Over the last three weeks, judges from Tourism Auckland and the AUT University School of Hospitality and Tourism, have been undertaking mystery visits and taste tests to sample what this year’s finalists have on offer.

Chief Judge and Panel Coordinator, David Williamson, says as expected finalists are making their best efforts and selecting a winner in many categories will be a difficult task.

“In some categories public voting may be the key to determining the winners. In other categories it is going to come down to something more intangible like whether or not we felt the passion and commitment of the host, or observed how a problem or complaint was dealt with,” he says.

“What is evident from the time we’re spending in Rodney is just how much the district has to offer in, and when it comes to the finalists, the quality is easily comparable to offerings in Auckland”.

Project manager of the awards, Charlotte Cuffe, says public voting so far appears to reflect the judges’ sentiments.

“The number of votes received in some categories is really close. People have really got behind the awards with voting exceeding our expectations so selecting a winner is really going to come down to the wire,” she says.

The winners will be announced at a ‘red carpet’ event on Sunday, 3 October. See below for more information.

If the hype surrounding the judges’ feedback and public voting is anything to go by, this year’s Manaakitanga Awards evening promises to be an exceptional evening of entertainment and celebration.

This ‘ticket only’ event to celebrate local excellence proudly features locally produced or supplied foods, wines and beverages*.

Recommended to the Manaakitanga Awards by the Slow Food Convivium, chef Peter Brennan will cater the evening with an array of European influenced contemporary New Zealand canapés.

MC for the night will be the CEO of Tourism Auckland Graeme Osborne who will bring a wealth of industry knowledge to share. He will be joined by guest speaker Cameron Douglas (MS) who is Australasia’s first and only Master Sommelier with the International Court of Master Sommeliers. He is the resident wine writer for Hospitality Magazine, the Senior Wine Judge for internationally renowned Cuisine Magazine, and a guest lecturer at the Professional Culinary Institute in California.

Five piece swing band ‘All That Jazz’ led by bassist Pete McGregor and featuring vocalist Adrian Keeling will provide the entertainment for the evening. Winners on the night receive a specially commissioned plaque and certificate to commemorate their achievement as well as enjoying media publicity generated by the awards.

Standard tickets are $62 each and can be purchased online at www.iticket.co.nz or by telephone on 09 361 1000.

Please remember tickets are limited and cannot be reserved, so get in quick to secure your place at what promises to be the highlight on Rodney District’s tourism and hospitality calendar.

*Locally produced or supplied goods are used wherever possible.

Thank you to our Award evening suppliers. We are delighted to announce the following local suppliers who are supporting this year’s Manaakitanga Awards evening:

• Bees On Line, Waimauku
• Buffalo Cheese, Wellsford
• Chocolate Brown, Warkworth
• Kumeu Wine Country Winemakers
• Leigh Sawmill Brewing Company
• Mahurangi Harbour Oysters
• New World, Orewa
• Matakana Smokehouse
• Nosh, Matakana
• Stubbs Village Butchery, Warkworth

If you are a local supplier who would like the opportunity to showcase your products at this year’s awards, please contact Hellen Hyndman hellen@manaakitangaawards.co.nz or phone her on 021 716 713.

The CEO of Tourism Auckland, which sponsors our Attraction Experience and Outstanding Entertainment Experience awards, says many visitors to New Zealand expect sustainable tourism options, and the number of people who base some of their destination and itinerary decisions on environmental factors, is set to increase.

“Sustainability is about meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means trying to run businesses in a way that creates as little environmental impact as possible, whilst still remaining financially afloat,” says CEO Graeme Osborne.

The Ministry for the Environment says that if everyone lived the lifestyle of the average New Zealander, 4.3 planets would be needed to support our current world population of 6.6 billion. In other words, we are using far more than we can replace.

To maintain our current lifestyle, more care is needed in areas such as water, waste, energy, transport and emissions, which is why sustainability is a key component of the Manaakitanga Awards.

