Monthly Archives: May 2018

A brewpub where you’re spoilt for choice

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Much has changed in the world of beer appreciation over the three decades Jeremy Bayliss has been running pubs in Hawke’s Bay.

He recalls that in the early 1990s, when he was managing Napier’s Criterion Hotel, beer drinkers weren’t exactly spoilt for choice. So it was a big deal, for example, when Steinlager launched a second label and punters suddenly had the option of a Steiny Green or a Steiny Blue.

Fast forward to today’s very different beer scene. Jeremy is the proprietor of the Westshore Beach Inn, Napier’s only ‘brewpub’ where beer is made on-site and 30 varieties are available on tap alone.

The Westshore Beach Inn is home to the Napier Brewing Co, a joint venture between Jeremy and Paul Anderson, founder of Indian restaurant Indigo.

Jeremy began a push to offer drinkers the ultimate in choice about seven years ago when he stocked the Westshore’s fridges with about 200 different craft beers. But in the past few years the focus has shifted to the fresher option of a regularly-changing range of tap beers, including – but not limited to – those produced on-site.

“It was just a natural progression for the business. It was about delivering an experience to our customers and giving them a reason to come here,” he says.

One thing the focus on craft beer wasn’t, he says, was any kind of reflection of his personal skills or interest in brewing.

Jeremy says he has never been a home brewer, failed School Certificate science and “I can’t match two chemicals together, I can’t cook.”

Jeremy says he remains convinced the brewpub model is the way of the future.

“Family-focused, child-friendly brewpubs are more about family than beer. They’re an environment where people can relax and converse, with a great offering of food and beer – that’s what pubs stopped being.”

About 45 to 50 percent of the Westshore Beach Inn’s beer sales are now craft product.

“We don’t make more money from the beer we brew here but we think we’re more successful because we’re presenting to the public something that’s interesting and varies all the time. It’s not that the beer is cheaper – it’s not, it’s more expensive. We can’t brew on-site here cheaper than mainstream beers because of economies of scale,” he says.

“On that basis, for most brewers, if they costed their time, brewing is a labour of love. But not everything’s about money.”

Jeremy believes Hawke’s Bay is well served by its range of craft brewers and hospitality venues selling their products, along with other quality beers.

“There’s a good local community of brewers in Hawke’s Bay. I think we all realise the market is there to be grown. Rather than battling with one another, it’s far better to grow the market and for everybody to rise with the rising tide.”

For those reason’s Napier Brewing Co has always employed a brewer. The role was first undertaken by Damian Birchman of Crazy Bay Beer, then by Matt Searle of Sneaky Brewing. Last year John Bradbury, previously of Eskdale’s Zeelandt Brewery, took up the job.

Jeremy says the three brewers have each brought their own style and personality to the role, producing a wide range of beers, “which is part of the fun”.

“We’ve had a leaning towards American pale ales and done a really good job with those. With John we’re branching out a little bit more. He’s done more work with more malty and English-style beers while still maintaining the APAs.”

www.westshorebeachinn.co.nz

Computing School Attuned To Industry Changes

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EIT’s School of Computing is continuing to fine-tune its suite of programmes with robotics and automation as it responds to the changing needs of a fast-growing and evolving industry.

Late last year, a Government-backed report warned of a growing IT skills shortage in New Zealand.

The industry-driven Digital Skills Forum study, described as this country’s most comprehensive report on technology in a generation, noted that the number of New Zealanders graduating with tech- related degrees and diplomas was increasing at the rate of about seven percent – encouraging, it said, but not enough to meet industry growth.

Responsiveness to computing sector needs is reflected in EIT diploma and degree programmes that include industry-based placements or internships. These can and often do lead to offers of permanent employment.

Consulting regularly with an advisory committee that includes people working locally in the IT sector, the School of Computing tailors its programmes to prepare students for the fast-paced job market.

As an example of that – and subject to NZQA approval – it is introducing a new intelligent systems major as a further option for Bachelor of Computing Systems students.

Following a generic first year, students major in the second and third years of the degree. The existing majors are systems development, support infrastructure and information systems.

Creative and hands-on, the new major, expected to come on stream in the second semester this year, is likely to attract high-achieving school leavers who want to future-proof their jobs.

As assistant head of school Dr David Skelton points out, “things are changing so quickly in technology”.

Students have access to a new robotics lab equipped with 3D printers and electronics to create parts for building electronics and robots, along with the software development training.

Student activities in the robotics lab will prepare students for real- life industry scenarios, such as the automation developments at companies like T & G and Pan Pac.

The school’s suite of programmes range from level 2, 3 and 4 certificates through to the bachelor’s degree, graduate and postgraduate diplomas and the level 9 Master of Information Technology.

A final-year Bachelor of Computing Systems student, 22-year-old Harley Simmons appreciates the different entry points available to those wanting to study computing.

Leaving William Colenso College, Harley didn’t know where to head his life and took a year out, working in a manual job. The experience confirmed that he didn’t see his future in labouring, and, deciding on EIT study but not feeling especially computer savvy, he started on a level 4 programme and progressed to the degree.

From the outset, he says, the school’s lecturers emphasised the need to keep upskilling.

