QT Business_May 2022

QT BUSINESS

Anna Arndt - Erik’s Fish & Chips

Inspiration from a trail blazer

“ e challenges were extraordinary when I look back... people simply didn’t hire women lawyers.”

When former Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright graduated from the University of Otago in 1967, with a Bachelor of Laws degree, the world was a di erent place to today.

Law was an even more male-dominated profession than it is now, and blatant sexism was rife across society as a whole.

“It was quite straightforward to say ‘oh, no, we don’t hire women’, Dame Silvia says.

“I was actually fortunate insofar as I was an early example of a female lawyer who kept at it, I didn’t give up. And so, when governments and businesses and so on were looking for someone with legal training, where it would be an advantage to have a woman in that position, then I was always chosen. “I didn’t look for these positions of in uence. ey came to me. And like a classic woman, I would always say, ‘Who me? I couldn’t possibly. Choose someone else.’

“But in the end, I just got used to it and got on with it.” For Dame Silvia, now 78, ‘getting on with it’ led to a glittering career which has blazed a trail for other women.

Born in Dunedin, she chaired the inquiry into cervical cancer treatment at the National Women’s Hospital, known as the Cartwright Inquiry, in 1987/88, and a year later became the rst female Chief District Court Judge in New Zealand. In 1993, she was the rst woman to be appointed to the High Court, the same year she received the New Zealand Su rage Centennial Medal, awarded to citizens who had made a signi cant contribution to women’s rights or women’s issues in New Zealand.

en, from 2001 to 2006, she served as Governor-

by Paul Taylor

General of New Zealand, before taking up a position as a trial judge on the United Nations Tribunal investigating war crimes in Cambodia. roughout her career, Dame Silvia has championed equal rights, not least as a member of the United Nations Committee monitoring the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Dame Silvia will be one of the guest speakers at this year’s Westpac Queenstown Women’s Business Conference next month, o ering some more direct help to local women in business.

“ e challenges are di erent of course,” she says, “over the past 50 years huge social changes have occurred.

“It is not at all unusual for women to be in the professions and in business, it’s not even remarked upon, which was completely di erent from when I started.

“ e challenge now is for women to develop their ideas, to get the nance to run a business and sta , all the problems, issues, challenges and excitements that men have had when they’ve run a business.

“ e di erence for women is they have less of a history of running a commercial business, going back generations, than men do, although of course, there have always been women in family businesses, like farming and so on.

“ ey have to catch up on all that commercial knowledge that’s kind of in the DNA of a lot of male business people, because their fathers have instructed them, shown them, demonstrated, and schools have expected this of them. Women have that to catch up on but they’re doing remarkably well.”

Dame Silvia believes women will gradually change the culture of organisations for the better from within, but events such as women’s business

conferences are necessary for ongoing solidarity and inspiration.

“Every group that has an interest in common likes to get together to exchange ideas, be inspired by other people, and to make new friendships.

“It’s just a wonderful opportunity for them, to take themselves out of their ordinary working days meet other people who perhaps have the same issues or might have similar problems they’ve managed to solve or are working on.”

It is a similar case for the Women of In uence Awards, which she judges.

“[We see] women in all sectors, from rural through to business, to the professions to public service, and health and so on. Truly astonishing achievements. And we only see the 10 nalists in each category. ere are probably dozens that didn’t make the cut this time. “

Dame Silvia has drawn inspiration from other women throughout her life, whether it be the rst female president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, US politicians such as Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton, or NZ Prime Ministers and our own rst female Governor-General Dame Catherine Anne Tizard.

“I thought were just amazing.”

But she nds it di cult to accept younger women now see her in the same way she saw them.

e Queenstown conference will be a chance to return to the place she holidayed as a child and draw some more inspiration from women.

“Especially being able to talk to them a erwards. I’m very old now, but I still get inspired by what they do and astounded by their achievements.

“ ey’re always very modest... and they look so together. I always felt I looked as if I was falling apart, with tiredness, but they always look so good.”

Dame Silvia at the presentation of Global Women honorary lifetime memberships, Government House, November 2020

Conference hits the mark

by Paul Taylor

Tickets for the Westpac Queenstown Chamber Business Women’s Conference sold out within 24 hours.

But Queenstown Chamber of Commerce boss Ruth Stokes says, despite its popularity, there are no plans make it bigger.

“We’re obviously constrained in terms of venues and part of the attraction is that it is quite an intimate experience.

“Everyone gets to ask questions and interact with the speakers and each other, share stories and experiences. People certainly run an emotional gamut.

“It’s quite an emotionally exhausting day.”

e 240 women who managed to snag a ticket for the 10th conference, along with Wakatipu High School’s head girl and her two deputies, have a stellar line up of speakers to look forward to.

‘Female comedian of the decade’ Michele A’Court, will MC.

Speakers include LGBTIQA+ advocate Georgina Beyer, the world’s rst openly transgender mayor and MP, along with Lisa King, founder of Eat My Lunch & AF Drinks.

ey’ll also hear from Dr Hinemoa Elder, who is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, an author, and a Maori Strategic Leader for the Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) for the Ageing Brain, victims’ campaigner Ruth Money, and Dame Silvia Cartwright (see accompanying story).

“It’s not a hard sell in terms of getting quality speakers,” Stokes says. “We’re very fortunate in Queenstown in that regard.”

Stokes says there are still many challenges for women in business in Queenstown and New Zealand, despite vast improvements in recent decades.

“New Zealand, culturally, we’re not great at tall poppies. And strong women do tend to face far stronger criticism. You see that with Jacinda Ardern, whether or not you agree with her policies, people are prepared to say vile things about her on social media.”

ere’s also the ongoing problems of appropriate behaviour and management in workplaces in NZ, along with more day-to-day considerations of balancing family and work.

e conference, on June 10, is an annual mental being pick-me-up, therefore, a chance to connect with and draw inspiration from other women in business.

QT’s PR queen - Fiona Woodham

Fiona Woodham arrived in New Zealand around 28 years ago, intending to stay a couple of months as part of a whistlestop overseas sabbatical from her job in London’s Fleet Street.

She came to Queenstown and never looked back, having worked out that the town had ski elds, stunning scenery, great people, amazing wine and a laidback lifestyle that was a million miles away from her hectic London life.

“It’s one of those classic Queenstown stories, really,” she says. “ e town was so small then, so getting a job on a local radio station where I read the news, co-presented the breakfast show and sold advertising meant that within a couple of months everyone knew me as ‘that English chick on the radio’ ”. A er stints at the Otago Daily Times and Southland Times, she saw a glaring gap in the market for a public relations company and set up what’s now known as Southern PR.

“It was a scary move at the time because I’d just got married, we wanted to buy a house, and I gave up a full-salaried job. But within a few months Southern PR had signed up to work with local ski areas, Winter Festival and Millbrook and I knew we could make it.”

Over the years the business grew along with its reputation as the top PR, communications, media training and crisis management specialist in town. But what Fiona loves to look back on is the business relationships built and maintained over the years and the sta members, almost exclusively women, who she’s nurtured and grown with.

“I work with and support so many of them to this day, even as they have moved on to new positions. For a while there I was the ‘training ground’ for half the DQ sta !

“But what comes around, goes around. With all the trickiness of doing business in Covid times, supporting sta , businesses and friends who are nding it hard, perhaps struggling with their own wellbeing, I’ve got an amazing network of women who are always there for a chat, an email and de nitely a wine or two.”

Most recently she worked as a PR and communications mentor for young people working on and taking part in the Whakatipu Music Festival. As a result, she’s just employed her rst ‘festival apprentice’ Ella Little (a bornand-bred-local) as her new account manager.

“I’m looking forward to helping Ella to continue to learn and grow her PR skills as we take on exciting new clients from around the country.”

Chamber boss Ruth Stokes with Dr Siouxsie Wiles and Chamber membership manager Fiona Reeves at last year’s conference

Photos: Still Vision

Spicing it up – Jacqui Spice, Touch of Spice

by Sue Fea

Business was going gangbusters for Queenstown’s pioneer bespoke luxury getaway star Jacqui Spice until suddenly it all came to a halt when the Covid crisis hit in early 2020.

