July 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

JULY 2021 VOLUME 5: ISSUE 7 

WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ 

FACEBOOK.COM/BAYOFPLENTYBUSINESSNEWS 

PMG POSITIONED TO ACQUIRE 

BETHLEHEM TOWN CENTRE 

See page 13 

intellectual property 

Know what you are 

registering, says Ben Cain 

P7 

commissioners 

Rare and challenging issue 

for Tauranga. 

P11 

wellbeing 

Mental health key for agri, 

says Craig Hudson 

P12 

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FOR KIWI BUSINESS

July 2021 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 3 

Tauranga private equity firm Oriens 

Capital successfully raises second fund 

Private equity investor Oriens Capital has raised its 

second fund after reaching the targeted $80 million. 

The fund is now accepting over subscriptions and is 

on target to raise $100m at close. 

By DAVID PORTER 

Following the successful capital 

raise for the new fund, Oriens 

will be increasing the size of 

its Tauranga-based investment team 

from four to six. 

Oriens was formed in 2016 with 

the support of Quayside Holdings, 

and has successfully established itself 

as a leading private equity investor 

in mid-sized businesses. This is a 

section of the economy not served 

by most other New Zealand private 

equity funds. 

The Fund has become a key player 

Capital deployed in 

our space can make 

a real difference and 

it is very satisfying 

to be helping 

these companies 

achieve their growth 

ambitions.” 

– James Beale 

in New Zealand’s entrepreneurial 

infrastructure. 

Oriens raised $50.6 million for 

its first fund and has successfully 

deployed capital into six investments 

including miniature apple 

business Rockit Global, ag-tech 

business Bluelab, and market-leading 

manufacturing business Rhino 

Manufacturing 

Earlier this year, NZX listed company 

Just Life Group completed the 

purchase of About Health Supplements 

from Oriens Fund 1. 

Oriens Fund 2 will invest equity 

capital into private New Zealand 

businesses of between $10 million 

and $50 million, drawing on the 

networks and investment pipeline 

the team has built over the last five 

years, said Peter Tinholt, a partner of 

Oriens. 

“It will aim to build a portfolio of 

six to nine investments,” said Tinholt. 

The fund is likely to remain open 

to eligible and wholesale investors 

until early July, 2021. 

Excellent investment 

opportunities 

“The section of the economy on which 

we focus offers excellent opportunities 

to invest in and support high quality 

ambitious businesses with strong 

Oriens team members: Peter Tinholt, David Bell, 

and James Beale, partners. Photo/Supplied. 

domestic market positions and often 

untapped export opportunities,” said 

Tinholt. 

Oriens offers capital, networks and 

expertise and partners with business 

founders and owners in both expansion 

capital and succession capital 

transactions to help these companies 

achieve their potential. 

Oriens partner James Beale said he 

was proud of Oriens record of success 

and the contribution it is making to 

the New Zealand economy. 

“Through Oriens Fund 1 in partnership 

with other shareholders, we 

have assisted in the creation of more 

than 120 jobs across our portfolio of 

companies and assisted in a more than 

tripling of export revenue and earnings,” 

said Beale. 

“Capital deployed in our space can 

make a real difference and it is very 

satisfying to be helping these companies 

achieve their growth ambitions.” 

Oriens Capital has reported positive 

Fund 1 investment performance 

on the back of the underlying portfolio 

company growth. 

Investors in Fund 2 include specialist 

private equity investor Continuity 

Capital from Australia, community 

entities, charitable organisations 

iwi investment entities and individuals 

joining existing Fund 1 investors 

– most of which have also invested 

into Fund 2. 

26 Fourth Ave 

Tauranga 

0800 225 999 

LINKBUSINESS.CO.NZ 

Essential & Protable $995,000 

Bay of Plenty 

· Established over 40 years 

· Large client base & market share 

· Average annual prot $350K 

· Reliable long-term staff 

· Generous hand over period 

linkbusiness.co.nz/BOP00294 

Mike Fraser 021 932 633 

mike.fraser@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Quality Online Business $160,000 

North Island 

· Largest online reseller of personal grooming 

products 

· Average order value of $110 

· Ideal for digital marketer 

· Outsources distribution & fullment 

· 4.9 star rating from 650+ reviews 


Izaac Kershaw 021 0230 2377 

izaac.kershaw@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Successful Bakery $335,000 


· Prime, high growth location 

· Very protable, $200K Cash Surplus 

· Great staff, regular customers 

· Often queues out the door 

· Superb store t-out & equipment 

· 


Peter Redward 027 492 0453 

peter.redward@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Calling Animal Lovers $75,000 


· High demand pet grooming salon 

· Easy to manage, online booking 

· Quality equipment & salon 

· Prot $40K+ for 20hrs per week 

· Growth potential 


Lynda Smyth 021 270 4271 

lynda.smyth@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Specialty Roong 

Tauranga 

· Unique specialty 

· Annual turnover $500k+ 

· Minimal overheads, cash surplus $160k+ 

· Forward orders, domestic & commercial clients 

· Working owner, team of 3 

· Growth potential 


Theresa Eagle 0221 289 0949 

theresa.eagle@linkbusiness.co.nz 

$290,000 Motorbike Franchise 

$786,129 


· Established brand for 21 years 

· Full sales, workshop & parts operation 

· High prole site on a busy main road 

· Large database of customers 

· Includes stock of $421,315 

· High prole freehold site, also available to buy 


Grant Jacobson 027 454 0432 

grant.jacobson@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Laundry $172k Prot 

$280,000 

Tauranga 

· Drop-off & pick-up laundry service 

· Loyal commercial & residential clients 

· Operating 20+ yrs, streamlined processes 

· $172k prot - two working owners 

· No experience / special skills needed 




Aged Care Business FHGC $1,350,000 


· Great reputation, waiting list to attend 

· Contracts with the Ministry of Health 

· Established 20+ yrs, fabulous staff 

· Tangible assets include four vehicles 

· Full training & support from retiring owner 


Lisa Lloyd 027 685 4556 

lisa.lloyd@linkbusiness.co.nz 

5 Day Lunchbar $280,000 


· Premium position, busy street 

· Average turnover $8K per week 

· Own the building & business making a cheap 

rent of only $9K per year 

· Baker happy to stay with new owner 


Peter Redward 027 492 0453 

peter.redward@linkbusiness.co.nz 

288k Prots! Security Company $705,000 

Tauranga 

· Well established security company, fully 

managed 

· Sales & servicing of alams systems + CCTV 

· 24/7 monitoring station & guard patrol 

· Residential & commercial clients, room to 

expand 




Established Manufacturing $4,700,000 


· Large database of loyal customers 

· 28 skilful and reliable staff 

· Average $10M+ turnover per year 

· Prots on average $1.3M+ per year to 2 

working owners 

· Extended “handover” period 


Grant Jacobson 027 454 0432 

grant.jacobson@linkbusiness.co.nz 

Outstanding Event Hire $1,200,000 

North Island 

· Clients from Wellington to Northland 

· ·Can be relocated to anywhere within NZ 

· ·Includes extensive assets valued $750k+ 

· ·Preferred supplier for large annual events 


Lisa Lloyd 027 685 4556 

lisa.lloyd@linkbusiness.co.nz 

All LINK NZ ofces are licensed REAA08


www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

PUBLISHER 

Alan Neben 

Ph: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

EDITOR 

David Porter 

Mob: 021 884 858 

Email: david@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

From the editor 

Tauranga is going through some strange times as the city adjusts 

to life under the new leadership of its four commissioners, led by 

Anne Tolley (see page 11 for more details of the new lineup). 

While many resented 

the new lineup, there 

seems little affection 

for the ousted councillors, 

who are generally seen 

to have failed to live up to 

expectations. 

The commissioners have 

now announced that they have 

received over 1000 submissions 

online, by email and in 

hard copy. 

These were initially compiled 

in preparation for the 

hearings in April and the commissioners 

made decisions in 

order to adopt the new Long 

Term Plan. 

The key comment by commissioners 

has been that in 

their view previous councillors 

had failed to invest sufficiently 

in previous long term plans, 

being basically more keen on 

getting re-elected and thus not 

alienating locals with large 

rates rises. 

But despite grumbling from 

some sectors of the community, 

there seems – perhaps surprisingly 

– widespread acceptance 

that we need to spend more 

money in Tauranga to restore 

key services. 

Tauranga’s population is 

growing and we need to grow 

in order to accommodate the 

rising demand. 

We are pleased to bring you 

our July issue, and to note the 

surge of business activity we 

are already seeing in Tauranga. 

David Porter 

PRODUCTION 

Copy/Proofs/Graphic Design 

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Ph: (09) 271 8067 

Email: clare@times.co.nz 

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Mob: 022 495 9248 

Email: pete@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

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david@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

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info@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty Business News has a circulation 

of 8000, distributed throughout Bay of Plenty 

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and Taupo, and to a subscription base. 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications 

309/424 Maunganui Road, 

Mount Maunganui, 3116 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications specialises 

in business publishing, advertising, design and 

print media services. 

Capital deployed in our space 

can make a real difference and 

it is very satisfying to be helping 

these companies achieve their 

growth ambitions.” – James Beale 

Oriens Capital raises second fund p3 

New Zealanders love land, bricks and mortar, 

but growing headwinds in residential property 

investment are now making commercial property 

a more sought-after investment 

option.” – Scott McKenzie 

PMG to acquire 

Bethlehem Town 

Centre p13 

In the next few years demand for Gold kiwifruit 

worldwide will continue to rise and 

so DMS wants to grow its share 

of that anticipated industry 

growth.” – Derek Masters 

$40 kiwifruit packhouse 

and coolstore p14 

NEWSBRIEF 

FMM appoints 

new CEO 

First Mortgage Managers (FMM), 

manager of First Mortgage Trust 

(FMT), has announced Paul Bendall 

as the new chief executive officer. 

Paul joined First Mortgage Trust in 

August 2020 as general manager and has 

more than 20 years’ experience in the 

property, banking and finance industries. 

Michael Smith, chair of FMT says, 

“We are delighted to announce we have 

appointed Paul Bendall as our new CEO. 

Paul has spent the past 12 months working 

closely with the current CEO, Tony 

Kinzett, and the Board, and has a thorough 

understanding of the business and 

shares our vision and goals for the future 

of FMT.” 

Paul Bendall says, “It’s a great honour 

and responsibility to take over the reins of 

the company, First Mortgage Trust is going 

from strength to strength. We have over $1 

billion funds under management and we 

have recently surpassed $1 billion in loans 

for the first time. I’m truly excited to lead 

the business into the future.” 

Paul will take over from long time 

CEO Tony Kinzett on 

the 3 September. “The 

Board members and I 

have enormous confidence 

in Paul, and 

I will be continuing 

to work closely with 

him over the next 

couple of months as 

I transition out of 

the company,” says 

Tony. 

Tony has been 

CEO for 15 years 

Paul Bendall 

and is retiring. 

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Trustpower sells retail 

sector to Mercury for $441m 

Power generator and retailer Mercury NZ plans to buy the retail business of Tauranga stalwart 

Trustpower once it gets various permissions sorted, including Commerce Commission approval. 

The businesses have entered into a binding agreement conditional on the restructure of Tauranga 

Energy Consumer Trust (TECT) and Trustpower shareholder approval. 


Trustpower’s retail business 

sells electricity, gas, fixed 

and wireless broadband and 

mobile phone services to about 

231,000 customers nationwide. 

Combined, the businesses would 

have about 780,000 connections 

across both energy and telco 

services. 

Mercury chief executive Vince 

Hawksworth – formerly a longtime 

ceo of Trustpower – said the 

acquisition would accelerate Mercury’s 

retail strategy, which is centred 

on delivering the right product 

mix and value for customers. 

“Mercury and Trustpower are 

two highly complementary organisations, 

and this agreement would 

see the best of both being brought 

together for our customers,” he 

said. 

“We know customers value 

the convenience and ease of bundled 

services in their home and 

Trustpower has deep expertise in 

bundling products in a way that 

people clearly appreciate. We see 

this adding material value to our 

customers and Mercury. 

“Bringing together the retail 

businesses of Mercury and Trustpower 

will also give us the scale 

to make meaningful investment 

in the underlying IT systems, 

driving greater innovation for our 

customers.” 

Skilled and motivated staff 

Hawksworth said the strength of 

Trustpower’s retail offering was 

underpinned by a skilled and 

motivated team, with about 500 

staff focused on retail, based in 

Tauranga and Ōamaru. 

“We see a huge amount of 

talent and capability across both 

organisations, each with a strong 

focus on delivering the best possible 

outcomes for customers. We’re 

excited for how we can continue to 

build on this 

“Customers will continue to 

enjoy all the great services and 

support they have today with 

Trustpower and with Mercury and 

we’re looking forward to unlocking 

even more benefits and products 

for them over time.” 

Trustpower is 51 percent 

owned by infrastructure investor 

Infratil, which has said it is in supportive 

of the sale and will vote 

in favour of the deal at the Trustpower 

annual shareholder meeting 

in September. 

The two businesses won’t be 

fully integrated until their IT systems 

allow for an improved customer 

experience. 

New banking facility 

Mercury has secured a commitment 

for a new bank facility sufficient 

to finance the acquisition. 

The transaction is conditional 

on Mercury obtaining Commerce 

Commission clearance for the purchase 

of Trustpower’s retail business 

and Mercury will be working 

with the Commerce Commission 

to progress the 

application. 

The transaction 

is 

also conditional 

on the 

proposed 

T E C T 

restructure 

being completed 

and 

Vince Hawksworth 

shareholder approval. Local retail 

customers will remain beneficiaries 

of the trust following any sale. 

The timing for regulatory 

approvals depends on several factors, 

including the current workload 

of the regulator. Mercury 

anticipates these conditions will 

be fulfilled and the transaction 

will be complete by the end of the 

year. 