And it’s with that in mind that Harley plans returning to EIT after he graduates, perhaps undertaking a course each semester, to keep current and develop new skills.

Direction Focused

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“Stay focused on your direction, and don’t get too hung up on specifics,” is the advice one of Hawke’s Bay’s most experienced farming leaders has for the future generation when goal setting.

Sam Robinson, who is this year’s recipient of the Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for services to agriculture, is now spending more of his time mentoring and sharing his experience as a company director and chairman, of both private and public cooperatives and investor-owned entities.

As a young farmer, Sam says he can remember putting down some goals – have 5,000 sheep, 200 cows and to be on the New Zealand Meat Board. While he never made it onto the meat board, Sam, says doing this simple exercise made him realise where he wanted to head.

“Opportunities are never obvious, and when you do spot them, there is always risk attached. If you do see an opportunity, back yourself and have a go.”

Sam freely admits to being “one of those” from the PMS (pale, male and stale) club, but says for him, diversity is more than the result of genetics; it is also from how you think.

He’s always taken a long-term view of life, both on his farm and in governance.

He’s put an emphasis on making his Flemington farming business resilient both economically and environmentally. Of the 1,030 Hectares of land he and his family own, only 830 hectares are in pastoral use, and even that has a good covering of willow and poplar plantings, and at last count there are about 18Km of shelter belts on the farm. The remaining 200 hectares are made up of approximately 75 hectare of production forestry, and the balance is retired. Recently he entered a sharefarming equity partnership with young farmer Jason Wyn-Harris on the property.

Similarly, with a business such as AgResearch, which he chaired for nine years, Sam says there can be up to 15 years between deep discovery type research to commercialisation.

The Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme he says was also about a long-term view of what improvements are possible for both the Hawke’s Bay economy and environment.

A fundamental strength and opportunity for both New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay is food production.

“Food needs three things to grow. Hawke’s Bay has an abundance of soil and sun, and the third – water – can be provided as irrigation, which is only precision rainfall.

“If we look at the Heretaunga Plains, they were once predominantly pastoral, including a good proportion of dairy farming. In 1935 Sir James Wattie built a food processing plant. By the 1960s there were significant areas of peas and beans as well as apples and pears, and today we’re growing squash, new varieties of apples and other high value crops.”

In 80 years the Heretaunga Plains have gone from basic to sophistication in food production.

“When I think about the transformational opportunities for the Ruataniwha Plains we can do the same.”

He accepts that “at this stage” the RWSS has some significant challenges to be overcome if it is to eventuate. However, he is hopeful that “in time there will be another discussion about the merits and risks of the RWSS and the true potential of the Ruantaniwha Basin Plain can be realised for Hawke’s Bay, all the way from the paddock to the port”.

In accepting the award, Sam paid tribute to the late Laurie Dowling, for his self-less commitment to both agriculture and the community.

“Laurie always had time for people.”

From Delivery Boy to HB Farmer of the Year

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At the age of 12, Hawke’s Bay’s 2018 Farmer of the Year David Danks had a fated encounter that would one day come true, leading him to earn the prestigious award.

Collecting money for his milk and paper runs in Westshore, he called on a house, where the lady asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. “To be a farmer,” David replied.

She pointed to the hills and said, “I own a farm up there. Maybe you’ll come and work for me.”

It wasn’t until he’d been at Monarae Station, Putere, in Northern Hawke’s Bay, for a while that he remembered this conversation and it “clicked” that the woman he spoke to was the late Pam Torbett.

Although he was unsuccessful for a Smedley cadetship, he gained a five-year cadetship with Federated Farmers, and began his career, moving to Tutira as a manager. He moved to stock manager working three properties and started at Monarae in 1991.

He’s been there for 27 years. It was founded in 1928 with the purchase of 3,200 acres by the Torbett family and became a charitable trust in 1988, which has benefitted many local charities. The trustees are chairman Roydan Day and Doug Smith.

He farms sheep, cattle and deer in a 51/35 and 14 percent split on 1,530 hectares (1,171 effective), including a 90-hectare property in Wairoa with its own block manager.

In accepting the award, David said a number of people had been of tremendous support and inspiration to him over the years.

He thanked his partner Jeanette Nestved and their dedicated team, and expressed great admiration for the late Alf Dixon who was the chairman and main trustee when he started. Alf arranged for the farm to be placed into a charitable trust under Pam’s wish just before she passed away in 1988 and had a huge love for Monarae.

HB Horticulturalist of the Year for 2019

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New Zealand Apples & Pears and the Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association have announced the sector is joining the Primary Sector Awards next year.

The HB Horticulturalist of the Year will go to an outstanding individual recognising their significant contribution to horticulture through their innovation, resilience, and leadership along with their commitment to education, the environment and social responsibility.

“Hawke’s Bay’s billion-dollar horticultural industry has become one of the best success stories of the region. Great people, who are recognised as world leaders in their field, grow our success,” says Alan, chief executive of New Zealand Apples & Pears.

The award it is open to all fruit and vegetable growers, as defined by Horticulture NZ, including landowners, lessees and managers.

It’s also a very exciting opportunity for everyone associated with horticulture

to come on board to as a potential entrant, supporter or sponsor, says Alan.

