a rapidly changing environment, and Mark’s experience and vision make him the perfect candidate to lead our company into the future,” Montana Group
Having someone of his caliber leading the team, along with the timing of this move, has set a perfect platform for all of Montana group to work together to take our success to the next level. Very exciting times ahead.
director Dallas Fisher says.
“We are extremely pleased with Mark’s appointment,”
Montana Group director Troy Reid says.
Mark has been Montana Food and Events general manager, for the last 10 months and brings thirty-five years industry experience to the role. He has a proven track record in hospitality operations and management with a varied and interesting career working in reputable
kitchens across New Zealand and internationally. On return to NZ, he has been part of SKYCITY Auckland, Hip Group, and Southern Hospitality in an array of sales, operations, and leadership roles.
“I’m honoured and excited to take on the role of CEO for Montana Group,” explains Mark.
“This is an incredible opportunity to work with such a diverse and talented
Keep A Close Eye On Your Building Costs
Quantity surveyors are sometimes seen as an ‘unnecessary expense’ but the money they can save homeowners, developers, builders or those funding a project can mean the difference between success and failure.
One of New Zealand’s most well-respected quantity surveyors, Gus Fepuleai, lives in the Waikato and is general manager of a new Quantity Surveying firm based in Cambridge – Spectrum QS. He says quantity surveyors essentially help their clients establish a realistic budget and then act as their “eyes and ears” to manage costs.
“Labour is going up and building material prices are going up. You need someone on a job that looks out for your interests with regards to the budget. Having a technical person who understands cost and is able to keep an eye on it, is of huge benefit – now more than ever.”
Gus certainly understands the technical side of construction more than most.
He spent eight years working on the tools as a qualified builder in Auckland before obtaining a Bachelor of
Construction, with a double major in quantity surveying and property development.
He also holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Construction Law from Massey University, so is ideally placed to give accurate advice to banks or non-bank lenders, developers and builders.
In fact, banks and non-bank lenders are frequent clients and trust Gus to guide them as they’re not construction specialists themselves.
“Financiers need to know that all risks have been assessed properly and are being wellmanaged so costs do not blow out due to unexpected bills. That’s where a quantity surveyor is worth their weight in gold.”
Spectrum QS provides a full range of cost management and development monitoring services for projects based anywhere in New Zealand valued at $500,000 or more.
“I’ve worked on both
team to continue building on the group’s success and momentum. I truly believe that Montana Group is an employer of choice with development pathways and opportunities for growth. We are known as being innovators in the market, with a focus on collaboration and partnerships that has led us to where we are today. I’m personally very excited for the future and the opportunities this will present for our staff and customers.”
Mark will also act as executive director, and alongside Dallas and Troy they will form a six-person board with three final board members currently being recruited.
The appointment of CEO and establishment of a Board of Directors comes as Montana Group continues to expand its offerings and industry footprint.
www.montanagroup.co.nz
sides of the fence – acting for banks and non-bank lenders through to project managers and developers who need value for money from their tradespeople, and even for builders who need help to comply with the conditions of their contract.”
Gus says the best time to engage a quantity surveyor is at the outset, when plans are first drawn.
“One of the common issues that I see is people develop drawings and get them to building consent stage. But when they go out to tender and get pricing from various builders, they find they don’t have enough money to do the job. Getting a budget done early at the design stage sets a benchmark. It’s a lot cheaper to redesign things and cut costs then, than once you start construction.”
Choosing which tender to accept is another area Gus can help with. “Nine times out of 10
people will pick the cheapest option. But they won’t be aware of all the exclusions or the priced alternatives. A QS will bring everything to the same level so you’re comparing apples with apples, not apples with oranges.”
Once a build is underway, a quantity surveyor will review all payment claims based on what’s actually been happening on site. They’ll also review any variations or changes to the project to ensure those costs are valid and realistic. “That’s where my building background really comes in handy,” Gus says. “If an electrician says it will take 40 hours to install a certain amount of wiring but I know it should only take 15-20 hours, I can alert the client and the problem can be proactively addressed.”
Gus says the building industry is very contractual and confrontational at times. Having a cool head, plenty of experience, and good communication and negotiation skills are key attributes people should seek in a professional quantity surveyor.
While it isn’t ideal, there have been plenty of instances where Gus has been brought on board halfway through a project when trouble has already struck. “So far in my career I’ve never come across a project that’s beyond repair. I’ve always found some sort of
Gus
Fepuleai, General Manager Spectrum Qs Ltd
solution and a way to steady the ship.”
The decision to be involved in Spectrum QS comes from Gus’ desire to offer a more personalised and specialist service compared to larger consultancy firms. “I am very hands-on and love working face-to-face with clients and getting out on site. People will
always get to deal with me –they won’t be passed off to a junior QS.”
If you’re embarking on a new project and need to keep a close eye on building costs, call Gus at Spectrum QS on 0800 777 732 for a confidential, no-obligation chat. For more info visit www.spectrumqs.co.nz.
Mark Wylie, CEO Montana Group
Waikato Head Office: Gate 6, Claudelands Events Centre, Brooklyn Road, Hamilton, 3214
Auckland Head Office: 8 Mountain Road, Epsom, Auckland, 1023.
Debt consolidation done different
Kiwi start-up Money Sweetspot goes nationwide
Following a successful soft launch in December, sustainable lending start-up Money Sweetspot has now made its financial reset debt consolidation service available to all New Zealanders.
Debt is a part of life for almost all New Zealanders. But for some Kiwi, the debt juggle can turn into a struggle. When that happens, debt can drag families down, causing stress and seriously hurting quality of life.
That’s where Money Sweetspot comes in. Its debt consolidation loan wraps debts into one regular payment, often at a lower interest rate, and includes rewards for paying on time and avoiding further debt. Since its soft launch, Money Sweetspot has delivered more than $1.3 million in financial resets to Kiwi all over Aotearoa.
At Money Sweetspot’s recent national launch event in Kirikiriroa, co-founder Sasha Lockley said that high demand proves there’s a real need for the service:
“We’re not talking people at the most disadvantaged end of society… the people we’ve worked with so far are almost all ordinary, hard-working Kiwi, many in pretty good jobs, who’ve just found that debts have gotten on top of them.”
“Whilst it’s been great to help those customers, for every
$1 of loans provided there were $2.20 of loans that we were unable to provide as not all applicants could meet the lending criteria. The pressure for whānau around the cost of living and sheer amount of debt that some Kiwi have has meant that we’ve only been able to approve 40% of the applications. This means that many Kiwi are stuck in higher cost debt struggling to find a way through.”
“We’ve been called the Stranger Things of finance, because most finance companies want to up-sell and keep customers, but we are successful if we lose customers,” Sasha says. “We’re here to work with people for a short time, not a lifetime.”
Earlier this month Money Sweetspot also announced a world-first partnership with global financial wellbeing platform nudge Global, giving customers access to nudge’s financial education resources, free of charge. This benefits their customers as by engaging in the platform they earn Sweetspot points that can be redeemed as additional money off their loan, or money into their savings account for a rainy day. In addition, by committing to their financial reset and staying on track, their customers earn rewards to spend through The Good Registry with a donation to a charity of their choice.
CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON
Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton
Latest Surveys – Industrial Occupancy Down & Office Up
The latest Industrial and Office Occupancy Surveys conducted by CBRE Research and NAI Harcourts to the end of December 2022, provides insight into the local economy and future trends.
Industrial
Monitored industrial building stock in Hamilton reached 2,058,000sqm, following 56,700sqm of new supply reaching completion in the twelve months to December 2022.
Overall industrial vacancy increased from 0.9% at the end of 2021 to 1.2% in December 2022, representing less than 25,000sqm of physically vacant and available space, with almost two thirds of this vacant stock located in Frankton.
The growth in Hamilton’s industrial sector and continued low vacancy (now four years running below 2% vacancy) has seen pressure on rental growth with new building warehouse rentals growing by some 10% to 15%. Part of the increase is due to higher land costs, materials and construction cost increases and in a number of cases more than one party offering to lease the same space.
The most noticeable change in vacancy was recorded in Te Rapa North where vacancy increased from 0.2% to 1.0% in the twelve months to December 2022. The single biggest contributor to this increase was the completion of a large warehouse at 12-16 Earthmover Crescent, half of which remained untenanted at the end of 2022.
Although the number of available units in Frankton fell from 18 to 12, vacancy grew slightly to 2.3%, as a result of several larger facilities becoming available.
We’re here to work with people for a short time, not a lifetime.
Money Sweetspot’s investors include the Tindall Foundation, and its lending capital is provided by BNZ.
BNZ CEO Dan Huggins says, “We know there are families and individuals out there struggling with the rising cost of living, who need a hand to take some of the financial pressure off. That’s why we’re supporting Money Sweetspot in their mission to support New Zealanders to reset their debt and feel more in control of their finances. We believe this innovative approach will help create a lasting positive impact across Aotearoa.
“Supporting Money Sweetspot is part of our wider sustainability commitment to grow the long-term social, cultural, and financial wellbeing of New Zealanders, and deliver $50 million in no or low interest lending by 2024.
To find out more at www.moneysweetspot.co.nz/
ton CBD has fallen 0.3% to 8.2% in the six months to December 2022, with the amount of vacant space remaining essentially stable and the reduction being driven by the largely occupied additional buildings increasing the amount of occupied stock.
After holding relatively stable over the past 18 months at 3.1%, Grade A vacancy has since seen a decrease of 0.3% to 2.8% following the full occupation of the NZI building at 225 Collingwood Street.
Grade B also saw a decline in vacancy, falling from 6.3% to 5.7%. There have only been four new vacancies, ranging from just over 160sqm at Vero House to 250sqm at Anglesea Imaging Centre. Previously vacant space at 54 Bryce Street has since been occupied by Spec Savers Audiology.
Grades C – E experienced an overall increase during the second half of 2022, which now sits at in excess of 10%, with Grade E alone, now 15.9%
Although the latest survey results show a relatively stable office occupier market in the higher quality stock (Grades A and B) and more activity in lower grades, this is more a reflection of tight availability in quality stock, than a lack of demand for new and efficient workplaces by occupiers.
Flight to quality remains a strong theme, as businesses aim to create workplace environments that help not only to attract and retain talent, but to maintain and improve employee morale and company culture. While hybrid working and more employee flexibility is here to stay, it doesn’t seem to be a major issue in the Waikato where commuting to and from the office is perhaps less stressful,
Vacancy remained stable at 1.5% at the Airport Precinct, representing only 3 available units.
The most significant new completion in 2022 was the 7,050sqm new facility at 12-16 Earthmover Crescent in Te Rapa North, half occupied by NZ Post. Overall, Te Rapa North experienced an addition of almost 34,000sqm of new stock.
2022 also saw the completion of a number of new multi-unit developments situated along Arthur Porter Drive, Earthmover Crescent and Maui Street in Te Rapa North.
Despite the economic headwinds, the Hamilton industrial market continued to experience strong developer and occupier activity during 2022. Office
Overall office vacancy in the Hamil-
Overall
Undoubtedly, Hamilton is going through a major transformation period with a plethora of developments under construction and in the pipeline, in a wide range of sectors from logistics, manufacturing, infrastructure to office, arts and recreation. We believe that occupier demand for high-quality office accommodation and industrial space will remain strong (as evidenced by some large precommitments in under construction developments), increasingly including national and multinational businesses evaluating their growth opportunities outside of Auckland and government from Wellington. Hamilton is quickly becoming the focal point of the golden triangle economic area, which bodes well for the future of the Hamilton industrial and office markets.
Sasha Lockley
We.EV offers Electric Vehicle infrastructure analysis
We.EV has seized the opportunity to lead the way in supporting businesses to transition their fleets to EVs by investigating, designing, installing and providing an end-to-end solution to meet the customers’ needs and to minimize capital costs. Community owned, our vision is simple; to help businesses shape a better, more renewable future.
We.EV has completed various projects throughout the Waikato for education providers, councils, large and small commercial enterprises.
”When considering EV charging solutions, it’s important to understand your existing electrical infrastructure, ensure systems are not overloaded but still maximise the use of existing assets. Our team can provide you with the expert analysis and design required before commencing charger procurement and installation,” says Head of We.EV Craig Marshall.
