We're pretty stoked. The other finalists are all major corporates or leading marketing agencies. We’re a family run wine shop in Havelock North with a staff of 8.  It’s classic David and Goliath stuff. And we have our friends at Jericho to thank.

Jericho owner Jeff Mann and his wife Nicola Heath drove the decision to enter the competition and deserve the credit for getting us over the line. We go way back with Jericho. Jeff and I have been mates since the third form and Advintage was Jericho’s first customer.

But that was then. Jericho has grown to become New Zealand’s preeminent email systems developer and is the digital partner for many of New Zealand’s largest companies.

We use their SmartmailPro product to send our bulletins and use Jericho built systems to manage all of our online operations. The radical content management system that Jericho developed for us in 2010 formed the basis for our NEXUS entry. It has revolutionised our world – giving us in-house, developer level control of our entire online systems. It’s breathtakingly easy for us to use. We love it.

The NEXUS winners will announced in February next year.

I’ll keep you posted.

Mac

During his talk, Rob weighed into the amalgamation debate, and talked about the value of us locally marketing ourselves and acting as a single region.   I pondered on this for a few days, and decided to send a note through to Rob.  What I asked of him was to have Air NZ demonstrate their support for the Hawkes Bay brand. 

On the Air NZ website you could only choose to fly to or from Napier/Hastings.  I asked Rob if he would support an additional destination option on the website to include Hawkes Bay.  Rob wrote back personally (yay!) and said he thought this would be a logical step for Hawkes Bay so that people searching under Napier, Hastings or Hawkes Bay can find the destination and schedule they are seeking. 

 It took a couple of months, but I am stoked to announce that you can now to choose to fly to or from Napier/Hastings or Hawkes Bay. 

 I have to say I was fully impressed with both the responsiveness and follow through that Rob and his team at Air NZ demonstrated here.   Rob doesn’t know me at all, and my experience in dealing with him on this aligns entirely with the essence of who Air NZ as a company is.

 Check it out for yourself - http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/

Conrad Kirk, described as a “talent” on Hawke’s Bay’s wine scene, is the inaugural recipient of Skeltons Excellence Award for viticulture.  The pipfruit cadet Excellence Award winners are Epere (Eps) Epere and Shane Flynn.

Eps is a student who has shown a quiet determination to succeed.  Winner of the Award in 2010 also, he has since been promoted from supervisor to an assistant manager for Johnny Appleseed.

Another “rising star” is Shane Flynn, who has completed the three-year fruit cadetship in two years.  Employed by Chadwick Trust, an orchard in Farndon Road that is part of the Crasborn Group, Shane “most definitely shines” according to Lee Arlidge, Crasborn’s operations manager.

“We can see there is a bright future for the Hawke’s Bay horticulture and viticulture industries if the calibre of these students is any indication."

"EIT tutors and their individual managers are full of praise for the commitment and enthusiasm these men have shown to furthering their skills by studying, while at the same time excelling in their full-time hands-on roles.  We can take heart that there are potential leaders coming through the ranks,” says James Cropper, Skeltons Hawke’s Bay’s field manager.

[caption id="attachment_6738" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Pictured from left, Eps Epere, Conrad Kirk and Shane Flynn EIT cadet winners, with James Cropper, Skeltons Technical Advisor."][/caption]

Local project management company BPX has successfully project managed the merger of the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) and Tairāwhiti Polytechnic's 150,000 student records.

When the two tertiary institutes EIT Hawke's Bay and Tairāwhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne merged at the beginning of 2011, one of the largest undertakings was the integration of the Artena student management system.

EIT policy analyst Patrick Jones says the project took 10 months and is now the largest Artena student database in New Zealand.

Artena is a web-based system that allows users to track and manage all stages of a student's academic life, from the point of admission and enrolment through to graduation.

The Artena system provides instant management level reporting data for both internal and external requirements.

BPX project manager Andrew Smith was contracted to coordinate and project manage the merging of the two systems.

Mr Jones said using a local project management company was helpful with communication and ensured effective workflow.

"BPX had sound and well tested processes and methodology and were also flexible in their approach. This was a huge project and had a number of complexities to work through."

