Export champs lauded

A commitment to export education has earned Waiariki Institute of Technology a 2013 BNZ Bay of Plenty Export Awards final spot - leading a strong charge by Rotorua and Eastern Bay businesses.

The finalists in the four categories were revealed last week, with the winners to be announced at a gala awards night in Mt Maunganui on June 28.

As well as Waiariki, Rotorua has another finalist in The Tree Lab while Switch Kites (Kawerau) are up for two awards, Surtees Boats represents Whakatane and Paengaroa-based Comvita New Zealand also feature.

The number of finalists from outside Tauranga was "unprecedented" in the awards' history, according to ExportNZ Bay of Plenty executive officer Angela Wallace.

She believes that could be partly down to the increasing presence of her organisation throughout the region.

"We have tried really hard to strengthen relationships with exporters in the Eastern Bay of Plenty and Rotorua," she said.

"We have had a lot more activity with a core group of exporters."

She said there had been high interest in the awards, particularly in the emerging and innovation categories, despite many exporters in the region facing "significant difficulties" at the moment.

She said 19 judges were involved in selecting the finalists, with four or five visiting each company.

Waiariki spokesman Craig Tiriana said international education made up about 20 per cent of Waiariki's business in 2012, with about 800 students.

"We know we have some sector leading initiatives coupled with great staff that enable our international students a distinctive and meaningful education experience in our region," he said.

"Waiariki has the second biggest international student cohort in the New Zealand ITP [institutes of technology and polytechnics] sector and through the delivery of government export and domestic education priorities has a vested interest in the region's overall industry needs."

Switch Kites - with its official base in Kawerau but with staff around the Bay of Plenty and the world - is the only finalist to feature in two categories, namely the Emerging Exporter of the Year and Innovation in Export awards.

The company designs equipment for the sport of kite boarding and manufactures it in factories around the world. It then sells direct to its customers online - thus cutting out the middle man.

Co-owner and designer Daniel Kajavala said the business was now in its third year and things were going well after starting off with a "hiss and a roar".

He said 98 per cent of its sales were export business, with 70 per cent in Europe.

One of its competitors in the emerging category is Surtees Boats, which employs over 40 people building 300 boats a year for the New Zealand, Australian and Pacific markets.

The Tree Lab is run by world-renowned tree and woody tissue culture expert Dr Jenny Aitken and specialises in commercial tissue culture propagation of trees and woody plants for the global market.Finalists: United Travel Business "Emerging Exporter of the Year": Ballance Agri-Nutrients (Tauranga), Surtees Boats, Switch Kites, Page Macrae Engineering (Tauranga); "Innovation in Export": LeftBrain Group (Tauranga), Switch Kites, The Tree Lab; Bay of Plenty Polytechnic "Export Achievement": Bruce Ennis, Cargo Handling Equipment Manager - Page Macrae Engineering (Tauranga) Chris Winslade, VP Sales and Marketing - Bluelab Corporation (Tauranga) Kylie van Heerden, Partner - Sharp Tudhope Lawyers (Tauranga) Comvita Compliance Team - Comvita New Zealand; Sharp Tudhope Lawyers "Exporter of the Year": Doherty Engineered Attachments (Tauranga) Page Macrae Engineering (Tauranga) Waiariki Institute of Technology.