2009 Finalists for the Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards Announced

• Newstalk ZB Community Organisation Business Award
  Keswick Christian Camp - Rotorua Community Hospice Trust - Waiariki Institute of Technology
  Destination Rotorua Economic Development Emerging Business Award
  Fix - Superior Storage Limited - Solace Café and Restaurant -
  Tyler Accounting and Taxation Services (TACTS) Ltd
• The Daily Post ThermalAir Hospitality and Attractions Business Award
  Agroventures - McDonald's Rotorua
• Lockwood Manufacturing and Trade Business Award
  Orca Engineering & Marine 2003 Ltd - PhotoArts NZ Ltd - Sefton Electrical Ltd
• Pukeroa Oruawhata Holdings Retail Business Award
  Bike Vegas Ltd - Serious Fun - Westend New World
• Unison - The Powerlines People Service Provider Business Award
  Regent Conveyancing - Headquarters Hairstylists
• NZCU Rotorua Employee of the Year Award
  Chris Cudd, Idea Services - Tim Wiringi, Integrated Systems Design -
  Pauline Hapi, Lakes District Health Board
• Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust Social Responsibility Business Award
  Glenn Austin - McDonald's Rotorua - Keswick Christian Camp - Waiariki Institute of Technology
• Waiariki Institute of Technology Apprentice of the Year
  Richard Edwards, Farm and Garden Equipment - Cara Owen, Planet of Hair
• TrustPower Customer Service Award
  Indian Star Restaurant - Lovely India Restaurant - Relish Café - Tandoori Palace Restaurant - The Wedding Guy

The finalists for each of the categories of Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards represent a wide cross section of the top businesses in Rotorua. According to Roger Gordon, “The total number of individual organisations represented as finalists in this year's Awards is the highest it has ever been. The selection of the category winners and the ultimate winner, The Westpac Business of the Year, will be a very difficult choice.”

Convenor of Judges Melanie Short was responsible for coordinating the judging process. Each entrant was visited by a pair of judges during July and August. After the site visits all of the judges met in conference to compare standards across sectors and to debate the selection of finalists. Melanie Short comments “The panel of judges deliberated thoroughly the selection of the 17 Business Category finalists, with several categories providing some very good examples of excellence in business.”

The finalists of the six business award categories are now preparing for their individual presentations to the full panel of judges, which will take place over the weekend of 19 and 20 September. During this weekend, the category winners and the supreme winner will be chosen.

This is the fifth year that Westpac have sponsored the Rotorua Business Excellence Awards and during that period the Awards have gone from strength to strength. Previous winners of these awards are featured in the Gallery of Honour on the Chamber's website.

This year the Awards will present a new award, the Red Stag Business Person of the Year. The recipient of the prestigious award will be chosen by a peer group and announced on the evening. Each year the Red Stag Business Person of the Year will be inducted into the Rotorua Business Hall of Fame.

Gala Awards Presentation Evening

The Gala Presentation Dinner will be held on Friday 2 October 2009 in the Unison Arena of our Energy Events Centre. The event is being coordinated by Event Impressions and Audio Visual Techniques and they are promising once again to present an event that will be truly memorable. The event will be catered for by Eurest who will again be sponsoring the event.

“The Chamber acknowledges the tremendous support that is received from Rotorua companies to enable such a hallmark event to be staged,” states Roger Gordon. “It will be an event not to miss!”

Tickets are on sale from Tuesday 1 September and can be ordered through the Chamber's web site http://www.rotoruachamber.co.nz/.

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Rotorua has recently been tipped to become the new cycling capital of New Zealand as we are uniquely placed with a network of roads that meander past beautiful scenic forests, farms and lakes. We have the best mountain biking tracks in the world right on our doorstep, criss-crossing the world renowned Whakarewarewa forest. We also have a wonderful BMX track and a great cycling velodrome. We have all the ingredients to be New Zealand's cycling capital!

Cycling is a great sport and it is a pleasurable leisure activity. It is also a cheap and efficient form of commuter transport. It is great for your health, reducing your risk of heart disease, strokes, type-2 diabetes, obesity and a host of other health related conditions. It is good for the environment and it has many other social and economic benefits including reduced road congestion and petrol consumption.

