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Linda Peacock of Kiwifruit Vine Health in Mount Maunganui has received top recognition in the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards announced earlier this month.
Peacock has worked collaboratively with growers and technical teams from all growing regions for more than 30 years and was awarded the Minister's Biosecurity Award.
The winners of the New Zealand Biosecurity Awards were announced on November 17 at a ceremony in Wellington.
The awards recognise organisations, volunteers, businesses, iwi, hapū, government, and tamariki around the country who are contributing to biosecurity – in our bush, our oceans and waterways, and in our backyards.
A Special Award was also awarded to the New Zealand kiwifruit industry for outstanding commitment to biosecurity.
Judging panel chairman Dr John Hellstrom said the judges are always fascinated by the innovation displayed by each entry.
"We've had an outstanding number of entries this year, and the number of entries is growing each year which is fantastic to see.
"It takes all of us to protect what we've got, and these people have taken protecting New Zealand into their own hands, for the benefit of everyone."
Tauranga-based Exceed Franchising, the New Zealand leader in door and window maintenance, radiates family.
Not only have the franchisors acted as marriage guidance counsellors, but the franchise owners across New Zealand treat each other like family such as when they dropped everything in 2011 to help the Christchurch team after the earthquake.
Ever since the franchise was started in 1997 by David and Karen Dovey, the family focus has been evident, even when it comes to interviewing prospective franchise owners.
"If a partner isn't part of the interview, we don't accept them. We've even been marriage counsellors with franchise owners going through rough patches. We've supported them as much as we can and they've all stayed with us," Karen said.
The Christchurch Earthquake was an amazing example of how a franchise network can work together like a family, she said.
"We sent out a call asking who could help our Christchurch franchise owners and we had an amazing response. Everyone was ready to take time out of their own business to work within the Christchurch franchise."
"This was over months and took lots of pressure off the franchise owners in Christchurch to allow them to focus on themselves, knowing they had a business to come back to."
The Doveys join the top franchise leaders in 11 other niches to share their stories and offer their valuable advice in the best-selling book, "New Zealand's Top Franchise Leaders, Secrets Revealed," written by Pete Burdon.
'New Zealand's Top Franchise Leaders, Secrets Revealed,' by Pete Burdon, can be found at www.FranchiseLeadersBook.com or at all good bookstores.
Katikati's new regional digital hub will open next month for the community to discover new opportunities for grassroots digital access and small business potential.
The digital hub in The Centre, Pātuki Manawa, will open on Thursday, December 3.
The inaugural Digital Hub Open day will be from 3pm to 6pm and everyone is welcome to explore the opportunities that can be accessed by individuals, local businesses and community groups.
Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been developing the sub-region's first digital hub with the first instalment of a $400,000 grant it received earlier this year from the Provincial Growth Fund's (PGF) digital connectivity funding package.
Council's customer service and governance manager Barbara Whitton says it's a great day for the sub-region and is the first step in the council's aim to improve digital literacy and increase access across all its communities.
The hub offers 24/7 secure digital access for businesses and self-employed people, free Wi-Fi, co-working spaces and space to present digital products and services.
"Early in the New Year there will be a focus on developing services that will aim to increase community entrepreneurial and digital capabilities and skills," says Whitton.
"This digital hub aims to connect the community using digital technologies, shared space, hot-desking, video conferencing and meeting spaces.
"It's a tech-space for business, freelancers and community to come together."
On the open day, there will be demonstrations and experts on-site to introduce people to the opportunities available.
Central Government's digital connectivity fund of $21 million is to improve community technology skills and give easier access to digital resources across several regions in New Zealand.
Katikati was one of five regions to receive PGF funding for a digital hub. Each receives $400,000 over a five-year period.
The Kollective – Tauranga's co-working space for not-for-profit, social and charitable organisations – is looking for new members.
The organisation, which won the Social Enterprise Award at the recent Westpac Tauranga Business Awards, is keen to find new members to share the space at Historic Village.
The Kollective is now 80 per cent full after opening in October 2018. The open-plan space has 135 desks, six meeting spaces, four kitchenettes and one large kitchen.
The 1800sq m two-storey co-working space was built by TECT to house 40 organisations including TECT, Baytrust and the Acorn Foundation staff.
It currently has desks occupied by 91 "residential" members representing 35 organisations with a permanent place in the building.
"We're happy to be 80 per cent full now, but we'd like to see even more organisations benefiting from this co-working space," general manager Gordy Lockhart said.
