Waikato Business News | March, 2024

Fight or flight?

Five Waikato councils are struggling to balance the books and keep rates down while sitting on a significant shareholding in the region’s airport. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill poses the question, is it time to sell up?

How much is Hamilton Airport worth?

On paper about $234 million, which makes the strategic decision by Hamilton City, Waipā, Waikato, Matamata-Piako and Ōtorohanga councils to pay $2.125 million in 1989 seem a pretty astute one.

Despite some rocky years - which included a $12 million call on shareholders in 2008/2009 – Waikato Regional Airport Ltd, the company that manages the operation, says it is well placed to kick on and increase shareholder value.

But Auckland City Council’s decision to sell seven percent of its 18 per

“

It could be beneficial to buy more if we were ever in the position to.

cent stake in Auckland Airport for $836 million to reduce debt has put the Waikato councils’ investment back in the spotlight.

What could Hamilton City Council do with $117 million right now – it owns 50 per cent - or even as city councillor Ewan Wilson suggests in an exclusive Waikato Business News column on page 12, a percentage of that and more dividends? The city council got its last dividend of $250,000 in the financial year ended June 30, 2023.

Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate, in a recent column, said the council had considered selling a portion

of its airport shares, but “this is not wise at this time, although we have pursued dividends”.

There is little appetite from the other mayors for them to follow Auckland mayor Wayne Brown’s lead and sell their districts’ shares.

Waipā, Waikato and Matamata-Piako own 15.6 per cent each of the shares

Now online, 4:00–6:00pm, Wednesday March 7th 2024

while Ōtorohanga has 3.2 per cent.

Waipā mayor Susan O’Regan went as far as saying it could be beneficial for her council to buy more shares in the airport if they could. Shareholding councils get the first option to buy if others want to sell. Hamilton Airport sits at the northern end of the Waipā district, prompting its

deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk to often suggest a name change should be considered.

Waipā district plan changes opened the airport up to industrial development, transforming what had been maize and hay paddocks into Titanium Park.

“We are very fortunate to have such a strategic asset in the Waipā district,” said

O’Regan, who confirmed the council had not discussed the shareholding’s future and it had not been signalled for review.

“The recent plan change opens up a good amount of airport owned land and the share value is likely to increase substantially in future years which means it could be beneficial to buy CONTINUED

This seminar is designed for business owners and shareholders who are considering selling their business, or those who are simply curious about how they can increase the value their business.

We are here to help you on your journey.

Find out more at linkbusiness.co.nz/online-seller-seminar

Hamilton Airport. Photo: Shaun Jeffers.

Paula Southgate Adrienne Wilcock

Susan O’Regan

Jacqui Church Max Baxter

Editor

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News

Mary

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Owner

Davy janine@goodlocal.nz

Teens get down to business

Almost 200 secondary school students were at Wintec’s Atrium for the annual Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme’s – Yes - Kickstart Tīmatanga event.

They were given information about the programme and time with about 40 speed coaches –and almost 50 companies were created.

Readers’

Yes is a long running programme which gives Year 12 and 13 students an opportunity to set up and run their own businesses. Their companies complete challenges throughout the year for regional and national awards and tertiary scholarships. Regional co-ordinator Maddie Walker said students were brimming with ideas,

This

from unique products and twists on familiar ones to new services developed to turn a profit.

It was excellent to see business leaders offering feedback, she said.

“Yes is a fantastic experience for students and being able to connect with these mentors really sets them on the right track for the year.”

Fight or flight?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

more if we were ever in the position to.”

Ōtorohanga mayor Max Baxter said his council had no intention of selling its shares while Matamata-Piako mayor Adrienne Wilcock said it had not even been discussed, so its current position was to retain them as a strategic investment.

Waikato mayor Jacqui Church said the airport company had worked hard to be the best regional airport and council would retain its shareholding as a strategic investment.

“It (airport company) is well managed and governed,” she said. “It has diversified and strengthened over the past few years. The council is supportive of the airport as a regional asset and will continue to support

the airport through its shareholding for the foreseeable future.”

Outspoken Waikato district councillor Mike Keir recently advocated for 20 per cent plus rate increases to maintain the district’s “tired and non-compliant infrastructure.”

But he would not sell the airport shares despite Waikato’s percentage being worth $36.5 million.

“This council asset is likely to see some good growth in value over the medium term and should also be able to pay dividends so council should hold to maximise its return.

“That is not to say divestment should not be considered in the future but in my book, now is not the time,” said Keir.

• See: Not enough value out of airport, page 12

Sky fall?

I was amused at the photo of the “sod turning” collective (Waikato Business News, February). It seems it may have come right out of Monty Python’s Department of Silly Walks. It is amazing that the group all have to wear safety helmets, protective glasses and high visibility jackets when they are, (all but one) simply symbolically putting a foot on a spade in the ground. One would have thought the greater risk is for a foot injuryso therefore why not heavy duty footwear? Having driven through the junction many, many times over 30 years, the only potential danger I see from above is the sky falling on my head. Might I conclude that the photo smacks of health and safety gone mad?

Greg Dunn Fairfield, Hamilton

Maddie Walker pictured with Lincoln Drent and Eddie Stocks from Kiwibank.

National MPs, from left Louise Upston, Simeon Brown, Tim van de Molen and Tom Rutherford at the sod turning.

On the move

Kelvyn Eglington (pictured below) has moved to Craigs

Investment Partners as their general manager following six years as chief executive of Momentum Waikato Community Foundation. Simon Wickham has taken on the foundation role.

Chat GPT workshop

Two Cambridge business people have formed a company to run twohour workshops on the last Wednesday of every month on ChatGPT for New Zealand organisations. Jamie Moore and Jeremy Suisted of Mosaic Partners take business leaders from 0 to 1 with ChatGPT, a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows people to have human-like conversations with a chatbot.

New gig

Former Hamilton City Council boss Richard Briggs has been appointed chief executive at Hamilton law firm iClaw. After he left the council two years ago, Briggs worked as an independent consultant focussing on strategy development and execution, best practice governance frameworks, corporate structuring and executive coaching.

Tim’s back

Former National Party MP Tim Macindoe easily won the city council’s Hamilton East by election last month. He replaced Ryan Hamilton, who was elected to parliament in October.

Macindoe received 5874 votes, 3666 ahead of Leo Liu, who received 2208 votes. Turnout was low with just 22 percent (12,475) of eligible voters going to the polls.

Three up, two to go…

Union Square, Hamilton’s newest central business district office and community space, opened the third of its five buildings last month and senior writer Mary Anne Gill was there.

Clients are important, but to quote Virgin’s Richard Branson: “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”

While the 23,000 square metre Union Square development in downtown Hamilton – on the corner of Anglesea and Hood streets - is big, paramount throughout the design was the people who work there, developers say.

At a celebration to mark the completion last month of Building E, the third of five buildings in Union Square, Fosters Develop manager Rhys Harvey said workers’ days in the complex would be “seamless” from parking a car or having a shower, “you know where to go.”

Thirty showers, lockers,

hairdryers, a wellness centre, charging stations for bicycles, scooters and cars, 350 dedicated car parking spaces, efficient open plan spaces designed to maximise natural lighting and a Union Square App – developed by tenant Company-X - are just some of the services available to people who work there.

Building E will be the hub in the $20 million complex, said Harvey.

The event was hosted by Hamilton Central Business Association, the Property Council of New Zealand, Waikato Chamber of Commerce and Fosters.

Chief executive Vanessa Williams said the central business association was in awe of the latest development to transform the southern skyline.

“Creating a productive workspace goes beyond a

“ Creating a productive workspace goes beyond a desk and a computer

desk and a computer,” she said, quoting Branson’s mantra about clients.

Employees’ wellbeing catered to with dedicated spaces would help create positive company cultures, she said.

Chamber chief executive Don Good said what Fosters had created at Union Square was a fine example of

innovativeness.

“(Hamilton) is a very wonderful place to live, work and play.”

Fosters, which had its beginnings in Morrinsville in the 1950s and moved to Hamilton in the 1960s, was one of those Waikato companies that tended to fly under the radar, said Good.

“Until they put up a

High praise

building like this. They inspire vision every day.” Union Square tenants already include Rabobank, AA Insurance, Sentinel Outpost Café, BBO, Baker Tilly Staples Rodway, Company-X, Craigs Investment Partners, Reform Reformer Pilates and James and Wells.

Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams welcomes guests to the opening of Building E at Union Square in Hamilton.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

An aerial view of Building E and next to it, Rabobank, part of the Union Square development in Hamilton. Photo: Supplied.

Australian High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu, right, was pictured with Waikato Chamber of Commerce chair Senga Allen at Innovation Park in Hamilton during a two-day visit to the Waikato last month. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill caught up with the commissioner, whose visit also took in the Tatua Dairy Company’s Tatuanui factory, packaging company Visy at Hamilton Airport and a dairy farm south of Te Awamutu. See her story starting on Page 6 today.

Ruakura – a Waikato sentinel

Maersk’s new integrated coldstore facility at Ruakura Superhub opened last month and senior writer Mary Anne Gill checked out the 18,000 square metre building wishing she had brought a coat.

Maersk Ruakura Superhub site manager Peter Phillip opens the blast freezer door where inside it is -20 degree Celsius, and issues a warning.

“…I’d just like to point out none of you are dressed for the freezing conditions so when we do go in there, you won’t stay long.”

He was right. Two minutes, tops.

It is one of three cool rooms Phillip shows us at the opening of Maersk’s $150 million integrated cold chain facility. The first has space for 3000 pallets, the second 4500 and the third – a somewhat tropical -10 degrees – has 8000 spaces with racking on one side and floor stacking on the other.

It took a year to build the 18,000 square metre facility less than two kilometres from the Waikato Expressway off ramp and only metres south of the East Coast Main Trunk railway line, Kiwi Rail’s rail freight route between Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

There are new twin 800m rail sidings at the Ruakura stop and a daily service transports up to 90 containers a day between Auckland and Tauranga.

Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said the Danish shipping and logistics company was enthusiastic

about fostering growth and forging long-term partnerships.

“The facility will leverage landside logistic capabilities allowing for larger quantities of imported and exported goods to flow through New Zealand and the wider Asia-Pacific region.”

Te Arataura chair Tukoroirangi Morgan told Clerc and other guests his iwi appreciated working alongside one of the giants of the shipping trade.

Te Arataura is the executive committee of Waikato-Tainui’s tribal parliament Te Whakakitenga with responsibility to manage the business and affairs of the 86,000-strong iwi.

Ruakura stood as a sentinel, a reminder for people of the tribe and from the region that “Waikato Tainui are on the move and that we will embrace opportunities as we’ve done here at Ruakura,” said Morgan.

Apollo Projects designed and built the facility to a Greenstar-5 sustainability rating with Maersk saying it wants to get to six stars.

Peter Phillip picks up on that during the tour, showing people the refrigeration plant in the mezzanine floor, all of it in the spine of the building. In addition to its solar

panels, the company collects rain and condensation for the irrigation system and water supplies.

He is clearly proud to be leading the team at Ruakura and itching to get product into the facility which allows customers to retain the quality of their products during transit by housing nearly 30,000 pallets in both cold rooms and blast freezers.

The freezers do their job in less than 24 hours locking in the quality and ensuring a fresher product when it reaches its destination.

When trucks arrive, containers can be unpacked and turned around in 20 minutes, taken to the cold rooms or snap freezers.

The 390ha Ruakura Superhub is one of the country’s largest developments. It is in a ‘sweet spot’ for New Zealand’s supply chain –in the golden triangle of Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty – and 65 per cent of the country’s total freight passes through the strategic corridor.

Last month New Zealand logistics company Big Chill Distribution

opened its cool storage facility there and Tainui Group Holdings commissioned Calder Stewart to build a 1000 square metre facility for Refrigafreighters Ltd.

Kmart opened its 40,000 square metre distribution centre there last September and moved its North Island operations from Wiri. The superhub is anchored by a 30ha inland port operated in a joint venture with the Port of Tauranga.

• More on this story and extra photos: wbn.co.nz

Heeni Katipa, sister of King Tūheitia, unveils a plaque at the Maersk Coldstar helped by Moller-Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc watched by, from left Maersk Oceania Reefer Integrated sales manager Tony Mildon, Tainui Group Holdings chief executive Chris Joblin, Maersk Oceania managing director Kylie Fraser, Apollo Projects executive director Paul Lloyd and Maersk Asia Pacific president Ditlev Blicher.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill

Bullish Bridges looks ahead

Former National Party leader and now Auckland Business Chamber chief Simon Bridges spoke last month in Matamata – and Viv Posselt found him in an optimistic mood.