To realise our vision of Rotorua being New Zealand's cycling capital we need to do some educating. We need to teach school children to ride and we need to educate the driving public to respect cyclists.

Rotorua has recently been chosen as the pilot city for a new cycling initiative that BikeNZ plans to introduce nationwide. Rotorua in Gear is a three-year project involving a range of community organisations including the Rotorua District Council, Lakes District Health Board, Sport Bay of Plenty and SPARC, which will introduce a comprehensive cycling education programme, delivered throughout schools and the community, with the aim of getting more Rotorua residents riding more often.

A recent study on New Zealand household travel showed that the number of cycling trips in New Zealand reduced by 39% over the last decade and even more concerning was that the decline in cycling is most apparent among the young.

A further study on Auckland's North Shore showed that despite 73% of primary pupils living within a kilometre of their school, more than half were still being driven to and from school daily.

This is a far cry from my school days, when the bike racks at both primary and secondary schools were filled to over-flowing. We need to get our community back on bikes, and Rotorua in Gear is just what we need to make this happen and create a 'social norm' around cycling.

We now have a real opportunity to get behind this BikeNZ initiative which will result not only in improved health and fitness for our community, but will also have exciting economic spin-offs for our city as tourists and Kiwi cyclists alike become aware of New Zealand's new cyclist-friendly cycling capital. So let's get behind this exciting new initiative and get more people riding more often, for the good of our community and our country.

Acknowledgement: Jeremy Christmas, Director, School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology, Waiariki Institute of Technology, 0800 924 274 - 07 346 8999, http://www.waiariki.ac.nz/

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Eight ways to use the web and social media to combat swine flu

(Or how to remain part of your team during quarantine lock-down)

1. Lay the tracks – get this right and everything below is easier and quicker…!
   Get broadband on at your chosen refuge / home / apartment. These online tools can be used via a handheld device or via dial-up but work best at speed.
2. Sort out your email communications first
   – now in fact
   Forward all your emails to a Gmail (link to www.gmail.com/) account NOW – before you get the orders to stay home.
   This can be done at the corporate email server end in your office, at your domain name hosting provider or simply from your own PC with mail forwarding (although using this method means your PC needs to be left on to forward new emails).
3. Instant Messaging – continue being a part of a (virtual) cube farm or open office environment.
   Install Skype (link to www.skype.com) and sign up for Twitter (link to www.twitter.com) – so you have options to connect with others and interact just like being in your shared environment at work.
   Create a Twibe (link to ) for your office mates – use that for before / after / during work chat and jokes.
4. Being Productive – files and folders
   Register to use Google Docs (link to http://www.google.com/docs) so that you can create word processing files or spreadsheets or presentations. You can share them with people and invite them to edit the same document that you are working on – even better than being in the office.
   You can also create fill-in forms that get saved into a spreadsheet immediately – great stuff…
5. Mind mapping – get creative with the team and capture the great ideas…!
   Need something to support your instant messaging and Skype calls? Try www.mindmeister.com a really good free (six maps only) online mind mapper tool.
   Use this to brainstorm various elements to your projects and capture the information for people to add to later.
6. GoToWebinar – virtual meeting and Webinar software
   Sometimes you may need to have a more formal meeting with someone displaying their desk top and running through a set agenda.
   Sometimes you need to present to a group and engage with them in a seminar type situation using a presentation tool.
   We suggest using the paid SaaS www.GoToWebinar.com as this seems to be the best value and most feature rich product of this type (at least at the moment).
   You can have up to 15 people in a virtual meeting or up to 1000 along for a Webinar – all for one small(ish) price.
7. Buy online – food, wine and entertainment
   Enough about work – what about sustenance…? Never fear.
   From getting groceries delivered to your door (link to http://www. woolworths.co.nz/) to an excellent range of fine wine (link to www.ArawaFineWines.co.nz) Break out the credit card and indulge in your eating and drinking.
   Don't forget the many DVD rental services (link to http://www. fatso.co.nz/) now available as well as online games and YouTube (link to www.YouTube.com) . There's a growing list of digital archive being made available from the various countries too – most of which is free to view.
   This quarantine period may be the biggest driver ever for online ordering – embrace the technology and try new suppliers.
8. Open your mind and use the opportunity to learn – explore and grow
   From great speakers to online learning the web has it all – take the opportunity to start learning a new skill or honing an existing one – perhaps there's a technology that you want to know more about – use this time to master new knowledge.

