Kiwi innovation & entrepreneurship on show

Kiwi innovation & entrepreneurship on show at AmCham Business Awards

From movies to fresh flowers, fitness to IT, glass bottles to adventure holidays

Seven innovators and entrepreneurs, representing a wide range of sectors, skills and scale – from movies to fresh flowers, personal fitness to IT and glass bottles to adventure holidays – are competing in the finals of the 2006 American Chamber of Commerce-UPS Business Awards.

The Awards, staged in conjunction with Air New Zealand, will be announced at a gala dinner in Auckland on November 8. They celebrate business innovation and success in the import, export, investment and tourism sectors between New Zealand and its second largest trading partner, the United States. Prizes include airfares to Los Angeles or San Francisco, flying Air New Zealand for the importer and exporter category winners.

"Bilateral trade is worth over $9 billion and the American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand is constantly seeking opportunities to enhance and expand business and trade relationships within the private and public sectors,” said the organisation’s President, Alister Brown. "The annual Innovation and Success Awards provide an opportunity to showcase companies that have demonstrated imagination, innovation and entrepreneurship and to honour and celebrate their achievements."

The contest has been narrowed down to seven finalists for the three major categories - Exporter of the Year to the United States for Goods, Exporter of the Year to The United States for Services and Technology and Importer of the Year from the United States. The finalists are:

Importer of the Year
▪ James Crisp - Auckland
▪ TCL Marketing - Auckland

Exporter of the Year Goods
▪ Halliday & Baillie - Auckland
▪ New Zealand Bloom - Auckland
▪ New Zealand Steel - Auckland

Exporter of the Year - Services and Technology
▪ 4D Steel Detailing - Christchurch
▪ Les Mills International - Auckland
▪ Polymedia - Nelson
▪ Zeacom - Auckland

Awards are also given to acknowledge and celebrate the US Investor of the Year, Contribution to Tourism and AmCham Member of the Year.

Investor of the Year from the United States
▪ General Electric - Connecticut
▪ O-I Corporation - Ohio
▪ Quest Software - California
▪ Walden Media - California

Contribution to Tourism
▪ Active Down Under – California
▪ ATS Pacific - Auckland
▪ Seasonz Travel - Auckland
▪ Springbaord Vacations - California

New Zealand’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, The Rt. Hon Winston peters, will present the Exporter of the Year Awards and the US Ambassador to New Zealand, William P. McCormick, will present the Importer of the Year Award
In addition to AmCham, UPS and Air New Zealand, the Awards are supported by: Baldwins, CitiGroup, Ernst and Young Ltd, GE Money, New Zealand Steel, and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

Over the last six years sponsors have provided over $280,000 in prizes to Award winners.

Previous winners of the Supreme Award have included ZESPRI International, Peace Software, Airways Corporation, HumanWare, Tenon and Orion Systems International.

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