There can be considerable costs involved with the installation of charging equipment. These can include upgrades to existing switchboards and cables onsite, the main electrical supply or disruptive works involving civil (trenching), ducts, pits and charging equipment foundations.
Understanding the options and solutions that can minimize costs and maximise charging availability before embarking on your project is essential. And that’s where We.EV comes in.
The We.EV team can analyse existing site infrastructure, power usage and parking locations to produce a report detailing recommended EV charging infrastructure alongside budget pricing to fit with your current needs and allow easy expansion into the future.
We.EV will partner with you and offer our know-how and experience to investigate and provide a cost-effective EV charging solution for your organization.
0800 800 935 | we-ev.co.nz
Wintec’s Atrium Comes Alive with Entrepreneurial Energy at Young Enterprise Scheme Kickstart Tīmatanga Event
More than 200 students from a dozen Waikato secondary schools turned out to see what Young Enterprise Scheme (YES) is all about.
The highlight of the morning was the speed coaching session in which students had the opportunity to pick the brains of more than 40 business mentors.
YES Waikato coordinator Maddie Walker was thrilled with the turnout.
It’s fantastic being able to welcome everyone back safely after Covid had disrupted last year’s event. Being together in a setting like this really sets the scene for an excellent year of entrepreneurship.
Both students and mentors left feeling positive about the year ahead, with a mentor saying it was “fantastic to see the energy in the room and the passion the teams have.”
Students, in true Gen Z style, reported it was “so cool” and “super fun.”
Interested in mentoring a new YES business? Contact maddie@ smartwaikato.co.nz for more information.
YES is managed in the Waikato by Smart Waikato Trust.
1 – John Gallagher with Rototuna Senior High students
2 – Smart Waikato CE Mary Jensen with Waikato Diocesan students
3 – Ella Wightman from Soda Inc with Fraser High School students
4 – The team from Soda Inc
5 – YES supporters Steve Tritt and Roger Evans
6 – Lisa Shaw of HR Attract with St Peters Cambridge students
7 – Kiani Tuhua from SWIFT with Hauraki Plains College students
8 – Roger Evans with Ngāruahawahia High students
9 – John Luxton of RegenerationHQ with Waikato Diocesan students
10 – Alex Bullot from Young Enterprise with Sacred Heart Girls students
Made possible with support from sponsors Wintec Te Pūkenga, Waikato Pacific Business Network, Waikato
Chamber of Commerce, The University of Waikato, Foster Group, CAL Isuzu, and EMA.
Breaking new building ground with 3D printed concrete
Houses built with concrete 3D printing are answering the call to build more climate and floodresistant homes in New Zealand.
QOROX partner Nick
Lane says the technology, which can print a 3m x 3m concrete wall in under an hour, will make the clean up after a flood event considerably less expensive and time-consuming.
“A lot of houses in the February flooding in Auckland were wet up to 400mm above the floor and suffered significant water damage, resulting in people having to rip off plaster board and trying to dry them out. Hawkes Bay homes were even worse,” Lane says.
“Some homes will be red stickered based on flooding alone, without even taking subsidence into account. If these homes were built from concrete, as long as they hadn’t shifted off their foundations, they would only require replacement of furnishings like carpet or furniture instead of receiving structural damage.”
Lane says the groundbreaking new technology is surpassing modular builds in time efficiency and waste reduction.
“It’s a massive gamechanger in terms of bringing together innovation, technology and construction. In our mind, it’s going to leave the likes of modular housing and prefab housing for dust,” he said.
While the cost is still higher than a traditional timber house, Lane says concrete will outlast timber by hundreds of years and give the house owner more bang for their buck.
The higher cost of a QOROX build is a key area the team have been working on, targeting a price that is as cost
You’re getting greater value because concrete houses will last for hundreds of years, not 50 years like a timber house is designed to be good for.
effective as a traditionally built timber house.
Lane says improving QOROX build affordability has also meant working out the best way to avoid shipping costs, which increased by 200% as a result of COVID, and adapting their formula to use less printed concrete without compromising on structural integrity.
“We believe we’re not far off that at the moment,” he says.
The QOROX team has also been working with a German company to develop a mix that is specific to New Zealand.
“Since the robot arrived over three years ago, we’ve been working on a mix that we can use based in New Zealand to create a more sustainable supply chain and reduce shipping costs.
“We’re working with engineers and BRANZ on a new wall design which uses less printed material in our walls. We’re probably about a month away.”
Along with print timesavings, QOROX-built walls reduce the number of on-site steps and speed up the build
process, resulting in cost and time-savings.
The fundamentals of building a house have changed little over the decades, relying on manual labour to stack bricks and hammer nails into wooden frames.
“We haven’t changed anything for decades. We have power tools and management software to speed up aspects of it, but we actually take more steps over a building site than we did 40 years ago. Prefab and modular building doesn’t change this,” Lane says.
A 3D printed home, Lane says, will shave at least seven weeks off the standard 200 square metre house build, with increased sustainability and quality of the final product for a similar value to conventional timber framing.
“Using QOROX we’ve printed six sections of walls combining to 15 metres long and three metres high, in under five hours. Within the space of a day and a half, we can have an entire length of wall finished inside and out.”
QOROX material is 80% New Zealand-sourced and the other 20% of the final product, which Lane calls the ‘colonel’s secret spices’, is imported and that compares to around 80% of imported material used in a traditional build.
“It’s very special cement, mixed with a New Zealand recipe of sand and water, and the end-product is about 80% New Zealand made, which in New Zealand construction is very rare.
“Some of our mainstream products that you can literally only buy in New Zealand under that brand, when you dig
deeper you find the majority of all that product is imported and it’s only assembled in New Zealand.”
The large amount of silt resulting from the recent weather events led the team to explore how it could be used in their product.
“We could likely only do very small prints, such as outdoor furniture or planters, but it’s not suitable for building structures because it simply can’t stand up to what we need it to.”
One example of small print runs was undertaken in 2020, when Hamilton City Council recruited QOROX to build a Hinaki (eel net) inspired bench in Garden Place, which was completed during a lunchtime demonstration. The park bench was then moved to the Waikato River walk, next to the ANZAC Parade bridge Lane says in order to utilise the silt, they would need to do large print runs to make it cost effective.
“You can only imagine the amount of street furniture you’d have to produce to be using even a small amount of the silt that’s out there.”
Overseas 3D concrete printers use mud and other natural materials but in New Zealand, Lane says, but they are limited by compliance.
“One of our battles is complying with the building code with a technology that can far exceed it in terms of strength, durability and many other aspects.
“We’re taking this innovative technology and adapting it to create wall structure designs that meet code by literally replicating an existing wall that’s already approved under the code. This technology is capable of unlocking so many more possibilities for the building industry, but we are hamstrung by the code’s rigidity at present.”
But, Lane says, QOROX will continue to invest in R&D with the purpose of making their technology fit to the building code because they know the product can revolutionise the industry.
“The amazing part is not the technology, but within the product itself. Our concrete product has an initial set time
of three minutes and a final set time of five minutes.
“After two hours, it’s at the same strength as a masonry block that you would buy off the shelf from the hardware store and at structural strength for construction in just over 24 hours.
“There’s a real science and art in the material itself.”
QOROX regional partnership scheme
Passionate about the future of 3D concrete building, Lane and founder Wafaey Swelim are keen to take the technology further afield.
“Currently our Waikato regional partner Iconic Construction is using the product and QOROX is making the material, but we are ready to bring this tried and tested product to the rest of New Zealand. We can’t limit this innovation to the Waikato when it has so much more potential for the construction industry.”
A QOROX regional partnership scheme will provide opportunities for contractors, builders and civil construction businesses to take the technology on in different regions around the country.
“Our next step is to introduce QOROX to people in the construction sector who are keen on innovative technology and are looking to harness it for their own builds. We have the training, resources, support and processes already in place to set them up for success using the technology,” Lane says.
Not eager to create a QOROX franchise model, the pair want people to have ownership of the technology with QOROX providing support.
“The QOROX technology would be like an excavator is to a contracting business. It’s another tool in the toolbox that contributes to the bigger picture.”
And in the longer game, Nick believes QOROX and its regional partners will be able to tender for large-scale building contracts.
“QOROX will be able to feed work to our partner network to help with their workflow and enable 3D printing to become their core business.”
QOROX History
Based in Hamilton, QOROX was founded by architectural engineer Wafaey Swelim in 2018 and the first 3D printer, called Horus, arrived from the Netherlands in 2020.
When Swelim arrived in 2015 he realised the New Zealand construction industry was behind the eight ball and was a mere juvenile in terms of automation.
Like many things in life, it was a chance meeting that brought Swelim and Lane together.
As well as being the founder and director of Iconic Construction, Lane is also a charter helicopter pilot.
After landing at Pauanui, during a flight of the Coromandel, he happened upon some interesting looking outdoor furniture.
“For some reason I took a photo of the helicopter and in the background were these chairs. I went over to take a closer look and Wafaey came out, and we started chatting.”
Lane says, QOROX were still in the R&D phase and hadn’t completed any large projects yet.
After nearly 20 years in the building game, what Swelim was embarking on with QOROX made sense and Lane was keen to push Iconic into new frontiers.
In 2022, he came on board as the first QOROX regional partner and Iconic is currently constructing the first 3D concrete printed commercial building in the Southern Hemisphere.
The first solar passive house in the world featuring QOROX’s 3D printed concrete walls is currently being constructed in Auckland. 3D printed concrete by QOROX is BRANZ appraised as a replacement for masonry walls or concrete walls and was tested and designed over a two-year period to meet all New Zealand conditions.
Learn more about QOROX’s 3D printed concrete applications in commercial, civil, residential and landscape construction at www.qorox.co.nz.
Huia
Wafaey Swelim, Matthew Johns, Matt Turner and Nick Lane.
Hamilton’s economy holds up in challenging climate
Hamilton’s economy continues to perform well and the supply of quality office space in the central city is on the rise.
Asnapshot of the city’s economy was presented to Hamilton City Council’s Economic Development Committee at its inaugural meeting in March.
Chair Ewan Wilson said despite economic headwinds, the city’s GDP held up in 2022 and the number of people in employment grew.
“Despite talks of a looming recession and high inflation, Hamilton is well placed to weather any adverse headwinds.
“The fundamentals of Hamilton’s economy are strong. We have a diverse economy which is spread across several dynamic sectors.”
A host of reports were presented to the committee, outlining the performance of external agencies and council-controlled organisations (CCOs) during the six months to December 2022.
Waikato Regional Airport Limited (WRAL) – which is made up of Titanium Park, Hamilton Airport, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism, and the JetPark Hotel – reported a net surplus after tax of $17.7 million.
“WRAL’s strong performance in the face of uncertainties around air travel and tourism, was a great result for Hamilton,” councillor Wilson says, noting council’s initial $7
million investment in WRAL was now worth $114 million.
Council holds a 50% shareholding in the WRAL Group.
“My observation of the airport management is they’ve got it right. They’ve got diversification right, they’ve got the day-to-day decision systems working well and, wow, what an impressive six-month profit of some $17 million.”
Hamilton Central Business Association also presented to Thursday’s committee meeting, detailing significant developments underway across the central city.
Spending in the central city increased in the December 2022 quarter, up 27% from the same period in 2021.
The supply of quality central city offices was also on the rise, with A and B grade builds
making up about 35% of office space – up from 15% a decade ago.
“I think Hamilton City Council has to pat itself on the back in regard to the quality of office stock,” Wilson says.
“That’s a direct consequence of council’s district plan. It’s a by-product of a plan that prioritises quality office space in the central city.”
Looking ahead to the next three years, council’s economic agenda was focused on enhancing the wellbeing of Hamiltonians.
“I’m looking forward to continuing to engage with businesses to ensure that, not only do we focus on enabling growth in the form of attracting new businesses, but we also focus on supporting businesses that are already here.”
Magic Skills Shared
Back in June 2022, the WE LOVE VW team from Ebbett Volkswagen partnered with the Waikato BOP Magic to run a netball skills event.
This event had 200 attendees between the ages of eight to 18-years. Many budding netball players spent the morning learning netball skills as well as playing mini-games with the Magic team. Six players from the Splice Construction Waikato BOP Magic shared their love of netball with the young upcoming netballers – Georgie Edgecombe, Ivana Rowland, Simmon Wilbore, Erena Mikaere, Oceana Maihi and Samantha Winders, as well as their coach Mary-Jane Araroa. After the skills session the aspiring players had the opportunity to win Magic merchandise followed by a sausage sizzle with the WE LOVE VW team cooking up a storm.
