Wellington Today Magazine Issue #76

Issue 76 | October/November 2011

Gosia Piatek’s Kowtow is the quintessential Wellington company, combining creativity with social and environmental awareness

Investment

Management

Business coaching

What are your options when it comes to financing growth?

Keeping time on your side as you deal with your ‘to do’ list

Five ways to cut start up costs and the seven deadly sales management sins

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

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 3

Issue 76 | October/November 2011

Gosia Piatek’s Kowtow is the quintessential Wellington company, combining creativity with social and environmental awareness

Investment

Management

Business coaching

What are your options when it comes to financing growth?

Keeping time on your side as you deal with your ‘to do’ list

Five ways to cut start up costs and the seven deadly sales management sins

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

Wellington Today

10,464

Issue 76

ABC circulation as at 30/06/10

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz Head office Academy House 47B Birmingham Drive Middleton PO Box 1879 Christchurch

managing director Gary Collins

General manager Rebecca Harris

administration Kylie Moore admin manager Kelly Clarke Kimberley Wells Judy Slater

sales & advertising Kerry Wilson sales executives Annabel Judd Rob Cochrane Mandy Woods Janet Campbell Mogens Petersen John Somerville Graeme Tall George Ziegler Grant Williams Jane Watson Peter Allan Miranda Hearn Melissa Sinclair

newsroom Jonathon Taylor editor Bridget Gourlay chief reporter Marie Sherry Phone:

03 961 5050

Fax: Email:

0800 555 054 editor@academy.net.nz

production Ian Knott production manager Carolynne Brown production co-ordinator CJ McKay designers Kirsty Opie Jarred Shakespeare Sarah Betman Phone: Fax: Email:

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News 6 Strategy

• Capital Visions — the future face of Wellington

• Keeping time on your side helps when it comes to dealing with your ‘to do’ list

7 Business Coaching/Legal Issues • Five ways to cut start up costs • Synthetic cannabis is fair game for drug testing

8 Sales/HR

• Seven deadly sins of sales management • Annoying youth habits in your workforce

10 Cover story

• Gosia Piatek’s Kowtow is the quintessential Wellington company, combining creativity with social and environmental awareness

12 Investment special

• When financing growth, where do you start and what are your options?

16 Communication

• Ten top tips on email etiquette • Check the diary for events, courses and seminars near you

17 Lifestyles

• The latest MacBook Air, art for your wrist, a top drop and sun-baked destination, handmade decanter and something for the inner bogan

50 Hospitality

• Four local spots are national award finalists

55 Motoring 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 2011 by A-Mark Publishing (NZ) Ltd. All rights reserved. No article or advertisement may be reproduced without written permission.

ISSN 1173-1524 (Print) | ISSN 2230-634X (Online)

www.magazinestoday.co.nz

• Jaguar’s 2012 line up sees the big cat refine its roar

* 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 | October/November 2011 www.canterburytoday.co.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Business 22 Initiatives

• Vast Interiors’ designs for life, Capital entertainment at Westpac Stadium, 40 Knots Graphic Design and Tip Top turns 75

28 Property & Construction

• AD Architecture enjoys the benefits of building partnerships with B & K Developers, North Face Construction and Hanna Construction. S & B Construction has built a reputation for quality, The Roundy is all about curving corners, creating sustainable spaces with Stephenson & Turner, and points of difference with Super Cheap Plumbing and Twoways Construction

48 Business Development

• Administrative excellence with AAPNZ and celebrating the best with the 2011 Pride in Print awards

50 Hospitality

• The Thistle Inn is a landmark that is up with the play, while Eat Unlimited is on a mission to deliver food that’s fast, fresh and flavoursome

56 Transport & Motoring

• Ebbett Wellington is a driving force on the city scene, getting a lift with Central Forklifts, Universal Trucks and Equipment adapts and grows, while a new focus has taken SPEL in a new direction

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Hazardous Goods made easy Chemical Freight Services Ltd (Chemfreight) is a modern, nationwide Hazardous Goods Storage and Distribution company specialising primarily in packaged chemicals, both raw materials and finished goods.

Started in 1989, Chemfreight was the brainchild of Harry Price.

Having worked in the chemical industry for a number of years, he saw an opportunity and industry need for the specialist third party storage and distribution of hazardous goods.

Starting with a small warehouse and utility, this highly motivated innovator worked tirelessly to establish what has become arguably New Zealand’s leading Hazardous Goods storage and distribution company.

Twenty-two years on, with fully compliant state-of-the-art facilities in both East Tamaki, Auckland and Hornby, Christchurch, Chemfreight is continually growing and looking for improvements in all facets of its operations including plans to establish a Wellington operation in the near future.

With over 100 mainly long term clients, staff take seriously their obligations to helping clients meet ever-changing Dangerous Goods legislation and compliancy in the supplying of raw materials to manufacturers nationwide With a healthy blend of both experience and youth, Chemfreight invests greatly in its staff, training and regulatory systems in order to meet compliancy in both our warehousing and transport operations.

With IT systems developed specifically for the storage and distribution of chemicals Chemfreight is continually improving these systems to meet ongoing changes in compliancy regulations, while also allowing for the passing of information in real time through B2B technology between clients and Chemfreight.

Approximately 10 years ago through client demand, Chemfreight took a side step into “Toll Blending” and formed another division called Chemblend. Starting life as a one-man operation, this has very quickly grown into a very busy six-men operation and due to ongoing demand Chemfreight has plans to expand this side of the operation in the near future.

Chemfreight offers the ability to blend/decant, store and distribute hazardous and non-hazardous goods on behalf of its clients.

Through a hands on approach and leading from the front Harry has surrounded himself with a team of experienced, passionate people who are continually striving to take Chemfreight to the ”next level” and beyond.

Please direct enquiries to: • Harry Price, Managing Director, phone 09 272 5522 • Debra Pickering, General Manager, phone 09 272 5521

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 5

News | Strategy

Capital visions Four primary areas have been identified as key elements to realise the vision:

With submissions now closed, Wellington City Council’s strategy for the capital’s future, ‘Toward 2040: Smart Green Wellington’ is nearly ready to roll.

■ People-centred city

The aim is to be healthy, vibrant, affordable, resilient, have a strong sense of identity and strong and healthy communities.

■ Connected city

This is connectedness in every sense — physical, virtual, social. Strategies like the Digital Strategy fall under this.

Concepts were laid bare at a day-long symposium hosted by the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of Architects in July, featuring leading design practitioners.

■ Eco-city

This is a response to all the environmental challenges the city faces over the coming decades. The council is confident it can lead the country by example.

Wellington City Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says the public consultation process was one of the broadest the council has undertaken in her time as an elected member.

The goal was to canvass long term visions on how the capital might look 10, 20, or 30 years into the future, with some emphasis on how the city can align its economy with the environment. “It’s not about trade-offs or compromises but seizing the opportunity for a smart, green and prosperous future,” Wade-Brown says.

Symposium organiser and urban designer Gerald Blunt applauds the vision, as recent events have highlighted the need for a longterm strategy for Wellington, but asks “Is the council’s thinking good enough? Christchurch will be a focus of central Government

■ Dynamic central city

This section largely deals with urban design aspects of the central city, making sure it is still a great place to be, where new ideas happen, and maintaining its role as the creative and innovative force to drive the regional economy. attention for years, and the Auckland super city will be a driving force in the national economy. In addition, Finance Minister Bill English has told Wellington to wean itself from a dependence on public sector jobs.

“These challenges are in addition to the issues all cities face in managing resources and meeting the aspirations of their citizens, and to some other issues particular to Wellington,

such as seismic risk and passage through a confined urban area.

“The council’s City Strategy will affect all of us, and will also help shape the city our children grow up in. It’s vital we find a smart way forward for Wellington.”

Public feedback on Wellington 2040 is now closed. Final approval, delivery and implementation is now scheduled to commence. Regarding the city weaning itself off public sector jobs, although admitting recent public service cuts have been a kick in the teeth to many, the Wellington Employers´ Chamber of Commerce is confident the local economy is resilient enough to absorb them.

Chamber CEO Ken Harris says the public service harbours a great pool of talent and is optimistic many will pick up jobs elsewhere in the city. “Wellington’s business sector is strong and growing — the number of private sector employees has increased 13 percent since 2000 and businesses are reporting a shortage of skilled labour.

“We have to come up with our own solutions to the challenge of making our city a place where people want to live and work and make their home,” Blunt says.

“Wellington is well-placed to absorb public sector cuts as it diversifies its economic base, but to facilitate this we need to remove barriers to economic growth and increase investment in infrastructure.”

With the release of the Wellington 2040 City Strategy it’s time to test the council’s vision, he adds.

To look at the draft strategy, download a copy from wellington2040.co.nz

Keeping time on your side

By Megan Alexander, general manager at Robert Half New Zealand Most professionals we deal with have experienced “time regret”— that feeling of frustration over yet another day passing by without having made a significant dent in the ‘to do’ list.

Work is easily derailed by time-eaters such as meetings, ad hoc requests and the distractions enabled by technology — including email and mobile phones.

Difficulty in meeting job productivity goals is a common problem at all levels in the workplace, even the highest. The situation can be improved however, by making some simple adjustments to the way you work.

The real secret to time management — and accomplishing objectives — is better selfmanagement. Here are six tips that can help you take control of your day.

1

Analyse your schedule Where does your time really go? For the next week, write down what you do and when during the work day. Examining how you spend a typical day at the office will help you to identify when you are most productive, how often you sort through emails, make phone calls or engage in meetings and in what ways (or by whom), you are most often interrupted or distracted. In addition, you will learn which projects take the most time and can decide whether they deserve such a large portion of your attention.

2 Create ‘time windows’

After you’ve determined what can be changed, develop an action plan. Think about setting aside “time windows” for specific tasks, such as reviewing emails, making and returning phone calls, or catching up on articles in industry publications. Also, create a regular schedule that takes advantage of your body clock — if you are sharpest before lunchtime, schedule more difficult tasks for completion in the morning hours.

3 Let messages wait

Keeping a constant vigil on your email and voicemail can distract you from more demanding tasks. Unless your role requires it, try to avoid reading and responding every time a new message arrives. Instead, schedule times throughout the day when you focus exclusively on messages. You’ll cut down on ongoing anxiety while making your responses less hasty and more useful.

4 Rediscover single-tasking

You can’t solve a technical challenge while talking on the phone, filing paperwork and planning for an upcoming meeting.

When working on a crucial assignment, give the issue at hand your undivided attention so you do it right the first time.

Fight the urge to multi-task, which often impedes real productivity by leading to oversights and errors.

5 Give yourself permission to ‘check out’

If unnecessary interruptions tend to prevent you from completing important tasks, don’t

6 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

be afraid to close the door, or advise your colleagues that you are off limits for the next few hours, so you can focus on your work.

6 Reward yourself

Keeping to a schedule, no matter how personalised or flexible, is challenging because it takes discipline. Give yourself credit for adhering to your agenda and accomplishing all “must-do-today” items. Be realistic too — some days you will be more productive than others, so don’t worry if you get off track temporarily. Ensure you also create a balanced schedule that makes the

most effective use of your time while allowing you to do things for yourself, such as a daily coffee or a lunchtime walk. Making more effective use of your time at work requires commitment and communication with managers and colleagues.

By creating a flexible yet realistic plan that also takes into account how you work best, you’ll be able to keep your “to do” list from snowballing. Before long you’ll find yourself spending less time scrambling to get things

done and more time enjoying a sense of

accomplishment.

5 ways

News | Business Coaching/Legal Issues

to cut start up costs Even though Facebook seems to be losing its edge these days, there is a huge potential audience there that just cannot be ignored.

Twitter is essential for finding people who may have an interest in your business or are in a similar market sector. Maximising the use of these will ramp up awareness of your business venture in no time at all and best of all it won’t cost you a cent.

By Nick Harley

Starting a business can be a daunting task, especially if you have given up your main source of income to start your new venture.

Data from Statistics New Zealand indicates that 53 percent of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fail within the first three years. Research suggests that two-thirds of business collapse is due to financial difficulties associated with poor financial management.

Here are five cost effective ways to get your business idea off the ground:

1

Don’t quit your day job until you’re ready

Many people fall into this trap. They believe that if they quit their job on Friday, they can start their new business the following Monday. Unfortunately new businesses take a long time to generate enough income to stay alive, never mind enough for you to also take a wage out of the business.

Networking

5

Create a business plan and budget

Nobody will use your business or service if they don’t know you exist. Join business start up groups in your area and show your face at local networking events.

They are ususally well organised and free to attend. If this really isn’t your thing, start by inviting potential clients for an informal coffee.

Nobody starts a new business believing their business will fail, but it can soon become apparent that the dedication and amount of work involved is more than you bargained for, as well as the increasing costs of actually running the business.

Even if you have an outstanding idea and a killer product, it is almost impossible for you to become a market leader without spending any money. You’ll need advertising and marketing costs, expansion costs, branding, everyday running costs. The list goes on and can quickly spiral out of control.

4

Make sure you plan your new venture carefully and don’t quit the day job until the business is off the ground. Don’t forget that by starting your new business your everyday costs will actually increase, because you’ll be supporting not only yourself, but the business growth too.

2

Don’t hire staff

If you are looking for a graphic designer to help with branding, a website designer to give you a great website and a marketing company to help get your name out there, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to afford to take on these people for significant amounts of time. Instead, outsource the work in seperate projects to get the jobs by the

right people with the right skills. Don’t try and cover every area yourself, focus on what you are good at and hire the experts to give you a quality business image and save you time and effort and without the hassle of employment red tape.

3

Exploit social media

Everyone has heard of Facebook and Twitter, but do you realise how effective they can be to get your business name out there?

Would you go on holiday without planning how you will get there, where you will stay, what you will do and how much you will spend? No? Well, don’t run your business that way. Create a business plan using any of the free templates available online and include as much detail as possible. It should include a financial plan detailing your costs.

Nick Harley is a web enthusiast, entrepreneur and industry commentator.

He specialises in start-ups, first stage growth and social media marketing. For more information visit www.zealance.co.nz

Synthetic cannabis fair game Growing use of synthetic cannabis could leave employers exposed if their staff have accidents in the workplace.

Employers wanting to test workers for synthetic cannabis use need to review their drug and alcohol policy now that the Government has banned 16 synthetic cannabis-like substances, including Kronic.

The New Zealand Drug Detection Agency (NZDDA) last month reported that out of 39 random samples which tested negative for cannabis and methamphetamine, 26 percent tested positive for synthetic cannabis. The agency is now able to test for synthetic cannabis.

cause drug tests are positive and that 13 percent of random drug tests and eight percent of pre-employment drug tests are positive.

But drug tests do have limitations.

Even though a drug test may return a positive result, this does not necessarily mean that the employee was under the influence while at work. Each case needs to be considered on its own merits. But employers cannot instigate such testing unless there is an express drug and alcohol policy in place. And even then, an employee can refuse to undergo a test.

In those circumstances, an employer may be able to draw adverse conclusions from such a refusal.

Employers are required by law to identify hazards at work and to take all practicable steps to avoid employees from suffering harm in the workplace.

Employers who wanted to introduce a drug and alcohol policy, must consult with staff, explaining why a policy is necessary and how it would be implemented.

Drugs and alcohol are specifically identified as potential hazards. The term “drugs” can include illegal and legal drugs such as synthetic drugs and prescription drugs which affect cognitive ability.

An employee’s right to privacy must be balanced against the requirement to have a safe and healthy workplace, where employees are not putting themselves and others at risk by being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work.

Many employers already have drug and alcohol policies in place, which enable them to conduct drug and alcohol testing on employees in certain circumstances and to instigate disciplinary proceedings up to and including dismissal where the test results are positive. Statistics show that 30 percent of post accident/incident and reasonable

Article supplied by Sarah Townsend and Summer Pringle, employment law specialists at Duncan Cotterill. For further information contact Sarah Townsend at (03) 379 2430, 021 226 3538 or email s.townsend@DuncanCotterill.com www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 7

News | Sales/HR

Avoiding pitfalls on the success

By John Treace I have been part of many business turnarounds in my career, and in all situations I have noted the errors consistently made by sales management, all of which negatively impact team morale and sales.

ladder

Here are seven of the deadly sins of sales management:

1

We have all heard of the traditional conflict between sales and marketing.

The sales team says the product is priced too high or not what the customer wants.

Marketing may say the sales force is not well trained, too small, ineffective, or a myriad of other complaints.

Sometimes these are valid complaints, but if they aren’t valid, or are merely excuses for poor performance, it is imperative that management recognise this situation. There is nothing worse than having the sales and marketing departments at each other’s throats; it’s a formula for business failure and management must create collaboration and understanding between the two groups.

4

Poor people management

Powerful investment groups don’t invest in companies; they invest in people.

People are the most important ingredient in any organisation. At the heart of highperformance organisations is management that obtains the willing cooperation of others to achieve its goals. To gain the willing cooperation of others, employees must see that management genuinely cares about them, that they can trust management’s word, and that management focuses on distinction in all aspect of the business.

6

Poor metrics

7

Lack of deep understanding of the business

Metrics are the numbers that tell us where we have been and where we are headed. They should act as the radar that lets us know well in advance of impending problems. A large number of sales management teams get into trouble due to ineffective metrics—or in extreme cases I’ve seen, no metrics at all. In today’s high-velocity markets, it is imperative to have a solid dashboard of metrics to guide the sales ship and keep it out of trouble.

Conflicts with marketing

2

and invoiced. When the sales process is changed or modified, expect the sales force to need time to adjust. During a period of adjustment to a new process, expect sales to be impacted. When the sales process is changed, all of management should expect sales, as well as sales forecasting, to be affected and in a direct proportion to the degree and type of change, at least for the short term.

3

Not holding people accountable

Holding people accountable for their performance is a cornerstone of powerful organisations. This is especially true during trying times, when management is inclined to lighten up on performance standards.

During a downturn, it is better to reduce quota requirements than look the other way on non-performance.

Poor award programmes

Award programmes need to be seen as achievable and fair. Reps need to see the playing field is level and that everyone has a shot at winning recognition. It is amazing how many companies have award programmes that are slanted in favor of a few preferred individuals. This sends a morale-damaging message to all reps, including the favoured ones: that some are valued over others.

5

Changes to sales process

The sales process includes all the steps and procedures a company puts in place on its way to having the product delivered

Failing to know the business at a deep level is one of the surest paths to failure. When sales are going well, the lack of deep business understanding usually does not appear as a problem, but when business is challenged by sagging sales, it is. These are the times when a thorough understanding of the company’s customers, products and services, and sales process is critical. Without it, sales reps cannot be confident in the course taken by management.

John Treace has 30 years experience as a sales executive in the medical products industry and has spent a decade restructuring the sales departments of struggling companies.

For more information visit www.treaceconsulting.com

Bad habits to the fore

By Eva-Maria

whether values about respecting others have been instilled while growing up.

Day in and day out, more and more youth are coming into the workforce. Half the world’s population is under 25 years old, and the new generation’s work habits — for better or worse —are following them into the workforce.

Having asked around, some of the most common problems with youth are coming in with scruffy clothes, bad attitudes and showing up late for work. Why do they do that? They know when their shift starts… do they not own an alarm clock?

Bad attitudes, scruffy work clothes, turning up late and showing disregard for the business world are common criticisms levelled at the younger generation.

Sure, that sounds like a generic youth attitude. The youth mind-set is a hard one to understand, but when it comes to it, unless your generation wants to be blamed for the bad habits instilled in today’s youth, it may be good to pay attention to what they react to, and what will help them achieve more in your business.

Many attitudes come down to the parenting young people have received. Do they respect you as an employer and do they respect adults in their lives? Showing up in scruffy clothes raises the question as to

If only things were that simple.

When a young person’s shift starts at 9am, they’re likely to show up at 9am on the dot, in scruffy clothes… perhaps that’s how they actually dress. But bad attitudes aren’t kept in check unless someone complains. So tell them!

Older generations understand that a 9am start time means coming into work 10 to 15 minutes early, so they’re dressed and ready for work.

Well, not in this world — youth will show up when they’re expected, sometimes later.

The warning for being late will be obvious, but not when they show up on time then spend 10 minutes getting into ‘work mode’.

Explicit instructions What’s the way out of it? Tell them what you expect and why — whether it’s about the dress code, attitude or time management.