A er returning from a decade as a sought-a er chief stewardess on superyachts in the Mediterranean, serving stars like Robert De Niro, Jacqui became aware of a niche in the luxury holiday market that wasn’t being lled. Queenstown, other than its hospitality and entertainment industry, was typically closed by 5pm, she says. High net worth business people, o shore holiday home owners and rock stars wanted 24/7 services at their ngertips.

at’s when Jacqui’s ‘never say no’ entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and Touch of Spice was born. at was 17 years ago in 2005. Hers was the rst company to o er luxury high-end villa stays as an option to a luxury lodge or boutique hotel – now termed ‘ e Residence Collection’ due to the expansive properties they represent. ese villas have all the trimmings thrown in from private chefs and butlers to helicopters and tailor-made mountaintop dining.

Her ‘nothing is impossible’ mantra has built up a remarkable international reputation with Jacqui recently being named a Top Travel Specialist for Condé Nast Traveller for the 10th consecutive year. If a client wants itshe will make it happen. ere have even been unusual requests from rich and famous clients for a professional ping pong player at their disposal 24/7 and another wanting a private mountain top rock concert. Flying the

rock concert equipment, however, proved too logistically challenging. e location was tweaked and the concert proceeded.

Whether it’s a luxurious ne dining lunch underneath a waterfall for celebrities, served by a white-gloved butler, or a spectacular high-end overnight glamping experience, Jacqui will make it happen. “It’s what you do on the helicopter trip there and back that makes it most special,” she says. She has guests enjoying exclusive use of Sir Michael Hill’s entire expansive estate ‘Lodge at e Hills’ sitting on the outskirts of e Hills Championship Golf Course. e Hills encompasses three properties in total, all exclusively booked through Touch of Spice. Her clients don’t bat an eyelid and are happy to pay anything from $5000 to $40,000 a night for the right luxury property and guaranteed privacy. e Lodge alone is priced at $38,000 a night with use of its own private golf hole, heated swimming pool & spa, sauna, underground dining room and an international sized tennis court, complete with its own outdoor dining area and pizza oven. e Lodge also comes with all-inclusive services, including a private chef, butler, day and night host, and 24-hour concierge service, guaranteeing guests every need and want is taken care of. Jacqui has dozens of other local high-end properties on her books and also works with the country’s most sought-a er luxury lodges, locally and nationally.

Con dentiality is paramount, but she says many very famous people and people of extremely high net worth are among her clientele. Most of her clients are international, mainly from the US, Europe and Saudi Arabia, as well as Australia. “We get everyone from famous celebrities to government o cials and super high net worth people.” VIPS are looking for privacy and exclusivity – a home away from home, and Jacqui says increasingly Touch of Spice was catering to wealthy multigenerational family groups.

Prior to border lockdowns and Covid restrictions, Jacqui and her team of 24 devoted sta would be on call 24/7. She was a constant personal concierge and itinerary organiser to an increasing portfolio of super wealthy international clients. Eventually that took its toll. “I was getting incredibly burnt out working seven days a week, 365 days a year,” she says. “I didn’t know how to slow it down.” She had taken one of Touch of Spice’s core values – ‘never say no’ – too far, she says.

“When the Covid crisis hit I used that time to take stock and refocus my business. It was something I’d always wanted to do, but it was so busy, a big business and a force to be reckoned with. ere was just no time to stop and re-evaluate,” she says.

She’s now refreshed, renewed and ready to go with a new focus, solely on the top echelon of luxury properties. Prior to Covid her villas began at $500 upwards, but she’s culled those from her portfolio and chosen to stick with the top tier of luxury accommodation and bespoke cra ed luxury guest experiences.

e core values of exceeding expectations and thinking outside the square remain, but Jacqui says she’s going back into business with her eyes open and wisdom under her belt from lessons learned. “It was exhausting.” “As a woman I had children – I went back to work when my son was four days old. I missed out on a lot of family time when I was working all the time,” she says. She’s been through other major life challenges during that time, including the loss of both parents, a divorce, and major surgery.

e Covid crisis has ensured she’s now more focused on time with her family and scheduling in daily exercise. Everybody talks about work life balance, but that’s only something she feels she has more control over now than pre-Covid. I will still ‘never say no’, but I will be more selective so that I don’t overload myself or my team, slowing it down a bit,” she says. “It’s my personality to overcommit, but if I’m overloaded and get a call this a ernoon from a client that will take a personal toll I would probably refer their request to a partner.” However she is still prepared to wait up all night for that all important call that a VIP’s private jet has just landed so she and her team can swing in to action.

While it may have been tough on her kids at times, they highly respect what she does and are proud of her – and of course they’ve been more than happy for her to run when that call comes in from a top international pop star. “My kids say, ‘Go! ey know there’s usually a wad of free VIP concert tickets in it for them and they get to take their mates and sit with the celebrity’s parents in the private box.” Her husband, Josh Camp, is also a great support. “I’ve got better at saying, ‘I will get back to you’, buying more time and pacing things out.”

Jacqui has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars a year into attending international tradeshows – an important aspect of her business. Forward bookings are already very strong. “As soon as it was announced the borders were opening we were inundated with really good inquiries,” she says. “People o en think it must be easy to own your own business and do what you want when you want, but it’s a big sacri ce.” She’s missed friends’ weddings and major events. “It’s important to be passionate about what you’re doing as it can be brutal at times,” Jacqui says. “It’s not all fun and games, but the upside is I’m now going back into it knowing how to do it better. I made a big list during the Covid lockdowns of what I won’t do again and I’m sticking to that.”

Her other advice to women in business would be to look a er their sta . “Hire the right people and don’t be afraid to pay good people, good money.”

Inflation is back

In ation has returned with a vengeance – something that a ects every business and its reappearance is more problematic than it has been in decades. is month I’m being quite speci c about in ation, rstly what drives it and then what the business can do to limit its impact.

What is in ation?

In ation is the increase in the cost of goods and services over a period of time. Broadly speaking, it’s a measure of a country’s ‘cost of living’. In ation is measured across what is called a xed ‘basket’ of goods and services. Basically, a list of hundreds of items chosen by central government that represents how households spend their money. Adjustments are regularly made to this list to allow for changes in the marketplace and the mix is measured over time to see how they change. What’s causing in ation now?

Many factors impact in ation. ey are varied, o en complex, and even more o en politicised.

e current round of in ation has long been in the making, but recent factors have accelerated the situation.

• NZ, along with most countries increased the expansion of money supply to support the economy rstly back in 2009 and again as a result of Covid. is was designed to stimulate growth and limit in ation.

• International lockdowns abruptly changed the way people spend money, creating chaos along the way. For example, restaurant and travel expenditure died while retailer and supermarket incomes boomed, but in-store purchases signi cantly switched to online- putting pressure on warehouses, shipping and couriers, all of whom are still struggling to keep up.

• Supply chain issues. NZ is on the end of the global supply chain and with pressure in the shipping and distribution chain, NZ has seen fewer ships arrive, pushing up the cost for what space is available.

• Shortage of labour due to border closures and immigration policies is also having an impact. Overall salaries and wages are increasing, putting pressure on employers but they also cannot nd enough sta .

• Government regulations always play a role, increasing cost to businesses. In ation, to be clear, is happening throughout the world and each impact has a ow through e ect on our in ation, a er all New Zealand is an integrated part of the economic world and all the levers are linked. e war in Ukraine has implications for our supply chain and energy prices. Even the sanctions are feeding into NZ’s in ation rate, as is China’s covid 19 policy and the list goes on.

Each element feeding into in ation is good for one part of the business but has huge implications for others. Border closure was positive for health but diabolical for seasonal workers, education and tourism, but all have an impact on the in ation rate.

Dealing with In ation

Historically high in ationary periods shows that the performance of a company improves when the following issues are consistently considered.

• Pass through price increases. Not always possible, but introduce regular product reviews, and life cycle analysis.

• Focus on increasing productivity and look to cut expenditure.

• Review all labour inputs to increase productivity

• Outsource or centralise admin tasks

• Review procurement processes

• Spend capex on strategic issues only

• Review product or service mix

• Improve employee retention

I hope this short review is useful. Lots of ideas to ponder – but plenty more available when you get stuck into the detail.

For further information, support or advice – please contact

Necessity is the mother of invention

With the reopening of international borders and the return of tourism, Queenstown Lakes could soon return to the days of 20-to-a-house, hotbedding and people living in cold campervans on driveways in the dead of winter.

e district had a massive worker accommodation problem pre-Covid.