Dear Prime Minister Hipkins…
The current immigration picture
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.
Immigration is such a dynamic, ever-changing, and sometimes emotional, topic and it is often a challenge to step back and take in the bigger picture. So, what does the current immigration picture look like?
THhe latest Statistics NZ data shows a net migration gain of 33,200 people for the year to January 2023, which compares to a loss 17,500 in the previous year. Generally speaking these statistics are assessed on the basis of people either coming to, or leaving, NZ for a period of 12 months or more, and are not impacted by short term visitor arrivals and departures. While some of these arrivals will be people whose travel plans were previously disrupted by the border closure there is a clear, and growing trend, of skilled workers now entering the country.
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.
Since the new employer accreditation began in July last year some 20,500 accreditation applications have been approved by Immigration New Zealand, with an average processing time of 7 working days. Applications are often approved on the same day. Employer accreditation is normally given for 12 months but INZ recently announced that standard accreditation, applied for before 4 July 2023, will be automatically renewed for another 12 months at no cost to the employer.
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.
Following accreditation, employers must make a job check application for their vacant roles and, to date, some 27,000 job checks have been approved for around 150,000 jobs – with an average processing time of 4 workdays. Job checks remain valid for 6 months.
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.
Once the job check is approved the employer can offer their prospective employee the role, and an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) application can be made. There have been 45,000 work visas approved under this new accreditation regime and decisions are generally made within 3 weeks.
The Recovery Visa, which was introduced recently to assist with the cyclone and
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
flooding recovery work, has also seen 600 visas approved to date, and 160 workers have already arrived to begin this important work.
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.
While Immigration New Zealand comes in for its fair share of criticism, the above statistics confirm that their processing regimes are delivering, and in a timely manner. Employers who are finding any part of the visa process challenging may benefit from professional input.
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!
It was recently reported that 90% of employers were struggling to fill vacancies, with one third of these roles having been vacant for 6 months or more. However, and while this vacancy rate is high, employers are increasingly mindful of the gathering economic storm clouds and have become much more cautious in their employment decision making, and about the specific skills they actually need. Employers are also, understandably, reticent about employing migrant workers at the new median wage rate of $29.66ph when this is higher than what is being paid to their New Zealand workers.
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.
Especially for those higher skill level roles, the reality is that New Zealand is no longer the attraction it once was, and any reading of New Zealand’s daily news would suggest that this situation is unlikely to change any time soon. New Zealand’s residence policy settings remain the critical key to attracting and retaining the skills the country desperately needs. These settings need constant attention and tweaking, with a view to the short and long term, and must be accorded the highest priority at all times.
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!
So, the overall “immigration picture” is one where the immigration mechanics and outcomes are trending positively, but this trend may begin to slow given the increasing cautiousness of employers’, irrespective of their apparent high vacancy rates.
All Good Ventures providing money, mentoring and muscle to social enterprise
All Good Ventures gives the great business ideas of social entrepreneurs a nudge in the right direction with money, mentoring and muscle.
Launched in 2018, All Good Ventures is the brainchild of New Zealand-based American husband and wife Heather and Rod Claycomb.
Their vision for their charity is simple; freeing people from deprivation through the clever business ideas of others.
They admit All Good Ventures was not the starting point of their philanthropic journey, the dynamic duo had explored different ways to start their own social enterprise over the years.
“We always knew we wanted to do something for people. We spent quite a number of years thinking about what kind of people do we want to help. Do we want to help trafficked women? Do we want to help health care in Africa? But every time we pressed into it a little bit it didn’t really resonate with us and couldn’t see us doing that for the rest of our lives,” Rod says.
The turning point came at a Global Leadership Summit conference the couple attended in Chicago in 2017.
They were wowed by Melinda Gates speaking about the beginnings of the Gates Foundation, which Bill and Melinda Gates set up well before the Microsoft dollars were rolling in.
But hearing the founder of Sseko Designs Liz Forkin Bohannon speak about her initial idea to help women into higher education in Uganda really struck a chord with Heather and Rod.
“She had no way to get to Uganda, she needed a plane ticket and someone bought her a $4000 plane ticket. She went to Uganda and started a microenterprise based around handmade sandals,” he says.
The sandals are sold in the US and all the profits help the craftswomen further their university education.
“We wanted to be the people that bought the plane tickets for people who have the passion and the idea,” Rod says.
Much like the Gates started their foundation before the money came in, Heather and Rod wanted to help people with what resources they had available.
“The Gates were young and poor, and they said, ‘you know what, we’ll set up the foundation and when the money comes, we’ll have it (to invest in the foundation)’. We thought that’s cool, we have no money, we can do that too,” he laughs.
“We’re not the type of people that are going to buy a bigger car or a better beach house. What are we going to do with our wealth? We don’t have children? Actually, let’s put the profits of HMC into charity to help it gain some momentum.”
HMC is Heather’s Hamilton-based PR agency, which she started in 2004 after a long career in communications.
And while it might seem minuscule compared to the Gates Foundation, Heather and Rod are offering the successful applicants more than just money – they also mix mentoring and in-kind support which they call ‘muscle’ into the All Good Ventures recipe.
Ventures provides a minimum one-year business mentoring programme and support with the smaller jobs the enterprise is not resourced to manage.
More often than not the mentoring comes first with Rod helping them develop a cohesive business plan.
When we say we’re funding social enterprises, it might be $5,000 and the biggest one we’ve
done is worth $20,000. So, it’s not really about the money but it’s enough to give them a bit of a boost.
After the initial seed funding is offered, All Good
“Because we’re in a social enterprise space we get applicants who say we’re about people not profit, and that philosophy drives us nuts, because you can’t help people without profit,” Rod says.
“Our focus is - so you want to help those people? Cool. So that aside, how are we going to make you have a successful, profitable business? And it’s hard sometimes because entrepreneurs come to us, and they have this passion for those people. But they don’t know how to build a business and they just leave that aside for a moment. Rod really tries to get them on the right track at the start and the mentors keep them on track,” Heather says.
Calling himself a serial entrepreneur, Rod began his career with a start-up in Colarado. He was headhunted in the late 90s by Waikato
Milking Systems. In 2001 he started a company called Sensortec and in 2008 he founded Quantec where he is currently the innovation director.
Both Heather and Rod know what it takes to set up and run a successful business. It’s this skillset that they bring to All Good Ventures as they help social entrepreneurs to help people.
Heather says, at its core, All Good Ventures is about freeing people from deprivation, whether it be lack of healthcare, education or employment and this is number one priority when it comes to vetting applications.
“Two years ago, we got 10 or 15 applicants. Last year, we got 73. This year should be about the same. So then we need to get through every one of those applications and pick the winners, basically. So that’s been tough,” she says.
“It’s as much about the business idea, as the person themselves. In a way, it’s a bit harder than if we were a venture capital firm investing in for-profit business ideas. There would be a lot more detail
around what they’re doing and there would be business models already existing. But we’re seed funding for-profit social enterprises that are quite often just a person with an idea and a vision,” Rod says.
What the couple have learnt since starting the initiative is a lot of grant money in the social enterprise space is usually tied to specific spending. To be successful the applicants will try to fit their strategy to the application.
What All Good Ventures offers is no-strings attached funding, Rod says.
“We ask them, just hold off on what you’re going to spend it on. And one of the things we did differently last year was, instead of attaching a mentor to the project right away, I help them for eight weeks to develop a strategic plan. I get to learn where their weak spots are, where they need some mentoring help. They get to learn what their strategy is, and where their seed funding can be best applied.”
They went into the venture knowing that not every social enterprise will get off the ground but say they have had
around 50 per cent success rate so far.
One of their most successful, One Day Health, is the initiative of a Kiwi doctor working in Uganda with the goal of ensuring every Ugandan is a minimum of oneday walk to a health clinic.
“They’ve vaccinated over 60,000 children under five who wouldn’t have otherwise been vaccinated over three years, which is pretty cool,” Rod says.
Taking a page from their own book, the couple made moves to make All Good Ventures a sustainable funding model last year, opening an endowment fund at Momentum Waikato.
“We’re always telling our ventures you need to be sustainable, don’t rely on grants. At the moment, All Good Ventures is almost 100 per cent funded by HMC profits and that’s not going to last forever. The first goal is to get a million dollars into that endowment fund and that would enable us to have an annual return to fund each year of All Good Ventures’ projects,” he says.
All Good Ventures, Rod and Heather Claycomb
Hamilton farming family take out the Ballance Farm Environment Regional Supreme Award
Anjena, Arjun, Amreeta and Daljit Singh of Lawwal Holsteins were announced the Regional Supreme Winners at the Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Hamilton recently.
Their journey began when Karamjit Singh migrated from India to New Zealand in 1969, and in 1972 bought his first herd of 65 jersey cows with his wife, Mindy.
Their late son, Aman, and his wife, Daljit, were focused on feeding cows to their potential, looking after the environment and increasing production per cow. Aman’s quest for knowledge about free-stall barns
took him around the world and, in 2018, a final design was selected and built on the property. It houses 1000 cows and is run today by his three children, Anjena, Arjun and Amreeta. The free-stall barn system provides cows with a fresh total mixed ration that ultimately means they produce less methane than outdoor, fresh-pasture-fed cows.
Producing high-quality maize and grass silage is a critical part of the farm’s production because it ensures the cows get plenty of digestible energy.
Computer software enables the team to cleverly tailor recipes to suit each herd.
In awarding the Regional
Supreme Award, the judges commended the fifth-generation farming family’s resilience and commitment to honouring their legacy, and their passion for progressive dairy systems. The Singhs continually modify their farm system to ensure sustainability over the long term.
The judges also noted that staff wellbeing is a clear priority and focus, with long tenure being testament to an excellent workplace culture.
Reflecting on their move from pasture to free-stall barn farming and the business model they now operate, the Singhs stress that it is not just about the animals, the
Oceanography researcher
environment, or their employees. It’s about how all parts of the business connect and complement one another to ensure it is sustainable.
Anjena, Arjun, Amreeta and Daljit Singh also won the following awards:
• Bayleys People in Primary Sector Award
• DairyNZ Sustainability and Stewardship Award
• Rabobank Agri-Business Management Award
Other Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Award winners include:
Chris Pellow — Pellow’s Produce
• Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil
Management Award
• Hill Laboratories AgriScience Award
• Norwood Farming Efficiency Award
Graham and Tess Smith — Miraka Farm
• NZFET Biodiversity Award
• Waikato Regional Counc Water Protection Award
Megan and Phil Weir — Stonyford and Harapepe
• Beef + Lamb New Zealand Livestock Farm Award
• Waikato River Authority Catchment Improvement Award
Tom, Carrie and Luke Andrews – Wholly Cow
• NZFET Innovation Award The awards also served to
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showcase three local catchment groups: Western Firth Catchment Group Trust, King Country River Care, and Taupō Lake Care Incorporated, with Taupō Lake Care Incorporated receiving the Waikato Catchment Group Award.
The Ballance Farm Environment Awards are run by the NZ Farm Environment Trust and champion sustainable farming and growing.
The Supreme Winner from each of the eleven regions involved in the awards will go through to be considered for the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the Trust’s National Showcase at Te Papa in May.
The recipients of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy then become 2023’s National Ambassadors for Sustainable Farming and Growing.
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Professor Karin Bryan
Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Regional Supreme Award siblings Arjun, Amreeta and Anjena Singh
Action Manufacturing making strides to a sustainable future
By Katie Glasgow-Palmer Sustainability lead at Action Manufacturing
The team at Action Manufacturing know that environmental action and decarbonisation is urgent. Businesses are being called out for greenwashing and a host of other tactics to deflect reducing their own emissions, pollution and waste.
For a vehicle manufacturer, decarbonising is an incredible challenge, waiting for international original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to be able to supply the small market of New Zealand with zero-emission vehicle chassis.
In the meantime, however, there are also many immediate, practical steps, which we are pursuing to reduce our impact.
If you didn’t know about us already, we manufacture bespoke vehicles for the emergency, recreation, specialist and heavy transport industries.
We have a history tracing back more than 70 years to Ci Munro building caravans in Ōtorohanga.