8 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

What may seem obvious to you about workforce attitudes will be different to today’s youth due to their parenting they received. If you expect to run your business in a particular way, don’t leave it to their common sense to decide what’s right and wrong — tell them.

Come up with a Code of Conduct with all the rules written out. If they come to work ‘on

time’ instead of 10 minutes earlier or are wearing a ripped shirt, point them back to ‘the rules’, with no ifs or buts about it.

Eva-Maria is a 20-year-old consultant, family coach, international speaker and author of the parenting book ‘You Shut Up!’ She works with groups, corporates and families to improve adult-teenager relationships.

News | Techno Talk

trackpad Kiss your goodbye Does your website create

the right impression?

Designed in Christchurch, the Swiftpoint micro mouse boasts that it will “change the way you use your laptop”. Tech guru Ian Knott plugs the Swiftpoint into his 17” Macbook Pro and puts it to the test.

I’m often a little skeptical of products that claim to revolutionise the way we’ve been doing an everyday action quite successfully for years. But Christchurch-based Swiftpoint Limited claims its home-grown, award-winning mouse will do exactly that, and to a point I agree.

The Swiftpoint is designed to be held much like a pen, but it feels much better than that. Let’s be honest, the prospect of holding a pen for extended periods of time has my fingers aching at the very thought of it. The mouse is lighter than many pens and the grip point is thicker, which encourages your hand to be in a very natural, almost handshake-like position.

From there, only a small movement of the fingers, not the whole hand or wrist, is required to perform most tasks onscreen.

Talking wirelessly to a tiny USB receiver, that also doubles as a magnetic docking point, the mouse lasts for 2-4 weeks on a full charge and about an hour off a 30 second ‘RapidCharge’. When transporting your laptop from one room to another, the mouse docks nicely to the receiver, but the connection isn’t strong enough to hold in a laptop bag, so the mouse needs to be stored separately.

There is no ‘off’ switch on the mouse. Long battery life is attributed to a clever feature called ‘SmarTouch’, the mouse only works when your thumb and middle finger grip the sides.

The Swiftpoint has two buttons — the foremost being left-click and the smaller one behind it being the right-click. Just to the right of them is the scroll wheel which can be operated with your index finger or, for faster scrolling, the mouse can be tilted slightly to the right and the wheel can be rolled back and forth on the desk or whatever surface you’re using. The two buttons do have secondary functions for productivity: left-click + scroll is zoom in and out, and right-click + scroll is a faster page scroll.

It took me a good day to get used to moving the Swiftpoint around, but after doing a bit of web surfing, word processing and graphic design I was well and truly sold. Returning to a full sized mouse now feels like moving a house brick around the desk.

By Suzanne Carter

The Swiftpoint comes with an adhesive Parking accessory that covers your trackpad (provided you’re not using the mouse with your desktop computer — in which case any mousepad or desk surface should suffice) and right-hand side of your laptop’s palm rest (sorry southpaws, but the Swiftpoint doesn’t cater for you as yet).

This Parking adhesive provides a slightly textured surface for the mouse to work on and protects your palm-rest from wear and tear. The Parking accessory also places a rectangular pad bottom-centre of your trackpad that is magnetised enough to hold the Swiftpoint in place between your hands while you type.

While this all works perfectly well and as expected, I still like to use my Macbook Pro trackpad as it has intuitive multi-finger swipes that are second to none. However the trackpad is far less sensitive with the adhesive Parking accessory over it and I had to give it a decent tap to select items.

Eventually it annoyed me enough to remove the adhesive, cut around the magnetic Parking rectangle and just have that stuck on along with a trimmed 3M MP200PS Precise Adhesive Back Mouse Pad to the right.

Now I’m in laptop heaven with the best of both worlds, the precise control of a mouse and a fully usable trackpad for those times when a mouse just isn’t convenient.

For only $99, the Swiftpoint mouse is well worth picking up for regular laptop users and the fact that you’ll be supporting New Zealand ingenuity is the icing on the cake.

For more information on the Swiftpoint visit www.futuremouse.com Ian Knott has been commentating on various forms of technology for the last 16 years. He’s had columns on gadgets, gaming, computing and digital entertainment in many newspapers, magazines and websites in New Zealand and overseas.

We all know first impressions are created within seconds.

In today’s competitive business environment, creating the right first impression is absolutely vital.

Your potential client has other choices and you want them to choose you, not your competitor.

If the first impression a potential client has of your business is via your website (and this will largely be the case), then you need to make sure your website creates the correct impression of your company and its products/services.

It is surprising how many businesses actually don’t think about their website in terms of it being their online ‘shop front’. Your website needs to encourage visitors to it to stay and purchase a product, make an enquiry, submit a quote and so on. If it doesn’t then they will go elsewhere and that’s not something you want them to do!

If you are not sure if your website does give out the right messages then just ask friends or family to take a look and give you their honest opinion.

your site!). A website full of spelling mistakes is not only a bad look but it also makes it hard for anyone to read.

If you sell products online then make sure that your shopping cart is working properly. Errors during the buying process are a turn off and only serve to discourage your customer to continue with their purchase.

Having a website full of advertisements is also not a good look, so if you are going to have advertisements make sure they are unobtrusive and do not have prominence over everything else on your site.

Check your site for error messages. The worst possible error message to have is one that says your website is no longer available.

So, remember that you must have a professional looking site as this will instil trust and credibility. A poor website creates a poor first impression and that is not a risk any business can afford to take.

Suzanne Carter is the business development manager for Limelight Online Ltd, a website design and development company. She has more than 15 years website industry experience and with that comes a passion for working with clients to enhance their business through the internet.

To create a strong initial impact your website design must be attractive, easy on the eye and include strong calls to action. Your logo is also very important so make sure you have a well-designed one and not one that your cousin has put together one evening!

If you have products to showcase then a photo gallery with great imagery is definitely beneficial. On the subject of photos, you should never underestimate the power of photography when it comes to creating a first impression with your website. Photos can make or break the aesthetics of a website. Therefore make sure all photos on your website are of a professional quality and accurately reflect your company and its products/services in the best possible light.

‘03449’ 31/10/11

Content must be of a high quality, relevant and easy to read. Break it down into small readable paragraphs with bullet points and subheadings. Don’t mix font styles too much and make sure your spelling and grammar is 100 percent (don’t use American English on www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 9

News | Cover Story

Cottoning on

By Bridget Gourlay

Picture a factory in the developing world. The workers are hunched over, thin, their hands and eyes a blur as they work. And work. And work some more.

Then picture a fashion boutique in any first world nation — well lit, ergonomically perfect and filled with shapely mannequins wearing desirable clothes. The walls are draped with some of the finest fashion, fresh from the catwalk.

Count the zeros on the price tags.

The awful reality is that entire industries like fashion rely on the backbreaking labour of people in the developing world who are not paid enough to even feed themselves.

Healthcare and education are luxuries. Paid days off are ludicrous extravagances. In fact, most of the time, workers live in this crushing poverty until they die.

One of the first things Piatek had to do was find a factory to buy from. She found one in Kolkata, India, where the workers are not only paid a fair price, but management offers other benefits to its staff. All the employees received paid holiday leave, sick pay, medical insurance, subsidised lunches and overtime pay. Children of employees receive free schooling, donations are made to charities such as the Girls’ Education Fund and the factory has a pension plan.

Piatek chose them because they’re certified Fair trade organic and because they were willing to make small runs for her. To begin with she only wanted a couple of hundred units, while now she orders 6000 at a time.

But it was visiting the factory that showed her what an incredible place it was. “People think once you’re there you will realise they are lying — that there will be child workers hiding somewhere. That wasn’t true at all. You can’t hide poverty. And I was free to wander round where I liked.”

Four years on and Kowtow has grown significantly. “For example, I can now employ staff!” Piatek jokes. Orders come in daily from That’s why the fair trade movement came into around the country and Kowtow exports to existence. Companies began buying products, Australia and Japan. Kowtow’s “bread and like coffee, for a fair price and marketing butter money” comes from its division called themselves on being ethical traders. Today ‘Good Cotton People.’ This involves creating the spectrum ranges from bananas to cocoa to bulk order T-shirts and bags for companies jewellery. such as Oxfam or WWF, who walk their talk about sustainability.

Wellingtonian Gosia Piatek was destined to be a Fair trade supporter. Social justice was Teaching, not preaching something close to her heart — inspired by Kowtow is arguably the quintessential her parents, who left communist Poland as Wellington company, combining social political refugees to arrive in New Zealand justice and respect for the environment with two children and two hundred dollars. with creativity. It reaches customers with a Following in those brave footsteps, Piatek range of knowledge about the importance of turned her passion for fashion into a label organics and fair trade. called Kowtow, which only uses certified “The majority buy our clothes because they organic and fair trade cotton. like them. The whole mantra of our business It was a small set-up, funded by an initial is to market our clothes to people who aren’t $5000 grant, but she’d already secured an necessarily interested in fair trade or organics. order from Australia’s second largest clothing Because you don’t want to preach to the retailer. Fair trade, to Piatek, was just the right converted and since there’s only a handful of thing to do. them around we wouldn’t make any money!”

Images by Boofta for Kowtow

10 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

“There is an imbalance in the standards of living throughout the world which is fuelled by the West’s continuing short changing and exploitation of labour markets in the so called third world. We don’t believe anyone who is truly aware of what is going on in the world would want to turn their heads and support a slave trade economy.”

Most customers try on a Kowtow garment after touching the cotton — it feels like silk.

If they like it and buy it, it’s hard to ignore Kowtow’s website printed on the inside of the garments and on their tags. Piatek says when customers visit the website they are shown videos and given explanations of why buying fair trade organic cotton is so important.

News | Cover Story This price ? products. e ir e d th r a fo r t ay fair prices or wages tely live by — afford hourisiceng, r i a f s i t a fair p anies p adequa Wha here comp ply paying workers to w m e si er m th e d s n st o le y sy b e a ps and oth go b t en e is a

s Fair trad r’s check-u ething tha companie orld living free docto fair trade out by som s, , d e n e e ss ft a rk o O cl . eloping w w n v cy o is e ra ti d nd te e ca li u th , d n e a nd families a ople in childre e for their er than pe health care ols for employee’s id th v ra ro t p a to th m scho de is enable the and have ind Fair tra work. jobs which e idea beh id in a d Th p e . y y ts rl lo fi o p e o n p be aid or ey are em ly th re , n ce a n th e r in subsist lves, rathe ies themse portant? communit also so im n o tt ed co ic n rld exploit e orga e third wo is fair trad y th h in in w p rs so o e , cr rk e wo yed coffe most spra g the only fair trade es so it ’s the r from bein ard about s, ll insecticid e fa a h st f e re ll o p a a t f e n o rs e e ’v ts rc e rm lo We p t fa n e 5 e g w 2 e s ro to ff ive ly op g tely, co tton is like land, it rece sticide-intensive cr Unfortuna system. Co e cultivated ic p f o out m st t h o o n it n e m w co rc e e e n by our three p ing it th en cotto k ly d a n id m o -r that g s, y ll in le a k ta icide sa estimates chemic the world; lobal pest anisation andle the g h rg f her O o rs rt t e h n fu lt rk e a a o rc e ing, and World H cotton w n e e and 10 pe o is th Th o n l. p e il e ft very esticid net. O aking them g countries from p on the pla tection, m in p ro p lo e v te a e u d s. lem ad e q r die in ealth prob ople a yea r chronic h e ff 20,000 pe su le p o n peo three milli

on? t t o c c i n orga e d a r t r i a f Why buy

As our natural world comes under increasing pressure, the global surge of environmental interest has become a tsunami. But not every product is legitimate and ‘green washing’ has hit the food and cleaning industries in particular — and Piatek has seen it in the clothing industry too.

“I’ve been to some shops where they have the token organic garment. It usually comes from a non-certified source, it’s individually wrapped in plastic and it’s usually like 25 bucks. The whole thing doesn’t add up.”

Online opportunities There’s been a seismic shift in the retail environment during the past five years. It’s now possible to buy a range of things such as movies, books, posters and equipment online.

From a pair of skis to a vintage vinyl record, there’s usually a website that will sell it to you — often cheaper than buying it from a shop, even with postage fees. Piatek says online retail sales are now “huge” for Kowtow.

“We sell causal garments so once people know their size they can re-order off our online store. We got our online store revamped in September last year and the month we did that our sales doubled. How easy a site is to navigate is so important. We get sales everyday from online.”

Online marketing and advertising is just as dominant. “I think one of the most potent ways of advertising is through Facebook and Twitter — it’s just huge.

“You really do notice the power of it. If we have a sale or new stock has arrived and we put that on the website then you can really see the number of online sales increasing that day.”

Kowtow wants to grow over the next few years, and Piatek has firm ideas on how.

“Everybody loves cotton in Australia, I’d like to expand more in there. I’d also like to get Good Cotton People growing. There’s so many business going fair trade — that means they serve fair trade tea and coffee at work. Big businesses too — BNZ has gone fair trade.

“I can see Good Cotton People doing more uniforms etc. Serving fair trade tea and coffee is a good start — that’s the seed and then interest will grow.”

Looking back on her success, Piatek highly recommends SMEs have a mentor they can trust. She has been mentored since the start of the year by Peter Travis who advised Jeremy Moon through creating Icebreaker, and now sits on the company’s board of directors.

“I really value his advice, he’s so positive but straight to the point. When I started meeting with him he said ‘what is it what you need?’, and I said ‘staff’. And he said ‘you’ve got a great product, what are you scared of?’ And I said ‘I’m scared of running out of money’.

“And he said ‘get the staff and then everything will work out.’ It did. I just needed to hear that from someone who knows what they are doing.”

She also recommends businesses know their financials inside and out, forecast properly and keep good schedules. “Pull yourself out of day to day activities and be the managing director,” she advises. This is something Piatek has only just started to do herself.

“We’re planning to employ a full-time production manager and I’ve just got myself a part-time accounts person — I should have done that a long time ago.”

But the most important lesson she’s learnt as a businesswoman is to follow her heart. “My gut would always tell me the right answer. My instinct hasn’t failed me yet.”

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 11

News Special | Investment/Finance

Growing your stake

By Bridget Gourlay You want to grow your small business, but where do you start? Do you invest in your staff? What about new equipment or software?

Marketing? R&D? Although there’s no set formula, there are some rules that apply to all businesses looking to grow.

“There’s no point trying to develop strategies and planning if in fact the performance of the business is not appropriate. Then you look to address planning and sales and marketing.”

Stick to your strengths Scholfield advises business owners stick to their strengths when trying to grow.

Business Mentors NZ CEO Ray Scholfield says firstly he recommends using his own not for profit organisation. Completely free, businesses can get an experienced mentor to cast their fresh pair of eyes on your accounts, direction and ideas.

“Someone could start off as an apprentice panel beater. And over time they could prove to have real skill in that area and decide they want to own their own business. They may be a very good panel beater, but suddenly they’re trying to be a general manager. As they start to grow their business and employ staff they are doing something they don’t have any skills in — and managing people can be quite challenging!

“People get married to a business, and with working long hours they can’t see the woods for the trees. The old corny saying ‘they’re working in it, not on it’ applies.

“Managing clients can be challenging.

Collecting money owed to you is not easy.

All those things take people outside of their key skillset.”

“Often someone independent can come in and be totally objective. Their only agenda is to help a business do better.”

That’s where you invest. If, for example, doing accounts is challenging and boring for you, Scholfield says to hire someone else to do them. “It’s better to concentrate in the areas you are strong in. When people try to do things they’re not very good at, they don’t do them very well the whole thing gets in a mess and the things they are good at also get neglected.”

In terms of growth, BMNZ has plenty of experience in that. Schofield himself was a voluntary mentor for years before becoming CEO and says a mentor often sees areas for growth the owner doesn’t.

“Sometimes people’s perceptions of what they need can be absolutely accurate, less than accurate, or nothing like what the real need is. People think ‘I could be doing better; I just need some sales and marketing assistance to lift the business up and perform better.’

“But often in those circumstances, while they could benefit from a more focused sales and marketing approach, it may well be their financial management and performance needs major work as well.

12 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Do your research “Typically, New Zealand businesses do not do adequate research,” Scholfield says.

“Where are customers coming from, where are they spending, what are the opportunities? Where is your competition?

Some people wouldn’t have a clue. You do need to think about it. There’s some good tools out there.” These tools don’t involve spending a lot of money on expensive surveys and research. Often it’s free.

Do… ● Your research — use Statistics NZ ● Have a business mentor for a fresh look and good advice ● Stick to your strengths — hire people to do jobs you do not like or are bad at

Don’t… ● Work in your business. Instead, work on it ● Be afraid to ask for help or advice ● Try to do everything yourself “If you were a panel beater and you were thinking about buying a panel beating business in Matamata — you can use Statistics NZ and determine how many cars there are in the Matamata area, how many accidents there were in a given time, how many panel beating competitors you’ve got.

That can help you plan if you’re going to expand your business or buy one down the road and merge the two.”

BMNZ has access to the University of Waikato’s benchmarking information for free, which is also commercially available.

With that information, the panel beating business could see the analysis of panel beating in New Zealand. It gives the lower, median and upper quartiles and it gives every single cost centre associated with that type of business and that sector.

“You can benchmark your business against industry average,” Schofield enthuses. “So if your rent is typically ten percent end of turnover and the median is seven, you’ve got a problem!”

News Special | Investment/Finance

Show me the money Once you’ve decided where you want to grow your business, the matter of where to get the money from arises. Generally SMEs have four options available to them; personal equity, a bank loan, angel investors and venture capitalists. Westpac’s Martin Brennan says it comes down to personal choice.

Bank loan

Personal equity

Angel investors

Firstly, you can reach into your own pockets to finance your growth, such as taking out a loan against your house or from personal savings and investments. Brennan says there are good and bad sides to this option. “Ultimately, personal equity gives you control. You’re accountable to no person. Personal equity also leads to less expectations of return. But the more personal equity you’ve got in a business means that money isn’t available to do other things you want to do.”

Angel investors are people prepared to invest in a promising business. They usually are already familiar with the industry.

Useful websites www.business.govt.nz www.angelassociation.co.nz

Banks give businesses loans if they believe in it. While you must pay it back (with interest), you still keep 100 percent ownership of the business. “My view and I have a bias, is that with bank debt there is a guaranteed exit price. In other words, you borrow $100,000 and you know exactly how much it costs to, in effect, pay out that partner.

“Equally, a bank doesn’t want to have a stake in your business. Debt I’d say to people is the opportunity to keep control of your business.”

“Angel investors are only for the bigger end of medium-sized businesses,” Brennan points out. “Unless they saw potential like a new invention, it would be problematic to get them onboard. I would only go to them if you felt you had substantial growth opportunity.”

According to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), angel investors’ expectations are usually at least a 30 percent return on their money and often want some equity (ownership) in your business to offset their risk. The advantages of having angel investors are that you get the cash right away and can start growing. On the other hand, you must be completely comfortable with only owning a part of your business.

www.nzvca.co.nz

Venture capitalists

www.nzte.govt.nz

NZTE says venture capitalists are investment companies or fund managers that give cash in return for part-ownership of your business.

They provide more money than an angel and will also provide expertise, support, contacts and management help.

www.bmnz.co.nz www.frst.govt.nz www.thesmallbusinessgame.co.nz www.businessresourcecentre.co.nz

In return for risking their funds, they tend to favour only high-growth companies that are likely to provide them with high returns.

They plan to realise their gains on exit from the investment.

NZTE says some investment firms are only going to want to give you money, provided you follow all the rules to the letter. This can be a little bit difficult, especially for a business that is just starting out and needs a little bit of leniency so that they can grow to their full potential. Although the money that you get from one of these firms can certainly help your business, if they are too restrictive, it can also tie you down considerably.

“Venture capitalists tend to look for an exit strategy in one form or another of that business, so if you were looking to work with a venture capitalist you would have to buy into that strategy of an exit over a 3-5 years timeline. It might not be suited if your aspirations were longer term,” Brennan says.

He usually asks his clients if they have seen the popular reality TV show Dragon’s Den. “That’s a good snapshot of what angel investors and venture capitalists will put you through. You need to decide how much of your ‘baby’ you want to give up.”

Brennan says businesses need to see an investment, whether it’s a bank loan or money from an angel investor or venture capitalist, as a partnership.

“Do it for the right reasons, not just for need of money. Build good sustainable long-term relationships. Generally I’m a great believer that it’s about partnership and you must get that balance right. For most low-end SMEs it’s (financing growth) really an equity and debt solution. In my experience, it’s how much do you want to partner with people for what that mix is.”

