Category Archives: Pro Features

Profiling successful Hawke’s Bay Businesses and business leaders

Zeelandt Brewery – connecting the old and new

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It doesn’t get much more Kiwi than this: a brewery run out of a large steel shed just off the Napier–Taupo highway. There’s even a Kingswood ute parked outside.

But on closer inspection, there’s also a strong European vibe at Zeelandt Brewery in Eskdale.

Zeelandt is the Dutch province New Zealand is named after and founder Chris Barber says he picked it as his beer brand to signify a brewing connection between the old world and the new that dates back hundreds of years.

Chris has brewing in his blood. His great- great-grandfather,JessePrestidge,starteda brewery in Hororata near Christchurch in the late 1880s.

Chris was never a home-brewer but stepped into the industry through a job at Cornwell’s St Austell Brewery in the UK in 2004, followed by a spell at Auckland’s Hallertau Brewery, and then more time in the United Kingdom completing a diploma in brewing technology.

Chris’s family bought land in the Esk Valley in 2007, which is now home to Petane Station, the wine label run by his brother Phil, as well as the craft brewery that opened in 2012.

Zeelandt (pronounced “Zay-land”) is focused on producing “true to style” European-style beers, although that’s not all it does.

“Most of our beers have that European influence,” Chris says, “although we do have an American pale ale, Long Range Bomber, and our seasonal fresh hop pale ale, Pulling Cones.”

While Zeelandt’s brews are available at a number of Hawke’s Bay outlets and also in the main centres, Chris says one of his current priorities is to increase distribution to help grow the business.

And while craft beer enthusiasts can currently pop in and buy the beers, he also has plans to turn the Esk Valley headquarters into more of a visitor destination featuring both Zeelandt beers and Petane Station wines.

“It would be great to go down the beer garden route so we can showcase our products at the brewery and hold a few more festivals or events to highlight our seasonal beers.”

Chris believes Hawke’s Bay has developed a strong craft beer scene over the past few years and he’s confident enthusiasm for local brews will continue to grow.

“We’ve had great support over the years from Hawke’s Bay’s best restaurants and bars,” he says.

“Craft beers are continuing to chip away at the mainstream market. We’ve got a good mix of breweries in Hawke’s Bay, each doing their own thing.

“That can only help the market and hopefully it continues to inspire the region’s restaurants and bars to sell more local beers rather than just going down the mainstream channels.”

www.zeelandt.co.nz

Business Hub turns 3

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The Hawke’s Bay Business Hub is maturing into a busy and vibrant resource that’s being well utilised by the local business community.

2018 marks the third birthday of Hawke’s Bay Business Hub. The Hub, as it’s more commonly known, is a key initiative of Business Hawke’s Bay, the business-led economic development agency with a region-wide focus, devoted to creating the right climate for businesses to thrive in the Bay.

Carolyn Neville, CEO of Business Hawke’s Bay says that the Business Hub is a focal point and fantastic resource for the region’s business community and delivers a collaborative environment focused on business success and growth.

“We’re seeing record use of Business Hub facilities from a range of businesses, social enterprises and individuals, and the ways in which we serve business is growing all the time.”

To make sure the business community knows what’s available, how to make use of Business Hub facilities and to illustrate the versatility of the venue, a photoshoot was recentlyheld.Theresultingimagesshowcase a modern, flexible facility, that can support a wide range of activities including a training session, product launch, workshop, board meeting, networking event or recruitment drive. The Business Hub can cater for small or larger groups of up to 60, and the all-inclusive room hire is surprisingly cost effective.

Hawke’s Bay Business Hub:

  • Light, bright and modern meeting and conference rooms
  • A range of room sizes and facilities, with modest daily rates
  • Free WiFi
  • DIY espresso coffee
  • Presentation/multimedia equipment available according to the room hire, and covered in the hire price
  • Commercial grade kitchen facilities
  • Conveniently located in Bridge Street, Ahuriri

Hawke’s Bay Business Hub’s resources and rooms are available to everyone, says Carolyn Neville.

“We welcome visitors and there’s an open invitation to the business community to drop by and see us.

“If you’re in Napier for business and have a gap between meetings, feel free to drop- in and experience the buzz of The Business Hub. It’s free, and you never know who you might meet. Grab a DIY espresso coffee (for a gold coin donation), tap into our WiFi, perch on a stool at our white board tables in the breakout area and watch our vibrant business community in action.”

