Record entries in North Shore Business Awards

Record entries in prestigious North Shore Business Awards

A record number of entries has been received for this year's Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards – a clear indication that business excellence is continuing to thrive on the North Shore.

The 103 entries – an impressive 43 per cent increase on the number of entries received last year - are from a broad spectrum of the North Shore business community including businesses involved in agriculture, landscaping, education, hospitality and information technology. They represent small start-up businesses through to large, well-established enterprises.

More than half of the 56 businesses and organisations that entered submitted entries in two or more categories. Some are first-time entrants – others have entered in the past and returned for further success this year.

Enterprise North Shore Chief Executive Terry Hoskins says the surge in entries mirrors the North Shore's energetic business community.

"It is a wonderful demonstration of the confidence that exists in North Shore businesses. These are businesses prepared to take a hard look at their operations during the entry process and step up to the starting line with others in the category or categories they have entered."

This year seven Awards Facilitators – three more than in previous years - were available for entrants to call on for free assistance with the entry process.

“Providing more Facilitators meant we could help more businesses, a factor that played a significant role in the increased number of entries. They provided outstanding guidance and assistance to businesses during the entry process and it was heartening to see so many entrants take up this opportunity," Terry Hoskins says.

Bruce McLachlan, General Manager Business for Westpac, says the record number of entries is strong confirmation that the Awards play a prestigious role in the buoyant business culture of the North Shore.

"The Awards attract high-performing businesses that strive for exceptional performance – and all entrants are to be congratulated. Though not all can win an Award, every business that has entered will have gained invaluable insight into their operations through the process of assessing and analysing their business performance against independent criteria. It is really gratifying to see so many businesses taking advantage of the exceptional opportunities gained from entering in the Awards.”

Among them is McLaren Brown Publishing which last year was highly commended in the North Shore City Council Excellence in Tourism Award and in 2003 was a finalist in the Actionmail & Alliance Construction Excellence in Marketing Award.

Managing Director and publisher Anne McLaren says the Birkenhead-based publishing company, which has a staff of nine and global distribution in more than 40 countries, has entered into three categories this year - the North Shore City Council Excellence in Tourism Award, the Orcon Internet Employer of Choice Award and the North Shore Times Community Contribution Award.

"The Awards provide us with an invaluable means of analysing, benchmarking and growing our business plus they give us insights which lead to real improvements,” Anne McLaren says.

Just Protect is a first-time entrant in the Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards. The Glenfield business manufactures an eco-friendly anti-corrosive protective coating and lubricant, Lanoguard. It has entered in the Smales Farm Excellence in Environmental Management Award.

Director Scott Pennington says he entered Just Protect in the Awards because he wants the company to be more widely-recognised for its work.

“It is a perfect platform to achieve this objective – and the process of entering was incredibly valuable. It enabled us to identify what we should be focusing on and the sort of companies we should be dealing with, plus it helped us fine-tune our presentation to potential clients.”

All entries are now with the independent judging panel which will announce the finalists in each of the 12 categories by the end of July.

The Westpac Enterprise North Shore Business Excellence Awards 2005 categories are:

• Clearlite Excellence in Service Delivery Award

• ACC ThinkSafe Workplace Safety Award

• Actionmail Excellence in Marketing Award

• Chelsea Sugar Excellence in Exporting Award

• Massey University Excellence in Technology Award

• 3M Excellence in Innovation Award

• North Shore Times Community Contribution Award

• Smales Farm Excellence in Environmental Management Award

• Alliance Construction Best New Start-up Business Award

• Vector Best Emerging Business Award

• North Shore City Council Excellence in Tourism Award

• Orcon Internet Employer of Choice Award.

Category winners are eligible for the Westpac Supreme Business Excellence Award. The Awards’ winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner on Thursday, August 25 at North Harbour Stadium, Oteha Valley Road, Albany.

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