Search for the topic and add “online courses” or “webinars” to the search phrase – you may be surprised with the level of information that you find….

Acknowledgement: Russell Holland. If you need help in your online endeavours, contact him at http://www.ec2.co.nz/

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Positive signs in the economy as business confidence rises

Domestic economic news over the past month or so has been refreshingly positive. Business confidence rose further in July to the highest level since March 2002. And despite rising unemployment, consumers seem to be feeling better too. May retail sales were much stronger than expected, although early indicators suggest a slower June. Housing market data is continuing to show solid momentum in June, with house sales up 40% compared to a year ago, days to sell the lowest since November 2007 (when adjusted for season patterns), and median house prices maintaining their recent upward trend.

The news has been more mixed out of the export sector. On the plus side, the Consensus forecast for 2009 trading partner growth was revised up slightly, while Fonterra reaffirmed their 2009/10 forecast payout to dairy farmers at $4.55 per kilogram of milk solids, rather than revising it down, as was widely expected. However, there is clear downside risk given where product prices and the NZD currently sit. Also on the negative side of the ledger, climate models shows a considerable risk of an El Nino event this summer, which typically leads to drought conditions on the east coast.

Despite the broad balance of healthier economic news, the RBNZ struck a surprisingly weak chord in the July OCR review, reiterating that the OCR could still move lower in coming quarters and that it would remain at or below current levels until the latter part of 2010.

The tone of the statement was, if anything, more downbeat than in June. There was no acknowledgement of the improving global outlook, stronger domestic data, or the ongoing easing in effective interest rates as mortgages are reset.

The motivation for the RBNZ's softer-than-expected tone was clearly the current level of the NZ dollar. The RBNZ noted that the economic recovery they are forecasting is contingent on a weaker currency and, "If this easing does not occur, the forecast recovery could be put at risk. In these circumstances we would reassess policy settings." That implies two stark options: either the currency heads lower, or the cash rate will. We favour a third option: that improving data will make it clear that neither is in fact appropriate.

It is not obvious that the NZD is particularly stretched at current levels. The currency is around its long-run average on the trade-weighted index; it's slightly above average against the structurally weak US dollar and below average against the Australian dollar. Prices for New Zealand's commodity exports are around their long-term trend in NZD terms - an impressive performance, considering that they have generally fallen below trend during previous, milder global slowdowns.

Moreover, further rate cuts are not a risk-free option. As Dr Bollard noted in a recent speech: “A clear risk beyond near-term recovery is that households resume their 'borrow and spend' habits... triggered, for example, by renewed moderate house price inflation. This needs to be avoided.” The most likely catalyst for such a scenario would be if interest rates were kept too low once the recovery got underway. Further rate cuts in the near future would not reduce this risk.

So while the threat of further rate cuts can't be dismissed completely, we think the RBNZ will ultimately be guided by the outlook for domestic demand, the area over which it has the most influence. And if domestic conditions continue to improve at their recent pace, the RBNZ should be able to resist the temptation to deliver another short-term hit of monetary stimulus. A greater contribution to growth from the export sector would be nice to have, but it's not for monetary policy to decide.

Acknowledgement: Westpac

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Mike Tennent giving Word of Wisdom on Networking at Kikstart Breakfast

Question #1 “How did you get your started in the ‘widget’ business?”

Question #2 “What do you enjoy most about what you do?”

Question #3 “What separates your company from your competition?”

Question #4 “What advice would you give someone just starting in the widget business.”

Question #5 “What one thing would you do with your business if you knew you couldn’t fail?”

Question #6 “What significant changes have you seen take place in your profession through the years?”

Question #7 “What do you see as the coming trends in the widget business?”

Question #8 “Describe the strangest (or funniest) incident you’ve ever experienced in your business?”

Question #9 “What ways have you found to be the most effective for promoting your business?”

Question #10 “What one sentence would you like people to use in describing the way you do business?”

... and the one “Key” Question that will set you apart from everyone else:

“How can I know if someone I’m speaking to would be a good prospect for you?”