So, when Carmen Blackler was looking for a research project for her Masters in Technological Futures at the Auckland’s Tech Futures Lab in 2018 /19, it seemed like a interesting problem to try to solve.

“It’s an applied Masters, where you look at emerging disruptive technologies and see how they can be applied to potentially solve social issues, business issues, or disrupt sectors.”

Blackler had spent 20+ years of her career working in the energy sector, launching her own consultancy business in 2009, and initially signed up for the Masters with the idea she could help her clients to take advantage of tech solutions.

But living in Wanaka and seeing the stresses around accommodation for workers, she realised it would be a good topic to tackle for the project. en, when she’d obtained her Masters and consultancy work dried up in the pandemic, her thoughts returned to the research, frustrations she heard rst-hand from both workers and businesses, and that no-one had found a solution.

“So, I decided to give it a go. at was May 2020. at’s where I actually met up with Startup Queenstown Lakes (SQL).”

Blackler went through both SQL’s programmes - Kick Start, which turns ideas into businesses plans, and Li O !, which helps founders launch and scale up.

e Workforce Accommodation Network - e WAN - was born.

e WAN is a community accommodation marketplace connecting seasonal workers and those temporarily in town with a ordable, safe and secure accommodation options.

Businesses and workers register with the platform, create a pro le, and e WAN then connects them with residents who’ve listed a spare room, unit or sleepout.

Pre-Covid, with the pressures of Airbnb on the rental market, NZSki and other businesses had actually tried a similar system, encouraging locals to house their seasonal workers.

“ e WAN is e ectively just leveraging things that have been done in the past, but trying to do it in a systematic way, in a coordinated way.

“Instead of each individual business doing it, you have a centralised system.”

e WAN organises an introduction between the worker and the accommodator and if it works out, it charges the accommodator the lesser of one week’s rent or 5% of the total rental.

by Paul Taylor

“For the ski season, for example, that would be one week’s rent because generally, that’s between 12-16 weeks, but if someone such as a tradesman is coming into the region for four weeks, then we just charge the 5%.”

About two dozen businesses have signed up so far, including RealNZ’s ski elds Cardrona Alpine Resort and Treble Cone, and some other big hitters.

“But there are smaller businesses too, who maybe have one or two people coming into the area for a project that have needed assistance nding accommodation.”

Blackler’s now preparing for an in ux over winter and hoping to get more accommodators on the books.

“We had some success last year, albeit small, across winter and also in the summer with the Cromwell orchards, helping to house horticultural workers for them.

“But we’re expecting a bigger uptake now, with more visitors expected than the past two years. And ski workers like to get organised early.”

e closed borders have provided the business with something of a so opening, a chance to get organised and systems in place before the numbers return.

“I’d like things to be moving quicker, of course, now we’re there,” Blackler says.

“SQL has been great because it helped me change my thinking from e ectively a research project to ‘what would I need to do if I actually did this in earnest and tried to make it work’ and then how to set about doing it.

“Now it’s about moving on, building, taking on sta and improving the tech.”

at will require investment, which is something SQL can also help with, as it builds its network of angel investors.

“ ey have a very good system and are good at connecting us to the di erent people we need at di erent parts of our journey.”

e ultimate goal is to become national. “But we’re building slowly, getting things ironed out and working e ciently here in this district, because we know we need it here, and then looking further a eld.

“In Queenstown Lakes District, where 30% of the housing stock is not occupied full year-round, and we’ve got people sleeping in cars in the middle of winter, it seems like a no brainer that the two could be matched.” Blackler recognises that many properties will again hit the short-stay market, through Airbnb and the like.

“From a commercial perspective, yes, they could Airbnb and make more money. But it’s about more than that for me. We need to nd a way to accommodate workers and make them feel welcome, part of the community.

“Without the workers, the businesses don’t survive.”

Backing female entrepreneurs

When Startup Queenstown Lakes chief executive Olivia Wensley attended her rst founders’ dinner two years ago, she looked around the table and realised it was her and 14 men.

“I thought, ‘OK, this doesn’t stack up’, and made it my mission to get more women around the table,” Wensley says.

ere’s no shortage of “brilliant women with wonderful business ideas” she says.

“But they’re not backing themselves for some reason. ey tend to talk themselves out of it.” And it’s not a problem that is unique to Queenstown Lakes. In New Zealand as a whole, only 2% of companies backed by venture capital funding have a female founder.

“ at’s absolutely shocking,” she says.

“But you peel back another level and see the venture capitalist space is dominated by men.” SQL is tackling the problem in two ways.

e rst is to make its own messaging and programmes as inclusive and approachable as possible, to dispel the idea start-ups are just for ‘tech bros’.

“I’m a rm believer in ‘you can’t be what you don’t see’, so we’ve been very conscious around our branding, our marketing, using images with women and men, and having a female CEO likely also helps.”

at’s worked so far. A huge number of women have joined SQL’s programmes, ranging from 55% to 75% of the intake.

“ e 75% was over Covid when a disproportionate number of women were losing their jobs, something like 80% of redundancies were women. So, some decided, okay, I’m going to create my own job, my own company.”

by Paul Taylor

e second approach, both locally and coordinating on a national level, is to encourage more women to become angel investors.

“In Scotland, the Government is spending £60 million over ve years to educate women on being investors, and backing female founders, and so far, for every pound invested they’re getting a 61x return.”

Wensley says women tend to live longer than men and have capital to invest.

“And they can understand companies with ideas targeted at women.”

More angel investors correlates to more female founders, able to create businesses aimed at an untapped market, 50% of the population.

e two-pronged approach is working so far. At the most recent founders’ dinner, the gender breakdown was 50-50.

Win a copy of Jacqui omas’ latest book, Her Way Her Way features real stories of New Zealand women succeeding in business and doing so with heart. Read about the women behind brands such as Ethique, e Chia Sisters and Eat My Lunch. Find out how businesswomen like Queenstown local Louisa “Choppy” Patterson built their businesses from heartfelt purpose. Be inspired by stories of women who do business their own way and see that you can do good, and still do well.

is inspiring book is a great read for both men and women, seasoned business professionals and those just starting out, aspiring to create their rst venture.

Startup Queenstown Lakes has focused on inclusive branding

Queenstown businesswoman Anna Arndt is a specialist in transition. A former accountantturned-King Country sheep and beef farmer, Anna has a keen eye for a business opportunity.

A er she married her farmer husband, Erik Arndt, they eventually launched their own meat processing business, Aria Farm Ltd, producing lamb and beef strips and the like, for supermarket freezers.

In 1998 they sold that business to ANZCO and Erik worked for that company for a while in Christchurch while Anna started doing business coaching.

“Somebody suggested that we should move to Queenstown and open a Mexican restaurant franchise, but I researched it and it just wasn’t right,” Anna says. However, in 2015 their Queenstown-based daughter, Heidi Farren, owner of Altitude Wine Tours, said central Queenstown didn’t have a sh and chip shop and they should open one. Always up for a challenge, Anna and Erik gave it a go. ey launched their unique gourmet version, Erik’s Fish & Chips, from a mobile food trailer in Earl Street, opposite Novotel Gardens.

“We opened on December 1st in Queenstown and had no idea what we were in for,” Anna says. “It was busy, really busy.”

ey had no hospitality experience. However, having run other small businesses Anna says they understood the philosophy behind what makes one a success. Erik is a great cook so he developed his own lighter, tempura-style batter recipe using rice our. It was an instant winner. “Four out of ve of our family are gluten free, all except Erik, and we wanted to develop a product that was fully gluten free,” she says.

A fast learner – Anna Arndt

by Sue Fea

it’s not yet possible to re-open Erik’s Fish & Chips in Wanaka, despite many requests from the locals there to return. Hopefully that will come with the borders re-opening and working holiday visa workers returning. “We’ve got to ensure we have the sta to re-open and expand.”

ere’s been something of a silver lining though. Years of learning to diversify and meet the market are paying o for Anna. e past two years have forced her to pivot in business yet again into something she’s gi ed at and enjoys – small business consultancy.

As newcomers to the sector, they had to adapt to working seven days a week. “We’d been in business and we learned really fast, using our sta with hospitality experience to help us learn,” she says.

“We learned to make changes really fast.”

