Business East Tamaki - Winter 2022 by Business East Tamaki

Winter 2022

employment Keeping the best, and bringing your best

Rebrand: Proudly introducing Business East Tāmaki

Organisational wellbeing consultant Jacqui Maguire: Leading through the fog

Company Culture: the beating heart of every successful business

Contents 5

Welcome from the Chair

Farewell GETBA, introducing Business East Tāmaki

Business East Tāmaki News

Theme feature: Employment keeping the best and bringing your best

Business profile: Topland NZ Ltd

Business profile: G.J. Gardner’s Major Manukau Projects

Jacqui Maguire: Leadership, health & wellbeing – Leading through the fog

Freerange Works HR: Staying on top of recruiting challenges

Company culture: A health check with The Alternative Board

DISC Flow: Assessments for healthy workplace cultures

Immigration: Explaining the latest Immigration settings

Sustainability: Innovations at Vitaco

Sustainability: Business East Tāmaki’s own GM – a future climate leader

Crime Prevention Update

Advocacy: Funding boost for waste innovations

Eastern Busway Update

Take a minute: With a great book, and global events worth celebrating

10 14 18

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Business East Tāmaki

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Committee Elected Members Brendan Kelly Chairman

Henry Jansen Secretary

Lisa Murphy Treasurer

David Lindsay Committee Member

Nick Biland Committee Member

Nick Steele Committee Member

Andrew Turner Committee Member

Alan Lun Committee Member

Tim Bull Committee Member

Local Board Representatives Mike Turinsky Howick

Dawn Trenberth Otara, Papatoetoe

Business East Tāmaki Team Ruth White General Manager

Welcome from the Chair Kia ora, Welcome to the Winter edition of our first publication under our new brand identity, Business East Tāmaki. Those of you that attended the Special General Meeting on May 11 and voted for the change will be aware of the move to sunset the GETBA name and brand. The reason we are doing this update is to modernise the brand, linking our location around the Tāmaki River into the colour swatch, and giving more immediate focus on who we are, where we are and what we do as a Business Improvement District (BID). The GETBA brand was relevant for our start-up phase 28 years ago, and the support for our rebrand was resounding at the SGM, recognising we are a mature BID organisation supporting a large business community, moving forward with version 2.0 of our Business Improvement District. After the disruption that has been Covid for the last few years, the economy and borders are opening up again. Whew! It has been a long haul and there are longer term impacts that are going to keep us on our toes as we rebuild, those being, Wellbeing (keeping it together) and Recruitment (staff shortages). This issue focuses on employment, with the theme feature titled, Keeping the best, and bringing your best. Employers, it’s time to

focus on your target employee group and work on making your business a standout employer. Do your socials (FB, Insta), present like the attractive employer you are, and you’ll beat competing employers to the pick of the candidates available and searching for jobs. We would like to recognise Howick Local Board’s contribution through additional business recovery funding towards our training and wellbeing initiatives. They have helped fund both the on-job skills training programmes like the forklift driving courses we offer, and supported Jacqui Maguire’s ‘Wellbeing for Executive Leaders’ webinar that was widely attended. We follow up in this edition with a summary of Jacqui’s excellent webinar. Read on, we hope you enjoy the wellbeing and recruitment focus of this issue. Brendan Kelly Chairman, Business East Tāmaki

Shanu Gounder Marketing, Communications and Events Manager

Karen Hadley Operations Manager

Upcoming events

Julie Davies Administrator

Editor Jes Magill | Dynamo Comms jes.magill@gmail.com Graphic design Chris Phillips | Design Distillery chris@designdistillery.co.nz Advertising enquiries Shanu Gounder p 09 273 6274 e comms@getba.org.nz

01 July

First Aid Level 1 Course

28 July

Meet Your Neighbours, sponsored by Steel & Tube Distribution

04 Aug

DISC training for members

10 Aug

Business Continuity Planning Workshop

24 Aug

Breakfast with Area Commander, Scott Gemmell

13 Sep

First Aid Level 1 Course

22 Sep

KiwiHarvest Business Showcase

PO Box 58260 Botany Auckland 2163

businesset.org.nz

For more information and/or reserve your spot visit our website at businesset.org.nz/whats-on Business East Tāmaki

REBRAND: BUSINESS EAST TĀMAKI

Introducing

Take a bow, GETBA. After nearly 30 years with the naming rights to East Tāmaki’s business association, it has made way for its successor, Business East Tāmaki. The resolution allowing the name change was passed at a Special General Meeting held in May and the rebrand’s bold, new look and purpose was officially launched on July 7, at BNZ Partners Highbrook. Following a workshop that was held and led last year by James Smith from Xennial Marketing to facilitate the development of the new brand, James also stepped the group through the rationale of the rebrand at May’s SGM and conveyed the robustness of the process to the group of 35 who attended. Key reasons for change: • • •

To modernise and refresh the brand To attract next generation members To communicate the association’s strengthened values in a more relevant, contemporary way

“Reviewing your brand positioning is an exercise you don’t undertake lightly and we needed to get it right,” says Business East Tāmaki general manager Ruth White. “James has worked with us in the past and already had a good understanding of the organisation. “To give context, GETBA harks back to a different era when words like ‘association’ were used to convey an expected level of formality. Also the current tagline ‘A Great Place to do Business’ was more relevant at that time when attracting business to the region was one of the organisation’s main goals. Today, East Tāmaki, incorporating Highbrook, has high occupancy rates and is now recognised as one of Auckland’s most active and respected business associations and in New Zealand, one of the largest business precincts.

Business East Tāmaki

East Tāmaki’s Business Association timeline 1994

GETBA – Greenmount-East Tāmaki Business Association Inc. was formed after several informal meetings to assess interest. Funding was initially via an annual voluntary subscription based on the number of employees in each business.

2008

Name changed to Greater East Tāmaki Business Association, acknowledging the area’s growth and planned developments at Highbrook.

2009

GETBA becomes a Business Employment District (BID), receiving targeted rates from Council.

2022

On July 7 it was out with the old and in with the new, as the GETBA name makes way for Business East Tāmaki.

REBRAND: BUSINESS EAST TĀMAKI

Image courtesy of Highbrook Medical

“Looking to the future we knew a more modern, progressive brand and visual identity was required to reflect the evolution of the organisation. We also wanted to elevate the brand and communicate the value of East Tāmaki businesses, while developing a stronger voice for representation. The new visual identity, the foundational brand pillar for Business East Tāmaki, will help redefine its positioning and ensure continued relevance in the marketplace.” The new brand’s striking wave design acknowledges the unique Tāmaki River, connecting the Business East Tāmaki entity to the local environment.

Presenting a contemporary image and continuing to spearhead a relevant and effective business association is vital to attract ‘next generation’ members and contribute to the greater good for the wider East Tāmaki community, says Ruth. “We’ve been encouraged by feedback on the rebrand so far, which reflects our key deliverables of being innovative, progressive and future focused, and we’re confident the new branding communicates exactly that.”

Part of the community, proud to support it Forsyth Barr is proud to get behind Business East Tamaki. We’re pleased to be able to play our part in keeping our community thriving.

0800 367 227 | (09) 368 0170 | Level 1, Wynyard Wood House, 60 Highbrook Drive, East Tamaki

BUSINESS EAST TĀMAKI NEWS

Business East Tāmaki - well placed to thrive industrial/commercial precinct and this hasn’t happened by chance. “There’s a large number of people, talented employees and a lot of volunteers, who have served on and around the committee over its 28 years, all committed to helping create a credible local voice for business,” Henry says. Henry Jansen: East Tāmaki Business Association’s faithful steward for nearly three decades.

