Wellington Today magazine issue 74

Issue 74 | December 2010/January 2011

In the hot seat

Celia Wade-Brown’s vision for the city

Smart Selling

Tactics to get cash registers ringing

Dealing with disaster

Lessons from the Garden City

The hunt for hospitality

Are consumers regaining their appetite?

Working at war

Keep your friends close and your colleagues closer

The Santa spend

Will this Christmas be a cracker?

Balancing act Love him or loathe him, the one thing you can’t accuse Sir Roger Douglas of is sitting on the fence

News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Information | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1173-1524

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 3

Issue 74 | December 2010/January 2011

In the hot seat

Celia Wade-Brown’s vision for the city

Smart Selling

Tactics to get cash registers ringing

Dealing with disaster

Lessons from the Garden City

The hunt for hospitality

Are consumers regaining their appetite?

Working at war

Keep your friends close and your colleagues closer

The Santa spend

Will this Christmas be a cracker?

Balancing act Love him or loathe him, the one thing you can’t accuse Sir Roger Douglas of is sitting on the fence

News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Information | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1173-1524

Wellington Today

Issue 74

10,464

6

12

16

In the hot seat

Dealing with disaster

Working at war

Mayor-elect Celia Wade-Brown has a definite vision for the capital

Complacency about lack of perceived risk caught out many Canterbury business

Keep your friends close and your colleagues closer

ABC circulation as at 30/06/10

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz Head office Academy House 818 Colombo Street PO Box 1879 Christchurch

Smart selling

Viewpoints

6 What Wellington wants industry leaders’ thoughts on the way forward

20 Face off the pros and cons of putting a face to your brand

26 Management top tips for CEOs

7 The new dynamic duo what the WCC and EMA amalgamation means

managing director Gary Collins

7 Websites that work simple rules for online success

General manager Rebecca Harris administration Kylie Moore admin manager Kelly Clarke Rebecca McQueen Kimberley Wells Craig Mills sales & advertising Robert Cochrane Doug Walker Jane Watson Graeme Tall Grant Williams Luke Finucane Janet Campbell David Kerr John Somerville

News

sales executives

8 Hunting for hospitality are consumers regaining their appetite?

9 The Santa spend will this Christmas be a cracker?

14 Communication games engagement is your bottom line’s best friend 24 Products 4U the bean scene

21 Making effective messages confusing advertising for marketing can be a costly mistake 21 Discount dangers why price slashing isn’t always the answer 22 Paying for performance performance based pay can be a double-edged sword 22 Show and tell trade shows are easy to attend, but how do you avoid getting lost in the crowd?

Business features 31 Transport & Motoring Bruce L Mills 2000, Arlington Motors and Wellington Combined Taxis 34 Business development Stewarts Electrical and Aquaheat Industries

25 Lifestyles toys, tools, destinations and palate pleasers

41 Property & Construction Construction Contracts, Acma Industries, Multibuild and Silbery Roofing

26 Events diary courses, events and seminars near you

newsroom Jonathon Taylor Marie Sherry Melinda Collins Kate Pierson Bridget Gourlay

26 Workplace focus • anything worth doing, is worth doing… poorly • creating a positive work environment

editor

Phone: 03 961 5050 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: editor@academy.net.nz

production Fleur Hall Carolynne Brown Melanie Stanbury CJ McKay Hayley Brocket Ryan Carter Ian Knott Kirsty Opie Jarred Shakespeare

manager assistants designers

Phone: 03 961 5050 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: production@academy.net.nz

Disclaimer: This publication is provided on the basis that A-Mark Publishing is not responsible for the results of any actions taken on the basis of information in these articles, nor for any error or omission from these articles and that the firm is not hereby engaged in rendering advice or services.

A-Mark Publishing expressly disclaim all and any liability and responsibility to any person in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done, or omitted to be done, by any such a person in reliance, whether wholly or partially upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.

Advertising feature articles are classified as advertising content and as such, information contained in them is subject to the Advertising Standards Authority Codes of Practice.

Contents Copyright 2010 by A-Mark Publishing (NZ) Ltd. All rights reserved.

No article or advertisement may be reproduced without written permission.

18

20

28

Cover story

Smart selling

Motoring

Love him or loathe him, the one thing Sir Roger Douglas can’t be accused of is sitting on the fence

Tools and tactics to get cash registers ringing

The Peugeot RCZ wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk but how does it perform on the road?

* CONDITIONS OF ENTRY: One entry only per person and must be sent on the official entry form or as otherwise stated. Entry is free and open to all residents of New Zealand. All entrants must be over the age of 18, proof of identity and date of birth may be requested.

Employees and their immediate families of Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication are ineligible to enter. Winner(s) will be notified by e-mail/phone. The judges’ decision is final, no correspondence will be entered into. No responsibility is accepted for late, lost or misdirected mail. Prizes are not transferable or redeemable for cash. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever suffered (including but not limited to direct or consequential loss) or personal injury suffered or sustained, during the course of prize winning travel or in connection with any other prizes won. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication accept no responsibility for health, luggage, insurances, travel, personal expenses and transfers other than specified. Entries remain the property of Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication and cannot be returned. Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication reserves the right to photograph and publish winners. Entries may be used for further marketing purposes by Academy Publishing, the promoter and agencies associated with any promotion in this publication but are not made available to any third party.

4 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

This publication is printed on papers supplied by

All wood originates from sustainably managed forests or waste sources. All mills utilise the Chain of Custody system to verify fibre source.

The end product is recyclable.

All mills are ISO 14001 certified.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 5

News

In the

By Bridget Gourlay

corridor. Tourists and business people arriving at the airport will have a fast, convenient and cost-effective way to get into town.”

Celia Wade-Brown’s diverse life experience involves working in IT, Business teaching, serious green credentials “To help build a vibrant city we need to build and more than a decade working in vibrant businesses,” Wade-Brown says.

To participate on the world stage, Wellington public office. In other words, she’s needs cheap, pervasive and reliable internet the quintessential Wellingtonian connections in the form of ultra-fast fibre and, as such, has a definite vision optic-based broadband. “The council can facilitate this through supporting microfor the capital.

Transport “Transport is always a defining issue in Wellington,” Wade-Brown says. “We all want to get places without more traffic jams, stress and pollution.”

Like any self-respecting member of the Green Party, Wade-Brown wants to make better cycle and walkways for the city.

“Make no mistake, we’ve already made positive progress on some of these issues during my time on council. We’re already described as the world’s fifthranked eco-city. But there’s ample room for improvement.”

Wade-Brown intends to steer the construction of a world class light rail system from the railway station to Courtenay Place via the Golden Mile, then onwards to the hospital and Newtown and through Kilbirnie to the airport.

She says the planning process should be completed in her first term as mayor. All going to plan, the rail system should be completed by 2020.

“I’m excited about how Wellington can look with a world class light rail system. Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place and Adelaide Road will be more vibrant and more pleasant places to live, shop and work, while carrying nearly double the passengers of the existing congested bus network. Businesses and apartments will be drawn to the new light rail

trenching for fibre access and with IT skills development, especially for those who’ve grown up without computer literacy,” the former IBM employee says. “We can also work collaboratively with central government on its ultra-fast broadband initiatives.”

Wade-Brown plans to convene a forum of business, IT and community leaders to investigate how Wellington can foster innovative companies and return to the forefront of IT leadership “for e-democracy, e-business and continued reduction in the digital divide”.

She wants Grow Wellington, the economic development agency, to be a key player.

Wellington became the country’s first Fairtrade city and she wants to do more with this status.

“The ethical basis for Fairtrade is a great example of how consumption and economic forces can either be anti-people and antienvironment or supportive within clear limits.”

She also wants to capitalise more on Wellington being the fifth largest marine realm in the world, by investigating its options for clean power and promoting it to tourists.

Home sweet home Wade-Brown lives in Island Bay with her husband and two sons. The family grow vegetables and fruit in their backyard and are constantly adding more sustainable features to their home, such as double-glazing and a rainwater filtering system.

What Wellington wants What

By Bridget Gourlay

For the next three years newbie Celia Wade-Brown is in charge of the capital. So what does she need to do to further Wellington’s enviable reputation and to ensure the new Auckland supercity amalgamation doesn’t commandeer all the Government dosh?

David Perks, CEO of tourism group Positively Wellington, thinks more than solving problems, Wade-Brown’s tasks will be looking out for further opportunities for the capital. “How do we enable business and the food sector to take on the ‘food capital’ label further… how do we continue to nurture the arts regardless of other cities’ arts programmes … how do we incorporate urban art into the city so that it adds to the texture?”

Perks would also like work to continue on the “good” access from the waterfront to the CBD.

Mike Egan, president of Restaurant Association Wellington, says the new

“It has been a useful dialogue that we’ve had, it gives us confidence to continue to innovate.

Honesty is a given — trust has been earned.

We’re not broken, so don’t try to fix it. At the same we’ve got to keep driving, we can’t rest on our laurels.”

With the recent amalgamation of councils in Auckland into one supercity, other cities around the country are worried all available government money will be funnelled up north.

South Island mayors met recently to discuss forming a South Island-wide mayoral forum to represent interests to central government.

David Perks says he isn’t too concerned about mayor will need to keep doing what the mayor the supercity. “I think the mayor and council and council have done for the past decade. will make sure Wellington isn’t forgotten, we will work with central government to get “She will need to continue the positive relationship the council and the managers have investment — we’re part of an uprising New Zealand economy as well. built with the business community.

“Wellington does things very well, there’s no reason to feel too threatened by Auckland.”

6 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Ken Harris, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, says Wellington leaders will have to work together to ensure all the money doesn’t get funnelled up north.

“We do wish our big sister city all the best too, because everyone wants a prosperous and well-run Auckland, but we must make sure it doesn’t crowd out the rest of New Zealand.

“I am hopeful the Wellington mayor, council and business groups will work closely, inclusively and collaboratively to make sure that won’t happen.”

Harris says he enjoyed working with former mayor Kerry Prendergast, but is also excited by Celia Wade-Brown’s ideas and vision for the city.

“I think every council makes a contribution, the new mayor’s contribution may be different, but in a positive way. As a cyclist myself, I’m looking forward to her new cycleways being implemented.”

The new

dynamic

By Kate Pierson

Some of the greatest successes to make our headlines have been achieved by a team of two and it’s not rocket science to see why.

Whether it’s the motivating factor of being part of a dynamic duo, an intuitive kinship, or a clever collaboration, quite simply, it comes down to that age old adage that two heads are better than one.

Joining forces, whether matrimonially, socially, politically or professionally, is about a solid unification and commitment. On the business front, it’s also about strategy. The merger between the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Employers and Manufacturers Association Central (EMAC) is testament to that fact.

It was almost a unanimous verdict at the EMAC special general meeting on April 8 when the resolutions were circulated and 92 percent of votes were delivered in favour of the amalgamation decision.

Prior to the merger, chamber president Jo Bransgrove expressed her confidence in the decision. “This will expand the range of services offered to chamber members in Wellington and the wider region and grow the chamber’s membership base.

“At the most basic level we see efficiency gains flowing from sharing back office services with EMA. We see the EMA as ideal partners in this respect as the chamber and the EMA have shared values and distinct but complementary service offerings.”

Enhancement On July 1, less than two months after the merger was put to vote, the collaboration had been implemented and the collective objective for the newly formed Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central and its Wellington branch (Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce) was all about organisational enhancement.

The amalgamation of the two entities promised a diversification and improvement of the existing services for members. The economies of working co-operatively also enabled lower subscription costs when accessing the offerings of both the chamber and EMA. Preceding the merger, Charles Finny’s role as chief executive of the chamber came to an end and he was succeeded by Ken Harris.

A Wellington-based businessman, Harris previously managed NZL Group, a logistics company based in Tauranga and Auckland.

Harris says while the primary role of the chamber is to be in touch with the local business community and promote the needs of its members, in the same token, the infrastructure employed to meet chamber constituents’ needs and expectations, can be shared considerably and the amalgamation has enabled this.

“We have brilliant opportunities to enhance our services; it is about getting the best of both

worlds. It really is all about collaboration. New Zealanders should compete where appropriate and collaborate when appropriate. The whole team has a huge capability which we want to make available to other chambers.”

Post-merger, existing and new members have the opportunity to maintain their current service offering or opt for a combined service offering at a significant discount to the current cost of belonging to each organisation separately.

The advisory services available stem from EMAC and the network services, the chamber and members can utilise services at a good price point without ongoing overheads.

Enhanced member to member relationships and the professional possibilities that evolve from these internal connections are also a significant benefit of the amalgamation.

“Straight away the merger increased the membership numbers and that in itself

duo

News

increased the impact we can have within the region,” Bransgrove confirms.

“We feel very excited about the opportunities going forward and we have had good feedback overall.

“The merger also means we can share costs and provide a more efficient and much wider range of services with more depth.”

Harris agrees with Bransgrove, noting that the focus now and for the future will be on maximising membership benefits.

“We will be working to progressively upgrade our business systems course as we have the advantage of more critical mass.”

For more information on the Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central, or its Wellington branch, the Wellington Employers’ Chamber of Commerce visit www.wgtn-chamber.co.nz

Websites that work

By Bridget Gourlay

In our digital world, websites are the new shop windows.

They are the first glance, and if done properly, they’ll make people want to come in and look around.

In this case, bigger isn’t always better. Don’t think flash graphics, acres of text or expensive tools are necessarily going to drive business.

Olivier Teernstra, programmer and graphic designer at Imachination, says the best advice he can offer is to keep it simple.

“Make sure the most important information — the ‘about us’ and contact details are very prominent. As long as you stick to making sure the most important information is no more than a couple of clicks away then everything else is just the cream on top.”

Recently I visited a property investment website which showed 15 seconds of panoramic shots of the area they were

selling before I could see the homepage, which made me feel bored and frustrated.

Am I just a product of the MTV generation?

has a website, it should continue to asses its worth and information.

No, Teernstra says. That would irritate most of the website visitors.

“SMEs should know how many first time and how many repeat visitors come to their website, every week, every month.

“People hate that. The client may like the flashy images, because it shows off the brand but the customer or the visitor just wants information.”

“They need to know what areas of the site they visited and how many visited the parts of the site you want them to visit the most, for example signing up for email updates.”

Teernstra thinks www.apple.com is a great example of a website with a lot of information that isn’t overwhelming. He says it is really easy to navigate and is aesthetically pleasing.

Design + speed

Andrew Duck, executive director of Quigcorp, says many small businesses get a website built for the wrong reasons.

“The thing most people miss is purpose — clients say they need a website right now, because their competitors have got one.

“They don’t have an understanding of process or an idea of how they will use it or what you can do online.”

Marketing miss Duck says he knows a business who spent $30,000 on a website but never put it on their business cards, let alone marketed it properly. And once a business

Duck says a well designed website is the most important factor. But he says speed comes a close second.

“Statistics used to show people would wait seven seconds before deciding whether to stay or go. That statistic is now 0.7 seconds. As soon as they see first image they decide whether to trust you or not, and trust is a currency.”

Bold headings, hardly any text, quick access to information without fancy videos?

It may sound like the ideal website should be designed for five year olds.

Alternatively, you may prefer to think about it in Leonardo da Vinci’s terms, who said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 7

News

The hunt for

hospitality

By Kate Pierson

We all love to be wined and dined and, like a fine wine, the hospitality industry has become more refined with age. The etiquette and disciplines adopted by the movers and shakers of this business landscape have evolved continuously since the Homeric ages when hospitality was considered a sacred practice.

In New Zealand, hospitality is an industry that serves us well — literally. It is, however, vulnerable by nature. For the past 18 months the hospitality industry has born the financial brunt of deserted restaurants, sparsely populated cafés and abandoned bar seats, as lighter pockets have seen consumers forced to differentiate want from need.

But the doom and gloom is subsiding, thanks to an economy progressively regaining momentum and the impending onset of football fever (Rugby World Cup 2011). Better still, it seems consumers have got their appetites back and regular dining excursions are back on their recreational menu.

In light of the uptake, the Hospitality Standards Institute (HSI) has commissioned a survey on the industry which employs 126,000 people and contributes two percent to New Zealand’s GDP, to identify areas in which the sector can improve. As the industry body training 10,000 chefs, baristas, managers and bar tenders each year, the HSI says more than 24,000 people will need to enter the hospitality industry during the next four years to keep pace with predicted growth.

Hospitality Association of New Zealand (HANZ) chief executive Bruce Robertson says these expectations are a fair reflection of how the sector will progress, although the forecasted growth will be slow given the sector’s evolution is dependent on economy and legislative constraints.

Challenges associated with the Government’s liquor reforms announced in August will restrict hours of operation and ultimately impact on how businesses can meet customer wants and expectations. Robertson also believes the legislation change will not eliminate problems associated with underage and binge drinking.

Expressing concern specifically about HANZ’s home base, Wellington city, Robertson discusses how Wellington businesses can mitigate these changes. “The hospitality industry in Wellington can make it clear to local and national government bodies that by implementing restricting policies they will restrict industry growth and the economic wellbeing of Wellington city.”

Beyond the bureaucracy, Robertson says continual shortages of staff, specifically chefs, supervisory staff and managers, within New Zealand hospitality also need to be rectified with the recruitment of local and international workers. “We need ongoing training to develop our own talent, as well as overseas talent, to meet growing expectations.”

In its industry update, Taking A Leadership Role, the HSI also acknowledges the critical role these authoritative parties play within hospitality businesses. “Supervisors are very often the glue that binds the place together.

They interact with customers, staff and other managers in the business and so they need to know the ‘big picture’ as well as understanding the daily details to help with the smooth running of that business.”

The HSI hosts a number of leadership courses and workshops for workers looking to train and upskill and HANZ provides access to legal advice and information on employment, liquor licences and other compliance issues.

wineries, serviced apartment complexes and catering businesses. Collectively, these members have more than 30,000 beds, 60,000 dining seats, run 15,000 gaming machines and employ more than 50,000 staff.

Current members of HANZ include cafes, bars, hotels, motels, restaurants, taverns, country hotels, motor inns, off-licence premises,

For more information on HANZ, visit www.hanz.org.nz and on the Hospitality Standards Institute, visit www.hsi.co.nz

“I’ve met a lot of great Wairarapa food producers at events and markets. I noticed all of them were working hard to produce product, manage a business, process, market and sell product.

“I’ve also discussed the ‘one-stop shop’ for pure Wairarapa products with several of my target market — high end restaurants, luxury lodges and gourmet delis — and have received good support for the concept.”

Getting the word out

By Melinda Collins

It’s long been suggested that good things come in small packages.

But in our little South Pacific corner of the globe we know this — more than 99 percent of our businesses fit into the small to medium enterprise category, according to Massey University.

But it’s what our SMEs are capable of which raises the most eyebrows. We’re a hard working, results driven bunch, particularly if the food and beverage sectors at the heart of our agri-reliant nation are anything to go by.

“The food and beverage sector is responsible for over half of New Zealand’s export earnings,” Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee says.

“Directly or indirectly, the sector employs one in five of the working population. Given its

importance, maintaining and improving the performance of this sector is essential to achieving the Government’s economic growth agenda.”

But it’s widely believed the underlying factor to “My experience tells me that you can’t do success is marketing and when you’re a small everything well and so I wanted to help to medium company in a small to medium them by relieving them of the marketing and country, that’s easier said than done. sales function,” she says. “Many of the local Lucy Cruickshank has proved food and producers are small in size and can’t afford a beverage companies don’t need the financial full-time sales and marketing manager but clout or the global pizzazz of a commercial could contribute to a shared resource.” giant to grab the consumer’s attention. She developed the Pure Aotearoa banner in Sharing resource 2008 to give premium New Zealand food That shared resource is Pure Wairarapa. and beverages a global audience. Quite “The businesses have an experienced shared simply — marketing and selling our products marketing and sales manager for a fragment internationally. “I find great New Zealand of the cost, they don’t have to head out on the producers and line them up with appropriate road and sell, meaning they can concentrate global buyers,” Cruickshank says. on running their business and the sum is greater than the parts — each producer can While she has since sold Pure Aotearoa to piggy-back on the outlets the others have.”

Highford Marketing, she has developed Pure Wairarapa — the same concept, but for a domestic market — essentially creating a one-stop shop for Wairarapa produce.

8 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Since developing the Wairarapa concept, she has been approached by several Wairarapa producers.

The first of big plans is to establish six premium Wairarapa suppliers and align them with at least 100 high end customers.

“Medium term I would like to see us generate enough revenue to appoint a Pure Wairarapa sales team and promote food tourism in the Wairarapa.

“Long term is to see my Wairarapa suppliers each reach export readiness and to export them successfully through Pure Aotearoa.”

She would like to see the model franchised in her hometown of Southland in the future and says it is a concept which could well lend itself to other industries.

For more information contact lucy@purewairarapa.co.nz

News

The

Santa spend

By Bridget Gourlay

It’s the most wonderful time of year, or so the cheesy American Christmas carols goes. That sentiment might be debatable but the silly season is usually wonderful for retailers as Kiwis spend up on gifts.

Christmas cheer took a dive in 2008 and it wasn’t much better last year. So will this Christmas be one to get retailers singing and tills ringing?

In general, retailers have pared back costs in business operations over the past few years and many are now running throughout the year on a ‘bare bones’ structure.

Temporary staff will be needed to cover permanent staff who want to take holidays.

In Wellington, Chamber of Commerce CEO Ken Harris agrees. “My view, based on talking with local businesses, is that there will be casual employment but it will be closer to Christmas than usual.