Hands-on-help for business people to develop and grow their business

The Business Hub is much more than a collection of rooms and well-appointed spaces, says Carolyn Neville.

“It’s the place where Hawke’s Bay business people come to learn, share, connect, grow their skills and unleash their business potential.

“At the Hub, people can get hands-on-help to develop their skills, grow their business and

make the right connections. For example, the response to the Hub Connect 123 pilot programme and in particular, the business starter session (featured in February’s The Profit) has been outstanding.

“We are gearing up to do much more in 2018 to make sure we provide businesses and business people with the right kind of support, starting with Friday Coffee Talks.

“It’s is a brand-new initiative incorporating a welcome end-of-the-week caffeine hit as well as valuable business networks, business insight, and the support to power businesses forward.

“We’ll have a barista brewing up the flat whites as industry experts share their entrepreneurial journey, wisdom and lessons learnt along the way. The event format is a 45-60 minute interactive presentation followed by plenty of time for Q&A and networking over coffee.

“These sessions are suited for anyone thinking of starting a business, new to business or wanting to gain more

understanding to help grow their current business. Sessions will be relevant, practical and interesting. They’re great value for money and well worth the investment of time away from work. Every coffee talk will have practical take away learnings.

“And for those with a business problem, The Hub’s Ask an Expert session, also on selected Friday mornings, is free and the chance to get initial advice followed by a referral for specific, detailed support.”

Fridays at Hawke’s Bay Business Hub:

• Business insights with the Friday Coffee Talks guest speaker series covering a range of business relevant topics ranging from marketing, on-boarding for new employees and market validation ($15 Business Hub members, $20 standard). Check Business Hub website for dates.

• Specialist advice with Ask an Expert – a free drop in session over two hours on Friday mornings that includes experts such as lawyers, accountants, HR/health and safety, and Regional Business Partners. No appointment necessary. Check Business Hub website for dates and the expert line up for each session.

• On-site barista; gold coin koha for a coffee.

Carolyn Neville says that 2018 is gearing up to be a big year for Hawke’s Bay Business Hub.

“We’ll be launching even more new ways to support the business community, drive business growth and contribute to the regional economy. We’re passionate our region and helping it to grow.”

For more information: www.hbbusinesshub.co.nz/hubevents or drop in to 36 Bridge Street, Ahuriri.

Project a winner for business and charity

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It’s a fundraising mission with a difference: fitting out an aging 40-foot container to give it a new lease on life.

Repurposing the large, blue shipping container into a multipurpose, habitable and consented transportable building is a major task for the small team at Architecture & Interiors Ltd.

Once the months-long ‘Life Box’ project is complete, the container will be auctioned off by Bayleys Real Estate with the proceeds going to Look Good Feel Better (LGFB), a charity supporting people with cancer.

Architecture & Interiors’ managing director Melissa Burne says as well as supporting the charity, the project is an exercise in professional development for the Hawke’s Bay architectural firm and a way to build relationships with other industry professionals.

It would also help educate the public on the process involved and the true costs of completing such a container build project.

“With so many new builds and renovations on the go in Hawke’s Bay at the moment and with small living rising in popularity, we wanted to truly reflect the processes from consenting and compliance to working with many contractors and the council,” says Melissa.

“We are committed to best practice techniques and working with a shipping container has been a real eye opener for my staff and myself. It has been a fantastic team building exercise for us all.”

The company has set aside time every Friday to work on the project, which Melissa says has received incredible support from other businesses.

“A large number of suppliers and contractors have not hesitated in getting involved with us as we embark on this project.”

The team say they chose to partner with Look Good Feel Better because the effects of cancer are close to the hearts of many. LGFB Hawke’s Bay spokesperson Clare O’Higgins says the charity is excited to be involved in the project and really admires Melissa and her team for taking it on.

“As a charity we support those people going through cancer treatment to feel good about themselves again, and let’s face it, the container is getting a bit of a makeover as well, so this is a perfect fit,” Clare says.

Open days will be held at Architecture & Interiors’ Pakowhai Road base during the course of the construction to give the public opportunities to view progress on the container as the project proceeds.

Architecture & Interiors is documenting the project on a blog that can be found on the firm’s website: www.architectureandinteriors.co.nz.

