Waikato Business News | June 5, 2024

JUNE 2024 

Our precious… 

Chris Gardner presents the latest 

chapter in the story of our own 

Hobbiton. 

Overseas visitors to Hobbiton 

Movie Set Tours are 

expected to contribute a 

precious $2.6 billion to the New 

Zealand economy this season, up 

from last season’s $2.42 billion. 

Hobbiton is expecting to open 

its round doors to 570,000 visitors 

this season, about 7.5 per cent more 

than last season’s 530,000, chief 

executive Russell Alexander says. 

About 85 per cent of Hobbiton’s 

visitors travel from overseas to 

immerse themselves in the world 

of Middle-earth - The fantasy 

created by J.R.R. Tolkien for 

The Hobbit and The Lord of The 

Rings and captured on film in two 

blockbusting trilogies directed by 

Kiwi Sir Peter Jackson. 

Of this season’s projected visitors, 

484,500 are expected to come from 

overseas. 

Ministry of Business, Innovation 

and Employment International 

Visitor Survey figures show the 

average spend per Middle-earth 

tourist is $5,377 compared to the 

average $3,855 spent. 

Last month Warner Brothers 

announced two new movies 

based on Tolkien’s books were in 

production, the first, The Hunt for 

Gollum, is expected to be released 

in 2026. 

“It’s fantastic to see the news that 

another two movies in The Lord 

of the Rings series are going to be 

made,” said Tourism New Zealand 

chief executive René de Monchy. 

He said the March visitor survey 

showed 14 per cent of those who 

came here on holiday visited 

because of The Lord of the Rings or 

The Hobbit. 

“After 20 years, 14 per cent is a 

pretty big number.” 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism 

chief executive Nicola Greenwell 

said Hobbiton had been a bucketlist 

experience for overseas 

travellers for nearly 20 years 

and was one of the most visited 

attractions in the 

Russell Alexander employs a 

team of 275 who welcome visitors 

on tours, enjoy Hobbit themed 

second breakfasts, run in Halfling 

Marathons across the set and the 

Alexander family farm, and explore 

the insides of two Hobbit holes 

belonging to the Proudfoot and 

Twofoot families on Bagshot Row. 

The Hobbit holes opened in 

December. 

“It was the missing element,” 

said Alexander. 

The culmination of two years 

of planning, nine months of 

excavation, set decoration and an 

untold investment. 

Tours began of the stripped set 

in 2002 after The Lord of the Rings 

had finished filming. The set was 

rebuilt with permanent materials in 

2010 for The Hobbit trilogy. Since 

then, Alexander and his team have 

been adding value every year. 

And then the COVID-19 

pandemic scoured the world and 

Hobbiton was not immune. 

“In one meeting we had to lay off 

241 staff, and overnight we went to 

26,” Alexander said. 

Hobbiton was open and shut 

as New Zealand moved through 

different alert levels and the traffic 

light system was introduced. 

“It was harsh. We came close to 

not coming through the other side.” 

In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit… 

But just like the heroes it spawned 

in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books, Hobbiton 

overcame. 

The re-building of Bagshot Row 

signalled a post Covid recovery for 

the attraction, and the wider region. 

Hobbiton has expanded tours by 20 

minutes to allow visitors to linger 

in the Hobbit homes, reducing 

throughput by 120,000. 

“It is an unexpected journey. It’s 

coming down to being the best we 

can be. There’s a lot of opportunity 

for some pretty cool events here.” 

Hobbiton is staffed by a team 

from Cambridge, Hamilton, 

Matamata, Morrinsville, Tauranga, 

Te Aroha and Tokoroa. 

Waitomo Adventures chief 

executive Nick Andreef was there 

on Bagshot Row on opening day 

and described the fully furnished 

Hobbit holes as “very impressive”. 

“Hobbiton is a beacon of light,” 

Andreef said. “Hobbiton Movie Set 

is an incredibly powerful driver of 

visitors to the Waikato region and 

many people would be unaware of 

just how important it is.” 

As Hobbiton’s closest town, 

Matamata continues to prosper 

on the back of The Lord of the 

Rings. Tourism, with a tourist bus 

leaving daily from the Middle-earth 

themed i-Site. 

“Most people are going to 

Hobbiton,” said Chamber of 

Commerce Board member Lynette 

Stanley. 

Matamata i-Site consultant Kathy 

Lethbridge continues to have daily 

enquiries about movie set tours. 

“It’s still just as popular,” she said. 

Matamata Broadway’s Williams 

Jewellery’s Joy Williams said 

Middle-earth jewellery sales were 

not at 2002-2007 levels, but the 

stores had reduced its lines because 

many tourists just wanted to take 

photos with them. 

Redoubt Bar and Eatery manager 

Kayla Hughes said business had 

returned to pre-pandemic levels 

with patrons popping in after 

visiting the set. “It’s really good, we 

are back to normal.” 

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2 JUNE 2024 

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Bowlers take cover 

Mergers, whether it’s a business or a 

sports club, are never easy but the Frankton 

Junction and Frankton Railway Bowling 

Clubs’ hit new heights. 

Now under the umbrella of the Hamilton 

Workingmen’s Club, the new look Frankton 

Junction Bowling Club also has a PVC 

canopy roof over half of its outdoor bowling 

rinks. 

The Dome, as it is known as, reaches as 

high as six metres, over more than 1100 

square metres covering eight bowling rinks. 

It covers a newly carpeted green which was 

part of the $1.5 million merger development. 

It was not all plain sailing once the merger 

between the clubs was completed. 

In late 2022, prior to the development They’ve got it covered – Hamilton Workingmen’s Club manager Ken Marcum, city mayor Paula 

Southgate, bowls club president Brian Osmond and Bowls New Zealand chief Mark Cameron. 

getting underway, Hamilton City Council 

asked for $236,000 in development “There were the problems with the council, 

contributions before the canopy was even prior to the build, then when Cyclone 

started. 

Gabrielle came through things changed and 

Development contributions are usually council requirements changed regarding 

paid by property developers to help cover storm water requirements, which required 

costs for any infrastructure that supports us to install massive water retention tanks 

developments. 

underground, which escalated the costs 

Roll the kitty forward and after plenty of further. 

reports from both sides the council dropped He quips “that’s water under the bridge”. 

their fees drastically to $18,600. 

Local Iwi carried out a dawn blessing 

“Building the roof has been far from of the venue before the revamped facility 

easy,” says Frankton Junction Bowling Club was opened in March by Hamilton mayor 

President Brian (Oz) Osmond. 

Paula Southgate, with Workingmen’s Club 

Economic voice silenced 

By Chris Gardner 

The outgoing chief executive of Waikato 

economic development agency Te Waka has 

deflected questions on its achievements. 

Fiona Carrick, who was appointed less 

than two years ago from Fonterra, stood 

by a statement released by the Te Waka 

board last month which said it would close 

down on June 30 after six years due to a 

lack of collective regional commitment and 

inadequate resources. 

