www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
EMA - COMPANY PROFILE
How Trimax built export success through customer-first culture.
SMART MANUFACTURING
15 18
Auckland BioSciences opens Uruguay facility.
NZPO Before the robots roll in.
ANALYSIS
$50 Billion up for grabs thanks to new procurement rules.
Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co
Over the last 30 years, the productivity landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation. Like many revolutions, its roots stretch back decades— indeed, to the 1900’s.
The publication of “The Machine That Changed The World” in the late 1980s marked a turning point, crystallising the profound impact and untapped potential of innovative methodologies in manufacturing and, more broadly, organisational transformation.
What followed was a period I call “buzzword bingo,” as terms such as TQC, TQM, Zero Defects, SQC, TPM, TOC, SPC, Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma emerged in rapid succession over 20 years.
Each brought unique insights and some overlapping “nuggets,” yet amidst the flurry, the core principles of continuous improvement began to take root.
Over the last 10–15 years, this wave of methodologies has stabilised, with businesses refining their approaches. However, the reality remains that few have unlocked the full promise of integrated continuous improvement.
While many have seen notable performance gains, in New Zealand the adoption rate lags significantly behind other countries—a primary contributor to our national productivity deficit.
As we step into 2026, we find ourselves on the cusp of the AI age. The dawn of Industry 5.0 promises a seamless partnership between humans and technology, delivering smarter systems, streamlined processes, real-time insights, comprehensive end-to-end visibility, and dramatic improvements in efficiency and capability.
The vision is enticing, but it is crucial to remember: there are no silver bullets.
As Deming wisely put it, “if you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing.”
Mastery begins with clarity—being able to define and articulate your processes. But it goes deeper: everyone in your organisation who touches a process must understand it for true mastery to occur.
This demands more than a scattered collection of SOPs or occasional policy refreshes. Processes are the lifeblood of an organisation. Without clear understanding and active management, they are vulnerable to creeping variation and unexpected, inefficient adaptations.
A tell-tale sign of weak or unmanaged processes is “people dependence.”
Ask yourself: if a couple of key individuals left, would operations grind to a halt?
If so, your business is relying on individuals rather than robust, scalable processes—a fragile position that stifles growth.
Unfortunately, many New Zealand businesses have not yet embraced a culture of process optimisation or even documentation.
Processes remain unenhanced, unreviewed, and all too often, unwritten.
Into this landscape arrives the potential of AI. The allure of fully automated, optimised, and “human error-free” processes is strong. Yet, if you lack a clear understanding of your current processes, automating them risks amplifying existing inefficiencies.
In mapping out their workflows, most organisations discover not only duplication and waste, but also surprising detours—hidden inefficiencies that, if automated, could alienate customers rather than deliver the competitive advantages AI promises.
The path to meaningful improvement begins with a frank assessment: know your process, identify the waste, and set clear metrics. Only then should automation follow. Metrics will not only reveal your progress—they will signal if you have truly moved forward.
The most significant benefits come when automation liberates your people from repetitive, mundane tasks or empowers them with data and insights that were once out of reach. This creates new capacity for creative, value-added work and allows AI to further refine outcomes and enhance decision-making.
Success in the AI age requires a deliberate, phased approach: invest in understanding your processes, engage your team, build a roadmap grounded in efficiency and effectiveness, develop practical use cases, run a proof of concept, and only then, scale what works.
continued on Page 10
Secure supply of energy and data to moving industrial equipment.
• Large size range
• Vertical travels
• Energy tubes
• Hygienic chains
• Solutions for long travel
• Guide troughs
• Readychain
• Robotic, 3D
• Circular movement
HUGE range of high quality flexible cables
• Control cables
• Single cores
• Data cables
• Sensor/Actuator
• Intrinsically Safe
• VSD/EMC cables
• Halogen Free cables
• High temperature
• Harsh Conditions
• Crane cables
• Profibus cables
• Bus/DeviceNet
• Solar cables
• Instrumentation
• Flat cables
• Curly cords
Largest range of flexible conduits for cable protection
• Conduits
• Conduit fittings
• Divisible systems
• Jumbo systems
• Conduit Accessories
• Braided cable protection
• Fire barrier solutions
• Food and beverage
• EMC systems
• Ex, ATEX, IEC EX
Industrial connectors for many industries
• Rectangular multipole connectors from ILME
• Single pole Powerline connectors from TEN47
• EPIC connectors from Lapp Group
• M23 circular connectors from Hummel
• Circular connectors specifically for the entertainment/stage lighting industry from Socapex
Safety engineering solutions from EUCHNER
• Multifunctional Gate Box MGB
• Transponder-coded safety switches
• Electromechanical safety switches
• Magnetically coded safety switches
Sensor technologies for automation
• High-Precision Laser Distance Sensors
• Ultrasonic Sensors
• Inductive Sensors
• Fluid Sensors
There are no Silver Bullets: Productivity, AI and Sustainable Growth.
EDITORIAL
Addressing productivity challenges.
BUSINESS NEWS
Why strategy can feel stale. Fuelling growth.
ANALYSIS
Age-Inclusive manufacturing: Passing the torch.
EMA
Manufacturing’s safety shift is progress worth protecting.
How Trimax built export success through customer-first.
SMART MANUFACTURING
Lifting Productivity from the Ground Up. The software under the seats in our skies.
Auckland BioSciences opens Uruguay facility.
KiwiNet Awards 2025.
Management Buy-In v Management Buy-Out.
NEW ZEALAND PRODUCTIVITY ORGANISATION
Before the robots roll in, is your system healthy enough to handle innovation?
Q & A Brickworks.
Logic Freight & Logistics.
ANALYSIS
$50 Billion up for grabs thanks to new procurement rules.
SUSTAINABILITY
Make your emissions data stand up to scrutiny.
WORKSHOP TOOLS
Igus switches to recycled materials for energy chain series E2.1.
Smarter holemaking for every material. Preventing 30% of fires.
DEVELOPMENTS
Australian aviation industry to honour NZbuilt training aircraft.
HamiltonJet expands production capacity to serve global markets.
Wired for success: Re-engineering apprenticeships to power New Zealand’s workforce.
THE LAST WORD
Are you a Leader or a Liability?
Ian Walsh
Ian Walsh is a leading expert in designing and implementing transformational improvement programmes, with over 30 years of experience helping businesses drive operational excellence and long-term success. A Six Sigma Master Black Belt, he has worked with both New
Zealand’s top organisations and global multinationals including Kimberley Clark, Unilever, Guinness to unlock productivity, reduce costs, and optimise business performance. Ian has been at the forefront of operational improvement, working at all levels—including Boards—to deliver high-impact change. Ian continues to play a key role in advancing business excellence, supporting Auckland University and The Icehouse with expert insights on productivity, operational improvement, and best-practice methodology.
Dr Barbara Nebel
CEO thinkstep-anz
Barbara’s passion is to enable organisations to succeed sustainably. She describes her job as a ‘translator’ – translating sustainability into language that businesses can act on.
Hon Chris Penk Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing.
6 12 15 16 19 22 24
Mark Devlin
Having owned food manufacturing and distribution businesses for a decade, Mark Devlin now runs Auckland public relations agency Impact PR. Mark consults to several New Zealand manufacturing firms including wool carpet brand Bremworth, aircraft exporter NZAero and cereal maker Sanitarium.
Insa’s career has been in the public and private sectors, leading change management within the energy, decarbonisation, and sustainability space. Insa holds a Chemical and Biomolecular BE (Hons) from Sydney University. She is a member of the Bioenergy Association of NZ and has a strong passion for humanitarian engineering, working with the likes of Engineers Without Boarders Australia.
Insa is a member of Carbon and Energy Professionals NZ, been an ambassador for Engineering NZ's Wonder Project igniting STEM in Kiwi kids and Engineers Australia Women in Engineering, increasing female participation in engineering.
Simon Devoy is the Head of Membership, Export & Manufacturing at the EMA. He’s a seasoned executive specialising in strategy, change management and stakeholder relations. Simon has led major operations in HR, banking and sports, including senior roles at Auckland and NZ Rugby and the Bank of New Zealand. At the EMA, he guides membership growth, export development and manufacturing support, leveraging deep expertise in people, operations and business performance.
PUBLISHER
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MANAGING EDITOR
Doug Green
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CONTRIBUTORS
Holly Green, EMA, Business East Tamaki, Ian Walsh, Mark Devlin, Nicholas Russell, David Altena, Chris Penk, Shyamini Szeko, Paul Jarvie, Theresa Grainger
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NZ Manufacturer
ISSN 1179-4992
Our recently launched New Zealand Productivity Organisation (NZPO) has generated a lot of interest. Stories are coming our way on the challenges of enhancing Productivity in the workplace and just what is required to get there.
Your company is invited to contact us about your journey and other readers can feed back to you how they are overcoming obstacles and moving ahead.
*Theresa Grainger, The Lean Hub & Productivity Excellence Academy, asks (on NZPO, Page 18), Before the Robots Roll in, is your system healthy enough to handle innovation?
Every manufacturer is striving to lift productivity and much of the current focus is on investing in smarter machines, automated processes and AI.
But the real question isn’t what we are going to automate, it is what state we are automating.
*Hon Chris Penk, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing discusses (Page 20)
The $50 Billion up for grabs thanks to new procurement rules.
New Government procurement rules, coming into effect on 1 December 2025, are designed to give small and homegrown firms a real chance to win Government work.
If landing a Government contract has ever felt out of reach, now is the time to take a closer look.
Government procurement is big business. Each year, agencies spend over $50 billion on goods, services, and infrastructure. That is a huge opportunity for local manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers.
* Age-Inclusive manufacturing: Passing the torch: Practical mentoring and knowledge sharing across generations (Page 10) is Shyamini Szeko’s latest article into ageing and work in NZ manufacturing.
*Also in this issue we cover the KiwiNet 2025 Awards *Ian Walsh, Argon & Co (Page 1) There Are No Silver Bullets: Productivity, AI, and Sustainable Growth *The Last Word (Page 28) asks, Are you a Leader or a Liability?...and much, much more.
Enjoy the read.
Doug Green, Publisher
Jane Finlayson
Strategic Doing Facilitator | Independent Consultant
For some manufacturers, the last strategy they developed never got traction and didn’t survive the turbulent times we’ve been experiencing. For others their strategy lives in a document that no one’s opened since the last planning retreat.
That’s not because people don’t care. It’s usually because the plan doesn’t really align to the culture of the business or how people actually work day to day and things just get “too busy”.
The sector been through a few rough years — COVID, supply chain shocks, inflation, floods, staffing challenges. The latest Manufacturing Productivity Index from BusinessNZ tells a pretty clear story: output is down, confidence is soft, and many businesses are focused on survival, not growth. It’s understandable.
But it also makes now an ideal time to reset and refocus strategy for the future.
Strategy alone isn’t enough
A well-crafted strategy can set direction. But culture or the way your people feel, think, and behave, to solve problems together determines whether that strategy produces results.
have the ability to change direction when needed. Manufacturers know this intuitively. You can feel the difference between a team that’s aligned and one that isn’t. On a shop floor, when things click, productivity hums.
One of the most powerful things I’ve seen in projects over the years is how fast momentum builds when people collaborate, regardless of their roles, their tenure or their culture. People love being part of the winning team.
What I like about Strategic Doing as a framework is it provides a structure to create shared ownership and accountability through regular check-ins and small, doable steps that keep the waka moving. Similarly the process doesn’t require expensive consultants or endless analysis. Instead, it helps
you go. In a tough economy, that kind of agility can be the difference between standing still and moving forward.
I think it is an approach that fits the New Zealand psyche, especially in manufacturing, full of practical, action-orientated people. Ready to roll up their sleeves and just get on with it.
If your current strategy feels stuck, and you want to unlock the power of your people, Strategic Doing
Adam Harvey Business Performance Partner – Manufacturing, The Learning Wave
You can feel it the moment you walk the floor. A strong shift hums. Clear direction, tight handovers, problems solved right then and there.
