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Kay Ganley from the Bayley's Mount Maunganui team has been crowned top salesperson of the year.
The top-performing individuals and offices for the 2020/2021 financial year were recognised at Success Realty's annual awards evening on May 7.
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Success Realty is the group of Bayleys offices in the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Taranaki.
More than 260 salespeople, managers and support staff from nine offices across the three regions attended the awards.
Realty Group chief operating officer Heath Young said the award nights were a memorable occasion.
"They are a chance to recognise the successes of our people and also have the opportunity to come together as a company to celebrate another year of exceptional performance."
Ganley also won Bayleys Residential Salesperson of the Year.
Karl Davis of Bayleys Waikato Country won Bayleys Country Salesperson of the Year. Brendon Bradley of Bayleys Tauranga won Bayleys Commercial Salesperson of the Year.
The Success realty, Bayleys Top Office of the Year was awarded to Bayleys Country.
The Rookie of the Year award was given to David Kilbride from the Waikato Country team, recognising an excellent first year in real estate.
The Bayleys Marketing Campaign of The Year was awarded to Angela and Nick Fleet of Bayleys Mount for their work on 66 Santa Barbara Drive, Papamoa.
The Property Excellence Award was given to Darren Rule of the Commercial Property Management team.
Richard Wright from Bayleys Mount was awarded the Lifetime Top Referrer of the Year and the Commercial Property Management team was given the award for most referrals to Rothbury.
Eimear O'Sullivan from Bayleys Hamilton won Administrator of the Year. Shae Capewell won the Realty Services Excellence award.
Karl Davis from Bayleys Waikato Country was awarded the Bayleys Auction Cup and the Bayleys award for Greatest Number of Deals Settled.
Leo Baas and Sandra Pickering were given the award for Individual Auction Growth, increasing their number of auctions from the previous year.
The award for Greatest Year on Year Individual Growth was given to Brent Trueman from the Bayleys Bay of Plenty Country team.
A special mention was given to Chris Metcalfe from Bayleys Matamata and Rachelle Jackson from Bayleys Hamilton on their 10-year awards. Aimee Wright and Mike Fraser-Jones from Bayleys Hamilton were also noted for their 20-year service awards.
Engineering the secret to work-life balance
Having energy at the end of the workweek, avoiding peak traffic, and more time with the kids are just a few of the perks employees at Kirk Roberts Consulting are experiencing with a nine-day working fortnight.
The national multi-disciplinary engineering and project management company is introducing the option of a nine-day working fortnight for its 133 full-time staff.
This means employees can work their 80 hours in nine days to have every second Friday off.
A trial in mid-2019 in its Tauranga office saw employee satisfaction increase across several areas.
There was a 53 per cent increase in satisfaction when it came to having more energy at the end of the workweek, a 47 per cent increase in satisfaction when it came to meeting family responsibilities - and a 39 per cent increase in satisfaction when it came to health and wellbeing.
The nine-day fortnight was set to become permanent in 2020, however, the coronavirus pandemic hit and put the idea on the shelf.
But with all staff working from home during lockdown employees were keen for working life to get back to normal so they could take advantage of the nine-day fortnight.
Since the initiative began in late April, 54 per cent of full-time employees are now participating across its four offices in Christchurch, Tauranga, Hamilton and Auckland.
Christchurch project coordinator for Kirk Roberts' geotechnical, civil and environmental division, Hannah Murphy, said she was keen to take advantage of a day off every second Friday.
"Having a three-day weekend also gives you a boost psychologically, my weekends are usually very active so that one extra day to wind down and relax before the week ahead is just what I need."
Executive manager for the geotechnical, environmental and civil division, Jordan Walker, plans to spend more time with his two young children.
"An extra day off will let me get the gardening done, or any extra work, so on the weekend I can spend it with the family."
Jordan said that adding in an extra half hour of work in the morning and afternoon, or even a shorter lunch break, is enough to fill 80 hours in nine days.
Chief executive Jade Kirk said caring for staff and wanting them to be happy are key drivers for Kirk Roberts.
"We want to be an employer of choice and to be as innovative in running our business as we are in finding solutions for our clients.
"We know that our people value flexibility and that the traditional way of working doesn't suit everyone.
"We also want to help lead change in the way employers operate. Giving our staff this flexibility option lets them make choices about how they achieve a good work-life balance."
Quest Mount Maunganui under way
Building of the $20 million Quest Mount Maunganui is now under way.
Construction of the 40 apartments and ground-floor retail spaces on the corner of Rata St and Maunganui Rd began on May 3.
Quest Mount Maunganui was originally scheduled to open early this year but Covid-19 delayed the build by a year.
Wallace Development Company Limited bought the 2118sq m site including Breakers cafe and bar and Rosie O'Gradys more than a year ago.
All existing buildings built in the 1950s and 1960s were demolished to make way for the new development.
The project is scheduled to be completed by mid-next year.
Garry Diack appointed new Ravensdown CEO
Ravensdown has announced Garry Diack as its new chief executive officer.
Diak replaces Greg Campbell who has held the position at the farmer-owned co-operative for the past eight years.
Diack joins Ravensdown from his position as chief executive and executive director of Tait Communications on July 19.
He has more than 30 years' experience of improving corporate performance, effective governance and driving growth.
Ravensdown chairman John Henderson said Diack's experience across many industries, his rural connections and grounded-yet-innovative approach, made him a compelling proposition.
"The board is excited that its search for someone that offers strategic continuity and deliberate evolution has been successful.
"There's no doubt that our purpose of enabling smarter farming for a better New Zealand has never been more important and Garry is passionate about that direction."
Diack is looking forward to helping take Ravensdown forward in a changing landscape.