Project Manager of the awards, Charlotte Cuffe, says the local and sustainable theme is one of the reasons why the awards have been so successful.

“I think there is an acceptance now that operators in all sectors of business need to take some responsibility for the environmental legacy they leave behind. Tourism and hospitality operators are no exception, and when we are positioning and promoting ourselves as ‘clean and green’ we really need to walk the talk otherwise New Zealand’s 100% Pure brand just becomes a nonsense,” says Charlotte.

“Having a focus on sustainability was a first for hospitality and tourism awards in New Zealand, and it has enabled us to strongly position ourselves within the sector and attract a high calibre of finalists and sponsors, which for local awards is often a difficult balancing act,” she says.

Interesting facts about tourism in Rodney

• Tourism is a key growth sector in the Rodney District.
• In 2009, the tourism sector employed 1302 full time staff in the Rodney District being 4.7 percent of the total number of people employed in the district. This compares 5.2 percent of employed people working in tourism throughout New Zealand.
• Tourism also contributed $76m or 3 percent to GDP, compared to a national contribution of 3.8 percent.
• In the last 10 years there has been a significant increase in guest nights and occupancy rates, with almost 90,000 more guest nights spent in the Rodney District in 2009 than in 2000. This is a strong indication that tourism in the Rodney District is catching up with some of the more traditional tourist areas.

Source: BERL, PROFILE OF RODNEY DISTRICT AND KEY SECTORS January 2010.

The AUT University School of Hospitality and Tourism judges collectively have over 100 years of front-line industry experience having managed hotels, bars, restaurants, cafes and resorts both here and overseas including Scotland, Singapore, Paris, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles.

All senior judges, they have well established reputations in the New Zealand hospitality scene and have judged competitions for a large number of hospitality organisations. Chief Judge and Panel Coordinator, David Williamson, is a senior lecturer and programme leader for the Bachelor of International Hospitality Management at AUT University. He has 18 years experience in the international hospitality industry as a bar and hotel manager, and restaurateur.

David Green is Restaurant Operations Manager at AUT University. David’s family has been running hotels for over 100 years, he has owned a successful restaurant and food and beverage consultancy, and for last three years has been the Assistant Chief Judge for the Restaurant of the Year show.

John Kelleher is a lecturer in Professional Cookery for the Culinary Arts Department at AUT University. He has judged at the NZ Culinary Fare, the Auckland Regional Culinary Fare, and the Auckland Regional World Skills Competition. He has owned a Japanese restaurant and worked at Number Five Restaurant, Hammerheads and Seamart.

John Kelly is Head of the Culinary Department at AUT University and has worked in food and beverage management for the likes of the Hyatt and Marriott Hotel corporations.

Gina Harrop is the Food and Beverage Training Manager at Sky City and lectures at AUT University. She and her partner own ‘Indoor Dining’ a company that has been providing private house dining and consultancy for the last 15 years.

Cameron Douglas (MS) is Australasia’s first and only Master Sommelier with the International Court of Master Sommeliers. He is the resident wine writer for Hospitality Magazine, the Senior Wine Judge for internationally renowned Cuisine Magazine, and a guest lecturer at the Professional Culinary Institute in California.

Alan Brown is also a lecturer in Professional Cookery for the Culinary Arts Department at AUT University. He has been the Chief Judge for the Restaurant of the Year competition for the last 10 years, as well as a judge for the NZ Lamb and Beef Awards and Montieths Wildfood Challenge.

Warren Goodsir is a lecturer on strategic management and service management issues for hospitality organisations at AUT’s School of Hospitality Management. He was an executive chef at the Parkroyal and Novotel hotels, and has competed in and been a judge for numerous hospitality competitions.

From 1 July to 31 August you can vote for those finalists you think are the best of the best. As well as the judges’ assessment, your votes go towards determining the winners of the Manaakitanga Awards 2010.

This year you can even text your votes through. To text your vote, text WIN and leave a space, then the three digit code of your winner, and send to 244. These instructions will be clearly displayed at finalist venues, and text votes cost 20 cents each.