Need for TECT changes 

Chairman of TECT, which has a 

significant share in Trustpower, 

Bill Holland said the confirmation 

of the sale underscored the 

need for the changes to TECT and 

the importance of trustees acting 

when they did. 

“The confirmation of a 

conditional sale of Trustpower’s 

retail business 

reaffirms how crucial 

it was for Trustees to 

act when we did to 

ensure that the rebate 

was protected for our 

existing beneficiaries 

under a change 

of ownership. 

The proposed 

acquisition comes 

after the company 

announced earlier 

this year that it 

was undertaking a 

strategic review to 

test market interest 

in its retail business 

while exploring the 

merits and business 

case to establish a 

standalone generation 

business. 

Trustpower 

Chairman 

Paul Ridley-Smith says there 

were several interested parties in 

the acquisition of the retail business, 

validating the opportunity 

that exists to continue to grow the 

successful offering of electricity, 

gas, broadband, mobile and wireless 

connection services. 

“We are pleased that our business 

will stay in local hands, 

with a future owner committed to 

The confirmation of a conditional sale of 

Trustpower’s retail business reaffirms how 

crucial it was for Trustees to act when we did 

to ensure that the rebate was protected for 

our existing beneficiaries under a change of 

ownership.” – Bill Holland 

retaining Trustpower’s Tauranga 

and Oamaru offices for the foreseeable 

future. 

“Mercury clearly understands 

the business and the strategic value 

of a proven multi product offering, 

quality customer base and opportunities 

for future growth,” said 

Ridley-Smith. 

“Until the sale goes unconditional 

and then completes, it is 

business as usual for Trustpower. 

We will continue to do our best for 

our customers until the business 

joins with Mercury.” 

Trustpower Chief Executive 

David Prentice said the opportunities 

for employees has been an 

important consideration in this 

process. 

“The capability and performance 

of our people is what makes 

the difference for our customers, 

communities, and shareholders,” 

said Prentice. 

“The majority of employees 

will get the opportunity to transfer 

to Mercury and of the rest of the 

employees most will remain with 

the generation business.” 

Equally, Trustpower is confident 

once Mercury completes 

the purchase it will maintain and 

enhance the value and quality of 

Trustpower’s customer service. 

NEWSBRIEF 

The Urban Task 

Force questions 

Commissioners 

The Urban Task Force for Tauranga 

was formed earlier this year specifically 

to represent the local property 

sector in order to provide strong, informed 

leadership to our local authorities. 

“Overall, our membership of property 

developers, investors, managers and 

professionals agree that this Long-Term 

Plan is one of the most important in our 

city’s history and we need to get it right,” 

said UTF Chairman Scott Adams in a 

statement. 

“The capital spend of $4.6 billion in 

the next 10 years is significant, and our 

members have one voice that we need to 

improve the city’s infrastructure and our 

quality of living, but we do require very 

clear transparency and accountability on 

spending.” 

Council proposed to increase the Citywide 

development contributions for new 

housing by more than $16,000 per house 

from 1 August 2021. This short notice and 

significant structural change to development 

costs, will immediately affect over 

200 new homes and homeowners who 

have signed sale and purchase agreements, 

but will not have Council consent by 1 

August 2021. 

“This is a significant increase in cost 

which in some cases passed directly onto 

homeowners, and in some cases will 

pass to a home builder that is contractually 

bound to deliver a home for a fixed 

price. This is just not right and the scale 

of these cost increases simply ripple onto 

our already stressed housing market,” says 

Adams. 

The Urban Task Force for Tauranga has 

also voiced concern over where the costs 

are coming from, with Council identifying 

the costs from the yet to be built Waiari 

Water Treatment Plant near Te Puke. The 

Waiari Water Treatment Plant was funded 

in 2017 by the Housing Infrastructure 

Fund, under a 10-year interest free loan, to 

support infrastructure providing additional 

water and wastewater for an additional 

35,000 homes. Of the $230m announced 

by the government at the 

time, of which $114 

million was for the 

Waiari Water Treatment 

Plant, it is 

uncertain what, if 

anything, has been 

spent. Adams said 

he had concerns 

around the transparency 

of funding. 

Scott Adams 

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Shine strike Gold at PRINZ Awards 

Award winning Bay 

of Plenty strategic 

communications 

consultancy, The Shine 

Collective, struck gold 

again recently at the 

Public Relations Institute 

of New Zealand (PRINZ) 

Awards for its work with 

Te Arawa Covid Response 

Hub, supporting the trial 

of a Covid contact tracing 

card. 

Shine’s winning entry, “’Stamping 

out Covid with a digital 

handshake”, took out the top 

spot in the Community Relations and 

Engagement category. 

The Shine Collective (with offices 

in Tauranga and Rotorua), undertook 

the entire project management and 

responsibility for developing and 

implementing the communications 

strategy in partnership with Eruera 

Keepa from Hīkina Consultants. 

In August 2020, the New Zealand 

Government partnered with Te 

Arawa to trial a wearable contact 

tracing card that could potentially 

support the country’s contact tracing 

efforts. 

The card used Bluetooth technology 

to exchange ‘digital handshakes’ 

and recorded participants 

close contacts – a potential addition 

to using the NZ Covid tracing app. 

Award winners: Left to right: Ally Armstrong, Eruera Keepa (Hīkina Consultants), Stacey Main, Shae 

Skellern, Meg Jones, Monty Morrison (Te Arawa representative), Julie McGlashen, Jacky James. 

Community-led strategy 

Shine’s managing director, Jacky 

James, said a key success factor for 

the kaupapa was that it was community-led, 

and that its communications 

strategy reflected the local 

community. 

“The philosophy behind our communications 

strategy was simple and 

based on authentic two-way engagement, 

with the principles of tikanga 

Māori at its heart – for both Māori 

and non-Māori,” she said. 

“Anyone over the age of 19 who 

lived and/or worked in the small 

community of Ngongotahā were 

encouraged to participate in the trial. 

“The trial’s kaupapa was to understand 

how well the contact tracing 

cards performed in a real-world 

scenario, whether they would work 

with the contact tracing systems, and 

if people will accept and use them. 

“The trial itself actually exceeded 

all expectations with over 1,200 people 

signing up to participate.” 

Te Arawa Covid-19 Response 

Hub spokesperson, Monty Morrison 

says the Hub is honoured to be recognised 

for the hard mahi involved 

with the Covid contact tracing card 

trial. 

“The team set out to design and 

deliver a successful community 

engagement strategy and that is 

exactly what they achieved, coupled 

with incredible community support, 

we feel we have significantly 

contributed to Aotearoa’s efforts to 

stamp out Covid-19.” 

The Shine Collective is a professional 

strategic communications 

consultancy that provides an extensive 

range of communications, marketing 

and public relations services 

throughout the Bay of Plenty, New 

Zealand and Australia. 

The PRINZ Awards recognises 

and celebrates the cream of public 

relations and communications management 

professionals in Aotearoa 

and their outstanding and often 

life-changing work. 

Road Science 

wins NZ 

Workplace 

Safety Award 


Working on New Zealand 

roads is now a whole lot 

safer thanks to Tauranga 

firm Road Science, which has devised 

a way to substantially reduce the time 

their staff spend standing in the road 

corridor. 

The innovation saw Mount Maunganui-based 

Road Science’s Mobile 

Data Capture Unit recently win a 

major category at the 2021 New 

Zealand Workplace Health & Safety 

Awards for the “best initiative to 

address a work-related safety risk”. 

Road Science staff often need to 

take measurements required for road 

maintenance programmes. They typically 

used to survey 1km per day, 

but a combination of new technology 

– one item of which is a high-tech 

mobile mapper (the only one of its 

kind in New Zealand) – means 50km 

a day can now be surveyed from the 

safety of a vehicle instead of standing 

in the road corridor surrounded by 

traffic. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the dedication 

and professionalism our team 

display on daily basis and this award 

is great recognition of the work that’s 

gone into improving both safety and 

productivity outcomes,” said Road 

Science spokesman Richard Carter. 

Road Science wanted to be proactive, 

rather than just compliant, 

in their health and safety approach, 

so the company invested in a Leica 

Pegasus Two Ultimate (P2U) Mobile 

Laser Scanner from Switzerland 

which is a precise geospatial tool. 

“The beauty of this machine is 

that it does a million scans a second 

while traveling at speed. We’ve got it 

installed in the back of a ute. We drive 

down the road at 80km/hr and for the 

bulk of the tasks we do in transport 

Road Science’s Mobile Data Capture Unit. Photo/Supplied. 

and road construction, it picks up this 

same information, to the same – if not 

greater – accuracy than a surveyor. 

“We can substantially reduce 

people’s time spent standing in, and 

around, the road corridor and therefore 

people’s exposure to traffic hazards 

is greatly reduced.” 

Carter says by replacing outdated 

methods and work practices, the 

Mobile Data Capture Unit has revolutionised 

Road Science’s business. 

In addition to speeding up the surveying 

process and reducing health and 

safety risks, the technology captures 

comprehensive information that can 

be re-used over and over again. 

“You can go get all the roading 

information you need, but you also 

get all the signposts, all the safety 

crash barriers, all the line marking, 

all the trees, all the power line clearances… 

it saves having to send a surveyor 

out repeatedly to do different 

tasks.” 

Doug Carrasco, General Manager 

Transport Technology for Road Science, 

said while this technology was 

now available in New Zealand, its 

benefits will only be realised through 

increase in its usage. “Road Science 

urges road, rail and port authorities to 

embrace this technology to achieve 

higher quality outcomes whilst eliminating 

risk to personnel.” 

The P2U laser scanner can be used 

to scan sections of railway lines to 

help plan upgrades and to check tunnel 

clearances to ensure construction 

equipment will fit. It can also be used 

to build 3D model of any yards or port 

facilities.


FLAT AS … 

Jet Charge denied 

.nz domain name 

Domain name complaints involving .nz domains have become 

something of a rare beast. In 2011, 11 decisions were issued under 

the .nz Dispute Resolution Service Policy (DRSP). So far this year, 

only one has been issued. 

The decision is an interesting 

one, however, 

and serves as a timely 

reminder to businesses to 

future-proof their domain 

name rights. 

The subject domain name 

was jetcharge.co.nz. The parties 

to the complaint were Jet 

Charge Pty Ltd and a Mr Russell 

Shepherd, an Australian 

resident. More about them 

shortly. 

Under the .nz DRSP, a complainant 

has to establish two 

things: first, that it has rights 

in respect of a name or mark 

which is identical or similar 

to the subject domain name; 

and, second, that the subject 

domain name, in the hands 

of the registrant, is an “unfair 

registration”. 

When is a registration 

unfair? 

A complainant can demonstrate 

‘rights’ in a name or 

mark by presenting sufficient 

evidence of use of a name or 

mark or evidence of a registered 

trade mark. 

An “unfair registration” 

means a registration which 

“was registered or otherwise 

acquired in a manner which, at 

the time when the registration 

or acquisition took place, took 

unfair advantage of or was 

unfairly detrimental to [a complainant’s 

rights]”, or “a registration 

which has been, or is 

likely to be, used in a manner 

which took unfair advantage of 

or was unfairly detrimental to 

[a complainant’s rights]”. 

The DRSP contains examples 

of what might constitute 

an unfair registration: two 

examples are registering a 

domain name to stop a rights 

holder from registering it (i.e. 

a “blocking” registration), and 

registering a domain name 

primarily for the purpose of 

unfairly disrupting the business 

of a rights holder. These 

two examples featured in the 

jetcharge.co.nz decision. 

Back to the story: the complainant, 

Jet Charge Pty Ltd, 

was/is an Australian company 

incorporated in June 2014 

providing installation, servicing 

and delivery services for 

electric car charging stations 

in Australia under and by reference 

to the trade mark JET 

CHARGE. 

Jet Charge also provides 

charging stations and accessories, 

and associated firmware 

and software for charging 

electric cars using the JET 

CHARGE mark. Its website is 

at www.jetcharge.com.au. 

Jet Charge owns New Zealand 

trade mark registration 

no. 1131753, which covers the 

trade mark JET CHARGE in 

classes 9, 37 and 42. 

The application for the 

mark was filed with IPONZ on 

7 October 2019 and claimed 

priority back to 27 May 2019. 

The goods and services of the 

registration reflect Jet Charge’s 

business as described. 

The respondent was Russell 

Shepherd, an Australian 

resident associated with a 

direct competitor to Jet Charge 

in Australia called EVolution 

Australia. 

Mr Shepherd registered 

jetcharge.co.nz on 16 July 

2017 – approximately two 

years before the priority date 

of Jet Charge’s New Zealand 

trade mark registration. 

Mr Shepherd claimed he 

had “interests, business operations 

and premises” in New 

Zealand and intended “to make 

use of the Domain Name for 

the purposes of further extending 

his business interests in 

New Zealand”. 

Unsuccessful attempts 

by Jet Charge 

if the future expansion of your business 

potentially requires you to register a 

domain name in another country, take 

whatever steps are necessary as soon as 

possible to register that domain name.” 

Between June 2019 and May 

2020, Jet Charge tried unsuccessfully 

to persuade Mr Shepherd 

to transfer the registration 

to it. Having failed, Jet 

Charge filed the domain name 

complaint. 

Before the Expert, Jet 

Charge contended that it had 

registered and unregistered 

rights in the jetcharge.co.nz 

domain name, and that Mr 

Shepherd’s registration was 

“unfair” because he did not 

have any “legitimate interest 

in, or use for, the registration 

or use of the words “Jet 

Charge” either as a trade mark 

or a domain name”, because 

he registered the domain name 

to disrupt Jet Charge’s business, 

and because his retention 

of the domain name, despite 

requests to cancel or transfer 

it to Jet Charge, meant 

he was using it as a blocking 

registration. (Jet Charge also 

contended that a temporary 

re-direction of jetcharge.co.nz 

to evolutionaustralia.com.au 

was “very likely to confuse, 

mislead or deceive people” but 

this argument is not relevant to 

the point of this article.) 

