Local entrepreneur and mum Steph Kennard.
Local entrepreneur and mum Steph Kennard has launched a national tech solution that helps motorists keep track of when their next warrant of fitness, car rego and service is due in a free, easy-to-use app.
Bonnet users can also keep track of Road User Charges (RUCs) mileage, and warranties for their vehicles, from a single car to a family load or fleet, helping to eliminate the stress of a fine or overdue services.
The app has made an impressive debut in the New Zealand app store charts, currently ranking number 2 second only to Google and outranking major New Zealand companies like Spark and Vodafone. The app has been downloaded more than 3000 times since launching last week.
Kennard said more than 3000 downloads in just a few days had “smashed all our expectations”.
“Already, some users have found that they are mistakenly overdue on their diesel mileage, and fleet owners are thrilled to have a centralised point to manage their vehicles.”
Six years in the making, the app was created when Kennard said she saw a clear gap in the market after working in the vehicle industry for many years.
“Vehicle admin can be a nightmare for families and fleet owners, it’s easy to lose track of when your registration or service is due leading to unnecessary fines or repairs - especially when you’re trying to manage multiple vehicles.”
The nationwide app is free and easy to use, requiring users to simply enter their number plate to access all relevant information.
“I work in the tech industry, running my own digital agency and have worked with prestige car brands throughout my career. I saw an opportunity to solve a problem that affects a huge number of New Zealanders through a seamless app solution,” Kennard said.
Bonnet also recognises when a vehicle is a diesel car and automatically shows the driver’s paid Road User Charges (RUCs) balance with Waka Kotahi transport agency.
Users will soon be able to load their service history into the app, eliminating the need for a physical glove box book and making it easier to sell their car with a transferable profile. Kennard plans to add toll payments, fines and even insurance to the app.
“The goal is to become a one-stop-shop tool for all Kiwis’ vehicle administration needs,” Kennard said.
The app also aims to load all service centres in New Zealand, making it even easier for users to book appointments and keep track of their vehicles’ maintenance.
With a sea captain for a grandfather and childhood summers spent around the sea, it’s no surprise that Professor Karin Bryan was drawn to studying the deep blue. A passion for math and physics led the University of Waikato Professor to physical oceanography.
Bryan is one of the new Royal Society Te Apārangi Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi Fellows. She has been honoured for her research on estuarine processes, coastal morphodynamics and climate-driven variability in waves, which has gained international recognition over more than 20 years.
Bryan says climate change is a game changer for an already complex discipline.
“It is really hard to provide useful information in such an uncertain environment. The focus was first on the slow onset hazard of sea level rise, but these massive events of the last few months are making it even harder to visualise the future. There is no time to perfect a theory or model anymore, we need to learn and improve really quickly to be able to help.”
The recognition that comes with the fellowship also comes with a reminder for Bryan.
“I think for my research it will remind me to focus on fewer but higher quality - and, most importantly, more useful - outcomes,” she says.
It’s also a prompt to keep working with the next generation. As Dean of Te Mata Kairangi School of Graduate Research, Bryan is committed to demonstrating the value of graduate study in creating useful knowledge for society.
“This year I want to focus on helping students get real value out of their university experience. It sounds corny, but [I want] to show that universities still have a place in creating useful knowledge for societies.”
Her world-leading work in the oceanography of the coastal ocean and her success following the rigorous election process for Royal Society Fellows are testament to that value.
Ngā Ahurei a Te Apārangi Fellows are recognised by the Royal Society Te Apārangi for their distinction in research and advancement of science, technology or the humanities.
Tourism Bay of Plenty has launched the first Eastern Bay of Plenty intake of its free 12-week programme, The Green Room | Te Rūma Kākāriki, in Ōhope. Eighteen businesses and organisations are taking part.
The part-time programme takes a holistic approach to sustainability, incorporating economic, visitor, community and environmental actions. It includes topics such as carbon footprint measurements and practical steps that can be taken to reduce waste and carbon.
Whakatāne District Council deputy mayor Lesley Immink, Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan, and Tourism Industry Aotearoa sustainability advocate Gisela Purcell were key speakers at Wednesday’s launch event, which was followed by a workshop for programme participants.
Tourism Bay of Plenty head of strategy and insights, Stacey Linton, says the launch was particularly timely given the recent unseasonable weather in the North Island, which dramatically highlighted the realities of climate change.
The Green Room was launched in Waihī Beach in May last year, and 28 Coastal Bay of Plenty visitor sector businesses and organisations have since graduated from the programme. Linton says the aim is to have 100 graduates from across the region within two years.
“Consumer values are changing as people become more conscious of climate change and the impact of their actions. Locals and visitors are wanting to support businesses and destinations that leave a light footprint or, better yet, give back. This was an emerging market pre-Covid, and it’s growing,” she says.
“According to Expedia, 90 per cent of consumers are looking for sustainable options while travelling. Half said they would pay more for transportation, activities and accommodation if the option was more sustainable.”
The Green Room is managed by Tourism Bay of Plenty, delivered by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TIA), and funded by Toi Moana Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatāne District Council is also supporting the latest cohort.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has appointed Olivia Buckley as the new associate director for the board.
Buckley is a Te Kuiti-based vet and an owner and director of Eight Mile Farms Ltd, a family farming operation, which integrates dairy and forestry with several sheep and beef properties.
Ballance chairman Duncan Coull welcomed and congratulated Buckley on behalf of the Ballance Board for being appointed to the “highly sought-after” role.
