Central Today Magazine #61

Issue 61 | October/November 2010

www.centraltoday.co.nz

In the

seat Keith Quinn talks about his life’s calling

Incubating Innovation Turning good ideas into practical business solutions

Pressing concerns Wine exports have hit $1 billion but the industry’s got issues

Pardon the interruption Workplace distractions — a pest or path to creativity?

Rural connections Looking to speed things up

Arrested development Reversing our commercial competitiveness decline News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Information | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1174-9520

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The battle against plastic In 2000, Dianne Collins was diagnosed with cancer. She was only 61. Her son, Gary began to research the issue, looking for answers. What caused cancer and how it could be stopped were questions that began to plague his mind.

In Gary’s research, the same word kept coming up in all the information he read. A chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) was increasingly being questioned by reputable doctors and researchers and was being reported in mainstream health magazines.

In fact, all commercial hospitality cooking equipment is made in stainless steel for this reason.

And because they are stainless steel they can be reused again and again – no more plastic clogging up our landfills or killing our vulnerable sea creatures.

How often is our tap water regulated?

The problem with BPA is it behaves similarly to estrogen. When enough of this accumulates in the body there can be negative health effects – that’s why BPA has been linked to obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and hyperactivity.

SafeBottles come in 500, 750 and 1000ml varieties and are in a variety of designs and colours.

SafeBottles can use a custom-made design, making them the perfect choice for a sports team.

Locally, the supply is owned by a local authority such as a district or city council, who extracts the water, runs the treatment plant to remove contaminants and pipes the water to your door. Under the DrinkingWater Standards for New Zealand 2005 (which applies to private and public water supplies, but not bottled water!), they are expected to test the water regularly to ensure it is safe.

Gary’s mum died in 2001. But he couldn’t forget about the issues he’d come across.

“I discovered many possible causes of cancer that I’d never heard of before, and whether it’s a conspiracy, or simply ignorance by us, the general public, I feel it’s time people became aware of some of these issues.”

While BPA exists only in some plastic bottles, our standard day to day plastic bottles can leak out other toxic chemicals such as phthalates and antimony when scratched or heated.

The more he read about plastic bottles, the more the self-described ‘non-greenie’ came across uncomfortable facts about the environmental problems these drink bottles cause.

Plastic bottles are a petroleum product and use 151 billion litres of oil to produce each year. That’s enough to run 500,000 cars per year.

In New Zealand, 78 percent of the time these bottles are not recycled and they go to landfills, where 700 years later they start to decompose.

A significant amount of the world’s plastic winds up at sea. There’s an area estimated to be the size of Texas (some say twice the size) in the Pacific Ocean known as the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’, a floating mass of plastic rubbish.

A lot of this plastic that ends up at sea gets eaten by hungry animals thinking it’s food. Many researches and environmental organisations list plastic as the number one threat to our marine environment.

All of this research inspired Gary to act.

As the CEO of several successful New Zealand businesses, he turned his entrepreneurial eye to a solution that would stop people from using the chemical ridden and environmentally devastating plastic bottles.

The culmination of his research, and arguably one answer in the fight against cancer and environmental harm, is this September SafeBottles will be officially launched.

These BPA-free bottles are made from high quality stainless steel. Unlike aluminium, the inside isn’t coated with an epoxy lining, which becomes dangerous if scratched.

Within a typical CBD, it’s easy to count how many free water fountains there are – usually about three, all within parks.

However, corner dairies and supermarkets selling plastic drink bottles are ubiquitous – there’s one on every street.

Gary’s grand vision for SafeBottles involves paying for a drinking fountain giving free water at petrol stations. He hopes thirsty customers would bring their SafeBottles with them, re-fill and drive away

“A chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA) was increasingly being questioned by reputable doctors and researchers and was being reported in mainstream health magazines.” without buying a plastic bottle while they bought their petrol. This might cut down on the 168 plastic bottles the average Kiwi buys a year.

The battle against plastic What percentage of plastics used in New Zealand are recycled?

Three organisations are concerned with the provision of safe and wholesome drinking-water to any community in New Zealand, one at the local level, one regional and one with a national perspective.

The Ministry of Health, through the provision of standards, guidelines and other tools, has a national function to ensure regulations are in place. It works at the regional level through District Health Boards (DHBs). Each DHB is expected to oversee the local authorities and ensure, through auditing measures, that the local bodies are maintaining appropriate water quality.

Underlying the standards and processes is the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2007 and the Drinking Water Standards for New Zealand 2005.

How often is the bottled water industry in New Zealand regulated?

Bottled water has far fewer health and safety standards to which it must conform to than municipal supplies. Bottled water simply has to comply to the Food Act 1981. It is also regulated as a packaged food product by Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Its regulations are scrutinised by one body, whereas tap water is monitored by three separate organisations.

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today.

SafeBottles Level 3, 818 Colombo Street PO Box 1879, Christchurch 8140

The figure is growing - in 2000, 26,702 tonnes of plastic was recycled. Two years later the figure had increased to 30,190 tonnes. Still, from our 242,000 tonnes of annual production, a shocking 190,000 tonnes is still being sent to New Zealand landfills every year - just 52,000 tonnes being recycled.

How many plastic bottles are made and/or consumed in New Zealand?

In 2003, 125,955 tonnes of plastic packaging were produced in New Zealand. The average New Zealander uses about 31kg of plastic packaging each year. Globally each year we drink 30 billion throwaway bottles of water - that’s 2.7 million tonnes of plastic.

Gary Collins Managing Director

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 3

Issue 61 | October/November 2010

www.centraltoday.co.nz

In the

seat Keith Quinn talks about his life’s calling

Incubating Innovation

Turning good ideas into practical business solutions

Pressing concerns

Wine exports have hit $1 billion but the industry’s got issues

Pardon the interruption Workplace distractions — a pest or path to creativity?

Rural connections

Looking to speed things up

Arrested development

Reversing our commercial competitiveness decline

News | Initiatives | Interviews | Personalities | Information | Success | Profiles | Finance | Property | Sustainability | Export | Transport | Retail | Solutions | ISSN 1174-9520

Central Today

Issue 61

17,429 ABC circulation as at 30/06/10

www.central today.co.nz

9

Head office Academy House 818 Colombo Street PO Box 1879 Christchurch

Pardon the interruption

managing director Gary Collins

Are workplace distractions the ultimate pests or an essential path to creativity?

General manager Rebecca Harris administration Kylie Moore Kelly Clarke Rebecca McQueen Kimberley Wells Hellie Hadfield

admin manager

sales & advertising Robert Cochrane sales executives Steve Dando Colin Morais Anthony Li Sharon Bruderer Miranda Hearne John Somerville Jane Watson Graeme Tall newsroom Jonathon Taylor Marie Sherry Melinda Collins Kate Pierson Bridget Gourlay

editor

Phone: 03 961 5050 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: editor@academy.net.nz

production Fleur Hall manager Carolynne Brown assistants Melanie Stanbury designers CJ McKay Hayley Brocket Ryan Carter Ian Knott Kirsty Opie Jarred Shakespeare Phone: 03 961 5050 Fax: 0800 555 054 Email: production@academy.net.nz

Disclaimer: This publication is provided on the basis that A-Mark Publishing is not responsible for the results of any actions taken on the basis of information in these articles, nor for any error or omission from these articles and that the firm is not hereby engaged in rendering advice or services.

A-Mark Publishing expressly disclaim all and any liability and responsibility to any person in respect of anything and of the consequences of anything done, or omitted to be done, by any such a person in reliance, whether wholly or partially upon the whole or any part of the contents of this publication.

Advertising feature articles are classified as advertising content and as such, information contained in them is subject to the Advertising Standards Authority Codes of Practice.

Contents Copyright 2010 by A-Mark Publishing (NZ) Ltd. All rights reserved. No article or advertisement may be reproduced without written permission.

11

12

14

Pressing concerns

Cover story

Wine exports may have hit $1 billion, but the industry’s got issues

Iconic commentator Keith Quinn talks about his life’s calling

20

51

SafeBottles

Motoring

A healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to plastic

Nissan’s new Navara, the ST-X 450, proves you don’t have to be rough to be tough

Incubating Innovation The importance of nurturing original thinking and turning good ideas into practical business solutions

News

Incubating innovation

Business features

6 Top priority identifying opportunities in the Bay of Plenty

14 So, what’s the problem? despite all our talk about our inventiveness, New Zealand’s innovation rate has been stagnant for a decade

26 2010 National Award in Public Architecture Tennent Brown Architects and construction company McMillan and Lockwood create a winner

7 Breaking the border is streamlining trans-Tasman travel a good idea?

7 Rural connections a local ISP looks to speed things up

15 Leaps of faith when making first moves, how you manage the risk is essential

8 Passing the buck GST, ETS, the Fair Trading Act, price hikes and you

16 Broadening your horizons looking for inspiration offshore

10 Arrested development turning around our declining commercial competitiveness

16 Bright ideas just because it’s a novel idea, doesn’t mean it’s a good one

28 Initiatives Livingstone Building are adept at creating fast food outlets, Donovans Chocolates enjoy sweet sensations, Link Business Broking building on successes, WEL Networks gets involved in the Te Uku Wind Farm, and Hawkins Construction upgrades Te Wharekura o te Rau Aroha 28 Business development HEB Construction and the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne infrastructure booms, Supacrete’s selfmade success and Port of Tauranga’s rising profile

17 Jumping the green belt bridging the rural-urban divide is an economic imperative

39 Property and Construction Stringfellow Contracts’ largest Transit project to date, Taranaki Civil Construction’s road- making role, and cool buildings by Insulation Panel & Door

18 Products 4U perfect for packing it in

Viewpoints

50 Transport and Motoring Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs and test driving the new Nissan Navara ST-X

19 Lifestyles toys, tools and baubles

10 Rebecca’s Rant you are not alone

24 Events diary courses, seminars and events near you

24 Management anything worth doing, is worth doing… poorly

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4 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

52 Agribusiness McCain Foods’ Hastings expansion, Aerocool’s packing and cool storage solutions, GEA Farm Technologies, Paewai Mullins Shearing and Hustler Equipment’s innovative spirit

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News

By Melinda Collins

Well documented ongoing financial pressure has seen cities, communities and regions around the world increasingly turn to economic development strategies in the quest for prosperity.

Local development organisations mean more than just economic growth. They promote participation and local dialogue, connect people to resources for increased employment and a regional quality of life.

Albeit unique, its purpose is the same; to stimulate growth by identifying opportunities and ideas in the Tauranga and western Bay of Plenty (WBOP) region, and hopefully seeing them through to completion.

Established in 2001, Priority One is a unique model for New Zealand; the first economic development agency initiated by a local business community and jointly funded by local authorities.

Priority One project manager, Annie Hill says it provides a link between business and local authorities. “Traditionally, economic development organisations are based within local authorities without a business membership. This can sometimes cause a more inward looking focus than the one we are required to have in order to maintain our business membership.”

This ensures the organisation remains cognisant of business and local authority requirements.

“While this means we need to sometimes walk a fine line between conflicting requirements, it also means we are in a strong position to negotiate good outcomes for each group.

“Our role is primarily facilitative.

This partnership between the business community and the local authorities is essential to achieving economic growth outcomes.”

The organisation has played a critical role in obtaining necessary infrastructure for the region, Hill says, from efficient roading to business land and broadband services. “Our focus is on macro economic development in terms of infrastructure, business lands and sector development.”

Priority One is focused on business sectors which support the growth of the region, she says. “To develop a strong, sustainable economy, it is essential that we develop sectors that develop

Growing smart

By Kate Pierson

When you introduce bright minds to business logic you get ‘smart growth’. It is both the product and primary objective behind an initiative driven organisation established to prepare for the next 50 years in the western Bay of Plenty (WBOP).

Driven by a partnership between three regional councils — the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Tauranga City Council and the Western Bay of Plenty District Council — SmartGrowth, as it is aptly titled, is also supported by the skills and knowledge of tangata whenua, government agencies and the local community, to ensure planning and implementation of growth strategies are carried out in an integrated way.

Planning for an expected 286,000 people living in the WBOP in 40 years time and 198,000 local residents by 2021, is a critical task. In recognition of this fact, the SmartGrowth Implementation Committee, which is chaired independently, meets bimonthly to provide strategic direction to the organisation.

Comprised of three councillors from each of the three councils and tangata whenua representatives, the implentation collective also has a monitoring duty.

The chief executive officers of the three councils and the regional director of the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), also meet bimonthly with the independent chair and an implementation advisor to provide overall direction for strategy implementation.

Senior staff from the councils, NZTA and a tangata whenua representative meet monthly to ensure integrated implementation of the strategies occurs and a combined tangata whenua forum meets bimonthly to provide input and feedback on SmartGrowth initiatives.

Various community groups meet as strategic partners every two months, acting as a community audit on SmartGrowth actions and to provide a knowledge pool.

With the objective of maintaining and improving the WBOP’S organic and cultural environments, enhancing the lifestyle of its communities and providing efficient and affordable infrastructure, SmartGrowth is preparing for:  A predicted population growth  Economic and employment challenges  The need for adequate land for business and employment  Social infrastructure for hospitals and education venues  Open spaces to accommodate arts and leisure opportunities  The protection of important landscapes

6 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

high value products and services, need a highly skilled worforce and therefore, pay high wages and are ideally export focused.

“Priority One’s focus is on doing exactly this to ensure the economy grows in a sustainable manner. We believe the service we provide is crucial to economic development in the sub-region, which will also make a significant contribution to New Zealand’s economy.”

While it doesn’t get involved in building the capability of individual businesses, it does work closely with the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, Export New Zealand Bay of Plenty and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, who do.

Priority One is also contracted by Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council to deliver specific economic outcomes, with funding from the two organisations contributing 50 percent of its budget.

“Our purpose is to build a vibrant economy that retains and attracts talented, skilled and creative people and the businesses that need them,” Hill says.

Key functions  Developing competitive advantages; particularly in the marine services, food processing, ICT and transportation and logistics services sectors  Skills for industry; through the INSTEP programme linking secondary school students and teachers with business (particularly focusing on encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship), through Back in the Bay which links returning expat Kiwis with local businesses and services, and the Young Professionals Forum which encourages young professional people to engage with economic development in the region  Tertiary education and research; particularly as relating to key and emerging sectors and science  Maori economic development; including energy resources, affordable housing initiatives  Infrastructure; such as business land, broadband and telecommunications, transport and energy.

WBOP weekly stat-file:  65 people leave the area

 30 new houses are built

 135 people arrive from other places

 51 new jobs are created.

Area

2006 census

40-year projection

Mount Maunganui

18,864

30,810

Papamoa

17.583

58,127

Rest of Tauranga City

67,119

120,289

Te Puke

9087

15,508

Rest of the Western BOP

32,991

61,601

Total

145,644

286,335

and ecological resources such as Tauranga Harbour  The needs of tangata whenua and their natural and cultural heritage sites  The implementation of an integrated land transport system.

SmartGrowth communications co-ordinator Bruce Fraser concedes that while there was little organisational co-operation between the councils at a political level prior to 2000, SmartGrowth is a constructive response to the need for a sustainable initiative. “The collaborative model that SmartGrowth is built

on is now looked at by other organisations as a favourable structure,” he says.

Former Tauranga MP Margaret Wilson’s comments about SmartGrowth are certainly testament to the initiative’s success.

“SmartGrowth has made an outstanding contribution to the development of the western Bay of Plenty.

“It is an example of local government and the community working together for the long-term benefit of the sub-region as a whole,” she says.

For more information visit www.smartgrowthbop.org.nz

News

Travel without borders

By Bridget Gourlay

Rural

connections

By Melinda Collins

The internet is a modern miracle; a network of information and ideas circumventing intellectual, political, social and geographical borders.

But, in New Zealand anyway, it has yet to bridge the rural/ urban divide and adequately link urban dwellers to their country counterparts. Change however, is on the cards.

In September 2009, Communication and IT Minister Steven Joyce announced coverage targets for the roll out of broadband to rural communities under the government’s Rural Broadband Initiative (RBI).

A Tauranga wireless broadband company aims to partner with significant network players in providing a wireless link in the initiative.

Enternet Online Limited (EOL) plans to partner with already established broadband providers, regional electricity lines and third party backhaul operators to provide the “last mile” wireless link — where underground fibre optic services are not cost effective.

Established in 2005, EOL managing director Terry Coles says the business is fully capable of filling the gaps of rural New Zealand, where the fibre cable is not plausible.

“Our company operates a unique, highly scalable wireless network enabling us to connect people up to fast internet connections very quickly and effectively in rural areas. We have a proven reach and capability and are able to deliver a seamless, high speed wireless service to the central North Island’s rural community.”

He says the company has spent several years refining its architecture and technologies allowing it to offer a robust platform for both

Last year, on my way through Europe, I got up early in the morning in Budapest and hopped on a train. In the following nine hours, I travelled out of Hungary, through Austria and exited in Munich.

Nobody asked to see my passport.

Occasionally I had to present my papers and ticket to the inspector, but they only really cared if I was accidentally sitting in first class (Hungarian isn’t my forte — and Eastern European ‘first class’ carriages don’t look it). My bags weren’t checked and I didn’t have to fill out any forms about what was in them.

During the next month I visited Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris, meeting the same disinterested glance at my passport, thorough inspection of where I was sitting and complete unconcern about my bags or their contents.

Terry Coles, EOL managing director

commercial and personal users. The internet speeds offered by EOL have grown from 2Mbps back in 1995 to more than 100Mbps today (equivalent to fibre optic speed).

Its wireless service provides symmetrical connections and is actively monitored and managed 24 hours per day. EOL has been consistently judged the fastest wireless ISP in New Zealand for both uploads and downloads by the internet’s benchmark website www.speedtest.net.

EOL has recently launched its internet telephony (VOIP) service. Unlike other ISPs, the company owns its network, so is able to separate voice and data traffic from the customer’s wireless connection to EOL’s exchange and give voice calls a higher priority, producing a high quality result comparable to landline phone calls.

Coles says he is excited about the potential to be involved in an initiative which will finally see New Zealand’s rural households, schools and communities provided with high speed services.

“The rural sector is the backbone of our economy and it is vitally important that we equip rural people with the means to drive productivity and neutralise the negative effects of isolation currently felt by many,” he says.

All this is because Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Holland and France are in the European Union and have almost no border control. They’ve made the decision that it makes sense economically to treat the place as one big country. If you’re flying into Rome from Asia you will go through usual security and customs procedures, but from there you can drive or take the train all the way to Romania without any stops.

So the argument goes — why can’t New Zealand and Australia do the same? We are maybe a three hour flight away, but so is Rome from Bucharest.

The Australian based chief executive of Jetstar, Bruce Buchanan, has called for the New Zealand and Australian governments to drop immigration checks and passenger charges on one side of the Tasman. Jetstar commissioned an Access Economics report on the subject, which found dropping border controls could cut return airfares by $94 and increase passenger numbers by up to 13 percent.

This could be particularly good for the central North Island region. In the last year, Pacific Blue has started HamiltonLA flights through Australia, Air New Zealand has begun Sydney-Rotorua flights and Hawke’s Bay airport is lengthening their runway, with a view to next year’s Rugby World Cup. However, Federated Farmers has slammed Jetstar’s call as “short sighted

commercial self-interest”. President Don Nicholson says “It would take 670,000 flights at the $94 saving, just to match the $63 million we’ve spent on eradicating the painted apple moth, which is a minor pest there but deemed a major risk here”.

Nicholson says both countries have “nasties” the other country wishes to avoid. “I don’t think the Australian Government would like didymo entering Australia. Nor would they want the varroa mite that has heavily damaged our bee industry. Combined these are causing millions of dollars in damage but in Australia, millions would easily become billions.”

Closer economic ties with Australia, similar to the ones made in Europe during the 60s and 70s have long been floated – the most extreme of which involve creating a common currency or New Zealand becoming the 9th state of Australia. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Australia and New Zealand have one of the most open economic and trade relationships of any two countries in the world.

This is based on a comprehensive set of trade and economic arrangements, collectively known as Closer Economic Relations (CER), which started under Muldoon’s leadership in 1983.

Making these relations even closer would be fraught with complications, as Federated Farmers points out. But the European model has shown these could be overcome with political will.

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson has ruled out developing these ties in the near future, calling them a nice concept, but difficult and costly to implement.

“The vast bulk of these benefits can be achieved through initiatives like SmartGate, which make trans-Tasman travel a near domestic like experience, without exposing New Zealand to those biosecurity and immigration risks.

Initiatives to further streamline travel between the two countries can be expected on an on-going basis.”

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 7

News

Passing the buck

By Kate Pierson

electricity or petrol company will vary and consumers are not best placed to understand the technicalities of this, so must rely on the information provided by these businesses.

The phrase ‘price hike’ has a tendency to offend. So, it’s no surprise talk of the financial impact on New Zealand businesses due to the effective Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and impending GST hike has many hot under the collar.

“It is important that businesses are accurate and not misleading about the reason for the increase and do not overstate the cost of the ETS, or they might breach the Fair Trading Act.” Contact Energy has already spoken out in defence of its estimated 3.2 percent residential electricity price increase.

And, as if almost reading the minds of concerned business owners, the Commerce Commission is already reminding commercial entities about their obligations under the Fair Trading Act not to mislead customers about any potential price increases and refrain from passing the buck in light of these legislative changes.

by the increase in GST, where the price exceeds the extra GST.”

Understanding the ETS Effective as of July 1, 2010 the ETS is a key part of the Government’s response to global climate change and will ensure New Zealand meets its obligations under international agreements like the Kyoto Protocol.

Wellington Commerce Commission enforcement manager Greg Allan explains, “Businesses are not required by law to give reasons when they raise prices.

Under the New Zealand ETS, some businesses will have a legal obligation to surrender emission units to cover direct greenhouse gas emissions they are responsible for, or any emissions associated with their products.

“However, when a business does try to justify a price increase to its customers, the reasons they give must be accurate and not misleading. For example, businesses will run the risk of breaching the Fair Trading Act if they explain price increases as being caused

On measuring the relationship between commercial price increases and the ETS, Allan says, “The impact of the ETS on each

The company said its pricing structure was calculated in relation to the ETS and its average price increase would be aligned with the Government’s estimate of ETS adding five percent to the cost of electricity.

implication that we are using the ETS as a cover for inflating prices. We are not.”

While the ETS does not directly involve a high proportion of New Zealand’s small to medium businesses, which means they are not required to report on their emissions or to trade New Zealand Units (NZUs), emissions intensive and trade exposed smaller business will be faced with higher fuel and electrical prices and waste disposal costs.

However, businesses in this category may also be eligible to receive allocation of NZUs if they are carrying out activities that generate a significant amount of emissions and/or use large amounts of energy relative to revenue from output (this is equivalent to at least 800 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per $1 million revenue).

Businesses can refer to the consultation document on industrial allocation under the New Zealand ETS (www.climatechange.govt.nz) to determine if they are eligible.

“We have been clear in our communications with customers about price increases. Part of that clarity has been to ensure that we differentiate between a price increase as a result of ETS, and other price moves we may be making as part of normal operations,” Contact Energy managing director David Baldwin says.

Penalties under the fair trading act

Implication rejection

The courts can fine a company $200,000 and an individual up to $60,000 for breaches of the Fair Trading Act.

“It is important that people do not confuse general price moves as a result of normal retail operations, with the ETS price increase, even if in some instances both price movements may be occurring at the same time. We reject any

For more information on the ETS scheme visit the Ministry for the Environment website www.mfe.govt.nz

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News

Pardon

the interruption

By Kate Pierson

When someone’s accused of being distracted, it’s usually done with a negative connotation.

Deemed the arch nemesis of employers and the antithesis of productivity, a distraction is considered a monopoliser of time and only leads employees astray.

Aligned with the practice of procrastination, distraction in the form of objects, people, or practices that induce wandering eyes and minds, are considered breeders of bad habits.

Not helping is that the digital age has delivered distractions like never before and the ensuing war to eliminate distractions from the workplace, with the front line being filters, blocks and bans, has led to one definitive conclusion — distractions are a bad influence.

But are they?

Are distractions really the workplace pest employers make them out to be? Or are some distractions the essential path to creativity; a subconscious reboot before another burst of inspiration?

Some would argue it all depends on the job and that quantity driven positions, like data entry that demand a consistent pace for maximum results, are an entirely different ball game to creative vocations like writing or graphic design that require time for brainstorming and reflection.

A survey released by Australian Recruitment Firm Robert Walters has outlined the top five office distractions that disrupt the harmony of a productive workforce. In association with organisational psychologist Michael O’Driscoll, we’ve dissected these distractions and elaborated on them further, exploring the pros and cons.

Of the gathering interest in this topic, O’Driscoll says “There does appear to be greater pressure at work these days and a greater need for efficiency and effectiveness. This is happening at the organisational level and obviously filters down to the individual level. Put simply, organisations need to be more productive and efficient in order to survive and hence they require their employees to ‘up their game.’

“I suspect the ‘distractions’ mentioned in this survey have always been considered a problem, although obviously the technology related ones are more recent. But perhaps now they are perceived to be an even greater problem because of the need for higher productivity and efficiency.”

Ultimately, O’Driscoll says it is important to enable individuals to exercise a degree of autonomy and control over their work time and efforts to encourage people to feel engaged with their work and take ‘ownership’ of their job performance.

“Excessive monitoring and rules can lead to feelings of disengagement from work and ultimately alienation. The issue is how much personal control is appropriate, given the roles and responsibilities of the individual,” he explains.

The Property Store

Personal emails and internet browsing

Social networking websites

Some employers view workplace resources such as email and internet to be a necessary evil. They harbour concern these modes of interaction and communication may be abused and promote time wasting instead of being treated as a professional tool and, perhaps, privilege.

These have an addictive quality and while many companies have implemented bans on social networking websites, other organisations are embracing them as a way to communicate with consumers.

It’s difficult to definitively adjudicate whether an employee’s use of a particular social networking domain is detrimental to their productivity and again the appropriateness of them doing this during work hours depends on the views of the organisation.

Other employers understand the key to a consistent work ethic means ‘everything in moderation’ and therefore have more relaxed rules around personal use of these mediums.

O’Driscoll says there is even some evidence that cyber-loafing such as surfing the net can actually be beneficial for workers. “As long as it is not excessive, it might give them a break from a monotonous or tedious task they are performing,” he says.

If a company benefits from an online presence, having staff interact with consumers via these digital environments may be a bonus.

Smoking breaks Smoking campaigns have rendered this habit an unhealthy one and, according to the Australian distractions survey, the consumption of nicotine in the workplace is considered detrimental not only to the health of the employee but also to the health of the organisation they work for.

But for an organisation that thrives on concentration and consistency may find productivity and an uninhibited access to the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Bebo, just don’t mix.

Talkative chatterbox colleagues If compatible personalities co-exist in an open plan office, chances are the discourse in the workplace will at times stray from the professional dialogue fostered and expected by the employer.

Some would argue that smoking and the choice to smoke is a fundamental right. And while there is no direct correlation between the act of smoking itself and enhanced or decreased productivity, some might argue that smoking breaks interrupt the momentum of an employee’s progress, while others would say prohibiting sporadic ‘smokos’ will result in increased stress and broken concentration.

Furthermore, there’s a fine line between positive social interaction and unproductive conversation.

