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HMC is hiring!

HMC is currently looking for people to fill two new positions, a Senior PR Account Manager and a Digital PR Content Creator. We offer : the opportunity to work for the 2018 and 2021 PRINZ agency of the yearWork from home (or the bach or lake!) every FridayFull home office set-upGenuine culture that values work/life balance (working past 5pm and weekends is rare!)Coolest office in the trendiest spot in Hamilton’s CBD, Panama Square50% of parking costs paidGenerous professional development ...

Hamilton real estate market waking up with renewed activity

The number of people attending Lodge Real Estate open homes in Hamilton jumped 35 percent in August, signaling the real estate market is waking up as first home buyers access finance and gain confidence. Lodge Real Estate Managing Director Jeremy O’Rourke says people have come to terms with the Reserve Bank Official Cash Rate increases and have more confidence in where the Hamilton market is heading. Moves allowing more lending to first home buyers with a low equity five percent deposit were a...

Babich organic wine sales more than double in 5 years

Sales of Babich Wines’ organic ranges have grown 242 per cent over the last five years, and 50 per cent in the last year alone, as consumers seek out sustainably produced organic wines for their quality and lighter environmental footprint. The family business’ sales reflect wider market trends. Almost one billion bottles of organic wine are expected to be consumed around the world by 2023, more than doubling from the 441 million bottles recorded in 2013, according to the organisers of the la...

Leadership vulnerability: striking a balance

Last month, the CEO of HyperSocial in the USA posted a selfie on LinkedIn.  The photo showed him crying and was accompanied by a post where he talked about staff redundancies and that laying people off was personally “the toughest thing I've ever had to do.”  If you missed it, take a look: https://cnb.cx/3AkgQ3I . While his intention to show vulnerability may have been genuine, there was worldwide backlash against him and the post.  He went a step too far, that is for sure. Yo...

Growing Future Farmers recruits new GM to support future growth

Growing Future Farmers is recruiting a new general manager to support its growth, with the number of students joining the programme skyrocketing by more than 700% in two years. GFF’s current general manager Cyn Smith has been instrumental in the programme’s success, supported by a team of 10 regional liaison managers and the GFF Board of Trustees. The original GFF pilot programme started in 2020 in the Wairarapa and Gisborne involving just 10 students and 10 sheep, beef and deer farms. This ...

Farmer demand for dairy beef grows by 15% in a year

CRV’s dairy beef sales have grown by 15% since last year as farmers take a more strategic approach to breeding and look to diversify their income streams. “In the past, farmers used dairy beef predominantly towards the end of the mating season,” says Genetics Product Manager (NZ Market) Mitchell Koot. “Now we are seeing more of them using it as part of a more strategic precision breeding approach to increase their herds’ genetic gain. “That involves using dairy beef strategically ov...

New Zealand tech company wins industry award as it helps primary industries reduce trucking footprint, emissions and improve animal welfare

A home-grown Kiwi tech company is helping New Zealand’s largest primary industries cut travel by millions of kilometres, reduce fuel emissions, and improve animal welfare, all from a computer and smartphone. M2X Transport Management System offers solutions for carriers and enterprise customers across industries such as livestock, milk, forestry, bulk, dairy and general freight. Its software uses advanced optimisation to improve the efficiency of transport across the supply chain. The innovativ...

New chair strengthens Tompkins Wake’s diverse team as the firm positions itself for further growth

The appointment of a new chair at Tompkins Wake is strengthening its already diverse team as the firm positions itself for further growth. (Joeli) Scott Ratuki (45) has taken over the reins as chair of the firm’s board from his predecessor Peter Fanning. Born and bred in the Waikato, Scott is of Pacific Island descent as his father is Fijian. He joined Tompkins Wake in 2003 and has been a partner for nearly 13 years. Leading the firm’s commercial property practice, Scott specialises in comm...

