Got business news? Email carmen.hall@nzme.co.nz or zoe.hunter@nzme.co.nz Photo / Getty Images
Mount Maunganui's Sam Arundel was named the 2022 New Zealand Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer of the Year in this year's New Zealand Plumbing Awards.
The 2022 New Zealand Plumbing Awards were held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre on June 17.
The New Zealand Plumbing Awards acknowledge the positive achievements and success stories in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying industry and are presented at a gala dinner on the final night of the annual New Zealand Plumbing Conference.
Organised by Master Plumbers, the national conference has been held for over 100 years and is the premier event in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying industry, with attendees coming from all over the country.
Sam Arundel from The Drainage Department Ltd was named the 2022 New Zealand Plumber, Gasfitter or Drainlayer of the Year.
The award recognises excellence in the trade skills of an individual certifying plumber, gasfitter or drainlayer, who is a respected member of their trade and known for their leadership skills.
The winner will have demonstrated ability in trade calculations, in the selection of materials appropriate to the specifications and design of their work, and in applying relevant documentation and regulatory compliance to their work.
Bayley Wilkie of Wilson Plumbing & Gas T/A Laser Plumbing in Te Puke was named a finalist in the Plumbing World Scholarships.
The scholarships are awarded to three Masterlink apprentices who have demonstrated diligence in their assignment completions, and maturity and personal growth over the past year.
Each scholarship recipient will receive a $1000 credit at their local Plumbing World branch.
Ralph McBeth of McBeth Plumbing & Gas in Taupo was awarded the 2022 Graeme Victor Smith Contribution to the Industry.
Hospitality and Entertainment announce Arawa Park Hotel
Event Hospitality and Entertainment have announced the hotel, previously known as Rydges Rotorua, will reopen as Arawa Park Hotel on July 1.
The former Rydges Rotorua has undergone an extensive refurbishment of the rooms and common spaces.
The newly-named Arawa Park Hotel now has a full suite of new beds, mattresses and linen across all guest rooms, and a refreshed lobby.
The name Arawa Park Hotel was gifted in consultation with Te Arawa and reflects the hotel's location adjacent to the Arawa Park Racecourse.
Clive Wardle has been appointed as the new general manager of Arawa Park Hotel.
Wardle has been working with the Event group for 13 years since he joined Rydges Esplanade Resort in Cairns, Queensland, as a concierge.
Wardle began his role in March and said he was excited about being back in New Zealand
and settling into Rotorua with his family.
"I am really looking forward to leading the Arawa Park team, as we open up our doors under a new name to the public and international visitors, and share with them the wonders of Rotorua."
Event hotels and resorts general manager for New Zealand operations, Simon White, said
Wardle had a wealth of knowledge about hospitality.
"Clive has extensive experience in hotel management – both nationally and internationally."
Girls with Hi-Vis learn about careers in civil construction
Nearly 40 students from Bethlehem College, Tauranga Girls' College, Pāpāmoa College and Katikati College attended a Girls with Hi-Vis event on-site at the Takitimu North Link Project last week to learn more about careers in civil construction.
The girls were jointly hosted by Waka Kotahi, HEB Construction and Civil Construction for the event, which involved site visits to several locations within the TNL Project.
The students were challenged to build the strongest and longest bridge they could with tinfoil and traffic cones.
Girls with Hi-Vis is an annual campaign run by Connexis, an infrastructure training provider and business division of Te Pūkenga Work Based Learning Limited.
Each year the campaign works with infrastructure companies in sectors such as civil construction, water, and energy, to host events around the country offering hundreds of female students the opportunity for hands-on, onsite experience in a variety of infrastructure jobs.
Connexis director Kaarin Gaukrodger said it was fantastic to see such enthusiasm from the students at the event in Bay of Plenty.
"Before experiencing Girls with Hi-Vis, many probably did not understand what an infrastructure career had to offer, let alone considered the industry a viable option for when they leave school.
"The fact that this event has opened up a new career option for them is fantastic and exactly what we are aiming to achieve with the GWHV events."
Gaukrodger said the events also connected students with potential future employers in their local region "so they have a tangible path to follow".
New chief executive for Toi EDA
Donna Perese (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Te Whakatōhea, Tūhoe, Ngāti Awa) has been appointed the new chief executive of Toi EDA, the economic development agency for the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Perese has spent the past 15 years working in the region on economic development and has additional experience in the health, education, and social services sectors.
Perese was brought up in Kawerau and Te Teko and now lives in Te Kaha where she is manager and projects co-ordinator for Te Kaha Group Holdings working with a range of stakeholders.
She has also been a provincial growth fund advisor for Te Puni Kokiri. Perese holds degrees in education and business management.
Toi EDA chairperson Wiremu Doherty said after an extensive search that produced a high-quality range of candidates he was delighted to appoint a local leader "who understands the opportunities for the region".
"Donna has strong working relationships and insights to help take the organisation and the region forward.
