Bay of Plenty businesses attend Meta and Tourism Industry Aotearoa digital skills workshop

Bay of Plenty Times

18 Sep, 2022 09:09 PM8 mins to read

Meta New Zealand and Pacific Islands policy programs manager Hannah Rhodes with panellists Renee Tapsell, Kelsi Hira and Hannah Mellsop. Photo / Supplied

Meta and Tourism Industry Aotearoa host digital skills workshop

Tourism business owners from around the Bay of Plenty headed to a free Meta Boost digital skills programme aimed to empower small businesses with the tools they need to start and grow a business online.

About 100 businesses were represented.

Meta New Zealand and Pacific Islands policy programs manager Hannah Rhodes with panellists Renee Tapsell, Kelsi Hira and Hannah Mellsop. Photo / Supplied

The workshop included how to establish a presence on Facebook and Instagram, how to use Meta Business Suite, how to reach an audience with personalised advertising and how to creatively engage your audience with new tools such as Reels.

Local businesses also took part in a panel discussion to talk about how they do or do not use Facebook and Instagram to showcase their offerings.

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The three panellists were Renee Tapsell from Aotearoa Dive, Kelsi Hira from Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park and Hannah Mellsop from Real Rad Food.

Mellsop said she used Instagram as the main method for marketing products, but also sold them on the platform too.

Post frequency varied between the three, with Mellsop posting most, particularly with stories.

Meta's head of policy for New Zealand and Pacific Islands Nick McDonnell said it was the 85th workshop run in New Zealand in the past five years.

Meta's head of policy for New Zealand and Pacific Islands Nick McDonnell. Photo / Laura Smith

The event in Rotorua followed a similar workshop in Queenstown a few days prior.

"We are really taking a focus on small tourism businesses at the moment."

Tourism Industry Aotearoa communications manager Ann-Marie Johnson said it was an exciting time for tourism businesses as they gear up for the return of international manuhiri, and the workshops gave operators the confidence to use the latest tools.

Bay of Plenty and Central Plateau Master Builders House of Year regional winners announced

A Welcome Bay home with views, a spacious new Taupō home, and a renovated 100-year-old fishing cottage in Rotorua are among the top winners of a recent building competition.

The winners of the Bay of Plenty and Central Plateau Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition have now been named.

A Calley Homes build in Welcome Bay won the supreme house of the year over $1 million category, Resene New Home $2m-$4m category, and a Gold Award in the competition.

The judges' comments said the home had been designed to take advantage of "stunning views" of the Tauranga region.

The judges said the property had a "superb timber ceiling, an impressively large built-in bookcase, the media room, and kitchen with a scullery" all with a "perfect finish".

This was also the first year the competition had a Supreme House of the Year Under $1m category.

A Calley Homes build in Welcome Bay won the supreme house of the year over $1 million category. Photo / Supplied

A home in Wharewaka, Taupō, by David Reid Homes Taupō won this category as well as the Volume/Group Housing New Home $500k-$750k category, and a Gold Award.

According to the judges' notes, the home was built in six months.

"There is a very high standard of finish and detail throughout."

The living areas overlook the lake and mountains.

A 100-year-old fishing cottage at Lake Rotoiti renovated by Urbo Homes won Supreme Renovation of the Year, Renovation up to $750,000 category, and a Gold Award.

The judges said the renovation preserved the character.

"The home has been in the family for many generations, and to preserve it for future generations, all facilities have been updated to a very high standard."

Top award winners also included Urbo Homes, Gudsell Designer Homes, Fairbairn Builders, M&M Builders, NAS Construction, Duncan Hare Builders, and Todd Grey Builders.

For the full list of winners go to masterbuilder.org.nz

A 100-year-old fishing cottage at Lake Rotoiti renovated by Urbo Homes won Supreme Renovation of the Year. Photo / Supplied

Rangatahi growing in forestry with iwi trust training

A training initiative implemented by a central North Island iwi trust is taking rangatahi (youth) to new heights, three years since its launch.

Rotomā No. 1 Incorporation's mahi is mostly dedicated to the forestry industry, but at the heart of ensuring its sustainability is a scheme to secure a skilled and dedicated future workforce and a commitment to iwi wellbeing.