“We do expect casual employment to be up on last year though.”

Advice As tempting as it may be to cut prices and hope shoppers spend up large, Harris recommends retailers make sure they don’t cut too close to their margins. If they do, be sure to know why, he says.

NZ Retailers Association CEO John Albertson is optimistic that this Christmas will be a good one for retailers.

Christmas Day falls on a Saturday this year.

NZ Retailers Association CEO John Albertson thinks many people will be heading away on holiday on Friday, December 24, meaning the big spending will probably happen the weekend before, on December 18-19.

Ensure a cracker of a Christmas by keeping it simple, Albertson advises.

“Simplicity in shopping is what customers want. They are under huge pressure, thinking of lots of things like Christmas dinner and family, and the easier you make it for them to shop, the better sales will be.”

It has been a tough 12-18 months with the recession and a “lousy winter” because of the Canterbury earthquake and floods in Southland, he says.

So the message is — get the displays up, get new products on the shelves and get ready for the tills to be a-jingling. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, after all.

PROUDLY PRINTED IN NEW ZEALAND

The New Zealand Panorama Collection

“People will be looking to be positive and to do something for themselves.”

Corporate Christmas Card Range

Tax cuts and GST In October, the Government gave everyone, particularly middle and high income earners, a tax cut and put GST up to 15 percent.

Morning Star economist Nachi Moghe says he doesn’t think the changes will have any effect on Christmas sales because those getting an extra $50 a week won’t be too tempted to spend more, as goods from China will be rising because of the strong yuan.

John Albertson disagrees. He thinks by early December people will have a clear understanding of what the tax cuts will mean, and have a better idea about how prosperous they are feeling.

More jobs In the golden, pre-recession days, shops were eager to take on temporary staff during December to deal with extra customers and often kept them on into January when regular

VIEW & ORDER ONLINE

www.christmascardsdirect.co.nz

employees went on holiday. This meant more jobs which were snapped up by tertiary students saving up for the year ahead.

With all orders of 250 or more cards, you will receive a free copy of David Kerr’s best seller New Zealand - A Pictorial Journey valued at $29.95.

Hardcover 96 pages in full colour showcasing New Zealand’s spectacular landscapes.

But recently, many retailers haven’t taken on casual sales staff during December, or as many as usual. However, Albertson says shops will still need temporary staff although maybe not to the same extent as in the past.

Phone 09 5285 419

email: info@christmascardsdirect.co.nz

Simplicity in shopping is what customers want. They are under huge pressure, thinking of lots of things like Christmas dinner and family, and the easier you make it for them to shop, the better sales will be.

John Albertson, CEO NZ Retailers Association CEO

www.christmascardsdirect.co.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 9

The battle against plastic In 2000, Dianne Collins was diagnosed with cancer. She was only 61. Her son, Gary began to research the issue, looking for answers. What caused cancer and how it could be stopped were questions that began to plague his mind.

In Gary’s research, the same word kept coming up in all the information he read. A chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) was increasingly being questioned by reputable doctors and researchers and was being reported in mainstream health magazines.

In fact, all commercial hospitality cooking equipment is made in stainless steel for this reason.

And because they are stainless steel they can be reused again and again – no more plastic clogging up our landfills or killing our vulnerable sea creatures.

How often is our tap water regulated?

The problem with BPA is it behaves similarly to estrogen. When enough of this accumulates in the body there can be negative health effects – that’s why BPA has been linked to obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and hyperactivity.

SafeBottles come in 500, 750 and 1000ml varieties and are in a variety of designs and colours.

SafeBottles can use a custom-made design, making them the perfect choice for a sports team.

Locally, the supply is owned by a local authority such as a district or city council, who extracts the water, runs the treatment plant to remove contaminants and pipes the water to your door. Under the DrinkingWater Standards for New Zealand 2005 (which applies to private and public water supplies, but not bottled water!), they are expected to test the water regularly to ensure it is safe.

Gary’s mum died in 2001. But he couldn’t forget about the issues he’d come across.

“I discovered many possible causes of cancer that I’d never heard of before, and whether it’s a conspiracy, or simply ignorance by us, the general public, I feel it’s time people became aware of some of these issues.”

While BPA exists only in some plastic bottles, our standard day to day plastic bottles can leak out other toxic chemicals such as phthalates and antimony when scratched or heated.

The more he read about plastic bottles, the more the self-described ‘non-greenie’ came across uncomfortable facts about the environmental problems these drink bottles cause.

Plastic bottles are a petroleum product and use 151 billion litres of oil to produce each year. That’s enough to run 500,000 cars per year.

In New Zealand, 78 percent of the time these bottles are not recycled and they go to landfills, where 700 years later they start to decompose.

A significant amount of the world’s plastic winds up at sea. There’s an area estimated to be the size of Texas (some say twice the size) in the Pacific Ocean known as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, a floating mass of plastic rubbish.

A lot of this plastic that ends up at sea gets eaten by hungry animals thinking it’s food. Many researches and environmental organisations list plastic as the number one threat to our marine environment.

All of this research inspired Gary to act.

As the CEO of several successful New Zealand businesses, he turned his entrepreneurial eye to a solution that would stop people from using the chemical ridden and environmentally devastating plastic bottles.

The culmination of his research, and arguably one answer in the fight against cancer and environmental harm, is this September SafeBottles will be officially launched.

These BPA-free bottles are made from high quality stainless steel. Unlike aluminium, the inside isn’t coated with an epoxy lining, which becomes dangerous if scratched.

Within a typical CBD, it’s easy to count how many free water fountains there are – usually about three, all within parks.

However, corner dairies and supermarkets selling plastic drink bottles are ubiquitous – there’s one on every street.

Gary’s grand vision for SafeBottles involves paying for a drinking fountain giving free water at petrol stations. He hopes thirsty customers would bring their SafeBottles with them, re-fill and drive away

“A chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) was increasingly being questioned by reputable doctors and researchers and was being reported in mainstream health magazines.” without buying a plastic bottle while they bought their petrol. This might cut down on the 168 plastic bottles the average Kiwi buys a year.

The battle against plastic What percentage of plastics used in New Zealand are recycled?

The Ministry of Health, through the provision of standards, guidelines and other tools, has a national function to ensure regulations are in place. It works at the regional level through District Health Boards (DHBs). Each DHB is expected to oversee the local authorities and ensure, through auditing measures, that the local bodies are maintaining appropriate water quality.

Underlying the standards and processes is the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2007 and the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005.

How often is the bottled water industry in New Zealand regulated?

Bottled water has far fewer health and safety standards to which it must conform to than municipal supplies. Bottled water simply has to comply to the Food Act 1981. It is also regulated as a packaged food product by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Its regulations are scrutinised by one body, whereas tap water is monitored by three separate organisations.

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today.

SafeBottles Level 3, 818 Colombo Street PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140

The figure is growing - in 2000, 26,702 tonnes of plastic was recycled. Two years later the figure had increased to 30,190 tonnes. Still, from our 242,000 tonnes of annual production, a shocking 190,000 tonnes is still being sent to New Zealand landfills every year - just 52,000 tonnes being recycled.

How many plastic bottles are made and/or consumed in New Zealand?

In 2003, 125,955 tonnes of plastic packaging were produced in New Zealand. The average New Zealander uses about 31kg of plastic packaging each year. Globally each year we drink 30 billion throwaway bottles of water - that’s 2.7 million tonnes of plastic.

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today 10 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Three organisations are concerned with the provision of safe and wholesome drinking-water to any community in New Zealand, one at the local level, one regional and one with a national perspective.

Gary Collins Managing Director

F

News

inding the right formula

By Kate Pierson

Nothing in life is ever certain, except of course for the degenerative nature of the human condition. One of the most unpredictable element’s within any society is economic growth, because its health is perennially vulnerable to social, political, industrial and environmental factors.

But while an economy’s state of play may often be characterised by ambiguity, it’s a no-brainer that economic growth needs to be nurtured and achieving and maintaining a strong economic pulse requires balance and strategic decision making.

In September, New Zealand Reserve Bank Governor, Alan Bollard announced the official cash rate would be held at three percent — a move that was anticipated by economists.

“While the global and domestic economies continue to recover, the outlook has weakened since our June statement. We consider it appropriate at this point,” Bollard explained of the decision. The Governor also maintained future rate hikes would be more moderate than previous forecasts given the disruption caused by the Canterbury earthquake.

The New Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER) principal economist, Shamubeel Eaqub also discussed the OCR hold, commenting, “The RBNZ will pause in raising

Working to rule

By Kate Pierson

Our lives are democratically governed by an intricate web of civic laws and legislation. And despite the occasional frustrations that arise from fleeting feelings of imposition, the rational law abiding citizen in all of us knows their presence is not the result of a governmental ‘power trip’; it’s a fact of life that societal laws exist for a reason.

And, contrary to the convictions of General Douglas MacArthur, who said laws are made to be broken, the reality is, they’re not; particularly when it comes to providing professional parameters for the business world.

This means educating your organisation about the employment laws is imperative if your business is to stay above board. Furthermore, the evolutionary nature of the system means there’s often new changes and policies to absorb. “The nature of the labour market and the New Zealand economy is always changing.

The modern world doesn’t stop,” Minister of Labour Kate Wilkinson advises.

“There will be someone working at any given hour of any given day and it’s important

interest rates given near term growth risks and distant inflationary pressures. We expect the RBNZ to keep the OCR at three percent until March 2011 and then gradually increase to 5.5 percent by early 2012. Rates may rise earlier in 2011 if the recovery strengthens.”

Although the June quarter was the fifth consecutively in which GDP expanded following the recession’s five quarters of contraction, a four percent decrease in the manufacturing industry offset nearly all the growth in this quarter.

“All manufacturing sub-industries, with the exception of wood and paper products were down in the June 2010 quarter,” Statistics New Zealand acting national accounts manager Stephen Oakley advised.

In August, Minister of Finance, Bill English offered reassurance that the Government has built its long-term economic plan around six key policy drivers: ■ Strengthening our tax system ■ Better, smarter public services ■ Reforming regulation ■ Education and skills

With only 0.2 percent growth in GDP when the market had expected 0.8 percent for the June quarter, these sluggish figures confirmed New Zealand’s economy was crawling.

■ Business innovation and trade ■ Investment in productive infrastructure.

“The only way we can permanently lift “The recovery is slowing. This is evident in local New Zealand’s economic growth is through and global data. There is sufficient momentum considered and consistent reform and change and stimulus in the economy to avoid a repeat year after year. Budget 2010 took several steps in that direction — including across the recession, but the economy will be soft in the board personal tax cuts from October 1, which next six months,” Eaqub said. will help narrow the gap in after-tax incomes In the wake of the Christchurch earthquake, compared with Australia,” English explained.

New Zealand Treasury published an economic It’s palpable there is a comprehensive plan brief which estimated that the consequence in place to help New Zealand’s economy of disruptions to the economy will reduce recover and re-energise. But whether the plan New Zealand’s September quarter GDP by 0.4 has effective potential remains to be seen. percent, relative to what would have been If the NZIER’s expectation of an economic achieved had the earthquake not occurred. growth slump in 2011, before a rebound in So with the slow economic recovery confirmed 2012, is anything to go by, we could be waiting and financial stresses attached a while.

Commenting that these changes will encourage greater negotiation between employers and employees so they can reach mutually appealing agreements, Wilkinson says providing more opportunities and greater flexibility for New Zealanders is essential.

Business NZ chief executive Phil O’Reilly agrees New Zealand businesses want laws characterised by flexibility, simplicity and practicality. “Business have said they want less complexity, less process and more flexibility to get more productivity and workplace harmony.”

“We are making a number of other changes to improve the Employment Relations Act, many in line with the National Party’s 2008 manifesto, including making union access to workplaces require employer consent — which

First and foremost, Eaqub advises that New Zealand businesses should be reviewing their investment and recruitment plans, as well as evaluating their risk exposures.

Crawling along

that employment law is flexible enough to cover these situations. For employers, this means they have to know exactly what their rights and responsibilities are, just as employees should.”

In recognition of this fact, the most recent changes to employment legislation in New Zealand were implemented by the National Government in July. Prime Minister John Key announced the amendments to the existing Employment Relations Act 2000, which include an extension of the 90-day trial period to enable all employers and new employees to have the chance to benefit from it.

to the October GST hike growing, what does this mean for economic growth? What will the government be doing to find the right formula to stimulate economic growth moving forward?

“In this day and age a lot of people work harder and longer so anything that can help achieve greater work-life balance is good.

“Employment law isn’t perfect.

In some cases it can be complicated and we are constantly re-evaluating how specific provisions are working and whether they need to be amended in any way.”

cannot be unreasonably withheld,” Key says.

“We are also implementing our promise to allow employees the choice to request the trade of their fourth week of annual leave for cash. This is alongside other changes to the Holidays Act to improve this area of the law.”

For guidance and direction on the Employment Relations Act 2000, businesses can commission legal advice or alternatively, access information from the Department of Labour and organisations such as Business New Zealand, the Employers and Manufacturers Association or their local chamber of commerce.

More information, go to www.dol.govt.nz

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 11

News

Recovery planning

By Warren Johnstone

How well were Christchurch businesses prepared for the big one?

Complacency about lack of perceived risk and procrastination caught out many Cantabrian businesses. After all, historically the region had no record of major earthquakes or disasters and most were happily ignorant of the fact that a fault line lurked beneath.

When, after 16,000 years it decided to shift, illusions were shattered.

After more than a week climbing seven flights of stairs amid plaster shavings to get to into our Christchurch office, we at BDO Christchurch are a little bit fitter — and a lot wiser. Our expectations have changed, not just in terms of expecting the elevator and air conditioning not to work, but in terms of expecting the unexpected and planning for it.

While we were one of the luckier businesses in that unexpected quake that struck Christchurch — it caught us short. We were not as well prepared as we could have been.

We lost access to our building for three days during which time we managed to service clients operating remotely and with support from the BDO New Zealand network — but for those three days we were seriously concerned about the security of our data and systems as our backup was stored in a safe onsite. That was lesson number one.

We were reminded that it is absolutely key to secure your client data and plan for offsite data access as part of disaster recovery planning — yet how many businesses around New Zealand would have this level of preparedness if disaster struck?

Some smart businesses were up and running at 8.30am on Monday, despite losing access to their workplaces — they had planned for a disaster and were able to fall back on a formal disaster recovery process that brought order to the chaos most Cantabrians were experiencing.

That was lesson number two; you need a formal disaster recovery plan.

Scenes from the Christchurch earthquake: The inner city suffered a series of blows which the city is in the process of recovering from

12 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

One local law firm, for example, was operating first thing Monday morning from a motel.

Even with its building being out of bounds, they were in a pre-planned offsite workplace and able to provide advice to their clients during a time of need.

The lesson for every New Zealand business is that the force of nature is a very real and serious risk to be planned for. Developing a well-thought out disaster recovery plan is not something to put off — take my word for it.

Disaster recovery plan A good place to start is by considering how well your business would cope in a disaster; a worst-case scenario including destruction of your workplace along with data and systems.

Based on lessons we have learned and from standard disaster recovery planning advice, the following are some of the essential elements in disaster recovery planning.

■ Data and systems Planning around integrity and security of data and systems is essential. This includes defining which systems are most crucial to your business and ensuring that in a disaster, you have access to an offsite backup in the event of your main site/server being destroyed.

■ Business interruption insurance A lot of local businesses are suffering major losses due to not having had business interruption insurance. They are having to negotiate with staff over wages along with struggling to pay rents and other expenses.

The investment is one not to question.

■ Communication channels Your clients are likely to need help immediately so ensure you will be able to communicate with them and your suppliers. I was receiving emails from clients at 8.30am Monday morning with such urgent questions as whether they were required to pay rent and wages with their building destroyed.

■ Stock protection If your business holds stock this needs to be managed before disaster strikes. Holding current stock at minimum levels and operating from safe and secure premises will help minimise losses.

■ Staff contact list You will need to contact all staff to check they are safe and to let them know if and when to come into work. So, while it may seem obvious, it is important to ensure all staff members have offsite access to an up-to-date staff contact list — a further lesson we have learned. Many other businesses too were caught out and were unable to get hold of all of their people for several days due to lack of up-to-date contact information.

Make use of your website to direct staff and clients and keep everyone informed of your current situation.

■ Responsibilities Who is going to ensure your plan is put into action? Every plan, whether for a small or large staff base, should identify those responsible for managing its various components.

The biggest lesson learned is that while we may plan for disaster, how seriously ■ Cashflow we take it and how well we do it is another Ensure you set aside sufficient working capital matter. A comprehensive discovery plan in budgets to pay wages, creditors and running takes time and investment but there’s no expenses for a reasonable amount of time time to procrastinate. following an event — this can range from one After all, Christchurch wasn’t even on a fault to three months. There are many Christchurch line until Saturday, September 4 at 4.35am. businesses that will not recover due to having run lean, mean operations that mean they Warren Johnstone is managing partner with now have nothing left to pay wages, creditors BDO Christchurch, part of the BDO New and expenses. Alternatively, you will need a Zealand network of independent Chartered good relationship with your bank manager to Accountants and Business Advisory member quickly utilise additional bank debt. firms www.bdo.co.nz

www.radiolive.co.nz

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 13

News

Beating the

backlash

By Melinda Collins

It starts with a fleeting visit and can end with just as much haste — and be a complete disaster. In the world of customer loyalty, the reputation you have worked so hard to uphold can be tarnished almost as quickly as you can say, “the money back guarantee doesn’t apply in this case”.

And adding potential insult to injury is Facebook, Twitter and other social websites (vehicles of freely accessible positive promotion), which can work against you just as freely and easily.

The lesson to learn is — viewing the communication accessibility of the internet through a rose coloured perspective won’t do you any favours in the customer complaints realm. While laws like the Defamation Act 1996 work to protect businesses from having reputations tarnished by disgruntled customers, the free and uninhibited world of cyberspace has dressed personal opinions in a veil of anonymity and called it freedom of speech.

The ease at which the internet allows dissatisfied customers to yell from their online soapbox means it’s easy to hold a corporate grudge, and with a few keystrokes, inflict a good amount of damage.

But does it matter? There are, after all, millions more consumer fish in the corporate sea.

Do ...

Listen and don’t interrupt Take notes (but explain to the customer if in a face to face situation why you are doing this) Confirm your understanding of the situation back to the customer and ask if there is anything you might have missed or not got right Tell the customer what you can do — preferably at least two options. Be focused on dealing with the problem Be gracious, polite and apologise.

Don’t ...

Make customers repeat their issue more than once Tell the customer what you can’t do Make the customer feel like it’s their fault (which it might be, but don’t remind them) Don’t forget to apologise.

for revenge dissipates more slowly and their avoidance increases more rapidly than that of customers with weak relationships.

Well it does, and the longer the customer’s association with your business, the more it matters. Research shows that the stronger the relationship, the stronger the grudge when the relationship sours.

On the bright side, they discovered that customers with stronger relationships are more amenable to even a modest level of recovery attempt and not necessarily a more expensive attempt. Customers of low relationship quality in the study, on the other hand, required expensive, high recovery attempts.

Researchers Yany Gregoire, Thomas Tripp and Renaud Legoux delved into the phenomena of relationship strength on customer revenge and avoidance in the Journal of Marketing last year.

The results make for interesting reading. They discovered a company’s best customers have the longest unfavourable reactions, their wish

With 25 years of successful managerial experience, Deborah Law-Carruthers has developed and presented a variety of customer service workshops. The customer service afficionado was involved with the advisory panel for the design of the retail unit standards for NZQA and a judge for the NZ

Retail Association Top Shop awards. She now facilitates and presents Managing Customer Complaints, an EMA course designed to assist businesses in dealing with the unfortunate reality of disgruntled customers.

When it comes to the commercial battlefield, Law-Carruthers says it’s important not to go in all guns blazing. You may save the present sale, but lose the life value of the customer. “Businesses forget the long term effect and deal too much in the now. There are also businesses that do not use these experiences as opportunities to see how they could improve or review a policy that is not ‘customer friendly’.”

Customer complaints must be appropriately dealt with, or the results can be disastrous.

“Customers seem to get frustrated by the lack of information or training that some customer service staff have.

“I also believe that organisations who are making the customer ‘do all the work,’ for example, make the customer ring back because the manager is not available, need to fix that behaviour in their business. All they are doing is adding to the frustration the customer is already experiencing.”

This makes it important to ensure all front line staff are able to efficiently and accurately deal with these situations. “Customers perceive the complaints process to be a difficult one, so anytime we can have informed staff dealing with a complaint who have the authority to offer solutions and send the customer away happy, is a great outcome,” she says.

“While we need to have our standard policies and procedures, such as proof of purchase, one of the best things we can do for a customer is to try and give them a couple of solutions to their problem. Complaints can escalate if you tell them only one thing can be done, take it or leave it. If you tell them you can do ‘A’ or ‘B’ and what would they like, then the customer will feel like they have a choice in the decision making process.”

Customer complaints, she says, can be an important business tool, if used correctly.

“Dealing with complaints efficiently and with a ‘customer focused’ approach can also reduce workplace stress and increase job satisfaction as it creates a better work environment.”

For more information on the EMA’s Managing Customer Complaints course visit www.ema.co.nz

Communication games

By Kate Pierson

The rhetorical question “does your left hand know what your right hand’s doing” is a figure of speech that’s been bandied about for years.