A weak one? Well, we’ve all seen those too. Targets slip, rework piles up, and safety gets shaky. And when you’re there, no machine in the world can fix it.
That’s why, when Ashburton Meats started gearing up for export readiness, a high-stakes shift for any plant, Plant Manager Karl Thin didn’t wait for cracks to appear. He knew the change would succeed or stumble based on how well his supervisors could lead.
So, instead of hoping they’d “step up” on their own, Karl backed them with something many manufacturers leave too late: a deliberate investment in the people who hold the place together.
These aren’t people sitting in offices with spare hours to “strategise”. They’re busy every minute of their shift running the floor, keeping product moving, quality high, and safety sharp, all while managing teams who want answers about where the business is headed.
Change exposes the gaps.
Missed handovers turn into production delays. Quality slips mean costly rework. Safety conversations happen only after something’s gone wrong. And when people don’t understand the “why” behind change, resistance grows fast.
Karl knew that without strong leadership, the shift to export readiness would magnify every one of those problems.
Frontline leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about tone. The way expectations are set. The way conflict is handled. The way people feel when they walk onto the floor.
Ashburton Meats’ leaders had the technical skills down pat. But export readiness needed more:
• Guide their teams through uncertainty without losing focus on performance.
• Hold the right conversations at the right time.
• Build trust and accountability across shifts and departments.
This wasn’t theory. It was a 10-session journey run in the middle of real change.
The programme was built for their experiences leading on the floor.
Leaders from across the plant shared ideas, swapped solutions, and worked on what good leadership looked like in practice: the behaviours to model, the conversations to have, what not to let slide, and how to tackle it when it does.
Between sessions, they put their tools to work:
• Sharper instructions so messages landed the first time
• Stepping back to let teams solve problems, freeing leaders to focus on quality and planning.
continued on Page 10
In today’s fast-paced manufacturing landscape, staying competitive often means investing in the latest equipment.
But with rising costs and economic uncertainty, many manufacturers are asking: how can we grow without compromising cash flow?
The answer lies in smart financing.
Whether you’re upgrading machinery or expanding your production line, access to capital is crucial.
Yet, tying up large sums of cash in equipment purchases can strain your working capital and limit your ability to respond to new opportunities or unexpected challenges.
Financing offers a strategic alternative. By spreading the cost of equipment, manufacturers can maintain liquidity, preserve cash reserves, and invest in growth without overextending themselves.
Equipment finance isn’t just about borrowing money—it’s about aligning your repayments with the revenue the equipment generates. Instead of a large upfront outlay, you can pay for the asset over time, often with flexible terms that suit your cash flow.
This approach can be particularly beneficial when investing in technology upgrades or automation, which may have a longer return-on-investment period. Financing allows you to start benefiting from increased efficiency or output immediately, while paying off the asset over its useful life.
Every manufacturing business is different. That’s why it’s important to work with finance partners who understand your industry and can tailor solutions to your specific needs. Whether it’s a hire purchase or lease, the right structure can make a significant difference to your bottom line.
Look for providers who take the time to understand your business model, cash flow cycles, and growth plans. A good finance partner will offer more than just funding—they’ll provide insights, flexibility, and support to help you succeed.
In a sector where innovation and agility are key, financing can be a powerful tool to unlock potential.
By leveraging equipment finance solutions, manufacturers can invest in the future without compromising the present.
It’s not about borrowing for the sake of it—it’s about building a resilient, future-ready business.
www.sourcefunding.co.nz
After a one-year hiatus, the Diversity Awards NZ™ are back, with a refreshed format and new categories.
The 2026 programme will celebrate workplace inclusion excellence across organisations, and, for the first time, at a team level.
It will also recognise individual inclusion champions in three new categories.
“These awards mark our first celebration under the banner of Te Uru Tāngata Centre for Workplace Inclusion, and we’ve taken the opportunity to refresh the programme to reflect how workplace inclusion continues to deepen and diversify across Aotearoa New Zealand,” says Chief Executive Maretha Smit.
The new structure reflects the fact that inclusion happens at every level – not only in boardrooms or policy documents, but in conversations, relationships, and courageous actions across the workplace.
“We’ve simplified the entry process, clarified the categories, and created space to recognise both strategic organisation-wide shifts and targeted team-led efforts. It’s a more accessible, practical, and powerful platform for celebrating progress that will spotlight the many ways individuals, teams, and organisations are building a fairer future, one step at a time.”
There are three awards recognising individuals: Inclusive Leader of the Year, Workplace Inclusion Professional of the Year and Emerging Inclusion Champion of the Year.
Organisations can enter the Inclusive Workplace Award and the Breaking Barriers Award.
The three team awards available are the Respectful Culture Award, the Cultural Competence Award and the Employee Networks Award. These are open to teams of any size.
Entrants in the team or organisation categories can also opt to be considered for a Feature Award, a series of eight categories highlighting excellence in specific dimensions of inclusion, such as disability, rainbow, migrant and ethnic communities, generational equity, pathways for Māori, neurodiversity, socioeconomic opportunity, and respectful culture.
All winners in the organisation, team and feature award categories are eligible for the two top honours: the Supreme Award, selected by the judging panel, and the People’s Choice Award, decided by the audience at the awards ceremony.
Entries close at 3pm on Tuesday, 25 November 2025. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, 5 May 2026. More information on the awards programme is available online.
“I didn’t learn my job overnight.”
– Team Leader, 33 years in manufacturing That sums it up. Experience can’t be replaced overnight.
Older workers carry deep know-how, the kind that keeps production steady and safe.
If that knowledge walks out the door at retirement, the business loses far more than a person.
In most factories, mentoring already happens in small, informal ways, a tip shared on the line, a quick demo, a quiet correction. It works, but it’s fragile. Unless mentoring is built into the system, those lessons disappear fast.
The knowledge gap
My research found that most mentoring is informal and unrecorded.
One manager put it bluntly:
“We realise too late how much knowledge sits in people’s heads.”
When experienced operators leave, the next person inherits the machine, but not the method. That’s a real productivity and safety risk.
What works on the factory floor
Younger workers bring energy, tech skills, and fresh ideas.
continued From Page 7
Older workers bring judgment, craftsmanship, and context.
When they work together, everyone benefits. Here are some practices NZ manufacturers are already testing:
• Buddy systems — pair new hires with experienced mentors.
• Quick video walk-throughs — capture how jobs are done for training libraries.
• Digital “how-to” hubs — store process tips and lessons learned.
Small, structured actions like these help preserve know-how and grow confidence across generations.
The challenge isn’t motivation — it’s structure. Mentoring can’t rely on good intentions alone. To make it stick:
• Schedule mentoring time as part of shifts, not extra work.
• Recognise mentors in performance reviews or training plans.
• Link mentoring to leadership and succession planning.
When knowledge sharing is part of how work is organised, not an afterthought, it strengthens trust, teamwork, and belonging.
If your senior technician retired tomorrow, what knowledge would leave with them?
Structured mentoring isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a practical way to build a resilient workforce. It protects the lessons no manual can teach and turns experience into a shared advantage.
In te ao Māori, kaumātua are seen as holders of wisdom. Bringing that mindset into our workplaces honours both heritage and innovation, making sure valuable knowledge is passed forward, not lost.
• Map the risk: List the roles where expertise is concentrated in one or two people.
• Pair up: Match newer workers with seasoned mentors.
• Capture it: Use short videos or notes to record “how we really do it here.”
Mentoring keeps your factory running smarter, safer, and stronger.
Don’t wait for retirement to find out what you’ve lost, make knowledge transfer part of the job today.
• Giving feedback in the moment, fixing issues before they spread.
Each session built on the last, fuelled by real wins and setbacks from the floor. Midway through, one question dominated: How do we lead people through what’s coming next?
So we adapted. We built in case studies and practical tools for leading through change, the kind that supervisors could walk out and use that same afternoon.
continued From Page 1
By the end of the programme, the shifts were clear, and they were exactly what the plant needed to keep moving forward.
Supervisors were taking real ownership and accountability for their areas, backing their decisions and following through.
They had the ability to lead through change, not just react to it when it landed on their doorstep.
They’d built the confidence to have the right conversations at the right time, tackling issues early before they became fires to put out.
And they understood, maybe for the first time, how their own leadership behaviours directly shaped performance, quality, safety, and culture on the floor.
On the floor, the communication is sharper, conflict is handled, decisions are quicker, and supervisors now delegate to free up their time to focus on what is important.
This proven model has yielded thousands of success stories in operations—and it is the right way to begin your productivity journey with AI.
Key Recommendations
• Document and Review: Ensure every process is mapped, documented, and regularly reviewed— not just by leaders but by all who interact with it.
• Engage Your Team: Involve staff at every level to build shared understanding and ownership of process improvements.
• Focus on Metrics: Track outcomes to confirm that automation is delivering the promised gains in efficiency and quality.
• Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement: Make process thinking and optimisation an ongoing habit, not a one-time project.
New Zealand businesses stand on the threshold of a new era. By blending a foundational understanding
• Start Small, Scale Wisely: Pilot AI solutions with focused use cases and clear metrics before broad deployment.
of their processes with the power of AI, they can unlock sustainable growth and genuine competitive advantage.
The journey starts not with technology, but with clarity, discipline, and a commitment to mastering the basics.
If you would like to embark on this journey, or simply discuss where to begin, I invite you to get in touch. Together, we can turn potential into performance.
By EMA Manager of Employment Relations & Safety Paul Jarvie
Manufacturing accounted for 29,224 injury claims in 2024. It was one of the industries with the highest incidence rates of work-related claims last year. Statistics like this underline the sector’s long and tortuous health and safety journey.
But insights from the 2025 Workforce Insights Programme tell a story worth celebrating. Released in late October, it outlines a sector that’s maturing, learning and adapting.
While we still have work to do, manufacturing is quietly becoming a safer, smarter industry. In fact, the data confirm that health and safety culture in manufacturing has moved from compliance to commitment.
The report found that 86% of manufacturers made changes to improve workplace safety in the past year.
More than two-thirds of employers now rate themselves as having a high maturity level in understanding health and safety responsibilities, and almost three-quarters believe they fully understand the risks their people face on the job.
We’re seeing what leadership looks like when it’s genuine. In manufacturing, 95% of employers encourage staff to speak up about safety, and three-quarters regularly discuss health and safety matters through toolbox talks, team meetings and health and safety representatives.
Worker satisfaction with employer responses has jumped to 80%, up from 73% last year. That’s a sign of trust in the workplace, and trust is what keeps people honest about risk.
The report also highlights strong activity in tackling known risks, ones that have historically driven high injury rates. Musculoskeletal disorders (sprains, strains, and repetitive injuries) remain the most common form of harm in manufacturing.
But, encouragingly, 91% of manufacturers now train staff in safe manual handling, 54% vary work tasks to reduce repetition, and 45% provide lifting aids. That’s a significant investment in people’s long-term health.
Once a weak spot, machine guarding has also improved. Eighty-two percent of manufacturers now fit physical guards to machinery, 66% ensure clear machine controls, and over half have installed emergency stop devices.
Add to that the 60% who’ve upgraded personal protective equipment (PPE) and the 53% who’ve changed work practices, and you can see a sector making tangible progress on multiple fronts.
Manufacturing may only make up about 10% of New Zealand’s workforce, but it still accounts for around 15% of all workplace injury claims, roughly 32,900 incidents each year. That translates to an injury rate of 139 per 1,000 employees.
It’s still too high, but when you consider the complexity of modern manufacturing, the data show clear momentum in the right direction.
The strongest lever for improvement, according to WorkSafe’s Bayesian Insights for Manufacturing, isn’t equipment or compliance, it’s employer belief. The modelling shows that knowing your health and safety responsibilities is the single most powerful driver of change. Employers who view safety as a business benefit rather than a cost, and who make it a visible leadership priority, are far more likely to implement effective safety measures.
In manufacturing, 68% of employers now hold this mature understanding of their obligations, but only 51% strongly believe that health and safety is “good for business”. That gap matters, because belief drives behaviour.