Boxing clever: building a business out of a shipping container

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From coffee outlets to homes and offices, container buildings are springing up all over Hawke’s Bay. What’s driving this trend and what are the advantages of doing business out of a metal box?

It started in 2011 when Al Borrie opened ‘The Box’ – a modified shipping container transformed into a coffee outlet in Clive.

Another container café – Tamara and Pete Melville’s ‘Magnet’ – popped up on Napier’s Marine Parade in the summer of 2016/17.

Then last year Melissa and Ant Campbell opened their Red Bridge Coffee container shop just off Waimarama Road in the Tuki Tuki Valley. Its popularity prompted them to replicate the concept with a second container outlet that’s recently begun trading on Pakowhai Road, Hastings.

Meanwhile, a growing number of Bay residents are choosing to live or work out of the modified steel boxes and container suppliers and building industry professionals say they’re dealing with a growing number of inquiries from potential box-dwellers.

So, what’s the attraction from a business perspective?

Melissa Campbell says when she and Ant were initially looking to set up their Red Bridge venture, they wanted to do something with a bit more flexibility than a traditional coffee cart.

A 20-foot container offered more room, both for the layout of the kitchen and so that customers could stand and sit inside. It also meant an awning could easily be attached, expanding the available cover from the sun and rain.

Melissa says before buying the new container, she did a lot of research and due diligence, including searching Pinterest for container build design and fit-out ideas.

The resulting build wasn’t cheap compared to other options but has delivered a structure

that’s fit for purpose and is also easily relocatable, if they ever decide to move.

She says anyone thinking about undertaking a container build needs to ensure they consider all the costs involved – including aspects such as electrical supply and plumbing – to ensure a realistic budget is put together.

It’s also important to have detailed conversations with your builders to ensure they have the correct vision of what you’re looking to achieve, says Melissa.

Melissa’s advice is echoed by Brian Wynne, national sales manager for ContainerCo, a nationwide container depot operator and container hire and sales business.

Brian says ContainerCo has seen strong growth in the container modification side of its business as interest in container builds continues to grow.

He says a container can be turned into a cost-effective business building but, like Melissa, he advises anyone with a container build idea to prepare a comprehensive budget.

While the initial cost of buying a container may seem cheap, people are often surprised by the high cost of making the required modifications, he says.

If you have the trade skills necessary to do the fit-out work yourself, it can be a very cost-effective building option, Brian says.

“Whereas if you have to get people in to do the work for you, it can get expensive.”

Business people scoping out a possible container project also need to include in their budget costs such as electricity and water. Will you use generator power or mains on your site, and what will be the respective costs of either running the generator or installing an electricity supply? How much water will your business require each day, and where will you source it from?

Every council has different requirements for consenting container builds, Brian says, so it’s important to go to them with architectural drawings and as much information as possible to streamline the consenting process.

“If you have everything ready and you’ve thought about the process they’re more inclined to help you and pass it through.”

Landscape architect Willie Murphy of Pollen Workshop is into his third year working out of a 20-foot high cube container beside his Te Awanga home.

Pollen’s design philosophy is centred around the creation of simple, highly functional spaces and Willie says having an “up-cycled” repurposed shipping container as his office is “a beautiful reflection of this attitude”.

With ranchsliders running most of the length of one long side of the office, there is plenty of natural airflow to keep the office cool through the hot Hawke’s Bay summer.

Temperature control is also helped by the addition of a timber and coloursteel roof and timber slats on the outer walls to stop the metal frame of the container absorbing too much heat.

Brian says considerations around temperature control need to be top of mind with any container build because the interior of a closed, uninsulated container can hit 50 degrees in the hot sun. That said, there are various ways of cooling, insulating and achieving airflow, which need to be factored into the budget as part of the build.

Lighting is another key consideration and again there are a number of options, including installing a false ceiling with LED downlights.

“The more natural light you have the less it feels like you’re sitting in a container,” Brian says.

Melissa says when she and Ant decided to open their second Red Bridge Coffee café at Pakowhai Road, they were able to implement some design improvements as a result of what they had learned from the first container build.

That process was aided by engaging Hastings firm OTTO Engineering, which specialises in designing and manufacturing container builds.

OTTO Engineering managing director Matt Heeringa says making the most of the limited space available is a rewarding challenge when working on a container project.

“Some clients know exactly what they want while others give us very little in the way of a brief, so we have a lot of design freedom, which can be nice.”

As an engineer who has always loved working with steel and also enjoys the challenges of combining it with wood and other materials, Matt says he is excited by the current trend towards container builds, which has captured the public’s imagination.

For business owners, the novelty of a container conversion can even help attract customers, he says.

“It’s something with a different character. People are quite interested in having a look inside a container café because it’s a diversion away from what they were originally manufactured for, so it’s quite cool and interesting.”

Tumu Timbers – nailing its market

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Pallets and bins may look simple to build but for one of New Zealand‘s largest manufacturers, Tumu Timbers, there’s a level of sophistication that’s getting the best from what others would regard as the off-cuts.

Tumu Timbers, based in Irongate Maraekakaho, has been supplying a range of pallets, bins, wooden packaging and timber products to a wide range of industries since the early 80s. The business – part of the TUMU Group of companies, some of which are neighbours – is set out across the nine-hectare site.

In the early days the construction process was manual – from the grading of timber through to hammering the pallets together – yet today the constantly growing facility uses computer software, digital grading scanners, automated assembly lines and a trial is about to get underway involving robotics.

Jobs are safe however; although technology is helping increase productivity, staff numbers have grown over the past eight years from 80 to 150.

Tumu Timbers general manager James Truman and operations manager Andrew Cranswick can easily reel off the statistics but as impressive as they are, they’re also focussed on ensuring the 150 staff and their families are part of its success.

In terms of productivity and reliance on the core material – pinus radiata – Andrew easily rattles off the impressive numbers.

He says about 10 truck and trailer units transport timber to site every day. “Or if we laid timber end to end, it would stretch the distance from here to Australia seven times a year, that’s 40 to 50 kilometres of timber a day,” he says.

In finished product, Tumu Timbers builds approximately 800,000 pallets and between 50,000 to 100,000 bins each year. Of the 800,000 pallets (which are used mostly for the apple, kiwifruit and industrial sectors), 75 percent are exported across the world. If pallets produced were stacked on top of each other they would reach the heady heights of Mount Everest every four to five weeks.

The mix of technology and manual labour pumps out about 5,000 units across two shifts, totalling 22 hours of operation a day.

So how many nails are used in the process? Enough to build around 20,000 houses a year, or in actual nail numbers, 75 million!

Yet for all the numbers, James hopes that the business is not just well regarded for its business success but as an employer of choice.

“The business has increased production significantly for the growing demand for bins and pallets, especially within the horticulture sector, and automation has helped this but not at the expense of losing staff, in fact the opposite has occurred.

“We embarked on a series of automation instalments eight years ago. During that time, a lot of people perceived automation would replace jobs but instead we’ve gone from 50 staff to 150 staff.

“Automation has enabled us to do things better and grow. We have increased volume and are now servicing more customers. We’ve just realigned staff in the process for better utilisation.”

As sectors such as horticulture have grown so has the demand for pallets and bins. But a log of timber is cut for many uses, from building houses through to industrial uses, such as bins and pallets.

As the construction industry is also booming, the demands on timber are stretched. Tumu Timbers sources timber from more than eight sawmills, including sister company Kiwi Lumber.

“Our sheer volume means we need to rely on a range of mills such as Pan Pac, Red Stag, Tenon and Kiwi Lumber. Availability is becoming an issue with a lot of logs being exported. Historically it has been cyclical; previously we would have been able to buy timber for the seasonal demand but now you need to commit all year round.”

As demand increases for timber, the bit in the middle (what Tumu Timbers uses) is under more pressure from the building sector.

This pressure has led to the introduction of new grading technology and computer software to get more out of the raw material.

“We used to manually grade timber with people marking out defects with a crayon based on their visual assessment of a knot.

“Now with computer software and digital grading using cameras and lasers, we can utilise more of the timber and reduce waste while not over spec’ing things.

“A human can probably mark three to four grades on a board of timber while a scanner can instantly identify hundreds of defects and work out which ones can still be used to meet the product specification.”

James says that with technology becoming ever present in the facility, there is more of a focus on upskilling staff.

“We are upskilling staff all the time and looking to recruit, which like many other businesses is sometimes difficult.

“Potential job candidates probably look at us and think we only have people cutting timber using manual docking saws but we’ve got a skilled workforce. We’ve got tradespeople, qualified engineers and timber machinists and we offer apprenticeships and strong career pathways – both within the business and the wider group of businesses.

