CECC Update magazine - Issue 157 (November 2013

Issue 157

update

Business growth in the mid-sized market Managing business success Meeting NZ’s growth challenge How are local businesses responding? The Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter What you need to know Milking the value add proposition How Westland Milk is holding its own Scaling new heights The global success of Clip ‘N Climb

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Page 4-9 Business Opinion

Pages 10-14Feature

Pages 16-23General Business

Pages 24-26, 31-33 Your People

Pages 27-30 Events and Training

Pages 34-35 Health and Safety

Pages 37-39 Export and Import

Pages 40-44 Member Profiles

Pages 46-47Champion Canterbury

Pages 48 Arts and Culture

Pages 49-51CECC

Pages 52-54 New Members

meetinG neW Zealand's GroWth challenGe

FEATUREPAGES 10-14

10Meeting New Zealand’s growth challenge We talk to local businesses to see how they are rising to the challenge. Pages 10-14

22Behind the brand With growth running at an average of 30% per annum every year over the last two decades, Grant Mirfin, managing director at ECL Group, discusses his model for sustainable growth. Pages 22-23

37Growing your exports The key to successful export growth is commitment and planning. Our CECC exporting expert shares the 12 steps you should consider before taking the plunge. Page 37

42Innovative local company scaling new heights Local climbing arena Clip ‘N Climb has revolutionised indoor climbing around the globe. Pages 42-43

40Milking the value add proposition As New Zealand’s second largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, Westland Milk Products is more than holding its own. Pages 40-41

20Business R&D funding – what is it and how does it work? We look at programmes aimed to accelerate commercialisation of innovation by firms in New Zealand. Page 20

4Business growth in the mid-sized market One of the critical issues facing local businesses over the next twelve months will be managing growth, writes CECC chief executive Peter Townsend. Page 4

The key to successful export growth is commitment and planning. Our CECC exporting expert shares the 12 steps you should consider

Page 37Page 37

As New Zealand’s

32Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter What is it? And why do you need to know? Page 32

31Business growth – the human factors Don’t overlook the fundamentals that underpin the success of any expansion – people. Page 3116

SMEs managing on the edge Researchers from Lincoln University look at organisational resilience in SMEs in relation to the earthquakes. Page 16

cEo comment

4Update November 2013

We have waited a long time for economic activity to ramp up. That time has now come and we can expect an exponential increase in economic activity in Christchurch as we get into the rebuild. There has been a lot of cynicism from the business community about exactly when that would happen, but we can see now that it is right on our doorstep.

It is driven primarily by insurance payouts, and we know the

industry is under enormous pressure to settle claims and

working fast to do just that. Some of that pressure is driven

by reinsurers offshore who, on 4 September 2013, went into

their fourth year of uncapped liability and they don’t like it.

So the critical issue for CECC members – and all businesses

in our community – is how they are going to build scale in the

context of a rapidly expanding environment.

This will primarily revolve around ensuring their cashflows are adequate and they have sufficient working capital to operate and grow their companies. That in itself will require a different approach to business and we are confident that it will also drive changes in the behaviour of the banking fraternity. New financial instruments are being put into the market in the context of rapidly growing businesses. Human capital and human resources are going to be a critical factor as we grow. Already we are seeing significant shortages as a result of companies increasing their workforce in the mid-sized market to gear up for the rebuild.

This shortage will only increase once the insurance money really starts being filtered through our economy. There is also a requirement for businesses to think more strategically than they have in the past. It is not enough to just think about next week or next month. We need to be thinking a year out and we need to think strategically in the context of mid- to long-term business activity.

At present, most companies are operating within their resource capability, blind to the fact that unless they change their capability markedly over the next three to six months they will be left behind. Some serious forecasting of where a company might be a year out or two years out in the context of the Christchurch rebuild is a critical exercise right now. It’s your future and you can make it bright with some strategic thinking and careful planning.

Finally, in the context of mid-sized company activity, we are seeing a marked move towards new relationships in the supply chain and a significant move towards our collaborative models, with businesses working collaboratively together to build scale and be more effective in the context of the rebuild. Quite often it involves a local business that can unlock economic opportunity, and a business outside Christchurch that can assist in building scale.

There are many different forms the collaboration may take. It may be just contracting services or personnel, a cross shareholding, a joint venture, a supply contract, a secondment agreement and so on. We have little doubt that there is huge benefit to be gained by companies thinking collaboratively and turning mid-sized companies into effectively large entities by working much more closely together than has been the case in the past.

The opportunities in Christchurch are all ahead of us. It is up to us to go out and get them, and maximise the benefits to our people, our companies and our community.

Peter Townsend Chief Executive [email protected]://petertcecc.blogspot.co.nz/

Business growth in the mid-sized marketWe have no doubt at the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce that one of the critical issues our members will be facing over the next twelve months is how they manage business success in a highly volatile, rapidly expanding economic environment.

cEo comment

5

Business opinion


A recent survey turned up a rich mine of information. The Mood of the Boardroom Survey* of companies in Christchurch and other New Zealand cities told us a great deal about revenue trends, business priorities, hiring intentions, current political issues, local government performance and more.

The part of the survey that covered medium-sized businesses – average payroll 160 full-time and 40 part-time staff – contained many insights into business today. The concerns of mid-sized companies are wide-ranging, but top priorities revolve around money and staff. Getting more customers, revenue and cashflow are top of mind for the biggest number of respondents.

Next most pressing are concerns around staff – getting the

right skills, improving productivity and service levels, and

retaining good staff and reducing others. Encouragingly, a

majority (64%) are expecting revenue growth in the next 12

months, and most (85%) expect to increase or maintain staff

numbers. Most (92%) are reasonably optimistic about New

Zealand’s progress in the next decade.

As in previous surveys, skill shortages show up as a major concern, with employers unable to get key skills such as IT, engineering and other applied skills. Skills shortages may indicate greater hiring intentions by employers, but skills shortages are also a brake on growth and indicate a pressing need for more work on national skills policy. The respondents gave their own opinions on preferred policies for improvement – they want more tertiary funding and more student loan funding for needed subject areas.

Shortages of needed skills is an area where the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and BusinessNZ advocate strongly on employers’ behalf, with organisations such as the Ministry of Education, NZQA, Careers NZ and the Tertiary Education Commission. Our goal is to achieve investment in education that results in skills in greatest demand in the economy, better connections between education institutions and business, and increased links between research and science in universities and innovation in business and industry.

Another key concern of mid-sized firms is the performance of local government and its impact on business. Many of the respondents to the survey (59%) feel that councils’ administration of consents is negative for business. Most (77%) are unhappy at councils using ratepayer money to establish enterprises in competition with the private sector. And over half (54%) want the Christchurch Council to sell assets to help fund new infrastructure. These responses indicate that the environment for business could be significantly improved through better decision-making at local government level.

BusinessNZ is seeking better local government performance through its work with the Local Government Forum and in submissions on local government reform. We agree that consenting decisions are often unnecessarily restrictive and other areas under the control of local government can impact negatively on business. Further work is needed to restrict council activity within core services to help restrain rates rises, and to curb the tendency of councils to use ratepayer money to start up enterprises in competition with local private sector businesses.

Business mood in the cityWhat’s keeping business owners awake at night? How does the average firm feel about the environment for business?

Business opinion

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In other policy issues covered by the survey, the issue of electricity and economic growth received a clear response, with over two-thirds of respondents (77%) disagreeing with the Labour-Greens proposal to impose price controls on electricity generators. Respondents don’t believe the policy would be successful in promoting economic growth. This policy has also been strongly rejected by CECC and BusinessNZ, on the grounds that price controls would deter investment in the electricity and wider sectors.

Perhaps the most interesting answers in the survey were in

response to questions about business owners’ achievements and

regrets in the previous year. Unsurprisingly, maintaining or

growing revenue – “surviving” – was the biggest achievement

cited by a small majority (35%) of respondents.

But when asked about their biggest regret over the previous year, business responses were revealing. Responses split into three main areas. 19% regretted their actions – or lack of actions – in relation to staff. Not hiring or training well enough, getting people into the wrong roles, losing valued staff or failing to reduce non-performing staff, not communicating enough, not celebrating enough – many different regrets around people issues were expressed.

25% regretted lack of achievement – not achieving sales or profitability targets, not growing new business or losing contracts. The biggest category of regret could be summed up as “not seeing”. 27% regretted not seeing soon enough or reacting quickly enough to changed circumstances – a rapid decline in profitability, a new environmental problem, a new competitor, declining IT performance or new regulations – respondents either hadn’t seen the change coming, or were too slow to take action on it. Responses to this question highlight a key factor about today’s business environment – that change happens fast and may not be easy to quickly discern or react to.

Overall, the picture that emerges from this survey of many medium-sized businesses is reasonably positive, though with challenges:

• There’s reasonable confidence around business growth

• There’s optimism around New Zealand’s future progress

• Skill shortages are a worry

• Local government is causing a few concerns

• The pace of change is a challenge.

As for businesses themselves, the responses show a large number of ambitious, pragmatic, resilient firms successfully doing business today.

Phil O’Reilly Chief Executive BusinessNZ businessnz.org.nz

* Mood of the Boardroom Survey 2013 conducted by BusinessNZ and NZ Herald

Business opinion


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It’s a question most businesses in Canterbury could do with considering at the moment – not just those in the front lines of the rebuild, but any business that is contemplating growth in the current market.

The rebuild might have been late starting, but now it’s roaring ahead faster than forecast. Of course, nowhere is this more obvious than in construction, which is currently 40% higher than it was at the peak of the 2003-2007 boom. And that’s just the beginning. According to Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens, quake-related construction activity in Canterbury will double again by 2015.

While construction is the engine of the rebuild’s economic stimulus, the effects are likely to be extremely widespread. The rebuild has already brought unemployment down to 4.3% in the region. But the figure that probably best puts the enormous growth in context is this: Canterbury’s economic growth is now similar to that of China.

So, for local businesses, the rebuild is likely to mean a significant

opportunity. But there are also risks to be aware of in the

rebuild – both from inside and outside the operations of local

businesses.

Internally, extraordinary growth also requires significant focus on business systems and management. Managing cashflow, hiring and maintaining the right team, balancing revenue and expenses and investing for the future in the right areas all require careful planning.

In the wider economy, all this activity is likely to soak up scarce labour and drive up construction costs, creating inflationary pressures that may require the Reserve Bank to think about lifting interest rates.

It all adds up to an environment that’s particularly challenging for firms outside the construction sector, especially exporters – exactly the firms we’ll need to carry the economy after the rebuild. Given this, our Chief Economist advises that it’s important to be mindful of the house price boom and bust cycle, and the recent experiences of the GFC.

In order to make the most of growth now, and plan for any possible changes in the market in the future, it’s also vital to get good quality, specialist advice.

That’s where banks also have a role to understand the market and assist appropriately. We’re committed to the region and focused on meeting the challenges and needs of our communities and customers. We’ve been doing this in a variety of ways since the earthquakes struck the region, from creating the Westpac Business & Community Hub, to raising millions for the local community through the Canterbury Care Fund.

Now, we are concentrating on helping businesses make the most of the opportunities ahead, with a wide range of initiatives, from specialised advice and assistance for people and businesses heading to Canterbury through our Canterbury Calling programme, to the business seminars I mentioned in my introduction.

There’s no doubt that there’s a buzz building in Canterbury – with exciting potential for the people of Canterbury and the whole country. The key to making the rebuild of lasting benefit for the whole region, is working together to ensure we have the best capability, advice and support to build a generation of highly successful, well integrated and managed businesses.

Gina Dellabarca Regional Manager South Island Business Banking [email protected]

How big do I get? That’s the question we’re posing for the final of our series of trade-focused business events later this month.

Riding the rebuild wave

If you are in the trade industry and interested in a short, snappy seminar

dedicated to helping make your business a success in Christchurch,

register online for Seminar 4 – How big do I get? Tuesday 26 November from

5.30pm at the Westpac Business & Community Hub:

westpacmanagingyourmoney.co.nz/WorkshopList/13/Canterbury

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As companies across canterbury look for ways to harness the incredible opportunities of the rebuild, it’s important to recognise the challenges that come with growth. new Zealand businesses have often struggled to turn a good business into a successful model for growth. however, in areas as diverse as manufacturing, retail and it, locally-based companies have proven, with the right systems and focus – whatever the conditions – it’s possible to create a winning formula.

meetinG neW Zealand’s GroWth challenGe

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“It's a relationship where both sides are giving a lot of time and understanding. Our strategy is to work with the companies that really want to grow, and throw everything we’ve got at them – wrap it all up and help them execute.”

Building capability is not only important to individual success, according to Alan; it will make a real difference to the economy.

“We should be doing better. Our export economy should be bigger, because it is only through being bigger that it is going to deliver the wealth and the tax and all the things that we expect,” says Alan. “But there’s no point saying ‘they’ve got to do that’. It’s a matter of rolling up our sleeves as an organisation and saying ‘in partnership, what can we do to make a difference?”

Big or small, exporter or domestically focused, the principles for growth are the same, according to Alan.

“There are no short cuts to success. You have to do all the

basics right. You’ve got to have a value proposition for an

addressable customer segment. And you’ve got to have the

means to deliver, at the right price. And if you’ve got that,

then the world’s your oyster.”

New Zealand is short of larger international businesses.

According to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE),

around 13,000 companies in New Zealand are exporters. Of

these, only 560 companies have exports between $5-25million,

and only 240 earn more than $25million internationally.

The lack of weight at the larger end of the market is a problem for the whole country, which sees New Zealand languish at near bottom of the scale of smaller OECD countries, when looking at exports as a percentage of GDP.

NZTE, which aims to contribute to the Government’s growth agenda by helping grow exports from 30-40% of GDP, is focused on helping companies identify where they can add value to their operation.