The iwi trust has a clear strategic plan to assist their young people — descendants and beneficiaries of Rotomā shareholders — into employment. Bringing iwi through a silviculture (pruning and thinning) training programme is helping Rotomā to grow a solid workforce and succession plan, while proving highly successful in developing Ngāti Pikiao rangatahi.

Rotomā Kaiarahi (career pathway adviser) Abe Whata (Ngāti Pikiao) is responsible for supporting rangatahi to attain qualifications. With a Navy background, Abe joined the team in 2019 and with experience working in Te Maioha o Parekarangi Youth Justice Residence, he is driven to make a difference for rangatahi.

Rotomā Kaiarahi (career pathway advisor) Abe Whata and forestry trainer and assessor Shane Kaaho. Photo / Supplied

Before being assigned to a crew and exposed to the reality of working in a forest, all rangatahi start their training with a six-week pre-employment block course that covers first aid, nutrition, health and safety, along with site safety training.

Abe said pastoral care and personal development are important cornerstones of the programme.

"We take rangatahi from 16 years old. Some have left school at 13, and we need to quickly assess whether they need extra support with numeracy and literacy competency, for example.

"We teach them the skills they need to be set up for a successful career and that includes financial literacy, so they can start saving a deposit for their future home," says Abe.

Basic work ethics and time management are supported with mentoring. Mature workers buddy up with younger learners so they can impart valuable advice from a new perspective.

Shane Kaaho (Te Arawa) is a forestry trainer and assessor endorsed by industry training partner Competenz. Shane supported the rangatahi in first attaining a New Zealand Certificate in Forestry Operations, Level 3.

He understands the journey many of the rangatahi are on — he followed his family into forestry 40 years ago not being able to read or write.

"I'm passionate about passing on my own experience. We achieve great outcomes. We even get the guys participating in rugby and golf. They start to learn that they are in a team, they begin to set goals, and they become their own family in the middle of the forest – they become whānau."

Partnerships with Te Waiariki Purea Trust, Oranga Tamariki and Mātua Whāngai in Rotorua have seen other young rangatahi join the programme.

2022 Katikati and Waihi Beach community business awards winners announced

The 2022 Katikati and Waihi Beach Community Business Award ceremony celebrated the best of the community this month.

More than 150 people recognised the finalists and winners of various award categories at the Katikati Memorial Hall on September 3.

The Western Bay of Plenty townships combine forces biennially to highlight outstanding locals, organisations and businesses in the region.

Voting for the 10 People's Choice Award categories opened in early July, along with judging for the Business Excellence and Environmental and Sustainable Excellence Awards.

Vicki Lambert of Waihi Beach Community Events & Promotions, joint organisers of the event with Katch Katikati, said the community voted enthusiastically this year.

"We received more votes in the first week of voting in 2022 than the entire number of votes received for the 2020 awards.

"It's been a long, tough two years and we really wanted the awards ceremony to be a night to remember."

The Business Excellence Award and the Environmental and Sustainable Excellence Award were judged by a panel including James Denyer, Peter Hughes-Hallett and Don Mossop, who all have backgrounds in corporate and public service organisations.

BeeNZ from Katikati took out the winner of the Business Excellence Award with their key strengths being the family values-based culture of the business; that they are a living wage employer, and their recent B Corp certification.

Surf Shack Eatery from Waihi Beach was winner of the Environmental and Sustainable Excellence Award with their unrivalled commitment to sustainable practices throughout their business including their carbon neutral status.

Ten People's Choice awards were presented ranging from individual and community volunteers, sports and arts to business retail, service and tourism, with each award supported by a local business sponsor.

Harley wins Salesperson of the Year - again

ABC Tauranga Business Sales childcare sales business partner Linda Harley has won the Business Broker Salesperson of the Year Award at the recent Real Estate Institute of New Zealand national awards.

Harley has considerable expertise in all aspects of the childcare sector and is the Business Partner in the Tauranga branch of the business.

She has worked as a specialist childcare broker in New Zealand and Australia.

Her success is attributed to the high value of childcare sales, including acting as buyer agent for the IPO that led to the establishment of the Public listed Company, Evolve Education Group.