“One area we have been struggling with is management trainees – ie. future managers – they are hard to find. It’s sometimes hard to convey to someone young about a future career but we have opportunities that can grow into leadership roles.

“The view we’ve got is that TUMU Group is big enough for fantastic career opportunities. You can come in at the factory floor and work your way up; and if you outgrow this business, there’s the other businesses within the group – so if there’s a road block within the business that they are in there’s usually an opportunity elsewhere.”

James says a core business objective is to promote the business as a great place to work.

“That’s about offering a range of things to create a desire to work here. We’ve always been very capable on the safety side having invested a lot of money in safety improvements, but over the past two years, we have focussed on well-being of staff and whanau.”

A well-being committee has been established and the company provides a range of programmes to improve general health including medical checks and mole maps through to encouraging diet and fitness.

“We are currently going through a life- changing challenge. We have 20 staff who are undertaking a programme of fitness activities in our association with the Giants boxing academy in Hastings.

“We also provide free fruit and healthy lunch options and we’ve had some great results not just in staff participants but also their families.”

It looks like Tumu Timbers is fit for purpose and will continue to grow in line with the industries it serves.

www.tumutimbers.co.nz

Irongate Industrial Zone – Opening the gate to development

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Irongate, south of Hastings, has long been earmarked as a “dry industries” hub and as the regional economy continues to boom, that vision is finally being realised.

Head south out of Hastings along Maraekakaho Road and just outside the city limits you hit a busy industrial patchwork of large and small businesses – some old, some new – sprinkled between large tracts of bare land.

This is Irongate, a ‘dry industries’ zone envisaged by Hastings District Council as a magnet for new businesses as the region’s economy booms.

And while much of the zone remains undeveloped, the council’s vision is beginning to be realised, with several new companies spending millions on new facilities at Irongate over the past few years.

One of the most visually impressive new buildings is the Sunfruit Group packhouse and coolstore, a 12,000 sqm building on the SH 50A-side of the zone. It’s hard to miss it as you drive along the southern section of the expressway.

Sunfruit Group, which has growing and packing interest in Hawke’s Bay and the Waikato, built the new packhouse to enable the company’s expansion as pipfruit exports go through a period of strong growth.

The company told media last year the new facility would generate 50 new jobs and more could be added with future expansions.

It moved into the new property in time to begin processing this year’s crop.

Other fruit growers have their eyes on Irongate, including the Rockit Apple brand. In April the company was granted resource consent by the district council to build a substantial coolstore and packhouse facility on an 8.5-hectare property on Irongate Road East.

According to the company’s consent application, the development will include a 25,100 sqm industrial building and the site will also be Rockit Apple’s national and global headquarters.

The office facilities will be designed to house up to 50 staff, a number the company expects to be employing by 2023.

The packing and processing side of the business will employ up to 340 seasonal staff working over two shifts at peak times.

With hundreds of staff now employed at well over a dozen businesses in Irongate – and hundreds more set to flock to the area under planned new developments such as Apollo’s – the zone is clearly demonstrating its potential as a driver of economic growth for the Hastings district and the wider Hawke’s Bay region.

Hastings District Council Group Manager economic development and organisation improvement Craig Cameron says the overall vision for the 118-hectare Irongate Industrial Zone is to provide a suitable zone for ‘dry’ industries requiring a large land area and from small to large building areas. The required average lot size is one hectare, with a minimum of 5,000 sqm.

“Example industries include cold storage, logistics, processing, warehousing and distribution,” Craig says.

“The driver is to respond to increasing demand from industry, particularly those supporting our booming horticulture industry. Encouraging industrial development aids in council’s stated aim of growing sustainable jobs in the region.”

But the development has been slow and controversial, with landowners fighting a 15-year battle with the council over the level of development contributions that are appropriate to get water, wastewater and roading services built in the zone.

“I would say that Hastings missed out on at least 12 years of economic development potential due to the inaction and a lack of understandingofthebusinessopportunities it was losing,” says Irongate landowner John Roil.

“Council will say this was due to the economic downturn and the global financial crisis but if you ask any person that was involved with Council from the immediate area, they will advise you that the main reason was due to the development contribution policy,” and a lack of engagement with the stakeholders,” says John, himself a former Hastings district councillor.