One of the founding members of East Tāmaki’s original business association – Greenmount East Tāmaki Business Association, GETBA, back in 1994, Henry Jansen says this month’s rebrand to Business East Tāmaki is a great move in the right direction. “We asked our GM Ruth White to provide us with GETBA 2.0 and that’s exactly what she’s done,” Henry says. Business East Tāmaki is now the voice for New Zealand’s largest, contiguous

GETBA was first formed because he and others could see the area being overlooked by Council. “Our main driver was to create a voice for business in East Tāmaki that could work with Council and better the whole area.” A faithful steward and serving on the committee since its inception, Henry now has a box seat view from his Wynyard Wood office window overlooking Highbrook Business Park; achieved in no small part through GETBA’s lobbying and along with all its other supporters, they rightly feel a quiet sense of pride.

“I don’t think any of us imagined what the area would become and how much it has developed in a short space of time, particularly Highbrook. “Thirty years ago this area was a 240ha farm and encouraged by GETBA, Manukau Council worked well with the landowners to develop Highbrook Business Park, which has reserves, cycle and walkways as an integral feature. “To our stakeholders we are known as a trusted partner to work with, committed to bettering the area and we are well placed to thrive. Greater East Tāmaki is served by a large, diverse population and available work pool, and there are a lot more services available in East Tāmaki now, making it much easier for people to ‘work and live local’. Business East Tāmaki has a life of its own now and it’s spreading its wings successfully.”

Howick Local Board supports East Tāmaki businesses Council. Business East Tāmaki has used this funding to offer a series of heavily-subsidised skills training courses, seminars and workshops, ensuring Members have access to training, resources and business support, and thanks the Howick Local Board for their partnership and commitment to supporting local business owners and the economy. “Construction and machine operator jobs are among the most in-demand in New Zealand and thanks to the funding we could offer 50% subsidised short courses for fork-lift training, safety harness and elevator work platforms (EWP, amongst other Health & Safety short courses). And we’ve recently added MPI-approved biosecurity training,” says Business East Tāmaki General Manager, Ruth White.

In addition to the $15,000 annual support funding already received, Howick Local Board provided Business East Tāmaki with an additional $10,000 earlier this year, through their Connected Communities Programme to support local businesses.

“In addition, recruitment, retention and employee wellbeing remain challenges as a result of Covid-19, alongside economic pressures and a tight labour market. It’s well known that employees are more likely to stay in their jobs if employers invest in their careers and professional development and employees are more effective if they feel supported.” Acknowledging this, Business East Tāmaki has engaged a number of industry experts to assist businesses with training opportunities and guidance across topics including business strategy and continuity planning, finance and cashflow management, HR and people management.

“The programme’s objective is to respond to the needs of the business community and support economic recovery in a COVID-19 environment,” says Swati Sharma from Auckland

For further information on course availability, please contact Julie at admin@businesset.org.nz or via the Business East Tāmaki website.

Forklift driving courses: one of several heavily subsidised courses made possible through extra Howick Local Board funding.

Business East Tāmaki

PAST EVENTS

Q&A with Christopher Luxon 22 March

Workshop: Effectively Managing Poor Performance and the Disciplinary Process 31 May

Special General Meeting

Meet Your Neighbours

11 May

19 May

Workshop: How to Recruit and Retain Your Staff

Breakfast with Economist Tony Alexander

9 June

14 June

EMPLOYMENT: KEEPING THE BEST

Play well, work well: PIC staff enjoy keeping life in balance.

'People First' - a tried and true strategy for PIC Business East Tāmaki speaks with two leaders in their field about navigating employment challenges – a people-focused leader at iconic PIC Insurance Brokers, and an operations manager who started his career on the tools.

a watch over things. Paul, with his official title now General Manager of Executive Commercial and Corporate Affairs, and PIC’s Executive Team, taking the business forward understood relationships were the foundation of the business and worked together to ensure PIC continued to perform well for all stakeholders - while navigating the uncertainties of a global pandemic.

More than three years ago, with a solid reputation for championing people centred leadership and assisting work teams through change, Paul Ryan joined the East Tāmaki business, PIC Insurance Brokers.

Today, PIC Insurance Brokers is the country’s largest independently owned insurance brokerage., “While PIC has grown significantly in recent times, we’ve remained agile which is a huge advantage for PIC and our clients. Another one of our strengths is our people. We’re significant but still” says Paul. ‘PIC’s brokers have tremendous knowledge and experience across all types of insurance. From commercial to personal to marine, we have a team of highly capable people who genuinely care about their clients.

Paul was asked by PIC founder, Mike Garner, to help take the business to the next level. “Mike built a successful business based on relationships and shared his vision for growing the business and thought I was sold, he was a persuasive man,” Paul says. One year later, New Zealand went into lockdown and, sadly due to health issues, Mike stepped back from the business and kept but remained a strong presence, keeping

With such a strong team of professionals at PIC, “For me, and the wider leadership team, our main priority is creating an environment where our people can succeed.”

Business East Tāmaki

EMPLOYMENT: KEEPING THE BEST

For a business that’s built on relationships, ‘People First’ has become somewhat of a mantra for us at PIC. When it comes to our people, if we as a leadership team create the best environment for our people, they’ll do great work and we’ll have happy, loyal clients. Then we know we’re on the right track. “As well as creating an environment where PIC’s people can succeed, it’s also important they’re recognised and rewarded for their contribution,” says Paul. PIC employees are paid salary and enjoy a profit share scheme, rather than having hard sales targets and earning sales-based commission. Paul sees this as a key differentiator for the business. “We’re looking at performance holistically with the introduction of performance measures that include a range of behaviour based indicators in addition to more quantitative measures. We’re investing heavily in the behavioural side of our business and that means in an industry like ours, it’s the long-term relationship you build with clients that matters – we seek to understand client needs and build trust with them so we can offer them the best advice. Blunt sales targets would not drive the right behaviours or achieve good outcomes for our clients.” With people playing such a significant role in PIC’s past and its future, it makes sense that they would engage experts to ensure their employee related policies and practices are helping attract and retain the best talent. “We’ve been working with independent HR partner, FreeRange Works as we look to future proof through people-centred strategies and their flexible approach has given us access. It’s great to have grown to the point where we need a more systematic approach to HR but this can cause headaches for some businesses – fortunately FreeRange Works’ flexible approach means we’ve had access to expert advice on every aspect of HR. HR without needing to have a large HR team of our own.” The relationship focussed model that PIC was founded on three decades ago still guides the business today. While the environment PIC operates in has changed a lot in thirty years, and will continue to change, one thing remains constant – its focus on relationships. “In fact in some ways relationships are a bit like insurance policies, you don’t spend a lot of time thinking about them when things are going well but they’re worth their weight in gold in times of need.”

People-centered employment strategy tips, hacks and insights

The broking firm that broke the mould Mike Garner, who founded PIC Insurance Brokers in a tiny office in Panmure in the 1980s, sadly passed away in March this year. Before his passing, this inspirational captain of industry ensured his business, which moved to East Tāmaki several years ago, was in great shape to go forward. Mike had come from a corporate insurance background and had the vision to do things differently. Mike recognised the value of relationships and as PIC grew in the early days, Mike made the a bold move to pay his brokers a salary rather than commission, encouraging them to focus on achieving the best outcome for their clients. “This was unusual at the time”, says PIC’s General Manager of Commercial and Corporate Affairs, Paul Ryan, who saw Mike, along with many others, as an enigmatic maverick. “He had the vision and ambition to do things his way and was incredibly successful. He always seemed to be thinking a half-step or more ahead. It’s no surprise the business grew the way it did, and to the point he needed to think about how PIC would be structured going forward. The business had grown from a few folks in a tiny office in suburban Auckland to around 90 people across eight offices nationwide.” Over the years, Mike’s salary model has proven to have been truly trailblazing and he saw regulation and compliance push the Insurance industry towards a similar salaried model. “What’s happening in our industry just goes to show how visionary Mike was. Many new acts, agencies and pieces of legislation now echo his view that chasing unreasonable commissions and giving clients products they don’t want, is absolutely unethical.” Paul says.

