Rotorua business awards reigning supreme winner Patchell Group of Companies encourages businesses to enter

The supreme winner of the Rotorua Business Awards was Patchell Group of Companies. Photo / Michelle Cutelli

The supreme winner of last year’s Rotorua business awards is encouraging city businesses to get their entries in for the 2023 event.

The Tompkins Wake Rotorua Business Awards were officially launched at the Pullman Hotel to an audience of about 130 businesspeople last month.

Patchell Group of Companies, which has been operating in Rotorua for 50 years, received the Supreme Winner award and the Manufacturer of the Year last year.

Chief executive Brent Whibley said it was an “extreme honour” to be awarded the Manufacturer of the Year in 2020 but to be crowned Supreme Winner was “beyond any expectations we had”.

“As a business, we normally just keep our heads down and do what we do. But the acknowledgement from the chamber and business community was the perfect recognition to our whole team of the amazing job everyone does.

“We are so proud of our people, product, and service to our customers. Receiving the awards was icing on the cake of a massive year as we also celebrated 50 years in business and all of that based in Rotorua.”

Whibley said the awards gave the company the motivation to look deeper into what they do and “we are making changes to become even better”.

“I would encourage all businesses to consider nominating their entity for one of the categories. Rotorua is fortunate to have so many amazing businesses hiding in the wings so let’s start celebrating what we do here.”

Rotorua Business Chamber chief executive Bryce Heard said entries were open for “Rotorua’s business party of the year”.

Heard said there were 16 categories to be won this year with the “biggest-ever” team of 25 generous sponsors backing this year’s event. “It shows every sign of being a huge occasion.”

To enter or nominate a business, visit www.rotoruabusinessawards.co.nz.

Zoe Hunter is an assistant news director covering business and property news for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She also writes for NZME’s regional business publication Money and has worked for NZME since 2017.