Waikato Business News | July 3, 2024

JULY 2024 

Teeing up the next link 

This time last year the Southern Links project seemed 

another generation away - then National announced 

its roads of national significance. Senior writer Mary 

Anne Gill spoke to Finance Minister Nicola Willis about 

when construction might start. 

When Nicola Willis delivered the latest 

update on Southern Links to a hungry for 

information group of business people at 

Tīeke Golf Estate last month, the irony of 

the location was not lost on her. 

The internationally renowned 18-hole golf 

course - which borders Mystery Creek and 

the Waikato River - cost nearly $20 million 

to build with taxpayer funds. 

Six years ago, New Zealand Transport 

Agency bought The Narrows - one of 

Riverside Golf Club’s two golf courses - 

for Southern Links, and the club used the 

money to redevelop its Lochiel course, 

renaming it Tīeke. 

Before National made Southern Links one 

of its roads of national significance, the 

project was decades away from starting even 

though NZTA had bought several hectares of 

land on its route. 

“It’s a priority for us. It’s one of the 

projects of national significance that we 

want to see delivered,” Willis told The News. 

“It’s a critical growth enabling project, 

that will allow for additional housing 

development, better freight delivery and 

enhance the productivity of this region and 

indeed the Waikato economy.” 

So, instead of 20-30 years away, design 

should start this Parliamentary term and 

construction be underway in four years. 

Willis told the Waikato Chamber of 

Commerce Budget breakfast – held at Tīeke 

on day two of Fieldays – better times were 

ahead. 

“You (Waikato) are a poster child for what 

can happen to productive and economic 

growth when people get a decent road. And 

here’s to the Waikato Expressway,” she said. 

“When I look at Hamilton, I think we have 

a region that represents what is possible for 

our country because you have a primary 

production base, that has then evolved to 

have innovation, manufacturing and service 

industries. But what you also have got is 

entrepreneurial people.” 

Southern Links joins Waikato 

Expressway’s Cambridge to Piarere on the 

roads of national significance. 

The $100 million project will link SH1 

from Kahikatea Drive in Hamilton to 

Tamahere, SH3 from Hamilton Airport to 

central and east Hamilton and establish a 

key transport in the city council’s Peacocke 

housing development. 

One of the two new bridges associated 

with it, in Hamilton East, is due to open 

later this year. 

Taupō MP Louise Upston whose electorate 

would benefit from Southern Links – as 

it would from the Waikato Expressway 

extension to Piarere – said unlocking 

housing growth, reducing congestion and 

improving safety were critical drivers. 

“Hamilton Southern Links will open up 

opportunities for districts in the Waikato 

to connect. It will allow people to get where 

they need to go, quickly and safely, and 

boost productivity and economic growth in 

our region,” she said. 

Waikato Regional Airport chief executive 

Mark Morgan said the ratepayer-owned 

company had been advocating for the 

project both locally and nationally for years. 

The development of its Northern Precinct 

industrial park north of the airport and 

Titanium Park would benefit from greater 

transport links, he told The News. 

“Southern Links is pivotal. There’s land 

bigger than Ruakura available for industrial. 

This is what Southern Links will unlock, 

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 

Nicola Willis stands in front of the Tīeke golf course’s 18th green with Mystery Creek and Fieldays in 

the background. 

Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

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2 JULY 2024 

CONTACTS 

Editor 

Roy Pilott 

027 450 0115 

News 

Mary Anne Gill 

021 705 213 

Viv Posselt 

027 233 7686 

Chris Gardner 

027 231 7007 

editor@goodlocal.nz 

maryanne@goodlocal.nz 

viv@goodlocal.nz 

chris@goodlocal.nz 

Advertising Director 

Janine Davy janine@goodlocal.nz 

027 287 0005 

Owner 

David Mackenzie david@goodlocal.nz 

Office 

07 827 0005 admin@goodlocal.nz 

Website 

waikatobusinessnews.nz 

Readers’ contributions of articles and letters are 

welcome. Publication of contributions are entirely at 

the discretion of editorial staff and may be edited. 

Contributions will only be considered for publication 

when accompanied by the author’s full name, 

residential address, and telephone number. Opinions 

expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers. 

Waikato Business News is published by Good Local 

Media Limited. 

Also publishers of 

Celebrating two decades 

By Viv Posselt 

The generosity of Waikato’s business community 

is being credited with bringing a unique Hamiltonbased 

family support organisation to its 20th 

anniversary. 

True Colours Children’s Health Trust is a 

community-funded organisation that offers 

continuing care to children with a serious health 

condition, and their families, through counselling, 

nursing and education. It also cares for families who 

have received a poor pre-natal medical diagnosis for 

their baby and provides support to families who have 

lost a child to a serious medical condition. 

Its support is centred around Dr Mason Durie’s 

Te whare tapa whā model, which recognises the 

physical, emotional, social and spiritual contexts of 

health and wellbeing. 

The organisation was started in 2004 by nurse 

specialist Cynthia Ward, who received a QSM in 

2018 for services to nursing and children’s health. 

The operational model she founded won a Westpac 

Waikato Business Award in 2019. 

With no government funding, the organisation 

is financed entirely through business sponsorship, 

grant applications and donations. The Hamilton 

house that is its base was gifted to the organisation 

by Annah Stretton in 2005, and the vehicles they 

use – primarily to access families in rural areas 

across the wider Waikato region – are supplied and 

maintained by Inghams Motors. Cleland Hancox 

and Harkness Henry provide their services free of 

charge. 

“The support we have had from the Waikato 

business community, particularly from Hamilton, 

has been incredible. It has enabled us to continue 

and to grow to meet increasing need,” said True 

Colours operations manager Heidi Gleeson. 

Since its inception, over 3200 families across 

Waikato have used the free service. That number 

grows each year, as does the number of re-referrals, 

which are families who may not need support for a 

time, but who return when their circumstances 

change. 

In March, True Colours launched its Nurse- 

Led Clinic headed by a clinical nurse specialist 

and aimed at strengthening the nursing arm 

of the operation. 

Gleeson said a key component of the 

Trust’s ability to continue delivering for 

Waikato families was its own fundraising 

activity. From 2006, the organisation has 

held the Kerr & Ladbrook True Colours 

Long Lunch, an event held each year on 

Melbourne Cup Day. 

“That is a very important function 

for us. We want to be seen to be 

raising money for ourselves as 

well, and not solely relying on 

the kindness of the business 

community,” she said. “Tables 

for the Long Lunch are 

already taken for this year, 

and there is a waiting list, 

but there is still an option 

for people to offer their 

support by donating 

items we can auction 

at the event.” 

The event this year 

is on November 5. 

Heidi Gleeson, operations manager at True Colours, is grateful to Waikato businesses for 

their two decades of support. 

Photo: Viv Posselt. 

Teeing up the next link 

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 

This newspaper is subject to NZ Media Council 

procedures. A complaint must first be directed in 

writing, within one month of publication, to the 

editor’s email address. 

If not satisfied with the response, the complaint 

may be referred to the Media Council P O Box 10- 

879, The Terrace, Wellington 6143. Or use the online 

complaint form at www.mediacouncil.org.nz 

Please include copies of the article and all 

correspondence with the publication. 

otherwise development will ultimately be 

constrained.” 

The general view is that Stage One would start 

in the south at Airport Road – the 6.7km long 

State Highway 21 - which has an average daily 

traffic count of 9430 at the Tamahere end and 

6471 at the SH3 end. 

“Traffic volumes have just gone through the 

roof, so there needs to be a solution. The Crown 

– Waka Kotahi – sees it and we see it,” said 

Morgan. 

Part of the work would involve replacing 

the 83-year-old Narrows Bridge –– an open 

spandrel deck bridge with a span of 31m and 

length of 34m – which an inspection in March 

concluded had a remaining lifespan of 30 years. 