Everyone who votes online goes into the draw to win one of three, $300 New World grocery vouchers. You can even vote for yourself.

All nominations from this year’s Manaakitanga Awards went into the draw to win great prizes courtesy of HSI and Southern Hospitality.

Congratulations to Steve McClean from Chocolate Brown Café, Warkworth, and Robin Foley of Olivers, Orewa who have both won KiaOraMai training courses for their staff.

Congratulations also to Vanessa Barrowman from BeesOnline Café who won a $500 Southern Hospitality voucher – happy shopping!

Gilmours North Shore is 100% locally owned and operated and proud to support our local businesses.

Running a tourism business is busy work, and if you serve food it is a task maintaining a well stocked pantry.

Gilmours, the largest food and liquor wholesaler in NZ, provides a one stop shop for business customers to browse and select their products.

And if you don’t have time for that, you can conveniently order online or by telephone.

“Our product range includes everything for catering: chilled & frozen products, liquor and tableware, and can be tailored to meet the needs of any business from hotels, restaurants, cafes, clubs and entertainment venues, to fast food outlets and rest homes,” says Kathryn of Gilmours North Shore. 

“For us, providing the best price is just part of the story - making sure there’s a consistency of supply and adding value to our customers is equally important.”

“We have an extensive knowledge of business, and four trained chefs who have worked in top class restaurants who can assist customers with product and/or menu knowledge,” says Kathryn. 

Whether you are looking for high quality or more competitively priced ranges, Gilmours has products to suit your business. They are constantly developing the range to best suit their locality and customers, and always have specials available. 

Visit the new look store at 37 Constellation Drive, Mairangi Bay or shop online at www.gilmours.co.nz

With the Emissions Trading Scheme in action there is now a financial reason to run a sustainable business as well as a value based one.

EcoBiz is council sponsored environmental programme for Auckland and Rodney businesses. It provides subsidised membership to one of four environmental programmes: Sustainable Business Network; Eco Warranty; SMARTweb; Envirostep.  

Looking at ways to run a more eco-friendly business is becoming a necessity rather than a choice. 58 percent of New Zealanders say they would buy a product that has a trusted eco-label on it over one that doesn’t. In tough times these statistics could make or break a small business.

EcoBiz not only offers subsidised subscriptions to the four environmental programmes above, it also offers subsidies to seminars, providing great learning and networking opportunities. Upcoming seminars include:

• Smart Office, Sustainable Office: 20 August
• Waste Minimisation – Office Waste: 7 September
• Waste Minimisation – Manufacturing Waste: 9 September
• EECA Energy Efficiency: 21 October
• Green Marketing – Creating a Competitive Edge: 9 November

Click for more information about EcoBiz, email s.yates@ecobiz.org.nz, or call (09) 360 5190.

Rodney Economic Development Trust (REDT) in conjunction with Rodney District Council and the Manaakitanga Awards, are pleased to offer local businesses a free analysis of their people management processes.

It stands to reason that if your staff feel valued and part of you business’s success, strategic objectives are more likely to be met and your business will enjoy improved financial performance and increased profitability.

But how do you know if your staff are feeling valued, and what impact is this having on your bottom line? All you have to do is get your staff to complete a quick, confidential ‘tick box’ questionnaire and return the completed forms to REDT. We will collate the answers and provide an analysis showing where your business is performing well, and where there are gaps. We can leave it there, or provide advice and guidance on how to fill the gaps.

This is a FREE, no obligation service with follow-ups made only on request.
Visit www.bizrodney.com or call 09 427 9475 for more information.

Heather Forsman owner of Takatu Lodge and winner of the Outstanding Accommodation Experience award in 2009 explains what excellence means to her.

“I remember what a colleague in tourism once said to me when I was building the lodge —you can have an OK architectural building and OK hosts, but a substandard business. Or you can have an OK building and great hosts, and a better than OK business. If you have fantastic accommodation and are great hosts, you will have a brilliant business.”

