Category Archives: News

Getting Lift off – youth development programme profile

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To counteract concerns the job market would get harder for its rangatahi (young people) following the Covid-19 outbreak, they fast-tracked plans to create jobs themselves and LIFT Business on Emerson Street, Napier, was born.

This retail hub, supported by council and charitable funding, opened its doors in August selling products made by LIFT’s rangatahi ‘clients’ or their broader whānau. Part of the shop is set aside for running a screen-printing business, while out the back rangatahi with business ideas work through business modelling and skills courses with staff.

“This is literally the only initiative like this in New Zealand,” says LIFT founder and director Jody Hamilton. Fledgling businesses are already hatching. One 22-year-old participant has launched a domestic cleaning business with help from LIFT Business. “She came back in to us on Thursday because she needs to hire someone now. It’s brilliant,” she says.

“Even within our retail hub we’ve hired seven people to fill retail associate and screen-printing jobs, who were all unemployed before. Five of them had never worked before in their lives,”
says Jody.

This proactive attitude is what got LIFT started in the first place. The statistics on job prospects for Māori boys in Hawkes Bay, did not impress Jody. With a young son herself she wanted to do something about it and in 2017, LIFT Youth Employment began.

A key part of its success is its Bounce Programme, which teaches rangatahi about how their brains work, communication style and integrity. They learn their pepeha (self-introduction) and about their turangawaewae (where they come from), as well as employer and employee expectations.

“This culminates in the graduation at the end of the two weeks, where they present a plan of where they want to be. It includes personal and professional goals and that’s what we use as the basis of working with them. Then we do whatever it takes to deliver that. It’s transformational,” Jody says.

Many will have been involved with the criminal justice system, so LIFT spends time working with various services to help their clients get on track towards their goals. Others may need help with getting their driver license. “We tend to be receiving through our doors what other people think are the most disadvantaged and unruly kids in the area. But everyone has dreams and aspirations, even these rangatahi deserve the right to chase them,” says Graeme Ewart, in charge of LIFT’s business development.

LIFT uses a reverse marketing approach – establishing what the rangatahi want and then finding an employer that fits, rather than the other way around. It’s getting results. LIFT exceeded the employment target on a recent government contract by eight times. They aim to move 95 individuals a year towards employment and have already worked with about 700 people since LIFT began.

“Even if [the rangatahi] wants to be a rocket scientist, we start them on that journey. Over time they realise that they might need to do some other jobs or training along the way,” Graeme says.

Find out more about LIFT Youth Employment and LIFT Business – www.liftyouemployment.nz

 

Digital whizzes set to take flight from Wairoa

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Eight Wairoa people are on their way to becoming digital whizzes following a $960,000 Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment boost.

The first intake of eight apprentices will have the opportunity to become certified in a variety of digital software including Maya 4D, Unity (2D and 3D gaming development software) and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro editing software).

The programme is the brainchild of Korou Digital Trust. Korou’s Hinerangi Edwards refers to a well-known Ngai Tamaterangi proverb to capture the aspirations of the programme.

“Ma te huruhuru te manu ka rere ai. Feathers enable the bird to take flight.

“This project will enable our Wairoa apprentices to find their wings, as well as a place to perch here at home.

“To provide our whanau with an incentive to stay or return home and help grow our future.”

Cam Swainson-Whaanga, founder of the Jean Swainson Foundation, moved his foundation office to Wairoa last year. His organisation is the creative digital agency behind the new gaming platform AFED Education — an educational resource making learning in the classroom and at home more immersive and interactive.

Mr Swainson-Whaanga says it is great to see the fruits of the planning that went into the digital employment programme.

“Our foundation played a small part in the planning and is now looking forward to engaging with the Wairoa digital apprentices as they emerge from the training stage of the programme.”

Ngati Pahauwera IT guru and Innovator of the Year 2019 Ian Taylor is also set to join the initiative as a patron for Korou Digital Trust.

