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HMC NEWS: Leaders: is zero social profile a high-risk strategy?

According to the “iSentia Leadership Index,” released on 20 November, 44% of CEOs from New Zealand’s top companies have no public social presence. This doesn’t match the general population.  According to Statista.com, as at January 2018 74% of New Zealanders were active social media users. That’s not just a wide gap – that’s a communications chasm.  I recently led a discussion around this topic with some Hamilton CEOs and GMs and asked them why leaders are largely invisi...

CLIENT NEWS: Celebrating 10 years of innovation with Lindsay’s Precision VRI system

It’s a classic story of Kiwi innovation and invention. One summer’s evening in late 2004, two Massey University engineering graduates, Stu Bradbury and George Ricketts, were sitting around, chewing the fat. They were staying on the South Wairarapa farm of Brian and Jo Bosch, living on site while they worked a summer job assembling irrigators in the area. Over a cuppa, Stu, George and Brian talked about irrigation, and some of the challenges on the Bosch’s farm – the existing pivot irriga...

CLIENT NEWS: Turning adversity into business success

A businessman who’s suffered depression, been in a wheelchair with broken knees, pulled people out of rubble in the Christchurch quakes and ridden a rickshaw across India for charity, has been recognised with an award for running the top gym franchise in New Zealand. Matty Lovell’s gym recently won the Franchise Facility of the Year at New Zealand’s Exercise Industry Awards and he says he takes the same approach to business as he does in life. He’s got a list of top tips for leadership ...

CLIENT NEWS: Emma’s Food Bag supporting Waikato Women’s Refuge this Christmas

Cambridge-based meal delivery service Emma’s Food Bag is getting behind Waikato Women’s Refuge Te Whakaruruhau to spread the Christmas spirit this holiday season. The company is supporting the refuge this year in a public campaign to gift Christmas Food Bags to Waikato women and children affected by domestic violence. Local businesses and individuals can get involved by purchasing a Christmas Food Bags, at a specially discounted price of $130, which will then be gifted to a family in one of ...

HMC NEWS: Leaders risk visibility and goodwill not being online, according to new leadership index

A new leadership index has found nearly half of CEOs in New Zealand have no public social media presence, putting them at risk of reduced visibility and connection with their brand’s audience. The leadership index, released this month by media intelligence and insights company iSentia, was presented during an event on leadership run by Hamilton PR firm HMC Communications. The event, part of HMC Communications’ Crucial Conversations over Lunch (CRUNCH) series, featured a panel discussion with...

CLIENT NEWS: New Zealand attempts World record in pool

English four-time Guinness World Record holder Dave Pearson is challenging New Zealanders to break his record on the pool table. On Saturday 1 December Dave ‘Ginger Wizard’ Pearson will be hosted by Hamilton cue sports club Massé to witness a potential record-breaking attempt for the fastest 10-table clearance. Players attempting to break the record will need to pocket 150 balls in total by sinking 15 balls, ten times over, in less than 8 minutes and 50.1 seconds. “A kiwi cracking the w...

CLIENT NEWS: Hamilton home listings and sales escalate as local market bucks national trend

Over 410 homes were listed for sale in Hamilton on realestate.co.nz during October, representing a 13% increase on September 2018 listings and up 13% on October 2017. Sales were also strong during October with 300 homes being sold in the city. This is and increase from 245 homes sold in Hamilton in September 2018 and also up on 235 sold during October 2017. Lodge Real Estate managing director, Jeremy O’Rourke says, “The majority of those people listing homes for sale are looking to buy again...

CLIENT NEWS: Hamilton veterinary practice named best in the country

Hamilton Veterinary Services (HVS) won Vet Practice of the Year at the recent Petplan Veterinary Awards which recognises the best veterinary practices across New Zealand. The Te Rapa Road practice received the award following winning the highest number of public votes. Established by Petplan in 2016, the award pays tribute to a veterinary practice’s industry contribution while going beyond normal duties. HVS small animal director and clinical veterinarian, Dr Craig Brighouse, says the award ...

HMC NEWS: Influencers: What are they and should you be using them?

