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CEO of the Year Announced

When Lisbeth Jacobs joined Gallagher in April 2021, Covid-19 made some aspects of her role as the Global General Manager of Animal Management a bit tricky.“It wasn’t easy to see people offshore. In New Zealand, we were free to move around but it was quite some time before I managed to get a spot in MIQ which meant I could hop on a plane and see my teams in the US and Europe. But we were used to using Teams, so we made do. But nothing beats face to face.”Today, Lisbeth is Gallagher’s Anim...

Invivo wins Supreme business award, SMEs feature strongly

Invivo first began as an idea thrown around by two friends in a London bar in 2008. Fast forward 15 years and the Waikato-based company has wines and spirits in 43 countries and has been awarded more than 600 medals and trophies. And their latest win is that of Supreme Winner in the 2023 Waikato Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction Group. They also took out the international trade category.Founded by Kiwi school friends Tim Lightbourne and Rob Cameron, Invivo is behind the award-win...

Welcome to the Chamber: Rebecca Aston

Hi Rebecca, welcome to the team, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?Born and raised in Rotorua, I moved to Hamilton 16 years ago to study at the University of Waikato. Job opportunities and the close proximity of the Waikato to other cities in NZ, led me to purchase a house and settle down in Hamilton.Outside of my career, I enjoy cooking and gardening. I also hold several volunteering roles, including, being a Wish Fairy for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and a Trustee on the Hamilton Chri...

How to innovate with Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) incorporates a multitude of different cloud services including well known examples such as Outlook (email & calendar)  and OneDrive/SharePoint (file sharing & collaboration).What many people don't realise is that there are many more applications and services available as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription that an organisation is already paying for but not fully utilising.Microsoft's intent with the 365 suite has always been to put mor...

Cyber Security Reminders

With the recent cyber-attacks including at the Waikato DHB in 2021, and the associated media coverage, cyber security has become front of mind for both large and small organisations here in the Waikato and throughout New Zealand.Attacks on organisations are increasing and becoming more sophisticated. If an organisation falls victim to a cyber-attack, it can cause significant business impacts including damaged reputation, sensitive information including intellectual property being leaked, and fin...

The history of Emblems New Zealand’s involvement with the Waikato Chamber of Commerce Waikato Business Awards

In 1999 the trophies for the Waikato Business Excellence Awards, as they were known back then, were produced by Emblems NZ. The design was a bespoke one with granite and acrylic, highlighted with gold and paua. The inaugural winners were Chibnall Swann Architects. Due to the cost of producing this award, it was only produced a couple of times.In 2001, Emblems NZ came up with a solution: a corporate, crystal award, made with a combination of screen printing, sandblasting and paint filling. The re...

Preparing for New Zealand’s Electric Future, here in Hamilton.

We visited our member Hikotron’s premises to find out more about what they do in the emerging industry of EV charging. Stephanie, Co-Founder of Hikotron outlined that ‘range anxiety’ is a prominent factor for prospective EV owners.  Hikotron’s goal is to establish New Zealand’s largest EV AC charging network so that drivers can travel from destination to destination with the confidence that they can charge their vehicles upon arrival.Find out more from Stephanie below....

People and technology are the key to helping Kiwi Businesses thrive in 2023

Business optimism continuing despite the recessionary pressure.Cost and pricing continue to be front of mind for business leaders.Larger businesses continue to thrive while smaller businesses more likely to struggle.Staff and productive use of technology are the make or break for businesses in 2023.Business leaders are facing a whole new operating environment in 2023 as their focus shifts completely away from the pandemic and towards managing rising costs and improving productivity, according to...

The financial chickens have come home to roost on the heads of some Hamilton City Councillors

Hamilton City Council’s deficit widens, as last month we predicted it would. The Hamilton City Council has just announced their deficit will exceed $27 million. It didn’t take a forensic accountant to see that the earlier Council claims of a small deficit was PR spin and not real.Depreciation costs should be known at the beginning of the budget year. They do not change greatly nor at short notice. Interest costs were easy to predict. The Reserve Bank was always going to increase interest rat...

Cancer Society

Everyone is touched by cancer through their own battle or through someone else’s fight.It has been a privilege over the past two weeks to see first-hand the work of the Cancer Society. The BA4 we held at the Cancer Society's Lions Lodge was generously sponsored by PwC and Kerr & Ladbrook. We had the privilege to hear a stunning story from one of the Lodge's 'clients' about how cancer turned their life upside-down and how the Society had helped right his ship in the face of adversity.I...

The Beauty of Networking: A Recruiters Review

Networking, you either love it or loathe it but we all know it’s a necessity in the world of business. As a Recruitment Partner, 99% of my job is some form of ‘networking’ – whether that be with current clients, business prospects, new candidates, or previous placements. After a few years of attending planned events and building relationships with a variety of business professionals, I still see a pattern of hesitancy towards networking.It got me thinking, with such m...

Subsidies & Te Huia

We are in a cost of living crisis and the Government and the Regional Council still insist on subsidising Te Huia passenger fares, whilst lower cost but profitable operators like buses supply a better, more regular and cheaper service.The 11-month $5 million plus operating loss seems to be funding an ideological luxury for a group of commuters who could easily afford a $40 return bus fare rather than the rest of us subsidising their daily $180 return Te Huia fare handout.Using mid 20th Century t...