“I’m coming on at the tail end of the hard work that the Wairoa digital collective has already done. It’s amazing what they’ve achieved already and I’m really looking forward to helping add to that. “When I was growing up in Wairoa, we didn’t even have electricity and now we have the Wairoa Digital Employment Programme, that’s incredible.”

Ian and his company Animation Research Ltd produced Land of Voyagers — an educational digital platform which coincided with the recent Tuia 250 celebrations.

He sees opportunities for the Wairoa digital collective, with plans for the Land of Voyagers platform to be rolled out nationwide as an educational resource for schools.

“What if we trained the digital apprentices to help build content for Land of Voyagers, enabling them to produce their own digital content, to tell their own stories, their own history. The timing is perfect,” says Ian.

Wairoa mayor Craig Little says the programme will help whānau and the Wairoa community develop new businesses and opportunities for social and economic benefits beyond those directly involved.

“This project is the result of the work of a group of passionate local people who are working to create employment opportunities for our Rangatahi.”

From fruitbowl to foodbowl

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Hastings was once branded as the Fruitbowl of New Zealand but a proposed $18 million Food Innovation Hub is set to position Hastings and Hawke’s Bay as the nation’s food capital.

Hastings District Council has been the champion of an idea first put forward by local businessman Trevor Taylor in 2013 to develop a one-stop shop that will be used by food and beverage start-ups to create new products; an education facility to upskill people for roles within the food processing sector as well as be the home for government support services to the food industry and a hub for associated support businesses.

Lee Neville, the chair of the Hawke’s Bay Innovation Hub Governance Group and economic development lead at Hastings District Council says the hub will be a “think tank” to share ideas, create new and exciting food products as well as developing and show casing innovative food processing equipment.

The Government’s Provincial Growth Fund invested $200,000 to develop a business case which was followed up in September with an investment announcement of $12 million.

Lee and project support Tony Gray are now busy filling the $6 million shortfall from private food related businesses as well as preparing funding requests to the region’s five councils as part of the 2020 Annual Plans.

When Trevor Taylor first put forward the idea, the proposed home was on land his business interests owned in the Tomoana area but the net is being cast a little wider but Tomoana and Whakatu still remain the preferred base, as part of the HDC Eastside Plan that is focussed on creating a new commercial/industrial zone.

The preferred site size is 2 hectares, of which 1.3ha would be developed in Stage 1 with the remainder developed as new tenants sign up. Lee is in discussions with two businesses that are interested to move their marketing teams away from the factory operation to the hub.

“Some of the advantages that they see is that when they are bringing international clients here to look they can take them to their production facility as well as visit the centre of excellence and innovation which in turn gives the client greater confidence of their capacity and capability as a successful food processer,” he says.

Lee says the hub will unlock Hawke’s Bay’s potential in the food, beverage and agri-tech sectors as well as industry training and development.

The business case undertaken by Sapere identified that the hub has the potential to create 500 new jobs in the region and boost the Gross Domestic Product value by $100m.

Hastings is already the home of well- established food processing businesses such as Heinz and newcomers like the Apple Press and Lee says there’s many more that could scale up quicker via an innovation hub.

As part of designing a sustainable food innovation hub that doesn’t rely on funding top ups from central or local government, Lee and Tony are looking to mimic the success of the Waikato Innovation Park, which has returned a profit.

“As part of the PGF process they helped us identify a multi-national in Hawke’s Bay that wants to upskill not only their workforce but those that work in food processing in the region.”

The business is now working with the PGF, EIT Hawke’s Bay and Hastings District Council to put together a feasibility study to offer courses and train people in food processing.

“It not just about the business that wants to establish the training but it will be offered to all food processing businesses in the sector. Labour is a major issue and they all require staff with food related and processing skills.

“For example if you trained as an engineer, you can take a course at the food hub which will give you the food safety skills to understand what’s required when you start working as an engineer within a food processing business.”