Independent chair Hamish Bell said the 

agency no longer had the collective mandate 

or resource to continue in an impactful way 

after the region’s 11 mayors had rejected 

plans to scale up its activity. 

“In terms of the collective voice we’ve 

represented for the region and the value we’ve 

delivered; I would refer you to this statement 

for that. I’m happy to directly engage you 

with the chair if you’ve got specific queries,” 

said Cambridge-based Carrick. 

Bell was unavailable for an interview. 

Te Waka had summarised its achievements 

in its submission to Waikato Regional 

Council, he said. 

“Over the last six years we have met all 

of the KPIs and accountability measures set 

by the councils that fund us, and we have 

delivered a wide range of activity for the 

region, which we are proud of. 

“The focus for the next six weeks is on 

concluding the activity in our current 

workplan. Some programmes of work 

could be ongoing, and we would welcome 

discussions with councils about how these 

could continue.” 

Te Waka received funding from Waikato 

Regional, Hamilton City, Hauraki, Matamata- 

Piako, Ōtorohanga, South Waikato, Taupō, 

Thames Coromandel, Waikato, Waipā and 

Waitomo. 

Te Waka’s swansong was the Waikato 

Regional Business Sentiment Survey in April. 

It surveyed the region about the economic 

challenges. 

Results reflected a more positive outlook 

than might have been expected, Te Waka 

said. 

“While overall confidence levels are down, 

our region‘s businesses are maintaining 

a level of pragmatic optimism, with 43% 

stating confidence in their own business 

performance and 48% expecting the Waikato 

regional economy to improve over the next 12 

months,” the executive summary said. 

“The biggest surprise would be the drop 

in confidence in Māori businesses,” Carrick 

added. 

Te Waka general manager of economic 

development Rosie Spragg said it was a 

significant drop. 

“We think in part it will reflect the nature 

of the industries that are made-up in the 

Māori economy. There was a high level of 

construction businesses in particular, as well 

as primary sector businesses that we know 

have been particularly hard hit over the past 

12 months. There may also be other factors 

at play - obviously the political environment 

around Māori economy. 

president Brian Simpson, former Frankton 

Railway Bowling Club president Doug 

O’Brien and Bowls New Zealand chief Mark 

Cameron present. 

Pat Weekes, another Frankton Junction 

past president threw down the first jack. 

The club is the first in the country to have 

a dome style roof style. 

Brian Osmond says the facilities, including 

the bar and kitchen which make up The 

Pavilion, are in demand. 

“The centre already has bookings for 

conferences, along with two other businesses 

booking out both centres for “team building” 

days, as we co-manage the facility alongside 

the Hamilton Workingmen’s Club and that 

works brilliantly. 

“We have this going on, along with our 

usual bowl days and evenings so the place 

is humming.” 

Getting Bowls New Zealand to bring a 

national tournament to the club is the next 

hope. 

Tim van de Molen 

Your MP for Waikato 

Backing Waikato Businesses 

Tim.vandeMolenMP@parliament.govt.nz 

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Briefs… 

Company merger 

Hamilton-based TMG 

Cloudland has merged with 

Primary IT (Wellington), 

making it the largest 

provider of IT services to 

primary healthcare in New 

Zealand. Primary IT chief 

Matthew Leahy said joining 

TMG Cloudland “allows us 

to offer our clients a broader 

range of services and 

advanced technologies”. 

Grant chance 

Applications for Callaghan 

Innovation’s R&D 

Experience Grant open on 

4 June. The grant funds 

work experience for tertiary 

students. 

Hospice changes 

Hospice Waikato chief 

executive Craig Tamblyn 

and board chair Margaret 

Devlin have left the 

community palliative care 

charitable trust. Former 

Hamilton Boys’ High School 

headmaster Susan Hassall 

is acting chief executive 

while Hamilton eye surgeon 

Stephen Ng is acting chair. 

Superhub gets 

Luxon tick 

Prime Minister Chris Luxon paid 

a whistle stop visit to Hamilton’s 

inland port and spoke to Waikato 

Business News writer Chris 

Gardner about the port, 

progress on the Medical 

School, science, 

technology and 

the rural sector. 

3 

Gascoigne moves 

Paul Gascoigne has joined 

the ranks of Harkness 

Henry. Gascoigne has more 

than 20 years of experience 

in commercial matters, 

property, farming and rural 

law, relationship property 

and estate planning. 

Choir returns 

The Christs College Chapel 

Choir from Cambridge, 

England, will sing in 

Hamilton’s Waikato 

Anglican Cathedral and St 

Andrew’s Anglican Church 

in Cambridge next month. 

Christ’s College is one of the 

constituent colleges of the 

University of Cambridge and 

has had a chapel choir since 

its foundation in 1505. 

Rotary visit 

Rotary International 

president Gordon McInally 

of Scotland will visit Waikato 

this week and Rotarians will 

have the opportunity to 

mix and mingle with him 

on Thursday (June 6) at 

Novotel Tainui in Hamilton. 

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon inspects a model of Tainui Group Holdings’ Ruakura Superhub while chief executive Chris Joblin looks on. 

Tainui Group Holding’s Ruakura 

Superhub in Hamilton has been 

described by Prime Minister 

Christopher Luxon as “a great 

example of what we want to see a lot 

more of in this country”. 

The commercial arm of the tribe 

is building New Zealand’s largest 

integrated commercial hub: a 30ha 

inland port operated in a joint 

venture with Port of Tauranga Ltd, 

surrounded by a 263ha industrial 

and logistics park. 

“What we need to do is build 

modern, reliable infrastructure 

that has economic, social and 

environmental benefits,” the Prime 

Minister told the Waikato Business 

News after a visit to the Superhub 

last month. 

“It’s critical for us to upgrade our 

economic productivity and when we 

do that, we get a higher quality of 

living for everybody.” 

He described the facility as a 

fantastic facility that connected 

the golden triangle of Auckland, 

Hamilton, and Tauranga. 

“There’s work that we need to do 

around infrastructure. A big part of 

it is making sure that we have a good 

clear 30-year pipeline of projects 

rather than just ideas. 

“We want to have a 10-year focus 

around city and regional deals 

and we also want to build out a 

national infrastructure agency that 

actually can get the right funding 

and financing in place to do more 

infrastructure. 

Waikato’s tech sector is worth 

more than $1.15 billion, with the 

Cultivate Trust in the midst of a Tech 

in the Tron campaign to attract 500 

workers and their families to the 

region. So, what’s the Government 

doing to help the sector? 

“We’ve got to embrace science, 

technology, innovation, a lot more,” 

Luxon said. 

“We have to make sure we better 

educate our kids, get rid of red 

tape, and obviously have stronger 

international connections. So those 

are the five things that will create 

more economic productivity and 

more prosperity for New Zealand. 