To find out more go to www.hbhorticulturalistoftheyear.co.nz

 

Fastway delivering for 35 years

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From one man driving a van delivering parcels across Napier and Hastings 35 years ago, Fastway Couriers now delivers over 25,000 parcels every day of the year throughout New Zealand.

The franchise model business with 17 regional franchise owners and 300 franchise couriers in New Zealand has exponentially grown in parcel deliveries with the rapid growth in online shopping both nationally and globally. In the last three years parcel movements have risen from 8,072,539 to 8,834,002 in 2017.

Fastway New Zealand chief executive Scott Jenyns has been with the business for 17 years, starting out as the franchise business manager and has progressed his way through the business to chief executive.

Scott says the courier sector has transformed dramatically over this time – from 80 percent of deliveries being large packages delivered between two businesses to 80 percent of parcels being smaller than 3 kilograms delivered to residential properties.

He says much of the success of the business can be attributed to the franchise model that founding owner Bill McGowan initiated in 1984, after just one year of business.

The franchise model is also now in place in Australia, Ireland and South Africa.

“We get a real kick out of seeing the franchisees embrace our model and be true courier experts in their local markets.

“Every day is slightly different in that instance when you are dealing with them as business owners (rather than employees),

but for me it’s seeing them go and take on national initiatives and adopting them into their local markets,” Scott says.

A vision to be a cost-effective courier service

Bill McGowan founded Fastway in 1983 with the vision to develop a cost-effective courier service using a simple pricing structure with no complicated weight breaks and no time-consuming consignment notes.

Bill spent a year doing research, and after that he was ready to go. He saw Hawke’s Bay as the ideal place to start Fastway, due to the short distance between the twin cities of Napier and Hastings, with fast-growing Havelock North also being part of the delivery route.

At the time, the industry was extremely regulated and Bill had to purchase an existing company with transport licenses to be able to get underway.

He purchased a security company called Hawke’s Bay Security Services, which came with three goods services licenses, which it used for carting cash.Bill changed the name of the company to Hawke’s Bay Courier Services. Later, Bill made extensive submissions to Government which successfully led to industry deregulation and then also successfully lobbied a move away from requiring consignment notes, which supported Bill’s business model of using prepaid courier labels.

Initially Hawke’s Bay Courier Services was branded in red and white livery but with the potential to expand the business to other regions, Bill rebranded to Fastway Couriers, with the new logo featuring a running man, which Bill designed himself.

From day one Bill created each courier delivery area himself. He would define a geographic territory for the run, work it himself for a month, before handing it over to a driver to manage. He would then build up another run, and so on.

To give an impression of being busy every morning Bill would fill his van with empty boxes – and as he said at the time “no one wants to do business with a courier that has no work!”

During this time, he developed a process called saturation marketing, which is still the way new courier territories are developed today.

A Franchise model is born

Early on Bill realised that he needed to find a way to make the couriers as motivated to gain new business as he was. After building up courier runs and handing them over to drivers, no new business was being established other than the sales Bill himself made.

n what is regarded as the most crucial decision ever to grow the business, Bill decided to create courier runs as a stand- alone franchise, rather than employing drivers. His catch phrase was “the harder you work, the more money you’ll make.”

His first franchise owner was Chris Guildford in Gisborne and due to his success, others soon followed.

The franchise model enabled Bill to expand the business beyond Hawke’s Bay, opening depots in other main centers. A linehaul network was also established to link the various branches, and for about a year Bill drove a linehaul truck at night and worked in the day.

As more and more depots opened around the country, Bill decided that franchising was also the answer to establishing and managing the depots, so he turned each depot into a Regional Franchise. Regional Franchisees were business people who could operate the depot and office facility and provide business support services to their courier franchisees.

The first regional franchisee was Gisborne and was sold to Milton Smith in 1984 and other branches were quickly converted thereafter.

Staff who had previously run the depots were redeployed to provide high levels of management support to the regional franchisees and show them how to support their courier franchisees.

They worked from a central office in Napier, which was named Franchise Support Office.

This restructure resulted in further growth and improved productivity enabling the expansion of the network throughout the country, with the linehaul trucks linking all locations.

International expansion begins

By 1992, the New Zealand business was highly profitable and performing well. It was the second largest courier company in the country, with national coverage in all main population centers, and had carved out a market niche that was untouched by the other operators.

It was now that Bill started to look at the potential of expansion into Australia and like he did for New Zealand he researched the opportunity and then launched into business across the ditch in 1993.

Running a business in two countries was tough going with Bill travelling back and forth on a weekly basis for several years.

It was time to put a management structure in place and he appointed a CEO and general managers in both New Zealand and Australia.

A fundamental change also took place in the positioning of the business. Bill was finding it difficult to get business minded people interested in a franchise associated with transport. He made the observation that other franchise organisations could get the sort of people that Fastway wanted and he needed to move from being positioned as a transport company to a franchise company.

This lead to a complete overhaul and tidying up of the business by Bill’s wife Suzanne McGowan. She revamped the franchisee operations manuals, the logo, the uniforms, signage, imagery, and advertising messages and strict marketing standards were implemented to control and maintain them.

Developments in technology were taking off at this time, and Bill brought in one of his Directors, Brem Ellingham to work on a part- time basis, establishing a separate company that would develop IT solutions for Fastway.