When leaders see safety as an investment in productivity, retention
continued on Page 27
Founded in 1981 in Tauranga, Trimax Mowing Systems has grown from a small New Zealand manufacturer into a globally recognised provider of commercial mowing solutions.
Known for its focus on innovation, quality and export success, Trimax has become a case study in how a family-owned business can scale internationally while maintaining a strong customer-first culture.
The EMA’s Nicholas Russell spoke with CEO Michael Sievwright about Trimax’s journey, its approach to growth and innovation, and how it is inspiring the next generation of Kiwi manufacturers.
How has Trimax developed from a small Tauranga operation to a global exporter?
Michael Sievwright: The journey really has a few phases. In the early years, our focus was on building a strong foundation: producing great products, establishing a solid brand, and laying down our footprint in international markets.
My father, Bob Sievwright, emphasised customer-led innovation from day one, making sure our equipment was reliable, easy to maintain, and genuinely useful to those who used it.
Then came what I’d call the ‘scale phase’. It wasn’t about constantly inventing new products; it was about asking: How do we sell what we already have?
How do we leverage our existing footprint, build strong service and support, and make sure every customer receives the full value of a Trimax mower?
That focus on sales, support and customer relationships has been as crucial as product innovation.
How did Trimax build its footprint in offshore markets?
Michael Sievwright: When entering a new market, our first step is to learn, not to sell. We observe how people buy, who they trust, and what their challenges are.
We also maximise the domestic market in New Zealand. which is perfect for testing: grass grows year-round, machinery is put through rigorous use, and we can refine durability and maintenance before taking the product abroad.
From there, we decide whether to use distributors, dealers, or direct operations. We now have a presence in six countries, combining our own staff with local partners.
Regardless of the structure, we always get boots on the ground, showing the machines and interacting with customers, because a brochure alone will never sell a product.
We started in New Zealand focusing on quality, then established manufacturing and assembly facilities in Australia, the UK, and the US.
This allows us to be responsive, reduce logistics complexity, and provide local support. Investment in robotics and automation improves efficiency, reduces costs, and ensures machines reach customers faster and in excellent
condition.
What advice would you give other manufacturers in New Zealand aiming for export growth?
Michael Sievwright: Many young companies chase the ‘next new product’ at the expense of execution. For us, the question was: How do we get better at selling, servicing, and supporting the machines we already make? Our innovations often focused on process and customer experience rather than entirely new machines.
Examples include dealer tools, customer apps, and improvements in manufacturing efficiency through robotics and automation. The principle is simple: make what you have truly outstanding in the market, then expand from there.
There are five key takeaways from my experience:
• Don’t try to be everything to everyone. Trimax doesn’t make trailers or general-purpose equipment; we specialise in commercial mowing systems. Specialisation builds credibility.
• Understand your customers’ real pain points. One example: a prospective client spent 45 minutes greasing their machine every morning.
• Rather than focusing solely on improving cutting efficiency, we developed features that reduced maintenance time, giving them back valuable hours for more productive work.
• Market research is essential, but you must also execute and adapt quickly.
• New Zealand is small, but it’s a fantastic testbed. Scale locally first to establish credibility before exporting.
• Export success is driven by people. Strong teams, the right culture, and continuous improvement are vital to sustaining growth.
How does Trimax differentiate itself from competitors overseas?
Michael Sievwright: Differentiation comes from deep customer understanding. We build long-term
relationships, focusing on trust and value rather than transactions. We also focus on being the best in a focused niche, designing durable, low-maintenance products and having dealers, parts, and service centres in market.
Many competitors have great machines, but without support and service, the customer experience suffers. That’s where we excel.
You’ve been involved with EMA and ExportNZ for some time. How does that partnership benefit Trimax?
Michael Sievwright: Trimax has been an EMA Member since 1992. I’m also a member and former chair of ExportNZ Bay of Plenty Committee, which meets regularly to share knowledge, trends and challenges, and build connections with others in the export community.
We engage with the EMA through a range of events and workshops, including Member briefings for legislative and legal updates, HR-focused sessions on the likes of recruitment and onboarding, health and safety updates, and export-focused events such as ‘Doing Business in the USA’.
More recently, we partnered with the EMA to bring Members through our Tauranga facility for a behindthescenes look at how we design, manufacture and assemble our commercial mowing equipment.
Trimax’s engagement with the EMA has strengthened in recent years, providing critical insights, networking opportunities, and guidance that support Trimax’s continued growth both in New Zealand and overseas.
Manufacturing sometimes struggles to attract young talent. Why do you think that is?
Michael Sievwright: Perception is a huge challenge. Many think manufacturing is dirty, repetitive, or low-tech.
At Trimax, we arrange factory tours for local school students to show them that manufacturing is diverse and involves everything from robotics, engineering and IT to design, social media, procurement and data analytics.
We’ve had around 150 students through the factory in the past six months. We also engage career advisors and parents, because perceptions at home often influence career choices.
We create entry-level opportunities, summer jobs, and mentorships to give young people their first step in the industry. Retention is about growth and opportunity.
Talented people leave stagnant roles, so we keep innovating to attract and keep the best.
How project engineering keeps NZ manufacturing efficient, safe, and moving Caliber Design, Christchurch
Productivity is one of the most talked-about issues in New Zealand manufacturing. We all want to do more with less: more output with fewer delays, more progress with leaner teams, and more innovation with limited budgets.
Yet productivity is not only about machines or technology. It is just as much about how projects are delivered.
Every year, manufacturers invest millions in upgrades, automation, and plant improvements. Whether those projects add real productivity depends on one thing: how well design transitions to delivery. That is where project engineering makes a quiet but measurable difference
Every successful project needs more planning than just a timeline. A good project engineer will identify risks early, validate the scope and technical deliverables, and plan sequencing so that the right work happens in the right order.
We saw this recently on a multi-site upgrade where the factory could not afford any unplanned downtime. By mapping out isolations, access, and parallel work streams, the project engineer saved two weeks on installation and avoided a costly mid-project rework.
These savings rarely show up as headlines, but they result in less time lost to rework, fewer hours spent chasing decisions, and smoother commissioning.
Even the best design will stall without good coordination. Modern manufacturing projects bring together multiple suppliers, contractors, and compliance demands. Someone has to keep the stakeholders all aligned on the actual deliverables for successful execution.
On a large materials-handling project, one of our project engineers managed more than 20 subcontractors. Rather than reacting to site issues, they held short daily stand-ups with each trade, resolved bottlenecks on the spot, and kept everyone working to a clear, shared schedule.
The project finished ahead of plan and within budget.
That kind of disciplined coordination is a productivity gain in itself. Every contractor knows what they are doing and when. Issues are handled before they grow. And the client gets to focus on running their business instead of chasing progress updates.
Caliber project engineers are designers first. Grounded by technical knowledge and wide-ranging experience, they understand the intent behind the drawings and can see where problems might occur in fabrication or installation.
Project engineers apply a wide lens across all deliverables yet can zoom into the details that have the potential to cause headaches.
In one case, a packaging line upgrade was designed to integrate with existing conveyors. The project engineer spotted a clash between the new frame and existing ducting—something that would have caused a week of downtime if discovered on site.
By catching it early, the team avoided extra cost and disruption.
That blend of design knowledge and delivery focus is what makes project engineers valuable to manufacturers. It is not just about keeping projects on schedule. It is about ensuring every hour of effort counts.
Productivity also comes from repeatable systems: templates, processes, and reporting rhythms that let teams spend less time reinventing the wheel.
Across the projects we support, Caliber engineers use shared reporting formats and consistent document control, so information moves faster between site, client, and suppliers. That structure builds momentum.
Teams learn from each other’s work, avoid repeating mistakes, and raise the baseline for every new project.
It is a small detail that compounds over time. A 5% gain in efficiency on every project soon becomes a major lift in overall output.
Ultimately, project engineering is about people. When contractors have clear direction, when designers know their work will be delivered well, and when clients trust progress reports, everyone works more efficiently.
Manufacturing is built on teamwork between disciplines, companies, and sites. Project engineers sit at the centre of that network, turning complexity into action. In an environment where skilled labour is tight and every hour of downtime is expensive, that coordination is not a luxury. It is one of the strongest levers for productivity we have.
NZ manufacturers talk a lot about technology, automation, and innovation. Those are important. But it’s the discipline, foresight, and communication on the ground that often determines whether those investments pay off.
Good design sets the direction. Project engineering keeps it productive. www.caliberdesign.co.nz
Sandra Lukey
Sandra Lukey is the founder of Shine Group, a consultancy that helps science and technology companies accelerate growth. She is a keen observer of the tech sector and how new developments create opportunity for future business.
Gareth Mitchell, Associate Partner Iris by Argon & Co
Experienced executive and consultant across organisations in NZ, Australia, South America and the UK.
Business Transformation Specialist and top 50 NZ CIO having worked across multiple industries, with a focus on business improvement and digital transformation in services and manufacturing settings.
Johnathan Prince
Jonathan Prince is a Director at Caliber Design, a project-based mechanical engineering consultancy with engineers all around the country. With a background in product commercialisation, sustainable design, and business strategy, Jonathan is passionate about helping Kiwi companies turn ideas into reality and building engineering capability within New Zealand Inc.
Sean Doherty
Has extensive experience in Industry 4.0 technologies, He focusses on supporting the manufacturing sector to implement digital solutions that enhance productivity, efficiency, and resilience. Drawing on a background in engineering, innovation, and Government policy, Sean applies a strategic and evidence-based approach to advancing programs that deliver sustained industrial and economic benefits.
Patrick McKibbin
CEO – Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce
Patrick joined the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce in September 2021. His passion is identifying and connecting with manufacturing & technology businesses, other businesses, local government, central government and industry associations.
Looking down over Auckland from an Air New Zealand flight is quite an impressive sight. The detail you can see is incredible, the flow of traffic and industry at work. Imagine having that level of insight into your business.
Well, the New Zealand manufacturer who have been supplying Air New Zealand the seat you’re sitting on are pretty close to that level of insight. And that comes down to a close working relationship with another local software business, ACIT.
Flight Interiors are specialists in aviation upholstery, and delivering to aviation standards is a complex process. Every part of a plane is tracked from commissioning to end of life, and knowing when it is at the end of its life is a critical part of the process.
Before it goes onto a plane every element of that seat is burn and quality tested, from the thread, to the fasteners, to the fabric, is batch tested, and logged.
When it’s dirty it’s not just off to the drycleaners, it re-enters a system of checks and tests at Flight Interiors to ensure the integrity and safety of the part.
So how do you manage a process that involves knowing and tracking the life of every seat on every Air New Zealand plane? Very carefully, and very precisely.
Over the past few years Flight Interiors, a New Zealand owned business based at Ardmore, have worked with ACIT to create a custome ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software system that does just that. But it’s not just the production, it logs Quality Assurance at an aviation industry standard for compliance. It measures staff resource use, allows workload balancing, tracks stock levels and all the details for individual stock items, as well as financials, across every aspect, for a holistic overview.
The comprehensive nature of the system ACIT have developed with Flight Interiors is incredible, providing the depth of business insights that most companies dream of, all developed to integrate the complexities of manufacturing within the rigourous demands of the aviation industry.
Both Russell Holdem( General Manager) from Flight Interiors and Andrew Allen from ACIT credit the other with how the system has developed, showing how collaborative the relationship has been.
From the basics of batch coding and barcoded jobs allowing a ‘Job Bag’ to follow each project through it’s manufacturing and testing phases, to tracking the time and costs alongside the job.
Russell is able to answer and deliver to the schedules that make Air New Zealand maintenance teams so efficient. Efficiency is essential in this industry, and it’s integral to the Flight Interiors business too.
The integration of clever tech into the Flight Interiors operations, means that the system goes beyond a dashboard, it delivers everything to a set of job station screens, updating with a live job list and department specific priorities.
If priorities shift, or a critical job needs to be moved to the top of the queue, it happens in seconds, and the teams large display screens are updated accordingly.
Russell has also realised the value of the screens for team building and culture, with birthday notices and personal touches making sure his people feel valued for the work they do.
