Another great night was had by all at the 23rd annual BNZ Bay of Plenty ExportNZ Awards in Tauranga on 28th June. With a fairytale theme there were some fantastic costumes and some fun and games, including the Hon. Simon Bridges running on stage and stealing Cinderella from ‘Prince un-charming's’ clutches during the waltz, and newsreader Peter Willams (or rather King Peter) ‘Knighting’ the awards sponsors.
There were fairy-tale endings for five winners…
United Travel Business Emerging Exporter of the Year: Surtees Boats
Page Macrae Engineering Innovation in Export Award: Switchkites
Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Export Achievement Award: Bruce Ennis – Page Macrae Engineering
ZESPRI International Service to Export Award: Gwenda Merriman
Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Exporter of the Year: Waiariki Institute of Technology
Congratulations to Jacob Kajavala and the team at Switchkites on the Innovation in Export Award. We met Jacob when he came along to our Successful Product Development Seminar a couple of months ago and were impressed by his enthusiasm and energy. What a success story! Switchkites design & manufacture kite surfing equipment and sell online direct to customers all over the world. The company uses 700-plus ‘team riders', or brand ambassadors, to promote and help sell the product to kitesurfing enthusiasts around the world.
The judges commented that "the team at Switchkites have challenged the traditional path to market for their products. Switchkites have built a large following of customer advocates in a short space of time with their innovative approach to direct supply and supporting their team riders". The judges could see an innovation culture throughout the business from their products through to tracking of individual products for after sales service.
The Exporter of the Year award went to Waiariki Institute of Technology. There were a few confused people in the crowd wondering how they qualified - the answer to that is simple: they generate export revenue, and lots of it. The judges commented that Waiariki is turning vocational training into an export success, directly generating export revenues. They are teaching work place skills critical to our export sector and providing a uniquely New Zealand experience to hundreds and now thousands of young people from around the world. Exports commenced in 1978, and there are now almost 1000 equivalent full-time international students at Waiariki contributing more than $10m in export sales, almost 20% of Waiariki’s total revenue.
Well done to Angela, Tracy, and the Team at ExportNZ. By all accounts the Bay hosts one of the biggest and best award ceremonies around the country. And congratulations to all the award winners past and present. Building an export business takes vision, passion and bravery; and it doesn't always have a fairytale ending. So well done and keep up the great work!
