Last year's Rotorua Westpac Business Excellence Awards. Photo / File
Finalists in this year's Westpac Rotorua Business Awards have just been announced.
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said competition had been fierce and entry numbers were well up on previous years.
"There was a huge number of entries for the awards this year," Heard said.
"So much so I think the judges have had their work cut out coming up with the finalists."
He thanked businesses who had taken the time to enter and the judges who had been working overtime.
Winners will be announced at a dinner on October 5 at the Energy Events Centre.
"It will be the Rotorua party of the year. You can quote me on that," Heard said.
Last year's supreme winner was Event Impressions, who were hired to run the awards ceremony, not realising they were about to become the winners of the night.
Managing director Jacqui Alexander, who founded the company with husband Jeff Alexander, spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post the next day, saying she felt overwhelmed and shocked to have taken out the Service Sector Excellence Award and then the Supreme Business of the Year category.
"We were sitting at our table just crossing our fingers for our category, so when we found out we had won we were blown away, and feeling quite humbled," Alexander said at the time.
Excellence in Primary Industries - Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology
Kapenga M Trust
PF Olsen Ltd
Excellence in Property, Construction and Manufacturing – One Roof
DCA Architects
Mills-Tui Ltd
Property Inspect BOP Ltd
Excellence in the Retail Industry – Pukeroa Oruawhata Group
Artisan Cafe
Mountain Jade
Excellence in the Service Sector – Holland Beckett Law
Cheal Consultants Ltd
Peak Safety Ltd
Physio Direct Ltd
Excellence in Hospitality – Deloitte
Pig and Whistle Historic Pub
Sichuan Style Restaurant
Excellence in Tourism – Deloitte
Kaitiaki Adventures
Waimangu Volcanic Experience
Bi-lingual Business Award – Deloitte
Arataua Media Ltd
Hikoi NZ Ltd
Kaitiaki Adventures
Excellence in Small Business (less than 5FTE) – Osbornes Funeral Directors
Arataua Media Ltd
Galaxy Travel
Property Inspect BOP Ltd
Sustainability Business Award – Rotorua Economic Development
Jasco Distributing
Kaitiaki Adventures
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Innovation and Disruption Business Award – Scion
Mills-Tui Ltd
PF Olsen Ltd
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Not For Profit – The Hits 97.5FM
Rotorua Arts Village Trust
Rotorua Parents Centre Inc
ACC Workplace Safety – ACC
Lakes District Health Board/Rotorua Hospital
Redwoods Treewalk
Emerging Leader – Ministry of Social Development
Felicity Farrell - Mediaworks Rotorua
Kerri Anne Hancock - Rangiwewehi Charitable Trust
Miriam Hewson - Futureproof Concepts Ltd
Kahurangi Milne – Arataua
David Remmerswaal – Dimple
Employee of the Year – Our House
Helen Bennett - Physio Direct
Binod Pudasaini – WaiOra
Jonelle Smith - Redwoods Treewalk
Young Innovator of the Year – Ministry of Education
Dale Noble - Western Heights High School
Kayleigh Waller - Western Heights High School
A newspaper has been saved, paving the way for several similar deals for other towns.