“Any successful growth strategy needs to cope with the more profitable parts of the growth strategy, around R&D, branding and sales and marketing,” says NZTE customer director Alan Koziarski.

Based in Christchurch, and co-located with Callaghan Innovation, Alan and his team work closely with around 260 exporting companies in the city.

“We are very keen to have companies look at their businesses and make some quite hard decisions about which part of their operation will offer the most growth opportunities,” says Alan. “We work most intensely with companies who actively want to significantly grow their business.”

Alan says the biggest barrier to companies investing in international growth is around the resources to do it – both human and capital.

“I’m always struck by how wide the responsibilities are in New Zealand exporting companies and how narrow the management bandwidth is. We’re mostly small companies and we’re asking them to conquer the globe – it's a big ask.”

To support them, NZTE works alongside the companies to identify strengths and help plan the structures and systems that will make them an export success.

“We know everyone’s unique, so we work through the Discover Canvas process to identify what their needs are. Then we plan and customise the support we provide, working in partnership with Callaghan Innovation and other ‘NZ Inc’ agencies.”

The NZTE planning process covers a broad range of areas, from how to innovate and commercialise ideas, and streamlining the operation to meet export costs, to keeping up with the latest global trends, and access to capital and investment.

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Established over 60 years ago, Victor Hydraulics specialises in collaborative engineering, from one-off customised cylinders to project-based designs, or an OEM-specific application.

In the last 24 months, Victor Hydraulics has grown considerably, increasing staff and improving turnover by 40%, as well as making a $5million investment in a new production facility.

Victor Hydraulics general manager and director, Willy Colenso says such rapid growth certainly put the business under pressure.

“In the last year, we’ve learnt that being busy doesn’t necessarily mean success,” says Willy.

“What being busy really meant is that we worked harder for less – and it wasn’t good for our staff and it wasn’t good for our customers.”

Willy says the company has engaged with NZTE and VantagePoint Marketing Limited to better understand their customers’ needs in order to focus their growth.

“Growth has to be managed and it has to be sustainable,” says Willy. “And you have to understand where you are going to add value. What we have established is that we need to make our decisions with more information. We need to better understand and qualify our markets and our customers.”

A Canterbury-based company currently working closely with NZTE, Victor Hydraulics is focused on getting the basics right to

achieve sustainable growth.

Willy says as the whole business goes through a fundamental rethink in the way they approach markets and gear for growth, establishing good systems and processes is vital.

“We are starting the journey now to build sustainable growth.

That includes investing in our staff, in our customers, in our

suppliers, and in developing our whole value chain.

“Victor is going towards a vertically integrated offering,” says Willy. “That means being collaborative – working right at the coalface to understand our customers and their business goals.”

Being aware of the need for improvement is also crucial, according to Willy.

“I think if we don’t change, we remain where we are. If we are prepared to take the lessons from what we’ve encountered, we can grow profitably, successfully and sustainably. You have to be positioned for change – psychologically as well as structurally. We are preparing ourselves for change and can see it’s not too big a jump. With some fairly fundamental attitude changes, I’m absolutely confident that we can get there.”

victor hydraulics

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Having started out in the kitchen of owners Guy and Michael Mayell’s mother and grown to become a nationally recognised

brand, Cookie Time is a true growth success story.

After ‘chipping away’ – as the management team describe it – for over 30 years, the company now has around 100 staff and 43 franchise owners nationwide – serving retailers of all sizes from Kaitaia to Bluff.

That franchise network, which essentially gives the company 43 customers to deal with directly, is one of the strengths of Cookie Time’s development model.

“We would have one of the strongest distribution networks in the country,” says Cookie Time general manager, Lincoln Booth. “One of our core competencies is to be able to deliver one unit to one store, once a week.”

Controlling product delivery and building a direct customer relationship has always played a vital role in Cookie Time’s business, from Michael Mayell’s first foray into sales for the company – delivering directly to 70 dairies in Christchurch.

“It’s grown organically over the years. Once you’ve got an area established then you reach into another area, and over time the model has evolved,” says Lincoln.

“Its really important for us, if we’re going to grow and develop and maximise our distribution footprint, to have franchisees who are business owners – they’re entrepreneurs, they’re hunters, and they are constantly seeking business opportunities.”

A creative approach, both in terms of the now-iconic brand and the company’s marketing, has also made a significant difference in the local food retail market where Cookie Time competes against large multi-national companies.

“We’re a small company with a big heart,” says Lincoln. “The boys didn’t have a lot of money when they started up, so they had to think creatively. By nature that just forces you into thinking big and getting really creative results by not spending a truckload of money.”

Lincoln believes quality and customer experience have made Cookie Time a household name at the right end of the market.

“We are seeing a trend in the market where you have premiumisation happening. Brands at the upper end of the market, that are a bit more indulgent and represent greater quality, command better margins and enjoy greater loyalty.

“Our view is always about premium ingredients, natural ingredients, and no compromise on quality. If we find an ingredient that is super expensive but is the best for the product, then we’ll use it. We won’t cheapen it. We find creative ways of offsetting those cost opportunities by embracing innovation and automation.”

Although testing a wide range of products over the course of its development – “the beauty of Cookie Time is that we’ve always got far too many good ideas” – the company has always maintained a vision of the path to success.

“Once you get really clear on what you are good at doing, and what you aren’t good at doing, the roadmap becomes a lot clearer. And we are constantly challenging ourselves on those sorts of things.”

The next stage in that journey is a launch into retail, with the success of the Queenstown Cookie Time Cookie Bar providing an ideal way to expand the market – both locally and internationally.

“It’s been three years in the making,” says Lincoln. “To go into retail you’ve got to wear an entirely different cap. And that’s provided us with lots of new thinking, fresh thinking, and new ideas to keep the model evolving.

“As a consequence, we’ve had a number of requests to licence the retail store in countries around the world, and we’ve just recently signed a licencing deal in Japan and Malaysia.”

With the licencing model providing a unique and managed way to expand offshore, Lincoln sees the future for one of Christchurch’s homegrown success stories as very bright indeed.

cookie time

“30 years on for Cookie Time? World domination – one shop

at a time from the 31st year,” says Lincoln. “If the retail vision

transforms into what we think it could, we’ll end up being a

retail business throughout the Asia Pacific. We’ll never forget

New Zealand of course – it’s the heartbeat of our business!”

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For a company that is already a market leader in both New Zealand and Australia, creating growth has meant an enormous

investment in technology, as the software industry undergoes a significant shift from the desktop model to an increasing emphasis

on the cloud and internet-enabled solutions.

Established in New Zealand almost a quarter of a century ago, MYOB, which employs over 400 staff in offices in Christchurch and Auckland, is one of the country’s largest software developers. With more than 1.2 million active business customers across Australasia, MYOB invests over $35m per annum in research and development.

Alongside the organisation’s marketing, management and business support staff for the local market, a sizeable development and design team is based in New Zealand. Together they work to ensure every aspect of the company’s business and accounting software meets the needs of the market, while liaising with the IRD and other agencies to constantly interpret and implement new legislation and compliance regulations.

“In business, you can’t stand still,” says Christchurch-based MYOB sales manager – business division, Scott Gardiner. “With the pace of change in our industry, that’s even more true.

“A changing world presents both chal lenges and opportunities. You have to work constantly to understand what your market needs, and in our case, that means recognising the broad range of requirements of the entire SME sector.”

In the last year, more than half of MYOB’s new unit sales were for cloud-enabled products, reflecting the growing demand for software supplied or data stored in the internet.

Scott says that although SMEs in both New Zealand and Australia have been slower to adopt cloud products than their larger counterparts – with around 16% of SMEs in both countries reporting they use the cloud for business, according to the company’s MYOB Business Monitor survey – demand is steadily increasing.

“It’s very heartening to see more and more local business owners embracing cloud technologies,” says Scott. “We believe the cloud will fundamentally change the way businesses work, connect and collaborate. For a business owner, it means your business can be open 24 hours a day, and your office can be wherever you want it to be.”

“For smaller businesses, too, the subscription model made possible by the cloud is substantially lowering barriers to entry.”

In developing its strategy to cloud-enable New Zealand’s most popular suite of accounting software products, MYOB also made a clear decision to follow the path chosen by other major international software developers, like Microsoft, to provide both online and offline capabilities.

“The experience of the Christchurch earthquakes, locally, has demonstrated how important our approach to the cloud is,” says Scott. “Having your data backed up and accessible in the cloud is a vital measure of security for a business, in the event of a disruption. But, at the same time, if you can’t get access to the internet, its very good to know you can still work with the latest version of your product on your desktop.”

Scott says although keeping pace with new technology and investing in research and development is a vital means of securing growth, you can’t forget the people aspect of business.

“The very reason we went into business was to make business

life easier – for people that started their own business, probably

not wanting to spend a lot of time doing the books.

“This means investing in our local team to provide the best levels of support and assistance businesses need.” MYOB’s customer care centre is based in its Christchurch Centre of Excellence, a deliberate strategy of on-shoring support after the earthquakes.

“It also means working with a network of expert partners around the country, who can come to any business and help them get the most out of our products.”

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general Business


“SMEs play a crucial role in the New Zealand economy,” says Dr Addison. “They employ over 40% of the working population and contribute over 50% of the country’s total value-added output. But they are not just small ‘big’ firms – they have characteristics of their own that make them vastly different.

“The Canterbury earthquakes provided us the opportunity to develop a better understanding of organisational resilience in relation to SMEs. As soon as you get into the area of disasters, you get extreme situations, contexts and behaviours that highlight these organisational processes. In many ways it makes it easier to study what goes on. These are businesses that are clearly not only managing the unexpected, but also managing on the edge.”

Towards the end of 2012, Mr Radford and Dr Addison initiated research looking at how issues around psychological ownership could explain the difference between large and small firms. They also conducted research into what happened to small firms following the Canterbury earthquakes. By amalgamating the two, they were able to start building a framework to make sense of why some SMEs were more resilient than others.

“While firms are traditionally classified in terms of legal ownership, psychological ownership plays an important part in building greater organisational resilience,” says Mr Radford.

“What we found in terms of psychological ownership is that there are three dimensions that explain possibly what happened. The first is the owner’s reliance on the firm as a primary source of income. Secondly was their financial commitment to the firm, which is a characteristic that doesn’t exist necessarily in larger firms. And thirdly was the existence of brand equity, in terms of psychological ownership as an extension and expression of self.

“Our findings would indicate that heightened feelings of psychological ownership are responsible for the kind of commitment that enables survival of an organisation.”

The Lincoln Commerce department has further research planned to establish a commercially relevant tool for industry. “We are hoping to develop an instrument to assess the resilience of small companies that will be useful for business, banks, and for government to better direct initiatives to support small businesses,” says Dr Addison.

“This is already being done for larger organisations, but we

believe that SMEs are a different animal. Many of the academics

here have professional backgrounds and commercial experience

with start-ups in various roles, so our focus is on an applied

approach.”

Lincoln has also been approached to participate in an international comparative study into the financial impacts of disaster recovery, which will include research institutions from Australia, China, Thailand, Japan, and Italy.

SMEs managing on the edgeWhile much research has been undertaken on organisational resilience in large organisations, very little is known about SMEs. However, for Lincoln University Head of Business Management, Law and Marketing Department Dr Ramzi Addison and Head of Accounting, Economics and Finance Department Jack Radford, the Canterbury earthquakes provided the opportunity to investigate how and why some SMEs were able to survive, while others closed their doors.

>> lincoln.ac.nz

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The ultimate payback for dedicating your time to creating or growing a successful business, is when you:

• Appoint a general manager and enjoy an excellent dividend stream for a modest level of input at Board level

• Pass it on to your family and friends and see them carry on the name and brand that you dedicated so much time to

• Sell the business and enjoy a tax-free capital gain.

Any buyer (or inheritor) of your business will need to connect with the business and your market. They will need the appropriate skills and attributes to run the business and the more opportunities to improve the business, the more motivated they will be to become involved.

The key driver for all buyers will be around risk analysis with respect to:

• Personal and business goodwill

• Customers, suppliers and markets

• Cashflow, finance and exchange rate

• Staff and contractors

• Industry risk (sunrise or sunset)

• IT and IP

• Location and lease

• Stock and plant

• Competitive and complementary activity.

So how can you best mitigate these risks? There are four areas that are a ‘must have’ to optimise sale value.

Accurate financial and business reporting

This includes monthly Profit and Loss statements so a buyer can be reassured that the business is on track. Implicit within this is the need for the business to make a profit, and understand its cashflow – if there is no cash, everything stops and if there is no profit why would a buyer pay for goodwill?

Make yourself dispensable

The best way to mitigate ‘personal goodwill’ is to ensure you have staff in key positions, either dealing with suppliers, customers, or the manufacturing or service processes. The more indispensable you are to your business operations, the higher the possibility that a new owner will be unable to replicate your expertise.

Staff structure and working hours

A buyer’s biggest fear is that the staff will leave under new ownership. The biggest fear for your staff is that the new owner will make quick changes and terminate their employment. Neither generally happens, but the best results are achieved when staff are valued and looked after.

Some owners mistakenly think that if they work 70-80 hours per week and make ‘super profits’, then they can sell for a higher price. In fact the reverse is true – a buyer will factor in the overhead to appropriately resource the business and adjust down the profit stream they are buying accordingly.

Systems and processes

These include checklists, standard operating procedures, extensive job descriptions, operations manuals, production planning software, current costing sheets, estimating software – the list goes on.

Other important points to detail include:

• Documented customer and supplier contracts, distribution agreements

• Branding and marketing strategy, including an online strategy

• Tidy debtors list and current asset register

• Strong advisory team to assist with the sale process, including a competent and effective broker

• Current lease and appropriate renewal and rent review provisions.

