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The Lion Foundation Regional Grants Committee for the Bay of Plenty met in early November and awarded $427,568 to Bay of Plenty organisations.
The total amount awarded across the Waikato/Bay of Plenty region for November was $1,007,448. The total granted NZ wide was $3,675,230.
Included in those grants were:
Anglican
Church of Raukakare Restoration and Preservation Trust - $35,000 towards re-roofing the church.
Opotiki Kindergarten - $3743 for a new shade sail over the swing area.
Lynmore Playcentre - $10,000 towards their kitchen renovation.
Alzheimers Society Tauranga - $10,000 towards operating costs.
Bowls Bay of Plenty - $17,500 towards operating costs.
Homes of Hope Charitable Trust - $10,062 towards the exterior painting of the home.
Merivale School - $30,000 towards a senior playground.
Tennis Western BoP - $12,000 towards operating costs.
Bay of Plenty Sikh Society of NZ - $115,162 towards wheelchair access ramp to the temple.
Priority One Western Bay of Plenty - $20,000 towards salaries.
Port Ohope Yacht Club - $15,500 towards laser sail boats.
Whakatane High School - $15,000 towards fitness equipment and travel and accommodation costs.
Bay of Plenty Rowing Association - $20,000 towards salaries.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association has awarded VetPlus with a Business Excellence Award, which recognises the practice as exemplifying excellence in leadership in the veterinary industry.
Nominated anonymously by one of their team members, the business owners were unaware they were being considered for the profession's prestigious award.
"We were absolutely thrilled," business manager Jenni Hill said.
"The focus of the award is largely around leadership and how this looks and feels to people in our team.
"We truly believe that our people are our greatest asset, they make the VetPlus experience what it is, so we take this aspect of our business super seriously. To have one of our team nominate us is the best feeling".
Unfortunately, the NZVA awards ceremony was cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions.
VetPlus have clinics in Taupō, Reporoa and Rotorua and are owned by local people who work in the business.
Hill sees this as key to the business's success.
"We all live and play in the communities where we do business. We rub shoulders with our clients during the working day, through our kids schools, our community and sporting groups. We're all part of the same collective. Many of our client relationships have developed into friendships."
For local businesswoman Hannah Mellsop the Covid-19 pandemic could have been a real kick in the teeth.
Her Mount Maunganui-based company, Real Rad Food, could no longer supply its plant-based dessert treats to cafes forced to close their doors.
Like many savvy entrepreneurs, however, Hannah put her thinking cap on and started making a do-it-yourself pre-mix, which is now being sold in New World supermarkets, as well as continuing to sell her ready-made balls and slices online, and to cafes and grocers around the country.
"We've really pivoted from where we were pre-Covid. We have a new range of products that are bringing in more revenue than ever before. It was a stressful time for us as a company but it forced us to do something better," she said.
Hannah, 25, is one of two young professional women who will be speaking at Lyon O'Neale Arnold Lawyers' Wonder Women networking event at the Tauranga Yacht and Powerboat Club on Tuesday, November 24.
The other speaker is Lyon O'Neale Arnold lawyer Kathryn Esterman who will talk about bucking the family trend of a career in health and following her passion for the law.
Hannah established Real Rad Food in 2017 on the back of her popular plant-based food Instagram account of the same name.
Kathryn Esterman, 27, grew up in Tauranga but flew the coop to get both her law degree and a Bachelor of Science majoring in psychology at Victoria University. The pull of the sunny Bay of Plenty brought her home again, however, as well as the opportunity to work for Lyon O'Neale Arnold.
What: Wonder Women: Young Women Professionals
When: 5.30pm, Tuesday 24 November
Where: Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club, 90 Keith Allen Drive, Tauranga
Tickets: $15. All proceeds to the Cambodia Charitable Trust. www.eventspronto.co.nz
A new veterinary clinic has opened its doors in Rotorua.
Barrowman Goodman Vets, located at 110 Lake Rd, sees the partnering of two highly popular and experienced vets, Dr David Barrowman and Dr Anna Goodman.
"We both believe that pet ownership is life-enhancing and the greatest responsibility of vets is to enable the longest and healthiest life possible," Barrowman said.
"Seeing every pet and pet owner as an individual is the core of our belief values and operating practices, Goodman said.
Both vets have special areas of interest, for Barrowman its orthopaedics including highly skilled surgical repairs. For Goodman, it is diagnostics, including ultrasound, imaging and testing.
From their interactive website to planned special events, the pair has more than 50 years of combined experience.
Barrowman and Goodman vets will be offering the full range of veterinary services from desexing and dental procedures right through to the complicated orthopaedic and soft tissue surgeries.
As part of their whole of life approach, Barrowman Goodman Vets have incorporated PREY, a raw pet food company for cats and dogs, to be sold within the clinic.
Managed by Natasha Kenny, a director and qualified vet nurse, PREY sells high-quality raw meat sourced by hunters in New Zealand.
A new programme is available for people working in horticulture to advance their careers and take on management roles.
The New Zealand Diploma in Horticulture Production is a Level 6 NZQA-accredited course available online and nationwide through Bay of Plenty-based skills training provider Fruition Horticulture.
The fees-free two-year programme has been designed to develop the skills and knowledge of people employed in the industry so they can contribute at a senior technical or managerial level. Enrolments for the 2021 intake are being taken now.
Fruition Horticulture managing director Sandy Scarrow said the horticulture industry's growth means businesses require more people in management and technical roles to lead their teams and support growers to become more successful in their orchards and vineyards.
"This programme is aimed at people who already have several years of industry experience and who are highly motivated to advance their careers and take advantage of management opportunities as they arise.
"We're thrilled to be supporting working professionals fulfil their passion for horticulture by equipping them with the skills they'll need to operate at a more senior level."
Participants in Fruition Horticulture's Level 6 programme will focus on the specialist requirements for "process improvement" for meeting domestic and international market requirements.
The industry's demand for innovative solutions means the course will also develop students' ability to assess the merit of products or technologies so they can be introduced to a horticultural workplace.
The course will enable graduates to make informed strategic business decisions and the industry will benefit by having experienced technical specialists with the skills to optimise workplace efficiency and lift the competitive edge of their organisations.
Students are expected to remain employed during the university-level programme, with course content delivered online to fit around their work.
Fees will be covered under the Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF). This funding provides an avenue for students wanting to upgrade their tertiary qualifications or transfer from other industries.
This new programme partners with the Primary ITO to deliver courses for the Horticultural Apprenticeship programme and provide tuition for the New Zealand Certificate in Horticulture and Horticultural Production (Levels 3 to 4) to horticultural apprentices nationally.
Bay of Plenty real estate agencies took out two awards at the recent 2020 REINZ Awards for Excellence – the real estate profession's annual national awards evening.
Medium Business Brokerage Office of the Year was awarded to LINK Business, Bay of Plenty – last won by LINK in 2018.
Large Rural Office of the Year was awarded to Bayleys Country, Tauranga – having won the Medium Rural Office of the Year in 2019.
Bindi Norwell, chief executive at REINZ, said every year there was a significant number of high-calibre entries, many who had won their own local or agency awards making for some extremely tough competition.
"It has been great to be able to come together and celebrate success from across the country. To win one of these awards is to be the best of the best, and that is a noteworthy achievement.
"Congratulations to all our finalists and winners for your achievements – these accomplishments are something you can be extremely proud of. Thank you for helping to raise the bar of the real estate profession and for all your hard work."
The 2020 REINZ Awards for Excellence were held at the Cordis Auckland and saw 41 awards handed out to agents from different sectors of the industry.
The Tauranga City Council has received an application for resource consent under the Resource Management Act 1991.
The proposal is to construct and operate a motel consisting of 23 units, a cafe and four residential apartments.
Submissions are being sought on the proposal and will be received until 5pm on Tuesday, December 15.
Submission forms are available at the Customer Services Centre on Willow St or on the council's website: https://www.tauranga.govt.nz/living/planning/resource-consents/planning-forms-and-checklists
Pacific Lakes Village senior staff are shaving their heads in the name of charity this month.
Village manager Mark Vincent, senior financial controller Dave Wilson, accountant Andrew Stanley and project management Andre de Jong are taking part in the Shave For a Cure initiative.
Vincent said the group were taking part because there was a need for groups to be supported so the valuable work carried out by the Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand can be maintained.
"Also the significant impact that cancer has had."
He said the men hoped to raise awareness and highlight the need for support.
"[It's] fair to say we are blown away by the support shown."
Police arrested 20 Greazy Dogs members over alleged meth crimes in Bay of Plenty.