Maori awards honour diversity of business talents

Talia Anderson Town of Silks Audit Chartered Accountants made three acceptance speeches on Saturday night. Picture / Robin Ohia

From accountancy to resource recovery, hospitality to appliance repair - Whanganui Maori businesses were celebrated in style on Saturday night.

About 400 people gathered at the War Memorial Hall in Whanganui for the inaugural Te Manu Atatu Maori Business Awards.

Te Manu Atatu chair Pahia Turia said the night, the first event of its kind in Whanganui, was about acknowledging and celebrating where Maori businesses were today.

"You have survived, you have endured the challenges and tonight we salute you," he said.

Mr Turia said Maori business spanned across 30 industries in the wider region, from sole operators to large-scale employers.

"I am proud to be part of an evening that brings our community together to support Maori businesses."

People travelled from across the wider region to attend the prestigious awards ceremony, with Silks Audit Chartered Accountants from Whanganui taking the top accolades of the evening.

The firm has served the regional community since 1904 and it continues to go from strength to strength, working with Maori businesses, iwi organisations, fisheries and many more sectors.

In the past five years new clients have driven its financial performance up, with revenue increasing by about 20 per cent in that time.

Silks employs 15 members of staff, including five qualified chartered accountants - with that number set to increase to eight in the next 12 months.

Silks walked away with not only the award for Best Maori Business - Service & Trade, but also the Most Outstanding Established Maori Business Award and the Te Manu Atatu Supreme Business Award.

Partner Talia Anderson Town said she had not prepared enough speeches for the three awards the firm had won, but the team was grateful and honoured.

"Thank you so much for this supreme award, we are truly honoured," she said.

"A lot of our staff are Maori and a lot of our clients are Maori too so it is just great to be seen as part of this."

Partner Cameron Town, her husband, said the real winners were those who had come together for the evening.

Newcomer Ruapehu Recruitment was shocked to take out the Maori Rising Star award for Best New and Emerging Maori Enterprise.

Ngati Rangi Trust spokesman Che Wilson said he was full of emotion to win the award.

He told the crowd that many of his people thought they were unemployed because they were not good enough for the jobs and many were moving away from home to secure work.

"The heart cries," he said.

"These are real people. Real families."

However, since opening in February 2015, the Ngati Rangi-owned service has achieved more than 220 employment outcomes, equating to over $5.5 million in income to local whanau.

The new enterprise also offers subsidised and sometimes free training to upskill locals.

"The wairua sings because you have truly helped not just the person but the family," Mr Wilson said.

The Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre took out the Environmental Excellence Award.

Trust chair Ken Mair said that since opening in 2013 the centre had recycled 10 million tonnes of items in Whanganui, making it one of the best environmental centres in the country.

Maori Business Award-winners.-
Service and Trade: Silks Audit Chartered Accountants; highly commended: Appliance Repair Care, Rivercity Tree Service.Most Outstanding Established Maori Business: Silks Audit Chartered Accountants.
Te Manu Atatu Supreme Business: Silks Audit Chartered Accountants.Technology and Innovation: Appliance Repair Care.Tourism and Hospitality: Carolines Boatshed Bar & Eatery; highly commended: New World Ohakune.Most Community Minded Maori Business: New World Ohakune; highly commended: Ruapehu Recruitment.Maori Rising Star: Ruapehu Recruitment.
Best Emerging and New Maori Enterprise: Ruapehu Recruitment.Environmental Excellence: Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre.