Waikato Business News Sep/Oct 2014 by Waikato Business News

Business News September/October 2014 Volume 22: issue 9

www.wbn.co.nz

Chamber chief Big day at Old Villa Dental makes a move for lifestyle A steady light in Waikato’s business community has been switched off here and moved to shine brightly in Whangamata. By Mike Blake

andra Perry has stepped down from her position as CEO of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce for family health reasons. She plans to sell her home in Huntly and move to the family beach house at Whangamata. But being such a businessorientated person Sandra will be stepping straight into work at the beach. No, not as a lifesaver but after a short time learning the ropes, she will take over as general manager of the Whangamata Ocean Sports Club. For more than a decade Sandra has been a key driver of business, from SMEs to large corporates in the positions she has held using Hamilton as her base. As general manager of the Business Development Centre (BDC) she and her team worked hard to see the bright ideas of many budding entrepreneurs come to life. Naturally some went no further than the BDC boardroom, others are still going strong after eight to 10 years in operation. Having built strong relationships within the business community through her time leading the BDC it was a natural when Opportunity Hamilton was created by council that Sandra was called upon to head it up. BDC easily slipped under

Sandra Perry the Opportunity Hamilton umbrella and the whole operation moved from Victoria Street to Wintec House with offices next door to the Chamber. This office juxtaposition led to a close relationship between both business organisations. Sandra developed a passion for regional economic development and with the Chamber right at hand worked hard with the various local councils to strengthen this vital phase of the region’s growth. Since joining the Chamber as CEO Sandra has also buddied up with the local branch

of the Institute of Directors driving a programme “Governance – the next Generation” with IoD chair Margaret Devlin. “Wintec has been fantastic for the Chamber,” said Sandra. “And the relationship with our university is growing stronger all the time.” The Chamber is in a strong position looking to the future. Sandra was most complimentary when talking about her team. “They have done wonders in all departments,” she said. “Membership is being well looked after and our events calendar is getting firmly booked. “As to Certificates of Origin, a real earner for the Chamber, numbers have almost doubled in three years,” she said. Sandra’s son, Barrie, suffered a serious stroke a few years ago in Australia and she has spent many days across the Tasman ensuring all is being done correctly for him. Her husband Murray has contracted Macular Degeneration, a serious degenerative problem affecting the eyes. “He’ll want to sit on the beach and watch as many sunsets as possible before the Macular Degeneration turns the lights out for him,” said Sandra. “Honestly, it’s a lifestyle change for us both. But the lights will be burning brightly for Whangamata when Sandra steps into her new job at the Whangamata Ocean Sports Club.

In action early at Old Villa Dental are Dr Henk Eksteen and Nadia Van Den Engel By Mike Blake They came from all over to have a group of dental specialists check them out. It was Dentistry From The Heart day at Old Villa Dental in Grey Street, Hamilton East and Dr Henk Eksteen and his team were giving their all in the interests of dental health. Dentistry From The Heart is an international not-for-profit organisation that provides free dental work for people in need and has reached out to the homeless across countries such as the USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, Puerto Rico and now New Zealand. It was all on at The Villa with the whole staff giving their time free of charge. Also

on board with Dr Henk were endodentist, Dr Raj Roy; oral surgeon Dr Angus Calquhoun, dentists Nettie Eksteen and Mercedes Dizon. Practice manager Annette Eksteen said they had been assisted by Columbus Coffee supplying coffee for patients while they waited and Montana Catering dropped by with two huge tureens of tasty pumpkin soup and bread. “Kris Anderson from the Chamber of Commerce was a great supporter as was radio legend Ronny Phillips,” said Annette. “ Colgate, ANZ, Rotary volunteers and many more came and gave of their time.” By 3 o’clock about 70 people had been attended to from those nominated to those who walked up and were offered the drill of kindness.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Service with a smile at Whitiora Z

Mooloo legal man driving fund to $5m

Buddy Day 4th year in Business

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

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New Whitiora Z service station gives top service with a smile When I expressed an interest in interviewing the “new boy on the block” in my first contact with Selwyn Cook, owner of the new Z service station business in Hamilton’s Whitiora, I was quickly brought up to speed. By Mike Blake

“

’ve had 25 years running service stations in Hamilton and beyond,” he said in reply to my email. However, that did not blunt Selwyn’s enthusiasm to ensure we were painted the right picture when it came to the ‘Z is for New Zealand’ latest flagship on the corner of Mill and Willoughby Streets in the city. He and wife Shirley began their life in the business in 1989 at Z Anglesea Court, a Shell station in those days, and by all accounts have had a fantastic ride since. “We grew a cluster of 17 sites which included most of Waikato and into Rotorua,” said Selwyn. “What we have here is the latest and greatest of all sites and we are delighted with the way it has come together. “When Z was formed as a new company after Shell sold its NZ downstream assets, there was much research into the brand change from

Shell and exactly what Kiwis regarded as ‘important’ to them in a service station,” he said. More than 17 thousand consumers were questioned throughout New Zealand and along with the importance of forecourt service they wanted access to good coffee, tasty food, drinks and a group of convenience items such as milk and bread. In all these areas Selwyn’s Z service station is exceeding expectations. As well, he has ensured that the company promise of forecourt service for all customers, 365 days a year, is well taken care of. “Our team has been trained to a higher level as our commitment to the Z forecourt promise,” said Selwyn. In fact his son, Sam has just won an award for top forecourt concierge in the region. There are more than 200 Z sites throughout the country. Sustainability was paramount when developing the “beautiful big site” with LED lighting throughout and

We caught some of the Z is for New Zealand team in action and hustled them behind the counter for a quick photo opportunity (from left) Selwyn Cook, Zahn Rogers, Sam Cook and Jeanette Sicely underground recycled ‘grey’ water. The car wash is the latest and greatest, according to Selwyn. The $18 Max Brush Wash is quiet and thorough. It’s so easy to grab a coffee and move into line. When your turn comes, punch in your code, drive in when directed (after taking off aerials and tipping external mirrors back) and enjoy coffee whatever takes your fancy. And you can be assured that all ‘grey’ water, from a mixture of soap, grit and grease, is being recycled. If you’d taken the chance,

while ordering your car wash, you may have glanced (longingly in my case) at the magnificent food cabinet. “All New Zealand made,” said Selwyn. Very homemade looking pies, extra fresh and wellfilled sandwiches, even a Thai red curry grace the shelves among many healthy options. At this stage of your visit to Z Stadium on Anglesea you’ll have passed a veritable ‘sea’ of drinks and a mountain of chocolate bars as well as a very well-stocked magazine rack. And while Selwyn’s intention is for customers to have

a smooth passage through this service station…buy the petrol…grab a coffee and a sandwich and get back to business, there is one little table with a couple of chairs for anyone who wants a ‘stopover.’ You can even fire up your laptop. “We have Buckingham Palace bathrooms and everything is clean and safe…environmentally sensitive all the way,” he said. Selwyn is very proud of the brand…Z is for New Zealand. He reckons it’s a game changer. “We have a very strong focus on local neighbourhoods for example we have a great

relationship with Whitiora School and kindergarten,” he said. “On opening day the kids performed and they were so good they brought a tear to the eyes of many of our guests.” We are to repay them with A Special Magic Christmas in December. Every March Z puts up a million dollars plus to support local interests. The promotion is called ‘Good in a Hood’. “It’s incredible just how many causes and charities are at work in the neighbourhood. These are community groups doing good for people. It is the intention of Good in a Hood to support these hardworking folk. “And customers can nominate a charity that should be supported,” said Selwyn. He has a team of 12 working shifts on site including a concierge, a site leader and a barista. At 100 sites throughout the country customers are able to pay at the pump if they wish and all lanes carry diesel and pumps with hoses that reach to both sides of a vehicle. There’s out front parking and ‘acres’ of space to manoeuvre oneself out either of the two handy exits. He calls it “Zip through Zed”. Selwyn is proud of his team and the fact that his Z service station is clean and safe at all times. By the way, there are trailers for hire and, as a bonus, you can swap your gas bottles.

Introducing your local ANZ Deal Team Dave Barnett Trade Specialist david.barnett@anz.com T. 07 837 8767 M. 021 310 481

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Scott Neeley Senior Agri Specialist scott.neeley@anz.com T. 07 837 8635 M. 027 475 4684

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Chelsey Hawthorn Commercial Specialist chelsey.hawthorn@anz.com T. 07 837 8288 M. 021 838 414

Karen Kiernan Transaction Banking Specialist karen.kiernan@anz.com T. 07 837 8638 M. 027 274 9445

Dom Jones Business Analyst dom.jones@anz.com T. 07 837 8601 M. 027 677 7490

You may know ANZ is the market leader for access to specialist expertise, but did you know those specialists are located right here in the Waikato? Our commitment to giving you more means we have local specialists, on the ground, ready to share our knowledge, insights and connections to help your business grow. So when you’re planning your next business deal, be sure to give us a call.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Testing, testing, 123… ensuring Employment Law you make a good hiring decision >

by Greg Cateley

Greg Cateley is an HR consulting manager, at PwC Email: greg.p.cateley@nz.pwc.com

With a noticeable increase in recruitment in recent times particularly in the construction, property, engineering and information technology sectors, many employers are beginning to think twice about the ease and cost of their recruitment processes.

ost employers want to run an effective selection process to identify and employ candidates with the right blend of knowledge, skills, experience and motivation. Over time we have learned from research that job interviews that ask questions about the skills, knowledge and attributes required of the role are still a reasonably effective way of recruiting the best person but often employers find they need more information than a standard interview process can provide. Psychometric assessments, sometimes referred to as “psych tests”, are a rich source of information about a candidate and can add valuable insight about that person. Unfortunately, psychometric assessments have

gained an unfair reputation for being expensive and somewhat mystical, but the reality is quite different. Much research has gone into designing the most reputable modern psychometric assessments available today with encouraging results. The two most common assessments favoured by employers during selection processes are the Reasoning Ability test and Personality Questionnaire. However there are a far greater range of specialised tests available these days such as Mechanical Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning, Maori Knowledge, Sales Preference and even Emotional Intelligence assessments to suit various organisations. Some test providers will even build a test to suit your business.

Often what concerns an employer is not only whether the applicant will be able to do the job but also whether that person will fit into the team or organisation. Here’s where a good Personality Questionnaire should help because while there is no right or wrong personality type, it will give you more insight into their interpersonal, thinking and coping styles as well as their preferred leadership style and even how you might expect them to interact with the team. Employers who regularly use psychometric assessments over a long period can build

up their own comparisons and there is often consistency between the information in the Personality Questionnaire and the patterns of behaviour after a candidate has been employed. As an example of how far psychometric assessments have come, a number of the more reputable Personality Questionnaires available for employers to use have an inbuilt scale to detect whether a candidate is being overly positive or negative in the answers given as well as a scale to see how diligent or attentive the candidate was being when answering the

questions and even if the candidate was being guarded about who they really are. This means an employer can place more reliance on the Personality Questionnaire to provide the additional information that will make for a more complete picture to add to the answers provided during the interview. Some psychometric assessments have to be administered in person but a number can also be managed online enabling them to be completed faster and for a lower cost than was previously possible. So when you are preparing to recruit for your next

vacancy, plan your selection process carefully to ensure you use a combination of cost effective processes in order to select the best person for the job. The cost of a psychometric assessment might surprise you and of course it should always be kept in perspective of getting the hiring decision wrong. An interview is still an effective and reasonably efficient method of selecting the right person for the job but by adding an appropriate psychometric assessment, followed up by a thorough reference check, you will be making a better decision.

Special partnership a boost to Maori business Waikato-Tainui partners with SODA Inc. to create employment opportunities and encourage Maori entrepreneurship. In August Waikato-Tainui signed a partnership agreement with SODA Inc. to foster Maori business growth and acumen through scholarships and networking opportunities. SODA Inc. is Hamilton’s business incubator, helping pioneering entrepreneurs to start-up, succeed and grow their businesses. Rahui Papa, chairman of Waikato-Tainui’s tribal executive

Te Arataura, says: “The partnership with SODA will give our tribal members access to business networks, relationships and programmes that will empower and support them to realise their economic aspirations. “Whakatupuranga 2050, the tribe’s strategic plan, has an aspiration for our tribal members to become business leaders and this partnership is a stepping stone towards that goal.” Tribal members will be offered scholarships to learn about how start-ups work,

including business model generation and pitching business ideas to potential investors and customers. There will also be internship events which aim to link up Waikato-Tainui graduates with potential employment opportunities. Business growth manager for SODA Inc. Vanessa Clark said the partnership emerged out of a successful pilot run earlier in the year where 10 tribal members with four projects took part in a nine-part workshop series that covered how start-ups work, design

thinking, market validation, business modelling, marketing, finance, IP, governance and pitching. Incoming CEO Dr Claire McGowan says: “We are excited with the opportunity to build capability, knowledge and networks for WaikatoTainui’s entrepreneurial tribal members.” Waikato-Tainui and SODA Inc. are currently working together to map the programme of events which will be communicated to tribal members later this month.

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5 September/October 2014 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

it business solutions - smarter business

ACE proud to be Computer problems back in Waikato solved by Nick and ACE Training Limited (ACE) is a nationwide, privately owned computer training organisation, and New Zealand’s leading Microsoft Training Partner.

“

CE is proud to be back in Waikato improving the productivity of your organisations’ employees,” said Brent Seeney, ICT Manager, INEX. “Our Waikato training facilities are centrally located on Level 1 of the AMI building, corner of London and Anglesea Streets, Hamilton. “We also have training facilities in Ponsonby, Auckland; The Terrace, Wellington and the Canterbury Technology Park in Christchurch,” said Brent. ACE recognises the investment in people and technology will create a competitive edge in your marketplace. ACE loves working with people and teaching skills and tricks (shortcuts) which improve productivity, creating more time in your day. Having been around and training for more than 27 years, in excess of 400,000 people have had the ACE experience, training in courses from Excel to Lync Server, touch typing to Microsoft Project, ITIL® to SQL Server. ACE trains many thousands of clients each year. With technology continuously changing and industry movement to mobile devices, cloud-based products, communication and security, ACE continues to stay abreast of the changes and provide training in all the latest Microsoft products for both the end user and IT professional, the full Adobe Suite, and ITIL® to name a few.

ACE’s presence in Waikato complements a growing ICT presence in the Waikato and we are happy to have the convenience of a local training facility.” ACE has recently added Ethical Hacking to its suite of courses, a hot topic in the New Zealand market as organisations strive to keep information secure and private. As real-world experience is the best teacher, our training modules are delivered using ‘Tell, Show, Do’ methods. This recognises that learning is enhanced when it is relevant to the person’s daily life context and their success in the workplace. “Our dedicated and highly skilled instructors provide quality education,” said Brent. “We pride ourselves on ensuring our trainers are certified so you are sure of receiving the very best. “ACE is excited about quality and proud to be associated with Waikato organisations, helping improve the productivity of your people,” he said. “We have had nothing but positive experiences with ACE’s new team in Hamilton which has landed with the enthusiasm of a fresh new enterprise backed up by the experience and resources of a well-established business,” said Brent. “ACE’s presence in Waikato complements a growing ICT presence in Waikato and we are happy to have the convenience of a local training facility.” For training options and information, phone ACE today (07) 838 0711, email info@ace. co.nz or visit ace.co.nz.

the SPINCO team Do you or anyone you know complain about their computers or their internet connections; moan about their IT support or worry that they’re being left behind by technology? Then they need to speak to Nick Spicer and the team at SPINCO Technology. We’ll happily consult with them, devise a plan, manage procurement, installation and support their IT from start to finish. Computers are an essential part of modern life, which means when yours plays up, it can be one of the most frustrating things to deal with. A small problem can seem huge if you don’t have the technical knowhow to fix it. Running a business is hard enough without having to focus on IT problems too. That is why your friendly team at SPINCO Technology is ready to support you or come to you, wherever you are 24/7 if required. We can take care of everything computerrelated at your business: technical problems, virus/malware removal, setting up networks, updates, general cleaning, tune-ups and maintenance. We sell new computer hardware, peripherals and software too. And can provide solutions to meet your server, storage and networking requirements. It may be cost-prohibitive for small and medium businesses to self-manage their technologies. As a result, companies are embracing managed services to help lower the total cost of ownership and reduce system downtime. Using remote management and monitoring tools we can monitor our clients’ networks and computers allowing us to proactively fix issues before they disrupt their businesses,

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often even before the client is aware there is an issue. “We have strategic business partnerships with New Zealand-based cloud providers to provide exciting cloud solutions for our clients,” said director Nick. Our online backup solution makes managing IT simple, automatically backing up your business data at predetermined intervals and transmitting them securely offsite for longterm safekeeping, perpetual compliance, and instant retrieval. Online backup gives you the confidence of knowing that your information is always there when you need it. “We provide documentation of any work done for you. “This ensures you always have the information at your fingertips. “We don’t hide your information, we share it with you,” said Nick. “ We love finding solutions and we will go out of our way to find the right solution to fit the customer’s needs. “At SPINCO Technology we believe in building relationships with customers rather than doing one-off transactions, which is why word-of-mouth advertising has worked so well for our business. “By developing strong relationships and becoming part of our client’s team we can add value to your business and empower you to strengthen your core business and improve customer and employee satisfaction. “When you are next in need of ICT support we hope you will consider SPINCO Technology,” said Nick. For peace of mind and a no obligation consultation on how we can help your business succeed, phone us on 07 855 2169 or visit www.spincotech.co.nz.

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by shawn walsh

Principal Consultant Phone: 07 838 9390 | Email: shawn.walsh@codeblue.co.nz

Each year TechEd is Microsoft’s opportunity to spread the word on all the new technologies that are either available or soon to be available, and this year was no exception. There were two stars of the show this year, the fantastic Surface Pro 3 hybrid tablet and Microsoft Azure, their cloud platform. The Surface Pro 3 is a great device and the first real business ready tablet that is big enough to work on all day, every day; yet is light enough and has enough battery life to allow it to be used like a tablet. If you are in the market for a new laptop/tablet then I recommend that you give it some serious consideration. Microsoft may have been one of the later entrants to the public cloud market but its Azure cloud has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, and Microsoft ishighly committed to providing business ready cloud solutions at fantastic price points. The number of services that are now available on Azure has grown to more than ten ranging from online developer tools to “traditional” servers. Azure Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - this is the familiar “server in the cloud” offering, and Microsoft now offers support for several versions of windows as well as a number of Linux distributions for you to host your services on. IaaS services mean that you can install and configure your servers exactly as you want and the Azure

cloud will take care of running the operating system for you. Platform as a Service (PaaS) comprise some of the more recent additions to the Azure offerings. It is now possible to create an Azure web site with SQL or Hadoop database without having to stand up any infrastructure or manage any operating system. These systems allow you to scale your website and database to cope with increases in demand and then scale back when things are quiet. This flexibility means that you can provide a fantastic user experience for your site while allowing you to minimise costs by reducing capacity during quiet times. There are a number of new services coming online in the near future – some are already available for preview such as Azure Automation, Azure AD and Azure RemoteApp – these promise to bring another set of tools to assist moving your business to the cloud. Azure RemoteApp helps employees stay productive anywhere, from a variety of devices. Your company’s applications run in the Azure cloud, where they’re easier to manage and scale and are accessed via Microsoft Remote Desktop services on Internetconnected laptops, tablets, or phones as if they were running locally. You can even provide access to contractors or temporary workers using their own email address via the Azure Management Console – there is no requirement for users to have a company account. If you want to know more about any of the new Windows devices or discuss how you can leverage cloud services to enable your business to be more agile and cost effective then give CodeBlue a call.

September/October 2014

CodeBlue’s TechEd Road Trip

Tech Talk

What a way to celebrate a birthday, heading off to TechEd, the annual Microsoft geek fest, where we get to drink the KoolAid and learn about all things Microsoft.