It was strengthened from further bank erosion 

in 2010 when a 52m long bailey bridge was built 

in four weeks alongside it. 

Transport minister Simeon Brown said late 

last month all roads of national significance 

would be four-laned while the government would 

support use of alternative revenue, funding 

and delivery models. That could include Public 

Private Partnerships and tolling. 

Traffic counts at The Narrows Bridge over the Waikato River on SH21 Airport Road are 

increasing. 


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Briefs… 

Business networking 

Economist Blair Keenan 

will set the scene for Raahui 

Pookeka/Huntly businesses 

at a free workforce 

development opportunity 

function at the Huntly Power 

Station on July 18. The event 

will involve service providers 

who are connected to the 

community who will discuss 

what is and is not working in 

local workforce development. 

Waikato District Council is 

taking registrations for the 

event. 

Debt to income 

The Reserve Bank’s new 

debt-to-income (DTI) ratios 

which came in this month 

capped borrowing at six 

times household income 

(for owner occupiers) to 

curb excessive debt and 

enhance financial stability. 

For property investors, 

borrowing is capped at seven 

times their income. 

Rayner moves 

Former Fosters Group chief 

executive Richard Rayner 

has moved from Company 

X in Hamilton to become the 

new chief of Christchurchbased 

fleet safety provider 

Fleetcoach. 

Ellison on board 

Waipā Networks has 

announced the appointment 

of Shane Ellison (Ngāi Tahu, 

Te Atiawa, Ngāti Mutunga, 

and Ngāti Ruanui) as its new 

board director. 

Hotel work 

Major hotel work has 

been announced for the 

Hamilton central business 

district including a $120 

million development by 

the Templeton Group on 

the river side of Victoria St 

south to add a 4.5 star hotel, 

while work nearby across the 

road at Centreplace and the 

central city’s tallest building 

will add a 191 room hotel 

there to open in 2026. Work 

is also continuing on a new 

boutique hotel in central 

Cambridge to open later this 

year. 

Garden date 

Hamilton Gardens’ visitor 

centre is on target for a 

September opening, when 

paid entry to the 18 enclosed 

gardens will be introduced. 

In the comfort zone 

Paul Charman checks out a 

business pedalling a mix of comfort 

and rugged scenery. 

Over 50s who prefer 

E-bikes are the backbone 

of a business providing 

accommodation to those 

wishing to ride through the 

rugged King Country back 

blocks. 

Sitting near the centre 

point of an 85km trail 

through the ancient Pureora 

Forest, the Timber Trail 

Lodge operates year-round. 

The concept revolves 

around an older comfortloving 

demographic who 

enjoy sipping wine and 

nibbling pizza, while their 

electric cycles are charged for 

the next day’s ride. 

Part owner Guy Whitaker 

said the 40-bed lodge 

owed its existence to the 

Government’s push in 2009 

to create Nga Haerenga 

(New Zealand Cycle Trails). 

By 2012 DOC was running 

presentations to explain the 

opportunities which would 

flow from incorporating 

Pureora in the national trail. 

The pitch was that with 

giant native totara, rimu, 

matai, miro and kahikatea 

trees, plus native birdlife, the 

78,000ha forest park had 

everything weekend cycle 

adventurers could want. 

“From that initial meeting 

I pretty much decided that 

the need for accommodation 

was a no-brainer,” said 

Whitaker - a former deputy 

mayor of Te Kūiti 

The electronics retailer 

and his wife Nicky got 

involved with several other 

shareholders. including Bruce 

Maunsell and Wellington 

investors, Dave Bamford and 

Jeremy Ward. They received 

some North King Country 

Development funding for 

a business plan and began 

applying for consents. 

This turned out to be a 

lengthy process, not finalised 

until 2014/2015. Along the 

way the company received 

a $1.2 million dollar grant 

from what turned out to be 

the last round of the Tourism 

Growth Partnership Fund. 

The design needed to 

accommodate the realities 

of such an isolated spot. 

Part owner Guy Whitaker. 

The lodge was to be entirely 

off-grid, being powered by 

solar panels and backup 

generators. It also needed to 

be self-sufficient in its water 

reticulation and sewerage 

treatment. An intense 

waste management regime 

remains. 

Building of the facility 

began in 2016 and the shared 

ablution wing and main hub 

were completed in April 

of the following year. The 

second wing, comprising 

staff accommodation and 

ensuite rooms was completed 

in late 2017. 

Whitaker says it took three 

years to become profitable, 

then Covid hit. “We were 

thinking this is an absolute 

disaster, but what actually 

happened in the end was that 

Covid was actually good for 

business because everyone 

couldn’t travel overseas 

so they looked locally 

for holidays and leisure 

activities. 

“Within the business, 

around 90 per cent is drawn 

from domestic tourists rather 

than international, and this 

only helped us. We certainly 

hope eventually to build up 

the international side, but 

that’s still a challenge for the 

future. 

In an effort to boost winter 

sales the lodge has added a 

meeting room and begun 

advertising for corporate 

retreats. 

The operation has its own 

fleet of vehicles which serve 

as a shuttle service, fetching 

and carrying cyclists and 

their luggage at certain points 

to maximise the down-hillrun 

between Pureora village 

in the north and Ongarue in 

the south. 

A large portion of the 

clientele is late, middle-aged 

with disposable income, and 

the lodge concentrates on 

pampering them. The core 

clientele are also big fans of 

the electric bikes. “Initially 

only 10 to 20 per cent of the 

bikes were hired out were 

E-bikes, now it’s more than 

50 per cent.” 

Whitaker is certain the 

lodge has played its part in 

fulfilling the government’s 

original vision of creating a 

cycle trail which helped to 

boost regional development. 

“The majority of staff 

we employ are local, our 

maintenance is done by local 

trades, our food purchased 

from local providers. When 

you visit Te Kūiti in summer 

you see cars with bike 

racks on the back lined up, 

as they stop to eat in local 

restaurants.” 

An economic impact report 

from last year said Timber 

More than a quarter of New 

Zealand small and mediumsized 

enterprises (SMEs) are 

aiming for growth this year 

and many prioritise training 

and upskilling. 

An MYOB survey of more 

than 500 SME owners 

and decision-makers has 

revealed that business 

leaders believe the skills or 

knowledge that will be most 

important over the next five 

years are customer service, 

sales and marketing, and 

business development. 

MYOB general manager 

Emma Fawcett said Waikato 

businesses had seen the 

value and opportunities 

that can come from ongoing 

investment in training. 

Confinement Escape 

Rooms’ Business 

Development and Events 

Manager, Deb Bunyard, said 

as a small business, it often 

came down to price-driven 

decisions and compliance 

requirements. 

The Timber Lodge concept revolves around a comfort-loving 

demographic who enjoy sipping wine and nibbling pizza while 

their electric cycles are charged for the next day’s ride. 

Trail users exceeded 22,000 

a year. On average these 

people had an average stay 

of 4-5 nights in the Waitomo 

District and 3-4 nights in 

the Ruapehu District. It was 

estimated in 2023 that the 

Timber Trail had generated 

SMEs train for growth 

“We have a liquor 

license now, so we have 

put considerable time, 

funds and effort into 

gaining duty management 

qualifications. But we also 

look at opportunities from 

the Waikato Chamber 

of Commerce and our 

accountancy firm, which 

offers courses on managing 

cashflow and improving 

profitability.” 

For commercial real estate 

business NAI Harcourts, 

those in the team that hold 

a real estate license are 

required to do 20 hours of 

training a year. 

Managing director Mike 

Neale, believes it’s important 

to have strong presenters 

sharing relevant content for 

these sessions. 