In reply, Mr Shepherd 

pointed out the two years 

between registration of the 

domain name and Jet Charge’s 

trade mark in New Zealand, 

and asserted, among other 

things, that: 

• The complaint was “an 

opportunistic attempt [by 

Jet Charge] to obtain the 

domain name by force 

which demonstrates poor 

planning and a sense 

of entitlement by [Jet 

Charge]”; and 

• That having “…“a (belated) 

trade mark” and desires to 

extend its business operation 

into New Zealand 

should not give [Jet Charge] 

a right to the JET CHARGE 

name in [New Zealand]. 

Applying the DRSP to the 

evidence, the Expert found 

that Jet Charge had rights in 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUES 

> BY BEN CAIN 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at James & Wells and a Resolution 

Institute-accredited mediator. He can be contacted at 07 928 4470 

(Tauranga), 07 957 5660 (Hamilton), and benc@jaws.co.nz. 

JET CHARGE New Zealand 

by virtue of its trade mark registration; 

however, the Expert 

did not find that Jet Charge 

had unregistered rights – i.e. it 

had reputation and goodwill – 

in JET CHARGE in New Zealand 

before or after the domain 

name was registered because it 

had failed to file “any meaningful 

evidence” supporting its 

assertion of rights. 

Registration not unfair 

Even though it had rights in 

JET CHARGE, the Expert 

found that Mr Shepherd’s registration 

– and continued registration 

– of jetcharge.co.nz 

was not ‘unfair’. 

The reasons why again 

came down to evidence – 

or rather the lack of it. Jet 

Charge failed to prove that 

when Mr Shepherd registered 

the domain name, Jet Charge 

had any rights in the JET 

CHARGE trade mark in New 

Zealand. 

It also failed to prove that, 

when he registered the domain 

name, Mr Shepherd had any 

knowledge of Jet Charge’s 

future plans for expansion into 

New Zealand. Jet Charge also 

failed to prove it had an interest 

in using the JET CHARGE 

mark in New Zealand. 

The domain name is not 

currently being used by 

Mr Shepherd or EVolution 

Australia. 

If Mr Shepherd decides 

to use it in the future, however, 

Jet Charge could lodge 

another complaint in an effort 

to retrieve it. For now, though, 

Jet Charge must find another 

domain to use. 

The crucial lesson for businesses 

to take home from this 

article is that – as Mr Shepherd’s 

comments highlighted – 

if the future expansion of your 

business potentially requires 

you to register a domain name 

in another country, take whatever 

steps are necessary as 

soon as possible to register that 

domain name. 

Such steps might include 

obtaining a trade mark registration 

in a country of interest, 

even if it is unlikely you will 

use that trade mark in that 

country for a few years. 

(The other lesson is that if 

you are going to make a complaint 

under the DRSP, make 

sure you file enough of the 

right evidence…)


Our digital dilemma – Does technology 

have an effect on our mental health? 

A quick search on Google and you will find the verdict is still out. 

The contrasting views on whether technology or social platforms 

truly effect our mental health are endless. Academic studies vouching 

for each side making it relatively tricky to navigate what is accurate 

and what is based on theory. 

TECH TALK 

> BY MARIETTE TOLMAY 

Mariette Tolmay is the marketing lead at Stratus Blue. 

She can be contacted at mariette@stratusblue.co.nz. 

Digging deeper into the 

research does however 

paint a picture that technology 

and social platforms, 

when combined with what is 

required in life to keep a mind 

and body healthy, does leave a 

fine line to walk. 

When we think of “health” 

for our body and mind, we 

know the basics, eat well, exercise, 

get enough sleep, be productive, 

spend time with loved 

ones and take some time out to 

relax. We also know there are 

only 24 hours in a day. 

In most cases, eight hours 

of that are spent working, most 

likely behind a screen. And, 

according to a study done by 

RescueTime across 11,000 

users, an average of 3.15 hours 

a day was spent on smartphones 

(that’s 47 days a year). 

The study also concluded 

that over 60% of those users 

checked their smartphones 

over 50 times a day generating 

a behaviour of “Multitasking” 

with the remote distractions 

aided by technology. 

Based on cognitive science 

and more recent studies on 

multitasking by Paul Atchley, 

Ph.D. a professor of Cognitive 

Psychology at the University 

of Kansas, multitasking as we 

think of it scientifically does 

not exist. 

It has been found to increase 

the production of the stress 

hormone cortisol as well as the 

fight-or-flight hormone adrenaline, 

which can overstimulate 

your brain and cause mental 

fog or scrambled thinking. 

Multitasking creates a 

dopamine-addiction feedback 

loop, effectively rewarding the 

brain for losing focus and for 

constantly searching for external 

stimulation.” 

Being present and 

productive 

In Layman’s terms, we have 

conditioned ourselves to 

believe we are being present, 

and productive when our 

brains are constantly functioning 

from a place of urgency, 

distraction, stress and information 

overload. And we are 

doing so for hours on end. 

When we add in the hustle 

and bustle of life, traffic, 

dinner times, Netflix and the 

recommended sleep time of 

six hours, how much time 

are we left with to spread 

across our weekday for selfcare 

and quality connections 

with those we love without 

interruption? 

Although the research on 

the effects technology and 

social media has on our mental 

health is inconclusive, the 

neuroscience behind our brains 

function and the lack of more 

hours in a day does beg to 

question whether we are using 

the time we have, to be productive 

and present? 

And are we prioritising 

what benefits our mental 

health in the long term? 

If you’re like me, and fall 

into those statistics, of over 

three hours of screen time and 

constantly picking your phone 

up. It might be thought-provoking 

how frequently we are 

“too busy” to do the things we 

love or to spend more quality 

time with our kids. 

How do we get that time 

back? (22 hours a week). 

With cold turkey off the 

menu for us working folk, 

using monitoring apps such as 

RescueTime, Apple’s Screen 

Time and Google Digital Wellbeing 

can seem like a canny 

way to cut down on phone use. 

Although my research 

didn’t give me definitive 

answers to the effects of technology 

use on mental health, 

the numbers had me looking 

for tips for a healthy relationship 

with technology: 

• Setting a schedule and a 

time limit for social media 

and news platforms. 

• Switching off notifications 

for apps that are not 

required for work. 

• Reducing screen time 

before bed – sleep mode on 

smartphones. 

• Implementing more technology 

free time. 

• Set limits around response 

times to messages. 

• Delete apps that don’t benefit 

me. 

The only trouble is, as 

Audre Lorde said, “the master’s 

tools will never dismantle 

the master’s house”. 

So, mediating our technology 

habits are going to 

depend mainly on our own 

self-awareness, common 

sense and willpower – with 

other tactics being useful but 

supplementary. 

Goodman Fielder launches 

new sustainability campaign 

Goodman Fielder has launched ‘Better Together’, an 

ambitious new sustainability strategy designed to help 

embed sustainability across the company’s business, 

culture, brands and products. 

Developed to support global 

efforts to deliver the UN 2030 

Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs), the ‘Better Together’ 

strategy highlights nine progressive 

new sustainability goals, including 

net zero emissions by 2040, 100% 

recyclable packaging by 2025, and to 

halve food waste by 2030. 

The leading food manufacturer, 

which has a factory in the region, has 

outlined a number of goals, according 

to a company statement. These 

include: 

1. Net zero emissions by 2040. 

2. 100% recyclable packaging by 

2025. 

3. Meaningfully improve the nutritional 

value of its product by 2025. 

4. 100% sustainable packaging materials 

by 2030. 

5. 100% renewable electricity by 

2025. 

6. Reach 40m with its sustainability 

message by 2030. 

7. Halve food waste by 2030. 

8. 100% sustainably sourced ingredients 

by 2030. 

9. Develop a diversity, inclusion, 

and Indigenous recognition plan 

in 2021. 

Products touch millions 

Bernard Duignan, Goodman Fielder 

NZ CEO, said: “Our products touch 

millions of people every day and we 

are committed to using that reach as 

a force for good. We are thrilled to 

launch ‘Better Together’, an important 

milestone for the Goodman 

Fielder family. 

“By driving progress against our 

four key focus areas of better products, 

better planet, better business and 

better communities, this strategy will 

provide us with a pathway to living 

our purpose and ensuring food is a 

force for good.” 

Duignan said the company was 

By driving progress against our four key focus 

areas of better products, better planet, better 

business and better communities, this strategy 

will provide us with a pathway to living our 

purpose and ensuring food is a force for good.” 

– Bernard Duignan 

excited to deliver local solutions to 

global challenges and continue to 

make a difference. 

“We know that by working 

together, we can make everyday food 

better for everyone.” 

In 2021 the food company will: 

• Move to 100% renewable electricity 

in New Zealand and Australia. 

This will more than halve the 

greenhouse gas emissions from its 

operations in these countries and 

provide a pathway for net zero 

emissions. This initiative is the 

equivalent of taking 17,000 cars 

off the road, the company said. 

• Complete year three of a four year 

Network Transformation programme 

that will see a reduction 

of 1,745 tonnes CO2 emissions 

annually 

• Switch its fleet of 110 Sales company 

vehicles to Hybrid models by 

end 2022, which will reduce fuel 

consumption of the fleet by 41% 

• Eliminate 40 tonnes of PVC packaging 

in NZ (switching to PET 

with 30% recycled content), and 

will remove all PVC from retail 

packaging across New Zealand 

and Australia by end 2021 

• Replace 100 tonnes of virgin plastic 

with recycled content across 

New Zealand and Australia Four 

NZ manufacturing sites are participating 

in EECA’s Energy 

Transition Accelerator Program to 

develop road maps to zero emissions 

at each site 

• Provide logistics support to 

expand the NZ Soft Plastic Recycling 

Scheme to the South Island 

and, by the end of 2023, aim 

to achieve 1500% increase in 

Nature’s Fresh bread bags being 

recycled annually 

The ‘Better Together’ strategy also 

showcases some of Goodman Fielders’ 

recent sustainability achievements. 

Since 2010 Goodman Fielder 

NZ has donated over two million 

loaves of fresh bread to foodbanks 

in New Zealand, and launched the 

Goodman Fielder Cares Trust, which 

has donated over $300,000 to initiatives 

helping to fight poverty. 

2020 saw the brand deliver a 

lighting replacement program and 

generate its first 1000MWh of solar 

electricity. 

Meanwhile in the sustainable 

packaging space, across the group 

Goodman Fielder has replaced 100 

tonnes of problematic PVC with PET 

(including 30% recycled content) 

and removed 185 tonnes of plastic 

and 100 tonnes of cardboard from its 

packaging.


Inflation is here … 

Investment market update (for the quarter ended 31 May, 2021) 

There is no doubt we will 

see higher reported inflation 

this year. In fact 

we’ve already seen it – grabbing 

headlines last month (at 

least in market circles) were 

the various US’ April inflation 

reads. 

The Personal Consumption 

Expenditures (PCE) index (the 

Federal Reserve’s preferred 

measure of inflation) was up 

3.6 percent, the highest level 

in over 12 years. 

Excluding volatile food and 

energy, core PCE was still up 

3.1 percent, the first time it has 

started with a “3” since 1992. 

… but is inflation 

temporary, or will it be 

sustained? 

In our view, we generally 

agree with central banks that 

many of the current inflationary 

pressures are short-term 

factors. 

The long-term forces that 

kept inflation low pre-Covid 

– ageing populations, high 

debt levels, fast pace of new 

technology development – are 

unchanged. 

That said: (1) the extent of 

monetary (low interest rates, 

quantitative easing, aka money 

printing) and fiscal (government 

deficits) stimulus has 

been unprecedented and the 

longer-term effects remain 

uncertain, and (2) justifying 

the current extreme policy settings 

will only become harder 

if economies continue on their 

current healthy trajectory. 

Jump in bond yields 

Year-to-date, longer-term 

interest rates have firmed 

reflecting the improved economic 

outlook and higher 

inflation risks. 

For investors who plan to 

own bonds to maturity, these 

“losses” on bonds aren’t permanent 

– holders will still 

receive the same interest on 

their investment and be repaid 

in full when the bond matures 

(unless, of course, the borrower 

defaults). 

Equities continue to 

perform well 

Despite the jump in longer-term 

interest rates, it has 

still paid to remain invested in 

equities. 

Global equity markets have 

continued to push higher with 

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR MONEY 

> BY BRETT BELL-BOOTH 

Investment Adviser with Forsyth Barr Limited in Tauranga, and 

an Authorised Financial Adviser. Phone (07) 577 5725 or 

email brett.bell-booth@forsythbarr.co.nz. 

companies generally delivering 

better-than-expected 

results benefiting from a combination 

of improving economic 

activity and significant 

cost savings. 

New Zealand has 

remained a laggard 

For over a decade the New 

Zealand equities market has 

been amongst the strongest in 

the world. Year-to-date, the 

position has reversed. 

The New Zealand market 

is dominated by defensive dividend-paying 

stocks, which 

many investors look at as an 

alternative to fixed interest 

investments such as bonds or 

term deposits. The rise in longterm 

interest rates has generally 

been a headwind for these 

stocks. 

Furthermore, the NZX50 

market index is concentrated 

in a relatively small number of 

companies — the largest eight 

companies account for around 

half the index. What that 

means is any price changes (up 

or down) in these larger stocks 

has a significant impact on the 

overall index. 

Keep expectations in 

check 

We still advise investors to 

stick to healthy weightings of 

risk assets (shares, property) in 

portfolios, particularly given 

the low interest rates available 

on cash and bonds. 

We do acknowledge 

though, there is every chance 

we could see volatility across 

the market or within specific 

sectors or asset classes, 

impacting portfolio values. 

With uncertainties ahead, 

ensuring you have adequate 

portfolio diversification 

(always a mainstay of any 

investment plan) may prove 

even more important than 

usual. 

