Regional North Island business success showcased on Deloitte Fast 50 indices
Deloitte’s Fast 50 indices for 2022 were announced in October with Tauranga-based legal matter and contract management software company LawVu taking out the regional award for the fastest growing technology business, and Mount Maunganui e-motorbike manufacturers UBCO winning the regional award for fastest growing retail and consumer products business.
LawVu also placed ninth nationally with a growth revenue over the past three years of 435%, and UBCO followed closely in eleventh place and a growth revenue of 365% over the same period.
Also featuring on the index were hand-crafted meat manufacturers Beard Brothers (268%) and Nibblish (245%), both based in Hawkes Bay, New Plymouth medical imaging practice Absolute Radiology (239%) and Palmerston North recruitment company Action Personnel (229%).
The annual Deloitte Fast 50 index ranks businesses experiencing rapid revenue growth over three years and sets the benchmark for high growth businesses in New Zealand.
Auckland-based game design, development and publishing studio Legend Story Studios Trading took out the number one spot on the 2022 index with an unprecedented 6416% revenue growth.
“This year we’ve seen a number
of organisations catapult to the top of the Fast 50 index, as well as the highest growth percentage we’ve ever seen,” said Bill Hale, Deloitte Private partner.
“It’s clear that some organisations have continued to thrive despite some tough economic times in recent years and have shown that what would have once been thought impossible,
is indeed possible. It has also been interesting to see the mix of industries featured on the indices this year, with retail, technology, industrial products and construction, and food and beverage seeing particular growth.”
Bay of Plenty business Sea Containers NZ featured on the Master of Growth index which ranks the 20 fastest growing established businesses achieving longer term sustained growth.
It ranks businesses starting from a larger revenue base, and over five
years of revenue growth.
“The Deloitte Fast 50 is a celebration of fast-growing Kiwi businesses right across the country, of all shapes and sizes. And once again, has showcased the innovators and entrepreneurs of New Zealand business who have, against the odds, adapted to thrive in the current market,” concluded Mr Hale.
To learn more about the Deloitte Fast 50 programme and all of this year’s winning companies, visit www.fast50.co.nz
LawVu partnersTim Boyne and Sam Kidd.
Katherine Sandford, UBCO executive chair and CEO.
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THE PORTER REPORT
A
The back of the bus
It is no surprise that inefficient local bus services ranked high amongst the public complaints that emerged during this year’s local body elections.
The elections again registered a low voter turnout in the Bay of Plenty. This is nothing new in New Zealand where typically local body elections – despite their importance – seldom produce a voter turnout on the level of national elections.
Public bus transport in the Bay is organised by the Regional Bay of Plenty council, which contracts the drivers and organises the buses, with individual councils taking responsibility for maintaining the bus stops.
The Regional Council’s last meeting before the elections saw it approve – with reluctance on the part of some councillors – an ambitious plan that included a target to lift mode shift in Tauranga and Rotorua for car commuters to public transport by 20 per cent by 2032. Though a commendable aim, it seems to me rather unlikely that this target is achievable.
New Zealand-wide issue in my view.”
I was fortunate enough in my younger days to spend several years living and working in Hong Kong. At the time, its population of several million was condensed into a 1000 sq km territory; The population has since expanded – the size of the place has not. It remains one of the most densely populated cities in the world.
As a consequence of its population density, it was by far the best-served by public transport of any city I have ever lived in around the world.
A variety of transport options
The land transport in Hong Kong includes relatively cheap taxis, MTR (Mass Transit Railway), (KCR) (Kowloon Transit Railway), buses, minibuses, and a CBD tramway (remember trams?).
bus service in Hong Kong. But more significantly, the city was well-served by vast numbers of 16-seat minibuses.
These were especially helpful if you knew more or less where you were going and when to get off.
Green minibuses tended to ply fixed routes. My wife used them to take our daughter to and from school.
There are systemic failures still in getting more people on to buses.”
Red minibuses acted rather more like taxis, and responded to passenger demands on basic route variations.
online university student, has recently taken up a part-time job in the fast-food industry. Inevitably this has resulted in a degree of dropping off and picking up, at both her work and at bus stops.
She speaks highly of the basic timeliness of the service she uses. But she has also noted that in the past couple of months, she has never been short of a bus seat. And more commonly, the buses she took were virtually empty.
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Regional Councillor (and ex Tauranga City mayor) Stuart Crosby noted: “There are systemic failures still in getting more people on to buses. That’s not a criticism of the [regional council’s] Public Transport Committee, it’s a
Despite the inevitable population congestion, which could sometimes make walking a challenge, it was a very easy city to get around at virtually any time of the day or night. Again, a result of congestion.
As noted, there is a comprehensive and quite cheap
I have been struck by how often criticism of buses in the Bay of Plenty has centred on the fact that there appear to be large numbers of empty or near empty buses patrolling the streets.
My daughter, who is an
It is good to hear the Regional Council has plans to hire more bus drivers. But could I suggest that first of all we trial getting more people onto smaller and more frequent buses that cover a wider area and are more convenient.
My experience suggests that the council is more likely to raise passenger numbers this way.
Making Quality IT, Simple
David Porter
Porter
Car parking plan has long-term objectives
The headline was predictable: “Free parking kicked to the curb”. As we all know though, few things are really “free” and car parking is no exception, because the cost of the two-hour free on-street parking trial in the Tauranga city centre will have to be covered by future users.
By ANNE TOLLEY, Tauranga Commission Chair
The free parking trial
introduced in 2020 has served a useful purpose – helping retailers get back on their feet after the Covid-19 lockdowns and business disruptions by encouraging customers to come back to the city centre to do their shopping.
But it was never intended to be a permanent solution, and with increasing evidence that CBD workers were using the available on-street spaces for all-day parking, it was clearly time to ‘tweak’ the strategy.
Central city on-street parks are meant to help retailers and customers, by providing parking close to the shops people want to visit. That requires a high turnover of short-term users and that can’t happen if people are using a lot of the spaces all day.
To discourage that practice, the Tauranga City Council Commission has agreed to a staged return to paid parking in the city centre.
As from 1 December, the cost of an on-street parking space will be charged at $1 an hour for the first two hours and $5 an hour thereafter. From 1 February 2023, the charge for the first two hours will increase to $2 an hour.
Tauranga is one of the country’s most car-dependent cities and transport-related carbon emissions make up an unacceptably high proportion of our total emissions. ”
Even with those changes, the Council’s parking activity faces a loss of close to $2 million this year. That loss is debt-funded and will have to be repaid from future parking revenue.
Once the full changes outlined below have been implemented, we expect the parking activity to return to a breakeven position in 2024.
We think the move to increase the likelihood of being able to park close to your shopping destination will be welcomed by most shoppers, with the low short-term park-
ing cost being an acceptable trade-off.
The city’s parking plan has other, and arguably more important objectives, however. Tauranga is one of the country’s most car-dependent cities and transport-related carbon emissions make up an unacceptably high proportion of our total emissions.
To start moving towards the carbon-zero status we need to achieve by 2050, we have to get the change process underway. That means encouraging people to think about using a different transport mode – pub-
lic transport, cycling, walking or ‘scootering’, for example.
The infrastructure to support use of those alternative modes isn’t fully developed yet, so some of the changes we have adopted won’t kick-in until November 2023.
Those changes include extending the current paid on-street parking area and introducing or changing time limits in other areas of the Te Papa peninsula, between March Street and 11th Avenue.
All-day, off-street car parking will still be available for those who have to use a car,
Profile: New Western Bay of Plenty Mayor James Denyer
By JAMES DENYER, Western Bay Of Plenty Mayor
Connecting with the community throughout the Western Bay of Plenty mayoral campaign has solidified what I and many others believe about our district: we are a vibrant community with many aspirations and ideas.
It is a privilege to have been elected to represent our District as the Western Bay of Plenty mayor. Since I got the call my phone hasn’t stop ringing or getting messages, and it is humbling and a little overwhelming to be in this position and I wish to say thank you to everyone for that support.
I have previously served the Western Bay as a council-
lor, and the rigours of an election campaign were familiar to me, but running for Mayor was a whole new experience. From ‘Meet the Candidate’ events through to livestreamed debates, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with you and compare notes about our priorities for this beautiful region. Congratulations also to everyone who put themselves forward for office. I want to also acknowledge candidates’ support crews at home – to my wife Victoria and my two children, thanks for keeping me on track and grounded. As this is my first column as Mayor, I wanted to provide a little bit about me. Whānau is very important and I cherish my time with my family. I want
those opportunities for the people in our District also. It’s also important to me to enjoy the outdoors, and occasionally spend some time recharging by enjoying our wonderful environment, whether tramping in the bush or being at the beach. As Council, we have a role in making these places accessible and inviting, and that’s a focus for me.
This election, Council made the decision to host and livestream candidate debates and create the Generation Change website to publicise the election, both in terms of attracting candidates and to help inform residents before casting their votes. I aim to continue this renewed effort to engage with our communities. A desire
THE MANY FACES OF INGHAM MORA
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At Ingham Mora our team of innovative, energetic and forward-thinking directors and associates offer our clients, quite simply, more. What does better business advice look like? You’re looking at it.
for improved communication was one of the messages that I heard on the campaign trail. As your Councillors and I get settled in, I want to assure you that we have heard this call, and we’re committed to connecting with you to make decisions with your feedback in mind.
Being out and about in the community and making connections is also part of that communication process, listening to the people and understanding their aspirations. While I have always been active in my local Katikati community through my involvement with several groups including Rotary and Aongatete Forest Project, I am looking forward to broad-
ening my connections in all parts of the District. Indeed, this already started during the election as I participated in events run by residents’ associations in Pukehina, Te Puna, Paengaroa and Ōmokoroa, and took part in the Sikh Parade in Te Puke.
The role of mayor promises to be an extremely busy one, and the first couple of weeks after the election were certainly a whirlwind of inductions, learning, meeting people, and generally finding my feet at the start of a new job.
but parkers will be paying a fairer share of the true cost of parking provision (to cover the cost of lighting, roadside markings and surface maintenance, parking meters, IT systems and parking building maintenance).
So in summary, this parking plan is a step towards a more sustainable future, which as it gathers pace, will have positive impacts on traffic congestion and carbon emissions. As citizens of a planet increasingly affected by climate change, that’s something we all need to contribute to.
James Denyer
Over the coming months, we will start to bring together our plan for the next three years. This will involve Councillors working with mana whenua and representatives from across our communities. I plan on providing updates monthly through this column and via the Council website. I will be your voice, and I will listen, so let me know how you think I’m going. I look forward to serving our District and achieving some positive change.
AnneTolley
Port invests in the next stages of growth
STRONG RESULTS DESPITE PORT CHALLENGES OVER YEAR
PORT OF TAURANGA IS KEEPING CARGO MOVING WHILE INVESTING IN THE NEXT STAGE OF GROWTH
Keeping New Zealand’s largest port operating as a valuable link for export earnings and trade has been no easy feat during the pandemic, but the Bay of Plenty community, port staff and management have much to be proud of as covid’s impact starts to fade.
Shipping schedules are still struggling to meet their pre-covid reliability levels, but by digging deep Port of Tauranga’s team have managed to maintain those sometimes tenuous shipping links so vital to a small trading nation.
Those efforts meant Port of Tauranga lifted its year ended profit for the year by an impressive 8% to $111 million for the year, with revenue up 10% off a near steady total trade volume.
Port CEO Leonard Sampson says the team bore the brunt of the supply chain upheaval during covid, and he was extremely proud of the way they responded.
“Our service partners also deserve special thanks for their ongoing efforts and our customers deserve praise for their continued support and patience,” he says.
The port also proved itself invaluable in dealing with the additional stresses bought on by shipping diversions and delays at Ports of Auckland. The port’s flexibility saw it taking
the weight of higher than usual imported container volumes and managing the traffic pressures Auckland’s delays caused to keep goods flowing.
The Bay of Plenty community has also proven a big winner from the Port’s efforts over covid. Port of Tauranga returned a dividend to shareholders of 14.7 cents per share. More than half of the company’s shares are owned by local ratepayers, through the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s investment arm Quayside Holdings.
The Council gets around 25% of its annual revenues from Quayside, subsidising rates bills by $347 per household last year.