“When you look at the tech 

ecosystem in Hamilton, it’s 

incredibly diverse and it’s something 

that’s incredibly exciting when you 

think about the quality of life, the 

affordability, location, lifestyle. You 

know, Hamilton is a pretty attractive 

place to live. We are very, very 

interested in making sure we can 

accelerate tech and innovation.” 

It was important, he said, for 

businesses to invest in research and 

development to compete on a world 

stage. 

What about the rural sector? 

The Government was doing 

everything it could to encourage 

businesses, including the rural 

sector, he said. 

“The previous administration went 

to war with farmers. It loaded up a 

huge amount of regulations and as a 

result, farmers ended up spending 25 

per cent to 30 per cent of their week 

Photo: Erica Sinclair. 

doing paperwork rather than farming. 

We’re working our way through 

getting rid of the red and green tape 

that’s getting in the way of farming.” 

The Ministry of Health signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding 

with the University of Waikato in 

February 2024 to develop a third 

New Zealand medical school in the 

Waikato They are working on a 

business case with a view to the first 

intake of 120 students starting in 

early 2027. 

Asked whether there was anything 

the Government could to speed the 

process up, Luxon said the business 

case and feasibility study was well 

underway. 

“We need to look at the cost benefit 

analysis and make sure that we’ve 

got a very good robust financial case 

for progressing further. So that’s 

really the focus of the Government 

right now. Once we’re in agreement 

that a cost benefit analysis has been 

delivered and it makes sense then we 

can progress on the medical school.” 

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5 

See you at Sawubona 

What started out as a desire to help end the cycle of poverty has 

translated into a full-time business, writes Viv Posselt, one that 

Esther Gathambo wants to grow. 

Sawubona, a Hamilton-based social 

enterprise marketing traditional African 

homewares, is something of a ‘watch 

this space’ success story for the family 

charity that supported it. 

When Kenyan-born Esther Gathambo 

first considered how she could help 

impoverished African communities by 

selling their handmade crafts here, she 

knew there would be challenges. 

Soon after moving to New Zealand 

in 2018, she joined a settlement centre 

programme aimed at helping migrants 

and refugees, and while that did 

progress things to a degree, she sought 

more support. 

That came via the New Zealand charity 

All Good Ventures, run by Hamiltonbased 

business couple Heather and Rod 

Claycomb. As well as operating two 

successful and established businesses 

of their own, the couple launched the 

charity in 2018 aimed at supporting 

social entrepreneurs to start businesses 

where profits are directed to those in 

need. 

Through a targeted one-year 

programme, Good Ventures supports 

social entrepreneurs by plugging crucial 

gaps around funding and business 

knowledge and offering 12 months of 

mentoring. 

Esther Gathambo and her enterprise 

Sawubona, said Heather Claycomb, 

are an ideal example of what Good 

Ventures is all about. 

“Esther has the passion that we look 

for in the businesses we support,” she 

said, adding that while that might be the 

driver for many social entrepreneurs, 

passion alone won’t make a business 

work. 

“You need it to help people, of course, 

but you must be able to build business 

skills, make applications, handle human 

resources and so on for a business to 

survive. Those are two different skill 

sets. We only work with people for a 

year … our goal is to set them on a path 

with the skills they need to continue.” 

Esther’s grit and determination 

shone through from an early age. She 

grew up in rural Kenya in a resilient, 

single-parent family, going to different 

schools, developing a love for literacy 

and becoming the first in her family to 

go to university. 

“I watched my mother and 

grandmother run small businesses, but 

when I finished with my BA, I wasn’t 

sure what I would do. I was between jobs 

when I met my New Zealand partner 

and when an employment opportunity 

came up for me in Christchurch, I took 

it. My partner lives in Hamilton, so I 

moved up here.” 

All the while, thoughts had been 

percolating around opening a business 

that would empower African-based 

artisans and their families. She realised 

what a privilege it was to have a job 

when so many millions did not and 

grew increasingly determined to create 

opportunities for them. 

Sawubona – a Zulu word of welcome 

meaning ‘I see you’ – cut its teeth at local 

markets and now has space in Hamilton 

East’s Made market precinct. She sells 

handcrafted products fashioned by 

more than 75 artisans across various 

African countries, including Kenya, 

Rwanda and South Africa. 

What started out as a desire to help 

end the cycle of poverty has translated 

into a full-time business that Esther 

wants to grow. There are still plenty 

of challenges, but she is determined to 

get to the point where she can return a 

more sizeable chunk of the profits to the 

artisans rather than have to spend it on 

business costs. 

“It is also difficult to meet the weight of 

expectation that many people in Africa 

have,” she said. “They have perceptions 

of privilege. They think everyone living 

in first world countries is wealthy, and 

don’t always understand how things 

work. That can be challenging. 

“But they have wonderful skills, and 

I want to showcase those at the same 

time as helping communities escape 

poverty if I can.” 

Esther’s Sawubona represents one 

of few New Zealand businesses that 

approach Good Ventures during its 

annual applications round. 

Heather said many of the 80 plus 

applications this year are from countries 

such as Nepal, Cambodia, Canada, 

South America and the like. 

“We don’t get a lot of applications 

from New Zealand, and we don’t really 

know why that is,” she said. “We would 

like to see that change.” 

Esther Gathambo, who runs her business Sawubona out of the 

Made precinct in Hamilton East, is fuelled by a desire to help 

African-based artisans improve their lives. Photo by Viv Posselt 

Two Golden Rules of Investing 

ADVERTORIAL 

Chantal Baxter and Stuart 

Anderson are Investment 

Advisers with Craigs 

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share two golden investment rules and 

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adviser. 

Change is the only constant in life. As 

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Craigs Investment Advisers Chantal Baxter and Stuart Anderson 

irrational ideas or trades resulting 

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Craigs Investment Partners is one of 

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Chantal Baxter and Stuart Anderson 

are Investment Advisers at Craigs 

Investment Partners Hamilton branch. 

Contact Chantal and Stuart for all your 

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current market conditions. 

Chantal Baxter 

07 959 1842 

chantal.baxter@craigsip.com 

Stuart Anderson 

07 959 7111 

stuart.anderson@craigsip.com 

Craigs Investment Partners Limited is a NZX 

Participant firm. Chantal and Stuart’s Adviser 

disclosure statements are available on request and 

free of charge. The Craigs Investment Partners 

Limited Financial Advice Provider Disclosure 

Statement can be viewed at craigsip.com/tcs. 

Please visit craigsip.com for more information.


ADVERTORIAL 

Rototuna loses 

What’s happening with 

Australian immigration 

and what this means for New Zealand… 

community asset 

Net overseas migration in 

Australia for the year to 

June 2024 is forecast to be 

375,000 and just under 1.5% 

of Australia’s 26 million population. 