Your Forsyth Barr Investment 

Adviser is always available 

to discuss your investment 

plans at any time. 

The Personal Consumption 

Expenditures (PCE) index (the 

Federal Reserve’s preferred 

measure of inflation) was up 3.6 

percent, the highest level in over 

12 years.” 

This column is general in 

nature and does not take any of 

your personal circumstances 

into account. 

For personalised financial 

advice, contact Forsyth Barr 

for an overview of the services 

we can provide. 

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Brendon McCullum 

Camo & Krooked 

Come to Trustpower Baypark this winter 

As the temperatures start to plummet around the Bay of Plenty, 

rug up and head down to Trustpower Baypark where there 

are plenty of events coming up to keep the whole family 

entertained. 

The Tauranga Gala Dinner 

Trustpower Baypark is delighted to 

be hosting The Tauranga Gala Dinner 

once again in 2021. 

International cricket icon, Brendon 

McCullum, is gearing up for a 

smashing night out at the ninth annual 

Tauranga Gala Dinner on 16 July. 

Captaining a stunning evening 

of entertainment, McCullum 

will be joined by renowned sports 

broadcaster, Scotty Stevenson, with 

national treasures Jackie Clarke, 

Tina Cross and Taisha Tari supplying 

incredible live performances with 

their sensational group, The Lady 

Killers. 

This year’s event will be a spectacular 

night of wining and dining, 

insight and entertainment, and locals 

and legends. 

Each year The Tauranga Gala 

Dinner invites a local charity along 

to raise funds and awareness via a 

charity auction at the event. The 2021 

charity recipient is Tauranga Te Papa 

Rotary, who will be raising funds 

for Cure Kids and the Bay of Plenty 

Youth Development Trust. 

The charity auction is run separately 

from the commercial arm of the 

event, with all charitable funds and 

donations going to the charity. 

Get up close and personal with one 

of New Zealand’s most celebrated 

cricketers, be enthralled by some of 

our most heralded singers, and revel 

in style with your clients, staff and 

friends for a much-deserved night out 

(www.taurangagaladinner.co.nz). 

Canvas Tauranga Careers 

Expo 2021 

Which University is best? 

How do I get into the trades? 

Am I doing the right courses? 

Should I leave school now? 

Can I retrain? How can I 

make an impact in my job? 

The Tauranga Careers 

Expo 2019 brings it all 

together in one huge arena, 

helping you find direction for 

your next career move. This 

expo brings together leading businesses 

from across the Western Bay 

of Plenty’s diverse industry sectors, 

alongside the best Universities, trade 

and tertiary training providers from 

across New Zealand. 

Don’t miss this free expo on 30 

and 31 July from 10am – 3pm. 

Battle in the Bay 2021 

Based in the heart of Tauranga, 

the Bay Twisters is the only not for 

profit cheerleading club with USASF 

Coaches in New Zealand. 

In 2016 Bay Twisters hosted the 

first cheer competition in the Bay of 

Plenty, the event proved extremely 

popular. There were local and international 

celebrities, TV appearances 

and a Guinness World Record attempt 

to name some of the excitement. 

Now in its 5th year and a twoday 

event, the Battle in the Bay 2021 

promises to be a memorable one. 7 

August – Teams Compete and 8 

August – Specialities Compete. 

Audiology 

present Camo & 

Krooked 

Austrian duo Reinhard Rietsch and 

Markus Wagner, otherwise known 

as Camo & Krooked have quickly 

become one of the hottest production 

outfits in Europe. 

Working together since 2007, the 

Viennese pair have created a whirl of 

dancefloor anthems and a fearsome 

reputation for their untouchable production 

skills. 

Producing soulful, sultry tracks 

like massive hit single “Turn Up 

the Music” alongside raw power of 

smashers like “Climax”, proving that 

they are not only super-talented, but 

they are also incredibly versatile. 

On the release of 

their latest album ‘Zeitgeist’ 

Camo & Krooked toured extensively, 

playing to full capacity clubs across 

Europe, Australia and America. This 

included a sold out tour of Austria 

with their brand new Zeitgeist production 

show; an audio-visual spectacular, 

that is now set for a full tour 

of major festivals in summer 2014. 

Camo & Krooked will be performing 

in Mount Maunganui on 

13 August. Tickets will be available 

online soon. (www.ticketfairy.com) 

Benee 

Benee 

Formidable indie-pop sensation 

and rising global superstar BENEE 

announced a nationwide regional tour 

for August. BENEE will visit every 

corner of the country, hitting eight 

different towns and cities throughout 

the month. 

The ‘Supalonely’ singer has had 

an incredible 18 months, from 

releasing her debut album ‘Hey 

U X’, to sharing the album with 

Kiwi crowds on a sold-out 

eight-date tour in late 2020 

and being named on Forbes 

30 under 30 Asia 2021 list. 

Worldwide streams in the 

billions have made her one of 

the most exciting new acts to 

have emerged anywhere. 

Following the success of 

her October tour, BENEE recognised 

that fans outside the 

main centres don’t often get the 

opportunity to experience fullscale 

pop concerts in their own 

backyards. Throughout August, she 

will bring her trademark infectious 

energy to crowds across Aotearoa 

to get people up on their feet for a 

groove-worthy night. 

BENEE will perform eight headline 

shows across the country, visiting 

New Plymouth, Palmerston North, 

Porirua, Invercargill, Nelson, Tauranga, 

Napier and Hamilton. 

For complete tour, ticket and VIP 

information go to www.livenation. 

co.nz. 

Premier Venue 

Trustpower Baypark is Tauranga’s 

Premier Venue for conferences, meetings, 

entertainment and exhibitions. 

Offering a complete package in one 

convenient location that features state 

of the art meeting rooms, in-house 

catering, audio visual services, professional 

conference organiser (PCO) 

and marketing/promotional services. 

For more information on any events, enquiries for Trustpower Baypark venues, BayStation activities or service on/off site from BayCatering, BayAudioVisual 

visit www.trustpowerbaypark.co.nz or email events@bayvenues.co.nz.


Much to do to get 

Tauranga back on-track 

Sacking an elected council and appointing commissioners to run a council’s 

governance functions is quite a rare event. Essentially, that situation only arises 

if there are significant issues within a group of elected members, and they are 

unwilling or unable to resolve those issues for themselves, in which case, the 

Minister of Local Government will step-in. 

The former Tauranga City Council 

elected members exemplified 

dysfunctionality, their 

conduct marked by infighting; a lack 

of ‘collective responsibility’; and in 

some cases, no insight at all into their 

personal contributions to the council’s 

problems. 

That was the background to 

the appointment of four Tauranga 

City Council commissioners in 

early-February. 

Anne Tolley (Chair); Stephen 

Selwood, Bill Wasley and Shadrach 

Rolleston (see below for brief profiles 

on each commissioner) ‘hit the 

ground running’, and they needed to. 

One of the key tasks they were 

charged with was delivering a 2021- 

31 long-term plan (LTP) which would 

take the city forward and address its 

obvious infrastructure and community 

facility deficits. 

“The draft LTP was an enormous 

piece of work,” Anne Tolley says. “We 

needed to have a good understanding 

of the Council business before we 

could start, and of course, we needed 

to have the widest possible feedback 

from the Tauranga community to help 

us make the final decisions. 

“If our efforts are going to have a 

lasting benefit for the city, we have 

to take the community with us and 

that means having the widest possible 

buy-in to all key aspects of the LTP.” 

She says the commissioners are 

very happy with the feedback they 

have received via dozens of community 

engagement opportunities and 

face-to-face contact with hundreds 

of individual residents. “There are 

some people who are not happy with 

the priorities set-out in the draft LTP, 

but overall, most people have realistic 

expectations – they know something 

has to be done and are pleased that 

the city now has decisive governance, 

which is committed to getting things 

back on-track.” 

Commissioner Stephen Selwood 

says the inclusion of $4.6 billion of 

infrastructure development over the 

next decade is a ‘game-changer’ for 

Tauranga. 

Legacy of underinvestment 

“The Council has a legacy of underinvestment 

in community facilities 

(like swimming pools, playing 

fields, libraries and a museum) and 

key infrastructure (roads, water and 

wastewater pipes and treatment 

plants, etc) because successive councils 

decided it was better to keep rates 

down than to invest in the things the 

city needs,” he says. 

“That’s fine for a while, but in the 

end, it costs everyone, because our 

infrastructure no longer meets our 

existing needs, let alone keeping up 

with the needs of a growing city. 

Bill Wasley and Shad Rolleston 

are the ‘locals’ on the commission. 

They both come from planning backgrounds 

and are acutely aware of the 

issues which have led to a shortage of 

land available for housing and commercial 

development. 

“We’ve looked at the things we 

can do to help open-up land for development, 

because as it stands, houses 

in Tauranga have become so costly 

that new home-buyers have been virtually 

priced out of the market. 

“That means prioritising projects 

like the Papamoa East Interchange 

and the infrastructure needed for 

There’s a clear need 

for the availability 

of more affordable 

housing.” – Shad 

Rolleston 

housing and commercial developments 

at Tauriko and accelerating the 

work required so that we can encourage 

some positive changes in the market, 

although there is no one ‘silver 

bullet’ to address the current housing 

challenges we face,” Bill says. 

“In addition, the commitment to 

facilitating intensification is exemplified 

by initiatives such as Plan 

Change 26, which is about providing 

opportunities for housing in areas 

such as the Te Papa peninsula,” Bill 

says. 

Shad also points to changes in 

the development contributions area 

which are designed to make it easier 

for people developing community 

housing and papakainga. 

“There’s a clear need for the availability 

of more affordable housing 

and while that’s not something the 

Council is directly involved in, there 

are some levers we can use to facilitate 

developments that will make a 

difference.” 

COMMISSIONER PROFILES 

Bill Wasley: 

Bill comes from a professional planning background 

has more than 40 years’ experience in 

resource management and senior management 

positions in local government and the private 

sector, the latter including serving as Company 

Secretary for the Port of Tauranga Ltd, and a 

director of its subsidiary companies. Amongst 

his many current and past governance roles, 

Bill was the Independent Chair of the western 

Bay of Plenty’s SmartGrowth partnership from 

2001 until his appointment as a Tauranga City 

Council Commissioner. He has a strong interest 

in governance and collaborative approaches 

which achieve integration between spatial 

planning, economic development, social community 

outcomes and the necessary funding 

arrangements. 

Shad Rolleston: 

Shad is a consultant planner and policy advisor 

with expertise in resource management and 

Māori relationship management and engagement. 

He has tribal connections to Ngāti 

Ranginui, Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Pukenga, 

as well as affiliations to Te Arawa. Shad’s public 

service career spans more than 20 years and 

includes working as a policy advisor and planner 

for central and local government, specialising 

in transport and environmental reforms. 

He has served as a board member on the Ngāti 

Ranginui Post Settlement Governance Entity; 

is a former SmartGrowth Tū Pakari Advisor 

and co-chair of the Combined Tāngata Whenua 

Forum; and is the current Chair of Arā Rau 

Tāngata. 

Anne Tolley – 

COMMISSION CHAIR: 

Anne brings a wide experience in local and 

national politics to her role. Elected to the 

Napier City Council in 1986, she served as a 

Standing Committee Chair, and then Deputy 

Mayor for six years. She was also elected to 

the inaugural Hawkes Bay Regional Council. 

In 1999, she was elected to Parliament as 

a National Party List MP and after moving 

to Gisborne, was elected as the MP for East 

Coast in 2005. She held that seat until her in 

2020, moving to Ōhope as the growing electorate’s 

boundary reached the edge of Te Puke. 

Anne served for nine years as a Government 

minister, holding the portfolios of Education, 

Police, Corrections, MSD, Children and Local 

Government. 

Stephen Selwood: 

Stephen is a professional director and an expert 

in infrastructure vision, strategy and policy. 

The founding Chief Executive of Infrastructure 

New Zealand, Stephen continues to serve 

as a board member of the New Zealand Infrastructure 

Commission – Te Waihanga; and provides 

public policy advice to the infrastructure 

sector, as a director of Selwood Infrastructure 

Advisory. In 2019, he received the Infrastructure 

New Zealand leadership award for his 

contribution to the industry in New Zealand. 

Stephen describes himself as a thought-leader 

who brings a deep understanding of integrated 

urban development and infrastructure planning, 

funding and delivery to his commission 

role.


Wellbeing top-of-mind 

for the agri industry 

By CRAIG HUDSON, 

Xero Managing Director for New 

Zealand and the Pacific Islands 

A 

couple of weeks ago, I had the 

pleasure of attending Fieldays. 

It was the first one since 2019 

before the pandemic. When Covid- 

19 hit our shores, hundreds of events 

were cancelled, and thousands of 

social engagements put on ice. 

When I looked around to see 

reunited friends, family and business 

partners, what struck me was 

the atmosphere of relief and revelry. 

It reminded me of the age old adage: 

You don’t know what you’ve got until 

it’s gone. 

For an industry as expansive as 

New Zealand agriculture, the connections 

we missed from not having Fieldays 

last year was obvious. 

Bringing everyone back together 

for a few days was a powerful 

moment, especially as we continue to 

tackle the stigma of wellbeing in the 

sector. 

Welcome emphasis on mental 

health 

Craig Hudson 

Although the agricultural 

industry as a whole didn’t 

change much outside of 

a few clear exceptions, it 

certainly impacted how 

we interacted with people 

and stayed connected.” 

We’ve been present at Fieldays since 

2014 and this increased emphasis on 

mental health and wellbeing has been 

extremely encouraging to see, especially 

after the last 12 months. 

A lot of the conversations we had 

were about how Covid-19 impacted 

workers. Although the agricultural 

industry as a whole didn’t change 

much outside of a few clear exceptions, 

it certainly impacted how we 

interacted with people and stayed 

connected. 