Brem’s role didn’t stay part time for long – he eventually oversaw all IT and later became the Managing Director of the Fastway Group of Companies, a position he held for 18 years.

In the year 2000 Fastway looked at further global expansion and it created a National Master Franchise, granting rights to operate the Fastway system for an entire country.

National Master Franchise operators would undergo extensive training and research before replicating the model successfully working in New Zealand and Australia.

Fastway Couriers now operates out of Australia, Ireland, South Africa and New Zealand

Technology starts to deliver results

A leading-edge software package Franchise Management System (FMS) was developed so regional franchisees could track every parcel in the system from pick up through to delivery. It stored customer information and calculated courier remuneration, as well as providing comprehensive reporting and a range of other tools that assist the Regional Franchisees to manage their business.

FMS is now known as WebFMS, a cloud based product with a single database which controls all of Fastway’s financial transactions including customer accounts payable and receivable, courier remunerations and has now evolved to include the company’s dynamic and offline label customers.

Scott says hand held computers (scanners) were introduced in 2006 to courier franchisees enabling the delivery signature to be uploaded to the website, so customers can view the signature online.

In 2014 Fastway integrated WebFMS with a US based company; BluJay Solutions Ltd which allows real-time scan data, in flight diverts, custom messaging and provides both an Android and iOS option for secondary devices and hardware failure.

“If you go back 35 years we had couriers running around without any handheld devices, it was a very manual orientated business. If I look at the business then and now we have created a lot of efficiencies for our couriers through leveraging technology – so all of their daily delivery and pick up jobs are managed by a handheld device ensuring that there is no disruption to serving their customers.

Challenges and opportunities ahead

Scott says the biggest challenge facing the courier delivery sector today is servicing the compounding volume increase from people buying online and wanting it delivered to their home address, usually when they are not home.

He says traditional courier companies were designed to delivery parcels between business to business, therefore many haven’t evolved to cater for the increase in single deliveries to a residential address and are therefore being left behind.

“Before online retail shopping 80 percent of transactions were large consignments between two business but this has completely swung to business to consumer being 80 percent of our deliveries.

“The e-commerce growth rates are phenomenal, all of our large global e-commerce customers and domestic customers we are integrated with are growing at double digit.

“This has challenged the traditional way that we do business and we are really having to look internally how we can ensure that we maintain a delivery network for all those customers buying online and having their products delivered to a residential address.

“We have some technologies that we are offering our franchisees to circumvent that and we have some new initiatives that we will be launching later this year, which will be market leading in New Zealand. We feel that it will put us as first choice for e-retailers, so watch this space.”

Fastway has already introduced some new technology to make it easier, the biggest initiative being the launch of ‘label free delivery’.

A growing number of transactions on websites such as Trademe and Amazon are done at home on a mobile phone as most people don’t have a printer.

“Many of the transactions are being done via a mobile phone, so how can we expect them to print a tracking label, so we have introduced a piece of technology that is “no printer – no problem.

“It’s providing real ease of transactions for the consumer and our customers just love it as it has broken down a barrier to sales that they have previously had.”

The last delivery mile

Another added value new product that also supports label free technology is Parcel Connect, which is giving greater delivery control to the consumer. Parcel Connect is a convenient agency network such as (service stations/dairies) which Scott says helps overcome an inefficiency that was created by e-commerce and the delivery of parcels to residential addresses during the day, when most people are at work.

“We are trying to deliver a parcel to someone’s home during business hours and in most cases the person isn’t home, so Parcel Connect puts control with the consumer and how they choose to receive their item. They can ask us to leave it in a safe and secure place, or if they are not happy with that they can redirect to a Parcel Connect agent and they can collect on their way home from work. In 2016 International express, mail delivery and logistics services company, Aramex bought Fastway which has helped increase the service offering to international delivery, as well as gaining access to leading edge technology.

Scott says little has changed to the franchise model since the sale to Aramex but it’s opened up parcel delivery to and from over 80 international markets.

“We have been able to launch an international service on the back of that acquisition while we get access to all their technology. They are very big on investing in start-up businesses, so when any new investment in a start-up business we get access to that information and make and assessment whether that is applicable to the NZ market.”

The future for Fastway looks set to continue in the fast lane.

Style and grace mark doyenne of hair and beauty

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For 50 years Kay has been at the forefront of hair design, owning and operating hair salons and beauty clinics in Hastings, Taradale and Havelock North.

As she passionately rolls out MèCHE (pronounced Mesh), the latest brand reincarnation of what started back in 1968 as Kay’s Salon, there’s no way she’s standing still or looking at retiring – just yet. Not many superannuants can say they’re still a trendsetter who is constantly striving to improve the business.

“It won’t be another 50! It’s a bit of a standing joke about when I will retire but realistically, maybe five years at the most, but you never know.

“I love the hair industry and I’m a hairdresser through and through. I can still see that we can do things better, improve and change things. There’s always room to grow, whether that’s around the business model or the customer’s experience.

“I get bored, you can’t do the same things forever; my motto is, if you don’t continue to look into the future and change you will die in business.”