Other words of wisdom Brennan has learned from a long career of working with SMEs are that good things take time. “Don’t grow too quickly and without a sound foundation. The analogy I use is it’s like trying to put a third story on a house that’s designed for one floor.” www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 13

Southern Cross Cables If knowledge is power, then in today’s business environment the speed at which you can access it is key. And internet speeds will have the capacity to get much faster in the future, thanks to a successful trial on 100 gigabits per second prototype transmission equipment on the Southern Cross twin cable network.

“But the interesting thing is that the price of capacity is the same in both markets. And while Southern Cross is the only operator out of New Zealand, it sets its New Zealand to US prices at levels no higher than its Australia to US prices where there is a competitive market.

This significant technical breakthrough, two years earlier than expected, was demonstrated during extensive testing of the latest 40 Gbps equipment from a number of suppliers in readiness for the next Southern Cross capacity expansion in 2012.

The improvements in transmission systems are at the heart of what Southern Cross aims to achieve. Its ever-increasing capacity has created a network of continually improving quality.

Southern Cross sales and marketing director Ross Pfeffer says “Southern Cross continues to invest and build ahead of demand, to support new innovation and broadband growth”.

Back in 2000, the 28,500 kilometre Southern Cross undersea cable network was constructed. This major regional asset cost a whopping US$1.4 billion, and provides uninterrupted international capacity to the US for broadband internet connectivity from both Australia and New Zealand.

“It is a feature of our network that we can readily replace land based transmission systems with equipment that provides continuing improvements in performance,” Pfeffer says, “Southern Cross currently uses 10 Gbps transmission equipment and its 2012 upgrade, which will be the company’s fifth, is likely to be based on 40 Gbps equipment. This will take the total network potential to at least six Terabits per second - about 25 times higher than the original design capability of just 240 Gbps in 2000.”

“While it is unlikely that we will use the 100 Gbps equipment for next year’s upgrade, it is going to be an option much sooner than we previously thought and the potential size of our network will keep growing in huge leaps,” he says.

“And datacaps have actually gone up substantially as ISPs attract more subscribers, but are rarely used up. In Australia, on average only 15 percent of download entitlement is actually used.”

Future proofed

That’s why the performance of the six fibres and 500 repeaters that make up its twin cables is better today than when the network was constructed more than 10 years ago.

“That allowed us, in 2010, to confidently extend our customers capacity contracts from 2020 to 2025,” Pfeffer says. “I expect that opportunity will arise again in 2015 when there is a strong likelihood that 100 Gbps transmission equipment will already be deployed and the commercial life of the Southern Cross Network will be able to be extended beyond 2025.”

Southern Cross will • Use technological improvements to substantially expand capacity ahead of demand and to lower the cost of supply - Offer prices based on both competitive market forces and the reducing cost of capacity expansions.

• Apply competition based prices equitably to similar markets.

• Enhance the automated protection ability on its dual cable network to ensure that a single cable failure does not interrupt service.

Myth busting Pfeffer says there are a number of myths about the cables he wants to clear up. For example, many people feel there’s a need for another cable, not knowing there are two - one that goes east and another that goes west.

Some say there won’t be enough capacity for internet suppliers – but as this trial shows that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Some feel costs are too high and that Southern Cross is the reason why there are broadband data caps.

“In fact, these are imposed by ISPs. In Australia broadband data caps are much higher, unlimited plans are taking off and the cost of downloading data is lower which is because of the different retails markets in the different countries.

14 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Southern Cross Cable Network T (04) 496 3260 F (04) 499 7232 www.southerncrosscables.com

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 15

News | Communication Events Diary — What’s Happening on the Business Front october

11

Business Writing — EMA

Communicating properly is vital in the workplace and there are a million ways to y da es Tu get it wrong. This seminar will help you to get it right. To register visit www.emacentral.org.nz october

18

Issues Election Forum — Wellington Chamber of Commerce

Main party candidates in the three Wellington city seats of Ohariu, Rongotai and Wellington Central have been invited to present their opinions on issues impacting on the city and the business community in particular. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz Tuesday

october

22

The Cloud-Based Business Toolkit — Mohawk Media

Improve communication, collaboration and increase productivity with a cloudbased business toolkit. To register visit www.mohawkmedia.co.nz Saturday

october

26

Employer Workshop — IRD

This workshop is a hands-on interactive session where Wednesday participants learn how to complete a mock monthly wage summary for two employees, calculate PAYE and other deductions, and file employer monthly returns online. Ideal for sole traders, partnerships and other small businesses. To register, www.ird.govt.nz november

2

Networking — Wellington Chamber of Commerce

The Chamber Business Networking Forum is a ay sd ne Wed boardroom style gathering aimed at developing relationships with Chamber members and business leaders. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz november

3

Intergen — Pimp Your Sales Process and Profits

tours to experience local culture. For more information, www.satwnewzealand.com november

10

Social Media: Bringing the Conversation Back to your Business — EMA

Online media is highly relevant in today’s business environment. Existing and emerging online technology is changing how we reach out to and engage our customers and stakeholders. For more information visit www.emacentral.org.nz Thursday

november

15

How To Be a Trainer — EMA

This seminar is to assist those who have responsibility for training staff but have not Tuesday had any formal assistance in understanding how people learn. To register visit www.emacentral.org.nz

Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce — 2011 Business Awards Gala Dinner ay Wednesd

november

16

A celebration of the Hutt Valley’s best businesses; categories consist of innovation, exporting, not for profit, manufacturing, small business, professional services, retail/hospitality, trade services and sustainability. For more information, visit www.hutt-chamber.org.nz november

19

This conference, starting Thursday, November 19 and continuing to November 25, will be one of the largest and most important spatial events in Australasia. It will bring together the disciplines, sectors and user groups in an unprecedented all-ofindustry event. For more information, visit www.sssc2011.org/ Thursday

november

29

november

Networking Event — Wellington Chamber of Commerce

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7

Monday

Society of American Travel Writers Convention — Tourism New Zealand, Positively Wellington

More than 500 members of the Society of American Travel Writers will be in Wellington to participate in

If you would like to feature a business related event in this diary, email newsroom@academy.net.nz at least two months before the date of the event.

16 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

… the top 10 tips about business email etiquette …

Surveying and Spatial Sciences —Conference 2011

The Chamber Business Tuesday Making every sale count Networking Forum is a is important — and even Thursday boardroom style gathering aimed more so in a tight economy. at developing your business relationships With increased competition, informed with other chamber members and business customers and numerous external pressures, leaders. To register visit www.wecc.org.nz salespeople need to use whatever tools they can to make the difference. To register visit november Annual Conference — National Digital Forum www.intergen.co.nz The National Digital Forum november Engaging Employees (NDF) is a coalition of libraries, y da es Tu — EMA archives, museums, galleries, There is clear and mounting government departments, and other evidence that high levels Friday organisations and individuals working to get of employee engagement New Zealand’s culture and heritage online correlates to individual, group and and accessible to all. It’s an opportunity to corporate performance in areas such discuss the issues and opportunities that are as retention, turnover, productivity, shaping our future. For more information customer service and loyalty. To register visit http://ndf.natlib.govt.nz visit www.emacentral.org.nz

4

Making sense

By Bridget Gourlay

1

2

Err on the side of formality. For example, begin an email with ‘Good morning’ instead of ‘Hi’ and titles and last names instead of first names unless you know the person fairly well. Better to be known as polite than forward.

Put an introductory sentence at the

3

start of an email, reminding the recipient of who you are and why you are emailing. Even if you just spoke with them a few hours ago, they may receive a hundred emails a day and will appreciate the quick reminder. Or they might need clarification when re-reading it a week or so later.

If you want to be taken seriously,

4

ensure the email has no grammatical and spelling errors.

This simply means you run the spell check and read over it before it is sent. It’s really easy to accidently forget a punctuation mark or for the autocorrect to change an error into a different word.

Your email must make sense. Write clearly, to the point, and re-read it before you send it. This saves a lot of guesswork at the recipient’s end and nips any miscommunications in the bud.

5

Make sure there is nothing that

6 7

could be read inappropriately, ie a comment that could be seen as sexist or racist. Save the jokes for your friends and keep it polite.

Make sure your full contact numbers are beneath your email address so you can be reached.

Use paragraphs for a longer email.

8

A massive single block of text can be overwhelming and vital information or key points can get lost in the crowd.

Always check the recipient.

Sending the wrong email to the wrong person has sunk plenty of careers. Always check who’s receiving it, whether it is one person or many.

9 10

Make sure you have attached the document. It’s easy to forget but for the person urgently waiting for it at the other end, it can be very frustrating if you forget to send it.

Don’t send enormous files that clog up an inbox unless the recipient really needs it.

News | Lifestyles 4 U

lifestyles

baubles to best places…

a place in the sun Cuba

top drop Morton Estate’s 2000 Blanc de Blanc Methode Traditionnelle First it was chardonnays, then pinot noirs.

Now it seems New Zealand is developing a reputation for sparkling wine. Morton Estate has found sweet success with its 2000 Blanc de Blanc Methode Traditionnelle, which recently won a gold medal award in the Spiegelau International Wine Competition. The company uses some of New Zealand’s top winemakers, leading technology and the best traditional winemaking practices to craft a range of wines which are have found international fame.

Heading into summer, this sweet and fizzy sparkling wine serves as the perfect accompaniment to Christmas celebrations and wedding season.

RRP: $30.99 Available: Wine shops and New World supermarkets nationwide

techno flair MacBook Air Never one to be accused of ignoring product development, Apple recently updated its MacBook Air. The new version features next-generation Intel Core processors, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, a backlit keyboard and Mac OS X Lion operating system. It delivers up to two and a half times the performance of the previous generation, has flash storage for instant responsiveness and a truly compact case. It comes in two sizes; an 11 inch (28cm) weighing 1.08 kg and a 13 inch (33cm) weighing 1.35kg — both measure a measly 1.7cm thick.

Cuba could rightly be regarded as one of the world’s great survivors. The tiny island country on the periphery of the United States has forged an enduring national identity because of — and perhaps in spite of — its tumultuous history. Mention Cuba and a melting pot of impressions starts simmering — international uproar, Fidel Castro and Communism, the Bay of Pigs, JFK, salsa, the missile crisis, jazz, classic American cars, Guantanamo Bay, a nearcrippling US-enforced trade embargo.

These days Cuba is a little known but surprisingly great tourist destination. Bathed in the tropical Caribbean climate, it offers heavenly beaches, historic buildings and the opportunity to party all night. Check out the pre-60s cars, throbbing music scene and famous Cuban cigars.

Fly through Canada, Europe, the Caribbean or South America to get there — you can’t go through the US. Check out: www.gocuba.ca

cover stories Hoody gadget cover If this thing isn’t perfect for your iPod or MP3 player, then what is! Sure, hoodies do get a bit of bad press but that’s more to do with the potentially dodgy individual hiding behind the hood. Forget that stereotype; the Hoody iPod cover is here to change public opinion by looking so cute you want to cuddle it.

The covers — suitable for mp3 players, iPods and mobile phones — protect the technology and look pretty damn good at the same time. The Hoody iPod cover is available in grey and fits the iPod classic, iPod touch, iPhone and various other mp3 players and phones.

RRP: $14.50 Available: www.giftbob.co.nz

object of desire Riedel Amadeo Decanter Mouth blown and handmade, this decanter is truly a piece of art. Made by Ridel (the Louis Vuitton of the glassware world) this Amadeo Decanter was free-formed

by Ridel’s most senior master craftsmen and is executed in finest quality lead crystal. The decanter’s handle and spout were carefully crafted to prevent spills and waste.

RRP: $576.00 Available: From www.thestudio.co.nz

wearable art Jean Dunand Palace Watch Paying homage to the industrial art and craft of Paris during at the turn of the last century, the Jean Dunand Palace watch is, quite simply, a masterpiece. Each corner represents the feet of the Eiffel Tower, the sides arch towards the face with the space under the arch being filled with sapphire crystal to allow you to see the inner workings. By any measure it is a big piece, though not as heavy as you might think; the use of titanium and other exotic materials keep it as svelte as possible. The left oval track displays GMT, the right track reveals the status of its 72 hour time reserve and the center displays local time.

As with every Jean Dunand timepiece, each Palace is unique — crafted by hand for the lucky owner.

RRP: US$460,000 Available: Visit www.jeandunand.com

RRP: From $1549 Available: From retailers nationwide

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www.radiolive.co.nz

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Initiatives | Vast Interior

Vast Interior Wellington is now open at two locations, in Lower Hutt (left) and the Woolstore Design Centre (below).

destinations for

desirable

home wares

Walk into a Vast Interior store and you’ll find yourself on a furniture safari awash with earthy, sustainable designs combined with brilliant ethnic influences; it’s a destination to find world style for your home without getting anywhere near a plane.

Vast Interior, a locally owned retail franchise specialising in imported, quality hand-crafted home furniture and exotic homeware recently unveiled its second Wellington store, at Rutherford St, Lower Hutt.

Those who have not yet discovered the increasingly popular furniture alternative are in for a treat. The impressive, soulful home furnishings store is an engaging destination stop for passionate home design trend setters, families, shoppers and those looking for the glam of global or individual style in home fashion.

The Lower Hutt store is the second Vast store for owners Shannon Donovan, Guy St Clair and Mike Pullin, and like their flagship sister store in the Woolstore Design Centre on Thorndon Quay, it also boasts a fantastic series of beautiful and interesting pieces.

These include huge 12 seater solid hardwood dining tables, vintage leather lounges, found original pieces, delicate exotic homeware and interesting artworks.

Vast Interior’s DNA is one of cultural eclecticism and diversity, hand-picked furniture and homeware from exotic destinations, chosen because of their beauty, heritage, design and individual style.

Both the Vast Wellington stores are a treasure trove of eclectic Indian furniture with a vibrant colour palette.

With new shipments arriving every six weeks they have an abundance of newly arrived beautiful found originals that have been hand-picked from India.

From fantastic hand made quilted textiles, graceful screens, frescoed old doors, artefacts, and a stunning new assortment of cabinets, coffee tables and bedsides re-fashioned from old recycled materials — their new found collection has a urban twist on old world style.

Always searching and honouring the creation and origin of its furniture, Vast is ethically and environmentally responsible. Sustainable and recycled materials account for 90 percent of the brands product range and Vast also supports local community and medical projects in India.

Affordable individuality

The beauty of Vast is that although these rare finds are unique one-offs, as direct importers they are still affordable without compromising on quality. Vast has an extensive world-wide supplier network and retail store network here and in Australia.

“We have incredibly good direct relationships with our suppliers, this means we know exactly where our

22 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

furniture comes from and the materials used,” says owner Guy St Clair.

St Clair recently returned from a trip to India to choose the next shipment of exotic arrivals. “Our customers love our Indian found pieces. We are very selective in the designs we choose each season and in each container’s arrival there is something fresh and on trend,” he says.

Recycled style “This month we have a lot of sea-green recycled wood pieces with an industrial edge, boldly coloured cabinets and traditional embellished heritage pieces.”

Vast Interior embraces environmental design by using natural and sustainable materials, as well as vintage and recycled eco materials. St Clair offers an insight into why the Vast timber ranges are so unique and what ecofriendly and exotic items customers can expect to find in store thisn season. “The majority of our product lines are made from recycled or renewable resources. At Vast Interior we are very conscious about the environment and our choice of timbers reflect this,” he says.

“We are excited to bring a second Vast Interior store to Welingtonians, especially in such an exciting community and retail centre just 15 minutes from Wellington’s CBD, but so much more convenient for our growing customer base beyond the city. The transformation of the old Pitt Stop building is amazing, and the new store’s fit out is fresh, inviting and compliments our vast collection of furniture designs really well.

“We’ve been sourcing pieces over the last six months in preparation for the opening, so Lower Hutt will be stocking an impressive collection of interesting pieces and new designs.”

Vast Interior has ample onsite parking and is open seven days a week.

Initiatives | Vast Interior

The

VAST difference

Vast Interior specialises in hand crafted quality timber furniture and inspired cultural homewares.

Created by hand, eye and heart, Vast designs are as beautiful as the environment. Sustainable, renewable and recycled materials are used in 90 percent of signature dining and living ranges. And prices are also as down to earth as the designs and store philosophy.

Not only is all the furniture well made with exclusive product lines, the beauty of Vast is that each store owner has the freedom to travel the world searching for unique pieces for their individual markets.

Store content ranges from Indian artifacts, Chinese inspired antiques, Balinese carved daybeds and pottery to exquisite handmade cushions and textiles from Asia.

Each store is unique with an abundance of furnishings for the home to reflect personal style. Vast stores are not about one look, but about offering infinite variety.

Like any brand, Vast Interior is in business to make a profit but at the same time it strives to make a difference by partnering with suppliers to fund school programmes in the places it sources products from, particularly in the developing world.

Vast Interior Wellington fast facts ✹ Australian-owned, the franchised retailer has been

operating for 12 years, and was established in 1999 in Coffs Harbour, NSW

✹ As direct importers Vast Interior maintains an

ethical business model, choosing to give back to the environment and community

✹ New ranges are constantly being designed and sourced by the group collectively, and Vast currently produces quality Australian designed ‘Made in India’ exclusive lines with realistic price points

✹ Every Vast store prides itself on having a unique

flavour, with stores operated by likeminded business owners who express their style and design twist by sourcing individual pieces for their own markets

✹

Lower Hutt T (04) 589 5748 E lowerhutt@vastinterior.co.nz

✹ Vast Interior has 42 stores in Australia and three

stores in New Zealand (Christchurch, Wellington City and Lower Hutt)

✹

Vast Interior Wellington

✹33 Rutherford St

Ultimately every store boasts an infinite variety of eclectic and soulful pieces, for customers who are passionate about their homes and living spaces

Check out the Vast collection at www.vastinterior.co.nz

✹The Woolstore Design Centre 262 Thorndon Quay Thorndon

www.vastinterior.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

Made by hand,eye & heart

Embrace traditional sustainable furniture design that is unique and exclusive to Vast Interior.

E Wellington Store: 262 Thorndon Quay, Wellington P: (04) 894 2184 E: wellington@vastinterior.co.nz

Lower Hutt Store: 33 Rutherford St, Lower Hutt P: (04) 589 5748 E: lowerhutt@vastinterior.co.nz

www.vastinterior.co.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 23

Initiatives | Westpac Stadium

Capital entertainment The bones of a venue may be magnificent, architecturally speaking, but what brings the space to life is the energy within its enclosure. When you can almost taste the anticipation, smell the fear, breathe in the exhilaration of a moment and see history being made, that’s when a venue is at its best. Look to Westpac Stadium Wellington to see this is true.

In 1994 the roots of this modern, multipurpose venue were being sewn and the makings of a dynamic and innovative cultural environment were under way.

A group then led by Wellington Mayor Fran Wilde knew the time had come to reinvigorate Wellington and to lay the foundations for what can only be described today as an epic stadium.

One which would be walked by elite athletes, reverberate to musicians whose shows serenade the senses of entertainment hungry audiences, and community organisations whose grassroots efforts define the civic spirit of the city.

Defying the odds

...........................................

Like a sports game, investments are all about strategy and when a strategy is underpinned by business smarts and foresight, you can defy the odds. This is certainly the case with Westpac Stadium and the results achieved by the venue since its development.

Good design means good business branding stationery brochures and reports websites display material advertising free quotes

www.hyve.co.nz 04 499 0701

Because while the cultural appetite for a venue of this magnitude was questionable at the time of its conception following several high profile downfalls of other New Zealand stadiums, it’s fair to say Westpac Stadium has defied odds and expectations.

Today the economic benefits of Westpac Stadium resonate with distinction and its cash injection into Wellington has exceeded $300 million. “In just 10 years Westpac Stadium has helped transform the sporting and cultural landscape of our region,” marketing manager Steven Thompson says. “Before the stadium, there had not been a Sevens tournament, no big concerts for 11 years, only two or three Super 12 games and no A-League Football.

“Now Wellington is the envy of other cities, with a smorgasbord of rugby, rugby league, football, cricket, concerts and exhibitions.

Promoters, who had never previously considered the city a destination, now have a world-class facility for international events.”

And Thompson’s right — no bias involved. The numbers really speak for themselves. Westpac Stadium is a cultural magnet; when there is a major event like the Sevens tournament, as many as 50 to 60 percent of those attending are likely to be from outside the region.

