May, 2019 - The Profit

Damon Harvey

Youth connectors paves way to the top for job starter

Topline Contracting managing director Taurus Taurima is leading from the front when it comes to upskilling and inspiring his 26 strong workforce. Taurus has gone back to school, joining 10 of his team, to do the EIT Hawke’s Bay’s Infrastructure Works course. “Many of the team don’t have formal qualifications from school or otherwise, so the EIT course was a...

EIT front foots once in a generation sector change

Eastern Institute of Technology is pumping. 2019 sees an increase of 680 students up on last year’s record 10,325 people engaged in tertiary education through its three campuses in Hawke’s Bay, Tairāwhiti (Gisborne) and Auckland, across certificate, diploma, degree and post-graduate. “Relationships with our communities are strong,” says Mark Oldershaw, EIT deputy chief executive. Courses and programmes are constantly reviewed...

Attracting high tech talent to the Bay

You’d be hard pressed to describe Hawke’s Bay as New Zealand’s Silicon Valley but Tom Wallace, the founder and CEO of fast-growing local software company Re-Leased, can’t see why it couldn’t be. Re-Leased is on a mission to double the size of its current team of 60 staff, and that involves doing all it can to attract software developers to...

Earning and learning helps build career

Apprentices Jade De Har and Harry Algie both agree that learning a trade has been a great decision that will set up their careers in the construction sector. Jade is one of three female apprentices at Gemco, and the only one training to be a carpenter. A go-getter, Jade left school at 16 years of age and managed a restaurant...

Leading construction firm builds future workforce

The construction industry is booming in Hawke’s Bay. It’s at unprecedented levels both in large-scale commercial projects as well as in the residential housing sector. In the November 2018 issue of The Profit we estimated there is about $600 million worth of commercial construction projects either currently underway or set to commence. Over and above this is the housing boom,...

Legacy to give back creates career pathway

Skilled labour and the lack of it is a big issue that has received plenty of media headlines over the last 12 months. Across Hawke’s Bay, many businesses are calling out for skilled labour and one Hastings-based business has come up with an innovative partnership with Hastings Boys’ High School (HBHS). Patton Engineering’s trial last year with HBHS was so...

Leaving FAWCland for Auckland

Since it began in 2012, F.A.W .C! has become such a drawcard for locals and visitors alike that it’s hard to imagine Hawke’s Bay’s event calendar without it. But now the woman who established the Food and Wine Challenge – and has nurtured the growth of the twice-a-year celebration of great eating and drinking – has left town. After more...

Tribute – Ray Turner

He may be closing in on 90 years of age, yet Hawke’s Bay’s greatest living inventor continues to submit product patents. A.R. (Ray) Turner just can’t stop inventing. He’s so prolific that in the past three years, he’s listed 36 patents with the Australian Patent Office. During his lifetime he’s patented more than 100 inventions. His first invention was in...

Revitalising the value of Hastings CBD

Williams’ Harvey undertakes a retail shop occupancy survey of the Central Business District (CBD) of Hastings City. The survey is based on retail shop numbers and considers main street retail, side street retail and overall retail vacancies. Our last survey was completed in October 2018 and recorded 10.20% of the retail space within Hastings to be vacant which equates to...

Drive performance by better understanding the numbers

Hawke’s Bay’s economy is booming. The region is experiencing growth across a range of sectors and industries, unemployment numbers are dropping, house prices continue to rise and there is an air of business confidence within the region which is encouraging business owners to look to their future and what opportunities these positive developments could bring. One of these opportunities is...