By comparison, New Zealand’s net 

migration for the year to March 2024 

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Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

0508PATHWAYS 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

Australian “clamp down” we would 

caution care. New Zealand has been 

adversely impacted by a number of 

international student “challenges” 

in the past, and if we are now to be 

more favourably considered then 

we need to be proactive in setting 

clear policies to attract and manage 

the students New Zealand most 

wants. Above all, we must avoid 

the proliferation of institutions and 

courses being set up specifically 

to target the international student 

dollar. Achieving a premium for a 

quality education experience, which 

can be suitably managed, marketed 

and sustained, is preferred over the 

“numbers game” that the sector 

has played in the past. Having a 

maximum ratio of international 

students to NZ students could be 

an interesting start? “Reviving” 

international education was part 

of the Government’s election plans 

so it will be interesting to see how 

it applies any learnings from the 

Australian situation. 

Australia is introducing visa 

programmes to “curry favour” with 

key trading partners such as the 

3,000 visa places for Indian graduates 

(and some professionals) and 

extending the maximum validity of 

business visas for Indian nationals to 

5 years. What will NZ do? 

Australia is also scrapping its 

Business Innovation and Investment 

visa programme, after having 

previously scraped its Significant 

Investor Visa earlier this year. While 

this would normally lead to more 

migrant investors considering New 

Zealand, the reality is that our Active 

Investor Plus category is complex, 

high risk, and is simply not practical 

or marketable, and the uptake since 

its’ introduction in late 2022 has been 

“underwhelming”, to say the least. 

The Australian immigration 

changes will create a range of 

opportunities for New Zealand, and 

particularly within the international 

education sector. It will be interesting 

to see how the Australian changes 

impact on the New Zealand 

immigration policy settings. 

www.pathwaysnz.com 

Paper Plus Rototuna closed in mid-May, depriving shoppers from essential banking and postal 

services. 


Rototuna shoppers lost a bank, book shop 

and post office all in one fell swoop when the 

shopping centre’s Paper Plus closed its doors 

on last month with the loss of five jobs. 

Owner Murali Jasti ran the shop and its 

Kiwibank, Lotto and NZ Post operation 

for almost 10 years at Rototuna Shopping 

Centre. He spoke to Waikato Business News 

reluctantly in its last days before it closed on 

May 17. 

“I am not sure that I can say anything,” he 

said. 

“Our lease finished. It’s up to the landlord 

and what he wants to do. I don’t want to give 

any details. Let it go. It’s time. We are taking 

a break.” 

Jasti had no plans to establish a new 

business. 

“It’s a bit of a shame for the shopping centre 

that they could not come to an agreement 

with the landlord,” said New World Rototuna 

owner Suresh Chimanlal. 

New World is a cornerstone tenant at 

Rototuna Shopping Centre. 

“I don’t know where people are going to do 

their post. We feel sorry for the owners who 

have done 10 years there and now they are 

walking away with nothing.” 

“I am sad,” said customer Jade Hersom. 

She regularly bought magazines and 

stationery there. 

She described the store as a community 

asset and the business’s owners as lovely 

people. “A lot of people use its Post Office 

boxes. Elderly people go there once a month 

to buy a good book.” 

Rototuna resident and Paper Plus customer 

Michele Buksch was shocked to hear of the 

closure. 

“The closure of NZ Post is the hardest thing, 

I use it from time to time,” she said. “There’s 

less bookshops now too, less competition, 

that affects the customer.” 

“Are they closing? That sucks. I always do 

my post here,” said customer Melanie Muller. 

The finalists for the 2024 Fieldays 

Innovation Awards have been announced 

across four categories. 

Twenty of the 63 participants made it to 

the final stage of judging, and a step closer 

to a share of a prize package of cash, services 

and products worth more than $70,000 to 

help launch or accelerate their new product. 

Fieldays runs at Mystery Creek from June 

12 to 15. 

Showcased at the Fieldays 2024 Innovation 

Hub, the Awards are promoted as a launch 

platform for primary innovation in New 

Zealand. 

All participants will be on show during 

Fieldays. 

The finalists are: 

Young Innovator, Iona College, 

“They are always very friendly.” 

Posting on the Facebook Rototuna 

Community Group Facebook page Sandy 

Liddicoat said: “Essential services are going 

to be lost. The shop is going to be sadly 

missed by many in the community especially 

the elderly.” 

A NZ Post statement provided by External 

Communications senior advisor Sarah Jarvis 

said the closure was unfortunate and “at 

this stage no replacement agency has been 

found”. 

“We would be happy to have a discussion 

with any other local business owner in the 

vicinity who may be interested in hosting our 

postal services.” 

The closest postal services are Chartwell, 

Parkwood, and Garnett Avenue Post Centre. 

The closest bill payment agency is Hamilton 

Post Shop. 

Kiwibank said, in a statement provided by 

External Communications manager Louise 

Vallant, it was unique by working with local 

agents to provide banking services across the 

country. 

“We have the largest physical network of 

banking services in Aotearoa, comprising our 

branches and Local for Kiwibank agents,” the 

statement said. 

“The owner of the Rototuna Paper Plus, 

which provides banking services on behalf 

of Kiwibank, has made the decision to 

permanently close. Kiwibank has contacted 

customers who are frequent users of the 

Rototuna Paper Plus to inform them of the 

change in services. 

“Kiwibank is not considering replacing this 

Local for Kiwibank agent as we have other 

locations and in the wider Hamilton area.” 

The nearest Kiwibank branch is The Base. 

The nearest Local for Kiwibanks are Hillcrest 

Postshop and Glenview Centre NZ Post. 

Landlord Keith Houston told Waikato 

Business News: “I do not wish to get into 

the reasons of the closure. But it is being 

re-tenanted by one of our other tenants and 

their shop will come up for lease.” 

Innovation finalists named 

Havelock North – Wool Be Studying, St 

Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton - Clean Milk 

Catcher and Kiwi Beam Solutions, St Peter’s 

Cambridge – Ag Recruit and Mark-It. 

Prototype, CM Safety Ltd Te Puke - 

“Hood” Head On Object Deflector, Daisy 

Lab, Auckland, Fleecegrow, Auckland, 

Kiwi-Econet, Riverton and theExperiment 

Company Ltd Taupō - Diffuzone Imaging. 

Early-Stage, Envico, Tauranga, KiwiFibre, 

Christchurch, NZ Auto Traps, Whakatane, 

Vertex Engineers – Uvex, Hamilton and 

Water Siphon, Auckland. 

Growth & Scale, Fleetpin Limited, 

Christchurch – Safetrax, Halter, Auckland, 

MSD Animal Health Hamilton – Sensehub 

Dairy, Robotics Plus, Tauranga and WoolAid, 

Auckland


Tokoroa at next level 

OUR ENVIRONMENT 

Marae as 

infrastructure 

By PHIL MACKAY 

7 

Amanda Hema (left) pictured with Christine Hall, the chief executive of anchor tenant Central Kids. 