Waka Kotahi & Coromandel

We must give credit where and when it is due. Waka Kotahi NZTA deserves a bouquet for the work they are doing to not only rectify SH25A across the Coromandel Peninsula, but they have given business owners a time frame for completion.Moving to a 24/7 shiftwork programme and to publicly proclaim a completion date of the end of March 2024 has given the Coromandel business community certainty and with that they have given confidence to the families, the suppliers, and the holidaying public, tha...

Simon Bridges says we need to make infrastructure the next economic success story

Simon Bridges says we need to make infrastructure the next economic success story, and he’s absolutely right.NZIER’s independent research shows that the economic benefits of the proposed Cambridge to Piarere [C2P] and the Warkworth to Wellsford [W2W] expressways are just shy of $1 billion per year to New Zealand.That’s an incredible return and sends a powerful message to bureaucrats and politicians that there is huge opportunity to unlock economic growth with infrastructure projects. New Z...

A farewell to two Hamilton MPs

In today’s world the concept of elected service to your community is forgotten by many, yet we want the best, most meritorious candidates to represent us in Parliament or on Council. Whatever your politics, when Members of Parliament voluntarily close their political careers and get the opportunity to look back on their time in Parliament, with its review of why they stood for election, we should read or listen to their speeches in appreciation of their service.It is easy to be parti...

Chamber announces Business Awards finalists

The finalists in this year’s Waikato Chamber of Commerce Business Awards, supported by Foster Construction Group, were announced last night at an event at Waikato University’s The Pā, with 21 businesses named in the line-up.Head judge Dr Heather Connolly of Waikato University’s Management School said the panel of 29 judges was impressed with the quality of the finalists.“We were also pleased to see the number of entries up on last year, with a total of 76 entries this year. The calibre ...

Confident Waikato Chamber Members

The results of our recent survey are in. They revealed over 50% were confident in their own businesses being able to grow over the next 12 months and, interestingly, a solid 80% had increased their prices in the past 12 months.There was general dissatisfaction amongst members on the current state of the New Zealand economy, its direction and economic performance, with over 40% expecting the economy to decline over the next 12 months.There was wide support for more doctors and nurses, more expres...

Te Huia – by the numbers

With Te Huia back in the news we researched up-to-date data from the Minister of Transport during Parliamentary question time on July 3.Financially we have significant concerns when the operating loss for the past 11 months is $5,716,504, or an operating subsidy of $88.31 per passenger.It is an expensive transport trial that shifts an average of 245 passengers a day when the Waikato Expressway moves 25,000 people in the same period. Here are the figures.For the 11 months to 31 May:Patronage...

The Magic (or not!) Roundabout at Piarere

Even the most hardened transport scientist would concede that flyovers are superior to roundabouts for allowing vehicles to change direction at an intersection of roads.Flyovers do not stop or slow traffic; they let it flow, saving time, emissions, fuel, driver frustration and avoiding the opportunity for an accident. They are so much safer than a roundabout.Take the excellent flyover just north of Pokeno, on the very busy corner of State Highways 1 and 2. It is the perfect example, and it has b...

Local Government reform

The Local Government Review panel has published its report. It cannot be left on the shelf to gather dust. Local government has been starved of funds and given too much extra responsibility with no cash to fund it.Their recommendations must be implemented.Central government should always ensure local government is prudent and uses taxpayer funds wisely. Accordingly, there needs to be an ongoing process of reasonable amalgamation to get economies of scale, funding and regionally connected project...

Congestion charging and Southern Links

I came across this Stuff article over the weekend, The case for introducing congestion charging, and thoroughly recommend it as the basis for a debate Hamilton needs to have on traffic. It highlights Singapore where the electronic congestion charging toll system works very efficiently. They manage to juggle traffic for 5 million people living on an island the same size as Lake Taupo. The future may require people to use public transport as much as possible and, for many people, paying conge...

Could 3D concrete printing be the answer to New Zealand’s housing crisis?

As we drove up to the site it looked just like any other building site you would see in New Zealand, but as we would soon find out, was for the first commercial building made with 3D concrete printing technology in the Southern Hemisphere.The end result would be a childcare centre, and came about through a partnership between two Hamilton-based Chamber members: Iconic Construction and QOROX.Johnny Gordon and Nick Lane of Iconic, the GM and Partner, respectively, had planned to build the centre t...

In Memory of Mavora Hamilton

Mavora passed away on June 17, and the Chamber owes her a debt of gratitude for the groundbreaking work she led as Chief Executive after taking over from May Woodcock in 1993. Her appointment alongside the election of Gail Jones as first woman President of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce in 1992, and the earlier election of Margaret Evans who reigned as Mayor from 1989 to 1998, heralded the arrival of women as business leaders in the Waikato.They certainly shook up the place with initiatives tha...

Prudent financial management

It is our money they invest on our behalf for the benefit of our community as a whole, so we should insist on prudent and accountable investment - not willy-nilly spending.Balancing the books and living within your means will be the focus we put on our elected and bureaucratic officials over the next three years.Ratepayers and taxpayers will have less discretionary income as businesses cope with economic headwinds, made up of interest rate rises, wage and salary increases, supply chain issues wh...

Handpicked deals for Chamber members from 2degrees

2degrees are proud to share values with the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce believing that when Kiwi businesses thrive, so does New Zealand. Take a look at some of the exclusive deals available to Chamber members below.Double Data for 12 months and $400 off any device over $999 on interest free when joining a Business Choice Carryover $58 and above plan. Plus as a Chamber member, you will also receive 20% off the life of your plan.Broadband to boost your business. Receive 4 months free as well ...