Simon Bridges predicts a lowering of interest rates in the second half of 2024 could usher in a more buoyant period for the business sector.

Speaking at a Matamata Chamber of Commerce luncheon last month, he said business optimism remains high, particularly among those who sought change at last year’s election, but acknowledges the challenges still being faced by many around the country.

“My personal view is that it is still not plain sailing. The first half of this year is going to be reasonably tough,” he said, “but I am realistically optimistic that the second half of this year things will see things improve. I reckon interest rates will come down in the second half of 2024, and that will have an effect on business confidence. There is something else we need to factor in … I believe the relatively new three-party coalition government will be going well by then and will be hitting more substantive reforms in areas where it is most needed.”

He suggested tackling crime would be one of those areas. Concerns expressed in an Auckland business survey last year switched from a lack of volunteers and technology in the first half of the year, to crime topping the list in the second half.

“I think we will see more going on in that area by the second half of this year.”

Bridges said that at almost 170 years old, the Auckland Chamber was one of the oldest business associations in New Zealand. It oversees business chambers across the upper North Island.

“We are like an octopus with many tentacles. For example, on the back of a decision a few decades ago that the country needed to help young people get their driver’s licence, we have grown into New Zealand’s largest driving academy,” he said. “We are the country’s biggest purveyor of export documents and certifications, and we are a massive events organisation, running about 150 of those a year. But at our heart, we are about making it easier for businesses to operate, particularly small and medium sized

businesses.”

He signalled the importance for chambers in the region, essentially from Taupo northwards, to work together for the benefit of all, adding that each was fundamentally too small on its own to maximise its effectiveness. There can be no room for parochialism, he added.

Describing the upper North Island as the ‘engine room’ for growth in New Zealand, he outlined several factors crucial to success.

One was a good transport network, which he said was proven to bring a raft of benefits, with others being good broadband connectivity and a growing agri-tech sector.

“I think agri-tech is going to be our number one sector in the next few years,” he said.

“Realistically, we are a small country with too few people; we don’t have the money to do everything we need, but this government understands the value of private sector investments. They will become an important tool in the next three years.”

Bridges said New Zealand was an attractive, safe option in a world facing security challenges.

“We are the smallest, most remote developed country in the world. Our strategic disadvantage in terms of supply issues could over the next decade become a strategic advantage. I think New Zealand is entering a good period.”

Simon Bridges with Matamata Chamber of Commerce chair Lynette Stanley.

What a great start to the year!

While some people and the media are doom and gloom merchants, the Waikato Chamber of Commerce has been buzzing since mid-January with events that have been running at or close to capacity.

Business people are out and about, enjoying the sun no doubt but putting a lot of effort into networking.

Typically, we would see several not turn up to events after registering but that has almost evaporated as business people are looking to connect face to face, get to know new contacts and keep in touch with their current business circle.

Networking is an art form that requires practise. People are discerning and are looking for authentic connections that can lead to trade. The Chamber’s events are the perfect place to refine your skills.

The major event in the Waikato in February has been the Waikato University Management School’s Economic Forum.

As befits the leading economics university in the country its speaker line up was stellar. It kicked off by the newly minted Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, who gave few hints as to the detail of her Budget due on 30 May, but did give us an idea of the issues she is grappling with.

On the subject of infrastructure, she reiterated the point that the Government cannot use public capital alone and that new tools such as PPP and iwi capital will be needed in an integrated approach if we are to build a pipeline of work that returns us back to the level of infrastructure that we wish to become accustomed to.

It was not all politics as the Management School agenda saw attendees traverse subjects such as disruption in agriculture, health, and New Zealand’s changing demography. A set of very forceful addresses on social investment came from ImpactLab CEO Maria English and chair of Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency Merepeka Raukawa-Tait and some deep insights on trade policy and free trade agreements from the deputy secretary for trade and economic at MFAT Vangelis Vitalis.

Friday morning had delegates hanging on every word of the Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr hoping for clues on the OCR. None given,

Praise from

It might have been a fleeting visit to the Waikato, but Australian high commissioner Harinder Sidhu found success and innovation everywhere she went. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill caught up with her for this exclusive interview.

EDon Good, CEO of Waikato Chamber of Commerce.

Networking is an art form that requires practise. People are discerning and are looking for authentic connections that can lead to trade.

but for the tea leaves readers there was sufficient to conclude that the big issue for the RBNZ is inflation and, more specifically, our inflation expectations.

As such it would be prudent for business to expect the OCR to remain at its current level or even higher until the inflation genie is back in its bottle.

The session of Friday for me was the infrastructure panel of Alison Andrew – CEO of Transpower, Nick Legget of Infrastructure NZ and Chris Joblin of Tainui Group Holdings. New Zealand has significant issues across a whole raft of infrastructure industries. All three panellists agreed that we needed real urgency, a greater vision and better solutions than that which we have had over the past few decades.

Across the two days there was a real sense that delivery is what is required. As usual, a rising tide of prosperity lifts all boats, and we need to get on with it. Here’s to a positive, productive and fruitful 2024!

nergy, optimism and innovation. Three words Australian career diplomat Harinder Sidhu used to describe Waikato businesses after spending two days in the region last month.

The whirlwind visit started at Waikato University following by tours of Visy, Tatua Co-Op Dairy Company, Hamilton City Council, Gallagher Group, Tira, Everest Group and finished with a trip to Andrew Flay’s Te Awamutu dairy farm with Fonterra.

“I need to understand the country. You can’t sit in the capital city,” she said.

“You’ve got to get out and see the place. What I’ve been struck by in the Waikato, is the sense of energy and optimism. There’s a lot more activity and energy here than I’ve seen in other parts of the country.”

High praise indeed from one of Australia’s most experienced diplomats who three weeks before her visit became a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List for her “significant service to public administration and to foreign affairs.”

Sidhu was born in Singapore to parents of Indian heritage and the family moved to Australia when she was 10.

She studied law and economics at the University of Sydney and graduated in 1987, then decided she wanted to spread her wings a bit.

“The one thing I have been driven by is a desire to make a difference and a desire to serve.”

She says that comes from her Sikh religion where one of the key tenets of faith is to serve the community you are in.

She spotted a poster calling for people interested in a career in diplomacy and applied. It was a lengthy process and the further she got into it, the more amazed her parents became.

She went to Egypt when she was 23 to learn Arabic for two years and had her first posting in Damascus. Next came Moscow where her daughter, now in her early 30s and living in Australia, attended a Russian kindergarten.

To be a good diplomat Sidhu says you have to learn every part of the business, start at the ground floor and learn on the job.

“You have to be humble enough to fit in another culture and not judge it. It’s more about understanding than judging.”

One way of doing that is to learn the languages. Sidhu, who speaks seven languages, including Māori and Russian, says learning a country’s language is the most respectful thing you can do.

“If you can really understand that country and look at it through the eyes of people and you can fit in, it is such a different experience and you actually deliver much more value to your people and your government.”

In 2016, she was appointed the high commissioner in India after working as a senior public servant on two big public policy changes – establishing Australia’s

on high

counter-terrorism frameworks post 9/11 and designing and delivering a policy solution to climate change.

Two years ago, came the New Zealand appointment. It is not a political appointment, so she is expected to serve a three or four year term.

Sidhu has been watching New Zealand’s post Covid recovery with interest noting it has been more challenging than other places she has visited.

“I’m really quite impressed by the tenacity and perseverance of New Zealand businesses.”

Australia is New Zealand’s second largest trading partner – China is first – but our largest source of investment.

“Our economies are not dissimilar. What works here is bound to work in Australia.”

“You can drop a Kiwi anywhere into the Australian system and they’d be up and running.”

When she briefly visited Waikato last year, she realised she wanted to see more. Up stepped the Waikato Chamber of Commerce.

Chamber chair Senga Allen said trade lay at the heart of closer economic relations and trading with Australia so linking Sidhu up with Waikato made good business sense.

“Introducing Her Excellency to several Waikato companies will pave the way for introductions to Australian companies interested in what we produce, what they could invest in and what we can buy from them,” said Allen.

Sidhu was impressed by Waikato business’s innovation.

“Tatua is so clever. They had such a clever marketing strategy. Supply the niches in scale using product innovation.”

Gallaghers’ focus on quality and values instead of cutting corners while being thoughtful and innovative was also a

Raglan Greenfield Subdivision

Festival 14 is the biggest

By Mary Anne Gill

Cambridge Autumn Festival organisers are promising more events than ever before and a Main Street Festival on St Patrick’s Day which will see Victoria Street festooned in green.

Chair Alana Mackay says the nine day event starting on March 15 - and now into its 14th year - is a must attend on the Waikato calendar.

There will be concerts, bands, children’s events, comedy, art and photo exhibitions, open studios art trail, hands on workshops, activities and literary competitions around the town.

Originally the vision was to provide an arts festival for Cambridge with an opportunity for the town’s talented artists to show their wares.

In recent years out of towners have also participated in the festival. Last year there were more than 200 entries in the writing competition from all over the country.

“The festival and the brand are pretty well established in people’s minds now,” said Mackay.

Two events in the Cambridge Town Hall will highlight decades of activity captured by photographers Reg Buckingham, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and Michael Jeans who is celebrating 60 years as a visual chronicler in the town.

But it will be the Main Street Carnival and Autumn art market on St Patrick’s Day which will see Cambridge come alive.

“There’s so much vibe,” said Mackay. “Musicians, dancers and entertainers perform, the footpaths will be brimming with original art, photography, jewellery, pottery, sculpture, woodwork and much more. I can’t wait.”

• More coverage wbn.co.nz

Residential development

This Greenfield site of approximately 34 ha (STS) is held in two titles with a residential zoning. Located in an area of Raglan conspicuous for its quality development.

Rolling contour with excellent opportunities for building sites. On the eastern boundary you will find the Raglan golf course and to the west are Ngarunui and Wainamu beaches.

Raglan offers a relaxed lifestyle, world famous left-hand surf break and excellent game fishing.

Close proximity to Hamilton and within easy reach of Auckland Airport. A roading network with future roading and cycleways connects this new development from golf course to beach.

Tender

Australian High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Growing older – and fewer

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley says funding superannuation and health costs for an ageing population is a looming problem for New Zealand. Senior journalist Viv Posselt reports on the upheaval and stress it will cause.

The disruption set to come as New Zealand squares up to the challenge of supporting an ageing population amid fastdeclining fertility is just around the corner, says the country’s pre-eminent commentator on population trends.

Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley predicts a transformative upheaval over the next two decades, one that will change the societal, cultural and demographic composition of New Zealand as we know it.

It will also create enormous financial stress as superannuation and health care costs are increasingly squeezed.

Speaking to the first Cambridge U3A (University of the Third Age) meeting for the year, Spoonley said the two main components driving the changes were a rapidly ageing population and fast-declining fertility rates, plus a drive towards urbanisation.

“When we talk about population decline, we’re talking about people who look like me,” he said.

“Māori populations will grow, as will Pacific Island groups, but by far the fastest-growing population group will be Asians. We will go from being a young-dominant country to being one that is old-dominant, with

almost a quarter over the age of 65. We have never had that before.”

At the same time, rapidly declining fertility rates put New Zealand at risk of being unable to replace its existing population without immigration.

“Talking to politicians on a three year cycle about things that will happen in 30 years’ time can feel like a wasted effort

“Kiwi baby boomers [a demographic cohort born between 1956 and 1964) recorded 4.3 births per woman. Today that is just 1.6, even slightly below that. If we get to 1.5, we get into a group called low fertility countries,” he said. “More children are born to women aged 40 and over now than to women aged 20 and under. By 2030, there will be 30,000 fewer children in our education system.”

Impacting that is that women today are becoming better educated than in the past, creating a workforce that is often 50/50 gender-equal.

The cost of child-rearing another

Miho’s Jazz Orchestra

J-pop, Cubano, Pacific infused Jazz instrumental ensemble, with Miho’s unique style and delightful stage presence.

When: 7pm Fri 22 March

factor, meaning many who opt for children will have just one.

That was a problem facing many countries, he said, and efforts by their governments to boost fertility rates with the offer of benefits, including tax breaks, were proving ineffective.

Adding to New Zealand’s demographic upheaval is increasing urbanisation.

Spoonley said that the Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga ‘triangle’ was the centre for population growth in New Zealand, while populations elsewhere will either stagnate or decline.

