Monthly Archives: July 2021

Cricket loving duo go into bat for retirees

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Cricket-loving father and son Barry and James Rosenberg have combined their knowledge and experience to produce an e-book called 65 Not Out, which is aimed at helping people plan for retirement.

Barry, a career chartered accountant who now specialises in family business and farm succession planning, and James, Frimley Lifestyle Village manager, used a cricketing term as the name for their website and e-book. The concept has been developed for people nearing retirement and even those who ended their working lives a while back. The book, as well as an accompanying workbook, allows people to plan for their transition from work to retirement.

Barry says his experience as an expert in family business and farm succession and exit meant 65 Not Out was a logical next step.

“We got together in 2016 and started planning what we thought would be a pretty comprehensive programme to help people transition to retirement. I was nearing the end of my career and James was managing the Frimley Lifestyle Village. He saw quite a number of people come to the village and quickly lose a bit of their purpose, with their minds and their bodies becoming less active.“It is a massive change when you move from one phase of life to another – transitioning from a working life to a retired life is revolutionary and can be daunting. You go along each day and you’re busy when you’re working, then all of a sudden, there’s this huge change from a very routine, structured life to a life where you’ve got the ability to do what you want to do and time to do it,” says Barry.

Barry and James started the website with the intention of running it all online but have now changed that to a two-book downloadable concept.

The 52-page contents book along with the 32-page companion workbook is a one-off subscription-based purchase and can be downloaded from the website https://www.65notout.com/.
The programme details nine steps to assist people planing for retirement, while the 32-page companion workbook contains questions that allow for reflection on life and desires for the future. The nine steps are: transition to retirement; planning for retirement; health and well-being; business and farm succession and exit; money and finances; attitude and motivation; utilising technology; planning your estate; and travel. The book also has advice from experts in various fields.

James says that for many people, the big emphasis when talking about retiring is money.

“The first thing that pops into their head is money and obviously it’s important, but we also focus on other parts of life, especially health and well-being.”

Barry says that each section of the book has articles on different aspects of retirement.

“There is an article asking the question about what type of retirement you would like and one on what you will do in retirement. Then there is assistance with your health and well-being, keeping your body and your mind active and looking after your mental health.”

James adds that loneliness is also dealt with as it is a real issue facing retirees.

“We recently met someone who is struggling a bit with exiting a business but needing to at 69 years of age. The business was quite people-intensive, but now she is struggling a little to fill up her days. That is what we’re trying to help people avoid with this e-book.”

One way to counter loneliness is for retirees to move into lifestyle or retirement villages and the book looks at the benefits of this move along with the options available, including the ownership model versus the licence-to-occupy model.

“We talk about all the differences as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both models,” says James.

Barry says another critical aspect of later life is planning your estate.

“There are so many people that need a will but have not got one. Only 50 per cent of people in New Zealand who should have a will have got a will.“There are a lot of people out there who need to give attention to their estate planning. When they’ve finished work with more time to think about such matters, they should be seriously thinking about this because as we all know, anything can happen to anybody at any time,” says Barry.

“Another big issue for people in their 50s who are working is caring for their elderly parents who aren’t very well. Their own work consumes their lives and they really have no idea how to care for their elderly parents. This is just one issue that keeps many people awake at night.”

Barry, who ended his career in March 2020, now has a PhD to complete. He also writes a number of articles for the 65 Not Out Facebook page.

He says that many of the subjects he writes about come from everyday conversations.

“I just pick the topic of conversation up and then while it is fresh in my mind, I’ll put pen to paper and write, which goes up on Facebook. At the end of the year, we’ll incorporate all those articles into an updated version of the e-book.”

Barry and James both believe the most important part of their venture is helping people.

“If we help one person, if we make a difference to one person’s transition from work life to retirement, then we will be happy with that,” says Barry.

“We want to give people the tools to cope with some of the issues and the changes they’re about to make.”