Nikki Wood steps into management position at Alpha First

Nikki Wood has been appointed as Manager, Loans and Lending for Alpha First Mortgage Investments. Alpha First provides opportunities for clients to invest in registered first mortgages and Nikki’s new role is a direct response to the growth in the company’s mortgage investment portfolio and the larger flow of loan applications they are receiving. Alpha First Director, Scott Massey says he is pleased to have Nikki on board as demand from borrowers for funds has grown 20% in the past six month...

Lending gap between mainstream and non-bank lenders closing as interest rates rise

Commercial property developers should shop around for finance as Reserve Bank interest rate hikes mean the cost of lending from a non-bank lender becomes a more favourable option. Omega Capital General Manager Noni Martin says the gap between the average cost of lending by mainstream lenders versus non-bank lenders has narrowed considerably over the past two months. “When you look at the pace that the mainstream banks have tightened their lending conditions and increased their interest rates, ...

Mortgage investment opportunities for wholesale investors shift to the regions

As property development projects in the urban centres slow dramatically, Director of Alpha First Mortgage Investments Scott Massey says this has created new lending opportunities in the regions. “Alpha First’s total mortgage investment portfolio has shifted to encompass more regional property development lending recently in response to an increasingly unstable property market. “For instance, a year ago, our portfolio included around 50% property secured lending in Auckland and 50% in the r...

Grain shortages and shipping uncertainties highlight the importance of planning ahead

With calving underway, dairy farmers are being urged to plan ahead, as feed availability is affected by global shortages along with slow and intermittent international shipping. “We are continuing to see the impact of a grain shortage, especially relating to starch-based feeds for this season,” says GrainCorp Feeds General Manager Daniel Calcinai. “There may be a few options available in some areas, but generally starch is short until next years’ harvest.” Starch is an important s...

Hamilton real estate market repricing itself, offering bargains for buyers

The Hamilton real estate market is going through a repricing, one agency recording the lowest sales volume for July since 2004 and vendors choosing to lower their listing prices as the market continues to weaken. Lodge Real Estate Director, Jeremy O’Rourke, says vendors should be pricing their homes tight to meet the market and ensuring they do their homework on what similar properties are selling for in their area. “The market is being repriced.  Agents are telling vendors the cold har...

Cannasouth research shows cannabinoids could provide relief for thousands of New Zealanders from debilitating neuropathic pain

A three-year neuropathic pain (pre-clinical) study by Cannasouth has confirmed that cannabinoids from medicinal cannabis could be effective at reducing debilitating neuropathic pain, which affects about 400,000 New Zealanders or 8 per cent of the country’s population. The study to understand the potential of cannabis as an alternative therapeutic to treat neuropathic pain is the first of its kind in New Zealand. It is part of Cannasouth’s science-led programme of commercially focused re...

Altus on track to have the most state-of-the-art facility for Aluminium Extrusion in NZ

Aluminium extrusion specialist Altus is on track to have the most state-of-the-art facilities for extrusion and powder coating in New Zealand. They’re rapidly expanding their Hamilton site with a new 6,500 m2 plant to accommodate the installation of another extrusion press line by the end of 2022. Altus National Operations Manager Mark Kennedy says, “the expansion is in direct response to the increasing demand for Altus products, which are sold to both Window and Door Joinery Franchisees and...

$50,000 grant will help more Rotorua kids fuel their passion for robotics and engineering

Tompkins Wake is continuing its support of Te Aka Mauri, Rotorua Library and Children’s Health Hub, with a $50,000 grant over the next three years. In 2019, senior leaders at Tompkins Wake were presented with an opportunity: to sponsor Te Aka Mauri in its quest to bring Rotorua’s young people into the world of technology and robotic engineering. The proposed work was grassroots in nature and creative in its intended output. CEO Jon Calder recalls the sponsorship decision. “We were impresse...

Keeping predators out to protect the endangered Brown Kiwi

In New Zealand and around the world, Gallagher fencing is mostly used to keep big animals in. But in a small scenic reserve situated in the Central North Island, a team of conservation volunteers is using Gallagher’s technology to protect a wild population of endangered North Island Brown Kiwi chicks. In 2002, it was estimated that a remnant population of 200 Eastern Brown Kiwi remained in the Kaweka Ranges. Chick mortality due to predation by stoats, ferrets and dogs was so high, only one out...