These pressures, among others, 

were triggers that saw a dialogue 

open up on wellbeing – stories that 

were shared with us at the Fieldays – 

and I was blown away by the mana of 

those I spoke to. 

It’s becoming increasingly clear 

that Kiwis are getting more comfortable 

with their own wellbeing, and 

with being okay to ask for help. And, 

crucially, you don’t have to be struggling 

in crisis to do so. 

With this in mind, we’ve been 

working hard alongside Farmstrong 

to give farmers some simple steps to 

support positive wellbeing for themselves 

and their teams. 

These steps include the importance 

of taking time out; managing 

stress and avoiding burnout; and practicing 

healthy thinking. 

That last one can be tricky, but 

there’s a simple trick to catching it. 

Healthy thinking teaches you to 

ask three key questions when you’ve 

caught a negative thought. Is the 

thought true? Is it worth it? Does 

it help me achieve my goals? If it’s 

unhelpful, come up with alternative 

ways of thinking about the situation. 

Prioritising wellbeing doesn’t 

have to be complicated or expensive. 

It can be as simple as practising 

mindfulness, breaking things down 

into small, manageable steps such as 

focusing on one job at a time and delegating 

tasks. 

And if you do need to talk to 

Wellbeing wall at the Xero Fieldays stand asked visitors 

how they were feeling using weather-based moods. 

someone, there are options available 

like the Xero Assistance Programme 

(XAP), which offers free confidential 

counselling to Xero customers. 

For many the workplace is a 

central role 

For many people, their workplace 

can play a central role in building 

their resilience and positive mental 

wellbeing. I understand first-hand the 

impact work can have on your mental 

health, particularly when you are 

in crisis. 

We also know that investing in 

wellbeing makes business sense. Economic 

research from NZIER revealed 

that wellbeing investment can 

return up to 12:1 through increased 

productivity. 

A focus on wellbeing will improve 

the workplace for everyone, and small 

changes can be immensely beneficial 

for your team and for your business. 

The pandemic brought to light a 

lot of learnings, and these lessons 

should remain front and centre for all 

Kiwis as we continue to recover from 

the impacts of 2020. 

Gala spectacular 

set to hit Tauranga 

for six 

ADVERTORIAL 

“A star-studded, entertainment spectacular” is how this year’s 

Tauranga Gala Dinner is being described. Back for its ninth year, 

the 2021 edition will be held on Friday 16 July at Trustpower Arena 

to an audience of several hundred locals and visitors. 

Featuring cricketing legend, 

Brendon McCullum, 

and renowned 

sports broadcaster, Scotty 

Stevenson, the Tauranga Gala 

Dinner will not only be a 

chance to hear from the star 

former Black Cap, but will 

also be an evening of revelry 

and celebration, with national 

treasures, The Lady Killers, 

taking the stage. 

The group is made up of 

a trio of New Zealand’s most 

acclaimed performers, including 

Jackie Clarke, Tina Cross 

and Taisha Tari, who will provide 

a stunning showcase of 

hits to ensure this year’s event 

is an unmissable gala night 

out for Tauranga. 

Organisers, Events Innovated, 

say that is what this 

year’s event is all about; 

giving Tauranga a big-city 

event to socialise and enjoy 

together. 

“It’s about creating a special 

occasion where people 

and businesses in our community 

can come together 

with good banter, great music, 

sumptuous food and a chance 

to dress to the nines and celebrate 

the night away.” 

This year’s event is partnering 

with local Rotary club, 

Tauranga Te Papa Rotary, who 

will lead the charity auction. 

Each year The Tauranga 

Gala Dinner provides a platform 

for local charities to 

raise money, run separate to 

the commercial operations of 

the event. 

Tauranga Te Papa Rotary 

will be fundraising to support 

two incredible charities; Cure 

Kids and the Bay of Plenty 

Youth Development Trust. 

They have some amazing 

items up for grabs, including 

e-bikes, luxury experiences, 

sports memorabilia and more. 

The Tauranga Gala Dinner 

is supported by Bay of 

Plenty Business News, The 

Weekend Sun, Media Works, 

Kale Print, Trinity Wharf, 

Black Barn Vineyards, Lion 

and Tauranga City Council. 

It is produced by local events 

company, Events Innovated. 

In addition to the worldclass 

entertainment and guest 

speakers, The Tauranga Gala 

Dinner includes 3-course 

meals, fine beverages, charity 

auction, VIP options 

and plenty of after-function 

revelry. 

Many local businesses 

use it as a way to host staff 

and clients, while groups of 

friends book tables to shout 

themselves a much-deserved 

night out. 

BOOK NOW 

Only a few tables are left and 

bookings close on Monday 12 

July. 

Information and last-chance 

reservations are available at 

www.taurangagaladinner. 

co.nz 

Brendon McCullum, with wife Ellissa, at the Halberg Awards.


Overview Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo/Supplied. 

PMG to acquire Bethlehem Town 

Centre and property in Wellington 

PMG Property Funds Management Limited (PMG), 

with conservative bank borrowings, is acquiring an 

industrial property at 11-13 Gough Street in Seaview, 

Wellington, and the high-profile Bethlehem Town 

Centre in Bethlehem, Tauranga for an estimated total 

of around $107.6 million. 

PMG chief executive officer and 

director Scott McKenzie told 

investors in Tauranga in June 

that the two properties have a very 

high occupancy rate with recognised 

national and multi-national tenants 

including Kmart, Countdown, BP, 

Chemist Warehouse and Smiths City 

(at Bethlehem Town Centre), and HJ 

Asmuss & Co (in Gough Street). 

The latter is a privately owned 

supplier and distributor of steel in 

New Zealand with previous clients 

and projects including Fonterra and 

the Forsyth Barr Stadium. 

According to PMG the acquisitions 

opened another exciting opportunity 

to invest in PMG Generation 

Fund, which offers a mix of industrial, 

retail and office properties. 

Open to all New Zealanders, PMG 

was offering investors between 63 

and 69 million units ($68.67m to 

$75.21m) at $1.09 per unit in PMG 

Generation Fund in the offer. 

It comes with an accessible minimum 

investment threshold of 1,000 

units ($1,090) and parcels of 1,000 

units thereafter, from now until 5pm 

29 July 2021 (or earlier if the offer is 

fully subscribed). 

High performing asset 

The acquisition of Bethlehem Town 

Centre means this popular and 

high-performing large format retail 

centre will now be owned by New 

Zealand investors, said PMG. 

“We are particularly excited to be 

providing New Zealanders, including 

our hometown Bay of Plenty residents, 

the opportunity to invest in their 

own backyard and in a high-quality 

and well-known property at the heart 

of one of Tauranga’s fastest-growing 

suburbs,” said McKenzie. 

The purchase of 11-13 Gough 

Street in Wellington will also provide 

additional rigour and diversity to 

PMG Generation Fund’s portfolio, he 

added. 

“The property is close to main 

arterial networks and is fully leased to 

Asmuss, a business that was founded 

in 1920 and has occupied this property 

for over 20 years, making it an 

excellent prospect for our investors.” 

Getting Kiwis into commercial 

property 

PMG launched PMG Generation 

Fund in 2020 with the aim of helping 

more New Zealanders gain access 

to the benefits of investing in commercial 

property, providing regular 

income and the opportunity for good 

capital growth on their investment. 

Additionally, investors have the 

choice of reinvesting the monthly 

income the Fund provides into PMG’s 

Reinvestment Plan, so they can enjoy 

the benefits of compounding returns. 

Following this offer and acquisition 

of the two properties, the total 

estimated portfolio value of the Fund 

will be $166 million, comprising of 

five quality commercial properties. 

With each property located within 

main metropolitan centres across 

New Zealand, the Fund is further 

underpinned by notable tenants, 

including some that are classed as 

essential services, providing further 

confidence around the Fund’s income 

New Zealanders love land, bricks and mortar, 

but growing headwinds in residential property 

investment is now making commercial property 

a more sought-after investment option.” 

– Scott McKenzie 

Matt McHardy, head of investor relationships – Central and Lower North Island 

with PMG’s Scott McKenzie at Bethlehem Town Centre. Photo/Supplied. 

resilience for investors. 

Denis McMahon, founding director 

and chairman of PMG, said the 

quality and scale of the two intended 

acquisition properties located in Tauranga 

and Wellington align with the 

Fund’s strategy – to grow a portfolio 

of strategically selected assets that 

provide building, tenant, sector and 

geographic diversification. 

Since its inception, PMG Generation 

Fund has delivered a gross 

cash distribution return of 5.80 cents 

per unit to its original investors and 

has seen a significant increase in 

the value of its underlying property 

assets. 

With a forecast gross cash return 

of 5.5% p.a, paid monthly, this offer 

delivers an attractive passive income 

so investors can enjoy the lifestyle 

they love, well into the future. 

“New Zealanders love land, bricks 

and mortar, but growing headwinds 

in residential property investment 

are now making commercial property 

a more sought-after investment 

option,” McKenzie said. 

“Historically low interest and 

term deposit rates mean investors 

are looking elsewhere for compelling 

returns.” 

According to McKenzie, local 

investors see New Zealand commercial 

property as a good place to invest 

their capital for the long term as a 

natural hedge against inflation and for 

regular returns. 

“Our last two investment offers in 

two of our unlisted commercial property 

funds were fully subscribed well 

before the offer close dates. Not only 

are we seeing more demand from 

investors in our funds, it is coming 

faster and in larger parcels.” 

The offer opened Thursday, 10 

June 2021. Applications to acquire 

shares must be received no later than 

5.00pm 29 July 2021 (or earlier if the 

offer is fully subscribed). This offer is 

not available to investors outside of 

New Zealand. 

The funds PMG offers and manages 

on behalf of investors include 

PMG Generation Fund, a fund 

designed to make commercial property 

investment possible for all New 

Zealanders; Pacific Property Fund 

Limited, a fund which invests in 

geographically and category diverse 

properties; and funds which invest 

in category specific assets, including 

PMG Direct Office Fund, PMG 

Direct Childcare Fund, and PMG 

Capital Fund Limited.


Aerial view of the new development. Photo/Supplied. 

$40m Kiwifruit Packhouse & Coolstore 

boost planned For Te Puke 

Te Puke’s economy is heading for a $40 million cash 

injection as DMS Progrowers Ltd has unveiled plans 

to double the size of its existing local operation – the 

biggest single investment the company has ever 

made. 

DMS currently packs 14 million 

trays of kiwifruit between 

its two sites at Te Puna and 

Te Puke. Once the new packhouse 

is completed, the company will have 

doubled its packing capacity at Te 

Puke to around 12 million trays per 

year, increasing overall packing 

capacity to 20m trays company-wide. 

Construction is now underway on 

a brand new 5400m sq metre packhouse 

and four new coolstores at the 

company’s Te Matai Rd site. DMS 

chief executive officer Derek Masters 

confirmed Te Puke businesses 

and contractors will be used for the 

majority of the expansion project. 

However, it is understood this does 

not preclude the use of some outside 

contractors when required. 

“It’s important to look after your 

own,“ said Masters. 

“Te Puke builders, plumbers, 

electricians, refrigeration specialists, 

earthmovers, lighting, fire systems, 

concrete and paneling supplies, along 

with utility and services’ installation 

and other professionals and trades, 

will be used in all cases. We strongly 

believe in keeping things local and 

supporting the businesses that are 

based right here in Te Puke.” 

First company since 2018 to 

build 

DMS is the first post-harvest company 

since 2018 to build a completely 

new packhouse in the Bay of Plenty, 

as the region continues to produce 

record-breaking kiwifruit crops. 

“The industry is growing a significant 

amount of fruit – estimated at 

178 million trays this year,” he said. 

“And that is only going to increase 

Next year, when we 

have this additional 

packhouse, we’ll 

certainly be able to 

provide more packing 

slots and help a lot 

more growers.” – 

Derek Masters 

as more greenfield developments and 

Gold conversions come on stream. In 

the next few years demand for Gold 

kiwifruit worldwide will continue 

to rise and so DMS wants to grow 

its share of that anticipated industry 

growth.” 

Masters said packhouses around 

the Bay are already working 24 hours 

a day, seven days a week, during the 

limited Gold harvest window. Investing 

in more automation is important 

but eventually, he said, “you just need 

more physical space.” 

After a year of planning and 

design, Master said the company was 

now excited to start building the second 

packhouse at our Te Matai Rd site 

in Te Puke. 

Temp and humidity controlled 

“This is a big thing for us, and a big 

thing for the town.” 

Dave Pharo, DMS Pukepack’s site 

manager, says the new development 

DMS CEO Derek Masters left and DMS Pukepacks site manager 

Dave Pharo on the site of the new development. Photo/Supplied. 

will have a temperature and humidity 

controlled bin store which will jointly 

feed both the old packhouse and the 

new one. 

“The four additional coolstores, 

with a static capacity of 1.5m trays, 

will be automated with shuttle racking 

technology which we use in our 

other coolstores on site.” 

State-of-the-art MAF Roda camera 

grading equipment will be installed, 

with technicians due to fly out from 

France early next year to commission 

the new packing line. 

“The second packhouse shed will 

naturally require additional staff to 

operate – so that’s a lot of new jobs 

for local residents as well. The new 

facilities will all be operational prior 

to the start of next season in March 

2022,” Pharo says. 

DMS purchased a 7.5ha site 

from an immediate neighbour early 

last year and re-zoned the land for 

post-harvest activities. Over the past 

few months, Te Puke company JMC 

Earthworks has excavated 35,000m³ 

of dirt to help construct a flat building 

platform for the new packhouse. 

Tenders for the lead packhouse/ 

binstore building contract are now 

open. Te Puke businesses whose 

involvement is already confirmed 

include Shawn Williamson Builders 

(for construction of the four new 

coolstores), Orr Refrigeration (for the 

bin store refrigeration plant and cool 

store refrigeration plant), and Dexion 

for the shuttle racking. 

