A human resources management sensation has carried off the major honour at the Hastings City Business Awards.
The NZME Supreme Award, at the presentations in Focal Point Cinema in central Hastings last night, was won by Grow HR, which was formed in Hastings 10 years ago last April by former Heinz Wattie's human resources general manager Murray Cowan.
In what was a sign of the business's rapid elevation, Mr Cowan staged something of a recruiting coup when he took on his Wattie's successor, Dave Robb, as a business partner.
The pair now run a burgeoning concern managing human resources with offices in both Hastings and Napier.
On the way to the top last night, Grow HR also claimed the Corporate Service Award for a second year in a row.