Lee is also proposing that the hub will showcase food processing equipment such as palletising and de-palletising equipment and process engineering from many of the region’s innovative engineering firms.

Lee says as part of the feasibility a number of important trends and opportunities arose such as environmentally sustainable production and packaging (including low impact on atmospheric emissions and water availability and quality, and less plastic); plant- based production and a shift from high meat to more plant-based diets; functional food and beverages that can enhance lifestyles and provide health benefits and Waste stream utilisation as food waste is a global problem that undermines industry profitability and contributes to climate change.

“Any innovation initiative needs to respond to these opportunities, while building on Hawke’s Bay’s very clear competitive advantage in growing.”

Over the next few months Lee and Tony will look to secure tenancy commitments that will release the $12m PGF funding by June 2019, put in place a governance and operational model including a project manager and chief executive and commence construction in the middle of 2020.

It is hoped that the hub would open at the end of 2021.

Hastings HIVE has businesses buzzing with excitement over a new co-working space!

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A new-age approach to renting office space that provides corporate-level facilities for small companies has got the business community buzzing in Hawke’s Bay.

From high-end offices, super-fast Internet connectivity, hi-tech meeting and board rooms, a café with great coffee, a chilled water station with still and sparkling water and relaxing lounge area, to luxury bathrooms with showers and changing lockers, small businesses can now enjoy the trappings of a swish corporate office.

Rob and Jenny Gill bought the former Hastings Farmers store in 2018. The large building on the corner of Queen Street and Market Street was completely redeveloped and earthquake strengthened in 2014, becoming the National Operations Centre for Kiwibank.

Part of the building remained undeveloped until the Gills identified an opportunity in Hastings for high-quality, shared workspaces. Rob says the complex, called Hastings HIVE, is based on the shared workplace concept pioneered in international trading centres like London, New York and Toronto.

He says this movement, which they’ve branded ‘i-space’, has been spreading globally, fuelled by a need for adaptable workspaces and a desire for better quality but shared resources, supporting modern agile work practices with intelligent design and the latest information technologies.

Rob illustrates why adaptable spaces are important: “Previously, we owned an IT business that was locked into a 10-year lease, ratcheting up 3 percent a year. This at a time when rents around us fell by up to 30 percent after the 2008 global financial crisis. We had to lay off staff as this lack of flexibility with one of our biggest fixed costs was really hurting us. It was a very stressful time to own a small business.

“So we were determined our customers would have some of the best working conditions and professional support available anywhere in New Zealand, so they can concentrate on their core business and leave the contextual stuff to us and our professional partners.”

Being an i-space, the first partner on board was local ICT company Glenn Cook Technologies, whose job it was to ensure customers have the best and most resilient networking and Internet experience possible. The ultra-secure Aruba system that powers the new network is normally found only in large corporate sites. Better still, like most services at Hastings HIVE, networking is included in the monthly rental plan.

“We have certainly gone to the next level with office fit-out,” says interior designer Amy Henderson, who recently returned to New Zealand from working in London. “The design brief was to create a sophisticated workplace that provides small businesses the opportunity to work in an environment that usually only large corporates can afford. Fundamentally, people work better when they love where they work.

“What sets this i-space apart from co-working spaces I have seen here and overseas is the quality of the fit-out, the high-end products we specified and the craftsmanship on display. MCL Construction (based in Hastings) have done a world-class job.”

Local architects Fat Parrot have designed a highly functional space that customers can adapt as needed but know that almost everything they might require is provided for, from fixtures and fittings to the café and lounge setting, meeting spaces and five-star hotel-like bathrooms.

This i-space, the first of many the Gill’s say, offers a range of flexible workspaces to suit most uses and budgets, starting from a one-person i-desk up to larger i-offices sized from 26 m2 to 78 m2 and suitable for six to twenty people. All this, amazingly, with a 30 to 40 percent lower total occupancy cost than leasing your own office, with no long fixed-term leases or guarantees required.