Hamilton-based Precious 

Metals Group offers both 

ready-to-wear and customdesigned 

jewellery and 

creative director Alicia 

Platje routinely attends 

Emma Fawcett 

3 

$12-15 million a year. 

“Nicky and I have not had 

a return on our investment 

yet but is looking positive 

in the near future. But this 

project benefits the district 

as well as the shareholders,” 

Whitaker said. 

trade fairs and conferences, 

and attends webinars and 

online training courses. 

“On top of other digital 

tools like social media, AI is 

now a big consideration for 

us; finding out how we can 

use it to free up time and 

complete menial tasks so 

we can focus on the bigger 

picture is really important,” 

she said. 

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4 JULY 2024


5 

A self-funded sanctuary? 

Good Local Media exclusively revealed last month that Sanctuary 

Mountain Maungatautari’s funds would not get it beyond August. 

Chris Gardner looks at one of the solutions. 

Sanctuary Mountain 

Maungatautari general manager 

Helen Hughes is tackling the 

operation’s cash crisis head on 

with a five-year plan to make the 

world’s largest predator-proof 

fence self-funded. 

Last month Hughes revealed the 

$5000 a day 3363ha operation was 

at risk of closure by the end of next 

month because it had been “going 

backwards in terms of revenue for 

a long time”. The project is funded 

by grants and ticket sales. Closure 

would see habitat disappear for 

kākāpō, takahē and kiwi - and the 

loss of 18 full time positions. 

Hughes took Waikato Business 

News on a short tour of the maunga 

where, against the backdrop of 

native bird call, she shared how 

she had been working 80-hour 

weeks to develop a plan to make 

Maungatautari internationally 

recognised and nationally 

cherished. 

“That means self-funding,” 

said. “Not where we are at the 

moment. That requires the whole 

organisation to have a bit of a shift 

in terms of how we approach our 

work programmes, what we do, 

how we stick to our budgets.” 

Hughes is hoping to realise 

$1.5 million a year by selling 

3363 conservation management 

hectares at $450 a hectare through 

Ekos’ market-based conservation 

financing mechanism. 

“If the cost of running the 

organisation last year, excluding 

tourism, was $1.5 million then 

dropping $1.5 million into 

this business today would be 

groundbreaking.” 

Hughes is hoping to go live 

with a conservation management 

registry in the next month. 

“Why? Because it comes 

down to the ESG (environment, 

social, governance) space for 

organisations globally that are 

looking to emphasise the work that 

they do in the environment,” she 

said. 

“It’s no longer just acceptable 

to be able to make profit, you 

need to talk about how you’re 

improving social outcomes, 

environmental outcomes and how 

your governance structures work, 

and I think we can tag to all of that. 

It’s how do we become market 

ready and tradeable, and that’s the 

question we’re in at the moment. 

“If we deliver on this the 

opportunity for every other 

community-led conservation 

project in New Zealand to come 

into that market space and be 

tradeable would change the 

whole way that Government need 

to fund things and it would be 

groundbreaking.” 

“Everybody knows us as a 

conservation project. What a lot of 

people don’t get, and what we need 

to be better at telling, is we are 

hugely social outcomes focused,” 

Hughes said. 

The trust runs conservation 

and education programmes and 

employs mana whenua. 

“We’ve just started to connect to 

areas of the community that need 

healing, that need an opportunity 

to be able to come out to the 

maunga and heal.” 

The trust partnered with Ko 

Wai Au Trust in Te Awamutu, 

whose mission is to ensure all 

whanau have the skills to thrive 

independent and maintain 

violence free environments, to run 

a 10-week programme. 

“They came out with a group of 

teenagers to be at the maunga and 

to heal.” 

The trust is also discussing with 

the Department of Corrections how 

to work with people on probation. 

“Māori talk about this being a 

transaction. So, we protect, and 

the maunga give us back.” 

“This truly is a partnership. We’ve 

got iwi, we’ve got landowners, and 

we’ve got community.” 

Hughes is also looking to 

attract more of the hundreds of 

thousands of tourists who visit 

Hobbiton Movie Set Tours and 

Waitomo Caves to Maungatautari 

by scheduling bespoke half-hour 

tours that suit visitors to the other 

attractions. 

Sanctuary Mountain is 

discussing partnering with both 

Helen Hughes plans to make Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari self-funding. 

organisations to draw on decades 

of institutional knowledge of the 

tourism sector. 

“It’s under a teach us to fish 

mindset, to help us work out what 

we can do,” Hughes said. 

Hughes’ plan includes “investing 

in our visitor experience, refreshing 

the guiding programme, improving 

the visitor centre, getting an onsite 

café, and looking at what we can 

do in education. 

“We’re looking for grant funding 

to allow us to run a north-south 

shuttle so that people can go over 

the mountain and be conveyed 

back.” 

An air bed and breakfast has 

been set up next to the visitor 

centre to accommodate anyone 

who wishes to stay overnight. 

“We’ve got three bookings so far, 

one in July and two in December,” 

Hughes said. 

“One of our guides has offered 

to put an outdoor kitchen in our 

education centre, so that opens us 

up to scouts and guides.” 

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Emma’s shock cancer 

diagnosis 

In December last year, Emma 

Kettlewell was diagnosed with stage 

3 cervical cancer. 

“I had a horrendous Christmas and 

New Years. I’ve never struggled with my 

mental health ever, and those were the 

darkest six weeks of my entire life. It 

was awful. 

“I have a long history of abnormal 

smears so I’d decided to have a 

hysterectomy. They found cervical 

cancer that had already spread into my 

pelvis so that started my journey with 

oncology.” 

Emma, who is also a mum and a 

nurse, says she felt hopeful when she 

was given a treatment plan but it was 

an added worry knowing she needed 

to find a base in Hamilton five nights a 

week. 

“I haven’t been at work since 

November last year so finances are 

already really tight. We’ve got a young 

family, a mortgage - how are we going 

to afford this? To find out I could stay at 

the Cancer Society’s Lions Lodge was a 

huge relief.” 

The alternative would have been 

driving back and forth from Taupō 

each day which Emma says would have 

been impossible with the effects of 

chemotherapy. 

Arriving at the Lodge for the first 

time, Emma says she had no idea what 

to expect. 

“I was really scared. I was expecting 

everyone to be older than me, expecting 

to see sick people everywhere and to be 

confined to my room. But it wasn’t like 

that at all. 

“Every single person has been 

Emma Kettlewell 

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invigorating and full of life. It’s like a 

home away from home.” 

As Emma nears the end of her 

treatment, she is positive about the 

future. 

“It’s definitely not a walk in the park 

but you know there’s an end coming so 

you can take that.” 

Emma’s stay at the Cancer Society’s 

Lions Lodge was made possible 

thanks to the ongoing contribution 

of the community. Please fundraise 

this Daffodil Day; find out how at 

daffodilday.org.nz 

Rugby, Rotary 

and education 

Rotary is one of the largest service organisations in 

the world and has been going in New Zealand for 

more than a century, so it seems odd the international 

president had never visited, until now. Senior writer 

Mary Anne Gill meets Gordon McInally. 

Rotary International president Gordon McInally speaks at the Lake Rotopiko Wetlands Project 

supported by Te Awamutu Rotary Club. 


It was an eight-yearold 

girl in an Indian 

school sponsored by 

Rotary International 

that was the highlight of 

Gordon McInally’s year as 

international president. 

The Scot was part way 

through visiting New 

Zealand, the 63 rd country he 

and wife Heather had been 

to during his term which 

ended last month. 

The News asked him what 

had stood out. He had only 

been home for nine days and 

five of those were around 

Christmas. 

