Waikato Business News June/July 2023

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6 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, JUNE/JULY 2023 Female football stars talk gender dynamics in sport In the spirit of ‘Going Beyond’, Hamilton Host City held a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Trophy Tour event featuring a stellar line up at the K’aute Pasifika Fale, to empower future generations in sport. The well-attended event inspired guests to dream big and uplift others. Past and present female sporting personalities on the panel included current Football Fern Michaela Foster, ex-Football Fern Joy Howland and FIFA Referee Sarah Jones. MC and Olympian Sarah Cowley-Ross led the discussion with the panel on how far women’s sport has come, in the lead-up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. The theme of the evening was – ‘the changing dynamics of gender in sport’ and saw the unveiling of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Original Trophy, which was on its last leg of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty Trophy Tour. The aim of the tour is to inspire young females and create excitement ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, which is kicking off in Hamilton Kirikiriroa on Saturday, July 22. The audience comprised of many young female footballers including local team The Wanderers who came to support and learn from some footballing idols. FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 COO New Zealand Jane Patterson and Cambridge High School student and prefect and captain of the girl’s football team Jess Savage delivered the opening address. Current Football Fern Michaela Foster shared with the audience how the road to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 takes its time with the first big opportunity coming her way at the age of 24. Importantly, she says, everyone has a different story and different milestones. Part of a well-known sporting family - her father Ian Foster is the All Black’s coach, Michaela understands the challenges of playing professionally. “Football stuck with me when I started at the age of seven. Our parents always encouraged us to create our path, and playing football with my sister became the highlight of my childhood years. I am a proud daughter, and he’s a proud dad.” Michaela was a coach at Hamilton Girls’ High School when she received a scholarship to play professionally. She worked at a supermarket to pay the bills, but says the journey made the success more respected. “Navigating the sporting world after high school is critical for young players. It is crucial that we have inlets into sporting communities along with pathways to pursue career opportunities for young girls. In addition to this, watching women in both sports as well as leadership roles in the sports fraternity will be a boost for young girls.” FIFA referee Sarah Jones highlighted the need to break barriers for women to continue sports after school, university, or even after getting married and having children. “We need to tell women that it is possible to follow your passion even with a family and a career. If you love doing it, you can always go for it,” she says. “The fitness levels are higher for both players and referees. With various learning modules, and training sessions before the games begin and even during the World Cup, the referees are also required to exhibit skill and aptitude along with fitness. A speed test, agility test, strength test, core and flexibility training and several criteria, it is a mix of hard work, learning and continuous commitment to one’s passion that come into play as a referee. But I would not have it any other way. It is a commitment I have made to my passion.” Ex-Football Fern Joy Howland, who was sporting her team jersey from the 1989 World Cup, reminisced about how times have changed and the game of football itself has changed drastically. “It is such a great feeling to see more girls and all-girls teams when I go to my son’s football games on Saturday mornings.” She also reminisced about her days on the New Zealand team. “It was just a bunch of mates playing for the country. We never had the structure or institutional support that is now available. It was all about the love for the game. We were fundraising on the weekends, requesting people to buy our tickets, door knocking and trying everything we could. It was a constant cycle of ‘play, train and fundraise’ for us.” When asked about how the next generation of girls can be motivated to take on sports, she had a sound piece of advice for the players. “Talent is great, but often not enough. Mentors can have immense impact in developing the drive and commitment and show you how to keep the passion high and prepare a plan of action for you.” She also had a message for parents which was received. “Focus on presence not pressure. Be available, show up for games on the side lines and support your girls in their journey. It would be great to see New Zealand go to the next level with higher participation and more visibility.” Hamilton is set to host five matches from 22 July 2023. An impressive number of 1million tickets have