"The first round of testing came through with very few errors, which was pleasing considering the size of the database," Mr Jones said

People Central Ltd’s 80% success rate at getting redundant staff back into work within 2 months has been recognised by WINZ who are keen to keep newly redundant people off the dole queue by subsidising redundancy support by up to 100%.

Our mission now is to get the message out to all employers in the region faced with the dilemma of making staff who are often mates, godparents & family members redundant as a way of sweetening a very bitter pill with real prospects of a viable future in the region.  You can demonstrate your support for the region too by spreading the word to business owners and line managers in your network of this services availability.

Call People Central on 06 833 6465 to support your staff or click here for more information.

Gemco are finalists in a national competition to win a business software makeover - so they can offer a better service to their valued customers.

And with your support, they could win!

All you have to do is vote for them – the more votes the better chance they have of winning!

Go to http://www.greentreegameon.co.nz/finalists/gemco

“In 10 years time, Hawke’s Bay will be known internationally as one of the great wine producing areas of the world,” says Nicholas Buck, Chairman of HB Winegrowers Inc.

This week Craggy Range Winery, Crossroads Winery and Villa Maria all released press statements for category wins in Australasia’s biggest wine competition, the 2011 Winestate Awards.

Craggy Range was also awarded the competition’s Wine of the Year for its 2009 ‘Le Sol’ Syrah.  Crossroads achieved its win with the Vineyard Selection Kereru Road Merlot Cabernet 2009 and Villa Maria with the Reserve Malbec 2009.

But the real story is revealed when all Winestate Award categories are viewed -Hawke’s Bay took the top prize for the important red wine categories: Merlot & Blends, Shiraz / Syrah and Other Reds.

“For a competition of over 11,000 Australian and New Zealand wines, this is substantially significant.  Not only are we selling coals to Newcastle, we’re winning in terms of recognition and quality too,” says Lyn Bevin, Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc. executive officer.

In the most recent issue of Wine Advocate and website eRobertParker.com, recognised as the leading independent consumers’ guides to fine wine, writer Lisa Perotti-Brown covered New Zealand.

“Hawke’s Bay is a region I noted that is doing a particularly great job at producing complex, age-worthy wines,” she states after lamenting that many New Zealand wines lacked the complexity she sought.  Lisa praised wineries producing highly individual and noteworthy Bordeaux blends and Syrah.

“Hawke’s Bay’s Chardonnays are becoming very exciting,” she added.

And in the UK, Rebecca Gibb featured Hawke’s Bay in the latest issue of Imbibe.com for leading wine trade industry professionals.  Rod Easthope of Craggy Range is quoted as saying “we are now getting to the stage where we are confident with our fruit and wine-making”.

Regardless of whether you are a Syrah fan or a Cabernet Merlot or Merlot Cabernet blend fan the accolades are there for Hawke’s Bay wines.

For further information contact:
Lyn Bevin, Executive Officer
Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc.
Phone 876 3418 or 027 621 7891

Over 500 people attended the ‘must attend’ business event of the year which was hosted by highly respected broadcaster Paul Holmes.
The judges in making their decision said “Furnware’s leadership vision, commitment to a high risk business change and success nationally and internationally is a testimony to persistence, attention to detail and commitment to its market niche.

“Results are impressive through an innovative approach to product development and quality.  Because of its market dominance in New Zealand and growing reputation offshore, Furnware clearly stood out as this year’s overall winner.”

PORSE managing director Jenny Yule added another business accolade to her CV in winning the Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year.
Ms Yule was a finalist in Veuve Clicquot New Zealand Business Woman Awards last year, a winner of the Her Business Most Outstanding Business Leader in 2008 and Business Woman of the Year.  In 2003
the Franchise Association of NZ awarded Jenny a National Business Leadership Award.

PORSE, New Zealand’s leading in-home childcare service, with 39.7 percent market share with over 7000 children enrolled through its 41 branch network.

The citation read out last night said “An inspirational and persuasive leader, Jenny is dedicated to her vision and mission and belief that societies benefit when babies are raised in stable home environments during the critical stages of early brain development.”