As a business owner you may be required to remain in the

business for an appropriate transition period. Alternatively,

the new owners may negotiate a ‘restraint of trade’ as a fair

and reasonable exchange for the goodwill paid.

Damien Fahey Tabak Christchurch 03 377 [email protected] tabak.co.nz

Positioning your business for success and successionThere are significant benefits to succession planning.

general Business


A business plan is a roadmap for your business and gives you an over-arching goal and plan for you to follow. Without a plan, a business can lack focus and day-to-day activities are likely to be haphazard and reactive – in stark contrast to those businesses implementing a well thought-out business plan.

A business plan should be used annually for setting goals for one to five years ahead. There are usually two parts to a business plan – the first covers background, while the second part details the various goals and objectives. If you have a board of directors, they should provide the key strategic goals that are then given to the staff to develop specific operational goals that help achieve the strategic ones.

Actions are then identified to achieve these goals. A timeline

and key performance indicators are wrapped around these

actions, with regular review on progress against the goals.

The importance of planningBusiness planning is used by a large number of companies as a means to manage growth better, concentrate resources, assess future opportunities, encourage new ideas and increase the commercial viability of their business.

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19

1. To map your future

A business plan is a vital aid to help you manage your business more effectively. It helps you to understand your business better and set out particular courses of action to help improve your business. A plan can list alternative future scenarios and set specific objectives, along with the resources required to achieve these goals.

2. To support growth and secure funding

At some stage, most businesses face investment decisions. Often, these opportunities cannot be funded by free cashflow alone and you may need to seek external funding to raise the funds you require. If this is the case potential lenders will require access to the company’s recent Income Statements/Profit and Loss Statements as well as your up-to-date business plan.

A well-written business plan can help convey key selling points to prospective investors and provide vital evidence of your company’s future ability to generate sufficient cashflows to allow your business to operate effectively.

3. To develop and communicate a course of action

A business plan helps a company evaluate future opportunities and commit to a particular course of action. The plan can outline steps needed to achieve goals and assign objectives to specific individuals, enabling staff to be a part of the overall strategic direction of the business.

Your business plan is a living document that will grow and change. By regularly reviewing your progress against your business plan – usually on an annual basis – you can measure actual performance, and revise and update your plan if necessary.

4. To help manage cashflow

A fundamental requirement for all businesses is the careful management of cashflow. Cashflow management is especially important for start-ups, and becomes vital if the business is looking for investment opportunities that will result in large amounts of cash out-flows in advance of the cashflows coming in. A well thought out business plan will help manage these funding requirements more effectively.

5. To support a strategic exit

At some point, the owners of the firm may decide it is time to exit the business. If a business does have an exit strategy and a well structured business plan, present day decisions can be made while still keeping in mind the future requirements of the business.

Common exit strategies include:

• Initial Public Offering of stock (IPO’s)

• Acquisition by competitors

• Mergers

• Family succession

• Management buy-outs.

reasons why you need a business plan:5

A well-written business plan will clearly highlight the

opportunity for the incoming investors, the value of

this opportunity and will increase the likelihood of a

successful exit by the current owner.

If you need assistance with business planning, please contact the CECC business advisory team on 03 366 5096.

general Business


Callaghan Innovation is a stand-alone Crown Entity established on 1 February 2013. It has been formed from a consolidation of the Industrial Research Laboratories (CRI) and the R&D business funding components from Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

This role hasn’t previously existed in New Zealand and it has been charged with developing a range of new functions and services, providing science, engineering and technology services (Research and Technical Services Group), funding, coordination and advice.

The focus is to deliver products and services that:

1. Motivate industry and individuals to innovate through inspiring information, training, advice and funding

2. Connect industry with innovation ideas, opportunities, partners, expertise and solutions

3. Deliver project management resources and the expertise required for high priority innovation opportunities.

Cal laghan Innovation works closely with customers, industry, investors, Ma–ori, worldwide research organisations, regional economic development agencies and other government agencies, particularly New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).

Callaghan Innovation administers more than $140m a year in

business R&D funding through three programmes, designed to help

accelerate innovation by firms in New Zealand:

• R&D Growth Grants: Designed to increase R&D investment in businesses with a strong track record for R&D spending in New Zealand

• R&D Project Grants: Designed to support greater investment by businesses in R&D activities, especially those with less established R&D programmes. R&D Project Grants are primarily targeted at businesses that do not receive a R&D Growth Grant – for example, businesses with smaller research and development programmes and businesses new to R&D

• R&D Student Grants: Designed to support undergraduate and graduate students to work in a commercial R&D environment.

Callaghan can further assist business through engagement of the following support programs.

Global Expert – a fast, professional and confidential service that locates and pre-screens national and international experts and connects them with New Zealand businesses to help solve innovation challenges from concept through to commercialisation.

Better by Lean – helps businesses to improve performance, eliminate inefficient processes and activities, and increase customer satisfaction.

Research and Technical Services – if you have a technical problem, or want to explore how innovation might benefit your business, we can connect you to the appropriate resource – whether that’s within Callaghan Innovation’s own Research and Technical Services teams, another New Zealand innovation system or potentially overseas. The Accelerator Services can help you find the support you need to bring your innovations to market, through better access to experts, technology, training, talent, capital or markets.

Regional Business Partners – part of a nationwide network of organisations that can help businesses access information, funding, training and development services. This is the first port of call for businesses seeking to learn more about these programmes.

Business R&D funding – what is it and how does it work?We look at programmes aimed to accelerate commercialisation of innovation by firms in New Zealand.

Rob Lawrence 03 335 3177 [email protected] cecc.org.nz

Carly Wheeler 03 335 3180 [email protected] cecc.org.nz

Find the new criteria for assessing proposals for funding at callaghaninnovation.govt.nz/what-we-do/funding

general Business

21

general Business


How has the business changed over the last 60 years since it was established?

My twin brother Brent and I purchased the business in 1997, when the business had 10 staff. It has since grown and developed through business start-ups, acquisition and organic growth to now employ over 450 people. Originally an electrical contracting business, a decision was made in 1998 to move into areas that required higher levels of expertise and where higher barriers of entry exist.

What do you consider to be key to your success?

The dedication and loyalty of our employees, without a doubt. The long-term tenure of employees and low staff turnover is particularly satisfying. Our focus on corporate and government clients, and undertaking quality installations allows employees to develop and feel as though they are contributing a quality service, which is very important. In addition, the working relationship between my brother and I is unique. We come from different career paths and are very focused on working together, with the same goals, aspirations – and frustrations! A number of staff still cannot tell us apart.

Behind the brand Introducing Grant Mirfin, managing director at ECL Group

The ECL Group is a provider of smart technical services to corporate clients in New Zealand and Australia. With a network of 28 offices, 350+ vehicles and 450 employees, the company delivers technical design, installation and maintenance services in the areas of fuel systems, technology solutions, help desk support, electronic security and facility maintenance. The ECL Group is structured into five business units – electronic security, facilities maintenance, fuel systems and dispensing, techology services, and help desk services – which together provide a wide range of services to clients in the health, aviation, education and energy sectors.

>> eclgroup.co.nz

general Business

23

What were some of the early challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?

Managing growth and the integration of acquisitions has been a challenge. With growth running at an average of 30% per annum every year over the last two decades, managing our expansion whilst remaining close to the business has been testing. One frustration for everyone within the company is where competitors take shortcuts, install inferior products or don’t observe Health and Safety practices. We see new competitors come and go – those that do not focus on quality, safety and delivering products that have low total cost of ownership do not survive.

How do you sustain long term and continuous growth and improvement?

We have a focused company strategy and long game plan. We see ourselves in business for the long haul, and annually undertake detailed planning over the next five-year period. We also revisit our strategic plan, and drive new operational targets and objectives from our plan, ensuring all business units are working together to deliver our strategy. We have considerable success achieving what we plan, as this provides consistent focus through the organisation.

What sets your business apart?

A commitment to the delivery of excellence is a key driver across the business. We are partners with our corporate client base and we strive to add value by ensuring critical business assets are protected, maintained and kept operational. We use technology to allow our customers to have greater visibility over maintenance costs through technicians collecting real time data and our business analysts using the data to enable customers to make informed decisions. The coverage we provide with 450 employees allows our national clients to be able to get a wide range of services undertaken by a single service provider.

What are the challenges of running a large workforce throughout New Zealand and Australia?

The biggest challenge – especially from a management perspective – is the number of flights required to cover both countries, to stay in touch with customers and staff. Travel is non-stop and at times relentless. The New Zealand and Australian markets are very different and as such need to be treated differently. We allow our senior managers in both markets to drive their business operations depending on the markets they are in, rather than trying to impose a ‘one plan fits all’ approach. One area that doesn’t really change is the need to be in the market, both in front of customers, but also with employees, so as owners we get an understanding of what is happening out there.

What significant changes have been made over the years?

Whilst we have endeavoured to maintain a family type approach to business, we have also followed many corporate type processes, from a formal Board of Directors, to annual audited accounts, to detailed strategic planning. Whilst the corporate disciplines have been good for the company, we haven’t lost sight that we want to remain flexible, entrepreneurial and approachable. We don’t insist on lengthy management reporting or lots of meetings – our attitude is to let our people just get on with it.

What is your vision for the company?

We have a vision of the ECL Group being a significant trans-Tasman business that is based from our Christchurch head office. We want our brand to be well known as a company that provides ‘smart technical services’. We plan to continue to grow the business, and use technology to provide increased value for our customers. The dramatic changes in technology (from technician mobility devices to equipment monitoring) have been huge in the past 10 years and we don’t see this slowing down.

Do you have any advice to offer other businesses on the same growth path?

Ensure the governance of the organisation is strong. In 2008, we embarked on a formal Board structure with three independent Board members and an independent chair. This sounds expensive but in reality the value that is achieved is huge.

It has been particularly effective for us as it ensures we

consider carefully our business risks. It also allows an external

view of our management decision-making.

your people


As a not-for-profit health insurer, Southern Cross’ premiums are a direct reflection of the claims we pay. Forty years ago, an adult health insurance policy cost 20 cents a week and a hip replacement was $350. The cost of a new hip now starts at $18,000, and a hospital and specialist plan for a forty year old is around $18 per week.

The reality is that while 93% of the number of claims we pay out are non-surgical, the 7% that are surgical represent 75% of claims costs. Further, in 2007 Southern Cross spent $25 million on knee surgeries; in 2013 that figure was $47 million. The 88% increase in claims costs (almost six times the rate of general inflation) is a combination of the increasing number of claims and each claim costing more.

Southern Cross can’t control the volume of procedures members need – that would defeat the whole point of having health insurance – nor can we prevent justifiable medical cost escalation. But what we can tackle on behalf of our members is unreasonable prices and unreasonable price increases.

As the largest health insurer in New Zealand, with around 817,000 members, Southern Cross accepts it has some responsibility to lead the way in tackling rising private healthcare costs. This is why in recent years we have significantly grown the Affiliated Provider programme.

Affiliated Providers are specialists and facilities contracted to provide Southern Cross members with certain healthcare services at agreed prices. This means:

• The Affiliated Provider organises prior approval and processes the claim on the member's behalf

• The member doesn’t have to pay for the service and then wait to be reimbursed

• The member knows up-front how much, if anything, they have to pay.

Essentially the Affiliated Provider programme is a risk management tool; by contracting with providers we are better able to manage the prices being charged for procedures and, consequently, can help protect members from unreasonable increases in such procedures. The flow-on effect of this is to keep premium increases down.

While the Affiliated Provider programme was initially established in 1997, in the last three years Southern Cross has concentrated on increasing the proportion of claims that come under Affiliated Provider contracts. It currently accounts for 28% of al l claims costs and there are agreements with 700 healthcare providers across 20 different specialties. That said, the Affiliated Provider programme is about more than cost – it has to be efficient, effective and convenient for both providers and members.

Southern Cross has been looking after the health of New Zealanders for over 50 years and the Affiliated Provider programme is just one of several strategies to ensure private healthcare remains accessible and affordable for all.

Creating a sustainable future One of the biggest challenges facing Southern Cross Health Society is safeguarding our members’ ability to access affordable private healthcare.

For more information on the benefits available through a Southern Cross work scheme, call us on 0800 323 555.

your people

25

Pre-employment work trials

Disclaimer: the content of this article is general in nature and not intended as a substitute for specific professional advice on any matter and should not be relied upon for that purpose.

Work trials should be treated cautiously by SME owners, following a recent decision in the Employment Court, says Duncan Cotterill employment law specialist Sarah Townsend.

Expanding businesses should take note of a recent case in the Employment Court, The Salad Bowl Limited v Howe-Thornley, which has put work trials under scrutiny.

In this case, Ms Howe-Thornley applied for a part time position that had been advertised by The Salad Bowl. She was interviewed and The Salad Bowl indicated that, if her reference checks and subsequent work trial were satisfactory, there was no reason why she would not be offered the job.

Ms Howe-Thornley was invited for a three-hour work trial during which she was to be supervised and appraised by the store manager. Due to the store manager’s illness, the work trial took place over two days. During the work trial, she spent time preparing salads, cleaning and on the second day interacting with clients and operating the till. Although it was not specifically discussed at the interview, the Court found there was an expectation that Ms Howe-Thornley be paid for the work trial.

At the end of the second day, The Salad Bowl noticed $50 missing from the till. This was unusual and they followed up by checking Ms Howe-Thornley’s reference, which was unsatisfactory. The Salad Bowl decided not to offer Ms Howe-Thornley any further work and told her via text messages. When Ms Howe-Thornley asked about being paid for her trial, the owner replied that the money missing from the till was the reason she did not get the job.