been sold so far in both the host nations, Australia and New Zealand, which shows a positive change for women’s sports and increased support from spectators. Girls with Goals celebrates Waikato waahine As the host city for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, Hamilton Kirikiriroa recently launched its Girls with Goals campaign to showcase the strengths and achievements of local Waikato waahine. The 11 inspirational women have been chosen to celebrate the community by capturing their stories and goals. The aim of the campaign is to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion with the hope of inspiring others to create and smash their goals. The achievements of these women will be shared through public displays of empowerment with a city-wide dressing leading up to the FIFA Shelley Blair Women’s World Cup 2023. The 11 include co-founder and director of Talents of the Pacific Academy Landy Tyrell Nonoa, Special Olympics Landy Tyrell Nonoa co-founder and head coach Shelley Blair and Dame Malvina Major Foundation Studio Artist with NZ Opera for 2021 Katherine Winitana. The full line up of Girls with Goals can be found at girlswithgoals.co.nz. The 11 women featured here are only a few of many who have positively Katherine Winitana impacted and inspired our community. Photo credit: Sophie-Miya Smith
First home buyers back in the market as property trends take an upturn When the summer sun gets a bit hot, we’re eager for the leaves to start changing, signalling autumn. When winter’s grip brings frost, wind and rain, we’re all watching closely for the pink buds of spring. And in the property world, we’re also operating in a cycle that often takes years to come around again. I feel as though I’ve come of age as a mortgage adviser, having seen several turns of the clock as property values rise and fall. There are some changes afoot, and looking at property metrics over the past month or so shows some interesting trends. First-time home buyers are returning to the market in large numbers following changes on 1 June that have made it easier to obtain loans with less than a 20% deposit, the relaxation of CCCFA legislation, and properties being offered at lower prices. Enquiry is up over 50%, and many of these buyers are armed with pre-approvals and looking to make competitive offers. We’re also seeing multi-offers on properties becoming more common again, particularly in the bottom to middle of the market, where buyers aren’t needing to sell a property to make their purchase work. I myself was blown away to receive three offers on a property I had listed. Most of my first home buyers are now finding themselves in competition when putting pen to paper. Another trend is the supply of properties starting to fall. Very slowly we’re seeing a switch from a flood of properties on the market as vendors make calculated decisions to hold off, and more confidence starts to creep into the minds of investors that political change may be afoot. Banks are thankfully now starting to loosen lending WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, JUNE/JULY 2023 7 BEYOND THE BANKS BY CLAIRE WILLIAMSON Claire Williamson is a mortgage advisor for My Mortgage criteria by tweaking policies in favour of bolstering loan volumes. They have welcomed the changes put in place by the RBNZ in June around LVR (Loan to Value) requirements for investors and first home buyers. I’m predicting these will continue to loosen in the next few months as banks revisit their credit criteria in the face of what looks like a levelling off of interest rates. The big news of the last month is the likelihood of the RBNZ placing the official cash rate on hold this week (12 July 2023), which they signalled strongly in May. This has built confidence in the minds of borrowers who were hearing numbers of nine per cent thrown around and wondering how they’d service their mortgages. That risk has now largely abated, and we’re hearing stories of battening down the hatches as strong employment conditions continue to keep people in jobs. And while I like to be the ray of sunshine on an otherwise bleak week of rain and cold, these small glimmers of hope still carry challenges for the buyer, particularly if they are investors looking to leverage equity, or first home buyers on entry-level incomes. Interest rates are still fairly high compared to several years ago, and it’s important to consider your budget when looking to buy, especially when business confidence is lower, and many are looking to drive efficiencies by reviewing human resources and input costs. But if you’re in a position to purchase your first home, second home or forever home, or even add to a property portfolio, the conditions may be just perfect. Get your umbrella out, dance in the puddles and look out on the horizon. It’s faint, but you might catch a glimpse of spring, ready to put forward new life and start the cycle once again. CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE NEALE OF NAI HARCOURTS HAMILTON Mike Neale, Managing Director, NAI Harcourts Hamilton Importance Levels – Understanding the Criteria for Buildings IL1 to IL5 This is a question that comes up periodically, but