•

Put people first

•

Do the right thing and do what you say you will

•

Look after your people to look after your clients who will look after your bottom line

•

Create a safe environment for your staff and your customers so they know the business has their back

•

Usually, when things go wrong, ego, emotions and arrogance are involved

•

Passionate people with a shared purpose create a great business culture

•

When companies set their vision, values and mission statements, they’re simply describing good human traits

•

Hire the best people you can and always try to be a great person yourself.

Business East Tāmaki

FEATURE CONTINUES ON PAGE 13

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EMPLOYMENT: BRINGING YOR BEST SELF EVERYDAY EMPLOYMENT: BRINGING YOUR BEST

From tools to operations manager in 10 years Bobbie King was half way through a plumbing and drain laying apprenticeship when he signed up with Laser Plumbing East Tāmaki in 2007. He was 22 years old at the time and in just over 10 years with the company, he has become a pivotal player on the senior management team. Taking a look back along Bobbie’s early career path, at Laser Plumbing from day one he arrived with a great attitude and as a keen sportsman, he was already a team player. Gillian Westbrooke, Laser Plumbing East Tāmaki’s human resources manager, says Bobbie displayed solid skills early on, “He had natural leadership, charisma and developed a good rapport with his fellow workers.” After 10 years with the company he’d developed competence in planning, communication and people management and was running three work teams across Auckland, consistently juggling his delegation and supervision skills and quality checking the work of his teams.

to move into the trades because he enjoyed practical work, so the transition to management was a big leap in his career journey, and a different perspective was needed for his new responsibilities in admin and logistics. When challenges arise, Bobbie follows the advice he shares with his trades staff when they begin their careers: “Tough it out, and learn as much as you can.” Although being an ‘ops’ manager is a high-pressure role that comes with certain amounts of stress, Bobbie really enjoys the work. “Quoting projects, meeting and talking with clients to help them find the best solution, spending time with plumbers on site, making sure their work is the highest standard and that they’re enjoying their job too.” “Because Bobbie is seen by other staff as moving up the company ladder they can also aspire to having a long term career within Laser Plumbing East Tāmaki. We aim to provide career opportunities for our employees and over the years have worked

Although in management now, Bobbie still loves helping clients find the best solutions.

with a business consultant, Paul Robinson from Strategic Talent Solutions, to help us achieve this.” Gillian says. Workplaces function well when everyone brings their A-game and learning, and development is ongoing for staff at all levels. Bobbie enjoys spending time with his bosses who are also his mentors, and he has a great working relationship with the other ops manager. “The thing I take most pride in is looking after some of our larger new housing sites where I can see what a great culture we have. And it’s great working for a business that is as committed to your development as you are.”

By 2017 Bobbie had developed superbly as a manager and was promoted to the management team as one of two operations managers. “Bobbie was doing a good job at the right time,” says Gillian. “Efficient, organised and trusted by his teams, this meant a few years down the track he could rise through the company with their support. He literally grew with the business, and his career move into management coincided with the growth of the company.” There were some challenges in Bobbie’s step up to management. He’d left school

Bobbie King from Laser Plumbing East Tāmaki, from tools to ops manager in 10 years.

Business East Tāmaki

BUSINESS PROFILE: TOPLAND

Developments Topland-style

Toplands owner/director, Cozy Tsui, keen on quality design for great communities.

Soon after meeting Cozy Tsui you know his christian name is perfect. It was given to him years ago by a Macleans College teacher who always found this particular student to be relaxed and happy. “I wasn’t the hardest working student,” Cozy recalls. But today, while his warm nature remains, his work ethic has certainly stepped up: “I work a lot harder these days!” he says.

Completed Topland developments: Peart Studios; West Tāmaki; Waterlily Gardens, Hobsonville.

Cozy established Topland New Zealand Ltd as a one man band in his Flatbush garage in 2016. He has a Master’s Degree (Hons) in Planning Practice from Auckland University; worked as a planning and strategy advisor for New Zealand Transport Authority; has nearly seven years’ experience as a resource management planner at Auckland Council, and full membership with New Zealand Planning Institute. He spent a lot of time on Topland’s mission statement, which consistently sharpens the company’s focus – to facilitate sustainable, quality developments through their collaborative, high-performing team for residential, commercial and public sector projects. “Every day we’re inspired to drive creative solutions for our clients; to remove the hassle from what can be long and complex processes, for everything from large urban developments through to small re-development projects. “We’re always keen to use our local knowledge to facilitate innovative developments and our passion is to be the most recognised boutique planning, development and investment consultancy in the area.” Now based at Laidlaw Business Park in East Tāmaki, Topland has 10 experienced town planners and support staff on board, with plans to increase to 15 staff within two years. In 2021, the consultancy achieved development approval with Auckland Council for 166 dwellings as well as six community projects. When asked what differentiates Topland from their competitors, Cozy says they don’t give it much thought. “We simply prefer to focus on improving our service to our clients.”

Zen for better business outcomes When it comes to handling challenges and delays that can arise with consent, planning and development projects, Topland’s strategy is ‘stay calm and keep your nerve’. “We build relationships with our clients by being honest, transparent and realistic. There’s no golden key to solving these issues but we always advise our clients to try and be patient, to try and take the emotion out of delays and setbacks. Often a better result is achieved by waiting, rather than rushing work through.”

Refreshing HR philosophy

What’s in a name:

Although Cozy’s expertise is in planning and strategy, his natural leadership style prioritises a healthy workplace culture where everybody thrives. Topland uses external HR expertise, Freerange Works, and consistently invests in the team’s professional and leadership development.

Cozy Tsui named his business after his street in Flatbush.“ I was inspired by the planning and development outcome achieved in the suburb and many people now think I developed it! It’s high quality with lots of satisfying elements, which is the way we like to create, so there are definite parallels with our own vision.

“Talent management and staff retention is very important. I’m genuinely interested in helping my staff achieve their personal goals as well as their professional ones, whether it’s buying a home or wanting flexible hours to pursue other projects and passions. After all, your team IS your business.”

Topland New Zealand Ltd offers:

Team building Topland style, over good food.

Business East Tāmaki

• • • •

Resource consent advice Project management Sub-division and development design Feasibility analysis

BUSINESS PROFILE: G.J. GARDNER’S MANUKAU MAJOR PROJECTS

Leading a successful team the biggest driver

Community/team work at Ronald McDonald House

G.J. Gardner’s Manukau Major Projects Team

Rachel Soakell was just 29 years old when she became one of three directors and franchise holders with G.J. Gardner Homes Manukau Major Projects (MMP). Established in East Tāmaki in 2017, MMP focuses on multi-unit developments in Manukau and Auckland city, and Rachel is now the firm’s primary point of contact for clients and suppliers. Co-directors Douglas Paterson and Jeremy Waters, respectively cover 20 years in the project management and property industry. With G.J.’s for nearly 10 years now, Rachel has Master’s degrees in Architecture and Urban Design, a Diploma in Management and a demonstrated history in the construction industry. Her path to management was an awesome opportunity, she says, backed and supported by head office and a close network of other franchise owners. Tracking projects and handing over completed builds is very satisfying for Rachel but one of her strongest drivers is leading a successful team. “I really value being able to invest in other people’s dreams and help grow their careers.” The MMP team of 20 currently has 35 units in Glen Innes on the go, a 52 unit joint venture for Ngai Tahu in Hobsonville, and 54 units in Mt Wellington. Other clients include Kāinga Ora, Tāmaki Redevelopment, local Iwi and community house providers.