But it’s more than that. Russell and the Flight Interiors team have a reliable, integrated, streamlined IT system, with access to everything from original design files through to accounts, and it’s all safely and securely protected from any potential cyber threats.
Knowing where each job is, and how long it takes is also meshed into the accounting systems, with real-time cost analysis allowing Russell’s team to understand and plan their business, quote new jobs and scope projects with incredible precision.
They can build a model for New Product Development based on oversight from previous jobs and an understanding of the characteristics of all the products available to them. The system ACIT have built turns resource planning into business planning. Andrew at ACIT admits the Flight Interiors system has become a bit of a personal passion project, partnering with Russell and his team to create a system that integrates with every aspect of the business.
But he also says they demonstrate just how much efficiency can be engineered into a business process with the right software solutions.
Delivering for the aviation industry is unlike working in most other sectors. It demands rigorous compliance and accountability.
However, the principles of integrating precision, tracking, and accountability are eminently transferable to other industries—especially those requiring rigorous compliance and accountability.
As Flight Interiors takes off into its next phase, Andrew and the ACIT team are exploring smart AI integrations to deliver even smarter innovative solutions. Watch the skies.
MonteSera will be South America’s largest serum facility, marking a major international milestone for ABS
Auckland BioSciences Limited (ABS), a New Zealand-owned life sciences company, has opened one of the largest animal-serum sterile-filtration facility in South America, MonteSera.
The company’s expansion into the Zona Franca (free trade zone) in Parque de las Ciencias, Uruguay strengthens its global supply network and ensures continuity of critical biological inputs.
The new facility leverages Uruguay’s strong animal health systems and abundant cattle supply to process and export South American-origin serum.
Located within the Zona Franca allows ABS to import, process, and export animal serum and related biological materials from multiple South American countries under a controlled and duty-exempt regime.
ABS gains cross-border material efficiently, can maintain strict biosecurity and quality standards, and streamline distribution to global markets while remaining fully compliant with Uruguay’s Free Zone regulations.
This complements ABS’s established filtration sites in New Zealand and Australia, creating a three-region
footprint to enhance supply, product security, scalability, and cost efficiency. It enables ABS to deliver consistent, high-quality serum products to research, diagnostic, and biomanufacturing partners worldwide.
ABS has invested over NZ$4 million in constructing the state-of-the-art sterile-filtration site. The filtration site can process up to 250,000 litres a year and will employ about 12 full time staff. It has a 70-ton freezer capacity to store sera, which is approximately NZ$10m in inventory.
The facility will process and export South American-origin animal serum, with full traceability of origin, to global markets. ABS will supply critical biological inputs to biopharma manufacturers for use in the production of vaccines, biologics, diagnostics, and to life science research worldwide. In addition, the site will fulfil a logistical role, serving as a strategic export platform, enabling ABS’s South American-origin serum to reach new markets. ABS’s large multinational customers have already audited the facility and approved it for supply.
Its launch marks an important contribution to global biotech infrastructure, reinforcing New Zealand’s growing role in the international life sciences industry.
ABS’s MonteSera investment follows its acquisition
of Australian serum company CellSera in September 2021 and represents another milestone in the company’s growth. It featured in the Deloitte Fast 50 Index and won the NZTE Best Emerging Business award in 2018, was ranked #1 on the Deloitte Master of Growth Index in 2022, and was a finalist in NZTE’s International Business Awards for Best Large Business in 2023.
“MonteSera stands as a symbol of innovation and quality, highlighting ABS’s role as a trusted supplier and a leader in the global life sciences industry”, says ABS Chairman, Gary Paykel. “Despite global economic headwinds,
“ABS continues to expand. This sustained growth demonstrates how New Zealand’s scientific expertise and quality standards are being recognised and
ABS’s new MonteSera facility in Parque de
Advanced automation and data t6echnologies to power the world’s most ambitious zero-emission watercraft
Rockwell Automation continues its collaboration with Energy Observer, supporting the development and launch of the Energy Observer 3 (EO3) watercraft. This next-generation laboratory vessel will test a variety of low-carbon solutions in real maritime conditions, setting new standards for decarbonisation and innovation in maritime mobility.
Operating with no direct greenhouse gas emissions, the laboratory vessel pioneers a groundbreaking energy system that uses ammonia as a hydrogen carrier.
EO3 integrates an ammonia cracker, dual fuel cells (proton exchange membrane and solid oxide fuel cell), a 100%-ammonia engine with
NOx aftertreatment, batteries, automated wind propulsion wings, and a superstructure fully covered with high-efficiency solar cells.
Much more than a technology platform, EO3 will also serve as a space for experimentation, audiovisual production, educational outreach, and international events, bringing together engineers, researchers, artists, and decision-makers.
For nearly a decade, Rockwell Automation has supported Energy Observer’s mission to pioneer sustainable energy solutions at sea.
Energy Observer 3 represents the next chapter in collaboration, combining advanced automation, data management, and human creativity to drive real progress in maritime decarbonisation.
The first test bench preparing a simulation of the energy chain onboard of EO3 will include the latest
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Winners of the 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards have been honoured at a gala event in Auckland for their success in transforming scientific discoveries and new technologies into innovative solutions with global impact, driving New Zealand’s future.
Winners’ innovations include space technology, clean-tech innovations, CAR-T therapy breakthroughs for cancer treatment, a university course guidance platform, and an innovative new potato variety for sustainable French fries. KiwiNet’s Commercialisation Icon and Commercialisation Professional were also honoured.
The KiwiNet Awards celebrate New Zealand’s deep tech talent - research entrepreneurs, innovators, and commercialisation professionals - who translate cutting-edge research from universities, Crown Research Institutes, and research organisations into powerful technologies, thriving businesses, and tangible economic benefits for Aotearoa and beyond.
The 2025 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards winners are:
Momentum Student Entrepreneur Award
• Josiah Bugden – CourseSpy/ University of Otago – tākou Whakaihu Waka: Creating transparency in higher education
Ara Ake Breakthrough Innovator Award
• Dr Ben Mallett – The MacDiarmid Institute, Wellington UniVentures, Paihau Robinson Research Institute: Propelling New Zealand to the frontiers of deep space
BNZ Researcher Entrepreneur Award
• Professor Aaron Marshall – Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury/ MacDiarmid Institute: An inspiring visionary in clean-tech innovation
KCA Commercialisation Professional Award
• Sue Muggleston – Plant & Food Research | Bioeconomy Science Institute: A legacy of IP excellence and growing future leaders
PwC Breakthrough Project Award
• CAR-T Therapy – Malaghan Institute of Medical Research: Engineering the future of cancer care in New Zealand
AJ Park Commercialisation Impact Award
• Potato Innovation ‘Crop 78’ – Bioeconomy Science Institute: A sustainable French fry future KiwiNet Commercialisation Icon Award, sponsored by Sprout Agritech
• Suse Reynolds – start-up investor/ former Chair and Executive Director, Angel Association New Zealand: Championing New Zealand innovation, investment and impact
KiwiNet CEO Dr James Hutchinson says, “Our 2025 winners are proof that when world-class research is backed by vision and action, it becomes a force for real change. Their work spans sectors critical to our economy and the planet – showing the importance of science-led innovation in driving New Zealand’s future. But the KiwiNet Awards don’t just spotlight individual success, they celebrate a commercialisation ecosystem growing in maturity, ambition and impact. Now more than ever, it’s essential we increase support to this sector, so we can all reap the rewards from New Zealand science for years to come.”
KiwiNet Awards judge Melissa Yiannoutsos says, “The 2025 KiwiNet Awards winners show the remarkable depth and breadth of innovation across the country. Judging wasn’t easy - every finalist stood out for their vision, passion, and leadership.
“It was amazing to see how they are not only delivering real-world impact, but also inspiring others and helping embed a culture of entrepreneurship within our research system. Our nation’s researchers and entrepreneurs are earning recognition akin to our sports champions, both driving pride and progress and showing that innovation is fast becoming part of our Kiwi identity.
“We’re building on years of research momentum to grow a thriving innovation sector to drive even greater impacts into the future.”
The 2025 KiwiNet Awards judging panel comprised of Greg Sitters - Managing Partner at Mat Group; Melissa Yiannoutsos - Innovation Fund Manager, Booster NZ; Nadine Williams - CE & Founder, Instinct Lab NZ; David Beard - Partner at Movac; Adiraj Gupta - Entrepreneur & Founder, Sendd.
Nic Blakeley, Deputy Secretary Labour, Science, and Enterprise at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, said, “The KiwiNet Awards winners demonstrate how research, when connected with industry, can lead to meaningful change.
“Their achievements show the value of commercialisation in turning ideas into impact, driving innovation, supporting economic growth and delivering benefits for New Zealand. Congratulations to the winners of this year’s awards.”
The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) is a consortium of universities, Crown Research Institutes, an Independent Research Organisation and a Crown Entity established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly funded research by helping to transform scientific discoveries into new products and services.
The 2025 KiwiNet Awards are supported by MBIE, PwC NZ, Sprout Agritech, BNZ, KCA, Cam pus Plus, AJ Park, and Ara Ake, as well as Return On Science, Momentum, and the sponsors of the Momentum Student Entrepreneur award, Icehouse Ventures, Angel Association and Emerge.
7This year, the KiwiNet Awards was held alongside the inaugural Auckland Startup Week, which shines a spotlight on the people, ideas and companies building New Zealand’s global reputation for innovation.
Not all exit options are right for your business. A Management By-In or Buy-Out could be an attractive option worth evaluating.
Many people know about a Management Buy-Out when a person or team within your business becomes your exit option, generally over time.
A Management Buy-In is less understood. This is where an external person comes into your business while you transition out over time.
An internal person or team can be a great option, after all they are a known quantity and are loyal trusted employees.
However in many cases if your business does not have experienced senior leadership, it may be difficult to do. It’s not enough for you to just like them.
Why is This ?
We often hear a business owner say that “John” my Operations Manager will be my successor whilst the owner has never had a serious conversation about it with John.
If John, while knowing the owner is nearing retirement has never brought it up either, then he may not be entrepreneurial.
Not all people are entrepreneurial or leaders or have capital available. Someone taking over from you needs to have :
Capability
Capital
Compatibility
This person or team needs to tick all of the 3 C’s. The success of your business and your legacy depends on this.
So What is a
There are people actively in the market looking for a way to get into business ownership through working with an existing owner.
The fact that they can leverage off the owners experience and knowledge is attractive to them. They won’t cost you any more than a salaried GM but will come with significantly more horsepower to grow your wealth. Because they will gradually buy into your business they won’t leave for a “better offer”.
“Offering equity tips the playing field in your favour to gain talent for your business”
An external person with capability, compatability and capital can be a great option:
• They will work like an owner, not an employee
• They will have come from a larger more complex role or have had previous business ownership experience and be skilled and enticed by “skin in the game”
• You will have the confidence to take a break from the business at times and improve your lifestyle
• It will allow you to work on the parts of the business you enjoy and are good at
• It will form part of your succession plan
• They will bring skills and fresh thinking to grow your business
• They will know how to harness technology to grow your business
• You can increase your wealth as you keep getting dividends as well as capital payments from any further tranches of equity
Finding a Business Partner and setting up a structure can be a challenging and complex process. It’s all about finding the right person through a competitive process and setting up a documented and independently guided process.
What Does This Person Typically Look Like?
- Actively looking for “skin in the game”
- Had a successful career but tired of “working for the man”. They may also have previously had a business
- A Growth Mindset - Believes in their capability to apply the skills they have acquired to grow a business
- Generally 40 - 55 years old (does not need to be of course, but they are our current statistics)
- Have built up some capital and prepared to apply it to a business
- Understands and relishes being hands on without the corporate trimmings !
These people are out there; however, you need to know where to find them and manage a process that ensures it is a success.
Platform 1 specialises in using executive search techniques to find Business Partners with capability and capital for business owners wanting to partially or fully transition over time.
Mike Warmington, Platform 1
is your system
By Theresa Grainger - The Lean Hub & Productivity Excellence Academy
Every manufacturer is striving to lift productivity and much of the current focus is on investing in smarter machines, automated processes and AI.