randomly I received three calls last week around this topic. For those seeking strong seismic resilience in Hamilton for buildings IL3 and above, it’s a pretty thin wedge when seeking premises options that require superior NBS standards. Ensuring the safety and resilience of buildings is a top priority for authorities, especially in the wake of natural disasters and changing climatic conditions. The seismic performance of buildings is critical to safeguarding lives and preserving infrastructure during earthquakes. To achieve this, New Zealand has a stringent classification system for buildings based on their Importance Level (IL1 to IL5) and corresponding building regulations and criteria. Let’s delve into the criteria and regulations governing these importance levels. Importance Level (IL1 to IL5) Classification: Importance Levels (IL) are assigned to buildings based on their significance concerning safety and functionality during earthquakes. They are determined by considering the building’s function, occupancy, and consequences of failure during a seismic event. The IL classification ranges from IL1 (lowest importance) to IL5 (highest importance). The criteria for each level are as follows: • IL1: Buildings with a low level of importance, such as agricultural structures and minor utility buildings. Failure of IL1 buildings during an earthquake is less likely to result in significant consequences. Examples include ancillary buildings not for human habitation and minor storage facilities. • IL2: Buildings with moderate importance, including most residential and commercial structures. The failure of IL2 buildings may cause some damage but is not expected to result in major life-threatening situations. The vast majority of commercial and office buildings in Hamilton fall into this category. • IL3: Buildings with high importance, like hospitals, emergency facilities, and key infrastructure. The failure of IL3 buildings could have significant consequences for public safety and critical services. Examples include buildings where more than 300 people congregate in one area / primary schools, secondary schools, or daycare facilities with a capacity greater than 250 / buildings with tertiary education and a capacity greater than 500 / buildings generating power, water treatment and other public facilities not included in IL 4 • IL4: Buildings of essential importance, including lifeline infrastructure like emergency response centres and power stations. The failure of IL4 buildings could lead to severe societal impacts and disruption. Examples include hospitals / fire, rescue and police stations / aviation control towers / buildings intended to contribute to emergency preparedness and used for communication in an emergency. • IL5: Buildings with critical importance, such as emergency response headquarters and essential national infrastructure. The failure of IL5 buildings would have catastrophic consequences for society. This includes major dams and extremely hazardous facilities. Building Regulations and Criteria: New Zealand has robust building codes and regulations in place to ensure that structures are designed and constructed to withstand seismic forces. These regulations are outlined in the New Zealand Building Code. The building regulations for IL1 to IL5 buildings include: i Seismic Design: Buildings in high and critical importance categories (IL3 to IL5) must comply with stricter seismic design requirements. Engineers use sophisticated techniques and calculations to ensure these buildings can withstand the forces generated by earthquakes. ii Material Standards: The New Zealand Building Code sets out specific standards for construction materials. For buildings in higher importance levels, stricter material requirements are imposed to enhance resilience. iii Building Envelope: IL1 and IL2 buildings may focus more on functionality and aesthetics, while IL3 to IL5 structures prioritize maintaining the building envelope even during a seismic event. iv Redundancy and Resilience: Buildings with higher importance levels must demonstrate greater redundancy and resilience to withstand earthquake-induced stresses. v Foundation Requirements: The foundation design for IL3 to IL5 buildings is more stringent, considering factors like soil conditions, liquefaction potential, and ground motion amplification. vi Regular Inspections: High and critical importance buildings may require more frequent inspections and monitoring to ensure ongoing structural integrity. vii Building Consent Process: Local authorities evaluate building consent applications based on the IL classification, ensuring compliance with the appropriate regulations. The classification of buildings into Importance Levels (IL1 to IL5) in New Zealand is crucial for managing seismic risk and promoting public safety. There are building regulations which ensure that higher importance structures are designed and constructed to withstand seismic forces. NAI Harcourts Hamilton Monarch Commercial Ltd MREINZ Licensed Agent REAA 2008 Cnr Victoria & London Streets, HAMILTON 07 850 5252 | hamilton@naiharcourts.co.nz www.naiharcourts.co.nz
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