A little backstory Established in Australia in 1983, the G.J. Gardner home building business arrived in New Zealand in 1997. Since day one, every G.J. Gardner franchise has strived to create teams recognised for their integrity, commitment and dependability; “To have every customer recommend us to their closest friend,” as the vision states. This simple mission statement, keenly adhered to, has seen G.J. Gardner Homes for the 6th year in a row, take out the top spot for home builders in the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands survey.

Orakei Kaumatua Retirement Village

Win-win As NZ’s largest home building company in a competitive, challenging market, G.J.’s game changing point of difference, Rachel says, is simply being committed to its mission statement. “Lead franchise owner Grant Porteous never set out to be NZ’s largest home builder but the most trusted. For us it is word of mouth and the trust people put in us that secures our next client. We’re not about volume, we’re about the quality of the build and our teams that make everything happen. Alongside that it’s the service we provide as well as the relationships that develop during the builds that impress our customers.” Strategies to find and retain employees are also inspired by G.J.’s focus on word of mouth recommendations. “We want to be an employer of choice, and get people on board who want to work with us. Our new Site Manager actually approached us and said; ‘I hear really good things about you guys – I would love to work for you.’” The MMP team is a close-knit unit and staff enjoy a lot of nice-tohaves including birthdays off plus a mental health and wellbeing day. “We also run an in-house mental health and wellbeing programme and G.J.’s has recently partnered with Mates in Construction, for general awareness training. Every month we also head out for an activity which is inspired by one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give – for connecting and building honest relationships, these are ideal. Everything at G.J.’s is about investing in our teams, in our people and our culture, so we can delight our clients.”

Business East Tāmaki

LEADERSHIP, HEALTH & WELLBEING

Leading through the fog BY Jacqui Maguire If we were to stop and put a stake in the ground, the COVID era will likely mark the most significant reset to work during our living history. The industrial revolution (I, II and III) brought the labour market mechanisation. The fourth (technology) industrial revolution has brought the world wide web, globalisation and AI. It has represented a fundamental change in the way we can live, work and relate to one another, enabled by extraordinary technology advances. However prior to the pandemic our habits (the daily commute to work), stigma (working from home equals poor output) and fear (‘if I am not seen I will be overlooked’) prevented true adoption of all that technology could offer the working world.

The last two and half years has forced our turn in thought. We have proven that we can work efficiently out of the office and that collaboration does still happen (albeit not always as effectively as when in person). People have had the time to reflect on what matters to them: an affordable lifestyle, time to exercise, connection, investment in passion projects and freedom of choice all featuring. It has been communicated through action that people at work want to be seen, heard and understood. They want to feel like they matter; matter to their team, leader, organisation and stakeholders. Will the covid pandemic open the door for the people’s revolution? Where employees are driven by where they do their work, the impact their work has on the world and the lifestyle they are able to lead. Where people are less afraid to speak up for what matters to them, and are actively seeking that out. An era where leadership must be people centric more than ever before – characterised by increased time face to face with teams, tailored work plans and an amplified focus on mental health and wellbeing.

Business East Tāmaki

LEADERSHIP, HEALTH & WELLBEING

How do leaders grow, develop and retain successful teams through the great reset? The following are my key reflections, which have been formed from hours of research and talking with leaders and teams:

our team seriously, reflect back on what we have heard and provide a rationale for our decision making. A psychologically safe team climate defined by candour, trust, experimentation and vulnerability will no doubt support the team to navigate through the fog.

3. Partner with your people to define what work looks like

1. Leading for Innovation requires a Shared Purpose The great reset of work has been underpinned by an environment that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) and the realisation that we don’t have a blueprint for what is to come next. Think of VUCA as travelling and working though fog. As leaders we therefore cannot follow a typical change process which usually asks leaders to paint a ‘future vision’ and motivate team members to adopt said vision. Instead, as Professor Linda Hill states, we must lead for innovation. When we lead for innovation we acknowledge there is no vision, rather the need for a shared purpose and true collaboration between leader and team. In the last six months has your team been in a room together and nutted your ‘why’? Not what you do or how you do it, but why you do it? If not, I encourage you to facilitate a purpose seeking session with your team to guide you all through the fog.

As we look to define how we work (e.g. hybrid or flexible) we must tailor our approach to the people in our team. A one size fits all policy will no longer cut it. Let’s be clear, this doesn’t mean that we should become hands off and enable entire flexibility to our team. Emerging research is highlighting that 100% employee autonomy is not the answer to the future of work. I recommend leaders ask their teams what the pros and cons are of for working from home and working from the office. Brainstorm what tasks are best suited to what environment. Discuss the importance of independent deep work vs. collaborative face-to-face innovation vs. mind wandering creativity. Discuss the evidence that human beings actively seek out routine and consistency. Given all of these factors, can you take your teams’ feedback and co-design a team work model that provides both certainty and flexibility. For example, do you have a pillar day where everyone comes together to work, and does the office have private spaces to conduct zoom meetings?

5. Role model Self-Care Health-Orientated Leadership theory states that leader role modelling is critical to the uptake of positive health and wellbeing behaviours amongst staff. When leaders do not role model health self-care, their staff tend to emulate them. The discrepancy can also create ambiguity and internal conflict for staff (you are telling me to do X but are personally doing Y) and can ultimately lead to employee strain and distress. Leader self-care also supports leaders to maintain their own cognitive, emotional and psychical capacity which is required to effectively lead. Leadership requires time, energy and internal resource. You cannot lead from an empty cup, so all leaders must take the time to work out what fills theirs and to prioritise those actions. Together we are living through a defining moment of history. A moment in history where we can choose to actively contribute to the transformation of work. I wish all leaders the courage and vulnerability to lean into the unknown, consciously invite true partnerships with their team, and together find clarity through the fog.

2. Psychological Safety is Key If we want to build effective partnerships with our team, we require a team climate that is conducive to sharing, experimentation and the acceptance of failure. This requires leaders to own that they do not hold all the answers and consistently invite participation from their team. Brainstorming forums and listening tours can provide the setting to seek such input, and then leaders must helpfully respond. Helpfully responding involves remembering that we have two ears and one mouth, and we must use them in proportion. We need to respond to our team in a way that leaves people feeling respected and safe from shame. Please note this doesn’t mean we need to agree with our team, nor do we have to implement all of their suggestions. But we do need to take

Microsoft+CIPD highlighted that leaders need to put health and wellbeing “front and centre”. Organisational health and wellbeing policies, leader role modelling, behaviour consistent with values, employee support and active prevention of overwork and burnout all form this picture.

4. Maintain the focus on health and wellbeing A silver lining during the pandemic has been the increased focus on mental health. Frequent check-ins between leader and team, organisation wide wellbeing campaigns, peer support relationships and transparent and frequent communication from leadership have all been welcomed. The 2022 Work Trend Index outlines findings that 53% of employees are more likely to prioritise health and wellbeing over work than before the pandemic, and research from Business East Tāmaki

HUMAN RESOURCES

Staying on top of today’s recruiting challenges

How to successfully recruit and retain your staff is a hot topic these days. That’s because finding and keeping the right staff is the life force of every business. Freerange Works HR consultants recently presented a three-week workshop for Business East Tāmaki members, helping those who hire staff not only navigate but survive and even thrive in these challenging times. Business East Tāmaki features the most pertinent pointers regarding smart recruiting strategies.