His three days in the 

Waikato were a whirlwind 

which took in Matamata, 

Hamilton Airport, Lake 

Rotopiko Wetlands project 

near Te Awamutu, Urban 

Miners in Cambridge 

and a Rotary function in 

Hamilton. 

“I’m humbled by it all,” 

McInally says of what he 

has seen around the world 

from Rotary’s four million 

members in the fields of 

health, education and the 

environment. 

“It affirms what everybody 

does. I may be the president, 

but the work is done by 

them. If you took all that 

away, there would be a huge 

void. 

“(But) what has really 

struck home with me is what 

we’re doing in the education 

field. If young people are 

given an education…” 

He catches his breath 

with some emotion and then 

shares the story of the eight 

year old girl who came up 

to him to thank Rotary for 

what the club did for her. 

“She said to me ‘education 

is the key to the golden 

door of a more hopeful 

future’. That was a profound 

statement and to hear that 

from the lips of an eightyear-old. 

I will take that to 

my grave,” he said. 

McInally, 67, joined 

Rotary in 1984 when he was 

a dentist in Edinburgh and 

newly-married. 

Two of the things he 

retained, after he sold his 

dental practice in 2016 – 

and retired to the Scottish 

Borders - were his car park 

and seats at Murrayfield, 

home to his beloved 

Scotland rugby team. 

He has seen the All Blacks 

play Scotland several times 

and never win. “One of these 

days,” he says wistfully. 

Another thing he wants to 

see achieved in his lifetime 

is the eradication of polio. 

Following anti vaccination 

campaigns the infectious 

disease has “bubbled up” 

again, something which 

clearly irks him given Rotary 

was a founding partner of 

the Global Polio Eradication 

Initiative in 1979. 

The six recent cases 

have been on the Afghan- 

Pakistan border. 

“We’ll do it, we’ll beat it. 

We’re certain of that and 

our partner World Health 

Organization and the Gates 

Foundation are with us.” 

McInally was astonished 

to find he had been the first 

international president to 

visit New Zealand with the 

exception of Aucklander Bill 

Boyd who served during the 

2006-2007 term. 

Along with the gifts he and 

Heather are taking back to 

their Scottish Borders home 

– where they will reunite 

with daughters Rebecca and 

Sarah and granddaughters 

Ivy and Florence – are 

projects for their Rotary 

club. 

McInally was intrigued 

with what he saw in 

Cambridge where the 

Rotary’s Urban Miners 

project is collecting e-waste 

and diverting it from 

landfills. 

There is an area in his 

local rubbish dump where 

televisions, microwaves and 

other electric appliances are 

separated but he concedes to 

not knowing what happens 

after that. 

“I’m very impressed with 

what Urban Miners are 

doing. We only have one 

planet and unless we take 

proper care of that planet, 

then we’ve got a problem.” 

And with that, McInally 

was off making the most of 

his final days on the road as 

international president and 

with the promise of taking in 

a match at Auckland’s Eden 

Park, happy to be in the land 

of rugby.


7 

Signals look good for 2025 

If Kiwibank economist Mary Jo Vergara 

knows her stuff, interest rates will fall later 

this year. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill 

listened in on her predictions. 

Business and consumer 

confidence might be weak and the 

economy in slow down, but it is 

all part of a plan, says Kiwibank 

senior economist Mary Jo Vergara. 

“It is all by Reserve Bank design 

and it’s intended to get inflation 

back under control,” she told 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce’s 

After Four function in Kiwibank’s 

Hamilton headquarters in Union 

Square last month. 

“It’s all about inflation at the end 

of the day.” 

Vergara was guest speaker and 

told a packed audience, 2024 

was a year of slow growth but an 

improvement on 2023. 

“2025 will be better.” 

By November, she and 

Kiwibank’s economists expect the 

Reserve Bank to make a crucial call 

and finally cut the official cash rate 

from 5.5 to 3 and not by increments 

of .25 or even .5 basis points. 

“When they decide to go, it will 

be to three per cent,” she said. 

In her explanation as to why, 

Vergara said Purchasing Managers’ 

Index indicators – the prevailing 

direction of economic trends in 

the manufacturing and service 

sectors – were starting to move 

into positive territory in countries 

like China and the United States. 

Watching the United States 

economy evolve had been 

“incredibly fascinating,” she said. 

“They’ve had just as much 

inflation as us, maybe a little bit 

more, they’ve been able to get it 

down north of nine per cent, where 

it is now at three per cent, without 

having a recession and without 

a deterioration in their labour 

market. 

“This is a signal for 2025 – it 

should be better (here). 

“As these expectations start to 

turn, we should see the market 

pick up again.” 

But she warned there were 

tailwinds to watch out for such as 

migration and regulatory changes. 

Others were council rate rises, 

increased insurance costs and 

unemployment, particularly in 

places like Wellington where there 

are public service layoffs. 

Regulatory changes include the 

Bright Line property rule – a way 

to tax financial gains people make 

when they buy and sell a house for 

income – have reduced from 10 

years to two years from July 1. 

Interest deductibility will be 

fully restored by this time next 

year and the loan-to-value ratio 

restrictions eased. 

That should see investors come 

back into the property market 

and they were expected to test the 

Kiwibank senior economist Mary Jo Vergara during her presentation to Waikato Chamber of Commerce. 

 


waters a bit more come spring, 

said Vergara. 

New Zealand’s inflation had 

gone from 7.3 to 4 per cent easily 

but getting that down to 2 per cent, 

was going to be tougher. 

Hence the Reserve Bank was 

unlikely to change the official 

cash rate until November, or even 

February. 

The bank had little influence 

over soaring local government rate 

rises and insurance increases. 

“We still see it (the OCR) going 

below 3 per cent this year. We do 

think we will get back to that 2 per 

cent target; we see inflation back 

below 3 per cent by the end of this 

year and that should really open 

up the Reserve Bank to rate cuts.” 

They would come a year earlier 

than Kiwibank economists had 

earlier predicted. 

Public service layoffs would have 

an impact on the unemployment 

rate – expected to level out at five 

per cent nationally but even higher 

in Wellington where businesses 

are already closing. 

“If you walk in Wellington now, 

you can feel that anxiety in the 

air,” said Vergara. 

But given all that, 2025 is 

expected to see an improvement 

in the economy and a boost for the 

flagging property marked. 

Vergara joined the Kiwibank 

economics team in 2019 and has 

a keen interest in how the Kiwi 

economy fits within the global 

landscape. 

Her research ranges from 

macroeconomics to environmental 

economics to New Zealand’s 

economic history. She is skilled 

in quantitative analysis including 

statistical and econometric 

modelling. 

Prior to joining Kiwibank, she 

worked in economic consulting as 

a research analyst following five 

years of university study where she 

obtained a master’s in economics 

at Auckland University. 

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The visa conundrum of 

working remotely in 

New Zealand 

Remote working became the 

norm during Covid, and not 

just from home, but also from 

different countries and now, 

globally, some 35% of organisations 

allow their workers to work remotely 

from other countries – including 

Pathways. 

Advancements in technology have 

made remote work increasingly 

normal and feasible across 

international borders but people 

considering this option need to be 

mindful of the potential challenges 

arising from time differences, tax 

consequences, living conditions and 

costs, and, most importantly, visa 

requirements. 

New Zealand immigration policy 

has largely been silent on any visa 

holders’ ability to work remotely 

for an overseas employer while in 

New Zealand. Current policy defines 

“work” as any activity undertaken in 

New Zealand for gain or reward and 

is irrespective of whether such work 

is for a New Zealand or overseas 

entity, and in order to undertake any 

work an overseas person must hold 

a visa allowing such work. Recently, 

Immigration NZ issued guidance 

that a person holding a partner work 

visa, only allowing work for any NZ 

accredited employer, would be in 

breach of their visa conditions if they 

worked remotely for an overseas 

employer. 