Before long their special batter was being made o site and delivered in large bags. “We just had chaos at times.” Heidi was on hand and a huge help.

By 2017, they’d opened a Wanaka Erik’s Fish & Chips and for a while catered for events around the district. “ at was very hard work for the returns,” Anna says. But by October, 2018, they’d cleaned up two Hospitality NZ Excellence Awards – one for marketing and the other, the publicly voted People’s Choice Award.

ey had plans to further expand the business, then in early 2020 the Covid crisis hit and promptly put paid to that. ey’ve had to temporarily close their popular Wanaka food trailer, despite huge demand from locals. “We just can’t get sta due to Covid,” Anna says. “We had a lot of overseas workers – really good sta - in our team and some le and returned home, so we closed and rode out the storm in Queenstown.” Fortunately, they still have four good sta , out of an eight-strong Queenstown team remaining. “It hasn’t been easy,” Anna says. “Very few hospitality and tourism businesses would have survived in Queenstown without resurgence and wage subsidy payments.”

e business su ered a huge drop in turnover with a strong reliance on tourists passing by, but Anna says they’ve got a really strong local following. A few of the slower sellers have been removed from the menu. Sta ng shortages mean

“Fortunately, we have a really good manager at Erik’s Fish & Chips and she didn’t need me, which has enabled me to launch Freedom Consulting,” Anna says. rough this business Anna, an accredited advisor, helps small local business owners navigate their way through Covid times, using funding from the Regional Business Partners Network. It was established to help business owners in tourist destinations survive through the huge downturn caused by border closures and Covid restrictions. Businesses are eligible for help if 50 percent of their business prior to Covid times was reliant on tourism. “I love helping people and it’s been an amazing opportunity to meet so many amazing small businesspeople – really hard workers,” she says. “I help them get their systems set up so they can run a lot more e ciently. Since Covid it’s been really good for many of them just to have someone to talk to and listen,” Anna says. “A lot of people start a small business and they’re very good at what they do, but they don’t understand nances. I explain the di erence between cash ow, costings and budgets.”

It’s hugely satisfying work giving advice on everything from human resources and health and mental wellbeing, to marketing, business strategies and training. “Having been through it I understand what it’s like,” Anna says. “Accountants are great, but they o en don’t understand how hard it is in the real Covid world.”

Huge food and petrol price hikes and rapidly rising in ation are forcing small business owners to increase prices. Wages have also increased with the minimum wage going up by $1.20 an hour, Anna says.

“Covid has created a lot of stress and mental health issues and we can also refer people to counselling,” she says.

Her advice to other women keen to launch into a business is to “just believe in yourself and work smarter, not harder.”

To reach out for help, contact Anna Arndt on: anna@freedomconsulting.co.nz

The confidence company - Harmony Skin, Beauty and Spa

Sophie Chalmers runs a business that o ers everything from relaxing spa therapies to industry-leading skin treatments, but if you ask her, she’ll tell you that she runs a con dence company.

Founded in 2014, Harmony Skin, Beauty and Spa is led by mother-daughter duo, Sophie Chalmers and Trudi Hull. As a beauty & spa therapist, Sophie saw an opportunity to o er the community of Alexandra total skin con dence through industry-leading treatments and give them the pampering experience they deserved. As a family, Trudi and Sophie had always wanted to create something really special and o er clients around Central Otago an experience they couldn’t get anywhere else.

Since opening Harmony in 2014, Sophie has achieved industry recognition with numerous awards, including NZ Best New Business, NZ erapist of the Year, and Dermapen Practitioner of the Year. e secret to running a leading skin clinic is ongoing training. “ is is what keeps myself and the therapists motivated and excited”.

Harmony’s therapists also receive constant support to upskill through training and further education, internally and with other industry leaders. “ e best part of Beauty, Skin & Spa erapy is it is forever moving forward, and it’s up to all of us within the industry to ensure the future high standard is always maintained.”

Being in business does come with its own set of challenges though, and Sophie has experienced this in previous years with their Alexandra clinic experiencing a devastating re in 2017, leaving them without a clinic for four months and having to set up in temporary premises. Her rst baby Harry was also born just a er the re, which meant navigating life as a new mum and re-building her business.

ey also excitedly made the next step in expanding by opening their Queenstown Spa in May 2019, something both Trudi and Sophie had dreamed of doing for years.

Sophie knows she is lucky enough to be one of the few people to have found her dream job and can’t wait to continue to build the business and grow her therapists’ knowledge to be the best they can be every day in their work. Her philosophy is to give people the very best experience and achieve skin health and con dence for everyone that walks in the door. She hopes to continue to learn and grow herself as both a therapist and business owner in the beauty, skin and spa industry.

What started o as a small clinic with just two treatment rooms in Alexandra has now expanded, with the opening of a second Harmony in the heart of Queenstown in June 2019.

For Sophie, the reasons for joining the beauty industry are numerous, but the fundamental reason for pursuing this path is the opportunity to work with people. “Helping others to feel great about themselves, to build their self-esteem is a privilege, and Beauty & Spa erapy achieves this in so many di erent ways.”

Sophie began her career in the city of sails at the young age of 17, moving to study a Certi cate in Fashion Makeup. A passion was discovered and craving more, she continued with a Diploma in Beauty erapy and then a post-graduate Diploma in Spa erapies at the National School of Aesthetics. It was here that she learnt the true importance of giving clients a full and rounded experience in every treatment, focusing on a client’s energy and wellness to ensure every client le her care feeling relaxed and in a balanced frame of mind.

ey never once thought a pandemic would begin within their rst year of creating their second site and not only did they have to navigate lockdowns and border closures, but Sophie’s second baby boy Toby arrived a few days a er the rst nationwide lockdown in March 2020. With the loss of tourists to the Queenstown area, she completely re-shaped the business to provide an escape for locals to unwind, relax, achieve their skin goals and feel completely cared for.

e combination of lockdowns, a busy young family and looking a er both Harmony teams through some of the toughest times in business has only given Sophie more determination to succeed.

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Hopping back on board

It’s time for international visitors to ‘hop on’ to what experienced South Island tourism entrepreneur Juliearna Kavanagh has to o er and she’s excited to get business cranking again. However, 40 years in tourism and hospitality have this go-getter founder of four businesses erring on the side of caution as New Zealand’s post-Covid border gates ing open.

As an executive chef, Juliearna is probably best known for founding Winchester’s landmark manor-style Kavanagh House, which she has since sold. More recently she’s renowned too for her boutique Marlborough hotel, Escape to Picton. Her popular Escape to Marlborough, tailored wine tours followed these businesses and then Juliearna’s popular, Hop On Hop O Wine Tours was launched initially in Marlborough followed by Queenstown, Nelson and most recently (a er the last 3 years in the making), Bannockburn.

“I saw a gap in the market for people wanting to have exibility around where they hopped on or o their tour,” she says. e Queenstown-based tour business takes in wineries and breweries and activities in the local region.

“I wanted to facilitate people to have that freedom of movement on and o the bus, so they’re not stuck in the same places with the same people throughout their tour,” she says. Her tours attract all ages and all socio-economic groups, but the average age is mid-40s. While a lot of locals climb on board, Juliearna has had the likes of an Auckland client who once spent $10,000 on local wine and shipped it home.

ese days Juliearna also owns Gables B&B in Picton and NZ Job nder.

She lives between Marlborough and Queenstown and will settle in Queenstown permanently in June to focus on Hop On Hop Wine Tours with the borders re-opening. However, business has been strong from the local market in the meantime.

Decades of owning hospitality and tourism businesses – Juliearna started her rst nightclub at 18 – has seen this dynamic businesswoman overcome many adversities, the Covid crisis not the least of them.

“ is has been a very tough time for everybody. If anyone’s survived to this stage they’ve done a great job. Minor wage subsidies are not really enough,” says Juliearna, who was up for the Queenstown Chamber of Commerce ‘Best Marketing’ Award last year.

“I’ve seen good friends’ businesses shut and that’s been tough, but it’s been especially hard in Queenstown.”

A problem shared is a problem halved and Juliearna says women in business tend to know how to talk it out with others going through similar problems. Somehow this gives them the strength to keep calm and carry on. “Men

don’t tend to talk as freely,” she says. Like many business leaders she’s had to pivot slightly during the past two years. “We’re now taking private bookings for people to hire our buses for anything from ve to six-and-a-half hours. It’s been a time for streamlining her business interests.