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Floristry World Cup

Members of the Chamber met Nina Healey at the recent Business After Five at the Distinction Hotel. Nina will be New Zealand's representative at the Floristy World Cup that will be held in Shanghai in China during March 2010. Nina's preparation for this prestigious event is well under way. She has already spent many hours researching and planning, even before she starts to design the props for her exhibit.

Nina hopes that Chamber members will get behind her and support her efforts as she works towards representing New Zealand and the Rotorua community at the prestigious Floristry World Cup next year. Please pop into Living Colour at

1144 Eruera Street, Rotorua to see Nina and the team. They have put together an awesome raffle and other fundraising projects. You can contact her on nina@livingcolour.co.nz.

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Wanting to grow your business?

I hate the sound of the word recession as much as the next person. In fact I try not to refer to it, and if I possibility have to it's the R word! It seems to make businesses and consumers tighten their wallets.

So what's the verdict on marketing during this time? And what can you do to insure that your business is still a success? For one read this article, it's free advice!

Your current customers are important to you at this time; I'm not suggesting that you are at their peril; however giving great customer service is essential! Believe it or not it's not hard to be great. Think of all of the times that you have had bad customer service, it happens far too frequently. Make you business one that insures and delivers great customer service experience.

So what is great customer service mean? Give meaningful lead times; if you know that your product is not going to be ready in the next 15 minutes or two weeks say so. Customers would far rather know in advance. Give honest and open advice, don't promise something that your product will not deliver; the customer will leave unsatisfied and you might find that they don't come back.

Give your customer something extra; it doesn't have to be the world. It could be a tip on how to care for the product that you have just sold them, or simply a smile. If this customer goes away feeling as if they have something extra, they will surely return.

Measure what marketing you are doing. If you're not looking closely at what marketing you are doing you may be chucking your hard earned cash away. Look at what is working, and ask yourself: “Why?” Do the same with your marketing that is not so effective.

Talk with your whole team and get their input, especially if they are your front line staff; they know your customers the best.

Make sure your staff is being up-skilled. It is much better to up-skill your staff and have them leave than have them give mediocre service, or misinformed information.

Send them on a course, or have someone come to the workplace. They will feel valued that you are willing to put time and money into making them successful. If purse strings are a bit tight, pick one of your staff that is great at something and get them to teach the skill to their colleagues. When packaged right, this will feel like a feather in their cap.

Action! This will lead you to success. Make a plan for your marketing and your team, and this will lead to success within your business. I'm sure you know of the quote “It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). Just starting is half the battle. Best of luck!

Acknowledgement: Amber Kedian, Succinct Marketing, 027 251 1362

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Green shoots are starting to appear

I am not sure if you have noticed, but the days are starting to get longer and green shoots are starting to appear on the trees. There seem to be fewer people coughing and spluttering and more people smiling as we head into the warmth of spring.

There also appears to be a few more green shoots appearing in our economy. The latest Quotable Value property survey, for example, reported national property values had increased for a third month in a row, and the NZX 50 has just hit a 10-month high. Maybe spring is near for our economy as well?

In my opinion Rotorua is well placed to claw itself out of the wintery economy which we all feared. There are several local signs of 'green shoots' that lead me to this conclusion. I am involved in judging in this year's Westpac Rotorua Business Excellence Awards, and without breaching any confidentialities, I must say I have been extremely impressed with the quality and number of entries in this year's awards. I am also involved in an entry in the Rotorua Wearable Creations 'n' Colour awards, and again have been impressed with the number and incredible standard of the fellow entrants. Initiatives such the Rotorua in Gear cycling programme, which is a three-year pilot programme for a future national initiative to encourage more people to cycle more often, and Rotorua's involvement in the recently announced cycleway, all contribute to a healthy and vibrant community.

And what about the recent announcement of Trans-Tasman flights into Rotorua! This is another great opportunity for Rotorua to confirm its place as tourism capital and cycling capital of New Zealand.

As Director of the School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology at Waiariki Institute of Technology, I see firsthand the student numbers that continue to grow at our Institute, to the point that I have to come to work earlier and earlier to get a car park! Waiariki has just about reached student capacity for the year, to the extent that new buildings, such as the recreation centre, are being built or being planned to be built to accommodate our continued roll growth for 2010 and beyond.