What changes have you seen over the past 18 months from a recruitment perspective? As a consequence, how has the recruitment process altered from an employer perspective. Key changes have been the increase in a reliance on partnering with recruitment consultants to source good talent. Following the 2020 hiatus of recruitment, advertising positions ‘directly’ as an employer was a successful sourcing strategy for many roles. Referred talent was coming through from employees and ‘time to hire’ timeframes were reasonable. The reverse is now the case. If you hadn’t nurtured those key recruitment supplier partnerships and/or focused on building a strong employer brand through 2020/2021; recruiting in 2022 will have become even more challenging, with far fewer candidates in the talent pool and long lead times to identify the right person for a role, and before they actually start in the business.

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HUMAN RESOURCES There is a cumulative flow-on effect that businesses are experiencing as a result, with team members taking on more whilst waiting for a new starter to onboard, and the general feeling of overwhelm this can create. What has also changed significantly as the pandemic has evolved, is the lack of leverage that being a ‘flexible workplace’ now has as an attraction and retention strategy. From an employee perspective, this is now the expectation and norm, rather than being seen as how you stand out as an ‘employer of choice’. Now more than ever, there is a need to promote from within, providing people with ‘hard’ career development paths and opportunities as well as ‘soft progression’ to those you want to retain. Equally as important is building strong ties with relevant graduate level talent and universities, and considering whether internship and graduate programmes can be implemented that bring those entering the workforce up through the organisation as effectively and as swiftly as possible to fill future skills gaps. And finally, in terms of creating an appealing culture, it’s wise to regularly review your EVP (employer value proposition) within your business and consider how you can articulate and project this outwardly through your attraction and selection processes, and via your recruitment partners.

What does an effective recruitment and onboarding process look like? Keeping it simple, what key things should employers be ‘nailing’? An employer should absolutely nail the pitch of what it’s like to work for the organisation and your leaders all need to be on this page. The ‘vibe’ and the culture and progression opportunities are what will sway decisions beyond the usual ‘hygiene factors’ of remuneration, and the offer of flexibility and benefits. There should be multiple ‘touch points’ for a new employee pre-start, and being highly prepared and ready to welcome your new starter on Day 1, from technology through to meetings in diaries. It’s your opportunity to make first impressions count, and to leverage this opportunity in full, now that we’re not having to onboard people in the middle of a ‘lockdown’ scenario.

What smart strategies can you share to ensure business owners retain their talent? And if employers don’t have a big recruitment budget, how can they show they are valuing their staff in ways that don’t necessarily require shelling out big bucks? Providing various kinds of leave is a really meaningful and relatively inexpensive way to show you value your team, for example, birthday leave, school holiday leave, wellbeing afternoons, ‘summer’ leave… get creative! Or better still, ask your people what would actually mean the most to them in terms of benefits. If it’s not a career path you can offer your people, due to business size and scale, the best thing you can do as a leader beyond your regular formal one to one catch ups and performance reviews, is ask about your team member’s career and where they are headed. Give them your time. Focus your attention as their coach or mentor to develop their skills or understanding as part of their progression.

About the author Kerryn Strong: Co-founder and consultant at Freerange Works, is an organisational development and HR specialist with a passion for driving culture change within SMEs. She serves as a People and Culture representative at an executive level for her clients and gets real satisfaction being a sounding board, advisor and coach to leaders and executives keen to enhance their company culture and their peoples’ experience at work.

Provide a ‘trust first’, genuinely flexible work environment. Build into your culture ways for you and your leaders to recognise and reward effort and progress, rather than outcomes and business results (e.g. with values nominations and awards, or by calling out contributions in company meetings or communications). These kinds of initiatives cost you nothing, are performance focused, and in fact will drive engagement, productivity and business outcomes.

YOUR LOCAL HR EXPERTS freerangeworks.co.nz

COMPANY CULTURE

The beating heart of any successful business is it’s culture – so how’s yours? Running a business is a pretty serious caper at the best of times. Throw in a pandemic, follow that up with The Great Resignation, and a fair number of business leaders would surely be cursing under their breath. It’s just as well there are people around like Chris Deere from The Alternative Board (TAB). Chris works primarily in South Auckland for SMEs as a business coach/consultant, helping business owners get to grips with their challenges and in the process, helps oversee the creation or refinement of functioning, successful workplace cultures. Chris comments: “Leaders might be working hard but it’s easy to have blinkers on. Sometimes they just need a sounding board, an accountability buddy to help get things moving. In NZ over 90% of our businesses are SMEs – they don’t have directors, so who is helping these people?”

We should all be able to enjoy our work and as CEO for 10 years at South Auckland’s good time mecca, Rainbow’s End, and consulting to theme park CEO’s all over the world, Chris should know. His experience as a Police officer for seven years prior to that taught him a lot about human behaviour and helped develop his compassion for people and their communities, including workplaces. Business East Tāmaki sat down with Chris and asked what percentage of leaders he believes are effective, and can people be taught to be better leaders? As a positive bloke, he reckons 70% are good although, “A fair number of those need guidance. But the majority, if they’re open-minded or have good awareness levels, have the potential to grow as leaders.”

Business East Tāmaki

COMPANY CULTURE

If a business owner understands the importance of people-led business growth and people dynamics, they can grow, he says. “Every business leader has a unique skill set, maybe in HR, marketing or finance. If they know their strengths, understand their deficiencies, can fill the gaps and surround themselves with the right people whether it’s employees or external support, they can grow. If they’re open to being challenged and can increase awareness on aspects of the business they mightn’t have considered before, those leaders will do well.”

The Stay Interview

For his clients who might be stuck in a rut, the holy grail for Chris is an epiphany (a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation, according to Oxford Definitions), and Chris helped facilitate one recently. A client finally realised he couldn’t continue to run the business the way he was because he would always be limited by his own capacity and skill set. “In order for any business to grow, business owners need to develop their people, unless they want to be stuck in an 80-hour week grind doing everything themselves.” Yes, bosses can learn to create and maintain successful business cultures if they wish. “If they’re aware something needs to change and understand the importance of people’s development, that feeds naturally into the culture. You can’t create a culture by putting on BBQs, they’re the things that can polish it. You need to go further back and understand people and realise it’s the little things, those touch points – giving your staff time, having a genuine interest in them, knowing their kids’ names – that really make the difference.” A firm but fair approach is also needed and not letting a culture run that doesn’t address poor performers. That there’s a fair approach to bringing people into line with the company’s expectations; that there are clearly outlined expectations so people know what to do, with no murky grey areas, so they can function properly and be supported and sense a connection with their boss, around their personal life as well. “Again, little things have the most impact. Simply being genuine, caring for people, and having a set of values, that don’t just hang on the wall but are lived, breathed, integrated and maintained into the company’s everyday normalities, so people know where they stand.” With the cost of replacing and attracting staff now a significant expense, Chris advises clients to leave no stone unturned in the way a culture is created so people can perform well, be at the top of their game and feel fulfilled at work.

Chris has witnessed it for years, business leaders spending their time on troublesome staff while their good workers, who just get on with it, are often neglected. A client he worked with recently fell into this category. He didn’t communicate with his stars. “There was one particular employee who was happy with the company, with his boss and his pay but he didn’t have a sense of where the company was heading, where his career was heading and he needed that structure. So he resigned. “My client was incensed, couldn’t understand it. ‘I thought I treated him well,’ he said.” Then Chris suggested he conduct an exit interview with this employee. “It was too late to retain him but what about others in the company? I suggested we speak with them before problems arose. Talking with the team at TAB, we realised we needed to know why people were staying and what could be done to prevent them from leaving. “The staff we interviewed were thrilled. Their opinions had been sought, they felt valued and realised the business was trying to improve. We asked them for any specific reasons why they were staying so those could be emphasised, and was there anything we should know about that might cause them to leave?” This business owner is now a different person and everybody is benefitting. He’s getting out there, speaking with his front-line staff and he can feel the change already. “He was burnt out, had lost the love for his business but he’s got the fire back. Spending time with his people and making them feel part of the business, they’re more likely to be loyal, and not surprisingly, absenteeism has reduced.” Experiences inform behaviour and running Rainbow’s End has certainly influenced Chris’s attitude to workplace vibes. “My philosophy was always to have the inverted triangle, with the flat part facing up and the point at the bottom. Then my role and my managers’ roles were to do everything we could to help our frontline staff succeed. They’re the people interacting with our customers, they’re where the company is judged.’’ It’s well known that remuneration is about 7th on the list of factors that keep employees in their roles. “Then you start to think of the six things ahead of that, like feeling a part of something and feeling valued. These things don’t cost the earth, they just require bosses that care and a compelling workplace culture to engage with.”