While philosophers have pondered all its metaphorical and multi-faceted meanings, in the context of this discussion, this expression is aligned with the importance of effective professional communication.

energy and information they need to grow and survive. But challenging or not, bridging the communication chasm between co-existing components of a company is an absolute must do; it is the hallmark of business’ best friends — efficiency and productivity.

Needless to say, communication is particularly important when ‘risk creators’ such as salespeople, marketers and buyers are involved — those whose actions or inactions have a direct impact on the bottom line.

Smart business practise demands an holistic approach and this is about synchronising departments that work simultaneously.

Because having a collective team working in This means ensuring your core constituents, disconnected entities is like having a security those who are an extension of you and your business, have an open and honest relationship net with holes in it. Just pointless. You’re pouring resources, time and energy in, but with each other that is supervised and losing it at an equal or even higher rate due to supported by you. poor decisions being made and a prolonged Fact is though, getting your compartmentalised failure to recognise that fact. Quite simply, a departments to work in unison is an exercise of breakdown in communication can lead to a professional co-ordination, as is ensuring these breakup between you and your company and divisions continue to feed each other the time, yes, it will hurt — emotionally and financially.

14 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

The subsequent losses eventuating from business blunders may not happen overnight, but progressively the cross-purpose decisions being made, in conjunction with general misunderstandings, misinterpretations and digressions from important tasks, will inevitably take a cumulative toll — and it’s unlikely the outcome of these professional faux pas’ will have ‘positive’ written all over it.

The facts speak for themselves. Around 220 organisations employing 32,000 New Zealanders took part in the JRA Best Workplaces Survey. Based on the results, communication and clarity of purpose were the clear characteristics of success in 2009, JRA managing director John Robertson says.

“The top 25 percent of organisations in our 2009 Best Workplaces Survey showed clear differences in the way they managed their people during the recession and significant differences in the levels of engagement they sustained. Communication became more important than ever, as did

clarity of purpose and the role everyone had in achieving organisation goals and objectives,” Roberton says. “‘We’re all in this together’ was the rallying cry for many and 2009 became a great opportunity to demonstrate what ‘values’ really meant in practice.

“We’ve heard many stories from organisations who experienced the benefits of an engaged workforce as people responded with performance that went way above the norm.”

The bottom line? If communication was not the currency for commercial success, then organisations like the Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) would not have implemented personal development programmes to enhance communication skills.

For information on how you or your staff members can attend courses including Communicate, Influence, Adapt using the TetraMap of Behaviour through the EMA, visit www.ema.co.nz

HRV – a healthy environment starts at home There’s the old saying: safe as houses. But about half of the toxic substances we are exposed to come from the air in our homes.

A

s well as carbon dioxide from our breathing, mould, pollens and dust mites, the air in modern home may be polluted with potentially harmful volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde given off by paints and building materials. Gas cookers, wood burning and unflued gas heaters can also add carbon monoxide into the mix, which is potentially toxic and brings on lethargy and headaches.

The shocking truth is that right now a huge number of Kiwis are suffering serious ill health, and some are dying, because of air pollution in their homes.

Unfortunately just opening a window isn’t really a solution. Aside from the obvious security and noise problems, opening windows can actually introduce more damp into your home. And outdoor air is itself not always fresh: in winter air quality in New Zealand towns is regularly below accepted standards.

Whole home ventilation systems are relatively new to this country, but already it is estimated up to 160,000 New Zealand homes have invested in home ventilation – half of which are reaping the benefits of HRV.

The company has quickly become a market leader, and installs hundreds of new systems every month. Installed inside your roof space, the HRV home ventilation system is unobtrusive and fully automatic.

Because the sun heats your roof each day, the roof space is naturally warmer and dryer than the rest of your home.

Outside air circulating through this space is drawn into the HRV system, where it is purified by a state-of-theart SynSafe deep pleat medical grade filter. The innovative design of the SynSafe provides an incredible amount of filtering surface area, which efficiently stops particulates down to microscopic 0.4 of a micron. The filtered clean air is then circulated to rooms in the home via ducting, ending in a neat diffuser mounted on the ceiling.

This naturally dryer air displaces and drives out excess moisture. The average household produces 30 litres of moisture per day during activities like cooking, cleaning, washing and drying clothes, and each person breathes out and perspires another two litres each. Without ventilation, this is absorbed into walls, furniture and other surfaces, and in a more obvious form, it

HRV in Wellington.

In Wellington, things are moving on up with both franchises moving to bigger and better premises – one on Goodshed Road Upper Hutt (servicing North Wellington and the Kapiti Coast) and HRV Wellington Central now based on Adelaide Road by the Basin Reserve – with a perfect vantage point to watch the HRV Cup Twenty20 cricket action this December. appears on the window as condensation.

This is usually accompanied by a stale, musty smell and the appearance by mould and mildew.

founder of HRV. “Many of our customers who have purchased an HRV have reported their homes are not only healthier, by easier to heat, so are much more energy-efficient.”

With an HRV system, fresh filtered odour free air gently circulates through the rooms creating a healthier indoor environment that reduces your total exposure to toxic substances.

Co-founder Mike Perrett agrees. “We think every New Zealander has the right to live in a healthy home. Our ultimate aim is to have HRV systems installed in all households as standard.”

Recently Drybuild Infrared Solutions inspected a typical West Auckland home before and after installing HRV. Within one month, moisture levels in the home dripped between a quarter and half of their pre-installation levels. “While many people might initially view installing an HRV as a cost, they’ll soon see that the system pays for itself,” say Marcus Foot,

To find out more go to www.hrv.co.nz

Poor air quality in New Zealand home is having a huge impact on our health. Here’s just some of the statistics.

EACH YEAR AIR POLLUTION CAUSES: • 1,079 Premature deaths

A SENSITIVE CHOICE FOR TACKLING ASTHMA HRV is the ventilation system approved by the National Asthma Council Australia and the Asthma Foundation as part of the Sensitive Choice Programme. Asthma can be triggered by a range of conditions, and the HRV systems helps to tackle many of them.

AIR POLLUTION AND HARMFUL DUST Fumes, pollen, allergens, strong smells, smoke, chemicals, perfumes, and smog entering your home are all substantially reduced with the use of an HRV systems.

GENERAL WELL BEING HRV creates a dryer warmer

home, making the occupants less susceptible to illness.

DUST MITES Enzymes secreted from the house dust mite are related to nearly 90 percent of asthma problems.

In nearly every case fresh air ventilation with an HRV has been proven to improve the condition.

The HRV can lower humidity and damp, making it more difficult for the dust mite to proliferate, and reduces allergen concentration.

MOULDS The regular circulation of dry air drastically reduces the chances of mould forming in your home.

UNSTABLE TEMPERATURES AND COLD AIR HRV’s passive heating and cooling capabilities help maintain a stable environment inside your home, a major benefit for asthma sufferers, because attacks can often be brought on by changes in temperature.

• 1,544 extra cases of bronchitis and related illness • 703 extra hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiac illnesses

PLUS: • An estimated 800,000 Kiwis have a respiratory illness • One in four Kiwi kids has asthma • Asthma is the most common causes of hospital admission among New Zealand children • Researchers at Otago University have shown that indoor air pollutants are 1000 times more likely to be inhaled than outdoor pollutants.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 15

News

Working at It’s a rave — not a rant In the hours after the event in the early morning of September 4 in Canterbury, my mind raced with thoughts of where to start and what to do next. When I confirmed all was OK at home, I had to focus on the office … every possible scenario went through my head.

Subsequently a back-up plan was put in place in the event we got a notice other than green.

Turns out we didn’t need the back-up plan, the notice was green with superficial damage, clean-up and minor repairs around the building that needed attention. This experience has — without a doubt — turned my rant into a rave.

I did have a rant written, which has been published in our other magazines (read it at www.magazinestoday.co.nz). However, this edition of Wellington Today deserves a rave!

As I listed the work that needed doing, contacted the contractors and decided on services required to get ourselves back up and running as quickly and smoothly as possible, the thought crossed my mind… here we go, they’ll charge through the nose. We had all heard stories about people pulling down chimneys for more than $1400 and for a fleeting moment I thought we’d be stung.

I was wrong. I’m so proud to be a Cantabrian and extremely grateful for the relationships we have with service providers and associates, many of who were facing similar situations.

Not one of their accounts has been accelerated — normal charges have applied with no excessive call-out fees. In fact, many seem to be doing it for a pat on the back or a chocolate fish from my now not-so-secret stash! Here’s the people I need to rave about: ■ Ollie and the team at SNAP for assisting with the back-up plan ■ Server Technology Ltd and Magnum Mac for getting the network back up and going and putting the server back where it should be ■ Jared from ElectraCraft, Pete from Enviroplumb, the team at Williams Hickman Electrical and Richard Harris Property Maintenance — all for your prompt, accommodating and efficient service — along with Compliance Fire Protection. I can’t count how many times you’ve been in the building these past few weeks ■ JustWater for dealing with the water coolers ■ Our printers around the country — Kalamazoo WyattWilson, APN, Guardian Print and PMP for flexibility with print schedules and more.

And last but not least the staff, managers and their sales teams, contractors and everyone in our Academy family, for taking the stairs when the lift was out of action, for taking the lift when there was no access to the stairs, for working around the workmen and their paint brushes and glue guns, for putting up with the after shocks, for all your hard work and determination to get our schedules back on track.

Wellingtonians, we assumed an ‘event” like this would affect you first. We hope you have been able to learn from our experiences and can better prepare yourselves if such a quake hits your city. A simple Plan A, Plan B, possible Plan C and great relationships will get you through!

Rebecca Harris is the General Manager of the Academy Group of Companies.

All correspondence regarding this column to: Email rebecca@academy.net.nz Post ’Rebecca’s Rant’,

PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140

war

By Kate Pierson

Freedom of association is not an expression naturally associated with the work environment. While the reality of a productive office demands civility, discipline and co-operation, there’s no doubt there are many of us that can recount occasions when, behind the façade of a ‘diplomatic’ smile, we have entertained quiet thoughts of tearing our, or our colleague’s hair out, in order to soothe frustrations.

Conflict in the workplace is by no means a contemporary issue. In fact, the fragility of relationships between colleagues around the world has long been studied under the industrial psychology microscope.

From these investigations, two paradigms of workplace conflict have emerged — latent (when the conflict is felt, but not expressed), and active (where the conflict is obvious and specific, verbally or non-verbally).

Classifications aside, whether the conflict is public or surreptitious, the result of antagonism or direct bullying, grievances between men, women, or representatives from both sides of the great gender divide, are costing our businesses — literally.

Catalysts for conflict It’s no secret that ambition runs high in the workplace, but the classic pyramid structure of the traditional business institution means it’s unlikely everybody’s goal of climbing the organisational ranks will be realised.

So when an opportunity to move up in the professional world is at stake, existing recruits can feel territorial with the arrival of fresh faces, or they may have a bee in their bonnet over a conflicting opinion. What results is employees abandoning their workplace etiquette and resorting to high school politics.

Like it or not, the reality is most workplaces are comprised of leaders and followers and the commanding hierarchy or matrix management models present within organisations, means there are few chiefs and many Indians.

In the April 2010 report Dealing with Conflict in New Zealand Workplaces by Andrew Harris and Charles Crothers from the Department of Social Sciences at the Auckland University of Technology, the authors acknowledge that workplaces breed conflict.

“What makes the workplace such a ‘ripe breeding ground’ for conflict is that there are more sources of conflict in the workplace than in others areas of our lives.”

In response to workplace conflict research conducted and published in the CPP Global Human Capital Report in 2008, which found that full-time employees across nine countries in America and Europe spend approximately 2.1 hours every week dealing with conflict, Harris and Crothers prepared a study via an online questionnaire. Participant involvement

16 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

was facilitated with support from the Employers and Manufacturers Association.

Survey results revealed that, “Fifty percent of respondents reported 0-50 minutes of destructive conflict each week and 30 percent reported 50-150 minutes. Of the time engaged in latent versus actual conflict, Harris and Crothers found that similar amounts of time are spent on latent conflict as are spent on actual conflict.

“Forty-four percent of respondents reported 0-50 minutes of latent conflict each week compared with 50 percent reporting 0-50 minutes of actual conflict. Forty-four percent also reported 50-150 minutes of latent conflict each week compared with 30 percent reporting 50-150 minutes of actual conflict.”

Burying the hatchet As well as productivity loss, the financial costs imposed on a company and the emotional cost to employees, spell out all the reasons why workplace conflict needs to be addressed and resolved.

Because while extroverted and introverted employee types ensure diversification within an office, when unique identities are not complementary to each other, the personality clash between these individuals can rock the democratic foundations on which the workplace has been built.

Personnel Psychology NZ Limited director and registered industrial psychologist, Keith McGregor says nine times out of ten the underlying driver behind dysfunctional or aggressive employee behaviour is fear.

“Managers that are difficult to work with often have a fear of failure and making mistakes.

They are perceived as micro-managers, when in fact it is that need to feel in control that is a part of their personality, but is interpreted by the employee as a lack of trust,” he explains.

In order to bury the hatchet when it comes to conflict, or avoid employing personalities that are likely to challenge each other negatively, McGregor offers four key ideas:

How to bury the hatchet

■ Practise listening skills

People very seldom engage with good, reflective listening skills and some employees have a tendency to talk across each other. Conflict can arise from a breakdown in communication, or when employees feel they are not being heard or are misunderstood. Good listening skills are a must for all employees.

Recipients of voiced concerns need to stop and reflect and ask themselves if they are preventing someone else’s values being achieved.

■ The other person is not always the problem

Understanding how the subconscious works is often a part of understanding conflict.

Sometimes conflict arises as a result of the way we talk to ourselves about how others perceive us, which may provoke unsubstantiated concern and worry. Rewiring the brain on how we talk to ourselves is helpful for overcoming this.

■ Picking the right person A recipe for conflict can be brewed right in the preliminary stages of an employee’s recruitment when competency based interviews are conducted and employers neglect to assess the attitudes of a potential candidate and whether these will be complementary to existing staff members.

McGregor says it is important for employers to remember how one person in a team with behavioural manifestations, or personality disorders that affect one percent of the New Zealand population, can have a significant effect on those around them.

In his, “I can’t work with that idiot!” presentation made during an HRINZ conference, McGregor elaborates on point three ‘the other person is not always the problem’, explaining how the subconscious can be reprogrammed.

“The only reason we behave the way we do is because of neural pathways in our brain.

These are formed over our lifetime and we come to see them as who we are. But the brain is ‘plastic’, it is constantly changing… so, if I start to repeat ‘I love working with Fred’, my brain begins to weaken the existing nerve connections and form new pathways.

“As a result I develop different feelings towards Fred, he ceases to be seen as a ‘threat’, my stress levels start to drop and I gain access to the full power of my subconscious mind. Ideas begin flowing and before I know it, working with Fred becomes a breeze.”

There’s no debate that debate in the office breeds professional dysfunction and is not conducive to a productive workforce — a critical catalyst for company growth and success.

Fact is, an unresolved grievance is selfsustaining and self-defeating and can result in ongoing absenteeism, a high staff turnover and financially draining training costs when disgruntled employees resign.

■ Remember, people don’t complain about things they don’t care about For advice on resolving conflict in your office When employees voice concern or frustration, McGregor says often they are revealing the values and morals that are important to them.

contact an industrial psychologist or the Employers and Manufacturers Association through www.ema.co.nz

What you put in your pet’s bowl can affect their life now – and in the future

Mention th advert this is & receive 3 month 0% off first purcha your se

PLU

Call us for a S fre and inform e sample atio Canidae & F n on elidae

Once again voted one of the best pet foods in the world – The Whole Dogfood Journal.

What you feed your pet directly affects how long they live and the quality of their life 11 Reasons why you should feed your pet Canidae all natural pet food 1.

Excellent palatability – “cats and dogs love it”.

7.

Excellent for dogs with allergies or problem skin.

2.

All natural ingredients (chicken, rice, lamb).

8.

Low stool volume (low odour too).

3.

All naturally preserved (Vitamins E & C).

4.

9.

Superior digestibility (natural digestive enzymes).

Premium quality proteins for increased energy.

5.

Natural herbs for savoury & medicinal purposes.

6.

Premium oils & fat for a healthy, shiny skin & coat (with balanced Omega-3 & Omega-6 fatty acids).

Testimonials

CANIDAE All Life Stages

CANIDAE Chicken & Rice

CANIDAE Lamb & Rice

CANIDAE Platinum

CANIDAE Grain Free All Life Stages

CANIDAE Grain Free Salmon

CANIDAE Beef & Fish

FELIDAE Cat & Kitten

FELIDAE Chicken& Rice

FELIDAE Platinum

FELIDAE Grain Free Cat & Kitten

FELIDAE Grain Free Salmon

10. CANIDAE is cost-effective (feed 1 cup for 11 kg of body weight).

11. 100% money back guaranteed.

To see hundreds of testimonials in full go to our website

“It has been almost a year since I switched and Chynna is doing great” After the recall scare, I decided to switch dog food for then 11 year old terrier mix dog, Chynna. The food she was on was not one of the recall but she has been having bladder infections her entire life, and was overweight despite giving her a food for overweight dogs. After reading about all the stuff that was in other dog foods and all the great reviews for Canidae, I decided to let her try it.

It has been almost a year since I switched and Chynna is doing great. She has lost close to five pounds, has a lot of

energy and no bladder infections. I adopted another dog six months ago and immediately threw away the food the pound gave and started her on the Canidae All Life Stages dry food formula. Canidae is more expensive than other food, but the money that I saved in medicine for bladder infections and vet visits more than make up for it.

One thing to be thankful for with the food recall, it made me more aware about the nutrition of my dogs.

Linda, Houston

“Thank you for making a great pet food” I just wanted to say that I recently switched my two dogs to Canidae All Life Stages and it is wonderful. They are both doing great on it and their coats have never looked better.

If I can budget it in I plan to switch our two cats to Felidae

when the bag of food we currently have runs out. I’m sure they will do equally as well on it. Thank you for making a great pet food and saving me, I’m sure, hundreds in future vet bills.

How to order All orders are couriered to your door FREE. If you place your order by 2.00pm most orders are received within 48 hours, unless it’s a rural delivery.

Simply go to our website www.canidae.co.nz or call us toll free on 0800 101 729 and ask for a FREE sample and information pack, or place your order today.

We Offer A No Questions Asked Money Back Guarantee

Mention this advert this month & receive 30% off your first purchase.

PLUS Call us for a free sample and information on Canidae & Felidae

For more detailed information call on 0800 101 729 Level 3, 818 Colombo St, PO Box 1879, Christchurch. Fax: 03 961 5112 - Email: info@canidae.co.nz - Web: www.canidae.co.nz

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 17

News Profile | Sir Roger Douglas

balancing

Some credit Sir Roger Douglas with singlehandedly saving New Zealand from financial ruin. Others blame his policies for causing a huge gap between the rich and the poor, one that still exists today.

Love him or loathe him, when he took over the country’s books in the 1980s, the man changed New Zealand history with his economic reforms. Bridget Gourlay interviews the outspoken MP about Rogernomics and what he’d do if he controlled the country’s finances today.

the family

Roger Douglas was born in 1937, a year before the welfare state legislation was famously enacted by Michael Joseph Savage.

Douglas’ family, dedicated lefties, would have been overjoyed.

While he sits on the opposite end of the political spectrum now — John Key has steadfastly refused to give him a Ministerial role because of his far-right views — Roger Douglas comes from a long line of Labourites. His father and grandfather were both New Zealand Labour MPs. His grandmother biked around villages in England to tell people about the new humanitarian movement, meeting abuse for her views.

Like his family, Roger (and his brother Malcolm) followed them into the Labour Party and won the Manurewa seat for the party in 1969.

the reforms

Fifteen years later he was leftie David Lange’s right-hand man. Sir Roger was appointed Minister of Finance after years of Muldoon’s Think Big projects. Although he’d inherited a mess, he wasn’t shocked. He just knew he had a big task ahead.

“You may have not been responsible for the mess that New Zealand’s in but when it’s your job to do something about it, you better get on with the job. And it wasn’t as if we weren’t aware of the fact that New Zealand was in considerable difficulty.”

He immediately set about enacting a series of reforms now known as ‘Rogernomics’ — deregulation, market-led restructuring and a tight monetary policy to control inflation.

Instantly, New Zealand became part of a global economy, with all the good and bad that came with it. Serious money was made as the markets de-regulated. Serious poverty was caused as factories around the country shut down.

David Lange summed up the reforms in 1996.

“For people who don’t want the government in their lives… this (Rogernomics) has been a bonanza. For people who are disabled, limited, resourceless, uneducated, it has been a tragedy.”

Obviously, Sir Roger disagrees. Today, he says New Zealand would be a third world country without his reforms.

18 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

the recession

It may have been 25 years since he was Minister of Finance, but Roger Douglas is still an MP, coming back into Parliament in 2008 for ACT, the party he set up in the 1990s. And he’s still got ideas on how the country should be run. Sir Roger thinks we’re surviving the recession “averagely”. He says the amount of borrowing the Government is doing will mean we will suffer later, when the taxpayer pays interest on it. If he were Minister of Finance at the last Budget he would have given tax cuts but not raised GST. Instead, he would have cut the equivalent 1.5 billion from Government expenditure, something he says would be an easy task.

“I believe there’s a lot more than that in terms of waste within Government. Government expenditure has increased enormously in the last 10 to 11 years, I would cut out the sufficient waste. At the end of the day, people wouldn’t even notice. We subsidise industries by over two billion dollars. Getting rid of it could have improved competition.”