Today we manufacture much more than just KEA motorhomes for Tourism Holdings Limited.
In 2022, Action acquired Freighter NZ, a nice addition to subsidiary company Fairfax Industries, which both build for the heavy transport industry.
We are also Australasia’s leading quality vehicle specialists exporting innovative parcel delivery vans built on a Renault Master to TNT Australia.
Ambulances for St John, mobile medical clinics for New Zealand’s DHBs, response
vehicles for the New Zealand Defence Force, minibuses and armoured vehicles are just some of our case studies.
We have a team of over 350 staff, across five locations including Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. Action, Fairfax and Freighter work together as one team, adopting the action way into our workplace. What this means is that we are collectively focused on the same goal; Our team, our customers and our planet.
Some of Action’s recent sustainability projects include Envirowaste sending our treated wood waste and plywood offcuts to Whangarei to be used as biofuel by Golden Bay Cement, replacing coal in their industrial processes.
This is contributing to the production of EcoSure Type GP cement, NZ’s lowest carbon GP cement which has 699kgs CO2e per tonne of cement, 27% less than the ISC 2020 baseline.
In addition, we are recycling our vinyl and polystyrene offcuts through local suppliers. We have also purchased a 400kg baler, baling and recycling both cardboard and soft plastics.
Our dedicated team helps to keep all these systems running smoothly.
We are always looking for new collaborations and partnerships to repurpose, recycle or upcycle our ‘waste’ materials and prevent them from entering our taiao (environment).
We have donated quality plywood offcuts to WomeNZ shed, a community wood workshop, which provides the opportunity for women
to learn how to work with tools and machinery, and Go Eco, a local Hamilton-based charitable trust providing community education and environmental projects.
These have been upcycled into shelves, sound partitions, and pātaka pukapuka, otherwise known as book libraries.
Action has done the same with our Omnipanel offcuts, which are used to build walls on all our motorhomes.
Given the great insulation, strength and durability properties of the fibreglass-foam composite, the community has taken tremendous interest in repurposing these for sheds, trailer linings and more.
We found that Civilshare and Trademe are popular local platforms for donating quality excess material, which would otherwise contribute to landfill - for a hefty fee!
Overall, these new recycling and repurposing projects have prevented well over two tonnes of material from landfill since October 2022, and we aim to
continue to expand them over the coming years.
We recognise that we have the team and the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference in our community.
In February, we volunteered six hours into restoring the local Bankwood stream in Hamilton.
This was the first of an ongoing community partnership with the Fairfield Project, an urban biodiversity and gully restoration project.
As well as weeding to protect the juvenile plants, Action installed four tracking tunnels to see whether any pests were in the area.
The goal is to restore the Kukutaaruhe gully to the point where the native kokopu (giant whitebait) and local kuku (native wood pigeon) return in abundance.
We are proud to support this project and look forward to the next conservation day in May.
Leading up to this, we are installing our own community vegetable garden at our site on Foreman Road. This will
be used by team members and staff to grow healthy kai –especially valuable as the cost of living continues to rise.
Given that this is a long journey, we are approaching our sustainable transition with honesty, transparency, and integrity.
We regularly share progress and work online and with the local community to share sustainability problems and solutions.
For us, it begins with weekly team meetings, where new sustainability ideas and projects are born, aiming to protect our Papatūānuku from the ground up.
Be sure to look out for the release of our first company sustainability report in 2023, including a five-year plan presenting our sustainability goals.
“Our commitment to becoming a future-fit business means reducing our carbon emissions and waste. We know that significant progress on our sustainability journey starts in manufacturing and production. It will require
working collaboratively with current and new partners to address the major risks and challenges we face, the lack of cost-effective, longrange electric product options that can materially reduce greenhouse gases. We need to decarbonise industry-wide and encourage all other businesses to adopt the challenge with us,” Action Manufacturing CEO Chris Devoy says. Action acknowledges that rapid decarbonization is urgent and should be the ultimate priority.
After all, 17% of New Zealand’s emissions are from the transportation sector, with an additional 10% produced from industrial processes and waste.
While Action works on the trickier challenge of reducing emissions, the business can start with more grassroots projects, engaging staff and making small yet tangible progress to waste reduction.
With every small step, Action can help shift mindsets and build momentum for a more sustainable future.
Action Manufacturing team restoring the local Bankwood stream
Action Manufacturing Shelves
Value of tourism to the mighty Waikato
As we approach one year since New Zealand’s borders fully opened, the return of international visitors is welcome, both for the tourism sector’s recovery and the ability of our Waikato tourism businesses to continue to provide benefits for their communities, including expenditure and employment.
While it’s fantastic to have
electronic card transactions –an increase of 625% compared to February 2022 and 40% compared to February 2019.
Tourism also helps stimulate wider business activities, particularly outside of our main city where visitation provides a significant source of income for some of our communities such as Waitomo and Raglan. With a higher demand for
TELLING
WAIKATO’S STORY
BY NICOLA GREENWELL
Chief Executive, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism
sector and communities through initiatives such as our Ambassador Programme helps create storytellers and ambassadors for the Waikato, as well as building pride and knowledge of the history, special places and people of our region to proudly share with manuhiri.
our international manuhiri (visitors/guests) back, the domestic market continues to be critical to our region, with fellow New Zealanders equalling 70 percent of visitors to the Waikato. The good news for our region is that Tourism New Zealand research (December 2022) shows about two thirds of New Zealanders intend to take a domestic holiday in the coming year.
In January, the mighty Waikato saw 1.8m visitor days, an average of 56,600 visitors per day, an increase of 31% on the same month in 2022. Of these 1.8m visitor days, 21% were international with Australia continuing to be our largest source market.
And not only are we seeing more visitors back in the region, but they are also spending well too with domestic Tourism Electronic Card Transactions (TECT) data for February 2023 totalling $55m, an increase of 11% compared to February 2022 and 18% compared to February 2019.
For the same period international visitors contributed $14m of
tourism services, businesses such as restaurants, cafes and local retail shops are more sustainable, in turn creating town vibrancy and generating job opportunities for local residents.
The value of tourism within the mighty Waikato extends beyond just economic benefits, it also contributes the cultural, societal, and environmental growth and development of the region.
The tourism industry has a vital role to play in sharing and showcasing our unique local stories. The Waikato is home to a rich tapestry of narratives that breathe life into the history, people and landscapes of the region. These narratives provide deeper meaning and connection to a place for our visitors and are being shared by many of our fantastic operators including those focussed on conservation, heritage and Māori culture.
Social interactions between visitors and locals leads to the sharing of knowledge and values that help enrich both resident and visitor experiences. Empowering our visitor
The A word. Amalgamation
It’s something previous councils haven’t just shied away from, but have vehemently spoken out against.
The Waikato Chamber has advocated for a serious discussion about the potential for amalgamation of our region’s councils for years now. A rational discussion grounded in data and driven by a desire for better productivity, reduced bureaucracy, and the drive to do better by the community as a whole. A discussion that considers evidence-based information from the likes of Auckland’s Supercity merger where we drill into what’s worked there – and what hasn’t.
In 2018, then-Chamber CEO Chris Simpson drew the ire of most of the region’s then mayors with his call to have an amalgamation discussion. He had, quite rightly, pointed out that the Waikato had 247 representatives compared with Auckland’s 196. The 12 territorial authorities in the Waikato regional catchment were in Chris’s sights when he first compared Waikato’s 136 elected councillors, representing 537,000 people, to Auckland’s 20 councillors who represent a population of 1.7 million. Chris’s research showed that Auckland had a representative ratio of one for every 10,000 people. In the Waikato, it’s one for every 2,000 people.
Of the 10 mayors the Waikato Times spoke to in 2018, none showed support for amalgamation. Then in 2021, I too raised the possibility of having an amalgamation discussion, saying
Home to a wealth of diverse landscapes, waterways and coastal assets, we know that looking after our ecosystems and natural environment is more important than ever.
The regenerative tourism movement in New Zealand has accelerated, creating momentum to rethink the visitor sector’s purpose, the principles by which we operate and how we measure success in Waikato. The focus for this model is that our sector actively contributes to the communities and the environment in which we operate and that we encourage visitors to embrace a regenerative way of travel. Creating vibrancy of place, employment and education opportunities, fostering business innovation and growth, preserving our cultural heritage, encouraging social interactions between locals and visitors, developing a sense of regional pride and the protection of the environment are all intrinsic to our Waikato destination management plan and our goal of enriching the communities we, as the visitor sector, serve.
that we, as a Chamber, want to see the region have a united and stronger voice and one involving less bureaucracy.
I said at the time: “Twelve replications, 12 governance bodies, 12 bureaucracies, 12 large cost-centres and 12 voices singing off separate song sheets.”
There was a more measured response from the mayors then, a willingness at least to engage in a discussion. But nothing much more was said until Hamilton City Council’s recent submission to the nationwide review into the Future for Local Government showed support for a large Waikato unitary council combining local and regional council powers for Hamilton and surrounding districts. Waikato District Council gave qualified support to a possible sub-regional unitary body.
Stuff reported that under the city’s new ideas, a “HamiltonWaikato sub-region” unitary council could be based on fastgrowing Hamilton, Waikato district, Waipā and MatamataPiako, with Mayor Paula Southgate saying, “we’re not looking at a takeover, we’re looking at a partnership.”
We’re the first to agree that there is a strong case to explore a unitary authority. We believe it’s worth looking at the relative competitive advantages of each region. You could have a unitary body that encompasses Hamilton
By
as the major metropolitan hub along with its spokes in Cambridge, Te Awamutu, Morrinsville, Matamata, Huntly and Ngaruawahia. And you then have three other bodies: North Waikato, Coromandel, South Waikato. Each of those regions offers different competitive advantages and should be included in the discussions.
We don’t necessarily need to be a super city like Auckland. Instead, you’d have councillors and community boards so that each town was represented by democratically elected people, but in a pared back way. However, important growth infrastructure issues such as a third bridge in Cambridge, the Expressway extension to Tauranga, the economically important Southern Links project to the Airport to open up the west and Te Awamutu, will be advocated and lobbied for by a united council, much stronger in its weight with Wellington politicians and bureaucracy. The Chamber doesn’t profess to have all the answers. But we are throwing our support behind our 12 councils being open to having that rational and robust conversation about how amalgamation of some form could happen.
Don Good, CEO of Waikato Chamber of Commerce.
Cambridge’s reputation ‘has never been better’
Hustling, bustling Cambridge is a town on the up.
Those who live there love it, with more and more people seeking to become part of the growing Cambridge community.
And those who visit, either for the plethora of top-class sporting events, or just for the boutique shopping, are booking again and again.
Cambridge’s reputation
as a vibrant town, great for business and lifestyle, has never been better. It is a living example of the Waipā brand – Home of Champions – boasting a vibrant feel, positive outlook and an engaged population actively involved in planning its future.
For first term Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan, both Waipā’s
main towns, Cambridge and Te Awamutu, are special. As someone born and raised in the district, she has seen its reputation move from ‘Waipāwho’ to ‘Waipā-wow!’
“I’m just incredibly proud to lead this wonderful district with such enormous potential,” she said.
“We now have about
60,000 people across the district, with Cambridge being our most populous town.
“It has a very distinctive charm and those who live here say they will never leave. I understand that; I have family here myself.
“I think as a place to live, visit and do business, Cambridge is hard to beat.”
Geographically we’re perfectly situated and so have become very attractive for doing business. If you must shoot to Auckland or Hamilton, it’s easy now with the impressive Waikato Expressway.
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Cambridge’s reputation ‘has never been better’ continued from page 17
Cambridge’s attractions are world-class and well-known. Maungatautari Sanctuary Mountain is on its doorstep. There is the world class velodrome on the outskirts, Lake Karapiro draws rowers from around the world and the wider district is internationally recognised for producing world-class racing thoroughbreds.
Fifty per cent of New Zealand’s carded athletes live in Cambridge with Olympians and world-class coaches often seen in one of the town’s many cafes or stylish restaurants. It is an ideal base for world-class athletes and coaches, close to Hamilton Airport and an easy drive to Auckland via the Waikato Expressway.
As they walk through town, those athletes will draw inspiration from the ground up via the town’s Sports Walk of Fame which celebrates decades of excellence and success.
At the same time, Cambridge is a family-friendly town that recognises and celebrates its heritage.