Ms Howe-Thornley raised a personal grievance and claimed that she was an employee at the time of the work trial and had been unjustifiably dismissed. The Employment Court agreed. Because Ms Howe-Thornley had carried out work during her trial and there was an expectation that she be paid meant that she was employed during the work trial up until the time she was dismissed by text message.

The Employment Court found Ms Howe-Thornley’s dismissal to have been unjustified as a fair and a reasonable employer would have given Ms Howe-Thornley the opportunity to explain the discrepancy in the till receipts before making a decision to end her employment. Ms Howe-Thornley was awarded lost earnings and compensation totalling $6215.

Previously, it had commonly been considered that candidates

for jobs did not become employees until such time as they

had successfully completed a work trial, been offered and

accepted a position.

The decision has wider implications, particularly where an employer wants to include a 90-day trial period in an employment agreement. A 90-day trial period enables an employer to dismiss an employee within this period of employment. The employee cannot raise a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal. These 90-day trial periods may not be valid where the employee has previously been involved in a pre-employment work trial and is, therefore, not a ‘new employee’ when they start work.

The Court suggested that the 90-day trial period under s.67A Employment Relations Act was a more suitable tool for ‘trying out’ an employee. It afforded some protection to the employees, while giving employers the opportunity to assess an employee’s suitability for the role without risk of a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal.

Sarah Townsend is an associate in the specialist employment law team of Duncan Cotterill: [email protected]

LESSONS FOR EMPLOYERS: • Pre-employment work trials are best avoided.

Consider other ways to demonstrate/test skills that do not involve working in the business

• Where a work trial does take place, ensure that the parameters are clear

• Be aware that there may be issues around relying on 90 day trial periods in employment agreements.

your people


I am very fortunate to be driving the latest Ford Kuga, thanks to Avon City Ford, which generously provides me with my company vehicle.

Leeann’s new wheels

What a treat it is. It is easy to get around town, and just as comfortable on the open-road. The EcoBoost® petrol engine is easy on the fuel, but certainly doesn’t compromise the power.

The seating is extremely comfortable and I am definitely enjoying having a 4WD on Christchurch’s roads. For me, with a family of five, having decent boot and storage space is a necessity and the Kuga doesn’t disappoint. Having the ability to fold both, or one, of the rear seats to fit people and cargo is an added bonus.

I have been fortunate to have experienced the amazing

technology that Ford provide in many of their vehicles from

the Ford Fiesta, the Focus and now the new Kuga – and it

just keeps getting better. Bluetooth is now a given, but the

additional features such as ‘reading out texts’ and connecting

to my MP3 player on my cell phone all make life just that

little bit easier.

For those that upgrade to the Titanium, the Active Park Assist must be a bonus for those who are ‘parallel parking challenged’. It doesn’t just help you work out if you are going to fit into a park, but it steers itself in. As for being able to open the tailgate with a wave of your foot when you have your hands full – pure genuis.

Leeann Watson General Manager CECC

By being a CECC member, you can take full advantage of the significant

discount that both Avon City Ford and Team Hutchinson Ford provide – all you

need is your member number.

sales and marketing

27

your first aid for business.

Helen Mason: [email protected], 03 335 3174, 027 255 5638

Sandy de Vries: [email protected], 03 335 3171, 021 990 688

cecc.org.nz0800 50 50 96

wE cAn hElp you with EvErything you nEEd to EnsurE A sAfE And hEAlthy workplAcE…

• Health and safety package to ensure compliance with all legal and contractual requirements necessary to take part in the rebuild.

• Experienced in-house consultants who are available to help with all health and safety requirements:

• Tailor-made health and safety systems

• Work station assessments

• In-house consultancy and training

• Pre-audit reviews for entry into ACC discount programmes

• To work with any of the PMOs you will need to meet their health and safety standards, and complete a pre-qualification process. We can assist with FREE health and safety training through Safe Rebuild and can provide management systems developed specifically for the rebuild at reduced rates.

• Health and Safety in Employment guide – a summary of the general duties of employers arising under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 2003

• Incapacity guide – how to manage employees who are unable to work due to illness or injury

• Natural Hazards Procedure Policy Statement – a sample document/policy on how to maintain a safe working environment

• Health and Safety Guidelines for Directors – a guide for company directors on leading and managing health and safety in their workplaces

• Managing Hazards in the Workplace guide (managing hazards is a requirement under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 2003)

• Best Practice Guidelines for Working at Heights

• Best Practice Guidelines for Working on Roofs

• Health Issues Fact Sheet – Demolition

• Essential Training for Health and Safety Representatives (Stage 1)

• Advanced Training for Health and Safety Representatives (Stage 2)

• Advanced Training for Health and Safety Representatives (Stage 3)

• Accident Investigation

• Complying with Health and Safety

• Get Ready for your ACC Audit

contAct us for

rEsourcEs

contAct us for

trAining

your first source

for business advice.

traininG

our traininG makes it possible.

your business needs you to be an eXpert.

To make a booking or for more information, please visit cecc.org.nz or contact the team on 03 366 5096.

feature seminar/Event

Employment law for supervisors tuesday 26 novemberWorking within the law and creating a best practice culture Supervisors are at the front line of employee relations, and research shows there is a direct correlation between well-trained supervisors and employees who are motivated, engaged and productive. This workshop will bed down the fundamental employment law principles and provide practical information supervisors need to know to comply with employment legislation.

TIME: 9:00AM TO 3:00PM

MEMBER PRICE: $300.00 + GST NON-MEMBER PRICE: $525.00 + GST

VENUE: WESTPAC BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY HUB, 55 JACK HINTON DRIVE

PRESENTER: FIONA MCMILLAN, LANE NEAVE LAWYERS

Who should attend• Business owners

• Supervisors

• Human resource professionals

BenefitsLearn how to become familiar with employment legislation and the general principles essential to maintaining a workplace free of discrimination, harassment and grievance.

Topics• Your role as a supervisor

• Working in good faith

• Dealing with employment relations problems

• Understanding the disciplinary processes

• Identify how employment law impacts processes in the workplace

• Holidays Act – including annual leave and sick leave processes and managing long term incapacity

• Human rights in employment

• Privacy in employment.

23 Dec: 8:30am to 3pm

24 Dec: 8:30am to 12noon

25-26 Dec: OFFICE CLOSED

27 Dec: 27 Dec: 9am to 3pm

30-31 Dec: 9am to 12noon

1-2 Jan: OFFICE CLOSED

3 Jan: 9am to 3pm

6 Jan onwards: Normal office hours

2013 CECC HOLIDAY HOURS

WESTPAC BUSINESS & COMMUNITY HUB HOURS

The Hub will be closed to the general public for room bookings and functions on Friday 20 December 2013 until Monday 6 January 2014 when normal hours will resume – 8:30am until 5:00pm.

PLEASE NOTE – CERTIFICATES OF ORIGIN

Export documents will be processed as normal until the specified times above, after which a limited service will be available. If possible, please bring or email your documents in before the specified times.

Upcoming Training Calendar >> november-december 2013

make the most of our Early

Bird discount of 10% for

bookings made 30 days in

advance of course date.

november 2013

11 nov Complying with Health and Safety

12-13 nov Essential Training for Health & Safety Representatives (Stage 1)

19-20 nov Advanced Training for Health & Safety Representatives (Stage 2)

21 nov Social Media

26 nov Employment Law for Supervisors

28 nov Time Management

december 2013

3-4 dec Essential Training for Health and Safety Representatives (Stage 1)

>> All events must be registered for. Email [email protected] or phone 03 366 5096.

likE us on fAcEBook:

>> facebook.com/cEcctrainingHer experience spans more than 15 years in business-facing generalist HR roles with leading companies in New Zealand and the UK, delivering practical HR solutions for leaders and managers at all levels.

Melanie is an accredited practitioner of the Human Synergistics development tools and Myers Briggs type indicator (MBTI), a Chartered Member of the leading international Institute of Personnel and Development in the UK, and a member of the HR Institute of New Zealand.

Business and HR Advisor Melanie JamesIn the Business & HR Advisor role, Melanie provides advice and consultancy services to businesses in the areas of human resources, employment relations and general business advice.

new team member

Business performance


Your Employers’ Chamber membership card delivers exclusive savingsThe Employers’ Chamber not only offers a full range of assistance, there are also many other ways to make your business dollar go further. Below are updated offers from the New zealand Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s key national partners and local Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce supporters – covering banking services, fuel, office supplies, vehicles, telecommunications and health insurance. We also recommend that you check the noticeboard in the member-only area of the website (cecc.org.nz), which lists offers from members for members.

westpac card servicesWestpac offers special prices to CECC members requesting merchant business facilities, extremely competitive deals on EFTPOS hardware, and other special offers from time to time. For more information on ways to save money with Westpac please contact the Westpac EFTPOS Solutions Team on 0800 888 066 option 3 or email [email protected].

telecomPick your CECC member bonus and save! The new association offer means you get the benefits of all our best Mobile and Office plans plus an exclusive bonus. Choose from Free Cost Manager, Free Mobile PA, Association 0800 Plan, Free E-text or Local Number calling. For more information call 0800 BUSINESS (287463) or visit telecom.co.nz/hubs

southern cross health societyDid you know that as Southern Cross members, your employees can enjoy many special benefits? To find out more, call 0800 GET COvER (438 268).

fordyour CECC membership entitles you to a discount off the recommended retail price of a new Ford vehicle from selected Ford dealerships (Offer excludes FPv range, and retail promotions from time to time). Contact Avon City Ford, Team Hutchinson Ford, Gluyas Motor Group or GreyFord today. ford.co.nz.

noel leeming groupNoel Leeming has partnered with the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce to bring you fantastic savings on products in its Noel Leeming and Bond+Bond stores nationwide. Use your Chamber membership card or quote your membership number to get Cost+9% storewide at Noel Leeming and Bond+Bond stores. Some exclusions apply.

officemax Purchase your office supplies from OfficeMax and take advantage of the special pricing available only to Chamber members. For details, email [email protected], freephone 0800 426 473, freefax 0800 226 473, or visit officemax.co.nz.

Z Energyz does the administration, you do the business. As a valued member of CECC and through our partnership with z Energy you can sign up for a z Car and get 6c per litre off the advertised pump price on petrol and diesel at participating z service stations nationwide. you can also earn Fly Buys points, or Airpoints Dollars, on your fuel spend. z.co.nz/chamber

sEEk ltdyour CECC membership gives you access to exclusive discounts on seek.co.nz’s range of job advertising products. For further information about the CECC members’ rates offered by SEEK, contact Chris Squire on 03 343 0370 or [email protected].

hertz new ZealandWe’re delighted to announce the introduction of discounted corporate rates to benefit all CECC members. These rates apply to all Hertz vehicles and are guaranteed 365 days a year, providing you with certainty and peace of mind during both peak and off-peak times. The discounted rates also apply to airport rentals and accident excess reduction (AER). Hertz.co.nz

resources & publications • training & events • advice • consultancy • advocacy cecc.org.nz

Please ensure you have your Employers’ Chamber membership number handy when contacting any of the offer providers.

* Conditions Apply

westpac card serviceswestpac card services

Bond+Bond stores. Some exclusions apply.

Please ensure you have your Employers’ Chamber membership number handy when contacting any of the offer providers.

nEw dEAl

your people

31

Business growth – the human factorsSome local businesses are undergoing significant growth as post-quake demand for services or products ramps up. Being able to anticipate and plan for expansion is ideal but not always possible when circumstances present an immediate need and opportunity.

Good organisations are always evolving in some way – constantly refining their inputs and outputs to meet their markets. In that sense they are accustomed to change of an incremental nature but less so when change is either rapid or of a significant order, or both.

It’s easy in these circumstances to overlook some of the fundamentals that will ultimately underpin the success of any expansion – people. Making sure that the business structure and the people in it are the right fit for tomorrow’s environment is going to be a critical factor. These pressures can be relieved if the business regularly reviews its operations and structures, its supply lines, providers and – of course – its financial capacity and risk management strategies.

Part of the picture is ensuring that the human resources within the organisation are effectively deployed and that any gaps in capacity are identified early so that the appropriate skillsets can be resourced within a reasonable timeframe. Skills are getting harder to resource and the position is unlikely to get any easier in the short term, so be prepared to be proactive around securing the right people.

Before you engage additional or replacement people make

sure you carry out a thorough position re-evaluation.

Yesterday’s needs will probably not be the same as tomorrow’s,

so it’s important that you understand the future direction of

the business to make sure that all resources are aligned with

that objective.

Regularly communicating those objectives and strategies is important to taking the wider team with you. Doing so in an open and honest way will help overcome any resistance to change that follows if people feel that they are being kept in the dark. Where reorganisation does expose the need to disestablish roles, make sure that you have robust and transparent processes in place to deal with this and that they meet the ‘good faith’ requirements of the Employment Relations Act.

Review and update position descriptions regularly. Don’t forget to review and update employment agreements at the same time. Consider whether, in the light of the growth the business is hopefully experiencing, your supplementary workplace policies continue to be adequate or whether they too need redevelopment. For example, you may not have considered it necessary to have policies governing aspects such as drug and alcohol use, and social media and internet use, but they are now becoming essential for some sectors.

Are your people sufficiently incentivised, particularly those in key roles? Are they engaged with the organisation, its values and objectives? How do you differentiate your workplace from others? Is your organisation one that people want to work for – not just for the remuneration, but also for less tangible but nevertheless real reasons? If you can’t answer these questions your business and future growth is probably at risk.

To discuss any of the above, please contact one of our Employment

Relations Advisers on 03 366 5096. CECC also has resources available from the member-only section of

our website, cecc.org.nz.

your people


On 4 July 2013, the Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter was signed and endorsed by 50 construction and insurance companies, as well as central and local government leaders, including Earthquake Recovery Minister Hon Gerry Brownlee, ACC Minister Hon Judith Collins and MBIE Minister Hon Simon Bridges.

This Charter is endorsed by the MBIE and companies are encouraged to sign up to it. The commitments are documented in

more detail on safetycharter.org.nz where you can order some of the resources published for distribution.

Canterbury Rebuild Safety Charter

The Charter is an agreement on health and safety between the leaders of a number of government organisations and companies leading the rebuild. Peter Townsend, chief executive of CECC, was a member of the Senior Leaders Forum who developed the Charter and CECC has pledged their commitment to endorse the Charter requirements.

The Charter puts people first and, by signing it, organisations are showing their commitment to do all they can to ensure the rebuild is safe.

The Charter includes a vision – 10 aspirational commitments and detailed actions designed to meet those commitments.

1. Our leaders demonstrate a visible commitment to health and safety – including measurable undertakings by senior leaders and documented expectations of safety behaviours at all levels of the organisation.

2. We have systems in place to encourage and support worker engagement in health and safety – workers will be provided with a reasonable opportunity to participate in the improvement of health and safety management at work. All workplaces will have an active worker participation system.

3. All critical risk activities are identified, managed and mitigated – we will identify and effectively manage all critical-risk work activities and ensure there are policies and procedures in place for these critical-risk activities.

4. We implement and monitor site-specific safety plans – we will use functional Site-specific Safety Plans including, where appropriate, Traffic Management Plans and Environmental Plans and ensure all contractors complete and maintain a plan for each site. We will use a recognised system to ensure contractors are appropriately prequalified.

5. We have robust, proactive and accurate health and safety reporting – we will have systems for accurate reporting and recording of all incidents, accidents, near misses and hazards. These systems would allow industry benchmarking, and include reporting on lead and lag indicators.

6. All our workers receive health and safety training – all workers will receive basic health and safety training prior to starting work and at all times workers will be qualified to perform their work unless they are supervised.

7. Everyone is made aware of hazards so they can look after themselves and keep others safe – all workers and visitors will be fully inducted to work sites or supervised by the person in charge.

8. PPE is worn at all times by everyone. No exceptions. No excuses – the minimum PPE standard is hard hat, hi-vis clothing, safety footwear with toe protection, medium impact safety glasses and any other PPE/PPC to be identified and used following a risk assessment process.

9. The safety of our people isn’t compromised by anyone under the influence of drugs, alcohol or fatigue – including a drug and alcohol policy and a fatigue management plan.

10. We actively promote the health, safety and wellbeing of our people – including education/information about health risks, procedures on injury management, monitoring of significant hazards, health monitoring, annual influenza vaccination programme and the provision of an employees’ assistance programme.

your people

33

According to stuff.co.nz, back in June, Christchurch was gaining 22 migrants a day. The top source country for migrants was the Philippines, followed by Britain, while numbers from China and India also increased. Many of these migrants were here to work in the construction and trades sectors.

For most of these migrants, the experience of coming to Christchurch has been pretty positive, but there have also been cultural misunderstandings that have caused problems for some workers.

Settlement Support, an Immigration New Zealand service delivered by CECC, helps newcomers and their employers throughout a newcomer’s first years in New Zealand. It provides practical information about local settlement topics (such as housing, schools, banking and healthcare) to assist newcomers and their families to settle in their jobs and their local communities.

Settlement Support also focuses on newcomers’ integration into the Kiwi work culture and, for employers, managing a multi-cultural workforce. For example, New Zealand workplaces have an informal and egalitarian work culture with less regard for status and rules than most other work environments. This can lead to confusing reactions from newcomers when they first arrive in a Kiwi workplace that is foreign to them.

Information about cultural differences in workplace values, management styles, and ways of communicating are featured in both hard copy and electronic resources. Free workshops and seminars are available to both new migrants and the businesses that employ them. Monthly events are run by Settlement Support to enable newcomers to meet other people new to the area and to learn more about life in Christchurch and New Zealand.

People from all over the world are now migrating to work on the rebuild. As a result, Christchurch is rapidly becoming one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. Employers who have exhausted local labour pools are increasingly looking offshore for the skilled labour to grow their businesses.

Integrating international staff into the workplace

Lana Hart Settlement Support Coordinator 03 366 5096 [email protected]

Jude Ryan-O’Dea Migrant Employment Coordinator 03 366 5096 [email protected]

Finding skilled staff Sourcing qualified staff can be a challenge due to high demand in many rebuild-related industries. Immigration New Zealand’s Skillfinder website is a database of offshore jobseekers that have expressed interest in working in New Zealand. Employers can list vacancies on immigration.govt.nz/employers/skillfinder, which creates tailored letters of introduction to those candidates who meet the criterion of the vacancies. Further communications and interviews between the jobseeker and the business can then be arranged.

The Canterbury Employment and Skills Hub can also help with sourcing staff. Where there is a domestic shortage, the Hub can help employers’ access international labour markets through a streamlined immigration process. The use of the Hub is now required for all employers who intend to recruit offshore, except when searching high demand occupations found on the Canterbury Skills Shortage List. Occupations on this list include carpenters, quantity surveyors, tilers, plasterers, and many others.

The Connecting Canterbury Employers’ and Newcomers’ Skills programme based at CECC is an alternative recruitment option that can also help connect employers with skilled migrants looking for work. Skilled newcomers’ CV’s are promoted directly to employers as a way of introducing employers to potential skilled newcomers.

If your business is employing or expecting to employ

migrants, make sure you connect with these free services

to get the information your business needs to recruit and

integrate international staff.

health and safety


The government has announced the most significant reform of New Zealand’s workplace health and safety system in 20 years.

‘Working Safer: a blueprint for health and safety at work’ is the government’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Taskforce on Workplace Health and Safety set up in April 2012, partially in response to the Pike River Coal Mine disaster.

Workplace health and safety reform

Working Safer A blueprint for health & safety at work

Timeline of reforms

DECEMBER 2013

WorkSafe New Zealand established

Health and Safety at Work Act introduced into the house

Consultation on key regulations/ACOPs Guidance begun

Identification of Major Hazard Facilities

Improved regulator presence in Canterbury and further action on national programmes

Regulator workforce development continues

HSNO operational improvements continue

Report back on design of Star Rating Scheme

ACC and EPA coordination relationships and mechanisms set up and beginning to operate

JUNE 2014

WorkSafe:

• builds technical capacity including in hazardous substances, occupational health and major/high hazards

• builds capacity in research, evaluation and monitoring

Regulations/ACOPs Guidance continue to be developed

Health and Safety Professionals Alliance established

Safety Star Rating proof of concept completed

WorkSafe will develop goals and programmes focused on occupational health and safety

Hazardous substances regime changes completed

DECEMBER 2014

New Act and key regulations, ACOPs and guidance in place (such as major hazards)

On-going work on other regulations and guidance continues

WorkSafe continues to build and consolidate capacity to implement new regulatory system

Development of the Workplace Health and Safety Strategy begins, including workforce development plan

Safety Star Rating implementation plan developed

Assessment of Government agencies whose workplaces are high risk or have high hazards completed

health and safety

35

The reform package is aimed at reducing New Zealand’s workplace injury and death toll by 25 per cent by 2020. ‘Working Safer’ will require leadership and action from business, workers and government to achieve this goal.

The reform will see the Health and Safety at Work Bill

replace the Health and Safety in Employment Act. This will

be introduced into parliament in December 2013. Regulations

will also be developed to support the bill, and we will be

consulting with stakeholders as part of that work.

The new law and key supporting regulations are expected to start coming into force from the end of 2014.

The government is committed to working with businesses and workers to implement a comprehensive package of system-wide changes in order to create an effective workplace health and safety system, and will deliver:

• Strengthened leadership by government

• A greater focus through legislation, education, enforcement and incentives

• A system that gets the balance right, and is proportionate for small and large low-risk businesses

• A new legislative framework

• A well-resourced regulator, with a firm regulatory stance focused on the areas of most risk

• More resourcing and targeted activity

• Robust data, monitoring, reporting, analysis and evaluation of the system

• Greater partnership and collaboration that makes the most of the skills and relationships of all government agencies

• Work within the regulator, and with industry bodies, to develop more depth and capability.

Collective action and shared responsibilities throughout the system – by workers, business and government – will be needed to ensure the success of the new health and safety system. The changes outlined in this document aim to give everyone the tools and knowledge needed to play their part in improving health and safety at work.

JUNE 2015

Regulator building up to full capacity

Regulations and ACOPs/guidance to support new law continue to be developed and implemented

DECEMBER 2015

WorkSafe funding review

DECEMBER 2016

Health and safety system reaches new steady state

Workplace health and safety and hazardous substances integration complete

Achieved our interim targets:

• a 10 percent reduction in the rate of fatal work related injury

• a 10 percent reduction in the rate of serious non-fatal work-related injury, and

• a 10 percent reduction in the rate of work-related ACC claims for more than a week away from work

The full Working Safer blueprint is available at mbie.govt.nz

Export and import

37

To help ensure the success of your exporting activities, you need to put together an export business plan. This will help to identify where you are now, where you are going and how you plan to get there. The plan should incorporate financial forecasts, cashflow issues, resourcing capital and expertise, operational capacity and skill gaps. It should also include a risk and opportunity analysis as well as how you plan to evaluate whether or not you are on track and making money.

Your export business plan needs to consider 12 steps:

1. Identify your target market: This can be either a specific customer or a specific market. Look for markets where your product holds a distinct advantage and one that can be maintained or modified. You need to gather information and either visit the market or get someone to do research for you. Consider tariffs and regulations.

2. Competitor analysis: You need to know exactly who your competitors are. Network with other local exporters in your identified market and find out as much as you can. Do your homework.

3. Can you make money? This needs to be done early on. Complete a cashflow forecast. Consider when will you get a return on investment, any cashflow gaps, remedies, capital raising, when will you get paid, freight, production costs and so on.

4. Select a market entry model: Agents or distributors, direct selling, joint ventures, licencing, franchising, royalties, setting up an office, tax implications? All things to consider. A key is choosing the right people or partners. You should choose them, not let them choose you.

5. Building competitive advantage: Do your overseas customers see more value in your product or service than in local competitors? Complete a SWOT analysis. Develop a brand and decide how you will position yourself in the market.

6. Manage the risk: Key risks may include the overseas business culture, financial, supplying the market, and protecting your brand and IP. Payment methods like letters of credit and exchange rates are also key areas.

7. Make sure you have the finance: How will you fund your export drive? When will you get a return on your investment?

8. Understand compliance: Trading rules and regulations are very different in every country. Consider tariffs, duties, labelling, product tracking, export documentation, freight insurance and so on.

9. Capacity, capability and logistics: Can you deliver your product on time? Can you support your products or services? Ensure you choose a capable freight forwarder, they can make a real difference.

10. Build a promotional plan: This is a crucial step. Consider both traditional promotion and social media platforms as distribution for your messages.

11. Pitching your business: Basically how you will sell yourself and your story. Develop an effective presentation, practice your skills and listen, listen, listen. Don’t undersell yourself or your product and be confident of your pricing structure.

12. Following up: Don’t sit back and wait. Actively engage with your market, visit, make modifications and change.

It may sound daunting, but the journey can be very rewarding,

both financially and mentally.

The key to successful exporting and export growth is commitment and planning. Management capability and attitude are also crucial, as is making a profit and getting paid. In the long term, if exporting is not profitable, then resources are wasted and the business will fail.

Thinking about exporting or growing your exports?

we can help get you on your wayAt CECC, we have great resources available, plus we offer free business assessments that may result in partially funded coaching or training for senior staff or owners. ExportNZ is part of CECC, so we also have up-to-date information on what is going on in overseas markets and access to services and products that can assist you as an exporter.

For more information please email Shirley van Waveren [email protected]

or visit cecc.org.nz.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) also has great resources to help with the

exporting process: nzte.govt.nz

Export and import


The world’s leading manufacturer of electronic controls for power wheelchairs and mobility scooters, Dynamic Controls started 40 years ago, and began developing a leadership position 35 years ago. This was initiated by some innovation developed through working with a customer, which led to some world firsts.

“We were first to the market, for example, with a micro-processor based wheelchair control system, and those kinds of things gave us an edge that we’ve maintained over the years,” says chief executive Charlotte Walshe.

Innovation and end-user focus maintain top spot Leading the world in a niche market is where New Zealand firms can excel. Dynamic Controls, based in Christchurch, is an excellent example of how the right kind of innovation and focus can deliver and maintain number one positioning.

+64 3 341 [email protected]

theagencynz.co.nz

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Export and import

39

“We went through a period where we weren’t quite as focussed on the right kind of innovation, but we’ve been doing a lot in the last few years to redress that – which is particularly exciting at the moment.”

This “right” kind of innovation includes a focus on the end user – something the industry had overlooked in the past, especially as it’s usually the government rather than the end user that buys the wheelchairs.

Charlotte and her team left behind the traditional approach of

concentrating only on drive control (getting from A to B), and

brought in experts from an FMCG (fast moving consumer goods)

background. They also worked with a researcher on end user

insight, including focus groups, talking with people about their

lives and understanding the strong emotional drivers and themes.

“We’ve developed three key strategies out of this that we use as our litmus test for innovation when someone comes up with an idea,” says Charlotte.

“There’s quite a convoluted value chain between us and the end user, but we figure if we start with the end user first and understand their lives, then we can work back and innovate back through the value chain.”

This approach is now a fundamental part of how the company approaches innovation, and is a key part of it remaining world-leading. “It’s great to be smart with technology, but if you don’t understand what your end user wants or needs, or what the future is, then you’re going to deploy that technology incorrectly.”

The company also has a new technologies team working with a number of partners locally and globally, in a more traditional, technical R&D capacity. Dynamic Controls itself is headquartered in Christchurch, with marketing and development teams in New Zealand, sales all over the world, and manufacturing in China.