“For us it’s about having passion, passion, and more passion for what we do and always endeavouring to raise the bar and introduce fresh ideas,” she says.

Elaine Murray, owner of Ginger Crunch Café in Helensville and winner of the Outstanding Café Experience award 2009 agrees.

“The surroundings add to the experience along with the service and then good food and good value complete the picture. I have always said I don’t want to be the busiest café in Helensville I just want to be the best.”

Awards are an extension of the keys to success for a hospitality business.

Heather Forsman of Takatu Lodge says: “Winning the Manaakitanga Award last year assured us that we are on track and recognised by others in the area and industry.”

“The Manaakitanga Awards and others serve to validate your business. They give an unbiased assessment of your offering.”

The team at Ginger Crunch also found the experience rewarding. “It confirmed to us that we are doing it right. Our food is delicious, our service is good, and our location is interesting. It was a huge buzz for us all as well as the regular customers.”

The commitment of all businesses within the hospitality and tourism sector to strive for excellence means it is well placed for growth in the future.

“Hospitality in the Rodney district is going to boom. I think we are in a growth area and we have so much to offer for people to see and do,” says Elaine of Ginger Crunch Café.

Get more information about the awards and nominations »

At the annual Manaakitanga Awards, it’s not just the ones who miss out on the prizes who are ‘green’— a number of awards themselves are green too.

Unique to the Manaakitanga Awards is a group of awards focused on rewarding sustainable business practice. In the days where everyone claims their product or business is sustainable or eco-friendly what exactly counts as sustainable business practice?

According to the Ministry for the Environment their definition of sustainability is: “Meeting the needs of today, without adversely impacting on the needs of tomorrow.”

 The natural environment, our communities, cultures and businesses are all part of what makes up the tourism industry. An increasing number of tourists are looking for experiences which operate sustainably.

The Most Sustainable Hospitality Business award is the first of its kind, recognising those in the industry that strive to achieve social and environmental sustainability as part of their business strategy.

Research shows sustainability is becoming one of the key factors consumers and visitors consider when deciding where to spend their hard earned cash.

The industry in New Zealand is aiming to be longer term in its outlook and become sustainable not only financially but also socially and environmentally. Implementing sustainable business practices helps to preserve for future generations and attract more business.

In 2009, the Most Sustainable Hospitality Business award went to Ascension Wine Estate in Matakana. Owners, Darryl and Bridget Soljan, are seriously passionate about looking after the land they make their living from and have taken a holistic approach to implementing sustainable business practices. They are well known in the district and are committed to preserving for future generations.

There are other benefits from creating sustainable business initiatives including cost savings, increased employee satisfaction and a point of difference and strong reputation which increases your competitive edge.

So where do you start?
Here are some steps you can take to make your business more sustainable and to be able to market yourself as a fully sustainable business.

Switch off
Turn off unnecessary lights and equipment, especially at the end of the day. Screen savers don’t save any energy, so also turn the monitor off when you’ll be away from your desk for more than a few minutes during the day. Turn off unused appliances at the wall (e.g. cellphone chargers, microwaves, televisions). Replace old lightbulbs with energy efficient compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

Recycle
Find out about what can and can’t be recycled in your area. Make it easy with large, clearly marked recycling bins, and smaller rubbish bins for other waste.

Make smart choices
Eliminate disposables: cups, plates, plastic cutlery, and paper towels. Replace with reusable / washable alternatives. Adjust your printer default setting to the double sided option if available. Reuse paper printed on only one side for scrap paper. Change to biodegradable cleaning products, such as those endorsed by Environmental Choice New Zealand.

Talk about it
Schedule monthly meetings for your business to discuss sustainability ideas of what’s working well and what’s not.

Measure your progress
Record your monthly electricity, gas, fuel and waste usage, and monitor what impact your changes are having. This will enable you to communicate and celebrate your success.