Given the current definition of 

“work” it appears that some work 

visas which allow work for any 

employer in any role and location 

can facilitate remote work for an 

overseas entity – and this would 

include all working holiday visa 

holders. However, the crunch issue is 

in regard to visitors in New Zealand. 

While on holiday we all check our 

emails and try and keep on top of our 

work, so how much of this “remote 

working” is allowed for visitors to 

our shores? We can all imagine the 

impact on our tourism industry 

if visitors were deemed to be in 

ADVERTORIAL 

breach of their visitor visas simply by 

checking their emails! Of course, this 

is nonsensical, but is the reality given 

the current immigration definition of 

“work”, and while there are no clear 

“remote working” policy parameters. 

The simplest solution is to change 

the work definition so that the visa 

status of genuine visitors is not 

compromised. 

In its’ pre-election immigration 

manifesto the National Party 

committed to the introduction of a 

Digital Nomad Visa – limited to 250 

visas in the first year. The DNV does 

not address the above issues but does 

cater for a growing cohort of people 

who want the benefits and experience 

of living in another country, while 

continuing to work for their overseas 

employer. There are now around 60 

countries throughout the world who 

have a digital nomad-type visa. Italy 

is the latest country to join this list 

while a number of countries, including 

New Zealand, are also now looking to 

introduce such visas. 

Digital Nomad Visas are generally 

issued for 12 month periods and 

may be able to be extended for one 

or more years depending on the 

country. Most DNVs have minimum 

income and private health insurance 

requirements, and the main areas 

of difference are in the nature of the 

work allowed, and in the tax treatment 

of the income earned while working 

in the country. It is this tax treatment, 

as well as New Zealand’s high cost 

of living, which are likely to prove the 

deciding factors in the take-up of the 

New Zealand DNV if, and when, this is 

introduced. 

The issue of being able to work 

remotely, and to what extent, in 

New Zealand has long been a grey 

policy area that the Government 

has purposefully shied away from 

addressing. However, the nature of 

work and how it is undertaken in the 

modern world have now overtaken 

New Zealand’s policy settings - and it 

is time to catch up! 

Getting the big 

(Mac) picture 

Visitors to Fieldays ask why multinational 

food giant McDonald’s is there giving 

away free soft serve ice cream and apple 

pies. Senior writer Mary Anne Gill talked 

to the company after a sustainable beef 

roundtable discussion and finds out why. 

Beetroot takes about four 

months to mature. 

When you are growing 

thousands of tonnes for an 

iconic hamburger brand, 

you need plenty of advance 

warning. 

That’s why McDonald’s tell 

beetroot growers a year in 

advance when they plan to sell 

Kiwi Burgers, the company’s 

Impact and Communications 

head Simon Kenny reveals. 

“Our impact on the supply 

chain on the scale we operate 

is interesting,” he says in a 

laid back way which belies 

the impact McDonald’s has 

on New Zealand’s primary 

industries. 

Kenny had just been part 

of a panel discussion at 

Fieldays by the New Zealand 

Roundtable for Sustainable 

Beef members. 

McDonald’s - an inaugural 

member of the panel – sources 

about 10 per cent of the beef 

produced in this country. 

The company bought 6601 

tonnes of beef and 589 tonnes 

of Angus beef for its burgers 

here and 37,000 tonnes of 

beef was exported to other 

McDonald’s markets. 

“So, while we’re a minnow 

in the McDonald’s world in 

terms of restaurants, we’re 

a strategically important 

country in a supply chain 

that feeds around 70 million 

people around the world each 

day.” 

Getting the country’s beef 

farmers, producers and 

industry experts talking 

to each other was therefore 

critical, says Kenny. 

Because beef farming is the 

single biggest contributor to 

McDonald’s greenhouse gas 

emissions, it explained why 

the restauranteur works with 

the beef sector to look at ways 

to further reduce methane 

emissions. 

But it is not just beef for 

the patties that McDonald’s 

sources locally. There are 

potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, 

chickens, milk, cheese, eggs, 

buns and beetroot for the 

Kiwiburger. The burger - 

which was initially trialled 

and proven a success in five 

Hamilton restaurants in the 

early 1970s – only returns as a 

limited-time item. 

Consumers often think it 

is in response to competitors’ 

actions but Kenny quickly 

disavows that notion by saying 

the company needs to tell 

growers months in advance 

so they can grow thousands of 

extra tonnes of beetroot. 

“There’s the number of 

extra (free range) eggs as 

well. You can’t just whip up a 

million extra eggs,” he says. 

Many beef farmers do not 

know what happens to their 

product when it leaves the 

farm gate and the stand gave 

the company the opportunity 

to tell that story. 

The panel discussion 

included roundtable chair 

Richard Scholefield, a beef 

farmer, Rabobank sustainable 

business development head 

Blake Holgate, AgResearch 

scientist Grant Rennie, Beef 

and Lamb NZ chief executive 

Simon Kenny 

Sam McIvor and SPCA chief 

scientific officer Arnja Dale. 

They discussed the future 

productivity, profitability and 

resilience of the beef sector 

and how working together 

contributes to improvement 

across the industry. 

Kenny also revealed 

he overheard one farmer 

saying when he spotted the 

McDonald’s stand: “That that 

American beef.” 

“I wanted to tap him on the 

shoulder and say no,” he told 

the panel. 

Dale says New Zealand’s 

beef production is world 

leading in its care of animals. 

“There are things we could 

do better – shade and shelter 

for our animals for example,” 

she says. 

Scholefield managed 

Whangara Farms - 8500ha on 

the North Island’s East Coast 

with 7500 head of cattle and 

60,000 sheep – and became 

chair of the roundtable when 

it was established in 2019. 

He is also a Beef and Lamb 

farmer councillor. 

The roundtable supports 

the continuous improvement 

of beef and celebrates the 

work done by the beef industry 

value chain. 

“We don’t tell our stories 

well enough,” he says. 

www.pathwaysnz.com 

Level 2 

586 Victoria Street 

Hamilton 3204 

0508PATHWAYS 

enquiries@pathwaysnz.com 

Level 3 

50 Manners Street 

Wellington 6011 

Where McDonald’s sources its food in New Zealand.


Back on a roll 

Forgotten 

Highway 

Adventures is 

getting back 

in track after 

a challenging 

2023 season. 

Paul Charman 

catches up 

with the new 

conductor. 

Before buying his 

King Country tourism 

business Grant Ross played 

professional rugby in France, 

then a TV executive there. 

Today the Cambridge man 

heads up Forgotten Highway 

Adventures, running golf 

carts over the defunct rail 

track between Taumarunui 

and Stratford. 

Travelling at up to 22 kph, 

these machines trundle 

past working hill country 

farms, native forest and pine 

plantations. 

There are 24 tunnels (three 

more than 1 km long), 

90 bridges, viaducts and 

steep saddles along the 142 

km route. 

“But the main appeal is 

history rather than scenery,” 

Ross says. “Judging by the 

comments on Trip Adviser 

our customers go in expecting 

to be wowed by the scenery, 

and they see plenty, but they 

leave with the history. 

The view stokes the 

imagination regarding 

derelict farmhouses and 

schools, plus old decaying 

shops, homesteads and 

shearing sheds. 

The line was built in 

the pick and shovel days 

between 1901 to 1933, 

sustaining numerous tiny 

rural communities when 

New Zealand made its living 

off the sheep’s back. 

Villages and settlements 

flourished along the track 

and the Forgotten Highway 

(SH43), which runs parallel 

for some of the way. They 

were even serviced by a 

railcar, which ran daily 

between New Plymouth and 

Taumarunui. 