Residents enjoy wonderful green space plus a network of parks and cycle trails.
That includes the recently completed Te Awa Great New Zealand River Ride which offers continuous riverside
riding from Cambridge though Hamilton to Ngaruawahia.
Mayor O’Regan noted Waipā’s population overall grew by 1.2 percent last year, led primarily by inward migration. That compares with the average national growth of just .2 percent.
“We’re seen as a desirable district for many reasons, including people wanting to send their kids to fantastic schools where they can still have an Ag-day.
“They want to grow vegetables in their backyards and get back to actual living and not
stewing in traffic jams. There are also lots of people returning here who have roots to the district.”
Mayor O’Regan knows land and house affordability compared with the price-prohibitive levels in major cities is also a drawcard. Cambridge is not cheap, but it still more affordable than some big cities.
“I think Covid made people reflect and some have decided they don’t want to live in big cities.
“The standard of living in Cambridge is very good and there is all this wonderful outdoor activity. It’s a modern town, offering modern things but with a delightful olde world charm.”
The Waikato Expressway coming through from Auckland has made a massive difference.
Mayor O’Regan said successive Waipā leaders and councils have understood the need to grow the district
population and there have been sound planning decisions made over several decades.
“There are about 34 ‘live zoned’ growth cells in existence around Cambridge, Te Awamutu and some of the smaller villages, and a further 20 that are to be made available to go live after 2035.
“There has been very sound thinking around how we want to grow and where we want to grow. We are pretty firm about those town or village boundary lines. There is no anticipation that we want to extend anything beyond those current boundaries, except in Ōhaupō, which may go a little further north given the significant development at the Hamilton airport precinct,” she said.
“We’ve made provision for industrial and commercial activity as well. Of the 54 growth cells we have planned, four of them are for large industrial development areas. So it’s a busy story about
We predict that diversification is likely to continue. Horse studs breeding world-class thoroughbreds also contribute to the region’s GDP and that is very strongly felt around Cambridge which celebrates its equine heritage.
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growth in Waipā, that’s for sure.”
Agriculture and construction continue to be big contributors to the wider Waipā economy, with good growth in manufacturing and the logistics sector.
“While still a strong dairy farming district, we have seen quite a bit of land use diversification into kiwifruit, berries and other horticultural pursuits including a few goat and sheep milking ventures.
Mayor O’Regan says more work is being put into developing an economic development strategy for Cambridge and the wider district.
“If you can provide an area where people want to live, work and play, that makes it attractive for businesses to be here. The proof is the district. The airport has shown there is an appetite for businesses to move out of some of the traditional areas for industrial activity. And the extension of the roading network from
Auckland and Hamilton means that there are viable options for freight-based businesses.”
Her vision is for Cambridge and the wider district is to be a place where everybody can live fulfilling, productive and safe lives.
“I want a place that is safe and healthy for our residents no matter their age or what area they live in... a district that values our aged residents but at the same time considers the needs of young families,” she said.
“We will not lose sight of the things that make Cambridge and Waipā the wonderful place it is to live in now.”
“We have a fabulously rich district in terms of resources, climate and innovation. We need to look to the future tracking a sustainable pathway that plays to our strengths as a district and continues to be productive for the betterment of our residents.
“Council needs to have a strong supporting role.”
I want a district that has a thriving economy. A place that provides a variety of well-planned housing but at the same time protects our soils as well as enhancing our unique and precious environment, celebrating cultural diversity.
Dragon Boat festival hits Karapiro
For the first time since the establishment of IBCPC in 2010, the IBCPC Dragon Boat Festival will take place in the southern hemisphere in New Zealand.
Held every three to four years, the festival is at Lake Karapiro, Cambridge on 10-16 April.
An international non-competitive participatory event for breast cancer paddler teams who engage in Dragonboat activities as post breast cancer diagnosis rehabilitation.
Dragon boat paddling has become a rehabilitation therapy for tens of thousands of women, and men worldwide, who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The New Zealand 2023 Festival will involve a selection of teams from the current 240 IBCPC member teams, from 30 countries across all continents.
The festival will be governed by the Aotearoa Wahine Toa Ora Trust and sitting under the trust will be an organising committee chaired by Meri Gibson. Working with her will be many experienced members of the New Zealand Dragon Boat Association on the technical management of the festival, members of Abreast of Life Dragon Boat team and members of other breast cancer teams in New Zealand to help with other aspects of the festival.
The New Zealand Festival will be a sporting event but above all a social occasion in which New Zealand will welcome 4000 to 5000 people
from all over the world.
The participants are mainly women between the ages of 20 and 80 who will meet to take part in the exciting Dragon boat races, paddling together on the beautiful world-class facility at Lake Karapiro, Cambridge.
They will also be accompanied by their friends and families, and their faithful and enthusiastic supporters.
The week-long celebrations will culminate in three-days of intense activity, demonstrations, workshops and social events aimed at awareness and dialogue within the large international community of breast-cancer paddlers.
Eight things that make Cambridge a great place to live.
Given this edition’s focus on Cambridge, where I happen to live, I decided to briefly discuss some things about the built environment (mostly), that make Cambridge a great place to live and work.
In no particular order:
Geography constrains the town centre.
Te Awa o Waikato (the Waikato river) curves to the south of the original town centre, its steep banks providing a natural limit to expansion. To the east an escarpment drops away first to ‘Carter’s Flat’ and beyond this the Karapiro stream. To the north-east is Lake Te Ko Utu. And at the north-west ‘Victoria Square’ provides an anchor for the CBD and a buffer for the residential area to the west and north.
These natural limits to the commercial centre of town have kept it quite compact and created a more vibrant atmosphere than might be the case otherwise. As single storey buildings are redeveloped to create more office and living space, the town centre will only get better.
Great civic space in the centre of town
The historic town hall and piazza, war memorial cenotaph, clock tower, and treelined Victoria Square combine to make an attractive open space right in the centre of town. Serving as the hosting space for many events, including the weekly farmer’s market, and cricket matches still played in the village square, these spaces are well used and contribute much to the ‘village’ feel that locals value.
It is worth remembering the value of quality civic space as we consider the location of future facilities such as a potential new Cambridge library.
The grid street layout
Within the green belt, streets are laid out in a grid pattern; while grids have pros and cons, here are some of the things I like about it in Cambridge.
Long straight streets provide excellent vistas; just the other morning I was enjoying the view of the sunrise over the hills along the east-west streets as I walked to the bus. The same views make it easy to identify landmarks to assist with wayfinding, and the grid pattern itself means it’s hard to get ‘lost in suburbia’.
Most of the area inside the green belt is within a 15
minute walk from town. The grid pattern is inherently pedestrian friendly with multiple route options and regular intersections, which go some way to slowing traffic.
The green belt
The green belt parks and walking tracks provide easy access to recreation opportunities for anyone living within or near the green belt. If the current green belt is connected to walking tracks and green spaces in new growth areas, the amenity will be even further improved. Some have even recently suggested the creation of a new green belt along the edge of the new residential growth areas.
Green infrastructure
Building on the value of the green belt, Cambridge is also fortunate to have parks and walking paths around Lake Te Ko Utu and along both sides of the river. Along with Victoria Square, Leamington Domain and several smaller parks we’re spoilt for green space. Not to mention the many trees that Cambridge is well known for. In addition to the recreational benefits, this ‘green infrastructure’ helps to cool the town environment, soak up and filter stormwater, and has been linked to improved mental health.
Social infrastructure
While straying somewhat from the built environment remit, the strong social infrastructure in Cambridge is critical to the town’s success. Groups like the Lions and Rotary clubs contribute more than many grasp. The Cambridge Tree Trust has been responsible for the creation of many of the walking tracks and planting many of the trees that now are a key part of Cambridge. Organisations like the Cambridge Business Chamber help to nurture the vibrant business and retail environment, while Waipā council and councillors have generally done a good job of responding to the needs and expectations of the community. There are too many more to name, but it is these social institutions that build a great town.
Retention and restoration of character buildings
Mostly I am referencing
LANDMARKS BY PHIL MACKAY
Phil MacKay is Business Development Manager at Hamilton-based PAUA, Procuta Associates Urban + Architecture
the town centre, though some good examples of character exist in residential areas too. For a relatively small town centre, Cambridge has a good base of quality buildings from the earlier years of the town. These have in many cases been well looked after or more recently restored, with the likes of the Masonic Hotel soon due for a refresh. They also generally have a good scale, with second storeys now repurposed for office space above ground floor retail. The scale helps to frame the main retail streets, along with street trees and landscaping, providing attractive spaces and atmosphere.
Set backs in residential areas
While there are some nicely restored villas and bungalows, one of the things I enjoy about the residential areas of Cambridge is that houses are mostly set back somewhat from the street with space for gardens and trees at the front. This might seem an odd thing to get excited about, but, along with lower fences, it means the houses address the street in a more open and inviting fashion. Houses are close enough to be present and imply a level of passive surveillance, yet residents retain a degree of privacy by virtue of being set back.
There are many more things to love about Cambridge, but these are just a few things about the built environment, that are worth thinking about as we collectively come to grips with the growth of not just Cambridge, but all of the Waikato.
Construction Advantage
Construction Advantage are leaving their mark on some of the finest commercial, industrial and private development projects in Cambridge and beyond.
Based in one of their previous projects at 48 Empire Street, Construction Advantage offers a complete property development package to their clients – from initial feasibility studies
and cost consultancy, through project, development and construction management plus design and build. From fit out works, through to million-dollar projects, Construction Advantage has
significant commercial and industrial project experience.
The recent Cornerstone mixed commercial and residential apartment development in Leamington is a fine example of what happens when you have the right team for the job.
Construction Advantage has
excellent working relationships with local contractors, tradespeople and professionals and has a policy to buy local whenever practical.
The support local sentiment was echoed by Cornerstone owner Adam O’Leary who made the move away from the original Auckland firm he had contracted and propelled him towards Construction Advantage.
“The original architect was based in Auckland and I wasn’t really happy about using an architect that wasn’t local.
“I was given a reference for John Mason at Construction Advantage and they redrew the plans with their own architects.
“They made some really good changes and got it to the look it this now.
“The building is quite big and imposing but it’s black mixed with nice stonework and it’s quite stylish, and has a look that is timeless,” Adam says.
Construction Advantage director John Mason says the development is a great asset to both Leamington and Cambridge.
“We really enjoyed working with Adam and his
commitment to local is brilliant from a Cambridge business perspective.
“It was nice to work with a family with vision and to create a really good quality building in Leamington that is a stand out for Cambridge.
“It provides a new way of living and the apartments are filling up at speed at the moment. We are very proud to have worked with them and help them achieve their goal.”
Every project Construction Advantage works on has its own set of unique requirements and it’s the job of the
Construction Advantage specialises in managing developments and delivering commercial property assets for private clients.
Our significant commercial and industrial project experience ranges from fit out works, through to million dollar build projects. Attention to detail and commitment to quality ensures we deliver.
14-strong team of quantity surveyors and site managers to manage every aspect of construction from brief to build.
Take the rammed earth Tapapa Marae outside Tirau, an unusual build that John says the team were keen to take on and have worked on all 3 stages of the project.
“We like a variety in the work that we do and we always embrace a challenge so hence
the rammed earth and the multi-story in Leamington,” John says.
“The client talked to a number of other construction businesses about doing rammed earth but nobody would take the risk or take the challenge. We sat around as a management team and said wouldn’t that be fascinating. Following research, we learned about rammed earth and the
buildings are really stunning and have great presence. The rammed earth sounds quite alternative, but actually it forms a very robust, strong product and within a day it’s as hard as precast concrete.”
The wharenui was the first of three buildings on the site. Started right on lockdown the build, during which the company worked alongside members of the Tapapa
Marae Trust, was completed six months later in October.
The whare horoi was completed in 2022 and the final stage wharekai commenced in March 2023.
Whānau project manager Martin Miles says whānau found Construction Advantage open and interactive in their communication and reporting.
“They are cognisant of the statutory requirements and
their application to tikanga; and have undertaken kōrero to align these principles as applied to our project successfully on a number of occasions.
“We have no hesitation or reservation in our association with Construction Advantage.”
The team also managed the complex rebuild on Carters Flat for Professional Farm Services.
It involved the demolition and re-building of a retail space while the business remained operational.