It’s dubbed Level 1 and is Tokoroa’s 

new co-working space designed to support 

emerging local businesses and established 

companies, 

The new workspace, in the town’s Pukenga 

Rau building on Chambers St is owned and 

operated by Swift – the South Waikato 

Investment Fund Trust. 

Chief Executive Amanda Hema says the 

intention is that Level 1 will be more than 

serviced office space. 

“We want Pūkenga Rau Level 1 to build the 

local business community by encouraging 

social and professional engagement that will 

continue to raise the capability and capacity 

of businesses operating in South Waikato,” 

she said. 

The anchor tenant is early learning 

provider Central Kids, which won the For 

Purpose and People’s Choice awards at the 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business 

Awards last November 2023. Swift picked 

up the Community Contribution award at 

the same event. 

Central Kids is a South Waikato business 

operating 52 early learning services around 

the central North Island. 

The launch of Pūkenga Rau Level 1 follows 

on the heels of the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce launching in South Waikato. 

Hema said Swift and the chamber were 

complementary with one focusing on local 

capability development and the other able to 

provide regional, national and international 

connections. 

The Reserve Bank has announced the 

introduction of Debt-to-Income (DTI) 

restrictions on new lending for residential 

housing. This is another tool that the 

Reserve bank has been considering for some 

time, to sit alongside the existing Loan-to- 

Value (LVR) restrictions. 

The new rules will mean that from July 1, 

only 20 of new lending to owner-occupiers 

can be at a DTI ratio above 6, and 20 of new 

lending to investors can be at a DTI ratio 

above 7. So a household with the current 

average household income of $126,411 

would be able to borrow up to $758,466. 

The introduction of these new rules gives 

the Reserve Bank another tool to maintain 

the stability of the financial system in 

NZ. One criticism of the LVR restrictions 

already in place was that they made lending 

particularly challenging for first home 

buyers. Alongside the introduction of the 

new DTI restrictions, the Reserve Bank 

has also announced the easing of the LVR 

rules, which could be good news for younger 

buyers trying to get a foothold in the market. 

Currently up to 15% of banks’ new lending 

can be to borrowers with less than 20% 

deposit, from July 1st this can be up to 20% 

of new lending. Investors also see an easing 

of LVR restrictions, with a 35% deposit 

required, down from 40% currently. 

The Reserve Bank has said “Having both 

DTI and LVR restrictions in place at the 

same time means we can better focus them 

on the risks that they are designed for while 

achieving the same or better overall level of 

resilience in the financial system.” 

In general terms it seems likely that the 

new restrictions will reduce investor interest 

in the housing market, as their ability to 

leverage existing properties to purchase 

additional houses will be reduced. Given 

the current weakness in the market and 

in particular investor interest, due to high 

interest rates, it’s unlikely that this will have 

a strong impact immediately. The Reserve 

Bank will have considered this factor in the 

timing of the announcement, but will be 

expecting the restrictions to act as a ‘speed 

limit’ on the housing market as interest 

rates come down. 

It is worth noting that the DTI restrictions 

won’t apply to new builds, the intention 

being not to unnecessarily constrain new 

housing supply. This means there is still 

opportunity for investors to borrow above 

the DTI limits for new developments and 

new housing. 

Likewise, banks can still make up to 20% 

of their new lending to owner-occupiers, 

and 20% of new lending to investors, 

at higher ratios. Investors with good 

relationships with their bank may still be 

able to access finance at higher multiples of 

their income, and banks have some scope 

to make exceptions for a limited number of 

owner-occupiers. 

It remains to be seen how this will 

ultimately play out as interest rates drop and 

the housing market recovers, particularly 

given that the government has reinstated 

interest deductibility for investors. 

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Thinking of selling? 

What to consider in the 

current market 

ADVERTORIAL 

Serving the 

community 

The property market, whether 

it be residential, rural or 

commercial, is and always will 

operate within a cycle. Often 

the decision of when to sell is driven 

by other factors that relate to personal 

circumstance or choice, not necessarily 

where we may be in a cycle. 

Within any market, there are always 

opportunities for both sellers and 

buyers. Everybody has different reasons 

for selling and in New Zealand there 

are several methods of selling property, 

which sellers need to consider - this can 

relate to the situation or specifics of the 

particular property or the ownership 

structure. 

When you are considering selling a 

property, it is important to understand 

the process and the various sale 

methods, whether it will be marketed 

widely or not, with or without a price 

and if there is a fixed timeframe to act 

or not. 

Auctions: 

• No fixed price 

• Creates urgency through a fixed 

timeframe 

• Creates open transparent 

competition between buyers 

• Bidders are purchasing on an 

unconditional basis 

Tenders: 



time frame 

• Creates an element of competition 

• Purchasers will potentially be 

conditional i.e. due diligence or 

finance 

Deadline Private Treaty 



time frame, but can be sold prior 

to the deadline date if marketed as 

such, “unless sold prior” 

• Creates an element of competition 

• Purchasers are likely to be 

conditional, although the incentive 

of being unconditional early, 

can motivate some potential 

purchasers in order to avoid last 

minute competition 

(Tenders or Deadline Private Treaty 

sale methods should be considered 

for more complex properties or where 

there are ownership structures that 

have signoff or approval processes to 

go through). 

Private Treaty 

• Usually with a fixed or ‘asking’ 

price 

• No time pressure or urgency for 

purchasers to act 

• Will likely either be sold quickly 

(could it have been worth 

more?) or remain on the market 

for an extended period of 

time (maybe the asking 

price was unrealistic?) 

• Conditional and 

unconditional offers 

can be made 

Tips: 

1. In a challenging market such as 

we have now, it is more important 

than ever to have a robust 

marketing programme in place, to 

leave no stone unturned in order 

to find the best buyer(s), not just 

any buyer. 

2. In relation to your particular 

property, check the track record 

and specialist market knowledge 

of the agents who you are 

selecting from. Interview more 

than one agent for the job. 

3. Consider discussing an 

incentivised fee structure with 

the agent. With an incentivised 

commission structure, sellers 

and agents are both rewarded 

accordingly - the more effectively 

the agent works and the higher 

price, both parties gain the added 

financial benefit. The cheapest 

agent isn’t necessarily the one with 

the lowest commission, it’s the 

one who puts the most money in 

your bank account. 

What is working well in the current 

market? 

• Cash is king again, as finance is 

more expensive and increasingly 

more difficult to secure. Auctions 

provide an opportunity to pit 

unconditional buyer against 

unconditional buyer. Two weeks 

ago, we had a 100% clearance rate, 

selling two industrial properties, 

with multiple bidders on both and 

in excess of 50 bids. 

• Consider putting a price on the 

property, to allow purchasers 

a guide. Where properties 

are realistically priced, we are 

definitely seeing enquiry. 