All this positive activity in our local community confirms to me that as we head into warmer and happier days of summer our local economy shows real signs of doing the same.

Acknowledgement: Jeremy Christmas, Director, School of Forestry, Wood Processing and Biotechnology, Waiariki Institute of Technology, 0800 924 274 – 07 346 8999, http://www.waiariki.ac.nz/

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Energy opportunities in the Bay of Plenty

The Bay of Plenty could generate 15 percent of New Zealand's electricity demand and attract more than $4 billion in energy investments over the next 15 to 50 years. This would result in thousands of new jobs being created. An energy strategy is currently being developed for the region. This forms part of the work of the Bay of Connections– the Bay of Plenty's economic development strategy. Energy is one of the 13 key areas identified in Bay of Connections. It will be important to develop these key areas if the region is to realise its full potential.

The group responsible for Bay of Connections and the energy strategy is the Regional Governance Group. This group is made up of representatives from the three economic development agencies, three business representatives, and one government representative.

Early this year the Regional Governance Group decided to explore the opportunities in energy for the region. Over the last few months there have been numerous interviews with key people to help shape the energy strategy. On 6 July a Regional Energy Forum was held at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre. It was well attended with over 80 attendees from within the region and across New Zealand.

The vision of the strategy is wealth and wellbeing via energy. The Forum agreed that this will be achieved through opportunities in biomass, solar and geothermal options, energy efficiency practices, and security of supply. It is an exciting time for the Bay of Plenty region, and the growth opportunities are plentiful if we continue to work together towards our goals.

The energy strategy is expected to achieve a range of economic and social objectives as outlined below:

Biomass, solar and geothermal opportunities

It is easy to see why the potential for solar in the region is so great. This region has one of the highest daily levels of sunshine hours in the country. As the technologies for utilising solar energy become more affordable, there will be increasing opportunities for heating of homes and other buildings, water heating and electricity generation – to enhance business development, as well as ensuring warm and healthy homes.

Data Source NIWA. Geothermal is often associated with hot springs and geysers, but there are many forms of geothermal energy and uses. Geothermal heat is available in a range of temperatures; from low to over 250oC and can be used in a variety of ways.

Commercial uses for geothermal fluids include pulp and paper manufacture at Kawerau, drying of fruits and vegetables, timber drying, pasteurising milk, and providing heat for growing horticultural crops in greenhouses. An example of this is the extensive greenhouse complex at Mokai where tomatoes and capsicums are grown.

Another use of lower temperature geothermal heat, which is relatively common overseas, is aquaculture, with New Zealand examples at Taupo where prawns are grown, or near Tauranga where tropical fish are grown.

Geothermal energy uses also include recreation and health use in hot springs, scenic areas, tourist parks, and health spas. There are many opportunities in Rotorua to develop geothermal – such as building on Rotorua's success, history and reputation as an international health spa centre. This will provide increased employment opportunities and skills development, as well as tourist-related activities.

The third key area for energy development in the Bay of Plenty is through biomass. Biomass can be used to make two energy fuels; wood fuel for heat production, and liquid biofuels for transport fuel. These can provide forest owners with additional revenue streams from forest residues that are currently wasted and higher value from wood produced. Given the large forest area around Rotorua, this will be another key source of economic growth for the region.

Bioenergy has a number of key advantages. It is sustainable and renewable. The current hold-up on the wide use of bioenergy is mainly the lower cost of electricity generation from other energy sources, as well as perceptions that bioenergy is non-traditional and has higher risks compared to other energy forms. This view may change with the introduction of a carbon tax.

Over the coming months, the regional energy strategy will be further developed. The end result will be an Action Plan which clearly outlines what the region as a whole will need to do to achieve wealth and wellbeing through our plentiful energy resources.

Acknowledgement: Cheryl MacGregor, Senior Advisor Regional Development, Environment Bay of Plenty

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Unison Today

Unison has improved the reliability of Rotorua's electricity network with the construction of a $2.4 million electricity zone sub-station in Biak Street. The completion of the Biak Street substation in August completes a two year project that also involved a significant underground cabling in the area adjacent to Biak Street.