Personal calls and text messages In today’s technological climate, the presence of personal communication devices in the workplace is an inevitability. There’s no right or wrong verdict on this ‘distraction,’ because how appropriate it is to be sending or receiving messages or making personal calls at work depends on the nature of the business and its personal views on the matter.

“Talking with one’s colleagues fulfils important social needs, as well as possibly conveying important job-related information, but excessive chatter might be dysfunctional,” O’Driscoll comments.

“For instance, at work there is sometimes a belief that too much informal interaction with work colleagues can distract a person from focusing on their actual specific work tasks.

“Sometimes, however, a distraction can be beneficial.”

Property Management Specalists (07) 377 2030 www.thepropertystore.co.nz www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 9

News

Arrested You are not alone When I started “ranting” Jono our editor warned me “be careful, no slander, don’t be specific with names, dates and places…” I’m afraid I’m going to have to hold myself back on this rant, being PC and careful enough for Jono’s approval is getting more and more difficult…

In a continuation of my previous rant (for those who missed it, www.magazinestoday.co.nz) on the poor level of sales service I experienced one particular day, I must continue… a number of conversations have been had and I feel obligated to tell you about a few.

A “prestige” car dealership lost a sale, in full view and earshot of colleagues and customers purely because the manager of the salesperson was an absolute twat! The manager did not know the full circumstances of the sale or the middle aged couple who were keen purchasers just trying to cut the best deal. The manager told the customer to stop wasting their time in a condescending, arrogant *#@* tone! Not only did the salesperson lose a sale, the manager lost his over-rider and the company lost business; not only from this one sale, but the future sales from this customer, along with friends, family and coworkers who have been told of this experience.

It has since been noted the vehicle at the “prestige” yard is still there, for considerably less than the keen purchasers were offering. (Phew, Jono will be happy, no particulars revealed!)

On a smaller scale there was the courier person who complained because there were too many parcels to pick up and it would make him too busy. Don’t courier persons clip the ticket on each parcel they handle? Why would anyone contemplate considering to refuse or complain about a job because it would make them too busy and — oh no — would earn more money?

From Pritesh at Artistic Embroidery and Clothing in Auckland offering their embroidery services, to Debbie who wrote to tell me about the poor level of service from a telco (funny that) and everyone in between, my ranting has given your voice a vehicle to be heard. The most popular rant topic has been about the level of service at cafés from New Plymouth to Invercargill — wait staff just dumping coffee on the table and walking away without any acknowledgement, along with the length of time waiting at takeaway coffee bars.

So far my ranting has taught me I’m not the only one that needs to get stuff off my chest. Many great conversations can be had with many great people about everyday frustrations. You may feel like it’s putting out a negative vibe, but in reality it teaches you something — you are not alone, similar people are facing similar frustrations.

There are plenty of people to talk, vent and rant to — who knows, you may strike up a mutually beneficial relationship or two. You may even get a new customer, find a friend for life or make a sale, simply by not being afraid to speak your mind. (But remember to be careful, no slander, don’t be specific with names, dates and places, be just PC enough but not over the top… ) My next rant is on the impact of this year’s flu season, coupled with four weeks annual leave and the associated issues and costs for employers. I’d love to hear your thoughts, email me your experiences.

Rebecca Harris is the General Manager of the Academy Group of Companies.

All correspondence regarding this column to: Email rebecca@academy.net.nz Post ’Rebecca’s Rant’, PO Box 1879

Christchurch 8140

development

By Kate Pierson

In life we are taught that winning is not everything and that in the face of competition, mustering up a ‘do my best’ attitude and playing with this spirit, irrespective of the outcome, is what really counts.

Whether its emulous characteristics befriend your own aspirational nature, or have you seeking security in the sanctuary of the sideline, the concept of competition is ingrained in human existence.

Cemented in tradition, competitiveness has been crystallised in local, national and international events and practices. And while the nature of competition has meant that it has always been an attention seeker, it is a hot topic in New Zealand at present for all the wrong reasons as everyone is asking, ‘Have New Zealanders lost their edge?’

The IMD Swiss Business School’s annual World Competitiveness Yearbook certainly seems to think so. A leading trio of Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States have secured spots at one, two and three in this survey of businesspeople and policymakers in 58 developed or emerging economies.

As a widely watched indicator for the quality of a country’s governance and investment environment, the survey measured countries against 327 different criteria. In New Zealand, the survey was conducted for IMD by the NZ Institute of Management.

Holding on to top spot The overall survey results indicated that despite its cataclysmic losses throughout the past two years, the US has stayed on top due to the sheer size of its economy, strong business leadership and unrivalled supremacy in technological innovation. Given the Singaporean economy grew by more than 13 percent in the first quarter of 2010, it’s no real surprise it takes top spot.

It seems Taiwan at number eight and Malaysia at 10, are also benefiting from strong demand in Asia, in addition to the implementation of highly efficient policies. Switzerland, at four, has been characterised by strong economic

fundamentals such as low deficit, debt, inflation and unemployment.

New Zealand on the other hand has dropped to 20th place as the Middle Eastern Emirate of Qatar has replaced us at number 15 and our Australasian counterpart has left us far behind after being introduced to spot number five. The big island from ‘Down Under’ was deemed the most competitive venue of commercial activity by the survey.

Despite these startling figures, recipients of the competitiveness survey have also been advised that results were impacted by unusual volatility caused by:  Economic growth  Exchange rates  Financial assets

Phil O’Reilly’s advice for staying competitive in our business landscape:  Try to get as capital intensive as possible whilst ensuring this is consistent with the nature of your business, ie the acquisition of modern machinery  Upskill staff and management — ensure your business has better skills than your competitors  Think of exporting from day one — think of your business as an exporter and what it would take to be one.

10 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

 Trade and investment flows  Employment figures.

BusinessNZ chief executive Phill O’Reilly agrees a part of New Zealand’s decline on the competition scale comes down to the volatility of the world economy. “These results also relate to high government debt and people out of work, which impacts productivity, weak capital markets and export performance,” he explains.

Rationalisations aside however, what do we do to regain our dwindling economic dynamism? “It comes down to the ease attached to starting a business, ease of developing that business and of course the government infrastructure spend,” O’Reilly says.

“Efficient government spending means not driving money into wasteful welfare schemes — not to say that all welfare scheme are wasteful, but New Zealand needs to be investing in productivity enhancing assets such as ports and motorways.

“That means it really comes down to how the government operates and the nexus and linkage between that and how our businesses operate.”

O’Reilly believes we have issues around our productivity capacity in New Zealand, as we have a low capital intensity compared to others.

He also maintains that we we need to look to countries like Singapore who are extraordinarily pro-growth and that look and feel like us and we need to read into, and understand them so we can learn from them.

“We face a dual problem where we are the most isolated developed economy in the world,” O’Reilly says.

“In Switzerland, businesses can drive for an hour to export and Singapore and Hong Kong are so close to big export markets they are almost back to their growth trend again.

“In New Zealand, our businesses need to starting thinking international not domestic.”

For more information on the IMD and its annual surveys, visit www.imd.ch Key word search using ‘IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook’

News

Pressing

The rise of an industry

 Samuel Marsden introduced

concerns

grapevines to New Zealand at Kerikeri in 1819 and James Busby produced wine on his Waitangi estate in the 1830s

 French settlers at Akaroa planted vineyards throughout the 1800s

 Mission Vineyards, established in 1865 in the Hawke’s Bay, is New Zealand’s oldest established vineyard

 Since 1955 the annual

By Bridget Gourlay

consumption of wine has been steadily increasing

Not so long ago, a typical Kiwi family on a typical weekend drive had two lunch options; pies and a cuppa at a roadside diner, or something deep fried with a brew at a pub. How times have changed.

 In 2000, there were 358 wineries in the country and exports totalled $100 million

 In 2009, there were 643

wineries and exports hit the $1 billion mark

 Four bottles of local wine are

drunk for each one imported.

In the last decade or so, the rise of the café culture has seen New Zealanders turn to fine fare and vino at vineyards dotted around the countryside — and nobody’s looking back.

While there have been a few vineyards about New Zealand since the 1850s, we have only become a serious wine producing nation in the last 20 years. Some parts of the country have undergone a seismic change — vines grow where sheep used to graze, seasonal shearing work has been replaced by seasonal picking and pruning. Tourism is no longer about country pubs and fluffy lambs, but gourmet restaurants hosting wine tastings.

New Zealand Winegrowers, an industry group, says we hit one billion dollars in exports last year, a stunning achievement for an industry that exported only $100 million of wine a decade ago. Wine adds $1.28 billion to New Zealand’s GDP and $3.5 billion to gross output each year.

Many of our wineries are small, ‘unique and boutique’ vineyards, often run by families or friends with a passion for wine and a bit of Kiwi ingenuity, selling medium to high priced and often well acclaimed wine.

Change in the wind But all this could change with several factors being cited.

Firstly, the recession, like a hard frost, has wiped out several unique and boutique New Zealand vineyards. NZ Winegrowers CEO Philip Gregan says small wineries need to do what every other company has been doing.

“Everybody has to take a long look at their business model and reduce costs with their growers or at the wineries. We definitely shouldn’t be cutting back in marketing though — in fact, we should spend more than we’ve ever done before.”

The other problem is, there was a supply imbalance out of the 2008 vintage which put retailers in a position of power, with a lot of wine to chose from and the power to deliver great deals to consumers. This stung smaller vineyards who couldn’t afford to sell wine in bulk at such low prices to retailers.

Gregan says now is the time to stock up on cheap wine, because anecdotally the 2010 harvests are closer to the usual demand situation.

Engineers + Consultants • Project Management • Process and Environmental • Food Processing • Mechanical and Materials Handling • Building and Construction • Health and Safety “The key for vintage 2011 and 2012 is to not produce more than the market can bear, produce in market demand.”

a statement about New Zealand. Wine is seen as a sophisticated, upmarket, modern product that reflects our country.”

That supply imbalance produced a ‘glut’ of cheap, lower quality wine, that could ruin our brand and reputation of quality.

It’s not all bad news for the wine industry, even for smaller wineries that are struggling.

Our wine continues to sell well globally, win international awards and draw tourists. And with emerging middle class markets in China and India beginning to demand wine, this “very hot prospect” according to Gregan, could mean even more stunning export figures.

Quality point of difference Dan Barker, director of small Hawke’s Bay winery Moana Park, says some “rubbish” New Zealand sauvignon blanc has just gone on sale in Canada for $13. “New Zealand produces 0.2 percent of the world’s wine, so we can’t compete in volumes. We must keep quality, that’s our point of difference.”

Barker also says small wineries have also been hit hard by the increasing excise on wine.

It went up 4 cents per bottle on July 1, but a New Zealand Winegrowers survey showed 84 percent of vineyards did not lift their prices, instead absorbing the rise themselves.

The excise tax has risen 11.6 percent since June 2006.

Barker says increasing excise tax “wears out margins”.

Dealing with excise tax “We pay more excise tax than we do income tax. It’s a huge component of our outgoings every month. We’re happy to pay it, it just shouldn’t increase every year in a tough environment.”

Philip Gregan says small wineries add colour, excitement and experimentation to the industry.

“We’re not talking about Coca-Cola here. They’re

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News Profile | Keith Quinn

By Kate Pierson

Captured in caricature The accomplished commentator has been captured in action by Murray Webb, one of New Zealand’s most respected caricature artists.

Webb’s artwork featured on the cover of Quinn’s Quirks, Keith Quinn’s 2007 book which combined his encyclopedic knowledge and sharp wit with a collection of his columns and musings from recent years

Former US Chief Justice, Earl Warren once said, “I always turn to the sports section first.

The sports section records people’s accomplishments; the front page, nothing but man’s failures”. This is a mantra iconic New Zealand sports commentator Keith Quinn has embraced his whole life. Quinn is man who sees a connection between the existence of sports and the evolution of a more egalitarian playing field, where the common denominator in a sea of cultural difference, is aspiration.

A life less ordinary Keith Quinn is a man who knows what he’s got while he’s got it — a sense of being most spend their whole lives looking to find and feel. His explanation for this deep seated appreciation lies in the words of Confucius who Quinn has referenced in the past. “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

There were times in his life when Quinn didn’t have ‘it’ though; when his relationship with commentary was temporarily severed as he hit one of life’s infamous road bumps. But when his professional calling was taken from him, he sought it back. And, true to his nature, Quinn was never defeated by executive directions that had an impact on his professional path. In fact, he was motivated by the circumstances and dared to try again.

“A lot of people tend to think my career has been smooth, but it hasn’t always been. I was stood down twice by TVNZ when the hierarchy of bosses changed. I decided not to give in though. I decided to try harder, practise harder, get fitter and get picked again — just like an All Black that doesn’t get picked for the squad,” he explains.

The Te Kuiti connection...

Quinn’s latest book, his thirteenth, was released in early September. Titled The A-Z of Meads, it is “a collection of stories, exaggerated stories, facts and fallacies about Sir Colin Meads”, says Quinn. “I’ve always felt an affinity with Meads who came from the same place as me and is arguably the greatest figure in world rugby. He talks in a manner that is nostalgic and does this in a Kiwi way. Meads is a great example of good living.”

12 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Even through the trials, tribulations and moments of ambiguity, it was still obvious this relationship between person and profession was meant to be. “I cannot recall a day in my life that I did not think about sport. Even when I think deeply about my early life experiences, sport was always there — the sports games I attended, the after match functions I attended with my father. Since my career began, I have been paid to think about sport every day of my life.”

So follows the collective sigh of wishful aspiration.

Because the truth of life is that very few do fulfil their ambitions. Many find themselves restricted by self imposed limitations or find they are paralysed with self doubt. For Quinn however, his longstanding appreciation of sports journalism and relationship with the world was always his driver.

“I always thought sports journalism and writing was important because I believe sport brings a great evenness between people. At the Olympic or Commonwealth games, whatever the skin colour of the competitors, they are equal in terms of their aspirations — they are trying to win and trying to improve themselves. In this way I think sport contributes to bettering the world.”

News Profile | Keith Quinn

Win, lose or draw Many would agree that there’s something quite nostalgic about Quinn’s voice. No doubt his familiar and quirky expressionism that still fills our airwaves today has the power to draw filed memories of yesteryear to the fore.

Quinn’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of sport that defies the capacity of the human memory. His finesse for facts comes down to his complete enmeshment in the profession he chose and his absorption of everything it had to offer. He has documented some of the greatest moments in sporting history.

Quinn’s first radio commentary was on radio in 1971 and television in 1973. Since 1988, he has been to the Hong Kong Sevens 19 times and has attended all six Rugby World Cups, nine Commonwealth Games, three Paralympic Games and the Olympic Games eight times.

In 1997, during the Queen’s Birthday Honours, Quinn was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for services to sports journalism and in 2005 he received the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Media Trophy presented to him in recognition of his contribution to the promotion of sports and olympism in New Zealand.

Beyond the accolades, too many to mention, a defining characteristic of Quinn’s career has been his ability to derive a defining moment, particularly from loss. Even when New Zealand was mourning a lost test match, or it was evident a great New Zealand hope at the Olympics wouldn’t be mounting the podium, Quinn says he has always been able to find appreciation in the preservation of a moment through expression. “Like putters in golf and batters in cricket, I like to pre-think and visualise the move — and in my case, the headline,” he explains.

Quinn believes irrespective of the outcome in sport, journalistic sentiment is always warranted. “Whether win, lose or draw, you have an idea about what you want to say,” he maintains and his brimming notebook is testament to this. It travels with Quinn to games he is attending professionally and socially.

As a master of wordsmithery, Quinn has an archive of expressions, both brainstormed and borrowed, stored in his memory bank. He remembers with succinct clarity his commentary during Australia’s victory over the All Blacks in the 2003 World Cup semi-final when he recited William Shakespeare. “I said, ‘if you have tears, be prepared to shed them now.’ This was an appropriate way to end this broadcast and that satisfied me.”

It seems the eternally relevant Shakespearean rhetoric spoke to the crowd too. “No one said anything to me about this quote until the following Monday when Professor Roger Robertson sent me a message.” It seems the professor lived up to his moniker the ‘running professor’ as he revealed to Quinn he had done just that.

“He told me he had raced into his literacy class on the Monday and told the students that I had used it,” Quinn says with flattered amusement.

When John Walker made New Zealand history in Montreal 1976, winning a gold medal, Quinn was there to honour Walker for his achievement and he had come prepared.

“I had a headline prepared and it wasn’t flash or purple prose, but when he won the gold I said, ‘In the great tradition of Jack Lovelock and Peter Snell, John Walker wins the Olympic Games 1500 metres gold medal for New Zealand.’”

Flash forward twenty years and Quinn was also present when the All Blacks won their first-ever test series in South Africa in 1996. “The Springboks wanted to smash the All Blacks and the All Blacks wanted to smash the Springboks. It was the irresistible force meets the immovable objects,” Quinn says enthusiastically.

Having known just what to say and when to say it for many years, there’s only been one time Quinn’s been genuinely lost for words.

It was the 1995 Rugby World Cup semi-final in South Africa, the All Blacks versus England, and a young Jonah Lomu delivered a one man demolition job so scintillating it’s still replayed today. Part of the picture is Quinn’s dialogue — a piece of iconic commentary in itself — “New Zealand maintaining possession… wide to Lomu… he’s got the bounce… he’s handed off his opposite.

Lomu… oh… oh!”

Prestigious prize

Synergy Born in Te Kuiti and raised in Wellington, Quinn’s synergistic relationship with his parents laid the foundations for who he is today. Quinn’s father, an engineer from Canada, was a raconteur who wrote coaching manuals and held softball fundraising dinners.

His influence on Quinn in his life and after his death has been profound.

Keith Quinn holds on to the William Webb Ellis Cup, the most prestigious prize in international rugby, awarded to the Rugby World Cup winner

Quinn’s relationship with his father proves that the presence of a role model you can see and touch doesn’t define you, it’s the characteristics you inherit from them and the feelings and memories you preserve of them, that do. “I didn’t get to know my father well as he passed away when I was only eight, but I know I am just like him. I think about him every day and he has been a big inspiration to me,” Quinn says.

Behind every great man, there is a great woman and Quinn’s late mother played that role. In the absence of their father, she raised her boys to embrace independence. “After my father passed away, my mother flung herself into raising five sons as a widow. Her life was devoted to raising us and she made sure we knew we did not have to follow conventional lines. She told us we didn’t have to become teachers, bankers, lawyers or doctors.”

A unanimous nod of gratitude to Quinn’s mother from the film, language and civic sectors will no doubt follow this revelation, as three of Quinn’s brothers, with their mother’s blessing, pursued respected careers in film making, Asian language studies and the police force.

Quinn’s fourth brother passed away in his thirties, but became a poet and writer before then.

‘Pal’ in this household The ironic thing about being a ‘household name’, is that in the egalitarian climate of their own household, the owner of this revered name is, well, just like any other inhabitant of that domain. In Quinn’s case, in his own household, he’s simply ‘Pal’, offered in affection by his wife Anne, ‘Dad’ to his kids and humorously, ‘Grumpy’ to his grandkids, which he loves for its bewilderment factor when friends hear it.

Refreshingly, Quinn’s family’s nonchalance to his public status is just the way he likes it. “My family are not greatly impressed by my status and I love them even more for that. Instead of saying ‘good commentary dad’, they’ll say to me it was a good game.”

Not driven by the promise of verbal or tangible decorations of honour, but the nobility of the profession, Quinn is self-effacing by nature and his frequent introduction of the word ‘modest’ when contextualising his success is representative of this. But as humble as Quinn is about his own success, is as commendatory as he is of other achievers.

Throughout his career Quinn has lent his narrative skills to multiple books, his most recent released in early September. Titled The A-Z of Meads, this is Quinn’s 13th book. “It’s a collection of stories, exaggerated stories, facts and fallacies about Sir Colin Meads,” he reveals.

“I’ve always felt an affinity with Meads who came from the same place as me and is arguably the greatest figure in world rugby. He talks in a manner that is nostalgic and does this in a Kiwi way. Meads is a great example of good living.”

So how does Quinn define living? “Well, every New Year’s eve when we gather as a family and share our New Year’s resolutions, I say the same thing. ‘I have no regrets and I’ll never look back — but next year I’ll be even more magnanimous than this year’.”

And, in keeping with his no regrets policy for his life, Quinn concedes he’s only ever toyed fleetingly with ‘what if’ scenarios about his career. He has, at one time or another contemplated what may have transpired had he lent his voice to a neighbouring nation and its sports domain.

“I’ve had a hint that people offshore have a regard for what I’ve done,” he says. But after marrying at a young age, his three beloved children Rowan, Bennett and Shelley followed in quick succession and Quinn found his calling here in New Zealand. “My family has kept me grounded and balanced in my life and I’ve been a full time Kiwi,” he says with sincere satisfaction.

Needless to say, there will be plenty who will be glad he stayed. None more so than the little boy from South Canterbury who grew up to be award-winning writer and broadcaster, Mike Yardley. At 12 or 13 years old, Yardley wrote Quinn a letter asking for his advice on how he could pursue and realise his own ambitions, to which Quinn replied with some words of wisdom.

Years later, during an awards ceremony, Yardley stood before an audience that included Quinn, who had also won a sports journalism prize the same night, with his trophy in one hand and Quinn’s letter in the other.

This was a true testament that words have power. But of course, Quinn has known that his whole life. He was born to write and lives to commentate. www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 13

Innovation | The Way Forward

Dancing in the rain

By Jonathon Taylor

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got.”

It’s an oldie, but a goodie and never a more pertinent word has been uttered when it comes to business. And as the shape, nature and arguably the rules of post recession business practice re-write themselves, Mark Twain’s words seem ever more pertinent.

Now while there’s said to be no such thing as a bad idea, there are a billion

and one ways to turn a good idea into road kill before it’s half way across the street.

Bright ideas aren’t the problem — realising them is.

This is where ‘innovation’ gets a bad rap, because many forget that big things come in small packages. It’s not all about Richard Branson and space tourism or Bill Gates and software; innovation for the average small to medium enterprise is, in the main, about taking care of the little things. Little things which if left to their own devices can become liabilities.

It isn’t necessarily about doing new things, it’s about doing things a new way, as good ideas are overtaken by better ones.

Innovation in business is as much about questioning not just what you do, but how

you do it. The guiding principle is all about embracing change.

Failure to service operational reality will see any venture rusting on the side of the road as a thunderstorm of more efficient competitors breaks overhead.

While change for nothing more than change’s sake falls directly into the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ box, failing to evaluate where you can perform better, or operate more efficiently, makes it difficult to keep pace with the competition. The result is that doing nothing means you’re not only not moving forward, but actually moving backwards relative to others.

The key to keeping your wheels turning is marrying ideological flights of fancy with the realities of running a company. In real, practical terms, innovation is more than bright ideas; it’s as much about evolving systems and processes as it is about creating products and concepts.

Starting a company or launching a new concept is of course a burst of inspiration, but running this business or ensuring your concept gets off the ground is an exercise in pragmatism, where attention to detail and logistical logic are the vehicles delivering that entrepreneurial dream.

In order to help you embrace change of your own we look at innovation as a driver of growth, broadening our horizons, the mechanics of risk management and where to find help when that burst of inspiration arrives. Waiting for the storm to pass won’t work. It’s time to dance in the rain.

What’s the problem?

By Melinda Collins

New Zealand is ranked highly in international comparisons, from economic freedom through to ease of doing business. It also provides the ideal environment to foster a sound innovation ecosystem — at least on paper.

Robust technical, financial, commercial and legal support levels and vast organisational, social and marketing knowledge provide the basis for a strong innovation hub within our small, isolated economy. And it’s what we’ve always been known for, right?

Yet, in spite of a macro-economic and institutional framework ideal for fostering innovation, we are failing, and failing miserably.

Not only has the New Zealand Institute accused New Zealanders of not caring about the country’s “innovation eco-system” but a newly released report shows the true extent of our dismal innovation performance.

The Innovation Index of New Zealand is an interindustry, multi-indicator study measuring our innovation effort since 1998, published by IBM New Zealand and the University of Auckland.

The research looks at innovation across the whole of the aggregate New Zealand economy, as well as within 16 separate industry sectors, spanning both commercial and non-commercial.

And its contents are no less than astounding for many within the business community.

The research reveals that, while some industry sectors have performed reasonably well, New Zealand’s overall rate of innovation, an attribute we have become renowned for, has remained stagnant for almost a decade.

After rising 13 percent between 1998 and 2000,

14 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

the overall rate of innovation in New Zealand remained virtually flat for the next seven years before dropping sharply in 2008, almost certainly in response to the then-deepening economic recession.

IBM New Zealand managing director Jennifer Moxon says innovation performance is widely acknowledged as a key driver of economic growth.

“Given the critical role that innovation plays in creating wealth and prosperity, it is concerning that the rate of innovation in this country has been virtually stagnant for the last decade,” she says.

From an industry sector point of view, the strongest innovation performance came from the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector where the index more than doubled between 1998 and 2008 — the only sector where innovation activity consistently increased year on year.

throughout the past 10 years. Registered Master Builders Foundation CEO Warwick Quinn says construction companies shy away from being innovative as a result of the increased regulations stemming from the leaky homes syndrome. “They (construction companies) stay conservative to stop themselves being exposed to litigation or claims down the track.”

The industry’s hierarchical process doesn’t engender innovation and he suggests a holistic approach to curve its innovation results. For innovative elements to be injected into the process, architects, builders, tradesmen and homeowners need to collaborate ideas and concepts from a project’s inception and this represents the exception rather than the rule.

“Changing this culture and working smarter is what will drive innovation and productivity.”

But this finding came as no surprise to the researchers, University of Auckland Business School Associate Professor Basil Sharp says.

“Given that agriculture, forestry and fishing is responsible for more than half of New Zealand’s export income — by far the largest single export sector — we would expect to see greater than average investments in innovation in this sector.”

IBM New Zealand chief technologist Dougal Watt says it is time for New Zealand to prioritise innovation to secure a brighter future. “Innovation has the power to transform organisation, industries, even our whole country.

But, improving New Zealand’s innovation performance will not be simple or quick. It will require collective investment and long term commitment from many stakeholders, including industry bodies, research institutions, universities, business leaders, government policymakers and investors.

According to the index, the construction industry had the biggest innovation decline (15 percent)

“To drive meaningful change, this will have to be a truly collaborative effort.”

e L -

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Innovation | The Way Forward

a - of faith

By Melinda Collins

We recognise courage as a quality of spirit that enables one to face danger without showing fear.

Some organisations have it. Some don’t. But how does courage play out in business?

University of Southern California professor Kathleen Reardon offered this insight via the Harvard Business Review in 2007. “In business, courage is really a special kind of calculated risk-taking. People who become good leaders have a greater than average willingness to make bold moves, but they strengthen their chances of success — and avoid career suicide — through careful deliberation and preparation.”

Despite all the preparation in the world, risk taking is not always what it’s cracked up to be.

On April 23, 1985 The Coca-Cola Company took arguably the biggest risk in the history of consumer goods, announcing the first formula change for the world’s most popular softdrink in 99 years. It promptly spawned extreme consumer angst. The ensuing public protests, boycotts and emptying of bottles in the street saw Coca-Cola promptly bin the whole idea, returning to the original formula just 79 days after the “new, improved” formula introduction.

