November 2023 - Bay of Plenty Business News

NOVEMBER 2023 VOLUME 7: ISSUE 11 

WWW.BOPBUSINESSNEWS.CO.NZ 

FACEBOOK.COM/BAYOFPLENTYBUSINESSNEWS 

PEOPLE 

MIDDLE-EAST CONUNDRUM 

The Porter Report looks to responsibilities of key 

players and ongoing Israel-Palestine tensions 

Page 4 

POST-ELECTION UPDATE 

Anticipated tax policy changes and their 

implications – Insights by Andrea Scatchard 

Page 11 

ALAN NEBEN NOTICES 

‘Now you’re speaking my language’: selfimprovement 

suggestions for Kiwis 

Page 22 

> PROFILE 

Bernice Breckon – 

A human dynamo 

determined to 

make a difference 

Page 18-19 

CULTURE 

Bay of Plenty MPs Scott Simpson, Tom Rutherford, Dana Kirkpatrick, Sam Uffindell and Todd McClay represented the general countrywide trend to National. 

NATS DECISIVE 

CLEAN-SWEEP 

> LEISURE 

Summer time, and 

the cruisin’s easy – 

Tauranga Harbour 

beckons 

Page 23 

ACROSS THE BAY 

> 

We look at the general electorates that make up Bay of Plenty 

SPECIAL ELECTION REPORT 

Business News’ circulation area and talk to the successful 

candidates about the message they are taking from the results. Our political specialist David Porter also talks to local 

business leaders about the National clean-sweep and what they believe BOP businesses can expect in the term ahead. Page 6 

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November 2023 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS 3 

Personal finance 

challenges endure 

As the National Party forms a coalition and New Zealand prepares for 

a new government, mortgage adviser Claire Williamson believes the 

incoming government will have a task ahead of them in tackling the 

country’s current issues in the property and personal finance sectors. 

Based in Cambridge, Williamson 

speaks with her 

clients about the ups and 

downs of property, lending, and 

personal finance on a daily basis, 

and offers valuable a perspective 

on the changes that are needed in 

the industry. 

“It’s important that we 

acknowledge the positive, and the 

first home loan is working well. 

Since the changes made to first 

home loans in 2022, the increase 

in first home buyers being able to 

use the first home grant has been 

huge,” she says. “Pre-approval is 

possible, it helps the process go 

smoothly, and we have plenty of 

options in terms of lender, rates, 

and structure. It’s a big tick from 

me on this front!” 

But Williamson says there are 

some challenges too, including 

having existing personal debt. She 

says banks are always tougher on 

approving loans for new borrowers 

when they have consumer 

debt in place, for example, car 

loans, credit cards, Afterpay, or 

personal loans. 

“I’d love to see the government 

reward first home buyers who 

actively save, spend their money 

wisely, and have no existing debt. 

A simple credit check included 

in the application to Kainga Ora 

would verify this. 

“It would be great to see these 

first home buyers provided with 

additional first home grant funds, 

similar to those building a new 

home, as it incentivises would-be 

borrowers to reduce their debt 

and become more attractive to a 

lender,” she explains. 

For most middle-income 

households, Williamson says their 

single biggest cost is childcare for 

their under-fives. It worries her 

that it’s more expensive for working 

parents to return to work than 

it is to stay home – dependent on 

their income. 

“It’s a big cost, with some families 

spending up to $20,000 per 

year on childcare, and they’re 

barely making ends meet. Supporting 

these families would go a 

long way to getting parents back 

to work – if they choose to, of 

course – which in turn supports 

businesses,” she says. 

Williamson believes property 

investors have been somewhat of 

a scapegoat for the current government 

as interest deductibility 

was removed, the bright line test 

switched back to ten years, and 

rent freezes have been talked 

about. 

“I think this approach is all 

wrong – the investor-tenant 

relationship is symbiotic, and it 

should be treated as such,” she 

explains. 

“Each needs to support the 

other, and policymakers would 

do well to consider more carefully 

the impact of these rushed pieces 

of legislation. From my perspective, 

supporting the reversal of 

these policies is a win for tenants, 

who are currently paying higher 

rents and have less surety because 

some investors are being forced to 

sell property to pay tax on income 

they’ve already spent – on paying 

the bank. More are still selling 

existing properties in favour of 

new builds, which is more disruptive 

for tenants,” she adds. 

Williamson says the changes 

in the Credit Contracts and Consumer 

Finance Act have been the 

most challenging piece of legislation 

to hit the financial services 

industry in years. 

“Unfortunately, it hasn’t delivered 

any substantial changes 

to the problem it was trying to 

solve – protecting vulnerable borrowers. 

To achieve that outcome 

would mean administrating more 

compliance across smaller lenders, 

and that takes more resources 

and a united industry,” she says. 

“What it has done is frustrated 

advisers and bank staff and add 

to an already high workload for 

little to no gain for borrowers. 

Although I gripe about it from 

time to time, believe it or not, 

banks actually have really good 

mechanisms in place for picking 

up vulnerable borrowers, and 

I think the Responsible Lending 

Code does a great job of that 

already.” 

Williamson would also like to 

see the RBNZ limits for low LVR 

lending increase, and tip the balance 

further in favour of first 

home buyers. This may require a 

reduction in the limits for investment- 

based lending, but with 

many property investors moving 

to renovate their existing portfolio 

or purchase new builds, this 

wouldn’t disadvantage too many. 

“Let’s allocate more funding 

for lower deposits it’s tough for 

first home buyers who are outside 

eligibility for the first home loan, 

so this would allow more of them 

to get into their own homes,” Williamson 

adds. 

“Property and lending is a 

tough gig, and I’m sure no government 

will get it 100% right. 

But from someone out there in the 

trenches talking to those doing it 

tough to fulfil their goal of home 

ownership, I hope this advice is 

useful for our incoming leaders 

and can set in motion positive 

changes to future lending for 

Kiwis.” 

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4 BAY OF PLENTY BUSINESS NEWS November 2023 

> THE PORTER REPORT 

A monthly update on the business 

world from leading writer David Porter 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

PUBLISHER 

Alan Neben, Ph: 021 733 536 

Email: alan@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

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Alan Neben, Ph: 021 733 536 

Email: editor@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

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ADVERTISING 

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ELECTRONIC FORWARDING 

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News releases/Photos/Letters: 

editor@bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

GENERAL ENQUIRIES 

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Bay of Plenty Business News has a circulation 

of 8000, distributed throughout Bay of Plenty 

between Waihi and Opotiki including Rotorua 

and Taupo, and to a subscription base. 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications 

309/424 Maunganui Rd, Mt Maunganui, 3116 

Bay of Plenty Business Publications specialises 

in business publishing, advertising, design, print 

and electronic media services. 

www.bopbusinessnews.co.nz 

In case you 

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month’s edition 

Scan to 

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Dazed and confused 

> By DAVID PORTER 

Great power brings with 

it great responsibilities. 

This adage has been 

around in various languages 

since at least the first century 

BC. The truth of the saying has 

been recently laid bare by the 

conspicuous reluctance of the 

key players to exercise their 

responsibilities during the 

current middle eastern crisis. 

As we went to press the 

seemingly eternal issue of the 

rights of Israel and Palestine 

to exist as separate states was 

again surging. 

US President Joe Biden, to 

his credit, quickly embarked 

upon some shuttle diplomacy 

to the region. But he 

appears to have been completely 

outplayed by Israel’s 

Benjamin Netanyahu. The 

Israeli president essentially 

only grudgingly and belatedly 

gave permission for a trickle 

of humanitarian aid to enter 

Gaza, one of the two small 

enclaves that Palestinians 

have been largely confined to 

for decades. 

Netanyahu realised that 

David Porter 

Biden was, regardless of 

his humanitarian instincts, 

largely beholden to maintaining 

its consistent US support 

over decades to support 

Israel – currently to the tune 

of around US$3.8 billion a 

year. And that Biden was also 

enmired with poor polls in a 

tough US election campaign 

and was very aware of the 

strong pro-Israeli lobby in the 

US. 

Let me state clearly that 

the attacks by the terror 

group Hamas against Israel, 

which triggered the current 

conflagration, were appalling 

and unacceptable. 

But I am baffled by Israel’s 

intemperate response in 

Gaza. This has in a matter of 

weeks turned global opinion 

from seeing Israel as plucky 

victims, into their being portrayed 

as genocidal monsters 

raining down air strikes that 

have so far killed in excess of 

5,000 Palestinians and turned 

acres of houses throughout 

Gaza to rubble. 

I fail to understand why 

Netanyahu’s government 

does not understand that all 

they are doing is encouraging 

observers to re-examine the 

dismal record of – not only 

Israel and Palestinians – but 

all parties’ failure to create 

the long-promised fair and 

equitable two-state solution. 

There is no shortage of 

historical record on the subject 

and plenty of blame to go 

around, including on the part 

of the backers of both sides. 

And that goes back to the sad 

colonial history in which the 

British Mandate in Palestine 

was essentially used to carve 

out a state for Israel and no 

real avenue was allowed to 

let the displaced Palestinians 

function as a people. 

The reality is that Israel 

– especially under Netanyahu’s 

right-wing government 

– has essentially created a 

prison camp for Palestinians 

inside the small sliver of land 

allowed to them in Gaza. 

And it has increasingly 

both encouraged and failed to 

control Israeli settler groups 

to illegally occupy land supposedly 

granted to Palestinians 

in the West Bank of 

Israel. 

Part of this response stems 

from the fact that Netanyahu, 

who is dealing with various 

legal problems, is by no 

means universally popular in 

Israel. There is clearly unease 

within Israel and amongst 

Israel supporters abroad 

about blowback on the current 

course of action. 

At least part of the current 

Israeli government’s response 

is its attempt to atone for having 

conspicuously failed to 

protect Israel from the terror 

attacks by Hamas, which had 

arguably been encouraged by 

Israel to run the administration 

of Gaza. 

Sadly the failures of both 

sides, and their supporters, 

are only likely to result in 

more pain and bloodshed for 

innocent civilians on both 

sides of this appalling crisis.


REVITALISING TAURANGA: 

QUAYSIDE’S 

STRATEGIC CBD 

PARTNERSHIP 

Quayside has joined Watts & Hughes and 

Carrus in a joint venture partnership for 

the development of the 35 Hamilton Street 

Commercial Centre building, based in the 

heart of the Tauranga CBD. 

Quayside has enjoyed an 

extensive relationship 

with Carrus, with the 

shared purpose of collectively 

exploring developments within 

the Tauranga CBD. Through 

this relationship, the joint venture 

partnership with Carrus, 

Watts & Hughes and Quayside 

has emerged. This JV trio brings 

together extensive experience in 

construction, development and 

investment. Watts & Hughes is a 

well-recognised national investment 

and construction business 

with strong Bay of Plenty roots. 

Carrus, founded by Sir Paul 

Adams has a formidable reputation 

across business and property 

development. Sir Paul is a 

well-known local philanthropist 

and businessman, with extensive 

residential and land development 

experience. 

Sam Newbury, senior investment 

manager for Quayside 

Holdings says, ‘’This partnership 

builds upon Quayside’s previously 

announced acquisition of 

Tauranga Crossing, demonstrating 

large-scale co-investment 

partners with an excellent reputation 

in the property sector. 

We’re thrilled to partner with 

seasoned commercial developers 

and leaders in the business community. 

This investment capitalises 

on Priority One’s Blueprint 

and concurrent Tauranga City 

Council works, which all pursue 

the goal of a revitalised, thriving 

city centre.” 

“Carrus are pleased to be continuing 

our business relationship 

with Quayside Holdings, in relation 

to the high-quality commercial 

building in Hamilton Street, 

which incorporates commercial 

office tenancies and significant 

tenant and public car parking in 

Tauranga CBD. 

“Our joint partnership also 

includes Watts & Hughes, with 

Craig Watts being a long-time 

friend and associate. Collaborating 

with people and parties who 

already know and understand 

each other’s business skills and 

modus operandi makes for a very 

comfortable, professional business 

relationship. 

“Carrus are proud to be associated 

with this group in providing 

another part of the commercial 

CBD redevelopment that 

Tauranga City has been lacking,” 

said Carrus Group chair Sir Paul 

Adams. 

Initially designed as a seven-story 

carpark building, 35 

Hamilton Street has been entirely 

reimagined by the joint venture 

into a new formation, complete 

with the provision of new structural 

engineering to facilitate the 

change in building design and in 

response to seismic requirements. 

“Watts & Hughes take great 

pride in the opportunity to continue 

to provide quality construction 

projects to the Bay of Plenty 

community through this JV partnership,” 

says Watts & Hughes 

managing director Craig Watts. 

“Originally formed in 1984, 

Watts & Hughes have grown substantially 

over time, incorporating 

other enterprises related to 

our core business. 

“Watts & Hughes Construction 

employs more than 180 skilled 

and professional team members 

nationwide and have completed 

more than 800 building projects, 

many of which have been carried 

out across multiple government 

agencies and private corporations 

in variety of disciplines including 

residential, commercial, industrial 

and institutional,” he said. 