“Keep the pennies close and the dollars will follow,” says Juliearna. “As business owners we need to watch our spending at the moment.”

She believes the return of international and transTasman visitors will be more of a trickle than a ood, with some Covid restrictions remaining in place for overseas non-Kiwi visitors.

Direct international ights back into Queenstown are essential to the local tourism recovery, she says. “Visitors are deterred if they have to y to Christchurch and then re-connect, or drive, to Queenstown. at’s more for those who have a two-week stay.”

Above all, women should ‘get out with the girls’ and have a regular business lunch, or get together to talk through these times, she says.

“ at’s what I love about women in business. We know how to have some giggles and that gets us through.”

Juliearna Kavanagh

Million Dollar business brain - Betty Perkins

Betty Perkins grew up in Balfour but even as a child was always attracted to the bright lights of exciting places, going to Wellington at the age of 16. A er a few years in Sydney working in the corporate world she returned to New Zealand to establish her own fashion business in Invercargill before becoming a mother of two, and moving to Arrowtown as a family in the early 90s.

As the children grew, Betty returned to the workforce, initially in retail and sales, before a long and distinguished career in the frontline of media communications, or in other words, in the happy role of receptionist at the Southland Times Queenstown.

at was followed by extensive overseas travel then a career in real estate, which she found frustrating because of the internal dynamics. At the time Betty and her future husband Wayne were living in Kelvin Heights and she o en observed that apart from the occasional jet boat passing through the middle of the Frankton Arm, the rest of the time, the nicest part of the lake was empty and inaccessible to both locals and out of town guests.

So, the idea slowly formed of a comfortable, quiet and relaxed cruise with a drink around Frankton Arm. Trials were undertaken in a kayak which con rmed her initial thoughts and the search began for an appropriate boat. e boat that was to become Million Dollar 1 was located in Rotorua and was transported to Nelson for an extensive and thorough refurbishment with Betty as the nancial overseer. at boat went into service December 2007 and two months later Betty married the Captain to make him husband number 3.

en began the hard slog of marketing her new venture to both visitors, which was surprisingly easy, and to the established ticketing o ces, which was surprisingly di cult. A waterfront

ticket o ce was an enormous advantage for Betty, learning at the coal face which brochure designs, layouts, images and words actually worked to get passengers onboard the boat. In the end she designed her own brochure.

In the early days, about 90% of all sales were achieved by Betty actively selling on the jetty with the other 10% coming from the brochure and other avenues. Nowadays it is completely reversed, with the majority of bookings coming from her website and other marketing material. Betty’s main issue a er the initial two or three years was lack of capacity and all weather capability.

So the search began for another boat, which resulted in Million Dollar 2 also being refurbished in Nelson with Betty monitoring all aspects of the build.

At this point Million Dollar Cruise became the second largest sightseeing operation on Lake Wakatipu a er the TSS Earnslaw.

With the arrival of Covid and the complete collapse of overseas guest numbers, Betty had to react quickly. e rst thing was to assure her sta , that their jobs would be safe for at least two years. Secondly, she quickly realised that if the only visitors to Queenstown were Kiwis, her marketing

and advertising would have to become a lot more domestic-orientated, which surprisingly resulted in Million Dollar Cruises li ing its market share on the lake quite dramatically. irdly, was the question of overheads which were reduced as much as possible as rent still had to be paid. Betty is of the view that in business really only two things count, hard work and ongoing commitment, remembering that the goal posts are always moving, and as a result, so must she. Nowadays, the vibrant and active grandmother of four still loves working with the younger ones out of the waterfront kiosk, interacting with out of town guests and enjoying the dignity of self employment.

A business powerhouse - Vicki McLean

by Sue Fea

While most young women her age were graduating from uni in search of a junior role in business, at 25 Vicki McLean was already the boss, and the mother of an eightyear-old son. Now 52, she’s held top media management roles, both in New Zealand and internationally, during an exceptionally impressive career.

It hasn’t been without its challenges, especially having to overcome prejudices about her age and gender, mostly during her time working in Australia.

A er a business career that’s spannd the globe, Vicki is now happily settled back in her Central Otago roots, living in Alexandra where she’s found it’s just as easy, and more enjoyable, to operate her business.

With a wealth of media years notched on her belt, Vicki bought news media app - e Central App, taking over the iApp rights for Central Otago in 2020. It’s one of 17 around New Zealand and Australia – everything from an online directory and local newspaper to tourism and dining out guide. She’s proud to have already clocked up more than 40,000 downloads as audiences continue to make the switch from paper to digital.

Living the business high life was exciting and stimulating, but by 2018 it was time to settle back home and stop living out of a suitcase.

Vicki’s career began in Dunedin private radio as a summer radio announcer for 4XO, a er studying in Brisbane at the Australian Institute of Radio and TV (AIRTV) and working as an intern at 4KQ radio station.

From there, she broke into sales and marketing, nding her niche, working in Hawkes Bay rst, then on to Taupo and Rotorua where she held her rst senior management role as general manager of RadioWorks Rotorua at the tender age of 25.

She then went to Auckland to set up the new RadioWorks operation and within a year was appointed regional manager for both the Auckland and Northland operations, all before the age of 30.

“We broke into Auckland and I worked there with Radio Paci c, which evolved into e Rock and e Edge national stations,” Vicki says. “I still had an Auckland only breakfast team - Pam Corkery and Paul Henry, at the time.”

Not one to follow the norm, at 31 she took a couple of years o to study psychology, sociology, politics and anthropology. “I felt I was thick into that business corporate world and I was ready for something more colourful and creative. I call it my mid-life crisis,” she laughs. She also travelled throughout America and Europe, with her then partner and 14-year-old Jayme in tow. Back on the career carousel she was o ered a role in Sydney with TV3, which had merged with MediaWorks. “I was representing TV3, C4 and MediaWorks in Sydney and Brisbane advertising agencies.” Roles followed as national marketing manager for Australia’s rst digital network, working with high pro le talent.

It was in Australia that Vicki says she experienced “incredible sexism” in her business roles. “It was interesting at times. Once there was a whole boardroom of men, and me. One of the men said, ‘Are you going to get us all a co ee?’ and looked at me,” she says. “Coming from New Zealand I’d worked with a lot of women in business so I wasn’t accustomed to those sort of attitudes.”

Not surprisingly, Vicki le and joined NRS Media – a global consultancy rm working in TV, radio, outdoor (billboard companies), digital and print. “We had more than 300 media partners globally. I was based in Sydney, responsible for the Southern Hemisphere – a big job,” she says. “We had subo ces all over the world - London, Toronto, Atlanta, Bogata and Cape Town.” Her jurisdiction included her team working in South Africa, South America, Middle East, Japan, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, India, ailand, Dubai and Malaysia. One of her clients was Virgin Radio – part of the Sir Richard Branson empire, which had networks in ailand, Jakarta and India.

“I met so many amazing and interesting people.

Studying psychology and social anthropology made it so much easier to understand when we started onboarding clients in new countries. I found my true passion – culture and leadership.”

She then set up her own media consultancy business, Sparcgap Communications, in 2014, continuing on some of these international success stories and passing on some 30 years of media business experience. Here she worked directly with the president of Virgin Radio International and assisted in radio sales strategy for various operations internationally. During her years of international business she learned to hold her head high, go into meetings and “pretend they need you more than you need them”. “It can be intimidating at times. I’ve pinched myself while in so many situations, from sitting around the board table with some of the most successful business people in the world, to dancing with a Maasai tribe in a dusty car park in Mombasa, to supporting an orphanage in Kenya.” is was a very ful lling decade in her career.

Eventually Vicki says she was over planes and suitcases. “My son moved to London and the thought of being home with family, two dogs and some land was appealing.” Her sister worked at NZME (New Zealand Media and Entertainment) and was moving to a new role in Southland. Vicki already had a house in Queenstown so moved here to work for NZME as boss and media communications specialist from early 2018 until mid-2020.

Vicki gets to know some of the local young people in Kenya, just outside Nairobi

Successful businesswoman Vicki McLean

In Sydney she’d been part of a dynamic group of businesswomen called, ‘Little Black Dress’ – a like-minded group who got together regularly to support and encourage each other.