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

Recently four of CodeBlue’s finest headed to the ‘big smoke’ for the annual Microsoft Partner Conference and TechEd. As many of you will know (and have experienced) TechEd is Microsoft’s flagship three day event for IT professionals held at the Sky City Convention Centre. As was expected many of the conference sessions were focused on Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform, Office 365 and other Azure services – and very impressed we were. At CodeBlue we’ve had lots of inquiry from clients about migrating to cloud services and some are already testing the water with Exchange online or Software as a Service (SaaS) applications like Xero, WorkFlow Max and Salesforce.com. But by-and-large the majority of our implementations are still for on premise solutions. That may be about to change. Microsoft is soon to commission Azure data centres in Sydney and Melbourne and is also committed to releasing ExpressRoute in NZ. ExpressRoute is a service that enables clients to create private connections between Azure data centres and your own premises. ExpressRoute connections do not go over the public Internet, and will offer more reliability,

by Glenn Fittall

Business Development Manager Phone: 07 838 9390 | Email: glenn.fittall@codeblue.co.nz

faster speeds, lower latencies and higher security than current connection methods. ExpressRoute together with the increased adoption of UFB services will go a long way to overcoming issues that have been a barrier to the adoption of cloud services for many organisations. Some of the ‘numbers’ surrounding cloud services and the creation / consumption of data today are astounding, for example did you know; • Globally, 1000 customers sign-up for Azure or Office 365 services every day • Microsoft and Google (the top two cloud vendors world- wide) have reduced the price of their cloud services over 60 times in the last four years • Together Microsoft and Google now deliver more server capacity from their data centres than was used by every organisation on the planet in 2007 • More data is stored in a single Microsoft data centre than has been physically written in human history • From the dawn of modern human history to 2013, some

50,000 years (depending on the anthropologist you talk to) 500 Billion GB of data was created. We now create that amount of data every day • While IT budgets are generally keeping pace with inflation, demand for computing resource is doubling every six – nine months In addition to changes in technology we are also experiencing shifts in business models with many examples of crowd sourcing (read also crowd funding and crowd collaboration) being used by start-ups and R & D organisations to raise capital or crack complex problems, and social media becoming an increasingly important business platform (even our banks are using Facebook and Twitter). Whatever your personal take on these technologies it’s clear that the pace of change will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. At CodeBlue we’re constantly evaluating and filtering the good and the bad so that we can continue to be of value to our clients. If you would like to talk further about your business or technology needs please give us a call.

Drink the KoolAid with Microsoft and CodeBlue If you want to know more about any of the new Windows devices or discuss how you can leverage cloud services to enable your business to be more agile and cost effective - then give us a call. Register now for our upcoming Microsoft Tech Updates. knowledgenetwork@codeblue.co.nz Call us to find out more 07 838 9390

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September/October 2014

it business solutions - smarter business

Mobile-friendly websites crucial with smartphone and tablet market growth YOOBEE Hamilton now offering specialised business services! Come and see us for all your business needs.

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As the ubiquitous smartphone and tablet adoption rapidly increases, so does the importance of mobilefriendly websites.

his includes mobile versions of a website and a responsive designed website (two different options achieving a similar result, but down a different development path). If SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a core component of your digital marketing strategy, and it should be, having a mobile–friendly website is essential. Mobile internet usage overtook desktop usage this year so its only logical that mobile searches will overtake desktop searches at some point in the near future. In fact nearly 70 percent of users claim they are more likely to make a purchase from a mobile friendly site. Therefore, if you rely on SEO to generate traffic it’s worth making the transition to mobile friendly websites, specifically a responsive website. The argument between responsive design and a mobile specific website is still a highly debated topic, both have their pros and cons and the best option for you may not be the best option for your neighbour. SEO plays a major part in website optimisation and

Nearly 70 percent of users claim they are more likely to make a purchase from a mobile friendly site.” a responsive design plays to this option. Here are a few reasons why every website we build is responsive: Recommended by Google With the largest market share, when Google speaks, we listen. Google states that responsive web design is its recommended mobile configuration, and even goes so far as to refer to responsive web design as the industry best practice. With only one version of a site (as opposed to a duplicate mobile site) is more efficient for Google to index, crawl and organise content, helping with SEO. Additionally, Google prefers responsive web design because content that lives on one website and one URL is

much easier for users to share, interact with, and link to than content that lives on a separate mobile site. One website, many devices An excellent user experience on all devices is the goal of responsive. This is an important characteristic, since it is impossible to anticipate all the devices and screen sizes searchers will use to access your site. A site that works well regardless of these variables will provide a better and more consistent user-experience than a separate mobile site that is designed for a specific device and screen size. Easier to manage Having a separate desktop and mobile site requires having separate SEO campaigns. Managing one site and one SEO campaign is far easier than managing two sites and two campaigns. This is a key advantage a responsive website has over a separate mobile site. That being said, there are benefits to having a mobile-specific SEO strategy, such as optimising for keywords that are more likely to be searched when someone is on their smartphone. In conclusion, responsive is here to stay and all new developments from WebSpring are responsive as standard. Ensure you don’t get left behind.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

Operating deficit improves Local authorities had an operating deficit in the June 2014 quarter, but the deficit has improved since the previous quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand. Expenditure exceeded income by $50.6 million (after adjusting for seasonal effects). “Councils’ income rose this quarter, however expenditure remained higher than income,” local government statistics manager Gary Dunnet said. Operating income from core services for the June 2014 quarter was just under $2.1 billion, up 6.1 percent from the March 2014 quarter. Operating expenditure on core services also rose, to just over $2.1 billion (up 0.9 percent). Investment income, made up of dividend and interest income, drove the rise in operating income. Dividends rose $155.4 million from the March 2014 quarter, and interest income rose $5.6 million in the same period. Rates were down $25.1 million in the June quarter. Operating expenditure increased, mainly due to employee costs (up $17.9 million) and depreciation (up $10.9 million). Offsetting the increases was a fall in purchases and other operating expenditure, down $17.4 million.

September/October 2014

Milk-bioactive skincare product a finalist for Innovation Awards Quantec Ltd is excited to announce that its new product line, Epiology Skincare, has been named as a finalist in The New Zealand Innovators Awards.

piology Anti-Acne Cream was launched into New Zealand pharmacies in April this year. It is a clinically proven line of skincare targeted toward older teens and young adults with mild to moderate acne who have found regular use of common anti-acne treatments leaves their skin dried out, red and irritated. Epiology Anti-Acne Cream contains a novel, active proteinbased ingredient sourced from New Zealand milk. Quantec Ltd has shown its patented set of bioactive proteins and enzymes, found in raw whole milk, is effective in alleviating conditions where certain bacterial infections lead to significant inflammatory conditions, such as acne. Founder and managing director of Quantec Ltd, Dr Rod Claycomb, explains that: “We are delighted to be a finalist in this year’s awards and it is excellent to be selected alongside some of the most innovative companies in New Zealand.” Dr Claycomb said, the company chose to launch its first skincare product into the acne market because, “although the acne market is large and dominated by a number of multinational companies, when we took a closer look, we realised

there has been little innovation in terms of new ingredients to treat acne over the past several years. “More importantly, the acne market is a rather under-served market of adult acne sufferers who feel the treatments, which are targeted towards teenagers, are often unsuitable to older, more sensitive adult skin. “It appears from the demand for our product in pharmacies in New Zealand, that we were correct,” said Rod. During 2012, Quantec completed an 84 subject, randomised and controlled trial of subjects with mild to moderate acne in the US. Overall, the clinical trial results demonstrated the benefits of using Epiology Anti-Acne Cream to help people with acne prone skin. The study showed Epiology Anti-Acne Cream - containing just one percent of its dairy based active ingredient called IDP® provided subjects with a clearer and brighter complexion without irritation or redness and is particularly suitable for those with sensitive skin. Rod said: “Quantec was founded on the value that all its products are proven through science and, as such, it was important to us to clinically test the effectiveness of Epiology Anti-

Founder and managing director of Quantec Ltd, Dr Rod Claycomb Acne Cream as an acne prevention prior to developing and launching a commercial acne product.” In January this year, Quantec

Personal Care Ltd partnered with New Zealand retail distributor Pharmabroker Sales Ltd, to distribute the Epiology Skincare to New Zealand pharmacies.

The retail distribution of the Epiology product range is supported by Pharmabroker Sales Ltd throughout New Zealand. (NZ Free: 0508 664 455)

Whoops! In our last issue (August /September) we ran a page lauding the winners of the Waipa Networks Business Awards. In an item about proud winners Gourmet Delicious taking out a double that included the Excellence in Small Business Award and Employee of the Year Award, we had them catering for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the wrong venue. It should have been the Cambridge Town Hall…not the Avantidrome. We all know it is our popular catering company Kerr & Ladbrook who are the caterers for the Avantidrome. If our readers were confused, we hope this clears it up for them.

When the s) e k a t steaks (s are high... It’s good to know your accountant’s got your back The name RWPartners is new in town, but Roger Wilson isn’t. Roger’s been around the region for quite a while, as have many of the accountants at RWPartners. They know the region and the influential sectors that are the very breath of the Waikato, they also understand the passion and commitment you give to your business. RWPartners have a different approach to the average accountancy firm, they welcome challenge and provide innovative thinking with the skills to help your business grow. RWPartners is here to help, and to prove it, your first consultation is absolutely on us, yep it’s free. When you get a moment, phone or pop in and speak to one of the team. 07 889 1365 | 190 Thames Street, Morrinsville office@rwpartners.co.nz |

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Changes to the taxation of employee allowances Changes relating to the way employee allowances are taxed were enacted with the passing of the Taxation (Annual Rates, Employee Allowances, and Remedial Matters) Act on June 30, 2014.

he new legislation contains changes that are intended to provide clarity and certainty around the tax treatment of the provision of accommodation and accommodation allowances (accommodation benefits), meals and clothing provided to employees.

The provision of accommodation benefits, meals and clothing has been cause for concern for Inland Revenue (IRD) in recent years. The old rules were primarily principle-based and therefore subject to interpretation. Taxpayers were interpreting and applying the former rules inconsistently, and arguably, incor-

rectly. Historically, taxpayers and IRD have taken a ‘net benefit approach’ to accommodation benefits provided to employees and have only treated them as subject to tax if the employee was placed in a better position that they otherwise would have been. Using this approach, if an employee received an accommodation benefit while also incurring the cost of a home where they live, then the accommodation or allowance wasn’t subject to tax because they were no better off. In some cases, taxpayers were pushing this to the extreme and therefore the need for changes became apparent. In conjunction with the pass-

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Taxation and the law >

By hayden farrow

Hayden Farrow is a Director in the Tax Team at PricewaterhouseCoopers | Email: hayden.d.farrow@nz.pwc.com ing of the legislation, IRD has released a special report which provides information and examples relating to the new rules which serve as a useful starting point for applying them. A summary of the changes are as follows. Accommodation The starting proposition with accommodation is that the value of board or lodgings provided to an employee is taxable. Equally, the payment of an accommodation allowance is taxable. Therefore, the changes are focused on situations that are going to be non-taxable. In the case of a secondment, where an employee is required to work away from home, accommodation benefits will be exempt if the secondment is for a period of two years or less. This is extended to three years if the secondment is required for work on the creation, enhancement or demolition of a capital asset. There are further exemptions that may apply if the project is in relation to Canterbury earthquake recovery projects or if the person is a new employee. Accommodation benefits provided to employees who are expected to work in more than one workplace on an on-going basis will be tax-exempt and no time limit applies. Several exemptions from the definition of “accommodation” (and are therefore not taxed) exist for situations that are out of the ordinary. The exemptions cover: • Mobile workplaces including ships, trucks or oil rig stations, • Accommodation for shift workers who need to sleep at their workplace, such as fire fighters, ambulance staff and caregivers, • Accommodation provided in remote locations, such as Australian mines where employees are expected to ’fly in and fly out’, and • Even more remote, accommodation at a station in Antarctica. Accommodation benefits provided where an employee is required to stay overnight to attend a work-related meeting, conference or training course will be tax-exempt, with no time limit. The new legislation has also introduced rules governing how to value accommodation when it is caught within the tax net. The market value approach that previously applied remains in place but the rules have been expanded to include variations in certain situations.

If an employee is contributing to the rent paid for their work related accommodation, the taxable value of the accommodation is reduced by the amount of the payment. It is also reduced for any business/work use of the premises. If employees share accommodation, it can be apportioned equally, or unevenly if agreed by the employer and employee, for example where employees have differing room sizes. If an employee is posted overseas, and the value of the accommodation overseas is more than the average or median rental value for accommodation in the vicinity where the employee would live if in New Zealand, it is capped at the New Zealand equivalent and if it is less, the overseas amount is used. Specific valuation rules have been introduced for ministers of religion and accommodation provided to New Zealand Defence force workers. Meals It is standard practice to pay employees for the cost of their meals when they are working away from home. The rationale being that it tends to be more expensive than what they would have paid if they were having a meal at home and the amount might be based on an estimate, or for their actual cost. The question becomes whether all, part or none of the reimbursement is taxable. The new rules introduce a good practical approach by treating as exempt, meal payments for up to three months if an employee is required to work

away from their normal place of work. Payments for working meals and light refreshments consumed while working away from the employers’ premises will also be exempt. Clothing In this case, a ‘tweak’ has been made to the existing rules. Payments to reimburse an employee for the cost of distinctive work clothing, such as uniforms, and payments to cover the cost of plain clothes allowances (if employees are required to wear ordinary clothing instead of their uniform) will be exempt, subject to certain conditions. The new rules generally apply from the 2015 – 2016 income year but they can apply earlier in certain circumstances. The accommodation rules can be backdated to January 1, 2011, to align with a position previously taken before December 6, 2012. Similarly, the rules for work related meal payments can be backdated to April 1, 2011, to align with a previously taken position. Situations will arise that don’t fit squarely within the new rules which reveal the problem with a rules-based approach versus a principle-based approach - it is impossible to have a rule for every situation. Inland Revenue’s special report can be found at http://taxpolicy. ird.govt.nz/publications/2014-sremployee-allowances/overview. The comments in this article of a general nature and should not be relied on for specific cases. Taxpayers should seek specific advice.

What would you do in a disaster? You never know when you might be without power or running water, so this year’s Get Ready Week is a good time to make a plan and get prepared. ‘What would you do?’ is the theme for Get Ready Week, taking place from September 21-27 so schools can take part. “A disaster has the potential to knock out your power and water supply, so it’s important to get ready to get through,” said Waikato Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Controller, Lee Hazlewood. “You can rely on emergency services and civil defence to do their job in a major event, but if the demand is overwhelming it could be days before essential services such as water, power and telecommunications are restored, and damaged roads, rail and bridges are repaired. “With no power or water,

have you considered how you would cook food, pay for supplies from the supermarket and service station, charge your phone, or even go to the toilet? “Putting in place a household emergency plan can help to alleviate fears about potential disasters, and ensuring you have enough emergency items to cope for at least three days will help you to respond safely and quickly when a disaster happens” Mr Hazlewood said. For more information about Get Ready Week, as well as for some handy activities and resources for children and adults, visit www.waikatoregioncdemg.govt.nz. You can also keep up-to-date with the latest Waikato civil defence group information by visiting our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ WaikatoCivilDefence or following us on Twitter, @ CivilDefenceWKT.

Waikato Branch – Upcoming events/courses The Institute of Directors in New Zealand (IoD) promotes excellence in corporate governance, represents directors’ interests and facilitates their professional development through education and training.

1 October

New Members Welcome Lunch (Invitation only) 12.00pm, Gallagher Lounge, Waikato Stadium

22 October

Waikato Branch and Progressive Agri Lunch Function

'Handling Health and Safety for your farming business' 12.00pm, Waipa Workingmen's Club, 139 Albert Park Drive, Te Awamutu

30 October

Lunch function with guest speaker Peter Williams, TVNZ 12.00pm, Radio Sport Lounge, Waikato Stadium Waikato branch is kindly sponsored by:

To register, please contact: Megan Beveridge, Branch Manager Waikato.branch@iod.org.nz, 021 358772 or www.iod.org.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Mooloo legal man proud to lead drive to lift Waikato Research Fund to $5 million Local Lawyer and senior partner of Tompkins Wake Hamilton Peter De Luca is proud to be leading the drive to lift the Waikato Medical Research Foundation’s research fund to $5 million. By Mike Blake

true Mooloo man, Peter was born in Hamilton and educated here before studying for his law degree at Auckland University. He got his legal start in 1974 and moved back to Hamilton in 1977 when he joined the local firm of Swarbrick Dixon and stayed until 1988. He became a partner in Tompkins Wake in 1989. The name De Luca is Italian and Peter’s great grandfather came to New Zealand in 1872. His grandparents farmed in Waikato and his parents followed in their footsteps, buying a dairy unit at Matangi. While Peter had experience on the farm he set his mind on the legal profession and over the years became a director of many significant companies throughout Waikato and Bay of Plenty as well as some further afield. “In my position as a lawyer I fix problems for people and their businesses,” said Peter. “As a director of a variety of entities I am continually fascinated by the twists and turns involved at board table level.”

Peter was chair of Magic Netball. And he claims one of the best moments of his life came when the Magic won the ANZ Championship in Melbourne. But the position was draining for Peter as when he does a job he puts everything into making sure it works...just as he does with the Waikato Medical Research Foundation. Peter became involved with the Foundation Appeal in 2012 and has played a leading role in the fundraising appeal since that time. One of the major appeals for Peter was that any monies donated to the WMRF Research Fund go directly into the fund and remain there forever. Only the investment income generated from the fund is used for qualifying medical and health related research projects. Another benefit that appealed to Peter is that the Foundation is not typical of many other not-for-profit charitable organisations in that it is a very “lean” organisation in terms of costs and overheads. Apart from one part-time administration assistant all others involved in the day-to-day running of the Foundation are volunteers. It does not own or

Peter De Luca lease buildings or vehicles and so its overheads are extremely minimal thus maximising the investment potential of donations to the fund. The Foundation is a registered charitable trust formed in 1986 with the primary purpose of supporting, teaching and encouraging medical and other health research in Waikato. The Foundation is based at the Waikato Clinical School at Waikato Hospital. Over the years, the research has included close collaboration with major Waikato institutions including Waikato Hospital, Waikato University, WINTEC, AgResearch Centre Ruakura and the Waikato Clinical School. Waikato is a major centre for the training of health professionals. This is only possible because we have a cadre of research-active health professionals based in the region.

Local medical and health researchers are involved in training the next generation, whether it is medical, nursing, allied health or psychology students. Research is a genuine recruitment tool for attracting quality health professionals to the region. In addition to the benefits of the critical thinking of those professionals, patients chosen for studies often benefit from participation in research projects. A primary example of this would be the “Hawthorne Effect” where participants alter their behaviour as a result of being a part of research or study. Each year the Foundation invites research proposals from local researchers related to health and medical issues. These are carefully considered by the Foundation grants committee and projects are selected in line with set criteria. This multi-disciplinary committee is able to provide feedback on ranking and how grant applications can be improved. In addition, this committee can assist other groups when evaluating the worthiness of research funding requests. Innovative research projects that have the potential to significantly benefit the health and well-being of the wider community are also considered. The Foundation works closely with local health care organisations such as the Waikato DHB, The Cancer

Society and Braemar Trust. The Foundation’s close connection with the Waikato Clinical School provides a valuable resource for the Waikato medical community via education and training for selected medical and clinical staff. The next stage in development of medicine in the region is a sustainable research programme. The WMRF trustees administer a fund of $1.3 million. This is insufficient to meet the ever increasing demand for medical research funding. For example, in the 2013 funding round the Foundation received applications for more than $350,000, but given its limited resources and even with generous assistance from Trust Waikato was only able to fund a little more than $145,000. In 2012, the trustees accordingly commissioned a major gift fundraising appeal aimed at lifting the available funding to at least $5 million. Feasibility research conducted before the commencement of the appeal indicated that for such an appeal to be successful there would need to be significant financial support and endorsement from the Waikato medical fraternity, the business and corporate community and the regional rural community. Under Peter’s guidance, two fundraising teams comprising a number of prominent business people and medical professionals have been operating for some time encourag-

ing support for the appeal. To date, thanks to the hard work of the fundraising teams and generous supporters, the research fund has been lifted to more than $3 million. A regional fundraising team has recently been brought together comprising senior representatives from within the rural and business community. This team is charged with assisting the Foundation to reach out to organisations, trusts, and individuals throughout Waikato and to encourage their financial support and endorsement for the research fund appeal. Patrons of the Foundation are Sir William and Lady Judi Gallagher. The fundraising appeal is a call to all sectors of the community to support the trustees’ efforts to provide the region with a fund that will support health research funding needs, for today and for many years to come. You can also read more about the Foundation or make an online donation at www. wmrf.org.nz Should you wish to discuss any particular aspect of the Foundation or the proposed Fund Development Programme, please feel free to make contact with: Peter De Luca WMRF Fundraising Appeal chair Email: pdeluca@tomwake. co.nz Mobile: 021 998 327 Russell Mayhew, WMRF fundraising manager Email: fundraiser@xtra.co.nz Mobile 0274 741 034

CKL Congratulates New Staff Appointments The directors of CKL Planning | Surveying | Engineering are pleased to announce the following team appointments. Jonathan Gwyn – Associate / Hamilton Survey Manager Jonathan was recently appointed as an Associate. Jonathan has 11 years experience in surveying and land development, honed in both the Te Awamutu and Hamilton offices. He is now working from CKL’s Hamilton office (formerly Survey Manager in Te Awamutu).

Andrew Wood – Senior Planner Andrew returns to CKL after two years of fast paced work experience in the London borough of Merton. The Hamilton office is pleased to benefit from his environmental and coastal planning expertise.

Hamish Ross – Associate / Te Awamutu Survey Manager Hamish Ross joined CKL in 2004 and was appointed as an Associate in 2011. Hamish, a Te Awamutu local, is now working from CKL’s Te Awamutu office. A Licensed Cadastral Surveyor, Hamish also specialises in engineering design and contract administration.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Know what makes you happy L ast month we met Penny, who was busy applying three keys to happiness to her work situation: • Doing every task to the best of her ability • Putting equal effort into each task • Paying full attention to just one thing at a time Let’s continue her story to see how Penny’s approach to the pursuit of Happiness is playing out in the rest of her life. Discovering that she was gaining so much enjoyment from applying Happiness Habits at work, Penny decided to explore the subject further. She started to ask her friends “What are the things that make you happy?” She received some interesting replies and discovered that people she knew fell into two distinct groups. The differences between them were so marked that she nicknamed them “The Happy Campers” and the “Moaning Minnies”. The “Moaning Minnies” were personified by Joe, who simply didn’t know what made him happy. He was able to say what made unhappy at great length however: his work, his relationship, his boss and his family were all giving him grief of one type or another. And his health wasn’t too great either. At 35 he seemed to have settled down to endure his working week, living for weekends, which seemed to be filled with large amounts of alcohol, pizzas and DVDs. None of these things seem to make him genuinely happy however, and she concluded that basically they were ways

to avoid facing and doing something about his fundamental boredom and lack of fulfilment. The “Happy Campers” were represented by Susie. When Susie was asked what made her happy, she immediately listed 10 things, ranging from gardening, through going for a walk with her family, to having coffee with friends. (In case my male readers are feeling unfairly represented, the “Moaning Minnies” also included Gina and several other women, and there were a significant number of men among the “Happy Campers”.) Susie was excited by Penny’s question and asked what had prompted it. When Penny explained how she was building happiness at work, and was wanting to understand happiness better, she was really enthused and suggested they meet up regularly to swap notes and learn from each other. She explained that she made her “Happiness List” several years ago, and had deliberately included things ranging in price from free up to a self-imposed price limit of $10, and things that ranged in time from two or three minutes up to half a day or longer. She knew that if she included a good number of things that were easily affordable and which took only a few minutes, that her goal of giving herself one or two of these “Happiness Treats”

each day would be easier to achieve. Penny went home and created her own list of “Happiness Treats”. She followed Susie’s advice and included some activities she could do on her own, some with other people, and a range of prices and lengths of time. She tells me that having started thinking this way, she is regularly adding to her list,

Peak Potential Tips >

by jasmine sampson

Jasmine Sampson is a Peak Potential Coach based in Hamilton. Contact her via her website www.JasmineSampson.com and these daily rewards bring some sparkle into even the most routine or difficult day. Are you feeling inspired? Here are some guidelines to get you started on your own list: • Choose a range of activities – some to do on your own, others with favourite people. • Include a range of times, from really short e.g. two

to three minutes up to twothree hours. • Include a range of prices from free to $20. • Write it up, and put it somewhere where you will see it easily. Keep your list updated and give yourself two or three treats every day. I guarantee it will lift your spirits and improve your focus and energy for the rest of your day.

And a final tip – beware of using these treats only as ‘rewards for work well done.’ You will receive greater benefit by being ‘nice to yourself’ on a daily basis, regardless of whether or not you are living up to your own expectations. (Having finished this article, I’m off for one of my own treats – a 15 minute tea break in the sun)

Victoria University and MetService partner to train skilled forecasters Victoria University of Wellington will offer the country’s first Master’s degree in meteorology, in partnership with New Zealand’s official weather forecaster MetService. The course, which will start in 2016, will be taught by Dr James McGregor and Associate Professor James Renwick from Victoria’s School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, along with four adjunct lecturers from MetService. “Victoria has always been at the forefront of meteorology study in New Zealand— we’re lucky to be just a 10 minute walk to MetService,” says Dr McGregor, the director of the meteorology programme.

He says in terms of international standing, the Master’s of Meteorology will be highly regarded, and is certainly in keeping with World Meteorological Organisation recommendations. “We’re pretty excited to be working with MetService on this. Universities are often described as ivory towers, but an industry collaboration like this has real-world relevancy,” he says. Chris We b s t e r, MetService’s Manager of meteorological capability, says he is looking forward to further collaboration with Victoria. “The Masters programme is the next step in a long and fruitful relationship between MetService and Victoria

University. The programme recognises the world-class facilities and expertise that are used to educate our new professional meteorologists.” Dr McGregor says the collaboration has been a long time in the making. “We have a relationship with MetService that dates back around 30 years. We have taught the course work—basic meteorology and theoretical work—and practical application has been done at MetService. Now we’re developing that practical work to become part of the university course structure. “It’s the logical conclusion to the decades that we’ve worked with MetService and the Memorandum of Understanding we signed

with them in 1998. “It will be great for the students as it will formally recognise most of the additional work they’ve been doing at MetService and include it as part of their qualification.” Dr McGregor says demand for weather forecasting services is higher than ever before. “Local authorities, farmers, businesses, outdoor enthusiasts and the general public are all wanting more frequent, specific and accurate forecasts. That, coupled with better measurements from satellites and weather radars and improved computer modelling, means there’s a real need for more highly skilled people to interpret the data.”

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Business bankers Eddie and Craig make switch to a 100 percent All-Kiwi team “If you want a safe job through life, my boy, join a bank.” By Mike Blake

his earnest statement came from my granddad many years ago as he and I walked down the main street of Hastings, the Fruit Bowl of New Zealand. And it stuck with me. But what happened? I became a journalist. I guess that’s life. In the course of doing business over the years I have come in contact with many bankers. In their hands were the keys to your future in the forms of a loan for your business…a mortgage for your first home… or an overdraft in times of that overseas experience. It was a case of dressing up in suit and tie and going capin-hand to see Mr What’s His Name…always Mr, back then. So what’s changed today?

The rapidly changing world of electronics has streamlined almost all banking processes. Certainly you have to meet the bankers. But these days they will come to you. It’s called Business Banking and all the different ‘colours’ have their teams of experienced business managers. It was at a recent Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business after Five gathering that I bumped into two well known faces in the Hamilton business banking world. I noticed their banking ‘colour’ had changed from red to green and I was inquisitive to find out what prompted them to make the switch. Many Hamilton business people will know Eddie Stocks and Craig Morrison from their days before joining the business banking team at Kiwibank.

Both agree they are impressed with the philosophy of this 100 percent Kiwiowned bank. “When your personal values align with the values of your employer and even better, your bank, you know you’re in the right place,” says Eddie. “Kiwibank has a fundamental belief – New Zealand is a place of prosperity and potential. Our cause is bigger than banking and we’re genuinely motivated to help make Kiwis better off. “We entered the market in 2002 and were successful in bringing a new sense of value for customers,” said Eddie. “Banking as a whole has changed for the better because of Kiwibank,” said Craig. “This has resulted in Kiwibank becoming a leader in banking functionality, price and value, innovation and convenience. Kiwibank is now classified as a “major bank” by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.

Business bankers Craig Mornson (left) and Eddie Stocks in Hamilton's Victoria street “Major bank” by classifica- around the country. Eddie and tion but not by attitude!” Craig have joined a team of “We know our customers seven dedicated business manexpect banking to be simple, agers, with more than 120 years' accessible and convenient. experience between them. They want expert advice when This gives a snapshot of how it’s needed and we’re committed the banking game has changed. to providing that,” said Craig. Your business banking Kiwibank’s local business manager comes to you. He or banking centre is one of 14 she knows your business and

is there to assist. I wonder what my granddad, who spent his life in the NZ Post Office – from telegraph delivery boy to Chief Postmaster, would have thought about it today? For more information on Kiwibank go to www.kiwibank. co.nz

Gallagher Rotary Awards 2014 - Recognising Excellence in Industry Training “From small beginnings good things happen”

rom an idea on how to honour the memory of the Founder of a high profile local firm – C.F.Reese Plumbing Ltd., an annual event is held to award a scholarship to an employee of that company who through commitment to training has achieved excellence. Twelve years later the concept has grown significantly to the level that now eight firms annually present an award to an employee who has, through proven skills and commitment to the job, achieved excellence in their chosen industry. The partnership that has been formed between local service club, Frankton Rotary, and local industry gives a

unique opportunity for a high profile event to be held at a special venue, in this case the Atrium at Wintec’s City Campus and provides an unforgettable experience to all the award recipients. Each award given is recognition to that recipient that they have the potential to become industry managers of the future. Every level in industry requires training and we need to identify and recognise when an employee achieves above the norm. Life can be described as a series of memories. This event creates a memory that the award recipients will have for the rest of their lives. Rotary engages in com-

munity projects all the time. Some are high profile while others just happen. Rotary is extremely pleased to facilitate this type of event as it rewards special achievers in our community. It provides a platform to award commitment and the desire to do well. All employers who have skill-based training systems in place are welcome to be part of this annual celebration. We welcome large or small companies to showcase their businesses alongside other industry leaders. Each company has time on stage to make their own award presentation. You are invited to be part of the event this year, either by participation or just attend to verify that future involvement will be a must

Richard jumps from CFO to CEO at HCC Hamilton City Council recently promoted its chief financial officer, Richard Briggs to the position of chief executive. Richard takes over the role from retiring CEO Barry Harris on October 17. He was selected from 36 high-profile applicants from New Zealand and Australia. Mayor Julie Hardaker said she and councillors were pleased to welcome Richard as the new CEO. “He has done an outstanding job as the chief financial officer,” she said. “We are looking forward to working with him as the city embarks on a period of tremendous growth and investment.” Richard is a chartered accountant who has been in his current role at council for the past two years. Before joining the council executive management team, Richard was a senior manager with Fonterra for eight years, including working in the

Richard is a chartered accountant who has been in his current role at council for the past two years.”

Richard Briggs United States as USA finance manager. At Fonterra he was involved in both commercial and financial areas, and as an export manager. Earlier in his career, Richard spent nine years with Audit New Zealand, begin-

ning as an assistant auditor, rising to associate director and becoming part of the senior management team in the northern region. Richard graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accountancy) and last year completed post-graduate qualifications in management governance at the University of Waikato. He is a member of the Chartered Accountants of Australia and New Zealand and the Institute of Directors New Zealand.

for you. We also invite you to contact any of the sponsoring companies identified in the event flyer displayed in this publication.

The Gallagher Rotary Awards 2014 event details are; Date: Tuesday, November 11. Time: 6.30pm Venue: Atrium – Wintec City

Campus. For tickets or more info please contact Des Meads (event co-ordinator) Ph. 07 853 2360 or mob 021 08358312 Or des.meads@clear.net.nz

Gallagher Rotary Gallagher Rotary Awards 20 1 4 Awards 20 1 4 Training” Gallagher Rotary “Recognising Excellence in Industry

“Recognising Excellence in Industry Training”

Awards 2014

Tuesday, 11th November, 2014 at 6.30p.m.

The Atrium (WintecinCity Campus). “Recognising Excellence Industry Training” Dress: Collar and Tie event The Atrium (Wintec City Campus).

Tuesday, 11th November, Dress: Collar and Tie2014 event at 6.30p.m.

This prestigious event showcases companies committed to industry training The Atrium (Wintec City Campus). awarding their new or existing trainees, who have proven skills training and This and prestigious event showcases companies committed to industry Collar and Tie event passion, to achieve within their industry. and awarding their newDress: or excellence existing trainees, whochosen have proven skills and

passion, to achieve excellence withincommitted their chosen industry. This event companies to please industry training To prestigious purchase tickets toshowcases attend or to find our further details contact: and awarding new or existing trainees, whoofhave provenon skills and Robin their Wilkinson (President, Rotary Club Frankton) To purchase tickets to attend or to find our further detailsindustry. please contact: passion, to achieve excellence theiror chosen robin@robinhood.net.nz. or phone 07within 846 6660 mobile 0274 824745. Robin Wilkinson (President, Rotary Club of Frankton) on Meads (Director, Club of Frankton) on To purchaseDes tickets to attend or toRotary find please robin@robinhood.net.nz. or phone 07 our 846 further 6660 ordetails mobile 0274contact: 824745. des.meads@clear.net.nz or phone 07 853 2360 or mobile 021 0835 8312. Robin Wilkinson (President, Rotary Club of Frankton) Des Meads (Director, Rotary Club of Frankton) onon robin@robinhood.net.nz. phone0707853 8462360 6660or or mobile 021 02740835 824745. des.meads@clear.net.nz oror phone 8312. The Gallagher Rotary Industry Awards rely on the mobile active participation of

Des Meads (Director, Rotary Club of Frankton) on all our Sponsors. des.meads@clear.net.nz or phone 07 853 2360 or 021 0835 8312. The Gallagher Rotary themobile active participation Without their help Industry we couldAwards not holdrely thison annual event to celebrate of all our “Excellence in Sponsors. Industry The Gallagher Rotary Industry Awards relyTraining.” on the active participation of

Without their help we could not hold this annual event to celebrate all our Sponsors. EVENT SPONSOR “Excellence in Industry Training.” Without their help we could not hold this annual event to celebrate “Excellence in Industry Training.” EVENT SPONSOR EVENT SPONSOR

AWARDS SPONSORS

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FRANKTON

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

‘Buddies’ in business: Influencing Child Matters communities >

Buddy Day - New Zealand’s unique child abuse prevention awareness day is back on November 14 for the fourth year in a row. By Summer Reid

uddy Day is a fun event you can participate in to help deliver a very important message – ‘all adults have a role to play in keeping kids safe.’ Businesses play a significant role in the success of delivering this message by leveraging their influence with mainstream New Zealanders to help tackle the issue of child abuse. Many Waikato businesses may have seen, or even adopted, one of the hundreds of lifesize cardboard cut-out children - ‘Buddies’ – for Buddy Day in previous years. Decorated by local school children, Buddies are adopted by adult ‘Buddy Carers’ on November 14, who take their Buddies with them everywhere they go. The spectacle naturally opens up conversations with people you see throughout the day about what every adult can do in their everyday lives to protect the wellbeing of children. This year’s event will see more than 1500 Buddies adopted by business and community leaders in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington. The involvement of busi-

nesses in Buddy Day provides a number of benefits, including allowing you to demonstrate social conscience, support your local community, and make a difference in lives of children and families. For businesses wanting to demonstrate their social conscience, involvement in Buddy Day ticks all the boxes. Buddy Day provides a perfect opportunity for businesses to show their support for preventing child abuse in New Zealand while giving back to the community. This fun day provides the added bonus of gaining significant exposure for your business by being associated with a high profile community event. For principal sponsor, Sovereign, Buddy Day aligns with its existing community programme which aims to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders. Intervention programmes are important for Sovereign, because the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders has a direct impact on its business and the communities in which it operates. Sovereign has adopted Buddy Day as a workplace initiative, driving the key messages of the event internally and encouraging staff to influence five or more people outside of their

work environment to participate in Buddy Day. Another business involved in Buddy Day is Harcourts Hamilton. When Hamilton general manager Brian King was initially approached in 2011 to provide the vital service of ‘Buddy Couriers’ – picking up Buddies from schools throughout New Zealand – he said it was a “no brainer.” His agents often see the end result of people living with abuse and neglect when they visit their homes. That’s why they are 100 percent on board with the event. The Harcourts Hamilton team has since inspired their colleagues around the country to

Child Matters, New Zealand’s specialist child abuse prevention organisation get behind Buddy Day. Buddy Day is a true community participation event – the focus is on raising awareness of child abuse not fundraising. And the success of Buddy Day relies significantly on the involvement of businesses. That’s because business people have influence throughout the wider community. For instance, many have children of their own; they are on boards; many are involved with sporting organisations; they employ staff who have families and more. When business people

New Zealand sheep and beef farmers can look forward to a positive 2014-15 season, according to analysis recently released by Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) Economic Service. B+LNZ Economic Service executive director, Rob Davison says the season’s favourable climatic conditions so far, expected higher product prices and a more export-friendly exchange rate collectively translate to improved returns for the country’s sheep and beef farmers. New Season Outlook 201415 predicts the average sheep and beef farm profit before tax will increase 8.0 percent on last season, to $110,800.

Mr Davison says a 6.3 percent lift in sheep revenue is largely responsible for the increase, while total farm expenditure should only rise by an average of 2.3 percent. The international economy plays a significant role, with global growth expected to reach 3.4 percent this year and 4.0 per cent during 2015. “While New Zealand is now in its fourth year of expansion, prospects in other developed economies are gradually improving,” Mr Davison says. The three major currencies in which New Zealand agricultural products are mostly traded – the US dollar, Euro and British pound – are all expected

Tariki farmers Jacqueline and Robin Blackwell mid-1990s. In the past five years they have also protected two peat swamp areas. Totalling 1.5ha each, these areas have been covenanted to QEII National Trust. BFEA judges were impressed with their commitment to the environment and their efforts to encourage biodiversity. Robin says the BFEA endorsement of their farming operation was very welcome, and he and Jacqueline have since been farming with a renewed vigour that comes with “knowing you are on the right track”. The Blackwells enjoyed the judging process and were impressed with the calibre of the judges.

participate in Buddy Day, a wider section of our community is influenced by the event’s key message: all adults have a role to play in keeping kids safe. Sign up today to be a Buddy carer and get involved. REGISTER YOUR BUSINESS TO BE PART OF BUDDY DAY 2014 All adults have a role to play in keeping kids safe... Be a part of Buddy Day 2014 and help share this important message. There are many ways you

can participate: • Register as a Buddy ‘Carer’ to adopt a Buddy on November 14 • Get your team involved in the day through our Buddies at work programme • Encourage your children’s school to become Buddy ‘Creators’ • Join the conversation about Buddy Day on our Facebook page • Become a Buddy Day sponsor Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Positive season coming for sheep and beef farmers

Farmers have plenty to gain from Ballance Farm Awards Tariki farmers Robin and Jacqueline Blackwell are glad they got the opportunity to enter the inaugural Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards. The Blackwells, who run a sheep, beef and dairy grazing operation on 658ha north east of Stratford, had followed the farming competition with interest in previous years. “We were very pleased when we heard the Awards were coming here,” said Robin. “It was a great pleasure to enter the inaugural Taranaki competition, and we found it a very rewarding experience.” The Blackwells were “over the moon” to win four category awards - the Beef+Lamb New Zealand Livestock Award, Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, Taranaki Regional Council Sustainability Award and the Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award. Ballance Farm Environment Award (BFEA) judges praised their positive approach to farming, their infectious enthusiasm and their wide awareness of all areas affecting their farming operation. The Donaghys Farm Stewardship Award recognises farmers who have created special places on the farm by protecting or enhancing areas such as wetlands, landscape features or historic places. Farmers must also demonstrate management systems that improve productivity and sustainability. The Blackwells began fencing and planting riparian areas and erosion-prone slopes in the

speaking up for children

“We really valued their postcompetition feedback. They looked at our strengths and weaknesses and gave us advice on how we could improve.” One of their immediate priorities is to covenant more native bush. “That’s something we would have done eventually, but our involvement with the Awards has encouraged us to crack into it much sooner.” Robin says he and Jacqueline enjoyed mingling with other entrants on awards night. “It was a wonderfully run event and the atmosphere was excellent.” The Blackwells want to

encourage other farmers to enter the 2015 Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards because it is such a positive and rewarding event to be involved with. “It’s easy to become tunnelvisioned when you are so heavily focused on the day- to-day running of the farm. But this competition makes you take an in-depth look at your business and think about where you want to take it in future.” Entries for the 2015 Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards close on October 17, 2014. Entering the competition is easy and entry forms are available online at www.bfea.org.nz

to strengthen against the New Zealand dollar over the next 12 months. Farm-gate prices for lamb and mutton are forecast to average $103 and $79 per head, respectively, up $3 on 2013-14 provisional prices. Mr Davison says that, while total sheep numbers are back on last season, the number of lambs tailed this spring is estimated to be similar to last spring – at 25.6 million head – reflecting kind climatic conditions. “However, export lamb production is forecast to decrease by 2.6 percent, as farmers opt to hold onto more ewe hoggets as replacement breeding stock which is a positive indicator for the sector.”

Meanwhile, export mutton processing is forecast to drop by 21 percent over the coming year – a correction on last year, when dry conditions in the north and dairy expansion in the south saw larger numbers of ewes processed than usual. Bull, steer and heifer farmgate prices per kilogram are forecast to increase 8.5 percent. Overall, the value of beef and veal meat exports is expected to increase by 5.5 percent on last season. This reflects total volumes dropping 3.6 percent, while average values rise 9.4 percent, on the back of expected higher international prices and a more favourable exchange rate.

Tertiary Action Plan targets better education Local industry, community groups and education providers in the wider Bay of Plenty have come together to form a collective action plan for tertiary education and research in the region and are seeking input from the wider community. The Tertiary Action Plan (TAP) has been established to define a collective vision, strategy and desired actions for tertiary education delivery that is closely aligned with local industry needs and the community in the region. Chairman Bill Wasley says the TAP is a regional initiative and takes a Bay-wide approach, in order to best meet the education and research needs of Bay of Plenty people, businesses and communities. “The aim of the plan is to propose how the region’s tertiary providers, along with government agencies, economic development agencies, iwi, industry and community groups can work in partnership. “Key objectives include increasing tertiary education participation and attainment in the region, particularly for Maori, developing a highly educated and skilled workforce that is aligned to regional needs, and facilitating research for sector development and innovation to help support overall economic growth and community development in the region. “In order for the action plan to have the most impact and

achieve these objectives, it is essential that all facets of the community have input into the strategy and that is why we are seeking feedback.” He says the plan will provide clear guidance for institutions, industry and regional agencies – both collectively and individually – as to current and future tertiary education requirements and how they might fill any gaps or leverage opportunities. As well as being a regional initiative, the TAP also contributes to the government’s National Tertiary Education Strategy, and has been designed to bring the national strategy to life, making it relevant to the Bay of Plenty region and people. The TAP is supported by the Bay of Plenty Tertiary Education Partnership (which includes Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi, Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, University of Waikato and Waiariki Institute of Technology), local industry and local government (Bay of Plenty Regional Council, SmartGrowth, Priority One, Grow Rotorua, Toi EDA and Taupo District Council). The plan incorporates the regions of Eastern and Western Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupo, and is overseen by a reference group consisting of representatives from each of these regions. For more information, visit www.bayofconnections.com and click on the Sector Strategy tab.

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

The disturbing increase in ‘experts’ On September 3 this year, an article appeared in NZ Lawyer magazine entitled Incompetent non-solicitor and barrister advocates causing concern.

t raised the on-going issue of lay advocates/consultants representing parties in the employment law jurisdiction. In the Employment Relations Authority and the Employment Court, parties can instruct a lawyer, represent themselves or be represented by anyone else of their choosing. There is no requirement that the representative be a lawyer, hold any formal qualifications/ certification or belong to any industry association which regulates and upholds standards. Historically, the reasons for this were to make the employment law jurisdiction more accessible to the ‘common’ person and to ensure that a party (specifically an employee) would not be prevented from seeking justice merely because they could not afford to pursue the matter in court. Unfortunately, this has spawned a cottage industry of self-declared employment law ‘experts’, ‘consultants’ and ‘advisors’ whose knowledge, qualifications and experience, in many cases, can be highly questionable. Basically, there is nothing to prevent someone from being a carpenter one day and declaring themselves an ‘employment law expert’ the next. For the unsuspecting client, who may mistakenly believe that their advocate is in fact an expert with substantial knowledge on employment law, the results can be disastrous. The article has generated considerable debate with lawyers arguing they are fed up with having to deal with unethical, incompetent advocates who lack the knowledge and skills to be representing their clients and the advocates arguing that the criticisms are nothing more than lawyers trying to ‘protect their patch.’ Examples that I have personally encountered confirm that while some advocates are fine, many are not. I have taken over matters where an advocate has advised an employer to embark on a course of action that completely contradicts what the law permits resulting in significant loss to the employer in the Authority. The defence that an employer had paid for and was following what they thought was sound legal advice (and many of these advocates are charging similar

rates to lawyers) does not get the employer off the hook. One problem is that an unsuspecting client has no idea how good the advice they have been receiving is until they appear before the Authority or Court. They may go on receiving advice from a consultant for years and be lucky enough to never be called on to defend it in court. It is similar to not knowing how good your insurance company is until your house burns down and you try to make a claim. I have had a lay advocate file a falsified document as evidence with the Authority. We had provided him with the original signed document but he had filed an unsigned document with a crucial sentence removed. Another advocate failed to appear for his client at mediation. After an hour of waiting, the mediator managed to contact him only to discover that the advocate, who was charging on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, had ceased to represent this client as a payout was looking unlikely. He had

Employment Law Focus >

Associate with Norris Ward McKinnon and specialises in Employment law and Occupational Health & Safety. Email: erin.burke@nwm.co.nz / www.nwm.co.nz just not bothered to inform her of this. Yet another advocate turned up for a hearing before the Authority with all the appearances of being intoxicated and with no documents at all, not even his client’s witness briefs which the witnesses need to refer to and swear to under oath. What is particularly dangerous about this increasingly widespread problem is that where the advocate gets it wrong, leaving their client with an adverse and costly legal judgment, the advocate can then just move on to his/her next client. There is no association or industry body to complain to, they haven’t broken any law and most do not carry professional indemnity insurance. If a lawyer gets things wrong then the client can complain to the NZ Law Society, and where a complaint is upheld, the lawyer may be required to compensate the client, may be required to work under supervision and may even face suspension or

New Zealand set to sail into busy cruise season New Zealand ports will welcome a flotilla of cruise ships over the coming months, with more than 560 ship visits scheduled around the nation, according to the peak cruise industry body. As the popularity of cruise holidays continues to surge, figures compiled by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia show that its member cruise lines will have 24 ships making a total of 564 calls to New Zealand ports between October this year and end of April, 2015. Among the fleet of arrivals will be two ships making their maiden visits to New Zealand: Silversea Cruises’ Silver Discoverer, which will arrive in Auckland on November 21 and Compagnie du Ponant’s L’Austral which will arrive in the country on January 14, 2015 when she sails into Milford Sound. Across the country there will be an impressive 16 maiden port visits, with inaugural ports ranging from Auckland and Wellington

by ERIN BURKE

through to Auckland Island and Campbell Island. CLIA Australasia general manager Brett Jardine said two ships would make six roundtrip cruises from New Zealand over the summer: Silver Discoverer and P&O Cruises’ Pacific Pearl, while other cruise lines including Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and Celebrity Cruises will offer a series of voyages between Auckland and Sydney taking in many New Zealand ports along the way. Brett said New Zealand remained a popular destination for cruise ships, attracting more than 550 visits from member cruise lines for each of the past three summer cruise seasons. The body’s latest figures show New Zealand is one of the world’s fastest growing passenger source markets with the number of New Zealand cruisers rising by 23 percent to an all-time high of 59,316 in 2013.

be struck off in the worst case scenario. Lawyers can also carry significant amounts of indemnity insurance. What was also interesting about the heated comments which flowed from this article is that the ‘lay advocate’ problem is now appearing in a number of other areas outside of employment law including complaints of unqualified accounting

experts, expert advisors on EQC claims in Christchurch and advocates claiming to be specialists in ACC reviews. If you do decide to engage an advocate over a lawyer, is there any way to ensure that your nonlawyer advisor is the expert they claim to be? First, you could try searching for them on LinkedIn. If their profile history starts relatively recently and there is

little or no history before their involvement in the field they claim to be an expert in, this may well raise a red flag. Also, note whether they list any relevant qualifications? A Google search such as ‘Joe Blogs Hamilton NZ’ may also provide for interesting reading and help to reassure or redirect you depending on what your search turns up. You may also wish to ask them in advance what relevant qualifications and experience they have and how much professional indemnity insurance they carry. Erin Burke is an Associate in the Litigation & Employment team. erin.burke@nwm.co.nz

Bright young woman joins our top team Being tasked with writing a profile on one of your own (work wise that is), sometimes isn’t as easy as it sounds. Anyway, as instructed, I lined up the latest advertising consultant to join our team, Candra Hansen, and firstly discovered a sportswoman of some repute. From age 11 Candra became a national level swimmer and continued for 15 years, right through to October last year when study and work consumed the majority of her time. She passed her secondary school years at Mt Maunganui College before crossing the Kaimai Ranges to study part time at the University of Waikato and working whatever spare time she could arrange. With a big smile Candra admitted that she ‘enjoyed the money more than the study’ so cross-credited her university time to Massey University. While she hasn’t finished her degree, there is still time. Being a pretty smart operator, Candra put her head down and completed a Diploma in Marketing with Shaw Academy and is also completing a Diploma in Business with Massey. She admits to having a passion for advertising. “At home, I was the

Candra Hansen one who turned the television advertisements up when the family wanted them down,” she said. Most recently Candra managed the Anytime Fitness gym in Hamilton, running its social media presence before taking on the job for the whole of the New Zealand franchise. “I was also involved in selling gym memberships which taught me a lot about sales in general and built up a sound business network,” she said. It became time for a change and when she

saw the Waikato Business Publications was looking for an advertising sales consultant she thought it was worth a try. She flew through the initial interview process and finds she can handle those who say ‘no’ and gets a great buzz from those who say ‘yes’. “I have found that I touch base with many business people from my past network,” she said. Candra is keen and bright, so don’t be surprised if you receive a call or email from her in the near future.

ClarenCe MediCal Centre Friendly boutique practice with two doctors: dr Preetha Varma MBBS FRNZCGP 16 years experience as a GP with a special interest in diabetes and cardiovascular health. dr nidhi Singh MBBS FRNZCGP 11 years experience as a GP with a special interest in women and children.

Teaching practice for University of Auckland. Silver award given by Midland health network for last year.

Benefits: • Ability to see your own doctor on the day • Short waiting time • Same day prescriptions and receptionists take your calls, not machines • Easier access to private specialist care Services: • Older persons care • Cardiac/diabetic screening and follow up • Nurse consultations with lifestyle and diet advice • Smears, immunisations, travel vaccinations • Womens/mens and child health check ups • Skin check, removal services and cryotherapy • ECG for heart check and 24 hour blood pressure monitoring services • Palliative care

Enrolling nEw patiEnts now – Forms can be down loaded from www.itsmyhealth.co.nz

ClarenCe MediCal Centre 129 Pembroke Street, Hamilton 3204 | Tel: 07 838 3145 | Fax: 07 838 3146

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Professionals grow at Dairy Women’s Network

As Dairy Women’s Network grows from strength to strength, so too does its number of professionals grow.

he organisation has most recently acquired Kym Gibson of Hamilton as events manager and a third regional convenor coordinator, Megan Edmeades of Manawaru (near Te Aroha). Creating environments and experiences that resonate is a passion for Kym, and something she is looking forward to fulfilling at the organisation’s 30-plus annual events. Learning more about the “diverse and dynamic” organisation that is DWN is Kym’s first challenge in the role, which she started in earlier this month. She is the organisation’s third events manager, and says when she saw the role advertised it really appealed to her as good fit. Kym says she is sure she will be busy in her currently part-time role. “I have come from eight years working for a non-profit organisation [Life Trust] in an events manager role, so I really understand the joys and complexities of working in non-profit and it’s what I know and love.” Kym says her aim is to offer high quality and high impact events for DWN and that she is a big believer in the saying that “love is in the details”. “I love the creative side

of events management and really enjoy creating beautiful spaces. I think beautiful surroundings can really lift the mood of an event.” A theory she will soon enough be able to put to the test with DWN’s biggest annual event looming, its annual conference being held in Invercargill, which coincides with the Dairy Woman of the Year Awards, in March 2015. Before her eight-year stint with Life Trust, Kym worked in key account management / relationship management roles for healthcare company Zuellig Pharma. Meanwhile, Megan has stepped up from her volunteer role as DWN’s East Waikato regional co-convenor to working 20 hours per week as the organisation’s newest regional convenor coordinator. She joins North Island coordinator Karen Forlong and South Island coordinator Cathie Cotter, in the role. The Manawaru farmer said she is looking forward to being a part of what she says are some really positive changes that are currently taking place for DWN. “We are starting to do things in a different way, which I think is a real positive,” said Megan. “We have our new modules starting in October, which are

replacing what were known as ‘Dairy Days’, and a part of my job is making sure those are well attended and well organised and of the greatest benefit possible to our members. “The coordinator role is really about supporting our regional convenors and making sure they have access to the quality resources and people they need to organise training and events for the members in their regions.” Megan and her family are passionate about Jerseys and between November and March, you will find them all over the North Island showing them at all manner of shows.

Kym Gibson

Megan Edmeades

Improved work life balance a big challenge Achieving an improved work life balance has been revealed as a leading challenge for a third of Australian small to medium enterprises (SMEs) according to the latest Bibby Financial Services Barometer survey. Time management is the next biggest challenge for 31 percent of SMEs, followed by high fuel costs (30%); increased competition (27%); and reduced consumer spending (26%). “SME owners face a distinctive work-life balance challenge,” said Mark Cleaver, managing director, Bibby Financial Services Australia and New Zealand. “SMEs are generally concerned

about a decline in the Australian economy over the next 12 months and the consequent impact on their ability to spend time away from their business. “Unlike managers of large organisations, SMEs can have fewer resources to contend with and operate in an intensely competitive environment.” According to the latest Bibby survey, fewer SMEs are expecting strong sales growth in the next 12 months, with one in three (37%) expecting strong or moderate sales growth, down from 47 percent in February. There has also been an increase in the proportion of SMEs who expect sales to remain flat, up to 35 percent in July from 29 percent in

February. In order to improve cash flow over the next 12 months, 22 percent of SMEs intend to stop trading with a customer who consistently pays late, while a further 21 percent intend to spend more time chasing invoices. “Developing a firm business foundation and structure has to be a priority to minimise chaos,” says Mark. “SMEs need to make sure the accounts are under control, bad debtors are under control, cash flow is strong and risk-management procedures are in place. “This provides a stable platform from which to execute further time-saving innovations such as automation.”

Perfecting the Perfect Storm

Efficacy, planning and energy in media & marketing

WHY IS IT CRITICAL THAT YOU KEEP UP WITH THE RAPID EVOLUTION OF MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE MEDIA CONSUMPTION HABITS OF YOUR TARGET MARKET IN THE INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE MARKETING LANDSCAPE? By GRAEME BLAKE Simple: your intended market needs to understand your brand or you could face an uncertain future. Your customers are ever more demanding of price, quality, delivery and service and far less tolerant of failure to deliver on the sales promise. Rightly so, we all are, so it’s not surprising it’s expected from our own brands. Customers demand a straightforward buying experience and immediate satisfaction for their investment.

With myriad options available to get your message out there, many business owners might be tempted to give everything a go.” The reality is this: while yes, there is an ever-increasing number of opportunities to project your message – online, social, gaming, outdoor, PR, sponsored content, personality and celebrity alignment, community, sports, event, and environmental placement, as well as the traditional TV,

radio and press – you will be squandering a massive amount of resource, wasting time and energy, if the target isn’t properly defined. We go to extreme lengths to eliminate waste when delivering campaigns. This is demonstrated by the consistently positive ROI results for client campaigns and initiatives. The old premise that any and all ‘brand noise’ is a good thing is being challenged by the need for value and efficacy. Simply blasting the airwaves with your message is a blunt instrument – expensive, and a horribly inefficient use of a marketing budget. Shouting at the market at every opportunity has the very real potential of driving customers directly to your competition.

Effective media strategy planning What does work effectively is our strategy of multitouchpoint initiatives crafted to each client’s individual circumstance and expectations, delivering brand and tactical messaging across a carefully considered blend of traditional, online and social media. This expands customers’

appreciation of the brand, and drives positive purchasing behaviour online and in-store with an absolute minimum of waste. Testing and measuring at critical stages is the key to your understanding of the target market, enabling you to identify and influence with your message or offer.

Understand your customers We implement behavioural targeting initiatives in combination with simple, but clever, messaging that uses engaging creative and highly targeted channel delivery to make results happen. The initial investment is in understanding customers, how they think and behave. From there, well planned strategy, clever creative execution and targeted media selection will maximise the effectiveness of the overall advertising spend without simply spending more. In most cases, the dollars spent on advertising remain consistent, even reducing over time, while the delivery of positive results trends upwards as the brand and message are more fully understood. Take into account also that, as the audience is more closely defined, there is an incrementally higher chance of hitting the mark.

Strong brand values We have so far identified the customers and convinced them that they need what we have for them. Online,

over the phone, or in-store, it is critical that the brand values, the voice, the offer, the message and the overall brand experience match the original promise. This influences not only the creative look, feel and ‘speak’, but the all-important online user experience for e-commerce clients, the physical buying experience instore, or the at-home delivery experience. Customers may recall an ad or search a product, check it out on their mobile on the bus home from work, then continue on a tablet or PC at home. They’ve been in-store before and the store experience matches the online in almost every way; considerable technical prowess is required to manage the customer experience on different devices, but it is vitally important to uphold these core brand values.

Engage with your customers Now, with the customer having successfully purchased, the process is far from complete. It should be just the start of a beautiful relationship with your new best friend. When you’ve successfully engaged with your audience through various social media platforms, the feedback loop should be considered as yet another marketing opportunity. How a brand projects itself in social media is critically important, because consumers are increasingly likely to research

a brand’s social activity as part of the pre-purchase information gathering process. That old adage, you’re only as good as your last job, has never been so relevant as it is now, with customers able to review how your brand’s community rates your brand’s performance. The way your brand transacts on social media is often a tipping point for whether a sale is transacted, especially online. Customers understand that sometimes things will go wrong; if you can deal with managing that successfully online, they will feel confident with making transactions. Social media is not just about managing adverse comments. Brands failing to offer a seamless experience across different channels, including social, may face oblivion. Keeping up with the latest technology is no longer a choice – it’s a necessity.