“The synergy of our relationship 

with Quayside and Carrus 

can be seen respectively through 

successful projects such as Palmerston 

North Distribution Centre 

and currently Te Uru Rakau New 

Building. Not all construction 

companies balance the best standards 

of the past with the competence 

and vision to meet the 

changing needs of a diverse range 

of clients for the future. We do.” 

When complete, 35 Hamilton 

Street will be a 14-story building, 

comprising seven car parking levels 

on the base, and seven office 

levels on top, with views across 

the Tauranga Harbour to the East 

and Waikareao Estuary to the 

West. The building will be nestled 

within Te Manawataki o Te Papa, 

the new CBD precinct currently 

being developed by Tauranga City 

Council. 

Working alongside the developers, 

Tauranga City Council has 

enabled the deliverable of 200 

public carparks within the building 

and a raft of services to come 

following the building’s completion 

– a positive outcome for the 

community. 

Tauranga City Council General 

Manager of City Development 

and Partnerships, Gareth Wallis 

says, “We’re thrilled about this 

joint venture. It reinforces the 

confidence that both the private 

and public sector have in the 

revitalisation of our city centre 

and is a great example of the 

collaboration and commitment 

required to support its successful 

transformation. 

“We also welcome the features 

that the development itself will 

bring. They’ll play a key role in 

complementing the neighbouring 

civic precinct, Te Manawataki o 

Te Papa, and help make our city 

centre an even greater place for 

people to live, work, learn and 

play in the coming years.” 

This investment plentifully 

aligns with the Quayside values, 

strategy and overarching purpose 

– to grow a diversified fund that 

generates long-term returns and 

supports the growth and prosperity 

of the Bay of Plenty. 

EXPERIENCE. THE DIFFERENCE . ADDS UP 

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> SPECIAL ELECTION REPORT 

Clean sweep 

for National 

across BOP 

The 2023 election results have seen a clear National 

Party victory across the country. The same mandate 

for change is evident throughout the wider Bay of 

Plenty region. We went to press with this issue just 

before the final count including special votes was 

confirmed in early November. But there will almost 

certainly be no change in the Bay of Plenty results. 

> By DAVID PORTER 

While it remains to be seen 

whether Winston Peters’ NZ 

First Party picks up enough special 

votes to influence the final shape of the 

future government, National, with David 

Seymour’s ACT Party in support, is almost 

certain to hold power. 

As well as the individual electorate MP 

races in each of the five electorates, 

National also won the party vote by significant 

margins. 

Only Labour’s Tauranga-based Jan 

Tinetti, who has yet to win a local candidate 

seat, will return to Parliament as a 

locally based List MP because of her high 

placing on the party vote. 

One could see the result as a resounding 

swing to National. However, as many 

have commented, as much as anything it 

suggests a move away from the outgoing 

Labour Government and the left wing in 

general. 

Labour failed to follow 

through 

As several of the people interviewed for 

this story noted, Labour had in recent years 

enjoyed resounding electorate success and 

had a clear mandate for its policies. But it 

failed to achieve what it had promised and 

initiated too many ambitious projects that 

were never likely to be realised. 

There are plenty of places to lay the 

blame: a left-wing government that wasn’t 

united across its supporting parties; the 

rigours and costs of Labour fighting Covid 

19, and the unfortunate recent public disgraces 

of a large number of senior Labour 

MPs. 

But it came down to a sense in the electorate 

that Labour had stalled despite its 

initial mandate. 

The Ardern factor 

I regard former prime minister Jacinda 

Ardern as one of the most successful 

Labour leaders in decades. 

Ardern is also exceptionally astute. She 

read the early signs of Labour falling in 

the polls and opted to promptly jettison 

her prime ministership and head for US 

academia. 

She handed on what proved to be a poisoned 

chalice to the new and now defeated 

Labour prime minister Chris Hipkins. 

I have been fortunate in my career 

to have reported on, travelled with and 

worked for a number of politicians from 

various parties. 

In my experience, most intelligent politicians 

I have known tended to have gone 

into their profession out of a genuine 

desire to do their best for their constitu- 

ents’ interests. 

Unfortunately, many end up spending 

too much of their careers in parliament in 

Wellington, away from their families 

and constituents, grinding out 

90-hour weeks. 

I am not suggesting that 

senior electorate jobs don’t 

come with pay, perks and 

some glamour – they do. But 

I’m not sure voters always 

appreciate how wearying 

and sometimes ungratifying 

MPs’ jobs can be. 

The current mayhem and 

massacres in the Middle East 

and the bizarre behaviours 

in the US house of congress 

make me appreciate that 

we are fortunate to 

live in a relatively stable and democratic 

country, in which exercising our vote is 

easy and accurate. 

How business views the 

result 

Todd Muller recently retired as a National 

MP and has taken up the role of independent 

chairman of council and local business-owned 

group Priority One. He told the 

Bay of Plenty Business News that the local 

business community would have a strong 

expectation of new momentum from the 

incoming government, matched with hope 

that it brings some additional local investment 

to the region. 

“My sense is that there was significant 

frustration at the lack of urgency of central 

government investment to support our 

city and wider region over the 

last few years – and that 

this was felt throughout 

our local business sectors,” 

said Muller. 

Tauranga 

Business 

Chamber chief 

executive 

Matt 

Cowley told the Bay 

of Plenty Business 

News there was a lot 

of low-hanging fruit 

in Nationals’ policies 

that would be supported 

by the business 

community. 

He 

cited 

fair 

pay 

agreements and some adjustment to 

employment relationships, like the return 

of the 90-day trial, as things that would be 

supported by the business community. 

Cowley said that currently there were 

business areas that were hurting quite a 

lot, but some sectors were growing well. 

“I think people are going to be looking 

at 2024 as probably a challenging year, in 

geopolitics as well the US election,” he said. 

“But there are some really good green 

shoots coming through – Food and Beverage 

is growing in new markets as well. 

“Businesses are preparing for the economy 

to cool sideways,” he said. “For some 

people it will be tough.” 

Not enough achieved 

Veteran National MP Todd McClay, who has 

again retained the Rotorua electorate, told 

the Bay of Plenty Business News that the 

election result was very humbling. 

“I think the reason for the result is similar 

to the rest of the country – there has 

not been nearly enough achieved,” he said. 

“The cost of living has increased quite 

significantly, and in the BOP the roads 

were in a very sad state. During the campaign 

that was expressed quite clearly by 

many people.” 

McClay said that over the past six years 

the polling suggested that what might have 

been achieved had gone backwards. 

“We will put a stable government 

together, and are clear about the first 100 

days commitments.” 

Newly anointed National MP Tom Rutherford, 

who took over Muller’s seat, said 

> I think people are going to 

be looking at 2024 as probably a 

challenging year, in geopolitics as well 

the US election. But there are some 

really good green shoots coming 

through – Food and Beverage is 

growing in new markets as well.” 

– MATT COWLEY


> REGIONAL WINNERS 

The region’s winners include: 

• BAY OF PLENTY, Tom Rutherford (National) 

• TAURANGA, Sam Uffindell (National) 

• ROTORUA, Todd McClay (National) 

• EAST COAST, Dana Kirkpatrick (National) 

• COROMANDEL, Scott Simpson (National) 

there were a number of key issues. 

“There was a mood for change,” he 

said. 

“People were unhappy with how the 

Labour government performed – particularly 

as they had a majority and they had 

no reason not to bring about change in 

their time. They weren’t successful. “ 

Rutherford said he believed the biggest 

issues locally were the cost of living, 

fixing and rebuilding out the economy, 

law and order and improving education 

and health care. 

‘I would often talk about our focus on 

transport and infrastructure,” he told the 

Bay of Plenty Business News. 

“We’ve got a real congestion issue here 

and we need to ensure we have suitable 

transport infrastructure to service our 

role as the fastest growing city in NZ. 

Transport infrastructure has not caught 

up.” 

Communities feel hard hit 

National’s Scott Simpson retained his 

Coromandel seat in a landslide, an electorate 

he has held since 2011. He told the 

Bay of Plenty Business News that he felt 

National’s success was in part a result of 

the fact that like many other communities, 

the Coromandel had been hit hard 

by the Labour government’s rigid and 

centralised approach to policy. 

“Ours is an electorate made up of small 

businesses, usually family run,” he said. 

“They’ve been doing it tough.” 

Simpson said the community’s age 

demographic skewed towards seniors 

aged 65-plus. 

“They have been trying to cope with 

the cost-of-living crisis, reduced access to 

health care and, like all New Zealanders, 

they have been outraged by the crime 

wave sweeping their local communities,” 

he said. 

“These were people who want a government 

focused on the issues that matter 

to them. Labour simply were not.” 

The most pressing issues he found in 

the leadup were the cost-of-living crisis, 

> My sense is that there was 

significant frustration 

at the lack of urgency 

of central government 

investment to support 

our city and wider region 

over the last few years 

– and that this was felt 

throughout our local 

business sectors.” 

 

– TODD MULLER 

out of control crime, poor access to health 

services and roading infrastructure 

issues, he said. 

The East Coast electorate went blue 

after National candidate Dana Kirkpatrick 

convincingly won the seat. In an 

interview with the Rotorua Daily Post she 

said that given Labour’s big win in 2020, 

her campaign was conscious they had 

ground to make up. 

The seat was convincingly won in the 

previous election by Labour’s Kiri Allan, 

who had turned around what had previously 

been a National stronghold. She 

subsequently became one of the several 

Labour MPs to recently resign. 

The electorate understood the need 

to have someone from there, who lived 

there, who worked there, who had been 

a CEO and a general manager there, Kirkpatrick 

told the Post. 

Muller told the Bay of Plenty Business 

News that once the new government had 

been sworn in, the business community 

would be looking forward to progressing 

genuine partnership that facilitated 

the roading, housing and wider amenity 

infrastructure that the region desperately 

needed. 

“A wider New Zealand recovery 

requires the Bay to be leading from the 

front – that can happen with the right 

shared investment in infrastructure and 

people,” he said. 

PANEPANE POINT, MATAKANA 

ISLAND PINE TREE HARVESTING 

TO FUND REPLACEMENT WHARF 

Neighbours overlooking the Southern 

end of Matakana Island might start 

to notice the landscape change, as 

contractors begin to harvest the mature 

pine trees on the island. 

90 hectares of mature pine trees will 

start to be felled from Monday 16 October 

2023. 

Revenue from harvesting the trees, 

owned by Western Bay of Plenty District 

Council, will go towards funding the 

building of the much-needed replacement 

wharf at Panepane Point. 

“We want to let the community know, 

because we know that the beautiful taonga 

of Matakana is part of the unique and precious 

landscape around Tauranga Moana. 

It’s going to look a bit different along the 

island foreshore for a few years and we are 

working hard to restore the native flora 

and fauna at Panepane Point,” explains 

Council’s Reserves and Facilities Manager, 

Peter Watson. 

“Working with the local hapū from 

Matakana Island, we will replant in appropriate 

native trees and shrubs for approximately 

20 metres inland around the outside 

of the island at Panepane Point, and 

the balance area will be a new crop of 

pines. 

“This harvest, and the reinvestment of 

the revenue into the replacement wharf 

that we need to keep our island thriving, 

is an important step for the hapū that are 

connected to Matakana Island.” 

Council still owns Panepane Point, 

Proudly providing expert advice and 

adding value to projects across the 

Bay of Plenty since 1940. 

To experience Cheal’s award winning service, 

contact us today. 

+64 7 349 8470 | info@cheal.co.nz | 

despite formalising a transfer to return 

most of the whenua at the eastern end of 

the island to a local trust in October 2021. 

Council continues to work through the statutory 

process to transfer the land, which is 

taking longer than anticipated. 

Council also urges any members of the 

public planning to travel across to the 

island while harvesting is taking place to 

stay clear of all machinery and harvest 

sites, and to follow the directions of the 

forestry contractor crews. 

Harvesting will continue through October 

and November 2023. Council, the 

hapū and boat operators are continuing to 

work through the design for the wharf as 

harvesting continues.


COUNCIL 

REVERTS TO 

MINIMUM 

UPFRONT 

CONSENT FEES 

Western Bay of Plenty 

District Council’s consent 

application lodgement 

process will be returning 

to requiring minimum 

fees to be paid at the 

beginning. 

From Tuesday 24 October, Council 

requires minimum fees to be 

paid upfront for applications for 

resource consents and consent variations, 

as well as applications for post 

decision processes (EDA and 223/224). 

Council’s General Manager Regulatory 

Services, Alison Curtis, says it follows 

a review of the current approach 

and aligns it with neighbouring 

councils. 

“By requiring minimum fees to be 

paid at the start of the process once 

again, we’re operating more effectively 

on a user pay as you go basis,” explains 

Alison. 

“One of benefits for consent applicants 

is if the upfront fee covers a significant 

amount, if not all the costs of 

processing the consent. If there are no 

additional costs, then the decision can 

be released immediately at the end of 

the process.” 

Council moved away from requiring 

fees at lodgement in April 2020, 

to provide relief during the Covid-19 

pandemic. 

However, to reduce the onus of cost 

on Council at the start of the process, 

a decision has been made to require 

upfront payments again. 

“Council processes around 450 

resource consents and post-decision 

processes annually, but we are also 

involved in additional processes like 

Land Information Memorandums 

(LIMs). 