Some regions will face ‘hyperageing’ where between 30 to 50 percent of their populations will be over 65. An increase in life expectancy here as in many other parts of the world added to the problem.

“Have we prepared for that? No,” he said.

He told the meeting that part of the problem was that the restrictive government cycle was not conducive to making long-term plans.

“I do have some frustration about that. Talking to politicians on a three-year cycle about things that will happen in 30 years’ time can feel like a wasted effort.”

In 2019, Spoonley left the role

of Pro Vice-Chancellor of Massey University’s College of Humanities and Social Studies. Since 2013 he has been a Visiting Researcher at the Germany-based Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. He was awarded the Science and Technology Medal by the Royal Society in 2009 for cross-cultural

Thursday Night Blues with Grant Haua

Bringing his acoustic show of blues, rock, and soul to the festival!

When: 7pm Thur 21 March

With support from:

15th March to 24th March 2024

Concerts

Venue:

The Woolshed, Te Awa Lifecare Village

Tickets: $25 from Paper Plus Cambridge or www.humanitix.co.nz

An Evening of Musicals

Investment

understanding, and was a Fullbright Senior Scholar at the University of California Berkeley in 2010. His latest book – he has authored 29 – is entitled ‘The New New Zealand. Facing demographic disruption’, examines the country rapidly changing population and the ways it is already disrupting the status quo.

Hamilton County Bluegrass Band

Entertaining songs, smooth harmonies, and dazzling instrumental work by NZ’s original bluegrass band.

When: 3pm Sat 23 March

When: 7pm Fri 15 March

Aotearoa’s award-winning ukulele trio bring their mix of musicality and fun!

When: 7pm Sat 16 March

The Nukes With support from:

Paul Spoonley spoke in Cambridge.

Photo: Viv Posselt.

Dane Moeke and Fiona Greaves in an unforgettable showcase featuring Les Misérables, Hairspray, Cats, Chess, Mamma Mia and more.

Spatial computing...the new frontier

By Chris Gardner

The release of Apple’s new Vision Pro mixedreality headset is creating innovative opportunities in multiple sectors on the new frontier of spatial computing.

The notion of augmented reality was popularized in 1987 when Gene Roddenberry, creator of the Star Trek series, introduced the Holodeck as a central component of The Next Generation. It created a new frontier of imagination. “Trekkies” were suddenly able to imagine a world where every location, interaction, and experience could be simulated in a way that felt real.

In the 37 years since that debut, with the right tech, people can now visit Disneyland and interact directly with an animated Mickey Mouse or beam up to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise and take the captain’s chair to explore the final frontier with Mr. Spock and Mr. Data at their side.

And while images of people walking around the streets of New York city with a 23-million-pixel spatial computing headset doesn’t equate to the holodeck experience, it does normalize the possibilities of simulated experiences for Trekkies, tekkies, and technophobes across industries including agriculture, manufacturing, and defence.

Spatial computing in agriculture

For Waikato farmers, the combination of spatial computing capabilities and the right software can yield tremendous results for their crops and planning.

Farmers can use devices like Apple Vision Pro for real time monitoring of crops at a micro level, collecting growth rate, plant health, and yield data from a variety of data sources thereby enabling them to create a three-dimensional virtual digital twin model of their fields and crops.

Spatial computing technology can help farmers make data driven decisions by running simulations on different levels of farm inputs such as feed, fertiliser, and water. This approach reduces costs and drives a more sustainable approach to farming.

Spatial computing in manufacturing Manufacturers can use devices like the Apple Vision Pro at all levels of the manufacturing process from complicated assembly to health and safety training.

New employees can participate in virtual or augmented reality onboarding and training of complicated or

dangerous processes, practicing again and again in the simulated environment at only the cost of the time taken.

Product design can be taken to a whole new level; rendering an interactive conceptual product before any time and money is spent on physical development.

Maintenance and repair are made easier with digital information overlays that are capable of walking the technician through the repair process in steps.

Technicians can use FaceTime to call for expert support, using a digital avatar Apple refers to as a persona.

Spatial computing in defence

Apple Vision Pro is perfect for lucrative military contracts, posited Forbes senior contributor John Koetsier.

Air Forces around the globe are a massive market for the high-end headset on account of the thousands of dollars per hour running cost of dome-type pilot training simulators.

An appropriately Company-X developed Apple Vision Pro app would shrink the training costs to hundreds of dollars per hour.

It could also be used to simulate military exercises with thousands of headset equipped combatants.

Navigate the digital landscape with us

All without the costs associated with climbing into a real cockpit.

Spatial Computing in healthcare

The healthcare sector has wasted no time in putting Apple’s latest flagship device to use, improving medical training opportunities through sophisticated simulation solutions, and assisting medical professionals in their work.

It has already been transformative.

Thirty Apple Vision Pros have been deployed at Sharp Healthcare in San Deigo, USA, to monitor patients on wards and provide vital data during surgery.

Dr Robert Masson of the Masson Spine Institute in Orlando and Park City, USA, has already used an Apple Vision Pro to guide him during spinal surgery.

Radiologists are using the Apple Vision Pro to view high resolution radiology images.

Medical students are using Apple Visio Pro to learn about the heart through 3D models, images, and simulations before treating patients in the real world.

Company-X has extensive experience in spatial computing, including augmented and virtual reality.

Interested in learning more about spatial computing and augmented reality?

Visit the Company-X website at www. companyx.com or contact Chris Gardner via email at chris.gardner@companyx. com or via phone at 027 231 7007.

About Company-X

Data is the leading global currency and leadership belongs to those that can unlock the greatest value from it. At Company-X, we exist to empower those visionary leaders who want to run the world better. We create the software that enables change through datadriven insights and automation. For defence, manufacturing contractors, infrastructure asset managers, and CTOs, we integrate complex systems, advance safety through simulation training, and enhance efficiency with AI. Our exclusively senior level expertise works alongside your teams to code and design your next great innovation. But we don’t just deliver software. We forge paths to digital transformation and operational efficiencies that run the world better.

New Zealand v Australia – with immigration also!

There has always been great rivalry, and comradery, between New Zealand and Australia. Such competition, currently continuing on the cricket pitch, also extends to the world of migration. In the year to June 2023 Australia had a net migration gain of 518,000 people, while New Zealand recorded a gain of 126,000 people in the year to December 2023. During this year New Zealand also had a net loss of 47,000 NZ citizens, with over half moving to Australia.

There are many factors for migrants to consider when looking to move “down-under”, with the two countries’ immigration policies a primary factor. For families looking to make a permanent move, their focus is on obtaining resident visas which allow then to live indefinitely in the country, and to potentially become citizens.

Both countries have skilled residence programmes to attract qualified workers and to fill workforce gaps, and have similar requirements for good health, character and English language. So, what are the main differences between New Zealand and Australia’s skilled resident visa policies?

New Zealand’s flagship workbased residence visa is the pointsdriven Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) for which points can be claimed for qualifications or occupational registration or high income, and additional points for up to 3 years of NZ skilled work experience. There are also a number of skill-shortage roles on the Green List Tier 1, which can enable a straight-for-residence application (no points required). Additional roles on the Green List Tier 2, and in some sectors (eg: care workforce) also provide a pathway to residence after 2 years of work. All applications require skilled employment in New Zealand.

Australia has a large number of work-based Permanent Residence visa categories, with many different streams fed into by different categories of temporary visas. The main, and more streamlined, permanent visa options are visa

subclasses 189, 190 and 186 (Direct Stream). Subclasses 189 and 190 are points-driven with a more complex points system than New Zealand’s SMC. While New Zealand requires every applicant to have skilled employment, this is not the case in Australia, where there are options for state-sponsorship and recognition of skills/contribution which do not require employment.

Two other significant differences between the countries’ skilled residence policies relate to age, and long-term residence. New Zealand residence applicants must

Both countries have skilled residence programmes to attract quali ed workers and to ll workforce gaps.

be under 56 years when applying, while applicants for Australian residence must generally be under 45 years. New Zealand applicants are also normally issued with Resident Visas which allow travel as a resident for 2 years initially and then there is the ability to obtain a Permanent Resident Visa – a PRV is a lifelong residence visa with no expiry date. In contrast Australia issues a 5 year “permanent resident visa” which must be renewed every 5 years. New Zealand resident visa holders are also eligible to vote in general elections, which is not the case in Australia.

Another key difference is in the criteria to become citizens. In Australia a person must hold a valid visa for 4 years with the last year as a permanent resident, whereas New Zealand requires someone to have been a resident for 5 years.

So, while the Trans-Tasman rivalry continues on the cricket pitch, and the rugby fields, it also continues with our immigration policies as both countries seek to attract much needed skilled migrants.

How to avoid a world of pain

By JOSH MOORE

If I asked you to think of someone that you’ve met at a networking event in the last year, who you would love to have as a client, who would that be?

Now imagine this: That person is sitting on their couch this Saturday afternoon, and a notification pops up on their phone telling them you’ve sent them a message via LinkedIn or Facebook. But the problem is, you haven’t.

Instead, your account has been hacked, and the hacker is now messaging all of your connections on LinkedIn or Facebook, looking for who they can suck in, as they pretend to be you.

By the time you find out, it is too late. They’ve changed your password and have locked you out of your account.

Your connections are now receiving weird messages from you, perhaps pushing some product they could buy online, or asking for a quick loan to get you out of fix. Whatever the hacker sends, it’s damaging your reputation.

This isn’t a fictitious story. It happened to a friend of mine who is a sales rep. Months later, the hacker is still sending messages to her contacts, trying to suck people in.

Two other business owners I know had the same thing happen to them, but with the added problem of losing access to their entire business profiles on Facebook and Instagram, because they were the only administrator on the page. Both had worked hard to build up their social media presence, which had become a good source of leads and brand

OUR ENVIRONMENT

awareness. They lost access overnight. This horrible situation happens more often than you might realise, but is easily avoidable. Here’s how to make sure this does not happen to you:

Firstly, and most importantly, make sure that you have Two Factor Authentication (2FA) turned on for your social media accounts. You’ll use an authentication app, such as Microsoft Authenticator, which provides a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. You’ll then need both a password and the six-digit authentication code to login to your account, which stops hackers from getting into your account, even if they know the password.

If you don’t have this setup, when your account gets hacked, the hacker will setup 2FA using their own device. This stops you from being able to get back into the account, and you’ve then probably lost your account forever.

Secondly, for any social media business profile pages you have, make sure you have more than one person assigned as an administrator. That way, if your account was to get hacked, you’ll have someone else who still has administrator access to the business profile. For Facebook, the best way to do this is to setup Facebook Business Manager, and assign your staff access from there. With these simple steps, you can save yourself from a world of pain.

• Josh Moore Marketing Director

at Duoplus

Let’s talk about it

This column doesn’t relate to my ‘built environment’ remit, at least not directly. Rather I would like to share an idea.

I’ve attended several conferences and events lately and observed common themes. On the one hand there is a sense of concern around government debt and levels of spending. On the other, we have an infrastructure deficit in the hundreds of billions of dollars, the result of decades of underinvestment.

The main conclusion drawn by speakers has been that in order to address the infrastructure deficit without spending excessively, we need to achieve better value-for-money (and also that it doesn’t all need to be funded by taxpayer money, but that’s a whole other article).

The consensus seems to be that one way of achieving this is by having a more stable, predictable pipeline of infrastructure projects, and to avoid wasteful changes of direction.

A recent example is the scrapping of the project to replace Cook Strait ferries, having already spent $424M. Without arguing whether it was a good decision, this shows the inefficiency of political decisionmaking around infrastructure. Unfortunately, our politics are becoming more divided, and political discourse less productive. Social media is exacerbating existing divisions, and eroding our collective ability to make societal progress.

As a society, we need to address this challenge, or things will get worse rather than better. Arguing our own points of view online is unlikely to help us move forward. It’s reasonably well documented that humans are good at ignoring information that contradicts our own

By PHIL MACKAY

point of view. Rather, if we recognise that we need to broaden our perspectives in order to achieve more productive political discourse, a good way to do this is to have a personal conversation with someone who has a different opinion to our own.

In 2017, Jochen Wegner and the team from Zeit Online, an online German newspaper, realised this and began a project to see what would happen if they set up some conversations between strangers with differing views on key issues. When 1000 people signed up in the first day for what was then called “Deutschland spricht” or “Germany Talks” they knew they were on to something.

Following several iterations of Germany Talks, “Europe Talks” was launched, bringing 17,000 people from 33 countries together in the spring of 2019 to have conversations with strangers and broaden their perspectives.