But, as they say, nothing ventured is nothing gained and the late chairman and CEO at the time Roberto Goizueta, said the venture stands as testimony to the power of “taking intelligent risks”.

Risk management The act of creating a business is, essentially, a risk in itself. Then, once established, risk comes with the territory. Deciding not to take opportunities and not look for new ways of doing business can be a greater risk than doing so. Fact is, all businesses face risks — it’s how you manage them which ensures corporate survival; making risk management, rather than the act of risk taking, the prerequisite of business success.

Risk management is not about either taking or avoiding risks, according to New Zealand Society for Risk Management executive Steve Vaughan. It involves taking appropriate actions relating to risks to ensure your business can achieve its goals — quite simply, it is taking risks, but assessing the risk involved and acting accordingly.

“Risk management is systematically identifying what you want to achieve, working out what might affect that, how likely it is and deciding what systems and protocols to put in place to address those situations,” Vaughan says.

“Good risk management requires two way communication with those affected and continually monitoring what is going on.”

schedule, designed to keep costs and, therefore, airfares low. “A number of things, weather, mechanical problems etc, caused delays which meant late and cancelled flights and unhappy passengers. Jetstar did not have spare aircraft to fill the gaps so passenger backlash got worse.

“Finally Jetstar was forced to take a number of steps including offering compensation and a Jetstar customer guarantee.

“The question is, did Jetstar identify and assess these risks before they launched? Did it have the communication with customers to make them aware that a trade off for really cheap fares was the possibility of delay? Were the steps Jetstar took already set up as part of its risk management, or was it invented ‘on the fly’?”

Once you have identified and understood the risk, you can decide whether or not it is necessary to act, develop a strategy for action and decide the right time to strike, which is determined by the scenario. Acting unnecessarily may result in wasted time and cost when risks are not pertinent.

 Improved information for decision making  Enhanced reputation  Director protection  Better accountability and improved governance  Better health and safety.

The key, he says, is not to treat risk management as an add on but to wire it into the organisation’s management. “The process of risk management can be described in one paragraph but doing it successfully requires discipline and skill.”

Key steps to achieving solid risk management:  Be clear about your objectives and write them down  Understand the context you are working in, including your capabilities, your stakeholders, regulatory requirements and financial requirements

Vaughan also points out that most organisations manage risks in some way or another. “It’s just if they don’t do it systematically, they are not likely to get the benefits from it.” And the benefits, he adds, are diverse.

 Work out who you need to communicate with and how you are going to do it, then do it  Using your objectives, systematically identify risks

Well, that’s debatable. What isn’t debatable is the power of strategic risk taking — witnessed by the launch of cut-price airline Jetstar and evidenced by the daring launch of New Zealand’s Two Degrees mobile network, with its $250 million price tag.

Had Coca-Cola identified public backlash as a risk when developing the new formula, it could have assessed the risk and worked out a way of dealing with it. A sound risk management process would have seen the company actively monitoring for early signs of public backlash, allowing for a back up plan (or to ditch the venture entirely) and the company would have had no sudden surprises.

 Improved efficiency (by focussing effort on the risks that really matter)

While it takes courage to make the first move, how you manage the risk is essential.

The launch of Jetstar is another prime example, with its low number of planes and tight

 Improved relationships with stakeholders (a result of effective risk communication)

Most importantly, he says, get expert help if you need it. The society has a list of consultants available on its website www.risksociety.org.nz

Risk management benefits include:

 Assess those risks

 Fewer surprises  The ability to see and exploit opportunities

 Decide which ones need treatment and do so

 Improved planning, performance and effectiveness of the business

 Monitor to make sure the treatments are happening.

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 15

Innovation | The Way Forward

Bright

Whether you’ve invented a whole new widget or have come up with another way to breathe new life into an old idea, it pays to take a measured approach to assessing its potential...

ideas

By Kate Pierson

the business path is to stop, look and listen.

It’s a cardinal rule for human existence; an age-old method of protecting ourselves against imminent danger.

While it would be great if life imitated art when it comes to sensing danger or smelling success, the reality is, we need to learn to see and read the signs ourselves.

Unlike fictional characters that inhabit the world of animation, we don’t see or hear warning bells as we approach a danger zone. And our alter-ego won’t appear to whisper words of wisdom in our ear.

Learning to spot the accelerate, slow down or brake signals is critical when you are investing time, resources and energy into a new project.

the knowledge she gained from developing her own software start-up in 2000, has educated Hill on the language of commercial signs.

Bringing innovation to life is a game of two parts. First and foremost, it is about conceptualising a market-specific product, service or technology that is scalable.

PowerHouse venture partner and technology entrepreneur Jane Hill knows all about this, as well as the ins and outs of the innovation game.

Hills says that in pursuit of innovative success, the first step for entrepreneurs is to ensure their idea is the best it can be. “To do this, entrepreneurs need to truly understand how customers will value their proposed solution.

They should aim to increase customer satisfaction on dimensions that are important to them and know how businesses conduct their operation currently, as well as talking to plenty of potential customers.”

Hill has been working in venture development for the last five years, advising start-up businesses. She started at the Canterbury Innovation Incubator at PowerHouse in 2004 — an organisation that specialises in venture creation and venture development.

This hands-on experience, in conjunction with

She adds that finding a low risk market segment to start with, validating this market, as well as conducting customer trials, bringing in advisers and learning how to synthesise the information given by these advisers, are also fundamental factors. Once a concept with real market potential has been formulated, the next step on

Stop, look and listen

Broadening

By Kate Pierson

While the expression “the grass is greener on the other side” is a metaphorical proverb used to describe peoples’ instinctive desire for wanting what they don’t have; its ulterior meaning is pertinent when applying it to the subject of broadening your business horizons.

It’s not so much that offshore companies and business brains seem to always have what we don’t, but more that their industries and international experts can give us more of what we need to feed our own markets and economy — innovative attitude.

According to a collaborative survey between IBM and the University of Auckland, our innovative heartbeat in New Zealand is flatlining. Evaluating

Hill discusses some key warning signs that an idea or technology may not evolve past the preliminary stage of development as well as discussing signals for success.

Heads up: Danger ahead  No interest from customers; if you are unable to find interested trial customers at a very early stage

 If you have to spend a large amount of money or time before you believe you can present the concept to a customer, this could be a major issue

your potential customers, this can present a constraint

 If you have developed something which is in conflict with current industry trends.

Hold on: Success is in reach  When you see market trends that are

comparable with your product or service, are gaining momentum

 When you are delivering a solution that customers are prepared to pay for

 Industry leaders confirm the value proposition

 Customer satisfaction is being voiced  Interest from investors is evident.

While the simplicity of these signs can detract from their critical importance, recognising them is essential. Because often, that which is deemed too simplistic to be of any relevance, is what can make or break an idea.

It’s about having business intuition minus the superstition. Because having business intuition is not akin with relying solely on your gut instinct for answers, or trying to forecast or predict a result. It is about being wide eyed and open eared to the signs which will inform a result. Signs can spell out danger or give you the injection of motivation you need if selfarticulated doubt is clouding your ability to see that success is on the horizon.

your horizons

the research and development that drives innovation in New Zealand and how this is translated into products, the index indicated that innovation was on the rise between 1998 and 2000 before stagnating for seven years and falling in 2008.

Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST) investment services manager, Hamish Campbell says the proposition that innovation is flatlining conflicts with what the organisation has observed. In contrast to the index’s revelations, FRST has seen a maturation of innovative research and development (R&D) and from its perspective, recognition of the importance of innovative practices is on the rise.

But while some are placing significant emphasis on developing innovative services and products through R&D, Campbell concedes that in the context of our standing in the OECD, New Zealand businesses as a collective have yet to gain real momentum in this area.

16 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

The same rule applies in business.

Before leaping, it is important to take a moment and reflect on your surroundings and potential signs of danger to identifying whether something is amiss or that success is on the radar.

 If the idea or technology is high risk for

“We need to lift our game in the quantum of investment. To succeed on the international scale, R&D is essential, but are there enough New Zealand businesses doing this? Probably not. And until we out-think and keep pace with offshore businesses in the same industries, we will always be behind the eight ball.”

experience here means we can identify specific needs and validate our services and products.”

To operate and compete in a global marketplace, New Zealand businesses need to understand global markets and trends and part of this is looking at offshore industries, he says.

From concept through to commercialisation, it helps evaluate ideas, accelerate product development and inform business decisions.

For a small fee, New Zealand businesses can connect with the international market and ultimately, broaden their business horizons.

“We can’t succeed by just looking at activity onshore. We need to participate in a global marketplace by looking offshore for ideas and utilising existing offshore networks.

“There are an estimated one million New Zealanders living outside of our country, which means we have the second largest expatriate community per capita. Making connections with these people and applying their global

FRST offers a Global Expert service which utilises more than 20,000 experts from leading universities, research institutions and companies around the world.

Developing innovation is only the start.

Broadening horizons is also about learning to speak new business languages and opening your mind to new professional possibilities both here and abroad.

For more information on FRST and Global Expert go to www.frst.govt.nz

News

the green belt

By Bridget Gourlay

Townies: Suits who wouldn’t know one end of a

cow from another, but are happy to complain about water issues while getting rich off the taxes from dairy exports.

Farmers: Country bumpkins who would call

a place like Timaru ‘The Big Smoke’ and constantly whinge about conditions while getting all kinds of subsidies from the Government.

There’s all kinds of stereotypes to make about rural and urban New Zealanders, but the fact is they depend on one another.

It’s true agriculture is our primary industry and has been since New Zealand was colonised. But it’s also true urban areas provide processing facilities, ports and transport infrastructure that allow the rural sector to prosper.

Since neither can operate without the other, the real question is whether there is a rural-urban divide?

Yes, says Federated Farmers vice president Donald Aubery.

And the best example of it can be illustrated with broadband — or the lack of it in rural areas.

He says FarmSafe, an information website, has the option for people to fill out a form online.

However, in the rural area, 70 percent have indicated they still require information by post.

“The reason they’re doing that is because of their inability to remain online long enough to fill out a form. FarmSafe assures us the system is as simple as possible, but even those with access to internet are struggling with the simplest of forms. They can’t book air plane tickets, or hotels, or undertake lengthy research online because of poor service.”

Access to better healthcare like midwifery services and better schooling is another demand often heard from rural folk. But some would say that a decile one school in a city’s poorest suburb is ten times worse than any little country school. Or that the health services in those urban areas are equally as lacking compared to need.

Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery (MAF) research shows that in the 1880s, 60 percent of the population lived in rural areas. By the time of the 1916 census, the country’s urban population was greater than the rural one. This trend has continued and today just 14 percent of New Zealanders live in rural areas.

Te Ara Encyclopaedia writes that a rift between townies and rural folk goes back a hundred years. In 1913, when the Wellington wharfies went on strike, the conservative government enlisted ‘special constables’, mainly farmers, to reopen the wharves. This resulted in a number of bloody street clashes. The strike highlighted a geo-political split between the city and country — when the Labour Party was founded in 1916, most of its backing was from city voters.

And until the 1960s, the conservative parties attracted more country support.

This divide escalated again during the 1981 Springbok tour. Statistically, support for the tour was strongest in country districts and opposition centred in cities.

The growth of lifestyle blocks during the 1980s created more tensions. Lifestylers complained about country noises and smells to the bemusement and irritation of local farmers.

So how to bridge this historic gap?

Donald Aubery says townies could take opportunities to visit farms. “One of the things Federated Farmers has done has been to organise an annual event called farm day — one of the best attended of the two dozen or so was at Lincoln. It was a great opportunity for people to interact directly with farming. Most people are amazed at the level of technology used on farms these days. The way in which we manage nutrients has improved markedly, initiatives for example involving Fonterra and Dairy NZ are having a big impact.”

In 2008, MAF commissioned research aimed at understanding the changing nature of rural and urban New Zealanders’ beliefs and values.

It showed that it’s actually country people who don’t understand townies.

The majority (64 percent) of urban respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that, if the rural sector was doing well, everyone living in the urban sector would be better off. Only 15 percent disagreed. In contrast, 25 percent of rural respondents agreed that, if the urban sector was doing well, people in the rural sector would be better off, while 43 percent disagreed.

MAF says there is a lack of clarity in rural places about the role of urban New Zealand. Of course, not everything done in New Zealand is strictly rural or urban.

There’s tourism and manufacturing. Huge manufacturing areas are often on city outskirts and employ a range of people who live in the city or the country. Many use country grown materials, like wood, processed and exported in city zones with city infrastructure.

Tourists are drawn to New Zealand equally for the city and the country — to walk though the woods or climb the Sky Tower, to bungy jump over rivers but to stay in a Queenstown hotel.

When all’s said and done, the fact remains our key industries could not exist without both rural and urban enterprise. Once everyone realises that, city and country folk can work together for the betterment of New Zealand.

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 17

Living | Today

By Kate Pierson

packing it in

products

Who said material indulgence isn’t practical? Because we’ve well and truly disproved that theory with our good looking and user-friendly products for you. We went on a style scouting mission to find bag solutions that fit into the functional luxury category and we exceeded our own expectations when the commercial heavens opened and delivered to us, seven fine formed models with looks, personality and purpose.

men

Overnight/weekend Konev Zip Top Overnight Bag When you want to live in the moment, having a carry-on whose features complement an impulsive excursion (think plentiful space, lightweight and easy to store) to accompany you is key. Handcrafted in New Zealand and made from cow hide, the Konev Overnight Bag has been made with your spontaneous streak in mind. Featuring a zip top for ease of content accessibility, this practical pleasure is available in black and chocolate cowhide, black and red calf and avocado or tamarillo antique nappa.

Rodd and Gunn Large Weekender Bag Don’t do metrosexuality when it comes to a ‘manbag’?

You don’t have to, because Rodd and Gunn’s Large Weekender Bag defines traditional masculinity.

Handcrafted in New Zealand, this 100 percent Italian leather luggage is a hybrid of practicality and presence.

It’s rare to find a bag that makes a statement without ‘look at me’ bells and whistles, but the Large Weekender Bag has done just that.

Better still, it promises long life and style longevity with its 100 percent cotton Rodd and Gunn plaid lining and durable exterior.

Dimensions: 25cm H x 65cm W x 29cm D Available: www.shopnewzealand.co.nz RRP: $528

Dimensions: 32cm H x 56cm W x 26.5cm D Available: www.roddandgunn.co.nz RRP: $1199

Holiday Louis Vuitton Monogram Pegase 55 The signature LV iconography may stand for Louis Vuitton, but it also represents Luxury Vacation. It’s a range in which you can get lost in the possibilities, yet the cabin sized Louis Vuitton Monogram Pegase 55 is still a stand-out. Integrating the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram skin, with a large volumetric capacity that defies its cabin case body, the Pegase 55 is portability meets aesthetic perfection.

Dressed in a natural cowhide trim with polyamide lining, this ultra-portable model features leather handles with a self locking expandable handle and an easy-to-attach protective sleeve with windows for the handles and wheels.

And while the Pegase’s iconic facade may command attention for

Office Rare Edition Designs Large Folio Bag Classic and contemporary have found each other thanks to Rare Edition Designs. RED’s Vintage Bling (sepia on natural colour) Folio Bag in genuine black leather is an amalgamation of traditional style and noveau chic. Featuring an internal pocket and dedicated mobile phone holder, there is a zip closure at the mouth of the bag for added security, adjustable straps for convenience and its full shape and length can accommodate A4 folders and files, making the Folio Bag an essential office accessory.

Made in New Zealand using hand screen printed, limited edition textiles by designer Sarah Martin, the Folio has a split style personality — in a good way. Its facade may connote a sense of whimsical, but it has a fiery nature with deep red fabric lining.

Available: Vintage Bling and Wild Wisteria at www.rareeditiondesigns.co.nz RRP: $499

women 18 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

its strong affiliation with style, it has a very quiet demeanour with noiseless wheels.

Its protective instinct will ensure your most precious personals will be well accommodated by an inside zipped pocket and two clothing protection flaps with additional zipped pockets

Pierre Cardin

Featuring a secure sealed golden brass closure and natural cowhide reinforcements on a wood structure, this classically chic addition to your family of luggage sports an adjustable leather strap for convenience, a removable leather ID holder and protective golden brass feet.

Pierre Cardin luggage is built to last the test of time. Constructed from a featherlight but resilient polycarbonate, these cases, ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 kilograms have a tough personality and can withstand the rough and tumble of a boys trip. With an internal organiser integrated into the fully lined interior, plus a triple combination lock, zipper protection and lock down zipper pulls, the Pierre Cardin polycarbonate luggage will keep things in order when exchanging your playful for practical side.

Dimensions: 40cm x 18cm Available: Louis Vuitton locally and internationally RRP: $3950

Dimensions: Small 55cm, medium 65cm, large 79cm Available: Ballantynes RRP: $265

Dimensions: 50cm H x 40cm W by 20cm D Available: Louis Vuitton locally and internationally RRP: $4000

Louis Vuitton Monogram Hat Box Whether it’s wrapping itself around your latest fashion fixation, fascinator or fedora, it’s classic Hollywood meets contemporary sophistication with the Louis Vuitton Monogram Hat Box.

3 Wise Men Leather Satchel Word is out there has been a discovery of the fourth gift offered by the 3 Wise Men — not to be confused with those that delivered the gold, frankincense and myrrh of course.

The three wise men we have on our style radar have offered New Zealand’s most style conscious the gift of shirts, belts and cotton boxers that have been joined by a leather satchel searching for a home in your office. Crafted with 100 percent soft cowhide leather, this chocolate brown satchel is utilitarian by look and by nature. With an internal zip pocket, cellphone holder and long shoulder strap for comfortability, the 3 Wise Men brand has revolutionised office apparel for your convenience.

Available: In store at 3 Wise Men or online www.3wisemen.co.nz RRP: $350

Living | Today

Gadget Polaroid Two We all remember with nostalgia the instant magic that was the Polaroid camera, just as we love the latest digital technology. Well the clever chaps at ZINK Imaging Inc. have thrown the two together to create Polaroid Two. The Polaroid Two is a new instant digital camera with a built in instant printer which utilises ZINK Zero Ink Printing technology. The Polaroid Two can snap a 5MP image and print it instantly, making it the ideal camera to take with you anywhere to snap, print and share your memories. The Polaroid Two combines the innovation of instant printing photography with all the functions of a digital camera.

touches of style

lifestyles

Available: From electronics stores nationwide RRP: $379

Sustainable tech Real Wood Computer Keyboard and Mouse The world has gone bonkers for sustainability — you know it, we know it, and certainly the inventors of random contraptions know it. The latest craze to hit is bamboo.

With its self-replenishing characteristics, bamboo has become the eco-darling of

sustainability. Individually hand-crafted from environmentally friendly bamboo, this keyboard and mouse is warm, natural and upmarket, perfect for an executive office or den. The Real Wood Computer Keyboard and Mouse allows technology to blend with your surroundings, even if they’re not remotely jungle-like.

Available: www.latestbuy.com.au RRP: $124.94

Destination Rotorua TripAdvisor travellers have just voted a Rotorua spa resort as one of the best places to relax in the South Pacific — and what better time of the year to take a spa break than winter.

Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort contains all which the best accommodation facilities do; restaurant, bar and other well appointed facilites (although uniquely decorated in Maori art), but what sets this destination aside is the award winning Wai Ora Day Spa. ‘Wai Ora’ means healing waters and it is an apt name for the resort featuring relaxing massage options such as volcanic stone massages based on traditional Maori healing and wellbeing techniques. Rotorua is a special place with its unique cultural and geothermal heritage. Now you can experience it all at Wai Ora Spa Resort, the lakeside resort with stunning sunsets over the backdrop of the Rotorua volcanic caldera.

Availability: Contact Wai Ora Lakeside Spa Resort Rotorua 0800 345 318, www.waioraresort.co.nz RRP: Rates from $199

Funky furniture

Top drop

Bed Bug

Sacred Hill pinot noir 2009

Italy is branded as the world’s centre of fashion excellence and people are fascinated with the country’s extraordinary sense of style. So it’s little wonder we also gain decor trends from this fashion capital. Created by renowned designer Paola Navone and showcased in Milan just this year, the Bed Bug is already making waves around the world. ‘Characterised by stylistic creativity and technology, though preserving the canons of elegance and design,’ the website states. But you only have to look at the photos to recognise the simple elegance the Bed Bug represents.

When it comes to wine, cheap does not always equate to nasty. The 2009 Sacred Hill pinot noir has been voted WineNZ’s ‘Outstanding and Best Value Under $30’ in its recent pinot noir tasting. Judged by three internationally experienced judges, the closing comments show why we have selected this pinot noir as our top drop.

“Sacred Hill has a deserved reputation for the quality and value for money of their wines. Here we see a good example of why. Along with lush fruit-pastille aromas on the nose we found a dense, fruity palate that is ripe but not overly sweet and that shows plenty of concentration and depth of flavour.”

Available: Studio Italia (09) 523 2105, info@studioitalia.co.nz, www.studioitalia.co.nz RRP: From $9980

Available: From wine outlets nationwide RRP: $20.90

Go-fast toy Blokart Feel the wind rush past your face as you zoom around a park or beach, your body barely 10 centimetres above the ground, in your very own Blokart.

Don’t be fooled by its impressive looks, this fine piece of Kiwi ingenuity is the perfect point to start for those with no sailing experience. Anyone can do it regardless of age or physical ability.

The wind-powered, hair-raising toy, more commonly known as a land yacht, has soared in popularity since its inception, now being sold in Europe, Britain, the Middle East, South Africa, the US, Australia and its New Zealand birthplace. Hire one in your area or buy one for yourself.

Available: Blokart International and registered distributors nationwide 0800 4 BLOKART, email info@blokart.com or visit www.blokart.com RRP: Prices from $3990

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 19

Have you ever asked yourself...

Is there more cancer around these days? Why are there more pregnancy issues, infertility, or miscarriages? Why do more kids have ADHD now? Is male sexual dysfunction more prevalent now? What damage are we doing to our planet by using plastic? What’s causing the early onset of female puberty? Read on and you may find the answers...

What is BPA (Bisphenol A)?

BPA is widely used to make polycarbonate plastics such as those in baby bottles, water bottles and compact disc cases and is an ingredient in the resins used to line food cans. The chemical has been shown to leach into food or water. To see a complete definition of BPA, please go to www. safebottles.co.nz. The following is a direct quote from Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). As you will see they acknowledge that BPA and other chemicals do leach into food and liquid. However, they also say that it’s not proven to be harmful and doesn’t cause cancer.

“In some circumstances, chemicals in food packaging can migrate into the food product and vice versa, depending on the nature of the packaging and the food contained within.”

Food Standards Australia New Zealand “the most toxic chemical known to man.”

Dr Frederick Vom Saal

The facts on BPA The following are quotes relating to BPA and chemicals found in plastic water bottles. To see the full quote and source, please visit our website, www.safebottles.co.nz In men the oestrogen mimicking effects of BPA have been known to block some of the more important effects that testosterone has on sexual functioning. Those who were exposed to BPA were four times more likely than those who were not exposed to report some sort of sexual dysfunction. Associate Professor of Department of Reproductive Sciences - Yale

But even though PETE (used in many plastic bottles) doesn’t contain BPA (as seen on 60 Minutes 9/6/2010), it does contain other chemicals called phthalates - which are also believed to be endocrine disruptors. Mindfood.com Like BPA, these chemicals leach into the water more quickly when the plastic is heated, so don’t leave these water bottles in a hot car or out in the sun. A potentially deadly toxin is being absorbed into bottled mineral

water from their plastic containers.

And the longer the water is stored, the levels of poison increase, research reveals.

There are enough warning signs to show the need to act sooner rather than later. There are growing concerns about bottled water in particular in plastic bottles. The safest option is stainless steel. Breastchek.co.nz

Jo Knowsley

Our findings suggest that exposure to low-dose BPA may have widespread effects on brain structure and function. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to classify BPA as safe, basing its ruling only on the findings of two industry-funded studies.

There are over 200 independent scientists, not in conflict financially with this chemical (BPA), saying we find it relating to obesity, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, brain disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, liver disease, ovarian disease, disease of the uterus, low sperm count for men and the list goes on. David Gutierrez Natural News After years of insisting Bisphenol-A (BPA) posed no threat to the health of babies, six larger manufacturers of baby bottles have announced they will stop shipping new baby bottles made with the chemical. Mike Adams, Natural News A 2007 review of 700 studies involving BPA, published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology, found that infants and foetuses were the most vulnerable to adverse effects from this toxic substance. C W Randolph, MD The researchers indicated that such damage is a possible predictor of reproductive diseases in women, including fibroids, endometriosis, cystic ovaries and cancers. Earlier studies linked low dose BPA to female reproductive-tract disorders, as well as early-stage prostate and breast cancer and decreased sperm counts in animals. Andreas Moritz In 2004, one researcher counted up all of the studies done to date on just BPA. Of 104 studies done by independent researchers, 94 found adverse effects.

Donna Jackson Nakazawa

The latest study showed that women with a history of miscarriages were found to have higher levels of BPA in their bodies. The women who had miscarriages were found to have BPA levels on average about three times higher than women who had successfully given birth. David Steinman

The National Toxicology Program of the National Institutes of Health concluded that there is “some concern” that BPA may cause problems in foetuses, babies and children, including breast or prostate cancer early onset of female puberty, attention deficit disorder and other problems of the reproductive and neurological systems. David Gutierrez Bisphenol A is such a dangerous chemical that I have no doubt it will one day be banned from all food and beverage products. Frederick vom Saal The following are countries which have taken action against BPA - Canada, Denmark, Belgium and France - so far.

Those with the most BPA in their urine had nearly three times the risk of heart disease more than twice the risk of diabetes, as well as signs of liver damage.

Unfortunately, the levels of BPA that were associated with disease are within the EPA’s industry-friendly levels of safety.” Byron Richards The following research is by world expert Dr William Shotyk - who has vowed never to drink bottled water again - “I don’t want to shock people but here’s what I know: Antimony is being continuously released into bottled drinking water. The water in PET bottles is contaminated”.

Antimony finds its way into water by ‘leaching’ from the plastic in the same way that water absorbs flavour from a tea bag. Jo Knowsley If you have a baby that you are formula feeding, you are likely to be exposing your child to BPA through the formula itself, which is almost assuredly packaged in a BPA-lined can. Aaron Turpen In most countries, BPA is legal in food storage including baby bottles, containers and so forth. Very few companies are using BPA-free containers for anything. Aaron Turpen To see each of the quotes in full and the source please go to www.safebottles.co.nz

Call 0800 777 444, text SAFE to 244 or go to our website www.safebottles.co.nz to order your SafeBottle today P.S. There’s an iron-clad, lifetime money-back guarantee on all bottles.

18/8 food grade quality stainless steel

BPA-free, toxin-free and eco-friendly 20 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Gary Collins Managing Director

I Fits most cup holders I FDA approved I Fits ice cubes I Doesn’t retain or leach flavours I Dishwasher safe

I Various sizes and colours available I Designed to last I 100% recyclable I No plastic liner I Free sports lid

The effects of plastic on the environment are already well documented...but what about the effects of plastic on our bodies?

Research is showing that under special circumstances, certain chemicals from plastic bottles and containers are able to leach into the water (or food) held within. One such culprit is a toxic chemical known as Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical with estrogen mimicking effects that is linked to obesity, diabetes, breast cancer and hyperactivity. Another two common toxic chemicals present in plastic bottles are antimony and phthalates.