“As we have been covering the 

upfront costs during this process, it 

does mean we carry a high level of 

consent debt which has the potential to 

impact wider Council service delivery,” 

explains Alison. 

For many franchisee entrepreneurs, the opportunity to run their own businesses with 

the support and recognition of an established brand is the realisation of a dream. But 

what if achieving the dream is not enough? What are the options for already successful 

franchisees to continue growth, be challenged and prosper? 

WHAT COMES AFTER 

FRANCHISEE SUCCESS? 

Become a multi-unit 

franchisee 

A 

single franchise unit can 

be a lucrative endeavor, 

but many franchisees 

aspire to expand and become 

multi-unit franchisees. Becoming 

a multi-unit franchisee 

means owning and operating 

two or more business units 

within a brand framework. 

It makes logical sense if a 

franchise has been successful 

within a brand and business 

unit that they would be able to 

successfully open further units; 

at the end of the day, franchising 

is about repetition. 

There are numerous benefits 

in pursuing this model 

including economies of scale: 

two or more business units 

may utilize the same backroom 

resources such 

as accounting, human 

resources and administration. 

Second or 

further units may also 

provide a pathway for 

developing and retaining 

key personnel. 

Multi-unit franchise 

ownership can reduce 

risks over time – one 

unit may perform better 

than the other at certain 

times of the year 

or certain phases of the 

economic cycle. 

Multi-unit ownership 

may also be easier for a 

franchisee entrepreneur to 

fund, they have the dual 

benefit of the franchise 

model and performance 

benchmarking and their 

own track record within 

the brand. 

FRANCHISING 

BY NATHAN BONNEY 

What if multiunit 

franchisee 

ownership is not 

available? 

There are potentially several 

reasons why multi-unit 

ownership within a 

franchise brand may 

not be an option. For 

example, a particular 

market may only be 

able to sustain one 

unit, or perhaps the 

franchise business 

model does not support, 

or the brand 

does not allow, 

multi-unit ownership. 

Franchising 

is about 

repetition 

An often-followed 

path by many successful 

franchisees 

is a rinse and repeat 

cycle. The model is 

straightforward, the 

franchisee understands 

the brand and how to 

be successful within the brand, 

they open or perhaps acquire 

and develop a franchise business 

unit, sell for capital gain, 

and repeat the process with 

another. 

Whilst this can be commercially 

beneficial, for some 

franchisees it does not provide 

the challenge and growth 

component. 

Diversify into a 

second or different 

brand 

Where a market may not sustain 

the addition of a second 

particular brand franchise 

business unit, a viable option 

for a successful franchisee can 

be to open a business unit of a 

second or different brand. 

In New Zealand this is usually 

under the umbrella of the 

same franchisor. 

It’s not uncommon for franchisors 

to own and operate 

more than one brand, usually 

within the same general category, 

such as food and beverage, 

retail, or a cluster of home 

or commercial services. 

This is often to diversify the 

franchisor’s business but can 

also be to provide multi-unit 

and growth opportunities for 

franchisees. 

Overseas an area of significant 

growth is multi-brand 

ownership, where a franchisee 

may own units across different 

brands and franchisors. This 

can provide true diversification 

benefits as well as opportunities 

for growth and cross-pollination 

for both the franchisee 

and franchisor. 

Move from franchisee 

to master franchisee 

Finally, and an area of opportunity 

for successful franchisees, 

perhaps underdeveloped 

in the New Zealand franchising 

eco-system is the transition 

from ‘franchisee’ to ‘master 

franchisee’. A master franchisee 

has the right to develop multiunits 

in a region and or multiple 

regions and, or, to appoint 

sub-franchisees. 

Whilst they must operate 

within the franchise framework, 

they in effect become a 

mini-franchisor and benefit 

from increased autonomy and 

an ability to be increasingly 

entrepreneurial, particularly 

in the areas of business development, 

marketing and supply 

chains. 

Master franchisee ownership 

also provides diversification of 

income, usually by franchisee 

fees, possible supplier rebates 

and, or, margin from being part 

of the supply chain. It can also 

provide a successful franchisee 

the challenge and privilege of 

sharing their knowledge, experience 

and successes with the 

next generation of franchisees. 

Whilst franchisee success 

is usually achieved by sticking 

to the system, beyond one 

business unit for the successful 

franchisee there are a number 

of tried and proven methods to 

continue to grow and expand 

upon their success. 

Nathan Bonney is a director 

of Iridium Partners. He can be 

reached at nathan@iridium.net.nz 

or 0275 393 022 

IP protection, simplified. 

We’ve been championing innovation since 1979. 

A safe pair of hands delivering outstanding results. 

jamesandwells.com


The secret to getting 

whatever you want 

It probably feels like something is missing from your life right now. 

It might be time, money, freedom, appreciation … or perhaps you’ve 

just lost sight of who you really are. But fear not, there is a secret 

method to get whatever you want in your business and your life … 

if you’re prepared to step out of your comfort zone to get it. 

My whole life, I felt like I 

was chasing something. 

First, it was independence. 

Next, it was confidence. 

Then, it was money I pursued, followed 

by love. 

Yes, it took me a while to realise 

my priorities were a little 

messed-up at that point in my life. 

Still, the never-ending race 

continued. Next up on the wish 

list, I sought success, followed by 

respect and recognition. Finally, I 

realised: I was just chasing time. 

But while the chase is thrilling, 

it is also exhausting. 

I was always stalked by that 

feeling of not being enough. Not 

good enough. Not fast enough. 

Not successful enough. Not having 

achieved enough. Not having 

slept enough. 

When we feel something is 

missing from our lives, we usually 

have one solution: work harder. 

But we do not realise that the 

harder the work – the faster we 

chase – the more the thing which 

we seek evades us. 

This is why all the emotional 

things we desire – success, happiness, 

confidence – are illusory: 

the more we chase, the quicker 

they escape our grasp. 

But there is a way to escape 

the unstoppable treadmill of 

desire. You can hit pause on the 

chase. Even better, you can stop 

altogether, and let the thing you 

desire come to you. 

Sound too good to be true? Not 

if you know the secret to getting 

whatever you want. 

Lightening the load 

For your entire career, you have 

been lied to. You were told success 

was about accumulation. You had 

to obtain the right experiences, 

qualifications and connections. 

If you were ever going to get 

the things you wanted, then you’d 

have to collect the long list of 

attributes that you supposedly 

needed. 

The result? You become a 

hoarder of knowledge. Because 

you believe your career is a long 

process of collecting and obtaining, 

you always believe you need 

more knowledge. 

Want to make more money? 

Get more valuable skills. Want 

more capacity for your team? 

Get them some time management 

training. Want to be a better 

leader? Get in a leadership coach 

(let’s face it, there are enough of 

them to go around). 

But what if obtaining more 

isn’t the answer? 

Because if you want to really 

get what you want, there’s something 

you need to understand: 

what you obtain is not as important 

as who you become. 

Having a bucket-load of knowledge, 

and not putting it to good 

use has the same impact as being 

ignorant. Except the ignorant person 

didn’t waste months, or years, 

MINING BUSINESS 

WEALTH 

BY FREDDIE BENNETT 

‘obtaining’ that knowledge in the 

first place. 

That’s why the process of 

hoarding and obtaining is not 

the answer. The answer lies in 

removing almost everything. 

The removal company 

Success comes from subtraction. 

When my clients want to transform 

their businesses, teams or 

lives, they begin by insisting on 

‘more’. 

First they want training. Then 

they want the courses. Then the 

guidebooks. Then the seminars. 

But if you really want to get 

whatever it is you desire, then the 

first thing I recommend is this: 

Get out of your own way. 

You don’t need another strategy, 

training plan, 5-step-process 

or blueprint. What you need is to 

remove everything that’s tripping 

you up. Hint: The single biggest 

factor that’s getting in your way 

is … you. 

So stop overcomplicating it. 

Quit waiting for things to be perfect. 

No more endless searching 

for that final piece of the puzzle 

or the elusive ‘breakthrough 

moment’. Stop creating a plan 

and start taking action. 

What action do you need to 

take however? 

You only need to do one thing: 

Ask the impossible 

question 

If you remove everything that’s 

holding you back, you can have 

whatever you want ... if ... you’re 

willing to ask 1,000 people for 

it. Ask them, in-person or on the 

phone. One at a time. 

Of course, the problem arises 

when you’re not willing to do 

that. You might pluck up the courage 

to ask one or two people, but 

then you’ll stop asking. 

It’s a crazy paradox of life and 

business that we stop asking for 

what we want in life, even if we 

don’t get it. 

You’ll stop asking because 

you’ll tell yourself a lie about ‘getting 

too busy’, but the truth is: you 

don’t want to be hurt by any more 

rejection. 

But rejection isn’t reality. It is 

not a physical thing. It’s a feeling 

we create. Rejection is a story we 

make up, based on some words 

somebody else said. We cause 

ourselves a load of pain just 

because someone said, “No thank 

you”. 

Whether it’s the sale, the date, 

the job, the project, the client – 

we are afraid that we won’t hear 

“yes”, so we would prefer to hear 

silence. 

It’s true, you do need to hear 

“yes” to get what you want. But 

you also need to hear “no”. You 

can’t have one without the other. 

It’s like saying you can’t have ‘up’ 

without ‘down’, or you can’t have 

‘north’ without ‘south’, or you 

can’t have ‘heads’ without ‘tails’ 

– you can’t have “yes”, without 

“no”. 

Stop hanging so much weight 

upon a tiny, two-letter word. 

“No” is good. Every “no” is a 

step closer to getting what you 

want. So, embrace the secret to 

getting whatever you want … by 

asking for it. 

Go make some outrageous 

requests. And remember that 

‘yes’ lives in the land of ‘no’. 

Guinness World Record Holder, 

podcast host and bestselling author, 

Freddie is known as ‘The Profit 

Hunter’. He helps business owners 

enjoy more time, money and freedom 

by discovering and extracting hidden 

profits in their companies. Email 

Freddie@conqueryourmedia.com 

Strong investment decisions 

built on trust 

Our local wealth management experts Sarah and Simon, will work with you to guide you toward your 

long term financial goals. 

Contact us 

Sarah Ashby: +64 27 211 0760 

Simon Bradley:+64 27 427 3899 

www.jarden.co.nz/wealth-management 

Jarden Securities Limited is an NZX Firm. Jarden Financial Advice Provider Disclosure statement is publicly available at 

www.Jarden.co.nz. Jarden is not a registered bank in New Zealand.


FIRST IMPRESSIONS: 

Treating candidates like customers 

Cast your mind back to 

the last time you applied 

for a job and didn’t hear 

back from that company. Were 

you under-qualified? Were you 

over-qualified? Perhaps you 

weren’t quite the right team fit. 

Or maybe your CV and cover letter 

wasn’t up to scratch. 

Time passes and you patiently 

wait, but there is no response. No 

matter the reason, these unanswered 

questions leave you feeling 

disappointed, confused, and 

dissatisfied. 

Next, think about flipping 

this scenario around, with roles 

reversed: you are the potential 

employer who left your applicant 

hanging with no response. 

Now imagine that they are out 

there sharing with their friends 

and family about their negative 

experience with you and how no 

update, feedback or response was 

given. Clearly, this is not an ideal 

situation for your business. 

Treating candidates like customers 

is key. Here we outline 

recommendations to help you 

deliver an exceptional recruitment 

experience. 

First impressions 

First impressions work both ways 

– in particular the power of first 

impressions is a stand-out for 

many job seekers. The very first 

encounter is an opportunity to 

build a trusting relationship with 

a potential employee and show 

them first-hand the values and 

culture of your business. Even 

for those candidates who decline 

HUMAN RESOURCES 

BY KELLIE HAMLETT 

offers or who are unsuccessful in 

the process, the quality of their 

experience through the recruitment 

process is fundamental. 

On the flip side, negative experiences 

can have far-reaching 

consequences. 

Transparency 

and responsive 

communication 

Communication points throughout 

the recruitment process are 

critical for engaging candidates 

and to prevent them from being 

hired by your competition. Many 

companies believe that candidates 

who are unsuccessful don’t 

need to be notified, and that if 

they don’t receive an update, they 

will assume they were not picked 

for the job. Many view this as 

unprofessional. Customers in a 

store would never be ignored or 

have inquires unanswered – why 

would we treat job seekers any 

differently? 

Candidates deserve to be 

acknowledged when their application 

has been received and 

updated, whether they have been 

selected for an interview or not. 

For candidates who are ultimately 

unsuccessful, they should 

be advised when you have 

decided not to progress their 

application. 

During this time, share this 

feedback politely, as there is 

nothing worse than getting a 

blasé rejection email that leaves 

the candidate with unanswered 

questions, other than no response 

at all. 

Build steps into your recruitment 

process which allow for 

personalised feedback to candidates 

who you are not progressing 

with. Candidates appreciate 

that you have taken time of offer 

feedback, and it has potential to 

help them improve and move 

forward on their job-searching 

journey. 

Other key aspects include 

offering honest, clear and concise 

job adverts and descriptions, 

detailing specifically the skills, 

experience and qualifications 

which are both required and 

advantageous for the role. Good 

adverts provide a balance of the 

qualities the employer is looking 

for in a candidate and what 

candidates can expect to receive 

from the employer. 