“Success for us will be seeing our first i-desk customer move to an i-office,” says Rob. “And that’s the incubator opportunity that we hope will boost the local economy – it’s about supporting people, growing business and creating jobs.”

Interested in leasing an i-space? Visit www.hastingshive.co.nz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fastway Couriers takes on international name – Aramex

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Fastway Couriers, New Zealand’s oldest courier business is adopting the brand name of its international parent company Aramex.

The change gives New Zealand businesses a seamless delivery network across the world as well as increasing delivery channels into New Zealand for global e-commerce retailers.

Established in Hawke’s Bay in 1983 by Bill McGowan, Fastway Couriers New Zealand has 18 regional franchisees with over 250 courier franchisees from the far north to Bluff in the South Island.

Aramex, a Dubai-based logistics group bought Fastway Couriers New Zealand in January 2016 for $125 million. Aramex is considered one of the top 5 logistics providers in the world with a presence in 72 countries, transporting nearly 70 million parcels globally each year.

Fastway Couriers NZ chief executive Scott Jenyns said the time was right to adopt the Aramex name with the significant rise in the parcel movements across the globe due to the explosion in e-commerce retail shopping and new technology advanced products.

“We are retaining our unique franchise business model but are gaining a global mindset with access to new innovations, new technologies and new shipping destinations.

“This is a major step forward for our local franchise operators but also for many New Zealand businesses that either export products to the world or import to New Zealand.

“The parcel and delivery industry has changed dramatically over the past 35 years, which started as a business to business offering but today over 80 percent of parcel movements are smaller than 3 kilograms and delivered to residential properties due to online retail.”

Mr Jenyns said the name change will also better align New Zealand with the Aramex international business strategy and extends the New Zealand service offering to the movement of envelope sized parcels to large shipping containers.

“We will now be able to position our New Zealand business as a full service logistics company which is of significant benefit to local exporters and importers, as well as international businesses sending products here.

Aramex Regional Chief Executive Officer Andy van der Velde said introducing the Aramex brand to New Zealand reflects the country as one of the most rapidly growing e-commerce markets in the region and we can serve more businesses and consumers online and through our strengthened distribution network.

“We can now tell a simple story to our international customers that Aramex is in New Zealand and can deliver to and from the country and this will have significant benefits for our NZ business partners,” Mr van der Velde said.

Mr Jenyns said the brand roll out will take approximately three months to complete and includes rebranding all of our nationwide offices and depots, over 300+courier vehicles  and for 500+ people employed and engaged with the company in New Zealand a brand-new look to their uniform. Our transport company (Transport Linehaul Ltd) will be completed in 2020.

“It’s a big exercise which has been keenly welcomed by our business franchisees and our business partners.

“The change is about improving how we move parcels. We can leverage off Aramex’s global footprint in New Zealand and introduce new products and services to build a bigger, stronger business in New Zealand and grow our franchisees in the process.

“We’ll still be local franchisees, in local regions, and this is very important to us as franchising remains in our DNA. The key point of difference is that now we’ll be able to offer greater global reach and opportunities to our customers and our people through career advancement opportunities.

“We have received increasingly positive feedback and there is a general feeling of excitement about what opportunities this could present for each of the regions in the near future.

Real estate: Bay asking prices almost as high as Wellington

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A shortage of listings in the Bay has fuelled the expectations of people wanting to sell property here. They’re now asking almost as much for their homes as sellers in Wellington.

According to the latest Trade Me Property Price Index, Hawke’s Bay vendors are asking an average price of $545,100 for their properties, up a “staggering” 23.2 per cent from last year.

Across the entire country, the average asking price falling 1.4 per cent on June to $632,800. Hawke’s Bay and Nelson/Tasman were the only two regions where the average asking price went up significantly.

“The Nelson/Tasman region charged on to reach a new record asking price of $595,500, up 12.5 per cent on last year,” says Nigel Jeffries, Head of Trade Me Property.

“It was second only to Hawke’s Bay which led the way with the average asking price up a staggering 23.2 per cent to $545,100.