Make a change for the better. Buy stainless steel BPA-free SafeBottles and reduce the impact of plastic on the environment and our bodies.

For more information and to see the full range of SafeBottles, please visit www.safebottles.co.nz or call our friendly team on 0800 777 444 or text SAFE to 244.

www.centraltoday.co.nz    October/November 2010 | 21

TAKING ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE FOR yrs OVER

20

join the action @ www.greenpeace.org.nz

22 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Clearing the air It’s not called the land of the long white cloud for nothing.

A combination of New Zealand’s damp climate, and the moisture you create in your home every day from cleaning, cooking, and washing is working against you achieving a healthy home. It can be sorted simply with HRV Ventilation.

HRV deliver positive pressure ventilation systems which take the naturally drier air from the roof space, filters it and distributes it evenly throughout the home. This environment creates a drier, less humid and warmer environment that flushes dust particles, pollens and indoor air contaminants from the home and reduces mould, fungi and dust mite populations.

Huge growth HRV CEO Bruce Gordon says the business has gone from a relatively small New Zealand start-up operation to a market leader with around 500 employees in a few short years, winning several prestigious awards including the Deloitte Fast 50 award in 2006.

The company currently installs hundreds of new systems every month. Due to its benefits and negligible running costs, its goal is to put a ventilation system into every home in the country. The franchises are all 100 percent locally owned and operated with dedicated employees working in sales, administration, customer service, installation and the trades.

“We are all passionate about our product – we thrive on helping Kiwi homeowners make their homes healthier and more comfortable,” Gordon says.

Asthma Foundation statistics show one in four Kiwi kids are estimated to have asthma. It’s the most common cause of hospital admission among New Zealand children.

“There is nothing better than receiving a letter in HRV from a parent saying they are experiencing far fewer health issues with their children, especially for pollens and dust-mites triggering asthma related problems.”

HRV is also the sponsor of the HRV Cup – a successful Men’s Twenty20 cricket competition which has brought droves of people back to our summer game.

Independent certification HRV’s environmental and health credentials have been independently certified. HRV has been approved by the National Asthma Council Australia and the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand as part of the Sensitive Choice programme.

This programme approves products that may be helpful for people with asthma and allergies. From June 2009 the

Free quote To assess your specific home’s needs, an HRV ventilation specialist will visit your home.

Temperature readings will be taken around the home and in the roof cavity space. The HRV specialist will then discuss, select and design the

HRV brand has featured the Sensitive Choice symbol, a butterfly, so customers know how good the HRV system is for those prone to repository illness.

In April 2009 HRV was awarded the Good Environmental Choices Australia Certification. This certification is for products that are both innovative and have direct benefits to the environment - in HRV’s case it was the ability to harness free solar energy to aid heating and therefore reduce the reliance on power and water hungry traditional heating and cooling systems.

Starting with a rigorous process examining not only the product, but also manufacturing and company practices, certification is then awarded after close scrutiny of efficacy and performance claims against actual research and end user information.

“Don’t just take our word for it – being awarded both environmental and health certification from independent not for profit associations shows that our ventilating systems truly do what we say they do,” says Gordon.

system for you and provide a free, no obligation quote on the most suitable system for your home.

HRV also has a range of supporting technologies including a heat recovery ventilation system (or heat exchanger); solar ventilation (the HRV Solamate) and LHZ Electric Stone-store radiators.

HRV in Auckland HRV don’t just see themselves as a business, but as part of the Auckland community. It was born in Waitakere, and that’s where the head office has remained.

Along with the four successful franchises in the region, HRV provides jobs for 200 Aucklanders.

The franchises are also passionate about local sport.

North Shore junior cricket teams, the Glenora Bears Rugby League team and the Counties-Manukau Police Rugby team are all examples of sporting groups that have benefited from HRV sponsorship.

HRV Ventilation 7 Portage Road, New Lynn PO Box 104 068 T (09) 826 8210 F (09) 827 6905 E Sales@hrv.co.nz www.hrv.co.nz

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 23

Events | Diary Grow your business

Viewpoint | Management

|

events

Wednesday, September 29

Making the Most of the Media — Waikato Chamber of Commerce

This workshop will cover why you need the media, what the media wants, what your rights are and tips on how to do a great interview. From 5pm to 7pm at the Bill Gallagher Centre. To register visit www.waikatochamber.co.nz

Monday, October 4

Confident Communication — Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central Napier Communicating confidently optimises the potential for building positive workplace relationships. By increasing awareness of our own behaviour and the responses we get we can modify our behaviour to suit more situations and improve the outcomes. Members $330+GST, non-members $414+GST. To register email training@emacentral.org.nz or visit www.emacentral.org.nz/seminars

Monday, October 4

Communicating with your Customers — EMA Northern Hamilton

The way you interact with others can be the key to your workplace success. Whether communicating under pressure, managing challenging relationships or looking to build lasting rapport, your communication style can make or break your relationship with customers. To register contact Deborah Law-Carruthers (09) 367 9047 or email deborah.lawcarruthers@ema.co.nz

Thursday, October 7

Introduction to Business Seminar — Inland Revenue Rotorua

A free seminar for people who are thinking of starting their own business or who are new to business. Covers record keeping requirements, keeping a cash book, income tax, GST and expenses. To register contact Ian Bushett advisory.rotorua@ird.govt.nz

Tuesday, October 12

Coach or Referee — Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central Gisborne

Coaching and refereeing are smart managing and leadership skills. Effective and timely coaching and refereeing will assist employees to reach their performance goals. Members $330+GST, non-members $414+GST. To register email training@emacentral.org.nz or visit www.emacentral.org.nz/seminars

Wednesday, October 13

E-Services Workshop — Inland Revenue Hamilton

Learn about all the “e” products and services that are available on the Inland Revenue website and have an opportunity to practise with these tools. To register contact advisory.hamilton@ ird.govt.nz or phone (07) 959 6328

Thursday, October 14

Business After 5 — Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce

A fantastic opportunity to hear about Skyline Aviation and mix and mingle with like-minded business people. For more information and to register visit www.hawkesbaychamber.co.nz

Monday, October 18

Supervision, an Introduction — EMA Northern Tauranga

The course is designed for newly appointed or soon to be promoted supervisors, team leaders, foremen and leading hands. Suited to people new to the job, soon to be promoted to the job or as a refresher. To register contact Deborah Law-Carruthers (09) 367 0947 or email deborah.lawcarruthers@ema.co.nz

Wednesday, October 20

Making the Most of Trade Shows — Export New Zealand Whangarei

To be effective at trade shows requires great forward planning and skill. This course will provide you with an step by step guide on what is required to effectively participate or even attend a trade show. To register visit www.ema.co.nz

Tuesday, October 26

Women in Business — Kapiti Coast Chamber of Commerce Paraparaumu

Held at Lindale Lodge Conference Centre, this event will prove to be a fantastic networking opportunity where you can mix and mingle with like-minded individuals. For more information visit www.kapitichamber.org.nz

Wednesday, October 27

Introduction to People Management — EMA Central Palmerston North

There are those who enter supervisory/team leader positions because they are very good workers and find themselves having responsibility for employees. It is hoped that they would have a good idea of how to manage, which is not always the case. Members $330+GST, nonmembers $414+GST. To register email training@emacentral.org.nz or visit www.emacentral. org.nz/seminars

Tuesday, November 2

GST Workshop — Inland Revenue Tauranga

A workshop for people who are new to business covering GST basics, how to complete GST returns, invoices and filing online. To register contact Denise Balloch advisory.tauranga@ird. govt.nz

Tuesday, November 16

Training Staff Trainers — Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Central Wanganui The purpose of this course is to assist those who have responsibility for training staff, but have not had any formal assistance in understanding how people learn. Members $330+GST, non-members $414+GST. To register email training@emacentral.org.nz or visit www.emacentral.org.nz/seminars

Monday, November 22

Increasing Business Efficiency — EMA Northern Whangarei

This workshop will help you increase your operating efficiency in order to remain competitive and continue to be profitable. To register contact Deborah Law-Carruthers (09) 367 9047 or email deborah.lawcarruthers@ema.co.nz

If you have events you would like featured in the Events Diary, email newsroom@academy.net.nz at least two months before the date of the event.

Or, if you have held an event and would like to supply photos for the Been Seen section (along with 100 words about the event and a caption for each image), send to newsroom@academy.net.nz 24 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Anything worth doing, is worth doing… poorly

By Ngahihi o te ra Bidois

I am sure many of you have heard the proverb ‘anything worth doing is worth doing well’. However, an important leadership attribute is to allow people to do poorly.

Outstanding leaders expect the people they lead to use their initiative and to take risks — calculated ones — but risks nevertheless.

They have a high level of expectation of their people and encourage them to make the most of opportunities that arise as well as create new ones.

However, none of these will occur if people do not have the freedom to make mistakes.

People simply will not take risks if it is not a safe environment where they can do poorly.

An example is the old karaoke sing-along.

We all know people who only sing in their showers that should be singing on the stages of the world; however there are also others who should only be singing in their showers!

I know people who are absolutely superb singers that refuse to sing on karaoke machines. One of the reasons is because they are afraid of doing poorly in front of everyone.

The risk of the shame of failure is higher than the risk of success.

In his best selling book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie tells the story of the famous aerobatic pilot Bob Hoover, who was taking off in his very expensive F-51 plane when both engines cut out. He managed to land the plane and discovered that the young mechanic had put the wrong fuel in the aircraft.

Upon returning to the airport he asked to see the mechanic. The young man had tears streaming down his face as Mr Hoover approached. What do you think Bob Hoover said to the mechanic?

Bob Hoover put his big arm around the man’s shoulder and said “To show that I am sure you will never do this again, I want you to service my F-51 tomorrow”.

So do you allow people around you to make mistakes? Do you create safe environments where they can sing their hearts out so to speak, without the shame of failure? Do you have their back when you have delegated something to them that requires risk taking?

We all want excellence in everything we do and have high expectations of those around us. However, every high achiever and great leader made mistakes along the way. Anything worth doing well, is worth doing poorly.

Ngahihi o te ra Bidios is an international leadership speaker and can be contacted through Celebrity Speakers, phone (09) 373 4177 or www.celebspeakers.com

THE MARK OF DISTINCTION we have seven full time agents. Our main area of business in Australia is fashion, but we are looking to grow this market by adding more souvenir and corporate ties to the mix. We employ seven full time agents in New Zealand who cover the entire retail sector on a two weekly selling cycle. This ensures that stores are never without stock as we are able to deliver next day into both New Zealand and Australia.”

The neck tie is arguably one of the most distinctive fashion statements an individual can make. Whether it be a bold, single tone or awash with a sea of colour, the tie, as a statement, says a lot.

In a world of similar looking suits, the tie delivers personality and individuality.

Perhaps the key to its success is that it offers traditional taste, while delivering tons of contemporary relevance.

One company more than well aware of all this is Sander Apparel Limited.

Sander Apparel has been making ties for New Zealand and much of the world for almost 90 years.

An All Blacks full grain leather luggage range will also be introduced, available at retail from September.

Established in 1921, the Company was in family ownership until 2005 when Peter Zander sold it to the present owners, allowing him to retire at an age where he was still young enough to enjoy life.

This range will include an overnight bag, computer satchel, travel wallet, compendium, toilet bag and three different wallet designs.

During all the years of business Sander Apparel has held many licences to produce ties and apparel, some of which are still held today.

It is the longest Christian Dior licensee when the Dior label was dropped from the range in 1990. The company also had the licence to produce children’s apparel under the Snoopy licence and ski gear under Head. However, once the impact of Chinese made apparel became obvious, the decision was made to go back to making what it did best – ties.

Sander Apparel has held the licence to produce the All Blacks’ ties and scarves at both retail and team level for many years. It is the licence the company is most proud of and has added cuff links to the licence in recent years.

“We are very excited about the potential for this range of goods, as it is priced very competitively for the local market. With the 2011 Rugby World Cup on our doorstep next year, we believe that it will be a piece of New Zealand, the All Blacks and the experience that many world travellers will want to take away with them.”

Sander Apparel has about 70 percent of the market share of ties manufactured in New Zealand. “We are perceived by those in the retail and corporate business as being the number one tie supplier in New Zealand. We are not only successful in the retail fashion market, but also claim the largest part of the souvenir, corporate and club tie market. We are the biggest in New Zealand and one of the largest manufacturers in Australia where we have a substantial share of the fashion market.”

The company puts its on-going success down to three things: 1) 2) 3)

Service by both its agents and staff Fabrics and design Quality.

In the silk fashion range, Rembrandt ties are now the only ties made by Sander Apparel under licence. The polyester Mazzoni range is also made for FTC. The many licences held by Sander Apparel over the years have gradually been dropped as it has become apparent that it is our designs that sell the range – not necessarily the label.

“Our service is second to none and we pride ourselves on being able to satisfy all our customers’ demands from large department stores to Rugby Clubs, to a one-off customer looking for a special wedding tie. The fact that we are still manufacturing in New Zealand is one of the reasons that we are able to offer such detailed service with a next day delivery.

“We currently export 40 percent of our New Zealand made production into Australia where

“Our corporate, school and club tie and scarf business continues to grow as more and

more people are recognising the benefits of a well turned out team in business, in the classroom and in the sports club. The ‘casual Friday’ syndrome is becoming very dated and we are being asked more and more to design appropriate neck wear for both men and women which is a refreshing change.

“Customers are always very pleasantly surprised to see how well their specific logos come out on a bespoke piece of neckwear for a very reasonable cost.”

Managing director, Shelley Macrae deals with most of the special orders herself, as she has the in depth knowledge of the colour combinations, ground structure and texture and weaving techniques that 27 years in the business brings with it.

Her relationship with all the mills also goes back that far and these relationships can be called on to ask for special favours from the mills when it comes to delivering within a very restricted time frame.

Sander Apparel is confident that the future, while challenging, will bring new opportunities that such challenges create. We have been around for 90 years and expect to be here for another 90.

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 25

Property and Construction | 2010 National Award in Public Architecture

Merging form function Architecture has always sought to combine function with form.

While it has changed little in its functional aspects, architecture has evolved to address the aesthetic and psychological traits of a space, allowing the integration of a culture’s ideas, values and customs.

It frees us from buildings and environments that are bland boxes made of immutable materials and mute walls, lending a voice to our stories of culture and tradition.

As the first Maori immersion school to provide tuition for students from preschool to Year 13 under one roof, Mana Tamariki had a unique story to tell through the latest incarnation of their school — a $3 million purpose built premises on Grey Street, Palmerston North.

Tennent Brown Architects directors Hugh Tennent and Ewan Brown were to translate the school’s rich and lively story into architectural vernacular. “The project immediately appealed to us,” Tennent says.

“We found the client group were very engaged and had a clear vision, which is great for us to work with as architects. They knew what they wanted the building to be for them.”

The building was to uniquely serve as both a kohanga reo (Maori immersion early childhood), and a kura kaupapa Maori and whare kura (te reo Maori immersion primary and secondary).

“The school wanted something unique to join their early childhood component under one roof with primary and secondary,” Tennent says.

“We translated that into the main design idea and crafted the roof to evoke the form of a korowai or a Maori cloak. That korowai embraces the children and winds its way over their journey creating a series of open connected spaces in one building.”

It has certainly been a successful journey for the architectural company with the school building being singled out in the public architecture category of this year’s New Zealand Architecture Awards. “It was very satisfying for this project to be recognised, because it is so unique. We’ve been a recipient of this level of award in the past, but this meant a great deal to us. It was a

project for a very special community dedicated to growing and carefully nurturing the use of teo reo Maori.

“There’s something amazing about the opportunity to work on Maori projects — they are unique to New Zealand. There’s nowhere else in the world with a developing Maori architecture and that makes projects like this even more special.”

A glass entrance wall conveys transparency which welcomes passersby, an indoor ‘nest’ allows children to play above adults’ heads

and the seven stars of Matariki have also been incorporated into windows, at varying heights for children. Tennent says they wanted to express students’ journey from infant to high school graduate. Selected from a range of competing architectural firms to complete the project, Tennent Brown had the least experience in Maori school buildings, but still outshone the competition. “They called us the wild card,” he laughs.

However, the company’s experience in building a Catholic monastery and Buddhist retreat proved it could think philosophically. “They felt our previous work resonated with them. We’re extremely happy with the outcome and we enjoy a really good ongoing relationship with the school.”

This relationship has extended to the project being entered in an international educational architecture competition in Scotland. “We’re working with them on that competition. Within New Zealand the school can be seen as a new model for this kind of Maori project.”

But as with all success stories of its kind, it was a joint effort. “McMillan and Lockwood Construction were very good builders to work with and together we managed to get a lot of quality building for the budget. That

26 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

requires constant attention from the project management team.”

Heemi Stevenson from Saunders Stevenson was the quantity surveyor and project manager for the project. “Saunders Stevenson did an excellent job and they were also our interface with the Ministry of Education during the project,” he says.

The landscape architecture was completed by Wraight and Associates. “We have worked with Wraight and Associates on many projects and they’re renowned for their urban landscape architecture.” They designed the playground at the school which is open to the public and also the creation of the forecourt for formal entrances on the Grey Street side of the building. “Overall we are proud to have had the opportunity to be involved in the Mana Tamariki project. We are delighted that the whanau of Mana Tamariki find the building great to be in and it has been a rewarding journey for us getting here.”

Tennent Brown Architects L6 Hope Gibbons Building 7-11 Dixon Street Wellington T (04) 382 9248 E admin@tennentbrown.co.nz www.tennentbrown.co.nz— Advertising Feature

Property and Construction | 2010 National Award in Public Architecture

to be best in class Just as architecture affords an outlet for culture and tradition, construction is an outlet for architecture itself. It is the means by which architecture is translated into reality, it is the physical implementation of a building’s plans — the creation of the spaces in which we work, reside and play.

The synergistic nature of the construction industry means success is a collaboration of teams; a merging of skills, talent and hard work.

The most rewarding part of this project was working with the client.

The school was exceptionally hands on and was a huge reason for the success in the awards and the overall functionality of the project.

Barry Robin McMillan and Lockwood project manager

As Tennent Brown Architects translated the school’s rich and lively story into architectural vernacular, McMillan and Lockwood made the concept a reality. McMillan and Lockwood project manager Barry Robin says the Mana Tamariki project appealed to the company from the outset. “We were immediately attracted to the project because of its detail and architectural features. It was a unique project to be involved with and we thoroughly enjoyed the challenges which came with that.”

Those challenges manifested themselves in the form of a geometrically challenging design, a clever merger of Maori culture and modern architecture. Twists and turns in the roof represent a Maori cloak or korowai, a glass entrance wall conveys transparency, curved interior walls and detailed exposed timber-lined ceilings add to the ambiance, an indoor “nest” allows children to play above adults’ heads and the seven stars of Matariki have been incorporated into windows at varying heights.

But with many years experience in commercial construction, McMillan and Lockwood proved

it was more than able to fully realise the innovative architecture devised to showcase Mana Tamariki.

The environmental complexities proved more challenging than the physical characteristics of the build. “We were building during the middle of winter which provided many challenges particularly keeping the laminated timber trusses wrapped and watertight until the roof was on, which was some time into the project,” Robin says.

Part of the project included the refurbishment of a number of existing free-standing timber clad classrooms and the construction of an outdoor playground.

The project received a number of accolades, including the 2010 Registered Master Builders National Award in public architecture and the 2008 Registered Master Builders National Award in the education category.

“It was an extremely interesting and rewarding project and we were priviledged to play a part in the construction of the Mana Tamariki project,” Robin says.

“The most rewarding part of this project was working with the client. The school was exceptionally hands on and was a huge reason for the success in the awards and the overall functionality of the project.”

The ability of McMillan and Lockwood to consistently work within specified time frames and budgets has developed a trusted reputation in the tender market for a wide range of civil and commercial construction projects.

The competence, leadership and innovative thinking illustrated by the company over its distinct and varied history has helped develop its reputation for outstanding quality and workmanship.

The company goal — “To successfully deliver to the client quality building projects completed within the programmed time frame and providing fair value to all parties” — continues to underpin its approach to every project.

McMillan & Lockwood 28 North Street Palmerston North T (06) 357 0979 E mcmil@mlpn.co.nz www.mlgroup.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

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Congratulations to Mana Tamariki School.

Emmetts Civil Construction are proud to be associated with McMillan Lockwood Construction on this project. / Mobile Cranes (up to 50 tonnes) / Pivot-Steer Cranes (up to 12 tonnes) Hiab-Trucks (Palfinger rear-mounted cranes up to 14 tonnes) / Auger Drilling / Pile Driving / Bridges / Underpasses / Culverts / Retaining Walls / Piling / Pre-cast Concrete

Tel. (06) 349 1788, Fax (06) 344 2406, 400 Heads Road, Wanganui. www.emmetts.co.nz www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 27

Initiatives | Livingstone Building

Partnership delivers

golden results If you jumped into a time machine, set the dial for 1948 and found yourself at the counter of the first McDonald’s restaurant, there wouldn’t be any sign of Ronald McDonald or the golden arches. Instead, you’d find Speedee Chef, the winking, hamburger-headed mascot for the restaurant chain until 1962.

The distinctive yellow ‘M’ known worldwide as the McDonald’s logo, is a late addition to McDonald’s the branding stable. However, like the Nike swoosh and the iconic CocaCola script, the golden arches have become a globally recognisable symbol.

From one restaurant in 1955 to more than 31,000 locations in 119 countries, serving 4.7 million customers every day, McDonald’s

has become one of the leading global food service companies and one of the strongest and most recognised brands in the world.

Its popularity has crossed time zones and geographical borders, to our little corner of the globe — New Zealand. As part of a three-year $100 million capital investment programme into the New Zealand market announced in 2009, McDonald’s will be opening 10 new restaurants this year, hot on the heels of 10 successful openings last year.

The new Mt Maunganui restaurant is now open for business and the Te Puke branch is due to open mid-October. Just as the McDonald’s formula is staggeringly successful, so is Livingstones’ formula for making great value buildings; which might well explain the strong relationship between the pair.

The key thing… is keeping to budget and finishing on time… no matter what part the weather plays.

McDonald’s has a finishing date and the project needs to be completed by then Marcel Amess, Livingstone Building project manager Livingstone’s relationship with McDonald’s began in 1994 with the construction of a new restaurant in Te Awamutu. Since then Livingstone has been proud to be involved in more than 400 McDonald’s projects in more than 80 stores throughout New Zealand.

“In that first job, we priced the work for them, came in cheap, did the job on time and within budget. This has provided the basis for a strong and lasting relationship between McDonald’s and Livingstone which has outlasted the years,” Livingstone project manager Marcel Amess says.

Work has included new restaurants, remodels, McCafés, food court stores and day-to-day maintenance. Due to the way Livingstone works, the majority of stores have remained open and fully operational during the construction process.

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Initiatives | Livingstone Building

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“We’ve never finished a job past deadline and we always bring them in on budget.”

Although Livingstone is primarily recognised for its reputation in award-winning projects throughout the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions, it is also recognised nationwide for projects in the commercial, industrial, residential and rural markets.

Award winning work Livingstone has a proud track record of being at the forefront of award-winning construction. Its continued success at the Waikato and National Registered Master Builder Commercial Project of the Year awards is testament to the hard work the company does to continually achieve excellence in construction.

In the 2010 Registered Master Builder Awards, Livingstone achieved a category win and silver

Livingstone worked closely with Te Kohao Health to construct a purpose built health centre situated in Hamilton East. Incorporating Kirikiriroa Marae’s donated labour to help control costs, the building is a beautiful tribute to Maori culture and the good work the health centre provides to the community.

Large carvings and Maori art works are placed throughout the building, offset by the five carved pillars that stand majestically at the entrance to the building.

Everyone in the team, from the apprentices through to the directors, understands and realises the importance of catering to the clients’ needs. The Livingstone team takes ownership and pride in its project responsibilities. There is a strong and proficient team working in the office and on site, bringing clients the best quality projects possible. Livingstone is committed to quality, health and safety and the adoption of industry best practises, while offering the client practical and economic solutions.

It is what Livingstone is renowned for nationwide and the basis for a strong reputation for award-winning projects.

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Built over a one-year period, Lauriston Park Village Centre is an impressive retirement village located in a quiet setting in Cambridge. Housing a gym, hair salon, theatre, café/dining room and an indoor pool, this village truly caters to the needs of all its residents.

Company Profile

Livingstone first made its mark in the New Zealand building industry in 1947 under the name Cavanagh Brothers Ltd, combining its expertise with the philosophy of focusing on customer requirements. This means that long before the first nail goes in, the Livingstone team has begun crafting the client’s vision into a successful, functional and breath-taking project. It has been the foundation blocks for an excellent reputation of offering a hassle free project period, where projects are completed on time, to budget and to an exceptional standard.

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“The key thing with McDonald’s is keeping to budget and finishing on time. There’s no such thing as finishing past deadline, no matter what part the weather plays. McDonald’s has a finishing date and the project needs to be completed by then,” Amess says.

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Initiatives | Donovans Chocolates

When you blend artisan craftsmanship with tactile ingenuity and palate pleasing ingredients, the result is a Donovans chocolate — bite-sized indulgence brought to chocolate connoisseurs via innovative packaging solutions since 1991.

Supplying Donovans Chocolates since 1988.

Donovans Chocolates delivers deliciousness — it’s a professional entity that operates with your sweet tooth in mind. Named after the founders and key shareholders of the company, this business savvy enterprise has taken a traditional favourite and redressed it with contemporary designs.

Originally producing about 25 tonnes per annum, Donovans Chocolates now occupies a 1858sqm factory and is producing in excess of 500 tonnes per annum. It’s a Kiwi business with a European accent.

“We conche and refine cocoa mass that we import from Ghana using the latest small batch European technology,” chief executive Mark Donovan explains.

Using pure New Zealand milk powder and butter and gluten free ingredients on selected products, Donovans Chocolates also adheres to the international HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) food safety programme.

Guided by lean manufacturing principles, the key directors — Mark and Vivienne Donovan, and Paul and Lea Donovan — work as an interactive unit to deliver results.

“Our directors promise to work together as a team to produce positive results. We have trained staff in key areas who are constantly challenging their team members and themselves on how do better, be stronger and stay focused,” Mark Donovan says.

Operating in a busy commercial domain populated by international brands and dominant market players, Mark Donovan says the business does not shy away from the competition and is focused on achieving professional integrity and responsibility. The objective for the business is to become a familiar and trusted New Zealand chocolate brand. “We plan to reach that goal through having stability, innovation, surprise and delight for our customers, the right products and strong leadership with a clear vision and a degree of selflessness and competence,” he says.

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Initiatives | Link Business Broking

connections

Nuree Allan and Linda Harley of Link Bay of Plenty which has been awarded the global firm’s Franchisee of the Year for Australasia after just one year of operation

Whether you’re buying or selling a business, the hunt is on for a commercial soulmate. You are on the lookout for corporate chemistry, that little spark where all the pieces fall into place. But as with any budding relationship, you want your business to dress the part and put its best foot forward.

of business sales in the Bay of Plenty region.

“Currently the biggest challenge in selling is a shortage of quality businesses to sell. There’s a lot of buyers just sitting there waiting, but there’s not enough to offer them. On the flip side, when a quality business comes our way, we sell it fast.”