• Don’t be afraid to increase the 

marketing budget – you can’t sell 

a secret, particularly in today’s 

market. 

Remember you only have one 

opportunity to put the property on 

the market for the first time – and 

the longer the property remains 

on the market unsold, the more 

potential purchasers ask the 

question about the issues with 

the property and whether the 

vendors price expectation is 

realistic or not. 

Manish Thakkar left India in 2001 for a better life for 

his family. He found it in Hamilton, Chris Gardner 

writes. 

Supermarket owners, from left, Rupali Thakkar, Aarti Patel, Rakesh Patel and Manish Thakkar, at the 

Fresh In Fresh Out supermarket in Hamilton. 

When Manish Thakkar says retail crime 

is rampant in the country, he talks from 

experience. 

In February last year, Thakkar was the 

victim of an aggravated robbery by two 

masked and one motorbike helmeted robber 

at his superette in Hamilton. 

“It was horrible,” he remembered. He 

had a gun pointed at him and was left 

battered and bruised. “They took cash and 

cigarettes.” 

Despite this, last month Thakkar opened 

New Zealand’s largest independent 

supermarket, Fresh In Fresh Out (FIFO) at 

Grandview Mall in Nawton, with his second 

wife Rupali Thakkar and business partners 

Rakesh and Aarti Patel. 

There to do the honours was Act Party 

leader David Seymour who said the owners 

were “heroes” taking huge risks for their 

community. 

“Some people think that the Government 

can fix it all,” Seymour said. 

“That’s only half true. We can do some 

things, we can make the streets safe, but 

the truth is if you want to solve the problem 

the real solutions start with business, they 

come from community, they come from 

people making a difference in their own 

lives, as are these entrepreneurs taking on 

that supermarket duopoly the way they are 

today, that’s what makes a real difference, 

that’s what’s important.” 

The owners have spent $2 million 

reimagining the former Countdown 

supermarket that closed eight months ago 

due to problems with the buildings cool 

store and ongoing retail crime. 

Thakkar is part of a group of Waikato 

retailers who hope to stay connected with 

Police minister Mark Mitchell to agitate for 

a government crackdown on crime. 

Hamilton East MP Ryan Hamilton, who 

was also at the opening, said it took courage 

for Thakkar to step up and fill the gap in 

Nawton. 

Houston Technology founder Alan Chew 

was first to the till with a banana, describing 

FIFO as “great news for the community.” 

Thakkar left an engineering role in 

Gujarat, India to emigrate to Hamilton in 

2001 with his first wife Nishma and children 

to accept a role as a maintenance engineer at 

Ulrich Aluminium. 

A lack of New Zealand experience saw 

Thakkar turn to retail in 2009. 

“Migrant engineers and doctors need to 

get jobs,” he said. “Because they don’t have 

any New Zealand experience, they struggle 

to get jobs.” 

When they had saved enough the Thakkars 

opened two dairies in Hamilton, and one in 

Cambridge, Waihou, Waiuku, and Waharoa. 

The dairies were sold in 2017 to fund 

the opening of SuperValue Parkwood in 

Gordonton Road, Hamilton. 

The opening of the Hamilton supermarket 

seven years later follows the opening of a 

smaller FIFO Supermarket in Mount Eden, 

Auckland, selling Indian products. 

The supermarket has created 20 full time 

positions, and there is more work on the 

horizon for the community. 

Thakkar reckons around 600 people 

attended the opening of the supermarket. 

How was business on the opening 

weekend? 

“Very good. Even busier than our 

expectations. Even on a weekend when 

people do not have enough money the 

supermarket was really doing well. Our goal 

is not to make money, big profits, we want to 

serve the community.” 

ACT Party leader David Seymour was heckled 

at the opening of the FIFO Supermarket in 

Hamilton.


MORTGAGE ADVICE 

Time to look 

at fixed rate 

By CLAIRE WILLIAMSON 

While the Government’s controversial 

housing policy changes for first home 

buyers are currently front and centre; 

the slightly less talked about topic as 

we close out the last month of Autumn 

seemed to be the OCR review; glanced 

over amid a storm of rushed Kainga Ora 

applications. 

What’s interesting about the way 

interest rates are tracking at the moment 

is actually just how little they have 

moved since the beginning of the year. 

With plenty of sub 3% rates rolling into 

the 6%s, the value of advice is becoming 

more and more important. 

For those who have already got over 

the hump of buying their first home – 

the question of “what shall I do with my 

interest rate?” is ringing loudly. There is 

confusion around the right thing to do, 

and no “one size fits all” approach. 

In our world, while the interest rate 

you get is important (especially in today’s 

market) your loan structure and what 

might be coming up for you is at least 

equally if not more critical to meeting 

your goals. 

SBS sent tongues wagging last 

month when they came out with a very 

competitive fixed rate for three years, 

and there was a flurry of questions across 

the board around whether it was a deal 

worth taking. 

Like all good mortgage advisers, we 

did some number crunching on the three 

year 5.99% and found that we’d need to 

see an average of 5.50% across year two 

and year three to be competitive against 

the standard 1 year offering of 6.89%. 

That actually stacks up well considering 

the expectation that rates might still take 

another 12 months to start dropping. 

But unfortunately for borrowers, the 

other lenders haven’t followed SBS’s 

lead, and most of the medium-term fixed 

rates have stubbornly remained in the 

mid 6%s. Many in a position to re-fix are 

looking simply at the face-value cost and 

the repayments, and banks are gently 

using their reminder emails to encourage 

longer term fixed options. It’s important 

to consider not just the cost week-toweek, 

but how that cost is likely going to 

change over time, too. 

Three years is a long time for many 

borrowers, particularly those who are 

younger, building careers, and more 

likely to have a change in role or family 

situation. They may have a growing 

business, variable income, or be taking 

time off to care for family. 

And while rates are relatively 

compressed across the terms (with less 

than 1% separating a 6 month and 5 year 

rate), fixing any rates beyond 2 years at 

the moment is risking a higher cost in 

the later part of the fixed period. That’s 

not necessarily a bad thing at all, but it’s 

important to be really clear on the pros 

and cons. 

So what should you do with your fixed 

rate? 

Talking to your adviser is a great start. 

• Claire Williamson is a mortgage 

advisor for My Mortgage 

TOURISM 

The power of 

collaboration 

By NICOLA GREENWELL 

Collaboration is a powerful force driving economic 

growth and community vitality. 

At a time when budgets are constrained, working 

together can address common challenges, pool 

expertise and resources, and create synergies that 

lead to sustainable development, and have a larger 

impact than would be possible at an individual level. 

While domestically, regions across the motu are 

all friendly competitors, international travellers 

don’t see regional boundaries. Strong partnerships 

with our neighbouring regions allow us to share a 

common message highlighting the central North 

Island and our Pacific Coast Highway and the 

Thermal Explorer Highway touring routes. 