Mr Jeffries said Wellington also bucked the national downwards trend with the average asking price rose 0.2 per cent on June to $581,500 – meaning the gap between what vendors want in the Capital compared to Hawke’s Bay closed to only $36,400.

Meanwhile, the average asking price for an Auckland property fell 1.6 per cent in the year to July, landing at $895,500 and its lowest point in almost 12 months.

Mr Jeffries says this was the first time since September 2017 that the average asking price in Auckland had fallen below $900,000, a sign that the Auckland market was retreating.

“After the leaps and bounds the Auckland property market has become accustomed to over the last four years, we’re finally seeing prices start to ease which is great news for those on the house hunt,” he says.

“The Auckland region saw a surge of new listings come onto the market in July, up 7 per cent on last year and 42 per cent more than when the market peaked in July 2016.”

Strong passenger growth spurs Hawke’s Bay Airport Expansion upgrade

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The Hawke’s Bay Airport terminal expansion has been given an upgrade, boosted by the latest passenger growth figures and the target of one million passengers by 2025.

Last September the airport announced a redevelopment of the airport terminal increasing its size from 2500m2 to 3800m2 to accommodate the growth in passenger movements and visitors to the airport.

Recently appointed Hawke’s Bay Airport chief executive Stuart Ainslie said that due to continued passenger growth, potential new revenue opportunities and future security screening requirements, an independent review recommended upscaling the terminal by a further 540m2.

“The airport has reported strong passenger growth and we’ve also set a target of reaching one million passengers a year by 2025. At the same time, we reviewed the proposed floorplan and amenities and have made some generous modifications.

“It’s important that we create a sense of place and that visitors get a true taste of Hawke’s Bay either by visually promoting the region within the terminal or via retail offerings of Hawke’s Bay products such as food and beverages (wine),” Stuart said.

The airport has experienced strong passenger growth with 652,000 passenger movements recorded in the financial year ending 30 June 2017. The current expansion plan was set to cater for up to 800,000 passengers, which it was initially forecasted to hit in 2024, but has since been revised to 2020.

In the last week Air New Zealand has announced an additional 12 one-way flights between Napier and Auckland, while Origin Air is introducing new flights from Napier to New Plymouth, Palmerston North and Nelson.

Stuart has been in lead roles in the redevelopment of two international airports – Darwin, Australia and Port Morseby in Papua New Guinea. He commissioned a globally reputable airport planning consultancy Airbiz to review the existing terminal and apron design in relation to the current terminal construction plans.

“Based on the current ‘busy hour’ figures we are already at the anticipated capacity for when the redeveloped airport opens, so it’s important that we add additional floor space now.

The review also highlighted that the existing facility on opening will be constrained in three key areas – baggage makeup, commercial/passenger circulation space and Aviation Security, which is highly likely to become a regulatory requirement within the next 2 -3 years.

Stuart said the revised construction additions will lift the budget by $4.5m to $20.2m and push back the full terminal completion date to the second quarter of 2020. The increased investment, funded by Hawke’s Bay Airport Limited has been approved by current shareholders Napier City Council, Hastings District Council and the Crown.

Arrow International commenced the expansion construction in January this year and the first stage, the reconfigured arrivals hall will be completed and operational by late 2018.

Arrow International’s Central Region General Manager Chris Goldsbury, says the arrivals area would open as originally planned and that although the expansion had been upgraded, it didn’t create any inefficiencies.

“The team have made great progress so far. On many major construction projects you can expect variations and it’s far better to make the changes now, rather than towards the end. Arrow have been working very closely with airport staff, the project manager and sub-contractors, so it’s business as usual.”

Napier City Council mayor Bill Dalton said the council supports the additional expansion plans for the airport.