Leonard Sampson says the focus is now on continued and planned expansion within the Bay and beyond, helping retain Port of Tauranga’s position as the country’s international hub port.
“We are looking to grow capacity at our Tauranga container terminal, and soon at the Ruakura Inland Port we are developing in
Waikato port no dry run INLAND PORT OFFERS ROOM FOR EXPANSION
Port of Tauranga is proving that just because there is no harbour in Hamilton, a port is still a viable and welcome piece of infrastructure to ensure a robust, future proof supply link between the regions.
The Ruakura Inland Port is being developed in a 50/50 partnership with Tainui Group Holdings (TGH). The first stage of the inland port, part of TGH’s giant Ruakura Superhub, is due to open in early 2023.
The Superhub comprises a massive 490ha site that will also be home to logistics, industrial and services tenants. Early tenants include companies that already enjoy strong ties with Port of Tauranga, including Maersk.
The inland port’s first stage comprises
9 hectares, with future development taking it to 30ha.
Port of Tauranga CEO Leonard Sampson is welcoming the facility’s commissioning, and what it means for links between the Tauranga port base and Waikato.
“Through the inland port, Waikato based shippers will get rail connected access to the big ship services that only call at Tauranga. Bigger ships are more efficient and produce fewer carbon emissions per container when combined with rail, which also takes trucks off regional roads,” he says.
Leonard Sampson says the migration of industry from South Auckland, where land is increasingly scarce and expensive, to Waikato is expected to continue. This was something recognised in the Waikato- Bay
The opening date in early 2023 is rapidly drawing near, and with it excitement at the prospects of a solid infrastructural link between Waikato import-export companies and the regular big ship services that call only at Tauranga.
Port of Tauranga is currently seeking resource consent to extend its container berths by up to 385 metres, using existing port land.
Now subject to an Environment Court hearing early next year, hopes are high for the project that will take two and a half years to complete, enabling an additional one million containers to be handled every year and future proofing the port for another 10 years of growth.
Meanwhile other expansion and development plans at the port have continued, including a new container truck exchange area, the purchase of additional low emissions hybrid straddle carriers and new refrigerated container connections.
Despite the stress and pressure of operating over the most disrupted trading period in history, Port of Tauranga has also managed to take good care of its staff. Safety is always a top priority. All port users are expected to proactively raise safety concerns, and all port workers are mandated to halt operations if they are unsafe.
That care has also extended to the Bay of Plenty’s enviable environment, with Port of Tauranga pursuing continuous improvement in air and water quality, as well as reducing carbon emissions.
In 2023, Leonard Sampson is looking forward to a return to greater reliability in container vessel scheduling but cautions this is also dependent upon Ports of Auckland resolving its operational issues.
“Overall, we believe we are well positioned for the challenges ahead, given the diversity of our cargoes, operational resilience and our long-term freight agreements with key customers.”
of Plenty Freight Action Plan published earlier this year.
Purposed as a container storage and consolidation point, the inland port provides valuable real estate to enable Port of Tauranga to grow as cargo capacity volumes increase.
“In Tainui Group Holdings we have found a partner with strongly aligned values and interests,” says Leonard Sampson
“We see this as a long-term, strate-
gic partnership that combines the Port’s experience and expertise in developing and operating ports with Waikato-Tainui’s deep regional connections and commercial acumen.”
He says for Port of Tauranga, the inland facility also helps further cement a highly efficient supply chain so vital to connect the hinterland to the harbour side port facility, and ultimately to the rest of the world.
Hamilton in partnership with Tainui Group Holdings.”
Leaving a lighter footprint in the Bay
PORT AIMS AT LOW EMISSIONS FUTURE
Port of Tauranga is investing in technology to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
“One of the key markers is the 10% reduction in our carbon emission intensity since 2018, that is the amount of emissions per tonne of cargo,” says CEO Leonard Sampson.
Total emissions for the 2022 financial year alone were down 2.1% and several initiatives have underscored this success.
These include a waste minimisation project, diverting waste from landfill into recycling and reuse.
Other projects helping reduce the port’s carbon footprint include reducing the use of diesel generators operate to power refrigerated containers (reefers), thanks in part to a major investment in electrical infrastructure.
The port’s modern fleet of electric gantry cranes can also partially power their own motors through regenerative charging, and also make surplus power available for other uses portside.
Future automation plans will also make a significant dent in emissions, with the efficient robotic systems claiming to produce about 75% the emissions of conventional diesel machines.
Efforts to expand the port to cope with larger ships has also bought its own environmental upside. Larger vessels produce fewer emissions per tonne of cargo. The Port also promotes rail use over road transport, with about half of all cargoes coming in and out of the port via rail.
Meanwhile, the government’s commitment of $30 million for coastal shipping through the national land transport programme has
been welcomed by Port of Tauranga as playing a valuable role in helping reduce domestic emissions from the transport sector. Coastal shipping produces fewer emissions than land transport alternatives.
But when it comes to looking after the environment, it is not only about treading lightly, it is also about keeping out unwelcome intruders.
As the gateway to more than 9 million tonnes of imports a year, Port of Tauranga staff know the big role they have in identifying biosecurity threats.
The Port of Tauranga Biosecurity Excellence Partnership educates port users on what
to look for and how to respond if they see evidence of bugs.
As a signatory to the Biosecurity Business Pledge, the port works hard to share knowledge and collaborate on better biosecurity measures to protect the country’s valuable primary export sector. The company also supports the Tauranga Moana Biosecurity Capital initiative, which seeks to raise biosecurity awareness in the community outside the port.
The port is committed to working closely with local iwi to help improve local ecosystems and kaimoana sources.
This has included a pipi research pro-
gramme on coastal ecosystems and some major wetland restoration work that includes establishing a whitebait spawning ground in Kopurererua, the urban stream that flows into the harbour in the city.
Leonard Sampson says the port has also focused on air and water pollution prevention.
A five-fold increase in wharf sweeping, an extensive network of wind fences and better cargo handling have been instrumental in reducing dust by 16% in the past two years.
The port has installed 640 additional metres of wind breaks in the past year. Wind limits are enforced for certain dust-generating activities.
Future growth happens today
TOMORROW’S GROWTH IN TODAY’S PLANS AT PORT
While covid may have delayed shipping schedules it has not slowed down Port of Tauranga’s continued investment; That investment aims to make Tauranga the most efficient port facility in Australasia.
In the decade to 2016, Port of Tauranga spent $350 million gearing up for the arrival of larger container ships, including dredging, a wharf extension and new shipto-shore cranes.
October 4, 2016 saw the arrival of the first of those big ships, the 347m long Aotea Maersk.
Capable of carrying almost 10,000 TEUs, the ship’s arrival heralded a new era that demanded efficient, high-capacity port assets to match volume.
Port executives are working on the asset’s next steps for even greater efficiency gains.
“Terminal efficiency has been a big thing for us over the years, and this includes a new 10-lane container truck exchange we commissioned in early 2021 which has sped up cargo deliveries and collections,” says CEO Leonard Sampson.
Truck turnaround times have now been minimised, and deliveries are encouraged outside of peak periods to smooth traffic flows. This will be enhanced in coming years, thanks to the Port’s proposed automated straddle crane (ASC) project.
The project will enable the port to intensify storage capacity within the existing footprint, improve throughput, improve safety, reduce fuel consumption and reduce carbon emissions.
Together with the port’s planned berth extension, automation will allow the port to handle double the existing container volume. ASCs are already being used by the world’s leading ports including Singapore, Brisbane, Melbourne, Antwerp, and Rotterdam.
“It is now clear that even without the additional berth capacity some level of automation will be required to expand storage capacity and improve throughput,” says Leonard Sampson.
The automated stacking cranes are 100% electric and will produce 75% fewer carbon emissions than a comparable traditional diesel straddle carrier operation.
No investment in port side capacity can be done without looking beyond the immediate port area to the region’s roading and rail infrastructure.
Port of Tauranga has aimed to minimise its impact on local roading by promoting rail to customers as an efficient alternative, with ongoing investment in infrastructure vital to ensure there is resilience and capacity to accommodate growth.
Port of Tauranga has been heavily engaged in infrastructure planning, through the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Freight Action Plan.
Alongside other major stakeholders including KiwiRail, Tainui Group Holdings, Fonterra and Waka Kotahi, the plan has recognised the need to increase the region’s freight network capacity, particularly links to Auckland and removing bottlenecks to freight movements around the region.
“The report has predicted significant freight growth of between 45-65% between 2020 and 2030,” says Leonard Sampson.
Hand in hand with valued community
PORT BUILDS ON STRONG LINKS TO THE PEOPLE AND THEIR COAST
The Port of Tauranga Rescue Centre’s sharp, modern profile on Golf Road Mount Maunganui is the latest testament to the Port’s deep commitment to the communities of the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and East Coast.
The centre represents a quantum leap in the facilities committed to surf lifesaving, being
the new hub for operations across the greater eastern region of the North Island. The centre is capable of coordinating rescues across the region stretching from Hot Water Beach on Coromandel Peninsula to Tairawhiti-Gisborne.
Port of Tauranga CEO Leonard Sampson says the port is delighted to be the key sponsor for the centre and help support invaluable first responders.
“The centre provides a purpose built, wellequipped base for the many volunteers and staff who do an extraordinary job keeping people safe on the beach and in the water.”
He says the 1300 square metre building is a tangible way for the Port to deepen its connection to the east coast communities. The building is also home to the Mount Maunganui Bridge Club, the local offices of Surf Live Saving NZ, and provides storage space for Omanu Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.
The centre has been described as a “game changer” by Donal Boyle, trustee of the Omanu Beach Charitable Trust.
“It means we can get on with saving lives and supporting our many volunteers without worrying about the ongoing cost of running the centre,” he says.
Meantime, as the 60th anniversary of Tauranga’s National Jazz Festival approaches next year Port of Tauranga has renewed its naming rights sponsorship, ensuring the future for an event that has become iconic and the longest running of its type in the Southern Hemisphere.
That commitment to the arts and music also extends to the biennial Tauranga Arts Festival, a popular favourite with locals for the outdoor displays of art, public workshops, exhibits and guest performances by artists from across the world.
Leonard Sampson says the Port’s input to community projects often includes less high profile but equally valued assets.
“That has included the TECT rescue helicopter’s specialist winch, floodlighting for the Bay Oval grounds, and patrol boats for the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat club- they are all
vital for the groups that need them, and it is rewarding to be able to play a part in making these assets a reality.”
Port of Tauranga also works with local iwi and hapu, through the Ngā Mātarae Charitable Trust, to invest in projects to improve harbour health.
The Trust, funded by an annual grant from the Port, has so far supported projects such as pipi research and wetland enhancement, and a research vessel for Manaaki Te Awanui.
“We aim to form a long-term mutually beneficial community partnerships to pursue a shared vision of success,” says Leonard Sampson. “By building respectful relationships and lending our support where it’s needed most, we can improve community wellbeing beyond simply job creation and economic growth.
Education has long been a focus, with the port offering tertiary scholarships under the Ngā Mātarae Trust as well as the Turirangi Te Kani Memorial scheme, which has been running for more than 30 years.
First of its kind plan maps the future of events in Tauranga
A ten-year plan for the future of events in Tauranga was publicly launched in October.
In a collaborative effort, the Tauranga Events Action and Investment Plan has been developed by Tauranga City Council in partnership with Tāpoi Te Moananui ā Toi Tourism Bay of Plenty, Bay Venues and Priority One.
It responds to feedback from tangata whenua, the events industry and the Tauranga community on what they would like to see happen in the events space.
The first of its kind for Tauranga, the plan provides clear direction for events in the city over the next ten years, identifying priorities and actions required, and ensuring funding and resources are allocated to the areas of greatest need.
Manager of Venues and Events at Tauranga City Council, Nelita Byrne said Council is focused on providing incredible event experiences for the local community and enabling our events industry to prosper.
“We have hundreds of wonderful events happening across our city every year and we know the positive impact they have on our economy and the vibrancy they bring to our community – we now need to grow the role of events and this plan will help us do this. While the plan aims to address some of the challenges we currently have, it also helps us to be aspirational,” Nelita says.
With a focus on community and inclusivity, the plan signals Tauranga’s intent to be the best host city in Aotearoa establishing a hosting standard reflective of Tauranga’s people and places that is not seen anywhere else in the country.