It’s a competitive industry, but Link Bay of Plenty still outshines the rest, Harley says. “There are a significant number of brokerages in the Bay of Plenty and throughout New Zealand. We stand out because of the service we provide, the confidentiality we maintain and the quality of brokers we have working within our team.”

Link Business Broking (LINK) works with owners to prepare their businesses for sale and negotiate throughout the sale process.

While the team initially started with just the two directors, it has grown to a close knit group of six. “We’ve all owned businesses and we all understand business.”

Link, as the name suggests, provides the link between buyers and sellers within the business arena. Whether you want to find a business for sale, receive informed advice on buying a business, purchasing a franchise, or selling a business yourself, Link offers you a professional and confidential service across all these areas.

It was the diversity of skill sets which Harley says enabled the two directors to make such an impact on the business and the industry.

“Nuree is very strong on negotiation, sales team management and working with clients and she can pass those skills on to the team. My strength is analysis, business processes and sales negotiations. Our skill sets are quite diverse and together we make a powerful team.

Link Bay of Plenty is part of the Link Australasian franchise. The Bay of Plenty office was established just 12 months ago, in September 2009, by Nuree Allan and Linda Harley. “We had both worked with competing business broker firms within Tauranga and felt there was a better way to provide professional services to our clients,” Harley says.

The search began for that ‘better way’. The pair concluded that Link was the authority in selling businesses and the franchise model met their high standards. “The systems that came with the Link franchise, as well as the customer service were unsurpassed,” Harley says.

“Ideally we like to start working with a business owner before they want to sell to ensure the business is in the best order possible, for a smooth sale. This includes reviewing financials, stock levels, leases and other business operating systems. Once the vendor is ready we appraise the value and take it to the market to find a buyer.

“We aim to be the best brokerage in the country from right here at our Tauranga base and we certainly aim to be the leader in the Bay of Plenty area.”

That’s if they’re not there already.

“Quite simply, we achieve results by providing great customer service which we believe won’t be beaten.”

It’s a bold statement, but one the Tauranga brokerage has the accolades to back up. Link Bay of Plenty has just been awarded the global firm’s Franchisee of the Year for Australasia within just one year of operation. “We are extremely proud of ourselves; we came together, set up a new office and within one

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Initiatives | Te Uku Wind Farm

Empowering the future In recent months, economists seem to be heralding yet another round of doom as business confidence drops to a new low. But take a trip to Raglan and you’ll find a bright spot in the region’s economic story.

What’s the town’s secret? It’s the construction of the nearby Te Uku wind farm, which is being built by the alliance of Meridian Energy and local electricity distribution company, WEL Networks.

Meridian Energy project manager, Robert Batters says direct investment into local companies is a key focus.

“At Meridian, one of our goals with any major project like Te Uku is to use local companies and local services as much as possible. In terms of direct expenditure, we’ve invested at least $30 million into Waikato-based contractors so far.”

About the project The unique partnership between a gentailer and a lines company makes the Te Uku wind farm the first generation development of its type in New Zealand. Upon completion, the 28 turbines will generate 64.4 megawatts of electricity, enough to power around 30,000 average homes.

The wind turbines will begin arriving to site in late September.

The first turbine is planned to be generating electricity before Christmas 2010 and all 28 turbines will be online by March, 2011.

The electricity they generate will go directly into WEL Networks’ substations, which means the power will be used by residents and businesses within the region.

Local people working at Te Uku are getting the unique opportunity to work hand-in-hand with Meridian’s staff and contractors who have global expertise in building wind farms.

In fact, many of the same people who built Meridian’s wind farm in Ross Island, Antarctica, are now building Te Uku.

An aerial view of Te Uku Wind Farm, where construction is on target.

The first wind turbines arrived on-site in late September and should be generating electricity before Christmas

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Initiatives | Te Uku Wind Farm

Economic benefits Robert Batters says the Te Uku wind farm project has helped to invigorate the local job market. Some 306 of the 568 people approved to work on the wind farm site live in the Waikato and 64 of those live in the Raglan area.

Plus, he says those coming from outside the area are helping to boost local business.

“In addition to the $30 million in direct investment, our staff and contractors also use the services of a number of local companies such as couriers, caterers, painters, concrete suppliers, cartage companies, vehicle maintenance and even plant hire services.

measure exactly, all of that spending does create a positive flow-on effect,” Batters explains.

One of the local businesses experiencing a boost from the wind farm project is the Te Mata quarry. “A huge benefit to our construction project has been the close proximity of the Te Mata quarry. It’s literally at the entrance to the wind farm and will supply our project with around 200,000 tonnes of aggregate.

“Previously, in a normal year the quarry only produced 20,000-30,000 tonnes of aggregate.

The quarry had to produce over 200,000 tonnes of aggregate over an eight month period, so it required a major upgrade.

“Around 46 percent of the people working at Te Uku have come in from outside the region.

Those people are renting homes and baches, shopping at local food markets, buying petrol and shopping in town. Although it’s difficult to

“Huge credit goes to the owner, Tom Jowsey, who was able to make the necessary upgrades within eight weeks at the start of the project,” Batters says.

Feature continues on next page >>

Te Mata Quarry owner Tom Jowsey (centre) with sons Zane and Dallas.

The quarry is one of the local businesses to have benefitted from the wind farm project

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Initiatives | Te Uku Wind Farm

The Te Uku wind farm site… reaches heights of over 400 metres above sea level, it’s often foggy, has a good amount of rainfall and, as you would expect, it’s windy.

We’ve constantly been battling the elements which can get quite brutal at times.

Robert Batters

Meridian Energy project manager

Whaingaroa Harbour Care, a not for profit organisation based in Raglan, is another example of a local company that has been involved with the wind farm project. The company supplied 40,000 native plants to Meridian, which were planted in two wetlands on the wind farm site.

During the project consenting process, Environment Waikato identified the two wetlands as being ecologically significant for the region. “Ngati Mahanga was engaged to undertake the native planting providing further benefit to the local community,” Batters says.

However, Meridian and WEL are not only concerned with providing financial benefits to the local community. There are many other social benefits they are looking to achieve, which are harder to measure.

Batters says even before wind farm construction began, Meridian and WEL wanted to ensure a close relationship with local people was established. During the project consenting process, a community liaison group was formed, which has been a forum for the companies to understand community needs and concerns.

“We meet regularly with the community liaison group to discuss issues and keep members informed on project progress. The group is made up of a range of local people, including tangata whenua, school principals, council representatives and community leaders.

“And, the benefits of the group will continue on after construction is complete as we’ll carry on meeting for two to three years after the wind farm is commissioned,” Batters says.

Roads — one of first priorities In addition to WEL Networks, Meridian’s other key partners on the Te Uku wind farm project include Hicks Bros and Spartan Construction

who formed a joint venture to manage civil construction; Bloxham Burnett & Olliver who managed the civil design, Siemens NZ; Transfield Services and NZ Cranes.

Once the green light was given in November 2009, the team and subcontractors went straight to work. The first major part of construction was building the 26km of roads required to transport the turbines to their foundations.

Led by Spartan/Hicks JV, construction began in November and was completed in July.

Batters says the site posed several challenges to the civil works team. “The Te Uku wind farm site is situated on over 55 square kilometres of private land which is primarily used for sheep and cattle farming. It reaches heights of over 400 metres above sea level, it’s often foggy, has a good amount of rainfall and, as you would expect, it’s windy.

“So, not only have our contractors been conscious of keeping stock disturbances to a minimum, we’ve constantly been battling the elements which can get quite brutal at times.

In fact, we had one of the wettest Februarys on record,” Batters explains.

The red clay soil presented a further test for the construction team. This soil turns into a slippery slush after only a small amount of rain, meaning the team was focused on tight environmental management from the very start of earthworks.

“Our construction team had to build and maintain over 180 erosion and sediment controls during the project. These controls included both small and large temporary sediment ponds, plus earth bunds which direct run-off into the ponds.

“Strategically placing these controls throughout the site during construction allowed us to meet our commitment to high environmental standards while also meeting consent requirements,” Batters says.

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It took the team a day and a half to load all the cement, aggregate and sand required for one foundation into the mixer. It then took eight hours of continual pouring to create one foundation, which contains up to 471 cubic metres (80 truckloads) of concrete. And, finally, two full days were required to restock and prepare the concrete batching plant for the next pour. Each foundation is up 18 metres wide and 2.25 metres deep and includes 46 tonnes of reinforcing steel. The last of the 28 foundations was poured in late-August, well ahead of the predicted November completion date.

Turbines due in September The 10 months of preparation paid off with the arrival of the first of 28 turbines in late September. The turbine towers were shipped from Korea, with the balance of the turbine components coming from Denmark. The first consignment arrived at Auckland Port in mid-September. “All the turbine components are scheduled to be delivered by the end of November,” Batters explains.

Turbine erection takes two to three days. When completed, Siemens NZ will complete the commissioning and the turbine should be ready to produce power in another one to two days.

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As construction on the roads continued on site, a second major part of the project began in April when the Hicks/Spartan JV team poured the first of 28 concrete turbine foundations. “Pouring the foundations really is a major undertaking. The process was helped by the fact that we erected an on-site temporary concrete batching plant that supplied all the concrete we required. The plant was brought in from Hampton Downs Raceway, north of Huntly, and erected in March.

Having the plant on site saved us a lot in both transportation costs and time,” Batters says.

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Initiatives | Te Uku Wind Farm Line construction parallel project While construction of the wind farm proceeds on the mountain, WEL Networks and its contractors have been busy with a massive construction project of their own — building the 28 kilometre electricity line that will connect the wind farm to local substations.

John van Brink is the chair of the Meridian/ WEL Alliance as well as General Manager Asset Investment and Growth at WEL Networks. He says most of the line construction project has taken place in very remote terrain.

“Throughout the project, our construction team has used helicopters for much of the work in order to gain access to the isolated locations where new poles are being erected.

“First, we needed to lift in concrete to assist with building pole foundations in areas that couldn’t be reached by trucks. Each foundation requires around 10 tonnes of concrete, which takes several helicopter trips.

“Once the concrete is cured, the helicopters then ferry the power poles — which are up to 17 metres in length and 1.5 tonnes in weight — onto their concrete foundations.

“Each helicopter trip takes around two to three minutes to lift the pole and carry it to its foundation where it’s carefully placed,” van Brink says.

In total, helicopters will be used to prepare foundations and airlift in the majority of the 160 new poles required to complete the line.

In addition to building the new 33kV transmission line, WEL is also performing maintenance work on approximately 10 kilometres of existing line just outside of Raglan later this year.

“Construction of the Te Uku wind farm provided the impetus for moving forward maintenance work on this 10 kilometre stretch of line by about a decade. The work will bring the old line up to WEL’s modern standards.”

… everyone thought it would take us two summer construction seasons … it couldn’t be done in one season.

But, turns out we’re going to do it and that’s a testament to our entire team. We truly have some of New Zealand’s best working at Te Uku and they’ve made it happen. Our construction team, in particular, has surprised many people.

Robert Batters

Meridian Energy project manager

Van Brink says further projects were planned in the near future, including construction of a substation in Raglan and an upgrade of the nearby Te Uku substation.

Ahead of schedule

construction seasons to complete the civil works. Some of those who tendered for the project just flat out thought it couldn’t be done in one season.

The Te Uku wind farm is one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken in the Waikato region.

But despite the enormity of the project, Batters says — weather permitting — the team will finish at least four to six weeks ahead of schedule.

Construction of a 28KM electricity line and upgrading another 10km of existing line is all part of WEL Networks’ contribution to the Te Uku project

“When we started this project, everyone thought it would take us two summer

Feature continues on next page >>

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“But, turns out we’re going to do it and that’s a testament to our entire team. We truly have some of New Zealand’s best working at Te Uku and they’ve made it happen. Our construction team, in particular, has surprised many people.”

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Initiatives | Te Uku Wind Farm Environmental excellence While the wind farm’s goals are to help the environment, a building site — when not managed properly — can be a hazard to its surroundings. Robert Fenwick, from Hick Brothers, was the construction manager. Te Uku wind farm borders Pirongia Forest, which is brimming with protected native wildlife.

Ensuring the project was built without greatly disturbing wildlife was part of his job.

Although protected since 1970, the New Zealand falcon, or karearea, is considered to be a species vulnerable to extinction. Some karearea make their homes in the Raglan area. A few trees had to be removed, but in each case they were checked by professionals to see if they were the homes of roosting bats, which are also native and (depending on type) sometimes endangered animals. Fortunately, none of the trees were bats’ homes and could be removed.

Nearby wetlands also had to be fenced off for the protection of the native flora and fauna.

Civil engineer Tony Keyte from Bloxam Burnett & Olliver says the environment was a key concern from project conception. “We had to take into account erosion and sediment control, fuel usage and resources for every stage of the project because of Meridan’s environmentally sustainable policies.”

To ensure no construction-affected storm water ran into the nearby streams, silt fences and earth-bunds (soil walls) were built to direct the sediment-heavy water into ponds. The sediment settled in the bottom of the pond over time and the clean water was decanted into downstream waterways. The waterways were tested pre-construction and the monitoring locations constantly checked throughout the build to ensure there was no major deterioration of water quality.

“It was vital water quality was effectively managed during construction — particularly the Pokaka River which leads to the Bridal Veil Falls, a major tourist attraction,” Keyte says.

Wind turbines fact box  Turbine towers are 80 metres high  Each turbine blade is 49 metres long and weighs 10.5 tonnes  The entire turbine weighs 170 tonnes  Turbines each generate 2.3MW power  Turbines operate in winds between 14km and 90km per hour  Turbines are secured to foundations with 160, 1.5 metre bolts which together weigh five tonnes.

WEL Network’s new transmission line has been constructed with the help of helicopters

All this hard work paid off, as the entire construction team was awarded Environment Waikato’s Site of the Year award for the high standard of erosion and sediment control and use of best practice.

There were some challenges at the start of the project last October when it rained heavily and again unexpectedly in January. However, Keyte says the project was completed ahead of schedule and on-budget. “We had a very capable contractor who has been so positive and competent. This resulted in a ‘best for project’ mentality.”

Fenwick says time frames were the main challenge, with a large amount of work over an extensive geographical area to be completed in a short duration.

“The main components — earthworks, road construction and drainage — were all work streams we are very experienced at,” Fenwick says. “As with any job we have created a culture that respects the environment and health and safety. With the Te Uku wind farm we’ve all worked together to achieve a result that everyone, from the CEO of Meridian, down to the guys on-site, can be proud of.”

WEL Networks WEL House 114 Maui Street Te Rapa, Hamilton New Zealand T (07) 850 3100 F (07) 850 3210 E connect@wel.co.nz www.wel.co.nz Bloxam Burnett & Olliver Level 5 18 London Street PO Box 9041 Hamilton 3240 T (07) 838 0144/ 0800 226 583 F (07) 839 0431 E consultants@bbo.co.nz www.bbo.co.nz Hick Bros Civil Construction Ltd PO Box 146 Silverdale T (09) 426 3470 F (09) 426 9309 www.hickbros.co.nz — Advertising Feature

36 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Environmental protection practices  Hired a falcon liaison team to ensure no damage to the karearea’s habitat  Trees checked for bats before removal  Ponds, silt fences and earth-buns (soil walls) were built to ensure no building waste ran into the nearby streams  Nearby wetlands fenced off for the protection of native flora and fauna  Water monitoring of nearby streams before, during and after construction.

Initiatives | Te Wharekura o te Rau Aroha

The nature of teamwork is all about co-operative action creating better outcomes. Many hands don’t just make for light work, they can make better work and this is particularly relevant to modern construction.

Construction is a multi-faceted industry of specialised areas, requiring the expertise of a number of specialists to ensure a project’s completion is to the highest of standards.

Tribute

to teamwork

Such is the case of the Te Wharekura o te Rau Aroha development. The Maori immersion school’s lively and colourful history was being clouded by its physical framework with the 100-year-old building on Whakahongi Road, State Highway 27 near Matamata, in need of substantial redevelopment and expansion.

RDT Pacific was engaged as project manager for the wharekura’s development. Its primary goal; to upgrade the facilities and bring them to a modern standard. Warren and Mahoney Architects was engaged for architectural services, Rider Levett Bucknall was the quantity surveyor and Hawkins Construction Central was enlisted as the main contractor. All were integral in translating the school’s rich and lively story into architectural vernacular.

And it was an amazing story to tell, RDT central region general manager Eric Schluter says. “The school came from very humble beginnings in a rented premises in Matamata, growing from a school of just a few students, to the 75 students enrolled today. They have been great clients to work with. They’re very, very dedicated to creating a better start for their students and nurturing the Maori language and culture. It was an amazing story to be involved with telling.”

When it comes to project management, RDT Pacific is a big player. Operating since 1943 it has managed more than $10 billion of assets for

public and private sector clients, with services ranging from project feasibility through to project and asset management.

much history to destroy, so the decision was made to relocate and refurbish it,” Schluter says.

A collaborative working environment was created from the outset, with lead contractor Hawkins Construction selected from a competitive tender process to complete the construction. A leader in construction and engineering management, Hawkins has built a solid reputation for market excellence, drawing on a rich history and strong heritage of quality, stability and innovative leadership in the marketplace for more than six decades.

Today Hawkins is in a competitive position, competing in the commercial, residential, educational, health, governmental and international construction markets.

Hawkins Construction provides building services to clients who recognise the value of a partner who works diligently to find the best possible solution for each particular project.

The company delivers its services in a number of different ways, each dependent upon the needs of their clients. Regardless of the type of service provided, clients can be assured of the quality and professionalism of Hawkins’ strong combination of management and building expertise packaged with additional services. This is a key component of the company’s ability to provide additional value to clients.

Providing services in all sectors of the construction industry, Hawkins Construction is a leader in many categories.

Its services were deemed perfect for the construction role of the Te Wharekura o te Rau Aroha project. The development included refurbishing the 100-year-old school building to encompass the senior class, library and IT suite and moving the building to the rear of the school. “There was debate over whether to scrap the building or move it. The school felt it had too much history, not their history, but too

A number of relocatable classes were removed from the site and an existing six year old block refurbished. A new classroom block, administration, gymnasium, wharenui and food technology room were built and the school grounds developed. The school has incorporated bore and rain water collection for its water supply and sewage is treated and sustainably disposed of.

The Matamata school stands as testament to the combined efforts of all involved in the Te Wharekura o te Rau Aroha redevelopment project and will continue to stand for many decades as tribute to the hard work and dedication of this group of professionals.

RDT Pacific 36 Cameron Rd Tauranga T (07)571 5909 E enquiry@rdtpacific.co.nz www.rdtpacific.co.nz Hawkins Construction Tawa Street Hamilton T (07) 843 6089 F (07) 843 7248 www.hawkins.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Another project proudly delivered by

Te Wharekura o Te Rau Aroha “We wish them every success in the future.”

RDT | Project and Cost Management T. 07 571 5909 F. 07 571 5957 E. enquiry@rdtpacific.co.nz www.rdtpacific.co.nz

CONSTRUCTION & CARTAGE - HAMILTON Schick is proud to be associated with the Site Development and Congratulates Te Wharekura O Te Rau Aroha on the opening of this project...

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 37

Building

Business Development | HEB Construction – Bay of Plenty

At the epicentre of New Zealand’s economic growth are the skills, knowledge and technical expertise of trusted organisations; businesses who are driving the essential changes within the nation’s infrastructure to ensure national and regional growth can be maintained.

As the backbone of New Zealand, national infrastructure demands significant and ongoing investment if is it to remain stoic in the face of future challenges to the country’s economic environment. Playing its part in engineering and constructing developments that will stand the test of time, is longstanding civil contracting firm, HEB Construction.

Having earned its reputation as one of New Zealand’s leading company’s in the construction industry after more than 30 years of operation, HEB Construction is at the heart of a major infrastructure boom in the Bay of Plenty.

Located in this region and throughout the country, HEB’s branches are committing competent management, technical skills and significant resource, in partnership with central and local government bodies, to see New Zealand fulfil its potential on the international stage.

A sound structure The making of a sound structure demands foresight, considerable planning and the ability to execute a strategic vision. No business knows this better than HEB Construction. Because just like the infrastructure the company develops, the HEB enterprise has been built with strong structures in place. Structures in the form of interactive service divisions and national branches that work as an integrated workforce to deliver efficient results.

Competing within the top three or four civil engineering construction companies within New Zealand, HEB is one of a few privately owned companies in the industry. The shareholders are Pulman family members who work within the business.

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Each service division within HEB is led by its own general manager who is accountable to chief executive Derrick Adams for the division’s entire performance, operationally and financially.

HEB Structures general manager Noel Band, who spent 24 years in construction in South Africa prior to his commitment to HEB, says organisational interaction for mutual divisional benefit and the benefit of HEB is achieved through various processes.

Strategic direction is agreed and outlined for HEB at senior management level. The senior management team comprises the managing director and owner Bruce Pulman, the CEO Derrick Adams, the group financial director, group human resource manager and various divisional managers. “This strategic process ensures alignment and interaction between our divisions in terms of business systems, optimising the acquisition of work, approach to our clients and our people and our overall project deliveries,” Band explains.

While HEB’s divisions are generally responsible for their own work acquisition, there is organisational co-operation and strategic positioning across the divisions to optimise tender bids. The cross-pollination of knowledge via regular informal telephone and personal contact is compounded by formal management forums, which allow productivity enhancing communication to take place across the group.

“Our company actively promotes and arranges various social, recreational and sporting functions around the country in which staff from all of our divisions interactively participate.

These activities do wonders for cross-divisional morale, internal networking and relationship enhancement,” Band adds.

With a senior management structure that is relatively “flat,” Band says the business’ structure promotes and permits agility and speed in decision making and response to change. “Our competitors would be more inertia bound in these respects,” he comments. “Unlike several of our competitors, we are not heavily bound into one corporate location.”

HEB’s offices, which reach from Auckland down to Christchurch, offering specialist skills including marina construction, landscaping, traffic control and structural concrete repairs, these staff include a number of skills and trade apprentices and civil engineering graduates who are recruited by HEB annually.

We operate with a flat organisational structure… this means it’s easier for us to maintain core values and decision-makers are never too far from the realities of our operations John Turnbull HEB general manager – specialised businesses

Business Development | HEB Construction – Bay of Plenty

the bay By employing, training and sponsoring some of these graduates, as well as assigning a mentor to each graduate to ensure they adhere to their formal training programme, HEB is assisting in the improvement of the skill base in the New Zealand construction industry.

“We also offer our specialist subcontract services to some of our competitors in the industry.

This assists the industry to ensure that all main contractors have access to our speciality capabilities when required,” Band explains.

“We contribute and exchange knowledge with other contractors and suppliers through our participation in several industry organisations.”

These networks include the New Zealand Crane Association and the New Zealand Concrete Association, as well as several national health and safety forums.

HEB actively plays a role and represents the industry in both the New Zealand Contractors Federation (NZCF) and Road New Zealand (RNZ), to ensure the sector has a voice, is sustainable and represented at a high level, as well as being respected and optimised.

This emphasis on organisational and industry sustainability is accompanied by HEB’s drive for a more sustainable New Zealand. “Apart from doing our ‘normal’ bit in terms of constructing numerous small, large and mega infrastructure projects which are designed by consulting engineers for our clients, we are also involved with a good number of ‘design and construct,’ projects,” Band says.

“In these projects we work very hard to drive our designs towards the top end of sustainability for our clients and New Zealand. We ensure that we are using the appropriate grade of all relevant materials and that the design mixes of our concrete for example will produce structures with a 100 year design life.”

Having reached more than 30 years of operation, it seems the effective business

We work very hard to drive our designs towards the top end of sustainability for our clients and New Zealand.

Noel Band HEB Structures general manager

structures HEB has in place will ensure the company achieves the same centennial longevity as its developments.

Company culture The mark of a good business is evident when it has a flexible and unique professional formula; a prime directive that is not predicated on the organisational blueprint of another business in the hope that it will simply fit the company’s personality, structure and objectives — but is a distinct modus operandi devised with strategic intention.

HEB is testament to the fact that an innovative business structure pays dividends — in reputation, client base and productivity. The integral management style that has defined the company since inception still remains today and ensures HEB’s customers continue to receive direct access to management and the high level of personal service the company is widely respected for.

 Road Construction

 Water and wastewater treatment plants

 Earthworks

 Water reservoirs and retaining structures

 Maintenance contracts — roading, water and wastewater, landscaping

 Bridges, wharves and marinas including floating marina construction

 Civil engineering structures  Drainage and culverts  Pipelines (buried, welded steel, concrete lined)  Water and wastewater reticulation, pumping stations and rising mains

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trusted external subcontractors. “A byproduct of this is that we can help facilitate the ongoing presence of smaller, locally owned and operated contractors in the regions,” he says.

Having entered the industry in 1984, Turnbull has extensive expertise in specialised businesses, business services and operations within the bituminous surfacing sector. Turnbull, like his fellow colleagues, understands that a key element of a business’ success is the people who invest their skills, intelligence and energy into all facets of the operation.

And while HEB’s core staff are the integral component of the operation, Turnbull says HEB has undergone a period of significant growth sustained and supported by the recruitment of

With the implementation of strong business infrastructure via effective human resource management, health and safety and environmental policies, approximately 500 staff from HEB’s six core service sectors are provided with guidance so they can make decisions and exercise their own professional autonomy.

HEB appreciates that its staff are the company’s most important asset and in recognition of this fact, is increasing its future investment through personal development programmes such as training, mentoring and coaching.

Feature continues on next page >>

“We operate with a flat organisational structure and this means it’s easier for us to maintain our core values of goodwill, trust and a commitment

Specialist services:

 Residential and commercial subdivisions

to working through issues, and that decision makers are never too far from the realities of our operations. Our founder and managing director remains active in the business and he continues to promote these ethics,” general manager John Turnbull says.

 Construction of bulk fuel storage terminals, relocation of fuel tanks and fuel tank repairs and maintenance  Heavy lifting  Precast and prestressed concrete

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 39

Business Development | HEB Construction – Bay of Plenty

Participating in a highly competitive commercial landscape, Turnbull says HEB is continually exploring different avenues in order to provide more cost effective solutions for its clients. The company works to innovate and recognises that a one size fits all approach is unrealistic.

“This has given us the freedom to develop our delivery methods to meet the demands of a diverse range of project types and scales. The temptation for businesses such as ours is to develop a suite of standard solutions and this can be problematic,” he says.

Adept at creating productivity enhancing processes, HEB is always planning for quality and getting the right performance drivers in place. “Everything we produce has to withstand the test of time. It’s a combination of taking

HEB Bay of Plenty key clients:

the time for innovation, developing a good methodology, selecting the right resources and establishing appropriate commercial tensions,” Turnbull explains.

As a multi-faceted business, HEB’s diverse professional skillset is well complemented by its acquisition of an extensive range of plant and equipment. The company is able to deliver structures and roading, infrastructure, landscape installations, subdivisions and precast services.

“HEB is well positioned,” Turnbull says of the company’s expansive operation. “We have remained mindful of the need to be flexible and to be able to react to changing circumstances.

Each part of our business has to stand up on its own, but we are able to pull everyone together when required to provide highly scalable, multidisciplined solutions.”