Make it part of your business expectations
Make someone in your business responsible for finding out about and implementing sustainable initiatives, and arm them with chocolate fish to reward people who participate. Create a vision and/or mission statement that includes sustainable tourism and share it with your staff. Set targets like a 20% reduction in energy use and report on your environmental performance. Celebrate success when you have achieved your targets by treating employees.

Make a green network
Get to know key organisations or agencies that are of most importance to the sustainability of your business (e.g. Council personnel, community groups, Energy Efficiency, Conservation Authority and Sustainable Business Network). Apply for awards related to environmental / sustainability performance.

Become a star
The Sustainable Tourism Advisers in Regions (STAR) Fund provides an adviser to come on site to your business and provide a comprehensive report on sustainability opportunities.

The issue of sustainability isn’t going to go away. The pressure on finite resources is continuing to grow as developing nations become more resource-hungry. New Zealand cannot smugly claim to be an exception. The Ministry for the Environment says that if everyone lived the lifestyle of the average New Zealander, we would need 4.3 planets to support our current world population of 6.6 billion - so we are using far more than we can replace. To maintain anything like the lifestyle to which we have all become accustomed, we are going to have to start taking more care in key areas such as water, waste, energy, transport and emissions.

Sponsors of the Outstanding Local Food Producer award, Dish Magazine strives and achieves excellence in every publication, from excellent coverage of exceptional food to its amazing photography and design which gets their readers salivating for the next edition.

Dish is a premium New Zealand food magazine which launched in August 2004. It is a magazine for people who enjoy cooking and reading about good food, and offers inspiring yet achievable recipes using fresh, seasonal produce for every occasion – from entertaining friends to simple weeknight meal solutions. With a mixture of readers who are experienced cooks and enthusiastic beginners, Dish offers a practical, down to earth approach in its recipes with useful glossary notes and explanations for techniques and ingredients.

Dish also inspires and informs readers through beautifully photographed stories which showcase innovative and interesting food producers, trends, chefs and food destinations both in New Zealand and overseas. The magazine is renowned for its beautiful design and presentation and particular attention is paid to the art direction, cover and interior paper stocks.

Above all, Dish is focused on making food an enjoyable experience and something everyone can take pleasure in reading and learning about.

In its nearly five years in the New Zealand market it has won a raft of awards including ‘Best Magazine – Home & Food’ for two years running and ‘Supreme Magazine of the Year’ at the NZ Magazine Publishers’ Awards.

If you are looking to tell women about your business Dish could be a good channel for advertising. Their readers are mainly female between the ages of 35 and 59. They like trying new recipes, reading about food producers, issues and trends around food in New Zealand and overseas.

Clive Weston, Managing Director of Negociant Wines, another Manaakitanga sponsor profiles their wines in Dish with great success.

We are now in our second year of profiling Yalumba’s fine wines in Dish magazine. The positioning of Yalumba, recently voted top winery in the new wine world, within the Dish format alongside specially created recipe dishes, is wholly appropriate and a very good fit.”

“Simply put, top quality meets top quality.”

To subscribe or for more on the latest issue of Dish visit online at www.dish.co.nz
You can also purchase digital copies of Dish at www.zinio.co.nz

One of the awards up for grabs is the award for Outstanding Slow Food dish. But what really is slow food and how does it contribute to the excellence that visitors expect from the Rodney Hospitality and Tourism sector?

We are all aware that our lives are fast paced and increasing in pace every year. Unfortunately, a fast paced life often means we eat a lot of fast food as we don’t have time to prepare meals and take time to enjoy them.

The slow food movement was invented to counteract this detachment from food and disappearance of local food traditions. The movement also wants to raise people’s awareness that their food choices have an effect on our environment. To do that, Slow Food brings together pleasure and responsibility, and makes them inseparable. The concept of slow food lives by the equation: Good + Clean + Fair = Sustainable, Quality Food.

• Good: it tastes good and gives us pleasure to eat it.
• Clean: it respects the environment, animal welfare and our health.
• Fair: Those who produce it should receive fair compensation for their work.

