Entries Open For 2022 Hawke’s Bay Export Awards

Hawke’s Bay export successes will be celebrated at the region’s seventh Export Awards in August, featuring a diverse range of inspiring regional businesses and exporters.

Details of the ExportNZ ASB Export Awards were announced today by ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay Executive Officer, Amanda Liddle.

Businesses will compete for the T&G Global Best Established Exporter Award (organisations with a turnover of more than $5 million a year), the Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence in Innovation Award and the ContainerCo Best Emerging Business Award. Another prominent feature is The Unsung Heroes Award, sponsored by Napier Port and derived from nominations, which reflects the hard and often unseen work undertaken by people within their business.

The winners of the first three categories will contest the supreme award of ASB Exporter of the Year and will automatically be entered in the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) International Business Awards in Auckland in November. Last year’s ASB Exporter of the Year was Hastings company New Zealand Frost Fans.

Eligibility for the ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Awards covers organisations located from Gisborne to Pahiatua. Judging criteria include core operations and achievements related to export activities, and Award entrants will also receive site visits by the judging panel.

Entries close on 1st July, with site visits taking place over the following two weeks. Finalists will be announced on 1st August, with the Awards Gala Dinner on 25th August at Toitoi Hawke’s Bay Arts and Events Centre.

MC for the Export Awards will be David Downs who, by day, is CEO of New Zealand Story Group. David has had an eclectic career, having previously been a comedian, TV and Radio actor. He now classifies himself as a ‘genetically modified organism’, documenting his battle with cancer through 2017 and 2018.

The Awards’ judging panel this year comprises NZTE Director Wayne Norrie, ASB Head of International Trade Fergus Lee, Callaghan Innovation Specialist Jenny Brown, Napier Port Chair Alasdair Macleod and NZTE Regional Manager James Medina.

ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay’s Amanda Liddle acknowledges the strength of the region’s export businesses.

‘’The battle rages on for exporters who are facing another year of uncertainty, skyrocketing costs to their bottom line, labour shortages and supply chain issues which grow by the day.

"Yet despite this, they still manage to show exceptional resilience and continued innovation in their businesses, which is exactly what these awards are all about.

‘’There is an award category to suit every type of export business - you don’t have to be the biggest business in town, you just have to tell us your story of why you are the best at what you do.’’

Mrs Liddle says the Awards have become a much-anticipated event on the Hawke’s Bay business calendar and, despite the trials of the past year, she is expecting some exciting entries which make the evening so interesting.

ASB’s Executive General Manager for Corporate Banking, Nigel Annett, says: "We are pleased to be back in 2022, sponsoring these awards as a way to recognise and celebrate the high calibre of Hawkes Bay exporters. In the last few years, Kiwi exporters have faced some tremendous hurdles with supply chain constraints and COVID-related labour shortages, but the Hawkes Bay region boasts a healthy diversity across many sectors and continues to thrive, demonstrating both maturity and resilience."

Simon Arcus - Chief Executive of Business Central, which delivers ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay locally, said his organisation was proud to support excellence in a vital sector of Zealand’s economy.

"These awards are a celebration of the hard work, and excellence that goes into competing on the world stage, and the significant contribution that Hawkes Bay exporters bring home to the local economy."

Hawke’s Bay Airport is sponsoring the gala dinner. Other sponsors are New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Hastings District Council, Napier City Council, Grundy Productions and Te Mata Estate.

ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay is overseen by Business Central, which represents 3,500 employers across the lower North Island and in Nelson. Business Central provides employer, health and safety, and human resources advice, and advocates policies that reflect the interests of the business community.

Entry forms, criteria requirements and registration forms for the Awards dinner are available on the ExportNZ website, www.exportnz.org.nz, or by emailing Amanda Liddle on amanda@exportnz.org.nz.

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