“Our whole community will have a role in extending this manaakitanga (hospitality), and we are excited to see how we can make this happen together,” says Nelita Byrne.
Like Tauranga’s City Vision, which is due to be released soon, the plan has
a strong focus on collaboration, community, inclusivity and vibrancy. It recognises the importance of an ongoing partnership with tangata whenua along with our venues, tourism and economic agencies.
Oscar Nathan, Tumuaki General Manager of Tāpoi Te Moananui ā Toi Tourism Bay of Plenty, says events are a key factor in driving visitation and supporting a thriving city.
“Events generate positive flow-on benefits for all the interconnected areas of our local economy such as hospitality, accommodation, venues, transport, employment and tourism activities,” says Oscar.
“Tourism Bay of Plenty is excited to be collaborating on this plan, that will ensure as we go on this collective journey as a city that we’ll continue to reap the rewards that we know events bring,” he adds.
The six goals outlined in the plan with key areas of focus include:
• Developing a strategic and collaborative approach to priorities and investment in major events and business events,
• Supporting the development and sustainability of the events industry in Tauranga,
• Supporting events that reflect and celebrate our people and our places,
• Improving the promotion and marketing of events to both local and national audiences,
• Becoming the best host city in Aotearoa,
• Planning for and developing fit-for-purpose event venues and infrastructure.
The Tauranga Events Action and Investment Plan was adopted by Tauranga City Council commissioners on Monday 20 June.
You can read the published plan and find out more information on the Tauranga City Council website.
of the potential futureTrustpower
Planning for the future of Trustpower Baypark
Trustpower Baypark could be transformed into a community sports and recreation hub for Tauranga, hosting everything from athletics and gymnastics to court sports and beach sports. That is the vision outlined in preliminary plans signed off by Tauranga City Council earlier this month, with the early blueprints focusing on three key areas – Blake Park, Baypark, and the Tauranga Domains.
The overall project aims to create a city-wide network of venues for sports, recreation, and events, and is part of a wider strategy around future-proofing Tauranga’s public spaces and reserves.
The proposed changes to Trustpower Baypark – which is owned by Tauranga City Council and managed by Bay Venues – could see it become a multi-use sporting precinct, a place where both residents and visitors can play and compete at all levels.
The vast open and flexible spaces available at the Te Maunga site would be optimised and repurposed to cater to the city’s growing population and increasing need for space to play sport.
The preliminary plans include a new track and field athletics facility, outdoor courts (some of them covered), a new gymnastics facility, sand courts, as well as dedicated green spaces, a playground, and walkways.
Trustpower Baypark would be better equipped as a result to host large tournaments such as the AIMS Games, as well as day-to-day competitions and training sessions for popular sports like netball and basketball.
Bay Venues chief executive Chad Hooker said master planning for Blake Park, Baypark, and the Tauranga Domains, all at the same time, allowed for a coordinated and integrated approach.
“These preliminary plans aim to optimise the sites we currently have, as the council is limited by how much more land it can open up to meet the increasing community demand for sport and event space in our rapidly growing city.
“Early ideas include moving some types of events from Baypark to the Domains where event delivery could be greatly enhanced. One of the benefits
This project could provide Tauranga with a chance to create public spaces that are distinctly local, spaces that are unique to each location of the city and reflect the people who will be using them every single day.”
of this would be supporting hospitality and retail activity in the Tauranga CBD. And in turn, Baypark could be home to more sporting codes.”
He said some changes could be required across the wider site to accommodate those additional sporting codes, such as moving the speedway pit area to a different location within Baypark.
“We have been meeting regularly with the Bay of Plenty Speedway Association as part of this planning process and will continue to do so,” Hooker said.
“Speedway is an important activity at Trustpower Baypark and we are committed to fulfilling our obligations and working together with the association and its partner groups to provide the facili-
ties they need for speedway events.”
Hooker said it is still early days, nothing is set in stone, and there are no firm timeframes yet.
“These are high-level blueprints that will be followed-up by more detailed planning and continued stakeholder engagement.”
He said Bay Venues is excited by the overall vision and the organisation will work closely every step of the way with Tauranga City Council, Sport Bay of Plenty, and mana whenua.
“We will also continue to work with all our stakeholder groups that use the venues to plan for the future. We appreciate there will be some concerns about these proposed changes, and we will address those concerns together.”
Hooker said this could be an opportunity to work as a team to create public spaces the whole city can be proud of, with high quality facilities tailor-made for our communities.
“An important part of this project would be working with mana whenua to acknowledge and share the cultural significance and history associated with the different sites, and in a way that people can actually interact and engage with,” he said.
Early ideas for Trustpower Baypark, developed in partnership with Ngā Pōtiki, include a themed playground, a 360-degree lookout point with interpretation panels, and multimedia storytelling displays.
“To best serve our communities, our venues need to embody our commitment to inclusivity and partnership,” Hooker said.
“Everyone should feel welcome and connected as soon as they arrive. At the same time, this project could provide Tauranga with a chance to create public spaces that are distinctly local, spaces that are unique to each location of the city and reflect the people who will be using them every single day.”
Artist impression
Baypark. Supplied by Boffa Miskell –Visitor Solutions.
Artist impression of a 360-degree lookout point with interpretation panels. Supplied by Locales.
Holi Festival, 2021. Photo Katie Cox
Tūtara Kauika ki Rangataua welcome the Indian Cricket team,Bay Oval,2019. Photo Kenrick Rhys
LYNDON SETTLE CEO CROSSES THE KAIMAI FOR QUAYSIDE ROLE
Lyndon Settle’s ability to straddle the European and iwi worlds of business and community also extends to his familiarity with the adjoining regions of Waikato and Bay of Plenty. That familiarity with two regions, and two peoples, has him well placed in his new role as CEO for Quayside Holdings based in Tauranga.
Picking up the role in October from Quayside’s founding CEO Scott Hamilton, Lyndon comes to the position after over six years as GM of Finance and Investments at Tainui Group Holdings in Waikato.
Making the move east to Bay of Plenty with Quayside Holdings marks a longheld ambition of Lyndon’s to assume a CEO role. It comes after a 20-year stint in banking, backed with a Masters in Applied Finance from Melbourne University, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business, and a Bachelor of Business Studies in Agribusiness from Massey University.
More importantly, that ambition was tempered with a desire to focus his hard earnt business skills into an entity that also engenders community focus and social awareness. “As a 54% shareholder in Port of Tauranga, Quayside is obviously a big part of the Bay of Plenty business world and community. I took the step to Tainui after 20 years of banking, seeking an organisation that embodied a strong social and community focus on its people.
Quayside marks a natural next step from Tainui for me, ” he says.
Quayside’s 31 years in existence as Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s investment arm has seen it built into a portfolio valued at over $3 billion, including the port.
While the port is a cornerstone of that portfolio, investments also include Oriens Capital, Huakiwi, the 162ha Rangiuru Business Park, and most recently forestry company PF Olsen.
Last year Quayside returned a dividend of $40 million back to the community, equivalent of $348 for every Bay of Plenty Regional Council general ratepayer.
“Clearly the port is a cornerstone investment, but I can see potential for Quayside investment further up or down the supply chain. There are also growth opportunities in asset classes such as infrastructure and property, whether it is commercial, industrial, or residential while further co-investment alongside iwi is an opportunity that will be considered and explored.”
Lyndon’s time with Tainui has provided him with a strong grounding in the complexities and subtleties of dealing with the challenges and demands a multi shareholder business model brings.
His ability to navigate the demands of commercial return and sensitivity to wider shareholder goals are underpinned with extensive experience in governance, having served on the boards of Tainui enterprises including Waikato Milking Systems and Go Bus Limited.
Lyndon describes learning Te Reo during his Tainui role as an invaluable opportunity that was a privilege to be part of. It was one heightened by being mentored by the Māori King’s personal kaiakopono, culminating in Lyndon regularly addressing Tainui tribal members at hui in Te Reo.
It is a skill he sees helping ease his way into the Quayside role as he looks to build further on the strong links Quayside have with local mana whenua.
He was also imbued by the long term investment horizon of projects that represents iwi inter-generational view, which is something shared by Quayside Holdings.
“At Tainui we always assessed our investments with a balanced view to ensure we were delivering sustainable and positive social, cultural, environmental and commercial outcomes.”
“The farming and forestry portfolios were additional areas of focus for me with Tainui. One of my most satisfying achievements at Tainui was to see the number of kaimahi (staff) with tribal affiliations go from none to 67%. Social outcomes such as these were very important in the eyes of tribal members.”
Involvement in the Ruakura Inland
Port was also a highlight, demanding strong teamwork to get stage one off the ground as an asset to deliver intergenerational benefits for iwi for years to come.
A return to the Bay of Plenty is something of a return to his family’s early roots for Lyndon. His father originally owned the Mount’s favourite seaside store, the Omanu dairy until the early 70’s when they crossed the Kaimai to go dairy farming.
Today his family still owns a dairy farm near Te Poi and immediate family continue to live in the Bay of Plenty.
As someone with three teenage children and interests in agriculture, fishing and sports, Lyndon sees the Bay of Plenty as one offering the best of all worlds, and one whose port facility integrates well with the Waikato’s productive primary export sector.
“I am looking forward to leading Quayside into a new stage, one where we can raise awareness within the community about what Quayside brings in terms of wealth and social wellbeing.
“It is also an opportunity to build on those strong iwi relationships I enjoyed at Tainui with Bay of Plenty mana whenua, seeing everyone benefit from Quayside’s presence in the Bay of Plenty.”
Scion develops H&R solution to tackle plastic waste for nurseries
Scion scientists have been instrumental in developing and testing biodegradable nursery pots that will help nurseries and Kiwi gardeners to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
The biodegradable pots, made from biopolymers and a biofiller, will offer an alternative to the estimated 350 million plants in pots produced by New Zealand nurseries each year.
Manufacturing of the pots will scale up after production processes are finetuned using funding received from the Government’s Plastics Innovation Fund announced recently by Environment Minister DavidParker. The pots are expected to be commercially available by September 2023.
The successful prototype, PolBionix, has been four years in development at Scion as part of a project with commercial client Wilson and Ross Limited. Director Peter Wilson engaged the services of Scion’s expert biomaterials and biodegradable testing team to develop and test a formulation for a product that meets the requirements of a nursery, last at least 12 months above ground then, after its planted in soil, continues to biodegrade. The pot then provides fertiliser for the plant as it breaks down, supporting plant growth.
Polymer technologist Maxime Barbier developed various formulations in the project’s discovery phase, with product testing carried out in small batches. Early results were mixed, however, the team
eventually developed a prototype that showed promising biodegradation properties in 2020.
Scientist and technical lead of Scion’s Biodegradation Testing Facility, Gerty Gielen, joined the project after the strong candidate was found. More in-depth analysis was then done using Scion’s accredited biodegradation testing facility, the only one of its kind in Australasia.
“Biodegradation is defined as the breakdown of material into carbon dioxide, water and microbial biomass. That’s what we were testing for in our facility that mimics typical conditions for home composting. We found one product responded very favourably after 12 months.”
Gielen says the results are extraordinary. “People have explored the idea of creating biodegradable plant pots for at least 10 years and many companies have given up along the way. There are so many formula combinations and permutations, so to discover a formula that works feels like winning the lottery.”
Barbier says the research is a perfect example of Scion’s scientific focus on helping New Zealand transition to a circular bioeconomy and be less reliant on products made from fossil fuel.
The problem of plastic pollution we face in New Zealand and, indeed, the world is significant. This project demonstrates Scion’s capability in helping solve these challenges.”
“The new product uses biopolymers made from sustainably grown sugarcane, cassava or corn. We combine that with a biofiller of waste organic matter. Diverting that waste into a product like this adds value in the manufacturing process, which is the circular bioeconomy in action.”
“Importantly, the end result are products that can reduce plastic pollution in New Zealand and carbon emissions.”
Scion’s scientific discovery during the testing phase has resulted in the filing of two international patents.
Wilson handles the commercialisation of the PolBionix-trademarked product, which
Scientists Maxime Barbier and Gerty Gielen,pictured in Scion’s accredited biodegradation testing facility,played key roles in the development of biodegradable plant pots for nurseries.
can be produced using existing plastic injection moulding processes. The product can also be manufactured with thermoforming and film blown processes.