The high-profile site is bounded on two sides by overhead power lines and tucked up against existing buildings.
As always, the team loved the challenge, and while careful consideration of the building sequencing and methodology was needed, they landed precast panels on an existing party wall stabilised by a steel frame founded on concrete piles.
John says the high-end architectural finishes inside and out of the Professional Farm Services build has drawn high praise from the client and the wider public.
Working closely with clients is a vital piece in the construction jigsaw and Construction Advantage makes a point of detailed client consultation from the get-go.
“We work with good people who, like us, value integrity, innovation and collaboration and because of this we achieve great builds. We are passionate
about adding value to every build.”
The success of the team’s business philosophy perhaps can be measured in the extraordinary amount of repeat business (up to 90 percent) offered to the Construction Advantage team.
It is with this careful client consultation, attention to teamwork and a firm commitment to deliver on time that remain at the core of the company’s approach to doing business today.
Construction Advantage manage everything from property purchase, tender for services, cost containment and on-time on-budget project completion.
The teams sees itself as Waipā-centric and pride themselves on delivering great projects through their excellent working relationships with local contractors, tradespeople, engineers, designers and architects.
“We provide end-to-end services, managing projects from start to finish, dealing with everyone from real estate agents through to project funders.
“Typically, our team starts with feasibility studies and a look at the numbers.
“We always strive to formalise a bankable project at the start, rather than confront a set of unaffordable drawings,” John says.
Cornerstone delivers much-needed accommodation to Leamington
The way we live is changing, and apartment living is quickly becoming the way of the future. The small town of Leamington, located in New Zealand’s Waikato region, is getting its first taste of this with the newly opened Cornerstone development. This development is the first of its type in Leamington and the third of its kind in Cambridge.
LLes and Elayne
owners of The Village @Leamington, started the project, and their son, Adam
O’Leary, completed it. The project has been hampered by situations beyond the O’Leary’s control, but Adam says that it’s
awesome to see his parents’ initial vision come to fruition, albeit in a somewhat altered guise.
The idea to develop the site was seeded in 2009 when Les and Elayne, in partnership with another party, agreed to build a supermarket, a pub/ tavern, and adjoining shops. They discovered, through their project manager Peter Knox, that the other party was actually bankrupt. The couple went ahead with as much of the
project as they could afford, building the supermarket, pub, and four other shops. Called The Village @Leamington, Fresh Choice took up the supermarket lease, the pub became the Five Stags Tavern, and Thai Food Cambridge, Liquor Hut NZ Pizza and Kebab, and Royal Cambridge occupy the other four spaces.
Completed in 2012, it left an L-shaped section empty as there wasn’t funding available to further the development.
I think everyone’s quite happy, it will be finally completed, it’s that sense of satisfaction that it’s done. My parents were quite happy when I suggested that we should do something with grass area.
Fast forward to 2019 and Adam was asked to help out when Peter Knox, who had taken on managing the shops, became very ill. Sadly, he passed away just before the first COVID lockdowns.
Recently returned from living and working in Scotland with his wife and two children, Adam stepped into the breach.
“When my wife and I relocated from Scotland, we decided to move to Cambridge due to its appeal. We had both already landed jobs in Hamilton, I worked full time as a senior mechanical engineer for Manta5 designing and developing hydrofoil water cycles.”
Whilst working at Manta5 and ‘part-time’ managing The Village, Adam also established Prime Solutions Limited after a sawmill in Tokoroa asked Adam to project manage the build of a bespoke crane and steam system he had designed for them while he was still in Aberdeen.
We’d had hot weather and the fridges and freezers were full of very, very putrid and rotten food. I cleaned that all out myself, and quickly found new reputable tenants and signed them up to lease.
work (through Prime Solutions Ltd) exceeded my available spare time, so I resigned from Manta5 and worked for myself full time,” he says.
of the lessees had deserted their shop and stopped paying rent and power.
At the same time, the original Thai restaurant was way behind on rent and Adam was left to clear it out, clean it up and get it re-leased.
Finally with good tenants in the shops, in early 2021 Adam set his eye on the section that was still undeveloped.
“I asked Les if there any plans for the remaining (undeveloped) grassed area, and I was put in charge of project managing the build of retail shops to complete the shopping centre.”
The goal was to build something to complement the shopping centre and the community.
“We wanted shops that would draw people into Leamington,” he says.
A meeting with the Waipā District Council alerted Adam to the shortfall of rental accommodation in Cambridge.
“They gave me useful
Managing the complex was not without its challenges; one
“Soon the additional contract and management CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
Elayne and Les O’Leary, owners of The Village@Leamington
Proud to be associated with the Cornerstone Development
contacts whom I could visit to gather more information. We went through a few ideas with the architects and a planner who proposed putting a level of apartments above the retail shops.”
In October 2021, the ground works began on the apartment development featuring 30 apartments – 12 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom units, seven shops on the ground floor, and a car park in the basement.
He started the development with an Auckland architect, but his eagerness to use local suppliers saw him get in touch with John Mason at Cambridge-based Construction Advantage Limited.
“I was keen to use more local companies who would have a better feel for the area and as well to help the area prosper. Construction Advantage Limited use Cambridge based companies and tradies where possible so straight away it seemed like a good fit” he says.
up the building structure and layout, and budget quote was provided.
COVID lockdowns and related staffing absences meant the fabrication of the building steel-work and its painting caused a significant hold-up.
“The decision to ‘stick local’ soon paid off as local companies continued to work when they were allowed to, and soon the building framework was soon being erected. While the Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau region was still locked down,” he says.
As the build progressed and Adam’s workload tapered off, he decided to get another job as senior innovation engineer at Innovex (Tīra nda).
Construction Advantage Limited contracted Cambridge based, LAD architecture and nearby BCD Group to draft
With the development nearing completion the work started piling up so Adam sought out the services of Accommodation Rental Solutions and managing director Nicole Anstiss.
“She had the skill and experience needed but and had also offered to take on the management of the retail shops. And Nicole has been essential at helping get the fine details and facilities of the
build sorted out.”
The name of the complex was chosen by Adam from a list compiled by Frank Tian at LAD architects.
“This takes inspiration from the building being at the corner of Burns and Campbell Street, and the cladding on the ground floor is schist stone. It also sounds solid and adds a sense of importance to the building,” Frank says.
Managed by Colliers, the commercial leases include Postie, a pizza outlet, dental practice, plus a café space and two other shops are still available to be let.
“That’s new employment in the area, as well as 30 apartments of new residents in the heart of Leamington, Cambridge,” Adam says.
Adam might be breathing a sigh of relief that The Cornerstone is complete but he’s not ready to rest on his laurels just yet.
Next for Prime Solutions Limited will be a longer-term project to build much needed housing in Tokoroa with the potential development of farmland into 180 homes and affordable living options.
So far it isn’t taking too much of my ‘spare time’ but let’s face it, I never have any spare time anyway.
PROUD TO PROVIDE CIVIL, STRUCTURAL AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING FOR THE
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. Long-standing 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 Kakepukuthrough 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
Business communication: walk before you run
When it comes to getting your strategic communications right, as a business, my advice for you today is: walk before you run.
What do I mean by that? Well, I think sometimes as business leaders we can often be bamboozled into thinking our competitors and business colleagues are all doing the right things and we’re the only ones on the backfoot. And our perceived inadequacy often rears its ugly head when you hear about businesses jumping onto the latest social media channel or using a new communications tool.
For instance, isn’t every business already on TikTok? Shouldn’t you have a YouTube channel? Podcasting – isn’t everyone doing it?
‘No,’ ‘maybe’ and ‘no’ are the answers, by the way!
Don’t fall into the trap of being pressured to start using the latest and greatest communications medium if you haven’t already got the basics right.
If you’re not sure if you’ve got your business communication basics sorted, here are four foundations to put in place:
Internal first
The most important audience for any business is your staff. Be sure they feel well-informed about your business direction, excited about where it’s heading and ready to be an active participant in achieving goals. And don’t assume if you told them once, they’ve got it. You need to communicate with staff regularly and repeat messages often. Your staff have potential to be your strongest ambassadors or your biggest detractors. By prioritising your internal communication and staff relationships, you’ll find your external communications will go more smoothly.
Direct communication
I’ve seen organisations prioritise external channels, such as media publicity, before communicating directly to the external audiences who matter most to their business –namely customers.
Direct communications with priority audiences often doesn’t happen because it’s difficult. Many times businesses haven’t thought about gathering customer details or the details they do have are incomplete (for instance, you’ve got a phone number but no email).
New Zealand’s anti-spam laws also pose a big communication roadblock. You can’t send any email communication to anyone unless the person opted in. If your data collection methods haven’t kept up with this law, then you’ve
PR AND COMMUNICATIONS
BY HEATHER CLAYCOMB
Heather Claycomb is director of HMC, a Hamilton-based, award-winning public relations agency.
got a major communication challenge on your hands.
However, I urge you to figure out a solution. Rather than giving up and putting direct communication in the ‘too hard basket,’ the potential return on investment makes getting it sorted worth it.
Multi-channel storytelling
Your business won’t have longevity in your sector unless your customers, stakeholders and community trust you. And you can’t build trust if the only messages they see in the market are ‘buy my products.’
One of the best ways to build trust is to tell stories
about your business, your customers, your staff and the impact you are making on the marketplace and in your community. People want to see the stories behind the product or service you are selling.
When you are consistent with your storytelling and use many different channels to get those stories in front of your audiences repeatedly, you’ll reap the reward of improved brand loyalty.
or others.
If your relationships suffer, your revenues and profits will most likely dip too.
The mistake many businesses make is expecting their key relationships to develop ‘organically.’ This is erroneous thinking.
Think of the most important relationships in your personal life - with your partner, kids, family. You need to invest time in these people
Relationship development
Strong and positive relationships are the backbone of any business, whether that be with your staff, customers, partners, suppliers, industry stakeholders, near-neighbours
Tech talk with no tech talk
In the often-befuddling world of software development, technical experts walk a fine line between showing that they understand the complexities of the hard stuff and taking their audience safely on the journey with them.
Did you know that you can now get a whole degree in ‘science communication’? The description for Otago University’s course says it can help you “Connect people with science through meaningful and creative communication”.
What a genius idea, to develop that course of study, given how confusing scientific language can be. Well, the pandemic certainly showed us how hard it can be to explain highfalutin concepts to us mere mortals who don’t have a science education.
Understanding the background and knowledge that your audience brings with them is obviously the important bit here. Over these last few years of working with the Company-X team, I’ve noticed the difference in how they communicate compared to others who seem to want to drown their audience in jargon. If developers are talking to fellow developers, they can go for their lives with the technical lingo, confident that they’ll understand each other. But even then, there’s an “approach with caution”
warning on all discourse.
No-one wants to come across as the arrogant “smartypants” in the room but, equally, clients need to be reassured that the team has the right level of technical expertise. If you’re literally talking the same language, the likelihood of what you’re saying getting lost in translation is much lower.
But an awful lot of the conversations the Company-X people have with clients aren’t with people with deep software knowledge. They know what they need software to do for them but not the details of how to make it happen. After all, that’s why they contacted a specialist software company in the first place!
It’s like when you go to your GP. Most of us don’t want the Latin names or Lancet-level terminology for whatever ails us. Personally, I’m more comfortable with a reassuringly simple description the puts my mind at rest that the Doc has identified it correctly, not the microbial detail.
But there are some people,
so they realise you care. The same rules apply in business. So think about all your stakeholders and be proactive in developing ways to keep in touch and demonstrate your appreciation for the part they play in your business success.
TECH TALK
BY VICKI JONES
of course, who want to know more details about the whys and wherefores, and the GP should, one would hope, be able to add that additional layer of explanation if and when the patient needs it.
Part of relationship-building with a client is an honest and open discussion about genuine levels of technical knowledge. Whatever our business, we should pitch the way we talk at the right level for our clients to be able to feel confident in what we’re doing. There’s danger in making them feel inferior, the patronising effect of feeling like they’re being talked down to.
A crucial strength in a software development team is knowing when to talk tech, and when to talk human. Successful teams appreciate that the need of every client differs and adapt the conversation to fit. What a relieftalking tech doesn’t have to be tech talk, after all.
Vicki is the marketing manager at Waikato software specialist Company-X.