Unison Customer Relations Manager Danny Gough is excited about the benefits the new substation will have in the region. “The new substation will not only improve the reliability of the network within the Rotorua region, it also ensures the demand for electricity in Rotorua is catered for” says Mr Gough.

The first stage of the project will see the new Biak Street zone substation supply the eastern areas of Rotorua as from August 2009, with the second stage seeing supply then also going into the main CBD and western areas in August 2010.

“I am sure Rotorua residents and businesses will see that Unison takes seriously our commitment to provide a safe and reliable source of electricity into the region, whilst continuing to encourage business growth through additional supply capacity” says Mr Gough.

The project also involved the laying of six underground 33,000 volt cabling from Titoki Place, through Malfroy Road, to Harold Crescent, and Wrigley Road, along a section of Sunset Road into Werrina Crescent, and along the Northern side of Shirley Street to Old Taupo Road, and ultimately through to Biak Street, the site of the new substation.

About Unison

Unison Networks Limited (trading as Unison) is the electricity distribution company that owns, manages and operates the electricity network that serves the Hawke's Bay, Rotorua and Taupo regions.

Unison's electricity network comprises approximately $500 million worth of assets, is close to 10,000km in length (approximately 37% of which is underground) and supplies over 107,000 connected consumers with approximately 1,700 GWh of electricity conveyed annually, making Unison one of the larger electricity distribution businesses in New Zealand.

In the Rotorua region, Unison is a major sponsor of the Energy Events Centre Unison Arena and the Rotorua Aquatic Centre’s Lake Safety Programme.

Acknowledgement: Danny Gough, Community Relations Manager, Unison, The Power Lines People

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Why the recession is good for Rotorua

Rotorua will be a winner from the recession. If you are (or were) a player in the forestry or tourism industry you may not agree. Recession does not hit businesses evenly and when we include farming, Rotorua's three major industries are export related and the recession has had a huge impact. However, the businesses able to tough it out will also benefit from a world resurgence in growth. But why will Rotorua benefit over other NZ cities?

Steady Rotorua

In times of growth Rotorua grows, but never at the spectacular rates of some of our neighbours. I hear regularly from 12 BDO Spicers' offices throughout New Zealand, and believe me, what we are experiencing now in Rotorua is mild in comparison to Auckland and even Tauranga. There are also some provincial cities that are still able to say “What recession?” They, like us, will not have so far to recover.

Buying Patterns

There is a noticeable change in buying patterns. Admittedly there is less buying in total but patterns show:

• More discerning buyers
• Less “flashy” buying e.g. less expensive conferences, shorter and cheaper holidays, fewer of the luxury version.

These trends fit neatly into Rotorua's profile of offering loads of value at reasonable prices.

Buying Local

There is a slowly developing trend to buy local – especially in employing contractors, professionals etc, that may have been sourced elsewhere in the past. There is a dawning realisation that Rotorua has the skills and again provides better value. If Council gets behind this move, Rotorua will definitely be a winner.

Sustainability

Environmental and social responsibility has taken a back seat to survival over the last few months, but long term sustainability, as in gearing a business to ensure it will not only survive the recession but well into the next decade, is very much on the agenda. Smart businesses are using the slower period to restructure, revitalise, and to develop new products and markets.

Succession

As elsewhere, many Rotorua businesses are owned and run by baby boomers – typically those who have been in denial about retiring. Changing circumstances have forced them to consider the succession of their business. Management buyouts, grooming businesses for sale and succession planning in general have taken on a new priority.

Manaakitanga

Rotorua's business community has a special spirit rarely seen elsewhere. We are finding new ways of working together and supporting those businesses that are struggling and the people affected.

Trans-Tasman Flights

They have been a long time coming. Every business in Rotorua has an opportunity to benefit in some way. Tougher times will provide an incentive for businesses to go looking for these chances, rather than expecting the benefits to come to them. Rotorua, and many of our businesses, will come out of this recession leaner, sharper and with improved sustainability. There are still difficult times to come, and there will be casualties, but, for once, our “steady as she goes” growth will be to our advantage.

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Web site launched in support of Job Summit outcomes

The Bay of Connections web site has been launched by the business community of the region as a direct response to the outcomes of the Job Summit held on 17 April 2009 at the Waiariki campus for Excellence in Wood Processing.