Using local food is also encouraged as it uses less food miles and packaging which means less pollution.

Another benefit of using local food is the strengthening of local communities as it fosters relationships between local businesses. Local support is a key element which the judges are looking for throughout most categories of the Manaakitanga awards, not just in the slow food category.

The Manaakitanga Award for Outstanding Slow Dish is the first of its kind in New Zealand. The judges will be looking for a dish that is a mouthwatering, well thought out, simple combination of quality ingredients delivering amazing texture and taste.

The 2009 winner was Heron's Flight in Matakana for their Kahawai dish. This delicious and simple dish featured Kahawai caught locally, marinated in locally produced extra virgin olive oil, chardonnay white wine vinegar and capers, served on handmade ciabatta bread.

Auckland Slow Food committee member, Hamish Pilkington thinks this area has a huge strength to lead the way in the slow food area. "The Rodney District has a vibrant food heritage and many local producers who share the same principles as our movement" he says.

To find out more about the slow food movement and its members go to www.slowfood.com

www.slowfood.com »

International tourism has long been a key industry for New Zealand. However, a recent research project conducted by the tourism research institute shows domestic tourism is on the rise. A growing number of Kiwis are choosing to travel at home.

This trend is growing at such a rate that before you have finished your lunch hour today over 1200 New Zealanders will have started a domestic holiday. To put that into figures, last year, $9.7 billion was spent by domestic tourists.

So, how can you turn those statistics into dollars for your business? Kiwis are all very diverse people and it is hard to target them as one market. The answer is a product development approach. The report segments the NZ audience into 8 background types. These types are a general way of creating a customer to identify with, showing what they do in their everyday lives and what they look for in a holiday.

Want to find out who they are?

Being There “Being with family and friends”
Members of the Being There Segment are more than likely to be retired. On holiday, they choose to travel by private car or campervan/motor home and to stay in private homes or motels. They look for safe and scenic travel and want to experience the heritage of places they are visiting. You can reach the BT’s through gardening publications or advertising during gardening shows on TV. They also are members of Rotary and other voluntary groups so you can raise awareness of your business through them. They do use online auction sites such as Trade Me and read news online so don’t be scared to go virtual and advertise on the internet or email them.

Searching “Freedom and good times with friends”
These people are on the hunt for excitement. They are the young, texting, computer friendly generation. They are looking for a bit of everything when it comes to their holiday time. They like beaches, clubs and anything where they can experience life and meet new people. If your offering suits this segment you can tell them about it online, especially through social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Blog’s are also a good way to reach them (although don’t bore them they are looking to be entertained). Of course they attend a lot of events and parties so careful targeting through well chosen events is sure to have this group visiting you. And to support all that, don’t forget their mobile, they never leave home without it.

Rewarders “you work hard you deserve it”
The Rewarders are quite a specific group. They are usually male, living in Auckland and working in management or professional positions. But don’t be fooled by these career go getters they are after a romantic experience in their spare time. They also like to have new cuisine experiences on their holidays and you won’t see them at the beach or at the clubs. You can connect with the rewarders through business or Auckland specific media – they don’t have time for lifestyle publications. You can also target them through sports and news channels or at live sport events.

Immersing “Expand my mind, add to my experiences, and enrich my life”
These are the Sex and the City crowd. Female, living in the city, mostly single and tertiary educated. They are focused on their career, education and finding direction in life. Their ideal trip is relaxing, with fine cuisine and with a bit of nature and something different thrown in. They read special interest health publications such as yoga and fitness magazines. They read about travel and lifestyle online and as they are working in the city they will read professional media and belong to professional affiliations. Make sure to offer them an experience that they won’t get anywhere else.

Making do “You deserve a break”
Love and marriage...the make do’s are married with children! They are focused on raising the family and paying the bills. But they still need a break. They are probably the most dedicated domestic market as they are looking for a safe, family friendly and affordable trip. The wife makes most of the moves when it comes to making the decision on where to take their family on holiday. You can communicate to them through women’s magazines, daytime TV and radio and other lifestyle media.