As a 19-year-old, and not fully qualified, Kay bought her first hair salon in Mayfair. She had started her apprenticeship with Sandra

Fox before heading across the ditch for some overseas experience. Upon her return, she started working for Marcia Walden, who would become a lifelong friend, in Warwick Street before being thrust into ownership.

“I worked for Sandra Fox at La Femme Couture in Karamu Road. It was a very busy salon and I did most of my apprenticeship with Sandra before going to Australia for a short time. I then came back and worked for Marcia before buying her salon at the age of 19.”

That was the beginning of the journey. Kay built up the salon over the next six years before selling it in the lead up to having her second child. However, maternity didn’t last too long and she was quickly back working for Marcia, who had set up her next salon, again in Mayfair.

“I didn’t have much time off, I think it may have been about six weeks, and I went and worked for Marcia in the new Mayfair Shopping Centre.”

Having already had one stint of ownership, Kay was keen to set up again and she found a small salon in Mahora that she quickly established and then bought her second, again off Marcia who was moving to Auckland.

“I worked between the two salons while also getting into competing in hairstyling competitions.

“I had the Mahora salon for about a few years before selling it and opening in Kings Street while also retaining the Mayfair salon.

“I changed the names of the salons every five minutes; the Mahora salon was called Ginger Brown, Mayfair was called Mayfair Hair Design when I bought it and I changed it to Dabblers Hair Company and then Pizazz Hair Works, while King Street was also branded as Pizazz.”

Kay sold Mayfair and King Street to have a well-deserved break, which she says only lasted about two weeks, before she took up a manager’s job at Mode Salon in Taradale and no sooner was she there, she was scoping out her next ownership move.

“There was a bit of a gap in the market for another hair salon in Taradale, so I opened up a new salon named Visage Hair Design in 1996.”

Word spread quickly that Kay was back in business and to cope with growth, she bought the premises of a beauty clinic next door in 1999, with plans of expanding the salon’s footprint.

However, she decided to delve into the world of skincare, make-up and cosmetics and operate both businesses until she was eventually forced to look for new premises for the beauty clinic.

“We had so many people in a small space we just couldn’t cope so I decided to split the two up and increase the size of the salon.”

The move didn’t stop the businesses’ growth and in 2007 the businesses were split in two again, with Visage Hair Design moving to a large new premises and the beauty clinic moving back to its original home.

Kay then set up Visage Hair & Beauty in Havelock North’s Joll Road in 2011 in what is and still remains a highly competitive and well saturated market.

Although both are small and compact retail areas there are noticeable differences. Taradale is more of a localised precinct serving its close surroundings while Havelock North is more destination shopping.

“It’s almost like working in two different countries. In Taradale, people come and do their business and go, whereas in Havelock North you come and shop for half a day and potter around and there’s some lovely shops to visit.”

However, to get customers in the door Kay says it’s ultimately about giving clients great service and value.

“You have got to continually try and improve what you do as well as have staff who are highly knowledgeable.”

Last year Kay was on the move again. She sold the Visage beauty clinic in Taradale to the store manager, who had been with her for 13 years, and she commenced another rebrand as well as moving the hair salon to a new location in Gloucester Street.

The rebrand was also motivated by a plan to use more digital media and marketing as well as a desire to continue to be progressive.

“I felt we needed to have a brand that was going to take us into the future. It gave us an opportunity to look at the direction that we wanted to go in.

“I’ve done it plenty of times before so I knew I could do it again. I’m always looking for where the industry is going next; we want to be innovative and ready to change with it and that’s probably why I am still here.”

To come up with the new name, brand identity and the instore experience, Kay started to put together Pinterest boards with images of other salons, names and suitable type fonts.

“I just go through everything, Pinterest boards and I search Google. It takes months and months and constant enquiry as to whether the potential names match the brand that I am trying to create.”

For support she confides in her marketing and brand specialist of over a decade, Stefan Olsen from Ed, who provides some cohesiveness to the process.

Stefan picked Kay’s brain on the vision for her business then got to work crafting a strategy that covered all aspects of advertising, marketing and communications.

Stefan’s top-down approach to marketing Kay’s businesses has been to understand how the business operates, from clientele and staff to environment and systems.

“Stefan is always present, efficient and attentive to my vision, which he turns into an effective strategy. He gets things done, and the things he does work,” says Kay.

Over the years Kay has employed many hair designers and beauticians and is particularly proud of employing and training many apprentices. Currently MèCHE employs 7 of the 19 apprentices in Hawke’s Bay and 25 staff in total.

“A big focus for me has been about growing and developing young people and that is what I have always done. It’s always been about bringing young people through with skills to a high level.

“When I was learning, you could never get enough knowledge and usually there’s not enough people who want to teach and pass on their skills, so we always employ people who are willing to share and pass on their skills and knowledge.”

It’s this hands-on approach and love of the industry that has kept Kay youthful, motivated and inspiring to others.

2018 Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Awards

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The 2018 Napier Port Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Awards has this year recognised the outstanding contribution of seven past, present and future leaders in their field.

Hosted by the Hawke’s Bay A & P Society at the Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds, Tomoana, Hawke’s Bay’s Primary Sector Awards is the biggest night on the region’s primary sector calendar with over 400 people gathering to mark the event.

The society’s president Simon Collin says championing and celebrating primary sector excellence has reached a new level for the region.