The biodegradable pots are currently being tested in three commercial nurseries. Auckland City Council has also trialled the planting of 100 PolBionix pots in Waitawa Regional Park. A further 100 pots were planted in August at Anchorage Park School as part of Auckland’s Eastern Busway Infrastructure project.
In addition to significant private investment, funding support over the past four years of research has come from
the Ministry for Primary Industries through its Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund.
Wilson is excited about the opportunities ahead for the product and its widespread adoption by nurseries, both for home gardeners and planners of large-scale infrastructure and environmental restoration projects, especially near waterways.
“Raw material costs for PolBionix are higher than for traditional fossil-based plastic pots, so PolBionix pots will be more expensive. However, there are costs saved by not
having to add fertiliser, or face charges for disposing of the traditional pots in landfill. Any recycled pots currently need cleaning which adds a cost to nurseries. Planting should also be quicker, so there’s reduced labour costs for large-scale projects too.”
Long-term, Wilson is keen to explore other applications for the product across agriculture and horticulture.
“The problem of plastic pollution we face in New Zealand and, indeed, the world is significant. This project demonstrates Scion’s capability in helping solve these challenges. Their input has been invaluable to the success of this project.”
Inland Revenue is waking up from hibernation
You may not have heard much from Inland Revenue over the last couple of years. They have had a few big projects and policies keeping them occupied, such as processing wage subsidy claims and the costof-living payments and the internal IT business transformation project.
Now, as these projects wrap up, Inland Revenue is ramping back up its compliance activities and you might be in line for some attention. They are currently running four campaigns in key areas where they consider errors might have been made.
1. FBT
As I have written before, FBT can be a very confusing and complex tax to calculate correctly. Inland Revenue have identified a number of areas where they commonly see errors, and this is what they want to check.
Starting in October, Inland Revenue has been sending emails to smaller businesses that are registered for FBT, pointing out some common errors that occur in FBT returns.
Motor vehicles, especially the work-related vehicle exemption, are singled out for a special mention as an area where the rules are commonly incorrectly applied.
If you have received one of
these emails you don’t need to respond to Inland Revenue, unless of course it makes you realise you have made an error that needs correcting.
Even if you haven’t been the recipient of one of these emails, this is a good prompt to review the non-cash benefits you provide to your staff and consider if you are filing your returns correctly. And if you are not filing FBT returns, you should consider whether perhaps you should be.
2. Wage subsidy, Resurgence and other payments
As they did with the wage subsidy, Inland Revenue is now reviewing claims that were paid out for the Resurgence Support Payment, Covid-19 Support Payment, or the Small Business Cashflow Scheme loan.
Because all of the relief payment schemes were based on a high trust model it was impossible for Inland Revenue and the other Government agencies involved to verify
each business was making a valid application before processing the payments.
As you would expect, Inland Revenue is now reviewing a sample of those that applied for those payments.
You might be contacted by Inland Revenue where they consider that some of the eligibility criteria were not met.
If you are contacted, you will need to be able to show adequate documentation supporting your claim, including evidence of actual revenue losses, how the losses are attributable to Covid-19 and what steps had been taken to mitigate the loss.
3. GST invoicing
If you are GST registered you need to know that the rules around the information you have to provide to customers, and the information you need to keep to support GST claims on your expenses, are changing from 1 April 2023.
Inland Revenue is making sure everyone is aware of the changes in case they need to
> BY ANDREA
SCATCHARD
Andrea Scatchard is a Tax Partner at Deloitte, based in the Bay of Plenty. She can be contacted on ascatchard@deloitte.co.nz
make changes to their systems prior to 1 April 2023, so if you are GST registered you may have received an email about this.
I have outlined some of these changes in a previous
article here. https://bopbusi-
As a general rule you probably don’t need to update invoices you issue to cus-
tomers, but the invoices you receive from others might start to look a little different. We have recently seen an uptick in the number of GST refunds that IRD are requesting further information on before releasing the refunds, and they have also been identifying businesses that continually file nil GST returns and actively deregistering them.
4. Transfer pricing
Finally, at the big business end of town, Inland Revenue is focusing on a small number of large multinational businesses where they think there is a material risk that profits may be moved offshore through transfer pricing arrangements. You might have already received emails from Inland Revenue as they run these various campaigns targeting tax across the board. If they have set alarm bells ringing, you should seek advice from your accountant or tax adviser.
Callaghan Innovation, Auckland Council’s Waste Minimisation Fund and
Launch of GoTo Car Share brings EV car sharing to Tauranga
Residents of Tauranga can now take advantage of EV car sharing, thanks to the launch of GoTo Car Share. The new company offers the use of EVs from durations of 30 minutes to an entire weekend.
Founder Steven Vincent says that the inspiration for the company stemmed from the growth of the sharing economy, as well as the desire to see fewer cars on the road, which helps to reduce our carbon footprint. He also observed the popularity of car sharing in major cities in Aotearoa and thought a similar service would be beneficial in Tauranga, which has a population of more than 155,000, with an estimated 52,000 commuter cars on the road each day.
“We have a resource that can be shared by individuals, reducing the need for each person to bring their own vehicle into the CBD.” says Vincent, “It just makes sense.”
GoTo Car Share currently operates out of Basestation on Durham Street in the Tauranga CBD, with a fleet of EVs and a rapid charging station available to the public. The service operates via an app for ease of booking and features keyless access to any
EV in the fleet 24/7.
The plan is to extend to more locations around Tauranga, which would allow users to pick up and drop off at multiple locations. GoTo has been supported by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, economic development agency Priority One and Farmer Auto Village.
“We’re proud to work with partners dedicated to taking real action for sustainability,” Vincent states. “Their support for a car sharing service in Tauranga proves that there is a real commitment to providing worldclass forward-thinking solutions to benefit people in the Bay of Plenty and to reduce our carbon footprint.”
He notes that car sharing disrupts how people view their method of travel from one location to another, thereby shaping the business, social, and environmental landscape. “If we encourage people to stop using their cars for the commute to work, we
“That’s
Want to be a successful business owner? Stop being a victim
There are two kinds of people in the world: Owners and Victims. The key to success is identifying who is who. Think you know? Think again.
Are you a Victim? You would probably argue you’re not. People who read business newspapers don’t usually label themselves as ‘Victims’.
But your thoughts and actions betray your true intentions. And your unconscious Victim mindset may be stopping you from getting what you want.
Owners vs Victims
I have a PhD in Victimese. I wasted years of my life expecting other people to bring me success – bosses, clients, customers, politicians. It was their responsibility to make me happy.
When my success and happiness didn’t materialise, it was all their fault. How could I think otherwise? I was intelligent, driven, ambitious … and a victim of my circumstances.
Who is a Victim? Someone who believes life is happening ‘to me’; Other people (customers, politicians, bosses, economists, spouses, slow drivers, dysfunctional team members) control how they feel from moment to moment. At a deep level, the victim reacts to the world.
Who is an Owner? An owner is a person who has created a way of thinking which defines them. They own their energy, choices and decisions because they own their response to a situation. If things happen outside their control, they will step up and
claim responsibility.
A Victim will often call an Owner ‘lucky’, unaware the Owner spent years working alone in the darkness to make their own luck happen.
Looking in the Mirror
You’re probably still thinking, “I’m not a Victim”. But if you’re not where you want to be in your business, health, relationships, or if your bank account is looking emptier than Devonport Road on a Sunday morning… It’s because you’re acting like a Victim.
The fastest way to spot a Victim is to listen to language.
A Victim will say things like: “I’ll try”; “I should”; “I have to”; “It’s their fault”. I’ll try to finish work early
tonight. I should do more exercise. Sorry but I have to go to this meeting. The client is being slow. Starting to sound a bit more familiar?
An Owner only deals in certainties: “I am”; “I will”; “I am taking responsibility for this”.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Tolerating a Victim mindset in your business is going to cause big problems.
Problem 1: Training doesn’t work on Victims
The Victim can do all the training, read all the books, go to all the sales conferences, attend all the customer service meetings. Then they will give you a long list of reasons “why it won’t work for me”.
MINING BUSINESS WEALTH
>
BY FREDDIE BENNETT
Guinness World Record Holder, podcast host and bestselling author, Freddie is known as ‘The Profit Hunter’. He helps business owners enjoy more time, money and freedom by discovering and extracting hidden profits in their companies. Freddie@conqueryourmedia.com
Maybe they’ll tell you, ‘sales calls won’t work in our business’ or ‘I’m always running late’, or mention some excuse about ‘tall poppy syndrome’.
Owners know they can create and recreate themselves with focused intentional action. They can be whoever they need to be to succeed in that situation.
Problem 2: Victims can’t make mistakes
Sales meeting went down like a Wallabies flag at Eden Park? Child decided to start potty training in the background of your important Zoom call?
For a Victim, it’s “just my luck” and the fault of their circumstances. That’s why they will start to engage in all kinds of lies and avoidance behaviour to ensure mistakes will never be their fault.
Owners see mistakes as ‘miss-takes’, an obstacle that teaches them how to be stronger next time.
Problem 3: Victims see commitments as feelings Committed to your business but don’t feel like working today? Committed to your
fitness but don’t feel like the gym? Committed to your relationship but don’t feel like supporting your partner?
Put your feet up, perhaps you’ll feel in the mood tomorrow. Or not.
Owners don’t waste time and energy negotiating with themselves in the commitment hokey pokey. They are committed to something … or they’re not.
Problem 4: Victims expect other people to give them energy
“My boss should inspire me”; “My partner should support me”; “My team should stop weighing me down”; “My workplace should motivate me”; “My kids should stop draining my energy”.
Victims are empty vehicles, always expecting others to fuel them up and ignite their engines.
Owners see other people and situations differently. Nothing and no-one affects how an Owner feels without their permission.
Problem 5: Victims create scarcity
There’s never enough time.
There’s not enough money. There’s a talent shortage. Business in Tauranga doesn’t work that way. We could never charge that amount. All of the above is true. In the mind of a Victim, that is.
Owners make time for the things they value. They make things happen. They live in ‘now’. They solve important problems.
Make your Choice
I help a lot of businesses overcome their Victim vs Owner struggle. The positive outcomes are immediate, powerful and impactful. But it isn’t about ‘us’ vs ‘them’.
We are all capable of adopting Victim mindsets. If you’re anything like me, you see life through the Victim lens on a daily basis. They key is recognising the shift and flipping the switch back to being an Owner as quickly as possible. Life isn’t perfect. We all face personal and professional difficulties, mistakes, and unexpected disasters. But you can choose your reaction.
So own it.
need to offer a viable solution that works alongside an efficient public transport system,” Vincent says.
the purpose of GoTo Car
Share in a nutshell.” Current users include charities, not-for-profits, IT companies, startups, and business owners. All these organisations and their teams can now make use of a fleet of EVs without the disadvantages of having to maintain an on-going costly corporate fleet.
Purpose Capital consortium invests $10 million in Lodestone Energy
Lodestone Energy is pioneering, at a significant scale, utility-scale solar agri-voltaics in New Zealand.
Upon completion, Lodestone’s solar electricity generated across its five farms will increase solar generation in New Zealand by 8 times the 2021 levels. Once it is built, Lodestone is likely to be the largest grid scale solar development in New Zealand. Replacing fossil fuel energy generation with renewables is key to New Zealand meeting its national and international climate obligations.
In addition, Lodestone will make a significant contribution to the New Zealand government goal of achieving 100% renewable generation in the energy sector by 2030 (Our current renewable electricity generation is approximately 80%).
As well as producing electricity, the farms will continue to support agriculture and horticulture production. The panels will be high enough, and spaced sufficiently, to allow farming and cropping to continue underneath.
The initial five sites are expected to generate 375,000,000 kWh per year, which is enough electricity for 55,000 homes (that is all the homes in a city the size of Hamilton), or 150,000 electric cars.
Purpose Capital led a $10M syndicated investment into Lodestone Energy. The Purpose Capital impact syndicate consisted of Purpose Capital Impact Fund, Trust Horizon, Tauhara North No2 Trust, as well as investors from the Purpose Capital Impact Fund.
Once it is built,Lodestone is likely to be the largest grid scale solar development in New Zealand.
“We are proud to join an all-New Zealand group of investors including Jarden Principal Investments, Guy Haddleton, Rod Drury, Stephen Tindall, Sam Morgan and Fady Mishriki.