In long-haul markets like the USA, UK and 

Europe, Waikato joins a collective partnership with 

seven other regions, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, 

Taupō, Rotorua, Ruapehu, Tairawhiti Gisborne and 

Hawkes Bay; known as Explore Central North Island 

to promote the country as a visitor destination. 

The relationship allows us to pool our financial 

and staff resources and stretch our collective efforts 

further than we could as individual regions. 

Another key regional partnership we are part of 

is the Thermal Explorer Regional Events Fund, a 

collaborative effort across the Waikato, Rotorua, 

Taupō, and Ruapehu regions. 

The $3.75 million fund, which is now in its 

final year of operation, was established by central 

government in the aftermath of the Covid-19 

pandemic to stimulate domestic tourism. This fund 

supports diverse events, from cultural events to 

business conferences and trail runs. 

Approximately 370,000 people are expected to 

attend these events. 

The fund also provides capability building 

opportunities for event organisers in the four 

regions. 

9 

Looking southwards, we joined forces with 

Venture Taranaki throughout the pandemic to 

develop The Waikato to Taranaki Way, a curated 

self-drive itinerary along the west coast of the North 

Island. 

We also undertake partnerships to create industry 

resources and build capability. 

An example of central government and local 

agencies coming together to create a legacy resource 

is our new Destination Insights Dashboard. 

Alone, we couldn’t have financially achieved this, 

but by partnering with neighbouring regions we 

were able to create a shared data platform and 

regional statistics dashboard. This analysis tool 

is designed for us to use in business planning, 

operational forecasting and marketing activities. 

Of course, collaboration doesn't just happen when 

funding is involved, some of our most powerful 

regional and national partnerships are simply based 

on sharing knowledge and advice. 

As a network of regional tourism organisations 

across the country the strength of our camaraderie 

and willingness to share intel, learnings and 

collectively problem-solve, rises the tide for us all, 

and the communities we serve. 

And it goes without saying that good people 

are at the heart of any collaboration. Without the 

tight-knit working relationships we have with our 

national partners such as Tourism New Zealand, 

Business Events Industry Aotearoa, New Zealand 

Events Association, Tourism Industry Aotearoa, and 

Tourism Export Council New Zealand, and our local 

ones including councils, tourism operators, fellow 

business associations and community groups, we 

just couldn't achieve all the mahi and success that 

we do. 

• Nicola Greenwell is Chief Executive, Hamilton and 

Waikato Tourism 

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Fieldays creates connection 


Fieldays chief executive Peter 

Nation is not expecting record 

sales this month, despite prepandemic 

exhibitor numbers, but 

what the event lacks in cash will be 

made up for in connection. 

Around 120,000 punters are 

expected to visit 11,000 trade 

stands at the 56th iteration of the 

southern hemisphere’s largest 

agricultural event from June 12-15 

at Mystery Creek Events Centre in 

Waipā District. 

“There won’t be record sales,” 

Nation said. The economic climate 

has seen to that. “But Fieldays is 

a really good connection piece so 

people can get time away from 

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation 

home, meet with family, friends, 

trusted suppliers, salespeople, 

consultants, and other 

professionals." 

It’s also about conversation 

and collaboration between the 

economic powerhouse that is 

rural New Zealand and its support 

services. 

“There’s lots of opportunity to 

talk to a government agencies and 

others about issues they’re not sure 

on, whether it’s National Animal 

Identification and Tracing (NAIT), 

Ministry for Primary Industries 

(MPI), regional councils, you name 

it. There’s an opportunity to come 

and chew the fat about governance, 

compliance, whatever.” 

For example, multiple themed 

hubs around the site are designed 

to attract and serve punters. 

The Health Wellbeing Hub, 

staffed by 100 health professionals, 

is returning for its 11th year. About 

30,000 visitors, or a quarter, go 

through. 

“Pre COVID a mother and 

daughter, in her early 20s, walked 

in and the mother said let’s get our 

sugar levels tested for diabetes. 

The nurse told the daughter you’ve 

got type A diabetes and if you don’t 

get medical help soon, you’re going 

to be dead in six months.” 

Fieldays is 99 per cent full as far 

as exhibitors are concerned. 

“That defies gravity with the 

economy,” Nation said. 

“We’ve worked hard for that. 

You don’t just sit there and wait 

for them to come; you’ve got to sell 

the event and explain the value of 

coming. 

"There are pockets of industry 

Exhibition space at Fieldays 2024 is 99 per cent full. 

doing really well and there’s others 

hurting. 

"The sheep industry’s in a bit of 

doldrum, beef’s OK and people are 

getting a bit excited by dairy with 

the forecasting. Fonterra has had 

a really good profit year. Those 

things bode well. We’ve got a lot 

of grower industries here. Apple 

and pear are going OK, the wine 

industry is going well, and plant 

machinery, technology, software 

around the edges.” 

Fieldays has had a bit of a 

revamp since Nation joined eight 

years ago. 

“Everything we do around the 

event comes back to Innovation, 

education, and globalisation. We 

see a lot of organisations display 

new innovation, a lot of the brands 

that exhibit are global and we’ve 

got 49 companies or organisations 

from nine countries exhibiting and 

25 delegations from 15 countries 

and another 17 countries visiting 

either it’s a one or two. 

“It’s clear that New Zealand’s 

open for business.” 

The Fieldays mobile apps 

includes an innovation trail that 

takes visitors to innovations 

around Mystery Creek. 

“We’ve had our largest 

innovation entries in 10 years. 

That that bodes really, really well 

for the industry when you’ve got 

people out there putting their 

shoulders to the wheel, producing 

new technologies and innovation 

to solve problems. 

The Careers & Education Hub 

offers the opportunity for school 

pupils to discuss starting a career, 

or adults changing career. 

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Hobbiton - in tourist’s hands 


Tourists are binge-watching Sir Peter 

Jackson’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the 

Rings trilogies on smartphones and tablets 

as they take in the sights of Middle-earth. 

British backpacker Hannah Flowers, 19, 

fell in love with Middle-earth when she 

arrived in New Zealand for a whistle stop 

North Island tour in April. 

“I wasn’t a fan, but a lot of people who are 

close to me are massive fans,’” said Flowers. 

“A flight to New Zealand sounded like a 

perfect time. As they were readily available 

on Netflix, I downloaded them and began 

watching The Lord of The Rings trilogy on 

my flight.” 

She completed The Hobbit Trilogy while 

backpacking. 

A visit to Hobbiton was inevitable. Half of 

the hundreds of thousands of visitors have 

not read the books or seen the films. 

“Hobbiton was really interesting, and the 

attention to detail was the selling point, 

especially in the Hobbit holes that you can 

enter. The atmosphere and the tour guides 

brought the place to life, and it did feel like 

stepping into another world. “ 

She paid $120 to enter. 