“These awards celebrate our past, present and future leaders. They are working incredibly hard, they are all dedicated to their different sectors and they are all making a real difference in helping make our region successful.

“Hawke’s Bay’s has a proud history as a primary sector engine house from its rugged hinterland to the rich productive plains of the lowlands. We have seen innovative producers harness these resources to place the region as one of the most significant food producing regions of New Zealand.”

Announcing the award winners, chairman of the Award’s committee Peter Tod says it’s pleasing to see such a high calibre and depth of entries across all competitions within these awards.

“It shows the strength of the primary sector in Hawke’s Bay, and future leadership and innovation will continue to drive our economy.”

The ultimate Hawke’s Bay farming trophy, was awarded to Putere district farmer David Danks, managing Monarae Station for the Pam Torbett Charitable Trust as the 2018 Silver Fern Farms Hawke’s Bay Farmer of the Year.

Monarae Station farms sheep, beef and deer at 3,000 feet, combined with a small finishing farm near sea level.

“David demonstrated real strengths in his business across governance, management and supervision of this property. There is a formidable team who are all accepting of innovation and performance gains in a sustainable manner to achieve award- winning results”.

Maraekakaho farm business owners Charlie and Michelle Bogard won the Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Farm Forester of the Year Award. The Bogards’ had excellent forestry management, and showed how small farm units can be maintained within a family. While the pastoral management is leased out, they keep a close eye on what is happening and remained fully involved in the decision-making.

This year Hawke’s Bay raises a glass to John Buck, as the recipient of the Hastings District Council Primary Sector Industry Leader Award for 2018.

In doing so, Peter says the sector recognised him as a pioneer, innovator, and entrepreneur.

“We thank him for the significant contribution he has made to both the wine industry and Hawke’s Bay. With so many accolades and awards over the years, John is a very worthy recipient”.

As chairman of family owned Te Mata Estate Winery, he considers his greatest accomplishment as taking a run-down, historic, business to a position that its classically styled wines are today regarded amongst the world’s best, all while remaining privately and New Zealand owned.

John is the first resident Hawke’s Bay patron of Cranford Hospice and chairman of the Cranford Foundation Trust, which is building a new hospice at Chesterhope between Hastings and Napier.

Bayleys Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Professional of the Year winner, farm consultant John Cannon, is recognised for being a highly regarded professional among his peers and fellow industry experts both locally and nationally.

“John makes an outstanding contribution through his knowledge, skill and application to improving the performance of businesses in Hawke’s Bay and beyond,” says Pete.

The inaugural BWR Hawke’s Bay Primary Sector Innovation Award winner went to StockX, which is leading innovation, through an online platform that trades livestock across New Zealand. StockX is the only business of its type currently operating in the country.

Coming together 29 months ago, StockX has grown in excess of 3,700 registered farmers and 16 meat processing companies, with a collaborative approach to market functionality and design, being a key focus for growth

Massey University veterinary science student Marcus Yule received the Lawson Robinson Hawke’s Bay A & P Scholarship. Growing up on a sheep and beef farm in Central Hawke’s Bay, sparked Marcus’s initial interest in both working and living rurally.

Agri-business leader, farmer and company director Sam Robinson, has been awarded the Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for Outstanding Contribution to Agriculture.

The considerable time Sam has spent mentoring young people in the agri-business sector and within farming over the last three decades, is a real tribute to helping grow future leaders, says Pete.

SUPERCHARGED ADVENTURE A MUST-DO EXPERIENCE

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Ten adrenaline seekers from Hawke’s Bay – bar one from Hunterville – started 2018 on the ultimate product promotion trip that they’ll never forget and which is now set to become a regular opportunity for others.

While Hawke’s Bay was in the midst of a hot summer, the 10 blokes and one of the wives were ploughing their way through the Canadian wilderness on high-powered snowmobiles reaching speeds near 200 km/hr.

Bay Motorcycles general manager Jono Kight organised the adventure as a showcase of Bombardier Recreational Powersports. (BRP) Ski-Doo (snowmobile), taking clients that already own a BRP vehicle and either use it in the day-to-day running of their business (such as farmers using side by side Can-Ams) or for recreational use, such as a Sea-Doo – the best jet ski on the planet.

Jono says none of them had any idea of what they were about to experience and a few months on since the trip, they’re all still hooting and high-fiving about the eight-day high-speed trek across frozen lakes, four- metre-deep snow and encounters with wild moose and deer.

The snowmobile tour of the wilderness surrounding Montreal and Quebec came about following Jono attending a BRP conference in Texas earlier in the year. BRP is the world’s leading powersports company and has a specialist adventure tour company – VIP Adventures (www.vip-adventures.com).

“VIP Adventures was promoting these high- octane-fuelled adventures in the snow of Canada and the deserts of Brazil on BRP powersport vehicles. It got me excited and I thought it would be a great way to take some clients who, like me, love going fast and having an adventure!

“I put the feelers out to a few people and pulled together a group that was ready and raring to go. They all now say it was one of their best trips ever, while it was a great marketing tool for us in showcasing BRP. It’s something that none of us would have ever done and was an experience of a lifetime.”

The trip is highly subsidiszed by BRP; this was a chance of a lifetime and as it was all organised, there was little they had to do except pack some thermals and jump on a plane with Jono.