Trusted professional relationships

 Central Government New Zealand Transport Agency, KiwiRail  Local Government Tauranga City Council, Western Bay of Plenty District Council, Rotorua District Council, Whakatane District Council, Hauraki District Council, Thames Coromandel District Council, Gisborne District Council, Napier City Council  Public and Private Companies Port of Tauranga, Newmont Waihi Gold, Carter Holt Harvey, Balance Agri Nutrients Limited, Forestry Sector.

The success of a business relies on the development of relationships and partnerships between company, customer and contractor.

And just as a trusted, professional relationship established between a business and its client base is built on the principles of trust, consistent service and quality workmanship, so too is the affiliation between internal and external constituents of the operation.

Working within a highly competitive environment in the Bay of Plenty, HEB is a primary infrastructure contractor in the region. Through competitive tender processes and industry forums, HEB has established relationships with central government organisations including the New Zealand

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HEB is well positioned. We have remained mindful of the need to be flexible and to be able to react to changing circumstances.

John Turnbull HEB general manager – specialised businesses Transport Agency and KiwiRail, local government in the Bay of Plenty including the Tauranga City Council, as well as public and private companies including the Port of Tauranga.

HEB Civil Bay of Plenty area manager Adolph Marmetschke says that as an assertive, privately owned construction company competing successfully in various sectors in the civil engineering and construction industry, HEB is a customer focused organisation.

“The collaborative environment created during project delivery is critical to ensure that these relationships are sustained and strengthened for the future,” he explains of HEB’s connection to its clients. “HEB provides a design and construct service and frequently negotiates proposals directly with clients to satisfy their requirements and meet their expectations.”

Important relationships HEB is a company that recognises and appreciates that its relationship with important internal stakeholders comprised of staff and subcontractors, are equally as valuable as those professional partnerships established with external stakeholders. These external connections are also nurtured and supported by programmes such as the Tauranga City Partnership programme, which allows entities an opportunity to take part in the development of facilities and reserves within the region.

“The relationship is very significant and HEB values its position in the local marketplace,” Marmetschke says. “Close affiliation with local agencies such as Environment Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand Crane Association are maintained and the company is currently involved in a wide range of industry working groups targeting improved industry performance.”

Through the adoption of procurement models ranging from design and construct to competitively priced services, HEB can provide customers with a selection of delivery mediums.

Projects that have been delivered extend from the Coromandel Peninsula to Napier and Gisborne. At present the company has been contracted by the New Zealand Transport Agency to deliver the State Highway 25 Kopu Bridge replacement project.

HEB commenced work on this bridge replacement in July 2009 and has a completion date scheduled for May 2012. The new two-lane bridge, which will be approximately 580 metres long and 12.95 metres wide, will have 3.5 metre wide traffic lanes and 1.2 metre shoulders. It will also have cycle and walkway lanes.

Designed to honour specific cultural iconography including 10 Pou, a Waka etching and Patiki etching, the bridge development will also include widening of the State Highway 26 and service relocations including water mains and sewer pipes. A new four-leg roundabout at the junction of State Highway 25 and State Highway 26 will also be constructed.

In order to provide the Bay of Plenty with the infrastructural backbone it requires to solidify the region’s future as a productive economy, the central government has identified State Highway Two (the Eastern Corridor), as a road of national significance and further initiatives and strategies, led by central and local government agencies such as SmartGrowth and Tauranga Tomorrow, will provide further opportunities for work in the Bay of Plenty.

“The regional market has in the past been flush with subdivisions, but more recently has managed to attract central government funding for significant infrastructure work to “future proof” the region,” Marmetschke explains.

“Every job completed is a success as challenges are overcome to deliver a product and level of service that is of primary importance to our clients. Some projects may not go as planned but lessons are learnt and taken into the future to improve our delivery systems.

“Having enjoyed working with HEB Construction for the last five years, my most memorable attraction to the company is the ‘culture’ commonly known as ‘Our HEB way,’” he adds.

HEB Construction Bay of Plenty PO Box 226 Drury 2247 T (07) 575 2325 F (07) 574 3931 E bop@heb.co.nz www.heb.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Business Development | Supacrete Concrete

Super, solid success Tauranga’s Supacrete Concrete has developed a legacy as enduring as the material it creates and conveys for construction purposes.

In the first five years of business, the company achieved production growth of 537 percent.

The following 14 years saw production increase from producing 12,854 cubic metres of concrete annually to 52,669 cubic metres.

Don Mahoney’s initial business philosophy was to be the best — not necessarily the biggest or the strongest. Ironically, by aiming to produce and supply a product that was the best it could be for all required applications, the biggest and strongest accolades have resulted.

What began as a “one man and his truck” operation, has grown into a major player in the Bay of Plenty’s construction and infrastructure landscape, tackling many significant projects in the past 22 years.

Recognising an opportunity in the ready mixed concrete industry, Don Mahoney set up shop in 1988, operating from behind the old Rowe Motors building on Cameron Road. He lugged 40kg bags of cement onto his old Bedford truck, poured the material into the mixer, loaded aggregate and water — and viola, created a load of “simply the best” concrete ready for delivery.

With the forward-thinking approach which has seen the company grow through hard times, Supacrete is better placed than ever to supply readymix to all its markets in the region.

No job was too big or too small — from paths and driveways to house slabs and other applications, Mahoney loaded up the Bedford and delivered the readymix on time, every time.

Supacrete Concrete is solid, dependable and enduring — the embodiment of the very building material it specialises in.

Mahoney’s proactive approach saw Supacrete grow from one truck to three trucks and four staff in the first six months. This same attitude has driven the continual development and acquisition throughout the company’s history.

Supacrete Concrete 58 Maleme Street Greerton, Tauranga T (07) 541 2801 E jeff@supacrete.co.nz www.supacrete.co.nz — Advertising Feature

In 2008 as many New Zealand businesses ran for cover in the face of the recession, Supacrete marked its 20th birthday with the opening of a $4.5 million state-of-the-art concrete plant.

The new plant succeeded one built eight years previously — and expected to last at least a decade. Three years into operation it was evident the local economy had “gone through the roof” and planning started on a bigger plant.

The new plant has the potential to meet the company’s needs for years to come. “As far back as 2003 or 2004 we realised we had to think ahead for probably the next 20 or 25 years,” Mahoney says. On completion in December 2008 it became the largest readymix plant in the Bay of Plenty and the third largest in New Zealand, based on production capability and on-plant storage.

Supacrete’s well maintained fleet of vehicles is said to be the most modern of its size in the New Zealand readymix concrete industry.

Supacrete has substantially grown and diversified over the past two decades.

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Wastewater

Business Development | HEB Construction/Gisborne District Council

Providing an holistic professional service is a game of two parts. There’s a precarious balance involved when maintaining good service and a good price.

So how do you deliver exceptional results without the commercial costs incurred spiking?

And can a business really offer an attractive pricing package without compromising the quality of the service it’s offering?

The answers lie with industry giant HEB Construction. One need only look at the company’s brimming professional portfolio to see that a proven reputation of quality service and competitive cost have been a part of HEB’s business formula since its inception more than 25 years ago. As a company that can offer efficiency, suitable pricing and professional consistency, when its opposition may have just one or two attractive corporate characteristics up their professional sleeve, HEB Construction remains a privately owned company with its founding family still core constituents of the organisation today.

From landscaping, civil and roading work, through to national projects, precast and asset maintenance, HEB Construction’s extensive professional skillbase has equipped the company

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with the knowledge and know-how to engage in a wide scope of developments. It was HEB’s defining and reputable expertise that won the company the Gisborne District Council contract for the region’s biggest infrastructure project in 40 years — Gisborne’s new wastewater treatment plant.

Due for completion December 31, 2010, the new Gisborne wastewater treatment plant will guide the Gisborne community towards a more sustainable future. A more ecologically friendly alternative to the existing system, this $39 million upgrade is a commitment to the preservation of the region’s unique environment, as well as a move towards better compliance with the Resource Management Act and Treaty of Waitangi conditions.

Project manager for the Gisborne District Council, Peter McConnell explains. “Gisborne has been disposing wastewater out to sea through a submarine outfall since 1949. It was untreated effluent until 1991 when milliscreens were installed. The disposal of this effluent to sea was quite contentious with Iwi and the wider Gisborne community given that Gisborne is famous for its beaches. For Maori this practise was abhorrent as they consider the sea a foodbasket with spiritual significance.”

Business Development | HEB Construction/Gisborne District Council

project a

winner

Of the outmoded nature of the pre-existing system, HEB Structures (a division of HEB Construction) area manager for the wastewater plant, Chris Hunt agrees that Gisborne’s distinct tourist identity requires the civic infrastructure to be efficient and accommodating of the region’s environmental characteristics. “Gisborne is not the type of place you would just stop at while passing through. Tourists specifically come to Gisborne for a reason and it is the surfing capital,” he says.

“The existing system was just not sustainable and this development is now bringing Gisborne up to a standard other cities are already at.”

While McConnell concedes the initial design, consultation and consent preparations, which spanned 2003-09 were a complex process, he maintains the upgrade is a critical project for the region, albeit contentious.

“It was always going to be a controversial project, given that the original cost estimates had the project at $84 million. We went back to the drawing board and chose a new site for the plant, which was closer to town and reduced the scale of the Biological Trickling Filter (BTF) plant to satisfy all parties — the cost of the project then more than halved.

“We also negotiated different consent conditions with iwi and other affected parties, one of which was an ongoing study and consultation on the performance of the plant.”

The wastewater technical advisory group committed to this study is comprised of council members, iwi representatives, the district health board, Department of Conservation and environmental groups. Key characteristics of the

his own professional portfolio. “Because of the complexity of the project, there has been a lot of work involved. There is the typical reinforced concrete work, which is bread and butter for us, but there is also mechanical, electrical and drainage work, as well as the two building structures, which are very complex.”

finalised wastewater system include one BTF instead of two and wastewater being cleansed with ultraviolet disinfectant prior to disposal.

The HEB Structures’ staff working on the Gisborne wastewater plant include four engineers, three supervisors, five general staff, as well as contractors from Hauraki Piling, completing the foundations, Preco — working on the pre-cast structures, Universal Engineering — undertaking the mechanical fit-out, Currie Construction — commissioned for the building works, Kinetic Electrical — working on the electrical fit-out and Connell Contractors — completing the drainage works. Onsite labour has also been provided by National Personnel and Allied Labour.

“HEB is working within a very tight timeframe as one of the consent conditions is that the project must be commissioned by December, 31, 2010. When you work closely with the contracted company and have open communication, it means you can resolve issues quickly. HEB has put staff on the project that are highly qualified and I have been impressed by the staff,” McConnell says.

As the area manager, Hunt has been monitoring the construction programme and the financial side of the process, as well as providing support to his colleague and the project manager of the development, Colin Newbold. “Typically I will speak to Colin every day to see how he is going and go down to the site every second week. From an engineering perspective, the wastewater plant has been a good challenge as it requires the application of multi-disciplines.”

Hunt and Newbold both agree the 10 metre deep pump station is one of the most significant milestones reached by the team. “The main tank is also a key focal point and this is close to completion. The control building now has a roof and the internal works are under way,” Newbold says. “The progress is strong. While it will be a challenge to meet the completion date, we will, and we are working really hard towards that.”

Newbold has been involved with every element of the project from the overall performance standards, to the construction programme, timing, technical works and client satisfaction.

Newbold says the Gisborne wastewater plant project is the biggest development he has been involved with in New Zealand and Hunt also agrees the project is a significant addition to

HEB Construction PO Box 4049 21 Aerodrome Road Mount Maunganui 3149 T (07) 575 2325 F (07) 575 6387 E chris.hint@heb.co.nz www.heb.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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15 Fitzherbert St | PO Box 747, Gisborne 4040 | 24hr Phone 06 867 2049 Email service@gdc.govt.nz | www.gdc.govt.nz

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 43

Business Development | Port of Tauranga

Exploring port potential The Port of Tauranga is investing in the future to ensure it keeps pace with economic growth in the northern triangle, an area extending from Auckland to the Waikato and across the Bay of Plenty.

With an annual cargo through-put of more than 13 million tonnes, the Port of Tauranga is rated New Zealand’s largest port for cargo volumes, with direct links to international markets in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, South America, the United States and Europe. The port is now preparing for the bigger ships and larger cargo volumes expected in New Zealand waters in the next few years.

Larger ships will bring with them lower operating costs and greater fuel efficiency, enhancing the competitiveness of New Zealand exporters and lowering freight costs for importers. However, capital investment is required to create the infrastructure these super-sized vessels will need. Preparations for larger ships include ensuring harbour access and on-wharf equipment of a scale able to handle vessels around 50 percent bigger.

Port of Tauranga commercial manager Graeme Marshall says Tauranga is the obvious choice to lead the capital investment required to accommodate the inevitable increase in larger ships and greater volumes of cargo. “We can do the necessary expansion at a comparatively low cost, in the time-frame required, and without taking on additional debt,” he says.

“Our commercial strength, proximity to export commodities and efficient rail connections to the Waikato and Auckland make us the logical hub port for New Zealand.”

Waiting on approval The Port of Tauranga is waiting for ministerial approval of the resource consents required to widen and deepen Tauranga Harbour’s shipping channels. Dredging will enable the port to welcome vessels of up to 7000 TEUs (20 foot equivalent units), providing for 14.5 metres draught at all tides.

We are planning and investing to ensure that Port of Tauranga remains New Zealand’s port for the future.

Graeme Marshall Port of Tauranga commercial manager

The dredging work is expected to be carried out in stages as the market demands. The trend towards larger ships is already being seen in New Zealand. Recently the OOCL New Zealand — the largest container vessel in the New Zealand trade — has started regular calls at Tauranga. It can carry up to 4578 TEUs. Marshall says it’s also vital transport infrastructure keeps pace with the port’s extension plans, as bigger ships will mean larger cargo exchanges.

The Tauranga eastern motorway, due to start construction early next year, will significantly reduce travel time and transportation costs to the port from the east.

C3’s history at the port of Tauranga dates back more than 50 years.

Today C3 is New Zealand’s leading on-wharf logistics company.

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C3 Limited | www.c3.co.nz | Ph 0800 765 884 44 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

The duplication of the Tauranga harbour bridge, completed at the end of last year, has given dedicated motorway access ramps to the container terminal and better connectivity to the Waikato region and beyond.

“This has brought us immediate efficiencies.

We can expand the terminal without contributing to traffic bottlenecks elsewhere.

The highway expansion, as well as the rail improvements, helps future-proof the port without compromising the community in which we operate.”

Business Development | Port of Tauranga

The Government is looking at improvements to State Highway 29, servicing Tauranga to the north and investigations are also under way for the Rotorua Eastern Arterial on the eastern edge of Lake Rotorua — en route from the central North Island forestry and dairy regions to the port. As well as roading links, rail and coastal shipping will also be vital to hub ports.

Marshall says Port of Tauranga already enjoys excellent rail connections, with significant additional route capacity already available on the rail line between the container terminal, Hamilton and the inland port, MetroPort, in Auckland. KiwiRail is investing in increased capacity and improving reliability on the ‘golden triangle’ route connecting Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland. Up to 32 trains a day run on the lines serving Tauranga, carrying containerised dairy exports, steel, coal and forest products.

Improvements will see an increase in the length of trains serving Tauranga from 106 to 132 TEUs within the next two years. Marshall estimates capacity could be lifted to 150 TEUs in the future.

KiwiRail is effectively doubling the capacity of the Hamilton-Tauranga line by increasing crossing loops, allowing an increase from two trains an hour in each direction to four trains.

The rail company is also introducing new, more powerful and fuel efficient locomotives and has commissioned new generation wagons allowing more containers to be carried on the Bay of Plenty/Waikato route.

MetroPort and the adjacent freight distribution hub at Tapper Transport (bought by Port of Tauranga in April), is in the middle of the commercial zone which produces and receives 80 percent of Auckland’s imports and exports.

The Tapper Transport purchase allows Port of Tauranga customers to take advantage of the proximity of Tapper’s warehousing and distribution services to its MetroPort inland port. “We can really grow MetroPort and Tapper Transport over the long-term by working together and continuing to provide an exceptional level of service from both companies,” Marshall says.

The port continues to invest in on-wharf equipment, installing a new Liebherr gantry crane in July last year. The new crane lifts two containers at a time and services ships up to 18 containers wide.

The port has significant land holdings, enabling both the Tauranga Container terminal and Mount

Maunganui bulk freight wharves to be extended.

A further 21 hectares is available for container storage, and eight hectares of vacant land can cater for the expected increase in bulk and liquid cargoes at the Mount Maunganui wharves.

Our commercial strength, proximity to export commodities and efficient rail connections to the Waikato and Auckland make us the logical hub port for New Zealand.

Graeme Marshall Port of Tauranga commercial manager

The container terminal, which opened in 1992, is the country’s most efficient. Marshall believes it is one of the best in Australasia. Productivity averages 33 moves per crane per hour, ensuring international and coastal vessels can maintain and enhance their schedule reliability.

Information technology The port is also investing in information technology systems to maximise efficiency.

Earlier this year, the company launched CargoConnect, a comprehensive online cargo management system. Shipping companies, importers, exporters and border agencies alike can now access a single web-based system to better manage all of their containerised cargo movements and information.

The secure system can be fully integrated with customers’ existing IT processes using direct system-to-system data transfer. One of the first users, MAF Biosecurity New Zealand, uses CargoConnect to stop hold and release container cargo requiring biosecurity clearance. Cold Storage Nelson (CSN), another pilot user, has benefited from additional functionality provided to refrigerated container pack points.

The Port of Tauranga believes that its continued investment and process improvements will ensure that New Zealand remains competitive internationally. “If we have an internationally competitive, well-resourced hub port then importers and exporters will have greater control of their supply chain, giving them reliability and efficiency.

“We are planning and investing to ensure that Port of Tauranga remains New Zealand’s port for the future. We’ve got to make sure the right infrastructure is in place at the right time to benefit our customers, and the national economy as a whole,” Marshall says.

Port of Tauranga Private Bag 12504 Tauranga Mail Centre Tauranga 3143 T (07) 572 8826 F (07) 572 8747 E reception@port-tauranga.co.nz www.port-tauranga.co.nz — Advertising Feature www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 45

Property and Construction | Stringfellow Contracts

nside Stringfellow Contracts has been kept busy through the economic recession with a $10.6 million Transit New Zealand project — its largest project to date.

Based in Palmerston North, the company is a North Island industry leader in civil engineering contracting and infrastructure development.

Ohingaiti-Makohine realignment A big point of difference for Stringfellow Contracts is its high level of technology. The company is working hard to complete the 4.1km Ohingaiti-Makohine realignment (below)

General manager Graeme De Rose says the company has been working on the Ohingaiti project for Transit since March 2008, with about 85 percent of the work now completed.

The 4.1km realignment project should be finished by November 2010 and, at $10.6 million, is the largest project Stringfellow Contracts has ever undertaken.

The Ohingaiti contract involves a roading realignment through to Makohine, to provide safer and easier journeys for motorists travelling through the central North Island. It will eliminate the steep, winding road on Makohine Hill, which has seen a number of fatal and injury crashes.

The project also includes the construction of an overpass to replace the level crossing, which was the scene of a double fatality in July 2007, the construction of a three-span traffic bridge near the viaduct over the Makohine Stream, and a new passing lane.

The fill for the rail underpass has come from a 40m-deep cut in the bank near the rail viaduct, with the balance of the fill used for the approaches to the new road bridge.

The finished road height where the new road crosses the existing road on the Makohine Hill is about 5m higher than the existing road.

Stringfellow Contracts places huge emphasis on completing all jobs as efficiently as possible, guaranteeing clients top level professional service and attention to detail, regardless of the size of the project.

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46 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Property and Construction | Stringfellow Contracts

infrastructure De Rose says the Ohingaiti realignment has been the backbone of Stringfellow Contracts’ workload for the past two years. “We’ve had up to 12 staff working on that and it’s been a big project, although is typical of the work we do.”

involves a 20m high cut on the inside edge of the bend, with about 11,000m3 of material removed from site.

While the project has gone smoothly, the company is facing additional challenges diverting the Makohine Stream at the other end.

Stringfellow Contracts believes it is a market leader in technology within the highly competitive civil engineering industry.

Stringfellow Contracts has undertaken a number of additional smaller projects in recent months as well, including a considerable amount of pavement rehabilitation work. It is currently completing pavement rehabilitation work on five sections of road in the Wanganui-Raetihi Region, worth $2.25 million.

De Rose says a big point of difference for Stringfellow Contracts is its high level of technology, particularly in terms of survey control. The company operates the latest generation Leica Total Stations and GPS for its survey and setout equipment, with roading/ earthworks software on board.

Other work undertaken recently includes a small realignment of Mangamako Road to protect the integrity of the road, which has been eroded by the river to the point of being unsafe. The job, about 10 kilometres inland from Ohingaiti,

Stringfellow Contracts recently purchased a new Caterpillar 12m grader, which carrries the Leica 3D system in conjunction with the TPS 1202 Total Station. “The 3D is new technology and it’s all done electronically from a control station —

Forefront of technology

there are no pegs along the side any longer,” De Rose says. “It’s done using a Total Station (electronic theodolite), which is more accurate than GPS. You need that accuracy to comply with Transit tolerances. There is a variation with GPS of up to +/-20mm vertically, because of the satellite positions and site layout, but this system only has a 3-4mm difference. It makes the job quicker in getting the shape and height right.

“We’ve also got 2D systems on four of our excavators to increase accuracy when cutting grades and batters. That’s pretty high tech.”

The Leica 2D systems installed on the excavators help the operator with batters, cut depths and offsets from datum points. “We’ve got a fulltime surveyor who looks after everything and that’s a key part of our business.”

Company success

Stringfellow Contracts undertakes a range of civil works. The Ohingaiti-Makohine realignment (below) is the largest project it has ever done

“We have some skilled people and we generally recruit young people who are easier to train. We never have any trouble finding good staff.”

Stringfellow Contracts places huge emphasis on completing all jobs as efficiently as possible.

In operation in the Wairarapa since 1963 and formed by Ray Stringfellow (who later sold the business to his son Clinton), Stringfellow Contracts is now owned by Mason Slako and Graeme de Rose, who purchased it in 2005.

The team guarantees all its clients the same top level of professional service and attention to detail, regardless of the size of the project.

The owners of the company are both fully involved in the day-to-day running of its operations and can ensure projects are delivered to the client’s requirements.

Employing about 18 full-time staff from its base in Mihaere Drive, Palmerston North, the company undertakes a range of civil works, including roading, drainage, windfarm construction, land clearing, retaining walls, quarry stripping and gravel extraction.

De Rose attributes the success of Stringfellow Contracts since its formation more than 45 years ago to its efficiency and focus on having high standards for both its people and machinery.

Stringfellow Contracts Limited PO Box 5207 Palmerston North 4441 T (06) 354 4524 F (06) 354 4526 www.stringfellows.co.nz — Advertising Feature

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WE ARE THE SEALING INDUSTRY LEADERS WITH OVER 60 YEARS EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR NZ TRANSPORT AGENCY, LOCAL AUTHORITY, AND PRIVATE CLIENTAL We congratulate Stringfellows on their quality and efficiency throughout all their work sites, and appreciate the opportunity to be involved with their workmanship.

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CONTACT:

Graeme de Rose 027 281 8450 graeme@stringfellows.co.nz Mason Slako 027 277 6221 mason@stringfellows.co.nz www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 47

Property and Construction | Taranaki Civil Construction

Moving ahead with civil works While widely unthought of by much of the general public, the civil contracting and roading industries are an integral part of modern society.

All across New Zealand, civil construction contractors, like the Taranaki Civil Construction team, are dedicated to ensuring we all have the infrastructure we rely upon to live, play and work — the end result of all this being an industry that goes some way to ensuring we maintain our way of life. In short, it is an industry dedicated to maintaining modern lives.

With more than 30 years of contracting experience between them, Taranaki Civil directors Simon Mulligan and Shayne Bunn

lead from the front, fully understanding the importance of delivering high quality end products and uncompromised work ethics.

development of the roading infrastructure which will keep in step with New Plymouth’s growth,” Simon says.

They know first-hand the challenges of being at the controls of a digger all day; they have created roads themselves and continue to do so with an intimate knowledge of all aspects of the business.

“This is a very significant project and one which we are very proud to have been involved in.”

For more than 11 years Simon was hands-on.

He then progressed to leading hand and operations foreman, to operations manager.

With more than 14 years of experience within the realms of the civil engineering and roading industries, Simon’s background is complemented by that of his co-director. Shayne has worked in the industry for more than 25 years, starting in earth moving and pipelines then moving into road construction.

The pair are a force to be reckoned with in the industry. “We have a great depth of experience which allows us to deliver everything to a very high standard and meet the specifications required by our clients,” Simon says.

Taranaki Civil Construction has serviced the civil engineering and roading sectors since 2004 and has continued to grow and diversify, now incorporating driveways, tennis court construction, full subdivision work, earth works, concrete works, water reticulation, bulk cartage and top soil supply.

Established by Simon and Shayne themselves, the company works for the New Zealand Transport Association (NZTA), local authorities and the energy sector.

One of the most significant projects Taranaki Civil Engineering has been involved in was the $21 million Bell Block bypass on State Highway 3, about five kilometres north of New Plymouth, to ease congestion and improve road safety.

The 3.5 kilometres of new road separates local and highway traffic with an interchange providing direct access to the Bell Block township and the industrial area. “This is a link New Plymouth has needed for the past 20 years and after a lot of delays it was given the green light. This project is a key step in the

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Large scale infrastructure projects are no stranger to Taranaki Civil. A large percentage of its work is derived from the major local authorities and over the years the company has become recognised as one of the leading suppliers to the earthworks, drainage, roading and other civil construction sectors. “We are very good at what we do,” Simon adds of his 35-plus strong team.

It’s hard to pinpoint what has ensured the success of Taranaki Civil Construction. The personal approach of being a small, family orientated company has undoubtedly seen the company prosper. Being local has also likely been a critical factor.

But more likely than not, it is the high standards Taranaki Civil adheres to which has led to its success. “We aim to do everything correctly and quickly and this applies to everything we do.”

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Property and Construction | Insulated Panel and Door Co

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Palmerston North’s Insulation Panel and Door Co Ltd is the largest New Zealand-owned manufacturer of insulated panels and doors; a product widely used across numerous industries to build temperature controlled environments and energy efficient buildings.

What are insulated panels and why use them?  Insulated panels are a composite building material consisting of two layers of pre-finished colour steel and a core of rigid insulating foam. The panels are lightweight, strong and have a high insulative value, leading to fewer draughts and less maintenance cost  Economic, quick construction does not require conventional steel and timber framing, saving money and time and producing a clean, uncluttered building  High thermal insulation properties make the panels especially suitable for cool stores and freezers. The quality powder-coated paint finish provides a smooth hygienic surface ideal for food processing buildings

The privately owned Kiwi company manufactures polystyrene cores and colour steel covered panels and doors for businesses nationwide and has gone from strength to strength in its 14-year history.

An ability to supply and install the insulated building product with short turnaround times makes Insulation Panel and Door the recommended choice when constructing a cool store, cold store, freezer, food processing plant or fire-resistant storage facility. From the dairy industry to wineries, supermarkets and leisure centres, uses for the material are as varied as the industries the company supplies.