Chris Deere, owner/director of The Alternative Board, business mentors and coaches, committed to assisting SMEs gain the knowledge and support they need to grow their business.

FOCUS

Business East Tāmaki FOCUS

LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT

Leader? Know yourself. Understand your style for a healthier work culture Everybody starts out in business to be successful but achieving it is easier said than done. A lot of ducks need to line up, and stay there, to achieve success and that is challenging, especially for SMEs. Throughout her career Business East Tāmaki general manager Ruth White has specialised in staff development, HR and recruiting and she’s a big fan of HR profiling and strengths-finder tools like DISC Flow®. “They help develop organisational culture and they’re easy to use. People love learning about themselves too,” she says.

“We know that 93% of ineffective communication is determined by behaviour and our communication styles can stop us from listening.” Megan Dawson has been the New Zealand trainer and facilitator for DISC since 2014 and last year, DISC Flow was launched globally, incorporating Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a new foundation. “To achieve high-performing teams, business owners and leaders need to know their behavioural styles. And when we know another person’s style versus our own, we can aim to meet them or adapt our behaviour where appropriate,” Megan says.

Given the current challenges in keeping and recruiting good staff, it’s not surprising there’s a move towards more empathetic work environments, where people are heard and understood through authentic connection. “We don’t always have the luxury of doing certain things properly but a few adaptive changes can go a long way to make positive change for workplaces. When leadership is more focused on keeping employees happy and knitting teams together, people tend to stay in their roles.”

“For some leaders it’s about re-learning behaviours but again, by simply following a few steps, results can be powerful. If we can authentically connect by understanding someone’s style and ‘meet’ them, we will hear them better and workplace cultures become healthier as a result.”

DISC Flow identifies natural strengths and challenges and breaks personalities into eight styles; then Emotional Intelligence determines how core styles are used and explains people’s adaptive ability. “Good self-awareness and awareness for others helps how I use my style,” says Megan. “Some people have a naturally high emotional intelligence and empathy, while others might be highly directed, dominant and even shut people down. Following simple steps though, those who are highly directive can learn to ask others’ opinions, or even say less, giving room for others to speak, for example.”

What:

Workshop: DISC Training for Members

When:

August 4, 2022.

Time:

7.30am - 9.30am

Where:

Fisher House, 117 Kerwyn Ave.

DISC profiles have a section called Keep, Stop, Start i.e. what will people keep doing that’s working well, and stop doing what isn’t. “Peer accountability is important here too, where team members ask others to keep them accountable to agreed behavioural changes.

Save the date

Developing your team is a passport to freedom Working with a new client he had only met via Zoom, Chris Deere from The Alternative Board asked him to complete a DISC personality/behavioural assessment prior to their appointment. At the first meeting Chris sat in on a management meeting and except for one manager who challenged his boss to be immediately shut down, no one said a word. “My client was the classic, dominant high D personality, running his business in a dominant way.” While he’d done a great job establishing the business, as it grew he had to understand that he could no longer be across every aspect of the business. He had to build a team and provide them with clear expectations, autonomy and accountability. His DISC report was the catalyst that enabled him to realise how small but intentional changes to his leadership style would lead to a happier and healthier workplace culture and ultimately his passport to freedom from the business.

Business East Tāmaki

IMMIGRATION UPDATE

Accreditation is finally here – are you ready?

Kate Ashcroft, Copeland Ashcroft

Many employers are hoping to ease the pressure of current staff shortages with migrant workers when the borders fully re-open by 1 August 2022. The new Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme has finally arrived replacing a number of temporary visa categories.

From 23 May 2022 The first step is for employers to apply for accreditation: 1.

Standard (businesses with up to five migrant workers)

High-Volume (businesses with 6 or more migrant workers)

Franchisee and labour hire companies

Accreditation will be valid for 12 months. The employer must be a genuine business, have no recent non-compliance and demonstrate supporting migrant employees to settle in NZ. Expect Immigration New Zealand to run checks, so keep a record of compliance.

Information by Copeland Ashcroft

From 4 July 2022 The potential employee is then able to apply for the AEWV. Employees can submit applications online and will require evidence they are suitably qualified and experienced for the role and meet character and health requirements. Visas will be granted for up to three years. If you currently employ migrant workers or intend to, how can you get ready? -

Check eligibility for accreditation and criteria.

Ensure relevant current and future employees complete the required online modules (and keep evidence of this).

Review employment agreements and compliance and prepare or the job check stage with detail job descriptions and advertisements.

Review current workforce requirements and remuneration in light of increased median wage.

Seek advice about what is needed to meet INZ requirements at each stage.

For all your AEWV need to know information, from accreditation to hiring a migrant worker, purchase the AEWV Made Simple guide: $250 + GST. If you are unsure if AEWV is the right visa for your workplace, purchase the Immigration Cheat Sheet which provides a complete overview of the current most common visas available: $250 + GST. For these guides or support with immigration, visit our website.

From 20 June 2022 Once accredited, the employer can apply for the job check. This confirms the particular job pays market rate, is compliant with relevant laws and there are no suitable New Zealanders available for the role. The role needs to be paid at the applicable median wage which is mostly $27.76 per hour. There are exceptions to the median wage for some hospitality and tourism roles and a lower median wage for some healthcare roles.

www.copelandashcroft.co.nz

Business East Tāmaki

SUSTAINABILITY

Bold and timely innovations at Healtheries Healtheries is the first tea brand in NZ to produce fully certified compostable tea bags.

There’s a sense of urgency now for manufacturers and producers around the world to dial back on the environmental impact that their products and packaging can have and innovate for better outcomes. One East Tāmaki company that is moving swiftly to make bold and significant changes is Vitaco Health NZ Ltd. With a vision to Empower Healthier Lives, Vitaco understands that this extends to a healthier planet. This is an area of focus that the team are passionate about and it has been a driver of Vitaco’s innovation and first cab off the rank in terms of packaging, at Healtheries. Healtheries sustainability journey sees them launching a number of bold initiatives this year: •

Bottles made from plants: Healtheries is transitioning it’s full range of supplements (80+ products) from bottles made from non-renewable oil to bottles made from plants – specifically, sugarcane. The sugarcane is ethically sourced, renewable and removes carbon from the air as it grows, resulting in much lower carbon footprint bottles. Healtheries estimate that this initiative alone will reduce their bottle carbon emissions by 92% this year* which is the equivalent to driving from AKD to WGN 1400 times. *The lid is not yet made from sugarcane

• Opaque bottles: Healtheries supplements bottles are no longer coloured or tinted, they’re opaque, allowing greater recyclability. •

Healtheries tea bags fully compostable: Healtheries removed all plastic from tea packaging (from the outer wrap to the plastic glue that binds the tea bag together). This process removed 3.8 tonnes of plastic wrap from their range annually.

• Healtheries tea bags are now made of fibre-based unbleached filter paper, the string is 100% cotton and the tags are paper. • Healtheries tea boxes are 100% recyclable and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the global authority on responsible forestry.