A Berl Report on the stadium in 1996 estimated the impact of the yet to be built stadium on the Wellington Region. It indicated that events at the stadium were likely to generate direct spending of $15 million, employment of 270 fulltime equivalents (FTEs) and total value added of $11.6 million per annum. Another Berl report in 2004 blew the original figures out of the water, indicating that after just five years of operation the

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stadium had already doubled its expected financial impact and audience levels were 50 percent higher than levels projected in 1996.

“The stadium has also provided the opportunity for young and emerging players to play in a world class facility via club games and curtain raisers. Furthermore, the stadium helps community groups fund-raise for their own projects,” Thompson says.

Fast forward to 2011 and the success of the stadium shows no sign of abating. The Trust’s initial commercial loan was $34 million and it has been able to substantially reduce that loan to its current level of $10 million throughout the past 10 years and it is likely to be repaid by 2014.

media and players room enhancements, gate enhancements, technology upgrades, improved members lounge facilities and a greater range of food and beverage areas on the public concourse to name but a few.

Westpac Stadium PO Box 2080 Wellington 6140 T (04) 470 0418 E marketingAwestpacstadium.co.nz www.westpacstadium.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Upgrades and membership Looking to the future, Thompson says Westpac Stadium is at a critical point — the competitive environment has changed significantly, and memberships and corporate box licences are set to expire in 2014 and need to be resold into a very different market.

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“These will need to be sold on their perceived value and the excellence of the patron experience and scheduled event offering.

Deloitte Club memberships and corporate box licences expire in December 2014 and we have started engagement with some focus groups to conduct initial research on the experience of both groups throughout the past 11 years and their expectations for the future,” Thompson explains.

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The stadium’s trustees have also recognised they need to plan to improve the facilities to enhance the experience for all patrons and hirers. Changes on the horizon include

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design If you’re the person within your company who deals with marketing, then you’ll appreciate the value of having a graphic designer who can interpret your ideas and deliver the right look for your target audience.

You’ll also appreciate someone whom you can strike up a working relationship with, as though they were sitting at the desk next door.

If you haven’t found that contact yet, or are looking for fresh talent, then check out 40 Knots Graphic Design.

Anna Simpson is a freelance graphic designer who started her own business in 2007. With a diverse international background in advertising, marketing, education, publishing, tourism and the corporate sector, Simpson has valuable insight into how her designs can be used by clients to achieve their business objectives.

Experienced and professional, Simpson has weathered the recession and built up a strong client base that keeps coming back for more.

images. I love seeing the work complete and live and breathe it until it’s out there.”

As business owner and designer, Simpson is focused on building long term relationships with clients — working alongside business people to maintain their brand and ensure consistency in their advertising and marketing materials.

Huge growth isn’t something 40 Knots is out to achieve — for Simpson, quality not quantity is important. “I enjoy having a core group of clients who feel they can just call or email, and we kick off a new project together. I’d love to work with more marketing companies or departments —those who want a contractor they can call to deliver a brief on time and with a clean design.”

A visit to her website — www.40knots.co.nz — shows the attention to detail and diversity Simpson can offer.

Simpson’s exceptional creative talent is complemented by a clear understanding of the functionality for whatever she is designing 40 Knots Graphic Design T (04) 387 8372 — a rare and special quality and one that is www.40knots.co.nz essential when combining large amounts of text and images.

“My favourite jobs are the campaigns. I can use all my skills in one. Starting with the logo I then make it work for all the marketing collateral, from invitations through to posters, forms, banners, magazine ads and web

“Anna is a talented graphic artist, very adept at interpreting a design brief to deliver just what the client needs. She has a particular flair for using photographs creatively and is meticulous to ensure the quality of her work is always spot on. Having said that, she is not overly ‘precious’ about her designs and takes feedback very positively, making her extremely easy to work with.”

|

testimonial

intelligent

Initiatives | 40 Knots Graphic Design

Gayle Price Moor Synthesis Marketing

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 25

Initiatives | Tip Top

Iconic brand Tip Top — the name is representative of the iconic brand’s positioning within the New Zealand food landscape — the tip of the top.

The iconic brand started in 1936 as a Manners Street ice cream parlour in Wellington. Celebrating its 75th birthday this year, Tip Top is the largest independent ice cream business in the southern hemisphere.

In February, Tip Top gave away 50,000 Jelly Tip ice creams at parks and beaches nationwide. The giveaway was the biggest ever seen in New Zealand and took place just days after a Wellington family won $10,000 for scooping up the first golden ticket in the Great Tip Top Ice Cream Hunt.

Tip Top’s oldest novelty ice cream still in production is the Eskimo Pie…

Launched in the 1950s, the Jelly Tip is one of New Zealand’s most popular ice creams, says Tip Top managing director Brett Charlton.

“It’s become a symbol of all things great about Tip Top, great ingredients, great summer memories and the best tasting ice-cream ever.”

The giveaway was in recognition of the loyalty New Zealanders have shown the brand, he says. “We’re proud to be celebrating our 75th year as a fully owned New Zealand company. It’s a real milestone and we wanted to acknowledge the loyalty New Zealanders have shown Tip Top for the past 75 years with free ice cream.

“Most Kiwis would be able to dig out an old baby photo which captures the moment they ate their first ice-cream — it’s a quintessential picture, a Kiwi tradition, and that ice-cream is almost always guaranteed to be a Tip Top ice cream.”

As part of the celebrations throughout this year to mark its 75th birthday, Top Top has touched base with some of the legendary Kiwis they’ve worked with in the past.

The Trumpet commercials were the first big break for international fashion model Rachel Hunter and there’s still nothing she craves more than a Trumpet. “Happy Birthday Tip Top. I can’t believe you’re 75! In Los Angeles, there’s nothing I miss more than a Trumpet,” Rachel Hunter said.

We are suppliers of high quality Gluten Free confectionery to the Wholesale and Retail Trade.

Contact us through our web site, by email or phone us!

Proud to Support Tip Top. Congratulations on 75 years!

Ph: (03) 437 1847 0508 4 RAINBOW Fax: (03) 437 2280

459 Thames Highway, PO Box 258, Oamaru 9444 New Zealand

www.rainbowconfectionery.co.nz

26 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Initiatives | Tip Top

celebrates 75 years Aucklander Paul Driessen, the foreman on the Tip Top factory floor when the first Jelly Tip left the production line, also turned 75 this year. He wished the company nothing but the best for its three-quarter century milestone.

“We’re the best vintage, Tip Top and I. Happy birthday Tip Top and I hope New Zealanders enjoyed their free Jelly Tip that first came off the line 60 years ago,” he said.

Background of the brand Tip Top is New Zealand’s leading ice cream company and a market leader in all categories. Among its portfolio of brands are Kiwi icons such as Trumpet, Fruju, Jelly Tip, Popsicle and Memphis Meltdown.

Established in Wellington in 1936, Tip Top has been part of Fonterra since the farmer-owned co-operative was formed in 2001.

Drawing on generations of expertise, Tip Top invests significantly in research and development, enabling the company to provide new and exciting products for New Zealanders.

Tip Top 113 Carbine Road Mt Wellington Auckland T 0800 838 181 www.tiptop.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

did you know… ● As part of the celebrations Tip Top brought the classics back. A consumer facebook campaign begging for the return of the grapefruit and lemon Fruju was successful, with it returning for sale.

The company also launched a limited edition Mint Trumpet last summer, manufacturing one for every New Zealander ● Supermodel Rachel Hunter was 15 when she appeared for the first time on television in an advertisement for Tiptop Trumpet in the mid 1980s ● Tip Top produces around 35 million litres of ice cream a year ● Tip Top has a long-standing commitment to using home-grown ingredients like fresh cream and fruit.

For example, products like boysenberry ripple, NZ’s third favourite flavour, are sourced from grower Barry Wratten’s Lower Moutere orchard in Nelson ● New Zealanders consume around four million Jelly Tips annually

a brief history…  In 1936 Albert Hayman and Len Malaghan opened their first ice cream parlour in Manners Street, Wellington  In 1936 a second milk bar opened in Wellington, and another in Dunedin. The same year, Tip Top Ice Cream Company was registered as a manufacturing company.  By 1938 Tip Top was manufacturing its own ice cream and successfully operating stores in the lower half of the North Island, as well as Nelson and Blenheim  In May 1938 Tip Top Ice Cream Company Auckland Limited was incorporated into the growing ice cream business. Due to distribution difficulties and World War II, it operated as a separate company to Wellington Tip Top  In November 1962 Hayman and Malaghan opened the biggest and most technically advanced ice cream factory in the southern hemisphere, at Mt Wellington, Auckland. The factory included staff houses and 20 acres of farm land overlooking the southern motorway and cost NZ$700,000 to build

 In 1964 a parent company was formed, General Foods Corporation (NZ) Limited, which rated as one of the soundest investments on the stock exchange  The Auckland Tip Top factory was originally a seasonal summer enterprise. The success of brands like Topsy, Jelly Tip and FruJu helped transform the Mt Wellington site into a 24-hour year-round operation  As demand grew, two further plants were opened in Christchurch and Perth. Although specially designed to meet stringent Japanese export requirements, the Christchurch factory closed in 2007 and production moved to Auckland

● Tip Top Ice Cream is exported to Singapore, Malaysia, Tahiti, Fiji, the Caribbean, Mauritus, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Norfolk Island ● The three most popular Tip Top flavours are vanilla, cookies and cream, and boysenberry ● The oldest novelty ice cream still in production is the Eskimo Pie

Launched in the 1950s, the Jelly Tip is one of NZ’s most popular ice creams…

 In April 1997 Tip Top was purchased by a West Australian food processor, Peters & Browne’s Foods from Heinz Watties.

The merger of Peters & Browne’s and Tip Top created the largest independent ice cream business in the southern hemisphere with combined sales of $550 million  In June 2001, Tip Top Ice Cream became part of the Fonterra Co-operative Group

Amcor is a global leader in responsible global packaging solutions supplying a broad range of carton board, plastic (rigid & flexible), fibre, metal and glass packaging products to enhance the products consumers use in everyday life.

Amcor Cartons are proud to produce packaging for Tip Top. Halls is proud to be a National Refrigerated Transport provider to

We congratulate Tip Top on their

75th Anniversary

at temperature, on time, any weight, anywhere...

Contact : Brian McKechnie General Manager Business Development p. 03 343 5750 f. 03 348 5743 e. brian@halls.co.nz w. www.halls.co.nz

www.amcor.com

Celebrating Tip Top’s 75th Birthday! www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 27

Property and Construction | AD Architecture/B & K Developers

The benefits of As any homeowner will tell you, buildings are so much more than bricks and mortar.

Your home is a reflection of your personality, a place where you can feel comfortable and secure.

building

Houses are a central part of our lifestyle — a place where we raise our children; measuring their growth on a door frame, building a tree house and a sandpit in the backyard.

They’re the places we enjoy for peace and quiet as well as entertaining, and as we get older, tending to the vegetable garden and babysitting the visiting grandchildren.

Buildings such as shops, community centres and libraries are equally loved. Each has a personality, charm and good memories.

Designing quality buildings around the greater Wellington area and beyond is AD Architecture, a company set up by Peter Davis and Jon Ambler three and a half years ago. The new practice combined the resources of the two partners’ well established existing businesses. Based in the Kapiti Coast, it now has seven staff.

“Combining them was a thought we’d both had at the same time. It just made sense for the local area — there were no medium sized practices here but there was lots of potential with demand for quality residential design and larger scale commercial and community projects coming up in the next 10 to 15 years,” Jon Ambler says.

“We knew if we established our capability then we would be well positioned to handle some of these exciting projects.”

AD Architecture The Pier 6-8 Seaview Road Paraparaumu Beach PO Box 1585 T (04) 298 5662 F (04) 298 5663 E info@adarchitecture.co.nz www.adarchitecture.co.nz

AD Architecture with: ■ B & K Developers ■ North Face Construction ■ Hanna Construction

AD Architecture is looking to the future in other ways. Peter Davis and Jon Ambler are passionate about appropriate sustainable and eco design, as Davis explains.

“It makes sense really. Locally, nationally and globally — we can’t keep going as we have been. New Zealanders have been building houses that are unnecessarily large, wasteful and unsustainable.

“The sooner we can produce buildings of a realistic scale that incorporate well-chosen materials and technology the better off we will be. Building costs are going up, as are the costs to the environment.”

Both Davis and Ambler have recently qualified as Homestar practitioners. The scheme was introduced 18 months ago as a residential

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28 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

rating tool to assess the performance of homes in an holistic way.

Homestar assessors visit clients who want their homes renovated or built and tells them how they can go about making them more sustainable. Houses can reach ratings between one and 10.

“From a new property’s point of view you can design to suit the rating you’re trying to achieve. I believe this will soon develop momentum in public’s eye.”

AD Architecture also works closely with Heart of Green, a company started by Denise Davis, Peter’s wife. Denise independently assesses homes and determines a number of measures to provide for a healthier home and way of life, along with options to make it more sustainable and cheaper to heat.

“Sustainable homes will develop further in the near future,” Ambler predicts.

“There’s a lot of scope, and we are already seeing signs that the public are embracing the principles of more sustainable design. Ten years ago people would have looked at you funny for wanting to use green design — now it’s taken much more seriously.

“The eco design industry is starting to show how well designed, energy efficient homes save money in the long term. A new approach to whole life costing needs a buy-in from the public as the payback period won’t be immediate — typically higher capital costs will have a payback period of around seven years, and thereafter will be significantly cheaper to run.”

AD Architecture’s future goals are to stay local. “We’d like to really become an integral part of the local region, in terms of being the first place that people come to for a design.

Whether it’s big business or smaller residential customers, we value each and every client and commission.”

AD Architecture works closely with other local companies to build the structures it designs.

Creating these buildings lies in the hands of B&K Developers, North Face Construction and Hanna Construction.

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/B & K Developers

partnerships and staying current with new trends and home designs.”

Yustina Billot says B & K was proud to become registered Master Builders in 2003, after meeting the organisation’s stringent requirements. “They are recognised as a hallmark of quality. We can offer our clients the Master Builder guarantees, which mean they can have peace of mind about our build. We are passionate about making sure clients are very satisfied, and being a Master Builder helps with this. The MB logo is part of marketing — it’s on our vans, cars and website.

B & K Developers Building finely crafted, uniquely designed and quality constructed homes for over fifteen years is how B & K Developers has built something else — a reputation.

Dean and Yustina Billot started B & K in 1997 and the company has gone from strength to strength.

It now has a long-serving team and a history of quality builds and satisfied customers.

B & K Developers is involved with numerous builds in the Kapiti region for individual clients who are looking to build a home that stands out as being unique, and built to a high standard. These are high end homes noted for their diverse architecture, designed

by Peter Davis of AD Architecture.

B & K Developers is involved in the process from the start – from looking at the site and location to fully discussing what the clients’ wants and needs for their home are. There are no sets of plans to choose from, each house is individually designed for the client, which Peter Davies says “is much easier than fiddling around with standard plans which usually don’t work anyway.”

Davies says he has had a long and successful working relationship with B & K, since the company first began.

“Working as team in a design and build approach has allowed us to provide a very efficient, cost competitive service with exceptional results,” Davies says. “The B & K commitment to ensuring that the client is completely satisfied has led to many very happy home owners.”

Dean Billot feels the same way about AD. “We have built an excellent relationship with Peter, Jon and their fantastic team at AD

Architecture, resulting in satisfied customers.

Their work stands out from others due to their unique designs. They are constantly upskilling

“For us, being in the organisation is great because it gives us local support and networking opportunities.”

Feature continues on next page >>

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/B & K Developers ■ Testimonial “When we had our new house built in 2005 it was a pleasure working with Dean Billot, Russell, Graeme and the crew from B & K Developers. Our architectural designer Peter Davis recommended B & K Developers and we had no regrets that we went along with his recommendation.

“From the start it was obvious that Dean took a very professional approach to managing the project and any little hiccups were dealt with by consultation with us as the clients, so we were kept in the loop at all times. We were always welcome on site to watch the building progress, which provided us with the opportunity to discuss any matters relating to what was going to be done during the following weeks.

“As the project progressed we were advised, within an appropriate timeframe, when we had to make decisions on the fittings such as door handles, mirrors, lights etc. The suggestions that Dean and his crew made regarding fixtures and fittings, based on previous experience, were well advised and in keeping with the type of home we were in the process of building.

“Dean’s standards are high; he pays attention to detail and listens to what the client has to say. The other contractors Dean brought on board also produced a very high standard of work. The result was a high quality home we are very happy with. We have no problems or concerns about the standard of work and the finished product. Last but not least, the project was completed within an appropriate timeframe and was not over budget. We are very happy customers and would recommend B & K Developers to other people about to start building a new home.

“We are grateful to Dean for making this project an enjoyable experience.”

— Ruth and Alan Humphries

■ Testimonial At B & K, there is a building team of 10, which consists of fully qualified carpenters and apprentices.

looking for ways to improve and future-proof our homes.”

“We employ apprentices because teaching the new generation is very important, we love to see the young ones coming through and to pass on the knowledge. The staff enjoys that experience.

“Our slogan ‘Build Right 1st Time,’ which is worn by the staff on the company’s T-shirt, sets us apart. It shows our commitment and pride to every job,” Yustina says.

“Our team is loyal and dedicated, without them we wouldn’t exist as a business. At times we use other contractors to help with our workload.”

Technology Keeping up with technology is important to the Billots.

“When the market changes, we are able to adapt quickly to the demands of local and global trends,” Dean says.

“The changing technologies in the building industry are strongly connected with sustainability. As a result, we are always

Building right

“We’ve built up a reputation for unique designs and quality construction and our team of sub-contractors is also very committed to giving the best service.

“Then there’s the back-up of our warrantees and guarantees which are always offered.

“We’ve had recommendations and repeat business from clients who want to build again and to us that shows we are really doing a good job.”

B & K Developers 124 Rimu Road PO Box 342 Paraparaumu T (04) 298 3781 F (04) 298 3782 E bkoffice@xtra.co.nz www.bkdevelopers.co.nz

“We are very happy with our house at Hillcrest Rd. Construction was well under way when we decided to purchase the property but we appreciated the way in which you were able to accommodate the changes we wanted made.

“Lyn and I have had a number of houses built for us over the years so we were able to appreciate the eye for detail and the quality of the workmanship that you and your team put into the project. We were also pleasantly surprised at the quality of the fittings that you had specified as standard.

“As you know we are unlikely to be building another house on the coast but if that situation changes B & K Developers is where we will be headed.

“Thanks again.” — Noel & Lyn Thomas

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/North Face Construction

North Face Construction “If every house in New Zealand was energy efficient it would generate enough power in a year to look after a quarter of New Zealand’s residential electricity needs. That’s like taking the city of Wellington offline.”

Chris and Leonie Beggs set up North Face Construction 12 years ago, with a passion for building eco-friendly homes. They feel that when we think outside the square about how to build houses, we find that there are a plethora of options that make homes safe, warm and environmentally-friendly.

Five years ago, North Face Construction became the agent for Energy Efficient Homes.

Creating energy efficient homes is a driving force for the owners of North Face Construction and AD Architecture.

“Taking on this agency fitted well with our passion of educating and providing home owners with ways to utilise the planet’s most wasted resource — solar energy,” Chris Beggs says.

Feature continues on next page >>

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SURVEYORS • ENGINEERS • PLANNERS www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 31

Property and Construction | AD Architecture/North Face Construction

… a sustainable house doesn’t mean a boring or weird house…

|

Jon Ambler AD Architecture

In keeping with its environmentally-friendly way of thinking, North Face was the first builders to create a Digital Self Heating Home (DSHH) in New Zealand.

This process heats the home with solar energy, either directly or by releasing stored solar energy when the sun has gone, such as in the evening. So far, the Whitby owners of this home have experienced a 70 percent reduction in power usage and are extremely happy with their home.

“The North Face team is passionate about the energy savings for warm, healthy, low cost DSHH and we will build your house design and living house. Firstly, the house was positioned so it was north-facing. The pitches were incorporate the DSHH system. built at the exactly the right solar angle “This could also save you up to 100 percent on (30 degrees). This is the optimum angle to your energy costs,” Chris Beggs says. maximise sunlight captured for this area.