Meeting frustration of growers 

Masters said that as this season has 

progressed, DMS has noticed a lot of 

frustration amongst kiwifruit growers 

about whether their fruit was going to 

be picked and packed in optimal time 

because every single post-harvest 

operator was flat out. 

“Next year, when we have this 

additional packhouse, we’ll certainly 

be able to provide more packing slots 

and help a lot more growers. This 

$40m development will also give confidence 

to our existing DMS growers 

that we will have capacity to look 

after their future growth as well.” 

Based in Tauranga, DMS is a kiwifruit 

and avocado orchard management 

and post-harvest operator. 

Established in 1989 by Craig 

Greenlees and Paul Jones, DMS manages 

over 100 orchards and has 150 

full-time staff, employing another 

600+ seasonal contractors and workers 

in Te Puna and Te Puke. 

DMS is a member of the G4 

Kiwifruit Group, which provides 

32% of Zespri’s Class One crop. 

Locally owned and operated, DMS’ 

brand promise is “Increasing Grower 

Profit.”

July 2021 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 15


NEW APPOINTMENTS 

BBN’S GUIDE TO NEW PEOPLE AND NEW ROLES ACROSS BUSINESS IN THE BAY 

To feature in New Appointments email us at new.appointments@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

New executives appointed across the Bay 

As organisations in the Bay of Plenty bounce back from the effects of Covid-19 some of the region’s largest and most important groups are 

gearing up with new executive appointments. Please contact us if your organisation has personnel changes you would like to share. 

Alan 

Woodger 

BCD Group is 

excited to announce 

the appointment of 

Alan Woodger as an 

Environmental Scientist. 

Alan brings 

over 14 years of 

industry experience 

and valuable 

knowledge. 

Alans’s experience 

is based in 

large scale infrastructure 

projects, 

the petrochemical 

industry and 

contaminated 

land remediation 

projects. 

More recently Alan has been working on land development 

projects in the Waikato and the Bay of Plenty, broadening 

his skill set to include regional consenting onsite wastewater 

discharges. 

With Alan’s experience and knowledge, we now offer 

his expertise in Contaminated Land Management, including 

Preliminary and Detailed Site Investigations, Remedial 

Action Plans, Site Management, and Consent Monitoring. 

Toni 

Owen 

Toni Owen has 

been appointed to 

the Bay of Connections 

Leadership 

Group. Toni is 

a familiar face in 

the Eastern Bay of 

Plenty, being a longtime 

Whakatāne resident 

and a director 

of Focus Chartered 

Accountants. 

Toni has more 

than 30 years of 

business and governance 

experience 

with particular 

expertise in strategic, 

business and 

succession planning. She is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants 

ANZ, Professional Trustee and Member of the Institute 

of Directors. She has worked with a wide range of rural, commercial 

and professional clients and is actively involved in 

a variety of community and charitable organisations. She’s 

also held governance positions with EBOP Chamber of Commerce, 

NZCA, Eastern Bay Energy Trust, Energy Options 

Limited, EECA and Kawerau Enterprise Agency. 

Kylie Boyd 

First Mortgage Managers 

(FMM), manager of First 

Mortgage Trust (FMT), 

New Zealand’s largest first 

mortgage trust lender has 

announced Kylie Boyd as 

a director. Michael Smith, 

Chair of First Mortgage 

Managers says, “We are 

really pleased to have Kylie 

join our Board of Directors. 

Kylie has over 16 years’ 

commercial law experience 

and over 10 years’ governance 

experience, and has 

very strong commercial, 

analytical and risk management 

skills.” Kylie is based 

in Tauranga and is a former 

Partner of Sharp Tudhope 

Lawyers. Kylie has worked with a range of commercial enterprises, 

both large and small, spanning various industries, including manufacturing, 

exporting, horticulture, software development and financial 

services. Kylie is an experienced director and is currently a 

director for Craigs Investment Partners Superannuation Management 

Limited, Priority One, Custodial Services Limited, and Bluelab Corporation 

Limited. Kylie has a BA, LLB (Hons) from the University 

of Auckland. Kylie will join the Board on 15 June 2021. 

At Bayleys, we believe relationships are what businesses are built on and how they 

succeed. We understand that to maximise the return on your property you need: 

Professional property management 

A business partner that understands your views and goals 

Contact the Bayleys Tauranga Commercial Property Management team today. 

Bayleys Tauranga 

Commercial Property Management 

07 579 0609 

jan.cooney@bayleystauranga.co.nz 

SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 

ALTOGETHER BETTER 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


Why should you consider converting? 

What do many successful businesses ranging from those is the 

trades – electricians, plumbers and builders – through to white-collar 

professions ranging from real estate agencies to optometrists and 

even veterinarian practices have in common? They operate under 

a franchise business model having converted from an independent 

business model. 

FRANCHISING 

> BY NATHAN BONNEY 

Nathan Bonney is a director of Iridium Partners. He can be 

reached at nathan@iridium.net.nz or 0275-393-022 

Some of the most successful 

franchise brands 

have been built on the 

back of a conversion strategy, 

but you may ask why an 

existing independent business 

would convert to a franchise 

business model? 

Brand recognition 

Perhaps the biggest driver 

is brand recognition, which 

translates into marketing 

power, position and ultimately 

a larger share of the market 

and greater revenue. 

As you’re reading this I can 

suggest some real estate jingles 

that come to mind as well 

as a number of trade-related 

services that start with 0800 

name of brand. 

All of these businesses are 

franchises, owner-operated 

and, in many cases, started as 

independent businesses. 

Systems 

You can query any skill-specific 

professional: “You may 

know your trade, but how good 

are you at the business?” 

The answers can vary significantly. 

Think about the 

If you’re running an 

independent business 

– think about your 

experience of doing 

those invoices at 

11pm on a Friday 

evening.” 

plumber’s invoice that came a 

few months after the work, or 

if you’re running an independent 

business – think about 

your experience of doing those 

invoices at 11pm on a Friday 

evening. 

Franchises provide systems 

and processes which will assist 

the business owner in running 

the business versus doing the 

doing. 

Additionally, a franchise 

has the collective resources 

and focus to innovate and 

re-invest in the actual doing as 

well. Often creating commercially 

beneficial differentiation 

for their franchisees. 

Purchasing 

Increasing recognition and 

revenue in themselves are 

good things for a business, but 

reducing costs leads to greater 

profitability. 

Franchise systems are able 

to collate the purchasing power 

of their franchisees and provide 

pricing that an independent 

could not achieve. These 

cost savings can be significant 

and can by themselves change 

the performance of a business. 

Two-way benefits 

A common resistance from 

potential converters is the 

perception that they will be 

giving away revenue to the 

franchisor in the form of royalties 

or fees. 

Not all franchise models 

include a percentage or flat fee 

structure, some systems generate 

their revenue from rebates 

from suppliers. 

In these circumstances the 

franchisee is benefitting from 

the purchasing power and 

lower prices, so there can be a 

double benefit. 

I would suggest that even 

in circumstances where a percentage 

or a flat fee is paid to 

the franchisor the accumulated 

benefits of a good franchise 

system will far outweigh the 

fees. 

It is worth any independent 

business owners’ time to 

review and consider. 

Resale and exit 

Many independent business 

owners never think about their 

exit strategy, will they be able 

to sell their business, to whom, 

what are the unique selling 

propositions for the business? 

A franchise may assist an 

independent business owner 

in marketing, attracting and 

securing a resale. And it will 

most definitely be able to support 

and develop the incoming 

purchaser, freeing the seller 

to exit and not be incumbered 

with potentially long or drawnout 

buyer assistance periods 

and the like. 

Doing the wrong thing for the ‘right’ 

reason doesn’t make it right 

In my work I often hear people attempt to justify sometimes 

horrendous acts or very poor decisions due to it being something 

that they had to do to serve a greater “good” or they were 

contractually obliged to do so. 

CREDIT CONTROL 

> BY NICK KERR 

Nick Kerr is a Business Advisor at NJK Advisory Ltd. 

He is also director of International Private Investigations Ltd. 

Nick can be reached at nick@nzipi.com 

There comes a time when 

the excuses that you give 

yourself no longer work 

and you must face the fact 

that doing something that you 

know is wrong for the “right” 

reason is simply doing something 

wrong. 

There was a bit of a case in 

the early 20th century where 

certain members of a particular 

European country’s military 

regime committed unbelievable 

atrocities against entire 

people groups that would 

go against the moral fibre of 

all but the most depraved 

humans. 

I bet if you asked any of 

them if what they were doing 

was “right” they would say 

that they were doing it for the 

greater good, but looking back 

I would doubt that this sentiment 

would be maintained 

today. 

To a far lesser extent I have 

seen this attitude in the world 

of professional B2B selling 

where a salesperson has a target 

or a goal that they have to 

achieve and it seems the closer 

to the time limit of this target 

the more likely it is for doing 

the wrong thing (in my opinion) 

to seem ok. 

One real life example is a 

salesperson that sold a company 

an employment and 

insurance solution that totaled 

almost $50,000 (over a payment 

plan). 

According to the business 

owner the salesperson told him 

Attempting to serve two masters with 

convergent goals and requirements will 

always create conflict and an inability to 

ever fully satisfy either.” 

that if he didn’t do it he was 

risking bankruptcy and possible 

jail. 

The business owner, obviously 

wanting to be compliant 

with the law and operate at best 

practice level, signed up and 

paid the monthly instalments. 

Check the paperwork 

He called me and asked me to 

look over the paperwork to see 

if he was doing the right thing. 

After reviewing the paperwork 

and interviewing him 

about his business I discovered 

that not only did he not have 

any staff at all (he only used 

limited liability subcontractors 

therefore did not need to have 

employment agreements), but 

if he did have staff he could 

have got the entire solution 

from a top local employment 

lawyer for under $10,000 and 

have a relationship formed that 

could provide support as and 

when needed. 

I myself have faced a similar 

conundrum, whilst contracting 

for a large company. 

We, as contractors, were asked 

to encourage clients to load 

files for action at the same 

time as setting up systems and 

processes that would make the 

need for actioning the files rare 

if not redundant. 

In in this situation we had 

to choose between giving ultimate 

and lasting value to the 

client or giving value to the 

company and satisfying the 

stakeholders. 

As we became more and 

more well known for the systems 

and processes, this issue 

became more and more evident, 

resulting in frequent 

marketing action out to clients 

encouraging files to be loaded ( 

to the point where client would 

block all communication) until 

the conflict between these two 

activities became untenable. 

The moral of this story is 

that attempting to serve two 

masters with convergent goals 

and requirements will always 

create conflict and an inability 

to ever fully satisfy either. 

Just a thought.


NEWSBRIEF 

Leading kiwifruit 

companies to amalgamate 

Seeka Limited and Opotiki 

Packing and Cool Storage 

Limited are to join via 

amalgamation, the companies 

said in a statement. 

This transaction will see 

Seeka expand further to be operational 

in all of New Zealand’s 

major kiwifruit growing regions 

in a deal that continues to consolidate 

the New Zealand kiwifruit 

industry. 

The OPAC shareholders will 

receive new shares in Seeka at 

the ratio of 1.4833 Seeka shares 

for every 1 OPAC share held, 

valuing the net assets of OPAC at 

$33.94m provided OPAC shareholders 

approve the transaction 

with a 75% approval required. 

Seeka will assume approximately 

$25.06m of debt as part of 

the acquisition bringing the total 

deal to $59.00m. 

Long relationship 

OPAC’s Chairman, Tony de 

Farias, in announcing the deal, 

said: “The amalgamation brings 

together two companies with 

a long relationship and similar 

ownership structures. 

“Many OPAC shareholders 

and growers are also shareholders 

in Seeka. The Board of OPAC recommends 

the deal to shareholders 

believing the enterprise value of 

$59m to be fair, with good opportunities 

for growth and synergies. 

Seeka expects the 

bigger business to 

generate material 

efficiencies, 

synergy benefits 

and cost savings 

for the benefit of all 

stakeholders.” 

The combined group will deliver 

efficiencies, new technology and 

grower support.” 

Seeka Chairman, Fred Hutchings 

said: “The purchase of 

OPAC is consistent with our 

strategy and delivers the Eastern 

Bay of Plenty kiwifruit growing 

region to Seeka’s operations, a 

region in which Seeka is already 

experiencing growth through new 

orchard developments. 

“The transaction is expected 

to be accretive to shareholders 

once the combined business is 

fully integrated. Seeka expects 

the bigger business to generate 

material efficiencies, synergy 

benefits and cost savings for the 

benefit of all stakeholders.” 

The Boards of Seeka and 

OPAC unanimously recommended 

the amalgamation. 

Whakatane Mill saved, 

but caution expressed 

Whakatane Mill owners SIG Combibloc have announced the sale of the mill to a 

consortium of investors led by European investor Dr Dermot Smurfit. 

The announcement means that 

besides staff who have chosen 

to take redundancy, more than 

200 mill staff will keep their jobs. 

Whakatāne mayor Judy Turner 

said she was thrilled by the news. 

“I’m particularly thrilled for 

the contractors outside the direct 

employment of the mill as this has 

been a very nervous time for them 

and their staff.” 

Turner said she was relieved the 

mill had been saved as its closure 

and loss of jobs would have been 

devastating for the local economy. 

“To the new owners, congratulations 

and well done. We’re really 

pleased to have you on board.” 

Relief at the announcement 

Karl Gradon of Toi Economic Development 

Agency said close to 300 

families would be breathing a sigh 

of relief with the announcement. 

“We really welcome Smurfit to 

the business community. 

“We have a wonderful opportunity 

to take the momentum that 

Smurfit brings to their alternative to 

plastic packaging technology, and it 

looks like we will have an impressive 

customer base that they will 

link Whakatāne Mill into globally,” 

he said. 

Confidential 

personal 

service 

“It’s very exciting for us.” 