The changes happening in the healthcare space in the Western world, coupled with a focus on wellness and engagement in our own health outcomes is presenting some unique opportunities for the company to grow in ways that challenge the old paradigms of just moving from A to B.

The company’s latest work is developing a revolutionary new platform for the future of their mobility products. In developing their LiNX system they’ve taken their end user approach by creating a platform that will enable mobility products to adapt and grow with the user as their needs change and technology advances.

The LiNX control system uses new load compensation techniques to vastly improve the user’s ride experience. This technology gives superior chair control especially on difficult surfaces such as easier turning on thick carpets, as well as greater hold and stability on sloping surfaces. The new system also heralds a revolutionary advance in programming freedom through wireless connectivity to PCs and iOS devices. It is the focusing on the end user that is making all the difference.

“It’s about being able to live your life the way you should be able to. It’s about things that we all take for granted,” says Charlotte. “The joy of the job for me is doing work that has a profound effect on people’s lives.

“Now Dynamic Controls systems are all about connectivity and the power to control your world – more than just getting from A to B.”

Catherine Beard Executive Director ExportNZ, a division of BusinessNZ [email protected] exportnz.org.nz

member profile


Established in 1937, Westland Milk Products was a natural amalgamation of numerous small co-operatives operating on the West Coast. With a unified regional approach, the company went from strength to strength, recently extending its share offering to include Canterbury-based farmers. Today, the independent co-operative processes 700 million litres of raw milk from more than 400 farms throughout the West Coast and Canterbury regions, with an annual turnover of some $600 million, and growing.

Westland Milk Products’ general manager sales and marketing, Gregg Wafelbakker says the key to its success is a firm focus on sustainable growth.

“For the 2013/14 season, our forecast is 120,000 tonnes of dairy products – a growth of 60% over the last five years,” says Gregg.

“It was always going to be difficult to compete exclusively in the bulk commodities market. Our strategy has been to further grow the business by adding value to our portfolio of ingredients.

“To achieve this, we needed to grow the amount of secure, share-backed milk. While part of our growth can be attributed to increased productivity on the Coast, the majority is due to the addition of a number of new shareholder farms in Canterbury.”

Many of the Canterbury dairy farms are recent conversions from sheep and beef production. Gregg says that Canterbury is the fastest growing milk region in New Zealand.

For new conversions, the attraction of Westland Milk compared to its larger counterparts is the share price to buy in. Currently Westland sits at $1.50 per kilo of milk solids. The lower share price is a key driver for the company to continue to grow milk production is an increasingly competitive milk environment says Gregg.

“We have to be competitive with the bigger companies in the long term, as a duty to our shareholders,” says Gregg. “Our point of difference – and our advantage – is our size. This enables us to implement a nimble growth strategy and add value for our customers, while also being accessible for both our shareholders and our customers. We’re big enough to count, and small enough to care.

“We do, on the whole, get a higher price in the market because people will pay a premium for Westland products. This is based on our reputation of quality, production flexibility, and our high level of service and relationship management. For consumers, the sense of trust in our products comes from our history – more than 100 years of commercial dairy production, our product integrity, and our supply chain transparency.

“We are a genuine 100% shareholder-owned dairy company

– a pure New Zealand co-operative.”

In 2012, Westland Milk Products won the ‘Best Use of Research and Development in International Business’ award at the prestigious International Business Awards, and was a finalist in the categories of ‘Best Business Operating Internally – over $50 million’ and ‘Best Commercialisation of Intellectual Property in International Business’.

As New Zealand’s second largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, Westland Milk Products is more than holding its own in a highly competitive environment.

Milking the value-add proposition

member profile

41

>> westland.co.nz

Gregg credits the company-wide service focus for their success. “Our products start with the relationship with our customer. By understanding where their business is today, and where they want to get to tomorrow, we are able to offer a tailored service to add value to their company. Once we have an understanding of their business, we are able to work collaboratively – from our sales team through to R&D – to create new products, ideas and opportunities. We also only select customers that favour a long-term partnership.”

Of the 120,000 tonnes of dairy products, 85% is exported as milk powders, butter, milk protein concentrates, and nutritional products. At least half of the remaining 15% sold domestically will be turned into another product and exported. While Gregg says the company could easily sell its full production to a single country, such as China, the sustainable business model sees exports reach more than 100 customers in 40 different countries.

This served Westland well as it launched its first commercial productions of infant formula this year. “Infant formula is very different to other commodity ingredients,” says Gregg. “It is also an important behavioural step change, so we have been fortunate to be able to build on our current credibility with existing markets.

“In building an infant formula capacity, we have been able to build the ability to formulate upwards of 20 ingredients, which is quite different to spray-drying milk – the standard process to create milk powder. This opens up a number of new opportunities and markets to offer nutrition beyond infants, such as the fast-growing aged care sector.”

After only six months, Gregg says the company’s extension into such a high growth global market is paying off. “With about 8% growth per year globally, the infant formula market is a key sector for our customers. And because we believe in a unified approach, as our customers grow, we need to be able to grow with them. In that way, we can continue to deliver the best product for our customers, and the best return for our shareholders.”

member profile


The first Clip ‘N Climb was opened in Christchurch in 2006 by Sheer Adventure owners Tim Wethey and John Targett. Today, there are more than 20 Clip ‘N Climb centres operating all over the world, including Cambodia, Spain, Canada and the UK.

John says the key to successful business growth was developing a profitable opportunity with international appeal. “This is the most original action entertainment to come out of New Zealand since the Bungee Jump. We have created a brand new category in the indoor climbing industry – a crossover activity that has enabled us to enter the much larger amusement industry with a unique offering.”

The pair has signed manufacturing licenses in North America and Europe, with carefully selected partners who have the capacity and networks to grow the brand in those territories.

“We will benefit from their local knowledge and

they will be able to deliver savings in time and freight

costs, by manufacturing in those developed markets,”

says John.

The first Clip ‘N Climb in Christchurch was built on-site as a prototype and an Auckland facility followed. “In order to be able to fabricate, ship and install efficiently we consulted with design engineers to develop a kit-set modular system for our products. We now have very cost-effective processes that have also grown our capacity.”

They plan to set up a similar manufacturing license to service the Asian market.

Sheer Adventure is the parent company for two other brands, The Climbing Company, which builds conventional climbing walls, and Ezi Grip, which produces traversing walls for schools.

A local climbing arena that has revolutionised indoor climbing is scaling new heights around the globe.

Innovative local company scaling new heights

member profile

43

Clip ‘N Climb, a timed circuit of nine-metre-high climbing challenges, was made possible with the use of automatic self-belays, which allow climbers wearing safety harnesses to scale a wall and control their own descent without relying on someone on the ground holding the end of the rope.

In a joint venture with engineers Holmes Solutions, a new generation auto belay was created. John says the auto belay uses magnetic eddy current braking technology – a first for the industry. Sheer Adventure has retained the distribution rights to Clip ‘N Climb facilities worldwide.

Sheer Adventure is “constantly pushing ahead” and has launched five new Clip ‘N Climb challenges this year. “Our creative and production team are involved in all aspects of product development,” says John. “There are no egos here – everyone comes to the table and throws around their ideas. In the end, we simply go with the best one.”

The company is also increasingly recognised as an innovative, world-leading developer of new climbing technologies. “We continue to be focused on original ity, the ongoing development of the products and the quality of the climbing experience,” says John. “Our biggest challenge is delivering to all our markets in a timely manner, especially with competitors starting to copy our products.”

While Clip ‘N Climb looks set to become a genuine global

brand, John says that the financial rewards are only part of

the picture. “Our vision is to have fun while making money,

but you can’t put a value on the buzz we get for creating

something special and seeing it grow and flourish on the

world stage.”

>> clipnclimb.co.nz

member profile


The company was founded by two Christchurch locals, Roy Bickers and Eric Radcliffe – both with a background in the packaging industry. They found a niche in the market for locally manufactured, self-adhesive labels, and established Leading Label in 1989. Their first employee, Mark Sullivan, eventually bought the business and is now managing director. His belief in the potential of the company saw it grow from a team of three, to what it is today.

Leading Label now employs a staff of 17 and is the largest locally owned and operated label-manufacturing company. Sales and marketing manager Barry Ellis says their point of difference is their specialisation on label production. “Many print companies produce brochures, cards, and other items, but we specialise in producing a range of high quality labels.

“Labels are different in that they present a lot of challenges,

so require a particular set of skills and specialist technologies.

We have worked with many businesses in Christchurch in some

way, shape or form. As many of these businesses have grown

over the years, we have grown with them.”

In a highly competitive market, Barry says the key to the company’s growth is their ability to consistently deliver a reliable, efficient and personal service. “The single biggest way we have grown this business is by offering our customers reliability and dependability. We are a small team and strongly believe in building long-term relationships with our customers. We all have the same vision for the company.”

Barry says the goal is to make the label process as easy and hassle-free for their customers as possible. “Our service goes above and beyond what people expect. We offer fast turnaround and often deliver our client’s labels by hand – if they run out unexpectedly and urgently need them, we often just jump in the car and take it straight to them.”

Barry says a focus on their sales strategy and improving productivity was the key to getting through the “peaks and troughs” over the years. “Our marketing strategy focuses on Canterbury and targets specific vertical and emerging markets. For example, by developing a relationship with a pharmaceutical company, we were providing labels for 120 pharmacies in around 18 months. We have also seen growth in the craft-brewing sector and, through our relationships, now support over a dozen craft brewers with their labels. Wineries, agriculture, artisan food and electronics are other sectors we’ve seen grow in recent years.”

“Another way we achieved growth was by increasing our output. We changed our shift times so our staff were able to spend more time with their families and as a result, morale went up and so did productivity. Helping to provide our staff with a work/life balance is very important to us.”

Leading Label also attracts business from all over the country through word-of-mouth referrals. “Our print staff are craftsmen and very skilled and experienced in what they do, achieving above and beyond expectations,” Barry says.

Leading Label is involved in a range of initiatives to help the local community, such as subsidised labels for the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, Aviva and Ronald McDonald House.

Specialisation the key to longevityOver a quarter of a century, local specialised print solutions company Leading Label has achieved spectacular growth by following a simple formula: providing a reliable and unique service to the local business community.

>> leadinglabel.co.nz

Above: Printing the CECC certificate stickers to celebrate members that have been with us for 20+ years and 10+ years.

champion canterbury

47

2013 Champion Canterbury Business AwardsAmongst an audience of over 1150 Canterbury business people and a night of stunning entertainment and business acknowledgement, the awards – now in their 11th year – continue to uncover some of the region’s best kept secrets, while also recognising and celebrating some of our region’s iconic businesses.

At the country’s largest business awards, 17 winners were recognised across categories from manufacturing to retail, charities to exporters, all of whom are committed to doing business in Canterbury.

“The judges had a big task this year in identifying clear winners with very close voting across a number of categories,” said Peter Townsend, CECC chief executive and chairman of Champion Canterbury. “Long-term thinking by smart companies to enable planning and performance in the new rebuild environment was also in evidence, across all categories.

“Key attributes that stood out amongst the winners included

a strong focus on innovative business practices, strategic

partnerships and collaboration. A focus on sustainability,

strong customer service and retention strategies that build

long lasting relationships continue to be a key feature of those

businesses that were acknowledged and awarded throughout

the ceremony.”

In addition to the category awards, a Special Commendation was bestowed on Mark Waller for his outstanding contribution to the Canterbury business community and made reference to his role as chief executive of EBOS, where he has completed over 20 acquisitions resulting in EBOS now having a market capitalisation of 1.5 billion dollars.

>> championcanterbury.org.nz

champion canterbury

Clockwise: Governor General, entertainment, YikeBike, Rawdon Christie, Synlait.

Arts and culture


The Design & Arts College of New Zealand is the South Island's only tertiary institute dedicated to design and arts education. Like many other education providers, ‘normal’ operations at the school were disrupted following the Canterbury earthquakes, however, campus manager Debby Rosevear says what could be seen as a silver lining are the learning opportunities the rebuild presents for students.

Rebuild injects ‘new lease of life’ in art and design in Christchurch

After the February earthquake, we were displaced from our original location on Worcester Street, and had to rely on temporary accommodations – the South City library, a house in Bealey Ave and space in Riccarton – before settling into the new site at Oxford Terrace. Through it all, our teaching team has been firmly focused on minimising the disruption for students and using the experience as an opportunity for learning.

The courses we run at the Design & Arts College are directly linked with the rebuild, such as architecture and interior design, so we are using what happened to the city as a teaching tool. This encourages students to look at the rebuild from an artistic point of view – the architecture students have had the opportunity to propose their own building designs and share their visions for the city.

They have also been able to experience firsthand the role that successful, well thought-out art and creative endeavors – such as Gap Filler – can play in lifting community spirit and encouraging people to think outside the square. With a lot of discussion around heritage buildings and the use of vacant spaces, these public displays have reinforced to students the social importance of art, architecture and design, and how these add to a city’s identity and character.

I believe the rebuild has injected a new lease of life in art and design in Christchurch. There has been a noticeable focus on arts in the city since February 2011, which I think is a sign of hope, positivity, and that people are looking forward to the future. There are a lot of unique and inspiring pieces around the city that have profound meaning, and really make you stop and think.

As the rebuild progresses, we will continue to use the evolving cityscape as a unique learning opportunity for our students. In fact, our Fine Arts department is currently looking into creating a mural in the CBD.

We strongly believe in taking a hands-on approach. We have thousands of D&A graduates working as professionals in their field in New Zealand and around the world, which is largely due to the practical nature of our courses. We also have very strong links with those in the industry, and are continuously looking at what is current and how we can align ourselves with any changes. This ensures we remain relevant, and our graduates are able to secure employment.

