Passion For NZ Earns Kea Supreme Vero Award

A business connecting expatriate Kiwis has won Kea the supreme award in this year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards. With 22,000 members in 174 countries Kea aims to make New Zealand the most globally connected nation on earth. It also won the award for Most significant contribution by an organisation to the high growth sector.

EBSA winners Kea group shows (Back, L-R): Sarah Trotman, Managing Director, Sarah Trotman & Associates and founder of the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards; Roger Bell, CEO, Vero; Hon. Lianne Dalziel, Minister for Small Business with the team from Kea, which is based in Auckland but is creating a nationwide and global talent network of New Zealanders. - Click for big version

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce topped the not-for-profit category while Auckland-based wotif.com, the ‘last minute’ online accommodation booking service, was judged the top business with more than $10m turnover.

The Business Growth team at WHK Gosling Chapman scored the highest in the less than $5m turnover category with their training and coaching services for SMEs and Timaru’s Murray Cleverley, from Aoraki Development Trust, won the individual contribution category. And three Wellington organisations – Dispute Resolution Services, Positively Wellington Business and the Work & Income division of the Ministry of Social Development won awards. The Open Polytechnic was recognised for the greatest contribution in the education sector, NZ Venture Investment Fund for a contribution by a public/private sector partnership and BNI, a business referral and networking organisation for a business with less than $5 million turnover. In Export Year 2007, Better by Design, a design advocacy and integration programme, was recognised for export support.

The Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards recognise and encourage high standards of excellence for organisations providing products and services to small and medium-sized enterprises. The awards are the only nationwide awards recognising business support and are run as part of the Small Business Expo in Auckland.

The awards were presented by the Minister for Small Business Hon Lianne Dalziel at a black tie gala dinner attended by nearly 600 VIPs, influencers, media and business support guests in Auckland on Thursday, 31 May, 2007. She said she was in awe of the tremendous talent, energy and passion in New Zealand’s small and medium enterprise (SME) sector.

“I am grateful to those who have allowed me to share the secret of turning a good idea into a commercial proposition and taking on the world. I have said that SMEs are important to the economy because of their numbers – 96 percent of all businesses – but it is their unrealised potential that is the key to economic transformation,” said Dalziel.

Simon Brown - Acting CEO, Kea, says the company is thrilled to receive both the supreme and the high growth sector category awards. “It is recognition of the huge commitment shown by our team locally and internationally to achieving world-class standards of excellence. This award endorses the importance of connecting with our diaspora for the benefit of New Zealand’s long-term economic prosperity.”

Two initiatives offering real value in connecting with Kea’s global community to small businesses developed by Kea over the last year helped it win the award: Kea’s Global Talent Centre links talented people with premium job opportunities and Kea’s Venture Mentor Network is an independent business mentoring and advisory initiative that connects New Zealand companies and projects with people who may be able to provide the advice they need to succeed in target markets. The Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are now in their third year. “The awards continue to attract more applications and, following a rigorous evaluation process, provide valuable recognition to the pre-eminent business support organisations,” says Mike Watson from the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation (NZBEF) which provides the independent judging process for all entries. Watson adds: “Kea has been recognised for their passion and support for New Zealand through their global knowledge network, offering a vital link with the expat community.”

“Small and medium-sized businesses are the lifeblood of New Zealand’s economy,” says awards founder Sarah Trotman, a small business sector specialist and the awards’ founder and organiser. “The diversity and geographic spread of organisations entered in this year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards shows there is a wealth of quality products and services on offer around New Zealand.” Trotman believes organisations like Kea are integral to New Zealand’s smaller businesses. “Kea helps our SMEs access the incredible level of knowledge and global contacts of expat Kiwis the world over. “This is a fantastic initiative, overseen by founding directors Stephen Tindall, Professor David Teece and Dr George Barker, that’s gaining greater recognition every year.”

“We congratulate Kea as the supreme winner and the category winners for showing international levels of best practice in their businesses,” says Roger Bell, CEO of Vero Insurance, the awards’ foundation sponsor.

“We wholeheartedly believe the future competitiveness of New Zealand business lies in quality and a key ‘point of difference’. The calibre of this year’s winners is outstanding.

“We are honoured to both be acknowledged by Vero and the New Zealand Business Excellence Foundation and to be in the company of leading New Zealand businesses and owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our enthusiastic volunteers around the world who are essential to Kea’s success,” Kea’s Simon Brown says. With 12 categories this year, the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards drew entries from a wide range of organisations from around New Zealand. From the initial expressions of interest assessed by NZBEF, the finalists were announced in February with several organisations, including Kea, selected as finalists in more than one category. A second, more intensive round of evaluation by NZBEF saw some diverse organisations selected as making ‘the most significant contribution’ in their category (see winners’ list below).

Entries for the 2008 awards will be sought in November 2007. More details will be posted on www.excellenceinbusinesssupport.co.nz later in the year.

VERO EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS SUPPORT AWARDS – 2007 WINNERS

Supreme winner Kea, Auckland; business network organisation connecting New Zealand’s Global Talent Community

Most significant contribution from a business with less than $5m turnover - one to one offering WHK Gosling Chapman Business Growth Team, Auckland; training and coaching services for SMEs
Most significant contribution from a business with less than $5m turnover - one to many offering BNI New Zealand, Auckland; business referral and networking organisation

Most significant contribution from a business with $5-10m turnover Dispute Resolution Services, Wellington; conflict management and dispute resolution services
Most significant contribution from a business with more than $10m turnover wotif.com, Auckland; online accommodation booking service
Most significant contribution from a not-for-profit organisation Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce, Christchurch; regional business support agency

Most significant contribution from a local government body Positively Wellington Business, Wellington; regional economic development agency

Most significant contribution from a government department Ministry of Social Development – Work & Income, Wellington; income support and employment services Most significant contribution by an education provider The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand, Lower Hutt; tertiary education provider

Most significant contribution by an individual Murray Cleverley (Aoraki Development Trust), Timaru Most significant contribution by a public-private sector partnership NZ Venture Investment Fund Ltd, Auckland; venture capital and seed co-investment programmes

Most significant contribution by an organisation to the high growth sector Kea, Auckland; business network organisation connecting New Zealand’s Global Talent Community Most significant contribution by an organisation to export support Better by Design, Auckland – design advocacy and integration programme

ENDS

More information: For photos or more information please see www.excellenceinbusinesssupport.co.nz

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