• Healtheries is the first brand in NZ to have certified compostable tea bags. Being compostable has the potential to divert 64m tea bags per year from landfill. Vitaco says these innovations are just the beginning. They’ve recently become members of NZ Soft Plastics, and Vitaco’s brands Musashi and Aussie Bodies protein bars are fully recyclable through the Soft Plastic Scheme with Soft Plastics collection bins in key supermarkets nationwide. Safety and Sustainability Manager at Vitaco, Leeza Aldworth, says in line with people caring for their own health more, people are caring more about the planet, and says Vitaco’s innovations beyond their own brands include the following: Water usage: A 22% reduction across all sites. Reduced waste to landfill: A 16% reduction following a strong focus on education between individual teams has led to changed behaviours. E-waste disposal campaign: Staff bring in their old phones to deposit at a central depot Recycling donations: Staff bring in unwanted clothing which is donated to charity, and surplus office furniture is donated and upcycled. Street clean ups: Various teams head out into the neighbourhood and pick up rubbish. “At Vitaco, focusing consistently on sustainability has become a part of who we are,” says Rose Powell, General Manager of People and Capability. “The virtuous cycle of sustainability is precious to our people and who we are as a business, which is fantastic. “We are proud of the results we have achieved from these initiatives but we can’t stop there,” says Leeza. “We are continually looking at what is emerging in sustainability innovations around the world and what we can do next here in New Zealand.”

DISCLAIMER: Supplementary to and not a replacement for a balanced diet. Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist, consult your healthcare professional. Vitaco Health (NZ) Ltd., Auckland. DA2239CJ021.

Business East Tāmaki

SUSTAINABILITY

Bright future for next generation of women climate leaders Many small businesses struggle with climate crisis challenges

Future climate leaders in the business, film, construction and urban design industries are among the ten women selected to participate in the C40 Auckland Women4Climate Mentorship Programme. Created as a partnership between Auckland Council and global mayor’s network C40 Cities, the programme pairs emerging women climate leaders with senior experts in their field. Through a series of mentoring sessions, training workshops and networking events, mentees are supported to take their climate action projects to the next level. Councillor Pippa Coom says, “We were really impressed by the applicants’ clear commitment to climate action and the creativity and innovation shown in their projects. Auckland Council is committed to finding new ways to respond to the climate emergency and we are thrilled to support these future climate leaders and their ideas.” Business East Tāmaki is proud that general manager Ruth White, has been selected to participate in the programme. This will enable Ruth to use her leadership experience and change management to support development of the East Tāmaki Green Business Economy. Ruth has been paired with Kate Butler-Wilson, Head of Climate Action at the Sustainable Business Council as her mentor. Ruth says, “With the support of the Women4Climate programme, I see a real opportunity to use my platform to play a part in contributing to a better future for all and ensure we’re not leaving anyone behind in our transition to zero carbon.

“There are several projects the East Tāmaki industrial area could advance, with the transport and energy sectors being obvious big-ticket items. With guidance from the mentorship programme, I look forward to co-creating solutions with local businesses to contribute to Auckland’s shared goal to halve emissions by 2030. “Many of our larger businesses are already playing their part to address the climate crisis. However, many of our smaller business owners have indicated the challenges they face including lack of time, resources and capability. I will be looking at opportunities to provide them with education and support to become leaders in this area,” says Ruth. Throughout the year, programme participants will take part in global training sessions run by C40 Cities – a network of nearly 100 world-leading cities collaborating to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis. Training sessions will cover topics such as being a climate change leader and influencing others, effective communications and negotiating, finding common ground and overcoming entrenched resistance, plus technical topics like carbon accounting. Through participating in the training and networking sessions, participants will have the opportunity to make connections with like-minded women working on climate and sustainability around the world. For a full list of participants, their projects and their mentors, visit the Women4Climate website.

Business East Tāmaki

CRIME PREVENTION

Performance & Deployment “Often what is stolen pales in comparison to the cost of the damage. Ice creams were targeted in one raid, and in another 16 youths and three cars were involved so the potential for accidents can be high. “Trauma, property damage and financial cost experienced by the victims are the heart-breaking consequences of ram-raids. A lot of the raids are on dairies and many shop owners live above their stores. Raids are hugely impactful, especially if there is structural damage to shops and homes as well.”

Focused on solutions Update from Inspector Scott Gemmell, Counties Manukau East Area Commander One of society’s recent challenges, the phenomena that is ram-raids and which have been occurring across the country, appear to have spiked, with Counties Manukau East experiencing that spike since about November 2021. Counties Manukau East Area Commander Scott Gemmell, says some of the offenders are as young as seven, with older youths aged up to 20. “Police are dealing with complex causes of this offending and some of the youth involved are already known to Oranga Tamariki and health agencies. The offenders are often quite open with Police about their motivations – many are bored and seeking infamy. There’s a lot of posting on social media, fuelled by wanting to gain online ‘Likes’ which makes the offenders more competitive.

Councils, business owners and the community are galvanising against ram-raids through the initiative, Crime Prevention through Environmental Design, or CPTED, to help improve outcomes. CPTED involves designing buildings to overlook streets and public places, ensuring sightlines along routes, installing effective lighting and avoiding entrapment situations. Last year the National Retail Investigation Team was established to work across Tamaki Makaurau and is based in Otahuhu. It focuses on ram-raids and Auckland Council has a dedicated group involved with ‘target hardening’ or ‘shop boarding’ to help ensure shops are less likely targets. Surveillance strategies include CCTV cameras, onsite security, flood lights and environmental design incorporating aesthetic barriers such as bollards, large feature rocks, sculptures, planter boxes and seating. “These strategies are similar to those used to prevent shoplifting, and keeping high value items obscured from view and creating

Business East Tāmaki

barriers between doors are a big part of this,” says Scott. “The public can assist here too. A lot of vehicles used in ram-raids are stolen and specific automatics like Demios and Aquas are still being targeted. Keeping vehicles secure will mean less are available to carry out the raids and we constantly encourage the use of security mechanisms like steering wheel locks and keeping valuables out of sight. Refusing to receive stolen goods from higher value ram-raids that target iPads and iPhones, for example, can also help break the cycle of demand.”

Illegal Steet Racing There has been a significant increase in these events happening across Auckland. Closed chat rooms are used to coordinate gatherings and some attract up to 200 to 300 cars. Police use disruption and displacing tactics to control these illegal assemblies and when offences are committed such as burn outs with sustained loss of vehicle control and unroadworthy vehicles identified, offenders can be charged and vehicles impounded.

Morale high at CME While there’s always plenty going on for Police, morale is high at CME, says Scott. “New, keen staff come on board every five weeks and they’re welcomed into the fold and well supported. There’s a great team spirit.”