"I would like also to acknowledge and thank departing general managers Ian Morton and Karl Gradon for all their work and the healthy state in which they leave the organisation."
Perese will start her role with Toi EDA on July 18.
Eateries one step closer to toastie title
Okere Falls store's Get Smoked, Pickled and Toasted toasted sandwich has been selected as a finalist in this year's Great NZ Toastie Takeover.
The Public Office in Ngatea, Coromandel, has also been named a finalist with its toastie The Smoky Pork and Pickle.
The two Bay of Plenty businesses were among 13 finalists revealed in the battle for the country's top toasted sandwich.
With 100,000 toasties served up since the first round of judging began on April 13, the competition's more than 180 entries have now been whittled down to 13 finalists across six regions.
Competition criteria required sandwiches to be toasted between two slices of bread and able to be eaten by hand. The toasted sandwiches also needed to contain cheese (or a vegan substitute) and McClure's Pickles, with all the other ingredients left entirely to the entrants' imaginations.
Head judge Kerry Tyack said imaginations ran wild this year, presenting his team of 30-plus judges with an extremely tough task in choosing the finalists.
"It feels like this year, amidst all the Covid chaos, the toastie has reached the lofty heights of the great Kiwi pie, the whitebait fritter, the perfect pav, and the cheese roll, and can now be accorded the status of national treasure."
Finalist judging starts in July with the competition's supreme winner announced on July 27.
Sharp Tudhope Lawyers launch Law scholarship for students
Students in the Western Bay of Plenty keen to explore a career in law will have the opportunity to apply for a new annual law scholarship by Sharp Tudhope Lawyers.
Partner Matthew Billett said the scholarship will provide financial assistance and mentoring.
"This scholarship allows us to nurture and support the development of emerging talent...
"Following our celebration of 125 years in business, during 2021 we see this as a fitting way for us to add to our investment in our community."
The scholarship will provide one student annually with a $10,000 contribution towards their university fees along with a high level of mentoring.
The recipient will be matched with a mentor from Sharp Tudhope who will be available to support the student during their studies. Additionally, the recipient will be provided with paid work experience during the summer break after their second year of study.
The scholarship is open to Year 13 students who have enrolled to study law at a New Zealand University and have achieved at least NCEA Level 2, endorsed with merit or equivalent. The Sharp Tudhope selection team will also assess eligibility by considering both leadership potential and community involvement.
Billett said the scholarship was its way of acknowledging and supporting future leaders.
"We will be immensely proud to award the first annual scholarship to a recipient that we believe has the combined academic skills, character and leadership potential that will ensure their development into a world-class lawyer in future years."
Applications open July 1 and close September 1. The successful scholarship recipient will be announced on October 17.
Tiaki Taiao: New campaign to supercharge Rotorua sustainable tourism
A new RotoruaNZ initiative is set to support up to 40 local businesses to operate more sustainably and work towards a carbon-neutral model.
Tiaki Taiao - Enhancing the Environment was about meeting businesses on a sustainability journey and supporting them to take the next step to further protect the environment.
RotoruaNZ destination manager Melissa Craig said Rotorua has a long history of caring for the environment and it was already built into how many tourism operators do business.
"Because many local operators work so closely with different natural taonga around Rotorua, they are in a unique position to take on an important role as kaitiaki."
The support package delivered by the Rotorua Sustainability Charter will include a tailored workshop, more focused consulting, and associate 2022 to 2023 membership to the Charter if the business is not already a member.
Rotorua Sustainability Charter advisor Desirae Kirby said it looked at every part of a business through the sustainability lens, including environmental, cultural, social, and economic.
"That way we can encourage business owners to work towards becoming quite holistically sustainable."
Kirby said Rotorua has long been leading the way when it comes to sustainability.
"For many operators, today, preserving the environment and serving their community is part of their DNA and increasingly, people are looking to spend money at environmentally conscious outlets."
The first successful applicants for Tiaki Taiao were due to start in July. The project has been launched in collaboration with the Rotorua Sustainable Charter and is part of a wider Tiaki Taiao initiative under the Rotorua Destination Management Plan, which is a partnership with Te Arawa, the Rotorua Lakes Strategy Group, and the Charter.
Awards celebrate rural business women
Rural Women New Zealand is looking for entrepreneurial rural women in the Rotorua region to enter their 2022 Business Awards.
Regional leader, Mary McTavish, said the NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards provides an outstanding opportunity to showcase small rurally based enterprises owned and operated by women.
"Our region has not had a category winner for over five years so we would like to encourage local rural women to enter the competition."
All NZI Rural Women NZ Business wards winners receive a trophy, $1000 prize money, travel costs to the award ceremony in Wellington in November, and free membership to RWNZ-Ngā Wāhine Taiwhenua o Aotearoa. The Supreme Winner of NZI Rural Women NZ Business Awards receives a further $1000 prize money.
Entries close July 29.
Got business news? Email carmen.hall@nzme.co.nz or zoe.hunter@nzme.co.nz
'This decision has not been made lightly'.