“We are also pleased Lodestone chose Waikato-based Infratec as their EPC Contractor. This helps us build and retain the skills we’ll need to scale solar in New Zealand” says Bill Murphy Executive Director, Purpose Capital.
“Historically we’ve viewed solar photovoltaics in New Zealand as unviable and an uneconomical means of electricity generation. However, the decade from 2010 to 2020 saw the cost of solar energy decrease by 85%, putting it on a par with wind energy as having the lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE*) over both renewable and non-renewable forms of generation.” says Purpose Capital’s Senior Associate Nick Pacey.
*LCOE is defined as the price at which the generated electricity should be sold for the system to break even at the end of its lifetime.
The Lodestone team includes: Gary Holden as CEO (President/ CEO of numerous NZ/Canadian energy companies over the last 25 years – including electricity mass market retail and infrastructure)
• Chris Jewell as CFO (Former Genesis CFO / GM of Strategy)
• Tony Nagel as General Counsel and Company Secretary (Former GM of Corporate Affairs at Mercury NZ)
• Peter Apperley as General Manager Engineering (Head of Solar at Jacobs, Solarcity NZ, Infratec Renewables, and Meridian)
• Daniel Cunningham as Director of Development (Renewables/solar development experience at Greengate Power Co and Travers Solar)
Prepare your small business for the summer break
After a difficult year, many Kiwis are counting down the days until they can clock off and enjoy a well-deserved summer break. However, for small business owners, there can be a sense of pressure. Balancing cash flow and expenses when Kiwis pack up for Christmas and New Year’s can be tough.
Alot of businesses pretty much shut down after Christmas and don’t really get back to full pace until mid-February. The summer slowdown can be tricky to navigate, so it’s important to be as prepared as possible.
Now’s the time to start thinking about what you and your employees need to get through the festive season with minimal stress – after all, you also deserve a relaxing summer.
Plan your expenses over the holiday
While many Kiwis put their lives on hold for the summer break, this doesn’t apply to your business expenses.
Rent and utilities still need to be paid, and employees still need to receive their wages –especially if you’ve got people working over the holiday period.
If you’re concerned about making it through, now’s the time to sit with your accountant or bookkeeper to go through
your finances and forecast for the next few months.
Understand your staffing needs
For Bay of Plenty small businesses, the opportunity to stay open over the holidays is a tempting option as Kiwis flock from all over New Zealand to the coast.
However, you and your employees also need a break.
As an employer, you can avoid headaches by having good oversight over your staff roster and identifying the gaps early, using apps like RosterElf to make it easier on you from an admin perspective.
For example, do you need to hire additional staff to get through the festive period while you and your team take time off?
Pull from your experience in previous years to make informed decisions – whether this is increased staffing, reduced hours or a combination of both.
Finally, flexibility is king.
Being flexible around holiday plans can make you a more desirable employer, giving good staff a reason to stay for the long term.
Make hay while the sun shines
Sometimes the holiday break truly sneaks up on us but it’s important to make the most of the busier months in the lead up, particularly if your business is selling wares that could end up under the Christmas tree!
Now is the time to motivate staff, now is the time for sales and promotions, and now is the time for extra marketing spend before much of New Zealand shuts up shop for the summer.
Embrace the Christmas spirit by running sales and promotions to get people through your door – or checking out online.
This is also where a robust social media strategy can come in handy, helping you connect and engage with consumers
Embrace the Christmas spirit by running sales and promotions to get people through your door.”
WORKPLACE WELLBEING
> BY BRIDGET SNELLING
Bridget Snelling, Xero New Zealand Country Manager.
both new and existing. The Digital Boost website has dedicated resources and videos to help with this journey.
Review inventory ahead of time
Global supply chain issues have plagued businesses across all sectors for most of the year.
While navigating the unpredictable holiday period, the last thing you need to be dealing with is inventory issues. Take stock early and
use digital tools like Cin7 to understand your position and identify issues at a moment’s notice.
Switch off and shop local
When all is said and done, it’s important for your own wellbeing to take time off over the holidays as well. It has been a challenging year for a lot of Kiwis. Put in the mahi for this last stretch so when it comes to late December, you’re in the best position to fully embrace a holiday. It’s
important for your own wellbeing to take some time off.
Of course, for some of us, the summer period is the busiest period making it harder to schedule time off. But it’s still important to have a break, so be sure to take a rest after the season to give yourself some space away from work.
Finally, to all those reading this, whether a business owner or not, please remember to shop local this holiday season. It’s one of the best things we can do to support the Bay of Plenty community.
The downside of dark data
TECH TALK
> BY YVONNE BLANCH
Yvonne Blanch is an Account Manager at Stratus Blue. She can be contacted at yvonne@stratusblue.co.nz
The digital data we all generate and accumulate is saved somewhere and increasingly it is stored using cloud services and sometimes multiple cloud services. Those cloud services require an escalating amount of energy to store that data and have it available for access on demand.
Our data includes emails and attachments, backups, documents and files, multiple copies of those documents and files, pictures, videos, security footage, installation files, applications, computer logs and more. It may come as a surprise to us that the impact of this increasing amount of data is not carbon neutral.
While we may focus on limiting emissions from industry, agriculture, and vehicles, in 2020 the digitisation of data was thought to generate 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It has been calculated by Climatiq that global emissions from cloud computing range from 2.5% to 3.7% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, thereby exceeding emissions from commercial flights (about 2.4%). Data storage is increasing rapidly therefore we can expect the energy costs and consequences to increase as well.
Some of the owners of large data centres are trying to reduce their environmental impact (and reduce their
energy bills) by running their centres off renewable energy and a growing number of businesses are installing renewable energy systems to directly power their IT infrastructure and this needs to continue.
Reducing the amount of unnecessary data that is stored can also help.
Much of the data stored in data centres is considered “dark data”. Gartner defines dark data as “the information assets organisations collect, process and store during regular business activities but generally fail to use for other purposes.”
It provides more expense than value and can not only be a risk to business but also may consume unnecessary energy to store. This is data that we either have duplicate copies of, or that we will never ever access and use again. This data, although not useful or utilised by us, may be of consequence to bad actors if they are able to gain access to it.
How can we make a difference in our own backyard?
The good news is that
reduction in files we have stored can reduce energy consumption costs on our local storage. Some over-accumulation of files and documents can be mitigated by the applications such as SharePoint that enable sharing and collaborating on documents and maintaining version control.
There is an added benefit in that the reduction in the accumulation of dark data can also assist in maintaining security and privacy of information.
We can also individually play a part in reducing global storage energy consumption. It can be simple things like unsubscribing from emails we rarely read, deleting old and obsolete files that we will never need again, reviewing our backup regime and making plans for what happens to our digital data when we die.
As businesses let’s review what files we are storing, who has access to those files, and whether we need them anymore. You will improve efficiency and the benefits can be financial as well as environmental.
“I have learnt valuable lessons throughout the Dale Carnegie course, both personally and professionally. My overall confidence has increased, and I now have total control when walking into meetings which is something I truly struggled with. I am using the Golden Book. By doing so I have been able to take a step back and think before I speak which has de-escalated and avoided unnecessary conflict. Thank you for delivering such a sensational course.”
– Ana Garza Valdez, Press and Lazer September 2022
All for One, and One for all?
AINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES
> BY BEN CAIN
Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells. He can be contacted at 07 928 4470 (Tauranga), 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), and ben.cain@jaesandwells.com
core principle of trade mark law is that a trade mark – a business’s ‘badge of origin’ – should be distinctive.
‘Distinctive’, in law, means that the trade mark should not be descriptive of a business’s goods or services and should be capable of distinguishing a business’s goods or services from those of other businesses. In plain English, a trade mark should set your goods or services apart from your competitors’ – noting that a really distinctive trade mark should set your goods and services apart from every other business
Often-cited great examples of distinctive trade marks are APPLE and GOOGLE since neither describes the products and services the respective companies provide and both are highly memorable.
Closer to home, great examples, in my view, are ZESPRI and XERO – again, neither describes the products and services the respective companies provide and both are highly memorable.
SPARK, in my view, is another great trade mark. It is evocative, memorable, and cleverly alludes to information and communication technology without being descriptive. It has the inherent ability to set the telco’s goods and services apart from its competitors at the very least.
Readers may remember that ZESPRI was the name chosen to replace “New Zealand Kiwifruit Marketing Board”, while SPARK was the name chosen to replace “Telecom New Zealand”. Readers may also remember that when first revealed, the ZESPRI and SPARK names were not universally well
received. I don’t think too many would dispute now, however, that they have become very strong and well recognised brand names.
Which brings me to Vodafone. On 28 September 2022, Vodafone New Zealand announced it will be re-branding in 2023 to ONE NEW ZEALAND. The rebrand follows infrastructure firm Infratil and Brookfield Asset Management’s acquisition of Vodafone NZ in 2019 for NZ$3.4 billion ($1.9bn).1
To say that the decision to change to ONE NEW ZEALAND has been met with mixed reviews would be a huge understatement. On the one hand, you have those who think the change is “a good change”; on the other, you have those who consider ONE NEW ZEALAND to be “a missed opportunity to name the company something bolder, brighter and more distinctive”; and in the middle, you have those who say “I don’t hate it. [But] I don’t get excited by it…”.2
Also thrown into the mix is that the ONE NEW ZEALAND name is already being used by what has been labelled ‘a far right organisation’3 called One New Zealand Foundation (ONZF). According to a Twitter post from Ben Moore (Technology Editor, BusinessDesk NZ),
reported in a recent article on Stuff,3 Jason Paris, Vodafone’s CEO, was not aware the ONE NEW ZEALAND name “had a negative history” before the re-brand was announced. This begs the question, why wasn’t he aware? What searching for identical or similar trade marks was undertaken during the name selection process? This case highlights that if you’re going to change your name as part of a re-branding exercise (because of course you can change your brand identity without changing your name), then you must make sure your new name is distinctive and, to the best of your knowledge, no one else is using an identical or similar name – even in relation to unrelated goods or services. In relation to the latter, a search of the Internet and relevant trade mark registers is vital. It is also desirable, of course, that your target audience likes the name you are proposing to use – perhaps even loves it.
So…all for One, and One for all? Maybe not at the moment, but you can be sure that like Zespri and Spark before it, Vodafone/One New Zealand will commit significant resources to making ONE NEW ZEALAND not just its trade mark but a powerhouse of a brand.
1: www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/vodafone-new-zealand-at-one-ahead-of-2023-rebrand/
2: campaignbrief.co.nz/2022/10/11/building-a-new-brand-for-new-zealand-vodafone-nz-rebrands-to-one-nz/ 3: www.stuff.co.nz/business/130021267/far-right-group-one-new-zealand-foundation-happy-to-share-namewith-rebranded-vodafone
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NZ collaboration links consumer insights to the produce value chain
Two leading New Zealand players in the global fresh produce industry have collaborated to deliver growers, packers and marketers powerful consumer insights into product performance, closing the final link in the soil-to-consumer process.
BOP software provider Radford Software Limited and consumer insights specialist, FORWARD HQ Limited have launched the joint initiative, the Consumer Experience module, which is expected to provide producers with unprecedented traceability and knowledge about what happens to fresh produce after purchase.
Radford chief executive officer
Adam Cuming said this knowledge would provide a competitive advantage and drive continuous improvements across the grow, pack, storage and sell cycles of the value chain. Consumer insights gathered by FORWARD will be interfaced within Radfords’ existing Business Intelligence platform, FreshInsights as an add-on module.
“The consumer experience is the final moment of truth, the ultimate measure of produce performance. We can now provide producers and brand owners with information gathered along the entire value chain,” Mr Cuming said.
“Producers can use the information to communicate with retailers, improve brand value to drive margins and success. They will get to understand how the sensory attributes of how their lines resonate with the market segments and how consumers experience their produce.
“They will be better placed to make informed decisions about what they can do along the value chain (such as on-farm, packhouse practices or distribution processes) to improve the consistency of the consumer experience.”
Customising metrics to meet client objectives
“Customers will agree on the focus and scope of insights required, selecting from a wide range of product and brand performance metrics such as overall liking, taste, texture and appearance attributes, ripeness stage and willingness to recommend. The metrics can be customised for any fresh produce line from cherries to carrots and accessed in a user-friendly way by anyone in the business.