The trip started with a visit to the home of BRP in Valcourt where they visited the interactive Bombardier Museum of Ingenuity, where BRP was started by Joseph Armand Bombardier, before having dinner at the just as famous Maple Sugar Shack – a Canadian must.

In preparation for riding the Ski-Doos, they went to the Valcourt Ski-Doo Grand Prix – the world’s largest grand prix of racing snowmobiles, snowcross motocross bike and vehicles held on an ice oval, snowcross and drag racing.

“It was the most un-PC racing event I think we’ve ever seen, a huge amount of fun and laughs and it certainly got our eye in for the next eight days,”

The following day the tour started in earnest at a place called St Raymond, when they were given 600-850cc snowmobiles that can reach speeds in excess of 200 km/hr.

“All the gear and skis we were given were second to none. There was no training as such, it was ‘here’s the throttle, the brakes don’t really work on snow, so let’s go and have some fun’.

“They were really easy to ride – pretty much like the jet ski versions that we are more used to in New Zealand.”

     

A big difference was the temperature, which was as low as -22 degrees!

“On the first day we rode about 150 kilometres through farmland and forests, with scenery you can’t explain to anyone else. After the first few hours we all thought we were expert riders and so the racing began.

“We started to run behind schedule and that’s when the real fun started! We were riding through forest tracks; it was snowing, visibility was poor, it was pitch black and with only our lights on, it was like driving dodgems. Luckily we all got to our accommodation in one piece and we all agreed this was going to be the best-ever adventure!”

There were plenty of thrills and spills as they all navigated their way through snow- laden forests, climbing mountainous tracks and riding over frozen lakes.

“We would ride about four to five hours a day from either some cabins or a hotel. The terrain was a real mix and the scenery was jaw-dropping.

“We all felt a ‘need for speed’ and got the opportunity to go full throttle across Lake Édouard, where one of us reached speeds of close to 190 km/hr.”

The hospitality was as memorable as the riding. They stayed at a little pub in Lake Édouard for two nights. It was a very remote area with a population of about 150.

“This is in the middle of nowhere, so when people come to stay from out of town it seems a perfect time for the entire population to come together and party with us. They were fantastic hosts and although the majority only spoke French, we made it through with a lot of laughter and very fond memories.”

Although the trip is quickly becoming a distant memory, travelling together over 800 kilometres on Ski-Doos (the distance from Wellington to Russell) has created some long-standing relationships and was “one of the best marketing initiatives we’ve ever done,” says Jono.

“I’m already planning the next trip and the beauty of BRP products is that they cover summer and winter adventures. We can go Can-Am driving in deserts of Brazil to jet skiing in the Mediterranean.”

Bay Motorcycles is now a tour partner with VIP Adventures and Jono is exploring opportunities for tours in New Zealand for international BRP customers, as well as taking New Zealanders to the likes of Croatia, Brazil and North America.

“I’ve quickly found that there is a demand for these sorts of trips. This trip has got people talking and now I’m doing a bit of reconnaissance for all sorts of adventure options. I’m not sure what else is around the corner but it’s all very exciting.”

So, watch this space for the next trip or email Jono at jono@baymotorcycles.co.nz.

“It’s more affordable to do adventure travel as an organised group rather than on your own, and it also gives Bay Motorcycles an opportunity to do something very special with our clients.”

www.baymotorcyclesbrpdealer.co.nz

High Flying Scot ready to take airport into new era

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The Hawke’s Bay Airport has a new chief executive. Stuart Ainslie, a Scot, who brings a wealth of experience within the aviation sector and he’s arrived with fresh eyes and ideas on how to further establish the airport as the gateway to the region.

Where are you from?

I was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, which was the original capital seat of Scotland in the mid 11th century. Its also famous for being the birthplace of Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish- American industrialist, business magnate and philanthropist believed to have been one of the world’s richest men at that point.

My wife Elaine and three children were all born in Scotland but I seem to be the only one left with a thick Scottish accent, something I’m deeply proud of. They say that you can take the boy out of Scotland, but you cannae take Scotland oot the boy’.

Where did you study?

I didn’t follow a conventional path towards university. I left school in 1988 aged 16 and completed an electrical apprenticeship that led into some junior management roles at Rosyth Royal Dockyard, working for Babcock Rosyth Defence Ltd (BRDL). At 21, I was given the opportunity to take on a supervision role with responsibility for around 20 men, all much older and experienced than me. I was then given the

opportunity to study for a Bachelor of Science degree at Glasgow Caledonian University and subsequently went on to complete a Bachelor of Engineering and Masters in Maintenance Management. In 2010 I completed a one-year professional management course with University of Adelaide.

Tell us about your career path?

I spent 12 years with BRDL at Rosyth Dockyard in various project management roles, after which point I knew it was time to move on. I always had a hankering towards change and transformation so I decided to leave for new challenges.

