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Finalists announced for TECT Community Awards 2022
The finalists for the 2022 TECT Community Awards have been announced.
The 2022 awards celebrate community groups, volunteers and young changemakers helping make the Western Bay of Plenty one of the greatest places to live.
Finalists will be vying for six main awards: Event Excellence, Sustainable Future, Diversity and Inclusion, Heart of the Community, Youth Spirit and Volunteer of the Year.
A Lifetime Service Award and People's Choice Award will also be announced on the night of the awards. Voting will open in February on the TECT website.
The finalists for the Event Excellence Award include the Bay of Plenty Garden and Art Festival, He Iwi Kotahi Tauranga Moana Charitable Trust – Waitangi Day Celebrations, Multicultural Festival Tauranga, National Jazz Festival and Te Kete O Matariki.
The Volunteer of the Year Award finalists include Andrew McDowell, Bill Webb, David Walker, Maureen Paterson and Rodney Landrebe.
One of the judges, Carlo Ellis, said the panel were inspired by the diversity of nominations.
"Looking through all the nominations was truly inspiring. There are so many people and groups who work quietly away with little recognition to make our community a better place to live."
Western Bay of Plenty mayor Garry Webber thanked all nominees and finalists.
"By being nominated for the TECT Community Awards, your hard work and dedication has been recognised by the community within which you do your volunteering."
Tauranga City Council chairwoman Anne Tolley said this year's award finalists exemplify the diversity and depth of the Western Bay sub-region's voluntary sector.
"There's absolutely no doubt that the strength of a community depends on the people and groups who devote their time and energy to activities which enrich us and help residents who need support from time to time."
Winners will be announced at the awards night at Baycourt Community and Arts Centre on March 17 next year.
Menulog Restaurant Awards winners announced
Tauranga Indian restaurant Castle 91 has been announced winners of the People's Choice Award in this year's Menulog Restaurant Awards.
More than 120 restaurants across Aoeteroa competed for the People's Choice crown, with
Castle 91 receiving the most votes from their customers.
Restaurant owner Mike Dhillon said it was not just about owning a restaurant, but being a valuable part of the local community.
"They're like family to us. During lockdown, we gave out free meals to anyone who was struggling.
"Even now we still provide food to anyone who has lost their job. We don't want anyone going to bed hungry."
Dhillon said customers were "big fans" of Castle 91's signature Drunken Chicken dish, which was prepared with "a little bit of rum".
"It means the world to us that our local community got behind us and voted."
A butter chicken from Tauranga Indian restaurant Own Masala was ranked one of the best meals to order after you've been dumped.
Menulog commercial director Rory Murphy said the awards were about celebrating local
cuisine and this year was also focused on supporting restaurants at a challenging time.
"The hospitality and restaurant sector are incredibly resilient and throughout the awards we have heard incredible stories about restaurants like Castle 91, Rajas in Auckland, and Tauranga's Punjab Express who have given away free food to support those in need and people struggling financially. That's amazing community spirit.
"We congratulate Castle 91, and all those involved in the awards..."
The winning People's Choice restaurant receives an advertising and media package worth $2500, to help promote and grow their business, with $1000 to put towards their venue, along with other prizes.
Seeka completes Orangewood amalgamation
Seeka Limited has advised the amalgamation with Orangewood Limited [Orangewood] has been successfully completed subject to a Certificate of Amalgamation from the New Zealand Companies Office.
The certificate will mean Orangewood will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Seeka and Organewood shareholders will become shareholders in Seeka.
In a written media statement, Seeka said all conditions of the $6.9 million transaction have been satisfied.
Seeka will issue 639,302 new shares and pay $1,301,737 to Orangewood shareholders, and assume $2.15m of Orangewood debt.
Seeka now moves into an integration phase to align the business processes of Orangewood with Seeka and to set the combined Northland business for a successful 2022 harvest season.
Seeka thanked the advisers and due diligence teams on behalf of both companies on the successful completion of this transaction.
Virtual school exchange cements Tauranga's 35-year relationship with sister city in Yantai, China
International travel restrictions have not dampened the celebrations of Tauranga and China's Yantai City which are marking 35 enduring years as sister cities.
The cities have combatted the lack of travel and face-to-face contact with a virtual exchange between students at Tauranga Intermediate School and Yantai No. 2 School in China.
Yantai City in the Shandong Province of China has been a sister city to Tauranga since 1986. The cities share many commonalities in trade promotion, exporting and tourism.
Yantai is also an important centre for marine research – Yantai and Tauranga share a relationship between Waikato University's Coastal Marine Field Station and the Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research.
Since 2002, students from Tauranga Intermediate and Yantai No.2 School in China have ventured between the two cities through the school exchange programme.
But with Covid-19 borders restrictions forcing a cancellation of the school's physical exchanges, this year Tauranga Intermediate students embarked on a virtual exchange with their Yantai counterparts to celebrate their sister city anniversary.