Mentoring is positive for the soul and community

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The rest of New Zealand envies the Hawke’s Bay lifestyle and enormous potential our region has to offer. We’re renowned for our fertile soils, excellent climate, world-class Port, and the talented and entrepreneurial people who live here.

At the same time, we locals must concede that Hawke’s Bay is a community in crisis. Levels of family violence and drug and alcohol abuse are frightening. Meanwhile, thousands of young people are not in employment, education, or training, it’s no wonder employers struggle to find reliable and motivated staff.

Enter Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawke’s Bay, one of New Zealand’s most trusted youth mentoring programmes.

For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has changed lives and communities all over the world by matching young people with suitable adult role models who aim to build positive, enduring relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a long and strong history, because it is simple and it works.

Since it’s relaunch in Hawke’s Bay in 2017, over 100 lives have been impacted for the better.

David Wills has been matched with Lachy since July 2020, he was motivated to become a mentor because he knew a few men who had mentored and felt it was a meaningful way to give back.

“One of the key benefits I have gained from mentoring is the absolute joy of seeing real positive changes in Lachy’s behaviour, confidence, and communication,” says David.

“I remember our first outing, there was not a lot of talking, as I think Lachy was trying to suss me out. We rode our bikes along Marine Parade and ate very large ice creams!  Ten months in and we have done all kinds of activities, from bike riding to swimming, riding the quad and there’s always ice cream involved, we laugh a lot!”

When asked about how it is to interact with his mentee’s family, David says “Families place an incredible level of trust in both Big Brothers Big Sisters and myself as a mentor, over time the relationship with Lachy’s family has become quite natural.”

David leads a busy life but when asked how he can fit in one more thing, he says there is nothing he would rather do.

“My time is an investment in the next generation, and the return is great,” says David, CEO of Ruahine Motors in Waipukurau.  “I recommend mentoring because it is good for the soul, only takes a few hours a week and you can genuinely make a difference in a child’s life.”

Lachy says “David is the best mentor, he gives me good advice and does fun activities with me”. Tash, Lachy’s mum adds  “Since Lachy has been matched with David he isn’t as angry with everyone, and he is a lot calmer.  David gives Lachy a great selection of ‘boy’ type physical experiences, which Lachy loves.  They have a close bond.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawke’s Bay programme manager Kath Boyd is keen to see other business people step up and give BBBS a go.

With early intervention youth can be supported to stay engaged in education in order to maximise their potential, develop life skills, increase confidence, and become the person they want to be.

“Our goal is to see Hawke’s Bay youth inspired, employed, and contributing in a meaningful way. Buddying a child with a mentor can change that child’s life forever!

Alasdair MacLeod and his mentee Kaine have been matched since February 2015 and Alasdair concurs, “being a mentor has reinforced the importance of having supportive role models in a young person’s life. Not only have I been able to do a tonne of fun stuff over the years I have been able to see Kaine’s aspirations grow.  I get way more out of the match then I put in, and it’s true that while we can’t change the world, we can change a small part of it by our actions.”

Kath says on average they get three enquiries a week, that’s over 150 boys and girls a year wanting a positive role model..

“Our waiting list continues to grow and we need mentors more so now than ever, the demand for male volunteers is especially high.

BBBS relies on donations, grants and a large volunteer workforce. Running the programme costs over $200,000 a year; this will rise to over $300,000 with plans to extend the programmes reach. To continue growing the privately-funded programme, we’re asking for support in two ways.

In order to provide this life-changing service and ensure it is professionally monitored, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawke’s Bay must raise funds. Over 90% of the money raised each year goes directly to provide practical support and resources for our volunteers and young people.

If your business would like to discuss our Match Sponsorship programme, a new initiative launched in 2021 or become a mentor

Mentor enquires

Kath Boyd – on 0210663930 or email Kath@bbbs.nz 

Sponsorship enquiries

Patricia Small – 022 581 2965 or email Patricia@bbbs.nz

Life experience leads to wellness and new business

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Wellness practitioner Robin Wilson is concerned about burnout with many of us getting sent too much information, which is leading to us feeling as if we’re always on.