Home sweet home Excited by the Whitby project, and wanting to do even better, North Face Construction built its own showhome which opened in July. Every care was taken to ensure optimum

On average, New Zealand has about 2000 hours of sunshine each year — that’s a lot of free energy! The house was mainly constructed from timber, with polystyrene blocks used extensively to insulate it.

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/North Face Construction

… many said they would love a house which costs nothing to run in retirement.

People were really interested in the zero energy aspect … |

Chris Beggs North Face Construction

would love a house which costs nothing to run “I really enjoy working with AD because they in retirement. People were really interested in are approachable, relaxed but efficient — our the zero energy aspect,” Chris Beggs says. plans didn’t have one query going through council. I really like their self-explanatory The showhome is being lived in by Beggs, plans, I enjoy building off them.” wife Leonie and their two children, proving to visitors it’s not just theory but fact that this Jon Ambler says the AD team greatly North Face Construction used again the DSHH enjoyed designing North Face’s showhome and so far the family hasn’t had a powerbill — house really works. a couple of years ago, as well as the other they were recently given an $80 credit from “Living in it as a four person family is great — projects AD and North Face have collaborated the power company. This is a 100 percent it means I can honestly say that four people on in the past. saving, even better than the Whitby project. had a shower this morning with hot water All this is especially amazing considering generated from the sun.”

“Chris is a really good builder; he’s got an eye Wellington had its coldest snap in decades this for detail and makes excellent suggestions. winter, with snow settling on the ground.

Beggs is glad there is much more of an interest in sustainable homes now than “It’s good to have a builder on board who For electricity, 18 photovoltaic panels have there was 12 years ago when North Face is really driven — he always has the best been installed on the roof, generating Construction began. Back in the late 90s, Kiwis interests of a project at heart.” free electricity. LED lighting has been used didn’t really know what that entailed or why extensively in the house because it uses Ambler is pleased with how the house is it was so important. Beggs’ passion for ecomuch less energy and lasts much longer than looking. “It looks modern and stylish and homes reflects his view that society needs to traditional light sources. contemporary — I think we and Chris have stop using all of the planet’s resources. shown that a sustainable house doesn’t mean The initial outlay cost more, but when a five “I’ve got an holistic view of the world — greed a boring or weird house which some people metre strip light uses only 9W, it’s a cost that is driving our generation, and what right do might think. is recuperated quickly. All the appliances such we have to use up all the materials?” as the washing machine, dryer were all been “It’s really sustainable and their goal is to take purchased with energy saving in mind, using it off the grid, which is a great achievement Teamwork only those with a Five Star Energy Rating. for a suburban house.”

AD Architecture designed Beggs’ showhome.

The double glazed windows are also thermally broken to minimise heat transmission from inside to outside and extra insulation was built into the roof and walls to minimise leaking out the house’s warmth.

On its opening weekend, more than 1000 people viewed the eco-friendly showhouse.

“I’ve known John and Peter a long time, I like their work,” Beggs says.

“Members of the older generation heading towards retirement were particularly impressed. Many of them said to us they

“We had our own ideas and other people’s ideas and AD Architecture were the ones that could pull that together and get it all to work.

Future focus Building eco-homes isn’t all North Face Construction will do. The company will build conventional houses for clients seeking a good quality, healthy, environmentally friendly home.

New homes, decks and fences or an outdoor room for entertaining — there is nothing the North Face team can’t do. All clients deal directly with Chris Beggs to ensure personal and honest service and daily communication from start to finish.

Beggs has set a target of building 20 homes in the future because he wants to see North Face Construction grow.

North Face Construction PO Box 1698 Paraparaumu Beach Paraparaumu 5252 T (04) 212 6507 E info@northface.co.nz www.northface.co.nz Feature continues on next page >>

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/Hanna Construction

Hanna Construction John Hanna has one simple instruction for his team — to remember that when you’re building someone’s home you are creating their most important asset, so it should be of no lesser standard than you would accept yourself.

It may be a simple ethos, but this focus on professionalism and quality has stood Hanna Construction in good stead throughout its nearly 30 years in operation.

“We don’t do second best, we do it right the first time,” John Hanna says.

The Wellington based company specialises in the building of new homes and renovations of both commercial and residential properties in and around the Wellington region.

It also specialises in the refurbishment of educational services. However, over the years the team has also worked on apartments, alterations and shop fit outs. They thrive on versatility and a challenge.

“We like working with clients and the best part is the accolades we get from them, for not only our company but for our employees.

“We carried out a major renovation of Government House a number of years ago for the Queen’s visit, back when Sir Paul Reeves was Governor-General.

“Once we were cleaning up the foyer at night and Sir Paul came down and commented to the staff we were cleanest tradesmen he’d ever had in the house. It was a good compliment from a nice gentleman like him.”

A master builder Hanna Construction has been a member of the Master Builders Association for 22 years and is proud of it. Becoming a Master Builder is a process — building experience, trade or professional qualifications and practical

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management experience are all assessed.

Workmanship is inspected and previous clients contacted, to ensure the applicant’s work is of a high standard and has satisfied clients’ expectations.

“This is an organisation that’s got a 100 year old reputation and strong ethics to it. That’s what people want these days, stability,” Hanna says.

Re-certification of members occurs regularly, with checks on financial viability and their workmanship. Buildings done by Master Builders offer a seven year guarantee.

Apprentice honours

Builders Association. While he was there, he started the Master Builders Apprentice of the Year award. He has now retired from his duties, but was “very proud” to see his son, a current Hanna Construction apprentice, win the title last year.

More than just being a member, Hanna recently stepped down from serving 12 years on the executive for the Wellington Master

Even though it is a small company, Hanna Construction has won a number of awards over the years at the Master Builders Awards.

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/Hanna Construction

■ What You Can Expect… ✦ You will receive friendly, courteous and outstanding service ✦ You will be assured Hanna uses the latest building technologies to add value to your investment ✦ John Hanna and his staff take time to listen to your requirements and he takes his business seriously ✦ Hanna values your custom and ongoing relationships ✦ You can contact Hanna after office hours up to 6pm. Hanna is available to meet with you outside business hours by arrangement to discuss and review work completed ✦ John Hanna has various insurance policies in place to cover the construction etc ✦ Hanna offers a full design and build service covering the design through to the building and even the landscaping ✦ Hanna will do everything within its power to insure your project is delivered on time and to budget.

“I think it’s because we live up to our mission statement ‘Exceeding Our Customers’ Expectations,’” Hanna says.

“We had a mission statement before they were in vogue. Building is a professional industry and we really reflect that.”

Building partnerships Hanna says developing strong partnerships with the other businesses he works with, as well as with customers, is important to him.

“We have a good report with our subcontractors and suppliers, and a lot of that is thanks to the admin staff. We have got an excellent accountant who works in closely with my wife for our admin duties — the back of the house part of the business is equally important although not seen.

The relationship administration has with other businesses is very important and not taken for granted.

“I’m really thankful for the opportunities people have given me — our clients are often lovely brilliant people. We build a relationship with clients — some of them go back 25 years or more and with a long working relationship

like that they become a pretty special part of our lives.”

One of the companies Hanna has a strong partnership with is AD Architecture. “In the 30-odd years I’ve been in business I’d say we’d find them the one of the best architectural companies we’ve ever been involved with. They’re great people, no nonsense and professional with great vision.

We find our clients speak highly of them. Why would you want to skimp on the initial design process when you are dealing with your main asset?” Hanna says.

“We’re on the end of the process with the client — and when there’s good communication between AD and the customer and the project is all consented and ready to go, then our job is easy.

A recent job AD and Hanna worked on together was adding a triple car garage with an upstairs studio and a link above to the main house in Roseneath. “AD had a lot of foresight for this difficult job. The access was tricky, it was an extremely difficult site geographically,” Hanna says.

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Property and Construction | AD Architecture/Hanna Construction

This extension will be entered in next year’s Master Builders Awards. The house, built seven years ago by Hanna Construction, won a silver medal back then. And still looks as good as it did then with the current owners adding their personal touches.

AD and Hanna have also worked on a number of home refurbishments lately, including completely modernising some historic houses.

“AD has a great feel for historic redesigns and new homes alike,” Hanna says.

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Turn to the Experts.

Peter Davis from AD Architecture has worked with Hanna for more than ten years, when he had his own practice and now as part of the AD team.

■ At a glance…

“Due to the thoroughly professional manner in which John approaches projects, he has won several tenders and is often selected by clients ahead of other firms for negotiated tender or design and build projects,” he says.

✦ Has a focus on quality and professionalism

“John has the capability to fully understand the client’s vision and also provides valuable insights during the construction phase to always achieve a great result. The quality of work is always superb from both the building team and their loyal subcontactors.”

Hanna Construction 45 Lanyon Place Whitby 5024 T (04) 234 8459 E john@hannaconstruction.co.nz www.hannaconstruction.co.nz

✦ The company was started nearly thirty years ago by John Hanna, an experienced builder

✦ Has been a registered Master Builder for 22 years ✦ John Hanna’s son won the Master Builder Apprentice of the Year award in 2010 ✦ Has won numerous awards for its builds ✦ Enjoys the challenge of a difficult project.

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Property and Construction | S & B Construction

Constructing a reputation for quality S & B Construction in Wellington is a building company with a wealth of experience behind it, established in 2002 by directors Kevin Bryant and Paul Stevenson, who are both qualified builders.

Bryant and Stevenson have been in the construction industry for 35 years and 25 years respectively, with Bryant owning his own building company before forming S & B Construction with Stevenson.

Paul previously worked for himself on a labour-only basis, undertaking many and varied jobs from architects, other building firms and private clients.

Bryant ectors Kevin any ir d y b 2 0 0 p 2 ce. The com ablished in ruction, est a wealth of experien ors. s ct S & B Const a a h tr con evenson, en and sub and Paul St ality tradesm u -q p to s y emplo

The organisation started with a team of four, progressively growing to seven staff, plus the two working director and Bryant’s wife Sue, who works as office manager. The team includes four qualified carpenters, two roofers and one apprentice.

In 2006 Stevenson and Bryant formed a roofing division after experiencing poor performance and reliability from outside roofing companies.

Range of building services

S & B Construction carries out a variety of work, including the construction of new houses, renovation work, alterations and additions, maintenance, and the repair and replacement of roofs.

S & B Construction has built itself a reputation for excellent workmanship, punctuality, cleanliness on site and completing contracts on time. It has worked closely with the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation, the apprenticeship board, and has trained a number of apprentices who are still working with the company.

Based in Apu Crescent in Lyall Bay, S & B Construction takes on all work including small jobs that many builders are not interested in.

All free quotes are carried out promptly.

Sue Bryant says S & B Construction builds new homes to any budget and works closely with architects. It often meets clients before they have approached an architect and can offer advice on how to get their project underway.

“We offer advice and we project manage the job. We have our own team of experienced subcontractors that have worked in with us for many years,” she says. “Sometimes the client has their own people they want to employ, but our subcontractors are top quality.”

S & B Construction operates two or three teams at any one time, with builders and subcontractors able to move easily between jobs, as they’re needed. “We get a lot of work through word of mouth. Kevin has just finished a big renovation at Hataitai and Paul has one in Khandallah. The teams move between each job as needed,” Bryant says.

The business specialises in project management of all contracts with a handson approach. Both directors are extremely dedicated and work on site, which they feel is an important part of the running of the company. They also undertake commercial building, roofing and fit-out work and would like to grow its commercial work further.

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Property and Construction | S & B Construction

Growth in roofing work S & B Construction Roofing has been extremely busy since its formation five years ago. The roofing division is part of the greater company, employing two qualified and experienced roofers, who are fully trained in all aspects of health and safety and follow strict guidelines.

Office manager Sue Bryant says the roofing division was established when the company struggled to get qualified and high-calibre roofers for its jobs. It has since proven to be a big success.

“S & B Construction Roofing division undertakes the reroofing of older houses, as well as roofing on new houses. We’ve done a couple of commercial buildings. Our labourers will go and help the roofers when they’re needed,” she says.

and rainwater products, which include contemporary corrugated iron-look roofing and metal spouting solutions. Dimond produces long-run corrugate, which is a timeless classic in roofing. Corrugate is equally at home recapturing the charm of an old villa or setting trends as a modern roofing solution.

Its wide sheet cover, rapid fixing and low material cost make it the most economical roofing profile available, whether it is a new roof or as a re-roof.

Styleline is a light and strong profile shaped specifically to produce contrasts of light and shade. It is a distinctive design for distinctive house designs.

Veedek’s clean, straight lines and unique angled swage provides strong visual appeal for roofing or cladding. This, combined with an economic cover width, produces a costeffective yet striking profile.

“Our roofing division has grown quite well and Dimond’s Dimondek 400 product adds an we get lots of calls for our roofers — they’re architectural interest to any pitched roof, with always busy,” Bryant says. its broad angular ribs and hidden fixings.

“I think the roofing is going well because they Metalcraft Roofing is one of the country’s can see its part of S & B Construction, which is largest and most established privately an existing company with a good reputation owned building product rollformers, with — it’s not a new company.” an extensive range of long-run roofing profiles, light-weight metal tiles and Quality roofing products rainwater system solutions. Metalcraft’s wide The roofing team at S & B Construction is selection of roofing and rainwater systems skilled and experienced at all types of roofing, are manufactured from New Zealand Steel primarily using a lot of Dimond and Metalcraft Galvsteel, Zincalume, Colorsteel Endura roofing products. and Colorsteel Maxx. Its corrugate profile is cost effective and versatile for any style Dimond is a leading supplier of New of residential home, while Metalcraft also Zealand metal roofing, cladding, structural

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“We offer advice and we project manage … We have our own team of experienced subcontractors that have worked in with us for many years.”

Sue Bryant office manager

offers a range of metal tiles and accessories, which are attractive, functional, durable and light weight. The Metalcraft Modena Tile is available in pressed Colorsteel as well as the stone chip finish to help home owners achieve the look they are after.

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Feature continues on next page >>

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 39

Property and Construction | S & B Construction

“Our directors Kevin Bryant and Paul Stevenson go to every job and meet the clients and check in with them. All our employees are very professional.”

Sue Bryant office manager

Focus on quality S & B Construction Limited offers its own comprehensive building guarantees, while its huge number of repeat clients and referrals are testament to the quality of the company’s work.

S & B Construction guarantees all of its work, whether it involves building a fence or deck, building a new house or reroofing an old one. All of its building products are also guaranteed, including the Dimond and Metalcraft roofing materials it predominantly uses.

“The only real downtime we’ve had is due to the weather, particularly with the roofing,” she says. “We have work booked up to the end of the year. We have a couple of big jobs coming up and lots of little jobs in between to keep everyone busy. We’ll take on more staff if necessary.”

Bryant says one of the key reasons for S & B Construction’s success is its high level of professionalism at all times.

“Our directors Kevin Bryant and Paul Stevenson go to every job and meet the clients and check in with them. We’re always checking on our staff. All the staff know the The company regularly employs apprentices in importance of cleaning up our work sites an effort to maintain standards and help the at all times. All our employees are very building industry. professional,” she says.

Office manager Sue Bryant says a building “We have a uniform that everyone wears, apprenticeship takes four years, while a which really helps to have us easily identified roofing apprenticeship takes two. “All our on jobs especially if there are subcontractors staff are involved in training the apprentices. there as well.”

All of those who are with us now have been put through an apprenticeship with S & B Kevin, Sue and Paul are all Wellingtonians; Construction. They have all stayed with us,” they know the city and its building industry she says. well. “Paul has been in the industry for 25-odd years and Kevin has been in it for 35 “We’re a good company to work for and we years. There’s a lot of experience there.” look after our staff. They work hard for us and we reward them. We try to give them a pay rise every year and we all work well together.”

Growth and success S & B Construction undertakes work throughout the greater Wellington region, including the Kapiti Coast, where some of its staff live. Bryant says while the recession affected business in 2007 and 2008, the establishment of the roofing division helped combat that downturn.

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40 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

S & B Construction Limited 132 Apu Crescent Lyall Bay Wellington 6022 T (04) 977 1014 F (04) 977 1017 E s_bconstructionltd@paradise.net.nz — Advertising Feature

Property and Construction | The Roundy

Rounding the corners Functional beauty is hard to come by. It’s that rare union between practicality and aesthetic elegance that makes the materialist in all of us go slightly weak at the knees.

corners are shown to trap energy. Because our product doesn’t trap energy and our carbon footprint is zero and wastage is zero, we are making an impact because every bit helps to preserve the planet,” Margaret Hensch says.

In 2011, the company is celebrating the national recognition it has received and looking global to take its next step.

A winner

“We never really have been manufacturers by trade, we researched and developed our product and have been very strategic about our work,” Walter’s wife Margaret Hensch says of the journey the couple took to get their invention just right.

be recognised nationally is huge for us — you can’t pay for that kind of advertising. Our goal now is to sell the license for our product to the global market. We’re negotiating with companies in Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia and America, to buy and sell our product. The host country’s board will be used to make the product.

“We round and curve our product to the specs of the architect. There is great aesthetic A carefully blended combination of qualities appeal with the product because it is that is all about strategy, and nothing to do developed through an environmentally sound with fortuity, is the professional forte of a process. Its natural shape saves a lot of space Wellingtonian couple whose company, Corner in confined areas, as well as allowing for a Solutions, lives and breathes this very concept. room to be heated and cooled better.”

The company has developed a revolutionary The Roundy has been included in commercial new system, The Roundy, a curved paper sites including the new BNZ building on faced plasterboard for commercial, retail and Wellington’s waterfront and retailers like Spa residential buildings, which is in a league of Express in the Old Bank Arcade. It has also its own and is the first of its kind in the world. been installed in residential properties.

Above: Roundy was used to create more space in this renovation of a 1895 house in Wellington and (inset), the revamped Roxy Cinema in Miramar, Wellington.

Right: Roundy, tiled and stylish in a bathroom application.

Below: Spa Express Old Bank Arcade, Wellington.

As a finalist for the Emerging Gold Category in the Wellington Gold Awards, The Roundy is commanding attention for its innovation.

One of a kind It has also been in the spotlight after being Seamless, strong, and cost effective, The selected by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise Roundy is a giant nod to the merits of perseverance and commitment when it comes (NZTE) for a display in The Cloud in Queens Wharf, Auckland. The Cloud is showcasing the to research and development. It was a long best of New Zealand’s innovative companies process of experimentation and a creative that are achieving a global status. adventure which saw builder Walter Hensch perfect the product over five years.

“The cloud is iconic for us,” Hensch says. “To

Providing infinite flexibility, in the size and shape clients and architects specify, The Roundy can be utilised for convex (external) and concave (internal) corners down to a radius of 200mm.

The Roundy can also be applied to any specification full-size plaster board and can be applied to ceilings. Where there is an outside (convex) curve, the adjoining wall on the other side can still be at a 90 degree angle to accommodate a bath or shower.

Prior to the invention of The Roundy curved plasterboard, the only option for commercial and residential buildings was fibrous plaster boards. The Roundy is delivered to the site ready to be installed and its curved features have been compared to the walls of an Eskimo’s igloo. “The round curve of the product creates passive energy — 90 degrees

“It is a huge undertaking and takes real tenacity to get your product to the global market and we are really working hard to educate the public about our product. The world is becoming greener and we are helping people to obtain this goal.”

Judging by the couple’s success and perseverance, it seems like The Roundy’s graduation into the global market is a given and all that’s left is to watch this space.

The Roundy PO Box 13745 Johnsonville Wellington 6440 T (04) 479 3741 E margaret@roundy.co.nz www.roundy.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 41

Property and Construction | Stephenson and Turner

Stephenson and Turner (S&T) is an architecture and engineering company that is prepared to walk the talk. Its ethos is about creating sustainably designed spaces, marrying the need for sound environmentally friendly buildings and aesthetics.

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S&T also won the Resene Total Colour Sustainable System Award. This is the second year in a row S&T has won this.

The official opening of S&T’s new office space was attended by 150 of the company’s friends. Jane Healy, CEO of the World Green Building Council congratulated S&T on walking the talk. “It’s a major achievement… they have done simple, smart things,” she enthused.

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A particular focus on construction waste minimisation resulted in 90 percent of waste materials being recycled or reused.

The studio fit-out, constructed by Mainzeal Interiors, features sustainably-harvested and reused timber, addressable lighting, natural ventilation, heat-pump and radiant heating as well as a green wall and strict use of low VOC paints and adhesives.

