Business Digest: Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence 2023 finalists announced

Ash Gee, owner of Miss Gee’s Bar & Eatery, which is a finalist in the 2023 hospitality awards. Photo / Anna Lawrence

Bay of Plenty hospitality businesses have been announced as finalists in the prestigious Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence 2023.

Now in its 25th year, the awards recognise and celebrate the success, achievements and resilience of people across the hospitality and accommodation sector.

The local finalists include Fife Lane Kitchen and Bar in Mount Maunganui for Best Fine Dining and Miss Gee’s Bar and Eatery in Tauranga for Best Late Night Venue and Live Entertainment Venue.

Aura Accommodation in Rotorua was up for Best Sustainability, Environmental and Recycling Practices and Rydges Rotorua for Best Mid-Scale Accommodation.

Aura Accommodation in Rotorua was up for Best Sustainability, Environmental and Recycling Practices. Photo / Andrew Warner

Whakatāne’s Awa Motel was also nominated for Best Motel Over 25 Rooms.

Winners of the Hospitality Awards for Excellence 2023 will be announced at a gala dinner at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland, on June 28.

There are 20 categories from which the overall supreme winner will be chosen. There is also the People’s Choice Award, which is open to finalists across every category and voted on by the public.

Hospitality NZ chief executive Julie White said she was delighted by the number of entries.

“These awards are the pinnacle of our industry so we were expecting a lot of interest, and we have not been disappointed.

“We want to recognise and reward members who create the highest possible standards and experiences for both their guests and their team,” she said.

“It’s inspiring to see hospitality businesses still striving to be the best and to meet customers’ needs after what they’ve been through.”

The Industry’s Leader of the Year People’s Award categories will be announced at the Hospitality Social Event on June 27.

For the first time, the People’s Awards will feature an award for Supplier of the Year, in recognition of late industry icon, pioneer and former Awards for Excellence head judge Michael Friend.

Voting for the awards was now open.

DMS kiwifruit growers’ charitable donations top $1 million

DMS kiwifruit growers have collectively donated more than $1 million to Bay of Plenty charities in the past five years following the announcement of the latest grants from their charitable trust.

DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust was formed in 2018 to support local community organisations carrying out valuable work. Growers voluntarily contributed one or two cents per tray of fruit to the trust each season, and the money raised was then matched by DMS Progrowers Ltd, doubling the size of the overall contribution to local charities each year.

Based in Tauranga, DMS is a kiwifruit management and processing operator which manages more than 100 kiwifruit orchards and operates two major post-harvest facilities - 50 per cent of which are owned by growers.

DMS Progrowers chairman Andre Hickson said the trustees were delighted to announce the cumulative donations since 2018 had now exceeded $1m.

“This has been an outstanding achievement despite pandemics, adverse weather events and the current financial climate. The generosity of the DMS kiwifruit growers has been consistent and humbling, and many community organisations have benefited as a result.”

Five trustees (comprising growers and DMS Progrowers Ltd representatives) decided which organisations to donate money to each year.

“Our focus is on charities providing community care for all ages and demographics, as well as those who cater specifically for children and families in need. Our desire is to strengthen the communities our growers live and work in, and help break cycles that contribute to poverty and negative social outcomes,” Hickson said.

Waipuna Hospice was the cornerstone charity and received another substantial donation this year.

Its chief executive Richard Thurlow said he was blown away by the generosity of DMS growers, which would make a significant impact on the organisation’s ability to fulfil its mission.

“We are grateful for their support and commitment to making a positive difference in our community,” Thurlow said.

“It will help us provide the resources and support necessary to make a real difference in the lives of our patients and their families, whether that’s funding patient care, family support, volunteer programmes, or other operational costs such as fuel for our nurses or staff salaries. It is only with the support of organisations like DMS Progrowers that Waipuna Hospice can continue to provide compassionate end-of-life care to those in need in the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty regions.”

DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust trustee Trish Jones and Live for More executive director Krista Davis.

A total of 10 community care charities would receive grants this year, including Live for More, which empowers rangatahi [young people] to find freedom from their troubled pasts and be inspired to live positive and fulfilling lives.

Founder Krista Dixon said the donation towards operating costs for their surf therapy programmes was incredibly humbling.

“It’s easy for myself or anyone working at Live for More to believe in the work that’s being done, but when people donate, it shows they believe in the work we are doing, so it is really encouraging. Of course, it is so exciting too, because more funding allows for ongoing sustainability, which means we can reach more young people, transform more lives and bring hope to more young men who are stuck in destructive lifestyles.”