“We are bombarded by information and not hitting the off button. We’re constantly on and wired. We need to stop. If we’re constantly in the red zone of stress, we will run out of fuel. We need to listen to the warning signs.”

Robin’s businesses, Holistic Wellness and Workplace Wellness, is built around helping people and workplaces avoid burnout and achieve health and wellbeing. These journeys to wellness began with her own.

It began with a moment of realisation one morning, when she and her family were camping with friends.

As she says in a blog, “I woke feeling dreadful… The previous day had been awesome, and we’d enjoyed a fun night, but somehow, my off switch once again malfunctioned.

“By the time enough was enough, it was too late.”

Robin had made the decision to stop drinking and get well before, but this time, she was determined to make it stick.

At the time, she had a stressful and busy career in banking and a seriously unwell husband.

“I look back at some decisions and wonder what I was thinking – like going to a bank conference rather than my son’s Year 13 prizegiving and finding out afterwards he was awarded a scholarship. This wasn’t a rational decision, it was fear based.”

She embarked on a quest for wellness but considered only her physical health.

“My life was still out of balance, as I only addressed one aspect. The warning signs were there, and I ended up with the autoimmune disease Ulcerative Colitis.”

Robin’s focus on her own wellness eventually became an exploration of how she could help others on the same journey. After leaving the bank, she trained as a massage therapist, and a health and wellness coach and through taking a holistic approach, Robin healed herself.

Now, she helps people in similar situations, supporting clients on their journey to get their life back on track with better balance.

During a brief interlude working for a charity, Robin met Leonie Wallwork, who could become a friend and business partner.

They decided to go to Outward Bound together, and it was there that the idea for a Workplace Wellness business was born.

Workplace Wellness applies the same principles to workplaces as Robin does to individuals: it helps them increase productivity by becoming resilient, robust and resourceful through a purposeful, strategic approach.

Robin says the need for support has increased exponentially with COVID-19.

“What are we seeing? Tired people, who limped to Christmas last year without a break.

“People with capacity issues. People with a great work ethic, who don’t set boundaries or hit the pause button.

“People whose values are being tested, who are feeling unsure about having difficult conversations in their workplaces. People working from home and working through when sick… not taking leave despite their employers’ strong encouragement.”

Robin credits her own tenacity and curiosity with how far she has come personally, and with her two businesses.

“I love learning new things; my coaching studies were a game changer for me.”

She believes that both individuals and businesses need to seek help to understand.

“So many of our issues stem from a lack of conversations and understanding.”

At its simplest, Robin says that businesses, and people, should be clear about their core principles.

“Values are like our GPS. If we’re not living in line with our values and purpose, that’s when it goes bad.”

“We need multiple tools in our toolkit, and we need to be open to learning. That way, we’re better equipped to deal with the inevitable rocks in the road.”

Food hub ready to go

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With the i’s almost dotted and the t’s almost crossed, the construction of Foodeast will be underway by September.

The building of Hawke’s Bay’s Food Innovation Network hub, the sixth in New Zealand, is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

It will be a place of innovation and connection, designed to add value to the region’s food, beverage and agri-tech industry by assisting businesses to develop new products and take them to market. It is forecast to add $100m to the region’s GDP over 15 years, and bring 500 new full-time jobs to Hawke’s Bay.

Heinz Wattie’s non-executive chairman and Foodeast establishment board member Mike Pretty says international demand for New Zealand products is ever-growing, and Foodeast will ensure Hawke’s Bay is at the forefront of innovative food product development.

“Innovation occurs in expansionary and challenging times, and it could be argued that the imperative to find new creative solutions is even more compelling in the latter. The timing of Foodeast, particularly given the challenges of the last year, could not be better.”

The project’s partnership approach will make it a “beacon” of innovation.

“Evidence clearly shows strong collaboration between government, universities and industry can underpin improved levels of innovation and national productivity – look to Denmark and Singapore as great examples,” Mike says.

Most of the project’s administrative requirements are completed and the $18 million funding target has been reached,  including $12m from the Government’s Provincial Growth Fund.