Other winners in the general categories that went on as a finalist in the supreme award including Kilt (Unison Small Business Award); Bay Tours and Charters Ltd (Barnes Mossman Small or Emerging Business Award) and Printstock Products Ltd (Newstalk ZB Medium-Large Business Award.

Past supreme award winner 3R won the Xplore Online Award, which was one of five special categories.

Other special categories winners included Martin Beveridge Ltd (Te Puni Kōkiri Māori Business Excellence Award); Napier Family Centre (EIT Not for Profit Business Award); Origin Earth Ltd (Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Business Innovation Award) and Unison Networks (Watties Workfit Healthy Workplace Award).
There were 41 finalists in the nine categories.

Te Puni Kokiri Maori Business Excellence Award
Martin Beveridge Ltd

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Business Innovation Award
Origin Earth

EIT Not For Profit Business Award
Napier Family Centre Inc

Xplore Online Award
3R Group Ltd

Watties Workfit Healthy Workplace Award
Unison Networks Ltd

Barnes Mossman Small or Emerging Business Award
Bay Tours & Charters

Unison Small – Medium Business Award
Kilt

Newstalk ZB Medium - Large Business Award
Printstock Products Ltd

Pan Pac Large Business Award
Furnware Ltd

Hawke’s Bay Chamber of Commerce Business Person of the Year Award
Jenny Yule – PORSE in home childcare

Hawke’s Bay Today Business of the Year
Furnware Ltd

Thanks Australia, you were a formidable opponent and provided worthy competition but unfortunately I think you were let down by Cooper (Or did he live up to expectections?)

See the flying magpie?

Onto the final......

GO THE ALL BLACKS!

Attn! marketing pr director Anna Lorck said being part of a world first – where a community comes together to sponsor a national sports team in its quest for Olympic glory was an exciting initiative.

“We like many other business leaders want to promote Hawke’s Bay to an international audience and this is a unique way of demonstrating how innovative our region is.

"It's time we showed New Zealand and the world how strong collectively our region can be,” Anna said.

This unique sponsorship agreement announced today is the brainchild of Vector Arena co-owner and the man behind the phenomenally successful 'Walking with the Dinosaurs', Bruce Mactaggart.

Businesses supporting include nationwide in-home childcare PORSE, construction firm Gemco, transportable building firm Cottages NZ, Port of Napier and New Zealand’s largest credit union NZCU Baywide.

The list dubbed the “Hawke’s Bay Leaders Circle” also includes Tumu Timbers, Hastings Pak’n Save, Big Save, Lowe Corporation, NZ Entertainment and Events Corporation, Unison, Selini, Ngati Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated, Furnware, Tremains, Colliers, Hastings Health Centre, Farmlands, Mackersey Developments along with Rebecca Turner and Lyn Williams, Rod Drury and Claire Vogtherr and Neil Pulford.

Jenni Giblin of Giblin Group and Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule played a vital role in securing the support of the business leaders in a short period of time.

Mr Mactaggert said the aim of the sponsorship is to give New Zealand hockey the best chance of winning medals at the Olympics while also uniting a community.

"While I personally believed this was a great notion, I obviously wasn’t sure if others would agree with me! But in my view, the potential for global exposure for Hawke's Bay and the opportunity to drive this community forward was too good to miss," says Mactaggart.

"This is not just about hockey – it’s about what is possible when a community comes together, how we can unite and use all our resources, financial and intellectual to support our national team while also galvanising and supporting our own community," Mactaggart says.

Hawke’s Bay will host an induction weekend from 25-27 November as well as team training camps next year. The Black Sticks will also visit schools, businesses and community organisations in the region.

Mayor Yule sees it as a fantastic opportunity to take the Hawke’s Bay ‘brand’ to the world.

“While we couldn’t have commenced this initiative without the fantastic financial support of the initial Hawke’s Bay ‘leaders’; we are going to look for ways to engage the entire Hawke’s Bay community to support the Black Sticks as they prepare in their ‘quest to be the best’ at the London Olympics in 2012”, says Mayor Yule.

“We see this partnership as a unique and innovative way to promote Hawke’s Bay – and the opportunities to live, work, invest and play here - to the world! This region truly is an amazing place with amazing people!’ says Mayor Yule.