But with wool’s decline 

the villages and settlements 

began disappearing and are 

now mostly a memory. The 

track was mothballed in 

2009. 

Waikato farmer and keen 

outdoorsman Ian Balme saw 

the potential for railcarts and 

launched the business 2012. 

The gamble soon paid off. 

The business grew to 9000 

visitors a year and employed 

40 staff in peak season. But 

after 10 years Balm was 

looking to sell and along 

came Ross. 

The former professional 

rugby player had received 

a one-way ticket to South 

Africa for his 21st birthday, 

played rugby there for two 

years and then moved to 

south-western France to play 

for Mont-de-Marsan and 

later Brive Clubs. Brive were 

European champions at the 

time. 

Ross moved one last time, 

finishing his rugby career 

with Stade Français, in 

Paris, where he was French 

champion. 

“When I played there the 

owner, Patrick Sébastien, 

was probably the biggest 

television star in France, 

with a show then watched by 

13 million people.” 

Ross recalls Sébastien 

gave him a job on his show 

Views on line – Forgotten World Adventures takes customers 

from Taumarunui to Stratford. 

Grant Ross, right, two years ago after ankle replacement surgery, 

with wife Laura and family. 

Photo: Supplied. 

talking entertainment. “I 

was the dumb guy with the 

foreign accent; I didn’t mind 

the ribbing and being the butt 

of all the jokes, but I hated 

the limelight. So, when they 

offered me an alternative 

off-camera, selling television 

shows abroad I jumped at it.” 

Initially this involved 

taking in-house shows and 

selling them into other 

countries. Later he got a 

job acquiring and adapting 

television programmes 

for the biggest production 

company in the world, 

Endemol France. And 

eventually Ross set up his 

own production company, 

buying the likes of Survivor 

and Wheel of Fortune, before 

adapting them for use in 

other countries. 

Then, when he and his 

English wife Laura decided 

to move to New Zealand he 

began surfing the internet to 

look for a Kiwi business to 

buy. 

“I was advised not to touch 

anything to do with tourism 

or hospitality, but once I’d 

read about Forgotten World 

that was it.” 

Ross has no regrets but 

acknowledges the last season 

was a shocker. 

“It was tough due to the 

economy and the election. 

Okay, obviously not for 

everybody, Queenstown had 

an incredible season thanks 

to their nine flights-a-day 

from Australia.” 

During 

June, 

July and August/ 

September Forgotten 

World’s railcarts stay in their 

tunnel, while the company 

concentrates on taking 

bookings for the forthcoming 

season. 

“Last year we started 

operations in October behind 

8 Ball and just stayed that 

way. 

“But already its looking 

better for next year. Sales 

were really good in May and 

June. So hopefully we’ll go 

from what was a bad season 

to a fairly good one. Roll on 

2025.” 

Commercial fit-outs are 

expensive, they depreciate over 

time and may or may not be of 

any value to a future Tenant. 

Landlords often prefer not to own them, 

as they are frequently Tenant specific, 

although this can vary between retail, 

office and industrial premises. 

What to consider as a Landlord, 

before entering into ownership of fitout 

items: 

1. Customization and Specificity: 

Fit-outs are often highly customized 

to the specific needs of the Tenant, 

such as layout, decor, and even 

specialized equipment. These 

customizations might not be 

desirable or even useful to a future 

Tenant. This is particularly so for 

retail tenancies. 

2. Cost and Depreciation: Fit-outs can 

be expensive to install and may not 

significantly increase the property’s 

value or future desirability. There can 

be some tax benefits for Landlords 

in owning and depreciating items of 

fit-out. However for Tenants, the tax 

treatment of fit-outs might be more 

advantageous. 

3. Maintenance and Responsibility: 

Owning the fit-outs would usually 

mean the Landlord is responsible for 

maintaining, repairing, and replacing 

these items. This responsibility can 

potentially be burdensome and 

costly. 

4. Tenant Turnover: When Tenants 

leave, they often remove their 

fit-outs, which depending on the 

lease reinstatement provisions, can 

involve additional costs and effort 

for the Landlord to restore the space 

to a leasable condition. 

5. Higher Rent Premiums: Landlords 

can often charge higher rents for 

spaces that come with modern, 

well-designed versatile fit-outs, as 

Tenants might be willing to pay a 

premium for the convenience and 

cost savings of not having to invest 

in their own fit-outs. This particularly 

applies to office. 

6. Flexibility for Tenants: Tenants 

often prefer to handle their own 

fit-outs to ensure the space meets 

their specific operational needs, but 

may request an incentive from the 

Landlord. 

We are seeing incoming and potential 

Tenants with requests to upgrade. 

Below are some regular items, that may 

be of benefit to the Landlord and future 

Tenants. These would be worth 

consideration, either all or in part: 

Industrial 

• motorised roller doors 

• LED lighting 

• Heat pump(s) in the 

office area 

Office 

• Fixed floor coverings 

• LED lighting and 

ADVERTORIAL 

Owning The visa Commercial conundrum Fit-Outs of 

– working Who Benefits remotely and Who in 

Should New Zealand Own Them? 

ceilings / ceiling treatments 

• Air conditioning / heat pumps 

• Kitchen and toilet facilities 

Retail 

• Possibly heat pump(s) to the main 

retail area 

• Small kitchenette and toilet facilities 

• Very little else, as many items are 

unlikely to be of direct value to 

future Tenants 

Once it has been agreed as to what 

items are the Landlords, having an 

itemised list of “Landlord’s Fixtures 

and Fittings” included in the lease 

should be a mandatory requirement 

– a photographic catalogue at the 

commencement of the Lease will not 

only identify the items, but also provide 

an indication for both Landlords and 

Tenants of their current condition. 

Having a robust ‘make-good’ clause 

in your lease is important for when the 

lease ends and before a new Tenant is 

sourced. Ensure you get professional 

legal and accounting advice before 

agreeing to contribute to fit-outs, as 

there are longer term implications for 

these decisions. Several recent cases 

where reinstatement was required: 

• One Landlord agreed to the scope of 

works provided by the Tenant, but 

requested the Tenant undertake the 

works to their satisfaction, which 

was duly completed. 

• Another Landlord agreed the scope 

of works and the Tenant’s quote for 

those works, but agreed instead 

to a lump sum payment (slightly 

discounted), in lieu of the works 

being completed. As there were 

existing fit-out elements that may 

benefit an incoming Tenant, this 

allowed the Landlord discretion 

to use the lump sum as a fit-out 

incentive for an incoming Tenant. 

Overall, avoiding extensive 

ownership of Tenant fit-outs allows 

Landlords to reduce financial risk, 

simplify property management, and 

maintains the flexibility and 

appeal of their properties. While 

there are benefits to owning fitouts, 

it’s important for Landlords 

to carefully assess the specific 

needs of their market, the types 

of Tenants they aim to attract, 

and the overall return on 

investment before deciding to 

invest in fit-outs. 

9


Helping hand at play 

TOURISM 

Using story 

telling 

By NICOLA GREENWELL 

Whatawhata School pupils enjoying their new playground courtesy of a Hamilton company ‘Helping 

Hands’ initiative. 

By Viv Posselt 

Whatawhata School children are enjoying 

a $90,000 playground funded by a Hamilton 

business. 

The facility was funded by Mitre 10 Mega 

Hamilton as part of ‘Project Playground’, 

a nationwide company Helping Hands 

initiative aimed at establishing play spaces 

and encouraging physical activity and 

creative play. 

Four of the more than 20 Waikato schools 

that vied to receive a new playground went 

through to a public voting round. 

Judges from Mitre 10 and its partner 

Playground People then visited each of those 

four schools, and based on a set of criteria 

that included the condition and number 

of existing playgrounds, roll size and the 

difficulty of self-funding based on local 

demographics, Whatawhata School was 

voted the winner. 