Welcoming hospitality 

An interview process is an opportunity 

for a candidate to gain an 

insight into what it might be like 

to be part of your business. Creating 

a positive image by greeting 

them in a friendly manner, 

making them feel welcomed 

and comfortable, treating them 

with respect, encouraging their 

questions and promoting career 

opportunities can be the difference 

between a candidate accepting 

or declining your job offer. 

Following the interview, 

whether they are successful or 

not, take a step further and provide 

them with insightful feedback 

which they can use to assist 

with future applications. 

Listen, refine, repeat 

The recruitment process isn’t just 

an opportunity for an employer 

to screen potential candidates. 

Job seekers are measuring their 

experience in the process, and 

establishing whether your company 

is right for them. Asking 

candidates to complete a survey 

with regard to assessing their 

interview experience with you 

can be helpful. Feedback can help 

you further understand your candidate 

audience and how you can 

continuously improve to offer the 

best candidate experience. 

Employees are an organisation’s 

greatest asset and taking 

the time to recruit the right person 

is absolutely a worthwhile 

investment. Businesses that have 

the best chance of recruiting 

the best people are those who 

truly understand the power of 

‘customer experience’. Employers 

that go above and beyond in 

their recruitment and on-boarding 

efforts are far more likely 

to attract quality talent and see 

greater pay-off with retention and 

job satisfaction in the long-term. 

It’s worthwhile considering 

– who really are your customers? 

All great companies believe 

their customers deserve the best 

and candidates should be treated 

with the same philosophy. Set 

your business apart and attract 

the best talent – start by delivering 

an exceptional recruitment 

experience. 

Talent ID are Recruitment Specialists 

and can support you through your 

recruitment process. Please feel 

free to talk to us about this by 

calling 07 349 1081 or emailing 

kellie@talentid.co.nz 

Staying ahead of the game 

HOW TO SELL YOUR 

BUSINESS IN TODAY’S 

EVOLVING MARKET 

Selling a business in today’s 

market can be challenging 

as the business landscape is 

constantly evolving. Here are a 

few tips on how to sell a business 

in today’s market. 

Understand the 

current market 

By staying informed about the 

state of the economy, consumer 

behaviour, and technological 

advancements, you’ll be able to 

gain a better understanding of 

the current market conditions. 

This knowledge can assist you 

in identifying opportunities and 

potential challenges, as well as 

positioning your business to 

thrive in the current market. 

Embrace technology 

BUSINESS SALES 

BY STEVE CATLEY 

Embracing technology is an 

important part of adapting to 

changing business trends. Using 

technology can help you reach 

a wider audience and make it 

easier for potential buyers to 

learn about your company. This 

can include implementing digital 

marketing strategies such as 

search engine optimisation (SEO). 

It also should include determining 

which social media platform 

(LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, 

Twitter and even TikTok) is the 

best platform for your social 

media endeavours. 

Be flexible 

When it comes to changing business 

trends, adapting to a more 

flexible mindset is essential. This 

could include thinking about a 

range of options for how you 

might sell your business and 

who you might sell it to. Perhaps 

extend your thinking to include 

unusual buyers like venture capitalists 

or private equity firms 

who may have different goals 

and expectations than traditional 

buyers. If you are open to different 

types of buyers and deals you 

will be able to explore a wider 

range of possibilities and increase 

your chances of finding the right 

buyer. 

Emphasise the value 

of your business 

Selling a business in today’s market 

requires learning how to 

emphasise your company’s value. 

You can set your company apart 

from competitors and appeal to 

potential buyers by emphasising 

its unique value proposition, such 

as a large customer base, proprietary 

technology, or strong brand 

recognition. 

Showcase the 

business’s potential 

Showcasing the potential of the 

company is an important step in 

adapting to changing business 

trends. 

You’ll be able to demonstrate 

the value of your business and 

attract buyers who are looking 

for a business with a strong 

future and clear opportunities for 

further growth and expansion. 

Summary 

In today’s market, selling a business 

necessitates a strategic 

approach as well as a willingness 

to adapt to changing business 

trends. 

Steve Catley is a Business Broker at 

LINK Business Brokers. He can be 

contacted at 021 341 117 and 

steve.catley@linkbusiness.co.nz


Tauranga’s 2024-34 long-term 

plan – have your say 

Between 15 November and 15 December, Tauranga City Council will be consulting the 

community on its draft 2024-34 Long-term Plan (LTP) and we’re particularly interested in 

hearing from the business community on some key matters. 

> By ANNE TOLLEY, TAURANGA COMMISSION CHAIR 

On the next two pages, you 

will find commentary on 

the draft LTP, together with 

details on where to obtain more 

information, how to make a submission 

and the locations and 

timing of LTP engagement opportunities 

to talk directly to Council 

staff or the Commissioners. 

From a business perspective, 

it’s important that you know 

that this draft LTP does not signal 

any significant change in 

direction, but rather our determination 

to get on with the job 

of implementing some long-overdue 

investment in infrastructure 

and community facilities, which 

the community has already 

expressed a broad measure of 

support for. 

Those of you who are Tauranga 

city ratepayers will be 

aware that we have made some 

significant changes to our rating 

structure since the Commission 

took on the Council’s governance 

role in February 2021. 

These aim to make our rating 

system fairer and bring Tauranga’s 

commercial rates differential 

and targeted transport rate more 

into line with those in other major 

centres. That has seen some fairly 

hefty rates increases for the business 

community over the last two 

years, although it’s worth noting 

that our commercial differential 

is still low compared with other 

metro councils. 

In this draft LTP, we’re proposing 

to introduce a new industrial 

rating category with a higher 

differential than that applying to 

the commercial sector generally 

(see the following pages for more 

details). This reflects the relatively 

high benefit that industry 

derives from our infrastructure 

(and in particular, our transport 

network). If the proposed industrial 

rate is adopted, by year four 

of this LTP, we would anticipate 

achieving a constant proportional 

split of the general rate at 65% 

residential, 20% industrial and 

15% commercial. 

The Council has also been 

working on innovative new ways 

to fund new infrastructure. 

> As well as successful applications to the Government’s Infrastructure 

Acceleration Fund and Housing Acceleration Fund, we have also utilised the 

Infrastructure Funding and Financing Act to contribute to the cost of transport 

projects (and potentially to cover the rates-funded share of Te Manawataki o 

Te Papa, our Civic Precinct redevelopment which will bring new life to the city 

centre and make it the sub-region’s culture, heritage and entertainment hub). 

As well as successful 

applications to the Government’s 

Infrastructure 

Acceleration Fund 

and Housing Acceleration 

Fund, we have 

also utilised the Infrastructure 

Funding and 

Financing Act to contribute to the 

cost of transport projects (and 

potentially to cover the ratesfunded 

share of Te Manawataki o 

Te Papa, our Civic Precinct redevelopment 

which will bring new 

life to the city centre and make it 

the sub-region’s culture, heritage 

and entertainment hub). 

Another possible longer-term 

prospect is the introduction of 

road pricing, both to reduce 

transport network congestion at 

peak travel times and to generate 

funds which would allow us to 

bring forward network improvements. 

Again, see the information 

overleaf to give you some background 

on what this could involve 

and what it would achieve. 

The Commission is particularly 

appreciative of the support 

the business community has provided 

over the past two-and-a-half 

years, as we work to address the 

backlog of investment required 

to address the city’s housing 

shortfall and inadequate infrastructure. 

This LTP will continue 

that mahi and we look forward to 

receiving your feedback on all of 

the matters referred to above. 

POST-ELECTION TAX UPDATE 

At the time of writing this, 

over a week since the General 

Election was held on 

14 October, we are still no closer 

to knowing the final form of the 

next Government. 

The counting of special and 

overseas votes may swing some 

of the electorate results, and the 

results of the by-election in Port 

Waikato will not be known until 

25 November. 

We do know though that the 

new government will be a coalition 

of National/Act and potentially 

NZ First. As with any negotiation, 

talks between the coalition 

partners will involve some give 

and take on all sides so it remains 

to be seen what policies survive 

from the campaign stage on all 

sides. So let’s have a quick recap 

of the main tax policies of the 

likely coalition partners. 

Income tax 

National and NZ First both proposed 

to adjust the personal 

income tax brackets for inflation 

meaning anyone earning over 

$78,100 would benefit from a 

decrease in income tax of just 

over $1,000 a year. 

Those on lower incomes 

would receive less direct income 

TAXATION 

BY ANDREA SCATCHARD 

tax benefit from this change, 

but many would qualify for the 

additional support measures proposed 

by National such as FamilyBoost 

and changes to the Working 

for Families and In Work Tax 

credit levels – these make up the 

rest of the well-publicised up to 

$250 per fortnight benefits touted 

by National during the election 

campaign. 

The 39% top personal tax rate 

for income over $180,000 looks 

set to stay under both National 

and NZ First policies. 

Act also proposes lower tax 

rates, but via different means. 

Rather than adjusting rates for 

inflation, Act wants to simplify 

the tax system by reducing the 

number of tax rates from the current 

five down to only three and 

ultimately reducing the top personal 

tax rate to 33% from 2026. 

Assuming National’s tax cuts 

are non-negotiable, National’s 

costings show the tax bracket 

changes taking effect from 1 

April 2024. The bracket changes 

should also have flow-on effects 

on the thresholds for FBT, ESCT 

and RWT. Neither National nor 

Act have indicated that they will 

repeal the increase to the trust 

tax rate to 39% so that seems set 

to stay. 

Land and property tax 

Residential property owners 

have a few things to rejoice about 

with the incoming government. 

National, Act and NZ First have 

all supported restoring interest 

deductibility for residential 

rental properties. 

Under National’s policy this 

won’t happen immediately, 

instead being phased in between 

April 2024 and April 2026. The 

bright-line test is expected to be 

reduced to 2 years (by National) 

or removed completely (Act and 

NZ First). 

Commercial property owners 

however will fare less well with 

the ability to claim tax depreciation 

on commercial buildings 

expected to be removed from the 

2024/25 tax year. 

National has also pledged to 

remove the current ban on most 

foreigners buying residential 

property in New Zealand, for 

properties worth over $2m only, 

while at the same time introducing 

a 15% tax on these purchases. 

GST 

Labour’s policy of removing GST 

from fruit and vegetables is dead 

in the water now, although NZ 

First is keen to explore an exemption 

for basic foods. 

It remains to be seen whether 

they have enough bargaining 

power to see this through the 

negotiation process, but as a GST 

specialist I hope that this does not 

eventuate. 

Labour’s other major GST policy 

change was to pass the Platform 

Economy Bill, which would 

see GST charged via short-term 

accommodation and ride-share 

platforms such as AirBnB and 

Uber where the suppliers are 

not themselves GST registered. 

National has vowed to repeal this 

meaning it is unlikely to come 

into force on its intended implementation 

date of 1 April 2024. 

FamilyBoost – 

childcare tax rebate 

National has proposed a childcare 

tax rebate of 25% for households 

earning less than $180,000, with 

the rebate percentage reducing 

gradually for those earning more 

than $140,000. The maximum 

rebate payable will be $75 per 

week. As this is to be paid through 

the payroll system, payroll system 

providers will have some work to 

do ahead of the 1 April 2024 implementation 

date if this proceeds. 

Final words 

Until we finally have a government 

formed, and legislation introduced 

to effect these changes, we 

can’t be certain of what the next 

3 years holds from a tax perspective. 

But we can be certain that 

there will be a significant level of 

change coming. Your accountant 

or tax adviser will be able to help 

you navigate what these changes 

mean for you and your business. 

Andrea Scatchard is a Tax Partner 

at Deloitte, based in the Bay of 

Plenty. She can be contacted on 

ascatchard@deloitte.co.nz


Tauranga City Council’s draft 2024-34 Long-term 

Plan (LTP) will go out for community consultation 

midway through November and the Council 

particularly wants to hear what the business 

sector thinks about some of its key elements. 

There are a number of topics that will be of 

interest to commercial ratepayers, and we would 

really appreciate Business News readers taking 

the time to give us their thoughts on these. 

Overview 

The 2024-34 draft LTP continues the 

higher interest rates continue to increase 

work started in 2021, which aimed to 

the cost of delivering much-needed 

address a legacy of underinvestment in investment, Council has been working 

the infrastructure our growing city needs hard to keep costs and rate increases as 

and the community facilities that will 

low as possible by delaying or deferring 

make Tauranga a great place for future some projects; ensuring that the costs of 

generations to live – a place we can all be running the city are apportioned as fairly 

proud to call home. 

as possible; and focusing on getting the 

At the same time, in the midst of a costof-living 

crisis and an environment where 

work done to deliver our existing priority 

projects. 

Proposed industrial rate 

Tauranga currently has two rating 

categories – residential and 

commercial. The current commercial 

category includes land whose primary 

use is commercial, industrial, port, 

transportation, or utilities. We recognise 

that some commercial activities – industrial, 

port, transportation and utilities – make 

greater use of and have a greater impact 

on Council infrastructure, particularly our 

transport network, and on community 

wellbeing factors such as congestion and 

pollution. 

We think the creation of a separate 

industrial rating category would be a fairer 

way of sharing costs across all ratepayers. 