More recently The Guardian has been running a regular column called “Dining across the divide” where they send two people who have opposing political views out for dinner. The aim is to find out whether meeting in person over a meal can bridge divides.

If New Zealand is to meaningfully address some of our long-term challenges –infrastructure, health, and housing to name a few – we cannot afford to waste time and money changing plans and direction, we need to find a way to build consensus.

Maybe we need our own version of “Aotearoa Talks” or “New Zealand Talks”, the name itself might be a point of some discussion.

• Phil Mackay is Business Development Manager for Paua Architects

We’re in the top 10

Tourism is a significant employer of Waikato people. From tour guides and travel agents to event planners and people in supporting sectors such as hospitality and accommodation, thousands across our region make a living from visitors coming to experience Waikato’s magic.

This employment contribution, and the uptick in visitors we’ve seen over the past year, is a bright light amidst the gloomy economic news we’re seeing about challenges faced by other key industries and the state of the government’s books.

Many of us felt the impact of the recent pandemic – reduction of operating hours, services, and staff. The impact of this sudden downturn – albeit temporary – had a profound impact on the vibrancy and livelihood of our town centres.

Tourism was New Zealand’s largest export earner in 2020, before travel restrictions were introduced, delivering $41.9 billion to the country and directly employing eight per cent of Aotearoa’s workforce – 225,384 people. At that point the industry also indirectly employed an additional 158,802 people (representing an additional 5.6 per cent of the workforce), according to Statistics NZ’s Tourism Satellite Account for the year ended March 2020.

We aren’t back to 2020 employment levels just yet, but tourism has had a strong year, and the numbers are heading in the right direction.

There were at least 11,000 people directly employed in tourism in Waikato before the pandemic, and that number is already eclipsed, with 12,120 people now employed

By NICOLA GREENWELL

in tourism. The ripple effect of tourism is multifaceted and plays a crucial role shaping communities and sustaining support services such as mechanics, marketing agencies, local food producers and business services.

The challenge many operators are grappling with is similar to that faced by many other businesses in industries experiencing growth. They need people.

It is critical that industry, councils, and government all recognise the opportunity and pull together to foster a strong pipeline of work, as well as to promote tourism careers to the next generation.

We need to dispel the myth that tourism is a low-income profession, or a temporary job on the path to something else. It only takes a chat with an event manager, a yarn with a tourism operator or a conversation with one of the many forward thinking entrepreneurs who have created their own businesses to see how far off the mark that perception is.

While some in our industry do get their foot in the door as customer service staff or tour guides – an exciting career in its own right – many go on to become team leaders, managers and industry specialists.

As visitors return to our country and tourism resumes its place at the top of the GDP ladder, more people will be needed to service the industry. Rather than taking the foot off the pedal, now is the time for industry, councils and governments to seize the opportunity and throw their support in behind growing tourism across New Zealand and here in the mighty Waikato.

• Nicola Greenwell is Chief Executive,

The debt to income issue

By CLAIRE WILLIAMSON

While we’re starting to think the Reserve Bank may be crying wolf about continuing to increase interest rates at the next few meetings in February and April, one thing they are now quite sure about is integrating the debt-to-income ratios, or DTI’s, within the next 12 months.

I’ve fielded a lot of calls from those in my network over the last month or so, concerned about the upcoming changes from a lending perspective, and I think there is also a lot of confusion about what DTI’s actually mean.

So what are DTI’s?

Essentially this refers to the ratio of money you can borrow with respect to your income, and it’s looking like this will be set at seven times overall income for owner occupiers, and six times overall income for investment property lending. This means the ratio of what you can borrow will differ slightly depending on whether you’re purchasing rental property or a place to live.

Debt is counted as everything you owe (home lending, personal loans, credit cards), and income is your income from all sources, including business income and dividends.

On that simple basis owner occupiers would need $100,000 income for a loan of $600,000 and investors $100,000 for a $700,000 loan.

But as they often are, the banks are already one step ahead with their servicing calculators and the lending credit policy already in place to protect downside risk. Modelling has been going on in the background for several years since debt-to-income ratios were first discussed, and most banks have kept this in

We’ve done some work around what this actually means for borrowers, because it seems there are numbers been thrown around left right and centre, and when uncertainty arises, it’s always useful to have some solid foundations to fall back on.

For owner-occupiers (first home buyers, anyone buying and selling and owning a single property), bank calculations are already setting a ceiling at 15-25 per cent less than a DTI would dictate.

For investors (multiple property owners), they’re already 25-30 per cent lower than they would be able to borrow if DTI’s were imposed today.

This effectively means there will be very little impact of DTI’s on the existing levels of borrowing, due to current serviceability restrictions and bank policy requirements.

It’s worth noting this may change as interest rates drop, lending policy evolves and bank modelling indicates variance in overall lending rates, but for now, there will be few, if any changes to what people can actually borrow when looking to purchase a new home.

So, in a nutshell, DTI’s are unlikely to have a large effect on property values and the market as a whole, but even so, we’ll be keeping a close eye on these changes and how they affect borrowers across the longer term.

And we’ll soon find out from the Reserve Bank whether there’s really a wolf in NZ’s financial landscape, or if the warnings of the committee for the past few months have been enough.

• Claire Williamson is a mortgage advisor

Latest Occupancy Figures – The Good, The Bad and The Rest

The latest commercial and industrial occupancy surveys to the end of December 2023 is undertaken on a bi-annual/ annual basis in a partnership between CBRE Research and NAI Harcourts.

Industrial

Monitored industrial building stock in Hamilton reached 2,124,000sqm, following 57,700sqm of new supply reaching completion in the twelve months to December 2023.

Industrial vacancy has increased from 1.2% at the end of 2022 to 1.6% in December last year, representing less than 35,000sqm of physically vacant and available space, with over half of this vacant stock located in Frankton.

The vacancy increase from a low 1.2% to a less constrained 1.6% is predominantly a result of the significant increase in the number of small industrial unit developments across the survey areas.

vacancy is also relatively stable, shifting from 7.7% to 7.8%, while Grade C vacancy decreased from, 14.7% to 14.0%.

Grade D vacancy was more significant, moving from 10.5% to 9.4% and finally Grade E experienced a small decrease in vacancy from 19.7% to 19.5%. In percentage terms this grade continues to have the highest vacancy rate.

Work environments and culture remain key drivers for businesses and their staff. We believe that occupier demand for high-quality

Softer economic conditions are weighing on the future development/supply pipeline. Our 2023 survey shows approximately 24,200sqm of planned industrial projects, less than the 52,000sqm recorded in the previous year’s survey.

The growth in Hamilton’s industrial sector has seen pressure on rental

office accommodation will remain strong, with businesses evaluating their growth opportunities outside of Auckland and government entities from Wellington.

While hybrid working and more employee flexibility is here to stay, focus is shifting back to the office as a primary place of work.

growth with new building warehouse rentals growing by some 10% to 15%. Part of the increase is due to higher land costs, materials and construction cost increases and in a number of cases, competition between tenants for the same space.

Office

Overall office vacancy in the Hamilton CBD decreased by 0.6% to 9.5% in December 2023. This is reflected in vacant stock decreasing by 1,280sqm and occupied stock increasing by 4,100sqm.

Vacancy in Grade A is essentially stable, with a minor movement from 1.5% to 1.4% in the second half of 2023 due to occupied new build stock additions.

In B Grade,

Now is the time to talk

It is my belief that Hamilton residents are not getting enough value out of Hamilton Airport, either financially or in terms of the service it provides them. Nor in recent years have they been given the courtesy of appropriate visibility or consultation over the airport’s strategic planning.

The airport’s strategic future is at a crossroads and right now is the moment to have a conversation over what should happen next.

This urgency is driven by two factors. The first is that last year Hamilton Airport Company directors made a unilateral decision to surrender a long-running resource consent which would allow them to lengthen the airport’s runway to accommodate more international flights.

Since 2011 the airport has had 16 hectares of land designated for a potential runway extension, protecting the land from other development in case a runway extension was needed. This decision to let the resource consent lapse, which was made without appropriate consultation with any of its shareholding councils, appears at least partially due to the company not wanting to disrupt its own significant property development projects around the airport which in recent years have generated most of its income.

The airport directors also received so-called independent advice from aeronautical experts. My concern about that is that the same consultants were also advising Auckland Airport and the last thing that airport would want to see is an international competitor just an hour down the road. If the proposal to lengthen the runway is permanently shelved, Hamilton Airport’s future is forever limited by the current runway length.

Secondly, Hamilton finances are under more pressure than at any time in the city’s history. Ratepayers are staring down the barrel of a 19.9

Retail

The CBD retail vacancy rate increased over the second half of 2023, moving from 7.9% in June 2023 to 8.9% in December 2023. The total amount of vacant space has increased from 6,342 sqm to 7,145 sqm, with a small decrease in secondary grade, a decrease in tertiary grade, and a large increase prime grade vacant stock with the departure of JB Hi-Fi from Barton Street, being 1,476sqm.

The impact of inflation, rising interest rates, and a difficult trading environment over the course of 2023 have pushed vacancy up by 280 basis points.

Quarterly (seasonally adjusted) retail sales values released by Statistics NZ for the Waikato region show that after three consecutive quarters of declining sales values reflective of tough economic and weather conditions, these factors are now less of an impact than inflation. Retail is expected to face challenges over the next 6-9 months, as mortgage rates and increased employment uncertainty impact on household spending.

For your copy of the latest Hamilton Industrial, CBD Office or CBD Retail Surveys, please email hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz

B y EWAN WILSON

per cent rate rise and the city is $860m in debt. Historically Hamilton City Council invested $7 million for its 50 per cent share in the airport. The airport asset is now valued at around $230 million and if there was ever a time when Hamilton should be gaining some value out of its shareholding – it is now. Instead, the best the airport company could offer the city with in its last annual dividend was $250,000. Not good enough.

Here’s my suggestion. The decision to surrender the runway resource consent needs to be urgently revisited and Hamilton City Council should be looking to sell between 10 per cent and 15 per cent of its shares – possibly more. My reasons for suggesting this are that there could be significant opportunities for Hamilton Airport should it have a commercially minded shareholder in the mix. Why? Because Auckland Airport is under severe stress. It is at loggerheads with airlines over hiking its fees to finance an $8 billion upgrade of its infrastructure.

What opportunities could there be for Hamilton Airport if it took on a commercial shareholder, lengthened its runway and then positioned itself as a competitor, just an hour down the road? While approved in principle, there is still time to re-think the runway plan but now is the time for a conversation.

And there may well be other factors motivating a council move to sell off shares. How about the opportunity to pay off some debt and lessen the load on long suffering ratepayers? The spotlight on Hamilton City Council’s financial woes has sharpened in recent months. Why not have another discussion about selling shares? And while we’re at, it let’s get the public involved in the runway decision.

This is our airport and the community deserves to be involved in the discussion.

• Ewan Wilson is a Hamilton City Councillor

TALKING ECONOMICS

What economists really think

B y PETER NICHOLL

I attended an economics conference at Waikato University on February 15 and 16.

The topics discussed included the future of agriculture, the state of the health sector, demographic changes, the tax system, social investment, trade in a divided world, monetary policy, Treasury and the state of the books, unclogging the infrastructure arteries, climate change and the future of Fintech.

All big issues. Clearly economists believe they have something useful to say about everything. I am an economist. I think economists are justified in having that view. However, the mistake a lot of economists make is that they think economists are the only ones who have anything useful to say on many issues. That is never the case. Debates on all economic and policy issues are always improved by hearing a wide range of views.

There were many interesting points made at the conference – but also a lot of alarming ones. As economics is often called the gloomy science, I will give some of the points I found alarming.

The Reserve Bank is oblivious to the enormous negative impacts of their low interest rate and quantitative easing policies. Inflation has been above their target range for 11 quarters (and will be for at least three more), their quantitative easing policies will end up costing the country at least $12 billion (and one speaker said the policy had delivered no demonstrable benefits). Despite these terrible

outcomes, the Reserve Bank has congratulated itself and intends to keep these instruments in its policy arsenal to use again.

Government expenditure ratchets up dramatically when there is a crisis. That is usually appropriate. New Zealand’s problem in recent times is that it has only come back slightly when the economy improved.

When government expenditure rises rapidly in response to a crisis, the quality of the expenditure gets forgotten.

Government agencies are often chasing accounting targets rather than focusing on the impacts and outcomes they achieve.

We are told now that NZ has an infrastructure deficit of at least $200 billion. This gap hasn’t suddenly developed. It’s been building up for decades. Why didn’t economists (and politicians) see it and start talking about it much earlier?