"Large parts of my career have been devoted to helping harness the power of New Zealand agriculture to punch above its weight in domestic and international markets."
He has seen Ravensdown forge value-based relationships with its farmers through his experience in advising companies like CRT, Silver Fern Farms and the predecessors to Fonterra, as well as directing Ashburton Trading Society.
"I am privileged to be given the opportunity to play my part in the challenges of tomorrow's farming.
"I know that Ravensdown has invested in tools and technology that have potential to be win-wins for the environment and farm profitability."
John Henderson noted Greg Campbell's eight years of service to Ravensdown, saying he's been an "exceptional and accessible champion of farmers".
Spoffit forges ahead after business course
Ōmokoroa-based Spoffit Reid has gained a Certificate of Small Business & Project Management, Level 4, from Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (TWoA) in Tauranga.
The 33-year-old is one of hundreds of TWoA tauira (students) who attended the latest Tauranga campus graduation ceremony on May 7 at Bethlehem Baptist Church.
Graduates for 2020 included tauira who have completed certificate, diploma, degree and post-graduate programmes.
Spoffit says that what he's learned at TWoA is helping him confidently drive forward with his new geotechnical engineering field support service, trading as Geoverse NZ.
"One day I was looking at how I could apply for grants or how I would finance my business idea. I noticed that I needed a business plan and the amount of time required to complete the paperwork looked daunting," says Spoffit, who originally hails from Maketu.
A friend recommended doing a business course at TWoA. "Going into this course my goal was to better understand my business and how I could run it successfully."
Not long after he started the course, Covid-19 put the nation into lockdown. Spoffit appreciated how TWoA adapted to teaching online during periods of rāhui.
Then in June, he was made redundant because of the deteriorating economic conditions.
Then came news of his father Arapata Reid's death, which motivated him to push on hard with his business.
"I now had extra fuel in the tank to see my business succeed. I dug deep and continued with the business plan."
As the course progressed, his original idea for a recruitment agency evolved into one for his current business.
"I learned about different marketing strategies, finances, sustainability, risks associated with going into business, websites, logos, and much more."
His vision is to improve the quality of geotechnical test results provided throughout Aotearoa.
BNZ to offer online eftpos
Paymark and Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) have announced the bank will become one of the first to offer online eftpos to its customers through industry-developed and standards-led APIs that connect directly into BNZ's systems.
The new service will use Payments NZ V2.1 Industry APIs and will be available in mid-2021.
Online eftpos gives online shoppers another way to pay, allowing them to buy products and services online using the money from their bank account.
BNZ executive customer, products and services, Dan Huggins, says customers say they want more control over their money and more ways to pay.
Online eftpos is one example of the NZ payments industry's commitment to developing standards for simple secure and efficient payments.
Paymark spokesperson Will Miao says Paymark's objective is to enable a series of new payment use-cases, aiming to re-shape how New Zealanders think of making payments to each other and for goods and services.
"With online eftpos, customers don't need to have a credit card or even remember their bank account number, they simply buy the product from one of the hundreds of New Zealand merchants who offer online eftpos."
Former Rotorua Trust building goes unconditional
The Rotorua Trust building on Eruera St is set for new owners, but its role will still be the same – serving the Rotorua community.
The building will transfer to Collingwood Funeral Home, with the company taking possession on May 14. The building was listed in January.
Rotorua Trust chairman Stewart Edward says the trust received multiple offers for the 265sq m, refurbished 1930s villa.
"This building has been home to the trust and Rotorua community for 20 years crafting its legacy within the community through the trust's work – touching the lives and supporting the people of Rotorua in multiple ways," Edward says.
"It's a legacy the trust wanted to continue, which was a key decision in accepting Collingwood Funeral Home's offer as we see them treating the space with the same respect and aroha as we have for the past 20 years."
Edward says Collingwood has been proudly serving the people of Rotorua and the surrounding areas with dignity and sincerity since 2014.
"While it's an end of an era for the trust, we believe the community and family-focused nature of the service Collingwood Funeral Home provides is an appropriate fit for this warm and friendly space and it will continue the legacy this building has become known for – serving the people of Rotorua."
Sale proceeds will be invested into the trust's investment portfolio, to continue delivering funding to the community through the trust's grants programme.
Rotorua Trust's three-person operational team will move to the new Haupapa House office hub, which is nearing completion.
Collingwood funeral director Todd Gower says the building's era is in keeping with the trusted, professional care the business offers.
"We're proud to take on the guardianship of this building and thank the trust for working closely with us to make this opportunity a reality."
Up and up the kiwifruit ladder
Nik Cavill hit a point in seventh form where he'd dread the day ahead – so he secured himself a kiwifruit packhouse job with Mount Pack & Cool (Mpac) and left Mount Maunganui College.
"I knew it was a job where they always needed people," Cavill says of the kiwifruit industry. "I ended up sticking with it."
Cavill began stacking boxes on night shift in March 2010, working 50 hours and six days a week.
"I learn things by doing things, not hearing or reading them," he says.
He became the go-to at Mpac's Aerodrome Road site, running the yard for three years.
Now, the 27-year-old is Mpac's coolstore operations manager, which meant taking on the company's new Tauriko site too. This year marks his 11th with the company.
"They had the advert out there, but I never thought of applying for it until one of the bosses at Mpac asked me one day if I was interested in taking on the job," Cavill says.
After consulting with partner Maria (and mother to their 4-year-old son, Martin) about the next step up in his career, and the further commitment it would require, he decided to take the job.
"It's quite a busy role, but I enjoy a challenge.
"With the way the company is going, I can only see myself going up and up, taking on more and more.
"There's a big future here, and that will only continue as the industry is growing rapidly, especially with SunGold kiwifruit."
"If you’re loyal to them, they will be loyal to you."