Te Aranui Youth Trust also received a donation, which funding and administration manager Tanya Grimstone said would allow them to employ a second youth development officer to mentor young boys who were struggling to stay engaged at school.

“This mentoring and ongoing wrap-around support can make an amazing difference for our rangatahi, putting them back on a positive path to a brighter future,” Grimstone said.

“A number of our rangatahi are making positive changes and improving their decision-making skills. These funds will really make a difference to the rangatahi that we work with. Thank you to the DMS Progrowers Charitable Trust for their ongoing support of their local community.”

Remote sensing technology used in the battle to combat myrtle rust

New research using remote sensing technology has delivered promising results to scientists looking for innovative ways to help nurseries combat the spread of myrtle rust.

Scientists at Rotorua-based Crown research institute Scion have found a way to detect myrtle rust days before plants show signs of infection, providing hope that nurseries in the future can start control treatment much sooner and stop disease outbreaks in their tracks.

Working in a containment laboratory, the Scion team, led by data scientist Elizaveta Graevskaya, used high-precision equipment to detect myrtle rust infection in rose apple leaves deliberately inoculated with the myrtle rust pathogen.

Using thermal imaging, the team detected decreases in leaf temperature in infected plants at least a day before symptoms could be seen. Transpiration measurements showed the temperature drop was caused by higher rates of water evaporation from the leaves as the fungal infection punctures individual cells, which cooled the leaves down.

The researchers also used a hyperspectral sensor to look at changes in the wavelength of light reflected from infected leaves. Measurements made using hyperspectral cameras could include visible light to shortwave infrared light and had proved particularly useful for the early detection of diseases. For example, the ratio of blue/green light reflected by infected leaves was noticeably different from healthy leaves up to three days before symptoms were visible. This change suggested that myrtle rust reduced the amount of chlorophyll in infected leaves. Chlorophyll is the green pigment that gives leaves their colour, and absorbs energy from the sun during photosynthesis.

These results prompted the team to expand their research to include other vulnerable species from the myrtle family, starting with eucalyptus in spring.

The lead author of this research and Scion principal scientist Mike Watt presented the findings as part of a webinar series delivered by Beyond Myrtle Rust – a collaborative research programme that Scion contributes to.

“This sophisticated technology has allowed us to detect myrtle rust infection before it can be seen visually in leaves,” Dr Watt said. “We hope this research can be used to develop a robust detection methodology that will benefit commercial nurseries in the future.”

Geospatial technician David Cajes and scientist Dilshan de Silva scanning for myrtle rust.

Scion pathologists, who are some of New Zealand’s leading experts in myrtle rust, had been involved in research to understand the impact of the disease since it was first detected in mainland New Zealand in 2017.

While myrtle rust would be impossible to eradicate, Scion forest geneticist Heidi Dungey said the latest research was a major step towards arming nurseries with the tools they need to make better disease management decisions.

“We are several years away yet, but we can see a time when nurseries will be using hand-held, mobile technology that will be able to detect myrtle rust infections before they are visible.”

The technology also had the potential to be used in the field, and at a much larger scale.

Because the thermal and hyperspectral equipment used by the Scion researchers can be mounted on drones, the team hoped to one day develop field-based methods to detect myrtle rust infections rapidly and remotely.

Forest pathologist and research group leader Stuart Fraser leads the ecology and environment team investigating myrtle rust. He describes the latest research as “incredibly promising.”

“As part of a wider programme of research, we’ve been monitoring myrtle rust’s impact and seasonal progression across the North Island for several years,” he said.

“It’s important that we throw everything at it and use a range of available technologies to accelerate research and management so we can reduce myrtle rust damage to our most vulnerable plants and landscapes.”

Myrtle rust poses a threat to the country’s most iconic plants, including pōhutakawa, mānuka and rātā, as well as commercially grown species such as eucalyptus.

Currently, myrtle rust has an uneven distribution across the North Island, and on the top part of the South Island. It has also been reported in Christchurch. It is most likely to be seen during warm, wet conditions.

The disease causes bright yellow-orange powdery pustules on young leaves, shoots, fruits and flowers in the myrtle family, causing deformation of the leaves and twig dieback. Repeated severe infection can cause the decline or death of large trees.

Beyond Myrtle Rust programme leader Mahajabeen Padamsee said the research illustrated how technology was an important tool for the detection and monitoring of plant pathogens, which was vital for disease management.

The research findings had been published in the respected international journal Phytopathology.

The Business Digest is compiled by press releases.