“It has been a very involved and meticulous process to get to this point, but the outcome will be game-changing for Hawke’s Bay’s food, beverage and agri-tech industries,” says establishment board chairman Tony Gray.

The food innovation hub will be part of the national Food Innovation Network of New Zealand, giving the region’s food producers and the agri-tech industry access to specialised industry knowledge and experience, and mentoring.

A small, dedicated Foodeast team will help business owners connect with the right people across the national network, and also act as a conduit within Hawke’s Bay – especially matching entities with a need for facilities, such as specialised filling equipment or a commercial kitchen, with those with capacity.

Tony says the Foodeast feasibility study showed that in almost every practical area, there was capacity within the region. “But what we don’t have, is somewhere a start-up or small-to-medium business can go to find out whether, for example, a test kitchen within the region has capacity to accommodate other businesses.

“What we don’t want to do is put facilities in there that are already available in the region – this is not about reinventing the wheel.”

But, if the need for a specific piece of equipment that would be highly used became obvious, it could be able to be accommodated, he says.

“The spaces are very flexible; it has been important from the start that we ensured this place would grow with us.

“What we want to see out of this is an explosion of new, innovative products including agri-tech, that will appeal to New Zealand and export markets.

It’s about adding value. Primary production is a strong contributor to our region’s GDP and out of this initiative we will see the value in the sector grow, which will lead to sustainable high-value job growth.”

Hastings – like a big city but better

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Hastings District is the centre for employment and economic growth and ready to strengthen its position as the economic powerhouse of Hawke’s Bay.

Hastings District Council economic development manager Lee Neville says the thriving primary sector district has a new wave of industry and business launching from the solid economic foundations on offer.

Lee points to Foodeast, a $18 million food innovation hub that will be established in Ellwood Road, Hastings, a Hawke’s Bay business hub in the Hastings CBD and new marketing campaign targeting new businesses, talent and investors to the district.

“Recently we have been building the profile of what Hastings has to offer those that may consider moving to Hastings, either to relocate their business, move here to work for a local business or to invest.”

The council has created materials for employers to use when recruiting  along with a digital campaign called ‘Hastings – Like a Big City But Better’, and a dedicated website –
www.hastingsnz.com

Lee says the campaign idea came out of talking to local businesses and hearing they were short-staffed.

“We decided to do a campaign that could be used to attract business, investment and talent to Hastings district.”

“While there are businesses already doing this themselves, through this campaign we have provided free collateral they can use to support their own initiatives and contribute to a thriving district.”

Hastings. Like a Big City, But Better was launched at the inaugural Focus on Business held at Functions on Hastings at the end of March.

The guest speaker was Kraft Heinz Company-Australia & NZ non-executive chairman Mike Pretty, who spoke about innovation, rising to challenges, and the future of food.

The Focus on Business events will be a quarterly series aimed at supporting local businesses to network and succeed.

Lee says said the material has been accessed and used by the likes of a company wanting to support their recruitment campaign, to a business with an office in China that used a video to aid its storytelling about its provenance.

Hastings mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said business was the lifeblood of Hawke’s Bay – and especially of the Hastings district.

“Because business is central to the Bay, it’s central to us in local government.  Councils have a role in supporting business, and in Hastings our economic development team has been set up to help ensure that it’s easy to do business here.

“What’s good for business, is good for the economy, and good for all of us.”

Hawke’s Bay Airport takes brave steps toward brighter horizon

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Fortune favours the brave, and Hawke’s Bay Airports’ bold new net-zero emissions target is just part of the larger plan to be New Zealand’s most sustainable airport.

Hawke’s Bay Airport Chief Executive, Stuart Ainslie, says the organisation is keen to do what it can to reduce the impacts of climate change and is confident it can reach its goal through a decarbonisation plan.

“We’ve identified nearly 40 initiatives that will make a concrete difference to our emissions. We’ve already introduced electric and hybrid vehicles into our operational fleet, we’re opening a bicycle hub on-site, and we’ve switched to 100% renewable carboNZero-certified energy from Ecotricity,” Mr Ainslie says.