ADVOCACY

Opportunities for Waste Innovators to get a funding boost for projects Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Innovation Fund (WMIF) is on the ‘look-out’ for innovative waste minimisation projects it can fund. The aim of the fund is to create change in community behaviour and attitudes towards waste. Less than 20 per cent of Auckland’s waste is actually from household collections, so private sector partners are needed to help lead the way in their industries. Resource recovery projects are important for reaching Auckland’s climate goals because they reduce emissions and preserve embedded carbon by extending the lifecycle of the materials they recover. Development of a regional resource recovery network has a big role to play in Auckland’s aim for zero waste by 2040. In the next ten years, Auckland Council hopes that most people will live within 20 minutes of a Community Recycling Centre where they can drop off or pick up items instead of having to buy things new. The Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund uses a portion of the funds allocated to Auckland Council from the national waste levy. It is primarily intended to provide seed funding to encourage and enable creative reuse and recovery and generate economic opportunities.

to 100 per cent of their waste. More private-sector construction and demolition projects are measuring their waste and trialling alternatives to landfill. Projects being funded from last year include recycling of uPVC and HDPE plastic from construction. That project will also collect data on this common material to inform future investment in recycling infrastructure. Last year more than thirty organisations and businesses received a boost in funding. Collectively, the thirty organisations and business grant recipients received $528,782 for a range of projects designed to promote waste minimisation and reduce waste to landfill. Textile waste, fire extinguisher powder, polystyrene, medical supplies, and milk kegs also got funding as new recycling initiatives. The waste minimisation activities ranged from $5000 to $50,000 in funding from the waste levy. For more about the Waste Minimisation Innovation Fund and opportunities to fund your innovative waste idea in 2022/23… contact aucklandwastefund@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz By Dr Grant Hewison

A minimum 50 per cent contribution towards the projects is required from applicants. This can be achieved through additional funding from their own or other resources or time-in-kind. Private investment and funding from other providers are encouraged and considered favourably by the assessment team. Construction and demolition waste is the largest source of materials to landfill – more than double the waste from all the weekly rubbish collections across Auckland. A typical new house build might waste an average of 4.5 tonnes of materials. This is the equivalent of around 30 years of weekly kerbside refuse collections for one person in Auckland. Keeping construction materials out of landfill and moving them into the circular economy is a priority for Auckland Council projects. Some of Council’s own projects, like the City Rail Link, divert close

Business East Tāmaki

About the author: Dr Grant Hewison is the director of Grant Hewison & Associates Ltd, a firm specialising in local government and environmental legal and consultancy services. Outside his day job, Grant enjoys playing music and joins a blues/ jazz/mellow rock band, which performs fortnightly at the Grey Lynn farmers market.

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June 2022 update During the last six months property owners, stakeholders and the community have given feedback on the proposed busway design between Pakuranga and Botany, which has been carefully considered by Auckland Transport (AT). In February 2022 AT approved the design for the busway section between Pakuranga and Ti Rakau Drive Bridge. In May 2022 AT considered the route options between TI Rakau Drive Bridge and Botany Town Centre and would like further time to engage with the community before deciding the proposed route. AT’s decision on this section of the alignment will be known at the beginning of July.

Botany Downs Secondary College

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Business East Tāmaki

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The Eastern Busway is a significant project that is about more than just better transport. It will enable East Auckland to continue to develop and grow through investment, creation of jobs and greater social mobility. Its efficient services will give nearby communities a compelling reason to leave the car at home, and it will be a vital part of Tāmaki Makaurau’s public transport network for decades to come.

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Construction starting soon on the Eastern Busway from Pakuranga

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EASTERN BUSWAY UPDATE

Building the busway from Pakuranga to Ti Rakau Drive Bridge, and the Reeves Road Flyover The project team is planning to build the busway safely in stages, as quickly as possible and in a way that minimises disruption. From late August this year you can expect to see preparation work in and around the Pakuranga Town Centre and along Ti Rakau Drive to Ti Rakau Drive Bridge. The team will start to prepare vacated properties to be deconstructed and begin clearing sites. As with the construction, clearance work will take place in stages and there will be several steps involved to ensure it is done safely and efficiently. The alliance is working with suppliers and organisations to relocate buildings and reuse as much material from them as possible. All properties will be tested for asbestos before any work starts. Our priority during this stage will be coordinating with neighbours to ensure the appropriate installation of safety fences and security measures, and that disruption is minimised. Pre-condition surveys for neighbouring properties will also be completed.

Community information sessions The Eastern Busway Alliance will be hosting some pop-in information sessions during July and August. The details of the events will be widely advertised and available on the project’s website easternbuway.nz. Information required for construction consents will also be available. It includes measures to ensure careful management of construction noise and vibration, traffic, dust generation and other construction effects. The team encourages Business East Tāmaki members, other key stakeholders, affected property owners and the community to come along to meet the team and find out how the busway will be built.

Who is the Eastern Busway Alliance? Auckland Transport is working with Fletcher, ACCIONA, AECOM and Jacobs to deliver the Eastern Busway from Pakuranga to Botany. Alliances are the recommended way to deliver large infrastructure projects like this one. They let organisations specialising in different areas such as safety, planning, community engagement, design and engineering, come together. They share their skills and knowledge to find efficient and innovative ways to get better results for the local community, customers, partners and stakeholders. More information is available at easternbusway.nz, email info@easternbusway.nz or call 0800 BUSWAY.

Business East Tāmaki

TAKE A MINUTE

Lose yourself in a book

Cracking Open The Nest Egg Best Selling financial guru Martin Hawes will help you to confidently take control of your financial future and achieve the kind of retirement you always dreamed of. By Martin Hawes

Freezing Order Following his explosive international bestseller Red Notice, Bill Browder returns with another gripping thriller. Freezing Order chronicles how he became Vladimir Putin’s number one enemy by exposing Putin’s campaign to steal and launder hundreds of billions of dollars and kill anyone who stands in his way. By Bill Browder

How The World Really Works This is the one book you need to read to understand our modern world. Drawing on the latest science including his own fascinating research, and tackling sources of misinformation head on, Smil answers the most profound question of our age – are we irrevocably doomed or is a brighter utopia ahead? By Vaclav Smil

Winter. Ahh…. early nights, snuggling in, and delving into some blissful escapism. There’s almost nothing as satisfying as a really good book. We hope Tony Moores’ latest selections from the hot new reads that have just landed at Poppies do the trick for you. Enjoy!

Simple Wholefoods Plant-based, gluten-free and refined sugar-free, these modern, family-friendly recipes all use ingredients as close to their natural state as possible. By Sophie Steevens

The Louvre Almost nine million people from all over the world flock to the Louvre in Paris every year to see its’ incomparable art collection. Yet few, if any, are aware of the remarkable history of that location and of the buildings, and how they chronicle the history of Paris itself. A fascinating story that historian James Gardner elegantly tells for the first time.

Poppies Howick 83 Picton St, Howick 2014 www.poppiesbooks.co.nz howick@poppiesbooks.co.nz 09 5329642

By James Gardner

GLOBAL CALENDAR UPCOMING DATES OF SIGNIFICANCE

JULY 03 12 18 30

AUGUST

International Plastic Bag Free Day

01 - 05

Cook Islands Language Week

Malala Day

International Day of the World’s Indigenous People

Nelson Mandela International Day International Day of Friendship

International Youth Day

Left-Handers Day

World Humanitarian Day

Business East Tāmaki

SEPTMEBER 01

NZ Random Acts of Kindness Day

Father’s Day

International Literacy Day

World Suicide Prevention Day

12 – 16 Māori Language Week 21

World Gratitude Day

World Car-Free Day

HIGHBROOK CROSSING, 60 HIGHBROOK DRIVE

At Highbrook Crossing in the centre of the park, there’s a dining option for everyone. Dine-in at The ‘Brook, Namaste or Fisher House for a business lunch or friendly catch-up, grab a coffee or sandwich from Habitual Fix, Subway or the Hollywood Bakery and get tasty takeaways from Kagura.

BACK TO BUSINESS AND BACK TO LUNCH!

Highbrook isn’t just about business — we have a range of cafés, restaurants and other services to enjoy while you’re here. You’ll also find the Waipuna Conference Suites at the Crossing – ideal if you need to hire a venue, big or small, for an event. Nearby, Quest Apartments offer quality accommodation for business travellers, while Jetts Gym is a handy spot for a workout.

Pop into Smile Superette for any little extras – including parcel post. Highbrook is open to everyone, and parking couldn’t be easier. Come for a visit or have a browse through our website for more information.

highbrook.co.nz

FOCUS

Creating an East Tamaki for all.

businesset.org.nz Image courtesy of Highbrook Medical