“There has been substantial growth in passenger numbers over recent years with Air New Zealand adding extra flights and increasing plane size and the arrival of Jetstar. We want to ensure that the airport has the capacity to meet continued growth predictions while at the same time being a welcoming and enjoyable gateway to the region,” he said.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said “this is an exciting project for Hawke’s Bay and we share the airport’s vision to create the best provincial airport in New Zealand.  The Hawke’s Bay Airport is being very proactive in meeting the future needs given the predicted passenger number growth and the overall growth of the region.  Hastings District Council is delighted to support the new expansion plans.”

Stuart said an airport masterplan is also underway, which will safeguard the airport into the future. It will also enable the realization of new development opportunities both commercially, increased capacity by incumbent airlines and new entrants.  The Master plan process will include a reasonable period for community and stakeholder engagement.

“Our vision is to be the most vibrant and successful regional airport in New Zealand. We are also very aware of our environmental role in Ahuriri and surrounding areas and it’s important that we have an active environmental management plan.

The terminal has been designed in the shape of a Kuaka (godwit) bird in flight by local architects PMA with supporting design inspiration from local artist and Mana Ahuriri representative Jacob Scott.

“It’s important that we incorporate a strong sense of place with reference to the Kuaka and reflecting the Gateway Te Hau- Te Waharoa and Mana Ahuriri and Ngati Kahungunu Iwi aspirations.

The terminal when complete will be 74 percent larger than the existing footprint and will include new airline check in areas, an automated baggage handling system, a dedicated arrivals gate, a central hospitality and retail area; new bathrooms, airline offices and an expanded Air New Zealand regional lounge. The rental car concierge area will also be relocated within the terminal.

The new entranceway to the airport at the intersection of Watchman Road, SH2 and Meeanee Quay is also close to completion and is due to open by the end of September 2018.

 

 

 

Skills shortage holds back growth

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Despite the great weather and lifestyle opportunities, Hawke’s Bay employers are struggling to fill key vacancies. What’s behind the region’s skills shortage?

It’s a problem that’s all too common across a range of Hawke’s Bay firms: business growth is being held back because companies simply can’t find the skilled staff they need to expand.

Richard Lane employs 16 people at his Napier engineering companies Industrial Manufacturing Services and IMS New Zealand.

To fill a growing order book, the businesses depend on skilled engineers, designers stainless steel fabricators and welders but Richard says his efforts to advertise for additional staff over the past two years have been fruitless.

“It’s a situation that’s definitely slowing our growth. We could add another five staff in the workshop and two in the office if we could find the right people.”

Rachel Cornwall, director of Red Consulting Group which recruits for a wide range of industries in both Hawke’s Bay and nationwide, says Richard’s predicament is common across the region, but is a reflection nationally as well.

Aside from engineering, other sectors where it is a struggle to fill Hawke’s Bay roles include medical/clinical, law and valuation. Experienced tradespeople including electricians and plumbers are also difficult to find.

The problem is not specific to Hawke’s Bay, Rachel says. A large number of candidates from other centres are keen to move to the region but with the country’s economy growing and unemployment at historically low levels, attracting and retaining skilled staff is a nationwide issue for businesses wherever they are.

“In fact, it’s even harder in the main centres. Where we might have to look at 50 candidates before we find the right one for a role in Hawke’s Bay, in Auckland our team could be dealing with 400 or 500 people before we find the right person to fill a position,” she says.

Over the past year,about half of the management and leadership appointments into Hawke’s Bay organisations Red has been involved with have been candidates from outside the region.

“Hawke’s Bay is a really appealing region for many job candidates in other centres and we’re successfully attracting people here but at the end of the day, specialised or highly skilled in- demand roles remain difficult to fill because we’re competing for talent with the rest of the country.”

And while Hawke’s Bay may have an enviable climate and lifestyle opportunities, Rachel says that doesn’t necessarily set it apart from other regions and employers need to realise that there are a range of complex factors that candidates weigh up during a job hunt.

Home-owning Aucklanders, for example, may be reluctant to move out of the city because of the capital gains they are currently enjoying on their homes, something that could be a significant factor when they weigh up the financial implications of taking a job in Hawke’s Bay.