“As an example of the development contributions as they were in 2015, to construct a 5,000 sqm shed would have set you back $540,000 per one-hectare site and you would be required to install sacrificial services if you wanted to develop before the council provided these services.”

“It took an Environmental Court case plus meetings with the affected landowners to provide the catalyst for council to change their view and as a consequence, a variation to the District Plan was signed off in February this year,” John says.

The development contributions (DCs), equivalent to $54 per square metre under the 2015 figures, have now been reduced to a proposed $8.57 per square metre under the council’s draft long-term plan.

Asked about the significance of reducing the DCs, Craig says the council was only able to recover costs with regard to development contributions.

“A number of elements have come together at Irongate to enable council to lower the DCs from the initial estimates. Those include developers paying early in the life of the project thereby lowering interest costs; the increased size of the zone, which spreads the cost over a wider area; the removal of storm water from the infrastructure after input from landowners; and bringing the infrastructure installation in under budget,” he says.

“The importance of bringing the DCs down is to fulfil council’s obligation to only cover costs and, of course, it makes development cheaper, thereby encouraging projects to go ahead,” he says.

Council has also appointed a key account manager to Irongate in Jennifer Bainbridge with the goal to streamline the council service delivery.

Improvements to the zone’s roading infrastructure include the rebuilding of Irongate Road West and the installation of a roundabout at the Maraekakaho Road and Irongate Road intersection. Those projects are expected to be completed during the 2018/19 financial year.

Meanwhile, one Irongate-based business enjoying the location and experiencing growth is Waipak NZ Ltd.

In May last year veteran plastic manufacturers Polymer Systems International Ltd stepped in to buy the assets and save the job losses of 20 or more Waipak staff.

General manager Dan Crawshaw says since then, they have made significant investments in overdue plant maintenance, and new plant and quality testing equipment at Waipak’s Maraekakaho Road premises, and “the team and the business are humming”.

Waipak has the capability to manufacture a wide range of injection and blow-moulded products such as bottles, food packaging, caps and closures.

Dan admits plastic bottles and closures were not part of Polymer’s business plan until they learned of the opportunity to purchase the Waipak assets.

“It was probably our passion to keep business in the Bay and provide jobs and fresh employment opportunities along with a fresh challenge that spurred us into action,” he says.

“We’ve expanded our production capacity massively since taking over to meet demand and position ourselves better for future growth.”

Dan says there are many advantages in doing business from Hawke’s Bay including easy access to Napier Port, competitive backload rates with carriers, and a strong base of automation and technical processing skills.

“Costs are generally lower than they are in major centres. Polymer Systems has thrived in this central location, and we’re pleased to report that Waipak NZ Ltd is headed in the same direction.”

It’s a sentiment that others will be hoping to echo as the Irongate industrial community continues to grow.

New Zealand’s Apple Industry Leads the World Four Years Running

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The World Apple Review has for the fourth year running named New Zealand’s apple industry the most competitive on the global stage, against 33 major apple growing countries.

Released this week by Belrose Inc, the US based world fruit market analysts, the World Apple Review, stated that the innovations emerging from New Zealand’s apple industry will increasingly impact production and marketing throughout the world.

New Zealand’s high productivity gains helped deliver the outstanding performance, ahead of its closest rivals Chile and the United States.

New Zealand Apples & Pears chief executive Alan Pollard said being named the best in the world is a huge honour and signaled the major significance New Zealand has on shaping and leading the industry on the world stage.

The world leading ranking comes as a huge reward to New Zealand’s $850million apple industry which is celebrating one of its best seasons this year.  This also recognises the efforts of the thousands of Kiwis working across the sector, he said.

“To earn and then retain this world leading title year on year is an outstanding achievement, and rewards everyone who is part of New Zealand’s exciting and dynamic apple industry.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for our apple industry, together we are growing great people and the best apples for the world.

“Our world leading achievements reflect New Zealand’s apple industry’s ongoing investment and commitment to leading and adopting greater innovation, research and development, new technologies, and environmental and social sustainability,” said Mr Pollard.

The World Apple Review highlighted that given New Zealand’s relatively small size, export orientation and distance from major markets, the industry had long relied heavily on innovation to provide it with a competitive edge.

It had been the leader in popularising Gala and Fuji, pioneered the first true club variety JazzR, developed and produced a stream of new varieties Pacific RoseR, EnvyR, SmittenR and KoruR.