“FORWARD, which has extensive experience in strategic research and insights, specifically in the primary sector, will source the information
via various means such as surveys or a dedicated app, tailored to a customer’s objectives. Once interfaced into FreshInsights, customers can choose to combine those insights with other data sets from the grow, pack, sell and grower accounting cycles to provide full value chain visibility,” he said.
FORWARD global consumer insights director Carlo Magni said globally there were very few solutions as well integrated as the Consumer Experience, and none of them focused on produce.
“In New Zealand, we are the first to launch a Consumer Experience module within a specialised CRM (customer relationship management) and our value proposition is well positioned to deliver much-needed consumer insights, in extremely efficient ways, to grow the NZ produce sector and its presence globally,” Mr Magni said.
“Our clients want to understand what consumers’ needs are and what they value, how their products perform against competitors and how to identify opportunities for improvement.
“The partnership opens the door to measuring product performance in-market, while linking the impact that growing techniques, supply chain efficiencies and retailers’ in-store execution have on end-user experience.
“A good example of a category driven by consumer demand is the development of the cherry tomato category for snacking and convenience. Globally, we now see a large volume of cherry tomatoes grown and packaged in new formats curated towards consumer needs and wants.”
He said there had been an overall shift from the primary sector in the past decade from being product and growing centric to more consumer centric. This had accelerated in the past five years and momentum was still positive, he said.
“It has become clear to many organisations that by addressing consumer needs and wants, such as consistent quality 365 days of the year, brands can become relevant to consumers, achieve or sustain higher premiums and deliver on their brand promise.”
He said FORWARD insights were used by global produce organisations such as Zespri Kiwifruit, Dole, T&G
Traceability currently stops when products enter a supermarket.
Our collaboration with Radfords aims at linking data streams between stakeholders and taking traceability all the way to the end user, the consumer.”
– Carlo Magni
to harvest, how best to package and deliver the best possible produce experiences to consumers.
“Traceability currently stops when products enter a supermarket. Our collaboration with Radfords aims at linking data streams between stakeholders and taking traceability all the way to the end user, the consumer,” he said.
Radfords and FORWARD expect
medium-to-large produce marketers to welcome the new module, given the effort many are already putting into targeting consumers and optimising portfolios.
The collaboration was borne out of a shared passion for creating value for brands, Mr Cuming said.
Mr Magni said the project had been on FORWARD’S agenda for some time.
“We finally identified the opportunity to realise it when we met the
The product is available to existing and new customers who use FreshInsights.
Fresh produce businesses are invited to register their interest to meet Radfords and FORWARD at the Global International Fresh Produce Association trade show in Orlando, Florida from October 26-29 or Radfords at Asia Fruit Logistica in Bangkok, Thailand, November 2-4.
Global and Westfalia Fruit to inform decision making around what to grow, when
Radfords team at Hort Connections in Brisbane in June,” he said.
Radfords’Adam Cuming says the collaboration extends its value chain footprint from “soil to consumer”. Photo supplied.
FORWARD consumer insights director Carlo Magni.
Summer Concert Season released
Trustpower Baypark is excited to showcase and demonstrate the multi -purpose capabilities of the park in the current line-up of events. There is a mix of international and national sports, and indoor and outdoor events through to the best summer concert line-up to date!
New Zealand Festival of Squash 2022 – 3-13 November 2022
Watch some of the world’s finest squash players take on New Zealand’s best. Internationally ranked players, including our very own Paul Coll and Joelle King will battle it out on the spectacular glass court at Trustpower Baypark Arena, as part of New Zealand’s largest ever Squash Festival. It has been almost 30 years since the last NZ Men’s Open Squash tournament, and 13 years since the Women’s Championship.
The long-awaited return of the NZ Squash Open, part of the PSA World Tour, will bring exciting wall-to-wall action to Tauranga and New Zealand.
• www.iticket.co.nz/events/2022/nov/ festival-of-squash
Bay Superbowl and Fireworks Extravaganza
– 5 November 2022
With Sprintcars, Midgets, Saloons, Superstocks, and Ministocks competing at New Zealand’s top speedway colosseum, this promises to be a great night of speedway racing action. Family fun continues after the racing with a spectacular fireworks extravaganza. The family zone is open from 5pm-6pm, with gates open at 5pm.
• www.bayparkspeedway.co.nz
Go Green Expo
– 19 & 20 November 2022
This is your one stop shop for everything you need to live a sustainable life. Eco home and building, food and beverages, organic products, health and wellness, beauty and personal care with many more categories showcased at this fantastic event not to be missed!
A large, diverse range of companies and brands cannot wait to transform your way of life, in favour of
the environment and you! This show is dedicated to promoting a healthy, environmentally friendly, sustainable lifestyle for New Zealanders. Get your free tickets online!
• www.gogreenexpo.co.nz/tickets/
Weightlifting – NZ Masters and NZ Junior/Senior Championships – 25 & 26 November 2022
The 2022 National Championships, featuring both the New Zealand Masters and Junior and Senior Cham pionships is almost here!
This November, the event will be held on dual platforms across two days at Trustpower Baypark Arena. The 2022 Annual Awards and Weight lifting New Zealand AGM are also included in this event. Specific eligibility criteria and qualification timeframes are now publicly available.
• www.weightlifting.nz
Polo in the Bay – 26 November 2022
plimented by state-of-the-art staging and sound rig. This festival set up is nothing like you’ve experienced before at an under 18 Festival.
• www.tickets.ticketspace.co.nz/ tickets/breakout
Polo in the Bay is more than just a new annual event, it’s a whole new tradition. It’s fresh, fast-paced format designed for spectators requires zero polo knowledge to enjoy. Every year, we’ll be kicking off the Mount Maunganui summer with first-class entertainment and hospitality. It’s a weekend that’s hard to resist!
Polo in the Bay features some of New Zealand’s most talented Polo players going to head-to-head in their provincial colours and this fresh Polo format brings you closer to the action
– there isn’t a bad seat in the house. With a range of hospitality options available, from private marquees for social and corporate groups to the Polo Lounge with catering and a few more comforts.
• www.polointhebay.co.nz/tickets/
Break Out! U18 Outdoor Music Festival – 2 December 2022
NZ Teens was developed to meet the expectations that parents and caregivers expect of an under 18 event. You can expect a main stage, ample seating, food vendors and non-alcohol beverages will be available throughout the course of the event.
An incredible lighting show com-
Battle of the Trades IV – 10 December 2022
Base Up Battle of the Trades is a popular Corporate Boxing show that features tradespeople putting themselves against one another in three “two-minute” rounds. Bay Boxfit is delighted to present the largest boxing fight night in Tauranga. Secure your spot today and be sure to look your best on December 10 as this is a black-tie affair!
Bay Dreams Festival – 3 January 2023
Festival favourite ‘Bay Dreams’ is back with a fresh look and a new purpose. A monster-sized line-up of international and local superstars has been announced for Bay Dreams 2023, happening at Trustpower Baypark on 3rd January. Returning to summer hotspot Mount Maunganui, Bay Dreams 2023 features a diverse line-up of long awaited international and local talent. Headlined by ten-time Grammy nominated production powerhouse Diplo, alongside such global heavyweights as US rap giants Denzel Curry (touring new album Melt My Eyez See Your Future), Yung Lean
and Freddie Gibbs, British drum and bass figureheads Hybrid Minds bringing their Outline show down under with singer Charlotte Haining, Australian drill crew OneFour, English electronic pop songwriter SG Lewis, UK dubstep producer Flux Pavilion and a whole lot more. Set to be one of the highlight festivals of the summer, Bay Dreams is a must-do for all music lovers.
• www.baydreams.co.nz
UB40 ft. Jefferson Starship & Dragon – 4 January 2023
Held at the height of summer, UB40 with special guests Jefferson Starship and Dragon promises to put on a show like no other.
With back-to-back hits; the perfect concert settings and summer in full swing; this is an event not to be missed. Achieving over 40 top 40 hits in their native Britain, and international sales over 100 million records, UB40 are one of the biggest UK music acts of all time.
Today Jefferson Starship remains dedicated to breathing new life into the living catalogue of the Jeffersonian legacy. Meanwhile, representing homegrown talent is the one and only Dragon who remain one of New Zealand’s most popular live acts.
• www .trademark.flicket.co.nz/ events/
Juicy Fest – 6 January 2023
Don’t miss out on NZ’s biggest R&B Hip Hop Festival Juicy Fest 2023! This line-up includes some of the big-
gest R&B and hip-hop stars from the 1990s and 2000s, including headliners Nelly, Ne-Yo and Ja Rule. Other acts include Mya, Chingy, Lloyd, Bow Wow, Xzibit, Pretty Ricky and Twista. Juicy Festival, or Juicy Fest as it’s colloquially named, is a R18 one-day festival scheduled for eight shows across Australia and New Zealand this summer. For more info and tickets head to www.juicyfest.co or follow us on Instagram.
Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny –NZ Tour – 26 January 2023
Star of the UK’s most streamed Netflix comedy special of 2021, Jimmy is back on the road with brand new material for 2023. Jimmy’s show contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things.
Terrible things that might have affected you or people you know and love. But they’re just jokes – they are not the terrible things. Having political correctness at a comedy show is like having health and safety at a rodeo. Now you’ve been warned, buy a ticket.
• www.premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/
Stadium Corporate Boxes
Enjoy Stadium events in comfort from our corporate Boxes. There are still several excellent boxes available for either an annual lease or casual bookings during the summer season. Quality hospitality is served to your box with an exclusive balcony and relaxed environment to entertain your guests.
For more information events@ bayvenues.co.nz
Tauranga’s Premier Venue
Trustpower Baypark is Tauranga’s Premier Venue for conferences, meetings, entertainment, and exhibitions. Offering a complete package in one convenient location that features state of the art meeting rooms, in-house catering, audio visual services, marketing/promotional services.
When big is really lots of littles
ICREDIT CONTROL
> BY NICK KERR
Nick Kerr is regional manager for DebtFree NZ Ltd and director of International Private Investigations Ltd. He can be reached on 021 876 527 and Nick@debtfreenz.com
met with a trade business’ owners last week and they were asking me whether they needed to have a large group builder fill in a credit application form, or would they be ok as ‘they are a large company’? Let me answer that question in a rambling and round about longform manner …
After having worked in the credit management industry for the majority of my adult life – and let me assure you I am no spring chicken – I guess I have taken for granted the viewpoint I have of company structures and what they mean in the credit management realm.
I can see how good marketing and branding guidelines can blur the lines between what is one large entity and what is many small entities, all wearing the same uniform. The structure is designed to give the consumer the impression that the business you are dealing with is established, competent, financially secure and rock solid.
It also gives suppliers that do not see the local “office” of the large company as the small independently owned, financially limited, recently established, operator of average competence that it perhaps could be.
It could, conversely, be the best client they ever had, with zero issues. A lot of times this can be a blind gamble. Group home building companies do on the most part vet their
applicants carefully, but a few do slip through occasionally.
I know several highly skilled, financially secure and very successful builders that have joined group home building franchises that have delivered a premium product, paid all suppliers on time and were loved by their customers.
I have also known several very average builders with poor financial management skills and terrible management techniques that have left a slew of unpaid subbies, suppliers and very disappointed homeowners throughout their careers – they too have been part of the same brand group home builder as the aforementioned legends.
Now of course, when the reports of non-payment and court cases started to be noticed by the franchisor they dispatched the lawyers to remove the franchisee from the network and pursue them for breach of contract damages as per the agreement signed.
By this time a major supplier, financier or the IRD would have probably pursued a personal guarantee or judgement enforcement against the director of the independently owned building firm (that wore the uniform of the large, corporate building firm) and be well on the way to bankrupting them. Any damages awarded to them after much expenditure and brand damage would be so insignificant
as to make pursuing litigation a futile exercise, save for sending a message to other franchisees.
A franchisor, in my experience, is seldom willing to pay for the financial failures of its franchisees – often all a jilted supplier will get from the franchisor is a promise for the next franchisee in the area to use them as a supplier.
I’m sure after the last experience the supplier had with a franchisee this is not an attractive prospect. If the franchisor has signed a corporate or personal guarantee in the favour of a franchisee then they are responsible for the debts – if they haven’t, they are not.