In 2000 I entered into airports for the first time. I was asked by one of the facilities service providers who worked for Babcock if I’d like to do some consulting at Edinburgh Airport to help them develop their asset management system. Within a few months I was part of Edinburgh Airport’s senior management team, employed by British Airports Authority (BAA) as their facilities/engineering manager. In 2005 I relocated to London Gatwick and was employed as head of airside engineering responsible for over 250 people and

the upkeep of the world’s busiest single runway in the world. The plan was to stay at Gatwick for a while but after a family holiday to Australia, my wife and I vowed to return one day to live. In 2006 an opportunity arose to help NT Airports in Darwin with delivering their $45 million capital plan. I led Darwin Airport’s master-planning process, a $60 million terminal development as well as a challenging two-year airline pricing negotiation with the major Australian airlines.

I left the role in 2010 and ended up as the executive general manager for the NT’s leading mechanical services provider for 12 months. Following this period, I decided to establish my own aviation consultancy business, which I ran until late 2017. In late 2014 I relocated the family to Cairns as it was closer to Papau New Guinea, where I was working back and forth.

The start 2014 to end 2016, I was the executive general manager for Port Moresby International in Papau New Guinea. During 2017 I was engaged by APEC Authority in Papau New Guinea to assist with the air movement planning for Leaders’ Week in November 2018.

What have been some of the highlights?

Working across airports from 500,000 pax per annum to 33 million pax per annum has been highly rewarding. Working for a company like BAA exposed me to all aspects of the airport business, from strategic planning one day to crisis management the next.

Although it was a politically tough environment I truly enjoyed being able to lead the transformation of Port Moresby Airport, getting the team fit for the Pacific Games in 2015 and delivering a $90 million international terminal expansion with new check-in, security, border control and retail experience, including a sizable duty-free store. Most recently I was preparing airport infrastructure advice directly for Peter O’Neill, the Prime Minister of Papau New Guinea, as part of the APEC planning requirements. Something I have lots of stories to tell that might be better in a book

What attracted you to the Hawke’s Bay Airport role?

After spending a significant amount of time away from home for work, my wife and I decided that it was time for a new outlook and towards the end of October we decided to target New Zealand. After 12 years in Australia we both knew we were ready for a change.

For a few years I had aspired to an airport CEO role but a few opportunities passed me by. In December 2017 I saw the position advertised and thought it was a fantastic career step in a great place to live and explore.

Although Hawke’s Bay Airport is a much smaller airport than I’ve been used to, there are a lot of opportunities to transform the business and lead the way forward.

Although you’re only just getting your feet under the desk, what do you see as some short-term changes/ improvements?

Firstly, I’ve inherited a terminal expansion project and I want to ensure we deliver absolutely the best capacity and customer experience from the development.

As we are working in a live environment the construction staging through the life of the project will generate some significant challenges. I’m keen to ensure that all of our passengers experience minimal disruption and we deliver an end result that exceeds expectations. Regular travelers should look forward to improvements that will deliver more space, improved baggage collection and a better retail experience.

In addition to this we finalising some key road infrastructure to connect the Watchman Road development to the airport, which is an important development in relation to our aspirations for the business park development and exit/entry statement to the airport.

You’ve adopted a terminal upgrade – will you be keeping it as status quo or will you be recommending any modifications?

That’s a great question and there is a possibility that we will make some minor modifications to the design but these will most likely be around the layout of some of the common use spaces and perhaps the retail, food and beverage offerings.

Do you see any new airlines coming to Hawke’s Bay or any new routes in and out of Hawke’s Bay?

Another great question and early days to give a definitive answer; that said we have already started discussing the potential for increases in capacity from existing airlines and exploring a potential fourth carrier. The development of new routes is a two-way street and my philosophy is we don’t sit and wait on airlines coming to us, we’ll aim to work smarter to understand the opportunities that exist and work in partnership with the airlines to develop new routes where it is economically viable.

There is also the possibility that in the near future we may start to see a few larger aircraft, but that comes with some challenges around supporting infrastructure. We’ve started to understand some of these challenges so that we have the right plans in place to accommodate this in the future.

What did you know about Hawke’s Bay before your arrival?

Believe it or not my wife and I hadn’t even visited New Zealand before I was invited to interview for the position but we had it on our to-do list. The first things we really became aware of was the wine industry, the history of Napier’s reconstruction and the great cycling tracks.

I was here during Art Deco Weekend so I was able to experience that first hand. I loved the buzz, and everyone seemed to be really enjoying it.

How well does the airport connect with the community?

I believe we have great linkage to the community around us, perhaps more than I’ve seen in other airports. We have a number of forums where the locals are engaged in helping us to understand where we can improve. In particular, the wetland surrounds and local environment are a source of pride and we are committed to working with the community to maintain this.

Over the next year we’ll be reviewing our masterplan and also developing an environmental strategy that will give us a better opportunity to work closely with the local community.

What are you looking forward to about residing in Hawke’s Bay?

I love the diversity of the landscapes that I’ve seen in the Hawke’s Bay region. I’m looking forward to enjoying the climate, exploring the area and enjoying some of the great food and wine from the region. We enjoy a well brewed cup of coffee and there is a great café culture so that’s a good start.

What do you do in your spare time?

My wife and I love getting out and exploring the outdoors. We’ll need to dust off the mountain bikes and we’re also keen to get into some sea kayaking. Other than that, I play guitar and another instrument but as I’m from Scotland originally I’ll leave you to guess that one… I don’t think the neighbours will appreciate it too much.