The Business of Art
Street performance morphs into creative business
Exploring the creatives in the business of art
When the Free Lunch Theatre Company started in 1999 to provide income for street performers, there was little to hint that it would become an enduring business.
At its helm today is creative director Sandra Jensen; in 1993 she was a 16-year-old looking for a creative outlet and instead of ‘joining the circus’ she found the McGillicuddy Serious Party.
Originating in Hamilton, the group used political satire street theatre to launch the absurdist party’s candidates, who stood for the first time in 1983 to contest the local-body elections in Waikato, and made their last stand at the 1999 general election.
Sandra travelled around the country with the rag-tag group, inviting the populace to not take the political process too seriously through their performances.
“Oh, we were kinda serious,” she says. The company was also known for their political protest theatre, including a stint against the redevelopment of Garden Place.
What started out as ‘a bit of fun’ aimed at providing humour and entertainment to lighten the election process, ended after a poor turnout at the 1999 elections and the party disbanded.
A whole lot of us dressed as aliens with a UFO going down Victoria Street and then we had a mock battle with some stereotypical Hamiltonians.
“We were still doing weird and wonderful stuff, art for art’s sake. But the political side of McGillicuddy started to wane. Those who really were genuinely interested in politics got into parliament, like Nándor Tánczos and Metiria Turei,” Sandra says.
The newly formed Free Lunch Theatre Company, however, continued and still operates today, providing exciting street performances to delight audiences at community and corporate events.
“It was never meant to be a business but it got to the point where people were wanting to hire us and Mark Servian created Freelance
Street Theatre Company as a way to provide income for the entertainers,” she says.
There at the company’s inception, Sandra slowly took on more and more roles and responsibilities, and by 2004 she was single-handedly running the show.
It’s definitely a labour of love; like most creative entrepreneurs, Sandra works what she calls a ‘muggle’ job - a
Harry Potter term to describe a person who lacks any sort of magical ability and was not born in a magical family.
‘My muggle job pays the boring bills, like the rent and the food and the children’s school fees and keeping them clothed,” she says.
Working fulltime as the enterprise coordinator at Go Eco in Hamilton, Sandra is likely to put as many magical
hours into Free Lunch.
“I don’t want to think about the number of hours. I definitely call it my side hustle. Although it is a fulltime job. I don’t know if it even feels like a job. It’s just what I do. And it just happens to occasionally make me some money,” she laughs.
Known for their stilt walkers, human monuments and other fantastical street
performances, Free Lunch has an ever-evolving line-up of characters.
Sandra likes to keep it fresh; she is the main costume designer and is constantly dreaming up weird and wonderful costumes to delight audiences.
“I’m the one who’s putting the pressure on myself to create all these new costumes because I don’t like doing the same thing over and over. I think it’s boring. And people will just think - oh, this is what you do. I’m constantly creating new stuff because I want to be able to show our range and show that we are growing.”
Making the costumes is one of the Free Lunch jobs she relishes and a costume can keep her working till all hours to make it just as she envisioned.
“There’s definitely been quite a few times when I’ve been finishing off a costume the night before an event or a costume hasn’t worked out and I have to remake it. And then I just kick myself and go - actually I’ve got a shed full of costumes, I should just use one of those.”
She’s lost count of the number of costumes she has made over the years; some she keeps, some get remodeled
and some she sells to the Free Lunch performers.
As well as being number one costume designer, Sandra is also chief artiste-wrangler with around 20 regular performers who contract to Free Lunch.
It’s the Free Lunch admin that is a necessary evil.
“I’m making sure everyone knows where they’re going and organising carpooling. And even now people are still getting affected by COVID periodically, so it’s always in the back of my mind and I need to have a plan B and C just in case someone is sick.”
Taking care of the Free Lunch performers is serious
business; it’s a long way for the stilt walkers to fall, so training in the art of falling is a must.
“We want to teach you to how to walk but we also have to teach you how to fall. That’s the scariest part. I went a good 20 years before I fell for the first time while performing and I learned I can’t Limbo on stilts.”
And Sandra is still on the ‘tools’ after close to 25 years in the business; donning metrehigh stilts, full make-up, costume and a sassy attitude to match.
“I’m not 50 yet so I think I’ve definitely got quite a few years left in me. As long as I maintain a good fitness level and don’t break myself,” she says.
Like most businesses, Free Lunch has experienced many highs and lows, including the disruptions caused by COVID.
“We were lucky, we managed to survive through COVID with the help of the resurgence grants and the fact that we are very, very frugal. We run on the smell of an oily rag.”
Having weathered the pandemic storm, business is beginning to take off again for Free Lunch.
“In the last six months, people have just gone - oh, we can do stuff again. But the only downside is they all decided to do it all at once and at the same time.”
For some of the performers,
all of whom have other jobs or study, it means two gigs a day, in different cities and more wrangling on Sandra’s part to ensure everyone is at the right event.
The gigs Free Lunch book are varied, from corporate conferences and community events to birthdays, weddings and more.
“We’ll do meet and greet at award nights or conferences. They usually theme their evening so recently I’ve been an American tourist with a gondola in Venice. That was hilarious. I’ve been Cinderella’s fairy godmother as a drinks trolley so I had all these drinks on my skirt.”
A recent performance at
the Special Olympics found a crack in, what Sandra calls, her non-sentimental heart.
“One of the best gigs we’ve done lately was the Special Olympics opening ceremony, which really got me in the feels,” she laughs.
“It was the most electrifying event. We were in a room full of hundreds of the happiest people in the world. And they’re also stoked to be there. That was just amazing.”
Mostly, the artistic direction for the events is left to Sandra and she says the clients are never disappointed.
“Very few people actually request a costume. But they’ll often say if they’ve got a theme and I’ve always got stuff for it.”
Sandra Jensen
Photo: Tony Mckay
Growing unicorns –NZ’s changing startup & VC landscape
Entrepreneurs may be the commercial heart of New Zealand, with the start-up sector is poised for hockey stick growth, but by international comparison, we still have a long way to go.
Thanks to our ability to bootstrap ideas and disrupt stagnant industries, New Zealand has witnessed some remarkable success stories in the last five years. Some starts-up have gained unicorn status by surpassing the market capitalisation mark of $1 billion dollars with a few possibly reaching dragon status – surpassing $1B in a single raise. These include Predict HQ, Timely, ArchiPro, AllBirds, Harmoney, Red Shield, Petlife, Soul Machines, Hnry, Crimson Education, Vend, Vital, Xero, Unleashed and Rocket Lab.
But compared with other countries, such as the US, Germany, the UK, Australia, Israel, and India, NZ is still in an emergent phase when it comes to how we support, fund, and develop new commercial ventures.
NZ hasn’t seen the enormous wealth from successful start-ups that many of those countries have enjoyed over the last 20 years.
So how can New Zealand foster new commercial ventures better and create more unicorns? What’s holding us back?
The Downturn
The current economic downturn is driving venture capitalists to cautiousness and conservatism. We have seen an end to the ‘easy money’ and the seemingly limitless supply of readily available capital of the last few years.
The New Zealand start-up sector is well-positioned for significant growth, but there are now likely to be more checks and balances before an investment is made.
The onus is on start-ups to get their house in order and demonstrate why they stand out from the crowd. People and emotions will play key roles in investors’ decision making, so getting the right advice is crucial. Fortunately, there is a wealth of accessible and affordable help now available.
Experience and awareness
Many early-stage companies don’t have a firm grasp on how the VC process works or how to attract the right investors, par ticularly during seed, series A, series B, and series C funding rounds.
We have an opportunity to grow founders’ awareness of venture capital and private equity by making it easy and affordable for them to access information, support, and advice.
VENTURE CAPITAL BY
PHIL TAYLOR
Partner, Tompkins Wake
the need to preserve incentives for founders, typically through a healthy shareholding.
Attitude
Misconception
We also need to challenge some of the preconceptions and stereotypes people hold about venture capitalists and demonstrate the valuable role investors play in helping entrepreneurs and our economy.
Gone are the days when investors were out to beat founders down, and exercise control as quickly as possible. To be successful in venture capital today, investors understand the need to be a founder-friendly partner
A lack of ambitious aspiration also hamstrings many Kiwi entrepreneurs. Many are quite happy to sell out for $2030 million, buy their bach, boat and ford ranger ute and retire early. You must be pretty extraordinary to be the leader of a billion-dollar unicorn. But the reality is many institutional VC investors aren’t looking for a start-up that will just do well. They want unicorns.
Market growth & maturity
Despite all the challenges, now is the perfect time to
market time to grow and mature to the point where it is now self-supporting. The influx of international funds that have come into New Zealand combined with investment by homegrown funds demonstrates the durability of our start-up ecosystem.
Our talent and innovation will continue to be drawcards for foreign VCs, as will our high education standards and ‘no corruption’ status.
We have seen several large venture capital funds mature from a typical initial size of say $10 million fund size to up to $250 million. They now have cash to reinvest and appreciate
the benefits of their previous experiences, particularly during
The need for ‘Smart
While venture capitalists are looking for the right start-up, entrepreneurs also need to make sure they’re partnering with the right VC. We call it ‘smart money’, and it is largely about being satisfied with the
Knowledge & connections: VCs with a deep knowledge of their particular sector. Think of someone who can facilitate connections with suppliers, help recruit the talent the business needs, and offer structured training and
Deep pockets: VCs with deep pockets and the ability to help with follow-on funding. This could be through their own fund or other funds they can tap into. As we head further into an economic downturn, start-ups will need larger cheques at later stages, and funds to tide them over to the next round.
• People first approach: VCs who know how to put people first and can help avoid founder burnout. Successful VCs understand the importance of putting people first. Forget the accounting and finance metrics. It’s all about the people - looking after them is not just the right thing to do, it’s good business.
Directly opposite the new Waikato Regional Theatre development, this newly renovated, character filled commercial property is surrounded by award winning hospitality with spectacular views over the south end of Victoria Street. Close to excellent parking options and the Waikato Museum – Te Whare Taonga O Waikato.
This impressive vacancy is a blank canvas for a new tenant wanting to locate amongst the action of Hamilton’s nightlife and zoned for City Centre under the Hamilton City Council Operative Plan. 120 sqm of office space with a small kitchenette area located at the rear of the building. This property is available now.
Property market finds its floor; Hamilton house prices stabilising
After months of declining house prices, the Hamilton property market has “found its floor” according to a local property expert.
Thanks to an equalising market, house prices are reaching a stable footing due to a combination of appropriate asking prices and buyers acting quickly, Lodge Real Estate Managing Director Jeremy O’Rourke says.
“Sales figures are showing us that a sense of urgency has picked up in the market, and we’re no longer seeing the ‘wait and see’ attitude among buyers that was common in the past few months, where buyers were hesitant to put in an offer just in case house prices fell further.”
“However we’re not seeing that steep price fall like we did last year when housing volume was declining at the same time.
Sales in Hamilton are currently sitting at a median of $760,000 to $780,000, with REINZ figures nationally show the median house price at $762,000.
Raglan Food Co tops Dairy Free awards
The fourth annual Dairy Free Awards, which highlight and showcase the best of New Zealand’s available plant-based dairy alternatives were recently announced.
Run by The Vegan Society
NZ, the awards cover six categories of fully plantbased products: ice cream, milk, cream, desserts, yoghurt and butter.
Waikato dairy free producer
Raglan Food Co were top favourites in the yoghurt category, winning with their Vanilla Bean, while their Natural Greek-Style came second.
Raglan Food Co head of marketing Sarah Phillipps says their Vanilla Bean and Natural Greek-Style are top performers and incredibly popular.
“It’s always super to get this feedback and recognition.
“We feel really strongly that our yoghurts are as good for the planet as they are for people’s tastebuds.
Raglan Food Co has been topping the yoghurt category for the Dairy Free awards since its inception in 2020.
The company started life there in 2014 as Raglan Coconut Yoghurt whipping up their signature dairy free yoghurt at the Raglan Old
We want to inspire more people to incorporate plant-based foods into their diets and we feel we can do that if our products are deliciously tasty and made from simple ingredients.
School Arts Centres’ certified community kitchen.
Founders Seb Walter and Tesh Randall stumbled upon what they thought was the tastiest vegan coconut yoghurt after experimenting in their home kitchen.
Since that time, they moved to purpose-built premises at Nau Mai and morphed into
Raglan Food Co.