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42 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

So for its new Wellington office S&T practiced what it preached. The company is now based in a studio loft, which the team refitted in such a sustainable way it became the first historic building in New Zealand to be awarded a 6 Green Star Office Interiors rating.

This is the highest level attainable under Green Star, representing world leadership.

Property and Construction | Stephenson and Turner

The new S&T offices, a sustainable and creative environment.

Also in attendance was Wellington’s Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, who praised S&T on “taking the lead on sustainable design” and urged other offices to follow suit.

working environment. Our clients now enter directly into the creative environment and can be actively involved in the design process with our teams. It’s a great place to work.”

The company’s CEO Murray Pugh says the new Before moving to the loft, S&T was located office is a “fresh, comfortable, open 11:54 and airy in Shell House (now Transpower House) hafele_01.08.11_Layout 1 3/08/11 AM Page 1

from 1960 for 20 years and more recently in Radio NZ House for 18 years, both buildings being of the firm’s design.

When looking for a new office, the attraction of the heritage building was strong. “Being able to revitalise an existing building is

something we are passionate about,” Pugh says. “New Zealand’s building stock is getting older — landlords have to grapple with how to refurbish older buildings in a sustainable manner to attract good tenants,” he says.

Feature continues on next page >>

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 43

Property and Construction | Stephenson and Turner

“Green design is the baseline standard of providing great working environments — which are a prerequisite for productivity excellence.”

Murray Pugh, S&T CEO

“The opportunity to build something new is not often available in terms of space or viable in terms of money,” S&T CEO Murray Pugh says. “For us, demonstrating that a world excellence rating can be achieved with limited budget in heritage building shows what we are capable of. This office is a prototype for our clients.”

Many businesses think green designed buildings are important because they are good for the environment, or save money on power bills. While this is certainly true, Pugh says they are other less well known reasons.

“Green design is the baseline standard of providing great working environments — which are a prerequisite for productivity excellence. It has been well-documented that sustainable buildings improve well-being for the people within them and this increases job satisfaction.”

Building better

Leading from one creative area to another, S&T’s office fit-out is a prototype of its ethos.

S&T takes on a range of projects, showing off its clever design work all over the country.

Work currently on the books includes apartment buildings, heritage building restorations, primary and secondary schools, university buildings, scientific laboratories, commercial office blocks and office fit-outs as well as high-end residences.

In particular, Pugh says S&T especially understands large or complex social infrastructure projects. That’s why it has designed so many structures or refits for schools, offices, prisons, hospitals and recreational facilities — such as arenas and aquatic centres.

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S&T has also completed work in the Pacific and is currently pursuing various projects throughout Asia. “We do bid for overseas work, and through that we’ve created opportunities to pursue more projects by building relationships,” he says.

Points of difference Pugh says S&T has many points of difference, other than its focus on green design, which sets it apart from its competitors.

“We have great technical capabilities in building information modeling. That’s the 3D modelling of a building throughout the design process. This is a new emerging area

of design which is quite widespread in the USA and Australia — but not yet in the New Zealand market.

“We also have a lot of information and skills in life long upkeep of a building.”

Growth Getting bigger and better is high on S&T’s agenda. Pugh himself is a new CEO, starting just over a year ago in September 2010.

Four new principals in the architecture and engineering departments have recently joined the team. “The new principals have a range of interest and expertise, such as in emerging technology, urban revitalisation, lighting design and educational institutional developments,” he says.

To accompany the new Wellington studio the company has launched a new web engagement strategy which includes its new interactive website — allowing people to see its impressive architectural and engineering design achievements online. The website is easy to navigate and has numerous photos, along with written explanations, about every project.

Pugh says the company is watching the situation in Christchurch as the city prepares to rebuild itself. “The firm is being patient in waiting for developments in Christchurch.

We are looking for the appropriate opportunity to be involved — we have lots of skills in the green design area and could be actively involved in the next 5-10 years of the design process.

“In the future, I want us to leverage the multi-disciplinary capability of the firm on a national basis. Our architects and engineers each understand the demands, constraints and opportunities of the other. This places our firm in a position to deliver strong integrated design which is truly sustainable.”

Stephenson and Turner Level 2 158 Victoria Street P O Box 11393 Wellington T (04) 472-7899 F (04) 472-7900 E wellington@stephensonturner.com www.stephensonturner.com — Advertising Feature

Setpoint Solutions proudly supplied a Building Automation Solution to assist Stephenson and Turner to achieve their 6 star Green Star rating. The solution was designed and implemented in a collaborative process between engineers from the two companies.

“We congratulate Stephenson and Turner on this outstanding outstanding achievement” achievement” 44 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Property and Construction | Super Cheap Plumbing Gas and Drainage

Quality that doesn’t cost One of the most attractive concepts to the human eye, it can draw people across cities, states and nations. One of the most powerful signs in commercial language, the discount is the magnetic drawcard for sales scouters and bargain hunting buyers because, let’s face it, a bargain is a bargain.

And while Super Cheap Plumbing owes its name sake to a friendly faction of the pricing scale, it doesn’t reflect on workmanship. Quite simply, Super Cheap Plumbing is super cheap pricing without the super cheap quality.

Established in 2009, Super Cheap Plumbing was formed specifically to fill a gap in the competitive residential market, according to co-owner Shauna Campbell. “When the recession started, it hit the plumbing industry in a significant way. Lots of businesses had to react quickly to that. We saw it wouldn’t improve quickly.

“We set up the business differently to other plumbing businesses, by eliminating as many costs as possible so we wouldn’t have to pass those on to the customer.”

Sisters Heather and Shauna Campbell, co-owners of Super Cheap Plumbing Gas and Drainage, ensure their business offers quality results at competitive prices.

The low cost model was never trialled, but was certainly a success. “We didn’t test it to see if that was what the customer wanted; we figured it was a great opportunity at a time when everyone was being so negative.

Everything happened so fast.”

They were onto a winner. “One thing customers don’t want to compromise on is service; they expect a good quality job, at a great rate and they want the top service and that’s what they deserve. With Super Cheap Plumbing we aim to do it right the first time, with excellent workmanship and a great price. “Even though the name is Super Cheap, customers are getting the best deal ever.”

This is guaranteed with Super Cheap Plumbing, which is a member of the Master Plumbers Association. An overseeing body designed to ensure industry standards, the Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers organisation represents more than 60 percent of the industry.

Feature continues on next page >>

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 45

Property and Construction | Super Cheap Plumbing Gas and Drainage

Property and Construction | Twoways Construction

… even though the name is Super Cheap, customers are getting the best deal ever … |

Building on

Shauna Campbell co-owner.

It reviews members to ensure their workmanship and business practices meet the high standards required by the organisation and supports members to help them achieve standards of excellence in every area.

Twoways Construction in Wellington has developed a reputation for quality work across a broad range of building services, from character renovations and alterations to new architecturally designed homes.

These independent reviewers assess knowledge of relevant legislation, health and safety processes, serviceability of technical and safety equipment, as well as business practices, such as complaints processes, terms and conditions of trade and awareness of the Construction Contracts Act.

The company specialises in alterations and additions, builds new homes and carries out repairs on leaky homes.

“I’m not a plumber so I really rely on people who are the best in the business and the customer gets an experienced professional with years of experience doing the job for them, with a guarantee that the job is up to the highest of industry standards.”

Trust Expertise Quality Back-up Support Knowledge Service Experience

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Cees and Niels are skilled in a wide range of construction types. Prior to forming Twoways, Cees was a foreman with a major New Plymouth construction company, specialising in heavy construction and housing. Niels completed his apprenticeship with his father before going to work for the same company doing new housing, alterations and addition, before the family moved to Wellington and formed Twoways Construction.

Today Twoways employs a total of 10 staff, including Cees’ wife Jikkie Way and Niels’ partner Renee Snelgrove. It employs a core team of highly skilled subcontractors to carry out work such as electrical and plumbing.

The organisation’s Quality Assurance programme means customers can be assured their master plumber is a step above.

Campbell says the company is proud to be a member. “It provides assurance to customers by setting standards for companies to adhere to and ensuring they have an independent body to sort out any problem which arises.

Why use a Master Plumber?

Twoways Construction is a family-owned business formed in 2003 by Cees Way and his son Niels, who are both qualified builders with more than 40 years’ experience between them.

The business has also relied on the expertise of Mico (formerly Master Trade) ensure its success. “Mico have been fantastic at helping us grow the business.”

Super Cheap Plumbing is co-owned by Shauna’s sister Heather Campbell who has also played a significant role in the company’s success. “Heather comes from a trade background and has been incredibly inspiring and motivating throughout the process of getting the business established.”

It’s a competitive environment from which to operate, but Super Cheap Plumbing has the credentials to pull it off. “We do an exceptionally high quality job. We get very few call backs because we aim to do it perfect the first time. There is always someone to answer the telephone so customers aren’t trying to talk to someone who is in the middle of a job.

“We don’t have staff, we have contractors.

So we don’t just send whoever is available to a job. We match the plumbing skills to the specific job at hand. In such a diverse industry, it’s hard to be excellent at everything, so we match plumbing jobs to a plumber who specialises in that area.”

As the effects of the recession continue to hamper the industry, Campbell is confident.

“We will continue to service our strong customer base and ride out the recession.

As commercial contracts dried up, more companies moved into the residential market which has further strained the market.

But we’re confident that the stronger well managed businesses will be those to survive.

This is the time to build on processes, increase efficiencies and ride it out.

“We’re in it for the long haul.”

Super Cheap Plumbing Gas and Drainage PO Box 7075 Wellington T (04) 383 4288 www.masterplumbers.org.nz E supercheapplumbing@live.com www.supercheapplumbing.co.nz — Advertising Feature 46 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

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Property and Construction | Twoways Construction

experience Niels works primarily in his home office and undertakes smaller jobbing work, while Cees is out on the job supervising and working as a foreman. “Our main area of work at the moment is alterations and additions, but it depends,” Niels Way says.

“At the moment it’s alterations and additions coming through because the housing market isn’t great; people are staying in their homes and doing alterations, instead of building a new home. In previous years there’s been a lot more new housing.”

Specialty building Twoways Construction has considerable experience in doing alterations and renovations to character homes.

“We’ve done a couple of complete overhauls of character villas in recent years. We’ve added extensions, done complete roof rebuilds and worked with the original rimu flooring and finishings,” Niels says.

“When you do that sort of work you have to have an eye for detail. We’ve done projects for repeat customers who are extremely satisfied with our work.”

“It’s not just about my father and I — everyone who works for us is like family. We have guys who have done apprenticeships with us who have stayed with us. We’re very approachable and easy to talk to,” Way says.

Twoways has also completed building projects on difficult Wellington hill sites and has even used helicopters to get building materials on site. Way says those jobs are challenging, but particularly rewarding.

“With a father-and-son team that experience comes in and if there’s a problem we will get it sorted. We have a full range of experience that we bring to the table, particularly with older homes in Wellington.”

While the building industry has been reasonably quiet in the past few years, Twoways has some larger new homes scheduled to start within the next few months, as well as smaller additions.

“Things are starting to look up. We get a lot of repeat customers. We’re dealing with a couple at the moment — we did a full new storey on their house about six years ago. Now they own the house next door and they’re going underneath this time instead of going up. We’re currently working with them on that,” he says.

Way believes much of Twoways Construction’s success is due to its reputation for quality work. “We’re very honest. With Dad working for himself for such a long time, he has always had to do the pricing himself, but now with working together we’ve had to learn to price together over the years. to be licensed practitioners in their trades as well. The process of becoming certified is quite lengthy but I think it’s a good thing for the building industry. It’s going to cut out those operators who shouldn’t be there.”

Twoways Construction gets a lot of work through referral and word of mouth. The company works closely with several leading architects, with a large amount of its work Honest family business coming from Bruce Welsh Architect. “We have As a family-owned business, Twoways a good working relationship with Bruce Welsh. Construction has built a reputation for getting If people come to us needing an architect we the job done. will put his name forward,” Niels says.

“We also work closely with Totara Plastered Coatings. They do all our Rockcote systems and do a good job. We get referrals from them and we do the same for them. We’ve been working with Totara for four or five years.”

Twoways Construction is a member of the Certified Builders’ Association of New Zealand, which offers all customers a comprehensive 10-year guarantee. The company is in the process of a becoming licensed building practitioner in order to met new regulations coming in early next year.

“We will have to have a licence to run a building site. Our subcontractors will also have

TWO WAYS CO

NSTRUCTION

“I think the big thing in the building industry is honesty — being up front with people and always having the open door policy; showing them everything they want to know. If you go through the quote and show them everything it helps to put there minds at ease as building or renovating is one of the biggest financial commitments most of our clients face.”

Twoways Construction Limited PO Box 14851 Kilbirnie Wellington 6241 T (04) 479 2400 F (04) 976 3940 E admin@twoways.co.nz www.twoways.co.nz — Advertising Feature

“When we get a big job to price we will both price it separately and then compare, to be confident we’ve priced it right. We also work closely with a quantity surveyor when required,” he says.

Twoways has a good running relationship with its key suppliers, such as Placemakers Evans Bay, so any discounts it receives can be passed on to its customers. “It’s all the little things put together.

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 47

Business Development | AAPNZ

Helping deliver administrative excellence While the terms organisation and organised are from the same word family, they don’t always go hand in hand. Truth is, organisational qualities are the product of a comprehensive professional plan put in place to make sure a business operation runs just so.

The behind-the-scenes carefully crafted practises and processes are the key to making a business tick. In many workplaces administrative employees are fine-tuning and streamlining this system every step of the way. Supporting and educating these individuals in New Zealand is the Association of Administrative Professionals New Zealand Inc (AAPNZ).

As an organisation that knows and appreciates that a wide skillset is instrumental to administrative excellence, AAPNZ is celebrating 40 years of facilitating professional growth and development in the administrative industry in 2012.

CONGRATULATIONS

AAPNZ WELLINGTON

A growing industry

they are the bridge between the business and upskilling them. And while administrative professionals have in the past been regarded the public, just as executive assistants and personal assistants are the oil in the machine. as unqualified, times are changing rapidly.

With 12 groups nationwide, AAPNZ’s membership pool includes personal assistants, executive assistants, administration “They make sure their manager is in the managers, receptionists, call centre operators, right place at the right time with the right school secretaries and industry trainers. information. Sometimes they’ll even grab the coffee,” she quips. But, quips aside, McKessar It has a strong global presence with sister says there is no compromise when it comes to administrative professional organisations professionalism. throughout the world in countries including England, Australia, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, USA and Uganda to name but a few.

AAPNZ’s Wellington Group President Alison McKessar says the precedent for a dynamic and evolutionary organisation was set by the founding national president, the late Doreen Smart. “She was a real believer in the administrative professional,” McKessar says.

This belief in the profession resonates today and for good reason McKessar believes. “A lot of people don’t know this but according to the last census there were more than 100,000 administration and clerical professionals in New Zealand,” she explains.

Breathing new life into the expression ‘Jack of all trades’, administrative professionals know the ins and outs of business like the back of their hand. “In many workplaces they are the image of the business and impressions really are everything,” McKessar says. “When it comes to front desk administrative staff

“Hiring professionals is paramount. I worked for an accountancy firm where a document was not allowed to leave the building unless a personal assistant had seen it,” she says with sincerity. “If you took out the admin people — who knows what a business would look like.”

Professional excellence In 2009 AAPNZ was successful in securing its bid to host the 8th International Office Professionals Summit, held in Auckland from 5-8 July, 2011. The Local Organising Committee co-ordinated a programme to meet the personal and professional needs of local, national and international attendees and AAPNZ were also able to utilise this opportunity to promote its very own 2011 AAPNZ Drake Administrative Professional of The Year Award.

Rewarding its successful members is a significant part of the organisation as is

ON YOUR

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Education through the AAPNZ is a recognised certification. Members need to achieve a formal qualification, which is registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Association (NZQA) Register of Quality Assured Qualifications (KiwiQuals), at level five or above or level four for provisional certification. Several members have relevant diplomas or degrees.

Distance learning through a training provider and workplace assessment enables members to acquire new knowledge and diversity their skillset. Workplace assessment recognises the skills members currently have and 25 hours of informal learning throughout the previous five years is also part of certification.

Monthly meetings for members also sees presenters bringing new topics to the professional table ranging from business writing, negotiation skills, recognising issues in the workplace, how to use Google efficiently and minute taking.

“Anything that enhances your ability to do your job better and further your career is critical,” McKessar says of the importance of the presentations. Wellington Group’s mission statement is: ‘AAPNZ Wellington Group promotes personal and professional excellence by encouraging members to develop relevant skills in a supportive environment’.

“The networking ability for our members and our sponsors is also enormous. We undertook a survey of our members recently and the main response to the questions ‘Why did you join the AAPNZ?’ and ‘What do you like best about the organisation?’ were related to the networking opportunities.

“More than half of our members have also used our sponsors for their events — our sponsors are always at the forefront of our members’ minds which means it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Getting to know other admin people and this sharing of knowledge is what AAPNZ is all about.”

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48 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Business Development | Pride In Print Awards

Print perfect

category winners 1. Publications — Urbis magazine

Glossy magazine Urbis has carried off the Supreme Award at the 2011 New Zealand Pride in Print Awards, stunning judges with a complex multi-fold cover that “raised the bar in New Zealand printing”.

2. Business Print — Festivals Collectors’ Sheet of Stamps 3. Packaging — Cadbury Milk Tray 200g box 4. Labels — Totara Sauvignon Blanc 2010 5. Display Print — Joint Winners: Loreal Maybelline Colossal Lashes stand and King Collection Translite

Auckland printer Geon Auckland not only received the top prize at the prestigious award ceremony in Wellington, but also the plaudits for the ‘best-of’ category in Publications, and the best entry in the ‘sheetfed-offset print process’ category.

6. Promotional Print — Jennifer and Andrew’s Wedding

Geon general manager Andrew Durrans described the moment as a “huge recognition” of the expertise of his staff.

Judging is based on the technical excellence in all facets of the production process, allowing for specialists to make a judgement based on the potential and limits of that process or processes, the materials and the equipment used. Elements of typography and good design must inevitably be part of this judgement, as is the effective and innovative use of materials.

“What the judges said is the bar is getting lifted and the quality is getting better each year. I knew our guys had lifted the bar… this is the reward for our effort and perseverance and continuing to put out a quality product to our clients,” he says.

“It is one of a number of magazines we print on a monthly basis, with very tight timelines.

It has some inserts and crossovers involved with the overlay of individual pages, so it is critical that you get the alignment right. It is a work of art from the front end pre-press.”

A repeat Supreme Finalist, Geon’s combination of an innovative cover design and a superb quality insert, were enough to tip the scales in favour of the Urbis publication. Judge Damian Fleming says the magazine caught the attention of everyone who looked at it.

“There are things about this book which are really cool.”

The front cover folds out to make eight pages and the folds have to be exact to make it work. It is a pretty outrageous thing to attempt and get right. The attention to detail on the cover includes a matched image where the cover finishes just short of the fore-edge.

The result is seamless.

Q&A Pride In Print 2012 Entries are welcome from any person or company associated with the production or purchase of print.

■ What work is eligible?

Entries must have been printed in New Zealand between December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011 and be from any production process.

■ How can I enter?

An official entry form must be fully completed for each entry submitted.

An entry fee is payable per entry. For entries received after January 31 a ‘late fee’ will apply.

■ How do I present my entry?

Entries should be presented in a satisfactory state for judging (i.e. clean, unmarked, undamaged and carefully selected). The company name must not appear on the entry or display board. For

8. Industry Development — Solagard low sheen semi-gloss paint pails

Pride in Print Awards PO Box 50166 Porirua T (04) 237 0489 www.prideinprintawards.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Geon Print and Communication Solutions executive general manager Andrew Durrans, celebrating winning the Pride In Print Supreme Award.

magazine, yet it matches perfectly. This wasn’t some simple glossy advert, but a perforated “Inside, there is a tip-in insert which has been and complete image match up. Then there printed to match the colour and position of the was the binding which has been difficult in its own right, and that has succeeded. This has image on the page beneath. It was printed on different stock, on a different day from the raised the bar in magazine print standards.”

■ Who can enter?

7. Specialty Products — The Colemans, A Countdown Story, screen printed T-shirts

any mounted work, the entry must be able to be readily assessed on both sides of the job, if not, a loose sample MUST be supplied. Section B can be attached to the back of the mount. Some categories have different requirements so refer to www.prideinprintawards.co.nz for Judging Information to Assist Entrants.