The Job Summit, attended by 150 business leaders from around the Bay of Plenty, was aimed at minimising the negative impact of the recession on jobs in our region.

The Bay of Connections website is a collaboration between all of the business support agencies in the Bay and has been designed to provide:

• A comprehensive information database of business support agencies in the region including business mentoring and training
• An interactive clearing house for surplus commercial resources such as production capacity, equipment, skilled workforce, and freight capacity
• A portal to enhance and encourage business collaboration through regional cooperation
• A medium to promote the regional economic development strategy aimed at job creation projects.
• A gallery of case studies of successful cooperative and partnership projects that are contributing to the economic prosperity of the Bay.

The realisation of this initiative is a positive achievement of key Employment Summit recommendations. These included: assisting organisations to manage staff and resource continuity in the soft economic climate; improving communication with business via the internet; enhancing and promoting business mentoring schemes and support resources available; and enhancing business and training collaboration across the Bay of Plenty region.

Additional recommendations from the Job Summit have already been achieved.

These include generating national discussion to support and extend seasonal migrant worker scheme, and improved linking of Maori interests into local business networks.

The Job Summit Working Party acknowledges the support and contributions of all of the Chambers of Commerce, Economic Development Agencies and other Business and Government Agencies to the development of this web site.

Acknowledgement: For more information please visit the web site at www.bayofconnections.com or contact Cheryl MacGregor Senior Advisor Regional Development, Environment Bay of Plenty on (021) 224 1371

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Interviewing and Hiring Great People

For most of us, hiring people isn't one of our favourite things to do. It takes a lot of time and much is at stake. We may have to kiss a lot of frogs before we find our prince or princess. Who we hire has a direct impact on our team and on our overall business. Clearly, it isn't a task to be taken lightly. Through the years I have made some great hires. I've hired some real stinkers, too. It's not that the stinkers weren't nice people, but they were a wrong fit for the company.

Here are a few lessons I've learned along the way:

Hire a person, not a resume.

Looking back, I can see that I hired many people because I was impressed with where they used to work. I see now that I was hoping to gain and learn from what those retailers were doing well, without stopping to fully understand whether or not the applicant had the skills to do that. Hire them on merit, not ancestry.

Don't make an offer until you've found a candidate you are so excited about you can barely contain yourself.

Okay, that might be a tad extreme - but not by much. Particularly with hiring part-timers I can remember that, a few times, instead of looking harder, I just chose the best of the bunch I had. The loser, of course, was always the company. Only hire great people you're really excited about.

Include active role playing in a real-world situation as part of the interview process.

Take the candidate out to their proposed future work area and role-play their proposed position. Specifically in retail or the hospitality industry, just reach across your desk, hand them one of your products, and say: “Sell it to me.” And do not say: “Describe how you would deal with this situation...”

I remember I was once interviewing a candidate and I just wasn't connecting with him. I wasn't going to bother to do the role play but decided at the last minute that I would try it. When I got him out on the floor and we started the role play, it was as if he went from Clark Kent to Superman. The guy was unbelievable. I also remember the time I was interviewing a young woman for a cashier's position. We were talking out on the floor and I was called away for a moment. When I returned she was cleaning the store! Needless to say, I hired both of these people and never regretted it. Get out of the office and move your candidates into their world.

Don't be afraid to hire someone who is better or more experienced than you.

When I finally did that, I discovered someone who was able to help me grow as an individual and I was able to help them develop as well. Someone once said: “When you hire people who are smarter than you are, you prove you are smarter than they are." One of our clients is incredibly patient and disciplined in his hiring. The result is that with every hire they've made, their team has become better. In addition, they have improved upon the experience they deliver to their customers. What a great reward for that patience and discipline.

Acknowledgement: Peter Stokes, Business Consultant, Bottomline. Peter Stokes is a partner in 'Bottom Line Consulting' in Rotorua and is dedicated to advising small and medium size businesses, specialising in company start-up, staff training, financial re-structuring and growth management. Tied to the uncertain nature of business in 2009, Peter has created a number of short articles entitled 'Building Blocks of Success' designed to direct us to greater efficiency and, therefore, profitability during these challenging times.

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