“We were very encouraged by the calibre and interest in this role, which gives hands-on training to those wanting to grow their experience in governance. Olivia’s background and aspirations to continue to contribute to building a sustainable future for the sector through governance roles sits well with the objective of growing the governance acumen of future leaders for the primary sector.
“This role will provide Olivia with the opportunity to learn how a co-operative board operates, working collaboratively and actively participating with directors.”
Buckley said she was grateful to Ballance for providing her with the opportunity to begin her governance journey.
“In 2017 I completed a AWDT [Agri-Women’s Development Trust] Escalator Course in leadership, governance, analytical and strategic thinking.
“This associate director’s position provides an excellent opportunity for me to observe and participate in governance while developing my leadership skills.”
Buckley will join Ballance and attend her first board meeting this month.
The Mount Maunganui Golf Club has raised $10,000 for cyclone-hit clubs in Hawke’s Bay.
Maunganui club general manager Michael Williams said about 300 golfers attended this week’s golf night.
An All Black Sam Cane-signed rugby ball, Black Cap Neil Wagner-signed shirt, lunch with Kiwi golfer Phillip Tataurangi, and a round of golf with golf professionals for two people, were among items auctioned as part of the fundraiser.
Yoga instructor Barry Muntz from Studio 18 health club hosted a yoga session on the fairway with about 90 people.
“We had 140 people playing golf, 90 do yoga, and about another 75 people coming down for the auction.
“We peaked at 300 people in the club.”
Williams said after hearing about how badly Hawke’s Bay golf clubs had been affected by the cyclone, they wanted to help.
He said he had spoken with the Napier Golf Club which was the worst affected.
“They have got a long road ahead.”
The money raised will go directly towards Red Cross and a New Zealand Golf trust fund to be distributed to the clubs that need it the most, he said.
The first shipment of the 2023 New Zealand kiwifruit season has now departed the Port of Tauranga, carrying around 2500 tonnes - more than 600,000 trays - of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit to customers in Japan.
The Southampton Star is expected to reach Tokyo early next month before sailing to Kobe. It is the first of 53 charter vessels Zespri will use this season to deliver around 145 million trays of green, SunGold and RubyRed kiwifruit to more than 50 countries.
Charter vessels will deliver around 72 million trays of this season’s New Zealand-grown fruit to Zespri’s global consumers. This season’s charter programme will include three services to Northern Europe, seven to the Mediterranean, two to North America’s West Coast and 41 to Asia, with a further 73 million trays to be shipped using container services.
Zespri acting chief global supply officer Jason Te Brake says after a challenging 2022 and a tough start to 2023 given adverse weather including Cyclone Gabrielle in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne - the start of the new season represented a reset for the industry.
“Demand for our fruit remains strong, and with this season’s harvest ramping up over the coming weeks, we’ll soon move into mainpack where the bulk of our fruit is harvested.
“It’s a proud moment seeing the first ship taking our fruit to customers and consumers but especially this year given it’s been such a challenging start to the year for some of our growers.”
Te Brake says lower fruit volumes and having more labour available this season provides an opportunity for the industry to focus on improving fruit quality, which will play a key role in returning more value to growers and communities.
“The industry’s Quality Action Plan was launched in October last year and has seen significant collaboration throughout the entire industry to ensure we deliver great quality fruit for our customers and consumers in the 2023 season, as well as in the years ahead.
“That starts with ensuring that we’re doing everything we can to have a great harvest and looking after the fruit throughout the supply chain.
“There’s already been some great work undertaken across the industry as part of the Quality Action Plan, and that will continue to be our focus as harvest continues over the coming months.”
One of the key principles within the Quality Action Plan is assessing fruit flow decision-making from end-to-end, and Te Brake says that includes looking at how Zespri can optimise its shipping programme to ensure it was helping deliver consistently good-quality fruit to consumers in offshore markets.
“While Covid-19 caused significant shipping disruption in recent years, we’re expecting a more stable shipping environment this season, with better transit times delivering fruit to markets.
“With our first charter vessel now on the way to market, we’re looking forward to our shipping programme ramping up in the weeks ahead and continuing to work with our shipping partners to provide consistently high-quality Zespri Kiwifruit for our customers and consumers to enjoy this season,” Te Brake says.
Food delivery app Delivereasy has been launched in Whakatāne.
Delivereasy will be one of the first on-demand delivery service to start operations in the eastern Bay of Plenty town and the app’s 31st location throughout the country.
Delivereasy chief operations officer Quinn Davis said it was thrilled to be one of the first to bring on-demand delivery to the eastern Bay of Plenty community.
“This brings a whole new dynamic to Whakatāne’s hospitality sector, by expanding retailers’ reach and enabling more convenience for their customers, Delivereasy is delivering more local neighbourhood favourites to the wider community.”
Eateries and local establishments that have signed up include McDonald’s, Burger King, Gallipoli Turkish, Ataturk Turkish, Viet Eatery & Cafe, Mata Beer Brewery, Office Bar, Deli Roast and convenience outlets Night’n Day.
Since its launch in 2016, almost 400,000 Kiwis have used Delivereasy to order more than 5 million meals.
Delivereasy founder Nick Foster said from the outset, its hospitality partners could see the huge potential for on-demand delivery and were keen to get involved with a partner that made it logistically and financially feasible and fair.
“Our personal approach to making it work for every restaurant is really what makes us different for restaurants and customers.”
A 7-tonne sculpture by a has been unveiled in Tauranga's Red Square.