It’s a tale as old as time in the PR world. Find a famous person, send them your product, pay them some money, and watch as they tell all the people they know how great your product is. It’s a promotional practice called influencer PR and its sole purpose is to use the clout of popular people to sell products. And it’s not just for hocking skinny tea or waist trainers – influencers exist in every industry, even if you don’t see them on your Instagram feed. How did we get here?Remember ...

CLIENT NEWS: Food Waikato attracts top-tier investment to fund new spray dryer to grow the sheep milk industry

Food Waikato attracts top-tier investment to fund new spray dryer to grow the sheep milk industry Due to predicted growth in the sheep milk industry Food Waikato has invested in a new company, Melody Dairies Ltd Partnership. This investment will boost the nutritional spray drying capacity at Waikato Innovation Park in Hamilton. Melody Dairies’ four investment partners will jointly finance and build a second spray dryer at the Park, which will be managed by Food Waikato. The four partners are...

CLIENT NEWS: Waikato medicinal cannabis research company intends to list on NZX

In a first for New Zealand, medicinal cannabis research company Cannasouth has announced it will make an application to list its shares on the NZX Main Board through an initial public offering (IPO) during the second calendar quarter of 2019. Based in Waikato, Cannasouth has received a licence from the Ministry of Health to carry out medicinal cannabis research in New Zealand. The licence also enables the company to apply for an import licence to import cannabis products for research. The granti...

CLIENT NEWS: Mixed-use urban apartment reflects changing residential landscape in Hamilton

In the centre of Hamilton’s central business district, a quiet revolution is happening. With the demand for residential housing high, smart buyers are moving from the suburban houses to inner-city urban apartment options. Parkhaven Luxury Apartments, at 220 Tristram Street, is leading the way in changing the residential landscape for the Waikato region. It is the first purpose-built, mixed-use complex of its kind in Hamilton – combining residential living and commercial space in one five-sto...

CLIENT NEWS: Speckle Park on trend for dairy farmers

CRV Ambreed has seen a surge in Speckle Park sales this year with sales for the breed now CRV Ambreed’s second biggest selling beef breed after Hereford. Once classified as a specialty beef breed, it’s now a popular choice for many farmers. This months’ figures show sales for Speckle Park are up 50% compared to the same time last year. Speckle Park was first crossed in the 1950s in Canada using British White Park, shorthorn and Angus cattle, which give them distinct colour patterns. They a...

CLIENT NEWS: Billiards champion represents New Zealand at 74

Twenty-one years ago, Wayne Carey wore the silver fern on his chest to represent New Zealand on the world stage for the first time. At 74 years young, he’ll be doing it again for the twelfth time at October’s World Billiards Championship in Leads.   Carey is arguably one of New Zealand’s longest standing cue sportsman and says he will continue playing competitively until he hits the grave. “That’s the beauty of the sport. With most sports you’re finished at 35, but billiards has...

CLIENT NEWS: Hamilton businessman wins prestigious Australasian engineering award

On Tuesday 2 October, Hamilton businessman David Platts of PDV Consultants was awarded the prestigious Chemeca Medal at the Chemical Engineering Awards in Queenstown. The Chemeca Medal is awarded to a prominent New Zealand or Australian chemical engineer who has made an outstanding contribution, through achievement or service, to the practice of chemical engineering. Mr Platts received the award at a dinner during the 47th annual Chemeca conference, in front of an audience of industrial chemists...

HMC NEWS: So, your CEO is leaving? What now?

It’s enough to make the knees of board members tremble. Your CEO has announced they are moving on. Whether it’s to a new job or retirement, there are going and that means changes at the top. At this point, HR kicks in – all thoughts go to recruiting a new CEO. But it’s worth pausing and putting your PR hat on too. How are you going to communicate this announcement internally, to staff, and externally, to clients, stakeholders, the industry and wider public? What risks are there – wil...

CLIENT NEWS: CRV Ambreed introduces IVF-type technology for dairy breeding programme

For the first time in New Zealand new embryo transfer biopsy and genomic selection technology is being used to boost elite animal breeding for the dairy industry. CRV Ambreed’s Embryo Transfer (ET) programme pulls together existing technology in a new way, to reduce the time taken to produce elite high genetic merit bulls. Animal Breeding Services (ABS) general manager, Jacqui Forsyth says the embryo transfer process for the most part works like IVF for humans. “Eggs are collected from the...