Managing director Phil Julian established the company in 1996 after working for an insulation

“General lead times for material is five working days and we have crews of panel installers available in the North Island,” Julian says.

“Our policy is basically to listen to what our customer needs and wants. And they want short lead times and excellent on-site performance,” Julian says.

The panels are available in a variety of core material, such as fire resistant cores, to comply with insurance company recommendations. The panel manufacture and installation meets New Zealand building standards.

His company is 100 percent New Zealand owned and not affiliated with an overseas manufacturing franchise. It employs about 50 staff nationwide. “We’ve built the business up steadily over time and supply a wide range of industries — food processors or packaging plants to service stations or cow sheds.”

Insulation Panel and Door Co Ltd has just finished working on the largest milk powder tower in the southern hemisphere for Fonterra in Edendale, Southland. Another project is relocation work for the Ohakea helicopter squadron.

There is no job too big or small for Insulation Panel and Door Co Ltd and free quotes can be given by its team of experienced sales crew, offering a competitive pricing in comparison to similar such manufacturers, Julian says.

Wherever you are and whatever you require by way of insulated panels and doors, save yourself the time and contact Julian and his team today and have your optimised-energy, insulated building up in no time.

Insulation Panel and Door Co Ltd 122 Kaimanawa Street PO Box 9028 Palmerston North T (06) 354 733 0800 373 393 F (06) 354 7335 www.longpanel.com — Advertising Feature

Able to supply anywhere nationwide, the Palmerston North-based firm also has a company in Rolleston, just outside of Christchurch, to supply South Island markets.

Long Industries Limited is a subsidiary of Insulation Panel and Door Co Ltd, with a sales and supply crew, established to cater for South Island demand.

CENTRAL POWDER COATERS LTD POWDERCOATERS & INDUSTRIAL PAINTERS

 The panel core foam layer is either expanded polystyrene foam, polyphen foam or polyurethane foam  Insulated panels were developed in the 1950s when the US Government sought a solution to building structures in remote locations which demanded exceptional insulation properties and structural strength.

panel manufacturer. Thinking ‘I can do this for myself’, he stepped up and launched his own company.

Advanced Sheetmetals are proud to produce quality steelwork and robotic welding for Insulation Panel and Door.

www.advancedsheetmetals.co.nz

We are proud to be entrusted with supplying the Powdercoating for Insulation Panel & Door on there finished products. With our large modern pretreatment plant and computer programmed oven, we are able to meet the high standards that they require. Central Powdercoaters have a wide range of colours and specialised powders, with our two powder lines we can offer customers a quick turnaround of their orders.

For more information please Contact Peter or Dave on 356 9600 or email us at centralpowedercoaters@xtra.co.nz

Thank you to The Insulated Panel and Door Company for the outstanding products and services you supply to our Company.

HOUSES | COOLSTORES CHAPMAN DIARY PARLOURS PO Box 309 Morrinsville | Ph. 07 889 6168

www.donchapmanbuilders.co.nz www.chapmandairy.com www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 49

Transport and Motoring | Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs

Overcoming collision outcomes REDLINE AGENCIES LTD

Distributors of quality automotive and industrial coatings

#1 WATERBORNE PAINT WORLDWIDE

One of life’s little unfortunate facts is that fender benders happen. And when they do, what you need are professionals you can trust to return your pride and joy to its former glory.

Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs is the answer — known throughout the Bay of Plenty for its professional vehicle repair and painting service.

The business was formed 16 years ago by Tom Johnston, who today heads a team of 10 highly skilled employees at a modern, new workshop and facility in Mt Maunganui.

“We also do a lot of fleet work, which involves reconditioning before the vehicles go back to the lease companies. We do general fleet painting, repairs and accident work,” Johnston says.

“We have vehicles coming from throughout the region but most of our customers are in the local Tauranga area. We have a fleet of courtesy cars to offer customers who need them.”

The business has recently been appointed a factory-approved repairer for prestigious brand Mercedes Benz, covering the Bay of Plenty and central North Island regions.

“We take great pride in working on prestige and late model vehicles, but are happy to repair any type of vehicle to the same standard.”

High-tech facility

Proud suppliers to Tom and the team at Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs

Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs specialises in vehicle repairs and painting, with the majority of its work coming through insurance companies as an approved repairer. The balance of its work comes from franchise and private customers.

Unit 8, 21 Railside Place, Frankton, Hamilton Ph. 07 847 8140 | Email. redline@xtra.co.nz

Work includes chassis straightening, panel beating and painting.

Johnston says the move was made to create more space and offer customers and staff a more user-friendly and efficient facility.

The Smart Choice

Two years ago Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs moved to its new purpose-built premises in Tukorako Drive.

The premises contains two large paint booths and preparation areas boasting the most up-todate technology available, capable of holding trucks and other large vehicles, as well as a large workshop.

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“We have the latest in paint technology. We use Glasurit waterborne paint, which is an environmentally friendly paint from Europe,” Johnston says.

Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs also operates a range of modern machinery and plant in order to complete every repair job to the highest standard. This includes digital chassis measuring and welding capabilities.

Staff undertake regular training to ensure they are kept up-to-date with changing technology and new techniques, and the company employs apprentices as a way of contributing to New Zealand’s automotive industry.

Seeking success Johnston has grown his business through hard work and a determination to be the best.

“I think the presentation of our business and our facility is a big thing, as well as the quality of our work. We always strive to do our best by the customer, whatever it takes,” he says.

“We recently won the best presented shop in New Zealand award from the NZ Collision Repair Association.

“Our focus for the immediate future is to keep up with our training, which is very important, and to keep producing the quality of work we’re renowned for.”

Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs Limited 26 Tukorako Drive Mt Maunganui T (07) 575 3800 F (07) 575 3801 mtmcollision@xtra.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Mt Maunganui Collision Repairs pride themselves on quality repairs. So when it was time for investing in major repair equipment they purchased the very best.

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Chassis Alignment Machines | Structural Repairs | Quick Effective Service | Latest Waterbase Painting Features | Fleet of Courtesy Cars, Vans, Utes Available 50 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Transport and Motoring | Test Drive: Nissan Navara ST-X

Talking the torque

By Jonathon Taylor

A wise man once said, “It’s not your brain that’s the problem — it’s the fact you listen to it which causes all the confusion”. The point (among others) he was trying to make is that entrenchment in one belief will, sooner or later, inhibit you.

Now this is the kind of statement you might understand perfectly at the time, but whose meaning isn’t revealed until you see it in yourself.

Usually these revelations take the form of seminal moments where the clouds part and a ray of sunlight springs forth, illuminating you to the, quite frankly, depressing extent of your ignorance.

Well this exact thing happened to me recently while going slowly backwards up a hill.

You see I had always been a horsepower kind of a bloke, interested only in kilowatt whammy and power to weight ratios as the true measure of any vehicle’s muscle.

A weekend in Nissan’s 2010 Navara ST-X had something to say about that and the moment of my awakening came on a devilishly dark and damp evening backing up a steep, slippery slope.

Even while casually selecting 4WD low ratio in the perfectly temperature controlled cab, there was no real belief the ST-X, commonly called the 450, would actually make it up this slope. ‘Torque shmorke’ I thought.

Then the most curious thing occurred — we started moving. Not the kind of moving where you floor it, wheels spin and without any practical traction to speak of, the laws of physics displace you. The ST-X just idled along and proceeded to make mince meat of the mountain. It didn’t slip or stall — it just ambled up backwards without batting an eyelid.

Where once I teetered precariously on the edge of ignorance’s abyss, I now see the light. I have been converted and torque is my new mantra.

This however, was where the problems began.

Because you see there is only one proper, mature and manly response to this situation — spending the rest of the weekend looking for places to get stuck in, up to and beyond the gunwales.

And that’s easier said than done with this thing because it just happens to be the most powerful and efficient Navara ever made.

This isn’t one of those vehicles people immediately

see as perfect for pulling the boat

they don’t have to the lake they never go to. It’s a genuine workhorse that’s now, thanks to a few 2010 tweaks, more capable, finessed and refined than previous incarnations.

Truth be told, saying its been ‘tweaked’ might be a slight understatement — it’s been redesigned inside and out, has a range of added safety features and added power. So, pretty much, the only thing that’s remained the same is its name, which, well… isn’t actually the same, as its badge says 450.

In this context it’s not a number to be scoffed at, referring to the ST-Xs 450 Newton metres of torque.

The turbo charged 2.5 litre diesel delivers 140 kW and returns the Navara to the top of its class for power and torque.

If this is good, then what’s great are improvements in fuel economy (up to 15 percent over the previous model) and reduced emission levels — all with a 3000kg towing capacity.

Inside the twin cab it’s really just a big car that’s comfy, has plenty of kit and is tough. The buttons and knobs are big enough to handle wearing gloves and that’s just good thinking for a working vehicle like this.

Once inside, the first thing to do is program the bluetooth hands-free application to identify your mobile phone. In no time at all, calls to your mobile come through the sound system you can operate from the steering wheel.

Next thing to do is set the dual climate control which isolates the temperature setting for each side of the cab. Perfect if your partner’s giving you the cold shoulder — just crank up the heating on their side and inform them this is to thaw their icy heart — should work a treat.

New safety items include front, side, and curtain airbags, along with rear three-point seatbelts and child seat anchor points as standard. The ST-X also features Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) which together deliver massive traction control.

Now while modern computers, being about as smart as the average earthworm, don’t think much, what thinking they do is done quickly — and this quickness is what makes ESP and ALBS systems work so well.

For convenience, above and beyond having enough pulling power to turn the tide, you can lift the rear seat bases for extra in-cabin luggage space and set the headlights to shine for up to three minutes after exiting car. Unfortunately I never got to try this out, as I didn’t have to exit the car because I couldn’t get the damn thing stuck! What I do know is from now on, when it comes to capability, I will be talking torque.

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 51

Agribusiness | McCain Foods

Ve

e l processing monopoly b a get McCain Foods’ Hastings plant is due for major developments as it expands its place in the market. The scale of the development means the plant is set to become the company’s sole vegetable processing site in New Zealand and Australia by 2011.

McCain Foods is a name we’re all familiar with. One of the most famous Canadian brand names, the company operates in more than 50 food processing facilities worldwide, employing more than 20,000 people and enjoying annual sales of more than CAD$6 billion (NZD$8 billion).

As the world’s largest privately owned frozen food manufacturer, McCain’s core product is the potato. In addition to its famous French fries and potato specialties, the company manufactures a wide range of additional frozen food products, including appetizers, pizzas, vegetables, desserts, juices entrees and oven meals.

McCain products are sold widely into the food service and retail sectors, including restaurants, fast food chains and supermarkets.

Operation Hastings McCain Foods operates two plants in New Zealand. Its Timaru plant manufactures potato products, while its Hastings plant processes vegetables and frozen dinner meals.

McCain Foods Australia/New Zealand managing director Steve Yung says the company purchased the Hastings plant in 1996. The plant had previously been operating as Grower Foods.

Since then McCain has continually upgraded the Hastings plant, investing in technology and adding a frozen dinner plant in recent years.

Production was moved to the Hastings factory following the closure of the Timaru vegetable processing plant more than a year ago.

“We’ve the grown the plant a lot since ’96 — it’s a different place,” Yung says.

“Hastings is our strategic vegetable processing site. We still have a vegetable plant in Tasmania but that will close at the end of the year. We used to have one in Timaru but it closed the year before.” From early next year, Hastings will be the only McCains vegetable processing site in Australia and New Zealand.

A $19 million expansion of the plant is already under way, with commissioning due to take place in December.

“We have new processing equipment going in, new freezers, a new packing line and we’ll be adding beans to our existing line of peas, corn and carrots,” Yung says.

“About half the production will be sold in New Zealand; the other half will be sent offshore to Australia, Japan, the Pacific and China.”

McCain Foods’ Hastings plant, which processes vegetables and frozen dinner meals

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52 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Agribusiness | McCain Foods

From early next year, Hastings will be the only McCains vegetable processing site in Australia and New Zealand Planning for growth The redeveloped Hastings vegetable processing plant will have the capacity to process 45,000 tonnes of vegetables per year — a level of production that will be a significant increase on existing levels.

In addition to its vegetable production, the Hastings factory also contains a small frozen dinner plant, which has a capacity of about 2000 tonnes.

“We still expect the frozen dinner production to grow. We employ about 125 staff at the Hastings plant — that will grow a little but the expansion we’re doing at the plant is really in terms of processing equipment,” Yung says.

McCain Foods’ investment in the Hastings site demonstrates the company’s commitment to Hastings. “We’re very pleased to have that plant in Hastings and we’re expanding, which is a fantastic story. It’s good for everyone — the company, employees and the growers,” he says.

“There will be a few more growers come in and they will be expanding their irrigation capabilities. There’s a good spin off for all stake holders when you’re growing and doing an expansion such as this.”

Southern success McCain Foods’ Timaru plant has also grown significantly since it was purchased by the company in 1990. Formerly operating as a small vegetable processing plant called Alpine Foods, McCain Foods built a large purpose-built potato processing plant on an adjacent site in 1994, which allowed it to begin marketing potato products. This led to a large distribution warehouse being built in Timaru in 2002.

“We closed the vegetable plant a year ago and moved production to Hastings and now just market potato products from Timaru. We sell

them domestically in New Zealand, as well as in Australia and into Asia.”

Yung says the company’s Timaru plant is a high-tech facility. Its most recent upgrade involved improvements to its packing area, including the installation of a fully automated packing and palletising system. The plant produces 10 tonnes of finished French fries per hour. About a third are sent to Asia, with the remaining two thirds sold in New Zealand and Australia.

Solid performance Yung says despite the recent economic recession, McCain Foods’ New Zealand operation has performed well in terms of its cost and quality standards.

“There have been challenges, but we’ve held our own in the New Zealand operation quite well,” he says.

“The market in Australia is quite different in terms of the economic circumstances. Australia didn’t go into a recession, but has been quite adversely affected by drought.”

operations, which include the Timaru plant, the Hastings vegetable and frozen dinner plant, a French fry, frozen dinner and pizza plant in Ballarat which also houses the company’s head office, a French fry plant in Penola, South Australia, and a French fry plant in Smithton, Tasmania.

McCain Foods 1440 Omahu Road Flaxmere Hawkes Bay 4175 T (06) 873 9030 F (06) 879 7596 www.mccain.com — Advertising Feature

McCain Foods employs a total of about 1600 people across its Australia and New Zealand

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 53

Agribusiness | Aerocool

achiever They say it’s always the quiet ones you need to look out for. And in the case of post-harvest operator Aerocool, that’s certainly the case.

Dubbing itself a ‘quiet achiever’, the company has no real need to sing its own praises because its year-on-year success speaks for itself. Better still, the reputation these results have forged for the company speaks volumes, reverberating throughout the industry.

As a privately owned company comprised of key shareholders, Aerocool offers a full range of services from packing, cool storage, grower support and management, as well as lease options. A medium sized horticultural postharvest business with a strong grower base in the Bay of Plenty; Aerocool is responsible for more than 90 kiwifruit orchards and 120 avocado orchards.

Harvesting expansion Aerocool is based in Paengaroa, approximately 10 kilometres south of Te Puke on State Highway 2 and the company embarked on a major transformation during 2007 in the form of a significant plant expansion and capital investment. The site was formerly known as Birley’s Pack and Cool and was established by Alan and Pat Birley more than 25 years ago.

Ian and Faye Taylor | Ph 07 5333390 Delivering kiwifruit onsite for 20 years Proud to be associated with Aerocool Ltd

A packhouse extension, 10 lane Compac sizer, Invision grading system, soft handling bin dump, amenities block, new car park, coolstore, curing canopies and an outside yard were added during the expansion. Aerocool’s location provides easy access to the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Maketu, Pongakawa, Pukehina, Papapamoa and Te Puke areas.

Passion for industry Describing himself as extremely passionate about the industry, Aerocool’s general manager Richard Nicholson has evidently found his calling. He speaks the industry language fluently having been involved in the pre and post industry for more than six years and has played an integral part in harvesting a professional haven for the Aerocool business to grow.

Nicholson says industry leading productivity is something the company strives for and Aerocool has continued to remain resistant to the turbulent economic climate, which has claimed many businesses in other sectors.

“We have been relatively recession proof. Our industry is buoyant and Aerocool is a link between the grower and Zespri, the exporter, so we have remained isolated from it,” he explains.

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Agribusiness | Aerocool

“The fact that New Zealand kiwifruit is exported into between 60 and 70 countries also adds to the robust nature of the industry,” Nicholson adds. And he’s right. Strong marketing and offshore infrastructure allows strong relationships between the New Zealand kiwifruit industry and multiple consumer nations.

The Aerocool site faciliies include:  Ten lane Compac grader  Visual pre-grading technology  Six lane Gold/New Variety fruit grader

Aerocool’s in house publication Coolnews regularly reports on current issues to keep growers well informed about developments and industry news. The business reported significant shifts in destination markets, which saw Europe and most other major markets reflecting similar trends to the previous year. And while exports to Japan were down 25 percent, exports to China had more than doubled.

 Extensive fruit curing canopies  Covered loading bays and canopy  Ample parking and new amenities/ office block.

Laboratory A fully equipped laboratory provides pre-clearance and monitoring services to Aerocool and associated growers, including:

Core competencies  Quiet achievers in the kiwifruit and avocado industries  Consistent performers  High calibre people in the company who are dedicated, professional and provide exceptional technical support  The Aerocool motto is ‘first class performance’.

Achieving maximum returns As a registered Zespri supplier, Aerocool handles Class 1 and Class 2 kiwifruit. Aerocool achieves maximum return for non-class 1 fruit by:  Collaborating with key marketers to export Class 2 kiwifruit to Australia  Partnering with local market distributors within New Zealand

With competitive pricing structures in place, Aerocool provides an Orchard Gate Return (OGR) that is consistently in the top quartile of industry participants. Aerocool has the ability to cater for clientele ranging from small scale growers to larger scale commercial operators.

Newcomers to the kiwifruit industry can also benefit from Aerocool’s services, whether they require support for orchard layout, vine training, orchard advice or budgetary support. Aerocool’s technical staff will assist growers to achieve maximum returns from their orchards.

In the eyes of Aerocool, no crop is too big or too small and the company understands that people’s lifestyles and financial circumstances can vary throughout time. In recognition of this fact, the company can develop packages

that suit individual needs. Various lease and management options available range from:

 Firmness, dry matter, fresh weight, brix, colour, nutritional analysis

 Grower support  Canopy management

 Storage atmosphere analysis

 Full orchard management  Complete leasing

 Crop estimates and pest monitoring.

 Full orchard responsibility.

Cool service

Committed to its relationship with its growers, Aerocool pays growers within 24 hours of receiving payment from Zespri. Aerocool growers benefit from higher submit payments than the industry average and payment advice OGR forecasts are clear, concise and transparent.

The Aerocool Growers Equity Trust (TAGET) administers all kiwifruit payments from Zespri.

 Eight Controlled Atmosphere (CA) stores with a capacity of 10,000 CA bins  Fourteen conventional stores with a capacity of 9400 pallets  Ongoing construction for additional coolstorage.

Feature continues on next page >>

 Working with local processors for out-of-spec fruit.

Fully compliant with industry requirements, Aerocool has a British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Global Gap approval — a must for kiwifruit exports. MAF accredited, the company also has Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HAACP) approval returns.

Through its implementation of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage, Aerocool has a CA storage capacity of 700,000 trays. With this system in place, the company has been able to reduce storage costs and minimise fruitloss.

Recognised in the industry as having a strong history of CA storage, year-on-year, Aerocool produces fruit loss below that of conventionally stored fruit.

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 55

Agribusiness | Aerocool

Aerocool understands and appreciates that cash flow is important to growers, particularly during critical periods of high orchard expense like winter pruning. In recognition of this fact, Aerocool’s service charges are appropriately deducted throughout the year.

Emphasis on research and development is also at the forefront of the Aerocool operation and an automated repacking machine developed

by Aerocool and manufactured by Lenz, who completed the physical mechanics of the technology, has already been installed in eight packhouses across the industry.

“Given the length of time kiwifruit is stored here in New Zealand before it is exported, we have to check the condition of the product before it departs. If any of the fruit has been compromised in storage, the pallet of fruit must be repacked. Of the 100 million pallets of kiwifruit exported out of New Zealand annually, approximately 20 million are repacked.”

‘Boutique’ post harvest operator Nicholson says the Aerocool business does not manifest a corporate identity and could not maintain its core values if it was focused exclusively on commercial incentives. “We are not a corporate business and while the industry is full of big players, we are a middle-sized operation comprised of grower focused people who work to remain in touch with growers. We know our growers personally by name and face and will always continue down that vein.”

This vein that Nicholson speaks of is the lifeblood of the company — a defining characteristic of the enterprise, which recognises the importance of maintaining strong professional relationships with growers and shareholders. As a significant post-harvest operator in the kiwifruit industry, packing approximately four million trays per annum, Aerocool may not be as large as its opposition, but size is clearly irrelevant, as the company continues to parallel larger commercial players in efficiency and innovation.

It’s a professional example of the expression; you can’t judge a book by its cover, because

Aerocool fact file  Offers a full range of services covering packing, cool storage, grower support and management and lease options  Involved with more than 90 kiwifruit orchards and 120 avocado orchards  Packing approximately four million kiwifruit trays per annum  Aerocool is in Paengaroa about 10km south of Te Puke on State Highway 2  The site was formerly known as Birley’s Pack and Cool, established by Alan and Pat Birley more than 25 years ago  Though implementation of Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage, Aerocool has CA storage capacity of 700,000 trays  For the past two years the business’ kiwifruit growers have produced more than 1000 trays per hectare above the national average yields.

Aerocool is a company that well and truly punches above its weight. For the past two years the business’ kiwifruit growers have produced more than 1000 trays per hectare above the national average yields. Systematic excellence, dedicated staff and a reputable history have driven the company forward.

“We are not too big and not too small and we strongly believe in developing great people and investing in leading edge technology,” Nicholson says. And the combination of quality people and the acquisition of leading technology, it seems, has propelled the business even further forward into a league of its own.

Having purchased a Compac Invision 9000 blemish sorting machine, the company’s productivity has benefited from this optical inspection system. The Invision works by recognising external blemishes and shape disorders, combined with Compac’s sensitive and accurate weighting systems, the Invision ensures superior sorting and grading for all varieties of kiwifruit.

Whereas in the past human inaccuracy may have resulted in the inability to accurately grade sub standard fruit, the efficiency of this Compac solution has delivered a higher percentage pack out for growers, a reduction in costs and has negated the reliance on physical labour units.

Last, but certainly not least, Aerocool has become an extremely proficient packhouse with this technology through a unique understanding of how to gain the maximum efficiency and accuracies of the Invision grading technology.

Of the agricultural challenges the company has to address, including passion vine hoppers and the ascomycete fungi, sooty mould, Nicholson says, “There has been a softening down of chemicals and sprays in the industry for environmental and social reasons and as a consequence, there have been more pest issues to deal with. The majority of Aerocool’s grower base is located away from particularly susceptible areas which has a positive effect for our grower pool.

“We have also been working hard to develop post harvest removal solutions in trials recently conducted in associated with Zespri. Aerocool’s technical manager Dr Tim Woodward, a former employee of Zespri, has also been working to develop ways to reduce sooty mould.”

The company’s mitigation of these challenges is as effective as its handling of gold kiwifruit.

Nicholson says the company recorded a loss of only 0.26 percent on its gold kiwifruit this year — one of the smallest losses in the industry against an average of 2.3 percent — achieved “through working smart and allowing the quality of the fruit to dictate how we handle it”.

Company culture Employing 35 full time and 120 casual staff who work as graders and packers, quality controllers, stackers and strappers, Aerocool’s operation

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is an amalgamation of human and technical expertise. “We invest huge amounts of time and effort in training and developing our staff.

We fully understand how and why we deliver greater productivity results than the majority of the industry and will continue to improve our in house system,” Nicholson explains.

“The answer for us is not simply about technology or automation, but more about maximising each and every labour unit to its full potential. Throughout the past three years we have increased our productivity by more than 100 percent whilst reducing our staffing levels by 45 percent. We have well ingrained systems and training initiatives for our staff, which is largely conducted in house and on the job.”

Aerocool holds regular orchard field days and grower meetings where the latest technical information is delivered to associates of the business in an open and informative environment. Aerocool’s field division CropGro Orchard Services, is contracted directly by growers and Aerocool to provide orchard management services. The results of this collaborative effort are evident in Aerocool’s growers production volumes, which are consistently above the industry averages in all aspects, including trays per hectare, fruit size and dry matter.

Approaching its seventh season of packing avocados, Aerocool has committed to maintaining no increases in packing or transport costs and has assured its growers they will enjoy high returns through their export partner Team Avocado — something that Nicholson says the business will continue to concentrate on maximising.

“Satisfied growers are happy growers and grower satisfaction is what we are about,” he says astutely.

Aerocool Limited 15 Mends Lane Paengaroa RD6 Te Puke 3186 T (07) 533 6212 F (07) 533 1354 E richard.nicholson@aerocool.co.nz www.aerocool.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Proud to Support the team at Aerocool LTD. Keep up the great work!

Amcor Kiwi Packaging Contact: Sales & Customer Services: 0800 806 489 Kiwi Packaging P. 07 573 0100 | www.lenzequip.co.nz 56 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Agribusiness | GEA Farm Technologies

Greener pastures Much has been written lately about the need for New Zealand’s agriculture industry to be market leaders with sustainable environmental practise.

Dairy products and associated businesses contribute significantly to the country’s export earnings, but concern has also been raised about how clean and green farms are.

That’s where GEA Farm Technologies steps in.

GEA Group is a German-based company which turns over approximately four to five billion Euros a year. New Zealand managing director Greg Mills says the ethos of the European company fits perfectly in New Zealand.

“Our global business strategy is driven by the continuous changes in livestock farming and food production. World population will continue to grow and with it grows the demand for high quality food such as milk and meat.

“Furthermore, resource and environmental regulatory changes will underline the requirements for sustainability and therefore, influence the demands on milk production and livestock farming. Our drive, our knowledge, and our expertise are geared to successfully manage these changes for our customers.”

GEA Farm Technologies has been in this country for 15 years and the head office in Cambridge, Waikato, has 16 staff. The company provides solutions to farmers, mainly via milking and effluent management technologies, plus after sales service and consumables.

Mills estimates 70 percent of New Zealand milk is touched by GEA products, at some stage,

between coming from the cow and being consumed worldwide.

inside budget. Given the time frames they had, it was a real achievement.

In New Zealand, as well as GEA Farm Technologies there are two other main capabilities — GEA Avapac in Hamilton and GEA Process Engineering in Auckland, both servicing the milk processing industry.

“I think the collaborative approach they took in developing a real partnership with the architect and ourselves as the customer was a critical aspect to the success of the new facility project.”

GEA Farm Technologies sells the WestfaliaSurge milking plant and has recently added Houle manure equipment to their range of products.

The sales team is supported by a technical team, which develops, modifies and supports products for New Zealand clients.

“Because we can access a world-wide network of solutions, we are perfect for our farming clients,” Mills says.

“We can get components from Europe, North America or Australia. We develop that into a solution for the farmer. Our sales team will go the extra mile to ensure the farmer is provided with a solution that meets their needs.”

Mills says the new building will aid GEA Farm Technologies in their future goal, to grow and continue to offer “value added quality products and service to our farming clients.”