If it was introduced, this would mean 

that properties classified as industrial 

would pay a higher proportion of the 

general rates, in recognition of the impact 

increasing volumes of heavy vehicles are 

having on our infrastructure. 

If this proposal goes ahead, the median 

residential rates increase for the 2024/25 

year would be $4.21 per week rather than 

$6.18 per week; the median commercial 

rates increase would be $9.85 per week


rather than $18.45 per week; and the 

median industrial rate increase would be 

$45.49 per week, compared to $13.32 

per week for these properties without the 

proposed category. 

We would also phase-in changes so 

there is a consistent split of the general 

rates across residential, commercial, and 

industrial sectors by Year 4 of this LTP, to 

be more aligned with other major centres, 

such as Hamilton City. 

Other ways of making costs fairer 

Other ways we’re looking to share the 

city’s costs more fairly include changes 

to Council fees and charges and the 

introduction of a new targeted rate for 

growth areas, to offset a shortfall in our 

development contributions reserves for 

projects in those areas. 

The proposed fees and charges go 

some way towards passing on the actual 

cost of council services and facilities to 

those who are using them. This recognises 

the impact of inflation and other factors 

on our costs. The key activities involved 

include boat ramps, sports fields, 

parking and lease fees for council-owned 

properties. 

Council borrows to pay for the large 

projects that service new development. 

In some instances, we have not been able 

to collect enough through Development 

Contributions to pay off the debt for 

growth projects. Instead of burdening 

all general ratepayers with the debt 

repayment, we think it’s fairer that those 

who are directly benefitting from the 

growth, or will be in the future, should pay 

a little bit more. 

To ensure future growth does pay for 

growth, work is underway to better assess 

the eventual cost of projects needed to 

cater for the population growth enabled by 

new development. 

SmartTrip variable road pricing 

Our rapid growth, geography and high 

dependency on private motor vehicles 

(compared to other New Zealand cities) 

are major contributors to the road 

congestion that makes moving around the 

city so much more difficult, particularly at 

peak travel times. Because there’s little 

scope for increasing the number of lanes 

on most of our roads, we have to look for 

other solutions. 

Experience elsewhere in the world 

has shown that variable road pricing, 

or SmartTrip, could be part of our traffic 

congestion solution. Essentially, SmartTrip 

is a system which would charge vehicle 

owners for using Tauranga’s highways, with 

higher costs during peak travel times and 

lower costs when demand is less. Its intent 

is to encourage people to think about their 

road use and, where they can, change their 

travel time, work from home, share their 

vehicle use, or use another transport mode 

(like public transport, cycling or walking). It 

would also mean road users who don’t 

live in Tauranga would be contributing 

to the local cost of transport network 

improvements. 

Key road pricing benefits for business 

would include faster and more reliable 

journeys; provision of an additional funding 

source to bring forward future network 

improvements; and better productivity 

and cost reductions associated with 

commercial vehicles spending less time 

delayed by traffic congestion. 

We’re not looking for a decision on 

SmartTrip at this stage, but we would like 

the community’s feedback on this concept, 

so that we can assess whether we should 

work with Waka Kotahi and Government on 

a business case investigation. 

Should we have a community 

stadium? 

Community engagement in July 2023 

showed initial support for a proposed 

community stadium at Tauranga/Wharepai 

Domain, especially from our under-50s. 

We think the proposed boutique stadium 

could bring some significant benefits 

to the sub-region and drive economic 

growth, but with all of the priority projects 

already in our work programme, we think 

a staged delivery approach would be 

required, which could see this project start 

in 2029/30. This timeframe coincides with 

the need to renew the current athletic track 

facility at the domain. Again, we’re looking 

for feedback from the entire community 

to help us decide if and when this project 

should go ahead. 

Between 15 November and 15 December, 

we’ll be asking for feedback on our plan 

for the next 10 years. There will be lots of 

ways to share your thoughts, including 

in person, at a number of community 

events. 

Find out more letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/ 

longtermplan 

invesTing in OuR future 

making things fairer 

dOing the mahi 

Find out more letstalk.tauranga.govt.nz/longtermplan


SMEs turning to accountants 

and bookkeepers for support 

Small businesses in the Bay of 

Plenty and across Aotearoa 

New Zealand have experienced 

a tumultuous few years, 

filled with uncertainty and economic 

downturn. 

But in the face of adversity, 

there’s no doubt small business 

owners are increasingly turning 

to their trusted accountants and 

bookkeepers for advice and support 

when they need it most. 

Xero’s State of the industry 

report has revealed unique 

insights into the future of the 

accountancy and bookkeeping 

industry which suggests advisers 

do more than taxes and balance 

books. 

To meet demand, many 

accountants and bookkeepers are 

looking to expand their services 

to strengthen their offering, with 

almost all practices now offering 

advisory services. 

This includes supporting the 

implementation of software 

(70%), planning and budgeting 

(62%), and analysing business 

performance (62%). 

With the pandemic, inflation, 

and rising cost of living, these 

past few years have been challenging 

for our small business 

economy. 

Through this all, accountants 

and bookkeepers have played a 

crucial role in guiding their clients 

through choppy waters and 

uncertain times. By taking on a 

‘personal trainer’ type role, they 

offer more than just tax compliance 

and planning strategy. 

Accountants and bookkeepers 

can assist with driving new revenue, 

better outcomes and ultimately 

help foster business success 

as an informed advisor. 

With practices expecting clients 

to need more support in the 

future (70%), it is clear advisors 

will continue to be a lifeline for 

small businesses in the years 

ahead. 

Practices who proactively 

expand their advisory offerings 

will be best prepared to deal with 

client needs moving forward. 

Taking on a more advisory 

role has positively impacted the 

bottom line for many practices, 

with 60% seeing increased revenue 

over the past 12 months. 

As a result, they’re in a position 

to better support small 

businesses, with many practices 

claiming their clients’ needs are 

better met, and over half reporting 

better client confidence and 

trust. 

It’s important for accountants 

and bookkeepers to continue providing 

help and guidance to small 

businesses, as their support could 

be the difference between a small 

WORKPLACE 

WELLBEING 

BY BRIDGET SNELLING 

business weathering the storm or 

shutting up shop. 

The relationship between an 

advisor and a small business is 

crucial. 

Accountants and bookkeepers 

have the knowledge and skills to 

help small businesses with everything 

from planning and budgeting, 

to embracing technology and 

digital tools which help improve 

cash flow and productivity. 

By integrating a business advisory 

approach into their offering, 

accountants and bookkeepers 

will be better positioned to help 

small businesses navigate these 

challenging economic times and 

into greener pastures. 

So don’t just view your accountant 

and bookkeeper as a compliance 

and tax advisor – look at 

them as a lifeline and support 

network for your small business. 

Are you looking for a Xero 

trusted advisor for your business? 

Visit www.xero.com/nz/ 

advisors/ to find local assistance 

and expertise to take 

your business to the next level. 

Bridget Snelling is the Xero Country 

Manager for New Zealand 

SARA LEE – JUST 

DESSERTS OR JUST 

ANOTHER POST- 

COVID VICTIM? 

On 19 October, Australian dessert brand, Sara Lee, went into voluntary 

administration. Many New Zealanders will know Sara Lee of course for 

its range of frozen cheesecakes, pies and puddings. 

According to Vaughan 

Strawbridge, one of the 

voluntary administrators 

appointed, 1 “Sara Lee is an iconic 

brand which produces quality 

Australian-made products from 

its manufacturing facility in Lisarow, 

NSW, where it employs some 

200 staff. We are working with 

Sara Lee’s management team 

and staff to continue operations 

while we secure the future of the 

business.” 

Sadly, Sara Lee is the latest in a 

series of Aussie brands (that are or 

may be familiar to Kiwis) to take a 

tumble in 2023: in February, Australian 

prestige clothes firm Alice 

McCall went into liquidation 2 ; in 

late March, music and entertainment 

retailer Sanity shut down all 

50 of its stores across Australia 2 ; 

and in July, clothing, homeware 

and gifts retailer EziBuy went 

into liquidation. 3 

Fortunately for buyers of their 

INTELLECTUAL 

PROPERTY ISSUES 

BY BEN CAIN 

products, Sanity and EziBuy have 

at least been able to continue to 

trade online. 

So what went wrong at Sara 

Lee? According to its website, 4 

“Sara Lee has a long history of 

producing delicious desserts 

using quality, authentic ingredients. 

... Our bakers and pastry 

chefs create delicious desserts 

and baked goods for Australians 

and New Zealanders every day, 

using traditional baker’s flour, 

real eggs and fresh cream”. 

If Sara Lee’s desserts were 

so delicious, though, why have 

administrators been called in? Is 

Sara Lee just another victim of 

changing consumer habits in a 

post-pandemic world? Or, as with 

Tupperware, is a lack of innovation 

to blame? Or is it simply 

a case of rising costs combined 

with a drop in consumer expenditure 

on luxury items in the current 

cost of living crisis? We may 

never know. 

Whatever the reason, there 

can be no doubt that commerce 

(and especially retail) has encountered 

some pretty rough seas of 

late and, while inflation remains 

high, the waters ahead will continue 

to be lumpy. 

In this economic context, a 

business’s IP assets can take on 

> Is Sara Lee just another victim of changing 

consumer habits in a post-pandemic 

world? Or, as with Tupperware, is a lack of 

innovation to blame? Or is it simply a case 

of rising costs combined with a drop in 

consumer expenditure on luxury items in 

the current cost of living crisis? 

increasing importance since they 

form the foundation of a business’s 

success and the platform 

on which a business can be resurrected 

– even if everything else 

about that business has changed 

(or been left behind, as was the 

case with, for example, Cath Kidston 

and Jaegar in the UK 5 ). 

One need look no further 

than the automotive industry for 

examples of where iconic brand 

names once thought dead have 

risen like phoenixes to take on 

new lives. One that immediately 

comes to mind is Mini, resurrected 

by BMW in 2001. 

I will leave readers of this article 

– my last for 2023 – with one 

message: take care of your IP. 

Protect it, nurture it, and never 

take it for granted – one day it just 

might be worth something and, 

when that day comes, you’ll be 

glad you did. 

Ben Cain is a Senior Associate at 

James & Wells. He can be contacted 

at 07 928 4470 (Tauranga), 

07 957 5660 (Hamilton), and 

ben.cain@jamesandwells.com 

1. Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/dessert-maker-sara-lee-in-voluntary-administration/WZSYL7EB45AWRBQMPJKXVICNVQ/ 2. Source: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/australian-brand-ezibuy-goes-into-administration-as-sales-down-51/GUFK6WK2EJGR- 

5CU6WKCFC63DOM/ 3. Source: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132589094/online-retailer-ezibuy-goes-into-liquidation-owing-more-than-100m/ 4. Source: https://saralee.com.au/about-us/ 5. Source: https://startups.co.uk/news/uk-brands-administration/


BUILDING AN INFORMATION 

TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP 

When asking the question, 

“Have you got an 

Information Technology 

Roadmap?”, we are asking 

how important your IT infrastructure 

is to your business. 

We hope that as the security 

landscape evolves, and new 

threats continue to arise, that 

you are taking your business 

and your computer network seriously. 

Doing so can help you stay 

ahead of the game, and have competitive 

advantage from other 

businesses, because you have a 

vision and a plan to keep yourself 

in business, your data protected 

and secured, and possibly even a 

solution for disaster recovery. 

Why have a roadmap 

for technology? 

Having a roadmap is an ongoing 

strategic process that helps businesses 

plan and manage their 

IT initiatives, such as migrating 

to a new cloud system, upgrading 

to a new enterprise software 

platform, or improving their IT 

security. 

Creating a roadmap can provide 

several benefits: 

• It helps businesses see and 

understand the implications 

of their IT plans, such as how 

their business operations may 

be affected, their cybersecurity 

posture, and their regulatory 

compliance. 

• It helps businesses forecast 

their spend and avoid unbudgeted, 

unwelcome costs. 

• It helps businesses communicate 

their IT plans to their internal 

stakeholders, such as an 

IT department, an operations 

department, the executive staff 

and board, and the people who 

make up that team and gain 

their support and alignment. 

• It helps businesses keep track 

of their IT progress and deal 

with unexpected challenges or 

changes in a strategic way. 

You would start with an overall 

roadmap and then fine-tune 

each area of that roadmap to be 

more granular to capture the key 

objectives, defining the scopes 

and meeting the needs and goals 

of the business. 

Some common types of IT 

roadmaps are: 

• Enterprise IT roadmap: This 

type of roadmap outlines a 

broad range of IT initiatives 

that span the entire organisation, 

such as integrating different 

systems, improving the IT 

infrastructure, or enhancing 

the IT capabilities. An enterprise 

IT roadmap typically 

covers a longer time horizon 

– 12-18 months, or even longer 

– and prioritises activities 

according to their strategic 

importance to the business. 

• IT project roadmap: This type 

of roadmap focuses on a single, 

or a few, IT projects that have 

a specific scope and objective, 

such as implementing a new 

software tool, training new 

staff, or improving a specific 

process. An IT project roadmap 

usually covers a shorter time 

horizon – 3 to 6 months is standard 

– and breaks-down the 

project into smaller tasks and 

milestones. 

