May, 2018 - The Profit

Damon Harvey

On the right Axis for growth

A Hawke’s Bay business that plays a big role in putting other businesses up in bright shining lights, prefers to keep a low profile. Axis might not be well known within the Hawke’s Bay scene in general but they are the ‘go to’ business for sign writers nationwide through to boat manufacturers and everything in between. So, what do Axis...

Collective wisdom, bottom line success – The Alternative Board

Many small and medium businesses (SMEs) in Hawke’s Bay are set to benefit from a globally successful business development model that is based on collaboration of those sitting around a boardroom table. The Alternative Board - www. thealternativeboard.co.nz, has been brought to the Bay by two well-known local businessmen Wayne Baird and Russell Jaggard. It draws on their wide range...

Too small for independent advice?

Many small business owners assume that company boards are for the big boys – yet the benefits of independent directors or advisors apply to all businesses, irrespective of size or structure. Owner-run businesses can be averse to appointing outside directors or advisors, driven by a mix of ‘she’ll be right’ mentality, a desire to keep everything in ‘the family’ or...

Valuing up the Napier Office Rental Space

Traditionally there has always been an oversupply of secondary office rental space in Napier and Hawke’s Bay in general. Tenants have favoured, new or well renovated office accommodation which has meant that landlords with second tier accommodation have always struggled to attract tenants. However, recent developments in June 2017 saw the Napier City Council identify the council civic buildings as...

Have You Got the Right Lease?

It is probably fair to say that most small businesses do not own their own premises and, in such situations, it is necessary to “lease” premises. An Agreement to Lease (ATL) is usually the preliminary document, prepared by a commercial real estate agent, that contains the basic information agreed on by the Landlord and Tenant. The formal Deed of Lease...

The Value of Longevity

I started working in HR a long time ago – I won’t say how many years because it ages me. Back then it was very common to have benefits in employment agreements to recognise length of service. There was long service leave, salary scales with automatic increments based on service, generous service-based redundancy formulae, extra annual leave after so many...

It’s Planning Time

What would happen to your business if you lost a server, had a hard drive failure or lost/broke a laptop, tablet or mobile phone? Would your business be able to pick things up and continue to operate the business? For those with a Disaster Recovery Plan, probably yes, and for those without one, possibly but with more difficulty than those...

Statutory acknowledgements & RMA

A number of different co- management initiatives have been established in recent times, however in the world of resource management it’s the Statutory Acknowledgements framework that is likely to be encountered on an everyday basis. Statutory Acknowledgements have arisen from a number of Treaty of Waitangi settlements around the country as part of cultural redress for Maori. They relate to...

When keeping calm and carrying on paid off

Recently I had the pleasure of traveling around New Zealand with economic commentator and journalist Bernard Hickey’ where we have been presenting to AdviceFirst clients and local professionals about themes important to today. We have also been joined by fund managers Fergus MacDonald of Nikko Asset Management and Craig Stent of Harbour Asset Management. Our event series included a Hawke's...

If it aint broke… why change?

It's Long Term Plan time across the local councils. They've all got some big spend items – Hastings with water($47m), Napier a Master Plan for Park Island ($15.8m) but its the huge rate hike at the HBRC and the possible loss of some funding for tourism that is the hot topic. The HBRC says a major priority for the next...