But the real question isn’t what we are going to automate, it is what state we are automating.
Because if the system underneath is unhealthy, for example unclear processes, tired teams, neglected assets, then new technology doesn’t fix the instability, it amplifies it.
One of the clearest indicators of system health and a direct driver of productivity is how well we maintain the discipline of improvement.
In New Zealand, many manufacturers are pushing hard to stay competitive in a tough global economy, yet beneath the surface we are seeing an imbalance. While the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is a core framework for improvement, in practice we tend to excel at the “Plan” and “Do” stages.
However, the final two steps “Check” and “Act” are often overlooked, limiting our ability to learn, improve, and sustain gains.
When productivity slips, our instinct is often to add capacity, new machinery, software, or automation. But more often, the real issue isn’t a lack of resources, it is that silos have formed and people, processes, and systems are no longer aligned or working together effectively.
An asset might fail because it wasn’t serviced, but teams often miss their targets for less visible reasons, like unclear communication, blurred accountability, or lack of clear ownership.
Just as machines need regular maintenance, so do our organisational systems and leadership. A regular check on system health and culture can reveal the early signs of misalignment before they impact performance.
When we build a culture that pauses to reflect, learn and reset, we create the conditions for genuine improvement. It’s not just about chasing KPIs, it is about cultivating awareness of how our systems perform, and the agility to adjust before problems grow.
Too often, teams feel pressure to meet targets rather than reveal the truth behind them. When people don’t feel safe to be honest, data loses its integrity
and reliability suffers long before performance does. The best performing plants I have seen in New Zealand are not the ones with the newest machinery; they are the ones where leaders ask:
• What did we learn from this week’s downtime and the moments that tested the reliability of our systems?
• What patterns or underlying habits are driving waste in our operations?
• Are we solving surface level issues, or are we addressing the deeper conditions that allowed them to happen?
Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM) is a structured approach used to keep physical assets performing reliably and safely by identifying failure modes and selecting the most effective maintenance strategies. What if we applied that same disciplined thinking to our organisational systems, especially culture? When communication breaks down, teams disengage and leadership becomes misaligned, these are not soft issues, they are cultural failure modes that threaten the health of the entire system.
The real opportunity lies in learning how to extract as much value from our culture as we do from our equipment. Both require regular health checks and maintenance to remain reliable and drive value under pressure.
Reliability centred leadership means treating people and systems with the same rigour as physical assets. It asks:
• Are our leaders aligned around the core function and purpose of the organisation and making decisions that consistently enable it?
• Do teams have the skills, feedback, and psychological safety to drive the most value out of the systems and processes they work within?
• Are we creating flow between departments or reinforcing silos?
When leadership reliability improves, so does operational reliability. Culture is not a “soft” variable, it is an operating system that determines how well every process runs.
New Zealand has been talking about productivity for decades, we benchmark, compare and analyse and yet the gap persists.
Is our productivity challenge driven by technology? or by the organisational culture and the structure it operates within?
Technology can accelerate output, but it cannot fix cultural friction. True productivity emerges when people understand their role in the system, can see where and how they add value, and feel confident and capable to improve it.
Every new tool from AI to robotics, needs a stable foundation of psychological safety, clear communication, and feedback loops that help teams learn and adapt.
Without that, automation only makes dysfunction happen faster.
Before the next investment cycle, it’s worth asking:
• Do our leaders have the time and do our systems have the operating discipline, to think, reflect, build capability and coach?
• Are we measuring not just outputs, but the health of our system and how well we prevent and protect, rather than simply respond and recover?
• Do our daily routines include time to check what’s working and adjust what’s not?
These are the quiet disciplines that strengthen organisations, helping them move from managing day to day pressures to becoming self-improving systems where learning drives progress and a focus to continuously improve is shared by all.
The early indicators of system strain are often subtle, but visible to those who are looking:
• Are teams spending more time firefighting than improving?
• Are meetings helping us make decisions. or just circling problems?
• Is feedback a routine part of daily work or something that waits for review?
• When issues arise, do we fix the problem or the cause?
Improvement doesn’t always start with big change; it starts with better observation. Small 1% shifts in routine behaviours can unlock more value from the system you already have.
Innovation is exciting and necessary, but the next wave of technology won’t fix broken systems, it will expose them.
Before the robots roll in, take a closer look at your systems, your processes, your people and your culture.
Machines don’t create productivity; they amplify what is already there. Whether they accelerate chaos or enable an uplift in productivity depends on the strength of our systems and the health of our culture.
Tell readers about Brickworks?
Stephanie Adding, NZ Business Manager, Brickworks New Zealand:
Brickworks Building Products is one of the world’s largest and most diverse building material manufacturers. Our company has built an enduring reputation with our customers, we are loved for our innovation, professionalism and ever-dependable products and services.
Brickworks began in 1930 in Australia and now has 2,500 staff worldwide, 45 manufacturing plants, 54 Design Studios, Display & Masonry Supply Centres, 2,000+ products and 17 brands.
Brickworks has a strong presence in New Zealand and we have showrooms in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch.
Our Austral Bricks brand has been available in New Zealand since 1997 and our products feature prominently across many residential and commercial buildings in New Zealand including The Greenhouse by Ockham Residential in Auckland, and the Northern Quarter, a 5,500m2 office and hospitality building in Tauranga CBD.
Where is the Brickworks headquarters?
Sydney, Australia
What does your company produce?
We manufacture and supply clay bricks and pavers, masonry and stone, roofing, building systems and cement.
All our stocked 70mm bricks sold in New Zealand are curated by our local team here in New Zealand and are all manufactured to exposure grade. We offer bespoke designs and products and work closely with our clients to meet their specific building needs and vision.
For example, for The Greenhouse project, we procured and manufactured custom green glazed bricks in 25 different shapes for Ockham Residential. In terms of new products for the New Zealand market, we’ve recently just launched a CodeMark-certified brick facings panel system called Thin Tech Plus®.
This system is designed to speed up the construction process without the weight and space restrictions
associated with traditional full brick veneers. Measuring in at just 43mm thin (a traditional brick has a thickness of 120mm) and weighing only 49 kg/m² (a full brick veneer weighs 140–200 kg/m²), this medium-weight system has the added benefits of superior drainage and ventilation with its cavity-based design.
With Thin Tech Plus®, we’re excited to offer businesses and consumers in New Zealand more choices and design versatility in how they want to create and build their homes and spaces.
Market expansion - where next?
For the New Zealand market, we’re investing more to expand our product range with a focus on more energy-efficient building solutions and introducing more advanced cladding systems such as Thin Tech Plus®.
Where do you source raw materials?
The majority of our raw materials are sourced from local quarries near our sites.
How do you see current business conditions?
The NZ building and development sector has faced significant headwinds over the last two to three years.
Challenges such as low building consent volumes, subdued net migration, high interest rates, and an oversupply of existing housing stock have created a difficult operating environment for builders and developers alike.
However, recent months have brought a noticeable shift in market sentiment. A drop in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) and subsequent easing of interest rates have sparked renewed confidence, leading to a measurable uptick in enquiries and commitments from Kiwis looking to build new homes – we’re optimistic about what’s ahead and the opportunities in the coming year.
Brickworks NZ will be moving to a new showroom in Kingsland (opening in late 2025) and we’re looking forward to introducing more new products to the New Zealand market.
The NZ business environment is currently very challenging with a noticeable downturn in import/ export activity, meaning that Logik Freight & Logistics have had to make some difficult decisions in order to navigate through this period.
Which systems do your company use for efficiencies of scale?
We use Wiise Business Dynamics, Xero Accounting Software, Windows 365.
When did LFL start using them?
We started using Wiise Business Dynamics on a Live basis from April 2025. We have been using Xero and Microsoft 365 since August 2024.
Staff retention - how are you finding the right staff?
Brickworks NZ is committed to building and maintaining a strong, values-driven team.
We believe that a positive and enjoyable workplace culture is essential, not only for bringing out the best in our people, but for delivering the high standard of service our customers expect and every business aspires to.
A recent internal survey confirmed that Brickworks NZ is a place where people feel valued, supported, and proud to work.
Our workplace is regularly described by staff as rewarding, collaborative, and fulfilling, with an overwhelmingly high recommendation rate as an employer.
With staff retention at an all-time high, we’re proud of the culture we’ve built and remain committed to celebrating both personal and professional milestones within our team.
Are U.S tariffs affecting how you operate?
Currently we are not directly affected.
We are curious - How would you define Productivity?
At Brickworks, we believe true productivity is more than just output numbers – it’s also about creating a meaningful and sustainable impact through our products and designs.
From manufacturing quality products and innovative systems to employee engagement and customer satisfaction, we measure our productivity in both quantitative and qualitative approaches to ensure long-term business success.
Paul Durose, Head of Operations.
Describe the benefits to date
Using Wiise Business Dynamics has enabled LFL to synergize inbound, storage and order fulfillment outbound activities to achieve the same level of output with less (1 FTE) human resources being required, as well as being able to produce rigorous reports from which the monthly invoices are generated from.
The team now do location-based picking on a daily basis, which significantly reduces the time spent looking for stock, as the system takes the picker to the shelf where the stock is located, as opposed to the picker having to pick from memory.
Where do you see areas of growth for LFL?
Our target market is the e-commerce space, where small companies that cannot afford their own warehousing space make sales through systems like Shopify with the orders flowing directly into Wiise Business Dynamics where they will be processed on behalf of our customer.
How will technology assist with this growth?
Wiise already has standard API’s with key trading platforms such as Shopify that will then create the
necessary access point for LFL’s new customers to send their order data through.
Once each new customer’s data comes through to Wiise, they will be managed in exactly the same way as all existing customers, no additional training for the LFL is necessary.
How is the field of Logistics changing or refining processes?
The field of Logistics is constantly evolving in a way that is seeing key Supply Chain Activities being integrated through API connections between manufacturers, suppliers, freight forwarders and third-party logistics providers making the sharing of critical information seamless, ensuring it gets to the right business at the right time.
Staff retention - how goes it?
We are a small, tight-knit team. The LFL team is a mature and experienced team with decades of warehousing, freight & logistics experience between us, ensuring that all our customers receive impeccable, reliable, and professional services time and time again.
By Hon Chris Penk, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing
You may have seen the Finance Minister’s recent announcement about changes to how the Government buys goods and services.
I want to make sure Kiwi businesses hear the good news because the new procurement rules, coming into effect on 1 December 2025, are designed to give small and homegrown firms a real chance to win government work.
If landing a government contract has ever felt out of reach, now is the time to take a closer look.
Government procurement is big business. Each year,
agencies spend over $50 billion on goods, services, and infrastructure. That is a huge opportunity for local manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers.
Until now, feedback from the business community showed that too many local manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises found the process complex, time-consuming, and costly to engage with.
The Government has responded to that challenge with reforms aimed at making the system simpler and fairer.
The number of procurement rules will reduce from 71 to 47, cutting duplication, streamlining processes, and making it easier for businesses to understand what is expected when bidding for government work.
One of the most significant changes is a new rule requiring agencies to consider the economic benefit to New Zealand in every procurement.
When evaluating bids, agencies must now give at least 10 percent weighting to how a supplier’s proposal will benefit the New Zealand economy. That benefit could include using local suppliers, creating jobs, supporting regional businesses, or investing in skills and training.
For the roughly 20,700 manufacturers in New Zealand, this means the Government wants to work with businesses that help New Zealand thrive.
proactively publish procurement policies and contract awards, giving businesses and the public greater visibility into how decisions are made.
For manufacturers, this is a game-changer. Whether supplying components for infrastructure projects, producing goods for public services, or offering specialist expertise, the new rules make it easier to compete and succeed.
The rules also improve contract management and supplier panel arrangements, ensuring fairer access and engagement with businesses of all sizes.
That means more consistent interaction, clearer expectations, and better outcomes for everyone involved.
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The change will support local firms directly and also encourages international companies to show how they will contribute to the New Zealand economy when bidding for government contracts.