• IT architecture roadmap: 

This type of roadmap shows 

the technical design and structure 

of the IT systems and products 

that support the business, 

such as the servers, databases, 

networks, and applications. 

An IT architecture roadmap 

illustrates how the current and 

future IT architecture supports 

the business requirements and 

goals and identifies any gaps or 

risks that need to be addressed. 

• Engineering IT roadmap: 

This type of roadmap describes 

the engineering activities and 

deliverables that are required 

to build and maintain the IT 

systems and products, such as 

coding, testing, debugging or 

TECH TALK 

BY KEITH WOODCOCK 

deploying. An engineering IT 

roadmap aligns an engineering 

team with the product vision 

and roadmap and defines the 

engineering standards and best 

practices. 

Information Technology (IT) 

roadmapping is an essential practice 

for any business that wants to 

leverage technology to achieve its 

goals and stay competitive in the 

market. By using a visual tool like 

a roadmap, businesses can plan 

and manage their IT initiatives 

more effectively and efficiently. 

Keith Woodcock is an Account 

Manager at Stratus Blue. He can be 

contacted at keith@stratusblue.co.nz 

Got change for a quarter? 

CREDIT CONTROL 

BY NICK KERR 

What a change a quarter 

can make. This time 

last quarter new home 

builders’ phones were dusty and 

laden with cobwebs; new home 

loan enquiries were barely dribbling 

into the banks and everyone 

was waiting, clutching their purse 

strings and holding their breaths 

waiting to see if one group of politicians 

(slightly to one side of the 

centre line) would be replaced by 

another group of politicians (just 

slightly to the other side of the 

centre line). Would they romp 

to power with a slight numerical 

advantage? 

Now the great momentous 

event has occurred and we have 

a new government … and what a 

change has been felt, ironically, 

without many changes being 

made by the aforementioned 

government. 

Many changes are being felt 

in the financial sector – a friend 

of mine in the lending space told 

me that as soon as the election 

finished the floodgates opened 

with enquiries and a stampede of 

applicants replacing the tumbleweeds 

of ‘yestermonth’. 

A client I was speaking to last 

week handles sales for a group 

home builder – same story, with 

hundreds of serious enquiries 

flooding in. 

These changes will be very 

evident when next month’s credit 

reports come out, and with any 

luck we start to see a real turnaround 

from the horror that 

has been reflected in many past 

reports. 

I have seen a large increase 

in the number of people wanting 

to meet with me to prepare for 

higher volumes of business, many 

taking this opportunity to update 

systems and processes regarding 

credit. 

One thing being recognised 

is the value of immigration, be 

it permanent or temporary, for 

work or study, to our country’s 

economy and to our lifestyle; 

the conversation at nearly every 

meeting I have been in over the 

last year has at some point gravitated 

to the business owners 

inability to find and retain good 

staff, especially in certain industries. 

The cries of, “these immigrants 

are taking all of our jobs”, 

seem to have turned to, “why is 

there no one working?”, or, “why 

are the shelves empty?” 

It seems strange that all of the 

jobs that immigrants had been 

“taking” remained unfilled once 

the majority of work and study 

tourists left the country? Maybe 

that just highlights the difference 

between talking about something 

and actually getting up off one’s 

buttocks to do something about it. 

Now we are able to breathe a 

sigh of relief. We can feel hope 

again that we all may not end up 

having to live in our cars, or in 

our parent’s or friend’s garages, 

which is of course a good thing. 

But let’s not forget that as a society 

and an economy we are still 

paying for our recent past and it 

may take some time for the hangover 

of the Covid party to fade 

away. 

So let’s look at the highlights of 

the latest Centrix data to see just 

how much Berocca we need: 

• Company Closures are up 72% 

on last quarter – a massive 

15,970 companies have closed. 

Even taking into account that 

probably a quarter of these 

will be holding companies, 

dormant entities and other 

non-trading companies, this 

still is a huge number. 

• 1,875 companies have gone 

into liquidation, which is 40% 

up on last year. Speaking to a 

number of insolvency specialists, 

I feel this number may be 

lower than expected due to a 

large number of “uneconomic 

to liquidate” businesses that 

do not have enough realisable 

value to warrant the tie and 

effort of liquidation. 

• Commercial defaults are up 

14% on last year, however, 

again, I feel this may be lower 

than actual as many creditors 

have extended their collection 

cycles beyond normal terms 

due to not wanting to appear 

punitive to the unfortunate. 

I am very glad that the commercial 

mood has shifted, business 

owners are looking forward 

to the future and many who were 

expecting the worst have been 

delightfully proven wrong, but 

until we reach the top of the hole, 

let’s not let our guards down. 

As my old boxing coach used 

to say, “go hard, but be careful”. 

Understand the risks, protect 

against them, and have a plan for 

each possible outcome. 

Just a thought. 

Nick Kerr is a credit management 

consultant with NJK Advisory and 

director of International Private 

Investigations Ltd. He can be reached 

on 021 876 527 and nick@nzipi.com


The “suite” spot between large office floor 

plates and coworking facilities are fullyfitted, 

turn key offices that are finding 

favour with SMEs. 

Smaller office 

spaces in demand 

Occupiers in the office market 

are actively seeking 

modern buildings and better 

amenities to help draw staff 

back to the office, attract talent, 

foster collaboration, and promote 

well-being. 

The adoption of more compact 

executive suites underscores this 

demand as, while many large 

corporates are still strategising 

around optimal space requirements, 

smaller occupiers like 

those in the digital, advertising, 

creative, tech, and professional 

services sectors are getting on 

with it. 

There’s strong demand around 

the country for turn-key solutions 

and building owners are responding, 

delivering quality spaces to 

the market. 

Matt Lamb, Bayleys national 

director commercial leasing says 

upscale, contemporary “executive 

plug and play suites” with 

additional communal spaces, on 

flexible lease terms without full 

management services, are highly 

sought after. 

“Leading the way in this 

model are Precinct and Robert 

Jones Holdings (RJH), while 

Stride, Argosy, and Roxy have 

also more recently adopted similar 

approaches with the offerings 

representing a hybrid between 

serviced office solutions and traditional 

office spaces with flexible 

leasing arrangements, great 

amenity and a strong sense of 

community. 

“These models allow businesses 

to right-size their office 

footprint in modern city buildings, 

with zero CAPEX, and with 

all-inclusive rent packages typically 

structured as a ‘license to 

occupy’ rather than a comprehensive 

ATL or Deed of Lease for simplicity 

and flexibility.” 

Bayleys Wellington office leasing 

specialist Luke Frecklington 

says fully-fitted office suites that 

provide a turn-key solution for 

smaller occupiers are proving 

popular in the capital with stalwart 

developer RJH leading the 

way. 

“RJH is creating superior office 

spaces across established towers 

in the CBD, particularly along 

Lambton Quay towards parliament, 

and these are popular with 

government-aligned occupiers 

looking for well-positioned space. 

“Other property entities are 

also being open-minded and 

would be prepared to split up 

larger floors to provide compact 

office footprints if there were 

3-4 tenants wanting to share 

amenities.” 

Frecklington says there’s evidence 

landlord flexibility around 

lease structures for smaller 

offices – in some cases, a 2-year 

term rather than the more standard 

3-5-year duration. 

“Generally there’s a rental premium 

for smaller offices with a 

shorter lease term so we’re seeing 

some creativity emerge around 

tenant fitouts by tenants with 

some occupiers installing portable 

sound-proof ‘pods’ to reflect 

new working styles.” 

Bayleys general manager 

South Island commercial and 

industrial, William Wallace says 

there’s limited supply of smaller, 

fitted-out office suites in the 

Christchurch CBD and with cost 

escalations affecting the development 

sector, there’s a constrained 

pipeline ahead. 

“The flight to quality continues 

around the city and there’s minimal 

office vacancy across all sizes 

of office stock, with very little for 

lease for those occupiers seeking 

smaller serviced office environments 

with shared amenity for 

more flexible work styles.” 

Bayleys’ office leasing agents 

around the country are well-positioned 

to assist clients in finding 

practical and efficient office 

space and are across all major 

developments – so enquire today 

through your local broker. 

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 

Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services


PEOPLE 

> FIRST ON THE SCENE 

Rotorua Business Chamber’s BA5 with Motion Entertainment 

The evening promoted Motion Entertainment’s position as New Zealand’s largest all-weather, 

action-packed indoor entertainment centre and a great venue to experience laughter, excitement, 

adventure, and fun all under one roof, a ‘must-do’ on a visit to Rotorua. 

Photography: Michelle Cutelli Photography 

ONE 

TWO 

THREE 

FOUR 

FIVE 

SIX 

SEVEN 

EIGHT 

NINE 

TEN 

ELEVEN 

ONE Frank Liu (Lone Star Rotorua), Israel Suarez Guido (Pullman Hotel Rotorua). TWO Alan Solomon (ATS Coaching), Jane Jennings (Rotorua Business Chamber). THREE Deb Wootton (HPCE), Daniela 

Olphert (HPCE). FOUR Hamish Howard (Ebbett Rotorua), Sheryl Howard (Ebbett Rotorua). FIVE Kevin Miniter (Consider IT), Raja Patel (Consider IT). SIX Anne McCarrison (Bay Decorators), Don 

McCarrison (Bay Decorators). SEVEN Aaron Jamieson (BOP Plumbing & Gas), Sarah Jamieson (BOP Plumbing & Gas). EIGHT Fiona Withers (Print Design), Michelle Cutelli (Michelle Cutelli Photography), 

Vivien Cooper (B&B at The Redwoods). NINE Keri Daniel, Diane Daniel. TEN Angelique Scott (Personnel Resources), Emma Henderson (Personnel Resources). ELEVEN Bryce Heard (Rotorua Business 

Chamber), Charlie Windell (Rotorua Business Chamber).


PEOPLE 

> BUSINESS PROFILE TE RATONGA POUMANAAKI 

BERNICE BRECKON 

THE HUMAN DYNAMO 

WHO CHARGED 

FROM AOTEAROA TO 

HOLLYWOOD... 

AND BACK AGAIN 

Most people find it 

challenging enough to 

build a career while 

raising a family, without 

ever contemplating also 

leading a crusade to 

help the community’s 

most disadvantaged. But 

Bernice Breckon is not 

most people. 

> By ALAN NEBEN 

Don’t be fooled by the cheeky smile 

and the infectious laugh – this lady 

doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. 

When she identified a ‘cavernous hole’ 

in her Tauranga community’s health and 

education programmes, Bernice couldn’t 

sit on her hands and look the other way. 

“I saw first-hand young people falling 

through gaps in our society. It was – it is 

– a tragedy. And the more I learned, the 

more tragic and devastating it seemed. 

“But it doesn’t need to be that way – 

we can be part of a change to help our 

young, the rangatahi of our nation, to 

not only survive, but ultimately thrive; 

we just need the will, the knowledge and 

the support. When there’s a need, I have 

to respond. I’m not one to do things by 

halves or to shy away when the going 

gets tough.” 

She is of Ngāti Whawhakia and Mahanga 

descent from Waikato Tainui but 

was brought up in the small town of 

Tūrangi. 

This is a person who as a mother of 

five and a grandmother of two knows 

about hardship and disadvantage; yet 

this is also a person who at the age of 41 

decided she wanted to join the glitterati 

and become a Hollywood actress and 

screenwriter – so she did. Doubt those 

credentials? Fact-check IMDB: yes, she’s 

there alright. 

It was Bernice’s personal experience 

of (literally) life and death challenges 

confronting her and her whānau which 

shocked her into action. 

“Although I was on a trajectory of high 

achievement – ‘success’ – I realised our 

kids, our rangitahi, were increasingly 

misunderstood, misdiagnosed and, as a 

result, tragically under-achieving; while 

my achievements were being branded 

successes, the young people I was seeing 

at home in New Zealand were being 

branded as ‘failures’ and ‘problems’.” 

Te Ratonga Poumanaaki 

In 2020 she started a company to work 

with Oranga Tamariki (OT) providing 

care and protection for kids with 

extreme highly complex behaviours, disabilities 

and neurodiversity. Her organisation, 

Te Rotonga Poumanaaki (TRP) 

supported kids in need, 24 hours a day, 

7 days a week in hotel rooms provided 

by OT. 

By 2021 she began working with the 

Ministry of Education’s Intensive Wraparound 

Service supporting rangatahi 

with mentoring. By the end of the that 

year they were supporting young people 

referred by the Tauranga DHB and disability 

services. 

“Now the door had opened, we could 

see a tsunami was heading in our direction,” 

she recalls. 

“By mid-2022 we were focusing on 

rangatahi who were disengaged and 

finding it difficult to learn in a neurotypical 

environment; this group was 

often excluded from mainstream schools 

because of their behaviour. Often this 

indicated potential trauma, diagnosed 

or undiagnosed conditions, criminal 

offending (or at risk of criminal offending), 

anti-social behaviours with peers, 

lack of positive community interaction 

> When there’s a need, I have 

to respond … and I’m not 

one to do things by halves 

or to shy away when the 

going gets tough.” 

and a tremendously distorted view of the 

school environment and all it represents; 

rangatahi in this space are operating in 

flight, fright, fight and or flock mode – 

what I call survival/defensive mode.” 