New Zealand has got very bad at getting things built. Big projects require vision, leadership and perseverance. We now have little vision, little leadership and has frequent changes rather than perseverance.

The Reserve Bank’s operational expenditure rose by 137% over the last six years. This was at the same time as the Reserve Bank was lecturing people on the importance of constraining expenditure in order to reduce inflationary pressures. It was certainly a case of the Reserve Bank saying ‘do what I say, not do as I do’.

‘We need a 100 year plan’

Commerce follows arterial routes and that was illustrated last month when the Northern Infrastructure Forum met at Hautapu alongside the Waikato Expressway. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill was there.

Strength in numbers and consistency in messaging have been identified as the key requirements for a new group which wants to advocate for the upper North Island on infrastructure issues.

The Northern Infrastructure Forum – which describes itself as a voice for the upper North Island – drew business and transport representatives from Northland, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay and Waikato in Cambridge last month.

The venue was C & R Developments in Hautapu which has grown rapidly as a business and commercial district since the Waikato Expressway opened and following Waipā District Council’s change to its District Plan enabling more industrial development there.

Waikato Chamber of Commerce hosted the forum which was established by the Auckland Business Chamber last year.

Waikato chief executive Don Good told attendees once-in-a generation decisions had arrived.

“We want connected decisionmaking; we want the North Island connected.”

The forum would need to lobby government and councils for a comprehensive North Island expressway network and each member would have to be as excited about a road in Kerikeri as in their own region.

“Think NZ Inc,” he said.

There had been heavy politicisation of infrastructure in the past and for things to change, a 30-year plan had to be put in place

and that plan was not just about tinkering and fixing potholes.

The forum comprises members from Northland, Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty but membership needed to be expanded to broaden the focus from Auckland to include the whole of the upper North Island where 65 per cent of New Zealanders live, he said.

The cost to join the forum is $7500 a year for medium enterprises, small businesses, chambers and not for profits and $20,000 for larger corporates.

The fee would support proactive, sustained, impactful research and advocacy programmes, the forum’s presentation said.

By becoming a voice for upper North Island infrastructure, it would be a think tank rather than a lobby group. It would hold local and central government to account without jeopardising political relationships.

Forum coordinator Barney Irvine said research the group commissioned last year illustrated the economic benefits of the Cambridge to Piarere and Warkworth to Wellsford Expressway developments.

The research conducted by the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) showed that if those roads went ahead, they would contribute almost $1 billion to New

Zealand’s gross domestic product every year.

The Cambridge portion would be $487 million and the Warkworth one $497 million. Long term improvements included reduced travel time, greater freight efficiencies, fewer travel disruptions and improved access for regional economies connected by the corridors.

“But if we want a highway network to withstand the beating that took place a year ago (flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle), we need a 100-year plan,” said Irvine.

The government was prepared to listen to groups like the forum and was open to public-private funding

options, said Good “because they’ve got no money.”

Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce chief executive Karla Lee said her region realised the importance of working together last year. “That’s when we were made an island.”

In advocating to Government and opposition parties after the cyclone and flooding, Hawke’s Bay businesses stuck to the main subject which remained the same –roading and infrastructure.

By acting as one body, their messaging became stronger, she said.

Other research the forum wants to look at in the next 12-18 months include congestion charging – a way to ease congestion by charging road users at various times or locations – alternative funding and financing, an upper North Island highway strategy and electricity infrastructure.

Waikato mayor Jacqui Church welcomed the forum saying the country of five million people needed to get over themselves and make a 100-year strategic plan.

As an example, decarbonisation of the vehicle fleet would drive electricity demand and it was uncertain whether the country could cope.

Roading, water, growth and energy all go together as priorities, she said.

Northland Chamber of Commerce president Tim Robinson said chambers were able to bring more value if they did so together.

“If we’re divided, we won’t get what we want.”

Strawberry fields – not forever

We look at the path followed by Meta Tyrell in setting up the LM4 business recruitment group.

It was picking strawberries more than two decades ago that led to Meta Tyrell’s foray into business and the success of a recruitment businesses.

In her early years, she had a career in real estate, but the demanding nature of the industry took a toll on her. She switched to horticulture, initially picking strawberries, and it led to the establishment of a family business.

Tyrell began assembling a team of pickers for horticultural jobs and it grew to be 37-strong, primarily comprising people from Pacific communities.

The idea for a recruitment business emerged after an older member of her picking crew began struggling to complete tasks. Tyrell started to explore opportunities for full-time employment beyond seasonal picking work.

It marked the beginning of her foray into recruitment, focusing on helping Māori and Pacific people secure fulltime roles.

She approached businesses to build relationships and eventually helped 34 out of her 37 crew members find full-time jobs. But the project failed and she voluntary bankruptcy and sought husband Lesa’s assistance to establish Alignz Recruitment. His finance and accounting background was a valuable contribution to the business and they navigated a challenging financial period, learning about charge-out rates and profitability.

“There were huge lessons learnt along the way. But ultimately, we wanted to carry on finding pathways into work for people,” Tyrell said. “So, when I talked to my clients all of them came over to Alignz; they valued the relationship we had with them and believed in me.”

She says it’s those people who, when they run into her in the supermarket, are thankful. Many are still working in the same places and have been promoted

along the way.

Three years ago, her third child, TJay Asiata, returned to New Zealand and took on the role of chief executive. He set about restructuring Alignz and formed LM4 Group, overseeing subsidiaries Alignz Recruitment, Puatala, which delivers industry skills training, and Oyonnx, which helps build capabilities of

SMEs. He also did his Master of Business Administration.

LM4 Group now has offices in Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga, Christchurch, plans to expand to Wellington and has opened an office in Apia, Samoa. “It hasn’t been the easiest ride, but we’re so proud of the growth of LM4 Group. And we want other Pasifika and

Māori businesses to know they’re capable of doing some innovative projects that are making a meaningful impact on the lives of the people we train, put into jobs, and help grow their businesses,” Asiata says.

Tyrell’s journey was recognised with the 2023 Legacy Award from the Waikato Pacific Business

Network.

“I really encourage Pasifika and Māori businesses to take the leap, to give it a go in business,” she says.

LM4 Group, “100 per cent Samoan-owned and operated” has more than 450 contractors, almost 50 full time staff and almost 100 clients at Oyonnx.

• Supplied copy.

Taking it in at the Northern Infrastructure forum were from left: Chris Webb (Chris Webb Contracting), Peter Nation (NZ Fieldays Society), Roger Gordon (Waipa District Council), Jacqui Church (Waikato District Council mayor), Robert Dol (Colliers), Pamela Storey (Waikato Regional Council), Mark Morgan (Waikato Regional Airport), Cathy Balvert (Morrinsville Chamber of Commerce), Jimmy Ormsby (Waitomo Energy).

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

The LM4 group, from left, Analisa Misa, Myka Asiata, Isabella Tyrell, Aliitaeao (TJay) Asiata, Felila Feausi, Meta Tyrell, Steven Misa, Lesa Tyrell, Alana Tyrell, Lua Sao, Sam Nonoa.

An innovative tour to celebrate 20 years

When building is in your DNA, it’s no surprise it’s not just great homes that are constructed along the way.

Urban Homes, Waikato’s most awarded building company, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and managing director Daniel Klinkenberg says he’s amazed at what’s been achieved when looking back.

“My wife Bronwyn [Bronni] and I started back in 2004, newly married, out of our home office with a van, tools and a dog basically.

“I am a builder by trade and in that first year, we had one apprentice and were doing mainly renovation work.”

It wasn’t long though, before they broke into the new builds and the highs and lows of construction that come with that.

“The GFC that arrived in 2008/09 really hit construction hard at the time and taught us a lot about the importance of having robust systems and process that certainly helped us prepare for future growth.”

Urban Homes has won multiple awards in the prestigious Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition, across many of its categories, making it the most awarded builder in the Waikato.

In addition, in 2022, it was awarded the national Platinum Award, which is an award presented to any company which has won more than five National awards – the first time any Waikato builder has done so.

“We were pretty chuffed with that, to be honest; it was a testament to the hard work and drive our team has consistently put into what we do since we started.”

The laurels don’t stop there.

Deloitte Fast 50 is an award given to businesses which are recognised by the international chain as strong emergers and for Urban Homes, its award was given in the category which showed sustained strength year after year.

It’s not surprising. Daniel and his team have continually striven to think outside the square when it comes to providing full service to their clients no matter what they might be wanting.

As well as offering full home and land packages, there is also the ability for clients to come in and discuss requirements that involve having their own land – or wanting to build on land we own.

“A client might also want a fully customised home with very specific features,” Daniel says. This is where our experienced team of designers and consultants really comes to life.

Over the years this has seen Urban Homes develop and hone an industry leading design and build service that not only offers a wide variety of available plans that

can be adjusted, but a full architectural design, selection and build service which can bring a client’s dream home to fruition.

In 2020, the Klinkenbergs opened StudioU. This immersive, industry leading, stateof-the-art design centre takes inspiration to the next level. Located at Urban Homes HQ in Hamilton this interactive space has been designed with you in mind. From kitchen appliances to exterior claddings, from tapware to tiles, you can experience, hands-on, all the elements which make a house a home. “We have always been passionate about the client journey and StudioU certainly provides an exciting and enjoyable experience which I know our clients love.” Daniel says.

“Building a home can be quite a daunting process, but by having everything available on display in one innovative space, combined with knowledgeable staff on hand, makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable for our clients.”

To celebrate Urban Homes 20-year anniversary, Daniel and Bronni want to do something they believe reflects its community commitment throughout the Waikato and Coromandel.

“Urban has long supported the children’s charity True Colours,” Daniel says. True Colours supports children with serious health conditions and their families. We have partnered with the amazing team at True Colours for several years now and so we thought what better way to celebrate then to organise an event that not only showcases some of the many amazing properties we have constructed over the years but also helps support True Colours.

So, on Friday May 3, we are hosting the Urban Homes 20 Year Celebration Tour. For one day only we will be opening 10 stunning homes we have built over the years for people to come and have a look through and to gain insights and inspirations on what can be achieved,” he says.

The homes that have been selected all showcase great ideas and ways a home can be made to be the heart of a family.

“I am impressed at how well these homes have stood up to the rigours of family life over the years – the oldest one was built over 15 years ago.

“The homes are open from 10am until 4pm and will be manned by a combination of our staff and our good friends at Lugton’s and other sponsors to help field any questions people may have,” Daniel says.

Tickets will cost $50, must be pre-purchased and can be done so by going to urban.co.nz/celebration-tour. All proceeds go to True Colours.

For Daniel and Bronni the tour showcases what lies at the heart of their business –long term commitment to the future.

Urban Homes’ solid base continues its growth trajectory with the news that a new franchise model is being implemented in the Waikato and Coromandel in April and later this year into the Bay of Plenty and South Auckland.

“We’ve got 20 years of consistent proven experience, awards, and innovative thinking behind us. It’s just a natural next step process,” Daniel says.

urban.co.nz/celebration-tour

Aimlessly tossing and turning

Chinese New Year is the most important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar and there was no way Alan Chew from Houston Technology was going to miss the opportunity to celebrate. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill was there with 100 other ‘movers and shakers’.

The dress code to Alan Chew’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations was to wear something you didn’t mind getting messed up.

Come prepared with non-stainable clothing, the invitation said.

Held at the Canton Hong Kong restaurant last month, the event marked the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. Guests included Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate, deputy mayor Angela O’Leary, Waikato Regional Council chair Pamela Storey, city councillor Tim Macindoe on the eve of his election, National Party MPs Ryan Hamilton and Tama Potaka as well as other business, community and cultural leaders.

Their collective admiration for Chew - who came from Malaysia to Hamilton 50 years ago to study management at Waikato

University and from 1986 built an innovative technology company - and the opportunity to abandon etiquette and flick food around - saw yet another great turnout.

The highlight came with the ‘Yee Sang Ceremony’ when guests aimlessly tossed fresh, raw salmon with a salad of many fresh plant ingredients and a dressing.

Yee Sang stands for raw fish and in a culture steeped in tradition and good luck omens, raw fish was chosen because the word ‘raw’ is a homonym for ‘alive’. The ceremony symbolises the rejuvenation of whatever the participants wish to give new life to.

The ceremony involved the placement of the ingredients on a plate and then performing the ‘loh sang’ which is where everyone chipped in to stir the ingredients.

The more vigorously you stir the more prosperous your year will be. If that is the case, the people who tossed their food to the ceiling are in for a cracker of a year.