Mr Pollard said not only has the industry benefited from this varietal innovation, but the New Zealand Government via its Crown Research Institute, Plant & Food Research, has benefited significantly through royalty streams on these successful varieties.

In ranking the 33 countries, the World Apple Review compares production efficiency, infrastructure and inputs, and financial and market data.  New Zealand was the best performer when all three rankings were combined.

According to the World Apple Review, over the past two seasons, New Zealand’s top performance, through exploiting new growing strategies and technologies produced over two and half times the average yield per hectare compared with the rest of world’s apple growing countries.

In general, off-season exporting countries like New Zealand had been forced to continually upgrade production systems to meet growing demands from the Northern Hemisphere.

For almost three decades, much of the innovation in apple varieties has emanated from New Zealand as the country has sought to offset its geographic disadvantage in accessing world markets.

The report stated that probably the single, most significant measure of innovation in a country’s orchards is the percentage of new varieties in production.  It specifically highlighted how New Zealand was still actively searching for newer apple varieties to remain ahead of the field.

The bottom line on competitiveness, is that it is a moving target –continually moving upwards.

The apple industry needs to always monitor how the competitive bar is shifting and needs to be willing and able to adapt rapidly so they do not lose out in the competitive race, the report stated.

 

A brewpub where you’re spoilt for choice

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Much has changed in the world of beer appreciation over the three decades Jeremy Bayliss has been running pubs in Hawke’s Bay.

He recalls that in the early 1990s, when he was managing Napier’s Criterion Hotel, beer drinkers weren’t exactly spoilt for choice. So it was a big deal, for example, when Steinlager launched a second label and punters suddenly had the option of a Steiny Green or a Steiny Blue.

Fast forward to today’s very different beer scene. Jeremy is the proprietor of the Westshore Beach Inn, Napier’s only ‘brewpub’ where beer is made on-site and 30 varieties are available on tap alone.

The Westshore Beach Inn is home to the Napier Brewing Co, a joint venture between Jeremy and Paul Anderson, founder of Indian restaurant Indigo.

Jeremy began a push to offer drinkers the ultimate in choice about seven years ago when he stocked the Westshore’s fridges with about 200 different craft beers. But in the past few years the focus has shifted to the fresher option of a regularly-changing range of tap beers, including – but not limited to – those produced on-site.

“It was just a natural progression for the business. It was about delivering an experience to our customers and giving them a reason to come here,” he says.

One thing the focus on craft beer wasn’t, he says, was any kind of reflection of his personal skills or interest in brewing.

Jeremy says he has never been a home brewer, failed School Certificate science and “I can’t match two chemicals together, I can’t cook.”

Jeremy says he remains convinced the brewpub model is the way of the future.

“Family-focused, child-friendly brewpubs are more about family than beer. They’re an environment where people can relax and converse, with a great offering of food and beer – that’s what pubs stopped being.”

About 45 to 50 percent of the Westshore Beach Inn’s beer sales are now craft product.

“We don’t make more money from the beer we brew here but we think we’re more successful because we’re presenting to the public something that’s interesting and varies all the time. It’s not that the beer is cheaper – it’s not, it’s more expensive. We can’t brew on-site here cheaper than mainstream beers because of economies of scale,” he says.

“On that basis, for most brewers, if they costed their time, brewing is a labour of love. But not everything’s about money.”

Jeremy believes Hawke’s Bay is well served by its range of craft brewers and hospitality venues selling their products, along with other quality beers.

“There’s a good local community of brewers in Hawke’s Bay. I think we all realise the market is there to be grown. Rather than battling with one another, it’s far better to grow the market and for everybody to rise with the rising tide.”

For those reason’s Napier Brewing Co has always employed a brewer. The role was first undertaken by Damian Birchman of Crazy Bay Beer, then by Matt Searle of Sneaky Brewing. Last year John Bradbury, previously of Eskdale’s Zeelandt Brewery, took up the job.

Jeremy says the three brewers have each brought their own style and personality to the role, producing a wide range of beers, “which is part of the fun”.

“We’ve had a leaning towards American pale ales and done a really good job with those. With John we’re branching out a little bit more. He’s done more work with more malty and English-style beers while still maintaining the APAs.”

www.westshorebeachinn.co.nz

Direction Focused

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“Stay focused on your direction, and don’t get too hung up on specifics,” is the advice one of Hawke’s Bay’s most experienced farming leaders has for the future generation when goal setting.

