Export awards open for entries

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay export successes will be celebrated at the region’s eighth export awards in August.

Details of the ExportNZ ASB Export Awards were announced today by ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay executive officer Amanda Liddle, who said this year’s awards were especially significant given Cyclone Gabrielle, and acknowledged the strength and durability of export businesses in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti.

“This year has been particularly challenging for exporters who are facing yet another year of uncertainty. Recovery from the cyclone, the unrelenting rise in costs, ever-present labour constraints, and supply chain issues are constant concerns. The wellbeing of their people has also weighed heavily on exporters’ minds.

“Yet despite this, our region has shown remarkable strength in the face of adversity, along with continued innovation in its businesses, which is exactly what these awards are all about.

“There is an award category to suit every type of export business — you don’t have to be the biggest business in town, you just have to tell us your story of why you are the best at what you do.”

Mrs Liddle says the awards have become a much-anticipated event and this year promises to be a celebration of not only regional exporters “but a reaffirmation of the people, businesses and communities who make up the place we’re fortunate to call home”.

Businesses will compete for the T&G Global Best Established Exporter Award (organisations with a turnover of more than $5 million a year), the Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence in Innovation Award and the ContainerCo Best Emerging Business Award.

Napier Port’s Unsung Heroes Award this year will have a broader reflection on Cyclone Gabrielle and the heroic efforts of so many individuals and businesses will be recognised.

A new category, Newstalk ZB’s Inspiring Women in Export Award has been created to acknowledge those women who lead the way in their respective businesses. Anyone can nominate a person for these categories.

The winners of the three categories this year will contest the supreme award of ASB Exporter of the Year and will automatically be entered into the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) International Business Awards in Auckland in November. Last year’s ASB Exporter of the Year was Hastings company Rockit Global.

Organisations from Gisborne to Pahiatua are eligible. Judging criteria include core operations and achievements related to export activities. Award entrants will receive site visits by the judging panel.

Entries close on June 21, with site visits in late June and early July.

Finalists will be announced on July 17, with the Awards Gala Dinner on August 10 at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.