The ceremony was followed by a 10-course banquet prepared by a Chinese chef who has won international awards and included signature dishes like authentic Peking Duck, prawns with salted egg yolk and deep-fried sesame balls with ice cream.

“Embracing cultural diversity is essential for creating an inclusive community within the industry,” said Chew.

“Waikato people had been very kind to me and helped me build my company which is celebrating its 38th birthday this year.

“I have wanted to repay this generosity and feel that one very small way would be to bridge the cultures of the locals with that of the Asian

community.”

There are an estimated 50,000 Asians living in the Waikato yet there is a dearth of opportunities for locals to understand and experience their special cultural events and customs, he said.

The inspiration for Chew’s innovativeness and hard work ethic came from his father who was born in Guangdong, China

and moved to Hong Kong where he learned carpentry.

From there he travelled to Singapore and then Kuala Lumpur where he helped build service stations for Americans, amassing enough money to send his son to New Zealand to further his education.

Alan Chew has been recognised for identifying the significance of contact

tracing during the Covid pandemic.

He and the Houston team devised an innovative tech-based solution: a userfriendly QR code system for contact tracing. While the eventual Covid app was developed separately by Rush Digital, the Health Ministry acknowledged Chew’s contributions to the QR code concept.

Classical without rules

Classical music fans are in for a treat this month as three events come to the Cambridge Autumn Festival.

Orchestras Central’s March 23-24 programme starts with Comfortable Classical. Orchestra Centre chair Catherine Gibson says of the concert: “We’re throwing out the rule book”.

“Sometimes at a classical concert it’s

easy to feel there are a lot of unspoken rules and that the music should be enjoyed in a certain way,” she said.

“But our Comfortable Classical experience is all about creating a welcoming and laid-back atmosphere, where you can move to the music, sing along, or maybe even draw what you hear.”

There will be a candlelight concert with the New Zealand musicians, Andrew Beer (violin), Luca Manghi (flute) and Samuel Brough (bassoon) presenting Vivaldi by Candlelight.

Rounding out the classical weekend, the Youth Orchestra Waikato will present a programme of orchestral classics and contemporary favourites.

Saluting the admin team

A day to recognise administrative staff will be observed in April.

AdmiNZ Waikato has delivered a series of professional development networking events over the past five years including The Power of Flow, Leadership Strategies, Change Management, Emotional Agility, Personal Efficiency, Building a Personal Brand and Public Speaking.

Now it is gearing up for a breakfast to celebrate its members – ranging from receptionists to executive assistants – on what it has tagged Administrative Professionals’ Day on April 24.

“Over the years we have seen great support by local employers who give their administrators the

opportunity to attend and celebrate; however, there are still many that are not aware of this local event,” recently appointed Executive Office Cris Armstrong said.

“Face-to-face events provide an opportunity for all administrators to network with likeminded people and to grow connections, a key element to business success.”

About 60 members are expected, and a guest speaker was being lined up as this edition went to press.

The organisations has more than 400 members across the country.

AdminNZ has two tickets to give away for the event. To be in the running email waikato@adminz.org.nz and put Waikato Business News in the subject line.

Alan Chew with Hamilton deputy mayor Angela O’Leary, left, and mayor Paula Southgate, at the Chinese New Year.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Youth Orchestra of Waikato perform at Cambridge Town Hall last year.

Photo: Richard Lummus.

Before the Yee Sang Ceremony: raw salmon with a salad of many fresh plant ingredients and a dressing.

After the Yee Sang Ceremony: food everywhere, including on clothes and the ceiling.

An iconic event

Balloons over Waikato is into its 25th year and for General Manager Michele Connell, who has spent 20 years with the event, the growth of it has been one of the most satisfying experiences.

“A early ballooning event existed prior to the Trust, but when they looked likely to fold, the Trust that runs Balloons over Waikato was created and has been responsible for the event since October 1999.

“We wanted to ensure the event remained in Hamilton and the trust has done an admirable job in making that happen.”

It has certainly done that, becoming one of Hamilton’s most iconic annual events, featuring on average between 20 to 25 balloons each year, with a variety of different events culminating in the crowd favourite, the ZURU Nightglow at Claudelands and final night Sky City Hamilton fireworks.

“We even managed to keep it going through Covid which was not an easy thing to do,” Michele says.

She estimates the event touches around 100,000 people.

“It’s not just those who physically come and see the balloons at the various sites around the city. It’s those who see them sailing past their window, or workplace, their neighbourhood or

school.

“One insurer told me though, that they also have their highest incidence of nose-to-tail crashes during the week as people look out up at the sky instead of on the road!”

The event has an international flavour and usually has both American and Australian pilots joining in.

“Most years we would have about five Australians attending, but this year there have been some budget constraints, so we have just the Americans coming with their special shaped balloons,” Michele says.

Either way, the hundreds of thousands of metres of brightly coloured materials that make up the balloons that sail the skies over Waikato is always a week looked forward to by children and adults alike every autumn.

Accenting autumn by balloon

The beautiful colours of autumn are never more pronounced in Hamilton than the week of Balloons over Waikato.

Starting on March 19, literally dozens of the giant hot air balloons will adorn the skies of Hamilton and it’s a great time to get the family up to see a sight that only comes once a year.

Innes Common on the edges of Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton lake) is the place where all the action starts from 7am.

There is nowhere better to see the balloons up close, inflate and fly off.

Events on each day will include the Hamilton City Council Opening Fiesta, the Grassroots Trust Lift Off, WEL Energy Trust Muffins in the Morning, the First Credit Union Fun Friday, and the Radius Care Cash Grab on Saturday morning.

on Thursday March 21 from 4pm – 7pm. Waikato Sunrise Rotary will be running the walk thru balloon envelope where you can walk inside a real hot air balloon for a gold coin donation going to True Colours Children’s Health Trust. The trust is also giving you the chance to win some amazing prizes this way; you just scan the QR code on its fundraising poster, donate and you are in the draw to win.

On Friday evening you have two great options. Either head to The Base in Te Rapa from 6pm to enjoy the hot and fiery Base Basket Burn to live music, or follow the balloons to Mighty River Domain, Lake Karapiro, when the balloons visit Waipa from 5pm – 8pm.

BALLOONS OVER WAIKATO 2024 PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

Saturday 16 March

Love The Centre Walk Thru Balloon

From 1pm – 4pm Garden Place

Visit Garden Place for an amazing experience walking inside a real hot air balloon for a gold coin donation to True Colours Children’s Health Trust. There’ll be fun, music and entertainment helping kick o Balloons event week.

Tuesday 19 March

The Hamilton City Council

Opening Fiesta

From 7am approx. Innes Common, Hamilton Lake Don’t miss the first chance to see the balloons take to the sky!

Wednesday 20 March

Grassroots Trust Lift-O

Love The Centre Walk-Thru Balloon

4pm – 7pm Garden Place

Make the most of late night in the CBD and visit Garden Place for an amazing experience walking inside a real hot air balloon for a gold coin donation to True Colours Children’s Health Trust.

Friday 22 March

First Credit Union Fun

Friday From 7am approx. Innes Common, Hamilton Lake Share in the fun with First Credit Union’s morning of games, prizes & balloon lift o s.

Balloons Visit Waipā 5pm – 8pm

Mighty River Domain, Lake Karapiro

Saturday 23 March

Radius Care Cash Grab

From 7am approx. Innes Common, Hamilton Lake Be amazed by the skills of our pilots as they attempt to win $1,000 cash from the top of a pole.

The ZURU Nightglow

FREE Limited Ticketed Event

4pm – 9pm

Claudelands Oval

Pre-Glow Mainstage Lineup 5pm – 5.45pm: Steve & Kenny

5.45pm – 6.45pm: Decibel

The balloons will also pop up in other locations during the week. This includes the Love the Centre Walk Thru Balloon at Garden Place from 1pm –4pm on Saturday March 16, and again

Bring the family for dinner and enjoy ballooning fun as the sun goes down at both of these events.

From 7am approx. Innes Common, Hamilton Lake Celebrate Day Two of our Festival with prizes & spectacular balloons.

Thursday 21 March

WEL Energy Trust Mu ins in the Morning

From 7am approx. Innes Common, Hamilton Lake Bring the family and enjoy a complimentary mu in and some milk if you’re among the first hungry early birds.

Join us to celebrate the balloons coming to Lake Karapiro with food and entertainment for the whole family.

The Base Basket Burn 6pm – 7.45pm

The Base, Te Rapa Come for dinner and enjoy live music, with our hot and fiery basket burn from 7.15pm.

6.45pm – 8pm: The Monroes The Glow Show 8pm Prepare to be thrilled as the balloons present the main event - a spectacularly stunning light and sound show, all choreographed to your favourite music. Followed by the spectacular SkyCity Hamilton Fireworks Extravaganza!

Afterglow

8.30pm – 9pm: Stay on to enjoy more music from The Monroes and more food and carnival rides!

Don’t forget to pick up your Lodge Lost Kids bracelet, every morning at Innes Common or at the ZURU Nightglow. Note that all ballooning activities are weather-dependent.

25 year Anniversary

Shaping history

Hot air balloons have fascinated Kiwis since the arrival of the first one from America in January 1889 in Dunedin.

‘Professor Baldwin’ as he was known, took to the skies in silent grandeur in a yellow oiled-silk balloon which was inflated by coal gas. This flight, the first of its kind in New Zealand, began trips by other touring American balloonists, and included as many women as it did men.

The ‘aerialists’ as they were known, began with the at-times hazardous process of filling the balloon with hot air using coal fire, before performing acrobatic stunts on a trapeze suspended under the balloon, and usually ended with a death-defying parachute descent.

Never known to be backward in being adventure adrenaline junkies even back then, intrepid New Zealanders were keen to give it a go. The first was David Mahoney (‘Captain Charles Lorraine’), who unfortunately drowned on November 2 1899 when he was caught out by a south-west change and his balloon ended up in the sea outside Lyttelton Harbour. Other early Kiwi balloonists included Bob Murie and Noah Ezra Jonassen.

Times have since changes and modern day balloons are both much safer and are powered differently than they once were.

From the early 1960s, nylon fabrics and butane burners gave the sport a serious rejig and in the next decade adventurers took to the skies across Cook Strait and over Aoraki/Mt Cook and the Southern Alps for the first time.

While they used to be a standard round shape tapering toward the basket end, these days the brightly coloured balloons can be four to nine storeys high, and often take fantastic shapes such as giant animals and birds, buildings or cartoon characters.

Two of the 20 balloons that will feature at this year’s Balloons over Waikato event are these.

“We are looking forward to introducing you to Farmer Pig and Bila the Baby Polar Bear,” Event Manager Michele Connell says.

The Farmer Pig is one of the world’s largest pigs standing at 36 metres tall and weighs 226 kgs and was built in 2005 in Brazil.

Indiana-based Jordan Cox is the pilot of Farmer Pig, is a private and commercial pilot, and has flown fly a few different shapes like a giant scarecrow and a one-eyed monster before purchasing Farmer Pig in 2020.

The second special shaped balloon is Bila the Baby Polar Bear. She is a Kubicek and in Czech language, Bila means white. Pilot Doug Grime’s daughter came up with her name Bila, as her nana’s name was Beulah. Owned and operated by Doug and Patty Grimes from Albuquerque USA, both are commercial balloon pilots and owners of Discover Balloons, a balloon souvenir business. They spend their time travelling the US selling souvenirs at balloon events as well as flying one of their four special shape balloons. This is the third time they have attended Balloons over Waikato with one of their Special Shape Balloons.

We’d love to see you.

eat, drink

Congratulations

in the air on 25 years

Tra c’s expertise in tra c management is built from a solid reputation with our clients throughout New Zealand. Focusing on the best sta , uncompromising on quality of work and consistent e ciency, we enable our clients to get on with their project without worrying about delays or safety

e ZURU Nightglow

For Balloons over Waikato, Hamilton’s biggest night out is The ZURU Nightglow at Claudelands Oval on Saturday March 23.

For those of you with tickets, Claudelands gates will open from 4pm, where you can walk inside a real hot air balloon with the Walk Thru Balloon for a gold coin donation for the children’s charity, True Colours.

30,000 tickets were snapped up by fans very quickly, but there is a Waitlist system available. For those people who secured tickets, but now no longer require them, they can release them back into our Waitlist pool to make them available for the many people who missed out and are keen to attend. Details on balloonsoverwaikato.co.nz

There will be four hours of live entertainment on the main stage, starting at 5pm accompanied by carnival rides and games, plenty of food trucks, and stall vendors.