Sam Robinson, who is this year’s recipient of the Laurie Dowling Memorial Award for services to agriculture, is now spending more of his time mentoring and sharing his experience as a company director and chairman, of both private and public cooperatives and investor-owned entities.

As a young farmer, Sam says he can remember putting down some goals – have 5,000 sheep, 200 cows and to be on the New Zealand Meat Board. While he never made it onto the meat board, Sam, says doing this simple exercise made him realise where he wanted to head.

“Opportunities are never obvious, and when you do spot them, there is always risk attached. If you do see an opportunity, back yourself and have a go.”

Sam freely admits to being “one of those” from the PMS (pale, male and stale) club, but says for him, diversity is more than the result of genetics; it is also from how you think.

He’s always taken a long-term view of life, both on his farm and in governance.

He’s put an emphasis on making his Flemington farming business resilient both economically and environmentally. Of the 1,030 Hectares of land he and his family own, only 830 hectares are in pastoral use, and even that has a good covering of willow and poplar plantings, and at last count there are about 18Km of shelter belts on the farm. The remaining 200 hectares are made up of approximately 75 hectare of production forestry, and the balance is retired. Recently he entered a sharefarming equity partnership with young farmer Jason Wyn-Harris on the property.

Similarly, with a business such as AgResearch, which he chaired for nine years, Sam says there can be up to 15 years between deep discovery type research to commercialisation.

The Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme he says was also about a long-term view of what improvements are possible for both the Hawke’s Bay economy and environment.

A fundamental strength and opportunity for both New Zealand and Hawke’s Bay is food production.

“Food needs three things to grow. Hawke’s Bay has an abundance of soil and sun, and the third – water – can be provided as irrigation, which is only precision rainfall.

“If we look at the Heretaunga Plains, they were once predominantly pastoral, including a good proportion of dairy farming. In 1935 Sir James Wattie built a food processing plant. By the 1960s there were significant areas of peas and beans as well as apples and pears, and today we’re growing squash, new varieties of apples and other high value crops.”

In 80 years the Heretaunga Plains have gone from basic to sophistication in food production.

“When I think about the transformational opportunities for the Ruataniwha Plains we can do the same.”

He accepts that “at this stage” the RWSS has some significant challenges to be overcome if it is to eventuate. However, he is hopeful that “in time there will be another discussion about the merits and risks of the RWSS and the true potential of the Ruantaniwha Basin Plain can be realised for Hawke’s Bay, all the way from the paddock to the port”.

In accepting the award, Sam paid tribute to the late Laurie Dowling, for his self-less commitment to both agriculture and the community.

“Laurie always had time for people.”

From Delivery Boy to HB Farmer of the Year

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At the age of 12, Hawke’s Bay’s 2018 Farmer of the Year David Danks had a fated encounter that would one day come true, leading him to earn the prestigious award.

Collecting money for his milk and paper runs in Westshore, he called on a house, where the lady asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. “To be a farmer,” David replied.

She pointed to the hills and said, “I own a farm up there. Maybe you’ll come and work for me.”

It wasn’t until he’d been at Monarae Station, Putere, in Northern Hawke’s Bay, for a while that he remembered this conversation and it “clicked” that the woman he spoke to was the late Pam Torbett.

Although he was unsuccessful for a Smedley cadetship, he gained a five-year cadetship with Federated Farmers, and began his career, moving to Tutira as a manager. He moved to stock manager working three properties and started at Monarae in 1991.

He’s been there for 27 years. It was founded in 1928 with the purchase of 3,200 acres by the Torbett family and became a charitable trust in 1988, which has benefitted many local charities. The trustees are chairman Roydan Day and Doug Smith.

He farms sheep, cattle and deer in a 51/35 and 14 percent split on 1,530 hectares (1,171 effective), including a 90-hectare property in Wairoa with its own block manager.

In accepting the award, David said a number of people had been of tremendous support and inspiration to him over the years.

He thanked his partner Jeanette Nestved and their dedicated team, and expressed great admiration for the late Alf Dixon who was the chairman and main trustee when he started. Alf arranged for the farm to be placed into a charitable trust under Pam’s wish just before she passed away in 1988 and had a huge love for Monarae.