"Tourism Holdings is a company that is posting stellar results and 'getting it right'," the judges said.
"The massive share price out-performance in the year gone by was driven by not just the financial performance of the business, but what it has done to rationalise its fleet and asset base to expand in the United States," they said.
The judges also gave a hat tip to chairman Rob Campbell and said he could take credit for fulfilling the commitments he gave to shareholders a year ago. "Tourism Holding is back from the dead," they concluded.
The company, which listed on the NZX in 1986, operates in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States -- with profitability improving across all three of these units in the last financial year. Chief executive Grant Webster told the Herald in June that the business was performing well across the board and in all the countries in which it operated.
The company has the largest fleet of motor homes for rent and sale in Australia and New Zealand. In the United States it owns and operates the Road Bear RV Rentals and sales brand.
In 2012 it bought rivals United Campervans and KEA Campers to reduce the oversupply of campers. It has since downsized its fleet and received $65 million from vehicle sales in the year to June.
It expects to continue to reduce its Australian and New Zealand fleets in the coming year while expanding its United States fleet.
Within New Zealand it operates Kiwi Experience buses and Waitomo Caves attractions. It also makes motorhomes through its RV Manufacturing Group joint venture, which has operations in Auckland and Hamilton.
Finalists
Spark
Spark -- formerly Telecom -- was a standout performer in a pretty tough sector, judges noted.
They noted Spark had managed the very difficult split from the old Telecom business.
"Spark has to drive value growth and cut cost faster than traditional revenue is falling.
"But Moutter is making progress. This is one company to keep an eye on."
Moutter last year unveiled a plan to transform the company formerly known as Telecom from a traditional telco to a "digital services" business.
This involved stabilising revenue while reducing costs in the 2014 and 2015 financial years and driving revenue growth from the 2016 financial year. "We're a little ahead of that plan ... and we're aiming to deliver improving results from here forward," Moutter said when delivering Spark's full-year results for the 12 months to June 30.
Spark reported that its full-year profit from ordinary activities, excluding discontinued operations, was up 19.8 per cent to $321 million.
Hellaby Holdings
Judges noted that diversified investments company Hellaby Holdings had been making great progress and had proved good at picking winners. Last month the company said it was on track to proceed with at least one acquisition this financial year as it looked to further broaden its portfolio.
The Auckland company had several possible acquisitions on the cards and was "optimistic that at least one will come to fruition during this financial year", chief executive John Williamson told Hellaby shareholders at the company's latest annual meeting. The company has been on an acquisition drive over the past year, buying a truck servicing business, auto electrical, fuel and engine management components firm and 85 per cent of Contract Resources, an engineering maintenance and industrial cleaning company.
"Experience has shown us the benefits of an investment portfolio of assets with earnings spread across different geographies and sectors," Williamson said. "The ongoing acquisition of businesses that meet our investment criteria, and deliver the next step lift in earnings, remains a priority."