Through partnerships, subcontracting, or local hiring, international firms will need to demonstrate their commitment to economic growth. Larger companies, both domestic and international, are encouraged to include small manufacturers as subcontractors or suppliers.
This opens up new opportunities for collaboration and growth.
The reforms also strengthen transparency and accountability. Agencies will be required to
The new rules apply to all goods, services, and refurbishment contracts over $100,000, and construction contracts over $9 million.
Even below those thresholds, agencies are expected to award contracts to capable New Zealand businesses, creating more opportunities for small manufacturers to secure work.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) will run webinars and events to help agencies and suppliers understand the new rules. I encourage you to take part and find out how you can participate and benefit from the reformed system.
Let us make the most of it.
Does your plant contain designated hazardous ar eas or areas that contain potentially dangerous amounts of combustible dusts or gases? MEO4 Electrical & Automation Services specialises in the following:
• Installation, maintenance, and inspection of electrical equipment in combustible dust environments.
• Installation, maintenance, and inspection of electrical equipment in explosive gas environments.
• Upgrades from non- compliant electrical equipment to devices compliant with AS/NZS 60079
• Initial and periodic inspections.
• Compliance with the AS/NZS 60079 series of standards
Starting out with your first carbon footprint, or refining years of data? Either way, the credibility of your greenhouse-gas (GHG) numbers matters. Reliable, verified information builds trust with customers, regulators and supply-chain partners –and helps you make confident decisions. Here’s how to find the right type of independent check for your business.
Why independent checks matter
Independent reviews give confidence that
your figures are robust and transparent. For manufacturers, they can reveal data gaps in energy use, fuel consumption or process emissions; reduce the risk of overstated “carbon-neutral” claims; and strengthen credibility with clients, boards and export markets.
A third-party perspective adds objectivity and helps demonstrate integrity - especially useful when bidding for contracts or supplying international brands that ask for evidence of sustainability performance.
Verification, validation, assurance and certification - what they mean
Verification looks backward. It checks whether your reported GHG data – like fuel used in boilers or forklifts, electricity for production lines, refrigerants and process emissions – is accurate and follows recognised standards.
Verified data supports sustainability reporting and tender requirements.
Validation looks forward. It assesses whether the data, methods and assumptions behind your planned emission reductions or targets are credible and achievable.
For example, if you plan to electrify furnaces, recover waste heat or improve process efficiency, validation assesses whether those assumptions are realistic and based on sound information before you announce them.
Both processes follow ISO 14064-3:2019, the international standard for verification and validation.
Assurance is the formal statement that follows verification. It’s issued by the verifier and provides confidence that your emissions data has been
independently reviewed to a recognised standard.
Limited assurance gives a moderate level of confidence based on a less detailed review. Reasonable assurance involves deeper testing and provides higher confidence.
Certification goes a step further and applies when you make public claims – for example, “carbon-neutral operations” or “low-carbon product.”
It’s part of a formal scheme run by a government, industry body, or programme such as Toit and Ekos in New Zealand, or Climate Active in Australia. It generally combines verified data with a documented plan how you’re going to achieve your carbon emission reductions and regular reviews to confirm that you’re on track.
1.Review emissions annually with an experienced third party
Regular external reviews help keep your data accurate and highlight opportunities to reduce energy, fuel or material use – areas that often translate to cost savings in manufacturing operations.
2. Choose verification for robust, credible data
Verification provides stronger evidence than internal checks and builds confidence with customers, investors and regulators. Start small if you’re new to carbon reporting – an informal review can prepare you for full verification later.
3. Validate your reduction targets
Before you announce emissions goals, test your assumptions – especially if your plans rely on changes to manufacturing processes, fuel switching or electrification.
4. Set a Science Based Target (SBT) once your data is verified
SBTs give you a clear, credible pathway for ongoing emissions reduction, aligned with global best practice.
5. Stay across changing regulations and expectations
New Zealand’s rules on climate and carbon reporting are evolving, and large customers are asking for more reliable data from their suppliers. By checking and improving your data now, you’ll be ready for new requirements and save time and cost later.
6 Choose credible certification schemes and be transparent about their scope
If you’re making public carbon claims – for example, about carbon neutrality – make sure they’re backed by verified data and reference recognised standards such as ISO 14064-3.
7. Treat verification as an improvement tool
Beyond compliance, verification strengthens data systems and often uncovers efficiency gains that save both money and emissions.
Do you want to learn more about how to measure your organisations’ carbon footprint or a the carbon footprint of one of your products? Read thinkstep-anz’s Need to Know guides or get in touch at engage@thinkstep-anz.com
Following the successful development of the world’s first energy chain made from recycled plastic, motion plastics specialist igus is taking the next step: the company is converting the entire catalogue range of its standard energy chain series E2.1 to the new recycled material igumid CG LW.
The European Union wants to establish a circular and climate-neutral economy by 2050 at the latest. Instead of producing waste, a functioning circular economy relies on the “cradle-to-cradle” concept. Consumables are returned to the natural and technical cycle so as to conserve valuable resources and raw materials.
With the E2.1 energy chain series, which will be completely converted to recycled material this spring, igus shows that this is no longer a dream of the future. The company is taking this step after introducing the first energy chain made from recycled material in 2022.
The energy chain series is now manufactured from the recycled material igumid CG LW. It consists of post-consumer recyclate, e.g. old fishing nets, and discarded energy chains, which are recycled and processed into recyclate as part of the in-house “Chainge” programme.
The energy chains made from the sustainable material not only have mechanical specifications that are comparable to those of standard chains, but
are also available at the same price as the previous E2.1 series. Even in terms of wear behaviour, stability and continuous flexing cycles, the energy chains offer the same quality.
The series is characterised by a long service life, particularly quiet operation and easy filling and installation. “With this recycled chain series, we are enabling customers to make a contribution to the circular economy for plastics together with us,” says Jörg Ottersbach, Head of Business Unit e-chains at igus.
“By switching to igumid CG LW, we are demonstrating that circular economy and cost-effectiveness are by no means mutually exclusive.”
By opting for the E2.1 series, customers are making an important contribution to the sustainable production of the future. Compared to the standard material, the recycled material has an 80% lower CO2 footprint. igus itself is also driving forward its sustainability measures with the new products. The company is focussing on measures in all areas (Scopes 1 to 3), from using process heat and green electricity to adding more e-charging stations to modernising buildings.
As part of the “Chainge” programme, igus has been taking back end-of-life energy chains from all manufacturers since 2019. In 2022, an online platform was added to the recycling initiative, through which
Seco X-Tip Drill is engineered to eliminate the need for multiple solid carbide drills. With a single drill body and a range of recyclable carbide tips, users can seamlessly switch between materials and depths— reducing tool clutter, setup time, and cost.
Its high-feed geometry ensures faster, cleaner holes with less downtime, while its recyclable tips support sustainability goals.
Seco X-Tip Drill is a tool that delivers high-feed drilling performance while keeping things flexible and efficient on the shop floor.
The combination of a hardened tool steel body and precision-ground exchangeable carbide tips means you get the rigidity you need with the convenience of quick changeovers—less downtime, more productivity.
This innovation stems from a clear market need: A tool that combines performance, flexibility, and environmental responsibility. Seco X-Tip Drill’s unique design not only enhances productivity but also aligns with modern manufacturing’s push toward leaner, greener operations.
customers can also recycle other components made of technical plastics while purchasing processed material in the form of regrind and regranulate. In addition to taking back old energy chains, igus also takes back old material as part of assembly orders. Around 170t of plastic have already been recycled via the “Chainge” platform. For its recycling programme, igus was awarded the Rhineland Business Prize in the sustainability category (2022) and took first place in the “Going Circular” recycling competition organised by the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce (2023) www.treotham.com.au
Chris Beh, Think Consulting
One in five commercial fires are caused by electrical sources, of which 30% of these are due to electrical switchboard failings. However, the maintenance of electrical switchboards is often not prioritised and when undertaken, an issue of scope and frequency is questioned.
The guidance is not clear from regulations, standards or authorities and industry practices vary greatly.
There are no legal requirements to conduct electrical periodic verification / assessment inspections in New Zealand and Australia for many industrial and commercial installations.
For example, the New Zealand Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, clause 75 (1), where periodic assessments are referenced but only in terms of the listed, specific installations.
Yet the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010 requires electrical installations to be maintained in a safe condition but does not set explicit inspection intervals or frequency for periodic assessments to be undertaken.
AS/NZS 3019:2007 “Electrical Installations - Periodic Verification” is the standard cited by the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, however, the AS/ NZS 3019:2022 “Electrical Installations - Periodic Assessment” is the current standard, yet to be cited. Therefore, the standard to work from a ‘legal’ perspective is AS/NZS 3019:2007. The frequency of periodic verification / assessment is outlined but both standards state that the frequency is dependent on the type of installation, equipment, operation frequency and quality of maintenance and external influences.
Both versions are very similar in text but are not specific on the frequency of inspections and tests –e.g. AS/NZS 3019:2007 cl. 2.8.1 “the interval may be, for instance, some years (e.g. 4 years)…”.
Worksafe refers to the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010, clause 40, “Safety checks of works”, for periodic verification of high voltage electrical installations and for low and extra low voltage electrical installations, but no guidance on the actual frequency or interval is provided.
Most insurers do not have specific requirements for periodic fixed wiring inspections or at least have publicly available guidance for this type of work.
However, all/most insurers have a requirement for commercial / industrial type electrical switchboards to have thermographic surveys undertaken by certified personnel and appropriately reported on. Typically, insurers agree that this should be undertaken on an at least annual basis. The “informal” nature of most insurer requirements on this area of preventative maintenance may be driven by the fact that many do not have endorsements or warranties for electrical maintenance on their policies.
NZI specifically cites AS/NZS 3019:2007 and Form 1 Certificate of Periodic Verification and Form 2 Schedule of Test Results as recommendations or in some cases for their insureds, as part of their insurance policy endorsements to comply to.
NZI’s requirements does not accept the Basic Visual Inspection only (Section 3 of AS/NZS 3019:2007) but they require –
• Visual inspection and limited testing with additional thermographic survey reporting (Sections 3 and 4 and clause 5.8 of AS/NZS 3019:2007); or
• Visual inspection and full testing with thermographic survey reporting (Sections 3 and 5 of AS/NZS 3019:2007).
In terms of frequency of inspection, NZI states –“The inspection needs to be carried out periodically. The frequency should be no more than annually for buildings constructed of Foamed Plastic Panels or at your recommendation as a registered electrician for all other types of building construction (maximum 4 yearly).”
Vero Insurance New Zealand (Vero) has formal guidance on periodic verification and thermal imaging and is generally in line with AS/NZS 3019. Although not formally stipulated to have Forms 1 and 2 completed, Vero’s expectation for a certificate of the works likely means that Forms 1 and 2 or a format similar would be delivered,. Guidance on thermal imaging is “At least once a year”.
Observations of organisations from across several sectors found –
• Annual thermal imaging or thermographic surveys of electrical switchboard is generally conducted (if conducted at all) by registered electricians (undertaken mainly by contracted firms).
• Periodic verification / assessment to AS/NZS 3019:2007 and completion of Forms 1 and 2 not commonly performed. Mainly organisations with NZI or some through Vero, as a lead or co-insurer, undertook formal fixed wiring inspections.
This was normally conducted annually. Where large amounts of switchboards are tested on a site, an abbreviated format of Form 2 Schedule of Test Results has been observed to be used by large organisations / sites and accepted as part of the Form 1 Certificate of Periodic Verification.
Generally, industry information guidance for better practice for fixed wiring inspections and thermal imaging of switchboards vary.
For electrical switchboard fixed wiring inspections, this can be dependent on –
• Age of the electrical system.
• Type of installation/environment, usage/occupancy and electrical load / usage.
• Lack of or insufficient electrical safety devices such as ground fault circuit interrupters, residual current devices, etc and electrical surge protection.
Lower risk commercial establishments between 3 to 5 years; moderate risk manufacturing and production
environments circa 2 to 3 years depending on conditions; high risk environments 1 to 3 years depending on risk assessments; and medical establishments 1 to 2 years depending on risk assessments.