Tauranga Intermediate's kapa haka group, alongside Tauranga city representatives, presented their Yantai friends with a video where they delivered speeches in mandarin.
Last week, Yantai City responded with a series of dance, art and martial art pieces depicting the special relationship and history between the two cities in their own cultural style.
Tauranga Intermediate's international director Annemieke Hart said the school was extremely fortunate to have such a long-standing partnership with Yantai.
"The international exchanges over the years have helped our students become global citizens and has sown the seeds for many students to venture into their future career pathways overseas."
Tauranga Intermediate student Brooke Barnett said she loved being able to embrace each other and share their cultures despite not meeting in person.
"My understanding of Chinese language and culture has grown so much through this exchange. It's really helped me to broaden my perspective and think of the bigger picture outside of New Zealand."
Yantai City mayor Zheng Deyan said, in a letter to Tauranga Intermediate School, when they signed the sister city agreement in 1986 "we planted the seed of friendship".
"Thirty-five years on, with common efforts of officials and people from all walks of life from our two cities, the seed has grown into a grand tree."
Mount cinema for sale
The former cinema complex, which housed Event Cinemas, in Mount Maunganui's CBD is for sale.
The four-storey freehold building at 249 Maunganui Road has been a go-to destination for a generation of local movie lovers, most recently as Event Cinemas Mount Maunganui.
The Maunganui Road property is being marketed for sale through Bayleys Tauranga by deadline private treaty closing on December 8.
The 1824-square metre cinema complex was purpose-built in 1998 on a site of 1219 square metres.
An Event Cinema spokesperson said the cinema has not traded for more than 18 months. The cinema did not have any further comment.
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce chief executive Matt Cowley said the Mount North suburb was near full capacity for retail, residential and office space.
"It's a prominent site with many opportunities to support the nearby Mount Mainstreet businesses, particularly in the quieter winter months."
Manawa Honey wins at London Honey Awards 2021
A small honey producer from Ruatāhuna, in the remote Te Urewera, has won four awards at the London International Honey Awards 2021.
Manawa Honey's Manuka Honey and Tawari Honey won gold and its Rewarewa Honey and Pua-a-Tane Wild Forest Honey won silver.
The London Honey Awards attract hundreds of entries from 30 countries across the world each year. Entries are judged on a range of criteria, including the general sense of enjoyment, taste and appearance.
Manawa Honey chief executive Brenda Tahi said the company was established to create jobs for locals and to inspire rangatahi (the younger generation).
Tahi said the honey business was now a platform for reaching out to people across the world, as customers and partners:
"The collective goal for the people of Ruatāhuna is to have a thriving community, connected not only to the land and forest that are an essential part of us, but also connected to people and activity across the globe that's of great interest to us."
Tahi said the award comes off the back of the company's Rewarewa Honey being crowned the Best Tasting Honey in the World in the Black Jar International Honey Tasting Contest, USA earlier this year.
"Our honey now sits with the world's best, backed by these international contest wins and awards."
CoreLogic aquires property-tech firm AiRE
Independent property data and analytics provider CoreLogic International has acquired property-technology firm AiRE as part of its expansion across real estate technology solutions.
AiRE specialises in AI-driven lead identification and nurture solutions for the real estate industry. More than 4000 real estate agents in Australia and New Zealand use the company's digital lead generation and nurturing 'assistant' RiTA and related services.
Together with the industry's research platform, RP Data and Property Guru, RiTA will be a complementary solution in CoreLogic's growing offerings to the real estate industry, which include its new lead generation tools and digital proposal solutions.
CoreLogic International chief executive officer Lisa Claes said RiTA's value to the real estate industry had resonated strongly as evidenced by the impressive traction gained in a very short time.
"The acquisition of AiRE aligns with CoreLogic's vision of helping our real estate partners identify and leverage actionable leads while at the same time streamlining business performance through data, technology and the advanced capabilities of machine learning and AI."
Claes said agents will appreciate the intrinsic value of their CRM data but may have struggled to fully commercialise and maximise its full potential.
"Timeliness is paramount for agents to maintain contact with clients and this solution will ensure they remain front of mind."
CoreLogic's executive of product, data and analytics, Tim Jenner, said AiRE's industry-leading AI helps agents to efficiently leverage their own intellectual property and enhance their personal brand.
AiRE's founder and chief executive Ian Campbell said the synergies between the two companies made sense for its existing clients employees.
"This merger means our clients now have access to the industry's most comprehensive data which will catapult RiTA's capability to new levels.
"CoreLogic's significant operations in the UK, a large market with a similar structure to Australia and New Zealand, will also present opportunities to expand our reach and enhance RiTA's functionality.
"CoreLogic will also provide a significant boost in support resources, which will further enhance our clients' experience and allow us to accelerate the growth of our award-winning technology."
Campbell said he and fellow co-founder Sarah Bell as well as the company's leadership team will continue to lead the business as part of CoreLogic.
CoreLogic's acquisition of AiRE was completed on November 19, 2021.
"If you’re loyal to them, they will be loyal to you."