Getting the right feed to farmers at the right time – new ops manager finds his niche

Keith Arnold is national operations manager at GrainCorp Feeds. It’s his job to coordinate the importing and distribution of a range of supplementary feed to New Zealand dairy farmers. Even in an ideal world, that’s a lot of orchestration. There are multiple shipping lines bringing in GrainCorp Feeds’ products from around the globe. Upon arrival, these products must then be transported to liquid and dry storage facilities dotted around New Zealand, strategically located to service each dai...

Herd testing can help boost dairy farmers’ production by up to 160kgMS

Some dairy farmers could be missing out on up to 160kgMS of production because they are not herd testing. While the number of cows being herd tested jumped by 1.2 per cent last season¹, many farmers may still not realise its value. CRV Herd Testing Manager Mark Redgate wants to change that. For some dairy farmers, herd testing can be another job to add to the list. They may not see the upsides. More specifically, they may not see how the expense of herd testing could make them enough money to j...

Real estate agent’s message to home buyers - don’t wait for the market to change

A Hamilton real estate agent says property owners are being realistic and listing their homes with asking prices close to market value, rather than holding out for huge gains as the New Zealand housing market continues to cool. Lodge Real Estate Managing Director, Jeremy O’Rourke, says this winter has been one of the quietest on record with less interest from buyers and less listings, but those who were choosing to sell were setting their prices very close to their property’s market value, l...

Cannasouth signs three-year supplier agreement with German-based WEECO Pharma

Cannasouth has today signed a supplier agreement with WEECO Pharma GMBH based in Germany for the supply of cannabis flower from New Zealand into Europe. The total value of the agreement could be worth between NZ$12 million and NZ$15 million over years two and three. WEECO is one of the leading importers of medicinal cannabis in Germany. Under individual cultivar supply agreements to be negotiated, cannabis flower will be supplied to WEECO from Cannasouth’s world-class cannabis cultivation and ...

Buoyant Hamilton rental market bucks nationwide oversupply trend

Hamilton’s rental property market continues to be strong, despite evidence of the rental oversupply reported in other major New Zealand cities, says the general manager of Hamilton’s largest property management company. Jason Waugh says Lodge City Rentals had just 48 empty homes on its books available for rent in June. “With demand growing for rental housing in the city, it’s still challenging for potential tenants to secure a two or three bedroom property. “While our June statistics ...

Three Waters reform just part of re-shaping service delivery to communities in NZ

Linda O’Reilly, Special Counsel, Tompkins Wake (Auckland) Regional New Zealand has whipped itself into a frenzy over the Government’s Three Waters reform, but massive changes are afoot that will reshape how nearly every other key service is delivered to New Zealand communities. As billboards went up across the New Zealand countryside, the Government pushed on with introducing the new Water Services Entity Bill in June. The Bill is the first in a suite of legislation that will enact three wat...

Business benchmarking the key to tackling climatic and market extremes

As farmers ride out extreme climatic and market conditions, benchmarking their businesses against others in their sector has become crucial for setting goals and understanding how they’re performing. That was the message from Perrin Ag senior consultant John Stantiall at the recent New Zealand Veterinary Association Conference. John is encouraging farmers to benchmark their businesses against similar operations to identify where they can improve and how they can continue to perform in increas...

Why you should upgrade to the new version of Google Analytics ASAP

After 10 years in service, Google’s Universal Analytics (UA) is being replaced by Google Analytics 4 (GA 4), starting July 1 2023. Don’t be fooled by thinking that this is your standard simple upgrade from version 3 to version 4; GA 4 is an entirely new system that will require setting up from scratch and the  creation of new reports to replace what you’re currently using in Universal Analytics. The main difference between GA4 and Universal Analytics lies in their measurement models....