However, Gradon expressed 

caution, saying while this was good 

news there were still clouds on the 

Karl Gradon 

horizon with the fibre-processing 

sector. 

“China has announced self-sufficiency 

in logs by 2035, which creates 

significant risk for the forestry 

sector. 

“The majority of New Zealand 

logs are exported to developing 

countries in their raw form in anticipation 

of their domestic logs becoming 

available in just a few years. Toi 

EDA encourages the government 

to work on policy that incentivises 

investment in added value processing 

in New Zealand, rather than shipping 

the value creation offshore.” 

The Smurfit Consortium includes 

China has announced 

self-sufficiency in logs 

by 2035, which creates 

significant risk for the 

forestry sector.” 

– Karl Gradon 

New Zealand investors, and many 

have experience in owning and operating 

paper packaging businesses. 

A spokesman for the Smurfit 

Consortium, Ian Halliday, who will 

become chairman of the Whakatāne 

Mill, said the consortium looked 

forward to developing a more competitive 

operation to support customers 

in New Zealand and around the 

world. 

“We believe that the Whakatāne 

Mill has a very bright future as the 

only folding box board mill in Oceania, 

and we intend to invest heavily 

in the mill to support both our customers 

and New Zealand’s forest 

products industry,” he said. 

The mill will stop producing 

liquid packaging board and going 

forward will focus on its customers’ 

requirements for high-quality 

folding box board, carrier board and 

food service. 

ADVERTORIAL 

Confidential 

Ensure your business 

personal 

is ready for sale 

service 

TABAK Business Sales 

was established in 

2001 to specialise in 

the sale of small to medium 

($300K to $10M) sized New 

Zealand businesses. 

During the last 20 

years the motivation factors 

for owners to sell their 

businesses has generally 

remained the same – retirement, 

divorce, health, death 

or wanting a change in 

lifestyle. 

Whatever the reason for 

selling you need to ensure 

that your business is ready 

for sale as you are not 

always given a warning or 

time to get it in the best possible 

shape. 

Since post Covid 19 

lockdown we have seen 

an increase in the number 

of owners who have listed 

their businesses with Tabaks 

suffering from burn out. We 

have had two sales recently 

where burn out has been the 

main reason for sale. 

One was due to many, 

many years in the trade and 

he was just over the stresses 

of day-to-day running of the 

business and dealing with 

staff and staff shortages. 

In the other case, the 

owner reached breaking 

point and found himself 

emotionally, physically and 

mentally exhausted due to 

long term stress, and could 

no longer turn up to work. In 

another instance, the business 

owner had been diagnosed 

with cancer. 

All of a sudden quality 

of life, destressing and 

spending time with loved 

ones and taking time to heal 

themselves, took precedence 

over the stress of running the 

business. Money and reputation 

etc all of a sudden takes 

a back seat. 

In the cases mentioned 

above the business owners 

had not intended to sell and 

found themselves ill prepared 

for sale. 

In the ideal world we 

like to work with business 

owners for a period of time 

to assist with the preparation 

of their business for sale. 

This can include making 

sure their financials exclude 

any personal items which 

have become blended in 

with the business expenses 

over time, and making sure 

customers contracts, leases, 

health & safety and employments 

contracts are all current 

and up to date. 

In some ways 

Selling 

it is a bit 

your busines 

like selling a house or a car. 

To get the best sale price you 

make sure that it is presented 

in the best possible way i.e 

neat and tidy with a little 

bit of maintenance where 

necessary. 

If the situation allows, 

business owners should start 

talking with their professional 

advisors and a business 

broker well before listing 

their business for sale. 

BETTER BUSINESS SALES 

> BY PAUL BRLJEVICH 

Director at TABAK Business Sales. Paul can be reached on 

027 693 4079 or paulb@tabak.co.nz 

I have personally worked 

with a business owner 

for six years before they 

decided they were ready 

Selling your business? 

to go to the market. When 

it was taken to the market within 10 working days. I 

We connect quality businesses with serious bu 

the business was in the best 

We connect quality shape possible. businesses with serious buyers 

The average sale time 

for all businesses (industry 

wide) listed for sale in 

New Zealand in 2020 was 

6 months so the sales process 

from start to finish is 

not necessarily a quick one. 

However we have recently 

marketed a business and had 

over 60 enquiries within 72 

hours and had multi offers 

would love to say this is the 

normal but it is not. 

If you are a business 

owner, make sure that your 

business is in good shape so 

that if the unthinkable does 

happen your business is 

ready for sale. 

Selling your business? 

We connect quality businesses with serious buyers 

For more information call: (07) 578 6329 

or email: tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

For more information call: (07) 5786329 

or email: tauranga@tabak.co.nz 

Confidential 

personal 

service 

Licensed REAA (2008) 

147 Cameron Road 

www.tabak.co.nz 

For more information call: 

or email: tauranga 

Licensed REAA (2008) 

Licens


ZESPRI marks record 

season in 2020-21 

Increased sales, the ongoing expansion of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit production and 

great quality fruit underpinned by strong international demand have delivered a 

record result for Zespri’s 2020/21 season, returning record per tray returns across 

all categories, said the marketer in a statement. 

Zespri’s 2020/21 Financial 

Results show total global revenue 

generated by fruit sales 

reached NZ$3.58 billion, up 14 percent 

on the previous year, while total 

global operating revenue increased by 

16 percent to NZ$3.89 billion. Global 

sales volumes were up 10 percent on 

the previous year to 181.5 million 

trays. 

Direct returns to the New Zealand 

industry increased by 15 percent to 

$2.25 billion in spite of the considerable 

uncertainty generated by the 

Covid-19 pandemic. Earnings are 

spread through many regional communities 

including the Bay of Plenty, 

Northland, Nelson, Gisborne, and the 

Waikato, providing support to people, 

communities and businesses across 

the country. 

Strong returns 

There were strong returns on both a 

per tray and per hectare basis: 

• The average return for Zespri 

Green per tray increased to $7.51, 

with the average return per hectare 

reaching $76,722. 

• Zespri Organic Green reached an 

average return per tray of $10.53, 

and an average per hectare return 

of $66,453. 

• The average return for Zespri 

SunGold Kiwifruit increased to 

$12.46 per tray, and the average 

return per hectare was also a 

record $177,846. 

• Zespri Organic SunGold Kiwifruit 

saw a per tray return of $15.36, 

with the average per hectare return 

reaching $158,599. 

• Zespri Sweet Green achieved an 

average return per tray of $10.14 

and an average return per hectare 

of $56,853. 

Zespri’s Non-New Zealand Supply 

sales increased to $472.8 million 

while Zespri’s net profit after tax is 

$290.5 million, up from $200.8 million 

on the previous year. 

Zespri chairman Bruce Cameron 

said the results reflected the continued 

strong demand for Zespri Kiwifruit 

around the world, boosted by the 

industry’s hard work and investment 

to increase demand and supply. 

“After a season where we were 

forced to make such significant 

changes to our operations with a focus 

on keeping our people safe, getting 

our fruit to the world, and continuing 

to invest for the future, it’s pleasing 

to see such encouraging results for the 

industry,” said Cameron. 

Demand increasing 

“Demand for both Zespri Green and 

Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit increased 

and we’re pleased to see growing 

interest in our newest variety, Zespri 

Red, which is a testament to our 

industry’s ongoing investment in 

We’re also 

encouraged by the 

growth in sales 

of our Non-New 

Zealand supply, with 

strong returns to our 

partner growers in 

Italy, France, Japan 

and Korea.” – Dan 

Mathieson 

innovation and finding new ways to 

add value for New Zealand and our 

international production bases.” 

Zespri’s chief executive officer 

Dan Mathieson said the 2020/21 season 

again showcased the strength of 

the Zespri brand in delivering value, 

attracting new consumers and supporting 

communities. 

“The unity of our industry allowed 

us to respond effectively to incredibly 

difficult conditions around the world. 

That response was underpinned by 

our investment in the Zespri brand, 

the trust we have built up with our 

customers and consumers globally 

and the resilience and adaptability of 

Dan Mathieson, Zespri CEO 

our supply chain and sales and marketing 

teams. 

“The efforts of our people right 

throughout Zespri and our supply 

chain were critically important and 

we’re incredibly proud of the way 

they responded and of those members 

of our team who are still dealing with 

the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 

around the world. 

“We’re also encouraged by the 

growth in sales of our Non-New Zealand 

supply, with strong returns to 

our partner growers in Italy, France, 

Japan and Korea. These production 

bases are a critical part of Zespri’s 

12-month supply strategy. 

“12 month supply means we’re 

available to consumers year round, 

hold our shelf space and commercial 

partnerships, ensuring Zespri growers 

maximise the benefit from the 

increased international demand we’re 

creating, making our marketing and 

promotional spend more efficient and 

delivering stronger returns to growers 

in New Zealand and around the 

world.” 

Outlook 2021 

With the 2021/22 New Zealand season 

now well underway, nearly all 

Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit has been 

submitted into inventory and the harvest 

of Green is in full swing. 

Mathieson said Zespri was expecting 

another record-breaking crop 

of Zespri Kiwifruit this year, again 

underpinned by the expansion of 

Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit production 

as well as Zespri Red. 

“Our sales and marketing programmes 

are in full swing and 

demand from our markets is incredibly 

strong with our fruit selling 

quickly,” he said. 

“However, we are facing headwinds 

including industry capacity 

constraints, rising costs and securing 

enough people to get our fruit to the 

world, as well as pandemic-related 

disruption to our shipping channels 

and distribution in some of our 

markets. 

“We’re working hard as an industry 

to overcome these challenges in 

order to deliver ongoing positive 

value to all our stakeholders and New 

Zealand as we continue to grow as an 

industry, though we do expect they 

will remain an issue in the medium 

term.” 

People and communities 

“We know that our success is only 

possible with the support of our communities 

and it’s important to us that 

we continue to recognise that,” said 

Mathieson. 

“We’re delighted a record 

NZ$2.25 billion will be returned to 

the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, 

and to know that those returns will 

support jobs and communities around 

the country. 

“In 2020/21, Zespri partnered 

with KidsCan and Ronald McDonald 

House for the first time – two inspiring 

organisations who work hard to 

support those in need. We also shared 

over 100 tonnes of fresh kiwifruit 

with organisations around the country, 

so more people could access the 

health benefits. 

“We were also pleased to kick off 

the first Zespri Young and Healthy 

Virtual Adventure, helping teach 

20,000 young New Zealanders 

about the importance of eating well, 

exercising and looking after the 

environment. 

“And we supported a number 

of important causes in our markets 

around the world as part of our purpose 

of helping people, communities 

and the environment to thrive. These 

efforts will grow as our industry does 

and as we focus on ensuring 

we have a positive impact 

around the world.” 

2020/21 financial results summary: 

• Zespri global operating revenue: NZ$3.89 billion 

• Zespri global fruit sales revenue: NZ$3.58 billion 

• Total New Zealand-grown fruit and service payments 

including loyalty premium: NZ$2.25 million 

• Zespri global trays sold: 181.5 million trays 

• Zespri’s net profit after tax: NZ$290.5 million 

• Expected Total Dividends: NZ$1.33


First on the scene 

Photos from the recent networking at a BA5 held at Basestation, Tauranga 

Photos by Vanessa Laval-Glad, Laval Photo and Video 

1 

2 

1 Steven Vincent and Megan Merritt, Bayleys. 2 Nick Hartley and Sally Green, Caleys. 

3 

4 

5 

3 LeeAnne Basset, FACEUP and Rob Bull, Plexus Consulting. 4 Jaycee Hazooria, ACE Consultants and Paul Khosla, ACE Consultants. 5 Pascale Hyboud-Peron, Basestation. 

6 

7 8 

6 Tania Wilson, Momenta Charitable Trust and Geoffrey Campbell, The Why. 7 Shane Jaxson, BONZ and Tony Snow, Stratus Blue. 8 Sam Ackerman, Ackermerc and Simon Fowler, The Colour 

Code. 

9 

10 

9 Gaylene Shanley Property Services Unlimited BOP, Browyn and Eddie Jackson, Grief Support Services. 10 Sam Ackerman, Ackermerc, Matt Cowley, Chamber of Commerce Tauranga, 

Leanne Brown, Harcourts and Lloyd Davies, Literacy Aotearoa.


Pandemic inspires New Zealand 

software product uptake 

Leading New Zealand 

fresh produce software 

provider Radfords, which 

has its base in Tauranga, 

has overcome some initial 

global pandemic-related 

challenges to realign how 

it engages with global 

fresh produce businesses. 

These are showing a 

renewed enthusiasm 

to adopt automated 

pre and post-harvest 

technologies. 

Customer success manager 

Royce Sharplin said a considerable 

upswing in the demand 

for Radfords’ technology solutions in 

the past nine months had resulted in 

significant new business wins in Australia 

and the United States. This followed 

some challenging times after 

some sizeable projects were delayed 

by the uncertainty created by the pandemic 

and the lockdown conditions. 

He cited several drivers prompting 

the surge of interest from various 

operators along the fresh produce 

supply chain, including some from 

surprising new sectors. 

“There’s no doubt, the motivation 

for change has been exacerbated 

by coronavirus which has magnified 

operational inefficiencies for packhouse 

operators,” Sharplin said. 

Struggle for seasonal labour 

“Globally, fresh produce suppliers are 

struggling to find seasonal labour and 

they have found it harder to get physical 

labour into the packhouse and 

move people around due to physical 

distancing protocols. 

“This frustration has forced a scrutiny 

of systems and a rethink of current 

system capabilities. Radfords’ 

Radford’s FreshPack software is customisable and scaleable. Photo Supplied. 

FreshPack software is customisable 

and scaleable to support fresh produce 

business growth.” 

Sharplin said Radfords had continued 

to strengthen its existing product 

line-up and industry-specific solutions 

that facilitated the electronic 

capture, processing, storage and 

reporting of information in response 

to demand. 