At TRP’s one-year anniversary Bernice 

presented The Gap – an approach to 

learning called Neurodiverse Individualised 

Learning (NIL). NIL is designed to 

assist professionals, schools and whānau 

to understand challenging behaviours 

and call for help. 

“We decided to pilot this concept in 

an alternative education space, Baypathways. 

During our pilot we encountered 

rangatahi disengaged from their work 

who had decided their only pathway was 

jail and a life on ‘the benefit’. 

“They shared nothing of their dreams 

or aspirations, only that they were tough/ 

hard and how drugs, alcohol and crime 

were all they wanted to do. 

“Each session we were able to identify 

what worked and what didn’t. We 

discovered early on they were not interested 

in schoolwork, so we opted to focus 

them on ‘themselves’, their wellbeing 

and to understand who they are, how 

they think, why they think that way and 

acknowledgement that it’s okay to think 

differently from others.” 

Te Rotonga Poumanaaki turned a corner 

when they found rangatahi engaging 

and participating. Focus switched to 

empowering them to navigate anything 

in their lives – and so the Whanaketanga 

Programme was born.


PEOPLE 

> BUSINESS PROFILE TE RATONGA POUMANAAKI 

iFlow Productions film and podcast studio. 

Showcasing rangatahi results of engaging with Whanaketanga, Numeracy & Literacy. 

> … we need our kids 

funded, schools to support 

them if they are still 

enrolled, and if rangatahi 

are excluded from school 

… we need the ministry 

to fund a full-time 

experienced teacher who 

knows how to work with 

our ‘Gap’ rangatahi …” 

“I knew we had a programme that 

could successfully benefit rangatahi 

in ‘The Gap’ space. It was time to move 

the business office out of my home. We 

found a space that could hold up to 30 to 

execute Whanaketanga, mentoring support 

services and educational support,” 

Bernice says with a sigh of relief. 

“I also wanted a space for my film 

production company, iFlow Productions,” 

she admits. 

With limited to no funding, Bernice 

invested her savings (and funds from 

supportive whānau) to lease the old 

Radio NZ School premises in Grey St, 

Tauranga. 

At that stage they were working with 

Tauranga City Council which was then 

looking for hub spaces for rangatahi in 

the CBD area. 

In April 2023 TRP was approached by 

Tauranga Attendance Services who had 

heard about their programmes and mentoring 

services. 

This led to strengthening the partnership 

with the Ministry of Education 

and building positive relationships with 

schools in Tauranga. 

They have had more than 30 young 

people referred to their space. 

“What do we need?” Bernice is very 

direct: “In our space we need our kids 

funded, schools to support them if they 

are still enrolled, and if rangatahi are 

excluded from school (they do not have a 

managing school), then we need the ministry 

to fund an experienced teacher who 

knows how to work with our Gap kids.” 

TRP are also currently working on a 

project supported by the Mental Health 

Foundation called Whakamutua Atu – 

Cut it Out. 

It is a campaign for youth around 

stopping stigma and discrimination 

against those who suffer mental health 

issues. The online web series of up to five 

10-minute episodes, includes interviews 

with Christchurch rapper and youth 

advocate King Cass, and plans include 

interviews with world-famous Sevens 

coach, Sir Gordon Tietjens, local MP Sam 

Uffindell and musician Tiki Taane. 

IDK Cafe (I Da Know Ltd) 

In 2023 Bernice and her team decided 

to purchase a cafe so they could have 

a real business space in which to teach 

rangatahi about every aspect of running 

a business – in real-time. 

“A cafe seemed like a great business 

model for providing a range of core business 

disciplines. But more importantly, it 

provides a setting for community interactions 

with people from all walks of 

life. This setting allows us to teach our 

rangatahi to interact with community in 

a positive way.” 

It is a place where the young people 

can gain work experience and also learn 

life skills by cooking meals for the class. 

In typical, matter-of-fact Bernice 

Breckon-fashion she adds, “We were 

working with Tauranga City Council with 

this concept, but it didn’t eventuate, so I 

purchased the cafe myself to make sure 

it happened.” 

IFlow Productions Ltd 

Despite her crusade to improve the prospects 

and outlook for the community’s 

young, Bernice admits her passion is 

still film and TV. She is an accomplished 

actor, filmmaker, producer and editor. 

> My main focus is to build 

the filming industry in 

Tauranga Moana, to 

encourage productions 

to come here. We have 

so many amazing 

practitioners living here 

– it’s logical to build the 

industry here.” 

After returning home to Sydney from 

Los Angeles in 2018 she decided to write 

a TV series based in NZ. So, coming 

back to NZ in 2021 to start Te Ratonga 

Poumanaaki Ltd, she says it just made 

sense to setup a production company in 

Tauranga. 

“My main focus is to build the filming 

industry in Tauranga Moana, to encourage 

productions to come here. We have 

so many amazing practitioners living 

here – it’s logical to build the industry 

here. I’m connected with Film BOP which 

focuses on attracting producers to the Bay 

of Plenty. We offer workshops to support 

our industry practitioners and up-andcomers. 

This includes screen writers, 

‘Women in Film’, all guild members and 

anyone interested in any aspect of film. 

“Our Grey Street space also houses 

Bay of Plenty Actors Studio (BOPAS), 

an acting school with classes attended 

by approximately 140 rangatahi and 

adults.” 

Owner Tanya Horo (who also happens 

to be Bernice’s acting agent), runs 

the only local acting agency in Tauranga. 

Bernice is always looking for opportunities 

for the actors on their books for local 

auditions and work. 

Bernice has been working with wellknown 

international industry identity 

Bryan Norton from Living Pictures Ltd. 

Last year they developed the Kiriata 

A-Z Filmmaking Program where he will 

teach industry skills. “We hope to expose 

interested youth to all aspects of the film 

industry. At the end of the course they 

may wish to continue on to work experience 

on one of TRPs productions.” 

Bryan has worked on a few projects 

for TRP including filming for a documentary 

with many of TRP’s otherwise disengaged 

rangatahi in an alternate education 

space. They also shot a short film 

The Little Ghost as part of BOPAS Camp 

2023. 

IFlow Productions is about to embark 

on a new TV show (or rather revive an 

old show), that will see the crew travelling 

through all the towns of NZ. 

Finally, a project in development at 

the minute is IDK Dairies, a TV series 

shot at IDK Cafe. The story is premised 

around two middle-aged, ‘dysfunctional’ 

ladies who inherit a cafe from their 

carer/mother and how they navigate 

their lives and running the café … watch 

this space. 

Could she do everything by herself? 

“My husband, John has had to put with 

me and my adventures – there have 

been many,” she says with a laugh. “He’s 

extremely patient and I couldn’t have got 

here without his support and that of our 

tamariki and moko.” 

“Oh, I should also mention TPR’s new 

IT & Telco service, we are now an internet 

service provider. We launch November 

10th, 2023.” 

COMING NOVEMBER 10 

COMMUNICATIONS 

trp 

Connect and support – for a 

better future for our rangatahi 

EMAIL NOW FOR MORE 

INFORMATION 

trpcoms@poumanaaki.co.nz 

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 

Home and Business 

Broadband 

Mobile Plans 

(Sim Card Only) 

IT Support Services 

Website Design Packages 

Web Hosting, Email 

and Domain 

Network Solutions 

and Support 

VoIP and Call Centre 

Solutions 

When you sign 

up to any TRP 

Communication 

product 3% revenue 

of your monthly bill 

will be donated to 

TRP’s Whanaketanga 

Programme 

To learn more about Whanaketanga visit www.poumanaaki.co.nz 

YOU CAN HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OUR RANGATAHI 

Our rangatahi mentoring and support division work with 12-15 year olds struggling to engage or turn up to school. They 

are thriving on TRP’s Whanaketanga Programme in Tauranga but there is currently no funding to sustain it. Sign up to 

our services and we will donate 3% of your monthly bill to ensure they continue to thrive, engage and participate. 

Applies to new customers signed up in November 2023 – January 2024


PEOPLE 

> 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 

Changes mark positive outlook 

DR WARREN PARKER 

Quayside Holdings Ltd announces the appointment 

of Dr Warren Parker to the role of independent Chair, 

effective 1 November 2023. Dr Parker has been an 

Independent Director on Quayside’s Board since 2015 

and has held various governance positions, including 

Chair of Pāmu, Chair of FarmIQ Systems Ltd, Director 

of Farmland Cooperative Trading Society and Chair of 

Forestry Ministerial Advisory Group. 

Sir Robert McLeod, Quayside’s 

outgoing Chair, said, 

“We are delighted that Dr 

Parker will succeed me in 

the role of Chair. 

Dr. Parker’s leadership, 

strategic thinking 

and clarity of purpose 

will steer Quayside into 

its next stage of growth.” 

ABIGAIL PEARCE 

Holland Beckett Law has promoted Abigail Pearce to 

the role of Associate. 

Abigail began her career in Auckland litigation 

firms, before joining the litigation team at Holland 

Beckett Law in 2020. 

Abigail specialises in family and employment matters 

and has been involved in many of the firm’s significant 

cases in these areas. She holds a Master of 

Laws from the College of 

Law specialising in Family 

Law, she also has 

specialist medicolegal 

knowledge. 

Abigail is proud 

to be able to give 

back to her local 

community through 

her pro bono work 

with the Baywide 

and Tautoko Mai 

legal clinics. 

ALEX ELDER 

Holland Beckett Law has promoted Alex Elder to 

Associate. Alex started his career at Holland Beckett 

Law in 2016 and the promotion comes after seven successful 

years at the firm. 

Alex is an integral member of the Property and Commercial 

Team, specialising in a wide range of property 

and commercial matters with a particular emphasis on 

small to medium sized business and commercial property 

transactions. 

Alex prides himself 

on being able to 

provide 

pragmatic 

advice to his diverse 

client base. Alex 

gives back to the 

Tauranga community 

by serving as 

a trustee on two 

prominent charitable 

trusts. 

AIMEE FITZJOHN 

The Wave Agency introduces Aimee, our 

new General Manager, who originally joined 

us as Operations Manager in 2022. 

Aimee’s expertise in seamless operations steers 

our ship smoothly, and we’re thrilled to have 

her at the helm guiding the way for Wave. 

She shares, “Transitioning from the construction 

to the creative industry is an exciting challenge. 

I look forward to leading and supporting 

Wave’s talented team, building on their 

successful journey. 

“I thrive on challenges and I’m never short 

of one; with my new role, developing 

a new love for golf, riding my new 

motorbike, and guiding my teenage sons, 

I love it all!” 

JEN SCOULAR 

The House of Science Board has announced the 

appointment 

of Jen Scoular as a new director and Chair of the 

Board. Jen recently completed 12 years as CEO of NZ 

Avocado, following a diplomatic posting as 

Consul General and Trade Commissioner in 

Hamburg 

Germany and 9 years at Zespri. Her 

early 

career was in merchant banking in London. 

Outgoing Chair Maria Livingstone 

says it is great to get someone 

o f 

Jen’s calibre and experience on board, 

t o 

support the continued growth. 

Maria stays on as Treasurer, strongly 

endorsing the opportunity House of 

Science has to impact kids, providing 

fun, practical and exciting ways to 

enhance their learning. 

Please remember us in your 

Will and leave a legacy of hope 

THANK YOU! 

By including The Salvation Army in your Will, you’ll help those in need: 

the poor, homeless and addicted. It’s easy to provide this lasting legacy. 

For more 

information call 

0800 53 00 00 

Send for FREE booklet to: 

Manager, Wills and Bequests, 

PO Box 27–001, Marion Square, 

Wellington 6141 

Name: 

Address: 

Phone: 

I have already included The Salvation Army in my Will


PEOPLE 

> SUPPORTING OUR RANGATAHI 

Empowering rangatahi 

into work and education 

Deciding what to do when you’ve 

left school can be an overwhelming 

prospect for some rangatahi. 

They want to be doing something 

they’re passionate about, so finding that 

stepping stone into a career or training 

can be tricky. But the Mayors Taskforce 

for Jobs (MTFJ) is helping young people 

aged 16-25 find their feet with work and 

education opportunities. 

The programme is a successful partnership 

of mayors from around the 

country, working together with central 

government and the Ministry of Social 

Development – who have invested $14 

million for rural communities this financial 

year. 

Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s 

version of the programme focuses 

on helping youth in Te Puke and Maketu, 

where there is a gap for such support. 

To achieve this, Council joined 

forces with COLAB – a group of social 

sector organisations based in Te Puke 

– to facilitate the pilot, with Davina 

Edwards appointed as the programme 

coordinator. 

Davina’s main mahi is identifying 

local barriers to employment and developing 

and implementing strategies to 

overcome them. 

Former Te Puke High School student, 

18-year-old Aidan McGettigan is one of 

the pilot programme’s success stories. 

After leaving school earlier this year he 

connected with Davina and the MTFJ 

with the ultimate goal of becoming a 

mechanic. Through the programme, 

Davina assisted Aidan with purchasing 

tools and safety equipment that was 

required for his work. 

“I was offered an automotive apprenticeship 

with J&S Automotive after 

doing some work experience with 

them through my school’s gateway 

programme. I wanted to do something 

I’m passionate about, and that’s to be a 

mechanic,” says Aidan. 