There are also big plans for the future, including upgrading carpark lighting to LED or solar lighting, installing EV charging stations, and incorporating a range of energy-efficient fittings into the new terminal building. As well as working hard to integrate sustainable solutions across the airport’s operations, Mr Ainslie is looking further afield to meet climate change challenges, for example with investigations into the feasibility of a solar farm.

For now, Hawke’s Bay Airport has already taken steps in the right direction and is the proud recipient of a Level 2 certification under the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, the international gold standard for airport sustainability. As the first regional airport in New Zealand to reach this milestone,
Mr Ainslie is pleased to see the company is well on its way.

“There’s a lot more to be done before we can reach that zero target, but we have a unique opportunity to set the tone now for any future developments and to entrench sustainability in everything we do.”

Achieving all of this through a new terminal build has been no mean feat for the airport team, and although there have been hold-ups and global supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic, the airport’s central terminal is almost complete.

“Just like our regular passengers, who have had to put up with the disruption caused by construction, the Hawke’s Bay Airport team is very keen to get the building finished.”

A miraculous recovery with domestic travel, the opening of borders to Australia and the region hosting the largest number of entries for the Hawke’s Bay Marathon has seen the busiest May on record for Hawke’s Bay Airport.

And, while it would have been great to have a spacious new terminal for the current surge in passengers, all arrivals and departures were capably managed within the temporary terminal arrangements by the dedicated on-ground team.

So when will the new terminal open?  With some of the final vital building materials still yet to arrive, it’s hard to put an exact date on when the terminal will be open to the public. However, Mr Ainslie promises the new terminal will be worth the wait – which may be just another few weeks.

“We’re now seeing the final design elements coming together that will make Hawke’s Bay Airport a stunning gateway to welcome and farewell our manuhiri (visitors) in a distinctly Hawke’s Bay way.”

Hawke’s Bay Airport will be revealing more as the opening of the terminal nears, but you can experience what the new terminal will look like by watching a 3D fly-through on Hawke’s Bay Airport’s website.

https://www.hawkesbay-airport.co.nz/about/airport-expansion/

App technology sets to clean up the competition

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The increased spotlight on hygiene and cleaning standards has led to a Hawke’s Bay based commercial cleaning business launching a world-first cleaning app.

Following two years of development and trials, The Clean Crew has launched an app guides its cleaning team through a job, with photography and video evidence verified by supervisors and available for the client.

The Clean Crew managing director Gary Singh said as the world grapples with a pandemic, there has been a increases spotlight on cleaning and hygiene standards and the app acts is a new tool that provides peace of mind for clients, their employees and customers.

The Clean Crew offers commercial cleaning services across Hawke’s Bay, Palmerston North and Nelson and has plans to expand into new regions in 2021.

Gary says the app, developed by Hamilton-based app developer Black Quadrant Technologies (BQT), has increased the consistency of cleaning tasks and vastly enhanced client retention.

A customer survey found that 93 percent rated their cleaning service highly and that any complaints are resolved within an hour.

However Gary wanted to raise the bar and believed that a mobile technology based audit tool was the answer.

“Never has it been so important that hygiene standards are a priority for businesses, to keep staff and the public safe.

“The commercial cleaning sector struggles to retain customers, and I wanted to ensure that we can stand by the quality of our work and the app offers us a way of showing our clients that the job has been done to their expectation time and again.

“It’s time technology is introduced to the cleaning sector for the labour component of the service. There’s a steady flow of new equipment and cleaning products but this is a world-first.

The bespoke app, called Convoy, gives instructions of each cleaning job, pre-programmed instructions, special requests, arrival and departure times and client feedback.

The cleaner takes photos of specific areas as they clean which are uploaded into the system in real time, providing visual proof that they have completed the job.

Gary says the next step will be to introduce image recognition powered Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology that will enable the cleaner to audit their work in real time.