It’s also generally difficult to get parents of teenagers to shift regions, she says, because it involves uplifting children who are settled in their current schools.

Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce chief executive Wayne Walford says Hawke’s Bay engineering companies in particular are increasingly looking to bring in staff from overseas to fill their skill gaps – a reflection of the fact that the region is competing for talent not just with other parts of the country, but also internationally.

Wayne says Hawke’s Bay also has to deal with the issue that senior salaries are higher in the main centres, even if that doesn’t paint a full picture for prospective Hawke’s Bay arrivals, given their overall living costs are likely to be lower if they take up roles here.

He says a major local firm looking to recruit for a senior role recently conducted research that indicated someone on a $150,000 salary in Wellington would have more money in their pocket if they took up a $90,000 job in Hawke’s Bay.

The challenge, Wayne says, is for Hawke’s Bay to promote its “overall attractiveness” as a location with a great lifestyle, an affordable place to live with excellent schools and other facilities.

Richard from IMS says industries need to invest more in training, a belief he puts into practice: four of his 16 staff are apprentices.

“The main reason businesses don’t take on apprentices is they can’t afford to because the oversight required from senior staff slows their tradespeople down and that makes them less competitive in the market,” he says.

“If the government turned around tomorrow and said we’re putting a scheme in place that subsides apprenticeships there would be people jumping at it because wages are getting higher and higher but an apprentice is a cost on a business given they’re not fully productive compared to qualified tradespeople.”

Another local firm with a strong focus on training as a means to overcome its skill shortage issues is Unison Contracting Services which has taken on 24 trainees this year, up from its usual intake of six.

All but one of 12 apprentice line mechanics, electricians and cable jointers the company took on in March are being trained in partnership with Connexis, the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the Infrastructure sector.

A further 12 trainees are due to start around August.

Unison acting training manager Mike Wereta said the ITO-based training “ensures that at the end of the training programme we have newly qualified staff who are more than capable of taking their place in the field and being productive”.

Mike said the company wanted to take a pro-active approach to addressing the skills shortage in the Energy sector.

“We’ve changed the structure of our training to allow for full-time trainees. We now have three dedicated trade coaches and a purpose-built training facility to ensure our trainees gain targeted skills and knowledge.”Rachel from Red says part of the problem is that young people do not appear to be motivated to pursue certain career paths such as engineering and perhaps companies in that space with exciting growth stories need to spend more time visiting schools to promote the opportunities.

“There isn’t a magic answer but we can’t just rely on our lovely sunshine to attractive people to the region. Businesses have to be rewarding their staff fairly and offering a superior work culture in order to attract the best people,” she says.

“They also need to think about how to hold onto their staff for longer. The flip side of worrying about attracting skilled workers is thinking about why good staff are moving on. Why are you losing them? Have they gone for better money or a better work culture?”

Despite the challenges, Hawke’s Bay is still managing to attract very good people into the region.

“While certain skill sets are in short supply, there’s tonnes of potential for this region to continue growing through attracting the best people. Employers just need to ensure they pay well, and that they’re looking after their staff.”

Mana Ahuriri announces $100m of New Developments for Napier

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Mana Ahuriri Trust has set out a bold vision to become one of Hawke’s Bay’s largest commercial property and asset owners announcing new developments worth over $100 million, as part of the first phase of a growth strategy following its Treaty Settlement.

Kerry Avery (left), director of Avery Team Architects discusses plans for the development of the “gravel pit” site on Napier’s Monroe Street with Mana Ahuriri Holdings Limited directors Warren Ladbrook (centre) and Barry Wilson (right).

Directors of the Trust’s subsidiary, Mana Ahuriri Holdings Limited, Barry Wilson and Warren Ladbrook, who is also project manager, today launched a visionary plan that will transform the commercial and retail landscape in Napier.

