Many of us have been impacted by the loss of a family member, friend or work colleague to suicide.

Between July 2018–June 2019, 654 suspected self-inflicted deaths (SSIDs) were reported in New Zealand, 46 of these were in Hawke’s Bay.  At that time the national average of SSIDs was 12.86 per 100,000 population – Hawke’s Bay was double that at 25.77 per 100,000.

Following the devastating loss of a staff member to suicide a few years ago, Tumu Timbers (Tumu Group) engaged the provider of a national suicide prevention programme to deliver suicide awareness training to all of its staff. This programme proved to be very successful and later was implemented throughout the Tumu Group.

Unfortunately, a few years later the training provider became unavailable, leaving a large gap for Tumu in the suicide awareness and prevention space. This prompted the vision for a locally developed programme that could be accessed by all workplaces and organisations across the Hawke’s Bay.

A small group of passionate people: James Truman (Tumu Group) with Kerry Gilbert (Suicide Prevention Coordinator, Hawke’s Bay District Health Board), Bronnie Coory (Tumu Group), Caroline Wilson (A-OK NZ) had a vision for a programme that would be long-term, sustainable, no barriers and free.

With the support of a wider working group, the Mates of Hawke’s Bay Trust was formed and the programme Mates4Life Hawke’s Bay is now ready for workplaces across the region.

“We only need one intervention for the Mates4Life programme to be a success. If we can ensure that a workplace and a family home isn’t hit by the traumatic loss of a colleague or loved one, that’s our measure of success,” says James.

Two pilots have been run at two large Hawke’s Bay employers, the TUMU Group (including Tumu Timbers and Tumu ITM Hawke’s Bay stores) and organic food producer Bostock New Zealand.

So far 20 local facilitators have been trained to deliver the programme. During the pilots they delivered Mates4Life awareness programme to 364 employees with 49 trained as Connectors, a support role that is there for a fellow workers who may be mentally struggling and in need of support. 11 Safety Aiders have been trained with intervention skills to respond to a person with suicidal thoughts and to provide support to the Connectors.

Initial funding has come from the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Primary Industries and Royston Health Trust. Eastern Institute of Technology provides the trust with a professional level of training course evaluation.

The Mates of Hawke’s Bay Charitable Trust is led by James Truman as chair, and fellow trustees Bronnie Coory of the Tumu Group, Damon Harvey, businessman, former chair of Sport Hawke’s Bay and a Hastings District Councillor, Conrad Waitoa founder of Inspire In Education and with Ingrid Squire, lawyer and Partner at Gifford Devine alongside. Baker Tilly Staples Rodway support the financial administration.

The administration and delivery working group includes Kerry, James and Bronnie along  with  Caroline Wilson – A-OK NZ (programme developer and trainer), Tyson Ataera – Unison Wellbeing Lead and H&S Advisor, Kylie Truman – Tumu Group.

If your business is interested in Mates 4 Life, visit www.mates4life.org.nz

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.”

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

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.”

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.

Business Hawke’s Bay hosted the pop up Rebel Business School Aotearoa supporting the region’s budding entrepreneurs, as part of its economic and social development, and regional recovery initiatives at Hastings HIVE.

Funded by Business Hawke’s Bay, Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Ministry of Social Development, and Te Puni Kōkiri, the Rebel Business School Aotearoa is a fantastic opportunity for those with a business idea to get relevant information and coaching.

Greater innovation and entrepreneurship will unlock Hawke’s Bay’s and New Zealand’s full potential, and Hawke’s Bay needs a strong multi-pronged base of support to help our entrepreneurs and those with business ideas to get started and keep going.

Designed to support the establishment of new businesses, and closely aligned to the economic growth objectives of Matariki – Hawke’s Bay Regional Development Strategy for economic, inclusive and sustainable growth, Rebel Business School delivers 20 workshops designed to equip participants with the tools they need to start their own business.

More than 44 people enrolled for the ten days of free learning with attendees coming from a wide range of businesses including food and beverage, healthcare, art and design and events and marketing.

Budding entrepreneurs also shared a short pitch for their business opportunity at the finale at Hastings HIVE.

From Waikato and of Ngāti Maniaopoto descent, Katarina is on a mission to help reduce New Zealand’s infant mortality rate, through wahakura, a woven flax bassinet that creates a safe shared sleeping space for babies in their parents’ bed.

A former teacher, and a talented traditional weaver, Katarina was encouraged by Hawke’s Bay’s Dr David Tipene-Leach to begin weaving wahakura. David led a research team which applied mātauranga Māori (traditional Māori knowledge) to create the wahakura, to address the problem of sudden unexpected death in infancy, a statistic in which Māori infants are over-represented.

Becoming a wahakura weaver is a passion, says Katarina. “I could weave kete and baskets, but as soon as I learnt to weave wahakura I fell in love with it. I don’t want to weave anything else.

“I heard about RBS from the small business course I am completing. I found RBS really good. It was great to connect with people who are starting a small business, like me. The motivational local speakers were amazing and it was great to learn from their experience.

“I’m already applying what I learned and am starting to build more of a personal relationship with my customers. My plan is to grow sustainably and to teach people to weave their own wahakura,” says Katarina.