Our roll is steadily increasing, which is great. We need more

art and creativity in our lives.

Debby Rosevear Campus Manager Design & Arts College of New Zealand>> dac.ac.nz

chamber news

49

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce won the New Business Excellence Foundation Not for Profit Award at the 2013 AUT Business School Excellence in Business Support Awards in Auckland on Thursday 5 September 2013.

AUT Business School Excellence In Business Support Awards Winner

At the same event Peter Townsend, Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce was awarded the Fuji Xerox Leadership (Individual) Award.

Both awards reflected the Chamber’s role in business support and recovery in post-earthquake Christchurch.

Particular mention was made of the role that the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce played together with Canterbury Development Corporation in Recover Canterbury, and the fact that CECC had been a constant ‘safe pair of hands’ for the business community since the 4 September 2010 earthquake.

The Leadership Award accorded to Peter Townsend was in

recognition of the role he has played in leading CECC and

in particular the intense activity across the Christchurch

business community since September 2010.

The Awards were presented at a Gala Dinner attended by 750 dignitaries and included 46 finalists in various categories from across New Zealand, all involved in various forms of business support.

chamber news


Following the recent AGM, we are excited to showcase the new CECC Board

Tracey Chambers

Tracey Chambers is the managing director of Chambers Strategy + Communication, specialising in strategic thinking, communications including media relations, issues management, marketing and event management. Her philosophy is to work in partnership with clients, employ the best and create an environment where they can perform beyond their own expectations and have fun. Tracey is currently vice-president of the CECC Board.

Stephen Collins

Stephen Collins created Collins Real Estate in 1972, which he grew to be the biggest in its market, before almalgamating with Harcourts in 1985. Stephen developed the technology, systems, training and education programmes that grew Harcourts from 14 offices to its present position as a market leader in New Zealand and Australia. Stephen is a life member and past president of the CECC Board.

Peter Davie

Peter Davie is the chief executive of the Lyttelton Port Company – a role he has held for the last nine years. LPC is a company that is vital to Canterbury’s future prosperity as a major gateway for goods and services. Improving the transport option for Canterbury’s importers and exporters is key to the wider prosperity of the region. Peter is the current president of the CECC Board.

David Halstead

David Halstead has over 40 years’ experience in business as a manufacturer involved with the importation of materials and new technologies, the production of a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, and with the ultimate responsibility for the marketing and profitable sales to both domestic and international markets. He owned his own company for ten years (HydraQuip NZ Ltd) and he remains in close association with other SME companies through his company Haldav (NZ) Ltd.

Andrew Logie

Andrew Logie is a partner at Lane Neave Lawyers and the leader of the corporate and commercial team in Christchurch, having joined the firm in 1993. His areas of expertise include banking and finance, insolvency, franchising, acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial law and commercial contracts.

Hugh Lindo

Hugh Lindo is commercial lawyer and partner at a well-known national and trans-Tasman legal firm based in Christchurch. At CECC, Hugh chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and represents CECC on the Board of Champion Canterbury Limited. Hugh has served on the CECC Board for five years and is now looking forward to a further two-year term. Outside CECC and his law firm, Hugh is chair of the Court Theatre Foundation Trust Board and is also on the Board of College House.

chamber news

51

Following the recent AGM, we are excited to showcase the new CECC Board

Scott McCrea

Scott McCrea is the managing director of business consultancy company McCrea + Partners, and strategic director at ImMediate, the South Island’s largest media company. Scott has held senior management roles in a diverse range of companies and industries over the last 25 years including TVNZ, Air New Zealand, House of Travel Group, Bayley’s Canterbury and Brannigans.

Tony Sewell

Tony Sewell is the chief executive of Nga–i Tahu Property Limited, a position he has held since its establishment in 1994. Tony has lead Nga–i Tahu Property, a privately owned family business, through negotiation with the Crown for the Settlement of the Nga–i Tahu Claim, and has grown it from humble beginnings, with an asset base of $2 million, to become the South Island’s strongest property company with an asset base of $460 million, specialising in property investment, property development and property trading.

Stephen Bateman

Stephen Bateman is the director and founder of S B Global Logistics and JSP Logistics. S B Global Logistics is the authorised network partner and representative for DB Schenker, a world leader in providing global logistic services. Stephen has over 35 years’ experience in the freight forwarding and logistics industry and his key focus is to provide Canterbury exporters and importers with a dependable link to world markets..

Dr Rod Carr

Prior to his appointment as vice-chancellor at the University of Canterbury, Dr Rod Carr was managing director of Jade Software Corporation. Dr Carr joined Jade after a distinguished career in the banking sector, which included holding the position of acting governor of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Prior to this, Dr Carr was a senior executive at the National Australian Bank in Melbourne.

Robyn Galloway

Robyn Galloway is the managing director of the multi award-winning wholesale travel company, Innovative Travel. Under the highly regarded ‘Ancient Kingdoms Holidays’ banner, The Innovative Travel Company has grown from a one-woman band to a 12-person, Canterbury-based operation. In addition, Robyn has acted as a tourism adviser on two government trade missions to the Middle East/Gulf region.

small Business


A key objective of the Employers’ Chamber is to encourage members to do business with other members. This will ensure that membership is successful and additional business is generated for our region. When liaising with fellow members to do business, please act professionally and respect their right to decline your services.

Welcome to new members

Advanced carpet cleaning and pest controlAndy Lamont, Owner/Operator

PHONE: 384 7575 MOBILE: 027 432 2075

30 FLINDERS ROAD, HEATHCOTE, CHRISTCHURCH 8022

[email protected] ADvCARPETCLEANING.CO.Nz

Carpet and upholstery cleaning and spider, flies, bed bug, rodent eradication.

Agility Building solutionsHarry Fallows, Managing DirectorPHONE: 389 2219 MOBILE: 021 147 2369

PO BOX 1918, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 13 SAXON STREET, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected]

Home renovations and additions, earthquake repair work, specialists in bathroom and kitchen installations.

Aspect furniture systems limitedHarlen Brunton, Regional Sales ManagerPHONE: 349 0011 MOBILE: 021 980 695

PO BOX 11081, CHRISTCHURCH 8042 10 HOLT PLACE, HAREWOOD, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] ASPECTFURNITURE.COM

Supplier of custom made office furniture specialising in locally made desk solutions with a 10-year warranty.

Baldwins intellectual propertyAngela Searle, PartnerPHONE: 312 0934 MOBILE: 021 312 925

PO BOX 1617, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 LEvEL 15 LAMBTON QUAy, WELLINGTON

[email protected] BALDWINS.COM

An intellectual property patent attorney firm with an associated law firm servicing clients in New zealand, Australia and throughout the world.

Building onward limitedNicholas O’Neill, DirectorMOBILE: 021 799 400

PO BOX 28145, BECKENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected]

Builders.

Business technology groupAlex Harvey, Business Development MangerPHONE: 741 2100 MOBILE: 027 778 7912

118 WORDSWORTH STREET, CHRISTCHURCH 8023

[email protected] BTG.CO.Nz

BTG is an ICT solutions company specialising in consulting, architecture and design, implementation and development, managed services and support.

Buildmeup ltdNatasha Moir, DirectorMOBILE: 022 383 6466

2 MARLIN PLACE, MAIREHAU, CHRISTCHURCH 8013

[email protected] BUILDMEUP.CO.Nz

Recruitment and HR consulting.

Buildtech holdingsPaul Nanai, Customer and Staff Relationship ManagerPHONE: 366 6662 MOBILE: 027 376 6468

34 BRISBANE STREET, SyDENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH 8023

[email protected] BUILDTECH.CO.Nz

Restorations, commercial and residential building.

cantradeNick Cimino, Managing DirectorPHONE: 312 0418 MOBILE: 027 634 2186

PO BOX 29664, FENDALTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8540

716 TRAM ROAD, OHOKA, CHRISTCHURCH [email protected]

Developing trade opportunities and infrastructural, rebuild investment between New zealand, China and ASEAN markets with a focus on the Canterbury region.

cmsc contractingAnthony Gussenhoven, DirectorPHONE: 390 0100 MOBILE: 027 752 5252

PO BOX 1901, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 23 LOCARNO STREET, OPAWA, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] CMSC.CO.Nz

Established to take the hassle out of maintaining the protection and appearance of your premises. Helping the recovery in Canterbury.

consolidated Alloys nZ ltd.Alec Berry, South Island Sales ManagerPHONE: 365 6453 MOBILE: 027 532 9754

PO BOX 1545, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 35 BUCHAN STREET, SyDENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] DLMWALLACE.CO.Nz

Manufacturers and distributors of roof flashings, solder products, industrial pumps and control equipment, water and sewage pumps and systems.

corporate wellness solutionsTom Downs, DirectorPHONE: 379 7077

182 BARBADOES STREET, CHRISTCHURCH 8011

[email protected] CORPORATEWELLNESS.NET.Nz

Corporate Wellness is a gym, developing a website that personal trainers will be able to use to refine gym programmes.

cvs to goSandra Warner, OwnerPHONE: 351 1345 MOBILE: 027 366 3614

170A IDRIS ROAD, BRyNDWR, CHRISTCHURCH 8052

[email protected] CvSTOGO.CO.Nz

Skills appraisal for Cv’s, interview training, interview role-play.

dc flooring services ltd.Emma Wright, Accounts ManagerMOBILE: 021 242 1171

517 CRANFORD STREET, REDWOOD, CHRISTCHURCH 8051

[email protected]

Flooring installation team specialising in carpet and vinyl laying, all floor preparations and concrete grinding, commercial and domestic.

derek smail media and consultancy servicesDerek Smail, OwnerPHONE: 0044 797 186 5187

C/- 83 CLyDE ROAD, CHRISTCHURCH 8041

[email protected]

Media consultancy.

Ecochem limitedVince Williams, Director and Chemical EngineerPHONE: 377 1892 MOBILE: 021 249 2245

PO BOX 1764, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 5 CLARKSON AvENUE, GREEN zONE 2, CBD, CHRISTCHURCH 8011

[email protected] ECOCHEM.CO.Nz

Design, manufacture and supply of detergents and chemical products and associated dosing equipment and other associated products.

Electronz ltd.Alan Booth, Business Development ManagerPHONE: 348 8854 MOBILE: 027 663 2368

22 MOWBRAy STREET, WALTHAM, CHRISTCHURCH 8023

[email protected] ELECTRONz.CO.Nz

We develop automotive electronic tuning solutions, made by a third party and distributed by dealers throughout the world.

fraame solutions ltd.Gavin Wright, CEOPHONE: 377 7632 MOBILE: 021 399 600

PO BOX 36478, CHRISTCHURCH 8146 THE EPIC CENTRE, 96-106 MANCHESTER STREET, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] FRAAME.COM

Fraame provides industry solutions that support the following business functions; contract management, corporate information management, compliance and accreditation, policy and procedures management, human resources and client management.

glandovey management limitedDerek Ensor, DirectorPHONE: 351 1290

MOBILE: 021 442 692

PO BOX 34021, CHRISTCHURCH 8540

39 GLANDOvEy ROAD, FENDALTON, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected]

GLANDOvEyMANAGEMENT.CO.Nz

Investment in the beauty industry – Simply Beauty, which has two salons and is currently negotiating to develop another. The company also actively looks at investment opportunities.

halswell clinic ltd.Frances Tennent-Brown, DirectorPHONE: 322 4506 MOBILE: 022 667 1676

326 HALSWELL ROAD, HALSWELL, CHRISTCHURCH 8025

[email protected] HALSWELLCLINIC.CO.Nz

Osteopathy (ACC providers) and natural health. A one-stop shop natural health clinic offering a wide variety of treatments

hepburn Joinery 1972 limitedMichael Bensemann, DirectorPHONE: 349 9853 MOBILE: 027 678 4286

64 WATERLOO ROAD, HORNBy, CHRISTCHURCH 8042

[email protected] HEPBURNjOINERy.CO.Nz

Shopfitters, design, manufacture installation slatwall suppliers, joinery, office furniture.

horizons south immigrationMax PalmerPHONE: 365 2121 MOBILE: 021 321 694

PO BOX 13434, ARMAGH, CHRISTCHURCH 8141 9 PENBURy STREET, SyDENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] HORIzONSNz.CO.Nz

Immigration consultancy.

image construction limitedJames Woods, DirectorPHONE: 379 9497 MOBILE: 027 220 5426

PO BOX 10145, CHRISTCHURCH 8145 UNIT 2, 69 COLERIDGE STREET, SyDENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] IMAGECONSTRUCTION.CO.Nz

Construction – architectural housing and light commercial.