Embracing life: “I want a full life for me and my family.”
These people probably live in the next block to the make do’s. They are married with children, slightly younger and sometimes have a blended family. The embracers earn a bit more than the make do’s. They focus on their relationships and love entertaining at home. They too are looking for a relaxing, family friendly experience when they travel but the romantic touch appeals to their relationship side. They love nature and outdoor activities. As they are working parents you can target the Embracers through business publications and specialist golf, outdoor, boating and fishing publications. They read the major daily papers and attend outdoor events such as the Boat show and Fishing show.

Creating “Good times to share with your family”
Another family focused group, the creating types are married with children at home and are from a range of ethnic backgrounds. When they travel in NZ they are more likely to be visiting family and friends at the same time. They also love the outdoors and family friendly activities. You can find them through cultural groups and media and lifestyle media as well as cultural and community events.

Aiming high “More, bigger, best.”
The aim high’s are in the 15-24 age group category and have no children. They are students, mainly with affluent parents and even if they are working are likely to still be at home. These guys want high adrenaline all day and night – full on outdoor challenges, nightlife and shopping experiences. When they aren’t out living their full paced life, you can market to them through youth media, blogs other online channels. But remember this group is fast paced so get to the point! They are social bunnies so if you target any interest group such as sports, or other affinities you will connect to them.

So now you have an idea for all the types of Kiwi’s out there, find which type suits your business and talk to them. If you want some help in marketing more effectively to New Zealanders, the Ministry of Tourism is sharing cutting edge domestic marketing intelligence at a series of workshops around the country.

Auckland’s session is on Tuesday 22 June, 2:00pm - 5:00pm (registration at 1:45pm) at the Stamford Plaza. Attendance invited from tourism industry within the following areas: Auckland, Northland, Waikato, Eastland. Contact Jeanette Shuttleworth to register - j@aucklandnz.com

Read the full research from Tourism Zew Zealand research institute

www.aucklandnz.com »

Craig and Natasha Hallam are no strangers to excellence. After 15 years in business, these born and bred locals are proud of their expert team who deliver the best service to their customers.

They are also proud to sponsor the 2010 Manaakitanga Awards to support excellence in other sectors.

Like tourist and hospitality operators, Onsite Engineering knows that relationships form the foundation of business.

“We treat all our customers with respect and go the extra mile to make sure we meet all your needs and exceed expectation,” says Craig.

The team are also keen supporters of the community. “We have grown as a business and have watched our neighbourhood grow with us. We try to do our bit and help where we can.”

Recently, they have supported the local community through supplying a free handrail for the local play centre; sponsoring the 2010 Warkworth Primary School Gala which in total raised over $20,000 for refurbishment of their swimming pool and helping out Mahurangi College with funds for their new auditorium.

They are excited to continue this support through their sponsorship of the 2010 Manaakitanga Awards. “We know that great service is key to great success in business and we are proud to support other Rodney businesses in their quest for excellence in customer service.”

If you have an engineering project that you need help with, use someone who is passionate about excellence and the community. See www.onsiteengineering.co.nz for more of their stories.

www.onsiteengineering.co.nz »

After selling plants alongside mustards and jams from their front gate, Jon and Morag Standbrook noticed the mustards were selling faster than the plants. They decided to focus their efforts exclusively on their mustards and develop a small product range. So, Mustardmakers was born.

The products were so popular that within a year Jon was able to leave his landscaping business to become a full time man of mustard.

Today, they service almost 180 shops New Zealand-wide and a handful in Sydney and Singapore. We spoke to Jon during a brief lull in a long and busy day.

What was your first impression of the awards?
We thought it was a great outlet by which people could enhance their reputation. It felt good to see major organisations getting behind small businesses as we're pretty much left to fly by ourselves.