They ventured into new territory with an array of flavoured coconut yoghurts, and in 2021 they launched kefir smoothies and Vegan Mayo and Vegan Aioli.
The kefir smoothies proved popular, with the natural variety taking out the ‘Drink Champion Award’ in the 2021 Outstanding Food Producer Awards, and the other flavours winning silver and gold medals.
Producing a wider range of products, Raglan Food Co employs 30 staff from around Whāingaroa and sell their products across New Zealand and overseas.
These days Kiwi consumers are acutely aware of the environmental consequences of their choices, with many Dairy Free Awards’ product nominees based on oats, though coconut was also very popular. The top ice creams were both on a stick, proving that Kiwis love to eat on the go, the Magnum Almond Dairy Free was a clear winner, with the Kapiti Chocolate
The lesson for buyers here is if you see value in a property, take the opportunity to buy, otherwise someone else will also see the value and act quicker than you.
Jeremy says previous firsthome buyers are releasing and buying up into their next property, which is increasing the supply of homes suitable for the first home market, with first-home buyers now accounting for 30% of the market.
“As those previous firsthome buyers are selling their homes and moving up a price bracket, we’re now seeing a rise in houses being sold in the $1 million to $1.5 million range. This is particularly evident in the northeast suburbs of Hamilton.”
He says vendors selling within the $1-$1.5M price range are receiving multiple offers, with sales in this bracket accounting for around 16% of current market sales.
Jeremy is also predicting a more active April than
usual as buyers keep tabs on the market in order to jump when the right opportunity presents.
“Traditionally April is a slower month with public holidays and school holidays, with buyers taking a bit of a rest. But with the interest we’ve been fielding lately it’s possible April could remain quite busy.
“March is on track to achieve just over 200 house sales across Hamilton, which is a volume level the market hasn’t seen since November 2022.
Boysenberry a close run second.
“There were 37 different ice cream flavours nominated! It’s wonderful to see the increasing number of dairy-free products out there, proving the market is booming and the public’s appetite for plant-based is growing. Our awards set a high bar for companies to step up to, providing quality Kiwi products available to all.”
Vegan Society spokesperson Claire Insley says.
“The winners are delighted to be shown they are the nation’s favourite! We encourage more companies to offer great NZ produced plantbased foods. As a nation we need to be more self-sufficient and there is no reason we cannot grow all our own plants for these fabulous products.”
Meanwhile for the plant milks, Boring Oat again produced a winner with their deliciously creamy Barista Oat and runner up was their Boring Oat Milk! Not boring at all for this Kiwi company. Another year of winning under the belt for Takapuna company Vutter, who won the Butter category, with Olivani original coming a close runner up.
New to the Dairy Free Awards were the Dessert and Cream categories. Little Island came out top with their delicious Cashew Cream, European favourite, Alpro came in second with their Soy Cream Single. The time has come for vegan desserts to receive their own category, to mark the number of delicious and dairy-free alternatives there are in all spheres of food
produce. Damn Good Food Co were the winners with their delicious Salted Caramel, a damn fine dessert, if ever there was one! Sara Lee brand Joy were the runners up with their amazing Key Lime Pie Kiwis overwhelmingly support locally produced foods, so it’s no surprise most of the award winners were well loved Kiwi brands. With the recent devastating storms hitting the North Island and more to come, we must act now to mitigate our carbon emissions. The Vegan Society offers resources for those wishing to take up plant-based eating to help the environment, improve their health and show compassion for the animals.
For the full results check out vegansociety.org.nz/ nz-dairy-free-awards/
Lodge Real Estate Managing Director Jeremy O’Rourke
Wintec design graduate finds her niche working with clay
A tutor introduced Bachelor of Design graduate Brogan Houghton to local business Mystery Creek Ceramics during her final year at Wintec.
Now, thanks to that connection and her growing interest in clay, Houghton is employed there as a studio potter.
“One workshop and I was hooked,” Brogan Houghton says after her first encounter with clay.
The designer-turned-potter first attended a pottery wheel workshop with her brother which ignited a passion for the medium.
But it didn’t all click into place immediately for Houghton. This Hamilton local had no idea what to do after finishing secondary school, she was good at math and focused on playing sports (she even represented New Zealand for Water Polo in Greece,) however, skilled as she was, she knew that was not her true calling.
After school she worked at a pharmacy giving herself the
time to ensure she was heading in the right direction for her future.
“If I had gone into study straight after high school it would have been business or accounting,” Houghton says.
She wasn’t “out-there creative at high school”, but she did study the arts and that inclination gave her the grounding to head in a creative direction.
“I wanted to focus on design, I enjoy the digital side of design and I like the process,” she says, which is why she signed up for the Wintec Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) in 2018. Little did she know at the time that her three-year design degree would lead her to a career in pottery.
A few of her assignments with open-ended briefs gave her enough free reign to bring her love of pottery into the process.
“For one of my freelance projects, I developed a design brand for my pottery.”
It was during a conversation with a tutor she learnt of an opportunity to work for Mystery Creek Ceramics, a Waikato ceramic business recently founded by Alex Wilkinson.
“I started working for Alex when my degree came to an end. But I wasn’t completely new to clay, I’ve been working with clay and knew some of the processes,” she says.
But of course, there was a steep learning curve to develop all the skills required of a studio potter.
“On the job I’ve developed new skills in hand building, staining the clay, the process of Nerikomi, loading kilns and glazing - everything!”
Houghton describes her work day as having a lot of production elements and a
I do what I love and get paid for it. There’s not a lot of jobs to be employed as a maker like this.
lot of repetition. The four-day week sees her doing many different jobs and her skills have gone from strength to strength.
There’s a rising demand for handmade products, she says
“I think people want something that’s a one-off. Unique. There are different markets for different pottery out there.”
Houghton also teaches a class at the Waikato Society
of Potters and has her own eponymous brand where she sells her unique pieces.
She said that her design degree has proved to be essential.
“It’s been so helpful because I have the skills and ability to do some of my own photography and then do all my own design and product design.”
Te Pūkenga design team manager Julie Ashby says that an education in design can be a good base for students, providing them with skills that are transferable across disciplines.
“The degree teaches students how to develop and refine an initial concept through to the development phase and into completion, this approach can be applied to many areas outside the purely visual communication field of work, turning design reality into 3d objects,” Ashby says.
Houghton’s advice to students in their final year:
“Do what you love and stick to it. Connect with people and keep your eyes open for opportunities,” she says.
“Because sometimes your career direction isn’t as linear as you’d think.”
Oceanography researcher recognised for making waves around the world
With a sea captain for a grandfather and childhood summers spent around the sea, it’s no surprise that Professor Karin Bryan was drawn to studying the deep blue. A passion for maths and physics led the University of Waikato Professor to physical oceanography.
Professor Bryan is one of the new Royal Society Te Apārangi Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi Fellows. She has been honoured for her research on estuarine processes, coastal morphodynamics, and climate-driven variability in waves, which has gained international recognition over a period of more than 20 years.
“I like to think it is the most challenging because of the complexity of our coastline and the immediate impact on coastal communities, and in turn, our impact on coastal ecosystems.”
Professor Bryan says climate change is a game changer for an already complex discipline.
“It is really hard to provide useful information in such an uncertain environment. The focus was first on the slow onset hazard of sea level rise, but these massive events of the last few months are making it even harder to visualise the future. There is no time to perfect a theory or model anymore, we need to learn and improve really quickly to be able to help.”
The recognition that comes with the Fellowship also comes with a reminder for Professor Bryan.
“I think for my research it will remind me to focus on fewer but higher quality (and, most importantly, more useful) outcomes,” she says.
It’s also a prompt to keep working with the next generation. As Dean of Te Mata Kairangi School of Graduate Research, Professor Bryan is committed to demonstrating the value of graduate study in creating useful knowledge for society.
“This year I want to focus on helping students get real value out of their university experience. It sounds corny, but to show that universities still have a place in creating useful knowledge for societies.”
Her world-leading work in the oceanography of the coastal ocean and recent announcement following the rigorous election process for Royal Society Fellows are testament to that value.
Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi Fellows are recognised by the Royal Society Te Apārangi for their distinction in research and advancement of science, technology or the humanities. They are world leaders in their area of research and scholarship.
Brogan Houghton
Businesses are facing numerous and ever-changing headwinds - persistently high inflation, increasing costs and interest rates, and labour shortages may mean that some businesses feel the challenges are monumental.
Additionally, some have been impacted by the widespread disruption and damage following the recent adverse weather events including Cyclone Gabrielle and Auckland flooding.
While many will be fortunate to continue trading despite the challenges faced, others might not.
They’ll be facing challenges such as whether they can source material necessary to manufacture goods. Or if their usual roading network will support distribution channels. Which crop, if any, can be salvaged after the floods. Whether they have sufficient staffing resources
available to meet the current demands of their business.
At times like these, directors and boards will find natural tensions between dealing with the operational aspects of their businesses and the adherence to fiduciary duties. If a business is facing financial difficulties, directors need to be aware of the options available to help and, at the same time, understand their legal obligations. At a minimum, ensuring financial records are accurate and up to date and proactively engaging with key stakeholders, such as banks, creditors and IRD, is key to any recovery plan. However, there are other
restructuring processes that are designed to facilitate boards in these situations.
Voluntary Administration (VA) is a formal insolvency process, whereby an independent Licensed Insolvency Practitioner is appointed to help resolve financial and operational issues. It’s a rehabilitative restructuring process, intended to create time and space for a restructure proposal to be presented to creditors, with the ultimate outcome being that a business survives and avoids liquidation.
A moratorium period, preventing creditors from
taking action or enforcing securities, provides the required breathing space for boards and their advisors to take the time needed to assess all options and make recommendations for creditors. For directors, a VA provides protection from personal liability for insolvent trading.
VAs can be costly by virtue of the fact they are quite a prescriptive process with various statutory creditors meetings to be held, and a detailed proposal required for creditors. In the right circumstances, an alternative might be to undertake a formal or informal creditor
compromise. A compromise is a deal with some or all creditors wherein the company pays back some or all of the debt owing over a period of time - which can be beneficial from a cash flow perspective. However, it does not provide the same level of protection as a VA for directors.
In both options, creditors should expect a better outcome than if the company simply entered liquidation. VAs and compromises are powerful tools which maximise the opportunity for businesses, or parts thereof, to return to a sustainable position and continue trading.
BY JUDITH SHIELDS
Ultimately the devil is in the detail, and the decision on what is best for a business needs to be carefully considered.
At PwC, we know that business restructuring is a sensitive and trying time for any owner – one in which the future of your hard-earned business is at stake. We focus on delivering what needs to be done, having those tough, realistic conversations with you, and recovering your business. It costs nothing to get to know us, and we want to play a part in keeping Kiwi companies fighting fit.
BUSINESS IN THE WAIKATO
Associate Director, Advisory, PwC
“ ”“Fosters’
communication skills and proactive approach sets them apart.
They didn’t just come to us with problems, they came with solutions.”
Staff members have a bigger, brighter workplace, patients have easy access to purpose-built facilities and the automatic doors the nurses had been hankering after for 10 years are finally installed.
Fosters eight-month refurbishment of the Waikato Regional Diabetes Centre at 26 Clarence St in Hamilton was a resounding success.
Fosters Maintain team carried out the diabetes centre revamp in 2022, building new consulting rooms, upgrading existing facilities, installing a new phlebotomy lab and toilet and relocating podiatry rooms.
Charge nurse manager Vikki Lowe-Reid worked closely with the Fosters team over that time and was blown away by their friendliness and professionalism.
“The communication was outstanding,” she said.
“Almost every day we would sit down with the Fosters project manager and figure out how to make all these renovations happen while keeping the
centre functioning around staff and patients. We sort of became a left and right team and I think that’s why this project was so successful.”
She was also impressed with Fosters’ local subcontractors, who were respectful and sensitive to those around them.
“It’s a live site and for all of the contractors it would have been very, very difficult because they can’t just shut an area off and go for it,” Vikki said. “They had to mind a lot of things and they did very well.”
Hatish Padharia from Perficio Consultants Ltd, appointed by Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Waikato to manage the upgrade, agreed that project management was a key factor in the project’s success.
“Fosters’ communication skills and proactive approach sets them apart,” he said.
“They didn’t just come to us with problems, they came with solutions.”
Hatish Padharia, Project Manager for Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand