East Tamaki - a great place to do business I S S U E 4 2 0 1 3 U P D AT I N G A N D I N F O R M I N G T H E G R E AT E R E A S T TA M A K I B U S I N E S S C O M M U N I T Y
In this issue 02 From the Chair Apprenticeship Re-boot
03 Safer workplace, better productivity
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Technology: How ‘tech’ are we?
06 Transport 08 Recent events photos 10 Crime prevention
11 Energy matters 12 Marketing strategy 13 Success story: Pod Consulting
14 New Families Centre for Otara 16 Property update
Upcoming events April 10, 2013 Property Owners Forum: Draft Unitary Plan April 16, 2013 Business Owners Forum: Essential Business Technology May 7, 2013 Management Bites: The Disciplinary Process May 16, 2013 Business Owners Forum: Funding Growth May 22, 2013 Post Budget Breakfast June 6, 2013 Management Bites: Employment Agreements June 11, 2013 Business Showcase: TransNet ECOLight June 26, 2013 Breakfast: Sir Stephen Tindall
ANYTHING BUT MEAN Putting in place LEAN principles has made a huge difference for Highbrook-based Nexus Foams. Describing a business as ‘lean and mean’ is usually meant to be a compliment. But when Nexus Foams’ General Manager Grant Simmonds was brought on board to help implement LEAN principles, it was exactly what he was trying to avoid.
Nexus Foams is an engineering development company that designs, manufactures and distributes technical products using soft and flexible materials for a variety of industries including construction, manufacturing and medical.
“The reason we were interested in LEAN The company employs 35 people across its and Kaizen principles was to grow the three locations – its Ormiston site in East company rather than to just cut costs,” he Tamaki, for high-volume manufacturing, explains. “Cost reduction is important, but the Highbrook site which deals with design we didn’t want to development and be lean and mean; niche manufacturing The reason we were interested we wanted to create for the manufacturing in LEAN and Kaizen principles time and use it to and medical sectors was to grow the company develop products and – and that was where rather than to just cut costs grow the business.” the LEAN process started. Their Christchurch site acts as The strategy seems to be working. At the technical sales support and a distribution end of last year the company won the New hub for the South Island. Zealand Steel Excellence in Innovation and Improvement award at the 2012 Westpac Auckland South Business awards. “You don’t realise that how much innovation and creativity it (LEAN) unlocks,” Simmonds says. “It’s amazing how much time it can create. We’re growing year on year, even in tough times.”
“We began by really learning about the business. We wanted the right team in place before embarking on a strategic plan and that meant working with people who could help us implement it. It comes down to having a good team of people. If anyone is working against you, they’ve got to change or they have to go.” (continued on page 3…)
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From the Chair As the economy slowly gains some momentum there are certainly positive signs from our East Tamaki members, although it depends very much on which sector you happen to be in. Construction related businesses are seeing a lift, however, many service industries are finding it tough as are many exporters as the New Zealand dollar shows no sign of slowing its upward trend. As we move into the third year under the new Auckland Council regime, the difficult task of untangling the previous charging regimes is well underway – one rating system is now in place and new water and wastewater charges will soon follow. The difficult task of transport is also being addressed and the solutions involved will have to be for the medium to long term and will be very expensive. The draft Annual Plan outlines changes taking place this year and the draft Unitary Plan pulls all the legacy legislation together into one new planning ‘Rule Book’. Like me, you will most likely find it hard to keep up to date with all this change, so to help out - take a look at the the information under the ‘Advocacy’ tab on the GETBA website. You’ll find links to the various plans and you can see where GETBA has made any submissions. A very positive recent government initiative is the Apprenticeships Re-boot scheme.
Now underway, it aims to rapidly increase the number of apprentices by providing some serious subsidy incentives and removing the age restriction criteria that previously applied. It’s a very positive and welcome move on the government’s part and construction will obviously be a priority area, especially in the Christchurch region. See the article below for more information or take a look at the GETBA website. The drought over the whole of the country will have an effect on the economy. Farmers in all regions are facing a large drop in income, which will have a serious flow on effect to the rest of the country. It is looking like the worst drought on record and, despite what climate scientists are saying, one would hope it is not a sign of what we can expect in future years. It really is a classic dichotomy situation – on the one hand we have enjoyed glorious weather for the past three months, while on the other our most valuable export industry is going to suffer.
Finally, I would like to welcome our new member of the GETBA Executive Committee, Kim Luxton, General Manager of Hydestor Manufacturing, based in Greenmount Drive. Enjoy this issue of the GETBA newsletter. RICHARD POOLE CHAIRMAN, GETBA
Apprenticeship programme
gets a re-boot
The government wants 14,000 new apprentices (in addition to the 7,000 who currently enrol each year) to start training over the next five years and has made some major changes to help that happen. First up, the first 10,000 new apprentices enrolling from March 2013 will get $1000 towards their tools and off-job course costs, or $2000 if they are in priority construction trades. The same amount will also be paid to their employers. There will be more focus on a higher educational content as part of the apprenticeship. The option for larger employers to get direct access to industry training funding to organise their own apprenticeships if desired, will put competitive pressure on industry training organisations to provide the most effective courses. Age restrictions in place as part of the current Modern Apprenticeships scheme have been dropped, which means apprentices of all ages will be eligible for the same level of subsidy, an increase in total funding for apprenticeships by about 20 per cent.
Higher subsidies will be available for a list of trades in the construction, infrastructure, engineering and electrical sectors in order to help provide the labour force needed for the Christchurch rebuild, ongoing infrastructure development and upgrading and increasing the house stock. Steven Joyce, Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, says he expects the changes to drive a higher level of qualification completions in industry training, equipping more workers, especially young people, with transferable and practical skills that they can use throughout their working lives. The changes are expected to cost about $106 million over the next four years. The subsidy is available to new Modern Apprentices at level 3 and 4 in 2013 only, and all industry trainees enrolled in a programme of study at level 4 of 120 credits or more in 2013 and beyond.
www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-apprenticeships-boost-skills-amp-support-jobs
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SAFER WORKPLACE BETTER PRODUCTIVITY Health and safety isn’t as sexy a topic as profits or revenue, but for Fletcher Aluminium it has become an even bigger focus than productivity. “You should never stop striving for improvement,” Mainwaring says. “The minute you think you’re on top is the minute you’ll have an incident. We’ve also introduced a companywide wellness initiative that includes encouraging sports and good nutrition. Wherever you are within your health and safety journey, there will always be room to improve.” www.fletcheraluminium.co.nz
ANYTHING BUT MEAN
The results of this approach helped the company win the Excellence in Workplace Safety Award at the 2012 Westpac Central Business Excellence Awards. Interim General Manager Josh Mainwaring, who spoke at GETBA’s March breakfast, says the increased focus on safety started around six to seven years ago. “It came from a leadership mindset change,” he says. “We were looking at the numbers and the statistics were kind of appalling. Originally we tended to put productivity over everything, but we’ve since turned things around.” Changing a culture doesn’t happen overnight, and Mainwaring says it took a number of years to reinforce the good behaviours and raise recognition of how important the changes were. The company started by putting together a health and safety committee and rolling out a number of different engagement programmes.
“We had a few issues at the start and it took a while to get people on board. Some people didn’t see the point and actually left because they didn’t fit into the culture. It became a matter of ‘if you want to work here, then this is what we want to do’. It’s now just an accepted part of working for Fletcher Aluminium.” A big part of making this work is consistently involving and engaging staff in the process. Mainwaring points to the company’s impressive 99 per cent hazard engagement rate, which means that almost every employee on site – from the office to the factory floor – has identified, and gets the chance to identify, at least one new hazard a year. While the results have made a huge difference within the company, it’s a continuous and evolving process.
(…continuing from page 1) Once the company had the right people in the right roles, Simmonds says things just began to click into place. Surprisingly, while it’s an amazing feeling to see it working, what happened next was a bit uncomfortable – the phones stopped ringing. “We got quite worried. Our orders and sales were going up but the phones weren’t ringing any more. And we realised it was because no one had to chase anything. Instead of spending their time fire fighting and going home stressed and tired, we could give our staff other challenges to focus on. We’re putting that energy into campaigns and product design.” All of this complemented the company’s existing approach to their customers – dealing with them as long-term partners rather than on just a transactional level. Simmonds says it’s one of the keys to Nexus Foams’ success. Simmonds sees the award as recognition of the hard work staff members have put in to implement these changes and they all got to celebrate it at a company-wide celebration. However, he also says it probably wouldn’t have happened without financial controller – now Chief Financial Officer – Tracey Swinehart who undertook to co-ordinate the work required to fulfill the entry criteria. “And that’s an important part of LEAN as well,” Simmonds adds. “Getting a finance person involved. They need to live and breathe it, otherwise you’re wasting your time.” www.nexusfoams.com
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TECHNOLOGY GETBA has been on a mission to find out what East Tamaki businesses understand about the internet and rapidly developing technologies that can enhance the way we do business. The result is a deep dive into digital communications with a focus on social media and internet connectivity with a focus on the UFB (Ultra Fast Broadband) rollout.
ARE YOU A SAVVY SOCIAL OR A LAGGING LUDDITE This year we are embracing communication in all forms at GETBA. Part of that is reviewing our communication channels to ensure we don’t fall into the Luddite category! We’ve also surveyed and interviewed local businesses to understand how you communicate and like to be communicated with. It has been an enlightening journey. Many of us in the East Tamaki hub are business-to-business companies, which means the role of channels such as social media is less obvious, but we have discovered on our travels there are some exceptions to that rule. Take Phil Mitchell from Extreme Global. If you had told Phil 10 years ago that he would use social media to reach international markets, he would have laughed at you. Now he says: “LinkedIn has been the door to open up our international network.” Paul Ryan, National Sales Manager from Hydestor Manufacturing, confesses that while he had been pulled kicking and screaming into the digital age, the company couldn’t ignore the data. “LinkedIn is our highest source of leads. It is driving more people to our website than any other online source.”
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Not all social channels will be right for your business – in fact, 31 per cent said in our survey that they are not currently using any social media channels in their business and 42 per cent said they were unsure if their customers used social media for business. Our advice is to get the strategy right first. Don’t jump in and set up a Facebook page or a Twitter handle until you plan how you will connect with your customers in those spaces. That’s what we are doing here at GETBA. In our survey, 57 per cent of you said that if GETBA set up a Facebook page they would be unlikely to connect with us there. On the flip side, 43.5 per cent said they would be likely to connect with us if GETBA had a LinkedIn profile. Don’t worry - our email communication is here to stay! But we are reviewing what channels might be beneficial in delivering our messages to you. If you weren’t part of our survey or interviews and have some feedback to provide, we would love to hear from you.
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HOW ‘TECH’ IS EAST TAMAKI It is clear from the GETBA Internet Technologies Survey results that many East Tamaki businesses are aware of the impact that the quality of their internet connection on the products and applications they use. The low level of ‘cloud’ storage and application use is indicative of a preference to store files on-site instead of transferring over the internet. Follow-up conversations with some businesses indicate that their existing copper broadband services do not offer the speed and reliability they need to store and manage files online. 53.8 per cent of respondents are still operating on traditional copper broadband services, with some businesses progressively moving towards fibre optic broadband as it becomes available. Uptake of fibre is still relatively low at 8.3 per cent of respondents, but as more internet service providers (ISPs) begin offering products over the government’s UFB network, we would expect that number to steadily increase. One East Tamaki business using UFB found that they gained an hour in their workday due to the stability and speed of their new connection. This came through not having to troubleshoot poor connectivity or needing to restart failed data transfers (which sometimes resulted in having to physically deliver large data files off-site). The price of their internet service increased by between $60 and $70 a month, but the time and efficiency savings mean that the cost was easily
absorbed by the savings in staff time and increased overall productivity. Almost two thirds of respondents outsource their IT needs to some degree, with over 90 per cent using accounting services and applications. Around half of respondents used a combination of human resource, database management, sales and marketing, operating systems and voice communications. Despite the high level of application use and outsourcing, file and data management is still significantly reliant on on-site storage (a server computer based on the business premise) as opposed to off-site cloud solutions. This reflects the number of businesses still operating through copper broadband services. The national take-up of UFB currently sits at around 3 per cent two years into the nine-year rollout programme. The uptake of fibre-optic broadband from the survey respondents of 8.3 per cent is a combination of private ‘point to point’ and UFB services. To date, the level of uptake has been slowed by complexities such as the availability of fibre for multi-site businesses and the connection process for multi-unit complexes. This signals a need for greater engagement with businesses around the barriers they face in getting connected. Watch this space for more information on our new technology education series ‘Technology Bites’.
Next Business Owners Forum Our next Business Owners Forum on 16 April will focus on essential business technology, with panellists TUANZ CEO Paul Brislen and two local businesses highlighting how their use of technology has benefitted their bottom line. This is not a ‘technical’ session, it’s a practical guide to how easy it is to use technology to improve productivity and grow your business. Go to www.getba.org.nz for more information.
Save the date: 16 APRIL What: Business Owners Forum: Essential Business Technology When: Tuesday 16 April 2013, 4-6pm Where: BNZ Partners Business Centre, Level 1, 86 Highbrook Drive Refreshments: Beer, wine and pizza Register by phoning GETBA on 09 273 6274 or emailing admin@getba.org.nz
Out of sight, top of mind The more portable technology becomes, the more options business owners and their employees have when it comes to how, where and when they work. Welcome to the world of teleworking. Many people already take their work home with them – whether it’s via a laptop, tablet or mobile phone – so in many situations it makes sense to formalise more flexible working arrangements where employees work away from the office on a more regular basis. There’s no one-size fits all approach, it could involve employees working from home once a month, from a client’s office once a week, from a shared business hub three days a week, from a hotel or a conference centre. The important thing is that you can work remotely while still having access to the documents you need for work, your email and contact with your colleagues. What’s the point? It can boost productivity and workforce participation because employees are in an environment where they are comfortable and can focus and helps improve work/life balance, something that is of increasing importance to all generations but particularly those in the younger age brackets. Employees are often more satisfied, which helps attract and retain talent, and there are reduced congestion and environmental benefits. Depending on how you approach it, there can also be cost savings, both for individuals and the businesses themselves. Having said that, teleworking is not for everyone or every role. In general the tasks that fit best with a remote working approach are those that are oriented around knowledge and information. Faceto-face sales roles, for instance, don’t fit with teleworking but telesales and some customer service roles do. A successful teleworking policy needs both leaders and their employees to approach it with a commitment to trust and open communications. Employers and managers need to have confidence that work is happening, even if they can’t see it, while teleworkers need to trust that their manager will be available when they need guidance and support. To get a better understanding of the effects that teleworking can have, Cisco have commissioned a trans-Tasman study on the (continued on page 7…)
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TRANSPORT PUBLIC TRANSPORT REVIEW Industrial hubs such as ours rely on the efficient movement of people to attract and retain staff.
Funding East Tamaki’s transport needs In his recent ‘state of the city’ address to a GETBA Breakfast audience, Auckland Mayor Len Brown talked about the challenges of paying for transport infrastructure with a constrained budget. He is looking for support for public private partnerships, direct charging via tolls and network charges for funding support, as well as lobbying central government for its contribution. GETBA agrees that it’s time central government acknowledges that Auckland is the economic powerhouse of New Zealand by helping to fund transformational infrastructure projects such as the economically crucial East-West link to enhance the connectivity in the geographical area between the SH1 and SH20 corridors. In an interesting NZ Herald article, Chamber of Commerce CE Michael Barnett and EMA CE Kim Campbell put forward the case for priority attention from local and central government for important transport projects stalled by funding constraints and slow planning. They specifically referred to the urgency of an efficient integrated AMETI and EastWest link (the latter now termed MMEWS – multi-modal east-west system), criticising the disjointed approach – AMETI is being
developed primarily as a bus corridor and funded by local government, while the East-West link is being investigated primarily to address freight needs and therefore requires central government funding. The development of the East-West link has been part of Auckland’s transport plans since the 1950s and the CEs justifiably pointed out in their article that the project has been ‘consulted to death’, which we at GETBA can vouch for! There is a need to significantly improve the travel time and reliability for freight to and from the Onehunga and Penrose industrial areas, the surrounding industrial areas of East Tamaki, Rosebank, and Wiri, and Auckland’s air, sea, and inland ports. With freight traffic in the region about to double, ongoing delays hinder Auckland’s economic growth.
Read the article at: www.nzherald.co.nz/transport/news/article.cfm?c_id=97&objectid=10867957
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An Auckland Transport-commissioned accessibility review and employer survey of GETBA members in 2012 showed that a lack of public transport services is a significant issue for businesses and that only 2 per cent of staff commute by bus. Between 20 and 30 per cent of respondents pointed to a combination of route connectivity, bus stop locations, frequency, and times and shift variabilities. We have also been advised by local recruitment firms that the current service is a deterrent for young people who want employment in East Tamaki but don’t have their own vehicle. Auckland Transport is in the process of reviewing public transport and has put forward a draft Auckland Regional Public Transport Plan, that proposes a simpler but more connected network – essentially more frequent services on fewer but better integrated routes. GETBA is in discussion with public transport senior officials about how this is likely to impact the East Tamaki industrial hub. The southern network design is not due to be released for consultation until mid-2013 but we have been advised that we are likely to see the number of bus routes in our area halved. Not surprising considering the lack of patronage. Auckland Transport officials are frank in identifying industrial areas such as ours as ‘hostile’ environments for public transport, however, we have the opportunity over the next few months to canvas East Tamaki businesses about which routes should be retained or whether there may indeed be demand for alternative solutions. These might include on-demand mini-bus shuttles replacing scheduled services or feeder services to local connection points on the frequent transport network (eg Papatoetoe, Otahuhu and/or Botany). Otahuhu and Manukau will be major bus transport interchanges. See our submission on the GETBA website www.getba.org.nz or contact Troy Greenfield on project@getba.org.nz to discuss these potential alternatives.
FREEING UP OUR ROADS
Project Commute represents a concerted effort to reduce the number of cars on the roads around East Tamaki and we need your help to promote it to your staff. Our heavily freight dependent road network gets more congested by the day and as the workforce grows to 40,000 and beyond, reducing the number of single occupancy cars on the roads will help enable efficiency, productivity and growth for our thriving business hub. While car parking isn’t currently an issue for many companies in the East Tamaki district, the ever-expanding workforce and industrial development is bound to have an impact on businesses and employees in the coming years. GETBA is encouraging employees to change their mode of transport for their daily commute through a range of different incentivised initiatives ranging from carpooling and public transport, to promoting cycling and walking as options
for people who want to add some extra exercise to their day but struggle to find the time.
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Crank it up, spe ed, freew kid, race heel, sla your frie lom, pla nds, go ride throug y, be a offroad, h puddle explore s, wear save mo , get fit, lycra, don ney on petrol... ’t wear the fun lycra, way to commu te.
We don’t need a lot from you as an employer and helping us to promote these initiatives shows your staff members that you are trying to help them save money/ keep fit/reduce stress by showcasing the options available and helping to facilitate them via the GETBA Project Manager. We are asking employers to distribute flyers, posters and emails to encourage your employees to register for more information, and, where suitable, offer some time to discuss these options with them. Our project manager will take care of all the oneon-one communication with your employees and will then facilitate for anyone who registers interest in any of the options.
If you would like to meet with our Project Manager to discuss this project further, or would like any more information, please contact Troy Greenfield on 09 273 6274 or project@getba.org.nz
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Out of sight, top of mind (…continuing from page 5) impact teleworking has on New Zealand and Australian businesses. The research will be jointly carried out by New Zealand Work Research Institute at AUT Business School and Melbourne University’s Institute for Broadband Enabled Society and it’s hoped that the results will help New Zealand and Australian businesses better understand the management, human resource, cultural and technology issues teleworking raises. Head to www.telework.co.nz for more information.
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GETBA SECURITY VIDEOS LAUNCH
SOUTHERN BUSINESS MARKET
Photographs provided by Mike Farrelly, Farrelly Photos, Ph 09 274 6868, photos@farrelly.co.nz, www.farrelly.co.nz and Alan Houghton (photos of the Southern Business Market)
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POD CONSULTING SHOWCASE
BUSINESS OWNERS FORUM
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CRIME PREVENTION Local pilot scheme uses ANPR camera technology
Show your business is cared for
GETBA has launched a pilot scheme that uses the latest ANPR camera technology to monitor stolen vehicles as part of its latest crime prevention initiative aimed at helping to keep East Tamaki businesses safe. Initially there will be two cameras within the GETBA area and information from the camera’s ‘vehicle hits’ will be sent directly to the police communications centre for response. As a further deterrent the words ‘Camera Monitored Area’ will appear on the six about to be refurbished East Tamaki ‘sense of place’ signs. The GETBA pilot scheme will initially run for 12 months with a view to expanding to other sites, ultimately ringing the area, and sourcing funding via business sponsorship.
If your business looks cared for it will be less attractive to criminals.
2013 business burglary numbers remain the lowest in the 11 years GETBA has been keeping them. It’s early days for this year, however, so let’s keep working together to ensure they remain low.
How is your experience with your security provider GETBA has been working with local security providers in recent years to encourage a good professional standard of service to our members. So how are we doing? We welcome feedback about your experience with your provider, as well as any issues you may have experienced. We can then take your feedback and suggestions to our Security Managers Network in order to let them know how they are collectively doing.
Technology works well when used well CCTV will only be useful for your business if it is used well. The first step in this process is choosing the right equipment – cheapest is not necessarily better. Check the clarity of the photographs it produces and make sure you can see as much detail as you can. When you’re installing the cameras – or getting them installed – think about the end user. If the camera isn’t in a place where it can capture a clear picture of the criminal’s face, or their vehicle’s number plate, then its value is reduced. Consider how it will work at night time – is there enough light
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First up, however, we need to know whether you are receiving the quality of service you are paying for.
in the area it will be positioned? If not, you may need infra-red capability.
Useful information would be:
Zone Technology’s sales manager Edgar Moore says new IP platforms allow businesses to use CCTV proactively instead of reactively.
• Are you happy with the service they offer? If not, why not?
“Embedded analytics within IP video streams enable alarm events to be created based on specific rules within the scene. This could include objects being removed or that have been left, loitering or graffiti. This has turned another page for electronic security systems to work in the ‘now’ as one tool alongside structured risk and loss prevention methodologies.”
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• Name of provider (optional)
• If mistakes have been made, have they been handled professionally to your expectation? • What you would suggest they could do to improve their service? • What are they doing well that you would like them commended for? Please forward this information to exec@getba.org.nz
Energy matters According to EECA Business, New Zealand businesses could collectively save up to $2 billion through energy efficiency measures. The benefits of getting serious about energy efficiency go well beyond simple costcutting; they can extend to productivity, profitability and market position. And that’s part of the reason the government set up EECA and, by extension, EECA Business. The organisation encourages, supports and promotes energy efficiency, energy conservation and the use of renewable sources of energy, and part of that involves working with individual businesses to help them better manage their energy use in order to become more productive and competitive. EECA Business General Manager, Ian Niven points out that consumers are demanding more sustainably produced goods and services, and energy efficiency is a big part of sustainable production. Energy efficient businesses enjoy greater productivity, profitability and a more competitive market position, all of which are important qualities when it comes to surviving tough economic times. Employing
energy efficient measures, many of which pay for themselves in three years or less, could save New Zealand businesses, both big and small, a collective $2 billion. That’s not even considering the difference it could make to our environment. Every industry can do something from turning off the lights to upgrading more energy intensive systems such as heating, air conditioning or lighting to more modern, more efficient versions, something that EECA Business says could result in energy savings of up to 50 per cent. Making a commitment to look at energy efficiency is all well and good, but you’re most likely to make the biggest savings by instituting an energy management programme. The reason is that in creating and implementing it, you’ll be reviewing and managing energy use across the whole organisation on an ongoing basis. Putting the right policies, people and processes in place will create long-term change, and to do that, you also need strong leadership. It’s critical that the people with control of the purse strings in senior management also make the commitment because without this focus and broad base engagement, projects may never get off the ground or yield their full potential.
Sustainable growth is a workstream identified in the East Tamaki Business Precinct plan. This includes educating businesses about the value of incorporating sustainable business practices into strategic planning, investigating opportunities for sustainable business practices, and investigating the appetite for joint business initiatives to share resources and/or minimise waste.
Key questions business leaders should be asking: 1. How much do we spend on energy each year across the organisation? 2. How much could we save, and how are we doing compared to our competition locally and overseas? 3. Do we have the right policies, plans and processes in place to enable us to manage our energy use? 4. Does the way we manage energy form part of our overall approach to productivity and minimisation of waste? 5. How do our customers and suppliers expect us to manage our energy use and carbon footprint, and what would be the impact on our competitive position and brand if we failed to meet these expectations? Visit www.eecabusiness.govt.nz for more information including case studies and details of funding support.
New Waste Minimisation Grants Scheme A new council fund is offering grants for waste minimisation projects. The Waste Minimisation and Innovation Fund (WMIF) is specifically focused on providing new initiatives with seed funding via 50/50 grants in order to help reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. These initiatives include developing business community-based resource recovery centres and programmes. The grants are available to community groups, businesses, iwi and educational institutions for innovative projects that will reduce or minimise waste and help achieve the goals set out in Auckland Council’s Waste Management and Minimisation Plan. The fund is worth $500,000 overall, and has three grant sub-categories: small (less than $5000) medium ($5001 to $25,000) and large ($25,000 or more). Applications for the first of two rounds of funding opened on the April 1, 2013 and close on the April 30. If you’re interested in working with GETBA and other local businesses on a joint project, get in touch with us on 09 273 6274. Find out more on http://wasteplan. aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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Spreading the word There’s more to marketing than brochures and newspaper adverts. As Nicole Crump explains, it’s about giving your customers a reason to do business with you. The rule of thumb for marketing is: where there is competition there is marketing. If you are not the only option in your market, regardless of the industry, there is a need to stand out from your competitors. This means understanding what makes your business unique and why this is important to your market will be crucial to your success. Marketing is the tool to help you do this. In short, marketing gives customers and clients a reason to do business with you. It is not just about converting new clients – although that is certainly an important aspect – it’s also about retaining existing clients. Many businesses find that effective marketing has the potential to convert even contented customers from their competitors simply through increased brand exposure and the communication of a key point of difference. The marketing mix we identify for clients with consumer offerings is vastly different to that of businesses in the business to business (B2B) sector, such as engineering and manufacturing clients, and for the most part this comes down to the targeting of the message. Because you are targeting the end user with business to consumer marketing, the message can be more easily distributed through mass media channels such as newspapers, television and even the online space. This approach is of little use to a company with a B2B offering, which requires that its message is targeted more towards specific influencers – CIOs, CFOs and buyers for example. The role of marketing in this case is to figure out how to best influence these people. Generally this is best done through very personal activations/interactions, but media placement in industry specific publications can also be effective. The perception that marketing is all brochures and newspaper adverts is not a new one. It is important for companies to understand how wide-ranging marketing is in order to ensure they not only make the most of the opportunities available to them, but also don’t hamstring the marketing efforts they do undertake.
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For companies in small or niche markets that are planning on managing their own marketing, a good starting point is to review each element of your existing customer interactions with the goal of creating consistency. Sit down as a team and review the customer process, giving an evaluation of each interaction. Ask yourself, what does the customer see, feel, do and find when they interact with your business? Are you easy to contact? Are you communicating in the right places? When contacted, how is your phone manner? Does the website provide the right information? Is the product packaged professionally? Are all outgoing communications, including emails, direct mail and invoices, consistently branded? And, crucially, is each of these elements communicating the same message? Online is an area that must now be considered for every company. The internet is often the first place clients and customers go to find out more about you, which means that managing the online space is essential when it comes to shaping your customer’s perception of your business and brand. With the growth of blogs, forums and rating sites, the internet is seldom an aspect of marketing you can control. It pays to Google your company name frequently to find out what people are saying about you and, where possible, respond to both positive and negative feedback. Setting up Google Alerts to give
N E WS LE TT E R O F T H E GREATER EAST TAM AKI BUSINESS ASS OCIATION IN C. I S S U E 4 2 0 1 3
a free daily report on your company’s web mentions is a good way to stay on top of this, or even capitalise on a competitor’s dissatisfied customers. What is under your control is your own website. All companies need a well presented website, whether it offers everything from registrations to sales, or just an online version of the company’s profile. These days, people expect a lot from a website, so it is important that yours delivers what your customers need. If you do not know what your customers want from your site, ask them. While social media can be an extremely powerful marketing tool for some companies, it is not for everyone. The key is to know where your current and potential customers hold conversations about your particular product. Yes, most will use social media personally, but this is not to say they use it to talk about your product or service. This is where marketing and market research can play a vital role in establishing whether your customers wish to hear from you in this space. Making marketing work for your company and your budget is about cutting through the clutter with a good, honest assessment of your business and making sure you are giving your market reasons to contact and do business with you. Nicole is the director of Tactix, a Penrose-based company that builds growth-focused marketing plans for businesses. www.tactixnz.co.nz
Becoming an
AWARD-WINNING
BUSINESS The Westpac Business Awards give small and medium sized businesses the opportunity to benchmark their success against other local businesses from a variety of industries. Pod Consulting was one of the winners in last year’s Auckland South regional awards. Each year Westpac sponsors regional Business Awards throughout the country in association with their local Chambers of Commerce or local economic development agency. This year’s awards are now accepting entries and Heather Smith of The Marketing Company sat down with Sharn Rayner of Pod Consulting (winner of the 2012 RSM Prince Award for Excellence in Strategy and Planning) to give you an idea of what it takes to be a winner.
What sets your business apart? Our team have all run businesses, worked within family businesses and/or managed staff, so we understand the challenges, pain and dramas as well as the highs and positives… we can relate to clients. We also have a good understanding about different areas of a business, for example sales, marketing, IT, operations and finance, not just HR. We have a smart team with truly excellent skills and experience. They know what they’re doing which makes us effective.
Sharn Rayner talks about Pod Consulting’s awards.
Congratulations on winning the RSM Prince award for Excellence in Strategy & Planning. How do you feel? Sharn Rayner: Elated. It was such a privilege to be up there with businesses that are very successful in their own fields. It was such a meaningful award given the work we do with clients in organisational development, business planning and HR, which is all about strategy and planning. It’s not your only win though is it? We also won the Small Business of the Year and were finalists for Best Emerging Business. Being recognised for what the team and I have achieved in the past three years gave us and our clients confidence that businesses can grow in a challenging market. You can succeed and, with a strong strategy, get a good result.
The RSM Prince award for Excellence in Strategy & Planning is quite specific. Why do you think you won that particular award? We are very, very obsessive in terms of how we plan and set the direction of where we’re going, and it’s collaborative. Each year we set goals, break them down for each operational area and then take action. It’s about having a real focus on continuous improvement, tracking how we’re performing. When new things don’t track as well as we had hoped, we look at it and can see how to make it better. What kind of support have you had in terms of developing strategy and planning for your business? We have lots of support. Internal support is essential – the whole team is involved in the actual planning and empowered for what they want to achieve and what we’re trying to achieve as a business. Externally I have two mentors I work with
who really stretch me. We can all have a blind spot or miss things and sometimes you need somebody to say objectively, or even quite harshly, “here’s what you need to look at”. And I bring in experts, for example The Marketing Company for our marketing strategy, our accountant on the financials. So that external support is really important? Absolutely. As an owner of an SME you’ve got to stick with your core business, in our case providing the best HR services. If marketing, finance or IT isn’t your core expertise, get help. With The Marketing Company I went to a two-day boot camp, which took me through the process of an entire marketing plan; understanding why you need one, the principles of marketing and how that ties into the financials, who our target clients are and what we want to promote. That helped us to get to where we are now – in a whole rebranding exercise. We’re redoing our website and really focusing on what marketing materials we use. It’s also led us to look at how we place in the market, so it was really good for us. Getting the marketing plan down in writing to put into our main business plan was also really beneficial. What would you recommend to other businesses who’d like to emulate your achievements? It’s hard graft, not for the faint hearted – prepare for that. You can’t do it all by yourself. Empower your team, bring on strong employees and don’t put up with poor performance. Have you got one final piece of advice you’d like to leave with people? When you are doing crazy hours, you need to believe that the outcome will be worth it; know that your product or service is going to make a difference. You’ve got to be passionate about it, because it can be all consuming.
If you’d like to enter into Westpac’s Auckland South Business Awards contact Claudine Murray at ATEED on Ph 09 354 0085. For further information regarding THE Marketing Company’s Essential Marketing Boot Camp head to www.themarketingcompany.co.nz
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CREATING A STRONG COMMUNITY
HOW YOU CAN HELP CEO Ingrid Minett says the organisation would love to hear from any local business that can donate a charity auction item for the evening, or would like to look at providing ongoing support. All businesses who provide a charity auction item will be featured on the organisation’s brand new website later this year. Alternatively, anyone who would like to come along for a night of fun and fundraising, tickets are just $35 and are on sale now. “With your help,” Minett says, “we will be able to support a future generation of children in South Auckland to grow up healthy and reach their full potential within families and neighbourhoods that are able to support their success and well-being.”
The Otara Health Charitable Trust team
For the past 15 years the Otara Health Charitable Trust has been a valued part of the Otara community providing essential social services and community development initiatives. CEO Ingrid Minett says a re-focus by the organisation in July last year has produced a five-year plan with a child-centred model and understanding that the child lives in a family and families live in the community. To do that Otara Health has four main strategies; the first of which is developing a Families Centre. “We want to be the cornerstone organisation that brings together other providers of community services that align with our vision,” Minett explains. “There are a number of services working in this area but we kind of work in silos. We want to bring them together and build a truly collaborative network.” The Families Centre will be a place where Otara families can drop in and receive support, education and information on parenting, child health, child development, child learning and a wide range of other issues identified by families. Developing such a centre comes with its own set of challenges, one of which has been finding a location.
A fundraiser for Otara’s new Families Centre The organisation is combining its 15th anniversary celebrations with a charity auction to help raise money towards the centre and its services (see box). Local artists will be performing at the event on May 16 while guests enjoy a Pacific Luau feast and have the chance to bid for a number of auction lots including a signed
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Warriors heritage jersey and a signed Sonny Bill Williams jersey. The second strategy revolves around neighbourhood support groups. Otara Health had about 50 of these groups at the beginning of this year and they’ve now more than doubled that number. Otara Health works closely with the neighbourhood policing team, who come from a crime prevention model, while Otara Health comes from a community development model. “We work around the philosophy that a connected community creates a stronger, healthier and more empowered community.” The Kaitohutohu home visiting service makes up the third strategy. Minett says that people with complex needs within the community are referred to Otara Health by various agencies, including schools, health clinics, government departments, and other community organisations. The organisation’s health workers go in and help them. “It’s a holistic approach. For example, perhaps it’s a mother who’s always getting sick or depressed. We may find there are a lot of other social, family or environmental issues that are having an effect. We can support
For more information, tickets or to donate a charity item email ingrid@otarahealth.org.nz or you can give her a call on 09 274 8355 or 021 464 408. her to work through them and get her and any other family member back on track.” The organisation aims for a 48-hour turnaround from referral to visit, something Minett is proud to say they are currently keeping up. Finally, Otara Health is also focusing on enhancing its own organisational capacity. “We try to hire locally and as a result we have a staff that represents the community.” The University of Auckland has helped by sponsoring staff through their executive short courses, and there has been more training support from other training providers. “Our long-term goal is to break inter-generational poverty,” Minett says. “We have a lot of teen parents here who probably haven’t experienced the best parenting themselves and go on to parent their children how they’ve been parented. So we are working at being proactive instead of reactive and getting to families early to break those cycles. “Ideally, I’d like to see our children succeed in Otara because the odds are going in their favour rather than because they’ve had to fight against them.”
KEEP IT LOCAL SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES! For just $150 plus GST, East Tamaki businesses can now promote their products and services to local businesses via our Keeping it Local emails. Each week we put the spotlight on a different local business. Email admin@getba.org.nz or phone us on 09 273 6274 to book your spot
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OUR ASSOCIATE MEMBERS More than 50 businesses from outside the East Tamaki precinct have chosen to join GETBA as Associate Members. Here are four of them:
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celsius bar 125 Ormiston Road, Botany Junction Ph: (09) 271 4822 email: celsius@celsiusbar.co.nz
Best Clean? Call CrestClean Call 0800 273 780 or visit www.crestclean.co.nz
Healthcare Offices Manufacturing Education Retail
If you are an associate member of GETBA and want your ad here, email admin@getba.org.nz or phone us on 09 273 6274.
PROPERTY UPDATE
PROPERTY OWNERS FORUM
Draft Unitary Plan Wednesday 10 April 2013, 4-6pm
Heart of Highbrook
Learn more about the draft Unitary Plan and whether it really is ‘business friendly’. The plan will replace all zoning and planning controls for Auckland. The Council says it will provide greater consistency across Auckland, help ensure that the land the city needs for its businesses is provided, safeguarded and developed, and simplify the planning process. At the GETBA forum, Auckland Council will present first and then our other panellists will consider whether the draft plan proposed by Council does in fact meet the ‘business friendly’ test. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion led by facilitator, Russell Baikie, Senior Principal Planner with Harrison Grierson Consultants. Come along, be better informed and join in the discussion!
The thousands of people who work at Highbrook and the thousands more who use Highbrook Drive on their daily commute can now relax and socialise at The Crossing retail precinct. When finished, The Crossing will have a modern, progressive architectural design and feature five buildings around a podium base, linked by an open-air plaza. It’s expected to become the landmark centrepiece for the Highbrook estate. The retail part of the precinct is now open and is home to a range of restaurants, cafés and a convenience retail shops including Hollywood Bakery, Kagura Sushi Bar, Smile Superette, Namaste Indian Restaurant and Bar, Westpac and Kiwibank. In July another group of businesses – including Icon bar/restaurant, Waipuna Conference Centre, Highbrook Gym and Quest Serviced Apartments – will join them.
Panellists: Nick Pollard, Principal Planner, Auckland Council, Connal Townsend, CE, Property Council of NZ and John Bolton, local industrial property owner and Bayleys Real Estate senior broker.
Together they’ll help to create a lively and upbeat environment, a real heart for Highbrook. It’s not finished yet. The Crossing continues to attract strong interest from a broad mix of potential clients including commercial businesses, professional service firms, medical practitioners and hospitality operators. Generous on-site car parking and prominent signage placement are also available to customers, another incentive for anyone interested in becoming part of the exciting new development. www.highbrook.co.nz
The draft Unitary Plan
Save the date: 10 APRIL What: Property Owners Forum on the draft Unitary Plan When: Wed 10 April 2013, 4-6pm Where: BNZ Partners Business Centre, Level 1, 86 Highbrook Drive Refreshments: Beer, wine & pizza Register by phoning GETBA on 09 273 6274 or emailing admin@getba.org.nz
THE UNITARY PLAN PROCESS AND TIMELINES Stage 1: to August 2012
Direction setting and development of draft provisions
The Auckland Unitary Plan will be a key tool in implementing the Auckland Plan, which sets the strategic direction of the region’s growth over the next 30 years. It is developed under the Resource Management Act and provides a regulatory means of implementing the Auckland Plan.
Stage 2: August – November 2012
Engagement with public on a draft plan
The Council will also prepare an area plan for each of the 21 local boards that reflects the Auckland Plan at a local scale. The land use aspects of the area plans will be incorporated into the Auckland Unitary Plan progressively over time.
Stage 3: March - May 2013 Stage 4: May - August 2013
Prepare proposed Unitary Plan for Council decision to notify
Stage 5: from September 2013
Statutory consultation on proposed Unitary Plan
Local Board and stakeholder input to development of draft plan
Read the draft Unitary Plan on www.shapeauckland.co.nz To have your say and FAQs www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/planspoliciesprojects/plansstrategies/unitaryplan/Pages/home.aspx
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ISSUE 4 2013
TH E G RE ATE R E AS T TAM AK I BU S IN E S S AS SO C I AT I O N I N C .
PO Box 58 260 Botany Manukau 2163 P 09 273 6274 E gm@getba.org.nz www.getba.org.nz