Sir Roger thinks the country has been going downhill since the late 1990s, describing Winston Peters’ stint as Minister of Finance as “when the rot set in”. Australia has risen economically in the last decade, and Sir Roger blames our subsidisation of industries, low productivity levels and increased Government spending for our competitive decline.

“We’ve got to get our incentives right,” he enthuses. He would like to see a switch away from the Government spending to stimulate the economy, to individual New Zealanders being taxed less and thus able to spend more themselves.

“At the moment if you look at our total government expenditure plus our SOE expenditure, the Government is spending one dollar in two. It means whereas six years ago the Government was only spending 46 cents in the dollar, it’s now 50 cents in dollar. That increase, which has been going on for quite some time now, I think has been killing New Zealand in specific ways.”

What he thinks we need is simple — more skilled workers, an investment in technology and getting rid of the red tape surrounding business.

the welfare state

Firstly, he proposes that everyone is given the choice between continuing to pay tax and getting looked after by the state if anything goes wrong, or not paying tax until they earn $30,000 and take out a number of insurance covers to protect them in case of injury or unemployment.

For pensioners it would be the same — enrol in your own private retirement fund instead of paying taxes which go to the nationwide pension.

minimum wage One way he thinks will help the poor is to reintroduce youth rates, where employers can pay young people less than the minimum wage.

Sir Roger says uneducated school drop-outs are essentially unable to read or write, making them unemployable for the minimum wage (approximately $510 a week). He argues these people could be employed for $300 a week in menial work areas.

“What we are doing is by saying they have to earn at least $510, we’re actually saying ‘you’re going to go on the dole’.

“If they don’t have a productive value of $510 a week, no one will employ them so we tell them ‘you’ve got to go on the dole for $160 a week… maybe if you want to supplement your income join a gang or get pregnant, then we’ll give you $400 a week or probably a house’.

“This country is nuts!”

The argument for a universal minimum wage is that young people who work should be paid enough to cover housing, food, clothing and other basic needs.

Sir Roger’s opponents argue that training or further schooling for young people searching for a job would be better than allowing them to work for money they can only subsist on.

the future

Sir Roger says he has not made up his mind whether or not he will stand as an Act MP at the next election, which will take place sometime around his 74th birthday. He says he is unwilling “to do a Jim Anderton” but is not keen on contemplating fully retiring. “I won’t fully retire! I’ll be a commentator, an agitator.

Sir Roger claims he has never lost sight of helping the poor and wishes Act wasn’t portrayed as a rich white person’s party.

“But on the other hand I’m also realistic enough to say; ‘A, do I want to do it’, and; ‘B, am I capable?’

However, he says socialism has failed the poor, and if Michael Joseph Savage were alive today, he’d agree. Sir Roger has his own ideas — most of which involve the philosophy of letting the private sector do what the public sector struggles with.

“I would hope that I’ve never been a passenger. Some people are happy to come here (Parliament) and not do an awful lot and you can do that as an MP. But that’s never been my style.

“I’m too inclined to get myself into trouble.”

News Profile | Sir Roger Douglas

timeline 1937

Roger Owen Douglas is born on December 5. His family has strong ties with the trade union movement and both his father and grandfather are former Labour politicians.

1950s

Secondary education years at Auckland Grammar School.

1957

(approx) — Accountancy degree from Auckland University.

1969

Elected MP for Manukau.

1972

Labour under Norman Kirk wins the election. The Labour caucus elevates Douglas to Cabinet as the youngest minister in half a century. He serves as Post-Master General, Minister of Broadcasting, Minister of Housing and Minister of Customs.

1974

Kirk dies unexpectedly.

1975

National wins the election, Douglas returns as an opposition MP

1983

David Lange becomes leader of the opposition and appoints Douglas the Labour spokesperson for finance.

1984

Labour wins the election, Douglas becomes Minister of Finance. He enacts financial reforms which are tagged “Rogernomics”, reflecting “Reaganomics” in the United States.

1985

Euromoney magazine accolade as Finance Minister of the Year.

1987

Labour re-elected. After the stockmarket crash Lange slows the rate of reform — calling for “a cup of tea” time-out to halt the new right economics — and conflict breaks out between the two. Lange dismisses Douglas supporter Richard Prebble from Cabinet in November 1988 and forces Douglas to resign his ministerial positions.

1989

The Labour caucus votes to return Douglas to Cabinet and Lange resigns. His successor Geoffrey Palmer does not return the finance portfolio to Douglas.

1990

Retires from Parliament to become a consultant on privatisation and structural reform for companies around the world, mainly the World Bank.

1990

Knight Bachelor, becomes the Honourable Sir Roger Douglas.

1993

In association with Derek Quigley, founded the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers, as a pressure group. It soon evolved into the Act Party.

2004

Along with Quigley, steps down as Act patrons. Both say they want to be free to criticise the party’s direction.

2008

Endorses Act and assigned number three slot on the party list. Stands for newly-created Hunua electorate but defeated. Returns to Parliament as a backbencher list MP when National wins the election and forms a coalition government with Act. Douglas is an MP again for the first time in 18 years but is not given any ministerial responsibilities.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 19

News | Special

Face off

By Sandy Galland We’re more likely to accept the advice of a friend, genuine or imagined, than a stranger.

Business, like life, is about making powerful and positive first impressions. Taking your brand to the market place is the same — you have a nano-second where you can capture the eye of potential customers.

The biggest consideration (other than budget), is to make sure the message fits the celebrity and the product. Elite athletes and fast foods may be unlikely bedfellows but it used to be that when Tiger Woods belted a golf ball, the marketing was believable. When a famous face fronts a brand, their behaviour in and out of the public eye becomes part and parcel of the brand. Celebrity endorsement is a transfer of value from Brand A (the celebrity) to Brand B (the advertiser). An advertiser hopes the positives of Brand A will transfer in the customer’s mind to Brand B and motivate purchases.

If a customer likes what they see right away, they are likely to engage and spend.

So how do you capture someone’s attention?

For many, using a face is the preferred option. You want to establish a person who will become instantly identifiable with your product or service.

So how do you do this? Do you become the face of your brand, do you get a celebrity to endorse your product or do you create a fictional character?

This can be a sound strategy, but it has to be handled carefully. The celebrity must appeal strongly to your target market, their image must align with your company’s messages, and you need to be confident they will act with integrity. If one party in the arrangement ‘burns’ — for whatever reason — the other is directly affected.

Each approach has its merits. However, leading brand agency TBWA Whybin head David Walden stresses it is imperative to establish the basics before embarking on any brand building exercise.

There is also the risk of the celebrity overshadowing the brand, or overexposure through multiple endorsements by the same celebrity. Just how many products are today’s crop of All Blacks busy promoting?

Over exposure can end up diluting impact for individual brands.

This means nailing down what your brand stands for, who your market is and what you want to say to that market. “You can’t just say ‘hello — here I am’. You have to know what you stand for,” Walden says.

Consumers are bombarded with messages and you have milliseconds to capture someone’s attention. “You have a fleeting moment to either be relevant to them or not, and so working out the essence of what your brand is about, what sets you apart from your competitors, why someone should pay you any attention — that’s the bit you really need to nut out. Expressing it is the easy part and sometimes it is a face who will work best.”

Getting into character Creating a character or a cartoon type persona allows complete control of how your message is delivered. There are many winning examples — Ira Goldstein, the Mainland Cheese blokes, Vince Martin and Miss Lucy have all bounced into our homes and captured our attention — for whatever reason.

Goldstein, the ASB bank character, is a creation of Walden’s agency. It had become one of the longest-running uninterrupted campaigns in New Zealand with Goldstein’s quirky take on our culture having entertained us for nine years. And yes, we’ve all ‘herd’ of cows…

A big name and recognisable face will attract attention to your brand and help enhance your market position. It may even fast track your way to ‘first of mind’ product recall.

“In many ways a created character is the most successful. While not a spokesman for the company, they are a way to promote products and services in a user friendly way, approachable and, at times, humorous manner,” Walden says.

One of the huge advantages of using a face — real or fictional— is the connection you can create and the empathy you can engender. “Your brand can take its place in a person’s life that way.”

Real or created characters have pros and cons either way. Real characters may be more authentic and credible than created characters, and don’t require clever introductions to establish motives or the brand relationship. The upside of character creation is ease of control, best summed up as the ‘do and say what I tell you’ scenario.

But you need to consider your exit strategy. If you sell the company and move on your face may have to stay with it.

Becoming the brand

While Pero no longer owns Mike Pero Mortgages he continues to front the brand.

“Brand awareness leads to confidence, trust and loyalty from the customer,” says Pero.

If what’s needed is authenticity, and you’re the owner wanting to share a vision, then put your face on the brand. Bear in mind that you will be forever linked to it, so if it fails some of that sticks to you and vice versa — your actions will affect the brand.

A face can continue to front a brand well after the business has been sold — think Dick Smith, Peter Leitch aka The Mad Butcher and Mike Pero.

Being such a recognisable face is good for the mortgage company and positive for him in his other businesses.

20 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Walden believes we like to see the people behind the business and it allows a CEO or business owner to make a personal pitch.

This strategy seems to have worked for Rob Fyfe and Air New Zealand.

Building a compelling story around your brand can also be very powerful.

How many of us don’t know that Michael Hill started out as a one man band in Whangarei?

“Banking is not something that gets one’s blood rushing, so we needed to put a human face to what can be an impersonal relationship.

Our job is to find ways brands can enter the living rooms of New Zealanders every night.

We do this uninvited so you have to respect the viewers. You do this with a bit of humour or by rewarding them with an experience that hopefully enhances their viewing.”

Whatever route you take to put a face to your brand, be aware that your target market is The story is one of success and by having it out savvy. Remember, the average person is in the public domain; the customer can see exposed to anywhere from 1500 to 3000 that this is a business which has succeeded brands or branded messages a day. Consumers because of one man’s ability to dream big. are switching off and tuning out so you have to Celebrity endorsements seem like a no-brainer. be relevant. Make your first impression count.

News | Special

Making

effective messages

■ Get to know your customer “If you don’t know your customers, how will you know what to say to them in your marketing and advertising message?”

By Melinda Collins

In sport, most amateurs stumble along grabbing the occasional win with no clear action plan.

Professionals, on the other hand, march in with an effective strategy and take out the game. In business, as with sport, strategy can make all the difference.

When promoting your business, this strategy is known as marketing. As simple as this seems, it is still where confusion is often found.

Advertising is a single component of the marketing process. It is the part that involves getting the word out concerning your business, product or the services you are offering. It involves placing advertisements in newspapers, direct mail, billboards and television. While advertising is the largest expense of most marketing plans, it is not marketing.

Marketing encompasses your entire game plan or strategy. It is the systematic planning, implementation and control of a mix of business activities designed to take that product or service to the market. Marketing incorporates everything an organisation does to facilitate an exchange between company and consumer.

US-based BN Branding’s director John Furgurson describes the difference. “Every year millions of dollars are wasted on advertising that is well produced, but not very well thought out. Rather like a supermodel… nice to look at but there’s just no substance there.”

So if you think that because you’re advertising, you’re marketing — think again. If you are advertising separate from any greater marketing strategy, you’re doing only half a percent of what your marketing campaign can and should do, Bold Horizon senior brand strategist Wayne Attwell says.

“In reality however, advertising and promotions are only the tactical implementation of a well planned marketing strategy and when effectively integrated into the overall marketing mix the results can be outstanding.

But all too often the underlying marketing strategy is sadly lacking.”

Attwell says some key elements need to be in place before you can plan and execute an effective marketing campaign:

■ Your potential markets may be spread

■ Know what sets you aside from competitors and what you’re up against “Developing and understanding your unique points of difference is arguably the most critical part of your marketing strategy and should supersede any tactical programmes.

A deep understanding of your competitor should be an essential part of your marketing strategy. By understanding the habits, likes, dislikes and buying triggers of our target market customers, we are better equipped to decide on the best method of interacting with them.”

■ Don’t forget that your customers are still human “Why do we so often forget to appeal to the human needs of our corporate and industrial buyers? Instead we try to bombard them with a long list of technical features of our product, forgetting to appreciate and satisfy their decision making criteria and personality type.

over large geographic areas, so apply the 80/20 rule “Identify a realistically manageable segment of the market your company can accurately target, considering your capabilities, limitations and available budget.”

■ Advertising expenditure should be a

on discounting, reiterating the importance of understanding the financial logistics of your business, prior to adorning shop windows with brightly coloured sales banners.

decrease your prices, consumption has to increase,” Humphries explains simply.

“Too often struggling and confused companies throw money into costly advertising campaigns, new websites or glossy brochures, believing them to be the ‘cure-all’ for slow sales or lost marketshare.

component of a larger plan, opposed to an isolated entity in itself “Marketing is a mixture of art and science but no matter which side of the equation you stand on, having a strong marketing strategy in place is essential for success.”

Discount dangers

By Kate Pierson

It’s a sensory stimulant for consumers and can break budgets on a whim.

With the ability to bend the will of even the most avid window-only shopper, it’s one of the most attractive concepts to the human eye — the discount. Making the eyes wide, the sales salivary glands water and the heart pitter-patter in anticipation, it’s one of the most powerful signs in commercial language.

Yes, the discount, be it in malls, minimarts or markets, in the form of dollar deductions, percentage reductions or two-for-ones, is the magnetic drawcard for sales scouters and bargain-hunting buyers in a marketplace full of competing consumables.

But while its attractive facade has guaranteed its popularity in the sales sphere, the discount can also be what is described as a ‘frenemy,’ aka, the ‘friendly enemy’. Something which, on the surface, appears to the have all the qualities and characteristics to be a compatible friend to your business, but when you use it, undermines all that you hope to achieve.

The bottom line is, if you are going to announce a discount, you have to know the effect on your firm first.

NZ Institute of Chartered Accounts director of professional support, Tom Davies, is adamant about this. Discounting and using it for your business’ benefit requires knowledge and an educated understanding of your operation, first and foremost. His philosophy on discounting is, always analyse before you act. “While discounting is a popular way to increase sales, what businesses need to remember, is that if they are discounting their products, they are giving away a slice of their profit.

Therefore, before a discount is applied, people have to know their business and not just hope for an increase in sales and profit,” he explains.

“Before you discount, you’ve got to know how much the product is costing you and how much you need to keep your business going.

Trying to match a competitor’s price without knowing these essentials can be disastrous.”

Davies says businesses also need to consider that repetitive discounting may result in consumer demand for a permanent reduction plan, also known as a loyalty programme.

Humphries and Associates Limited director, Michael Humphries corroborates Davies’ views

“It’s true that discounts are one way to reach customers and in some cases it can be effective. We see it being used to attract people into shops and stores and to generate marketshare, but it is a strategy that needs to be utilised carefully,” he cautions.

Understanding how discounts can have an immediate impact on cash and profitability is also critical, because if businesses cannot sustain their discount position in the face of a price-reduction war, they may find themselves being out-priced by their opposition and susceptible to financial failure. “Businesses really need to know the cost structure and whether they can sustain their position in a potential sales war. Discounting is a strategy that is really only available to the lowest cost producers, because if you don’t have a low cost production structure in place, you’re not in a position to drop your prices and you may end up compromising the quality of your product or service if you try to.”

And even if consumption increases enough to maintain a price decrease, significant costs may be attached to the investment of new staff and premises that are required to accommodate this consumption growth.

Beyond the potential implications for a business itself, discount campaigns running back to back can also negatively impact the economy due to deflation — something Humphries says has been happening in Japan for many years.

“These price wars that occur between businesses can create uncertainty for consumers because they expect prices to drop again and therefore won’t spend any money in anticipation of this happening.

“In business, a strong focus should be on unique selling points (USP). A USP is all about how a business can differentiate itself and where it will position itself in the market,” Humphries concludes.

For more information on discounting and how you can effectively implement this, or another sales strategy, seek advice from an accountant or a business consultancy firm. www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 21

Underestimating the relationship between discount and volume is also a common error.

“To make up your gross margin when you

News | Special

Paying for

performance

By Melinda Collins

‘You can’t manage what you can’t measure’ is an adage that has been around forever. One of the most common and increasingly controversial manifestations of a connection between measurement and management, is performance-related pay (PRP).

It’s not a new concept. Ever since ancient Mesopotamians were paid by the basket for picking olives, there’s been some variation of incentive pay. In the modern day the term is used fairly loosely with commissions and bonuses often thrown into the definition.

The general understanding of PRP is money paid to someone relating to how well he or she works.

Business theorist Frederick Winslow Taylor was a great supporter of this method of payment, believing money was the main incentive for increased productivity. Other proponents say PRP provides a direct incentive for employees to achieve a defined work target and, as their contribution is recognised through a tangible reward, motivation and commitment improve, directly influencing overall productivity and performance.

But a fundamental criticism relates to the subjective nature of performance and suggests the performance of a complex job as a whole is reduced to a simple, often single measure of performance.

Criteria for call centre staff, for example, may be the length of a phone call, however this fails to take into consideration quality

of help given and whether the caller’s problem had been rectified.

Macroscopic factors such as an economic downturn may also make employees appear to be performing at a lower standard, independent of actual performance.

In other cases, opposition is motivated by hostilities which can arise when times of low turnover sees multiple employees vying for the attention of one customer, and when more than one employee assists one customer.

Robert Half New Zealand general manager, Megan Alexander says performance pay can work in a variety of different industries, including retail.

“It can be very morale boosting. You need to understand employees’ needs and that means talking to them. You need to understand everyone is different. The hardest thing is getting a platform pay structure that tailors to everyone’s needs.”

Expectations There are some keys to integrating a successful performance pay structure, she says.

“The key is expectation management, communication and clarifying to people why they are not getting bonuses or why they are.

Make them aware and accountable.”

While she says people need to take into consideration the business’ financial capabilities, money isn’t everything.

“It can be a lot more simple than people think — it could be allowances for mobile phones, through to the employee not being penalised to look after a sick child,” she says.

“Pay is not always the main driver of people’s happiness. Yes, people need to feel rewarded

Pay is not always the main driver of happiness… people need to feel rewarded and recognised, but performance pay doesn’t solve everything. and recognised, but performance pay doesn’t solve everything.

“It’s a combination of culture, strategic vision, communication — performance pay is only one way of keeping people happy.”

Latest statistics from Robert Half International’s 2010 Salary Survey suggest that while not as high as our Asian compatriots in performance pay, New Zealand is still in line with Australia.

Of the Kiwi respondents, 39 percent said they received a bonus in 2009, compared with 36 percent in Australia, 56 percent in Hong Kong, 64 percent in Japan and 75 percent in Singapore.

Of the New Zealanders, 42 percent said they did not receive a bonus, with 19 percent saying bonuses are not part of their salary package.

This year, 38 percent of New Zealand respondents said they are expecting to receive a bonus, on par with Australia; both below the average of 54 percent. Half the Kiwi respondents do not expect to receive a bonus in 2010.

Show tell

By Kate Pierson

When a tradeshow’s aisles are inundated with frantic foot traffic, eager eyes are surveying the surroundings, concept-hungry minds are contemplating commercial options, and you’re in the background at your stand thinking, “I’m here, pick me, pick me!” It’s perfectly acceptable to utilise attention-seeking tactics to attract your marketshare.

By this inference, we don’t mean you should jump up and down, waving your hands in the air, or use loud and colourful behaviour to engage the curiosity of prospective buyers.

Attention-seeking in this context is about smart selling. In the craze of competition at a tradeshow it’s easy to get lost in the commercial crowd — getting noticed is everything when it comes to being a leader in the professional pack.

A tradeshow is more than a showcase or exhibition; it is a networking event and handson marketing opportunity for consumers and potential buyers to become visually and tactically acquainted with your products.

With this in mind, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) has put together a tradeshow instruction manual for newbies and wellschooled veterans wanting to brush up on tradeshow knowledge and etiquette.

Offering a comprehensive how-to guide for maximising potential at trade events, the aptly titled, Ensuring Success at Tradeshows is a toolkit at your disposal.

From outlining your objectives, researching, budgeting, planning and pre-show promotions,

22 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

to planning work at the event, conceptualising an exhibition briefing and overviewing what to do during the event, this guide has a comprehensive checklist for commencement through to completion.

A fundamental point raised in the guide, notes: “Remember trade events are just the mid-point of an integrated sales process,” and NZTE director of specialised manufacturing, Hans Frauenlob reiterates the importance of remaining committed to a trade event from start to finish.

“Attending a tradeshow can be an expensive undertaking. Therefore, during the lead-up time it is important to recognise your target audience and identify what it is you want to achieve. This involves reaching out to your customers and leaving yourself enough money for the follow-up phase after the tradeshow.”

resources, may be lost in translation when in essence, they should convert into increased marketshare, sales and profitability.

Frauenlob says the most effective approach to organisation at tradeshows will vary between sectors and companies depending on what they want to achieve. “Although the criteria varies, what a lot of potential exhibitors tend to do, is walk the floor of other tradeshows prior to their own and look at how they need to position their prospective products against competitors. Looking at competitors’ messages and finding a point of difference is also key.”

Finding or reinvigorating business relationships is also about prior networking and inviting prospective or current clients to attend a tradeshow you will be exhibiting at.

Frauenlob says follow-up is a critical part of the process, but this is often the aspect that is neglected by businesses. “Nothing disappoints a prospective client more than no follow- up, but of equal importance to the follow-up, is of course the lead-up itself,” he explains.

