Simon Power: Business awards are a civic success story

Last month I attended the Feilding Excellence in Business Awards for the final time as the member of Parliament for Rangitikei.
The awards night has been a highlight for me over my 12 years as an MP, and it is something I'll miss in the years to come.
It has been a pleasure to watch how the awards have grown over the years, with another sell-out at the Civic Centre and some 528 people in attendance at this year's Rugby World Cup-themed "All Black Tie Dinner".
I think what makes the awards so special is that the businesses are judged by their customers, meaning those recognised have demonstrated outstanding customer service.
This is crucial in a place like Feilding, to ensure customers keep coming back.
On the awards themselves, I'd like to acknowledge all of the businesses that were nominated across the 18 categories. In particular, Manawatu Grain, Seed & Saddlery, who took out the Best Rural Business category and the highly sought after Supreme Award.
I would also like to congratulate KR's Cafe and Catering, Evolve Fitness, Anna S, William Cotton & Sons, McEntee Event Hire, TRC Toyota, Kip McGrath Education Centre, Leader & Watt, Feilding Flight Centre, Edelweiss Smallgoods, The Feilding Herald, Jubilee Building, Totally Vets, South Street West, and Woodlands Resort for their awards.
And I would like to single out Elizabeth Signal from the Manawatu District Council, Simon Johnson from the Feilding Library, Pauline Simpson from Garratts Motor Group, and Wendy Fletcher from All About Kidz for their individual awards.
Last, but not least, I'd like to acknowledge Woodlands Resort, Humphries Developments, Totally Vets, Ovation New Zealand, and Uptown Investments, which all received Tall Giraffe awards for their role in significantly raising the profile of Feilding.
The Feilding Business Awards would not be possible without the hard work and organisation of Feilding Promotions and an army of volunteers, who this year included Feilding High School students fundraising for a trip to California.
Congratulations to all the nominees and winners, and to the organisers and volunteers for again making these awards the most anticipated event on the Feilding business calendar.