It was a natural progression that once in Queenstown Vicki would found a similar group with Westpac business manager Brooke Davis - S.M.A.R.T –Strong, Mindful, Ambitious, Resilient, Tenacious.

SMART, with its maximum of 20 women, met once a month to strengthen and support each other, usually over breakfast, discussing a set topic, sometimes enjoying a speaker. “Everybody would contribute their individual perceptions, what lessons could be learned and what they were feeling,” she says. Wellness and health were also a big focus.

“It’s important as women to give each other freedom and a voice, and to enrich each other’s lives with fresh purpose,” says Vicki. Unfortunately the group is no longer running, what with Covid restrictions and interruptions. Many women lack that ‘can do’ attitude as they may have been discouraged in the workplace, or at home, she says. Technology has also in uenced connectivity. “I think we’re starved for that one-on-one connection with other women.”

Quite unintentionally she now has a team of six women around her and Vicki says it’s important to build up the right brand culture from the outset. e one lesson she’s learned is to never judge people. “You just need to be compassionate to all humans. We don’t know what’s going on in their lives, or what’s gone on before we meet them.”

She’s always had good support among male work colleagues in New Zealand, but Vicki recalls riding up in the li with a job applicant who asked if she was the receptionist. “He said, ‘Could you let him know I’m here for the interview?’” She enjoyed seeing the bright red ush on his face when he walked into her o ce for that interview. Another guy once called her boss at the time and complained that they couldn’t have a ‘young Kiwi woman’ – Vicki, giving a business marketing presentation to leaders of a rural town in Australia.

“Have the courage to stand up for what’s right. Know your own brand and values and be true to yourself,” she says. “It’s not our business to worry about what other people think or say about us.

“Life is about staying in your lane, and consistently working to be the best version of yourself.”

KEY NUMBERS

The above data relate to all Real Estate agency transacted urban Residential Sales for the Queenstown and Arrowtown area. Residential Sales are Houses, Apartments, Units, Townhouses, Villas and Condos.

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Vicki enjoying time with two wee girls in Kenya

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Queenstown’s own Florence Nightingale

by Sue Fea

A pioneer locally in occupational safety and health, experienced Queenstown registered nurse Debbie Swain-Rewi has carved a niche business for herself during the past 15 years.

Engage Safety – Mobile Industrial Health has a far reach, consulting with workplace clients as far north as Wellington and as far south as Riverton in Southland.

A nurse since 1978, training in Nelson and spending most of her nursing career at Lakes District Hospital a er some early years at Picton Hospital, Debbie noticed a gap in the market in the early 2000s. “I knew occupational health was a thing, but it just wasn’t really operating here in Queenstown,” she says. “ ere have always been workplace health and safety laws and requirements to do monitoring, but it wasn’t really being done around here in many workplaces.” National providers were o ering services in major centres.

e idea for her business evolved when Debbie was asked to do the hearing tests for Air New Zealand sta back in about 2008. Husband Darren Rewi, a respected local kaumatua, is a former Air New Zealand manager. “I went to a three-day hearing course at Otago University in Dunedin and I sat next to an Air New Zealand nurse.” rough that connection she began working for the national carrier.

Demand grew with the management of a Dunedin occupational health and safety business in Dunedin, StaySafe, also asking Debbie to help out casually.

e need had become so obvious in the region that Debbie began more specialist training and started studying for her Post Graduate Diploma in Health and Safety. She then trained to become a quali ed workplace drug tester doing preemployment drug testing and post incident random testing, which has become a big specialty for her business.

Debbie has a long-standing working relationship with Invercargill-based public health provider Nga Kete Matauranga Pounamu Charitable Trust, working part-time for the trust in the region. Part of her role was connecting whanau with the right resources and ensuring workplace safety. e trust was the last organisation to hold a funded contract to provide weekly health clinics in Glenorchy, a service that Debbie provided and one dear to her heart. Sel essly, when the government funding for the Glenorchy Clinic was axed as part of government cutbacks nationwide Debbie continued, and still does, to o er this very important weekly clinic. Her nursing clinics are highly valued by the Glenorchy community, whether it’s to change a dressing, check blood pressure, remove stitches or take blood tests. She also o en delivers life-saving prescription medications up from Queenstown for locals. “I just continued to go up there every week on a volunteer basis because it’s a much needed service,” she says. Debbie’s voluntary health clinic service has been a vital link for the Glenorchy community during the Covid crisis and she continued to travel up there during the lockdowns to deliver medications and the likes. It’s a 90-minute clinic and takes about half a day with travel time included, but she does it willingly. “It’s about giving back to the community,” she says. “I’m a great believer in giving back and there’s a genuine gap in the equitability and accessibility of health services up there.”

Debbie and her friendly, e cient team at Engage Safety, also o er a friendly face and reassurance for the local Maori community at their local Covid vaccine clinics. “Initially, Covid’s been a really frightening time for our local Maori community, many of whom lost jobs and became so disconnected from whanau,” Debbie says. “Most of them arrive here without whanau and Maori are innately whanau focused, so no work and no whanau has been really di cult.” Debbie

and husband Darren worked hard organising kai parcels for those local whanau a ected. “Darren really pushed the Queenstown Lakes District Council to give us a shipping container for the kai parcels which we operated, parked in our driveway at home, for six months.”

An agreement was reached with Kiwi Harvest to supply them with excess food from around the region. e Rewis still have two sta employed organising these kai parcels with help from a team of volunteers as the need is still there.

Engage Safety also ran its own Covid vaccination clinics from its Glenda Drive site until the start of March and Debbie’s also been o ering drive through swabbing there since late December. Her First Aid courses have not only ensured workplaces and locals are well schooled on the basics of First Aid, but have kept several local wahini, who’d lost jobs due to the Covid crisis, in work, she says.

“I put them through full training to deliver these courses and they’re now NZQA quali ed.” Her drive-through vaccination and swabbing clinics bolstered sta numbers from ve parttimers – two nurses, two First Aid instructors and son, Michael Rewi, to a team of 25. Debbie’s proud to say 86 percent of them are Maori and 92 percent are female. “ ere was a big need in our community to ensure local Maori had good employment,” she says. At one stage during the August Auckland lockdown last year she had a team of 16 local Maori and another 25 volunteers. “I ensure everybody is paid well, over the living wage. I’m so proud of all these people,” says Debbie. “ ey feel valued and they do a great job.” Next on the Rewi radar is to increase the services of Engage Safety’s Maori pharmacist to better serve the Maori community needs, she says. He is currently employed 10 hours a week as a vaccinator and also sees local whanau, free of charge, to discuss their medications so they have a better understanding of what they’re taking and why. is results in better medication compliance and, ultimately, improved health outcomes.

Debbie with Engage Safety employees, Minister Willie Jackson and representatives from Te Puni Korkiri

Women in aviation: Airline managers gearing up for return of trans-Tasman flights at ZQN

e aviation sector is traditionally a maledominated industry. But at ZQN the ve managers for partner airlines and corporate jets are women with more than 90 years’ aviation experience combined. And they have preparations well underway for the imminent return of scheduled trans-Tasman ights ahead of a busy ski season.

Qantas is the rst airline to return across the Tasman on 23 May. Debra Clarke, Queenstown Airport Manager for Qantas Airways has been in the role for 12 years, and has seen rst-hand the changes over the years at ZQN. She describes aviation as a very people-focused business and loves many aspects of working in the aviation industry including seeing daily emotional reunions and farewells. Debra enjoys the dynamic airport environment, and “the challenge of the many aspects which can a ect operations. I like nutting out the best resolutions.” Ultimately, she says, it’s the magic of ight “half science and half miracle” that never goes away.

Jetstar is the next airline to return with their trans-Tasman services on 2 June. Claire Sanchez is Manager Airport Services for Swissport, looking a er both Jetstar and Virgin. She loves

the aviation industry because “every day is di erent and challenging in its own way, plus you get to meet a wide variety of people who are all travelling for di erent reasons”. Virgin will be ying back to Queenstown in November.

Air New Zealand, our national carrier, has been operating a solid domestic schedule at ZQN and has added direct trans-Tasman ights to its schedule from 24 June. Judy Ramsay has been with the company for more than 30 years, working around the country in a range of roles, and has been Airport Manager in Queenstown for the airline for three years. She says Jean Batten is one of her inspirations. “Against all odds in a mostly male-dominated eld Jean Batten was NZ’s greatest aviator. She was driven and determined to ful l her dream of becoming a pilot, successfully making a number of recordbreaking solo ights across the world including the rst solo ight from England to New Zealand in 1936.”