“Instead of waiting for traffic to come to you, if you want to secure five distributors, give yourself a headstart by inviting 10 distributors you already know or you have found yourself,” he says. “It sounds cliché, but success at a tradeshow really is about preparation, preparation, preparation.”

Without a definitive and strategic pre-event plan in place, the professional currency you invest — aka your valuable time and

For more information on tradeshows or to view the Ensuring Success at Tradeshows guide, visit www.nzte.govt.nz

Need a student for the summer?

We have thousands of students ready to give you a hand with all those hard to fill roles that nobody else wants to do… and our service is FREE! Help a Student – Help Yourself Now there’s a new way of hiring students for those hard to fill jobs. Our revolutionary new site is far more effective and efficient than anything you’ve tried before.

You have complete control over who you employ, and you deal directly with the students, so you find out first hand what they’re like. And of course this means you can have your student working for you almost immediately, unlike other places that typically take… too long.

Our new technology will match your job with the best available students and send you the applicants to choose from.

And best of all, this service is entirely free to both you and the student. No catch, no gimmick.

So if you have someone away sick, or you’re just sick of paying recruitment companies, we have enthusiastic students rearing to go.

Hourly rates start from $12.75, but you can decide what you want to pay and let the market decide how many applicants you get — there’s no governance from us.

We’ve removed the hassle of contracts as you can simply download them from our site free of charge.

Students will also do just about anything, from handing out flyers to standing in a chicken suit, as well as all the odd job around your house too.

And of course if you employ them around your home there’s no need for contracts.

Most students are willing to work extremely hard to pay their way through studying, so the majority are hard working and willing to go the extra mile to ensure they get a good reference from you, as this is often their point of difference when going for a graduate job. And you also know you’re employing intelligent and honest people, as any dishonesty will have them removed from our database immediately.

In addition to this you could be getting a student FREE for a month. At the end of each month we’ll be drawing out one company and reimbursing them for their students wages.

& free a student — fast u yo ng di fin of The new way

0800 486 329

Level 3, 818 Colombo Street, Christchurch 8013

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 23

machines

Living | Today

By Bridget Gourlay

products ne Touch

ss a

Z5 Vi

bie

mm

e D O M O b a r Su

p er

lli

N u ov a S i m o n e

bean scene

ssa S9 O

Jura Impre

Jura Impre

I hate to think what office productivity statistics would look like if coffee were banned for a week. Certainly this magazine wouldn’t be printed, as we are proud to continue the time-honoured journalistic tradition of caffeine addiction. I went on a mission to find the best coffee machines and coffee to fill them with. For the home or office, for those on a budget or those who want to splurge on the shiniest and fanciest machine out there — here they are.

by

Su nbeam Café Latte

M i c ro b a r

Vibiemme DOMObar Super

De Long hi N

espress

o Lattissima

Jura Impressa S9 One Touch Your coffee-loving employees will love the Jura Impressa S9 One Touch and will love you for getting it. Gone are the days of a choice between black or white coffee, this machine makes both cappuccinos and latte macchiatos.

Available: www.coffeefix.co.nz RRP: $3999

Microbar by Nuova Simonelli

Jura Impressa Z5

I could talk about how compact and easy to use the Microbar by Nuova Simonelli is, but really the selling point is it uses fresh milk and fresh coffee beans, ensuring that the end product tastes just like a coffee you would get in a café.

Sleek, simple and Swiss-made, this machine has fancy technology but isn’t in your face about it. For example, its active bean monitoring system gets rid of empty coffee grinders and half-empty coffee cups because it tells you in good time when you need to refill the bean container.

Available: www.coffeesystems.co.nz or through their showroom in Mays Road, Onehunga RRP: $4485

beans

Available: www.coffeefix.co.nz RRP: $4999

Upshot Upshot was introduced to me by a friend who I have known for ten years and have never seen go longer than a few hours without a cup of coffee, so I took her word for it that it was good. After one sip I was as hooked as she was. Upshot uses only fair trade organic beans, roasted daily in their small premise in Heathcote, Christchurch.

Tangy and strong, you will smell this coffee as soon as you pick up the bag.

Available: www.fairtradeorganiccoffee.co.nz RRP: $10 for 250 grams

C4 Another Christchurch roastery punching above its weight with sharp, tangy and delicious offerings.

Buy single blends or their special creations. I highly recommend Krank for the perfect espresso.

Available: www.c4.co.nz RRP: $9 for 250 grams 24 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Really impress your friends with this Italian coffee machine by making them hot drinks that seem like they’re from a café. With a steam wand so you can make lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolates.

Available: www.coffeefix.co.nz RRP: $3210

DeLonghi Nespresso Lattissima This machine is a steal at only $744. It may be relatively inexpensive but it uses fresh milk (not powdered) and the Nespresso capsule system, so it’s easy to use. And while it might cost well under a grand, it doesn’t look cheap.

Available: Harvey Norman RRP: $744

Sunbeam Café Latte The bargain basement price doesn’t mean there’s no frills to this machine. Its LCD indicator tells you the status of the water temperature and the best time for coffee making or creating steam for texturing milk.

Available: Harvey Norman RRP: $249

People’s Coffee Sold in every so-trendy-it-hurts café in Wellington, People’s Coffee is as unique as it is delicious. For them, fair trade is more than a logo — the People’s Coffee staff have travelled to Columbia, Peru and Ethiopia to meet the growers they buy from.

Available: www.peoplescoffee.co.nz RRP: $10-$11 for 250 grams

Living | Today

By Kate Pierson

Gadget The Kymera Wand The cardinal rule of the world of witchcraft and wizardry has been broken with the introduction of gadgetry to the “muggle” world. And while the relic prophecy of the magic land warns that muggles and magic should never mix, it seems the two worlds are colliding with the invention of the Kymera Wand, a buttonless gesture-based universal remote control.

eclectic essentials

lifestyles

Delivered via a wand-shaped black box lined in silk brocade, the instruction manual has the antiquated look of potions parchment and while there may be nothing superstitious about the motion detection software embodied in the Kymera, the technological magic that takes place between the buttonless remote and the mediums it has been designed to interact with has a mystifying effect.

The Kymera is intuitive, understanding 13 different movements or “gestures”, each of which can learn and replay the remote control function from any button on almost any existing infra-red remote control. The wand is a bit of a control freak too, but in a good way, as users can also negotiate remote-controlled light switches and curtains.

Destination

Available: www.giftbob.co.nz RRP: $129

Global Gypsies

Toy

Do you want to get in touch with your inner wild child?

Well abandon your schedules and inhibitions and let tour operators Global Gypsies be your guide.

Traverse the historic Holland track on a 4WD cut through virgin bush in south eastern Western Australia (WA) by bushman John Holland more than a century ago. The 500 kilometre track was developed in 1893 when the glitter of gold attracted prospectors seeking their fortune.

Experience a free bush skills seminar, 4WD practise, a poetry evening with professional poet Bill Gordon and visit John Holland’s grave in Coolgardie. A sky blanketed with stars will provide the backdrop for the conclusion as a white-linen candlelit bush dinner awaits on the last evening.

Available: Tours held annually. Book at admin@globalgypsies.com.au RRP: $869

Top Drop Eradus Sauvignon Blanc 2009 This palate-tempter is quite a fruity character and, with a balanced power and richness, the Eradus Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is the winner of multiple Air New Zealand Gold Awards. It is a most compatible companion with Bluff oysters for a match made in culinary heaven. If the Eradus’ racy acidity is not enough to get your pulse going, pairing it with the aphrodisiac oyster surely will.

Available: www.eraduswines.co.nz RRP: $17.99

Tool Dyson DC26 It’s a mighty but mini mess remover that validates the theory appearances can be deceiving. A space saver with a tough demeanour, the Dyson DC26 is compact yet aggressive on mess. With a footprint smaller than an A4 piece of paper, this hand-held wonder combines 275 parts re-engineered by Dyson specialists to miniaturise the technology while maintaining the performance of a full size vacuum.

And while nobody likes a suck up, the DC26 is a welcomed exception. Featuring a condensed version of Dyson’s patented Radix Cyclone technology, it spins dust and dirt out of the air using centrifugal forces. Better yet, you can breathe easy with this user friendly domestic companion, as every component in the sensitive DC26 is engineered so allergens are retained.

The Zurf When the surfboard was introduced to the sea, humans learned to walk on water. Well, kind of. At the very least, the advent of the sea skimming surfboard provided us mere mortals with a platform to become one with Mother Nature and explore the pathways of the ocean.

Problem is, that while the dynamics of surfing have been revolutionised with refined designs, there’s yet to be a surfboard feature devised for those suffering from maladroit syndrome (aka clumsiness) so they too can enjoy riding the waves — until now.

Mastering the delicate art of feet and arm synchronicity in order to remain perpendicular on a surfboard is a thing of the past thanks to the Zurf, a surfing for dummies mode of transport. A cousin of the Zorb, the Zurf is a 3m x 3m inflatable cylinder that can accommodate three big kids (adults) or four or five children safely. It’s a flexible force as a companion to land and water.

Available: www.zurf.co.nz RRP: $7537. Accessories an additional cost

Bauble Patek Philippe Watches These baubles will ensure you always have time on your hands. As experts in horology, Patek Philippe watches are practical indulgence; designed for the discerning ladies and gentleman, or those who just dare to dream.

The ladies Patik Philippe watch face is cocooned in an 18ct gold diamond set case and features a mother of pearl dial and black alligator strap. The male counterpart is also dressed in 18ct gold and has two sapphire sides to its perfect personality.

With a grey arabic numeral dial, small seconds, moonphase and a pointer date, this masculine model embodies a Réserve de Marche — a power reserve indicator.

Available: www.jewelwatch.co.nz RRP: Women’s Patek Philippe $49,000. Men’s Patek Philippe $62,000.

Available: www.dyson.co.nz RRP: $699

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 25

Events | Diary

business | events ▲ Wednesday, November 24

Employers’ Workshop — Inland Revenue Wellington Are you new to employing staff and need to get your head around the complexities of wage records, KiwiSaver, completing the employer monthly schedule and employer deductions? To register contact advisory.wellington@ird.govt.nz

▲

Monday, November 29 to Tuesday, November 30

▲

Tuesday, November 30

▲

Wednesday, December 1

▲

Friday, December 3

▲

Saturday, December 4 to Sunday, December 5

▲

Tuesday, December 7

Introduction to Business Seminar — Inland Revenue Wellington Whether starting a business or new to business, this is the way to get your head around income tax, business structures, bookkeeping and online tools and services.

To register contact advisory.wellington@ird.govt.nz GST Workshop — Inland Revenue Lower Hutt An interactive workshop for people who have just joined the business world, covering the basics of GST, how to complete an Excel cashbook and how to file GST returns online. To register contact advisory.wellington@ird.govt.nz Her Businesswoman of the Year Awards — Her Business Wellington Come and celebrate local business talent. General admission $120 including dinner and drinks. To register visit www.herbusinesswellington.co.nz Wholesome Relating — Wangapeka Study and Retreat Centre Social networking sites, the internet and urban life have people interacting in ways never seen before in history. What are the consequences for human relationships and how can we foster meaningful connections with others and ourselves? Contact Ruth Pink 027 6766895, email pinkruth@xtra.co.nz or visit www.wangapeka.org Project Management for Non-Project Managers — Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central Managing projects can appear daunting if you have little prior experience. Practical and accessible approaches to present core techniques and tools central to project management. To register email training@eccc.org.nz or visit www.eccc.org.nz

Wellington Free Ambulance Annual Dinner — Wellington Free Ambulance The theme for this year’s dinner is what makes Wellington great. Celebrate another year of the paramedics and the service they provide. Tickets $120.

To book visit www.wfa.org.nz

▲

Saturday, December 4

▲

Saturday, December 4

▲

▲

▲

Learning to say “no” and focus on things that make a difference is an important leadership lesson

Te Pourewa Arotahi Symposium — Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi Reflecting on where we are headed in post-Treaty era New Zealand, the first of three forward thinking symposiums opens discussion around important challenges and experiences in the areas of governance, economy, cultural heritage and natural resources. Two-day symposium, $695. To register visit www.tepapa.govt.nz

out of office | events ▲ Saturday, November 27

▲

Viewpoint | Management

Anika Moa Aroha Tour — Bodega Bar and Music Venue Anika is a gifted performer, entertaining with down-to-earth stories. As outspoken and funny as she is, it is her beautifully crafted songs that take centre stage.

To book visit www.eventfinder.co.nz Trentham Christmas at the Races — Trentham Racecourse Get into the Christmas spirit for one of Wellington’s most exciting Christmas events.

For more information and race packages visit www.theraces.co.nz

Saturday, December 4 Bon Jovi Concert — Westpac Stadium Bon Jovi returns to New Zealand with a stage production powered by 800,000 watts of sound and high definition video technology. To book contact Ticketek 0800 842 538 or visit www.ticketek.co.nz

Thursday, December 9 AotearoHA Comedy Carnival — NZ Comedy Trust Direct from the originators and presenters of the NZ International Comedy Festival comes a comedic extravaganza of vaudevillian proportions. Ringmaster extraordinaire Peter Helliar hosts a congress of colossal comedians in an international spectacular. To book phone 0800 842 538 or visit www.premier.ticketek.co.nz

Thursday, December 9 Christmas with Aivale Cole — New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Join the NZSO and the wonderful choirs of Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington for an inspiring start to the Yuletide season, featuring soprano Aivale Cole, winner of the 2009 Song Quest. To book contact Ticketek 0800 842 538 or visit www.ticketek.co.nz

Sunday, December 26 Otari-Wilton’s Bush — Otari Information Centre Recover from Christmas festivities by joining John Dawson on a two hour walk along the Blue Trail to an 800-year-old rimu. Meet at the Otari Information Centre just before 2pm, cost $3.

If you have events you would like featured in the Events Diary, email newsroom@academy.net.nz at least two months before the date of the event.

Or, if you have held an event and would like to supply photos for the Been Seen section (along with 100 words about the event and a caption for each image), send to newsroom@academy.net.nz 26 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Timeless advice for getting ahead During his time as an author and management consultant, Peter Drucker shared a wealth of timeless advice for CEOs. Here is a small summary of his wisdom.

Your people must keep you well informed about their plans and progress in their area.

Clear focus

Don’t be a prisoner of your own organisation

Leaders must clearly communicate the strategic priorities of the company so their people know exactly what the organisation is trying to do. They say “no” to distractions and keep focused on the big things that will make the biggest difference. Too many leaders try to do a little bit of 25 things and get nothing meaningful done.

Build on strengths, not weakness Successful leaders ask, “of those things that will make a difference, which are the right tasks for me to perform?”

Likewise, you must keep people well informed of the overall company’s plans and your own priorities. Don’t make them have to guess what you are working on.

The moment you are in the office, everybody comes to you wanting something. You cannot be too available — or you will never get anything done.

Make sure your people clearly understand the top priorities they are accountable for and how their progress will be measured.

Meet regularly to hold people accountable for progress. Ask them what support they need from you in order to achieve their goals.

Discourage constant interruptions.

You have your own style for getting things done. Don’t try to be somebody else.

Effective leaders play to their strengths and learn to say “no” to tasks they aren’t naturally good at.

Create sufficient time and space to be alone to focus on the achievement of your own priorities.

Yes, they make sure the other things get done — but not by them. They leverage the talents of people who are strong at performing those other necessary tasks.

Once you have clarified your targets and strategic priorities, you must review your own performance against them regularly.

Creative abandonment A critical question for leaders to ask themselves is “what are you going to stop doing?” Stop investing in past activities or things that have achieved their purpose. Ask, “is this still worth doing?” A dangerous trap for leaders is to continually pour resources into those “not quite” successes — those projects where everybody says that if you just give it another big push it will go over the top.

Geographically dispersed companies Don’t travel so much — you will get very little done. It is important that you see people maybe twice a year. Other times, make them come to see you or use technology.

Measure and review your own performance

What did you personally do well and what did you do poorly? Did you select the right priorities to start with?

Achievement is meaningless if you are working on trivial things.

Peter Drucker (1909-2005) was a writer, management consultant, and self-described ‘social ecologist’. His books and articles explored how humans are organised across the business, government and the nonprofit sectors of society.

Article kindly supplied by results.com which specialises in identifying key elements companies needs to turn business potential into results.

Viewpoint | Workplace Focus

Creating a positive

work environment

By Greg Watson

I believe four elements help to create and maintain a positive working environment.

These elements are: ■ Showing interest in your team members ■ Creating an encouraging working environment ■ Recognising and rewarding good performance ■ Having fun.

Show your team you are interested in them by asking their opinions, complimenting their work and offering help.

I recommend “MBWA” — Management By Walking Around.

Get among your team, discuss their work, be available and chat or share a laugh. If each team member feels valued they will work

positively towards the common cause, or their individual task.

A team which feels ignored will also feel unappreciated, could head off task and lose respect for management due to the leader’s unavailability and inability to direct.

Most people would agree that an encouraging working environment is one where ideas are valued and rewarded, fun and laughter is par for the course, you are thanked for your contributions and you feel like part of a team.

My team is encouraged to come up with new ideas and improvements. Team members are then rewarded by seeing them put in place.

An encouraging environment benefits employees and they tend to contribute more ideas, feel more committed, look forward to coming to work, are more productive and have an increased self esteem. Benefits to management include reduced staff turnover, greater loyalty, increasing ease of attracting new employees and higher overall productivity.

Recognising and rewarding good performance should increase greatly the chances that similar performance will continue in future.

Getting to know your staff will help you decide what drives them. Most of my team are not motivated primarily by money. Some will prefer rewards such a compliments, saying “thank you” or applause at a meeting.

Others may be driven by time off with family, a promotion, tickets to an event, or public recognition of their achievements.

Having clearly defined expectations of your team will help with setting goals and setting rewards. The most successful rewards can be those that employees have chosen for themselves, as this increases the ‘buy-in’ factor of your team.

By the nature of it, going to work each day means you do need to work. However, creating a fun environment really helps to foster happiness, a good team spirit and can put a little positive unpredictability into the day.

an encouraging working environment is one where

ideas

are valued and rewarded,

fun and laughter are par for the course,

you are thanked for

your contributions and you feel like

part of a team.

Happy employees are productive employees.

Find reasons to celebrate together, such as birthdays, a new child, a small milestone and have a morning tea or cake to celebrate. On the board in the break room write up “Today we are celebrating… ”, and this will help connect the entire staff.

Encourage your team to see the funny side of the day-to-day events that may otherwise drag them down. It’s much better to laugh than cry!

Create events such as an end of month gettogether for employees and friends, outings like go-karting or playing ambrose golf.

Recently, my staff thought they were going on a training field trip and we ended up having a departmental mini golf challenge. Imagine their delight when they discovered learning about law had been replaced with learning to master the lawn!

So go out there and have some fun, take your team with you and the rewards will follow.

Greg Watson runs the multiple national award winning property management company Watson Real Estate Ltd — www.watsonproperty.co.nz

Anything worth doing, is worth doing… poorly

By Ngahihi o te ra Bidois

I am sure many of you have heard the proverb ‘anything worth doing is worth doing well’. However an important leadership attribute is to allow people to do poorly.

Outstanding leaders expect the people they lead to use their initiative and to take risks — calculated ones — but risks nevertheless.

They have a high level of expectation of their people and encourage them to make the most of opportunities that arise as well as create new ones.

However, none of these will occur if people do not have the freedom to make mistakes.

People simply will not take risks if it is not a safe environment. An example is the karaoke sing-along. We all know people who only sing in their showers that should be singing on the stages of the world; however there are also others who should only be singing in their showers!

I know people who are absolutely superb singers that refuse to sing on karaoke machines. One of the reasons is because they are afraid of doing poorly in front of everyone. The risk of the shame of failure is higher than the risk of success.

discovered that the young mechanic had put the wrong fuel in the aircraft.

Upon returning to the airport he asked to see the mechanic. The young man had tears streaming down his face as Hoover approached. What do you think he said to the mechanic?

Bob Hoover put his arm around the man’s shoulder and said “To show that I am sure you will never do this again, I want you to service my F-51 tomorrow.”

So do you allow people around you to make mistakes? Do you create safe environments where they can sing their hearts out so to speak, without the shame of failure? Do you have their back when you have delegated something to them that requires risk taking?

We all want excellence in everything we do and have high expectations of those around us.

However, every high achiever and great leader made mistakes along the way. Anything worth doing well, is worth doing poorly.

In his best selling book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie Ngahihi o te ra Bidios is an international tells the story of the famous aerobatic pilot leadership speaker and can be Bob Hoover, who was taking off in his very contacted through Celebrity Speakers at expensive F-51 plane when both engines (09) 373 4177 or www.celebspeakers.com cut out. He managed to land the plane and www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 27

Motoring | Test Drive: Peugeot RCZ

The Peugeot RCZ wouldn’t look out of place on a catwalk but how does it perform on the road?

Tim Grey finds out.

Roadworthy In most areas of life there is nothing a Frenchman would least like to be than German. But for some reason, when it comes to cars, the French can’t help but pine for efficient Teutonic engineering with precision and common sense.

Oh, sure, Citroen trades on its futurist concepts and love of left-field innovation, but as for Renault and Peugeot, they’ve produced some of the most bland Euro hatches and sedans of the last decade, all in the pursuit of making a Gallic Golf or a Parisian Passat.

So when Peugeot hinted at a rival to the uber-successful Audi TT sports coupe earlier this year, my heart sank faster than the Rainbow Warrior.