CLIENT NEWS: Young kiwi cyclists launch innovative Hypotonic sports drink

Two former cycling rivals have joined forces to develop and launch an innovative rehydration drink to the New Zealand market. Hayden Washington-Smith, 20, and Olly Ng, 20, have launched PowerAmp Sports and over the past 18 months have developed a range of hypotonic sports drinks targeting elite cyclists, endurance athletes, triathletes, CrossFit devotees and those competing at high intensity or in hot conditions. Their Rapid Hydration range is designed to better rehydrate the body than water or ...

CLIENT NEWS: Hamilton watchmaker Neil Thomas retires after 44 years in the jewellery business

Neil Thomas was just nine years old when he started working in the jewellery business, helping run errands in his father Bob Thomas’ Tokoroa jewellery shop. The store, Thomas Jewellers, was where Neil returned out after high school in Hamilton, working as an apprentice watchmaker from the age of 17 before winning a scholarship to hone his skills training at Omega in Switzerland in his early 20s. That passion for watches, and later jewellery, has seen Neil, now 61, work in the industry for mor...

CLIENT NEWS: Well-known local dairy breeding expert retires

At 70-odd years young, Neil Gamble says his field consultant role with CRV Ambreed is the only real job he’s ever had. He has loved his job, especially 20 years of helping local dairy farmers increase the value of their herds, now retirement has come and he’s imparting his breeding expertise as a CRV rep for the last time. Neil left school at 15 and went straight into contracting on-farm. By 1967 he was leasing a small family dairy farm, adding two more neighbouring farms to the unit over th...

HMC NEWS: Striking the right communications chord

There have been quite a few labour strikes covered by the media over the past month. Nurses, primary school teachers and bus drivers are among the workforces we’ve watched as they rally for better wages and working conditions. Negotiating your way through a strike requires specialist skills in arbitration, intimate knowledge of union negotiating tactics, legal frameworks and more. So what role does communication play in a workforce strike? It plays a massive one. If you start your communicatio...

CLIENT NEWS: King Country community gets financial boost

Four community initiatives across the King Country will receive a financial hand thanks to the latest Heartland Community Funding round. $6,000 was awarded to the Raetihi Community Charitable Trust, King Country Christmas, Little Barrow Markets, and Redgate Newsletters in recognition of their dedication to enhance the King Country. The Little Barrow Markets will put their $2,000 grant toward kickstarting Ohakune’s own winter farmers’ market. Sarah Knight, founder and coordinator of the Lit...

HMC NEWS: From Waikato to Wellington: senior leaders lunch on government relations

Waikato business leaders gathered yesterday to discuss the importance of government relations and listen to a panel of experts on how to better engage with ministers and officials in Wellington. The lunchtime panel discussion on “wooing Wellington” featured three government relations experts: Holly Bennett, director of HSB Government Relations; Sarah-Lee Crellin, former senior communications advisor for the Department of Internal Affairs; and HMC Communications senior strategic advisor Peta ...

CLIENT NEWS: Honey goes hi-tech: New tool has industry buzzing

With New Zealand’s annual honey exports currently valued at $300 million and growing, a new web-based honey blending tool is set to save honey distributors significant amounts of time and money.  The Honey Blending Tool, developed by a team of scientists and data analysts at Hill Laboratories, allows honey distributors with large inventories to easily blend individual honeys to form a target blend to meet specific sales and export criteria...

CLIENT NEWS: Hamilton’s median house price dips 6.25%, lifestyle properties on the rise

The Real Estate Institute of NZ released its monthly residential property statistics this morning showing Hamilton’s median house price has dipped from a 2018 high of $560,000 in June to $525,000 in July.  Lodge Real Estate managing director Jeremy O’Rourke, says the shortage of quality stock at the top end of the market, and thus fewer sales at the top end, has shifted the city’s median.   “We’ve been saying for months that t...