Thermal imaging tends to be annual to every 3 years for commercial and industrial environments.
As there is generally no legal requirement to conduct electrical periodic verification / assessment inspections, it is suggested that the following be considered as part of an organisation’s preventative maintenance plan for electrical switchboards.
• Conduct visual inspection and limited testing with additional thermographic survey reporting including Forms 1 and 2.
That limited testing is appropriate in many cases due to the business / operational disruption risks or life safety risks associated with shutting down or disconnecting systems. Also, this is acceptable from an insurer perspective.
• If a site has many switchboards to be tested, an abbreviated format of Form 2 Schedule of Test Results could be considered.
• Better industry practice for thermographic surveys is to conduct this at least annually and is aligned with insurer expectations and requirements
• Conduct visual inspection and limited testing with additional thermographic survey (at least) every 1 to 4 years depending on the age of the electrical systems / facilities.
This aligns to general industry practice and Vero’s guidance based on ‘business premises’ which is 4 yearly. Potentially, for older installations of say, 25 years or more, a risk-based assessment should be undertaken to see if higher inspection intervals are required. Annual thermal imaging should be conducted.
Dr Chris Beh
Dr Chris Beh is a PhD, Chartered Engineer with an MBA in Business Management. He operates an engineering and management consultancy with a focus on risk management including insurable risks. He has undertaken hands-on engagements across commercial, light and heavy manufacturing and dairy and food manufacturing for clients nationally and overseas.
Chris.Beh@thinkconsulting.co.nz
+64 21 278 3363
www.thinkconsulting.co.nz
A New Zealand-designed aircraft that has trained thousands of air force pilots around the world is being honoured by Australia’s aviation community, marking 50 years since the first CT-4 Airtrainer arrived in the country.
Developed in Hamilton in the early 1970s, the CT-4 became a cornerstone of military flight training across the Asia-Pacific, with more than 150 units built and operated by air forces in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and Singapore, and has been trialled by other countries including the United Kingdom, United States, Israel and South Africa.
The Royal Thai Air Force has operated the CT-4 continuously since 1973, making it one of the longest-serving trainer aircraft in modern aviation. Over the past five decades, the CT-4 has generated millions of dollars in export earnings for New Zealand and continues to be manufactured and serviced in the Waikato at NZAero’s Hamilton facility, on the same site where the aircraft’s story began.
Earlier this year, the company signed a multimillion-dollar technology deal with the Royal Thai Air Force to modernise the long-serving fleet. Planned upgrades include state-of-the-art digital avionics and upgraded systems.
The contract will see New Zealand-built aircraft from the early 2000s retrofitted for a new generation of Thai Air Force pilots, extending the model’s 50-year service record.
The Airtourer Association of Australia is hosting a fly-in event at Tamworth Airport from October 16 to
19, the former base of the BAE Ansett flying school that trained generations of military and civilian pilots using the CT-4B. The weekend event includes an air display, historic tours and the unveiling of a commemorative brass plaque by Tamworth Mayor Russell Webb.
Stephen Burrows, CEO of NZAero, says the CT-4 stands as a testament to New Zealand’s capacity to engineer aircraft of exceptional quality that continue to earn respect on the global aviation stage.
“For fifty years, this aircraft has introduced thousands of pilots to flight. Its simplicity, aerobatic capability and reliability have made it a trusted platform for air forces and training schools worldwide.
“Some of the most notable aviators to have flown the CT-4 include the late King of Thailand, who personally owned CT-4 serial number two, and generations of RNZAF Red Checkers, who made the aircraft their display team aircraft of choice from 1977 through to 2013.
“With more than fifty years of continuous service and production runs across three decades, the CT-4’s story remains one of New Zealand’s greatest export success stories in aviation engineering, a legacy that continues to inspire new designs from the same Hamilton factory that started it all. As we look ahead to the next generation CT-4G, it is fitting to honour the heritage of innovation and craftsmanship that has defined this aircraft for half a century.”
Burrows says what sets the CT-4 apart from other trainers of its era is its advanced engineering
and suitability for intensive pilot instruction over thousands of hours.
“The CT-4 was designed from the outset as a true training aircraft. It featured a jettisonable canopy that allowed flight crew to bail out safely in an emergency, and side-by-side seating with dual controls, which made instruction far easier than in tandem-configured trainers.
“The aircraft was fully aerobatic, capable of handling +6G and -3G manoeuvres, with an inverted oil and fuel system that allowed sustained aerobatic flight. Its tricycle undercarriage provided excellent ground handling and stability, and its all-aluminium construction gave it the durability and ease of maintenance needed for intensive training operations.”
Since its first flight in 1972, the CT-4 has evolved through multiple variants, from the early CT-4A to the CT-4E powered by a 300 hp Lycoming engine, culminating in plans for the Garmin-equipped CT-4G currently under design.
HamiltonJet, global leader in innovative marine propulsion technology, has opened its new 7,500sqm factory in Christchurch, marking one of the most significant expansions in the company’s 70-year
history and a milestone for advanced manufacturing in New Zealand.
The opening event, attended by more than 450 guests including Hon Chris Penk, Minister for Building & Construction, brought together HamiltonJet’s global leadership team, its Christchurch workforce, and industry partners to celebrate a major investment in New Zealand’s future.
Founded on the same site in the 1950s – a 6.5-hectare block of old farmland – HamiltonJet has grown from pioneering beginnings in Canterbury to become the world leader in waterjet propulsion systems.
Today, its products are used in more than 70 countries, powering navies and coastguards, commercial ferries, windfarm support vessels, and hybrid craft.
The new facility offers a 50 per cent increase in floor space to HamiltonJet’s existing Christchurch base, bringing the total footprint to 22,500sqm.
The expansion enables the company to run dedicated production lines for both small and large jets, purpose-built with solar panels, LED lighting, and heat-recovery systems, reflecting HamiltonJet’s commitment to sustainability as well as efficiency.
“HamiltonJet is unique in that we design, cast, machine, fabricate, paint, and assemble our waterjets entirely in-house. This full capability is unmatched by any of our competitors, and gives us complete control over quality and performance,” says HamiltonJet Managing Director, Ben Reed.
“We see strong opportunities ahead with increased global defence spending and the expansion of green technology, including windfarm support vessels and hybrid ferries. The new facility increases our production capacity by 40 per cent, giving us the ability to deliver more technology, more efficiently, to customers around the globe.”
HamiltonJet currently employs 430 people in Christchurch, of which 187 work in manufacturing, a number projected to grow to 220 once the new facility reaches full capacity.
The company also places particular emphasis on developing talent in the Canterbury region.
From apprenticeships to graduate programmes, it has created a strong pipeline of skilled professionals, supporting the local economy while exporting New Zealand expertise worldwide.
HamiltonJet Chief Operating Officer, Rob McKenzie-Carroll, says the new facility “gives our team an environment where they can do their best work and where new generations of engineers and tradespeople can develop their skills. It also ensures we have the capability and flexibility to meet our customers’ needs well into the future.”
HamiltonJet plans to open a new office facility on the Christchurch site next year and has space available for another factory of the same size should global demand continue to grow.
Toni Christie, Competenz General Manager, Employer and Learner Experience.
A strengthened apprenticeship support system is driving higher completion rates across engineering and manufacturing — helping New Zealand build the skilled workforce it needs. Toni Christie explains how industry training organisation Competenz redesigned their apprentice learning experience to give every one of their learners the tools – and confidence – to finish what they start.
In the three years since COVID-19, Māori credit achievement in mechanical engineering apprenticeships has surged from 49 percent to 72 percent, while Pasifika learners have lifted from 45 percent to 64 percent.
For decades, Māori and Pasifika apprentices were among the least likely to complete their training. Now, in some of New Zealand’s most technically demanding industries, they’re leading the way. These outcomes prove that when learner support is reimagined, equity is not only possible – it’s measurable.
A few years ago, too many apprentices were falling through the cracks. They arrived to on-job-training with potential but little guidance – like trying to start an engine with half the wiring missing.
In 2019, a review of the New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering revealed that 42 percent of first-year learners were inactive, meaning they weren’t making enough progress within a defined period.
Many were under 25, struggling with self-directed study or the literacy and numeracy skills their training required.
By 2024, only 42 percent of new learners entered training above the national benchmark for literacy and numeracy – down from 70 percent just two years earlier. In other words, most apprentices now need extra support simply to get started.
Many of our apprentices arrive with talent and ambition, but the system alone wasn’t giving them the tools to succeed. We needed to design a framework that met apprentices and trainees where they were.
That framework, introduced in 2021 and aligned with the Tertiary Education Commission’s strategy for tackling inequities in tertiary education, has changed everything from retention to achievement.
More than a thousand apprentices now take part in fortnightly study groups – some online, some face-to-face, and many tailored for Maori, Pasifika,
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or neurodiverse learners. Chromebooks and C-Pen readers help level the digital playing field.
Mental-health services through our wellbeing partner Vitae provide counselling and support. Financial hardship is eased through dedicated learner funds. Quarterly whanau sessions and learner packs bring families into the journey, creating a sense of shared achievement and belonging.
For Wiremu, a first-year mechanical apprentice, the early days were tough. He told us he knew he could do the work, but sometimes he didn’t have the words. Joining a small study group of Maori apprentices changed that.
The group participants helped each other through the theory and the paperwork. Now Wiremu is mentoring the next intake.
When our learners are given the right tools and support, they don’t just finish their training – they lift the industries and communities around them.
For Sela, a Pasifika refrigeration apprentice juggling work, study and family, told us it was a financial-literacy session that made the difference. “No one had ever talked to me about managing money for the long term,” she told us. “Now I know my goals aren’t just for me – they’re for my kids too.”
The results speak for themselves. First-year retention has stabilised at around 80 percent across mechanical engineering and fabrication. Credit achievement rates have climbed steadily in refrigeration and air conditioning.
Forestry, a sector with its own complex challenges, now has tailored learner-support plans. Across the board, apprentices are staying engaged and progressing where once they might have stalled or dropped out entirely.
What Competenz has built is more than a patchwork of interventions. It’s a culturally responsive, practical support framework that works. The challenge now is to scale it nationally across other industries, so every person learning in every trade has the same chance to succeed.
The lesson is simple: when you meet apprentices and trainees where they are – not where the system assumes they should be – they succeed. And when they succeed, so do the industries that depend on them.
Manufacturing, forestry, HVAC and mechanical engineering are already short of qualified people. Every apprentice who completes their qualification is another set of hands, another career secured, another contribution to New Zealand’s resilience and productivity.
Supporting our apprentices is no longer just a moral obligation. It’s an economic strategy. As the government creates new Industry Skills Boards to reshape vocational education, we challenge those Boards to follow our example. Because when learners thrive, industries thrive – and New Zealand is stronger for it.
Competenz works with 3500 employers and more than 7,000 apprentices and people in work-based training to build skills, careers and businesses that help New Zealand thrive.
Many of our apprentices arrive with talent and ambition, but the system alone wasn’t giving them the tools to succeed.
ammonia cracking, hydrogen fuel cells, and battery storage, enabling real-time monitoring, optimisation, and data-driven decision-making for both offshore and onshore operations.
By leveraging Rockwell Automation’s technologies and services, Energy Observer 3 will benefit from:
• Enhanced energy efficiency and autonomy, maximizing performance while minimizing environmental impact
• Robust data management and analytics, empowering the crew to innovate and optimize operations in real time
• Global service and support, with Rockwell Automation field engineers providing rapid response and technical expertise wherever the vessel operates
• Open, user-friendly platforms, allowing the
Energy Observer team to manage, program, and maintain systems independently, even in remote environments
Rockwell Automation’s collaboration with Energy Observer began in 2016, providing automation solutions and global service support for the original Energy Observer 1 catamaran, which completed a seven-year global odyssey to demonstrate the viability of renewable energy systems.
A nutrient extraction technology developed by Kiwi scientists is set to transform the US$60 billion global Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) sector, modernising production methods that have remained largely unchanged for 5,000 years.