GEA Farm Technologies PO Box 875 Cambridge 3450 T (07) 823 3660 E infonz@geagriup.com www.gea-farmtechnologies.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Custom-built premises A quality business needs a quality building.

Eight months ago, the GEA Farm Technologies team moved into a new custom-built office.

“We wanted a facility that represented quality.

Providing a positive comfortable efficient working environment requires a good building,” Mills says.

Dirk Hejnal (left), GEA Farm Technologies segment CEO and Greg Mills, GEA Farm Technologies New Zealand managing director, at the February opening of the new GEA building in Cambridge, delivered on time and under budget by Livingstone Building

“This drives a positive culture and professional working environment within the business and this internal culture then projects out to our customers and network of dealers.

Our staff really enjoy the new facility and working environment.”

On top of the 16 staff, GEA Farm Technologies has a network of experienced independent dealers, which is currently expanding. Mills says they needed a proper space for the ongoing training GEA Farm Technologies provides to dealers and the new building offers just that.

“Livingstone Building did an excellent job of delivering ahead of planned completion and

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 57

Agribusiness | Paewai Mullins Shearing

The

edge

If you want to find Paewai Mullins staff on a sunny day, you’ll find them doing what they do best — shearing sheep.

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It might not be the type of job you’d affiliate with glitz or glamour, but Paewai Mullins is a dynamic organisation predicated on the values of professional accountability and integrity and for the company’s core constituents — its loyal employees — it’s a way of life that has long been in their blood.

As a fourth generation business, Paewai Mullins Shearing Limited is owned and operated by the Mullins family, which director Mavis Mullins says gives the company “a neat sense of continuity”.

With the benefit of professional hindsight offered by the predecessors of the business, Mavis Mullins says her son and the current general manager, Punga Mullins, always has someone he can turn to for advice — something she says is particularly important with the evolution of the more compliance driven industry the business is operating in.

Amidst the highly competitive environment that is the New Zealand shearing sector, Mavis Mullins says attention to emerging details must be paid with a real emphasis on health and safety and employment protocols. At present 40 staff are employed by the business, which

Financial and Business Planning

General Accounting

Our focus is to deliver top quality, timely, professional accounting services to our region. We accomplish this by: Achieving benchmark performance to satisfy our customer needs

Making honesty and integrity the corner-stone of our business

Serving our region Being approachable, accessible, friendly and down the earth

Valuing our staff Ensuring professionalism is the hallmark of what we do

Our size enables us to provide a personal service with access to a wide range of expertise both within the firm and through our national business connection

Gordon St, PO Box 38, Dannevirke. tel: (06) 374 7059 fax: (06) 374 7057 www.mcia.co.nz

58 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

operates under a flat structure where the directors and employees work as an integrated and interactive team.

The number of staff employed by Paewai Mullins will fluctuate and spike to between 80 and 120 staff depending on seasonal demand.

“During the peak periods we employ a good number of students and experienced people from the northern hemisphere. The industry is actually quite small globally and it is a great industry for young people to get fit, see the world and get paid while they are doing it,” Mavis Mullins says.

But while business is consistently steady for the company, a drop in sheep numbers in New Zealand throughout the past 10 years from approximately 60 million to 38 million has proved a professional challenge, as the focus has turned more to dairy farming. “The dairy industry is high input for high return,” Mavis Mullins explains. “A lot of farmland has therefore been converted to dairy.”

Despite the changes in the industry, there are still sheep to be shorn every year and in the case of Paewai Mullins, the work is regular and sourced from clients the business has developed enduring professional relationships with.

“We still handle approximately one million sheep per year,” she says.

With an emphasis on adding value to clients’ businesses through investment in quality management systems, she says the company strives to remain flexible and maintain a well trained workforce. “We aim to deliver what we say and have a good employment skill level. We want our business to be seen as professional with a heart, because in the past the shearing sector was not really viewed that way.”

Paewai Mullins was the first shearing company internationally to achieve ISO9002 in the 1990s and in 2008, the business won a supreme award in Safeguard’s New Zealand Workplace Health and Safety Awards.

Innovation never wavers for Paewai Mullins and the company is working on a project with AG Ito, piloting a programme where as internal training happens and is confirmed, staff can be credited with NZQA qualifications as they meet the necessary unit standards.

“We make sure we keep in touch with all the relevant industry organisations because unless you know who they are and they know who you are, it’s hard to have any input or say in the industry.”

Maintaining a connection with the industry and key members of the shearing sector is something that is particularly important to Paewai Mulliins.

“We want people to know we invest back into the community and back into the people and use our best endeavours to add value to our clients so we can add best value to the entire industry,” Mavis Mullins says.

“We enjoy being able to work in the agricultural sector and while it can certainly wear you down at times, we have a strong family support system in place that can assist family members to springboard into whatever else they would like to do.”

Paewai Mullins Shearing Limited PO Box 129 Dannevirke 4942 T (06) 374 4062 Eoffice@shearingNZ.co.nz www.shearingnz.co.nz

— Advertising Feature

fp Paewai Mullins

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 59

BiG on equipment

Agribusiness | Hustler Equipment

Good ideas fuel prosperity. The management team at Hustler Equipment knows this first-hand, saying “innovation has been the key to our success”.

And no wonder. With more than 15 patented designs, innovation has grown this company from a small start-up outfit working from a shed on a home orchard to a worldwide manufacturer and exporter of farm equipment.

TOTAL SOLUTIONS TO INDUSTRY New Zealand’s leading engineering plastic supplier for rod, sheet tube and machined parts.

We congratulate Hustler Equipment on their success and celebrate a long successful business relationship with a true industry champion

The company was founded on R H Currie’s orchard in the Hawke’s Bay in 1960, as he saw a need in the orchard industry for better spraying equipment. He used some classic Kiwi ingenuity to start a business, called ‘Currie-bilt’, manufacturing spraying equipment for other orchardists in the region.

He soon began manufacturing other equipment for orchardists, such as tractor mounted-forklifts and other handling equipment and began exporting them to Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa and Australia. In 1969 he designed and patented a self-steering sprayer, still used by most sprayer manufacturers around the world.

This was the first of many inventions the company would dream up over the following 30 years. Today, the business, called Hustler Equipment, specialises in building the most advanced balefeeders, as well as other strong, reliable farm equipment for a variety of tasks, from spraying to hay handling, to meet the tough demands of the rural sector.

Harvesting opinions At Hustler Equipment, the team maintains a good working relationship with farmers to ensure the company is delivering the very best equipment it can. This is particularly evident by the Chainless™ range of balefeeders, which has proven to be New Zealand’s favourite balefeeder over a number of years.

Hustler Equipment always commissions a lot of research before it begins manufacturing equipment, part of this process being surveying farmers directly for their feedback.

A lot of these surveys are not impersonal questionnaires, but often face to face conversations.

Mission statement

Hydraulic Seals Polyurethane Parts and Stock Shapes Conveyor Components and Change parts Distribution - Technical Support - Material Selection - Application Development The most extensive range of engineering and industrial plastics in New Zealand, supported by the world’s leading manufactures

DOTMAR PALMERSTON NORTH 10 BENNETT ST, PALMERSTON NORTH FP: 0800 650 750 | P: 06 3544 228 | F: 03 3544 250 www.dotmar.co.nz 60 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

“To supply quality and beneficial products and services to the farming industry while sustaining a profitable company with a happy working environment.”

Agribusiness | Hustler Equipment

Hustler Equipment’s research and development team is focused on trialling and testing ideas and requests from farmers to make their tasks easier out on the farm.

Hustler Equipment has staff members dedicated and focused on the development of innovative products to meet the needs of farmers which are identified from the extensive research it undertakes. Most products take up to three years of development prior to release on the market. A key to the development of successful products includes stress analysis and extensive field testing on farms throughout the country to provide a balanced view of the results, capability and functionality of the product.

Hustler Equipment employs 38 people directly.

The management team says they value their staff and reward them well based on team effort and results as they understand the huge hidden cost of training new staff. “It’s not unusual as you walk around to come across staff that have been with the company for more than a decade,” a company spokesperson says.

Network of representatives Hustler sells through dealers and builds strong relationships with them. Many of the dealers have been with the company since Hustler Equipment began in the 1960s. Sixty accredited dealers in key areas throughout the country are supplying farmers with Hustler Equipment’s huge range of products. Hustler Equipment says the dealers play an important role in product support, back-up, servicing and sales, so it takes care dealers are chosen carefully.

“That’s basically one accredited dealer for every ten towns in New Zealand,” says a Hustler Equipment spokesperson. “We provide those dealers with training days where we train them on our latest product updates, servicing and maintenance and sales.

“We also have another 150 dealers throughout the country who have access to parts and smaller ‘cash ‘n’ carry’ type products.”

Spare parts and warranties Hustler Equipment introduced a full two-year warranty on all of its products, except for the new Spraysmart sprayer range which has a one year warranty on equipment and three years on knapsack sprayers.

“Our products are extremely reliable and we have virtually no warranty problems. We think it is another point of difference over other brands and provides farmers that extra security of investment and peace of mind when investing in Hustler products,” a spokesperson says.

Hustler keeps large stocks of spare parts in its factory and can instantly respond to a machine breaking down in the field. “Farmers need to keep working, especially when it’s a weatherbound crucial time like winter when farmers are feeding hungry stock, and a southerly passes through. It’s very important that stock are fed and they can’t allow for any compromise, so Hustler offers an overnight courier service to dealers throughout the country for quick replacement of parts and backup.”

Expansion Hustler Equipment has distributors in more than eight countries and is planning on distributing its products into more countries world-wide.

The business is looking for distributors in Europe, because farming conditions and techniques there are similar to New Zealand. In particular, Hustler is looking to expand into Germany and France, as well as South American countries.

Anybody who is interested in working with Hustler on these goals should speak with export manager, Nigel Holt, who can be contacted on (03) 434 0412.

Business philosophy The Hustler Equipment management team says the business philosophy it has built over the years is one of constant innovation.

“Innovation is very important to us, so we invest in research and development, as it is a key area to keep the company moving forward.

“We are always upgrading our manufacturing equipment, because you can’t produce the best machines without the best gear and investing in good equipment reduces manufacturing costs and means we can produce larger numbers, without having to increase our staff numbers.

“Some of the new plant Hustler Equipment has recently purchased includes CNC machining centres, robot welders, a new sandblasting plant, CNC bandsaws and much more.

“Everything can always be improved on. It’s really important to keep up with needs and change in trends and it requires good solid market research to keep up with the ever changing times.”

Feature continues on next page >>

FOR ALL YOUR TYRE AND WHEEL SOLUTIONS

New Zealand’s leading agricultural tyre distributor, TRS Tyre & Wheel Limited are committed to supporting Hustler Equipment Ltd with quality tyres and wheels.

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE LEADING BRANDS MORE CHOICE

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www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 61

Agribusiness | Hustler Equipment

The SL-350 (left), the Chainless 4000 (below) and the Compact Soft Hands (right), are all in-demand products available from Hustler Equipment

The products For detailed information on products, and to see them in action, visit the Hustler Equipment website, www.hustlerequipment.co.nz/ hustler-catalogue to order your free catalogue and DVD. Here is a run down of some of the great products available from Hustler Equipment: Chainless 4000 The Chainless 4000 is a trailed two bale feeder that carries one bale on the rear tyres for transport and one on the cradle ready to feed.

More advanced than other loading systems on the market, Hustler Equipment’s total control loading system controls the bale throughout the entire loading sequence, allowing you to safely handle any size of square or round bale.

The Chainless 4000 requires only two sets of double-acting hydraulics, which are found on most tractors. Their simple valve system splits the hydraulics to power the feed rotors, platform height adjustment and bale loader. This ensures the bale can only be loaded when the platform is down.

Features: • Two bale feeder • Unique, patented total control loading system • Infinite variation in feed control

Loading the SL-350 is very simple using Hustler Equipment’s time-proven self-loading system.

• High mounted hook latch (for ultimate strength and rigidity) • CAT 1 and CAT 2 top & lower links

• High tensile steel used in chassis and components

First the feeding cradle is disconnected by the pull of a rope. The tractor backs up and picks up the bale and moves it to the platform. The operator can then stop to remove the net wrap before placing the bale on the platform.

• A unique fork position indicator for easy bale aligning

It’s very low cradle with no crossbar makes bale loading easy and quick.

• Only two sets of double-acting hydraulics are required

The operator then drives the forks into the feed unit, which are easy to line up correctly because of its unequal length tyres, and then is ready to feed out.

Hustler Equipment’s Compact Soft Hands are a medium duty balehandler for smaller tractors, suitable for operations handling up to 1000 bales a year. They will handle virtually any size of round or square bale and feature Hustler Equipment’s slim profile adjustable hands. An equaliser bar is available if required.

Features:

Features:

• Single bale feeder

• Slim hands for close stacking

• Massive 12,000lb zinc-plated roller chains

• Three position adjustable hands

• Replaceable zinc-plated RHS chain bars

• Optional equaliser bar

• Direct-drive system

• Excellent visibility

• Enclosed rollers

• Compact design.

• Will handle virtually any type of bale • Bullet-proof heavy-duty drive system • Heavy-duty 6 stud axle assembly

• High ground clearance and clean under-chassis • UV resistant and non-corroding polyethylene platform.

SL-350 The SL-350 balefeeder is a three point linkage mounted single balefeeder suitable for all types of round bales, even five feet long ones. The unit weighs just 460 kilograms and will feed out both sides.

• High back frame holds bale in place

Compact Soft Hands

Brevini NZ Ltd - leaders in hydraulic and electric power transmission, would like to congratulate Hustler for their continued success as a quality NZ agricultural manufacturer.

We are proud to call ourselves a business partner to Hustler and look forward to continuing our lengthy association.

Proud to be associated with and the preferred paint supplier to Hustler Equipment Ltd. Coating solutions for all Industrial applications 9 Bishop Croke Place East Tamaki, Auckland - 09 250 0050 Waikato - 027 438 5638 BOP - 027 440 5000 Lower N.I 027 448 8492 Christchurch - 03 338 3916 Website. www.brevini.co.nz Email. info@brevini.co.nz

62 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

Tel: 0800 263 766

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Agribusiness | Hustler Equipment

New configurations in the SpraySmart range are the FOX (left), Target (far left) and the Advance (below)

booms from six up to 15 metres in manual folding configurations, horticultural T-bar spray booms, hose reels and many other application attachments.

Fox range

SpraySmart innovation Hustler Equipment introduced its latest products in the SpraySmart sprayer range this spring.

“We call it the ‘total sprayer range’ because SpraySmart now offers one of the most comprehensive sprayer ranges available in New Zealand with products sourced from Germany, Italy, USA, Australia, Brazil, Thailand, and also from here.

“Some specific products are being made in house at Hustler Equipment to meet and exceed all the vast expectations of the demanding New Zealand conditions,” a Hustler Equipment spokesperson explains.

“All of the products in the SpraySmart range have been specifically selected from sprayer manufacturers. Modifications are made from these factories so the products suit this market.

The special design of the Hustler Equipment sprayers ensures there’s minimal exposure to dangerous and harmful chemicals.

“With unique integrated clean water and hand-wash tanks, remote valving, easy clean

fitters, optional induction hoppers and larger tank openings, operating these sprayers is a breeze. A choice of manual, electric, auto-rate computers and GPS controls makes it even easier to use.

“All Hustler sprayers are built to last with some featuring galvanized chassis and booms, diaphragm or piston pumps, boom dampeners, boom breakaway protection, lubricated pivot bushings and our Unique ‘triple suspension system’.”

Agitation is a key to successful spraying, to contend with the many types of liquid fertilisers and powders on the market. “It is important to achieve a more consistent solution mix. Faster operating speeds is also among the benefits of the SpraySmart sprayers because of the superior suspension systems.”

Hustler Equipment worked closely with contractors before releasing the range and farmers have been impressed with the quality of the sprayers and the innovation of certain trouble-free features which are more commonly sources of trouble on other sprayers.

The company now carries a range of the SpraySmart products in stock, including its own range of nozzles and filters that are all compatible with the ISO standards and are interchangeable with other brands. SpraySmart is now available through selected Hustler accredited dealers nationwide.

Hustler Equipment sees “an ever-increasing need for efficiency and cost-effective operations” and provides a sprayer that fits both these categories. “We encourage farmers to request an on-farm demonstration,” the company spokesperson urges.

Target range The Target is the ideal match for the small to medium sized farm that needs a small three point linkage mounted sprayer.

Target features uniquely integrated clean water and hand wash tanks for hygienic spraying, along with an adjustable agitator, and simple and easy to use controls.

Sizes range from 400 litre tanks through to 1000 litres and with many optional attachments and

The perfect unit for the larger dairy farmer or smaller grower, FOX is a large capacity sprayer.

Packed full of great features for an operator friendly work environment, FOX is a sprayer that will stand the test of time and is a three point linkage mounted sprayer which ranges in tank sizes from 1000 litres up to the massive 1500 litre. It has fully hydraulic folding booms ranging for 12 up to 18 metres for quick and efficient spraying and features many options to suit almost any specific application.

It also has the option for a 1000 litre front tank kit which brings the total capacity in at 2800 litres. There is also another option for larger growers, called the Profarmer with side folding boom options up to 24 metres.

Advance Vortex The Advance Vortex increases penetration up to 50 percent, reduces wind drift and has been reported to reduce total operating costs by up to 70 percent. It has high axle clearance with adjustable track width and height to suit most row crop applications.

Individually foldable booms incorporate the unique triple boom suspension system and individual wing lift. The Advance Vortex is available with tanks sizes 2000-3000 litres and boom sizes 18-24 metres. The Advance has proven very popular with growers throughout the country.

Feature continues on next page >>

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Proud to provide legal services to Hustler Equipment 11-15 Sutton Place, Palmerston North P. 06 357 6083 / M. 027 2425 465 www.cranstons.co.nz

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www.bramwells.co.nz 205 Hastings Street South | Ph 06 872 8210 www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 63

Agribusiness | Hustler Equipment

Q&A QA

Where do I get spares and back up?

Any of our authorised machinery dealers worldwide

Q A

How do I find out which loader brackets I need?

Follow this link from Hustler’s website to download the information sheet www. hustlerequipment.co.nz/assets/files/ Loader%20bracket%20dimension%20sheet.pdf

Q A

Will I be able to feed round and square bales?

With the Chainless models, yes. Even up to 2.5m square bales!

Q A

Do you have a balefeeder that feeds into troughs?

We have just developed the new SL-450T, designed to feed into troughs and over fences.

Q A

How do I find my nearest Hustler dealer?

Visit our website, send us an email or phone us on (06) 879 7926

Timeline 1960 — R H Currie started making orchard equipment in his shed in Twyford

Late 1960s — First hydraulic rams introduced — Moved to premises in Hastings.

Started making orchard equipment for Winstone which exported to Hawaii, Bermuda, Samoa, Fiji and Australia

1969 — Created and patented self-steering sprayers

Together, we can move New Zealand forward.

When you partner with the global leader in motion and control technologies, expect to move your business forward.

Parker products are fitted as Original Equipment by more manufacturers than any other supplier in the world.

Parker are proud to work with Hustler Equipment in the design of hose and fittings of New Zealand’s favourite balefeeders.

For more information, contact Parker on 09 574 1744 or email customer.service.nz@parker.com www.parker.com

1970 — Company name changed to Currie-Bilt

Early 1970s – Developed hydrostatic self-propelled zero turn forklifts, reverse steer tractor/ forklifts and sliding forklift mast of 1 tonne capacity

Mid 1970s — Patented high ground clearance forklift mast and bin-tipper clamp

Late 1970s — Introduced two-year warranty policy on all hydraulic cylinders — First balefeeder developed

Early 1980s — Hustler brand launched

Mid 1980s — New all-roller Clearview forklift masts

Image at top: Hustler Equipment Chainless 4000 Balefeeder.

— Multi-lift non-hydraulic forklift patented

Mid 1980s — Standard Hydraulic Top Link Cylinder range introduced

1992 — Load Floater Suspension bin fork, and Series II forklifts introduced 64 | October/November 2010 www.centraltoday.co.nz

— Multi-lift made under licence in Australia — Slip-on bucket range introduced

1998 — Introduced four-stage forklift, Rolatrac mounting system for New Holland Supersteer tractors, VMX and IMAX system, VS high visibility fork arm, Chainless 2000 balefeeder

2000 — Clearview fork developed for industrial applications, Top Link range introduced

2001 — The Chainless 4000 was launched with the Total Control Loading System, a landmark change in balefeeders

2004 — Hustler’s ram department was set up as a separate company

2006 — New branding launched

2007 — SL range of chain type balefeeders introduced after more than two years on the drawing board and extensive field testing

2008 — Compact softhands launched, a massive leap forward in bale handling technology. One of the 10 prototypes handled more than 20,000 bales in its first baleage season.

Hustler Equipment 1416 Omahu Road PO Box 2127 Stortford Lodge 4153 Hastings, New Zealand T (06) 879 7926 F (06) 879 9016 E sales@hustlerequipment.co.nz www.hustlerequipment.co.nz — Advertising Feature

Your dog will probably die from cancer

That’s right, over 50% of dogs get cancer. The question you have to ask yourself is why. Is it due to the environmental impact? Is it due to excessive cell phone use? Or could it possibly be due to their diet.

What you feed your cat or dog directly affects how long they live and the quality of their life. Not all foods are created equal. There is only one way to establish what you’re really feeding your pet...read the ingredients!

If you would like to discuss anything we’ve mentioned or would like to get sent some info and testimonials please give us a call, or go to our website to see the dozens of raving testimonials available. In fact a large number of clients are breeders, which is testament in itself, as these people take feeding their pets (their business), very seriously. These people normally spend a lot of time researching all options available and we’re pleased to say, they’re massive fans of our product.

In today’s competitive pet food industry, it’s hard to believe what may go into your pet food. Many companies (owned by multi-national corporations) have extensive marketing budgets, that portray a healthy pet jumping around, all thanks to their fantastic pet food. However, they seldom talk about ingredients. And to be frank, that is the most important element, followed closely by taste.

Because let’s face it, if your pet doesn’t like the taste, they simply won’t eat it.

(Unless it’s a Labrador....)

Here’s the most important bit.

The ingredients I’m not going to tell you how happy your pet will be or how high they will jump by using our pet food.

I’m simply going to give you a quick lesson about ingredients and what to look for and what to avoid.

The way ingredients are listed on packaging is the order that they are according to the percentage of food, so the first ingredient listed is the primary ingredient and so on down the list.

Some list “by-products” as the first ingredient, usually chicken or beef. Now this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. One of the many problems with byproducts is what can go into the mix. So for cows this can mean bones, hooves, hides, hair, intestines, or with poultry by-products it can mean feet, beaks, feathers, bones, intestines, as well as the small trimmings that are left behind after they have been boned out for human consumption.

is that your animal’s stools will smell a lot better when they are fed a high quality, natural, highly digestible food that doesn’t have rancid meats and fats in it.

Canidae lists chicken and turkey meal as their first ingredients. Chicken, turkey and lamb meals are dry and are less than 10% moisture and contain 50-65% meat proteins.

interesting fact!

By law, by-products don’t have to include any meat at all in order to be called chicken or beef by-products.

Products with by-products will of course look like any other pet food biscuit. The organic chemicals that make up the mush that remains will still register as amino acids and proteins etc, yet the fact is that a large percentage of it will be completely indigestible to your pet’s digestive system. This means your pet will be unable to harvest goodness for its body out of much of its food.

This results in two things. First, you will have to feed more of the product to your pet to satisfy its nutritional requirements. Second, there will be more “unharvested remains” left to be picked up off your lawns. One of the huge benefits of feeding your pet a food that uses high quality ingredients is that there is less stool volume, because the animal is able to digest more of it. Another notable benefit

Here are results from three independent studies: 1) The Confidential Dog Food Report analysed over 2,000 pet foods and came up with the best nine. Canidae was one of them. The following dog foods available in New Zealand weren’t on the list; Beneful, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, Purina One, Purina Pro Plan, Purina Dog Chow and Science Diet.

2) Each year The Whole Dog Journal (arguably the best dog journal in the world), rates dog foods from around the world and creates an “approved list” which includes approximately 25 foods. For more than 5 years Canidae has featured. The following

Canidae and Felidae contain 10 skin and coat conditioners with balanced Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty Acids: chicken fat, fish meal, flax seed, sunflower oil, lecithin, linoleic acid, rosemary, sage, vitamin E and biotin.

Please go to our website or give us a call for the full Declaration of Ingredients. Without a declaration of ingredients, how do you really know what’s going into your pet’s food?

Why haven’t you heard of us?

Simply because we’re relatively new into New Zealand.

We have hundreds of satisfied clients and this year we’ve doubled the number of clients from last year and this is literally growing daily. However, Canidae for dogs and Felidae for cats have been selling in America for many years and are consistently ranked in the top few by leading pet journals and publications including The Whole Dog Journal.

We also don’t have the marketing budget of the huge corporations. In fact we have relied heavily on word of mouth, which works well, but we are now starting to do print and radio.

dog foods available in New Zealand aren’t on the list; Beneful, Eukanuba, Iams, Pedigree, Purina One, Purina Pro Plan, Purina Dog Chow and Science Diet.

3) Petsumer Report also does an independent study and ranks pet food out of five, with five being the absolute best.

Here’s some of the results: Beneful 0 CANIDAE 4.2 Eukanuba 2.7 Iams 2.7 Pedigree 1 Purina One 1.9 Purina Pro Plan 2.1 Purina Dog Chow 1 Science Diet 1.5

Here is a quote that I recently read in The Whole Dog Journal, arguably the best independent dog journal in the world. “I’d like to quickly dismiss the idea that any of the giants – Iams and Eukanuba, Purina, Science Diet - could possibly make dry dog foods that are as good as the foods that have a regular presence on WDJ’s “approved foods” list, (such as Canidae). The fact is, though, of course they could; they have all the resources needed to do so.

They could bury most of the competition in the “natural and holistic” niche...if they followed through and used only the same high-quality ingredients typically used by the smaller, boutique brands. But they generally stop short – perhaps because they are unaccustomed to paying a lot for their raw materials, or marketing the products at a correspondingly high sales price.” - Nancy Kerns Save you time and money As mentioned this is a premium product, and if we sold in pet stores or vets, it would command a huge price tag. However, as we don’t have a “middle man” we can sell it at a price comparable to other “premium” products. In addition to this, your pet will actually require less, as he/she will actually be able to digest and utilise more of the food, which also creates less stools. In addition to this we will take the hassle out of driving to your pet store, lugging the food into and out of your boot, as we will deliver to your door free of charge.

Your satisfaction is assured every time you deal with us through our Make You Happy Guarantee If we ever let you down, we’ll ask “what can we do to make you happy?” So far we’ve never refused a customer’s request. And of course there’s a full money back guarantee on the product if your pet doesn’t like it.

er anywhere P.s We deliv in NZ free Gary Collins, Owner

Call for a FREE sample and more information or call now to place an order. If you place an order this month WE’LL TAKE 33% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER when you mention this advert.

You’re probably wondering what’s the catch? Well we know that almost everyone who buys from us once, buys again, and again, and again!

Ph: 0800 101 729 www.canidae.co.nz

www.centraltoday.co.nz October/November 2010 | 65

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