This is all the lead to the highlight of the night – the well-known orchestrated hot air balloon glow, that lights up the night sky.

In this, the 25th anniversary of one of Hamilton’s major iconic events, balloons of all shapes and sizes from all over the world will take part.

This fantastic event culminates

25 year Anniversary

at 8pm with the SkyCity Hamilton Fireworks extravaganza. Organisers are also advising parents of youngsters not to forget the Lodge Lost Kids bracelets for the ZURU Nightglow, which can be collected at Innes Common during the week or at

Claudelands on Saturday. You write your phone number on it, put it on your child’s wrist at the ZURU Nightglow, then if you and your child lose each other, you are easily contacted by the Lodge Lost Kids team.

Parking

There will be a number of full and partial

road closures around Claudelands Oval from approximately 4pm – 11pm on Saturday March 23 for The ZURU Nightglow.

Roads affected are Brooklyn Rd, Heaphy Tce, Boundary Rd, Thames St, Kitchener St, Stanley St, Oakley Ave, Piako St, O’Neill St and George St.

Fascinating balloon bits

Hot air balloons today are fuelled by liquid propane or LPG carried in canisters: when the valves are opened, the gas is ignited by a burner under the envelope of the balloon. The hot air inside the envelope is lighter than the cold air outside it, causing the balloon to rise.

Balloons can remain in the air for about two hours, depending on how much fuel they carry. Although they cannot be steered, the pilot can control the gas flow to descend or ascend and take advantage of wind currents. Once in flight, a balloon travels at the speed of the wind around it, so it is best to fly in light winds. Ground crew drive below the balloon to help it land and return it to its base.

The sport of ballooning in New Zealand is governed by Civil Aviation Authority regulations, and local clubs are co-ordinated by the Balloon Aviation Association of New Zealand, established in 1990. In 2020 a licence was required to pilot a balloon which carried passengers.

To in ate a balloon, the envelope is stretched along the ground and attached to the basket, which is lying on its side. A petrol-powered fan blows air into the envelope and a burner is turned on, heating the air and causing the balloon to stand upright.

The annual Balloons over Waikato festival started in 1999, taking over from a smaller event that had begun in 1988; the Wairarapa International Balloon Fiesta has been a regular event since 1999, and in 2005, Levin hosted a fiesta. Hawke’s Bay, Canterbury and Queenstown are also popular ballooning regions.

Increasing numbers of tourists are taking to the air in balloons operated by adventure tourism companies.

Balloons over Waikato’s Event Team – Classic Events

Remarkable Women

Over the past 28 years each March we have profiled many Remarkable Women in the Waikato, alongside the rest of world who are celebrating International Women’s Day, on the 8TH March 2024.

We know you will once again be inspired by reading our 2024 Remarkable Women profiles, discovering more about what has encouraged and enabled these women to excel in their chosen fields, along with how they can assist your business to grow and excel.

If you see an opportunity for these Women to assist your business, they look forward to your call.

A remarkable vocation

By helping and supporting families in their time of loss and grief, by relieving them of much of the burden as possible when they are most vulnerable, Ana-Maria Richardson says she and fellow funeral director Riki Dodunski of Ana-Maria Funeral Services don’t consider themselves as remarkable women.

“It is about listening, compassion, empathy, trust, guidance, assuring families you will take good care of their loved one with dignity and respect, and carrying out their wishes.”

“Riki and I both knew funeral directing was our calling.”

Ana-Maria has many years’ experience as a funeral director, and Riki says she was privileged to join a few years ago.

“For us it is a vocation in life, we are both honoured and privileged to be entrusted with the care of a loved one, and be able to gently guide and support their family to help create the right farewell, backed by our knowledge of the diversity of cultures and the different cultural sensitivities.”

The Spanish Art Deco funeral home with its family home orientation at 82 Grey Street in Hamilton is a heritage property. It is warm, welcoming and friendly with its ambience of tranquillity and peace, that is often commented upon.

“I believe this is the ideal environment for bereaved families, it is what they want and need,” Ana says.

Ana-Maria Funeral Services is a family-owned, registered Funeral Home and a Member of the FDANZ operating within its professional and high standards.

Sandpit days lead to high-end career for Hannah

When a young Hannah Julian showed more than the usual obsession with sandpits and volcanoes, her parents should have known there was a passion brewing in their daughter.

That passion went on to become Hannah’s obsession and career. Earth science and all it entails is the very stuff that courses through her veins, but it’s the way she has crafted her career that makes this 30-year-old particularly remarkable.

Hannah is a resource management planner and pedologist in Cheal Consultants’ Hamilton office. For the uninitiated, a pedologist is a soil scientist who analyses soil in its undisturbed, natural state so as to classify it and study its formation.

It’s a dual role that effectively links two normally separate functions –that of planner, and of soil scientist. She started at Cheal as a planner in 2017, then moved into LUC (land use capability) a couple of years ago.

“It’s a great balance, one that means I get to do the outdoor-based field work that I have always enjoyed, as well as the planning side where I’m helping find creative solutions, completing resource consents, dealing with councils and the like. That has helped me develop a different set of people skills,” she laughed. “It’s almost like having two different parts of my brain working … one the scientific side, the other a more creative, solutions-based side. I find that diversity, that counterbalance

really drives me. Now I just want to keep pushing, learning and exploring as much as I possibly can.”

The excitement Hannah brings to her job is palpable, and it started early.

Born and raised in Tauranga, she completed a MSc (Tech) majoring in Earth Sciences in early 2016, adding a raft of linked topics to her original interest in geology, including volcanology, soils, resource and hazard management, environmental planning and project management … winning numerous awards as she went. She then completed a thesis focusing on the volcanological interpretation of the Owharoa and Waikino ignimbrites

found within the wider Waihi region and Bay of Plenty.

The goal, she says, was a career in Earth and Environmental Sciences, either here or abroad. The postgraduation follow-through was to Genesis Energy’s Huntly Power Station as an environmental assistant focusing on Regional Council compliance and environmental mitigation, then to Cheal Consultants in Rotorua as a planner.

“I came in to Cheal as a planner and found I enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” she says. “When I moved to the Hamilton office, they let me pursue that along with my earth sciences role. I’m very lucky to be able to fulfil that dual

function … it offers a very efficient way of working, but it is quite unusual.”

When not out on the land or wrestling with complicated paperwork, Hannah enjoys life with her dog. Unsurprisingly, they enjoy being outdoors and often go hiking in their down time.

Hannah reckons she landed the job at Cheal in Hamilton at the perfect time. Land use capability (LUC) was really taking off amid a growing focus on primary production in the Waikato. It meant her unusual skillset and range of interests were a uniquely good fit, and she’s very grateful that the team at Cheal ‘let her loose’ … albeit with the support of her soil mentor.

“This isn’t a very popular field for women, but I’ve always been fascinated by the way the earth’s systems work. I’m extremely lucky in my role at Cheal … I don’t just handle the scientific, technical side of things, but I am able to drive projects forward, almost to the end of the line if I want to. That’s rare, and I’m deeply appreciative for the opportunity.”

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Ana-Maria Richardson and Riki Dodunski say they are honoured to be entrusted with the care of loved ones.

Hannah Julian in her happy place – out and about in the fields as a soil scientist.

Where empathy meets recruitment

The many parts that make up Karen Tan are also what makes her remarkable, that ensure she stands tall among her peers.

She has built a suite of transferable skills across various sectors, and now willingly takes up the challenge on behalf of others, particularly migrants and youth - with whom she shares a special empathy.

Karen, who has a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Business Management and a PhD in Economics, has split her three decades of working life across NGOs and her own international recruitment business. None of it has been easy, but Karen is committed, driven and empathetic, a combination not always found in the specialist recruitment world.

Her own Filipino heritage has gifted her with a unique understanding of what it means to find ‘home’ in a place not linked to family origins, but she believes equal opportunities exist for those willing to integrate and immerse themselves in the Kiwi way of life. Her comprehensive skillset has broadened the way she delivers that knowledge to the individuals and communities needing it, and no-one whose life she touches is not better for it.

Karen is the founder of a startup Hamilton-based company called Need4Skills, a recruitment and migrant settlement company that is much more than its name suggests. While it focuses primarily on Filipino

recruitment, the family-based business handles a wide cross section of international and national recruitment across numerous sectors.

More than that, through its sidekick operation The Filipino Connection, it steers several community-led initiatives to help migrants and their families settle. It offers careers guidance and counselling, helps craft educational pathway plans, makes sure migrants know how to handle New Zealand’s HR requirements, and provides information and guidance for families to adapt to the New Zealand way of life. It also supports the most sensitive areas of a migrant’s new life, liaising and advising across the NZ Police, Oranga Tamariki, schools, health, social support services and more.

“I am always aware that for migrants to do well in their jobs, they need to feel settled here,” she says, “and to do that, they need to grow roots in this country by earning it and ensuring that they fully integrate and contribute to our society.

“We do a lot of extra things to make that happen, things many other recruitment companies don’t. Pastoral care and settlement is a large part of our end-to-end service delivery. We go above and beyond for our new and older migrants by assisting them through to their residency pathway, guiding and mentoring their partners, wives and children to settle with them. We treat each other like family. We stay together.”

Karen’s passion is ensuring the

betterment of all through employment, regardless of where they have come from. “Everyone has something to contribute. We all have skills to offer … we can achieve anything with the right support and mentorship.”

With Karen’s tough and structured work ethic established early, she went on to work across a range of industries. She found herself particularly drawn to the challenges found in the mental health and disability sectors where she worked for years, assisting people into work preparation and work brokerage, and where she increasingly realised that any able-bodied person could achieve and progress.

She then worked with local youth, handling various regional apprenticeships, has run large teams, coached, mentored and advocated for those in need.

Karen says a huge part of her belongs to Waikato locals, the people she will continue to serve well. As it looks

A team of remarkable women

In one of the last bastions of a –usually – male-dominated world, Winger Motors in Hamilton stands out.

Women these days make their own decisions when it comes to buying their own cars and sorting out their own maintenance issues when necessary.

So it stands to reason more women are choosing careers in the automotive industry and for Winger Motors Hamilton, the current roll of their remarkable women is 13.

“It’s something that simply has evolved for us, as it is for much of the industry,” Courtney Hurley, Marketing and Events Manager says.

“Being surrounded by driven individuals who strive to encourage and uplift those around them is great.”

Chantee Campbell – Workshop Controller, agrees.

“I love the ability to help and meet interesting customers and resolve their issues with the help of my supportive colleagues.”

Tracy Bilderbeck – Workshop Controller, says she left school to start her pre trade.

“Back then, women were not really considered, and I was the only one. I [worked] different positions; service adviser, business manager and director sales and now workshop controller - as women, we have no limits,” she says. “The feeling you get knowing your product and being able to explain that to a customer – [even if it] leaves them

speechless at times. You’re the only person holding yourself back in life, so jump in, show you can become the best woman in an industry that is forever changing.”

Coralie Foote – Qualified technician, says no one works harder than a female in an industry they feel they do not belong in.

“Having that support in this company has helped me achieve my goals and prove that we are more than capable of doing this.”

It’s a philosophy Tamilla LatimerLovich, Groomer, also applies.

“Working at Winger is a good mix of professional but with so much fun and banter.”

Others in the senior management team, Vicky Richardson – Group Stock Controller and Abby Dean –Administration Manager, say that as long-term employees of Winger Motors, they have found the working environment to be enjoyable and the opportunities to be extremely rewarding.

For Belinda Clark – Business Manager, working at Winger Motors is a great team environment, where everyone works together to achieve their goals.

“Working in car sales is traditionally a male-dominated industry but Winger breaks that mould and everyone is treated as equal.”

Karen Tucker – Senior Parts Specialist, another long-term employee of Winger Motors, says there has been

ahead, Need4Skills will increasingly incorporate their market knowledge and expertise into giving back to the local community and the wider region through work-ready preparations and local recruitment, focusing again on youth unemployment. Karen is determined to set and maintain balance in the workforce, particularly where there is an abundance of skills around New Zealand.

During the seven or so years she worked in the NGO environment, she formed solid relationships with various stakeholders in the community, liaising and networking with reputable community organisations that shared the same goal – to lift Waikato unemployment rates and help people get the right assistance and mentorship.

For more information, visit www.needforskills.co.nz

an immense amount of support and encouragement displayed to her across the years.

Shai McDaid – Senior Service Advisor says: “I love being a woman working at Winger because I’ve gained valuable knowledge about the automotive industry.