Aidan’s boss, J&S Automotive Te Puke 

owner Jeremy Norman says Aidan has a 

really good work ethic and attitude for 

the job. “He’s so keen to learn everything 

and it’s been great to see him grow in 

confidence and develop his skills over 

the year. It’s awesome that there are local 

programmes out there [like the MTFJ] 

that help our young people into jobs, as 

well as helping employers connect with 

young people,” says Jeremy. 

Aidan is one of 10 Te Puke and Maketu 

rangatahi placed into sustainable (90 

plus days) employment during the successful 

six-month pilot programme. 

Davina is thrilled that rangatahi like 

Aidan are working towards achieving 

their career goals through the MTFJ. 

“Over the past eight months we’ve 

built trusting relationships with key 

organisations to support our employment 

programme, as well as connecting 

with local rangatahi, whānau and the 

wider community,” says Davina. 

“The partnership between Council, 

COLAB and the Ministry of Social Development, 

showcases a powerful commitment 

to transforming lives and communities 

through sustainable employment. 

Funding Extension 

Council has secured a further $252,000 

of funding from central government to 

boost to its Mayors Taskforce for Jobs 

Rural Community Resilience Programme. 

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer 

says securing an extra two years of funding 

shows the success of the programme. 

MTFJ programme coordinator Davina 

Edwards (R) with Western Bay of Plenty 

District Council Mayor James Denyer (L) 

at the MTFJ roadshow. 

Being part of the pilot programme has 

been a learning experience for us all; and 

as the programme gets further embedded, 

I envisage it will lead to more great 

outcomes for youth in the Te Puke area. 

“Hearing about Aidan’s achievements 

with his apprenticeship and other rangatahi 

that have found work and education 

opportunities is the reason why I’m 

eager to continue my support for the programme 

over the next two years,” says 

Mayor James. “It has been a pleasure to 

support the MTFJ at various events this 

year, like the Matariki celebration, and 

the MTFJ roadshow bus. 

Two of a kind 

Congratulations to 

Abigail & Alex, our newly 

promoted Associates 

Alex Elder 

Property & Commercial 

DDI 07 927 2231 M 027 306 7022 

alex.elder@hobec.co.nz 

Abigail Pearce 

Litigation - Family & Employment 

DDI 07 571 3830 M 021 072 1231 

abigail.pearce@hobec.co.nz 

hobec.co.nz


CULTURE 

> CRUISING INTO SUMMER 

Here comes the sun, 

and I say … it’s alright 

HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED? 

BY ALAN NEBEN 

Only people of certain age will 

probably recognise the song reference 

in that headline – nerds 

like me will argue over whether it was 

penned and sung by the Beatles or 

George Harrison, our IP columnist Ben 

Cain will likely warn me to ‘exercise 

extreme caution’ when messing with 

an iconic song lyric possibly owned by 

Apple Corp, and younger viewers will 

simply just shrug and say, “That’s a stupid 

headline.” 

But the essence of those lyrics resonated 

for me this week. I was on the 

number five bus* in Mount Maunganui’s 

main street on Monday afternoon 

when I realised something had 

changed – the sun was shining (and perhaps 

more importantly, the rain wasn’t 

… raining, and the wind wasn’t winding) 

and there was a mood on the street 

that said: “Here comes the sun, and I say 

… it’s alright.” 

Although the sun was indeed shining, 

and moods seemed generally ‘up’, 

the game-changer was actually seeing 

cruise ship passengers again filling the 

footpaths and stores along the length 

of the main street – the first cruise ship 

of the season had arrived, and with it 

came sunshine and optimism. 

To those who mutter under their 

breaths (and, cringingly, sometimes out 

loud), “Damn tourists”, I say, “Get over 

yourself you grumpy, small-minded 

so-and-so.” 

I may be in a minority, but I don’t 

care: I love to see overseas tourists 

sharing our spaces; I love hearing foreign 

languages and strong accents on 

the streets and in the shops; I enjoy seeing 

the look of confused joy on people’s 

faces when they realise they don’t need 

to leave a tip, yet choosing to still do so; 

I love to see young people from France 

and Brazil doing the seasonal work for 

which there are not enough locals to 

cope; I smile when I come across groups 

of Spanish twenty-somethings enjoying 

the sunset and a few beers on the beach 

together (liquor bans not withstanding 

of course). 

Remember, they are all spending 

money here, they are enriching the cultural 

landscape, they are opening our 

eyes to the richness of diversity and 

difference, and they are doing what 

so many of us have done in our youth 

– traveling abroad and enjoying the 

riches of other cultures, histories and 

lifestyles … often on a budget. 

Although the focus of the government 

and the tourism sector has been 

on capturing the spend of the highvalue 

international tourist, while simultaneously 

discouraging the youthful 

‘backpacker’ market, I say, ‘let’s welcome 

them all.’ 

With all due respect, I don’t want 

New Zealander’s cultural interactions 

with non-New Zealanders to be confined 

to serving rich Americans in the 

VIP lounge at the airport and providing 

smorgasbords to busloads of tourists 

from China. 

I want to see the kids from Germany 

bungy jumping, young Irish people 

working behind the bar, Aussie larrikins 

teaching my kids to snowboard and 

American teens raving about their Kiwi 

experience on TikTok. 

These interactions are good for us. 

If we pride ourselves on our multi-cultural 

openness and acceptance, then 

let’s not in the next breath criticise 

the couple at the next table for speaking 

Spanish or make an off joke about 

the Nigerian neighbour not needing 

sunblock – let’s grow up and be more 

worldly; remember, it was not that 

many years ago the cool kids mocked 

the German backpackers for wearing 

Birkenstocks – now look at the cool kids 

feet and see who’s laughing. 

To kick-off, here are two suggestions 

we could consider adopting to 

help change the bad reputation New 

Zealander’s have built for cultural 

dick-headedness: 

1. Let’s not continue to make the same 

snide comment about the under-arm 

incident every time we meet someone 

with an Aussie accent – they 

really don’t even care about it, it 

was over 40 years ago, you’re being 

like the friend who always wants 

to remind you about the time you 

threw-up at the twenty first party, 

and it just makes you look like a stupid 

hick – please be more sophisticated 

New Zealand. 

2. If you don’t want the tourists crapping 

under trees, don’t give them 

the binary choice of either staying at 

the Sheraton or not coming to New 

Zealand at all – just provide more 

toilets. And maybe consider extending 

the hand of Kiwi friendship even 

further by stocking them with free 

multi-ply toilet paper – you might be 

surprised, the kids in the camper van 

who flew internationally without 

defecating in the airplane aisle just 

might consider using them. 

Au revoir, auf Wiedersehen, ciao, 

adiós, see ya lader. 

BTW, Here Comes the Sun was written 

by George Harrison and was featured 

on the Beatles’ album Abbey Road 

in 1969. And for the uber nerds: he 

wrote the song while spending the day 

at Eric Clapton’s house. 

*And yes, I am still persevering with 

public transport and loving it. 

Alan Neben is a Mount Maunganui local and 

experienced New Zealand publisher. His 

columns provide a light-hearted perspective 

on social changes effecting New Zealanders. 

Cruise passengers add 

vital international vibe 

If you missed the spectacular sight of the first cruise ships 

of the season arriving and departing from Tauranga Harbour 

recently, don’t worry – there’s plenty more on the way! 

Cruise ships have always been a core 

component of the summer vibe at 

Mount Maunganui and across the 

Coastal Bay of Plenty. The Port of Tauranga 

is a popular stop on many global 

voyage itineraries, which means passengers 

of all nationalities will be regularly 

disembarking from a variety of vessels 

over the next few months to explore near 

and far. 

Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager 

Oscar Nathan says it’s been rewarding 

seeing residents and businesses getting 

excited about the return of cruise 

ships and their passengers this season. 

“Absence definitely made the heart 

grow fonder while our international border 

was closed for a few years, due to 

Covid. The flow of nationalities and the 

different accents that we hear each time 

these ships dock essentially disappeared 

during that time.” 

“The return of cruise is a real invigorator 

for our region and the way that 

these passengers and crew explore while 

they’re onshore, even though it’s only for 

a short time – it generates essential revenue 

for a whole range of interconnected 

visitor sector businesses,” he says. 

The most recent national data shows 

that retailers reap the biggest benefit 

from onshore cruise visitor spending, followed 

by food and beverage providers, 

arts and recreation operators, and travel 

and tour services. 

“Some cruise passengers will organise 

their onshore excursions well before 

their ship docks here and will get straight 

onto a tour bus, but others like to be more 

spontaneous and are keen to consider 

all the options once they arrive,” Nathan 

says. 

“That’s why our pop-up iPORT visitor 

centre, volunteer ambassadors, and local 

tour operators add so much value. It’s 

their job to ensure these disembarking 

passengers make the best of their time 

while they’re here – whether they want to 

experience nearby shops and attractions 

or if they want to head further afield.” 

Recent changes to national data policies 

have made it difficult to calculate the 

economic contribution cruise made to the 

region last season, as well as the figures 

we can expect this season. 

However, previous data shows cruise 

contributed $74 million to the Coastal Bay 

of Plenty economy during the 2019/2020 

season, which was interrupted by Covid 

restrictions. The season before that 

(2018/19) saw cruise contribute more 

than $89 million to our local economy. 

“We’re expecting the 2023/24 season 

will bring approximately 112 cruise ships 

and 290,000 passengers and crew into 

our region,” says Nathan. “This won’t be 

a record number, but it will be very close. 

Cruise is enjoying an unprecedented 

resurgence around the world, now that all 

the borders are open, and New Zealand is 

right up there as a top destination.” 

Tourism Bay of Plenty does a lot of 

capability building with tour operators 

before each season starts, to ensure they 

each meet New Zealand’s stringent Qualmark 

standards to enable them to service 

cruise passengers. 

“The Coastal Bay of Plenty region 

offers a variety of excellent eco-tours, 

foodie options, and Māori cultural experiences, 

which are all popular with cruise 

passengers,” Nathan says. 

Those who can’t get on board to experience 

one of these magnificent vessels 

can still be part of the adventure by heading 

to Pilot Bay | Waikorire to farewell 

the ships as they depart. 

“I’d invite people to check the cruise 

schedule on our website and plan accordingly,” 

says Nathan. 

“These farewells are a local tradition 

and they’re a big hit with the departing 

cruise ship passengers too.” 

See bayofplentynz.com/cruise


CULTURE 

> DINNER & SUNSET HARBOUR CRUISE 

> TRINITY WHARF TAURANGA 

Enjoy a night out to remember this summer season 

with Trinity Wharf’s Dinner and Harbour Cruise! 

ABOARD FOR A CRUISY NIGHT 

Trinity Wharf, nestled in the heart 

of Tauranga, New Zealand, is a 

luxurious waterfront destination 

renowned for its stunning views and 

exquisite dining experiences. 

Among its standout offerings is the 

Dinner and Sunset Harbour Cruise, an 

unforgettable excursion that combines 

gourmet cuisine with breathtaking 

scenery. 

The tranquil surroundings and contemporary 

design of the hotel serves 

as a perfect complement to the natural 

beauty of Tauranga. 

Guests are greeted in the elegant, 

light-filled Trinity Wharf lounge with 

a welcome drink. Followed by a delicious 

buffet menu featuring miso glazed 

salmon, slow-cooked beef sirloin with 

chimichurri and lemon panna cotta 

with macadamia crunch. Before being 

whisked away by The Bay Explorer from 

Trinity Wharf’s very own pontoon. 

The intimate atmosphere of the cruise 

allows guests to connect with the natural 

beauty of the region. The changing 

hues of the sunset paint a mesmerising 

backdrop for the evening, creating 

an ambience that is both romantic and 

awe-inspiring. 

The Trinity Wharf Dinner and Sunset 

Harbour Cruise is ideal for a variety of 

occasions. Whether it be a romantic date 

night, a celebration with friends and 

family, or a special event, this experience 

caters to all. The cruise’s serene setting 

and impeccable service make it a popular 

choice for girls’ nights, anniversaries, 

and corporate events. 

With its delectable cuisine, captivating 

scenery, and attentive service, it 

promises an evening that will be cherished 

for years to come. It’s an opportunity 

to savour the beauty of New Zealand’s 

Bay of Plenty in a way that leaves 

a lasting impression on every guest fortunate 

enough to partake in this extraordinary 

journey.

GRAND OPENING 

Saturday 11th November 2023 

& ASSOCIATED MEDICAL TENANTS 

» The Village is a new mixed-use 

development in the heart of Omokoroa 

in the Bay of Plenty. 

» The Village consists of 7,000sqm of GFA, 

including hospitality, retail and office. 

» Stage 1 complete with 22 new businesses 

opening in November 2023. 

» High growth area with population 

predicted to double by 2031. 

» 276 onsite car parks. 

100 to 550m 2 designated for 

a GP and medical tenants 

97 Hamurana Road, 

Omokoroa, Bay of Plenty 

Andrew Vincent 

021 059 8365 | andrewv@fosters.co.nz 

OMOKOROAVILLAGE.CO.NZ 

FOSTERS.CO.NZ 07 570 6000

November 2023 - Bay of Plenty Business News

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