“The focus on tracking and tracing 

has never been greater. As global 

consumers demand healthy and safe 

produce, fresh produce suppliers need 

reliable and easy-to-use traceability 

technologies to support their efforts 

to meet this demand and assure their 

long-term survival. 

“Radfords has a suite of products 

that provide full traceability along 

Globally, fresh produce suppliers are struggling to 

find seasonal labour and they have found it harder 

to get physical labour into the packhouse and 

move people around due to physical distancing 

protocols. This frustration has forced a scrutiny 

of systems and a rethink of current system 

capabilities.” – Royce Sharplin 

the supply chain, eliminating the 

need for paper-based or manual input 

systems.” 

Pandemic-related travel constraints 

had made new deployments 

challenging, he said. 

“But we’re adapting and utilising 

technology. For example, we’re 

working on the introduction of smart 

glasses which will give us a virtual 

tour of a packhouse to assess needs.” 

New generation pushes for 

change 

He said a new tech-savvy generation 

working in family owned fresh produce 

businesses, was also agitating 

for change. 

“Second or third generation producers 

are approaching us directly as 

a result of not being able to travel or 

work offshore. They have grown up 

with technology and are looking with 

fresh eyes at ways to optimise systems 

and processes and add value to 

the family business,” he said. 

Radfords had also experienced 

increased interest from operators who 

had outgrown their bespoke systems 

and urgently needed new systems to 

grow with them, he said. 

Radfords was currently in the 

scoping phase with a major Australian 

root vegetable producer and several 

apple and citrus producers in the 

United States, he said. 

“As there has been an inability to 

attend trade shows and meet producers 

face-to-face, we’ve noticed these 

conversations are starting at a more 

advanced point. Operators are doing 

their homework and speaking to likeminded 

businesses which already 

have Radfords’ technology. 

“We are, however, very excited 

about hosting new and existing customers 

at our Hort Connections booth 

in Brisbane.” 

Radfords has extensive experience 

in New Zealand’s kiwifruit and apple 

industries, having provided software 

solutions for packhouse operators 

since 1989. However, it now has 

more than 80 clients around the world 

including Australia, the US, Italy, 

France, Korea and Japan. 

He said Radfords had sharpened 

its focus on the UX (user experience) 

of its core existing products during 

the past year, including the following 

products to give fresh produce customers 

a platform for efficiency and 

growth. 

• On-farm FreshGrow 

• FreshQuality 

• Packhouse solution, FreshPack 

• Business intelligence platform 

FreshInsights 

• Radfords’ cloud-based capability 

Radfords’ pandemic-inspired 

prosperity had generated jobs for an 

additional six employees at its Tauranga 

base, including two interns in 

collaboration with the University of 

Waikato, he said. 

“We’ve also had to contract 

resources in Australia to support and 

absorb the extra work and will look 

to have more feet on the ground in the 

US this year,” he said. 

NEWSBRIEF 

Norse Skog Kawerau Mill closure update 

Norske Skog’s recent announcement that it would be selling the Tasman Mill’s 

assets and stopping production by the end of the month didn’t come as a 

surprise to the workers at the mill, or even most of the people around Kawerau, 

a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty with a population of about 7500. 

The closure follows a strategic 

review that began 

at the mill last September 

2020. Norske Skog regional president 

Eric Luck said the company 

would work with employees and 

their union representatives on the 

implementation plan for the closure 

of the mill, with the aim of 

making the process as smooth as 

possible. 

However, the announcement 

that Norske Skog will close is devastating 

for the families involved 

and for the wider regional wood 

processing sector. 

But the recent focus on diversifying 

the region’s economy away 

from reliance on forestry has been 

validated by the news, according 

to Toi EDA. 

Toi EDA sees great opportunities 

to reposition the workers due 

to the surge in economic confidence 

in the region. 

The Eastern BOP is one of 

the few regions in the country to 

have rebounded strongly to pre- 

Covid-19 employment levels 

and continues to grow based on 

several catalytic sectors that are 

receiving significant investments. 

Demand for work is still 

strong 

Ian Morton, Toi EDA co general 

manager, says that “with the 

community-minded Sequal Lumber 

Mill taking on an extra shift 

in Kawerau, the booming boat 

building sector recruiting heavily, 

record planting in the high value 

horticulture sector, and Whakatohea 

Mussels taking on almost 100 

new roles, the demand for work 

ready employees is strong. 

Three years ago we recognised 

the need to change our economy 

to be more diverse and thankfully 

these opportunities exist today as a 

result.” 

The construction of the Kawerau 

Putauaki Industrial Development, 

leveraging the clean geothermal 

energy found in the town, has 

already begun to attract investment 

in the town, such as the Waiu Dairy 

Factory. 

The construction of the new 

roundabout to service the new 

industrial complex is well underway 

and the town is well set up 

to leverage the heavy industrial 

engineering expertise located in 

Kawerau. 

Mill workers wanting to start 

their own businesses are encouraged 

to tap into support resources 

that the EBOP Chamber of Commerce 

has on offer, with a business 

advisory role that regularly visits 

Kawerau. 

The local industry community 

group, Industrial Symbiosis Kawerau, 

will continue to support those 

businesses that work alongside the 

Norske Mill to ensure they are able 

to identify new opportunities. 

Toi EDA co general manager, 

Karl Gradon, encourages central 

government to align wood processing 

policy that will reduce the 

incentives for log owners to export 

logs offshore in their raw form 

and instead find ways to add value 

locally. 

The distortion in the world 

lumber market is extreme and, 

alongside our high energy costs, is 

causing the closure of our domestic 

processing capacity. 

If these distortions continues 

then the domestic wood processing 

sector will continue to be challenged 

and further closures will be 

on the horizon.


Pick the right tone of voice 

Anyone who has had a disagreement 

with their partner will know the danger of 

getting your tone wrong. The same is true 

in marketing; get your tone of voice wrong 

and you risk failing to connect with potential 

customers or turning them off your product 

or brand completely. 

But how do you pick the 

right voice? One of the 

first things to consider is 

the demographic you are marketing 

to. How old are your 

target customers? Are they 

male or female? Is your business 

operating primarily in the 

business to business or business 

to consumer space? 

Think about the way your 

ideal customers like to be spoken 

to, including what will 

grab and hold their attention, 

as well as what they are likely 

to find credible. 

Be aware of differences 

in tone 

Take the example of business 

selling the latest skate 

clothing to teenagers and 

school-leavers. 

The conversational and 

edgy tone that might be most 

effective to market to their 

audience is likely to be vastly 

different to the language used 

by an established technology 

company selling enterprise-level 

accounting software 

to corporates. 

Your brand – and the way 

you want people to perceive 

your products and service – is 

another key consideration. 

If you operate at the luxury 

end of the market, your language 

should reflect that. You 

might emphasise the quality 

of your product or service, the 

story behind how it was created, 

and the superlative experience 

people will have when 

using it. 

This differs from the way 

you might market a product 

or service that is competing 

purely on price. Think of Pak 

‘n’ Save and its stick man ads; 

words like “cheap” need not be 

avoided if you are competing 

at the lower end of the market. 

Understanding your target 

customers, your brand, 

and your position within your 

market will help guide the language 

you use, as well as the 

tone and messaging that will 

be most effective. 

Keep in mind that in all 

cases, plain English should 

still be used. There’s no need 

to pack your content full of 

acronyms, cliches or buzzwords, 

even in the most corporate 

of markets. 

It’s also important to ensure 

you’re up with the play with 

the language used by your target 

demographic. People will 

quickly notice if your language 

is out of touch. 

I recall the sales manager of 

a company I worked for years 

ago who asked me to develop 

advert copy to promote a series 

of youth programmes that were 

being run in Auckland. 

He was determined to sprinkle 

terms like “sick”, “skux” 

and “the bomb” throughout 

his ad messaging, forgetting 

the lingo used by young people 

changes quickly and had 

moved on since his own children 

were in school. 

THE LAST WORD 

> BY JAMES HEFFIELD 

Director of Bay of Plenty marketing and PR consultancy Last 

Word. To find out more visit lastwordmedia.co.nz or email 

james@lastwordmedia.co.nz. 

I’m sad to say my objections 

to including the terms 

were ignored, the ads were 

run, and they became the butt 

of a fair few jokes amongst 

their target audience. 

Change your language if 

necessary 

Changing the language you 

use to promote your product or 

service can require a chameleon-like 

ability to adapt the 

way you speak or write. However, 

it can pay real dividends 

when it comes to sales and the 

number of people engaging 

with your company. 

Many digital advertising 

platforms – including Google 

Ads and Facebook – allow you 

to run A/B testing of different 

wording to accompany paid 

ads you are running. This process 

allows you to present two 

variations of an ad to different 

members of your target audience 

while gauging which of 

the variations attracts the most 

clicks and drives the most 

online sales. 

Using A/B testing to gauge 

the effectiveness of ads with 

subtly different language is 

just one way businesses can 

home in on the tone that resonates 

best with their audience. 

Getting your tone right is a 

constant learning process, and 

one that needs regular revision. 

What’s important is that you 

remain in tune with your target 

customers, continue to speak 

their language, and respond 

as your market position and 

brand continue to evolve. 

Phone me! 

Musings on luxury and leisure, post annus horribilis 

The original mobile telephone 

weighed in at 

impressive 2kg and was 

first demonstrated in 1979. 

The first commercially available 

handheld, the DynaTAC 

8000x was not available until 

1983. 

The four-year gap seems 

somewhat pedestrian given 

the speed to market of modern 

tech products. I guess that gave 

them time to ‘get it right’ and 

‘sort out the bugs’, rather like 

the time you need to develop 

LUXURY & LIFESTYLE 

> BY ALAN NEBEN 

Alan Neben is a Mount Maunganui local and experienced New Zealand 

publisher. He uses digital devices well in excess of the recommended daily 

limit. alan@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

and launch a Covid vaccine – 

but that’s another story. 

The 1990’s: what heady 

days they were. Brick in hand, 

shoulder pads in place and 

Bollinger flowing, business 

lunches will probably never 

end so late-in-the-day again. 

Funny thing is, you didn’t 

actually need to use the mobile 

phone, you just needed to be 

seen with it and to occasionally 

fake an extremely important 

incoming call. An elaborate 

song and dance evolved 

around the façade of appearing 

to be a mobile-equipped VIP 

(Very Irritating Person). 

But that first mobile phone 

let the genie out the bottle, and 

as we know, you can’t easily 

get the toothpaste back in that 

bottle [sic]. 

Must have had’s 

We’ve often seen new-fangled 

gadgets become the ‘must 

have’ … and then quickly 

become the ‘must have had’. 

Fax machines suddenly 

flourished in business in the 

‘80s, then declined as quickly 

in the ‘90s replaced by email, 

computers and printers – oh 

how quickly we forget. 

The now ubiquitous cell 

phone has not fallen victim 

to such a meteoric fall-fromgrace. 

On the contrary the 

mobile has evolved and morphed 

from a phone-calling 

device to a, “do-absolutely-everything-you-can-think-of, 

and-then-even-more-stuff, 

device”. 

The names may have 

changed, Motorola and Blackberry 

have been supplanted by 

Apple and Samsung, but the 

song remains the same. Hardly 

surprising that the biggest job 

confronting auditors for NAS- 

DAQ superstars like Apple is 

checking the correct number 

of zeros at the bottom of their 

The names may have 

changed, Motorola 

and Blackberry have 

been supplanted by 

Apple and Samsung, 

but the song remains 

the same. 

reports – trust me, it’s so easy 

to absent-mindedly transpose a 

billion and a million. There’s 

money in mobile. 

And all the while the fax 

machine can still only send 

faxes. Sad. 

Why, oh why then, given 

the ubiquitousness of the 

mobile phone, is it impossible 

to get a millennial GenZ’er 

to phone their grandmother 

or clear their voice mail messages? 

What part of cell phone 

(if you take away the cell part) 

do they not understand? And 

‘no, Gran doesn’t want you to 

DM her - She doesn’t do DM’. 

Virtually everyone nowadays 

has a mobile device. We 

can Uber, Ola, Holla, Tweet, 

swipe, post, friend, defriend, 

txt, IG, FB, WhatsApp, like, 

unlike, slack, follow, unfollow, 

pay, Afterpay, Paypal, filter, 

stream, cast, share and then 

ghost – you can even have blue 

teeth and make videos with a 

clock in the clouds. 

Yet ironically, the one 

skill the smart phone seems 

to be eliminating is the ability 

to “just call”. And that’s 

leading to a related problem 

– the declining ability to “just 

answer”.


Brad Harkin, Director Harkin Roofing 

HARKIN ROOFING has a new purpose-built 

office and manufacturing facility at 94 Gargan 

Road, Tauriko. 

Built by Foster Construction, Harkin’s new 

footprint is approximately 1,210m², comprising 

400m² offices, a manufacturing space for 

flashings and edge-protection, plus plenty of 

storage space. 

Director Brad Harkin says that, having worked 

as a roofing subcontractor on several of their 

projects, he had seen first-hand the quality of 

their work, Fosters was a natural choice. 

“Fosters are easy to work with” says Brad. 

“They instil a great level of trust through the 

project team and with clients. 

For Fosters, attention to detail was key to this 

project. The objective was to provide a well laid 

out facility suited to Harkin’s daily work, with an 

abundance of natural light. 

“Starting with a simple concept design, Fosters 

were involved in designing a practical space 

that was fit for purpose” continues Brad. 

“Throughout the project, nothing was too hard. 

I could pick up the phone, discuss a change and 

see it happen. There was no need to sign off 

every step.” 

The result is everything Brad expected, and 

more. 

“The project was delivered on budget and on 

time” he concludes. “I can’t fault the building at 

all. And the quality of finish, especially through 

the offices, really exceeded my expectations.” 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 570 6000

24 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS July 2021

July 2021 - Bay of Plenty Business News

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