Once again, the French were going to try to be German and the result was not only going to be bland, but EU bland — that special level of blandness reserved for when the cultural lines of competing European nations are completely blurred beyond meaning.

restyling

of balance is slightly too far forward, like a Porsche Boxster. But in the flesh the RCZ is actually surprisingly petite and makes perfect sense from every angle.

It puts the MkII Audi TT in the shade the way that current model makes its blocky predecessor look like a life-sized toy car.

Looks, of course, aren’t everything.

The coupe segment may be the one hairdressers like to frequent, but even here handling and ride count.

The TT isn’t known for its dynamism on the road, despite the fact the range ($86,900 upwards) starts with a potent 155kW turbo under the bonnet, but the 245kW Nissan 370Z ($76,000-$81,000) is a more competitive driver’s car.

Any fan of French action films will tell you, however, that when it comes to getaway cars its usually a Pug being driven by the men with Gitanes sticking out of their balaclavas.

Dynamic handling

Fortunately, I was wrong.

Peugeots used to be known for their ability to deliver precision handling dynamics, rather than precision diesel economy, and the RCZ grips the road and tackles corners in a way which harks back to the brand’s heyday.

The Peugeot RCZ certainly wouldn’t be in existence if it were not for the success of the TT, but beyond why it’s on the market, the RCZ couldn’t be any Frencher if it came with a free beret and a signature fragrance.

The RCZ employs “Inverted Pseudo” McPherson strut suspension front and back, all linked in to an anti-roll bar, and the results — combined with weighty, communicative steering — are magnificent.

Peugeot has taken real design risks with the RCZ and in the process re-discovered its flair for the first time since it decided to bin its famous GTi badge (which, no surprises for guessing, is now set for a return). Its double-bubble roof is so unique to be instantly iconic, while its perfectly formed rear is so sublime it makes up for what can look like a rather bulbous nose.

Of course, on New Zealand’s roads, such flat-stanced control can translate into a bumpy ride, but find a long stretch of winding road as I did on the way to Akaroa and the experience is sublime.

In pictures that nose can make the car look too big and busy up front, almost as if the centre 28 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

The RCZ hasn’t got the same firepower as the TT, instead using a smaller 1.6 litre turbo petrol which produces 115kW at its 6000rpm peak.

Don’t go thinking you’ll see benefits at the other end, though.

With a claimed combined economy average of only 7.3L/100km the RCZ is also not as economic as the base TT. Calling the lightweight RCZ under-powered, though, is inaccurate, especially as it can do the 0-100kmh dash in a highly respectable nine seconds.

In fact, the only thing which held back my test model from throwing itself into every corner with gusto was its six-speed automatic, which tended to be too grabby for my tastes.

To get the most out of the RCZ I’d opt for the six-speed manual. Intriguingly, both are priced at $64,990 to undercut the competition, but Peugeot hasn’t skimped on specification to maintain its margins.

Sound insulation could be better — although it is certainly not as bad as the 370Z. The interior is awash with extra elements, from full-leather upholstery and electrically adjustable and heated front seats to hands-free bluetooth capability and dual zone climate control.

Where Peugeot might be saving its pennies, however, is in the car’s conversion to the righthand-drive market.

Until the media volume controls were discovered behind the bluetooth stalk, hidden itself behind the steering wheel, reaching the radio in the centre console was a bit of a stretch — the console definitely felt angled towards the front passenger.

But overall Peugeot has resisted the urge to make the RCZ as spartan as its price tag, with the most intriguing feature having to be the button for the active rear spoiler. Press it and the smooth lines of the boot up-end into a slim downforce device.

As its name suggests, it is an automatic feature which activates at speed anyway, but for me it epitomises the playful individualism of the RCZ — like the rest of the car it provides real flair.

Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre & Classic Fighters Airshow PO Box 641 Blenheim 7240 T (03) 579 1305 F (03) 579 1306 E info@omaka.org.nz www.classicfighters.co.nz Corporate hosting

Entertain guests to an unforgettable weekend of aviation entertainment at Classic Fighters 2011 at the Omaka Aerodrome on April 22-24.

Guests will have access to outdoor seating in the Gold Pass enclosure, to enjoy the lunchtime entertainment and dining options. A selection of Marlborough’s world-renowned wines will be on offer from the Experience Marlborough Marquee, adjacent to the Gold Pass enclosure.

Classic Fighters There’s nothing like stepping back in time to make you appreciate what we have today, and the sacrifices made to get us here. The Classic Fighters Omaka Air Show offers such a window and the view is spectacular.

It is a time to admire the spirit of endeavour, embodied in vintage birds that were once piloted by freedom fighters in the name of liberation and independence.

Classic Fighters is more than an airshow.

Aircraft are displayed as part of a theatrical spectacle with battle scenes re-enacted on the ground and in the air. Prepare for a spectacular weekend of fun and aeroplanes at Omaka Aerodrome near Blenheim.

The air show is held for three days every alternate year between Good Friday and Easter Sunday and the next celebration is Easter 2011.

Marlborough

iconic fighter aircraft in history going head to head during the Great War of 1914-1918 and the Second World War 1939-1945.

More than 70 aircraft will fly each day of the event and the public area will be dressed in props which reflect an English country village theme. A Fun Zone for children and a Classic Car Festival for aircraft enthusiasts will keep the young and young at heart entertained.

“People come from around the world.

We are expecting 30-40,000 people in 2011, which provides great opportunities for businesses in the region,” Omaka Aviation Centre chief executive Jane Orphan says.

With the main show days on Saturday and Sunday and the programme running from approximately 10am until 4pm, Friday has traditionally been a practise and trade day.

Designed to be more than just an airshow, the centre’s philosophy is to provide visitors

For 2011, the Classic Fighters theme is, ‘V for Victory,’ inspired by the

Gold Pass Benefits include: ■ Host your corporate guests in an exclusive area with an uninterrupted view of the action ■ Passes for up to 40 guests per day ■ Signage rights, using your own flags or banners, in addition to signs provided ■ A furnished 6 x 6m marquee ■ Access to quality ablution blocks ■ Morning muffins and pastries, afternoon antipasto platters ■ Relax, let Omaka Aviation provide an unforgettable experience for you and your guests

with a weekend of entertainment that encompasses the unique Marlborough flavour.

The aviation theme is complemented by ground theatre, vehicles, pyrotechnics and set pieces. Trade stalls, Marlborough wine and cultural food are also on offer.

Icons in the sky include the debut of Jerry Yagen’s Mosquito KA114 — the first of its type to be seen airborne in more than a decade and a half, and the first fully rebuilt Mosquito to fly (with all new wood through the airframe).

A Focke-Wulf Fw190A-8N, belonging to the Omaka-based Chariots of Fire Fighter Collection, has been undergoing a steady equipment upgrade in Germany prior to shipping to New Zealand and the Reid family’s fabulous Avro Anson Mk.I, is coming together now after an exhaustive restoration. Also under restoration at Omaka is the Yak-3 belonging to the syndicate led by Graeme Frew and expected to make its debut at Classic Fighters 2011.

The Vintage Aviator Ltd will once again be displaying a number of WWI aircraft. Fans of Great War aviation will also be able to visit the spectacular Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre and see the machines on display.

It is expected that at least three WWI aircraft will be making their debuts among what will likely be the largest gathering of representative

Great War aeroplanes seen anywhere in the world since

the 1920s.

“Best

museum in the world”

- Sydney Morning Herald

Housing a display like no other ... and you don’t have to be and aviation buff to enjoy it!

Open 7 Days 10.00am - 5.00pm Evening functions by appointment 79 Aerodrome Rd, Blenheim, Marlborough Ph: 03 579 1305 Email: info@omaka.org.nz

Web: www.omaka.org.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 29

30 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Transport and Motoring | Bruce L Mills 2000

The

diesel specialists

At A Glance Maintenance and looking after what you’ve got was Diana Gosse’s philosophy when she bought the successful diesel repair business, Bruce L Mills, from her boss of 13 years in 2000.

“Everybody does everything, nobody just works on their little niche interest.

Gosse had previously been the office manager.

“Bruce had been ill for a few years before that, so I was doing more and more of the work, like pricing and dealing with customers. When he decided to retire I had enough confidence that I could run it, so I bought the business.”

Gosse also believes in the importance of taking on apprentices, because “that’s how you get staff trained the way you want things to be done”.

Gosse has been the owner for 10 years, but says while the technology has changed since Bruce Mills started the business about 30 years ago, the business ethos hasn’t.

“I didn’t go in a different direction, it was such a good business I carried on the same way. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, I thought.”

Bruce L Mills 2000 specialises in servicing diesel vehicles such as trucks, earthmoving equipment, coaches and four wheel drives, as well as trailers and boat trailers. The range of work covers general service to full overhauls on engines, gearboxes and differentials.

Customers

“We’re small, so it’s vital someone can step in if another employee is off sick, but this philosophy also makes for a well rounded mechanic. It gives people variety, instead of doing the same mundane repairs day after day.”

She has employed three apprentices in the business since she took over 10 years ago. Two have completed their qualifications and one is currently working on his.

Point of difference Gosse says Bruce L Mills 2000’s point of difference is the company has a workshop which will tackle a lot of work on vehicles other companies won’t touch.

●

The business was started in the early 1980s by Bruce Mills

●

It was taken over by long-time employee Diana Gosse in 2000 and renamed Bruce L Mills 2000

●

A specialist in servicing diesel vehicles covering general service to full overhauls on engines, gearboxes and differentials

●

Long established business with many loyal customers

●

Specialises in tackling tricky jobs

●

Future goals are to continue its good work and customer service.

“If other places say they can’t fix your vehicle, give us a call and we’ll see what we can do.”

Bruce L Mills 2000 72 Seaview Road Lower Hutt Gosse’s goals for the company are simple. “I want us to carry on doing the same good work Wellington 5010 T (04) 568 8502 we’ve done for nearly 30 years. We’ve built F (04) 586 7118 a reputation. If we can keep looking after our clients properly, I’ll be very happy.”

— Advertising Feature

NZ DIVING & SALVAGE LTD SALVAGE PIPE LAYING VESSEL MAINTENANCE UNDERWATER CONSTRUCTION

Gosse says servicing contractor vehicles makes up a lot of their work but they also will do jobs for private vehicles. Many of the business’ customers have been with them for years.

“We’ve got firms we worked with from when Bruce was in charge — although some of the original customers have now retired! We have enjoyable, solid, professional relationships with clients that have been going on for years.”

Staff Gosse is not the only long-serving staff member of Bruce L Mills 2000. Carl, who started as an apprentice at about the same time as Gosse joined the company, now helps run the workshop. The other three employees work in all facets of the workshop, because Gosse believes variety is the spice of life.

br BruceLMills2000Ltd wt#74 4x8 js.indd 1

PROUD TO HAVE OUR VEHICLES SERVICED BY BRUCE L MILLS 2000 LTD

0508 DIVERS AUCKLAND WELLINGTON DUNEDIN www.nzds.co.nz nzds@nzds.co.nz

Pleased to be associated with Bruce L Mills Ltd

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 |PM 31 27/10/10 3:11:47

Transport and Motoring | Arlington Motors

Accent on European Arlington Motors are experts at returning European vehicles to safe working condition.

As Wellington’s premier European vehicle accident repair specialists, Arlington Motors concentrates on completing professional and

expertise

expert repairs for Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen vehicles, as well as accident repairs for all Mercedes-Benz models.

or incorrectly actioned vehicle repairs could ultimately affect the safety of your vehicle,” Davies says.

“Whenever you work with us, you get quality vehicle accident repairs from a friendly and experienced team,” owner Trevor Davies says.

“Car accidents often seriously hinder the safety of the car’s exterior but our repairs work to give you the peace of mind that your vehicle is just as safe as it was before.”

His passion and speciality which he has taught to his employees, is fixing European cars. However, Arlington Motors will work on vehicles of any origin.

“We have been running since 1976 and have an experienced range of staff of 13 working for us, all completely qualified and trained, to make sure you are completely happy with the quality of your repairs,” Davies says.

Mercedes-Benz repairs As official repairers of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, Arlington Motors ensures repairs are carried out to the exact specifications that MercedesBenz intended. ”Modern Mercedes vehicles are complex and built to exacting standards — substandard

Don’t settle for second grade repairs when it comes to the safety of you and your family…

ENCAP is a European system rating a vehicle’s accident protection. Arlington Motors ensures repairs are completed to this standard which offers the same accident protection as if the vehicle was new.

Free quote Arlington Motors offers a free quote on damaged cars. The easiest way to start the process is to go to the website and fill out an online form. The business will then contact you to book your vehicle in for a quote.

Arlington Motors is approved by most major New Zealand motor vehicle insurance companies. This enables them to ensure the accident repair process happens as efficiently as possible.

Trevor Davies

BEARING, TOOL & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES

Premier Paints Ltd

(formerly Tony’s Auto Centre part of Schrodoco Ltd)

11b Parliament Street Lower Hutt 04-586 4777 Home Of All Your

FOR ALL YOUR: BALL & TAPERS ROLLER BEARINGS WHEEL BEARING KITS • BALL BEARINGS

Arlington Motors is the only approved repairers for these European vehicles in the lower North Island. “Don’t settle for second grade repairs when it comes to the safety of you and your family in your vehicle. Our repairs ensure your vehicle is repaired to its pre-accident condition for your peace of mind,” Davies says.

Backing its vehicle repairs with a personal guarantee, “you need to know that your repairs are reliable and of a high quality,” Davies says.

“We align your repairs with the manufacturers’ required procedures and safety standards and then guarantee against faulty workmanship or materials for the lifetime of the vehicle, subject to conditions.”

Arlington Motors owner

HAVE MOVED TO 46 ABEL SMITH ST WELLINGTON (Customer parking at rear of building)

Because Arlington Motors is an official repairer for Porsche, Audi, Skoda and Volkswagen, it has access to official factory specifications.

Repairs are made to exact specifications as dictated by the manufacturer to ensure safety levels are not compromised.

ARE PROUD TO SUPPLY SPECIALISED AND AUTOMOTIVE COATINGS LTD WITH GLASURIT AUTOMOTIVE REFINISH PAINT SYSTEMS LEADING CAR PAINT TECHNOLOGY FROM GERMANY

Automotive Refinish

LAZY SUSAN BEARINGS • SEALS & “O” RINGS

Supplies Premier Paints Ltd

ART-BASF

CV & STEERING RACK BOOTS • CRC PRODUCTS

are proud to be suppliers of

3 Airport Drive Airport Oaks, Manukau City For enquiries on all automotive Refinish requirements Please contact Phil Roff and Andrew Barber Phone (09) 255 4300

LOCHTITE ADHESIVES • FASTENERS (ZINC PLATED & S/STEEL) • TENG TOOLS • “V” BELTS & PULLEYS AUTOMOTIVE BELTS • HOSES & HOSE CLIPS BRASS FITTINGS • OILS & LUBRICANTS • CIRCLIPS E-CLIPS • STARLOCKS BRASS • WASHERS INT/EXT STAR WASHERS ETC

World Leaders in Automotive

THINK

Refinish and all associated

BEARING, TOOL & INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES PH. 04 385 8475 | FAX 04 382 8801 EMAIL sales@barotseland.co.nz

32 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

products to Arlington Motors

Transport and Motoring | Arlington Motors

“Dealing with insurance claims procedures can be a frightening subject, especially for first-timers,” Davies says. “That is why we work with you to make you feel comfortable with your insurance claim and to ensure that your repairs are actioned promptly. Leave it to us to organise your crash management and insurance claim.”

Investing in youth Arlington Motors also sees the need to ensure the next generation of mechanics, panel beaters and painters are diligent and have an eye for quality. From time to time the business takes on apprentices and is looking at taking on two more in the near future.

Location, location…

While Arlington Motors is based centrally in Wellington city, it also service cars from greater Wellington and beyond, from all over the North Island and sometimes the South Island.

The front of the Arlington Motors’ building has recently been upgraded for a plaster finish to silver cladding.

“It’s much clearer for our customers and looks more professional,” Davies says.

Transport and Motoring | Wellington Combined Taxis

Whenever you work with us, you get quality vehicle accident repairs from a friendly and experienced team

A

Wellington Combined Taxis (WCT) shifted into a new gear when it embarked on a journey toward carbon neutrality, becoming the first carboNZero certified taxi service in Trevor Davies the country in May 2009.

Arlington Motors owner If accolades are a measure of success, WCT gets the popular vote with marketing manager Ani Connolly, a recent winner of the Sustainability Award, Judges Choice at the TVNZ Marketing Awards.

REDUCE THE RISK IN YOUR FLEET CALL 0800 380 580 and find out more

3 FREE – FLEET RISK ASSESSMENTS However, the journey has not been an easy 3 E-LEARNING – DRIVER TRAINING WITH ride. It has taken time, hard work, support and A DIFFERENCE dedication from all involved to convert the 3 FLEETPROTECT™ – CHANGING DRIVER fleet to eco-friendly fuel options.

ADVERTISING PROOF BEHAVIOUR THIS AD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. NOTE THATcarboNZero ANY ALTERATIONS Landcare Research’s certification is 3 COLLISION MANAGEMENT SERVICESPLEASE APPROVE MUST BE FINALISED BY OUR MATERIAL DEADLINE. not just a label. A world-leading greenhouse 3 COST EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS gas emissions measurement, management and mitigation certification scheme, the internationally recognised carboNZero certification means WTC has been assessed to rigorous standards for carbon neutral claims.

CUSTOMER RUTHERFORD AND BOND

Arlington Motors 4/8 Douglas Street Newtown Wellington T (04) 384 4480 F (04) 384 9164 E arlington@xtra.co.nz www.arlingtonmotors.co.nz — Advertising Feature

PUBLISHING 16/10/10

SALES REP SLUKKEN

PUBLICATION DOMINION POST

DESIGNER Smaggs

SECTION AUTOMOTIVE

PROOFED 10/13/2010 12:13:37 PM

SIZE 27.00 X 11.0

AD ID 3192616AA

fleet

WCT operates 442 modern vehicles and “we have reduced the emissions of our vehicles by seven percent,” Connolly says. “That equates to a 200 tonne reduction of carbon emissions.”

The company has just received its second certification recognition under the carboNZero programme. WTC has also joined forces with some of the biggest taxi companies in New Zealand under the Blue Bubble banner.

“There are seven companies in New Zealand which are the biggest taxi companies in their respective regions. We are combining these companies to establish a nationwide identity,” Connolly says.

“This will ensure our loyal customers know who to use when they’re travelling, just look out for the ‘Blue Bubble’ signage.”

FAX 3623

Wellington Combined Taxis PO Box 16126 Wellington T (04) 384 4444 www.taxis.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Rutherford & Bond Toyota

HIACE

www.sureplan.co.nz

Rutherford & Bond Toyota are proud to be associated with PAYTaxis JUST Wellington Combined for over 12 years. .99*

“we take the stress out of your vehicle crashes”

$599

per month

on a new Toyota Hiace 3.0l Turbo Diesel ZL Manual You will also receive a FREE 3-year 45,000km schedule service plan and 3 Years FREE WOF checks

Team Capital Holden

*Monthly payment based on a $5000 deposit on a 36 month 60,000km non maintained finance lease with monthly payments made in advance with a guaranteed residual value at the end of the term. Subject to Toyota Financial Services normal lending criteria.

12-34 Abel Smith St Wellington

www.rutherfordandbond.co.nz S

Parts Direct 04 381 1728 Fax 04 385 7570 Email: parts.holden@teamcapital.co.nz

A

L

E

S

-

S

E

R

V

I

C

E

-

P A

R

T

S

ices bined Hybrid Pr Wellington Com T + ORC GS + 00 Hybrid $36,0 Toyota Camry 2.4l GST + ORC + 45 5,6 $3 d bri Toyota Prius 1.8l Hy • WELLINGTON: 54 KENT TERRACE, WELLINGTON PH: 04 385-1889 • PORIRUA: TITAHI BAY ROAD, PORIRUA PH: 04 237-6104 • KAPITI: 11 IHAKARA STREET, PARAPARAUMU PH: 04 296-1180

www.rutherfordandbond.co.nz S A L E S

website: www.teamcapital.co.nz

•

S E R V I C E

•

P A R T S

54 KENT TERRACE, WELLINGTON PROOF MALCOLM McARTHUR PH: 04 385 1889 FAX: 04 385 9279

Fairfax Media makes every effort to create advertisements to meet your specific needs. Please note in some instances we may be unable to supply additional proofs due to complexity of the request or deadline constraints. © This advertisement has been created as a service of Fairfax Media. It cannot be reproduced without permission. If you wish to use this material elsewhere, please contact your advertising consultant. Charges will apply.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 33

Business Development | Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies

Joint venture a

capital gain

The old saying “two heads are better than one” has rung true for two established family businesses that have combined to create a new presence in Wellington’s competitive electrical market.

Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies is a joint venture company formed by JA Russell Ltd and Stewarts Electrical Supplies.

Helping cement the alliance between the two companies is the Wellington region’s central location, as both are looking to offer services nationwide.

Stewarts Electrical Supplies was established in 1945 after Bob and Arnot Stewart returned from World War II. The company went from strength to strength to become the well established and respected business it is today, with branches covering the lower North

The global specialist in energy management

Schneider Electric is proud to be associated with Stewarts Electrical Supplies

Island. There is also an element of tradition as ownership and management remains within the founding family after 65 years.