ABnote won Gold Awards in two categories in New Zealand’s prestigious “Pride in Print Awards” held in Wellington recently.

State of the Art Payment Technology The first GOLD award in the “Innovation” category was received for the dual interface ME Bank Debit MasterCard® with PayPass™; a clear card design which incorporates state of the art payment technology printing and product construction MasterCard PayPass enabled cards are more convenient way to pay at contactless terminals. ME Bank has embraced this new technology for the Australasian region and has introduced this new product to actively engage and excite its customers.

Experience, Communication and Collaboration “A collaborative effort between the client and ABnote teams together with the mix of mastered conventional printing process and access to the latest payment products on the market resulted in this state of the art highly versatile card” said Stephen Morgan ABnote Christchurch plant manager.

■ How many entries

About ABnote ABnote is the longest-established and most trusted supplier of secure transaction products, services and logistics in cheques, financial cards, EMV smartcards, contactless cards, driver’s licences ,loyalty and a wide range of commercial cards. Employing over 650 people in all major states in Australia and New Zealand; ABnote services over 1000 customers, including major banks, Federal and State Governments and many small and large commercial enterprises.

There is no limit to the number of entries submitted.

ABnote is security accredited by Visa, MasterCard, EuroPay, Diners Club and American Express, and holds International Quality Standards Organisation ISO9001:2008 in Australia and New Zealand and ISO:14001:2004 in Australia.

■ Can I place an entry in more

Web: www.ABnote.com.au E-mail: sales@abnote.co.nz

can I submit?

than one category?

Yes. One copy of each entry and a completed entry form must be submitted for each category entered. For more information on entries, categories and judging criteria, please refer to www.prideinprintawards.co.nz for Judging Information to Assist Entrants.

American Banknote Group Australia and New Zealand 1144 Nepean Highway Highett Victoria 3190

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 49

Hospitality | Wellington Happenings

Hospitality | The Thistle Inn

✲ Rydges Hotel

— finalist, Excellence in Marketing

✲ Four Kings

— finalist, Best Sports Bar

✲ Amora Hotel

— finalist, Best New/Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel

✲ Novotel Capital Wellington

— finalist, Best Beef Dish

Leading the field Four Wellington hospitality businesses have been judged among the best in New Zealand, being selected as finalists in this year’s prestigious Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.

Hospitality New Zealand chief executive officer Bruce Robertson says it is encouraging to see such a high number of entries coming forward in what had been a busy year for the industry — either finely balancing business continuity through the economic recession and recovery phase or planning for Rugby World Cup.

region dominated the awards categories.

The Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence are judged on a comprehensive range of business-focussed criteria — such as marketing strategies, training programmes, profitability, operational procedures, and customer service.

“The strength of entries in 2011 is credit to the fortitude of the industry as a whole.

There is no denying that the hospitality sector, like many other sectors of the New Zealand economy, has faced a particularly tough period over recent years,” Robertson says.

“Financial performance was a big factor in many finalists’ entries this year. Every business which was selected as a finalist outperformed the market in this respect.

Ultimately, that performance is a reflection of how customers are selecting where they spend their disposable income,” he says.

“However, those bars, restaurants, pubs and hotels which have founded their business models on investment, staff training, marketing, and innovation, have come through this period in a much stronger position than their competition.

As part of the thorough assessment programme undertaken on all entries in the awards, venues are personally visited by the panel of judges to ensure the validity of the entry, and to verify all information and data put forward.

“What we have seen with these entries is that customers across New Zealand have voted with their wallets. There has been a definite ‘flight to quality’ — and that degree of quality is represented in the calibre of this year’s finalists.”

“This is a huge process but underscores the credibility and transparency of the judging process,” he says.

Robertson also notes that for the first time in many years, no single venue, business or

Winners in each of the categories will be announced at a gala awards dinner taking place in conjunction with Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference being held in Christchurch on November 3.

Iconic inn With beautifully preserved architecture and a colourful past it’s no wonder The Thistle Inn is one of the most iconic pubs in Wellington.

And today the restaurant’s prime location and historic feel, combined with its fine food and great facilities, is gearing up for the summer season.

A history lesson Originally built in 1840, the sea once lapped at the beach just below The Thistle Inn’s front door. One (unsubstantiated) local tale goes that Maori chief Te Rauparaha would pull up his waka on the shore outside the pub, wander in and order a whisky and no one had the courage to charge him.

The Thistle Inn was burnt by a fire in the stables which were rented out in 1866.

Despite this setback, it was rebuilt and trading again by the end of the year. The diminutive Thistle Inn has stood in modest splendour on the same spot for the last 172 years.

Thistle Inn survived the 8.2 earthquake of 1885 and land reclamations which raised the shoreline and moved it several blocks away.

The Category One historic building was completely restored in 2004 (as close as possible to how it was in 1866). When Lyn and the late George Middleditch purchased the premises it was in a terrible state. The pair has done an outstanding job of restoration — right down to honouring the 1840 building with the original beer cellar visible through a glass floor.

One of The Thistle Inn’s regular guests was acclaimed writer Katherine Mansfield.

A poem about one of her experiences at The Thistle hangs in the dining room.

Dock workers, rail workers, politicians, government workers and many others have been regulars over the years.

“We are truly an iconic feature within Wellington.

Our food is ‘gastro’ pub style — good hearty pub food with an upmarket twist.

Richard Walshe The Thistle Inn manager

Once the cup run is over…

New Zealand hotels are looking beyond the Rugby World Cup with some regions predicting strong conference and meetings business after the tournament.

New Zealand Hotel Council (NZHC) executive officer Rachael Shadbolt says strong convention and meetings business is on the books in November and early December, particularly in Auckland and Wellington.

“The industry often talks about a period of business displacement during and after a major international event, and while some of the meetings in November may have

been moved from September and October due to the RWC, it is still a great result that hotels have been able to secure some pretty significant business immediately after the cup,” she says.

Wellington has reported strong conference bookings for October and November with positive signs for summer. “The World of Wearable Art shows in August and September were a good lead in to the RWC,” says NZHC Wellington Regional Chair Olivier Lacoua.

“The American travel writers’ conference in November, which is expected to attract around 500 delegates, will also be a huge boost to the city.”

50 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Proud to be the Business Advisers to the Thistle Inn

Hospitality | The Thistle Inn

celebrates colourful history Today The Thistle Inn, owned by Lyn Middleditch, is run by Richard Walshe. “I took the job as it is an iconic business in New Zealand and also to further my career within hospitality industry,” Walshe says.

“We are truly an iconic feature within Wellington.

Our food is ‘gastro’ pub style — good hearty pub food with an upmarket twist.

“Our guests love being in an iconic building with so much to look at with all the old photos on the walls, its amazing to see the changes within the Wellington landscape.”

Walshe’s team honours the past. Three days a week, two historical tours are run by the staff members of The Thistle Inn. The 15 minutes tour concludes with lunch or dinner and a drink. Other fun events include a quiz night on the first Tuesday of every month, and live music after major events at the Wellington stadium.

Conferences and events

The Thistle Inn considers itself to be the ultimate private function venue in Wellington, specialising in corporate functions, birthday functions including 21st parties and anniversaries. All this means The Thistle’s mantra — ‘let our history become a part of yours’ — can come true.

Because it is so close to St Pauls Cathedral, it has played host to numerous weddings and wakes over the years. Bridal parties can get prepared in The Thistle Inn’s private rooms upstairs and the team can arrange everything for the reception from flowers to cakes to live music.

“Christmas is fast approaching,” Walshe warns. “We have a special set menu available but bookings are essential. You won’t want to miss out. There are multiple function areas available to suit from 10 guests up to 150.”

As the closest bar and restaurant to Westpac Stadium, The Thistle Inn is extremely popular both before and after Phoenix games, Hurricanes and Lions rugby matches and the numerous other stadium events.

Looking for an interesting place for your next conference? Upstairs, The Thistle Inn offers boutique conference facilities with a full range of equipment and catering to suit all requirements.

And because it’s situated right in Wellington’s CBD, customers can easily make their way home on public transport at night.

With plenty of natural light, groups become relaxed but focused as they enjoy spending time in a beautifully restored Category One Historic Places building.

The Thistle Inn 3 Mulgrave St Thorndon Wellington T (04) 499 5980 E thistleinn@xtra.co.nz www.thistleinn.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Full catering is available including morning teas, barista quality coffee and buffet lunches right through to a fully licensed evening meal.

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www.fabsolutions.co.nz www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 51

chickendinner

meat balls

chicken &olives

Hospitality | Eat Unlimited

Fresh food…

We live in an increasingly fast world with increasingly fast needs.

Food accommodated this need for speed with the advent of fast food, but with an increasing global obesity epidemic, it appears fast food is not meeting one of the most basic of needs — nutrition.

At least that has been the case until a Wellington entrepreneur flipped the concept of fast food on its head, by taking fast food and making it good.

Fast and fresh

Margaret Macaulay initially trained as a nurse. In 2000 she left a senior management position with one of the country’s leading retirement village companies to be the head of a cook-chill production catering company.

After her mother died, she started making fresh meals for her father, a service she later built into the catering company. But making up just five percent of the company it was a small operation; delivering between 500 and 700 meals a week it only achieved any real level of success in Auckland.

In 2008 her major contract customer left and with it, the rest of her customers. “Even though I kidded myself for awhile, telling myself they only made up 60 percent of my business, the other 40 percent was a direct result of that company.

“So after eight years in business, I had lost all my customers.”

Where most would have packed up and called it a day, Macaulay still had the drive to carry on. So she decided to make something of the fledgling fresh meals operation and in 2009 this became her sole focus. “A few people said to me ‘why don’t you close the door, you don’t need the headache’,” she says. Luckily, it was advice she didn’t take.

Eat Unlimited delivers fast, fresh food right to your door. The company has grown by an impressive 700 percent since 2009, taking 20,000 minutes a month of call time through its 0800 number. “When I was working in the retirement service industry, the person I was working for was a leader, an entrepreneur — and a very good one. He said there were two things needed in life to do well — opportunity and nerve. So when the opportunity came up, I took it.

fish&chips

“I gave up a lot — I quit a job I loved where I was very happy. I also gave up a nice salary.

But I always kept in mind what he’d said to me,” she says.

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fried rice

Hospitality | Eat Unlimited

salmon&veges

fast!

“In my corporate role I was working very long hours and always wanted to come home and eat comforting food that tasted great — like I cooked it myself; something that wasn’t pasta sauce and that didn’t take too long to heat up.

I would often leave the house at seven and not get home until eight at night.

“I wanted an option other than pasta and sauce or frozen food. I was sick of getting takeaways; I just wanted to go home, put my feet up and eat something nice.”

Today 60 percent of her customers are over the age of 70 and with an ageing population, it’s a growing market. For many it makes life easier and for their families, they can rest easier knowing healthy food is just a phone call away.

Points of difference So how does she ensure the business stays on top of its game against the tough competitive market?

“The freshness and quality of the food — also our menu changes every week, so we’ve taken the drudgery out of it. Every week there are seven meal items and the next week there are a different seven.”

While the company is being approached by retail, Eat Unlimited prefers to sell direct.

“Nobody has to buy from us — they call us and put their order in because it’s what they want. There are no contracts — you can buy one or one hundred meals. We’re not going to supermarkets, no plans to do so at this stage — we’re happy with what we’re doing now.”

What they are doing right now includes selling online and from the 0800 number. It’s certainly been a successful strategy.

Feature continues on next page >>

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The real thing — these are Eat Unlimited meals just as the customer buys them, then heated and plated with fresh garnishes the only additions.

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While the ready to eat market is growing rapidly, leading to an increase in competition, Macaulay is confident Eat Unlimited has the goods to meet competitors head on. “This business is such good news — every day we get people who are happy. They’re happy and grateful. One customer recently even baked a cake and sent it in.

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chicken supreme

Hospitality | Eat Unlimited

pork She learned some good lessons along the way. “Once I started getting into promotion, then things took off. Unless you actually advertise people don’t know you are there.

“I needed to find a way to carry on, needed to find a big market to take the food and how was I going to get it out to individuals?

I needed volume to be a viable business — Wellington is a small market. So I worked on all of that and since 2009 business has grown by 700 percent.

“My daughter Alison moved back from UK — she took over the office side of things and I started on the marketing and development side. Alison is still there and is the face of the company for our customers. I could not have done it without her — she made a huge sacrifice coming back.

“The rest of the team is made up of four chefs, about a relationship, and you can’t grow a business without good relationships. a kitchen-hand and three administrators.

“We had the seeds of good business, we had mastery over our product and we have great staff,” she says proudly. “People say customers and staff are important — which is true — but suppliers are also very important.

“One other thing I learned from my previous employer was the value of suppliers and the reason why he was so successful was because he had loyal suppliers and he treated them well and he got returns in the same way.”

“He wasn’t chopping and changing suppliers all the time — neither do we, they look after us, if it wasn’t for them a lot of the time we wouldn’t have been able to do it. When things go wrong — everybody helps. Remember it’s

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“Like everything, the more you put in, the more you get out. If you treat people well they’ll do more for you — and you feel better too. It’s a two way thing.

“There’s not one supplier I could be without.

Even though it’s about business, our suppliers have become our friends. We make them very welcome — we appreciate them. We really love them.”

Keeping it fresh She also loves new challenges and luckily the business provides in this respect; the menus change every week and new ranges are constantly being developed to keep the business fresh, much like its food.

Macaulay was never a fan of frozen food, but her mind was changed after meeting a European frozen food company while at a conference in Paris recently. She was so impressed with how its delicious frozen food, the Eat Lite range was born soon after the Eat Unlimited team returned to Wellington.

Eat Lite is super duper healthy — low in carbs, high in protein, doesn’t have sugar or wheat and it’s very loaded in quality veggies. It’s a frozen meal selection, aimed at a younger more demanding market.

There are 26 menu items which regularly change with seasonal change.

“One lovely girl has been dining on Eat Lite since April and has lost 34 kilos — she was a big girl who had to lose weight for health reasons. Imagine 34 kilos, its every day carrying around almost three cases of wine.”

It’s been a long and prosperous journey for Macaulay, so words of wisdom are plentiful.

Belief in the project is first on the list. “But you need to be sensible; work out of there’s a market for it — if it’s not there, create it.

Spend money on advertising; you’ve got to find a budget to get your name out there.”

And her favourite: “You’re never too old!

Inside me, I still feel 25. I don’t have the same energy though,” she laughs.

Don’t be frightened to ask for help; don’t be frightened to talk to others in industry and trust people. “This can be hard since the business is your baby. Be able to share vision in a way other people understand. Get back on the horse after failures.”

She’s going to keep going with the business and see what comes round next corner. “I take each day as it comes. When I have a vision I jump in and do it. I’ve never been one for planning my career — sometimes you’re just given a key to the door and you need to turn the lock. Be prepared to open the door and see what’s inside because opportunities come every day.

“For years I missed the excitement of a corporate environment — but I love what the company is doing now so much more. I’m in the business of delivering happiness; life is very satisfying — I’ve got no regrets.”

Eat Unlimited 67 Pilmuir Street Lower Hutt Wellington T 0800 328 833 E orders@eat.co.nz www.eat.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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Transport and Motoring | What’s New

Stop/start technology takes off Considering the price of petrol, anything that saves fuel has to be a good idea, right? Well Volvo certainly seems to think so as it forges ahead with its fuel saving stop/start technology.

The system Volvo calls ‘Geartronic’ is now fitted to the D3 turbo diesel in Europe.

be looking at stop/start with automatic transmissions when we can source it.”

The 2.0 litre D3 turbo diesel with the Geartronic automatic and stop/start technology cuts CO2 emission by 10g/km and uses 0.4 litres less fuel per 100km, compared to a standard automatic transmission car with the same engine.

Reducing CO2 emissions from conventional powertrains is an important part of Volvo’s drive towards zero emission strategy.

In cars with manual gearboxes the engine restarts when the driver depresses the clutch pedal. In the automatic, the engine restarts when the driver moves his or her right foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator.

The power train with start/stop is now available in the D3 versions of four Volvo models in Europe, the S60, V60, V70 and S80.

Volvo Cars New Zealand general manager Steve Kenchington says the technology is not available to us yet as it has only just been introduced in Europe. “Fuel efficiency is important to us and we will certainly

Big cat

“It is the most effective way to cut CO2 throughout our model range in the short term. This work is running parallel with our innovative focus on electrification technologies,” says Peter Mertens, Volvo Car Corporation senior vice president of R&D.

Seamless response

“We have focused on achieving the same response as you get with today’s conventional automatic gearbox. The action is so seamless, that it feels like the car starts accelerating immediately when the engine restarts,” he says.

The technology uses brake pressure measurement to trigger when to stop and start the engine. The start/stop system

is programmed to shut down the engine immediately when the car reaches a standstill. An electric pump keeps oil pressure up in the automatic gearbox while the engine is stopped. The system also includes an upgraded starter motor to cope with the increased number of starts.

The 2.0 litre D3 turbo diesel produces 120kW and 400Nm of torque. The five-cylinder diesel was introduced in the new S60 at the start of this year and is now available throughout Volvo’s model range.

It is, in principle, the same engine as the 2.4 litre diesel, but its displacement has been reduced with a shorter stroke to optimise fuel consumption.

The piezo-electric fuel injectors minimise consumption with exceptionally rapid and precise injection pulses under high pressure which results in extremely efficient combustion.

refines its roar

After a decade or so lost in the wilderness, Jaguar’s reinvention continues to gather pace. The big British cat is introducing an all new 2.2 litre turbo diesel XF sports sedan in 2012, together with revised prices across its entire model range.

Jaguar New Zealand group general manager James Yates says negotiations with the factory in England have secured some very competitive pricing for next year’s models.

“Considering the high level of specification on all models, these cars stack up extremely well against their prestige and luxury class rivals.”

The XJ has just landed in the country and depending on the engine type; the XF and XK models will arrive here between November this year and January 2012.

The XF range will start with the new price leading 2.2 litre turbo diesel at $90,000.

This motor provides 450 Nm of torque

for effortless cruising and over taking, while being the most economical and environmentally friendly Jaguar yet.

diesel model, a naturally aspirated 5.0 litre V8 starting from $180,000 and two supercharged V8’s from $240,000.

There will also be two 3.0 litre diesel models and three petrol engine cars, a 3.0 litre V6, the 5.0 litre V8 and the range topping Supercharged XFR V8.

The XK range will start with the $175,000 Portfolio Coupe. There are also a couple of convertible models in the XK range which is headed by the 405 kW supercharged $260,000 XKR-S coupe.

Standard and long wheel base versions of the XJ luxury saloon will be available from $155,000 and include a 3.0 litre

Full specification and product details will be announced closer to the car launch.

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 55

Transport and Motoring | Ebbett Wellington

The

driving

The modern day automobile has come a long way since 1672 when the first steam powered vehicle in toy model form emerged in China.

Certainly the sleek, streamlined people movers that navigate our world today are a far cry, aesthetically and functionally, from their automobile ancestor, the infamous ‘Motorwagen’, invented

by Karl Benz in 1885.

With approximately 600 million passenger cars driving roads all over the globe today, it would be an understatement to say cars are a revolutionary phenomenon.

They represent both a practical and pleasurable experience for today’s blink and you’ll miss them generation of on the run go-getters, their cruisy, ‘Sunday driver’ leisure loving counterparts, as well as the rest of the ‘I just can’t live without my car because I need to get from A to B’ people.

As a playground for car connoisseurs, car yards today are an institution of innovation in themselves. In the marketplace since 1928, one trusted dealership has a strong national presence and is a highly evolved organisation.

Ebbett Company has nine dealerships throughout the North Island and a core constituent of this professional family is Ebbett Wellington, which also trades as Ebbett Holden Wellington.

Business longevity The Ebbett Company was established by Alf and Ron Ebbett in 1928 and operated from a central city site in Hamilton.

Auto Despatch NZ Ltd specialize in nationwide transportation of cars & vans of all sizes.

We offer door to door pick-up & delivery throughout New Zealand with very competitive rates.

Proud to support Ebbett Holden Wellington

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Proud to support Ebbett Holden Wellington Ph: 021 404 799 (04) 569 4866

PO Box 31334 Lower Hutt 5040

www. autodespatch.co.nz 56 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Wellington Apparelmaster Ltd, 04 5760813 service@wgtnapparelmaster.co.nz www.apparelmaster.co.nz Locally Owned & Operated since 1997

By the end of the 1930s the Ebbett business had expanded into two companies operating from two locations — Ebbett Motors, selling passenger vehicles that represented the General Motors Marques, Oakland, Pontiac and Chevrolet, and Ebbett Waikato Limited, which sold and serviced trucks sourced primarily from Vauxhall and Bedford.