KC (Kellie) Clarke is NZ Lounge Manager/ZQN Station Manager for PlaneBiz, a role she has held for two of the most challenging years in the history of aviation. e business has only been fully operational for about nine months of that time

due to restrictions associated with COVID-19. It’s the fast-paced environment that KC enjoys. “ e thrill of the chase to get the aircra turned round in time, or get it back on time if it is o -schedule is something I love! Every day is di erent even though we do the same tasks daily.” While the major airlines are gearing up for trans-Tasman ights, Queenstown Corporate Jet Services has welcomed Australian ights back in recent weeks a er the border restrictions li ed nationally. Vickie Hill has been in the aviation industry for over 30 years and manager at Corporate Jet Services for the past ve years. She describes the role as dynamic and rewarding. “It’s certainly been a tough few years but it’s great to see more people travelling and connecting again.”

Debra Clarke - Qantas Queenstown Airport Manager

Judy Ramsay - Air New Zealand Airport Manager

Claire Sanchez - Manager Airport Services for Swissport.

Leading a team with passion and purpose - Alexandria Appelman

e journey to becoming general manger of Sudima Queenstown Five Mile, which opened just before Christmas, began at a young age for Alexandria Appelman.

“When I was 15, whilst cleaning rooms and serving breakfast in a small owner-operator hotel, I already knew I wanted to be a GM.”

Inspired by other females in management roles around her, she knew this was her calling. And her love for the industry only grew as she worked through various roles on the ladder, always giving 110% .

“I was once told I was the most e cient dishwasher a chef had ever had,” she says.

“It doesn’t matter what role you are employed to do, each and every role in a hotel is just as important as the other. If we all put 110% into everything we do we can achieve greatness.”

In her career, she’s not been afraid to take steps sideways and even backwards to gain experience in other areas of the business.

“ e more knowledge I have of the roles my teams perform, the more empathy I have and more e ciencies we can nd together.”

She’s also not afraid to take on a challenge and live outside her comfort zone in her own life, sometimes quite literally.

“My husband and I lived in a caravan for 18 months in the Cardrona Valley whilst we built our rst home. ey said it was the coldest winter in ve years, and didn’t we know it.”

Being a working mum of two small children has its challenges, too.

“But I hope to be a role model to my kids, showing that hard work and doing things a little bit di erently gets you noticed, even though to me it comes naturally.

Alexandria now draws on those experiences in her day to day work.

“I empower my team to do the same. I have a huge passion for mentoring a team to deliver outstanding service with passion and pride.”

How are you feeling about joining Sudima Queenstown Five Mile as hotel manager?

I could not be more excited to be working alongside some amazing hospitality professionals in an industry and town I love. We have a wonderful brand new hotel with the best beds I’ve ever slept in! And we have an amazing, passionate team and some special unique extras in our rooms our guests will enjoy.

What are you excited about the most?

To welcome international travellers back to our wonderful region. International visitors and working holidays visa holders bring another level of vibrancy to Queenstown. ey create a unique atmosphere and experience, as well as a fabulous place to live. I love sharing my local knowledge and hidden gems that can’t be missed whist visiting Queenstown.

What do you love about the Queenstown area and do you expect more growth over the next couple of years?

I love the seasons, the colours, the views from every window. You can ski in the morning and ride bikes in the a ernoon, it’s a town of opportunity. is region has something for every traveller whether you’re on a family adventure, couples’ getaway, food and wine holiday, golf, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, we really do have something for everyone!

What do you see as the big opportunities for Queenstown?

We’ve had a unique window of opportunity the past two years to evaluate and re ne our visitor experience. Each and every business has had to relook at what they o er, and the standards they operate too. I believe this will make our visitor experience one of the best in the world. Every business owner is invested in the region and we are all more passionate than ever to show it o ! You have extensive experience in the hospitality industry in both NZ and UK, what attracted you to the Sudima Hotels group and Queenstown?

I rst came to Queenstown in June 2007 as a backpacker on the hunt for adventure. Most of the long-term locals I know arrived this way. I was instantly taken by the alpine environment and bustling diverse culture. I am a hotelier at heart and have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful brands and hotels throughout my career. Sudima Hotels struck me as very forward thinking within our industry. Its cultural and workplace diversity, sustainability initiatives, along with its commitment to accessibly for both sta and guests, is something to be very proud of. Growth will come, however, and I feel the town will need to adjust to having more visitors again. We’ve had the town to ourselves for two years. But I believe it will take time for our region to see visitor numbers like we saw pre the Covid-19 global pandemic.

I can see areas of growth outside of tourism for the region too with tech hubs and welcoming a new type of visitor - the bleisure guest. Flexible working arrangements due to Covid have allowed travel for leisure to be combined with business, we may see more people choosing our town as a medium term base.

Support is available for Queenstown Lakes businesses

With the Tourism Communities Kick-start Fund opening on April 1, many of our local tourism businesses have now been able to access this funding to enable them to ramp up their business activity in preparation for international borders reopening. e Kickstart grant is one of three funds that make up the Tourism Communities: Support, Recovery and Re-set package, and is open to businesses a ected by border closures in the Queenstown Lakes District, that have experienced a signi cant drop in revenue compared to pre-Covid levels. Tourism businesses are invited to register with Regional Business Partners and then engage with a locally based business advisor to assist them through the eligibility process, and connect them with the funding and support most useful to their business.

We talked to three Queenstown businesswomen about how this funding has helped their businesses navigate these tough times.

by Jacqui Thomas

the winter season, whilst implementing changes that will hopefully grow our business. It means we get to ght another day.”

Border closures had a tremendous e ect on her business with 70% of her market made up of overseas visitors. e Kickstart grant will make a massive di erence to her business as both vans needed a good makeover with some TLC from the mechanics and new tyres. is funding gives her the ability to do this now, in preparation for the winter season, rather than needing to wait until the cash ow is coming in again.

“It’s been a di cult couple of years, and I was nervous going into this winter pretending as though it was all just OK again... e ease of the Kick-start grant is quite overwhelming really, I had no idea I’d be able to a ord to tidy up the vans before a, hopefully, busy season. at big stress cloud that has been growing for the past 24 months is nally retreating, and much faster than I expected!”

My ai Lounge is a locally-owned restaurant serving up fresh food with real ai avours. When the borders closed, they saw a signi cant drop in the number of diners in their restaurant, as international visitors accounted for over 50% of their market. Even with great local support and some domestic visitors, the restaurant is still trading well below their pre-Covid turnover. is sadly meant they had to say goodbye to some long-term sta , reduce their trading hours, and defer restaurant improvements, just to try and keep their doors open. Now that they’ve received the Kick-start grant they are able to give their current sta pay rises, as well as look to recruit more sta . ey’re also able to improve their facilities and refresh their marketing in an e ort to attract more business.

“ e Kick-start fund is helping to alleviate some of the nancial pressure, giving us some breathing room to focus on improving our o ering and making our recovery. It’s allowing us to keep the doors open and continue trading while we await

- Julz Cool, Co-Owner, Canyoning New Zealand

Juliana Cool, of Canyoning New Zealand, is another grateful recipient of the Kickstart grant. Her business provides guided canyoning tours around Queenstown and Wanaka, as well as equipment rentals and training for recreational canyoners and upcoming guides. Pre-Covid, 95% of their business was guided tours booked by international travellers. e pandemic forced them to create products to suit the domestic market and evolve the business into new areas to appeal to a broader market of adventure seekers. Now that it is eligible for the Kick-start grant, they can prepare for the return of international travellers, investing in recruiting sta and new equipment. It will also allow them to implement marketing initiatives and spread the word about their new o erings.

“ is allows us to e ectively and immediately implement the strategies we need to prepare and be ready for the return of international travellers and the demand we foresee.We are so grateful for the help of this Kick-start fund and the support it o ers a business like ours. It gives us con dence in the future of tourism and makes us really excited for our industry!”

