Kaitaia Tall Poppy wins Supreme Award

Media Release
Kaikohe, Wednesday 31 October 2007

Kaitaia Tall Poppy wins Supreme Award

At an Awards Presentation, Dinner & Dance held at The Centre, Kerikeri last Saturday evening, Kaitaia’s Claud Switzer Memorial Trust took out the top prize in this year’s Tall Poppy business excellence awards. The Trust also won a Gold Award in the Trusts / Charities & Not-for-profit Organisations category.

Set up to recognise and celebrate excellence in business practice throughout the Far North region, the Tall Poppy Business Awards is an annual event, sponsored by local lines network company, Top Energy.

According to Awards Judge Chairman, Robin Shepherd, the overall standard of entries in this year’s competition was exceptionally high, with so many deserving entries that the judging panel recommended multiple awards be made in several of the mostly hotly contested categories.

The full list of Category and Special Award winners is:
TRUSTS / CHARITIES & NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS:
Gold Award - Claud Switzer Memorial Trust, Kaitaia
TOURISM & HOSPITALITY:
Gold Award - Bushmansfriend Limited, Totara North
Gold Award - Flagstaff Lodge & Day Spa, Russell
Silver Award - The Trainspotter Café, Kawakawa
Merit Award - Blue Water Bistro, Opua

SERVICE INDUSTRY:
Gold Award - Waste Works Ltd, Kaikohe
Gold Award - Real Property Centre 2005 Ltd, MREINZ, Kerikeri
Gold Award - Methcon Group Ltd, Coopers Beach

RETAIL:
Gold Award - Placemakers, Kerikeri
Silver Award - Kaeo Farm & Fuel
Merit Award - Mangonui Stationery & Lotto

EMERGING BUSINESS:
Silver Award - Brendon-Cook Property Consultants, Russell

MANUFACTURING & PRIMARY:
Gold Award - Natural Timber Creations, Kerikeri

JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD
For Innovation - Real Property Centre 2005 Ltd, MREINZ, Kerikeri

THE SUPREME AWARD:
For overall business excellence - Claud Switzer Memorial Trust, Kaitaia

Robin Shepherd added that judges were delighted with the variety of entries this year although he did express a personal disappointment that the primary production sector did not feature strongly in the portfolio of entries. “That is a shame. It’s obvious that farming, for instance, is a successful business sector and I’m hopeful that entrants from this and other primary industries will be represented in next year’s Awards’, he said.

Sponsor, Top Energy believes the Tall Poppy Business Awards is an excellent way to showcase business diversity and talent in the Far North region. And this year for the first time, all non-finalists are to be given individual feedback from the Awards Judges. According to Top Energy Deputy Chairman, Mike Simm, there are real benefits in entering a business excellence awards programme beyond simply recognition and a trophy. "From personal experience of buying a business and then entering an awards programme I've learnt that it is a way of adding real value to a business. That’s because it forces you to look very closely at the assessment criteria such as Business Planning, Quality Control, Marketing, Staff Motivation and Management. Submitting your business to the independent judging process is like free management consultancy”, he said.

END.

© Scoop Media