JA Russell Ltd is another family electrical business that covers the country, with the exception of the lower North Island. It has 37 branches under the JA Russell Ltd brand from Taupo to Northland and 18 branches in the South Island trading as Radcliffe Electrical.

Overall, there are more than 400 staff members.

Both Stewarts Electrical Supplies and JA Russell Ltd knew they had to get into the Wellington market to attain national contracts. It made sense for the two family businesses to team up and create a joint venture. The result is Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies.

Now, any Stewarts Electrical, JA Russell Ltd or Radcliffe Electrical customer has the ability to enter any one of the alliance branches within New Zealand and receive a packing slip for purchased goods with the invoice arriving from the owner of the account.

Wellington branches The joint venture between the two companies began in late 2008 with a branch opening in Lower Hutt. This was followed a year later with a branch in Adelaide Road, Newtown.

Six months later, in April 2010, a branch opened in Thorndon.

Sixteen full-time employees work in the three branches.

Opening new branches in the midst of two recession-hit years is a fantastic achievement.

Ken Burden, general manager of the joint venture, says it hasn’t been easy and there is still plenty of hard work ahead. “We’re a new entrant into a very tough market, which is well serviced by existing wholesalers,” Burden says.

“It’s tough to start a business up in general but we arrived when the market was going down. We’re committed to long-term supply in Wellington and the recession wasn’t going to change that commitment.”

Points of difference Burden says there are three things that make Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies stand apart from its competitors — people, location and products.

In terms of people, Burden says its staff members are diligent and friendly. “It takes time to build a team that is competent and trusted, which people will go to. I think we’re doing well with building that trust so far.

“The other point is location. In Wellington you’ve got to be located conveniently for contractors in terms of parking and access — our locations are fantastic!”

Burden is proud of the product range.

“Contractors want you to stock everything.

That’s been one of the real commitments from the directors of the joint venture, which is great. We’ve invested significantly in putting in a wide range and depth of products into all of our stores.”

Powerbase

Schneider Electric (NZ) Ltd. 38 Business Parade South, East Tamaki, Manukau 2013 PO Box 15355, New Lynn, Waitakere 0640 Tel: +64 9 829 0490 Fax: +64 9 829 0491 Customer Care: 0800 652 999 Email: sales@nz.schneider-electric.com www.schneider-electric.co.nz

34 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies is a member of Powerbase, a group of nine independently owned and operated electrical wholesale companies located throughout New Zealand.

Business Development | Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies Products ■ Electrical Cable

■ Limit switches

■ TPS

■ Lighting

■ Main cable

■ Lamps

■ Data cable

■ Fluorescent tubes

■ Flexible cable

■ Security lighting

■ Plastics

■ Floodlighting

■ Switch sockets, domestic and industrial

■ Emergency lighting

■ Wiring accessories, batten holders

The network provides customers with the opportunity to purchase goods from one of the 100 strategically located branches.

Powerbase’s combined strength and strong supplier relationships provide it with the opportunity to purchase and market products at competitive prices.

■ Lighting design

■ Automation

■ Industrial, commercial and domestic lighting

■ Motor control

■ Underfloor heating

■ PLCs

■ Towel rails

■ Drives

■ Hand dryers

■ Counters

■ Air conditioning

■ Timers

■ Fans.

We’re committed to long-term supply in Wellington… Ken Burden, joint venture general manager

Web service Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies is at the forefront of technology, offering customers added benefits by using the Stewarts website.

The site offers: ■ Industry updates ■ Links to manufacturers’ websites ■ Marketplace magazine ■ Powerpoints loyalty rewards programme ■ Stewarts Group Travel Club

Future goals Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies has many goals for the short and long term future in Wellington. First on the list, Burden says, is ensuring the opening of the next shop in Porirua goes smoothly.

The overall goal is to build a reliable reputation.

“Getting established and embedded is the first priority. That’s all about credibility and respect and both we at Stewarts and JA Russell Ltd know from experience that doesn’t happen overnight,” he says.

“We’re looking to grow the business to a point where we’re significant and respected in the greater Wellington area. There are significant competitors and I don’t underestimate how hard we will have to work.”

Food Grade Lubricants NZ AGRIQUALITY APPROVED USE IN THE DAIRY INDUSTRY

Stewarts Electrical and Data Supplies Freephone 0800 006 006 www.stewarts.co.nz ■ Lower Hutt 399 Hutt Rd Lower Hutt T (04) 5762040 E lowerhutt@stewarts.co.nz ■ Wellington Central 52 Adelaide Rd Newtown T (04) 3852142 E wellington@stewarts.co.nz ■ Thorndon 120 Hutt Road Thorndon T (04) 473 9350 E thorndon@stewarts.co.nz

Chemz NZ is pleased to be associated with Stewarts Electrical

Proud to support Stewarts Electrical

Auckland - 09 358 4400 Wellington - 04 566 4577 Christchurch - 03 366 5091

www.omron.co.nz

www.chemz.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 35

Business Development | Aquaheat Industries

niversa An

60

In 1950 plumber, gasfitter and drainlayer Ido De Bernardo began working from a garage behind his family home in Tawa Flat. It was a small start for what was to become a huge success — Aquaheat Industries.

During the 1950s, I De Bernardo Ltd operated mainly as a plumbing and drainage contractor, completing many large drainage projects including the reticulation of underground sewerage through Tawa Flat and Levin.



YE

ry

Heating, cooling excellence 

A R S

workshop. Forty-five years on, the company’s headquarters still operate from this site.

In 1957 an opportunity arose to enter the mechanical services field through a contract to install heating and ventilation in the Bowen State Building in Wellington, one of the first multi-storey ventilation contracts in the city.

The market quickly adopted this technology and forced ventilation and air conditioning became the standard. Seizing the opportunity, De Bernardo established a sheetmetal workshop to position himself as a key industry supplier. From here he progressed into commercial and industrial process heating and combustion engineering.

De Bernardo also took advantage of housing developments in Linden, Porirua and Titahi Bay, Aquaheat Industries established installing plumbing into state houses, including In 1974 the company name was changed to 500 houses imported from Austria.

Aquaheat Industries, to more accurately reflect the direction of principal activities. The name In 1955, De Bernardo purchased land on soon became well recognised in the industry.

Main Road in Tawa and established his own

Aquaheat Industries provided Classic Metal™ and VM quartz zinc roofing and cladding at the new Wellington Regional Hospital

A FLETCHER BUILDING COMPANY

For all your steel needs think EASYSTEEL Quality Supplier of: • Sheet & Coil • Plate & Profiling • Merchant bar • Welding

• Structural Steel • Pipe fittings • Special Steels • Pipe & Hollows

Easysteel are proud to supply Aquaheat www.easysteel.co.nz | 0800 EASYSTEEL 36 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

De Bernardo was joined by sons Paul and John in the company which has since expanded into three business operations:

and oil burners and associated equipment.

The bulk of these were imported from European suppliers.

■ A contracting division providing project-based construction services that included the trades of mechanical, plumbing, fire protection and roofing

In April 1999 Aquaheat entered into a manufacturing licence agreement with Colt International, an internationally recognised supplier of ventilation and smoke control products and systems.

■ A manufacturing division specialising in commercial and industrial heat transfer equipment ■ A service division, which provides both facilities management and reactive maintenance services for a broad spectrum of clients locally and nationally.

Aquaheat Industries is always keen to expand and diversify its business offering. This saw the company complete a variety of natural gas reticulation projects throughout the main North Island centres and take advantage of new market opportunities, such as the sale of gas

In 2007, following the integration of the company into Hastie Group and in recognition of changing market conditions, the servicing operations were transferred across into a separate Hastie Group company, Cowley Aquaheat Services.

At the same time the product sales and process heating manufacturing operations were discontinued in recognition of increasing competition coming from low-cost offshore manufacturers.

Feature continues on next page >>

Aquaheat Industries has been involved in upgrades and refurbishments at Parliament and the Beehive

Business Development | Aquaheat Industries

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz    December 2010/January 2011 | 37

Business Development | Aquaheat Industries Operational growth Aquaheat Industries has always been an innovative company and has never been shy to take on any challenge requested by its clients.

This included building sheep showers in the early days for the local farmers, car ovens for paint drying, restoration of metal ceilings at the Wellington Town Hall, the manufacture of large process pipework skids for oil rigs in the southern China seas, and providing complete manufacture and install packages for international projects.

Today, the company has 4000 square metres of factory and office space at its Tawa base and includes modern well-equipped workshops which manufacture HVAC ductwork for contracting operations, along with various Colt products.

Aquaheat Industries’ present day operations are centred on providing an industry leading contracting service for mechanical services and HVAC, hydraulics and plumbing, fire protection, roofing and wall cladding, and providing the full range of quality Colt products and systems.

Justifiably, the company can point to its many achievements, the most notable being the recently completed Wellington Regional Hospital. Aquaheat was responsible for a multi-service subcontract covering HVAC, medical gases, plumbing and fire protection.

The company has also been involved in refurbishing Parliament buildings and the Beehive.

Aquaheat Industries has successfully built and retained a technically skilled and loyal team of 160-plus staff, many of whom are industry experts. The depth of industry experience is enhanced through low staff attrition rates and a solid core of long-serving staff.

About 20 percent of Aquaheat’s staff have service of more than 15 years, with some current staff up to 33 years and other retired members spanning more than 40 years. A key factor in the company’s success which this year celebrates 60 years in business has been the two-way commitment between the De Bernardo family and the loyal, dedicated staff.

HVAC Aquaheat Industries is a multi-disciplined provider of a range of high-quality building and engineering services to Wellington industry. Today it is the largest HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) company in the capital. It is a premier provider of a full range of essential building and engineering services and refrigeration systems for the commercial, industrial and infrastructure sectors and provides a completely integrated solution regardless of the project’s size, sector, complexity or location.

BNZ Harbour Quays – a recent project for Aquaheat Industries

As a leading provider of HVAC-mechanical services to commercial and infrastructure sectors in Wellington, the mechanical services division incorporates airconditioning, ventilation and hydraulic services. This includes plumbing and drainage, with the division also providing services for commercial and industrial buildings and infrastructure projects, says managing director Paul De Bernardo.

Aquaheat has full manufacturing and installation capabilities for HVAC, medical gas, duct work, pipe work, gas, boilers and refrigeration projects. The company is fully experienced and capable of carrying out large scale design-and-build projects although most projects are designed by consultant engineers.

“We manufacture our own air-conditioning duct work at our Tawa site and operate a large, fully equipped sheetmetal and manufacturing workshop,” De Bernardo says. “Our site installation crews then carry out the physical build onsite.”

The company offers a full range of HVAC and mechanical maintenance services and packages through its partner company, Cowley-Aquaheat Services.

Aquaheat Industries was an early adopter of formal quality systems and was the first mechanical services company to become ISO

AHI Carrier proudly supporting Aquaheat for over 30 years.

AHI Carrier (NZ) Ltd T: 0800 CARRIER (0800 227743) E: info@ahi-carrier.co.nz W: www.ahi-carrier.co.nz

For all Carrier, Toshiba and Totaline commercial air conditioning and heating system sales please contact AHI Carrier on:

FREE PHONE 0800 CARRIER 38 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

registered for manufacturing and installation processes. It was also the first company to be awarded an Employer Licence under section 39A and B of the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers’ Act. Its robust systems provide client confidence that they are getting a quality product and service.

Major HVAC mechanical projects Over recent years, Aquaheat Industries has completed major projects including the 1992-96 Parliament refurbishment and HVAC, plumbing and fire protection works as part of the Beehive refurbishment.

“Another large and complex project was the Wellington Regional Hospital, which was the largest construction project in Wellington at the time. We were responsible for providing all the HVAC, medical gas systems, fire protection and plumbing services. It was carried out as one multi-services contract and we delivered,” De Bernardo says.

“We have completed many large installation projects across Wellington’s range of commercial office buildings, including the HSBC tower and Vodafone on the Quay. This is a 25-storey A-grade office tower comprising car parking space and 12,000 square metres of fully air-conditioned office space on the upper levels. The lower levels include retail shops and offices in a refurbished historic building.

We provided all HVAC and mechanical services along with fire protection systems.”

Aquaheat Industries has recently completed the Harbour Quay building, opposite the railway station, as well as another large office building at No.1 Featherstone Street. This is the largest office building in Wellington and will house the Inland Revenue Department.

The company is due to start work on a new building at Hutt Hospital soon.

Aquaheat has carried out HVAC and mechanical services projects in many of Victoria University’s buildings. This includes projects within the School of Law in the historic wooden old Government buildings. The company also worked on the 1997 Christchurch International Airport terminal project.

Complementary services Aquaheat Industries is not just an HVAC and mechanical services provider, it also offers clients a complete range of fire protection and safety systems services.

The company is a premier provider of a full range of hydraulic-plumbing and gasfitting services for the commercial, industrial and infrastructure sectors. It employs a highly skilled labour force of registered and craftsman plumbers, who provide customers with the assurance that all works will be completed to time and budget.

Business Development | Aquaheat Industries

The Supreme Court work involved manufacturing a stunning copper and bronze cladding wall feature inside the court building (left). The Supreme Court project was at the time the largest VM Pigmento Zinc project in the world. It was just one of a number of significant specialist metal roofing and cladding projects Aquaheat Industries has undertaken in recent years

Company strengths “Over the years the market and technology has changed and we’ve made the investment to ensure we keep up with market trends,” managing director Paul De Barnardo says.

Aquaheat’s internal staff culture is very much focused on “do it once — do it right” and staff strive to have zero defects. If a problem eventuates, they put it right and then discuss implications. Repeat visits to remedy problems or lengthy contractual resolutions are time consuming. Staff recognise that time is money and any unnecessary cost eats into margins.

Acquiring the Colt brand In the late 1990s Aquaheat Industries entered the South Island contracting market through the acquisition of Ventilation Agencies, an existing contracting company with its own sheetmetal manufacturing workshop.

The acquisition took place shortly after the Colt New Zealand business closed in Christchurch and secured a number of their staff. By coincidence, the Ventilation Agencies workshop was still manufacturing Colt products for local businesses that had retained the agency.

Aquaheat Industries recognised the quality and potential of the range of Colt products and actively sought to sign up as the sole New Zealand licensee to manufacture and sell the full range of products. This led to the 1999 formation of Aquaheat Industries’ new Colt Products and Systems manufacturing and national sales division.

Colt International Ltd is present in 33 countries worldwide and is recognised as a world leader in the fields of climate control, ventilation, smoke control and solar shading. A familyowned business with more than 75 years’ experience and an annual turnover of $NZ335 million (£160 million), its technical assistance is of an international standard.

New Colt products agency The head office for Colt sales was co-located at the Aquaheat Industries Tawa office, while retaining the manufacturing in Christchurch.

Andy Oakley was appointed national manager and tasked to grow its presence. Oakley had completed an apprenticeship in the Aquaheat sheetmetal shops years earlier and after being the Colt New Zealand works manager, was now back at Aquaheat Industries and looking for a new challenge.

Oakley is still the national manager and says things have certainly changed. “In 1999 I was on my own, trying to cover sales across the whole country and there were a couple of blokes in Christchurch making the louvres and ventilators. Fast forward to 2010 and we have a team of estimators and engineers who design and price solutions for clients,” he says.

“We have a national team of sales engineers and project managers that cover sales and installation projects from Ngawha Prison in Northland to Edendale Rail in Southland.

Wherever high-quality buildings are being built in New Zealand, you will find our products and

systems being installed into them — we have come a long way.”

Manufacturing facilities were recently moved to Aquaheat Industries’ Tawa head office and now boasts updated CNC upstroke saws, guillotines and presses. “We utilise modern CAD-CAM techniques that provide a high degree of accuracy and allow us to produce high-quality products,” says Paul Terry, Colt Products and Systems engineering manager.

“The goal here is to manufacture more locally in an effort to reduce product lead times experienced when importing from Europe.”

Colt’s product range and technical skills have also significantly increased. Aquaheat Industries now manufactures the full range of Colt’s high-performance louvre systems, smoke and heat release ventilators, natural ventilators and acoustic louvres.

Feature continues on next page >>

INSULATION Proud supplier to Aquaheat Industries for over 50 years, Holyoake congratulate Aquaheat on their 60th Anniversary.

Manufacturers of

• Outside Louvers

• Grilles & Diffusers

• Ducting & Fittings

• Fire & Control Dampers

• VAV Boxes

Tel: 04 232 2722 Fax: 04 232 2822 wellington@holyoake.com

www.holyoake.com

Insulation Contractors for Heat, Cold and Sound.

Sheet Metal Cladding Specialists.

PLEASED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AQUAHEAT INDUSTRIES LTD

Phone 04 568 4191, Fax 04 568 7387 Gary Nixey Mobile 021 575 345 86 Sydney Street, Petone PO Box 38 818, Wellington Mail Centre www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 39

Business Development | Aquaheat Industries The company also imports and installs highquality products straight from its European partners modern factories, including smoke and fire curtains, glazed and double-glazed smoke and heat ventilators, the latest car park ventilation impulse jet fans and solar shading.

recently VM Preweathered Zinc was only available in the standard colours of quartz (light grey) and anthra (dark grey or black), but has recently been joined by the Pigmento range of colours including autumm red, lichen green and ash blue.

The Colt Products and Systems division of Aquaheat Industries can take care of any project, whether it be a car park ventilation design complete with computational fluid dynamic analysis for building consent on a major project, or a 300 x 300mm louvre for a kitchen extractor.

The Pigmento range is produced by adding mineral pigments to a quartz-zinc substrate.

This substrate is pre-weathered zinc available in grey, green, red and blue.

Roofing Aquaheat Industries Limited offers a complete metal and membrane roofing and cladding service and manufactures its own range of specialty Classic Metal™ zinc and copper products. The company offers a single point of contact for all roofing and cladding system requirements regardless of complexity, sector, size or location.

Aquaheat is recognised as an industry leader and has successfully completed a wide range of conventional and Classic Metal™ roofing and cladding projects in a number of landmark locations. It also provides specialty membrane to complete its service offering.

The company manufactures its own range of European-styled architectural roofing and cladding profiles using materials such as VM Zinc, copper and aluminium. “These types of products are at the top end of the metal roofing and cladding industry,” says roofing manager Tim Meulenbroeks.

VM Zinc is particularly popular and is a preweathered titanium zinc from France. Until

“This pre-weathered zinc will hold its colour and continues to form its natural patina over the years. It’s a matt finish and is not a paint finish,” Meulenbroeks says. “It’s the treatment in the pre-weathering system that gives it its colour and texture.”

Aquaheat Industries also provides a complete range of standard metal profile roofing, in a variety of profiles and colours from other manufacturers Meulenbroeks says.

Vodafone on the Quay was a significant project for Aquaheat Industries

Specialist roofing projects Aquaheat Industries has undertaken a number of significant specialist metal roofing and cladding projects in recent years, including the Supreme Court in Wellington, which at the time was the largest VM Pigmento Zinc project in the world. The Supreme Court work also involved manufacturing a stunning copper and bronze cladding wall feature inside the court building. Aquaheat used 18 tonnes of VM Zinc and 10 tonnes of copper and bronze in the award-winning project.

Other significant roofing and cladding projects include Classic Metal™ and VM quartz zinc at the Wellington Regional Hospital and Victoria University, and standard metal profile roofing and cladding at Westpac Stadium, Wellington International Airport and Parliament buildings.

“We’re working on the Wellington Airport at the moment, installing copper roofing and cladding in stage two of the new international terminal, known to many as The Rock. That’s a big project and is just about finished,” says Meulenbroeks.

While Aquaheat Industries’ roofing market is mainly commercial, the company does undertake some high-end residential work, particularly feature copper work.

Growth in specialty roofing Meulenbroeks says the demand for Aquaheat’s own specialist Classic Metal™ roofing products is growing. “It’s very popular with architects

and offers longevity and greater sustainability than standard metal roofing products. Plus, the VM Zinc and copper are 100 percent recyclable,” he says.

Aquaheat Industries’ roofing division completes projects throughout the greater Wellington region, employs up to 25 staff and has been delivering quality products for over 18 years.

Aquaheat Industries Limited PO Box 51-031 Tawa, Wellington 5249 T (04) 232 5179 F (04) 232 4170 www.aquaheat.co.nz www.colt.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Manufacturers and suppliers of fire detection • FireFinder™ Analogue Addressable Systems • Conventional Fire Alarm Systems • Emergency Warning & Intercommunication Systems • Ancillary Devices • FastSense Aspirating Smoke Detectors • ZoneSense Plus Agent Release Control System AMPAC PACIFIC LTD UNIT 4, 101 DIANA DRIVE, GLENFIELD, AUCKLAND

Phone: 09-443 8072 Fax: 09-443 8073 EMAIL: ampacnz@ampac.net • www.ampac.net “OUR AIM IS TO PROVIDE CONSISTENTLY EXCELLENT SERVICE IN THE EYES OF OUR CUSTOMERS”

SPECIALISTS IN HVAC ELECTRICAL CONTROLS AND POWER WIRING, BUILDING MANAGMENT SYSTEM INSTALLATIONS AND UPGRADES, ALL TYPES OF ELECTRICAL FOR MECHANICAL INSTALLATIONS. PO BOX 39 058, WGTN MAIL CENTRE, WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND PH +64 4 577 0792 | FAX +64 5 577 1825 WWW.ENCONTROL.CO.NZ

Insulation and Sheetmetal Cladding Specialists McLennan Insulation Limited specialises in commercial and industrial insulation. We are installers of a wide range of thermal and acoustic insulation products for air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and plumbing services. We have a comprehensive sheetmetal workshop and specialist equipment for the injection of polyurethane foam insulation.