The cleaner will be able to scan the area, clicking pictures and recording video, that will be inputted to an AI engine, which analyses the cleanliness of the premise in real time.

Once the cleanliness is above a certain threshold, the job will be marked completed, with an update is sent to a quality supervisor for a visual test. A report of the clean is sent to the client.

“It will revolutionise the sector, eliminating any human error.

The Clean Crew client base includes health providers, food processors, schools and businesses that have significant contact with the public and is New Zealand’s first carbon zero certified cleaning company.

“We promise in our motto to bring quality and this is what we are there for – anyone can pick up a vacuum cleaner and clean but it is the quality of the service that goes along with it that is the important part.”

A recent study by Microsoft, in partnership with IDC Asia/Pacific reported that AI technology will allow the rate of innovation in New Zealand to double and employee productivity gains are also expected to increase 1.5 times.

Only 51 percent of organisations in New Zealand have embarked on AI journeys, a move that will double their competitiveness in 2021.

The Clean Crew took out the innovation category at Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Awards in December 2020 with the judges commenting how the app has transformed how decisions are made within the business.

www.thecleancrew.co.nz

Watties invest in pet food plant in revamp in Hastings

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Wattie’s has completed a multi-million dollar upgrade of its Hastings pet food manufacturing site, positioning itself for future growth in the petfood industry.

The pet food manufacturing facility in Tomoana, Hastings produces one of New Zealand’s leading household cat food brands Chef® as well as its other pet food brands Gourmet®, Champ® and a range of pet food products for export.

The main focus of the upgrade was an investment in a new canning retort capability designed to increase reliability and productivity through state-of-the-art equipment that will underpin growth within the category by providing the means and space to substantially scale-up production.

Neil Heffer, Managing Director of Heinz Wattie’s Limited says the Tomoana facility upgrade is a reflection of a commitment to champion New Zealand made products and the benefits this brings to the local economy.

“Chef® is a pioneering brand that has been loved by Kiwis and their pets for more than 50 years. We are proud of the heritage of the Chef® brand and this significant investment in its future to know we will continue producing pet food for Kiwi cats and dogs for many years to come.”

The new $20 million facility increases the pet food manufacturing footprint by nearly 1650 square metres, with the ability to thermally process more than 15,000 cans an hour.

Over 10 main contractors and many more sub-contractors, design consultants and engineering experts local to Hawke’s Bay were engaged to complete the upgrade.  The range of local businesses involved included those in building construction, lighting, fire protection, and equipment design, installation, and commissioning.

The facility is a positive step for Wattie’s pet food manufacturing in Hastings. On a wider scale these types of investments help to provide a continuity of projects for local businesses within Hawke’s Bay.

According to information published by the New Zealand Petfood Manufacturers Association, ‘64% of households own at least one companion animal, with a total pet population of 4.35 million. This is the second highest rate of pet ownership in the world.’

The upgrade to the Tomoana facility marks a new era of pet food production for Wattie’s which comes at a time when there are shortages of pet food, mainly due to global shipping delays, clearly impacting New Zealand.

The facility was officially opened by Hastings’ Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst on June 1, signifying the Council’s ongoing support of the facility and the future of pet food manufacturing in Hastings.

The significant investment supports the Council’s ambitions to help facilitate the growth of other businesses in Hawke’s Bay, bringing employment opportunities and further investment to the region.

3,2,1 blast off for Rockit

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Rockit Global is using technology and innovations in other sectors such as the kiwifruit sector and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) to combat the major growth trajectory of the miniature-sized apple.

“The reason we can move like we are is that we look beyond the apple industry. We look at what other FMCG companies are doing, the likes of Heineken, which is at the forefront of automation and technology to improve productivity,” says Rockit Global’s Innovation team leader Stuart Dykes.

“It’s a journey and if we could compare ourselves to vehicles, we’ve gone from being a MINI to a Lexus and we’ll end up being a Ferrari.”

As more and more Rockit trees are planted in Hawke’s Bay and beyond, the business had to look at how innovations such as automation could reduce the reliance on manual labour across all parts of the supply chain.