How was the awards evening?
We particularly enjoyed meeting and talking to other suppliers from around the district.

An event like that creates some fun in an otherwise hard business and we really enjoyed ourselves. Then came the fear of actually having to get up on stage and give a speech as a winner which none of us expected.

What did being a winner mean to you?
From a personal point of view it was great for morale — wonderful acknowledgement of the long hours we put in. It helped us see that we are achieving results from our blood, sweat and tears!

It also meant a great deal to be recognised by both our peers and the general public — as the cross-section is probably a truer reflection of how are perceived in the marketplace.

For our customers it was practical evidence that we are doing a good job and has boosted our credibility.

And the impact on the business?
We have experienced growth of 20-30 per cent since the win — in that time we have extended our product range and made a few other changes in the business so it's hard to say specifically — but it’s definitely helped!

How did your recipes come about?
Our mustards are family recipes that we've played with and developed over time (Morag’s grandmother was a keen preserve cook) while some of our chutneys and relishes were adapted from a very old cook book our neighbour gave us (their neighbour is 100 years old).

We experimented and adapted a few. There was an alarming amount of salt in the old recipes so we were quick to cut that out and make our formulations healthy without compromising on flavour.

Describe a typical day at Mustardmakers
Our typical day is around 12-18 hours long. We usually get started about 7:30am working through till 6pm.

Orders can keep us busy until 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock at night, three times a week. In the busy season that increases to six times a week.

What are your sustainable practices?
We use filtered rainwater and focus on using organic ingredients in our products. The by-products of the production process go into the compost for our vegetable garden and the waste water is used on the property. We recycle everything that we can. Empty cans are utilised as slug traps.

What does the next 12 months hold for Mustardmakers?
We are focused on further developing the NZ market and raising our profile nationally. We also have a secondary goal of building on the foot-hold we've got in Sydney to expand into the rest of Australia.

www.mustardmakers.co.nz »

Bartercard helps to increase sales, customer base, cash-flow and profit for over 6,800 smart New Zealand businesses.

Bartercard members go out of their way to buy from another Bartercard member. This means increased sales for members and new customers.

BarterCard is efficient business practice as well. By trading through Bartercard, member businesses can sell excess inventory to the expanded customer base of member businesses that are looking for opportunities to trade, rather than spend cash.

A Bartercard transaction is as easy to conduct as any other type of credit card transaction as Bartercard members are issued with a plastic card and trade amongst themselves through a fully computerised system.

Bartercard uses Trade Dollars to monitor the value of transactions. Bartercard's currency of a Trade Dollar is equal to One New Zealand Dollar for all accounting and tax purposes.

There are many other benefits of becoming a Bartercard member such as access to an interest free line of credit and Bartercard’s Trade Brokers acting as your sales staff!

Contact us today on 0508 BARTER or by visiting www.bartercard.co.nz to find out how you too could be creating deals money can’t buy.

www.bartercard.co.nz »

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) has recognised the importance of sustainability for many years now.

In 1995, they established Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand (SWNZ), a framework for environmental social and economic sustainability.

New Zealand has been marketed overseas for its clean and green image and NZW are working hard to ensure that New Zealand wine can confidently say that their wine is produced by eco-friendly methods.

Their goal is to see all New Zealand wineries and vineyards operating in accordance with the framework by 2012.

To ensure achievement of this goal, NZW has introduced a number of pioneering initiatives, including:

• Development of a Carbon Calculator for winery greenhouse gas emissions
• Research and development of alternative organic fungicides
• Energy benchmarking study and establishments of industry benchmarks
• Increased development of the SWNZ programme
• A requirement that all wines presented at NZW events and promotions from vintage 2010 onward are audited against a sustainability programme

They are well on their way to achieving this goal with over 90 percent of the industry’s vineyard area and over 80 percent of its production accredited, or on path to accreditation with this world-leading programme.

Sustainability is about meeting the needs of today, without adversely impacting on the needs of tomorrow.

www.nzwine.com »