Principal Rob Gunn described the opening 

of the new playground as a milestone 

achievement for the kura and community. 

He said the school’s PTA had worked 

tirelessly for some time to fundraise for a 

new playground. They entered the national 

Project Playground competition in 2021 but 

missed out on that occasion, so gave it 

another shot. 

“We are very thankful that Mitre 10 Mega 

Hamilton had a big enough heart to give 

back, and we are so thankful to those who 

supported us to make this happen, especially 

our school PTA,” said Gunn. 

Hayden Camp, owner of Mitre 10 Mega 

Hamilton stores described the project as 

a great example of a business helping a 

community. 

Corban Fray, marketing co-ordinator for 

Mitre 10 MEGA Hamilton stores managed 

the campaign. 

“Seeing the incredible impact of opening 

this new playground for Whatawhata School, 

I am really proud of what we have achieved.” 

Telling the world how wonderful our 

region is has to be one of my favourite 

parts of working for Hamilton and Waikato 

Tourism. 

So, I am really proud of our recent 

partnership with Hamilton City Council to 

showcase the Tiaki Promise through a series 

of videos and articles about organisations 

making standout contributions to the 

environment, community and cultural 

storytelling; as well as creating resources to 

inspire others to embrace the promise. 

Launched in late June, Tiaki in Kirikiriroa 

is an initiative highlighting examples of 

tiaki (caring for people, place and culture). 

It includes interviews with individuals from 

businesses across the visitor sector. 

This nitiative follows in the footsteps of 

our earlier Tiaki in Waitomo series, created 

last year to share the work done by tourism 

operators in and around Waitomo to 

embody and encourage tiaki in the area. In 

both cases, the aim is to instil pride in the 

work many businesses are doing to give back 

to the people, land and communities around 

them, as well as to share the innovative 

approaches being taken so other businesses 

can learn from them. 

Some of the initiatives highlighted by 

Tiaki in Kirikiriroa really are leading the 

way, from the 5000-square-metre solar 

farm powering the terminal at Hamilton 

Airport to the truckloads of produce from 

Hamilton Gardens feeding some of the city’s 

most vulnerable. 

MORTGAGE ADVICE 

That’s not to mention the e-bikes used by 

zookeepers and groundskeepers at Hamilton 

Zoo, the staff wellness initiatives and gully 

restoration undertaken by the teams at 

Novotel and Ibis Tainui, the plastic-saving 

jar library at Bare Refill, or the efforts 

to minimise food waste and buy locally 

championed by Hayes Common and Weave 

Eatery. 

These are all real examples of tiaki in 

action. They demonstrate that no matter the 

size of your business or organisation, there 

are opportunities to make a meaningful 

difference. 

I know there are many tourism operators, 

venues, hospitality businesses and retailers 

across the city setting out each day to do 

their part by making changes to the way they 

do things. 

Our Tiaki in Kirikiriroa and Waitomo 

initiatives have been created as part of 

the regenerative tourism kaupapa of our 

Waikato Destination Management Plan; a 

guiding document articulating our strategy 

for ensuring the visitor economy positively 

contributes to Waikato communities. 

It’s an honour for us to share the stories 

showcasing the passion for doing things 

better and we hope the videos, guides 

and articles help to inspire this same 

commitment to people, culture and the 

environment in fellow Hamilton businesses. 

• Nicola Greenwell is Chief Executive, 

Hamilton and Waikato Tourism 

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While New Zealanders for a long time 

have enjoyed a love-affair with property 

investment, the shifting regulatory 

environment from government and the 

Reserve Bank has confused a lot of wouldbe 

investors keen to have an impact on the 

shortage of rentals. 

Recent adjustments in debt-to-income 

ratios (DTIs), interest deductibility, the 

Bright Line Test, and loan-to-value ratios 

(LVRs) have opened up the attractiveness of 

investment property and had an impact on 

what might be your next move. 

Debt-to-income ratios (DTIs) have 

unofficially been in place for a while with 

most banks, but until now the practical 

applications have been vague. With most 

bank servicing calculations still restricted 

by stress-testing interest rates, it will be 

some time before the DTIs actually have any 

impact. Rates will need to drop considerably 

to affect capacity of borrowers, so this will 

be one to watch in the coming years. 

Interest deductibility has been the most 

confusing of all tax policy in the last few 

years, where the ability to deduct mortgage 

interest from rental incomes was reduced 

incrementally in October 2021 by the then- 

Labour led Government. For each financial 

year a different percentage of all interest 

costs could be claimed, but earlier this year, 

things were simplified. 

From April this year you can claim 80 

per cent of the interest incurred for funds 

borrowed for residential property. This 

is regardless of when the property was 

acquired or when the loan was drawn down. 

From April next year interest deductibility 

will be fully restored, and you will be able to 

claim 100 per cent of the interest incurred. 

Another key tax change is the Bright Line 

Test, which assesses the need to pay tax 

on the profit after the sale of a property. 

Following July 1, this time period will 

reduce, meaning investors will not be 

required to pay income tax on the profit (or 

loss) from selling a rental property if they’ve 

owned it for two years or more. 

Loan-to-value ratios (LVRs) are the way 

the Reserve Bank regulates how much 

lending can be put in place for different 

property types, on July 1 this year, this 

requirement for investment properties will 

increase to 70 per cent , meaning a lower 

deposit (or less equity) is required for the 

purchase of a rental property. 

So what does all this mean for investors? 

In a nutshell, the changing regulations 

have an interesting effect on the average 

property investor. Their equity (or deposit) 

will go a bit further than it did for the past 

few years, their income position will be 

relatively unchanged, and their cashflow 

with interest deductibility will improve, 

particularly come tax-time. 

As we move forward, investors should 

treat these changes as a new set of rules in 

the property investment playbook. Those 

who do not adapt will get left behind and 

there will be plenty of investors who have 

decided it’s easier to sell up and invest in 

less regulated assets. 

Now is a key time to get the right advisers 

on your team. Opportunities are endless in a 

slightly slower property market, but getting 

advice from a tax specialist, lawyer and 

mortgage adviser will ensure you’ve got all 

the tools and are set up to succeed. 

• Claire Williamson is a mortgage advisor 

for My Mortgage.


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13 

Property and Development across Waikato 

FEATURE 

Hope for granny flats 

and tiny homes 



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“High housing costs 

have a greater impact 

on Māori, Pasifika, and 

people with disabilities, 

as well as seniors – so 

unlocking the space in 

the backyards of family 

members opens the 

door to new ways of 

living,” 

The rule changes around the 60sqm 

buildings that NZFirst and the 

coalition government announced 

earlier this month are currently 

undergoing submissions as to how the 

legislation could or should look. It’s been 

touted as affordable answer for families 

who are spending more than 40% of their 

incoming on putting a roof over their heads 

according to Deputy Prime Minister Winston 

Peters and RMA Reform Minister Chris 

Bishop. 

“High housing costs have a greater 

impact on Māori, Pasifika, and people with 

disabilities, as well as seniors – so unlocking 

the space in the backyards of family 

members opens the door to new ways of 

living,” Winston Peters said. 

“Over a quarter of households that do not 

own their home spend more than 40 per 

cent of their income on housing. 

He said that while granny flats were 

a great option for seniors, they’ve also 

become increasingly popular with other 

families such as those who want homes 

where their university-age children can live 

at home but maintain some privacy and 

independence, or families who want to 

provide extra support to a loved one. 

It does however, mean amendments of 

both the Building Act and the Resource 

Management Act. 