Ebbett Waikato’s trucking business later designed and supplied some of the first milk tankers in the Waikato region. The tankers were owned by the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company which at one stage operated the largest single-site fleet of Bedford trucks in the world.

Holden was introduced to the Ebbett business in 1952 — the year Holden was first imported into New Zealand. Since then, the Ebbett Company has continued to expand and it remains both a privately owned organisation and one of the largest retailers of motor vehicles in New Zealand.

Ebbett Wellington is not only the Wellington City Holden dealer but also the only Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) and Walkinshaw Performance dealer in the lower North Island.

Ebbett Wellington has also recently taken on the Saab franchise for parts and services that meets the needs of the many Saab owners in the Wellington area. The service department also has two Saab master technicians.

Strong team Ebbett Wellington’s dealer principal, Craig Innes, who is about to reach a 10-year milestone with Ebbett Holden, is very hands on in the business and controls the new and used vehicle sales on a day to day basis.

The branch also has a strong sales team that includes a fleet sales manager, HSV brand manager, onsite finance and insurance manager and three sales consultants.

Ebbett Porirua is a branch of Ebbett Wellington and has nine employees led by manager Gary Steward. As a Holden dealership the company sells new and used vehicles, provides finance and insurance and also operates a strong parts and service department.

Of the company’s diverse history and extensive operations, Innes says, “Our customers reside across New Zealand and many families have had a very long association with Ebbett. This history keeps our company very customer focused.

“When we took over the businesses in Wellington and Porirua in late 2010, myself and Gary Steward as existing staff members were employed and relocated to oversee the running of the two businesses.

“This has enabled us to incorporate the sites into our dealership network and our business principles and company practices have been adopted quickly.

“The result has been a speedy turnaround in the fortunes of the two businesses and our strength and our regard have enabled us to trade with stability and expand our business interests in what are difficult economic times,” he says.

“This in turn has created stability for the staff and increased selection and service levels for our customers. It is a good start and we will strive to continue improving our offering to our customers as we move forward.”

Transport and Motoring | Ebbett Wellington

force Ebbett Wellington has recently introduced Walkinshaw enhanced Holden and HSV products enabling clients to custom-fit vehicles with the best performance upgrades — a development that has been well received.

Service and a smile It’s an old cliché but one that continues to resonate in the current market — that being, service is everything. Service at Ebbett’s has duplicate meaning — it applies to the maintenance of vehicles as well as the staff-client interactions the business prides itself on.

“Effective communication is the key ingredient of good management across any business. If we actively listen to our staff and our customers, we create the opportunity to strengthen relationships and create a superior experience for all,” Innes comments.

“Critical traits in management are to be fair and respectful, balanced and consistent.

Leadership is an important characteristic that enables a manager to assist a team of people to achieve common goals.”

In addition to running an efficient operation, optimum performance of its vehicles is paramount to Ebbett Wellington. The acquisition of the latest tools and machinery, as well as hiring educated staff with strong skillsets, is a critical part of the Ebbett approach.

In its parts, accessories and merchandise division, Ebbett Holden Wellington stocks a wide range of genuine parts and accessories including carpet mats, tow bars, roof racks, canopies and bluetooth kits, which can be delivered locally and regionally in New Zealand.

In addition the dealership stocks the AC-Delco range which is suitable for most makes and models and includes wiper blades and refills, engine oil packs, air and fuel filters, brake pads and batteries to name but a few of the exhaustive list.

Whether the vehicle is for private or commercial use Ebbett Wellington and its North Island counterparts offer a comprehensive range of finance and have the ability to tailor affordable packages that meet their clients’ needs and lifestyle budget.

The company’s access to first tier financial services means it can also offer highly competitive rates, saving clients time and money. “We strive to offer the best quality and value in the vehicles we sell and the aftersales services we offer our customers,” Innes says.

“Transparency and honesty are key principles in all our undertakings and respect for people and the law is paramount in our business.

Under the Ebbett logo are the words “Marque of excellence” which really does sum up the company’s commitment to its values and service provided.”

For the immediate future the showroom and aftersales facilities are the current focus for Ebbett Wellington to ensure these elements of the business do justice to the company’s vehicle ranges and are attractive and comfortable for customers.

Ebbett Wellington

190 Taranaki Street Wellington 6141 T (04) 801 6777 E craig.innes@ebbett.co.nz

Ebbett Porirua

The Megacentre 2 Tutu Place Porirua 5022 T (04) 238 4671 E g.steward@ebbett.co.nz

www.ebbett.co.nz Proud to be associated with Ebbett Holden Wellington

04 380 0008 2 Drummond Street, Mount Cook M 021 241 4088 | F 04 380 0053 info@kingstreetspraypainters.co.nz

www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 57

Transport and Motoring | Central Forklift Group

Lifting your business Central Forklift Group is the place to go for all your forklift needs.

PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH CENTRAL FORKLIFT GROUP LTD AND WISH THEM ALL THE BEST IN THE FUTURE. Commercial -Residential LAW Wills - Trusts - Estates 4/44 - 56 Queens Drive Lower Hutt P. 04 566 5775 | F. 04 566 5776 mail@collinsmay.co.nz www.collinsmay.co.nz

The spacious Central Forklift Group premises in Avalon, Lower Hutt.

Established in 1996, Central Forklift Group has grown from a small Lower Hutt-based company to cover the North Island, with branches in Wellington, Lower Hutt (head office), Palmerston North and Hawke’s Bay, and a nationwide dealer network.

With a dedicated staff of more than 47 across its dealership, Central Forklifts operates from a purpose-built premises at 45 Percy Cameron Street, Avalon, Lower Hutt.

The premise was built in 2009 and features a 1700-square-metre truck and forklift workshop which is fitted with the latest technology in equipment and lighting to enable fast and efficient service.

Central Forklift Group prides itself in offering comprehensive hire, sales, parts and maintenance service and is an industry expert that can help customers find the perfect forklift solution, whether it’s servicing, buying a new or used forklift, or undertaking a short or long-term hire.

New and used forklift sales Central Forklift Group offers a huge range of new forklifts and accessories for sale and can help customers find the right forklift for any requirements. It is the New Zealand distributor for Heli forklifts and also represents other well-known brands such as TCM, Jungheinrich and Yale. The company supplies materials handling equipment to a range of industries, including sawmills, forestry, rail yards, warehousing, freight handling, container yards, manufacturing and storage.

Heli is one of the fastest growing forklift manufacturers in the world, offering a wide

range of applications from one tonne to 32 tonne capacity. Its electric forklift models can easily handle a full day’s work, with ecofriendly performance free of any pollutants.

The company has been selling Heli forklifts for seven years. They are made in China and have already developed a strong reputation.

Director Des Walsh says Heli is standing up mechanically to everything else and building a good name, with great parts back-up and product support.

TCM has been a leader in forklift manufacturing for more than 50 years, offering machines from one tonne through to container handlers. TCM forklifts are renowned for their quality and technology, which result in lower operating costs and increased productivity.

Jungheinrich is one of the leading manufacturers of warehousing trucks in the world. Recognising customers prefer single sourcing, Jungheinrich offers the widest range of materials handling solutions and forklift trucks in the world.

Central Forklift Group can also help customers with a wide range of pallet jacks to meet small-scale needs. It is the national distributor for Kevrek truck cranes, a range that is light and durable with precise control, offering high strength and reach with low maintenance.

The company’s versatility extends to the hire of high quality golf carts and industrial utility vehicles, as well as shuttle personnel carriers for virtually any application.

Flexible payment options are available for customers buying a new machine. In addition, the group offers an extensive range of ex-lease and trade-in equipment, with used forklifts ranging from almost new to bargain units for low-use customers. All used machinery has a full service history and comes with a warranty.

Versatile hire options Central Forklift Group is well known for its forklift hire service, which offers solutions to meet all needs and is supported by full maintenance and optional accessories.

Forklifts can be hired to meet short or longterm requirements, while casual rental is an economic option for some who can meet fleet demands without having to invest in extra machinery that sits idle in off-peak times.

Central Forklifts has systems in place to quickly exchange forklifts in the unlikely event of a breakdown.

Accessories for hire include safety cages, extension forks, container ramps, bale clamps, rotators, drum clamps, turna forks, sideshifts and LPG conversion kits. In addition, Central Forklift Group hires out a selection of high-quality golf carts and industrial utility vehicles, as well as shuttle personnel carriers for virtually any application.

Central Forklifts offers specialist repair services by professional technicians for any brand of forklift from its purpose-built workshops. It has transporters suitable for recovering or moving a range of machinery and offers 24/7 care through its service contracts.

Staff can source parts for almost any brand while the company carries a huge stock at all times, including a large inventory of older, hard-to-get parts. Most parts can be couriered the next day, while lower-use parts can be couriered from China, Australia and Japan.

Driver training Driver training and safety courses are available to ensure businesses operate efficiently and meet compliance requirements.

This can be on-site or at the Central Forklift Group’s in-house training facility. “We impact all the skills needed for safe and efficient forklift operation,” Des says.

Lesley J Walker B.SC, BCA, CA, Dip Tchg Sparkes Walker Chartered Accountants Limited are proud to be associated with Central Forklift Group

PROUD TO SUPPORT CENTRAL FORKLIFT GROUP LTD 58 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

Ground Floor Insurance House 51 Dudley Street PO Box 30-890 LOWER HUTT Telephone: 04-566-5426 Facsimile: 04-566-9033 Email: admin@sparkeswalker.co.nz

Transport and Motoring | Central Forklift Group

Above: The Hyundai HD series brings a new dynamism and capability to light-duty commercial trucks.

Right: Central Forklift Group offers a huge range of new forklifts and accessories for sale or hire.

Central Commercials launch On the June 1, 2011 Central Forklift Group extended its business to become agents for the new range of Hyundai Trucks, offering versatile light-commercial models capable of meeting every customers’ needs with plans in place to grow the range of Hyundai trucks in the future.

Director Des Walsh says they are excited about the launch of this business under the name of Central Commercials. While the company has previously serviced the trucks, it now has the sales agency for Wellington, the Wairarapa, Manawatu and Taranaki.

Hyundai cars are one of the fastest growing and proven brands in New Zealand and now Hyundai trucks, new in New Zealand, are expected to become just as popular.

There are three models to date with gross vehicle weights – 4.5 tonne, 6.5 tonne and 7.5 tonne with 8.5 tonne upgrade options.

The new Hyundai HD series The Hyundai HD series brings a new dynamism and capability to light-duty commercial trucks. Tough but stylish, comfortable and dependable, they offer the perfect vehicle for the demands of New Zealand trucking.

Each model has two cab choices and long, medium or short wheelbase, meaning operators can choose the perfect vehicle

for their requirements. The quality means unbeatable cost efficiency with minimised capital depreciation.

The new Hyundai HD series is a small truck that is safe but has the power to deliver.

Features such as the large wrap-around front bumper with recessed fog lamps, optimally mounted wide angle rear view mirrors, clear glass headlamps and side indicator repeaters make it ideal for heavy traffic operation.

Hyundai trucks offer powerful performance combined with exceptional reliability, durability and safety and like every Hyundai engine, they’re built to give years of reliable service, saving money and increasing operating efficiency.

The HD series offers one of the safest and most ergonomic super cabs. It is not just comfortable, it works with the driver. Minor controls, cab access, door and grab handles are ideally positioned, and there are ample interior illumination and stowage space.

Hyundai trucks are also engineered to make light work of heavy duties. A heat-treated, web-strengthened, ultra-rigid super frame provides the chassis basis for the superior performance and safety of all HD trucks.

Growing truck market Wade Lorimer joins Central Commercials with a wealth of experience in the selling and fit up of trucks, gained during more than 10 years in the industry.

Wade is excited to be promoting Hyundai, which offers enhanced features that were lacking in this market segment prior to the launch of Hyundai HD trucks.

Des says Central Commercials has received a lot of interest in its new range of Hyundai trucks, which he believes are among the best light commercial trucks on the market.

The trucks are available as safety loaders, tip trucks and refrigerated trucks and are brought into the country as cab and chassis, or as fully specified complete vehicles.

“We can bring them in and build them up, which can be a savings of tens of thousands of dollars,” says Des. “They come with power take off already fitted and from January 1, 2012, they’ll all come in as Euro 5 standard.

They have driver suspension seats, so are very driver friendly. They have six-speed manual gearboxes and a 3.9-litre diesel engine.”

Central Commercials will to begin selling medium-sized Hyundai trucks within the next couple of years. “We plan to develop the market for our HD series through extensive promotion and advertising, and once the

brand is established throughout New Zealand we’ll look at launching the medium-sized trucks too,” Des says.

Central Commercials can compliment any Hyundai truck purchase by carrying out all servicing requirements and can look after entire fleets. The company services a wide range of vehicles from Utes and vans to trucks and trailers of all makes and models.

While business has been challenging during the economic recession, there are signs that sales are starting to improve and Central Commercials is concentrating on bedding down the Hyundai truck agency and developing it through its branches.”

Central Forklift Group Limited PO Box 44032 Lower Hutt Wellington 5040 T (04) 577 1344 F (04) 577 1197 E enquiries@centralgroup.co.nz www. enquiries@centralgroup.co.nz www.centralgroup.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 59

Transport and Motoring | Universal Trucks and Equipment

Keeping the wheels of industry turning

Universal Trucks and Equipment in Wellington has been providing a top level of service to Iveco and International truck owners throughout New Zealand for the past 11 years.

Universal Trucks and Equipment was established in 2000 to provide parts and service agencies for Iveco and International trucks in the lower North Island.

The company is owned by director Bruce Partridge and his father, Kerry Partridge.

The staff of 10 includes Bruce’s wife Michelle, who takes care of reception and the accounts, and their son Nicholas, who is an apprentice diesel mechanic.

Based at Unit 8, Port Domain, Port Road, Seaview, Universal Trucks and Equipment has a comprehensive parts and service departments within its large workshop, which includes gantry cranes, a working pit, steam cleaning bays and drive-through access.

“Our customer base has grown quite considerably since we started. We currently have another agency in the pipeline for Tatra trucks and we’re hoping to gain that as the exclusive New Zealand agent by the end of the year.”

Its parts store includes chassis and suspension components, brake, clutch and engine components, lighting and filters.

Universal Trucks and Equipment services both small and large fleet operators and has a range of sub agents operating throughout the country, associated through the Iveco brand.

Iveco and International agency Bruce Partridge says Universal Trucks and Equipment is the largest privately owned mechanical diesel workshop in the area.

“We’re repair agents for International and Iveco, which includes large line-haul trucks, which travel throughout the North and South Islands,” he says.

Many truck fleets are on scheduled maintenance programmes with the company.

“With Iveco we do all the electronic repairs, as well as minor panel beating, fabrication and painting,” Partridge says.

“We endeavour to do top quality work and we back our work 100 percent.”

Alan Rea

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phone. 04 568 5422 fax.

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60 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz

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Transport and Motoring | Universal Trucks and Equipment

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free access to search Cvs and work wanted ads Universal Trucks and Equipment offers a 24hour breakdown service in the lower North Island, including a heavy tow vehicle.

Fire engine contract

“They come from Australia as cab and chassis.

Now they’re being put together by Fraser Engineering. They build the bodies and then we do the pre-delivery checks before they go in to service,” Partridge says.

“We do up to four fire engines a month and we’ve done a total of 150-plus fire engines in total in the past four or five years.”

His company is renowned for being friendly and approachable. “We’re family oriented and a lot of our guys have been here numerous years.

Bruce Partridge Universal Trucks and Equipment director

$395 +gst

“We have some qualified and experienced people working for us and we’re very sociable,” he says.

“We’re very friendly and we’re not hard on people. I work very closely with customers and we build good relationships with them.”

Universal Trucks and Equipment Limited Unit 8, Port Domain 2-20 Port Road Seaview Lower Hutt T (04) 568 7453 F (04) 568 4409 universaltrucks@ihug.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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While business has been quite steady for the past few years, with a number of customers going out of business during the recession, Partridge says there is potential for quite considerable growth as the market slowly improves.

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In addition to its regular Iveco and International agency work, the company undertakes pre-delivery checks for Iveco fire engines, which are made in Australia.

“We endeavour to do top quality work and we back our work 100 percent.”

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www.wellingtontoday.co.nz October/November 2011 | 61

Transport and Motoring | SPEL

Changing

lanes

They’re big, bright and bulky and when you’re seeing red you hope there will be one in fairly close proximity. But the trusty fire truck has a much deeper meaning for Upper Hutt firm SPEL Limited.

A year after losing its biggest contract and being forced to slash its workforce from about 170 to just 10, SPEL is forging a new business in fire appliances.

Established in 1997, SPEL was formed to fulfil the facilities management contract for the Trentham Army base, says operations manager Paul Keogh. “We were there for 10 years providing vehicle servicing, maintenance of the electronic weaponry, firearms and other military equipment, plus we had a manufacturing presence.”

Due to the fluctuating nature of the army work SPEL pursued third party work, but the company was restricted in what it could do due to the army contract.

“We began manufacturing and servicing fire appliances. If the army work tapered off we had a second stream of work and we were able to pick up work with the Police, Customs and Corrections, which complemented the army work and allowed us to maintain a large workforce.”

However, last year the army contract came to an end. “We continued the fire appliance manufacturing and servicing and today that’s all we do.”

Scattered around the country are 75 mediumsize appliances the company built recently for the New Zealand Fire Service — its main customer. The company provides a 24 hour, seven day a week call out service to support the fleet.

SPEL built 12 appliances and compressed-air foam appliances for the Australian Capital Territory, most of which assisted in fighting the 2009 Melbourne fires.

The company also services the Wellington region’s fire vehicles and Wellington Airport

appliances, as well as using the knowledge gained from fixing trucks to build better ones.

Starting with our basic design, we can cheaply adapt it to meet specific requirements.”

Experienced gained with this regular service of equipment is very helpful in the design and manufacture of new appliances as the team understands what the fire crews and operators’ needs are.

All this is done using 3D modelling software so the customer can see what the end result will look like, and the parts are laser cut and delivered to SPEL ready to assemble.

“The important thing with rural fire trucks is that we build them using a modular approach, which means they can be quickly and cheaply adapted to suit other uses. So we can build fire trucks for airports or car parking buildings, places where you can’t fit a big fire truck.

Diesel

WELLINGTON

DIESEL & TURBO ARE PLEASED TO SUPPORT SPEL LTD

“We’re reinventing ourselves; we have contracts for appliance manufacturing and servicing and we’re slowly building up the company with related work.”

Bus refurbishment SPEL has just completed some refurbishing work for the Wellington Cable Car Company and has also completed the refurbishment of the Library Bus for the Upper Hutt City Council.

“We’re also talking to forestry companies about modifying our basic models for forestry work,” he says.

But there has to be more to this success story than some quick witted diversification and a talented workforce. “We’ve always maintained close contact with our customers,

so whenever we’re doing a manufacturing and build project, we ask customers to visit and review their vehicles during production so we can respond to their requirements as we go; that’s why they keep coming back.

“We’re small and adaptable with very skilled employees who are capable of a wide range of work. Because we do the entire job from design to servicing and manufacture, we’re a one-stop shop.”

“We’re hoping to continue to build fire trucks and similar specialised vehicles, but our longer term plan is to expand into any kind of vehicle manufacturing work because that’s where our strength is.”

SPEL Limited PO Box 40-903 Upper Hutt T (04) 527 5216 E p.keogh@SPEL.co.nz www.SPEL.co.nz — Advertising Feature Email: sales@me

METCO ENGINEERING 2002 Ltd 63-65 Waione Street, Petone, Wellington Phone: 04 568 9218 Fax: 04 568 5130 Email: wade@dtw.co.nz www.dieselandturbo.co.nz

Specialising in sheetmetal manufacturing and engineering, Metco Engineering 2002 Ltd offers a wide range of services from project management to tooling, production and light assembly.

Tel / Fax: 04-567 3222 150 Eastern Hutt Road, Taita, Wellington Email: sales@metco.co.nz www.metco.co.nz

Pleased to be associated with SPEL Ltd 62 | October/November 2011 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz