Bay of Plenty design studio WOODS Agency won a Gold Pin for the Graphic category in this year's Best Design Awards. Photo / Supplied
Bay of Plenty startups first to receive new funding
Two Bay of Plenty startups have been named the first recipients to be funded under a new multimillion-dollar initiative created to reduce the early failure rate of local social enterprises.
The Mount Maunganui firms were selected from over 500 businesses that entered a nationwide competition for entrepreneurs that can help solve a societal or environmental issue.
The competition's organisers, Nous, are now calling for more support for purpose-led businesses in the Bay of Plenty region - with startups in the area saying specialised expertise is more valuable than a cash injection.
Nous is a new organisation that provides mentoring, coaching, investment and marketing support for environmentally and socially focused New Zealand enterprises in their early stages of growth, and is the creation of Brianne West.
West founded and is the chief executive of regenerative beauty product exporter, Ethique.
West launched the "Got Nous" competition during the first stage of the fund's launch to help raise awareness of the challenges faced by social enterprises - which have a failure rate of 95 per cent within their first decade of operation.
She said the calibre of entries from Bay of Plenty was extremely high. But she said it was clear from the high number of entries there was a chronic lack of local support infrastructure for startups looking to solve environmental issues.
Businesses were asked to present their idea to an expert panel - including identifying the social or sustainability problem they are seeking to change and details of how that will be achieved.
The winners of the competition, which will share a cash and mentoring prize pool valued at $140,000, included Mount Maunganui-based Critical Supply, a fair-trade instant coffee brand that returned profits to the local community and Come Clean, a local company producing a sexual wellness product from organic hempseed which aimed to destigmatise the use of lubricant.
Critical Supply co-founder Tom Lear said finding expertise to help guide them through the initial stage of their company's lifecycle was necessary to support their growth.
He said while around 70 per cent of the coffee consumed in New Zealand is instant, there was a lack of support for Fair Trade suppliers in this industry niche.
"As a purpose-led startup, we have been keen to avoid entering the marketplace blind and incurring the costs of learning from our mistakes.
"The opportunity to work with experts who can help guide us through these pitfalls and develop an offer that will resonate with consumers will be invaluable to us over the coming months - it will provide a bigger boost than the financial contribution."
West said analysis of data from the entries showed there were large numbers of New Zealand startups with the potential to have a significant impact on major societal issues.
She said businesses like these need greater support to ensure they can develop to a scale at which they can make a significant impact on rehabilitating the environment.
West said a third recipient of the fund was Daisy Lab from Auckland, which used microorganisms in precision fermentation to create an alternative to yoghurt and cheese that produces up to 97per cent fewer emissions than using cow's milk.
Volunteering Bay of Plenty hands over local services to SociaLink
After 17 years of service to the volunteering sector and local communities, Volunteering Bay of Plenty (Volbop) has passed the baton to SociaLink.
Acting chairwoman Berenice Langson said both organisations believed in the vital importance of volunteering and its contribution to society and our economy and were committed to ensuring that volunteering was supported in the Bay of Plenty.
The two organisations have negotiated a formal agreement which came into effect on October 3.
SociaLink general manager Liz Davies said she was saddened that as a result of Covid-19 and increasing financial constraints, Volbop was no longer in a position to deliver volunteer services.
"Volunteers are critical to the running of the majority of not-for-profit organisations, many of which entirely rely on volunteers.
"When Volbop approached SociaLink we thought it was a good fit with SociaLink's other services and wanted, if possible, to make sure that volunteering services were not lost to the Western Bay of Plenty."
Langson also thanked Volbop's chief executive Vanessa Lister for her efforts and dedication to the organisation and the volunteering sector.
Bay of Plenty company wins design award
Bay of Plenty design studio WOODS Agency walked away with a Gold Pin for the Graphic category in this year's Best Design Awards.
It won the award for its work with the Pāpāmoa Boardriders Club, and it was the only regional agency to qualify as a finalist and was up against more than a thousand initial entries.
The winners were honoured at an awards ceremony at Auckland's Aotea Centre, emceed by Jenifer Ward-Lealand and attended by more than 1000 designers.
Winners were presented with either a Purple or Gold pin for their superb achievements in their field or the illustrious Black pin to honour an enduring commitment to the design world.
This year's entries included a diverse range of projects, from a visual map of forgotten Māori history in Central Hawke's Bay, a contribution to this year's first-ever Matariki celebrations, a chair that treads lightly on the planet, and a campaign that encouraged people to support local small businesses in the depths of lockdown.
Scion develops solution to tackle plastic waste for nurseries
Scion scientists were involved in developing and testing biodegradable nursery pots that will help nurseries and gardeners reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment.
The biodegradable pots, made from biopolymers and a biofiller, will offer an alternative to the estimated 350 million plants in pots produced by New Zealand nurseries each year.
Manufacturing of the pots will scale up after production processes are fine-tuned using funding received from the recently announced Government's Plastics Innovation Fund. The pots are expected to be commercially available by September 2023.
The successful prototype, PolBionix, has been four years in development at Scion as part of a project with commercial client Wilson and Ross Limited.
Director Peter Wilson engaged the services of Scion's expert biomaterials and biodegradable testing team to develop and test a formulation for a product that meets the requirements of a nursery, last at least 12 months above ground then, after it's planted in soil, continues to biodegrade. The pot then provides fertiliser for the plant as it breaks down, supporting plant growth.
Bay of Plenty CCNZ Hynds Construction Awards
Held at the beginning of the month at Trinity Wharf, Tauranga, 180 attendees came together to celebrate excellence in both projects and people, showcasing accomplishments within the industry.
There were 29 entrants across all awards categories, which included three people and three project categories.
Civil Contractors NZ chief executive Alan Pollard said the awards night was an outstanding success, showcasing amazing projects, passionate and committed people, and an industry in the region that is well engaged and focussed on delivering the best outcomes for their communities.
"It was a night not just of celebration, but of reconnection following the disruption of the past two years. Very privileged to have been a part of it."
Bay of Plenty vice chairman Mike Speed said it was an incredible evening.
"After so many years of deliberating about whether to hold our own event or not, we finally got one away.
"The night provided such a unique way of celebrating the success and development of our people, and I have no doubt that future events will be even more widely supported."
He thanked and congratulated everyone that took the time to enter.
"To anyone wondering about whether to enter next year – back yourself and go for it, you won't be disappointed."
Category A - Sponsor Hirepool - Under $300k (Limited to a company with turnover under $25m)
Winner
GT Civil - Sherwin Street Stormwater
Category B - Sponsor Avertu - $300k to $1m
Winner
Bridge It NZ - Kaiwaka Foot Bridge
Category C - GPIL - over $1m
Winner
Downer NZ - SH30 Eastern Corridor Improvements - Stage 1 (Sala Street to IIes Road)
Apprentice of the Year - Sponsor Higgins
Winner
Reegan Reid - Waiotahi Contractors
Highly Commended
Meagan Verberne - Downer NZ
Highly Commended
Sonny Collier - Downer NZ
Emerging Leader - Sponsor K& L Distributors Ltd
Winner
Mason Hohepa - Brian Perry Civil
Highly Commended
Nicola Turner - Downer NZ
Woman in Civil Winner
Sheridan Fathers - EPL Construction
Supreme Award
GT Civil - Sherwin Street Stormwater
There are 93 horses still facing an uncertain fate.