Ashlee McBeth – Service Advisor says she enjoys working at Winger Motors because it gives her the chance to expand her automotive knowledge, something she is “hugely passionate about”.

Summer won’t wait for economic conditions to be perfect. And neither should you. As the days grow longer and our minds and calendars fill with adventures - it’s the perfect time to put a deposit* down on a new Subaru

Savanah Evans – Parts Advisor says: “Winger Motors is very supportive of their female staff and loves to see us succeed in our given role. I have worked in many different places but this is where I have been nurtured and allowed

Forester or Outback. Then you can have it All-Wheel Drive, all summer long, with a 6-month holiday on repayments *

Karen Tan is one of those rare people – a successful entrepreneur with heart.

Taking a remarkable road

Hamilton-based accountant and mum to two young children, Justine Harris is truly an example of a remarkable woman who took the hard road into becoming a Chartered Accountant and did so because she had her sights set on helping businesses succeed.

After starting as an intern in a small accounting firm, Justine has always known that accounting was “her thing.” She studied part time while working full time, then continued to complete her Chartered Accountant qualification. Then like many Kiwis, she went off to the UK for two years to do some travelling and get some experience “on the other side” of accounting.

Upon returning to New Zealand, Justine gained her certificate of public practice, had two children (now aged four and two years) and is a Director of the successful Chartered Accountants firm, Top Line Accountants.

Based in Te Rapa, Top Line Accountants has been going strong for the past 15 years with Jenny Barkle at the helm. It’s mission is ‘making life easier for business owners by supporting them on their journey to success’.

Bringing Justine on board in 2022 brought about a fresh burst of energy when it comes to the direction the firm is heading. It wasn’t long before she proved that she had the experience, skills and determination to become Jenny’s business partner.

Top Line Accountants prides itself on having a strong team and coming up with innovative ideas when needed.

“Jenny and I are committed to finding solutions that help our clients. We believe in assisting them with strong planning and strategising skills to help their businesses grow,” Justine says.

“Being a small firm, the clients get more personalised advise, something we strive to uphold as the firm grows.

Watching these clients grow from being an idea in their mind to growing into a successful business gives us a sense of fulfilment and pride.”

“We have a reputation for delivering great quality service.”

ere’s No Place Like Home

From Fast Cars to Recruiting Excellence

TAs a woman that has reached Directorship and has a young family, Justine wants to lead the younger generation into the future of this profession where they too can do the same.

“It is not very often you see women with young children being at the top of their field.”

“I was lucky enough to carry out my CA training with some great mentors, many of them teaching me some of the most valuable lessons of my career, and helping shape me into the accountant I am today. I believe in practicing personal responsibility and taking accountability of your actions creates good habits.”

Being a working Mum is hard work, especially when both parents are in business, but with the help of family and a flexible work environment, Justine has managed to take those final steps to achieve her goal of Directorship.

“My passion and drive has helped me get to where I am today. I have always had a goal that I wanted to achieve and am grateful to everyone (especially my family) who helped me achieve it”.

The firm promotes family first and work-life balance that helps the team know they have the support of work behind them, no matter what is happening in their personal life.

“I feel honoured to have found a firm that is so flexible with young kids and the juggle that comes along with them”.

hey say time flies when you’re having fun, and Asset Recruitment’s new Permanent Recruitment Specialist knows only too well how true that is. Returning to Waikato after 20 years away, the Hamiltonian has swapped fast cars (literally) for the world of recruitment.

Introducing Amy Sutton

Meet Amy, a Hamilton girl, mum of one, lover of travel, and client manager extraordinaire with a story that starts two decades earlier.

With a Diploma in Travel and Tourism from Wintec to her name, Amy followed in the footsteps of many Kiwis before her and set off on her OE. Time spent working for multinational hospitality company Accor, gave her an appetite for the hotel industry, which brought her back to Aotearoa shores, specifically Rotorua’s Novotel Lakeside.

But, when the opportunity to live and work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) presented itself, the world of fast cars, sports tournaments, and international expos, was too good to refuse.

“During my time working in hotels, I focused on the sales and events side of things, so it was a natural transition moving into the Emirates Group events team,” says Amy.

Such was Amy’s natural flair for client management, operational excellence, events organisation, and recruitment, she soon found herself Head of Operations with a team of 300

employees, delivering events such as the F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Dubai Rugby Sevens, and Expo2020.

A yearning for a home

After 12 years living in the Middle East, New Zealand was calling and Amy found herself back in the country. Based at the Waikato Stadium, Amy managed the catering for FIFA Women’s World Cup, ensuring the teams, staff, volunteers and match officials were well fed and looked after during the tournament. She also oversaw the 30+ training sites around NZ, coordinating supplies for the volunteers and staff.

Now, she’s applying her years of experience to Waikato’s recruitment sector.

“It’s a learning curve for me but during my time at Emirates Group I worked with so many different teams, from finance to legal to business development, I gained insight into what recruitment needs each area had.”

Now she’s applying that in her role as Permanent Recruitment Specialist for Asset Recruitment, working with clients to position excellence and achieve the very best outcomes possible.

Get in touch and let’s set you up for success! Give Amy a call today.

We are proud to have serviced our clients for 15 years in the Waikato. Our clients include trades, professionals, medical professionals, manufacturing, and investments.

Get personalised professional service you can trust.

We can help with:

- Business coaching.

- Xero/MYOB set up and on-going support.

- Business Startup.

- Business growth support.

- Tax and GST advice.

Contact us for a free one-hour consultation.

info@toplineaccountants.co.nz

www.toplineaccountants.co.nz

Justine Harris Director

Justine Harris & Jenny Barkle Directors

Amy Sutton

Embracing Equality: Tompkins Wake Leads the Way in Gender Inclusivity

While women may face challenges gaining top positions in many of New Zealand’s largest companies, at Tompkins Wake, nearly half of the firm’s leadership positions are held by women.

A recent study by the University of Auckland showed women made up 41 percent of senior management roles in private institutions across New Zealand, down 6 percent from last year, with motherhood still seen as the most significant barrier for women in leadership.

Tompkins Wake Partner Kate Cornegé says that while gender equality is a continuous journey for many businesses, the firm takes pride in the sheer number of incredibly talented and dedicated women they have, working at every level of the firm.

With over 210 staff nationally, women make up 79% of Tompkins Wake’s workforce, with over 40% of their leadership team female. The majority of these female leaders are also juggling their profession and parenthood.

“Empowering women and prioritising their development is just how we naturally operate now,” Kate says.

“We recognise the invaluable perspectives and talents that women bring to the table, and we’re commited to providing them with the resources and mentorship needed to reach their full potential.”

The firm’s commitments to equal opportunities aren’t just about supporting women during their early career and parenting years.

In addition to ensuring all staff receive equal career development opportunities, the firm also supports women experiencing symptoms of a ‘change in life’, with the introduction of menopause guidelines.

People and Performance manager

Lindsay Butler says the guidelines were launched as part of a wider wellness plan for staff and have been extremely well received.

“Everyone has a mother, wife, sister, or daughter. Menopause is part of everyone’s lives. For some women menopause can have a massive impact on their quality of life and their ability to function day-to-day,” Lindsay says.

The guidelines provide flexibility in working hours with the ability to start late or work from home.

To help alleviate menopause symptoms, such as hot flushes, Tompkins Wake has also invested in extra fans and ice packs for each of its four offices, alongside a library of resources for employees seeking more information.

“Menopause is something every

woman will go through and will experience symptoms to varying degrees. It can also affect those closest to them,” she says.

“I would encourage other employers to think about how they can support their employees through it as part of a broader health and wellness programme.”

Tompkins Wake People and Performance manager Lindsay Butler and Partner Kate Cornegé.

Former National Party politician Lindsay Tisch and his wife, Matamata Rotary Club member Leonie Tisch, with fellow Rotarians Peter and Ineke Thissen, were among guests at a recent Chamber of Commerce talk with Simon Bridges as guest speaker. Photo: Viv Posselt

A grateful Gabby Byrne, general manager of Cambridge Community House embraces Leisurecom Cambridge director Robb Marston in appreciation of the hefty support the company gave towards building the new Whānau Support Whare which opened late last month.

Photo: Michael Jeans.

Coffee time: Grabbing a coffee at the opening day of the polo at Mystery Creek last month were, from left timekeeper MJ Fox (Rangiriri) and Jacques Duncan (Hunterville), whose daughter Georgina was in the New Zealand team playing Australia in the women’s international. At rear from left is the Latte Lady of Cambridge Jacqui Misson and photographer Yvette Bodiam. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

New Zealand Polo president Cam McKelvie (Manawatu), right, hosts from left wife Rachel, Audrey Pitts (Matira) with her husband Ken, who is the Northern Polo Association president, inside the VIP tent at Mystery Creek last month.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Gusty winds greeted these ladies at the Mystery Creek international polo day but they were there to have fun, from left Lesley MacDonald (Hamilton), Vicky Sutton, Meredith Riddle and Belinda Gelston (all Cambridge).

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Open for business, the new $2 million Te Awamutu College multi sports turf with 11m high canopy roof is celebrated by staff, contractors and board members. From left Wayne Carter, Joanne Kelly, Craig Yarndley, Bob Hollinshead, Dave Hall, Chris Wynne, Tony Membery, Liz Parsons, Nick Suckling, David Peehikuru, Daniel Powell, Rebecca Legg, Jock Ellis, Con Emery, Maria Rauhihi, Neil Bauerfeind, Wade Bell and Jo Sheridan.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

At the opening of the Cambridge Distillery Company’s tasting room were, from left co founder Will Rendell, Hamilton businessman Simon Perry and former Olympic cyclist Brendon Cameron.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Celebrating at the opening of Maersk’s new $150 million state-of-the art integrated cold chain facility at the Ruakura Superhub are, from left: Sonya Haggie, Elaine Preston, Ramari Maipi, Tukoroirangi Morgan, Carolyn Morgan, Shona Wright (Maersk). Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

New Hamilton city councillor Tim Macindoe spent the night before election day last month at the Houston Technology Chinese New Year of the Dragon 2024 Yee Sang dinner at Canton HK Restaurant in Hamilton. Pictured here with Waikato Chamber of Commerce chair Senga Allen, of Everest Group, and Central Kids chief executive Christine Hall.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Waikato Regional Council chair Pamela Storey and husband Ian with The Breeze breakfast announcers Stu Smith and Camille Guzzwell at the Houston Technology Chinese New Year of the Dragon 2024 Yee Sang dinner at Canton HK Restaurant in Hamilton last month.

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.

Visiting High Commissioner Harinder Sidhu met Jason Boyle, operations manager for Australian-owned Visy, at Hamilton Airport during a Waikato visit last month. Photo: Supplied.

Greg Wills of NAI Harcourts chats at the opening of Building E in the Union Square precinct in Hamilton last month.

Photo: Supplied.

Mitre10 Distribution Centre on Earthmover Crescent was a joint venture (JV) between Foster Develop and Hamilton Retail Hardware Limited - owners of Mitre 10 Mega at The Base and Ruakura.

With the objective of designing and building a 5000sqm warehouse, on time and on budget, the project also addressed the need for storage space with good proximity to the major retail and trade premises.

Following on from the successful delivery of Mitre 10 Ruakura in 2016, Fosters was an easy choice.

“It made good sense to continue the relationship with Fosters” says Director Steve Weidmann. “They had a good understanding of what was required, and we were confident they’d know the best way to structure, design, secure funding and build.”

As it turned out, Fosters delivered on Steve’s expectations, which he notes were high.

“The building was designed around our specifications. The Develop team provided good value in the construction options put forward, and gave sound advice around design changes to improve outcomes.”

With construction also managed by Fosters, the project was delivered seamlessly, adds Steve.

In my experience, working with Fosters on a property development project is very easy and beneficial for all parties.

Steve Weidmann, Director Hamilton Retail Hardware Limited

“In my experience, working with Fosters on a property development project is very easy and beneficial for all parties” he said.

“Fosters approach is to work with the client and accommodate whatever it takes to ensure a successful outcome for all.

“With Develop and Construction working together, we had guarantees on pricing, the budget was met, and changes were never a problem.

“We enjoyed one point of contact with exceptional communication and project management. There was full disclosure from start to finish.”

And, with JV terms set to benefit all parties, Steve’s opinion is that he got the best value for the build.

“I believe Fosters are committed to delivering the best outcomes for everyone involved. They stand by their workmanship and their ethics.

“I’ve done a lot of contracting in my time as an engineer. This was the best client-project management experience I’ve had.”