Unison - The Profit

UnisonDamon Harvey

Unison invites community contributions to mark centenary

Unison is proud to celebrate 100 years of powering Hawke’s Bay on 19 June 2024 and is inviting contributions from the community to collectively tell the story of Unison’s journey in the region. From its establishment as the Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board on 19 June 1924, Unison has been an integral part of the local economy and Hawke’s Bay....

Power change for Unison

After 21 years leading the charge at Unison, Ken Sutherland is stepping down. As Ken looks to flick the switch off as chief executive of one of Hawke’s Bay’s largest companies, he took time out to reflect on what has been an incredibly successful tenure, building the community-owned business from a turnover of $33 million in 2002 to a turnover...

Bay Businesses step up to carbon reduction ambitions

If reducing carbon emissions wasn’t a goal for your business before 2022, it certainly will be now, since the New Zealand Government released its first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) in May. Hawke’s Bay has felt the impact of climate change with a severe drought in the summer of 2020/21 and then major rain events along the East Coast during our most recent summer. The drought...

Energy sector will experience mega trends

Ken Sutherland has been the Unison chief executive for over a decade. In 2011 Ken was the inaugural winner of the Profiteers for his strong leadership of our local lines company. Over the last decade there have been changes within the energy sector but Ken sees some megatrends starting to emerge. What’s likely to change in the energy sector? An...

Skills shortage holds back growth

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...