Jules taylor winesCathy Adams, Accounts and LogisticsPHONE: 03 578 9831

PO BOX 897, BLENHEIM 7240 56 SCOTT STREET, BLENHEIM

[email protected] jULESTAyLOR.COM

Manufacturer and exporter of wine.

killarney holdings ltd.Mike Glen, DirectorPHONE: 352 8215 MOBILE: 027 485 7513

315 MAIN NORTH ROAD, REDWOOD, CHRISTCHURCH 8051

[email protected]

Workshop and service station.

knight ltd.Paul Knight, DirectorMOBILE: 027 295 4254

PO BOX 234, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 42 MADRAS STREET, ST ALBANS, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] KNIGHTLTD.CO.Nz

Manufacture signs, graphics, branding.

liquid sports limitedDarrel Ferguson, SalesPHONE: 384 7269 MOBILE: 021 888 318

58 RUTHERFORD STREET, WOOLSTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8023

[email protected]

We are agents, importers and distributors of footwear, swimwear, womenswear, childrenswear and accessories. We also have two retail stores.

march constructionLeonie MacLachlan, Office ManagerPHONE: 903 2302 MOBILE: 021 180 2340

PO BOX 76123, CHRISTCHURCH 8548 1220 MAIN NORTH ROAD, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] MARCHCONSTRUCTION.CO.Nz

March provides design and pre-construction expertise, construction execution and project management services to clients in both the public infrastructure asset, management sector and the private construction and development sector.

mtwo limitedSarah SchaapPHONE: 0800 001 698 MOBILE: 021 142 6152PO BOX 12257, CHRISTCHURCH 8242 289 COLOMBO STREET, SyDENHAM, [email protected] MTWO.CO.Nz

Hosted online services and web design. voIP, data backup etc.

nature’s flameTrudi Allerby, Marketing CoordinatorPHONE: 335 3800 MOBILE: 027 271 4187PO BOX 11043, CHRISTCHURCH 8443 UNIT 3, 472 BLENHEIM ROAD, [email protected] NATURESFLAME.CO.Nz

Manufacturer of premium wood pellet fuel for residential, commercial and industrial heat. Wholesaler of wood pellet appliances.

newfield roofing limitedAlex Newfield, Operations ManagerPHONE: 335 0077 MOBILE: 027 435 7188PO BOX 12062, CHRISTCHURCH 8242 240A ANNEX ROAD, MIDDLETON, [email protected] NEWFIELDROOFING.CO.Nz

Commercial roofing contractors specialising in the supply and installation of metal roofing, wall cladding and butynol membrane.

new Zealand dairy Brands limitedTim Rudkin, Export DirectorPHONE: 550 0646 MOBILE: 021 562 233PO BOX 160082, HORNBy, CHRISTCHURCH 8441 51 EDMONTON ROAD, HORNBy, [email protected] NzDAIRyBRANDS.COM

Marketing and exporting of our own food brands – Go Milk and Foody.

new Zealand farriers limitedDavid Hankin, DirectorMOBILE: 021 555 213PO BOX 4558, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 23 RUNNyMEDE DRIvE, TEMPLETON, [email protected] FARRIER-SHOP.COM

Import, distribution and export of equestrian goods.

new Zealand paradise tours ltd.Christine Allison, CEO/Tour DirectorPHONE: 359 1204 MOBILE: 027 363 571PO BOX 76092, CHRISTCHURCH 8548 HAREWOOD AvIATION PARK, 800D POUND ROAD, [email protected] NzPARADISETOURS.COM

Owner/operated boutique travel company providing luxury guided and chauffeured tours of New zealand. Customised itineraries and privacy our specialty.

ohs consultants limitedNeal ParkerPHONE: 928 1720 MOBILE: 027 301 0950PO BOX 19709, CHRISTCHURCH 8241 UNIT 2, 342 LINCOLN ROAD, ADDINGTON, [email protected] OSHCONSULTANTS.CO.Nz

Health and safety consultants.

pandect mobility solutionsIan Bougen, Owner/DirectorPHONE: 338 5188 MOBILE: 021 712 391PO BOX 42096, TOWER jUNCTION, CHRISTCHURCH 8149UNIT 1, 17 WISE STREET, ADDINGTON, [email protected] PANDECT.CO.Nz

Designer, manufacturer and exporter of low-rise platform lifts for commercial and residential applications. Also suppliers and installers of stair lifts and other disability equipment.

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sales and marketing


paua productions ltd.Virginia Wright, Co-ownerPHONE: 377 7642 MOBILE: 027 487 0517

PO BOX 1051, CHRISTCHURCH 8140

[email protected] PAUAPRODUCTIONS.CO.Nz

Television production company.

phoenix fire security and Electrical ltd.Cristene Trenuela, DirectorPHONE: 942 7463 MOBILE: 0274 102 433

PO BOX 6677, UPPER RICCARTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8442 325 WIGRAM ROAD, HALSWELL, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] PHOENIXFSE.CO.Nz

Installation, design and maintenance of security alarms, access control, CCTv systems, home automation and smart phone integration.

placement painters limitedJo McErlain, AdministrationPHONE: 352 6492 MOBILE: 0274 629 183

UNIT 10, 97E SAWyERS ARMS ROAD, NORTHCOTE, CHRISTCHURCH 8051

[email protected]

Painting and decorating for commercial, new and existing homes and Fletchers EQR work.

plan B limitedKen McWilliams, Wellington & Southern Regional ManagerMOBILE: 021 244 6079

1 WOODWARD STREET, WELLINGTON 6011 LEvEL 2, 9 BAIGENT WAy, MIDDLETON, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] PLANB.CONz

Plan B is New zealand's leading provider of end- to-end business continuity services. We offer data backup and protection through to complete and integrated data backup, standby office and system infrastructure, recovery testing and assurance services.

possum pam nZ limitedRussell Dalzell, DirectorPHONE: 03 325 4252 MOBILE: 027 477 9754

178 HORORATA DUNSANDEL ROAD, DUNSANDEL , LEESTON 7682

[email protected] POSSUMPAM.COM

Possum skin manufacturer and wholesaler.

QBE insurance (international) limitedJustin van Soest, South Island ManagerPHONE: 357 8620 MOBILE: 021 330 830

PO BOX 724, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 2A GROUND FLOOR, 9 SIR GIL SIMPSON DRIvE, BURNSIDE, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] QBE.CO.Nz

QBE offers a comprehensive range of quality business insurance products to cover enterprises of all sizes; from small owner operators to large corporations.

Quality painting EnterprisesWalter CoapmanPHONE: 981 8587 MOBILE: 021 545 758

7 RAMAHANA ROAD, HUNTSBURy, CHRISTCHURCH 8022

[email protected]

Painting.

ranger Applied finishes ltd (canterbury)Roger Forde, DirectorPHONE: 338 2539

35 SHANDS ROAD, HORNBy, CHRISTCHURCH 8042

[email protected]

Construction.

rs Analytical ltd.Rob Saunders, ManagerPHONE: 332 1997 MOBILE: 021 182 828171A SOMMERFIELD STREET, SOMERFIELD, CHRISTCHURCH [email protected]

I operated a small importation and distribution business until April this year. I am currently seeking employment in the export sector.

sm consultingStephanie Mainprize, DirectorMOBILE: 021 668 977PO BOX 196, LyTTELTON 8841 UNIT 38, 105 BAMFORD STREET, WOOLSTON, [email protected]

We are a contracted service to the Ministry of Social Development, we help people to move into employment.

smiths hireWayne Smith, PartnerPHONE: 323 80291190 MAIN NORTH ROAD, BELFAST, CHRISTCHURCH [email protected] SMITHSHIRE.CO.Nz

Rental equipment specialists.

southern clinical trials groupJulia Mathison, Managing DirectorPHONE: 332 1979 MOBILE: 021 848 723PO BOX 33227, BARRINGTON, CHRISTCHURCH 82442 STRICKLAND STREET, BECKENHAM, [email protected] SCTRIALS.CO.Nz

We conduct clinical drug trials in New zealand for large pharmaceutical companies.

southern cross Engineering group ltd.Juanita Wilson, HR ManagerPHONE: 373 6286 MOBILE: 021 525 663PO BOX 24114, CHRISTCHURCH 8642 128 MACES ROAD, BROMLEy, [email protected] SCE.CO.Nz

Mechanical and project engineering, specialising in the design, manufacture and installation of timber, quarrying, mining processing and materials handling plants.

southern drywall services ltd.Donald Spackman, OwnerMOBILE: 021 036 8190

91 PANORAMA ROAD, CLIFTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8081

[email protected]

Gib-stopping.

tailorspace investments ltd.Charlotte SloanPHONE: 379 7213 MOBILE: 027 338 7992PO BOX 144, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 10 BEALEy AvENUE, MERIvALE, [email protected] TAILORSPACE.CO.Nz

Commercial property management and investment.

tigdan ltd.Puneet Saini, DirectorMOBILE: 021 072 9807 169 GREERS ROAD, BURNSIDE CHRISTCHURCH [email protected] TIGDAN.COM

Service provided over the internet.

true potential discoveries ltdNicki Hayward, DirectorMOBILE: 027 733 4040220 CATHERWOODS ROAD, RD 1 CUST, RANGIORA [email protected] TRUEPOTENTIALDISCOvERIES.CO.Nz

Provides coaching and training services including executive and leadership development, personal and career development and small business development.

the Architectural roofing companyBruce Gibson, DirectorMOBILE: 021 578 739

PO BOX 102, ROLLESTON, CHRISTCHURCH 8023 16 WESTLAND PLACE, ROLLESTON, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] TRAyROOFING.CO.Nz

Supply and installation of roofing and cladding products specialising in copper, zinc, aluminium and pre-painted steel.

the project officeNatalie WebbPHONE: 365 4328 MOBILE: 021 630 159

PO BOX 7020, CHRISTCHURCH 8240 69 DURHAM STREET SOUTH, SyDENHAM, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] THEPROjECTOFFICE.CO.Nz

Project management service.

thermo fisher scientific tauranga ltd.Lesley Stolte, Belfast Manufacturing CoordinatorPHONE: 323 9584 MOBILE: 027 445 5373

PO BOX 76210, CHRISTCHURCH 8548 65 FACTORy ROAD, BELFAST, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected]

Manufacturer of animal derived products that are supplied to biopharmaceutical companies around the world.

town planning group ltd.Brett Giddens, DirectorPHONE: 428 2213 MOBILE: 021 365 513

PO BOX 35, CHRISTCHURCH 8140 98 vICTORIA STREET, CHRISTCHRUCH

[email protected] TOWNPLANNING.CO.Nz

Town planning, consenting, policy, and land development consulting.

uden Brothers construction ltd.Gavin Uden, General ManagerPHONE: 381 5041 MOBILE: 022 203 6804

PO BOX 38101, CHRISTCHURCH 8842 303B WOODHAM ROAD, LINWOOD, CHRISTCHURCH

[email protected] UDENBROTHERS.CO.Nz

We are a construction company based in Christchurch doing EQC work with builders, painters and plasters.

wai industries ltd.Cavan O’Connell, DirectorPHONE: 980 7443

19 PALMSIDE STREET, SPREyDON, CHRISTCHURCH 8024

[email protected]

Floor wastes systems made in Christchurch to the plumbing Industry for the Canterbury rebuild and the rest of New zealand.

waimakariri irrigation ltd.Brent Walton, General ManagerPHONE: 03 313 0200 MOBILE: 022 086 9986

PO BOX 556, RANGIORA 7440 267 HIGH STREET, RANGIORA

[email protected] WIL.CO.Nz

Irrigation scheme.

whisper creek golf resortJulie Gorman, DirectorPHONE: 329 8045 MOBILE: 021 475 327

242 SPENCERvILLE ROAD, CHRISTCHURCH 8083

[email protected] WHISPERCREEK.CO.Nz

Golf resort, subdivision currently in development.

sales and marketing

55

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce would like to acknowledge the support of our sponsors, who contribute to this organisation to ensure that membership subscriptions can be kept as low as possible. Each of these companies assists us to bring more services and better value to our members. next issue

March 2014 (158)

deadline Booking: 20 December 2013 Copy/Adverts: 10 january 2014

EditorKate Trolove [email protected] 03 366 5096

update magazine is produced

quarterly and has a distribution

of 2,700 copies to business and

other recipients. Employers’

Chamber members are welcome

to advertise in Update magazine

– see cecc.org.nz or contact the

editor for details.

Westpac Business

Community Hub

55 Jack Hinton Drive

Addington

PO Box 359

Christchurch 8140

Ph 03 366 5096

Freephone 0800 50 50 96

cecc.org.nz

[email protected]

Affiliated to:

lobbying, advocacy, business strategy & policy

Chief ExecutivePeter Townsend [email protected]

General ManagerLeeann Watson [email protected]

communications, ict, membership, marketing, sector support

Marketing and ICTKate Trolove [email protected]

Business Development ManagerLorraine Rouse [email protected]

Marketing & Communications CoordinatorChelsea Anderson [email protected]

Business advice, export & import, grants & funding, manufacturing and sector support

Technology & Marketing DevelopmentRob Lawrence [email protected]

Technology Support CoordinatorCarly Wheeler [email protected]

Business AdviserShirley van Waveren [email protected]

training, networking and events

Business Services ManagerRichard Holstein [email protected]

Training & Events CoordinatorsKelly Mackintosh [email protected] Andrews [email protected]

Project/Events Coordinator – Champion CanterburyMikayla Whetton [email protected]

Training & Events AssistantsAlexia Ferguson-Lees [email protected] Botting [email protected]

Employment law, employment relations advice, health & safety, wage & salary information, human resources, seeking skilled staff

Employment Relations AdviserKeith Woodroof [email protected]

Business & HR AdviserMelanie James [email protected]

Health and Safety ConsultantsHelen Mason [email protected] de Vries [email protected]

Migrant Employment CoordinatorJude Ryan-O’Dea [email protected]

Settlement Support CoordinatorLana Hart [email protected]

finance, membership support, event & training registrations, certificates of origin services, reception

Finance ManagerSteve Woodside [email protected]

External Relationships ManagerAnna Johnstone [email protected]

Accounts & Membership LiaisonAnne Jamieson [email protected]

Membership LiaisonKellee Berry [email protected]

Executive Office Assistants Shirley Page [email protected] Purchase [email protected]

Receptionist and Administration SupportBallantyne Haines [email protected] Lindsay [email protected]

contact us

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce is a membership-based organisation providing assistance at all levels and in all areas of business. The current organisation is a combination of the local Chamber of Commerce and Employers’ Association. This enables members to access both traditional Chamber assistance – international trade, lobbying, networking, commerce advice – and Employers’ Association assistance – employment law, employment relations, advocacy and HR – through one membership.

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update

Documents

CECC Update magazine - Issue 157 (November 2013