My point is that there are good businesses and there are bad businesses in every industry. Just because a business looks similar to one that you have positive feelings towards does not make them the same.
Any time you are suppling to a business that is part of a group you need to establish what the ownership of that individual business unit is.
The easiest way is to get them to complete a client information form with your terms attached. This will tell you everything you need to know and then you can do what you need to as far as checking them out on centrix or similar. Then you can at least gamble with your eyes open.
Just a thought.
Recession storm clouds looming:
IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO PURCHASE A FRANCHISE?
FRANCHISING
> BY NATHAN BONNEY
Nathan Bonney is a director of Iridium Partners. He can be reached at nathan@iridium.net.nz or 0275-393-022
The old cliché. If I had a dollar for each time I have been asked this question, or heard the potential of a recession raised as a reason for not making the jump into franchising, well, I would not be writing this article, but more likely laying on a beach.
Whether we are, or are not, actually going to enter a recession is perhaps secondary to it being raised repetitively in the press – it’s on people’s minds and will influence their decisions. So, does it matter?
Franchising and economic cycles
There are always winners and losers in business over each period of an economic cycle.
Franchising on a single unit or business category is no different: some categories will do well in recession, sometimes because they are a trade-downs – Think local tourism and hospitality versus going overseas; Fast food versus full format restaurant; Home renovations and home services versus new build housing.
Some however may not fare so well, so it’s not fair to say, “Franchising is recession-proof”, but there are two unique aspects of franchising that stand out in a recession.
First of all, over time and economic cycles, franchised individual business units are more likely to be successful than their independent counterparts. So it follows that if you are thinking of starting a business, regardless of where we are in an economic cycle, a franchise is statistically a safer option.
Secondly, there is an interesting phenomenon whereby, historically, franchising grows
over recessionary periods, the logic being that people often “buy themselves a job” after becoming unemployed or disillusioned over a recessionary period.
The New Zealand experience is more unique. During the last major recession – the GFC – New Zealand did not experience high levels of unemployment, but franchising grew. My theory is that the during challenging times, the efficiencies, purchasing power and the support envelope that franchising provides rises to the fore.
The combination of smart investors recognizing this, and the Darwinism of lesser operators failing, results in franchise growth. So, franchising does relatively well during a recession.
What’s more relevant than the economic cycle?
When deciding whether it’s a good time to purchase a franchise I believe there are pertinent factors other than the point of the economic cycle.
Interest rates are a major influencer of not only the cost of borrowing for a potential business owner, but also an influencer of the ROI. This can be amplified by the level of borrowing. Higher rates increase costs and decrease affordability regardless of how they coincide with the cycle.
The relationship to property values and other capital
is also critical. In New Zealand our concept of wealth is still emotionally tied to home values. High property values make people feel wealthy and often more likely to start their own business. From a practical point, it is a reality that this does influence personal balance sheets and the ability to borrow.
Franchising can be a positive option, and a reason to invest during a recession and potentially falling property values, because a franchise business may provide better returns.
What are your circumstances?
Finally, in addition to considering interest rates, borrowing capacity, and trying to ‘crystal ball gaze’ what sectors will fare best in a recession, I think the question is really, “What are your circumstance and what are you hoping to achieve?”
If you are looking to replace an income or de-risk becoming unemployed in a recession, then a relatively low capital franchise business may provide you that security.
If you are looking to invest in an asset and grow wealth, the support of a good franchise will certainly assist smoothing the waters and assist in preparing the boat for rougher waters.
So actually, recession or no recession, timing is what will work for you.
Maraea Timutimu Exhibition He Kāwai Whenua He Kāwai Whakapapa opening at Tauranga Art Gallery Toi Tauranga
Tauranga Art Gallery Toi
Tauranga is delighted to announce the opening of He kāwai whenua He kāwai whakapapa, an exhibition by local artist Maraea Timutimu (Tūhoe, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui).
He kāwai whenua He kāwai whakapapa addresses the centrality of whenua within mātauranga Māori and the ways it can connect us to our stories, histories, identities and whakapapa. Timutimu presents a suite of large-scale colour photographs that are a play on portraiture; stones and rocks are collected from the water-
ways of her maternal and paternal kāinga at Matapihi, Tauranga Moana, and Rūātoki, Eastern Bay of Plenty. They are composed into totemic forms that poetically stand in for people and places that are important to the artist.
These photographic portraits provide a unique insight into the connectedness of whenua and whakapapa through a Māori lens.
“When we view whenua in its natural state, we see that it is made up of layers.
“These layers all have a whakapapa, derived from the natural pigments of Papatūānuku
(mother earth) connecting it to place and time. It depicts us and the makeup of our individual genealogy” says Timutimu.
Tauranga Art Gallery Director Stephen Cleland says: “We’re immensely excited to be unveiling Maraea’s new suite of artworks in the Gallery. Viewed alongside painter Ayesha Green’s current solo-exhibition and a forthcoming large-scale installation by multimedia artist Shannon Te Ao, Timutimu’s poignant reflections on the interconnectedness of whenua and whakapapa promise to be an invaluable con-
tribution to our summer line up.”
Maraea Timutimu holds a Master of Fine Arts from Whitecliffe College. Her work centres around pattern, narrative and community, and uses the concept of whakapapa to inform her practice, process and method of making. Alongside her artmaking she works for Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Trust, as Project Lead for Te Tai Whanake ki Tauranga Moana. This involves the development of a Ngāi Te Rangi Iwi Curriculum for kura Māori and mainstream education providers in Tauranga Moana.
KuDos Award for Scion and AgriSea partnership
Accolades for the Scion and AgriSea collaboration continue to roll in, with a Primary Industries Award won at the Kudos Awards in September at Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton.
After two postponements due to the pandemic, the 2021 Awards finally happened on 14 September, with scientists from the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region celebrated for their creativity, passion, innovation and results.
In winning the award, sponsored by Hill Laboratories, Scion, and AgriSea were congratulated for their work building on Scion’s pulping expertise and AgriSea’s 26 years in seaweed processing, resulting in a novel seaweed hydrogel.
Scion high-value biorefineries portfolio leader Dr Stefan Hill says it was really special to attend with the team and AgriSea chief executive Clare Bradley.
“It was a wonderful night celebrating an incredible range of science. Our team is really excited to have won this award.”
The success in Hamilton comes only a month after AgriSea won the coveted NZ Hi-Tech Kamupene Māori o te Tau – Māori Company of the Year Award for 2022. The award, sponsored by Callaghan Innovation, highlighted the company’s collaborative work with Scion scientists in developing the hydrogel as part of its mission to create a high-value and sustainable seaweed industry in Aotearoa.
A casual conversation about nanocellulose from seaweed waste led to a productive partnership now spanning five years with AgriSea. As kaitiaki (guardians) of the land, the company is moti-
Dr Jonno Hill from Hill Laboratories (far right) presented the Primary IndustriesAward to the team from Scion andAgriSea. Pictured (from left) is RobWhitton,Yi Chen, Marie-Joo Le Guen,AgriSea chief executive Clare Bradley,and Stefan Hill.
vated to grow a sustainable aquaculture industry by creating new high-value products from its current waste stream processes. For Scion, the partnership with AgriSea is an example of research that focuses on developing renewable biobased products as a means for industry to tackle climate change.
Seaweed nanocellulose has unique properties not found in tree-based nanocellulose. The technology has been licensed to AgriSea to continue the development of hydrogels. Paeroa will be home to the world’s first commercial seaweed nanocellulose facility at AgriSea, with the $1.5 million project creating nine
new full-time roles. Scion has produced a concept design for the bio-refinery and is now working with Callaghan Innovation to develop the final design ahead of its construction.
Once up and running, the business will diversify and produce commercial volumes of nanocellulose hydrogel using leftovers from the manufacture of its seaweed-based agricultural and horticultural products –ensuring maximum value is being extracted from this sustainable resource. There is a stable market for hydrogel products, including performance bio-composites,
cosmetics, wound care and tissue engineering in New Zealand and offshore.
The Kudos Science Trust Awards are New Zealand’s most prestigious regional science awards, supporting the Waikato and Bay of Plenty’s reputation as a vital incubator for creative research discoveries and cutting-edge technology.
This region is a thriving and expanding science hub, with the highest number of scientists and laboratory technicians per capita in its workforce in New Zealand, with some of our local scientists featuring in the top 1% of most influential scientists worldwide.
The world is constantly changing and the hor ticulture sector is not immune to the shifting sands of change. The global avocado industry will demonstrate its responsiveness to change at the 10th World Avocado Congress, taking place from 2-5 April 2023 in Auckland.
“Adverse challenges have forced some uncomfortable questions but simultaneously created and encouraged a future ripe with opportunities. Productivity, fruit quality, post-harvest system, global supply chains and supply and demand have been fuelling conversations around the world and raising the question, how sustainable is the global industry across environment, people and economics,” says Jen Scoular, CEO of NZ Avocado and President of the World Avocado Congress Committee.
The Scientific and Marketing Organising Committees for the upcoming World Avocado Congress are now committed to reviewing the impressive abstracts submitted so far. A wide range of topics will be discussed at the World Avocado Congress, from breeding and genomics to agritech innovation, pests and diseases, country reports, sustainability and more. These topics will be addressed by plenary sessions, keynote speakers, presentations and poster sessions with break-out streams to allow for a very diverse and exciting mix of topics, themes and areas of interest.
“It is imperative that we connect with the very best avocado experts around the world and entice them to New Zealand to share their knowledge and expertise with participants at the Congress,” says Phillip West, Chair of the Scientific Committee.
Anna Livingston, Chair of the Marketing Committee, appreciates the breadth of abstracts received covering country reports from most avocado producing countries, from understanding the consumer in Korea, and changing the way avocados are promoted to millennials in the largest avocado market, the US.
“We have extended our networks to ensure we are able to share a picture of the industry as it is – but also to encourage discussion about our future as a global avocado industry. We need to be aware of supply and demand, now and over the next ten years, and understand where promotional activity is best placed, to motivate more consumers to enjoy the wonderful avocado.”
There is keen interest from the international scientific and marketing community to present the latest research on avocados with a strong programme of presentations in support of the keynote speakers.
So far keynote speakers include Professor Andrew Robson, Dr Brent Clothier, Florence Van Dyke, Francisco Mena Völker, Jen Scoular, Lain Jager and Professor Sarah McLaren.
The abstracts will be reviewed by the committees, and presenters will have their places confirmed by mid-December. These abstracts will complete the program in support of the keynote speakers already confirmed.
“The World Avocado Congress represents a unique opportunity for members of the avocado community all around the globe to get together under one roof and collectively ask questions about the risks and opportunities that are currently facing the industry.
To answer these questions, we need to think collaboratively about the people in our industry, the environment in which we grow, transport and sell avocados and how respect for them better enables a sustainable future.
The 10th World Avocado Congress has a theme: respectful; respect for people, respect for environment and respect for our future. The New Zealand industry invites all those in the industry globally to participate in these discussions – in the conversation that supports our future as a fantastic and sustainable global industry,” says Ms Scoular.
For more information about the World Avocado Congress, or to register visit: www wacnz2023.com/registration-information/ registration
Maraea Timutimu,Te Rea, 2022, colour photograph Maraea Timutimu in her studio 2022
First on the scene
50 Years of Export in the Bay of Plenty
Exporters in the Bay of Plenty came together on Friday, October 14 to honour and celebrate with others who have become part of ExportNZ over the past 50 years. Attendees heard from Michael Fox from Zespri and EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley. ExportNZ Bay of Plenty Advisory Board Chairman, Greg Jarvis and Bob Sievwright of Trimax Mowers, had the honour of cutting the celebratory cake alongside executive committee members. The evening not only gave a nod to the Bay of Plenty’s amazing exporting heritage, but its even brighter future. Other distinguished guests included Todd Muller, MP for Bay of Plenty. The event was sponsored by Zespri, Page Macrae, Sequal, PriorityOne and Sharp Tudhope.
Photos by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Medi
1 5 8 3 4 6 7 2 9
1 Mel Conrad (Priority One), Danny Sunkel (GFAB Trailers), Greg Simmonds (Priority One), Jo Hall (EMA). 2 Team Oasis Engineering – Julie & Kevin Flint, Paula & Gavin Ross. 3 Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller, Joanna Hall (EMA), Brett O’Riley (EMA). 4 Bob Sievwright (Trimax Mowing Systems).