“It was well worth the entry price, even 

more so compared to the UK, where novelty 

attractions such as this are priced around 

the same, if not more. I would recommend 

it to anyone visiting NZ, and if I come back, 

I will be visiting Hobbiton again.” 

“The ability to access films on-the-go has 

been a benefit to movie locations,” said 

Hairy Feet Waitomo Scenic Film Location 

Tour owner Suzie Denize. 

The King Country location near Piopio 

was used in The Hobbit films, and film 

crews returned for three episodes of the first 

season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings 

of Power. 

“Visitors love to ‘be in the scenes’ that they 

see on their device,” she said. 

"Our tours are longer than before, as 

we have more film locations to share with 

guests, since The Rings of Power filmed 

here. We’re always tweaking and adding to 

our experience; whether it’s a new pathway, 

prop, or story.” 

Denize said most Hairy Feet Waitomo 

guests booked well in advance from Europe, 

North America, and Australasia. 

“When they land in New Zealand, they 

tend to have an itinerary as to where they 

are going, what activities they will do and 

where they will be staying.” 

Middle-earth location guidebook author 

Ian Brodie said easy access to the films 

and television series via streaming services 

allowed visitors to look at particular scenes 

and identify those they wish to visit. 

“New Zealand is now indelibly stamped as 

Middle-earth and the countries continued 

star role in other films and television series 

just furthers the country and its landscape.” 

He was seeing more sales per annum than 

there had been for quite a while. 

“The interest is still just as poignant. 

We are dealing with beautiful parts of the 

country, so they are always at the forefront 

of people’s location choices.” 

Middle-earth location guidebook sales have increased, says author Ian Brodie. 

Hobbiton “well worth the entry price” says backpacker Hannah Flowers. 

Getting back 

to fitness 


Hobbiton began its post-pandemic 

journey to recovery with Middle-earth 

Halfling Marathons. 

“The Hobbits went on quite a big 

adventure on their feet and that’s what our 

visitors want to do as well,” said general 

tourism manager Shayne Forrest. 

The idea had been a decade in the making, 

but the pandemic gave the team time to 

focus on it. 

“It’s something only New Zealand can do, 

linking in to that Middle-earth story. 

“We’ve gone from 1000 participants the 

first year, 2021, to 1200 the next year, and 

this year we were sold out at 1500.” 

There were 480 Middle-earth costumed 

participants from 26 countries. 

“We’re getting emails at the moment about 

next year,” Forrest said. “They want to plan 

their trip around the Halfling Marathon. It’s 

opened up a completely different market 

segment for us. 

Participants get to go to other parts of the 

Alexander property that we used for filming 

that we can’t access during tours because 

they are too far out the back. There’s fiddle 

players and flute players at the Green 

Dragon, the final aid station. There’s meats 

and cheeses and breads at the Green Dragon 

bar. Some of them will add an extra two 

hours to their time as they sit down and 

enjoy themselves. A lot of them come back 

the next day and bring their families. They 

stay in the region. That’s what we want, they 

come here a bit longer and experience a bit 

more.” 

Hamilton & Waikato Tourism chief 

executive Nicola Greenwell said the Middle- 

Earth Halfling Marathon was supported by 

the first round of funding from the Thermal 

Explorer Regional Events Fund in 2021. 

“The fund, set up by the Ministry of 

Business, Innovation and Employment 

(MBIE) was developed to help support 

and provide new domestic visitation 

opportunities for the events and tourism 

sectors which were severely impacted by the 

COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Hobbiton has hosted Evening Banquet 

Tours since 2015. 

“The banquet is really popular. It’s sold out 

two to three months in advance. It’s limited 

to 48 people, and we run it a minimum of 

four nights a week, 

Waitomo’s Suzie Denize, seen with husband Warrick, says media streaming has benefited tourists.


Out and about… 

More Out and about photos wbn.co.nz 

Send us your contributions to Out and about – editor@goodlocal.nz 

15 

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing celebrated the move into its new Cambridge head office last month. Pictured 

were NZTR Head of People and Culture Tash Adamstein, Head of Finance Rowan Cramond, Forsyth Barr investment 

advisor Sam Blatchford and NZTR chief operating officer Darin Balcombe with Dan Smith, Head of Marketing, 

Communications and Wagering, in the background. 

Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Waikato University’s new Hiko Hub co-working business precinct opened last 

month. At the opening were, from left, Peter Boyle, Exaba chief executive, Waikato 

Management School pro-vice chancellor Matt Bolger and Waikato University chief 

operating officer Jim Mercer. 

Photo: Mary Anne Gill 

Rotary International President representative Johnny Yu and his wife Veronica (left) flew in from the Philippines last month to attend 

the 2024 Rotary District 9930 Conference in Cambridge. They were pictured with former National Party MP Lindsay Tisch and his 

Rotarian wife Leonie. At right is the Rotary District 9930 Governor Bill Robinson, and at the rear is Cambridge Rotary Club president 

David Partis. 

Photo: Viv Posselt 

At the first Waipā Home and Leisure Show Walter Gilmore of 

Bupa Rossendale makes himself comfortable in one of Kiwi AZ 

Creationz’s full barrel bench seats made by Hamish McIntosh in 

Dinsdale. 

Former Fieldays chair Peter Carr received a QSM for services 

to the community from Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro at 

Government House in Wellington last month. 

Cambridge Chamber of Commerce chair Tracey Olivier with 

architect Antanas Procuta who was granted life membership 

with the Cambridge Chamber for his outstanding contribution 

and unwavering dedication to the chamber for more than 20 

years as both a member and Cornerstone Partner 

Matangi professional director Tania Simpson (Ngāti Maniapoto, 

Ngā Puhi, Ngāi Tahu) receives her ONZM for services to 

governance and Māori from Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro 

at Government House in Auckland last month.


2 Golds, 3 Silvers and a win for sustainability. 

The New Zealand Commercial Project Awards, a competition which 

showcases and celebrates the best in commercial construction from 

around the country, saw a total of 119 entries for 2024. 

The Foster Group (Fosters) are celebrating two Gold and three Silver 

awards across five categories: commercial, industrial, retail, public and 

residential. 

Gold went to Union Square’s Buildings E and F (commercial), and Convex 

(industrial). NIWA won Silver in the public category, while Bay of Plenty 

projects The Village Omokoroa (retail) and Vantage (residential) were 

also awarded Silver. 

With both Union Square and The Village Omokoroa being Fosters’ 

property development projects, the awards highlight the Group’s growing 

strength in this area. 

It was pleasing to note that sustainability was at the forefront in this 

year’s competition. 

A statement from Registered Master Builders, who run the nationwide 

competition, noted: “The trend towards sustainable building practices 

reflects a growing awareness within the commercial sector of the 

importance of environmental stewardship.” 

As conscious leaders in sustainable building practice, we take that as a 

win too. 

Got a build project in mind?

Waikato Business News | June 5, 2024

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