Successful marketing campaigns need a sound strategy So now you’re away, with your brand well understood, customers purchasing and engaging even after the original transaction. Your brand is being projected online, broadcast on TV networks and over the radio, your website is e-commercecapable and automated for handling online inquiry. Furthermore, it is responsive

– the user experience is finely tuned on desktop, tablet, smartphone, smart watch, even smart fridge! Now you can relax. Your brand and sales loop is robust and secure for now. The next campaign was planned in the previous quarter and is just about to launch, so it’s your chance to re-engage with your audience. You’ve built your database with every online inquiry and you communicate regularly with your entire customer base, generating sales from a pre-conditioned audience. Business is good, and so it should be. You and your advertising agency worked really hard to make it all happen, testing and measuring all the way to ensure there were no gaps. If any of this is a surprise or new to you, don’t be put off; planning a perfect storm requires an understanding of environment, applied creative forces, degrees of pressure and most importantly – a vast amount of energy. Whether online, above the line, below the line or a mix of each, if it doesn’t hit the bottom line, then it’s time to draw the line.

Feel free to take this up with your current agency or alternatively, give us a call at PAN on 0800 PAN MEDIA (0800 726 633) and we’ll invite you up to show you how it all works. pan.co.nz/brand

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Winning the talent war - globally F

indings from PwC’s annual survey of Global CEOs shows 80 percent of New Zealand CEOs are concerned about the availability of key skills. While only 63 percent of CEOs around the world have similar concerns, the real issue is evident when looking at who plans to increase headcount over the next 12 months. Fifty four percent of New Zealand CEOs have growth plans but so do 50 percent of CEOs globally. We’re all competing for talent in an ever smaller world. In New Zealand, not only do we struggle to attract people to the most isolated developed country in the world, but we also struggle to retain what we have. After Ireland, we have the largest brain drain in the world, with nearly a quarter of our university graduates emigrating. Our People and Change team has been looking at what we can do, from a NZ Inc perspective, to create employee value propositions (EVPs) that attract and retain people, identifying five key opportunities for

New Zealand businesses: 1. Sort out selection, induction and onboarding processes. Before we even start to talk about what an EVP should be, we need to get the underlying HR processes right. These are the top three ‘people processes’ that have the highest correlation with revenue and profit growth - crucial to get right. PwC’s Saratoga, the world’s largest people and performance benchmarking database, shows that in New Zealand, we have a high resignation rate (21 percent) for employees with less than one year of service. Against European benchmarks for companies of less than 1000 employees, we don’t compare well. We do compare very favourably on cost per hire (New Zealand median of $1769 compared with $4736 in Europe), but these two metrics show that while our recruitment processes are efficient, they are not effective, with one in five people leaving after less than a year. We’re either not getting the selection process right such as

Advisory and deals

> By Wayne Tainui

Wayne Tainui is an Advisory Partner at PwC Hamilton and is our Maori sector expert • Email: wayne.n.tainui@nz.pwc.com investing enough up front to identify the best person for the job or not onboarding them appropriately. 2. Prepare for Millennials. By 2020, 50 percent of the global workforce will be Millennials (people entering the workforce after 2000). Attracting and retaining these younger workers is a significant talent challenge with many of their employment needs based on their life stage (as opposed to a generational issue), so there are a number of things a business could be doing to attract younger workers. A global PwC study in 2013 into Millennials found 20 percent would give up pay or promotion opportunities for reduced working hours. Can you provide policies that provide more flexibility in work location/schedule? The same study found Millennials value a sense of community. Can you put in place reverse mentoring programmes (e.g. young graduates teaching senior executives how to use social

media)? 3. Diversity needs to be addressed. Women are now graduating in greater numbers than ever before with higher ambition levels and in New Zealand, gender diversity remains an issue. Our Saratoga benchmarking found that only 14 percent of senior management roles in New Zealand are filled by women, compared with nearly 40 percent in Europe. This is despite substantial research-based evidence now showing a linkage between diversity and business performance. If we don’t address diversity in our EVP, then we risk losing a large part of our talent pool to other countries. 4. Incorporate sustainability. There are two ‘rules’ worth considering; employee engagement drives business performance and sustainability drives employee engagement. Research has shown that 75 percent of employees who consider their employer to be

Executives rely on experience, advice, over data Business leaders around the world – 94 percent – say management of their company is prepared to make significant decisions about the strategic direction of their business, but barely one-third relied primarily on data and analytics when they made their last big decision. According to Gut & gigabytes: Capitalising on the art and science in decision making, a new survey report by the Economist Intelligence Unit sponsored by PwC, highly data-driven companies are three times more likely to report significant improvement in making big decisions, but only one in three executives say their organisation is highly datadriven. Executives’ intuition or experience and the advice and experience of others in their organisation were the decision making modes of choice for 58 percent of executives. However, the 43 percent of executives that say their companies are highly data-driven report the biggest improvements in decision making over the last two years. All executives said top priority over the next two years is to make investments in the quality of data analysis to make better decisions. More big decisions are made opportunistically than deliberately, and big decisions have big impact on future profitability; nearly one in three executives value those decisions at $1 billion plus. Executives make big decisions frequently and review them often, more than three quarters of executives make a big decision each quarter and 43 percent review them every month. Many executives are sceptical or frustrated by the practical application of data and analytics for big decisions. The survey found that the five most important decisions facing executives in the next 12 months are, in order: growing the existing business, collabo-

Mapping decisions to shareholder value by pinpointing decisions that have the biggest impact on the company’s future.” rating with competitors, shrinking the existing business, entering a new industry or starting a new business, and corporate financing. PwC Partner Colum Rice says: “How good a company is at making big decisions will determine their success and while we’re seeing executives continuing to rely on experience, advice, or their gut instinct, they can also see that investment in data and analytics is crucial for a business’ success. Their experience and intuition and using data and analytics should not be mutually exclusive. “Executives will need to respond to the challenge as to how best to marry the two. They know the right questions to be asking – they now need to get the right answers using data from the last two years to inform their decisions.” Executives said the appearance of a business opportunity they could not ignore was the most common motivation for considering a big decision (30 percent). Other reasons: making decisions that were previously delayed (25 percent), strategic fit (18 percent), testing ideas (15 percent), reacting to external factors (9 percent), and regulation (4 percent). Despite executives’ comfort in relying on gut instinct, nearly

two-thirds (63 percent) said the use of data has changed how their company makes decisions and they expect it to have more impact in the future. The top three changes executives plan in decision making include the number of people involved in making a decision, greater use of specialised and enhanced analytics and data analysis, and the use of dedicated data teams to inform strategic decisions. “With the impact of big decisions on profitability, often valued in the billions of dollars, and the lack of predictability of when decisions need to be made and when, companies are trying to increase the speed and sophistication of their decision making. This requires using newly accessible data and analytic techniques, and clarifying accountability in the decision making

process,” Colum concluded. The survey findings affirm a balanced approach to using data and analytics to make speedy and sophisticated big decisions for competitive advantage: Mapping decisions to shareholder value by pinpointing decisions that have the biggest impact on the company’s future Linking the strategic alternatives to business impacts by simulating how mega trends, industry trends and the strategic alternatives affect the business and operating model Applying a value and results lens by quantifying the expected improvement in metrics associated with improving decision making Adopting a structured test and learn approach by specifying changes to the organisation, process, technology and culture that are needed to improve decision making

adopting sustainable practices show higher levels of commitment. The question is how can you incorporate sustainability into your EVP, for example, offer emission free vehicles? 5. Use analytics to your advantage. Like it or not, big data and

predictive analytics are redefining the role that HR plays in supporting business. These are driving significant improvements in HR’s ability to forecast and predict such things as the attributes to look for to find good sales people (the answer may surprise you) and knowing in advance who is at risk of leaving, especially for top talent. Winning the talent war will be critical to NZ Inc’s success. Getting the right EVP in place, with effective supporting selection and onboarding processes, will help New Zealand’s businesses attract and retain the best talent.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

westpac waikato business excellence awards 2014

September/October 2014

Westpac Waikato Business Excellence Awards attract the cream of the crop Our region’s cream of the business crop emerges every year at the Westpac Waikato Business Excellence Awards. And according to the Waikato Chamber, this year will be no exception. Many businesses have worked hard to bring themselves up to the level expected to enter the award winning arena.The bar is high and on the special awards evening dinner in November

business owners gather en mass to check out the results. Those who have entered await the judges’ decision with bated breath along with friends who have come to cheer them along. Awards night is a major event on the Hamilton social calendar. Contact the Chamber of Commerce – Waikato for more information. Phone 07 839 5895

4 A selection of photos from last year's awards include: 1 Chiefs chair Dallas Fisher presented by William Hamilton GM operations and fibre, WEL Networks 2 Paul and Moira from Zip Plumbing 3 GRAND winner New Zealand Home Loans CEO Mark Collins (left) needed a hand to carry the trophies 4 Hansa Products’ founder Manfred Vogel 5 Karen Covell, CEO of Progress to Health celebrates with her team after winning the Mystery Creek Event Centre Awards for Not-For-Profit Business (Photographs courtesy Barker Photography)

Wishing all of this years’ Westpac Waikato Business Excellence Awards entrants every success.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

Positive team of two start up wellness business in Te Aroha As Aucklanders treat Hamilton with a little derision, Hamiltonians treat Te Aroha a bit the same. By Mike Blake

ad isn’t it? I recently found out about a growing business in Te Aroha and decided to investigate. I was receiving treatment at the Waikato Osteopathic Centre on River Road when Marcus, the osteopath mentioned that one of the owners had built up a business in Te Aroha. The first question that sprang to mind was; Why? But on reflection and in fairness that soon turned into; Why not? There must be plenty of people who need professional help in that growing tourist Waikato township. And what a find when I cruised over to Te Aroha to meet with business owner Jillian O’Neill and her husband Shaun. Neither of this pair of entrepreneurs is an osteopath… Jillian is the managing director of a marketing company called Oomphatic Decisive Marketing while Shaun is a registered professional surveyor in his company GeoMetrix Land Development Specialists. Both see many positives in doing business from Te Aroha and between the two of them they own seven.

Jillian O’Neill welcomes me at the doors of the Body Clinic Te Aroha Body Clinic has brought together a group of clinicians to demonstrate that patient wellness is the focus, offering physiotherapy, osteopathy, massage therapy, midwifery, food coaching and a gymnasium. “Three years ago the need was there to grow this business. We searched for the right central site which offered space and privacy for patients and easy access parking,” said Jillian. “We also wanted to bring physiotherapy, osteopathy under the same roof to dispel the old adage of ‘never the twain shall meet’ and to show patients that Te Aroha Body Clinic was the ultimate hub for rehabilitation of any kind” ‘What we have here is the old

Salvation Army hall. We learned they wanted to sell up and it offered us an ideal possie right in the centre of town,” she said. “We redesigned the upper floor of the building into seven private rooms for physiotherapy and osteopathy treatments and added massage with Suzy Monds. The extra rooms are consult rooms for other businesses to use and the lower floor is being leased to a gym. It’s the total package under one roof. “It’s our ‘hub for wellness, rehabilitation and fitness,” Jillian said. “And all codes working under the same roof has taken away any barriers.” In pulling together the businesses, Jillian has rebranded to Te Aroha Body Clinic.

It was a stroke of genius adding massage with Suzy Monds as it brings a person with 10 years' experience in the profession and one who deals with high level sportspeople including netballers and rugby teams, before and after high profile matches. “We are also an endorsed provider for ACC so clients can call in ask for physiotherapy or osteopathy treatments,” she said. “Each business has a separate phone so people can ring who they think they need…if one is booked up they’ll be offered the other service.” Jillian says the prediction is for Te Aroha to continue to expand through to 2026 so she feels her business is just right to grow with the town.

September/October 2014

Almost half SMEs will seek advice in next 12 months To assist with getting their business in order, close to half of SMEs (49 percent) will use an accountant or financial adviser over the next 12 months. The most popular reason for using an accountant or financial planner is for end of financial year (EOFY) accounting (67 percent); followed by compliance (44 percent); strategic business advice (40 percent); and cash flow management (34 percent). Almost 75 percent of respondents believe that using accountants or advisers represent good value for money. Surprisingly, the majority (72 percent) of SMEs do not have any succession plans in place for their business, with only 19 percent having one and 9 percent unsure. Respondents from medium sized businesses are more likely to have a succession plan in place (35 percent), compared to small (28 percent), or micro (10 percent) businesses. “When the basics are in place, then owners can take time out to examine the key aspects of life: work, family, friends, spirituality and health; decide how much time they want to spend on each and create a schedule that supports this, making sure they build downtime into the schedule,” said Mark Cleaver, managing director of Bibby Financial Services Australia and New Zealand. “Many processes have been developed to help

improve work-life balance,” he said. “For example, automation is a perfect solution for small and mediumsized businesses because it doesn’t involve sacrificing one important part of life for another. “Many business functions can be automated ranging from marketing to operations to administration. It is also becoming increasingly costeffective as the price of technology falls – mobile solutions being just one example. “An entire online industry has developed to facilitate automation and a plethora of blogs and websites specialise in keeping readers up to date with the latest time-saving applications,” Mark said. Following is a list of practical tips to help maximise work-life balance. • Outsource • Become more digital • Filter calls and emails • Don’t overbook • Stay on top of your accounts • Take time to make time – time-tracking tools • Prioritise ruthlessly • Stay healthy • Know your rhythm and work to it • Play to your strengths • Live close to work • Set boundaries • Drop activities that sap your time and energy and don’t add value • Get a business coach • Help staff achieve work/ life balance so that they have a solid foundation from which to support you

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

Gallagher triumphs again for innovative security product The New Zealand Security Association (NZSA) has awarded Gallagher ‘Innovative Security Product of the Year’ at the recent annual NZSA conference dinner in Auckland. Gallagher’s Z10 Tension Sensor, an intelligent electronic perimeter security device, has been attracting significant attention for product innovation in the global security market and has already won awards in the United States. “We’re thrilled to receive this award for our Z10 Tension Sensor,” said Curtis Edgecombe, global general

manager at Gallagher. “We believe this product is world-leading in the field of taut-wire sensor technology so it’s great to see the New Zealand industry acknowledging the work we’re doing in developing security products that compete on the world stage.” The NZSA award, recognising innovative excellence in the New Zealand security industry, was presented following judging by a panel of highlyexperienced security professionals during the 2014 New Zealand Security Conference & Exhibition. “We know we’ve developed

something special here,” said Kahl Betham, global product manager at Gallagher. “The reaction we’re receiving from customers and those in the industry tells us we have created something that overcomes previous limitations in the market place.” The Gallagher Group, internationally renowned for its Animal Management and Fuel Systems divisions, entered the security market in the early 1990s. Leveraging its strength in research, design, and development, the privately owned and operated NZ company has grown to be a global technol-

ogy leader in the development and manufacture of integrated security solutions. Gallagher’s security solutions are utilised in more than 130 countries around the world, and are employed in all major industries, including education, ports and airports, military and defence, critical infrastructure, mining, corrections, finance, entertainment, and healthcare. Previous awards: - 2014 Gold award - Integrated Perimeter Security Solution - Government Security Awards, United States - 2013 Best Perimeter Protection Product/System - Government Security News, United States

September/October 2014

Deficit improves Local authorities had an operating deficit in the June 2014 quarter, but the deficit has improved since the previous quarter, according to Statistics New Zealand. Expenditure exceeded income by $50.6 million (after adjusting for seasonal effects). “Councils’ income rose this quarter, however expenditure remained higher than income,” local government statistics manager Gary Dunnet said. Operating income from core services for the June 2014 quarter was just under $2.1 billion, up 6.1 percent from the March 2014 quarter. Operating expenditure on core services also rose, to just

over $2.1 billion (up 0.9 percent). Investment income, made up of dividend and interest income, drove the rise in operating income. Dividends rose $155.4 million from the March 2014 quarter, and interest income rose $5.6 million in the same period. Rates were down $25.1 million in the June quarter. Operating expenditure increased, mainly due to employee costs (up $17.9 million) and depreciation (up $10.9 million). Offsetting the increases was a fall in purchases and other operating expenditure, down $17.4 million.

Global focus comes up roses for Hamilton optometrists It all started with one rose – Paul Rose, a familiar name in optometry, renowned for having designed the Rose K lens for keratoconus (a condition affecting the eye’s cornea). Paul’s influential contribution to improving the sight of those impacted by the effects of misshaped corneas started in the 1980’s, when he realised that the lack of contact lens options available compromised both the patients’ eye health and often their lifestyle. He started experimenting with lens designs in the 80’s and his first Rose K lens design, specifically for keratoconus, was introduced to New Zealand in 1990. The design was quickly accepted internationally, and today is distributed to more than 88 countries, making it the most frequently prescribed lens for the condition world-wide. Caring for the vision of his patients and running his own practice since contact lenses were handmade and

difficult to fit – Paul, part owner and director of Visique Total Vision in Hamilton, is a well-known figure in his field internationally. Now retired from general practice, Paul spends several months each year travelling the world, speaking at seminars and teaching people how to fit his lens designs, and regularly consults to Visique practices throughout New Zealand. A proud Kiwi and Hamiltonian, Paul joined the Visique network in 2001 when he established Visique Rose Optometrists to further embrace his dedication to New Zealand optometry, a journey he continues to be passionate about today. “I have owned my own practice since 1969, and saw joining the Visique network as an opportunity to further my desire of sharing knowledge, to offer the best possible service to our clients, and to be part of a 100 percent New Zealandowned cooperative.” Paul was honoured recent-

ly as the first-ever recipient of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA) Industry Award. Launched in 2013, the award seeks to honour and recognise the entrepreneurial work being carried out by individuals working in contact lens science, research and technology. While he could not attend the UK presentation at the June 2014 BCLA annual gala dinner in person, due to a fall from a ladder leaving him with a ruptured Achilles tendon, this did not stop him from sharing a lasting sentiment with the congress – “to be passionate about everything you do, as you never know where it may take you.” Visique Rose Optometrists has been a breeding ground for internationally successful optometrists, and is home to fellow optometrist, Jagrut Lallu, who has also been busy putting New Zealand, and Hamilton, on the world map. Jagrut, who recently returned from a three week

Agri industry passion leads to appointment With a clear passion for the agricultural industry and strong knowledge of the sector, Georgia Twomey is thrilled to be appointed as a commodity analyst in Rabobank’s Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory team. Based in Rabobank’s Australia/New Zealand head office in Sydney, Georgia will oversee sugar, cotton and wool – three key sectors for Rabobank’s business in the region. Georgia says she has always loved working in the agricultural industry, particularly being raised with a farming background, growing up in Goulburn in southern New South Wales. “I love the agricultural industry and believe the sector really holds the key to Australia’s future economic security,” she says. “Being a part of this industry, working to leverage

our strengths along the entire agricultural supply chain and accessing the incredible population growth that is on our doorstep is an exciting challenge. “I think the New Zealand and Australian agricultural sector is in a great place to harness its potential.” Georgia truly enjoys working with people in the food and farming sector. “I also like being connected with people that are growing the food and fibre – their passion for what they do, how they have developed and grown their businesses over the years, I think it is really inspiring.” She has a degree in Economics (Social Science) from the University of Sydney and has recently held a role with the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore as business programme manager, providing her with significant expo-

sure to Australian business and government engagement throughout the Asian region. Georgia’s knowledge of agricultural production, processing and marketing has developed through marketing and supply chain management roles held within the Lempriere Group, based in Melbourne, and as a consultant working on projects for local and federal Government and rural industry groups with natural resources and agricultural specialists Arche Consulting in Sydney. “I was attracted to Rabobank because of its sole focus on agriculture – I think this is a key selling point not just to our clients, but also to our staff,” she said. “Specifically, in this role, I am excited to bring together market insights from a global perspective and extend that knowledge to clients locally to help them to grow their businesses and value-add.”