McLennan Insulation congratulates Aquaheat Industries Ltd 3/14 Petone Ave, Petone, Wellington. Phone 04 568 9204 www.mclennaninsulation.co.nz 40 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Property and Construction | Construction Contracts

LooKInG For STAFF? Accolade for innovation

From top to bottom, the Rangiora sewer upgrade was a challenge met and completed by Construction Contracts

you will get unlimited access to place as many job ads for an entire 12 months for $395+gst

free access to search Cvs and work wanted ads you are able to include a profile of your company next to your job ad – free!

Moneyback Guarantee

100% money back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied plus we’ll give you another 12 month membership free

Unlimited Access

Here’s 5 reasons wHy you sHouLd use our site to soLve your staffing issues

myjobspace.co.nz is provided by Kiwis for the benefit of all Kiwis. we’re proud to be the only major Kiwi owned job site CV Search

$395 +gst Company Profile

or phone 0800 4 ToDAY (0800 486 329)

The sewer renewal project at the bottom of one of the capital’s notoriously steep gullies involved many obstacles and difficulties.

Construction Contracts was able to mitigate these through innovation and hard work.

The gully had limited access for personnel and machinery so the company erected a temporary flying fox to bring materials into the work area, carried out all excavation work manually, erected silt structures and over pumped the existing flows to prevent contamination entering the water.

“We’re really proud of our team for the innovative solutions they found to some incredibly challenging conditions.”

Construction Contracts is not adverse to rough conditions. Established in 1991, the civil construction company specialises in trenchless drainage solutions in trying conditions.

“We specialise in difficult and wet ground conditions, high risk projects and within sensitive environments, partnering with our clients to achieve a successful result.”

Construction Contracts PO Box 46-0002 Park Avenue Lower Hutt T (04) 567 9777 E david@ccl.co.nz www.ccl.co.nz — Advertising Feature

In true Construction Contracts fashion, the project was delivered on time and budget.

The project’s success was recognised in the Hirepool Construction Awards for 2010 when Construction Contracts took out the award for Category One (projects with a value of below $500,000) for the $450,000 sewer renewal project on behalf of Capacity and Wellington City Council. The awards are organised by the New Zealand Contractor’s Federation.

The project involved the replacement of the existing 160mm sewer mains, through pipe bursting — a trenchless method of replacing buried pipelines.

“I knew the work in Rangiora Avenue was always going to be difficult and it is an outstanding credit to the CCL team to complete the work safely and without incident,” general manager David Howard says.

Log on to:

NZ s largest Kiwi owned job site

It took innovative ideas — a flying fox, winch systems and chutes — to upgrade the Rangiora sewer in Wellington, but Construction Contracts flew through the project and earned the accolade to prove it.

“Winning these contracting awards goes some way to recognising the effort and innovation that we, as a team at Construction Contracts, continually make to successfully complete these difficult contracts.

• NARROW ACCESS & SMALL LOAD SPECIALISTS • CERTIFIED CONCRETE

• EXPOSED AGGREGATE

• EXPERT SERVICE

• WELLINGTON REGION

Call for Fast Friendly Service!

027 60 70 727 MINIMIXERS NZ LIMITED PO BOX 44227, LOWER HUTT f: 04 976 5823 e: info@minimixers.co.nz w: minimixers.co.nz

Level 3, 818 Colombo Street, Christchurch, NZ. Kiwi Owned

*

apply now

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 41

Property and Construction | Acma Industries

Softening the

blow Falls are the cause of half of all ACC claims and costs in people aged 65 years and over, accounting for 75 percent of injury-related hospital admissions.

“They are horrifying figures. But the use of impact absorbent flooring would have a significant effect on injury risks,” Acma Industries managing director Alan Bowmar says. Kradal flooring tiles, designed and manufactured by Acma Industries, are impact absorbent flooring. The tiles reduce peak force on falling by up to 70 percent, compared to wood or concrete.

“Falls are a leading cause of accidental death and injury in people 65 and over” Falls happen at home or even at retirement facilities.

Impact absorbent flooring for the safety of elderly people is now available from Acma Industries Ltd Upper Hutt, who have developed the Kradal Flooring Tile.

A television cord, a duvet or a mat may seem unlikely objects to cause serious injury or even death, but for elderly people they can prove dangerous.

Items around the home cause hundreds of falls among older people every year, resulting in injury and death.

ACC says 621 people were killed and hundreds of thousands injured in accidents in homes in 2009 — 250 more than the year’s road toll — and with a greying population, it is a major concern.

The 500mm by 500mm tiles, marketed under the Kradal brand, can be colour co-ordinated to fit any colour scheme and come in a river stone texture finish. “Their ability to absorb the force of a fall makes them perfect for medical facilities, rest homes, schools and playcentres,” Bowmar says.

Acma Industries was established in 1978 to supply the local motor vehicle industy with moulded polyurethane foam cushioning, headrests, armrests and sound absorption pads. “As the motor industry became more insecure, we started exporting furniture components to Australia. When the New Zealand motor industry disappeared altogether,

International Sales & Marketing

Visit: www.kradal.co.nz or phone John Meadows T + 04 526 7010 M + 029 495 0010 E + jmeadows@kradal.co.nz

42 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

are proud to be associated with Acma Industries in providing them “specialty chemicals/additives and raw materials”

10A CORNISH ST, PETONE, WELLINGTON PO BOX 44149, LOWER HUTT TELEPHONE 04-569 5749 FACSIMILE 04-569 5849 MOBILE 021-320 717 EMAIL psaggers@ismnz.com

we reinvented ourselves as manufacturers of public transport parts for Australia and New Zealand,” Bowmar says.

With New Zealand’s furniture industry becoming less buoyant and a growing reliance on imported goods, Acma Industries again diversified to survive, manufacturing moulded polyurethane products for the medical sector.

“The New Zealand market for traditional manufactured goods is smaller. But the public transport and medical industries are much less affected by imports. We have worked hard, diversified and obtained export work to increase our marketshare.”

The move into designing, manufacturing and supplying Kradal flooring tiles is further proof of the company’s ability to adapt and grow with changing conditions.

Now with a wide range of products and customers with export sales to the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia, Acma Industries has developed into a leading international specialised manufacturer of polyurethane foam moulded products.

The future is looking bigger, better and brighter with more exciting products in the works. “We are looking to offer something in the line of artificial hips which we’re working on with a company in the States,” Bowmar says. “We’re also working on a product for erosion control which will have a lower carbon footprint than existing erosion control systems.” While he gives little away about the details of future developments, there is a lot happening with Acma Industries. Watch this space.

Acma Industries 71 Montgomery Crescent Upper Hutt Wellington T (04) 526 6246 www.kradel.co.nz www.acma.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Property and Construction | Multibuild

infrastructure Commercial infrastructure is what makes our world go round by providing a way and a means for us to navigate our environment.

It represents the enterprises in which the lean machines that mobilise us are made and the transportation platforms which enable us to explore our surroundings. Commercial infrastructure acts as a physical and economic backbone to society, meaning contracting the most efficient people for the job when investing in or constructing infrastructure is a non-negotiable imperative.

Since 1999, one New Zealand commercial construction company, Multibuild Ltd, has been working to build infrastructure which will serve New Zealand’s current and future generations.

Multibuild managing director Craig Reilly discusses the must-knows when it comes to commercial industrial construction.

What is commercial industrial construction?

Industrial construction is the provision of buildings relating to industry that produce a product such as steel foundries, aluminium smelters, cement production, hydro/steam electricity production and concrete products.

Commercial construction involves buildings such as office blocks, shopping centres and specialist distribution centres for retail outlets.

Is the commercial industrial construction sector competitive?

Construction or lack of it in these areas reflect the state of the economy. At present in the current recession which has been

ongoing for 18 months, the number of these opportunities is limited. There is the situation of too many construction companies and too few projects. As a result, margins have been cut to unsustainable levels in an attempt by construction firms to keep skilled staff. It is fair to say that the market has never been as competitive as it is now. If the situation continues, there are likely to be company failures which creates havoc for supplies, subcontractors and clients alike.

What are the key professional principles that should define a company participating in this industry?

■ Professional design, architectural, structural services ■ Quantity surveying for cost estimates and controls ■ Project management ■ A programmer/critical path programmer ■ Site foreman ■ Subcontractors with proven records for performance and competitiveness.

Kapiti Flooring Xtra are Proud to Support Multibuild Ltd.

What are the most important details to know about a commercial industrial constructional company before contracting them for a project?

■ History of completed contracts ■ Qualification and experience of key staff

■ Current contracts under way and projected completion dates ■ Financial stability ■ References from clients of completed contracts.

Multibuild Ltd PO Box 431 Paraparaumu Wellington 5254 T (04) 902 9677 F (04) 902 9688 E craig.multibuild@paradise.net.nz — Advertising Feature

Metalcraft ROOFING Providing top quality roofing materials direct from the Manufacturer Residential & Commerical Supply & Install

P: +64 4 298 5860 F: +64 4 298 5861 E: kapiti@flooringxtra.co.nz PO Box 477 Paraparaumu

“P roud s to sub-contractor ” Multibuild

■ Work force availability

Proud to be associate with Multibuild Ltd

MANUFAC TURERS OF HIGH Q UALITY JOINERY Kitchens Exterior Jo inery Interior Jo inery

Longrun Roofing | Metal Tiles Rainwater Systems Free Measure and Quote Branches Nationwide 0800 ROOF NZ or 050 858 9145 www.metalcraftroofing.co.nz

147-155 High Street Carterton Phone 06 379 8008

Freephone 0800 RENALLS

Multibuild 09 Ltd P.O Box 431 Paraparaumu, 5254 New Zealand Fax: (04) 902 9688 Phone: (04) 902 9677 Email: multibuild@paradise.net.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 43

Property and Construction | Silbery Roofing

Leading the way

in longrun roofing

As an independent we have

fought hard to survive in a ‘big

boys’

dominated industry

Angie Silbery-Dee owner-manager Silbery Roofing

LONGRUN LTD

Silbery Longrun supply only Roofzip screws from Buildex • Over a million roofzip screws installed in Silbery’s Longrun roofs.

• Class 4 severe coastal corrosion rated.

0800 SILBERY

sales@silbery.co.nz

Angie Silbery-Dee knows first-hand what it’s like to work in the mostly male-dominated steel industry of New Zealand. She hopes a woman’s touch has added success to her longrun manufacturing business, which has previously won small business of the year accolades.

Silbery-Dee has been managing Silbery Roofing in Upper Hutt for more than a decade.

Started in 1966 by her parents Ruth and Lionel Silbery as a general engineering company, it has proved successful. Many of the first commercial buildings on Wellington’s Terrace were built with Silbery steel products.

Today, Silbery-Dee owns the business outright and employs 10 staff including her son, Lionel Junior. With its head office in Upper Hutt, Silbery Roofing also operates a city office at 57 Hutt Road, Thorndon.

All metal roofing is manufactured in Upper Hutt, with the Thorndon site exclusively used to manufacture metal flashings up to eight metres in length and produce flashings in aluminium, copper and stainless for the special marine requirements of Wellington.

The company provides a fast turn-around for commercial and residential installers.

Specialists in longrun coloursteel, small commercial buildings, new and old houses.

Proud to be associated with Silbery Longrun Phone Kerry on Mobile: 027 457 6746 Phone: 04 566 9666 Email: fionam.kerryw@ihug.co.nz 44 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

The Wellington branch is run by a father and son team, Alphie and Dion Rawiri, which Silbery-Dee believes is probably a first in the industry — and hopefully not the last. As an industry pioneer, she is delighted to see a father and son doing such a good job.

Silbery Roofing’s own continuous spouting machine produces high-quality custom cut lengths of colorsteel or copper spouting supplied and installed at affordable prices.

Recently, the Petone Rugby Club was the recipient of what is believed to be the longest continuous length ever run in Wellington, at just under 100 metres long.

“When dad ran the company we were general engineers. Twenty years ago we diversified into longrun or metal roofing and eight years ago we diversified again and added new product lines. I believe the only way to survive in manufacturing today is to continuously innovate, retain and empower staff to think outside of the square,” Silbery-Dee says.

“We roll-form standard profiles and are fortunate to have our own commercial roofing profile ‘Silbery 7’, which allows us to supply longrun roofing to commercial and residential installers. Silbery 7 produces extra wide and strong spanning sheets, meaning less product is used and it’s more efficient for installation.

“We supplied five of the largest warehouse roofs built in Wellington in the last decade.

Silbery 7 is manufactured and supplied around New Zealand. Ten years ago we manufactured 100 percent residential; today we are 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial.”

On the residential side, Silbery Roofing features in home-style magazines that like to feature different roofs and products with an emphasis on the home owner and architect. “We enjoy showcasing our work and it brings the

opportunity of participating more in one-off and specialist roofing projects, like Pataka Museum at Porirua, covered walkways at the interchange at Petone, the new Dowse Art Gallery in Lower Hutt, extensions to the Light House Cinema in Petone and the Cyclotron building at Moa Point.”

Silbery Roofing is one of a few surviving family-owned roll-forming businesses left in New Zealand and is affiliated to the Independent Roll Formers Alliance (IRA), as well as being a member of the New Zealand Roofing Association (RANZ) and MRM (Metal Roll Formers Association of New Zealand).

“As an independent we have fought hard to survive in a ‘big boys’ dominated industry and I think we have earned our stripes and will continue to be successful by giving customers what they most require; good service and quality metal roofing products at affordable prices,” Silbery-Dee says.

Silbery Roofing has a keen community focus and is a major donor to the new Dowse Art Gallery. Silbery-Dee enjoys developing an ethical and community minded company and being involved with community projects.

“Both my parents had visions for the company and how it could benefit the wider community.

I enjoy seeing their legacy continued.”

Silbery Roofing Ltd • 69 Montgomery Crescent Upper Hutt, Wellington 7024 T (04) 526 9343 E angie@silbery.co.nz • 57 Hutt Road Thordon, Wellington 5012 T (04) 472 7408 E sales@silbery.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Give her a life, not a life sentence Molly is an innocent child, but she faces a cruel future. She is an orphan and lives with her grandmother in a Nairobi slum. Her grandmother is sick and dying. Soon Molly could be completely alone. She’ll have no home. No way to live. And no one to care for her.

Without help from someone like you, Molly will join the other street orphans who live in packs, scavenging for food in the rubbish. She’ll suffer from hunger, cold and exploitation. Or worse, she won’t survive at all.

You can help rescue an orphan like Molly from a life of struggle and despair for just $20 a month, just 66 cents a day. Your regular gift will help to provide the clean water, food and care these vulnerable children urgently need.

Children like Molly are all alone in the world, and they are waiting to be rescued.

Please don’t leave it until it’s too late.

Join ChildFund Africa Orphan Rescue today!

Call 0800 223 987 or visit www.childfund.org.nz Mail the coupon. Do it now!

YES, I will rescue a child today!

1. My monthly gift: $20 per month My Choice of ____________________ a month 2. My details: Title ________ Name _______________________________________ Address

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________ Phone

____________________________________________________

Email

_____________________________________________________

3. Payment Method (please debit my): Visa

MasterCard

Diners Club

AMEX

Amex ID |_|_|_|_|

Cardholder’s name _________________________________________ Signature

________________________________

Expires

____/____

Please send coupon to: ChildFund New Zealand Freepost 3260, P.O Box 105630, Auckland City, Auckland 1143 Registered Charity Number CC10081 F509

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz December 2010/January 2011 | 45

Have you ever asked yourself...

Is there more cancer around these days? Why are there more pregnancy issues, infertility, or miscarriages? Why do more kids have ADHD now? Is male sexual dysfunction more prevalent now? What damage are we doing to our planet by using plastic? What’s causing the early onset of female puberty? Read on and you may find the answers...

What is BPA (Bisphenol A)?

BPA is widely used to make polycarbonate plastics such as those in baby bottles, water bottles and compact disc cases and is an ingredient in the resins used to line food cans. The chemical has been shown to leach into food or water. To see a complete definition of BPA, please go to www. safebottles.co.nz. The following is a direct quote from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). As you will see they acknowledge that BPA and other chemicals do leach into food and liquid. However, they also say that it’s not proven to be harmful and doesn’t cause cancer.

“In some circumstances, chemicals in food packaging can migrate into the food product and vice versa, depending on the nature of the packaging and the food contained within.”

Food Standards Australia New Zealand “the most toxic chemical known to man.”

Dr Frederick Vom Saal

The facts on BPA The following are quotes relating to BPA and chemicals found in plastic water bottles. To see the full quote and source, please visit our website, www.safebottles.co.nz In men the oestrogen mimicking effects of BPA have been known to block some of the more important effects that testosterone has on sexual functioning. Those who were exposed to BPA were four times more likely than those who were not exposed to report some sort of sexual dysfunction. Associate Professor of Department of Reproductive Sciences - Yale

But even though PETE (used in many plastic bottles) doesn’t contain BPA (as seen on 60 Minutes 9/6/2010), it does contain other chemicals called phthalates - which are also believed to be endocrine disruptors. Mindfood.com Like BPA, these chemicals leach into the water more quickly when the plastic is heated, so don’t leave these water bottles in a hot car or out in the sun. A potentially deadly toxin is being absorbed into bottled mineral

water from their plastic containers.

And the longer the water is stored, the levels of poison increase, research reveals.

There are enough warning signs to show the need to act sooner rather than later. There are growing concerns about bottled water in particular in plastic bottles. The safest option is stainless steel. Breastchek.co.nz

Jo Knowsley

Our findings suggest that exposure to low-dose BPA may have widespread effects on brain structure and function. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to classify BPA as safe, basing its ruling only on the findings of two industry-funded studies.

There are over 200 independent scientists, not in conflict financially with this chemical (BPA), saying we find it relating to obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, brain disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, liver disease, ovarian disease, disease of the uterus, low sperm count for men and the list goes on. David Gutierrez Natural News After years of insisting Bisphenol-A (BPA) posed no threat to the health of babies, six larger manufacturers of baby bottles have announced they will stop shipping new baby bottles made with the chemical. Mike Adams, Natural News A 2007 review of 700 studies involving BPA, published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, found that infants and foetuses were the most vulnerable to adverse effects from this toxic substance. C W Randolph, MD The researchers indicated that such damage is a possible predictor of reproductive diseases in women, including fibroids, endometriosis, cystic ovaries and cancers. Earlier studies linked low dose BPA to female reproductive-tract disorders, as well as early-stage prostate and breast cancer and decreased sperm counts in animals. Andreas Moritz In 2004, one researcher counted up all of the studies done to date on just BPA. Of 104 studies done by independent researchers, 94 found adverse effects.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa

The latest study showed that women with a history of miscarriages were found to have higher levels of BPA in their bodies. The women who had miscarriages were found to have BPA levels on average about three times higher than women who had successfully given birth. David Steinman

The National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health concluded that there is “some concern” that BPA may cause problems in foetuses, babies and children, including breast or prostate cancer early onset of female puberty, attention deficit disorder and other problems of the reproductive and neurological systems. David Gutierrez Bisphenol A is such a dangerous chemical that I have no doubt it will one day be banned from all food and beverage products. Frederick vom Saal The following are countries which have taken action against BPA - Canada, Denmark, Belgium and France - so far.

Those with the most BPA in their urine had nearly three times the risk of heart disease more than twice the risk of diabetes, as well as signs of liver damage.

Unfortunately, the levels of BPA that were associated with disease are within the EPA’s industry-friendly levels of safety.” Byron Richards The following research is by world expert Dr William Shotyk - who has vowed never to drink bottled water again - “I don’t want to shock people but here’s what I know: Antimony is being continuously released into bottled drinking water. The water in PET bottles is contaminated”.

Antimony finds its way into water by ‘leaching’ from the plastic in the same way that water absorbs flavour from a tea bag. Jo Knowsley If you have a baby that you are formula feeding, you are likely to be exposing your child to BPA through the formula itself, which is almost assuredly packaged in a BPA-lined can. Aaron Turpen In most countries, BPA is legal in food storage including baby bottles, containers and so forth. Very few companies are using BPA-free containers for anything. Aaron Turpen To see each of the quotes in full and the source please go to www.safebottles.co.nz

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today P.S. There’s an iron-clad, lifetime money-back guarantee on all bottles.

18/8 food grade quality stainless steel

BPA-free, toxin-free and eco-friendly

Gary Collins Managing Director

I Fits most cup holders I FDA approved I Fits ice cubes I Doesn’t retain or leach flavours I Dishwasher safe

I Various sizes and colours available I Designed to last I 100% recyclable I No plastic liner I Free sports lid

46 | December 2010/January 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

The effects of plastic on the environment are already well documented...but what about the effects of plastic on our bodies?

Research is showing that under special circumstances, certain chemicals from plastic bottles and containers are able to leach into the water (or food) held within. One such culprit is a toxic chemical known as Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical with estrogen mimicking effects that is linked to obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and hyperactivity. Another two common toxic chemicals present in plastic bottles are antimony and phthalates.

Make a change for the better. Buy stainless steel BPA-free SafeBottles and reduce the impact of plastic on the environment and our bodies.

For more information and to see the full range of SafeBottles, please visit www.safebottles.co.nz or call our friendly team on 0800 777 444 or text SAFE to 244.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz    December 2010/January 2011 | 47