Mana Ahuriri was established as the post settlement governance entity to receive and manage the Ahuriri Treaty of Waitangi Settlement and represents the Ahuriri and Napier areas with 2500 members. The Trust’s settlement was signed in 2016 and the majority comprises over 90% of Crown land assets along with $19.5 million cash.

Mr Wilson, who was the lead negotiator of the Settlement and worked closely with the Crown, said until now commercial growth in much of Napier City had been stalled because there has been limited land for development in key areas.

“Through our Treaty Settlement, Napier’s retail and commercial sectors can expect to see a great improvement in the overall offering. This will attract business and more investment, enabling economic growth and new jobs.

“The new developments are part of building a strong investment portfolio with a solid revenue base and on-going cash flow, representing long-term business partnerships and sustainable growth to support and benefit the Trust’s 2500 members.

“This is an exciting time for everyone in Hawke’s Bay. We will be creating great opportunities for our members and also for the people of Napier and the wider region. The first ten, of up to 50 different projects, have the potential to create more than 1000 new jobs alone,” he said.

Napier Mayor Bill Dalton said Mana Ahuriri’s plans are robust, progressive and will breathe new life into Napier.

“Our region is already in good heart, and Mana Ahuriri’s vision will help to ensure that the growth we are enjoying now is sustained well into the future.

“I’m particularly pleased at the many opportunities for employment these projects will afford our community – they’ll not only bring new blood into Hawke’s Bay, but ensure our top local talent find reasons to stay, work and live here,” Mr Dalton said.

The first project, Napier’s 65 Munroe Street Large Format Retail (LFR) development is planned to start in September.

Mr Ladbrook said the $20 million project of almost 6000m2 will turn the unsightly “gravel pit” into an impressive large format retail strip. It will house high profile retail chains including Briscoes and Rebel Sport, along with over 150 customer carparks.

“The aim is to centralise and consolidate LFR in Napier and is part of our vision of providing a better retail offering and experience, with greater employment opportunities.”

The next area for development is Napier’s Prebensen Drive industrial zone, where the Trust will own two sites covering 30ha and 6ha. Already there is strong interest in this $40- $60million project from blue chip, long-term clients, he said.

Over the next decade, Mana Ahuriri Trust will develop a wide and varied asset portfolio representing a range of investments.

It will include high profile retail and industrial zoned sites, significant residential development, commercial investments across Napier, forestry and the Ahuriri Landcorp Farm.

Mana Ahuriri Trust will also have a 50% shareholding in Ahuriri Airport Hawke’s Bay and will own the site which has a $4.5 million shipping container depot, which opened last month with new tenants ContainerCo.

Mr Wilson said the Trust would lead by example and as the first Mana Ahuriri Trust project, the Munroe St development would feature the latest waste and water treatment technology, including a new filtering system.

“We would like to see our actions as the beginning of Napier working towards this becoming standard in terms of new building consents.”

Mr Wilson said Mana Ahuriri Trust is fully committed to working towards cleaning up the Ahuriri Estuary, and protecting the ecology of the area, which holds significant cultural and historical value to Trust members, for everyone to enjoy.

“Another highlight of all our new building developments will be the introduction of subtle but important Mana Ahuriri Trust influence in both look and feel, projecting the connection and cultural values on both the architecture and landscape,” Mr Wilson said.

Local artist Jacob Scott is working closely with the Trust and his influence is already featuring in the design of the Watchman Road roundabout and the corridor to the airport terminal as well as the new airport terminal expansion by projecting the story of the Kuaka (Godwit Bird) which is significant to the land, sea and air of Ahuriri.

As with ContainerCo, Munroe St tenants are entering into a goodwill agreement offering jobs for Trust members along with opening up opportunities for everyone through career training, development and permanent employment, Mr Wilson said.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is also pleased to be working closely with Mana Ahuriri on the future management and restoration of the Ahuriri Estuary. Chairman Rex Graham said the development on Napier’s Prebensen Drive presents an opportunity to showcase best practice commercial design and storm water management.

ENDS