Paul Rose trip to the USA giving lectures and training others in the use of topographers and contact lenses, is one of a team of four behind the successful EyeSpace software which is revolutionising rigid contact lens design and simulation. Paul and fellow Visique members, such as Jagrut, have been making waves internationally, and their services are sought after around the globe.

Visique Rose Optometrists regularly sees international patients who have travelled to New Zealand to visit the Hamilton practice, where they can have Rose K lenses specially fitted. About Visique Visique is 100 percent Kiwi-owned and operated and has been providing New Zealanders with quality eye care since 2000 through its net-

work of 51 locations nationwide from Auckland to Otago. Visique has a wide selection of optical frames, contact lenses and sunglasses for men, women and children. Staying true to its core values, Visique takes pride in offering the best possible quality eye health and delivering genuine care and value for money throughout New Zealand communities.

It’s one, two, three now four… HMC Communications grows Just two months after Hamilton public relations consultancy HMC Communications grew from two to three, the Waikato agency has taken on a fourth communications professional. Amy Meade joined the team in July in a communications manager role, after seven years’ experience working in communications and public relations for the Waikato District Health Board. Before beginning her professional public relations career, Amy worked as a community newspaper journalist in North King Country at the Waitomo News, and edited the newspaper’s monthly farming magazine. “By bringing Amy on board, we are able to provide an even further expanded range of communications services to our Waikato clients,” said Heather Claycomb. “We were at the point where to offer the qual-

ity of service HMC prides itself on, we needed more human resource. Amy’s background in media and the rural sector will particularly serve our agricultural clients well. “She also brings experience in corporate communications, marketing communications, media relations, community relations, internal communications and event management.” HMC Communications has worked with small to medium-sized companies for more than 10 years throughout the Central North Island. Its clients operate in a range of sectors including dairy, aviation, energy and not-for-profits. Amy joins HMC Communications director Heather Claycomb, senior accounts manager Charlotte FitzPatrick and communications coordinator Bethany Pawson who collectively have more than 30 years’ experience in communications and public relations. www.hmc-communications.co.nz.

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

green sustainable business

September/October 2014

Waikato Regional Council leads by example for business sustainability W

aikato Regional Council is aiming to raise the bar on sustainability for other businesses and organisations to follow throughout e Waikato and beyond. Chief executive, Vaughan Payne, says sustainability is about making sure the decisions and actions of today won’t compromise what we can achieve in the future. “Sustainability is just another way of looking at your business,” he says. “It provides a fresh perspective that is business growth focused. It promotes innovation and efficiency, saves costs, and provides a competitive advantage.” Vaughan says the council has a sustainability advisor on staff and will produce its first annual sustainability report this year. “While we have progressed toward becoming more sustainable, we also recognise we have more work to do and improvements to make,” he says. One of the major developments the council has introduced is sustainable procurement requirements for its suppliers. “Basically we apply a 10-15 percent sustainability weighting of non-price matters to tenders and contracts worth more than $50,000, and an appropriate sustainability weighting for those worth less than $50,000. “Using an across the board sustainability weighting throughout our supply chain helps us reward businesses

and organisations which are innovative and sustainable. We can use that as an impetus for positive change in the region,” Vaughan says. The regional council’s business sustainability advisor, Anna D’Arcy, believes the ripple effect of the sustainable procurement policy will help change the way business is done in New Zealand. “Other councils and government departments are closely

watching Waikato to see how this goes, with a view to following suit,” she says. The first company to be awarded a regional council contract using the procurement policy was catering contractor, Edible Solutions. “We were pleased with the way this company took up the challenge,” says Anna. “As well as developing and adopting a sustainability policy for their business they’re develop-

ing interesting new ideas like a worm farm to process food waste, with the resulting compost being used to grow vegetables and herbs for their kitchens. “It’s this type of innovation that will drive sustainability and, at the same time, help businesses to reduce costs or improve productivity,” says Anna. She is keen to encourage Waikato businesses to begin their journey towards sustainability.

“I believe there are lots of businesses that could benefit from taking a leadership role in their sector for business sustainability.” A number of environmental education programmes and accreditations are available and some attract up to 50 percent funding assistance through New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

In addition Waikato Regional Council, in conjunction with Hamilton City Council and Waikato and Waipa district councils, has a small fund of money to help support businesses in the region through accredited education programmes where resource efficiency and waste reduction are the result. For more information, contact the business sustainability team at Waikato Regional Council on freephone 0800 800 401.

Selecting Fusion Print is an honest choice to protect the environment Fusion Print is well into its fourth year of attaining Diamond Certification in the Enviro-Mark®NZ programme, and continues to be a strong leader among its peers in the printing sector. “From the very beginning of our enviro-mark journey we have strived for continual environmental improvement, which has enabled us to implement a range of green initiatives,” said environmental manager, Kirsten Foote. “These include the expansion of our business and the purchase of environmentally friendly machines, waste reduction, recycling programmes and increased volume of sus-

tainable paper stock,” she said. The recent addition of a large format machine, enables Fusion to produce vehicle graphics, wallpaper and other bigger format items. Fusion Print is well poised for continued growth and success. “We’ve been interested in the wide format market for some time but we’ve been waiting for the right ‘green’ technology to come along,” said Kirsten. “Because being sustainable is at the heart of everything we do, we knew this technology was the right choice to continue our commitment to environmental improvement. “ Managing director, Graeme

Digital operator, Anton Mashlan happy controlling the clean line digital printer. Foote explained: “With a range of sustainable features we are confident clients will love the option of choosing our environmentally friendly, large format print capabilities.” Fusion Print consists of a dedicated team of professionals all of whom are committed to creating a sustainable future. “We’ve strategically positioned ourselves to provide a really distinct offering for our clients,” said Graeme. “It’s not just about print solutions; it’s about the whole package.” Operations manager, Jarel Phillips said: “We’re able to provide fresh and edgy creative design, web and digital media packages along with a whole realm of print media solutions. “At Fusion we have a great understanding of what it takes to meet excellent customer service and we are committed to delivering it.”

A Heidelberg machine, plugs away, efficient as always.

Large format specialist, Nick Cullen works on one of the latest additions at Fusion Print.

green sustainable business

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Competing globally,

caring locally

AT WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL WE CARE ABOUT

BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY.

That’s why we do it ourselves as an organisation. It’s also why we provide support and advice for businesses that would like to begin the journey towards sustainability.

Our business sustainabilty team can provide you with: • • • •

information about accreditation programmes advice on funding support general sustainability and environmental business advice recommendations on waste and resource efficiency measures and partnerships.

Here are three local business that we know who are on the journey... EDIBLE SOLUTIONS

TONKIN & TAYLOR

UNITED CLEANING SERVICES

Edible Solutions is a Hamilton-based catering company. This year they became the first Waikato Regional Council supplier to be awarded a tender under the sustainable procurement weighting system.

Tonkin & Taylor is an employee-owned environmental and engineering firm with offices throughout New Zealand and overseas. Naturally, as an engineering consultancy, it has long run the ruler of sustainability over the wide variety of work it does for its clients. Tonkin & Taylor was excited to attend the Waikato Regional Council sustainability workshop earlier this year, and the company is now running the sustainability ruler over its own internal office operations in the Hamilton office.

United Cleaning is a long-established cleaning company in Auckland and Hamilton. Two aspects of its business in particular have a significant environmental effect – the effects of high strength cleaning products and the disposal of large amounts of rubbish.

Edible Solutions has completed its sustainability policy this year, developed a new brand, moved into new premises and set new directions for the company’s future growth. Since adopting its new policy the company now recycles waste cooking oil into biodiesel, and is planning to develop its own worm farm as another biodigester of waste products. It already has its own herb and vegetable garden which supply the kitchens with a wide range of herbs and vegetables. The company chose to use Conscious Consumers which accredits hospitality businesses and their suppliers in the main urban centres of New Zealand. Restaurants, bars and caterers need to pass three badges to gain accreditation. Edible Solutions says it is keen to promote business sustainability and encourage other businesses to get on board.

We now recycle waste cooking oil into biodiesel.

Last year the New Zealand Ecolabelling Trust introduced a new Environmental Choice New Zealand (ECNZ) specification for office activities. The specification sets criteria for environmentally preferable office-based activities. The criteria include requirements for procurement, IT equipment, office cleaning, fleet and energy management, waste management, recycling and staff training.

Tonkin & Taylor’s Hamilton office has chosen to seek an ECNZ licence for its office activities.

Tonkin & Taylor’s Hamilton office has chosen to seek an ECNZ licence for its office activities. The licensing process involves an independent external assessment of the office activities against the requirements in the ECNZ specification. The company will be one of the first New Zealand companies to obtain an ECNZ licence for office activities.

Jump start your sustainability journey. Contact the business sustainability team at Waikato Regional Council today. Call freephone 0800 800 401 or email sustainablebusiness@waikatoregion.govt.nz.

Some 10 years ago the business owners decided to do something about their environmental footprint and took the company through ISO 14001 certification. ISO 14001 is the environmental equivalent of ISO 9001, the international quality certification standard. The company introduced a waste recycling system to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. Initially the waste was sorted at the company’s depot but gradually they introduced systems to help and encourage their clients to sort their waste before it was collected. Finding a suitable range of environmentally safe cleaning products proved to be a bit of a challenge for the company. Eventually they found an Auckland supplier called Green Earth. That relationship is still positive today as their supplier has just developed a new environmentally certified The use of product to strip polish off environmentally vinyl floors. The company friendly cleaning involves its staff in the programme and the use of products environmentally friendly provides health cleaning products provides health and safety benefits as and safety well as environmental.

benefits.

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Local franchise owner honoured with National Award Local Hamilton East franchise owner Dave Hale and his wife Sharon were honoured at the national New Zealand Home Loans conference recently winning the prestigious Chairman’s Award.

he Chairman’s Award is given to successfully run New Zealand Home Loans franchisees who have added significant value to the network thereby improving the overall brand reputation or profile and sales outcomes. Dave and Sharon have served as mentors for aspiring young Hamilton franchise owners, sharing not only their premises with them but their significant experience and expertise, helping them grow and ensuring their continued success in business. Some of the comments from their nomination by business owners and consultants alike included: “Dave and Sharon have helped me grow” Blair Miller (new business owner). “They’re more like family than a boss” Luke Parson (consultant) and “They are the ideal business role model”

Olivia Tucker (new business owner)Dave and Sharon have been in business in Waikato for more than 25 years and are actively involved in giving back to the community and were instrumental in setting up the Hamilton Lake parkrun. “Dave and Sharon are always there for us, offering help whenever they can,” says Rob Hammington of parkrun. “The community nature of the event is the most important thing for him.” Neil Richardson, chairman of New Zealand Home Loans said when he presented the award: “Dave and Sharon are an outstanding example of people giving back to the community, helping others and giving of themselves and their time, without any expectation of anything in return. They embody the spirit and values of what our company stands for.”

Front Row: (from left to right) Amy Hale (PA), Sharon Hale (business owner, Hamilton East office), Neil Richardson (chairman, New Zealand Home Loans), Dave Hale (business owner, Hamilton East office). Back Row: (from left to right) Olivia Tucker (business owner, South Hamilton office), Luke Parsons (new business consultant), Darin Armstrong (business owner, Fountain City office), Toni Miller (administrator), Blair Miller (business owner, Hamilton Metro office), Graeme Muir (client servicing consultant)

Research scholarship to study better sport recovery With more and more sporting events held at night, it’s hard for athletes to get to sleep afterwards. They’re often wound up following such intense and strenuous activity, not to mention the adrenaline rush from playing in front of large crowds. Yet sleep is known to be essential for athletic recovery and night games mean a

nightmare for sleeping patterns. Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic netball coach Julie Fitzgerald and senior lecturer Dr Matt Driller from Waikato University are working together to study aspects of recovery in players from New Zealand’s number one netball franchise. Julie Fitzgerald and Dr Driller, a sports physiologist, worked

together at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra, and now, both based in Waikato, are working together again. Dr Driller has secured a Waikato University Summer Research Scholarship for a student to work with him during the Magic’s pre-season training to monitor aspects of recovery. To test sleep patterns, the net-

ballers will go to bed wearing an actigraph, like a wrist-watch embedded with accelerometers that can pick up the slightest of movements. “We’ll be able to tell how long a person takes to fall asleep, how many times they wake in the night and how long they sleep for, allowing us to assess both quality and quantity of sleep,”

says Dr Driller. Another thing they’ll be looking at is recovery boots. Dr Driller used them with a number of elite athletes in Australia, where he introduced Julie Fitzgerald to the concept. The boots, which inflate in four sections from the foot up, are used to speed up the removal of metabolic waste from the muscles and enhance blood circula-

Handling HealtH and Safety for your Farming Business FREE LUNCHTIME PRESENTATION The Waikato Branch of the Institute of Directors would like to invite you to their regional function on Handling Health and Safety for your Farming Business. Progressive Agri will conduct a lunchtime presentation on this very important and topical issue to help owners and directors understand their obligations, and the practical things they need to do. Melissa Vining will discuss what you practically need to do to get your farm in perfect health and safety working order, and what your obligations as farm owners are. While Janet Copeland will present the proposed law changes and legal considerations surrounding these changes. Venue: Waipa Working Men’s Club 139 Albert Park Drive Te Awamutu Date: Wednesday 22nd October 2014 Time: 12:00pm – 2:30pm RSVP: Megan Beveridge email: waikato.branch@iod.org.nz (021 358772) by Friday 17 October 2014.

Melissa Vining will present on practical solutions for managing health and safety obligations in your farming business; •

Health & safety charter

•

Health & safety management plan

•

Employee engagement

Janet Copeland will present on legal considerations; •

Liability for principals and contractors

•

Key legal considerations

•

Impending legislative changes including director liabilities

Progressive Agri is the Human Resources Consulting division of Crowe Horwath NZ.

Business News

tion following exercise, aiding the recovery process. Dr Driller says most of the evidence that the boots work is anecdotal. “Athletes swear by them, but we need actual data to determine their effectiveness in a recovery setting.” They’ll use a number of different performance, physiological and perceptual measures.

law and the legal system

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Failing to plan is planning to fail Law Matters

Do you know what assets you own and how they are owned?

re you certain that in the event of your death your assets will go to the people you would want them to? These may seem simple questions; however, how your assets are owned at death will determine who will receive them – and it might not be the people you provide for under your Will. The interface between your asset ownership or structure and your Will is often misunderstood and can result in an outcome that is neither anticipated nor optimal from an estate planning perspective. For an asset to be able to

be dealt with in accordance with your Will, the asset must form part of your estate, which is then administered by your executors and trustees. The way the asset is owned will determine whether it forms part of your estate. In general, any property that you own jointly automatically becomes the property of the surviving partner with whom you own it. Your Will does not apply to any property that is held in this way. For example, if you and your spouse have joint bank accounts, then those bank accounts, upon the death of one of you, will pass by

> by glenda graham

Associate at Norris Ward McKinnon trusts and estates team Email: glenda.graham@nwm.co.nz / www.nwm.co.nz survivorship to the surviving spouse irrespective of the wishes expressed in your Will. Similarly, if you jointly own land with your spouse, upon the death of one of you, the land will automatically pass to the surviving spouse. Likewise, in respect of shares held in a company; if the shares are held jointly with another, then upon your death, they will pass to the survivor. By contrast, assets that are in your sole name become part

of the assets in your estate and are dealt with as your Will directs. For example, if you have a bank account in your sole name, then the bank account will pass in accordance with the provisions in your Will. If you own a property with others in equal or unequal shares, your share becomes part of the assets of your estate and is subject to the terms of your Will. If you have company shares in your sole name, then

those are also subject to your Will. People commonly make the mistake of thinking that assets that are held by a Trust will form part of their estate. Your Will only deals with assets you own in your own right, not assets you may hold in your name but in your capacity as a trustee. For those that do have Trusts, there is a decision to be made as to whether your assets under your Will should

be left to the Trust, the surviving spouse or partner (and then children) or a combination of both. Which is the best outcome will depend on the type of assets involved, the on-going lifestyle needs of the surviving spouse or partner and future considerations such as relationship property protection. It is necessary to take a robust approach to review each of your assets and ascertain, with certainty, what will happen to that asset upon your death. It may be possible to modify or alter the ownership method or structure to ensure that your wishes are realised. It is also important to regularly review your assets and the terms of your Will to make sure that any new assets acquired are dealt with as you desire.

Forsyth Barr’s strategy head talks post-election prospects

Andrew Bateman, Forsyth Barr investment advisor with Altus van As of Business and Tax Advisors

Forsyth Barr investment advisors, Graham Baker and Michelle Rolley with Kevin Stirrat

Forsyth Barr’s Hamilton office hosted local lawyers and accountants for an informative lunchtime seminar covering the likely postelection prospects for the New Zealand economy. The seminar, held on September 3, was presented by Forsyth Barr’s head of investment strategy Kevin Stirrat who has more than 27 years of experience in financial markets. Delivered in a working lunch format, this allowed for a high level of interaction between the attendees. Of particular interest was the impact on GDP of the recent falling dairy auction prices and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) deciding to pause interest rate increases. Both of these have a flow on to Waikato with reduced dairy prices leading to less money for dairy farmers to spend and continuing low interest rates producing less return for savers. On the plus side the RBNZ believes that inflationary pressures are at low levels. Kevin also demonstrated the effects General Elections have on equity and currency markets by inducing a state of nervousness until outcomes are clear and party policies are digested. The lead up to this year’s election showed the same pattern being followed. Overall the presentation was a sound synopsis of the prospects for New Zealand in the coming years.

Kevin will return to Waikato later in the year to host a series of post-election seminars. Graham Baker, Andrew Bateman, Andrea Booker, Stuart Daniel, and Roger FitzGerald are authorised financial advisers with Forsyth Barr in Hamilton. To find out more about Forsyth Barr visit www.forsythbarr.co.nz. This column is general in nature and should not be regarded as personalised investment advice. Disclosure Statements are available on request and free of charge.

Come and see us for expert practical advice

66 Alpha Street, Cambridge 07 827 6140 www.vosperlaw.co.nz admin@vosperlaw.co.nz

Collectively we have over 500 years experience.....

Key Women’s Years spent working elsewhere in New Zealand Women’s Years spent working overseas Women’s Years spent working at Tompkins Wake Each equals one year of experience Each column represents a Lawyer at Tompkins Wake and breaks down their experience practicing law.

Head of Investment Strategy, Forsyth Barr, Kevin Stirrat; Neil Davidson and Charlotte Isaac, DTI Lawyers

P +64 7 839 4771 www.tomwake.co.nz

Key Men’s Years spent working elsewhere in New Zealand Men’s Years spent working overseas Men’s Years spent working at Tompkins Wake

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

law and the legal system

September/October 2014

Yeah, nah, good? New .nz domain names On September 30 this year, at precisely 1pm, the domain name world as we know it in New Zealand will change.

rom that time on that date “people will be able to register domain names directly before the .nz – e.g. anyname.nz”. The Domain Name Commission labels the arrival of .nz domain names as “a momentous, once in a generation change”. While certainly once in a generation (it is, after all, a one-time event), you have to look a little closer to see if the advent of .nz domain names really is ‘momentous’.