5 Annabelle Rob, (Zespri). 6 The NZTE team. 7 ExportNZ team, past and present – Tracy Donovan, Ange Wallace, Mandy Jarvis, Joanna Hall, Mel Conrad, Rawenia Faulkner.
8 The BlueLab team – Steve Ward, Ash Nicholson, Julie Flint, Freyja Spaven, Byron Arnold, Hilary Tomkins, Mandy Jarvis, Bobby Barnes, Jono Jones, Greg Jarvis. 9 The EMA Team.
APPOINTMENTS
New faces welcomed and long service saluted
Alistair Niven
Alistair Niven has joined Nugreen Nugreen have re-established their position in Energy Services and Sustainability for commercial and industrial clients within the greater Bay of Plenty.
Alistair has a strong background in the sector with both management with Genesis Energy and business ownership in construction and horticultural development.
With a number of clients updating lighting to latest standards this position will enhance the large client base now and in the future. There is also a move to work with clients to reduce their energy costs and produce carbon neutral energy with solar. This is a massive growth segment within the Bay but has complexities that Nugreen specialise in managing.
Barbara Mead
Sharp Tudhope Lawyers are delighted to welcome Senior Associate Barbara Mead to the firm. Barbara is an experienced facilitator with particular expertise in environmental law and relationship property matters. She brings to the firm more than 20 years of expertise and is passionate about community development, advocacy and organisational change. Having recently relocated from the South Island, she is looking forward to connecting with the business community in the Bay of Plenty.
10TH ANNIVERSARY
Scott McKenzie
Scott McKenzie celebrates 10 years in the role of Chief Executive and Director at PMG Funds this month. Coincidentally the company is also marking an impressive milestone of its own this month, celebrating 30 years in business here in Tauranga.
At 30, and with over $900M and over 40 properties under management across five commercial property funds, PMG has grown to become one of New Zealand’s most established licensed unlisted property fund managers. Although the vast majority of this growth has come in the last 10 years under Scott’s stewardship, he’s not prepared to take the credit all himself.
“I feel very much like our success is based on the power of the collective. Not just the team here, but the wider family of investors, trustees, occupiers, tenants and their customers who inspire us to use commercial property as a vehicle for improving the lives of New Zealanders.”
While delivering regular reliable returns to investors remains the yardstick for measurement, Scott’s leadership vision is to not view all opportunities uniquely through the prism of growing wealth. This year the company published its Sustainability Report – a first for the unlisted managed funds sector.
“Just as we have led the charge in establishing the property funds management industry over this last decade, we want to play a leadership role in
encouraging the sector to now do more to respond to the need for action around environmental performance.”
“I’m equally passionate about improving financial literacy. To me, it’s unacceptable that New Zealand is below the OECD average in this regard, so we continue to support this as a focus of our Charitable Trust.”
2022: IT JUST FEELS DIFFERENT
IHAVE YOU EVER NOTICED?
> BY ALAN NEBEN
Alan Neben is a Mount Maunganui local and experienced New Zealand publisher. His columns provide a light-hearted perspective on social changes effecting New Zealanders.
s it just me, or does the world feel different? Really, weirdly, different?
“Different from what?” you may ask.
Different from how it felt five years ago; For me, there’s now a permanent sense of impending doom.
In the immortal words of The Castle’s crusading lawyer Dennis Denuto, “It’s the vibe.”
Dennis and I are similarly challenged finding the right words to describe our feelings of disquiet at the state of ‘things’.
Five years ago, we were confronted with a fairly manageable, relatively slowly emerging, set of challenges – even if they didn’t seem very manageable at the time: Trump was on Twitter and that seemed appropriate, even if he didn’t; Face-masks were only worn by people from East Asia, and doctors and dentists – no real problems there; 96 hit $2.10 per litre – that was almost certainly an aberration that would probably go away (shortly); Unemployment was
hovering at around 4% – if you wanted to be a waiter, or a shop assistant, or a forklift driver, you had to apply, upskill, and cross your fingers that the minimum-pay job you had always dreamed of would one day be yours; If you had an illogical conspiratorial view on any issue, you were politely encouraged by the general populace to shut up and sit down; The cold-war was over and obvious lessons had been learned long ago – Gen Z history majors would look incredulous when discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962: “Like any world leader would actually threaten to use nuclear weapons nowadays … pffft … seriously.”
In 2017 school truancy rates in New Zealand were in the news. Only 63% of students were attending school more than 90% of school days: “Something needs to be done. It’s totally unacceptable. It’s a road to disaster.”
Come 2022 and 46.1% of students are attending school more than 90% of school days
– ouch!
In 2017 I bought a new car. I was disappointed that I couldn’t pick it up from the showroom for three days. It was like Santa texting to say, “I’m running late this Christmas, but your pressies should be there by the 28th though.”
Fast-forward 1825 days (give or take a leap day) and I am forced to ask, “WTF happened?”
The Russians are threatening to nuke the world, China doesn’t seem perturbed, and Kim Jong-un is in a “way to go bro” mood.
The ship carrying my on-line purchase, a 70’s retro fondue set, is not coming, and no one can tell me exactly why: The fondue factory staff in China are on Covid lockdown, they can’t get microprocessors to run their fondue set making robots, and they can’t get containers to ship my fondue set in; If they could, my importer couldn’t afford them because containers now cost $1m each, if you can get them. Ships can’t berth anyway because there
The world feels different. Really, weirdly different. Maybe it’s just the vibe.
are not enough crane drivers to unload them – did they all die? And not enough truck drivers to deliver the $1m containers –did they all die too?
The take-out message: Don’t plan to come to our place for fondue evenings this summer.
The world is now more polarised than ever as moderates are replaced with extremists.
The big players, the influencers, don’t need to have the best ideas, just the strongest opinions, the most followers, the loudest voices and be the most polarising. If you’re not with them, you’re against them.
The middle ground has evaporated, and tolerance is now weakness. Pick a side! Don’t listen to the doctor or the
scientist, just go with the tribe.
The old rules have changed. Now governments can spend as much as they want on emergency ‘things’ and it’s ok to print money.
There aren’t enough workers for the jobs in almost every industry, but five years ago there were too many … how did that happen so fast? Did half the workforce expire? Was the big resignation actually the ‘enormously huge’ resignation? And if so, where have all the ‘resignees’ gone and what are they doing now?
Yes, a lot can change in five years.
Interest rates have doubled; Petrol is now $2.55 per litre.
2017, you posted a letter and it arrived; Now we don’t have a postie, or a post office, or anyone to work in the post
office; And there’s no one to complain to when it doesn’t arrive.
We can’t go on holiday because they lose bags because there are no workers overseas either to be baggage handlers –where’d they all go too?
One-in-one-hundred-year floods, every month now. They need to do new 100-year calculations, I guess. As for the new car, ‘buy now, pay later’ has morphed into ‘buy now, pay now, wait.’ How long? Well, that’s the thing with pieces of string … who knows?
So much seems to have changed in five years. Should I be scared? Or will she be right mate? The world feels different. Really, weirdly different. Maybe it’s just the vibe.
Why employees leave, and what to do about it
Here we are in the final quarter of 2022 and what a year it’s proving to be. One of the most difficult, as an employer, that most of us can recall. With what is essentially a fully employed market and very little in the way of immigration to provide relief, the employment market is incredibly competitive. We are many thousands of staff short across most industries, and realistically there is no quick fix.
Many employers, after months of trying to fill roles, have now given up, closing parts of their business operations or reducing hours. There is no guaranteed formula for managing through this talent shortage, but retaining staff is key. It’s a candidate led market and there are a lot of choices out there for candidates.
As recruiters we often hear employers complaining about their best employees leaving –and they really do have something to complain about. There are few things as costly and disruptive to the work environment as having good people leave your organisation, particularly in current times. Now is the time to invest in maintaining staff rather than training staff.
Exploring this further, there are ways to mitigate the loss of staff. Firstly, we need to understand some of the behaviours that see good people looking for new opportunities. So, here are some reasons people are leaving:
Overworking your staff
Good employees tend to give
and give. That’s what makes them good and sets them apart from the others. However, nothing burns good employees out quite like a massive workload, huge targets and unrealistic expectations. It can be counterproductive to the overall productivity of the business also. Research has shown that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that you don’t get anything out of working more.
The other aspect to consider in burnout is loss of time with sickness etc as overworked staff are more likely to become sick and require days off work. Consider the worklife balance options that may be available in your business. For many employers working with reduced staffing numbers, burnout within workplaces is prevalent.
No recognition or reward
It’s easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos,
none more so than those who work hard and give their all. It’s up to managers to communicate with their teams to find out what motivates them; For some, it’s a monetary reward, for others, it’s public recognition. Rewards don’t need to cost the business money. People enjoy feedback – they like to know how they are performing in the role, what they are doing well and what they are doing better. Keep the communication lines open.
There is a perception they ‘don’t care’ about their employees
There is a saying that ‘the people in your business are your biggest asset’. More than half of people who leave their jobs do so because of their relationship with their superior.
Whilst it’s easy to blame staff turnover issues on a variety of reasons, managers often tend not to look deeper into the reason people leave. It is often said, “people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.”
Smart companies employ managers with high levels of emotional intelligence and make certain their managers
HUMAN RESOURCES
> BY KELLIE HAMLETT
Talent ID are Recruitment Specialists and can support you through your recruitment process. Please feel free to talk to us about this by calling 07 349 1081 or emailing kellie@talentid.co.nz
know how to balance being professional with being human.
Not honouring commitments
When making promises to people, there is a fine line between making them very happy and watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honourable – two very important qualities in a leader. Walk the talk in your business.
Hiring and promoting the wrong people
Good, hard-working employees generally want to work with like-minded professionals. When hiring mistakes are made, it can be a major demotivator for those stuck working alongside them. Again, as the saying goes, “All the people in the waka must be paddling in the same direction …”
They don’t let people pursue their passions
Talented employees are passionate. Providing opportunities for them to pursue their passions improves their productivity and job satisfaction.
But many managers want people to work within confined boundaries in a role. These managers fear that productivity will decline if they let people expand their focus and pursue their passions. This fear is often unfounded.
Failure to develop people’s skills and creativity
The good people in your business are more likely than not wanting to continue their career development by learning and upskilling further. Talented people are generally quite goal orientated. Clear training and development, including a career progression pathway, will assist with keeping employees engaged in your business.
Failure to challenge people intellectually
Great employers challenge their employees to accomplish things that may seem inconceivable at first. Instead of setting mundane, incremental goals, they set lofty goals that push people out of their comfort zones. Then, good managers do everything in their power to help them succeed.
Money
It’s long been known that peo-
ple don’t leave roles solely due to wages – however with the increasing cost of living, inflation, and increasing interest rates, more and more employees are looking for new opportunities based on wages alone – why would you not if you could earn significantly more?
Some sectors are seeing salaries increasing by 20-30% and we are not seeing signs of this slowing at present. It’s an incredibly difficult situation for employers who are simply not able to offer more.
Bringing it all together
To conclude, keeping your best employees is about keeping them engaged with the business, the goals of the business and the brand. Recognition and reward for work well done, good remuneration and opportunities for work life balance are critical.
We are currently operating in a very competitive employment market and employees have more choices available than ever before.
An employer – employee relationship is a two-way partnership, and how you treat your people will be directly reflected in the staff turnover and bottom-line productivity of your business.
LEASE & INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
70
80 % % Leased Leased | Sold
Exciting new mixed use development in the heart of
provide much needed amenity with a mix of retail, hospitality, wellness and
Brand new commercial development at
is 80% leased / sold, with a mix of high calibre medical
For leasing and investment opportunities contact: Andrew Vincent – Development Manager 021 059 8365 | andrewv@fosters.co.nz
The Foster Group operates with a purpose of building ‘great communities through strong foundations’. We’ve made a significant contribution to our build environment since 1948 when LG Foster started business. We continue to build on our legacy through meaningful contribution, purposeful business, community relationships and sustainable practices – always striving for the highest standards to be best in our market.
THE VILLAGE OMOKOROA
SPRING PAPAMOA
Omokoroa. The Village will
office tenants.
Papamoa Junction. Spring Papamoa
tenants.
