Exporter Dominion Salt licks the rest in Tauranga awards

Robin Piggott (left) and Shane Dufaur, chief executive of Dominion Salt, at the company's eye-catching salt stack in Totara St, Mount Maunganui. Photo/File

One of New Zealand's oldest surviving manufacturing businesses, Dominion Salt, has been named the Bay of Plenty's Exporter of the Year.

The business, which is instantly recognisable by the huge salt stack in Totara St, won the top prize at the Bay of Plenty ExportNZ Awards on Saturday night.

Dominion Salt chief executive Shane Dufaur said it was an extremely proud day for the company. He dedicated a lot of the Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Exporter of the Year Award to the firm's export sales manager, Robin Piggott, who has been with Dominion Salt for 41 years.

''We are one of the premium businesses in the Bay,'' he said.

Dominion Salt's Tauranga operation sourced its salt from the tidal Lake Grassmere near Blenheim and from Australia, with the stack topped up with shipments totalling 70,000 tonnes a year.

The business was started by George Skellerup in 1942, with the Tauranga operation starting up in 1976 and the head office shifting from Blenheim about 1996.

Totara St was now turning over double Dominion Salt's South Island plant, with just under 40 per cent of revenue from exports - mainly to Pacific rim countries.

The purity of the salt commanded a premium in markets because of the unpolluted coastal waters off Australia and New Zealand. ''We have the cleanest oceans in the world.''

Mr Dufaur said the company's jewel in the crown was Tauranga's vacuum salt plant which turned out highly refined salt used in pharmaceuticals such as saline drips and dialysis machines. It was also used in nutritional drinks and shakes.

''Our food production standards are one of the highest in the world.''

The other big uses were in paper making, food manufacturing and agriculture. Fertilisers, leather tanning, salt licks and animal nutrients led the way in the agricultural sector. Table salt accounted for just 1 per cent of production.

Four other winners were announced at the Rio Carnival-themed awards at ASB Baypark's Stadium Lounge. Comedian Ben Hurley was master of ceremonies, with the Brazilian Divas also entertaining the crowd.

George & Willy, a design studio near Tauranga Airport with 65 per cent of sales attributable to exports, won the Emerging Exporter of the Year Award.

Andy Cameron, managing director at Oasis Engineering, was the very surprised recipient of the Service to Export Award. He was recognised for his outstanding contributions to the Bay of Plenty business and export community.

In a highly contested category with ''phenomenal'' finalists, Felipe Aguilera, a technical sales engineer at Oasis Engineering, was recognised as an integral cog in the Oasis wheel in the Export Achievement category.

Steens Honey won the Engineering Innovation in Export Award by shaking up the export world through its innovative business practices.

Results Bay of Plenty ExportNZ Awards
Sharp Tudhope Lawyers Exporter of the Year Award: Dominion Salt
YOU Travel Emerging Exporter of the Year: George & Willy
Page Macrae Engineering Innovation in Export Award: Steens Honey
Beca Export Achievement Award: Felipe Aguilera - Oasis Engineering
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise Service to Export Award: Andy Cameron