On the plus side, it will be great not have to type .co or .net into the URL bar, and to have to remember if the website you want to visit is a .co, .net etc. Instead you’ll just type in (for example) jaws.nz, and up will come James & Wells’ website. Nice. There will also be I imagine a certain amount of prestige in having a .nz registration: jaws.nz – looks kinda cool, doesn’t it? Double nice. On the down side, regis-

Big Changes coming for family trusts – but does your trust comply now? Contact me now for a no obligation review of your trust Mobile 021 377121 • eMail mrh@hunwick.co.nz

tration of a .nz domain name does not come for free. While it will not be expensive, it does – at least for businesses – represent an additional cost for no immediately obvious gain, especially if a business already has a well-established presence on the Internet under a different domain name. That business will have to consider what it does with the .nz registration – eg, use it, park it, or redirect visitors to the URL to the website under its current domain name. Another downside is the opportunity for domain name squatters to register whatever domain names are left after the initial lolly scramble. Those who adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach, or initially opt out of trying to register their .nz domain, may find themselves calling me to file a domain name complaint. There is also no guarantee you will be able to register the .nz domain name you want. If there are competing inter-

IP Matters >

Ben Cain is an Associate at James & Wells Intellectual Property and a LEADR accredited mediator. Email: benc@jaws.co.nz | www.jaws.co.nz ests in a .nz domain name, the domain name is deemed to be ‘conflicted’ – ie is subject to a conflict of rights (as opposed to suffering from an inability to make decisions for itself). For example, Fleet Partners, the vehicle leasing and fleet management company and owner of the domain name fleetpartnersnz.co.nz, might want to register fleetpartners. nz. At the same time, however, Fleet & Partners, the executive recruitment agency and owner of the domain name fleetpartners.co.nz, might also want to register fleetpartners.nz. If the domain name you want to register is conflicted

you will need to complete an online form (yet to be published by the Domain Name Commission on its website at anyname.nz) stating among other things why you want the registration, why no-one else should get it or why you think no-one should have it. Once all those involved in the conflict have lodged their preference, the Domain Name Commission will decide who gets the domain. If a clear outcome doesn’t result, the Domain Name Commission may offer a facilitation service so competing parties can try and agree between themselves who should own the domain.

After that, if there’s still no agreement on who will get the name it will be unavailable for registration. Stink one! So .nz domain names: yeah, nah, or good? There is no doubt in my mind that having a .nz registration will be ‘yeah’ and ‘good’ for those who can register their .nz domain names with ease. For those who want a .nz registration but have to fight for it, or find a squatter has got there first, the journey to momentousness will be a little more difficult. (P.S. For more information, and the source of some of the material in this article, visit anyname.nz)

Waikato’s only specialist litigation and dispute resolution law firm As a successful new law firm, Whitfield Braun Limited is a boutique practice with clients throughout New Zealand. We specialise in all kinds of dispute resolution from contractual disputes and construction law issues through debt collection, liquidations and bankruptcies. Our goal for Whitfield Braun’s team of nine lawyers and five support staff is to ensure that we produce excellent work

DISPUTE DISPUTE DISPUTE RESOLUTION RESOLUTION RESOLUTION SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS SPECIALISTS

for clients at a reasonable fee. Whitfield Braun’s directors, Victoria Whitfield and Toby Braun, both started their legal careers in large Auckland law firms followed by many years practising in the Waikato legal market. Victoria started her own practice in 2007, growing the firm so successfully that by 2013 she employed five solicitors and three support staff. This rapid growth led Victoria to approach Toby, a litigation partner at Harkness Henry, one of Hamilton’s largest and oldest law firms, to form Whitfield Braun Limited in April 2013. Since that time, two more solicitors and two further support staff have been employed. With Toby’s arrival, Whitfield Braun’s reputation has continued to grow as a leader in providing litigation and dispute resolution services.

Whitfield WhitfieldBraun Braunisisa anationally nationallyrecognised recognisedboutique boutiquelaw lawfirm, firm,specialising specialisingininlitigation. litigation.

We believe ononspecialist Whitfield Braun is a areas We believethat thatbybyfocusing focusing specialist areasofofpractice, practice,we weare areable abletotoensure ensurethat that w firm, specialising inlegallitigation. we developments, wekeep keepabreast abreastofofallalllegal developments,we wemaintain maintaina ahigh highlevel levelofofknowledge knowledgeinin nationally recognised our specialist ininturn our specialistareas, areas,and and turnwe weare areable abletotoprovide providethe thebest bestadvice advicetotoour ourclients clientsasas efficiently efficientlyand andcost costeffectively effectivelyasaspossible. possible. boutique law firm, ce, we are able toall over ensure that Northland to Southland. With the age of We have clients the We have clients all over thecountry countryfrom from Northland to Southland. With the age of specialising in technology and improved we technology and improvedcommunication, communication, wefind findthat thatour ouroffice officelocation locationisisirrelevant, irrelevant, a high level of knowledge in and with and withour ourlow lowhourly hourlyrates ratesit itisisoften oftenmore moreeconomical economicaltotoengage engageour ourservices. services. litigation. he best advice to our clients as

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We believe that by 11||Vero focusing onLevel specialist Level VeroHouse House||127 127Alexandra AlexandraStreet Street||Hamilton Hamilton3204 3204 Ph: 07 839 0900 | Em: reception@whitfieldbraun.co.nz | www.whitfieldbraun.co.nz Ph: 07 839 0900 | Em: reception@whitfieldbraun.co.nz | www.whitfieldbraun.co.nz areas of practice, we Southland. With the age of are able to ensure that our office location is irrelevant, we keep abreast of all al to engage services. we Victoria Whitfield and Toby Braun legalour developments, Whitfield Braun’s Directors maintain a high level of knowledge in our specialist areas, and in turn we are able to provide the best advice to our clients as 127 Alexandra Street | Hamilton 3204 efficiently and cost effectively as possible. NZ6.03_Whitfield_V001.indd NZ6.03_Whitfield_V001.indd1 1

by ben cain

1/09/2014 AM 1/09/201410:28:08 10:28:08 AM

Dispute Resolution Specialising in dispute resolution means that Whitfield Braun’s solicitors keep well abreast of changes in the law, through legislation to advancing case law. Several solicitors have a particular interest in construction law which enables Whitfield Braun to provide timely and dependable advice to all clients with construction law issues. Having undertaken numerous leaky home cases for both home owners and contractors, our solicitors have an excellent understanding of the process to achieve workable outcomes for our clients, often in difficult circumstances. As well as general litigation, Whitfield Braun’s solicitors specialise in a number of other areas, including employment disputes (acting for employers and employees),

THINKERS KEEPERS. Own, control and leverage what you create.

Own, control and leverage what you create.

whitfieldbraun.co.nz | www.whitfieldbraun.co.nz We have clients all over the country from Northland to

Southland. With the age of technology and improved communication, we find that our office location is irrelevant, and with our low hourly rates it is often more economical to engage 1/09/2014 10:28:08 AM our services.

Level 1 | Vero House | 127 Alexandra Street | Hamilton 3204 Ph: 07 839 0900 | Em: reception@whitfieldbraun.co.nz www.whitfieldbraun.co.nz

DON'T LET THERE BE ANY DOUBT IT WAS YOURS.

unit title developments where we advise body corporates, both large (108 units) and small (two units). We advise with all kinds of disputes such as contractual disputes, neighbour issues, disputes with banking organisations, liquidations and bankruptcies. Whitfield Braun also regularly advise clients on contracts such as construction contracts and terms of trade to ensure businesses are well equipped to deal with potential crises. Legal Education Whitfield Braun sees the benefit in ensuring our clients are informed about developments in the law. We provide regular seminars on change sin the law to assist business clients. The firm works with Culture Safe NZ Limited, providing seminars to educate the public about employment related issues that affect both employers and employees. If you have a dispute that requires legal assistance, or you want to avoid being vulnerable in a dispute through a review of your current legal documentation or require an education on current laws, contact the team at Whitfield Braun Limited for a confidential discussion.

Kate’s tops She’s done it again – James & Wells partner, Kate Wilson, has been named on the IP industry’s illustrious international list, the Intellectual Asset Management’s IAM Strategy 300. The Hamilton-based owner is unique in her achievement – not only was she the first New Zealander to be included on the list back in 2010, Kate is also the only Kiwi to have been listed four years in a row. Making the list is no small feat. Only 300 strategists from around the globe are included, and they must be nominated multiple times by different parties. IAM researchers in the United States, Europe and Asia spoke to a wide range of senior corporate IP managers, as well as third-party IP service providers, in order to identify the IP leaders.

law and the legal system

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

McCaw Lewis investment in specialist Maori law team set to pay dividends For more than two decades McCaw Lewis has provided legal services to whanau, hapu and iwi groups in dispute resolution processes and Treaty settlement negotiations.

ut with the growing Maori economy estimated at more than $37 billion, the firm is now bracing itself for the new phase of work opportunities in Maori business, governance and economic development. The firm’s Maori legal work began in the Waitangi Tribunal acting for claimants with respect to their historical Treaty claims. Now the McCaw Lewis Maori client base has expanded across the firm and across the country, creating a great opportunity to assist hapu and iwi rebuild their economic and cultural base. The firm is moving into advising iwi groups on settlement implementation and has been providing commercial and property advice for post settlement iwi for a number of years. McCaw Lewis director and head of the Maori Legal Team Aidan Warren says: “It is an exciting time for hapu and iwi as they move from the grievance mode, into a period of new beginnings and economic and cultural growth. “Hapu and iwi leaders are now demanding a wide range

of legal and strategic advice and McCaw Lewis is embracing the opportunity to work alongside Maori in this new phase.” What is also clear is that iwi and hapu leaders are requiring advice within a Maori context, so advisors who have the ability to understand tikanga and speak te reo Maori are better placed to give the best advice. Aidan says that the firm has invested a lot of time in ensuring staff has the tools to engage with Maori clients in a Maori setting. This has included allowing staff time off to study te reo Maori, holding regular cultural hours for all staff, as well as visiting individual staff members’ marae to enhance an understanding and appreciation of tikanga and to remain connected. McCaw Lewis will continue to invest resources into key areas such as Maori land law. With the recent review of the Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993, which governs Maori land, and proposed new legislative changes, it is likely to be an interesting time for Maori land owners, trusts and incorporations.

In order to contribute back into the Maori community McCaw Lewis continues to support a number of Maori initiatives and groups within the Waikato region including: Te Whakahiapo, the Waikato University Maori Law Students' Association, co-sponsoring the Waikato River Art Awards earlier in the year with WaikatoTainui, providing career mentoring to the students at Nga Taiatea Wharekura a total immersion secondary school in Hamilton, and is sponsoring Te Ra Whakanui Rangatahi – the Waipa Schools Kapa Haka Festival to be held in Te Awamutu in October.

Happy birthday - Neverman Bennett Neverman Bennett Lawyers celebrated an exciting milestone last month: its first birthday. The firm, which is led by local lawyers John Neverman and Shannan Bennett, and which has a strong emphasis on a team approach, was set up in August last year with a property focus in mind. Over the past year, the firm has experienced steady growth in all aspects of work, including picking up its fair share of the property development work within the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. This growth has meant that

McCaw Lewis congratulates new Te Hunga Roia Ma¯ori o Aotearoa Co-Presidents McCaw Lewis congratulates Aidan Warren and Rachel Hall on their recent appointments as Co-Presidents of Te Hunga Roia Ma¯ori o Aotearoa (New Zealand Ma¯ori Law Society). The position is a two year term and continues the long standing association McCaw Lewis has with Te Hunga Roia Ma ¯ori o Aotearoa, having representatives on the National Executive for the past 15 years. Aidan Warren

Rachel Hall

Front row (left to right): Renika Siciliano, associate; Aidan Warren, director, Rachel Hall, associate and Eloise Lonnberg-Shaw, associate. Back row (left to right): solicitors; Roxy Dhanjee, Glenn Tootill, Jerome Burgess, Hemaima Rauputu and Heather Jamieson

Aidan and Rachel are looking forward to leading the Society during a period of significant growth in the Ma ¯ori economy. During their two year term the new CoPresidents aim to lift the profile of the Society by providing greater CPD opportunities for members and those practising in Ma ¯ori legal issues. They also hope to build sustainable relationships with key stakeholders including the New Zealand Law Society, the judiciary and wider profession, as well as the Pacific legal community both in New Zealand and across the Pacific.

Paige Lane

Robbie Bennett

the firm was able to add three more members to its team, Tania Jarden, Paige Lane, and Robbie Bennett. When asked what has contributed to their success so far, the answer is simple: we deliver what our clients tell us they want,

Tania Jarden

which is high quality work in a specialised area, great customer service, at a cost agreed up front. Some recent examples of developments that Neverman Bennett lawyers have worked on include Eton Estate and Teafields in Rototuna, Parkwood Gateway

and Portland Park in Chartwell, Cameron Park in Hillcrest, Lilac Close Extension in Cambridge, Golden Sands in Papamoa, and Ocean Landings in Waihi Beach. Despite the steady growth experienced so far, the team is keen to keep building on this and would be more than happy to discuss how they can assist anyone who is looking at buying, developing, or selling property. If this sounds like you, contact John Neverman or Shannan Bennett in the first instance on (07) 970 0000 or info@nblawyers.co.nz, or check out their website at www.nblawyers. co.nz.

Neverman Bennett Lawyers have the knowledge and experience to assist with a wide range of matters including property, commercial, relationship property, asset planning and employment.

However, it is our specialist expertise and experience in all areas of property that we are known for. We can assist with the full spectrum of legal work relating to property ownership, investment and development, including: • Building contracts • Due diligence for property purchases • Financing arrangements • General commercial and residential conveyancing • Overseas investment • LINZ registration • Leasing • Planning and resource management • Property development projects • Relationship property • Rural or farm sales and purchases • Subdivisions • Unit Titles For more information on how we can assist you, contact one of the team to discuss further today.

Commercial • Property • Dispute Resolution • M¯ a ori Legal • Asset Protection

McCaw Lewis Ltd 1 London Street, Hamilton 3204 Phone: 07 838 2079 www.mccawlewis.co.nz

PWC Centre, Level one 109 Ward Street, Hamilton P 07 970 0000 F 07 970 0001 E info@nblawyers.co.nz W www.nblawyers.co.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

christmas functions and entertainment

Enjoy a stunning Christmas in The Shire™ Hobbiton Movie Set provides the ambience and setting for a stunning Christmas function like you’ve never experienced before.

ith three fantastic venues to choose from, The Green Dragon™ Inn, the Party Marquee and the Shire’s Rest™ Function Centre, Hobbiton Movie Set has all the resources required to create a festive event to remember. In 2009 the set was permanently reconstructed for the filming of The Hobbit trilogy on the Alexanders’ 1250 acre farm. The 90 minute Hobbiton™ tour acts as a perfect incentive activity for your outing. Your guide takes you on a journey through the set and explains how Hobbiton was brought to life for filming. Throughout the set Hobbiton has 44 complete Hobbit holes, the Mill, the Bridge and The

Green Dragon Inn kept as they were during filming. Our exclusive Southfarthing™ beverages are available at The Green Dragon Inn as you complete your tour. A replica of The Green Dragon Inn has been masterfully recreated and is placed in the heart of Hobbiton pouring the exclusive Hobbiton ale, stout, cider and gingerbeer range. The Party Marquee is across the lake from Hobbiton and beside The Green Dragon Inn, with the exterior created from painted canvas creating an authentic, festival-like atmosphere. The Shire’s Rest Function Centre is a renovated woolshed and provides picturesque rural views over the countryside. Inside The Green Dragon Inn the fire is glowing brightly.

Treat your guests to a banquet feast fit for a Hobbit. The tables will be full of traditional Hobbit fare and as is the tradition in the Shire, second helpings are encouraged. To conclude this premium Hobbiton Movie Set experience, the guests make their way back through the wandering paths of the Shire. The trails will be illuminated by path lighting and each guest will receive an authentic handheld lantern to light the way. This stunning journey under moonlight will travel through the village breathtakingly lit up with Hobbit hole chimneys smoking and lanterns glowing against the darkness. To make a booking or for more information please contact office@hobbitontours.com

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Industry recognises top tour operators

wo of New Zealand’s top operators have been recognised as the best in the business by their industry peers at a recent annual tourism conference awards dinner held at Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton. Pacific Destinationz was named as the Inbound Tour Operator of the Year, while local Waikato operator Hobbiton Movie Set Tours received the Operator of the Year Award 2014. Inbound tour operators nominate allied supplier members and allied members nominate inbound tour operators. The applicants are judged on their innovation, marketing, business operation, communications, accessibility and industry relationships. The board then assesses those nominated based on a points system to choose three finalists and it goes back out to the respective member groups to vote for the winners. Pacific Destinationz – “Inbound Tour Operator of the Year” 2014 For the third year running, allied members of the Tourism Export Council have voted Pacific Destinationz their number one inbound tour operator.

In recognition of being a third time winner, Pacific Destinationz was also presented with a “Distinction Triple Winner Award”. The team at Pacific Destinationz is truly honoured and humbled in accepting the awards, according to managing director Mark Badland who said: “To be awarded the prestigious Inbound Tour Operator of the Year in 2012, 2103 and now 2014 is not only an overwhelming experience, but one that inspires us to continue to strive for excellence, and is a strong motivator in an industry that we are passionate about. “Our stable, committed team has multiple language skills, and the company fully realises this award is true recognition of the outstanding work of the PDNZ family.” Pacific Destinationz Limited is a wholly New Zealandowned company operating as a wholesale inbound tour company in New Zealand and Fiji. The company offers a full range of products to developing markets such as Southern Europe and South America and following recent acquisitions is fast establishing itself in other traditional markets. Constant reviews improve

its approach to technology and the company is committed to maintaining its position at the forefront of an ever-evolving global travel industry. Hobbiton Movie Set Tours – “Tour Operator of the Year” 2014 Hobbiton Movie Set Tours was absolutely stoked to be nominated for a second year in the Operator of Year category. They believe their nominator best summed up the reason for their nomination. “Hobbiton embodies what TECNZ wants in an Operator of the Year. For inbound members they work well with wholesale, travel offshore to market and continually improve, invest and upgrade their product. Hobbiton is a world class product who understands and appreciates how distribution works”. Hobbiton Movie Set Tours based in Matamata, is a family-owned sheep and beef farm which has grown into a major tourist icon business, operating since the Lord of the Rings Trilogy released in 1999. The set was rebuilt in 2011 for The Hobbit films and continues to grow visitor numbers year on end. Owner Russell Alexander

says: “Thank you to our inbound partners and TECNZ for recognising Hobbiton as the Operator of the Year. Our main focus has been working with trade and the one item I love paying is commission – we value our relationships with those who can promote and sell us offshore and look forward to working together in what should be a very exciting year.” Tourism Export Council of New Zealand background: The Tourism Export Council of New Zealand is a trade association that has represented the interest of inbound tourism since 1971. Formerly known as ITOC (Inbound Tour Operators Council) the organisation rebranded in 2012 to assist mainstream New Zealand and government agencies understand that tourism is a key export industry. It represents 250 key tour operators and suppliers throughout the country who package, distribute and market New Zealand tourism products and services internationally. For more information, please contact: Lesley Immink chief executive – Tourism Export Council Phone: 04 495 0810 Mob: 027 6644 836

Winners: (from left) Russell Alexander, Mark Badland and Dylan Rushbrook.

The Verandah – a unique waterfront spot T

he Verandah is Hamilton’s premier location in a unique waterfront setting, among well maintained parklands, within the Hamilton Lake Domain. Just five minutes from the city centre with abundant free parking, The Verandah is a modern facility with a building flexibility to cater for small intimate groups or large events. From private business meetings, conferences, exhibitions, seminars to trade shows, product launches and weddings, no matter what the event, our broad expertise and meticulous attention to detail helps ensure suc-

cess for all clients and deliver outcomes beyond expectations for their guests. From conference to cocktail, The Verandah offers a diversity of configuration possibilities whatever the occasion. Whether you want to exhibit, entertain, enlighten or educate our purpose-built venue offers endless possibilities from its prime waterfront location. The Verandah has a broad range of catering options available by its in-house chef’s team. With plenty of selection you will be spoilt for choice or work with the chef manager to create your ideal menu taking into

consideration your budget and needs. Dietary requirements are always an option. With Christmas just around the corner, see what The Verandah has to offer for your end of year celebration.

Book a private event to reward or celebrate with your clients and or staff or its Christmas at the Lake party nights are a fun option to kick up your heels and celebrate a successful 2014. Dates are filling fast so get in

quick to secure your spot. Sophisticated and professional – The Verandah is the smart choice for your next event. Contact the Events Team, Kerri and Carmen, to talk about your next event.

