Mentors find keen audience in PNG

The success of Hawke's Bay in the Government's New Zealand Business Mentors programme resulted in the invitation for a team to visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) as part of New Zealand's foreign aid programme.

Business mentors give their time and knowledge for free to struggling businesses or businesses without the experience to grow.

The five have just returned from PNG and say that Hawke's Bay businesses could learn from their experience on the island, where they spent a week mentoring 20 businesses.

Trip co-ordinator and facilitator, Napier's City Council economic development manager Ron Massey, said they were chosen because Hawke's Bay was voted as the best performing mentoring region in the country.

"We should be proud of these leading specialists who gave of their time freely to help develop businesses in a country starved of good business mentoring advice," he said.

Accountant and business advisor Nick Roberts said there may be opportunities for Hawke's Bay businesses.

"Their economy is one of the fastest growing in the world because of an abundance of natural resources such as oil, coal and liquid gas.

"However, the business support structure to the major industries is in such a fledgling state that they need all the help they can get and there lies an opportunity for our region."

Marketing specialist and former owner of Napier-based advertising agency Adplus, Rick Hopkinson, said they were surprised by the willingness of PNG businesses to take mentoring advice from them - complete strangers and foreigners.

"It was just a matter of building initial trust and then sharing the basic principles of business along with some personal insights and experiences that seemed to make the most difference," he said.

"Local businesses here could take something from their eagerness to grow and accept that they don't have all the tools to sustain that growth.

"Enthusiasm is infectious and I've come away from there with a real sense of accomplishment."

Former CEO of McCain in Hastings, Ian Wilmot, said there was no shame in any business putting up its hand to say they needed help.

"We were there to strengthen the private sector one business at a time," he said.

The group, which included Agribusiness consultant George Spiers, is looking forward to returning in April next year to see if their business advice has been applied.

Mr Hopkinson said he had returned enthused.

"You're inspired because you realise how much you know. Business is common sense - you make a mistake and learn from it.

"We were just helping them avoid the hurdles," he said.