With Rockit outgrowing its small packing facility in Havelock North, the board made the call to invest in a 20,600 m2 purpose-built post-harvest facility, Te Ipu, on land within the Irongate industrial zone in Hastings.

Stuart and his small team were charged with identifying production bottlenecks at every step of the journey for a Rockit apple, from orchard to consumer.

An engineer with a PhD in Food Science, Stuart has a background of working in the oil and gas sector and the wine sector, with a special interest in automation.

They identified that the single biggest barrier would be the ongoing lack of labour resources that impacts across all parts of the production process and that automation would be the answer.

“There’s a term in automation called ‘lights-out’, where you have no one in the facility, you turn the lights out and it just keeps going. That’s the ultimate goal.”

It seemed obvious for Stuart and his team to firstly look at the bottlenecks inside the facility.

One of the unique but challenging points of difference for Rockit apples is that they’re not packed into 20-kilogram cardboard boxes and sent offshore. Instead, they’re packed into consumer-ready packaging, in plastic tubes of varying sizes and quantity.

The facility is also a one variety facility, which means that the harvest season is more condensed and the facility is not used for other varieties.

To counter this, Rockit has a long chilled shelf life, with apples grown in New Zealand lasting for up to six months in cool stores.

The first bottleneck Stuart looked to automate was the packing of apples in tubes which would take a manual packer a minute to fill seven tubes, totalling just 35 apples.

Stuart also drew on local automation expertise from the likes of Hastings firms H & C Automated Solutions  (a division of MHM Automation) and CR Automation, with overarching guidance from the local branch of global engineering firm Worleys.

He also looked at innovation within the kiwifruit sector, which has also experienced rapid growth.

“We took a lot of inspiration from kiwifruit, with its rate of growth and expansion, and asked questions about design, phasing the build, and how we think about building something that is going to be 10 times the size in 10 years.”

“We have a significant advantage in Hawke’s Bay in that we have some unbelievable talent within some high-tech businesses such as H & C Automated Solutions and CR Automation.

MHM Automation, a world leader in automating food processing systems with its centre of excellence for packaging and reverse packaging in Hastings, designed a customised robotic solution to pack the tubes.

MHM Automation global sales manager Nathan King says its four H & C tube-filling machines has enabled a three-fold increase in packing to 20 tubes and 100 apples a minute.

“The H&C tube-filling machines are a bespoke design to meet Rockit’s packing needs and include a vision system that identifies the height of each apple to allow the robots to select the right-sized apples to perfectly fill each tube,” Nathan says.

Stuart says overall, the facility is working well and is a vast improvement from Havelock North.

He’s full of praise for the many local businesses that went the extra mile to meet a deadline of mid-February when the first apples arrived from the orchards, including lead construction firm MCL Construction, engineering design consultants Strata Group and structural steel firm Red Steel and Kinetic Electrical.

“Every business that was involved stepped up from the early engagement with Strata and MCL through to the many engineering fabricator firms that pitched in along the way.

“There is a really good food network here, businesses that have expertise in food processing such as engineers, fabricators and automation, and they have excellent support networks of firms that also assisted.

“The end result is that we have a ‘great playbook’ for future facility development across the world.

Stuart and his team have now turned their automation thinking to the orchard. As more and more trees are planted, they know that they have to automate processes on-orchard.

“On-orchard is the next low-hanging fruit but automation is not quite ready at the moment; however, we can set up the orchards so that there is a better chance automated pruning and picking can take place in the future.

Rockit – small but packing a mighty punch

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t may only be 100 grams in size, but the world’s smallest commercial apple is packing one big punch across the world.

With over 100 million apples packed in 2021 and forecasted growth of over 400 million apples packed by 2025, it doesn’t take rocket science to work out that Rockit Global Limited needed a multimillion-dollar purpose-built, automated post-harvest facility to keep up with consumer demand.

It’s been a meteoric rise for Rockit Global since entrepreneur Phil Alison had a great idea in 2002 to position the miniature apple as a completely unique, healthy, nutritious and fun snack option that could sit alongside chocolate bars and chips.

Instead of the apple being a commodity, Phil decided to put a small quantity of apples into a plastic tube and position it as a fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) products.

Phil sold the business to investors in 2019 and with two over-subscribed capital-raising processes that secured new money from existing investors – growers, Ngai Tahu, Punchbowl Investments and Pioneer Capital – the new post-harvest facility, new branding and eco-friendly packaging, the business has hit the afterburners.

New chief executive Mark O’Donnell is heading mission control and along with a team of over 100 permanent staff, they are introducing the miniature apple with new cheeky character ‘Rocki’ to new international markets, anticipating huge demand, especially in Asia.

Up until now, growing and packing Rockit apples has been labour intensive, so major investment has gone into innovating within the supply chain, with a focus on automating many parts of the business.

The new 20,600 m2 post-harvest facility, named Te Ipu, by Ngati Kahungunu, on six hectares within Irongate’s industrial zone is part one of a multifaceted strategy to make sure the business keeps up with demand.

Currently 500 hectares of trees are planted in New Zealand, and a further 1.7 million trees planted around the globe, with another 150 hectares to be planted this year and 250 hectares in 2022.

“We are on a very exciting, very steep growth trajectory and we anticipated the requirement for this facility some years ago, as we were quickly outgrowing Cooper Street, but it was always planned for 2021,” says Mark.

The new facility was up and running for the 2021 harvest, in early February, thanks to a project construction team predominantly made up of local businesses such as MCL Construction, Strata Group, CR Automation and Kinetic Electrical, as well as global leaders with local offices such as MHM Automation (locally known as H & C Automated Solutions) and Worleys.

“There is a broad team of contractors and suppliers that have supported Rockit since the beginning, most of which are based in Hawke’s Bay. We’d also like to think that we have supported them off the back of our growth.

“The rate at which we have expanded in the last few years has tested the capacity of many of the local contractors, and we’ve engaged additional firms in order to be able to execute our development in time for the following season.

“In terms of our new facility at Irongate, we have been pleased to partner with a number of companies that have been committed to delivering the project. While I can give credit to all those we’ve been working alongside, Strata and MCL are two local businesses that have performed extremely well. Kinetic Electrical have also repeatedly delivered across several work fronts, and CR Automation – who were the main plant integrators – worked very hard to hand over a plant that worked from day one under a tight schedule.

“We have also invested in state-of-the-art automation through local firm MHM Automation in a two-year collaborative project that delivers our packed fruit at a much higher rate with fewer people involved.

“While there were many challenges throughout the project – the most significant being Covid19 – all of our partners remained committed to delivering on schedule, and were collaborative and innovative in coming up with ways of dealing with any challenges that arose.

With Stage 1 complete planning for Stage Two is underway, with land capacity at the back of the current facility.

“The next stage is expected to commence in 2023, when we will add more processing technology to provide further capacity for production through to 2030 and beyond.”

As well as launching a new facility, the company has also refreshed its brand to appeal to the growing global market. Rockit is presently sold in more than 30 countries, including the US, China, India, Vietnam, Japan and the Middle East, and was launched into India last season.

General manager of global marketing Julian Smith says the new brand has been updated following global consumer feedback that showed a significant opportunity to develop a more contemporary and appealing brand for Rockit.

“The new brand reflects our unique personality and our approach to doing things differently.

“We involved the entire company in the process to develop a new story and position in the market, focused on standing out as the brand with attitude, personality and fun,” Julian says.

A new logo, packaging and design will be launched in global markets on 1 July starting with a big campaign with Rocki and PAC MAN to celebrate International Children’s Day in Greater China.

“We are excited to partner with TAMCO and the PAC MAN brand to bring something special and showcase Rockit for the first time on the global stage with another branded consumer icon, PAC MAN.

“Our new brand represents our personality – brave, innovative and a little bit cheeky and has tested extremely high in all global markets so far,” says Julian.