2018 Westpac Champion Business Awards Finalists Announced
This year’s finalists for the Westpac Champion Business Awards were announced tonight at a function hosted by the Ara
Institute of Canterbury at the new Kahukura Building (Engineering and Architectural Studies) located on the Ara Campus.
"Over 150 entries were received across the 13 categories. The new categories outperformed our expectations with Champion
Business for Good receiving the most entries followed closely by both the Champion Service Delivery and Champion
Innovation categories," said Champion Canterbury Ltd Chair and Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce CEO Leeann
Watson.
"It is extremely encouraging to see the number of entrants in two other new categories, the Emerging Leader and Emerging
Business awards highlighting the growth and opportunity of building and developing businesses and leaders in our
region," said Ms Watson.
Westpac‘s General Manager of Commercial, Corporate and Institutional, Karen Silk says it’s fantastic to see such a rich
and diverse range of finalists recognised.
"Canterbury has long been an economic powerhouse and that’s down to the toil and tenacity of businesses across the
region. These finalists exemplify those qualities and should be commended for their achievements. I can’t wait to see
which businesses are crowned champions in their categories," said Karen Silk.
Final judging will take place in early September, with the winners announced at the annual Awards Ceremony on Wednesday
19 September. Celebrating its 16th year, the awards ceremony is set to attract over 1300 people from Canterbury’s
business community.
"Once again we have an extraordinary collection of Canterbury businesses in the finalist field. It’s an exciting group
of businesses and organisations who highlight all that is great about our region. The judges have a tough task ahead of
them, and I wish all the finalists the very best," said Leeann Watson.
The Westpac Champion Business Awards are the largest and most prestigious awards ceremony of its type in New Zealand.
The awards celebrate the success of the business community in Canterbury, and also highlight the positive contribution
they bring to our community.
ENDS
The full list of finalists and brief description of each finalist is attached.
Corporate tables and individual tickets are on public sale at www.championcanterbury.org.nz.
Public are advised to get in early as capacity is limited and tickets sell out well in advance.
For further information on the 2018 categories and finalists and general information about the awards go to www.championcanterbury.org.nz
ENDS