"We believe that individuals create community, and the mix of residential and non-residential members is important to encourage collaboration."
Organisations can join as resident members with a fixed or flexible desk, or a non-resident casual user of the facilities. There are 162 "non residential" members – those who come along to use a meeting room, meet with clients or who occupy a desk for a day when they travel from out of town.
Organisations wanting to join can find details at www.thekollective.org.nz/page/memberships/
Rotorua's The Care Village has won a top award for Overall Excellence in Care at the Aged-Care Association's Excellence in Care Awards.
The awards, held in Wellington earlier this month, acknowledged people and organisations whose efforts have markedly improved the quality of life of New Zealanders in need of residential care.
The Care Village is owned by Rotorua Continuing Care Trust and is a local not-for-profit aged-care provider, purpose-built on the foreshore of Lake Rotorua at Ngongotaha.
NZACA head judge Rhonda Sherriff says The Care Village has been awarded top honours for the positive effect the environment they have designed has for residents with dementia.
"All judges were very impressed with the success of the complex."
Village chief executive Therese Jeffs said the award reflected how transformational the model of care they designed was.
"When we looked that the traditional, institutional model, we could see that it was detrimental to residents' quality of life.
"Typically when people move into care, the roles and responsibilities that give meaning to their day are taken away from them.
"The people-centered model of care and environment we have adapted for New Zealand means residents, even those with severe dementia, can live a normal life in small households with regular sized living areas, kitchens, laundries and bathrooms".
The board and management of the village now hope to build two additional homes and are in the process of fundraising for a community hall.
The high-profile CBD premises housing the Rotorua office of one of New Zealand's largest full-service real estate company has been placed on the market for sale.
The modern ground-floor unit for sale on a prominent corner site at 1092 Fenton St, Rotorua, is fully leased to Bayleys Real Estate and the popular Lime Caffeteria.
The tenancies return total net rental income of $89,203 plus outgoings and GST per annum.
Bayleys Rotorua occupies a purpose-built office of some 213sq m on the corner of Fenton and Whakaue Sts. The office serves the residential, lakes, lifestyle, farm, commercial and industrial property sales and leasing markets.
The high-performing Rotorua team has racked up a host of Bayleys national awards for sales, service and marketing. It forms part of a wider Bayleys network with more than 2000 staff and over 90 offices across New Zealand and three in Fiji.
Bayleys Real Estate Rotorua pays net annual rent of $56,064 plus outgoings and GST for its Fenton St office on a lease that runs through to 2025, with two further six-year rights of renewal.
About 140sq m of retail space is leased to Lime Cafe (2007) Ltd, generating net rental income of $33,139 plus outgoings and GST per annum. Its current lease extends to 2021, with two further four-year rights of renewal.
The unit incorporating the two tenancies at 1092 Fenton St is now being marketed for sale by auction on December 8 (if not sold prior) through Bayleys Rotorua.
Mount Maunganui based maternity and nursing lingerie company, Hotmilk, has just celebrated its milestone 15th birthday.
Since 2005, a team of mothers (and a dad or two) have been designing internationally award-winning lingerie that has successfully changed the lives of thousands of mothers around the world.
Starting small in New Zealand, Hotmilk is now successfully exporting into Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the US.
Hotmilk founder Lisa Ebbing is incredibly proud of the company's achievement to date and has plans to develop and grow the business further internationally over the coming years ... watch this space.
Mount Maunganui company Salt Bags is launching what it says is a first of its kind sustainable product, 'Misty Lady' Vacuum Seal Bags.
Designed and manufactured in New Zealand, Misty Lady Vacuum Seal Bags are made from certified AS5810 home compostable film and home compostable adhesives.
The biofilm laminate combination is a new offering that helps to reduce the amount of plastic in our ocean and environment.
Salt Bags co-founder Melissa Woods said the Vacuum Seal Bags have been designed to look and feel similar to traditional petrochemical plastics.
"We didn't want consumers to experience any change in their consumption when vacuum sealing food.
"The key point of difference is that the bags are zero waste, can be washed and reused, then added to the home compost to breakdown".
Salt Bags was recently awarded a Gold Accolade for outstanding packaging design, communication and innovation at the Australian Good Design Awards for the Misty Lady packaging.
"Our goal was to design out all waste. The packaging was developed using FSC paper envelopes and black algae ink, which along with the vacuum bags, will break down in a home compost within 180 days", Woods said.
Western Bay of Plenty District could have fewer councillors to vote for next election.