- Amy Freedman, Queenstown Snow Transport & Queenstown Bike Taxi’s Amy Freedman operates two seasonal transport businesses in Queenstown – Queenstown Bike Taxis and Queenstown Snow Transport. In the summer she organizes biking holidays to Queenstown and o ers shuttle services to all riding destinations in the Queenstown Lakes area. In the winter she transports private guests to the ve ski elds in our region.

If you are interested in learning more about the Tourism Communities – Support, Recovery and Reset plan and whether you may be eligible for funding support, please visit: business-south.org.nz /tourism-communitiessupport-recovery-and-re-set-plan/ e rst step if you haven’t already engaged with a local RBP Business Growth Advisor, is to register your business at www. regionalbusinesspartners.co.nz and one of our locally-based business advisors will contact you.

- Melanie Chui, Owner, My ai Lounge.

Amy Freedman

Juliana Cool

Melanie Chui

Climate action workshop inspires change

by Georgina Wadsworth

“For us as a family-owned business it was the right thing to do, the next step. I think there needs to be more responsibility taken by operators to make sure they are doing everything they can, which means that alongside social responsibility and taking care of the welfare of your employees, there must be environmental responsibility as well,” Wong says.

is progressive mindset is fundamental to our ability as a district to make collective change, but the key will be to continue momentum. Lake Wānaka Tourism General Manager Tim Barke agrees. “We all have a responsibility, going beyond accepting and merely attempting to minimise or o set the negative consequences of growth, to develop a model that delivers positive bene t,” Barke says.

A sustainability pilot launched by community non-pro t Wao Aoterora wrapped last month leaving inspiration, dedication and a healthy dose of collective responsibility in its wake.

e 12-week programme was jointly funded by Destination Queenstown, Lake Wānaka Tourism and Queenstown Lakes District Council, and o ered 20 businesses the opportunity to gauge, track and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Coined ‘Climate Action Initiative’ or ‘CAI’ the pilot, despite being in the early stages of rollout, has managed to do what many token enviro-aware courses do not: unify a group of businesses within the same industry, and inspire them to use their collective voice for change.

Arna Craig, communications lead and trustee for Wao Aotearoa, the non-pro t educator behind CAI, says the programme was conceived with this in mind. “ e Queenstown Lakes district has a unique business community, whereby it is extremely competitive, but it is also extremely supportive,” Craig says.

e programme was fully funded and encompassed two distinct phases. In the rst, participants spent six weeks measuring their greenhouse gas (GHG) number, while the second saw practicable tools

and strategies explored to reduce it - with the idea that other key business operators within the Queenstown Lakes district would also be motivated to begin the process of change.

“What we are trying to harness is a ripple e ect; and I think we have done that admirably here. ese companies, all within their own economic sectors, have set the bar for business sustainability in 2022 and this, in turn, will inspire others to rise,” Craig adds.

And it’s this kind of collective unity that represents the biggest win for Wao, because it showcases an engaged community willing to make meaningful changes to reduce emissions and have a positive impact on our climate.

Antony Sproull, operations manager for Air Milford, sees the potential. “ e most interesting takeaway was to witness the collaborative energy from the businesses that were involved, all wanting to make a di erence in their environmental footprint. To see them so passionate about changing their model is really invigorating,” Sproull says.

For Matt Wong, owner of indoor skydiving venue iFLY, the shi towards corporate accountability has been a long time coming.

“What we do now matters, and the CAI is an incredibly positive step in the right direction. We need to truly understand the contribution we can make towards the wellbeing of both our people and the planet. We are also very fortunate to have this incredible level of expertise based here and look forward to seeing Wao share this knowledge with the rest of Aotearoa.”

But Dr Carly Green, Wao trustee and lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says it is vital to temper expectations, and keep realistic goals at the forefront so our business community remains engaged instead of overwhelmed. “What we are trying to do with the Climate Action Initiative is identify opportunities for reducing emissions, not only o setting. We are trying to get emissions down so we can bring the global temperature down. Taking action to reduce emissions by changing your behavior is going to have long term bene ts for the environment and drive demand for the technological change needed,” Green says.

iFLY’s Wong says a er completing the programme the company intends to close the loop. “I got a really good understanding of how to measure output, and I know where we stand as a business in terms of our ‘number’ but now we are looking at what we do with that number - and we are still on that journey, nowhere near the nish line. In fact, we don’t even know if a nish line exists, but we do have these big hairy audacious goals to work towards. One of these goals is to be carbon neutral by 2022 and another, something I am really passionate about, is green energy. So I know that I can actually o set the electricity our business uses with a clean energy I have invested in, and close the loop completely and that is really exciting,” Wong concludes

Wao Aotearoa has been contacted by other organisations eager to launch the CAI programme in their region, and plans are underway for a second round of workshops to be run locally for more businesses in the Queenstown Lakes district.

Antony Sproull, Air Milford

Participants in a recent carbon workshop

Sharing a passion for food, adventure and Southern Lakes

“ e last year has own by, and we have taken numerous guests on adventures around Wānaka and Lake Hawea to share the region’s food stories. It’s been a pleasure sharing our backyard with locals and visitors and seeing the smiles on their faces as they experience something for the rst time.”

Naomi says there are no other dedicated food tours like Forage & Feast in the Southern Lakes. “We wanted to create more than just a food tour. We wanted to provide a sense of adventure, connect people, share stories over kai and generally spend a day with people who love and appreciate good food, wine and produce.” e goal is to expand into Queenstown and Central Otago with day tours and eventually build multi-day adventures across the region for food lovers.

Joining ‘ e Great Resignation’ wasn’t part of the plan in 2022 for Naomi Lindsay, former General Manager of the Ignite Wanaka Chamber of Commerce.

“I loved my role at Ignite and I certainly wasn’t looking for other opportunities,” Naomi says.

A marketing, communications and community engagement veteran of over 25 years, Naomi has been a well-known gure in the Southern Lakes for the last 19-plus years, holding a number of high-pro le marketing and GM roles during that time on both sides of the hill.

However, following two years of “covid rollercoaster rides”, the 45-year-old took the plunge to change careers and follow her love of food, recently taking on the lease for the café space at the Wanaka Health Centre on Cardrona Valley Road.

The small print

Appointment

New chair for housing trust

The Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) has appointed prominent local businessman Richard Thomas as its new chair. QLCHT deputy chair Joanne Conroy says Thomas is a welcome addition.

“We are delighted to have Richard join our team,” she says. “His intimate knowledge and understanding of local community issues, along with his extensive business acumen, means he’s well placed to steer the Trust on the next phase of its journey.

“We look forward to utilising Richard’s strong

It was a regular hygienist appointment at the dentist that sparked the idea. “I was having my teeth cleaned and casually enquired why the old café space was closed. Further enquiries revealed the lease was available and I started to mull through the idea,” Naomi says.

“Before I knew it, I was engaging my lawyer and my accountant, chatting it through with good friends in hospitality and then it came… I think I am doing this,” she laughs.

Not one to enter things lightly, extensive due diligence was conducted, and the Well Bean Café was born in April 2022.

No stranger to hospitality, Naomi has worked in the industry on and o for years, the café concept also complemented Naomi’s other business, Forage and Feast Food Adventures, which launched in January 2020.

experience and capability in both the commercial and governance worlds”.

Born and bred in Queenstown, Thomas has a strong commercial background and has been involved in businesses throughout New Zealand and overseas. His appointment follows the resignation of previous chair Andrew Blair, who had been in the role since October 2018 and retired at the end of April.

Events

Virtual conference for Southern businesses

Connected NZ and Digital Boost Connect are holding a free three day virtual conference to connect industry and business with the government

“Both businesses ful l my passion for our region, tourism, food and hospitality, telling our stories through food and people. at coupled with my 24-plus year career in marketing and communications made it a perfect t. While I didn’t envisage this change this year, I am excited about the future.”

and support services that are available across the Southern region.

Business can log on for one or more sessions at the free Southern Business Growth and Support Virtual Conference.

Companies involved include Regional Business Partner Network, Digital Boost, NZ Trade & Enterprise, Business South, Queenstown Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Social Development, Inland Revenue, Employment.govt.nz, Business. govt.nz, Te Kupeka Umaka Māori Ki Āraiteuru (KUMA) and Amotai

When: Tuesday 24 May - Thursday 26 May

For full details, session times, subjects and registration https://tinyurl.com/bw4jekb9

Naomi Lindsay’s love of food along with a trip to the dentist led to Wanaka’s Well Bean café launch