Considerate 

Considerate 

Professional Reliable, 

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Considerate 

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is 

Our team 

Our team 

Considerate 


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& 

is 

is 

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is Consistent, Professional Our teamReliable, 

Reliable, 

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is Consistent, Professional 


& 

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Considerate 

& 

Considerate 

Considerate 

Doing so will remove the requirement for 

building consents other than an expected 

engineers report. 

“Many district plans already allow granny 

flats without resource consent, but there’s a 

lack of consistency and different standards 

across the country. We’re proposing a 

National Environmental Standard (NES) to 

require all councils to permit a granny flat on 

sites in rural and residential zones without 

resource consent. An NES means changes 

can come into force quickly,” Chris Bishop 

said. 

The Government released a discussion 

document with proposed changes to the 

Building Act and the resource management 

system which included changes across both 

systems. 

How it may work is that a new schedule 

would be added to the Building Act 2004 

to provide for simple standalone houses 

up to 60 sqm in size. The building system 

proposals include: 

• the conditions and criteria for these 

homes to be exempt from a building 

consent; 

• assessment of the associated short and 

long-term benefits, costs and risks; 

• sufficiency of occupational licensing 

requirements to ensure all building work 

will meet the building code; 

• potential barriers to the uptake of the 

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proposed exemption; 

• time and money savings compared to the 

status quo; 

• additional or alternative ideas to the 

proposed options. 

Contractor 

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“Removing the regulatory red tape will not 

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only speed up the build process, it is also 

estimated to save up to $6,500 just in the 

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standard building and resource Certified consenting 

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fees per build, not to mention all the savings 

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in time and resource,” Chris Bishop said. 


Final policy decisions Certified Contractorwill be made later 

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this year, with the legislative 

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expected to be in place from mid-2025. 

The consultation opened on June 17 

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and submissions can be received until 

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grannyflats@mbie.govt.nz 

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Rodney Rodney Stirling 



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EXCELLENCE IN EXECUTION 






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Out and about… 

More Out and about photos wbn.co.nz 

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

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:Terry Pidduck, founder of 

Cambridge Travel Lines and who now lives in Ruakura was 

manning the Waikato Veteran & Vintage Car Club’s spare 

parts department during the annual double 50 classic car 

rally. Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Bernice Mene was a regular visitor to Mystery Creek as 

a Silver Fern and Southern Sting netballer earlier this 

century – this year she was an ambassador for National 

Fieldays Society sponsor Hyundai and came suitably 

decked out in her Red Bands. Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Hamilton Operatic Society’s production of The Hunchback 

of Notre Dame opens at the Clarence Street Theatre in 

Hamilton this month and members of the cast have been 

hard at work learning the music. The musical is directed 

by David Sidwell and is based on the Victor Hugo Novel 

with songs from the Disney film. Photo: Sarah Hughes. 

Volunteers at the ready inside the main gates at Fieldays 

just before the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural 

expo gets underway on day one last month. From left, 

Duncan Johnstone, Michelle and Alexandra Perry. Photo: 

Mary Anne Gill. 

Waikato Chamber of Commerce’s Business After 4 

function last month was hosted by Kiwibank. Economist 

Mary Jo Vergara was on hand to give attendees the low 

down on the state of the economy. From left: Danielle 

Quigg, Heather Connolly, Don Good, Jenny MacGregor, 

Rohit Sharma, Mary Jo Vergara, Bridget Smith, Grant Kyd, 

Rakesh Kumar, Eddie Stocks. Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Hamilton Bunnings’ team in Melville ran a sausage sizzle 

to help raise funds to fight Motor Neurone Disease – and 

across the country staff raised $33.500. Pictured from left 

were Daniel Siciliano, Jacob Perrin, William Pokaina, Linda 

Scott, Helen Palmer, Pieta Mace and Deidre McRobie. 

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.


Out and about… 

More Out and about photos wbn.co.nz 

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

15 

Heather McInally’s version of Amazing Grace on the native timber guitar hand made for Rangitunoa 

Black (Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Apakura) was a highlight of her visit to Rotopiko Reserve near Ōhaupō 

last month. The classically trained former professional opera singer and music teacher is the wife of 

Gordon McInally, Rotary International’s world president. 


Colin and Donna Storey of Hamilton with their 1938 green MG SA catch up with Tracey 

Winterbottom of Auckland before the start of the Waikato Veteran and Vintage Car Club’s annual 

double 50 classic car rally last month. Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Platform 1’s Tom and Heather Rodden of Te Awamutu won one of the lucky 

prize draws at Waikato Chamber of Commerce’s Business After 4 event last 

month. 


Waikato Pacific Business Network had a table at the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Budget breakfast with Nicola Willis 

at Tīeke Golf Estate during Fieldays. From left: Joe Fuavao, for Australian Trade and Investment Commission Senior 

Business development manager, Tony Begbie, business broker at ABC Business Sales Limited, Rachel Afeaki, network 

chairperson, Suria O’Brien, network Business Development and Marketing navigator, Tonga Robertson, NEST Interiors 

and Design owner, John Wilkinson, ASB Bank senior commercial manager. 


Prime Minister Christopher Luxon was a popular visitor among Fieldays patrons last month at Mystery Creek in the Waipā district. 

Here he is pictured with a group from the Philippines and Malaysia. Photo: Mary Anne Gill. 

Hamilton’s Murray Davies, 74, works on wetlands’ maintenance 

for Waipā District Council and has a lifetime experience in the 

bush. He is pictured during the International Rotary president’s 

visit to Rotopiko Reserve north of Te Awamutu. 

 

Photo: Mary Anne Gill.


Fosters’ ability to manage 

resources to deliver this project 

on time and on budget despite 

the challenges... was outstanding. 

They are a trustworthy and 

capable construction partner who 

impressed us from the word go. 

Aaron Fergusson, 

Veros Development Manager 

Blending modern aesthetics with the comforting ambience of a 

traditional pub, Fergus Bar and Kitchen has been loved by locals since 

it opened in Rototuna on Valentine’s Day 2024. 

Located on the corner of Fergy Place and Turakina Rise, it’s an inviting 

space where friends, families and neighbours can pop in for a morning 

coffee, enjoy a laid-back lunch or relax with a pint over a delicious evening 

meal. 

“We always had high expectations for a quality finish, and we’ve been 

very happy with the outcome,” said Veros Development Manager Aaron 

Fergusson, who oversaw the facility’s construction process. 

“It’s an awesome space. It’s exactly as we envisaged, and it ties in with the 

architecture of the surrounding development, so it looks fantastic.” 

The project was launched in a time of “high construction cost volatility”, 

Aaron said, and Fosters won the tender after backing themselves to offer a 

lump sum design and build contract. 

“It was clear they understood exactly what our clients wanted to achieve, 

so we had complete confidence they would provide both a high-quality 

build for our tenants, and cost clarity prior to committing funds,” he said. 

There were multiple challenges for the Fosters construction team, including 

difficult ground conditions and wet weather. 

A raft slab designed to span low-strength soils worked brilliantly to 

minimise excavation work, Aaron said. 

“Fosters demonstrated their experience by questioning some original 

geotechnical advice, seeking a second opinion and coming up with a better 

solution under programme pressure. 

“They were really good – really collaborative in terms of pushing for a 

better result.” 

Also impressive was Fosters’ willingness to integrate a tenant fitout into 

the original base build programme. 

“It would have been easier for them to run separately, but they took on the 

challenge to achieve a better outcome.” 

Late changes to the kitchen layout were not a problem either, as Fosters 

collaborated with the tenant, consultants and kitchen designers to satisfy 

Hamilton City Council consent requirements. 

“Fosters’ ability to manage resources to deliver this project on time and 

on budget despite the challenges that arose during construction was 

outstanding,” Aaron said. 

“They are a trustworthy and capable construction partner who impressed 

us from the word go.” 

Got a build project in mind?

Waikato Business News | July 3, 2024

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