The global TCM sector is projected to grow to USD 98.3 billion by 2032 at a compound annual growth rate of 5.5%. China alone has more than 60,000 licensed TCM hospitals and clinics, while international demand is increasing rapidly as herbal formulations expand into export markets across Asia, Europe, and North America.
A Kiwi company that began as a West Auckland garage start-up nearly three decades ago, Alpha Group, has grown into one of New Zealand’s largest dual-market export operations.
Today it operates as a vertically integrated nutraceutical exporter at the international forefront of fermentation and extraction technologies, with research and manufacturing operations across New Zealand and China.
The company’s patented low-temperature, low-pressure extraction system is capable of isolating active compounds from a wide range of sources including fungi, plants and fruit by-products. This process ensures bio-actives retain their efficacy after extraction, while using significantly less energy and generating less waste than conventional methods such as decoction or high-pressure extraction.
The adaptability of the system also allows it to be applied to fruit waste, functional foods, and
nutraceuticals, broadening its commercial potential.
The company is now applying its technology to staples of Traditional Chinese Medicine such as ginseng, astragalus, licorice root and reishi mushrooms, herbs widely prescribed across China’s 60,000 licensed TCM hospitals.
It is also being used with consumer-friendly botanicals such as goji berry and ginger, already popular in Western diets for their antioxidant and digestive benefits. By isolating active compounds from these well-known plants, Alpha ensures consistent potency and convenience for both practitioners and patients, while retaining the natural efficacy valued in traditional use.
Alpha Group, which last year reported revenues in excess of NZ$93 million, is now using the technology to extract compounds from more than 100 herbal medicines, delivering them in precise, practitioner-specified formulations.
The company already produces thousands of individual formulations annually and supplies them through both hospital networks and consumer healthcare markets across China and Hong Kong.
The firm is also expanding its infrastructure to meet rising demand, with new production lines to be established from its China base in 2026.
Supported by its Manukau R&D hub in Auckland, its Alpha - Massey Natural Nutraceuticals Research Centre in Palmerston North, and its Tongji University Natural Medicine Research Institute in Shanghai, Alpha is scaling its operations to manufacture advanced herbal formulations for both hospital and consumer markets.
The expansion builds on more than NZ$830 million the company has already invested in global infrastructure and is expected to create 50 new jobs locally.
Professor Yihuai Gao, founder and chief scientist of Alpha Group, said the company’s breakthrough represents a turning point for the sector.
“Traditionally, bioactive compounds are released through boiling or decoction, a process that can take several hours and often destroys heat-sensitive ingredients. Other modern methods, such as high-pressure extraction, require large amounts of energy and can leave behind chemical residues.
“Our patented extraction process retains the natural efficacy of bio-actives while delivering them in a form that is modern, convenient, and scientifically precise. This is a step change in how TCM can be prepared and consumed, ensuring it remains relevant for future generations of patients and practitioners.”
continued from Page 11
and reputation, rather than an expense, the whole organisation benefits.
Professional advice is another proven catalyst.
Fifty-three percent of manufacturing employers sought guidance from safety professionals or WorkSafe in the past year, and those that did were significantly more likely to implement further improvements.
At the EMA, we know this only too well as we’ve been delivering health and safety training for decades and we now take learners all the way through to the NZ Diploma in Workplace Health and Safety Management (Level 6).
We celebrated our 100th graduate of the Level 6 programme recently and we’ve also launched our Safety AdviceLine to fill a gap for businesses who need fast and effective guidance.
Once you start down the path of expert engagement, you build the systems and confidence to keep improving.
That said, the WorkSafe data also show areas needing attention. Only 48% of manufacturers regularly review the effectiveness of their risk controls. In other words, nearly half aren’t checking whether their safety systems still work once they’re in place.
And while 75% have workers exposed to machinery, only 16% have advanced machinery controls, like presence-sensing systems.
The hierarchy of controls also reveals an over-reliance
on the least effective measures — PPE and administrative controls — rather than eliminating or engineering out hazards.
For example, 93% of manufacturers use PPE, 81% provide protective clothing and gloves, and 77% receive health and safety information, but only 25% substitute hazardous substances with safer alternatives, and just 13% use isolation measures to keep workers away from risks.
These numbers suggest that while frontline protection is strong, deeper risk elimination remains the real frontier.
PPE training and fit testing are also inconsistent, particularly for respirators. This may seem like a small detail, but poor-fitting respiratory protection can be the difference between a long healthy career and chronic illness.
To consolidate these gains, we need a coordinated manufacturing sector action plan that focuses on the three big levers for change: belief, engagement and review.
In our health and safety advocacy, we stress that safety needs to be treated as a performance driver.
Manufacturers who treat health and safety as integral to productivity will not only see fewer injuries but also lower downtime, higher retention, and better product quality. Leadership training and peer benchmarking can help reinforce that mindset. The data show engagement works and that
satisfaction and safety outcomes rise when workers have a voice.
Every manufacturing business, regardless of size, should have structured conversations about health and safety, whether through toolbox talks, digital reporting tools, or regular team reviews.
Half of manufacturers aren’t regularly reviewing controls. Embedding a review culture, alongside investment in automation, presence-sensing machinery, and safer chemical substitutes, will shift manufacturing up the hierarchy of controls.
These are the long-term gains that build resilience. New Zealand manufacturing is proving that culture change is possible. We’ve moved from reactive compliance to proactive improvement.
That progress must now be protected, by continuing to invest in leadership capability, data-driven insights, and smarter engineering solutions.
Overall, the report is welcome news and does indicate a sustained drive towards safer workplaces for employees.
As monetary policy eases and production picks up, let’s ensure that growth doesn’t come at the cost of safety.
Because the only thing more costly than good health and safety is bad health and safety.
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The Blue and Green Technology Conference will bring local and international cleantech experts to the University of Auckland in December.
International cleantech expert Lucy Chatburn will offer cutting-edge insights at the conference on 2 and 3 December.
Based in Italy, Chatburn is a principal consultant at Cleantech Group, which offers advice to government, non-profit and industry leaders about global trends in sustainable technologies.
The British government has sponsored her trip to New Zealand, where she hopes to strengthen connections between change makers in the two nations.
“In New Zealand, there’s a great base of innovative technologies that are going to help solve tomorrow’s, and increasingly today’s, climate problems.
“We can support them in building connections to international markets, which will provide growth opportunities,” she says.
Chatburn is involved in a United Nations programme supporting 10 low and middle income countries to accelerate cleantech innovation.
Her role involves offering advice to governments, policymakers and ecosystem builders on the best ways to nurture and scale up cleantech innovations.
She also helps industry leaders seize opportunities to invest in new technologies.
“Innovation is going to help us solve climate
change issues and will provide economic growth opportunities as well.
“Cleantech allows you to do more with fewer resources. It has expanded to include technologies to adapt to climate change, such as weather forecasting, wildfire detection, and flood-resilient infrastructure,” she says.
European Union ambassador to New Zealand Lawrence Meredith will open the conference, which aims to strengthen ties between Aotearoa and Europe.
Organised by the University’s Centre for Climate, Biodiversity and Society - Ngā Ara Whet – the conference will cover everything from waste reduction technologies to cleaner new fuels.
Ngā Ara Whet co-director Professor Jacqueline Beggs says many governments around the world are failing to protect the natural environment or cut greenhouse gas emissions, so researchers and businesses need to pitch in to help solve environmental problems.
“Extractive and polluting practices are exacerbating climate change and biodiversity loss - and costing lives.
“We need innovative ideas to deliver the solutions we desperately need for the planet,” says Beggs. The conference aims to create a platform where
people can share “big, bold ideas”, she says.
“It will bring together brilliant minds from around the country and overseas to present cutting-edge research, industry panels, and discussions about government policies that could promote sustainable innovation.”
In New Zealand, there’s a great base of innovative technologies that are going to help solve tomorrow’s, and increasingly today’s, climate problems.
At the core of New Zealand’s productivity problems is a leadership opportunity.
We have no shortage of smart people, but they are trapped working in their businesses instead of growing their teams and the people who can run them.
That brilliant person in the team, they’re great at their job and getting promoted, then suddenly they’re leading the people who now do that job.
It’s meant as a reward for their individual performance and talent, but we rarely go on to and teach them leadership.
We’re great at recognising ability, but terrible at growing it. Instead of building leaders, we hand over the title and hope they’ll figure it out.
We’ve systemised and streamlined and talk about stepping out of the daily grind; but here’s what’s preventing your business getting to the next level.
If you’re the only one driving performance, you’re a liability not a leader
This is especially the case if you expect everyone to think and act exactly like you. “Just do it the way I showed you” isn’t leadership, it’s replication.
Innovation in how we lead is what’s missing. Leadership maturity isn’t when everything runs without you, it’s when the people you’ve developed are running it better than you.
Good leaders hold the line. Great leaders raise it.
Too many Kiwi businesses are full of good managers who keep things ticking over. They meet targets, run a tight ship and solve problems quickly. But that’s not leadership, that’s maintenance.
The great ones don’t hold the line. They raise it, by turning expectations into energy. They build constructive pressure, not stress and create opportunities for people to lift performance because they believe they can. They challenge teams to be innovative, to solve issues for good and to seek and expect excellence.
That’s what separates high-performance from “getting by.”
We’ve normalised low expectations disguised as culture and celebrate being “like family,” when what we actually need is to be like champions. Teams need to demand more from everyone, because they know they can deliver.
Words on walls stating your mission and vision are lovely, there may even be claims that “we’re a family”. But if we’re truly honest, in most places they’re just that, words on a wall.
Leadership depth can be your real competitive advantage
“We push humility, it doesn’t mean you’re not proud of what you do. It means you’re open to someone else’s idea, open to being challenged, grounded in facts not emotion.”
Dave Bunting | Managing Director | Architectural Glass Profiles
(The Better SMB Podcast Episode 19)
“We push humility, it doesn’t mean you’re not proud of what you do. It means you’re open to someone else’s idea, open to being challenged, grounded in facts not emotion.”
Dave Bunting | Managing Director | Architectural Glass Profiles
(The Better SMB Podcast Episode 19)
What you can’t copy is leadership depth.
People who can make the right call, under pressure, without waiting for permission. You want people who know how to be a human tuning fork, they set the tone for what’s done and how it happens. That’s what global competitors have over most of us. Their frontline leaders don’t just take direction; they take ownership.
They know the numbers, coach their teams and move when the data moves.
Ask yourself these questions today:
• Does your team need to ask you for approval on every decision? If so, you don’t have a team, you have followers.
• Can they challenge your thinking with data and still have your trust? That’s leadership maturity.
The team at NZ Lean Academy met with one of their manufacturing clients recently who said, “We used to hire for compliance, now we hire for courage.”
That’s it. That’s the pivot.
We’re so obsessed with hiring people who are a good culture fit. But what a mature and performance-oriented leadership team focuses on is finding team members who add to culture.
David Altena is Head of Growth & Partnerships at SmartSpace.ai & Co-Founder & Host of The Better SMB Podcast. david@altena.solutions
Rob Bull Director of the New Zealand Lean Academy rob@nzla.nz
They understand leadership isn’t about control, it’s about multiplying decision makers who can think critically and act fast. It is about communication, doing the basics at a world-class level to create a foundation that can be built on.
Every leader who creates another leader doubles the organisation’s capacity to grow.
Think about it: the fastest way to scale isn’t adding more machines or more people, it’s adding more leaders.
That’s the productivity revolution hiding in plain sight.
Stop developing managers. Start demanding leaders.
Management asks, “What do we need to get through the week?”
Leadership asks, “Who do we need to become to transform in the next five years?”
We’ve been breeding managers when what we need are multipliers. People who lead teams, not tasks.
That shift doesn’t take funding or a new policy. It requires an investment in growing leadership capabilities and expecting a higher standard
Start by raising the expectation.
If you lead people, your job is to build capability that compounds, not just keeping things afloat.
If you don’t know who you’re growing to replace you, then you’re the bottleneck.
So this month and every month moving forward, don’t just review performance, review and develop leadership.