When you need the best for your next event Whether you want to: Entertain | Educate | Enlighten | Exhibit The Verandah, Hamilton’s premier events facility. Christmas bookings filling fast! Contact the events team, Carmen and Kerri, to plan your next successful event.

A beautiful lakeside setting at The Verandah

info@theverandah.co.nz | 07 838 0692

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Challenge us to provide the very best in price, quality and service. We look forward to planning your event with you. info@theverandah.co.nz 07 838 0692

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

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Tourism operators investing more in sector Waikato tourism operators are continuing to invest significantly to support the development and marketing of the region as a visitor destination.

amilton & Waikato Tourism’s annual report to councils shows a 20 percent increase in funding from tourism operators from the previous year. For the year ending June 2014, industry operators put around $419,000 in cash into the regional tourism organisation’s activities plus more than $100,000 in ‘in-kind’ goods and services. That’s up from $350,000 the previous year. Hamilton & Waikato Tourism (HWT) chief execu-

tive Kiri Goulter said growing financial support from the local industry was an endorsement of the last three years. “A regional tourism organisation (RTO) was only re-established in 2011 and since then, we’ve had to work incredibly hard to promote the region and demonstrate benefits to our funding partners. We’re starting to see that pay off now in increased visitor activity across a range of measures,” she said. The report to councils shows that commercial guest

nights in the region were up 9.3 percent compared with 5.4 percent nationally. Guest arrivals for the year ending June 2014 were up 13.3 percent compared with the previous 12 months. “Without a doubt, it was another strong year for international visitors with five percent growth in visitor nights. Domestic nights also increased, rising 10.6 percent across the year. However we are still struggling to prove ourselves as a destination for domestic visitors and that’s a challenge going forward,” Kiri said. “Overall, Waikato has a low awareness among Kiwis as a destination despite having some of New Zealand’s best attractions.” While domestic spending was maintained at previous

ctivitiesent Fun hire each ristmas ev

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levels, international spending was up. Total visitor spending for the year ending March 2013* was worth $1.07 billion to the Waikato economy. Spending by international visitors has been above average for the past three years, helped by the region’s iconic visitor attractions such as Hobbiton Movie Set and the Waitomo Caves. Of the $1.07 billion spent, around $477 million was spent in Hamilton city. Last year Hamilton City Council contributed $390,000 of the combined $810,000 invested by seven local councils into HWT. Three years ago, Hamilton & Waikato Tourism re-established a convention bureau aimed at helping attract conferences and business events to the region. “That was a pivotal move. Conference delegates are big spenders and from a tourism perspective are very valuable. There is now a much

greater awareness of the region as a conference destination and an acknowledgement there are top quality facilities here,” Kiri said. “This year, we’ve sustained an 11 percent share of the business events sector and in fact, we now have the largest share of delegate days behind Auckland and Wellington. Based on expenditure, most international visitors to Hamilton and Waikato were

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from Australia last year, followed by the UK and the US. A new joint campaign with Tourism NZ, other North Island RTOs and industry operators was recently launched targeting people living on the east coast of Australia. The campaign features Waikato attractions including Hobbiton, Waitomo Caves, Raglan, Hamilton Gardens and Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Events selling out or sold out in 2014 Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular Two festival events have already sold out and others are selling well in the build up to this year’s Powerco Taranaki Garden Spectacular running from October 31 to November 9.

lready sold out are the tour of three Chapman Taylor houses, and the House and Garden tour with hotelier Terry Parkes of three notable Taranaki homes – two new events to this year’s festival. With less than two months to go until the Garden Spectacular opens its garden gates other events also proving popular such as the two cooking demonstrations by 2014 Masterchef winners, Karena and Kasey Bird. Now in its 27th year, the festival has a finely tuned range of events to cater for a range of interests, says festival manager, Lisa Ekdahl. “We have events for the fun loving to gardening aficionados,” explains Lisa. “Our gardening seminars and guided walks by experts always fill up with gardening enthusiasts and bookings are essential for our fun events like the Frocks on Bikes and Spring Fashion parades.” While many of the events are free, visitors need to check on the festival website or programme to avoid missing out. One attraction open every day of the festival that is free, is the International Landscape

Design Project funded by the TSB Community Trust. This year’s Falling Garden has been created by Londonbased artist Rebecca Louise Law. Being installed in the Alexander Room of the TSB Showplace, Rebecca will use thousands of suspended flowers to transform the room into an enchanting floral dreamscape. Rebecca’s Falling Garden will also be the location for the popular Spring Fashion event on Saturday November 8.

For those who just want to stroll through and be inspired by some of New Zealand’s premier gardens, spread right around the rich garden-growing region of Taranaki are 49 gardens in this year’s festival line up. The New Zealand Garden’s Trust has awarded 12 of these gardens special status ranging from Gardens of Significance to National Significance and one of International Significance. There are also seven new gardens including a sub-tropical inner city garden with soaring palms, a tranquil Zen garden and an organic country garden. “Our programme for 2014 is an enjoyable synthesis of some idyllic pleasures in life,” says Lisa. “’WOW that was wonderful’ is the sentiment that we would like all our visitors to this year’s

festival to go home with.” For more information, visit www.gardenfestnz.co.nz or enquiries@gardenfestnz.co.nz or call 00 64 06 759 8412 Or, please contact festival man-

ager, Lisa Ekdahl, ph + 64 6 759 8412. lisaE@taft.co.nz Released on behalf of the Taranaki Arts Festival Trust by Adviso Media, Bruce GatwardCook,

ph 0274 99 00 24, or email: bruce@adviso.co.nz To see some of Rebecca Louise Law’s works, visit: http://www.rebeccalouiselaw. com/

Another great winning dish for VSB After four consecutive finals appearances since 2011, Hamilton’s Victoria Street Bistro has been crowned the 2014 winner of the Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge. This prestigious competition involved 129 restaurants from the length and breadth of New Zealand and represents another tremendous achievement by the Lawrenson Group’s number one restaurant led by Julia and Andrew Clarke. This year’s winning dish was a sous-vide wild beef scotch fillet served medium rare with a smoked oyster and

celeriac cream, textures of sea chicory, foraged native mushrooms and a pearl onion flower. This dish was then matched to the Monteith’s double hopped IPA. Head Chef Andrew Clarke used a number of local suppliers, with the key ingredient being wild beef sourced as part of a one-off Ministry for Primary Industries commercial trial by Harmony Foods in Paeroa. Local helicopter pilots mustered wild cattle from the native back blocks of stations on the East Coast. The animals with the best eating qual-

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ity were shot from the helicopter and flown to a MAF-licensed packing plant in Feilding. These herds naturally graze too far from loading locations to be farmed, meaning the beef is as wild as it gets, and is a unique eating experience. Another important local ingredient was the native mushrooms from Kinaki NZ, owned by traditional Maori cooking advocate and chef Charles Royal. As a certified supplier, Kinaki forages for wild native hakeka andhHarore mushrooms from bush and forests around

Rotorua. These mushrooms were pickled in malt vinegar and were an important element in the beer match as they complemented the malt in the double hopped IPA. Victoria Street Bistro opened in February 2011 and since then has rapidly amassed a noteworthy collection of awards and top finishes in national competitions. Other recent awards include the 2012 People’s Choice award in the Monteith’s Beer and Wild Food Challenge and the 2013 title of Best Regional Restaurant in the Cuisine Good Food Awards. The success of the restau-

rant centres around the husband and wife team of Andrew and Julia Clarke who have worked together for more than a decade. They continue to evolve and improve their restaurant with regular menu updates so there is always something new for even the most ardent fan of their cuisine. For those wishing to try the winning Monteith’s dish or any of the other delectable items on Andrew’s menu, Victoria Street Bistro is open for lunch and dinner every Tuesday to Sunday from 11.30am. Booking is definitely recommended.

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Ideal for: functions from 10 to 200 people, Christmas functions, garden parties, intimate dinner parties, corporate conferences. We provide full catering, fully licenced premises and experienced staff who ensure satisfaction. “We can take care of it for you.”

Book your Christmas party at Sarnia Park A highlight of our year is the CHRISTMAS DINNER AT SARNIA PARK 151 Maungatautari Road, CAMBRIDGE Join us at 12 noon-3 pm for a delicious five course Christmas Dinner. We will take care of it for you while you relax, walk in the gardens or enjoy a game of croquet or petanque.

EnquiriEs to:

151 Maungatautari Road, PO Box 1136, Cambridge Telephone: (07) 823 3421 Email: info@sarniapark.co.nz Web: www.sarniapark.co.nz

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

christmas functions and entertainment

September/October 2014

Sudima Hotel named as a finalist in two 2014 Westpac Auckland Business Awards categories The five-property Australasian accommodation business Sudima Hotel Group has outdone itself.

udima Auckland Airport was named a finalist in the Employer of Choice category in the 2013 Westpac Auckland Business Awards – South, and the company is now vying for pre-eminence in two categories in this year’s awards. At a mid-August event Sudima Auckland Airport was named a finalist in both the Best Emerging Business category and the Excellence in Leadership category, the latter highlighting the performance of the group’s director of operations Les Morgan, in his then role as general manager, Sudima Auckland Airport. Sudima Auckland Airport was opened by the Prime Minister in 2011 and has operated at near capacity ever since. It has a multitude of sustainable features and recently became the first hotel in New Zealand to achieve carboNZero status in accordance with the ISO standard for reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals. Mr Morgan says although he felt somewhat uncomfortable putting himself forward for a nomination in the Excellence in Leadership, the subsequent recognition validates the whole Sudima team.

“I think one of the tricks to being a good leader is to be as well-rounded as possible. You’re setting an example for the team so you need to be consistently professional, not just when you think it matters most,” he said. “I talk a lot to our people about professionalism and the importance of being courteous and respectful at all times, and I’m willing to make unpopular decisions. Indecision is the enemy to building a strong business. “You can only become a strong leader based on feedback throughout your career, so you have to be willing to take it all in, whether it’s easy to hear or not,” he said. “I’ve also always looked for examples of good leadership, and you can learn as much from the poor leaders as the good.” One example of an excellent senior executive Mr Morgan namechecks is the managing director of OfficeMax NZ, Kevin Obern. “I’ve come to know Kevin through business and I admire that while his job is important and demanding, he still has the energy to be communityminded and do good things for others beyond his job description. “I’m conscious of our organisation doing that,

Sudima Hotel - Auckland Airport. because it’s invaluable not just for the community but for everyone in the business.” Mr Morgan attributes the Best Emerging Business finalist position in part to the fact that Sudima Auckland Airport “started three years ago with no hotel, sales or guests. “Since then our growth has been steady and balanced,” he said.

“We’ve not just attracted business, we’ve also been profitable and created a good return for the owners, and I believe the judges recognised the achievement in that. “You have to have a steady approach when you develop a business, and treat the needs of the community, your guests and your staff equally. “We have a happy team

and one of the lowest turnover rates in the hotel industry, and we reward our staff well. “For example, the only reserved car park at the hotel belongs to the Employee of the Year – there is no special treatment for me or the owners or anyone else in management – and people respond well to that egalitarianism. It fosters good feeling.” Having worked in the hotel

industry for nearly 20 years, and in senior management roles for the past eight, Mr Morgan first joined Sudima Auckland Airport ahead of its opening and was promoted to the trans-Tasman director of operations role in early 2012. The winners of the 2014 Westpac Auckland Business Awards South will be announced at a gala event on October 9, 2014.

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Chamber evening for Awards sponsors

First on the scene PROUDLY SPONSORED BY MONTANA CATERING

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3 1 Andrew Buchanan-Smart, Adelle Stead, Paul Bennett. 2 Tracey Clark, Jan Ballantyne, Clare Gallagher. 3 Chamber president Grant Robson opens proceedings.

Chamber lunch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Katrina Felton

1 Shane Hodges, Penny McKenna, Grant Yerkovich, Tania Hansen. 2 Chamber president Grant Robson and Katrina Felton. 3 Tony O'Brien (far side) and others.

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1 A team from Heartland Bank: Tiffany Fenwick, Diane Vaughan and Mathew Senior, with Helen Samujh; University .2 Speaker Jody Joblin Hamilton. 3 Alan Simpson (LIC) Brian Squire(Chow:Hill) Andy Collins (Red Cabs). 4 Hamilton West MP, Tim Macindoe; Peter Sun (Uni); Tony Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien(Wintec);Tiffany Fenwick (Heartland Bank) and Andrew Buchannan-Smart( Uni)

WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Foster Construction – is proud to support the Gallagher Great Race Foster Construction is a proud sponsor of “The Gallagher Great Race” as it integrates the Waikato River, the University of Waikato and the Waikato community.

ttracting attention to the region with international university crews from Harvard, Washington and Melbourne and screening live on Sky Television featuring “superb world-class river racing action on a highly technical course” described organisers Boathouse Events. Publisher

Alan Neben Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 021 733 536 Email: alan@wbn.co.nz Sales director Deidre Morris Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 027 228 8442 Email: deidre@wbn.co.nz

Editor

Mike Blake Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 027 248 8442 Email: mike@wbn.co.nz

Production and design manager Willem Loots Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 021 055 3102 Email: production@wbn.co.nz

advertising inquiries Please contact: Bev McIntosh Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 021 924 568 Email: bev@wbn.co.nz

Sponsors of The Gallagher Great Race are allocated crews; for the second year Foster Construction has been partnered with an Australian crew, this year it’s the Melbourne Men’s Eight. For the second year running, Foster Construction has hosted a construction challenge. “This year’s construction challenge was another great success,” said commercial manager Leonard Gardner. “We got the Melbourne Men’s and Female crews involved building baby goat shelters for Little Acres Rescue Animals (LARA). “PlaceMakers kindly offered to supply the materials and Ingham Hyundai organised the hospitality. “Five teams competed: Foster Construction, PlaceMakers, Ingham Hyundai and the two Melbourne crews so competition was tough,” said Leonard. The Melbourne Women’s Crew came in fastest, taking 19 minutes to complete their

goat shelter. But the Ingham Hyundai crew pipped them at the post when it came to quality control and were announced the overall Construction Challenge winners. The end result; five very well constructed goat shelters that were happily received by the Little Acres Rescue Animals. Leonard concluded: “Ultimately for us at Foster Construction, The Challenge Great Race is about teamwork, sportsmanship and community. It’s a key Waikato event, with which we are proud to support.”

Jody Anderson Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 027 236 7912 Email: jody@wbn.co.nz Candra Hansen Ph: (07) 838 1333 Mob: 027 836 2226 Email: candra@wbn.co.nz

Electronic Forwarding Editorial: News releases/Photos/Letters: mike@wbn.co.nz Production: Copy/Proofs: production@wbn.co.nz

Subscriptions: kim@wbn.co.nz Waikato Business Publications Ltd specialises in business publishing, advertising, design and print media services. Waikato Business News has a circulation of 11,000, distributed throughout the Waikato between Tuakau and Turangi, and to a subscription base.

WaikatoBusiness P U B L IC AT I O N S

12 Mill Street, Hamilton PO Box 1425, Hamilton, 3240. Ph: (07) 838 1333 Fax: (07) 838 2807

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WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS

September/October 2014

Holden Trax – a big deal for a small SUV • Top of the range Trax introduced with a sporty 1.4 litre turbocharged engine • Trax 1.4 litre LTZ now includes sunroof, new 18 inch alloys, rain sensing wipers and driver’s arm rest • Recommended retail price of Trax LTZ 1.4 litre iTi $36,990

olden Trax will cement its position as one of the best small SUVs on the road with the introduction of the new top of the range 1.4 litre Turbo LTZ model. The refined 1.4 litre iTi engine option for the top of the range LTZ model is coupled with a 6-speed Active Select transmission and a variety of new premium features that complement its award winning technology and bold design. The new 1.4 litre iTi engine LTZ will sit above the already popular and well performing 1.8 litre engine in the expanded Trax line-up, offering customers an option that provides even greater levels of refinement and responsiveness. The new engine boasts 103kW of power and 200Nm of torque, with fuel economy of just 6.9 litres per 100 kilometres. The top of the range model with the 1.4 litre engine introduces an array of premium features as standard, including rain sensing wipers, a driver’s arm rest, new 18 inch alloy wheels and a sunroof, further enhancing the Trax reputation for providing outstanding customer value. The current 1.8L LTZ model also introduces the

same array of premium features as standard, with exception of the sunroof, which is only available on the new 1.4L LTZ. These new additions join the long list of standard features found across the Trax range including a seven-inch touch-screen with MyLink embedded apps, rear view camera and Bluetooth™ phone and audio streaming. Holden New Zealand Managing Director, Jeff Murray said the improvements on 2015 Trax have built on the success and feedback received on the current Trax and provides an additional option to customers. “The Trax generated some great traction in the New Zealand market when launched last year and brought a Holden small SUV to customers for the very first time. We are committed to building on the early successes of Trax and we’ll continue to respond to customers’ needs,” Said Mr Murray. “With the introduction of the Trax 1.4 iTi engine and added features in 2015, we are confident that this car will appeal to even more people, especially given the great technology and features available. “The Trax continues to ride well with the engine and trans-

mission calibrations, as well as suspension tuning, completed by the engineering team at Holden’s Lang Lang Proving Ground,” Mr Murray added. The affordable and fuel efficient 1.8 litre engine will remain available on Trax, matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission, in both the LS and LTZ trim levels, with prices starting from just $32,990 RRP. On sale this month, Holden Trax is available in a wide range of exterior colour choices including the introduction of Blaze Red. • New - Blaze Red • Summit White • Snowflake Pearl

• Carbon Flash • Boracay Blue • Orange Rock • Nitrate • Satin Steel Grey Holden Trax LS Highlights: • 1.8 litre petrol engine • Six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select • 6 airbags (driver, front passenger, front side and curtain) • ESC, ABS and TCS • Hill Start Assist • Descent Control System • 16 alloy wheels (4) • Air conditioning • Rear view camera • Rear parking sensors • ISOFIX child seat anchorage system

• Holden MyLink infotainment System with 7” colour touch-screen display • Embedded apps including Pandora®, Stitcher SmartRadio™, TuneIn and BringGo navigation • Siri® Eyes Free Mode • AM/FM Radio with RDS display • USB with iPod connectivity • Bluetooth connectivity • Leather steering wheel with audio controls • Jet black cloth interior • Auto headlamps • Daytime running lamps Holden Trax LTZ highlights over LS • * Optional 1.4iTi engine

• New 18” alloy wheels (4) • New Rain Sensing Wipers • New Driver Arm Rest • New Sunroof (1.4iTi LTZ only) • Six-speed automatic transmission with Active Select • Jet black Sportec trim • Heated front seats • Front Fog Lamps • Trip Computer • Storage Tray Under Front Passenger Seat Pricing Recommended retail prices: • H olden Trax LS 1.8L Automatic $32,990 • Holden Trax LTZ 1.8L Automatic $35,490 • Holden Trax LTZ 1.4T Automatic $36,990

Not new...

NEW MID-SIZE MALIBU CD PETROL

from rsp

33,990

+on roads

only at

CRUZE EQUIPE

COLORADO 4X2

from rsp

1.8L SEDAN AUTO

CREWCAB AUTO

25,990

39,990

+on roads

But nearly!

trax LtZ

captiVa 5 Lt & LtZ

from

$28,990

+on roads

from

$27,990

captiVa 7 LtZ Diesel from

$41,990

Only four months old 2014 Holden SUV bulk buy breakthrough. Fantastic pricing! See us today to secure one of these great offers. Limited numbers only at Ebbett Group Dealerships

THESE DEALS ARE AS GOOD AS THEY GET

Offer available while stocks last. Offers end April 30th 2014. Not available with other offers. Private customers only.

5965158AA

EBBETT HOLDEN 280 888 204-208 Anglesea St, Hamilton, T 0800 07 838 0949 www.ebbett.co.nz

SUV_20x6_0914 - 3 cars NEW.indd 1

www.ebbett.co.nz

15/09/14 9:28 am

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