8 December 2005
Te Puni Kokiri Maori Business Facilitation Service Awards
For Te Whanganui â Tara (Wellington-Nelson-Marlborough) Region 2005 Creative HQ, Level 4, 25a Marion Street, Wellington
Thursday 8th December, 2005
Mihi
Thank you for your invitation to be here tonight. It is always a pleasure to be in the company of people who have a
vision of celebrating Mâori business success and excellence.
As the Minister responsible for the Mâori Business Facilitation Service I am regularly bombarded with reports containing
statistics. It is refreshing to be able to put faces and names to those statistics.
As business people you might like the following quote: “In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and
experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” -Harold Geneen
Economic and Business
The speech from the throne reinforced that our economy needs to keep growing faster than the average of other developed
countries as that’s the only way we can expect to deliver incomes and opportunities for New Zealanders that rival those
of other developed countries.
The speech from the throne outlined what the government is doing and intends to do to meet this challenge.
I know this won’t come as a surprise to you (but sadly it does to some) that Mâori will be an integral aspect in this
country’s future prosperity.
Our primary industries have been the backbone of this country’s economy and much of the Mâori asset base is concentrated
in this sector.
Demographic trends in New Zealand’s population also tend to reinforce the importance of the Mâori business community for
our national economic development. Forecasts for the next 50 years show that while New Zealand’s population in general
is ageing, the Mâori and Pacific populations will remain relatively youthful.
Mâori are participating in tertiary education in unprecedented numbers; some enrolments are clustered in lower level
courses. Our challenge is to lift the level of study and qualification being achieved.
Mâori unemployment is down significantly to what it has been but more work is needed to bring it down further. There
were almost 24,000 Mâori in some type of industry training in 2004 and we expect this positive trend to continue.
Mâori businesses are thriving. Mâori success stories exist within almost every business sector, from primary production
to IT.
Te Puni Kokiri’s Mâori Business Facilitation Scheme (MBFS) plays an important role in encouraging a more dynamic small
to medium enterprises start up market through helping and supporting those with the desire, skill and opportunity to
start a business.
SMEs are particularly important for the economic and social participation of Mâori through employment, which is
something I particularly want to see growing. Equally important is equipping Mâori with the skills that allow them to
become employers, not just employees.
At a whânau level, participation in business is one of the pathways towards accessing better health, housing and
education opportunities. As we all know the more household income you have the greater your choices.
The government respects the initiative and courage it takes to start up a new business and values the huge contribution
small businesses make to the economy and to employment.
It is my great privilege now to assist in announcing this evening's Te Puni Kokiri MBFS winners. But before I do, I want
to congratulate all the finalists, keep up the good work, keep making Mâori proud and keep making Mâori businesses
successful.
Recipients of the 2005 Te Puni Kokiri Business Awards for Te Whanganui â Tara
Increased Sales:
The nominations are Hire It Now Glen Tapara, Door Brass Crane Amaru, and Marbles Café & I 4 Catering Karen Gidall
The winner of the 2005 Te Puni Kokiri Business Awards for “Increased Business Sales” is Karen Gidall. Unfortunately
Karen couldn’t be here with us tonight, however her Daughter Tracie McBride will receive the award on Karen’s behalf.
Karen and Dave already had a background in the hospitality and management industry when they bought Marbles Café in
Nelson.
In their first year of business they increased their sales by 44%.
In 2002, addition to running a small café they branched out to cater for functions, including a luncheon hosted by the
Prime Minister and Chris Jack’s (All Black Lock) wedding.
The Catering side of the business ‘i4 catering’ provides catering for Garin College, a major boarding school in Nelson.
As a result of the size of the contract Karen and David are focusing more & more on the catering and therefore may look at selling the café.
Increased Profit:
The nominations for the “Increased Business Profit” are Full of Beans Ltd Stephen Potaka, Alta Concrete Cutting
Specialist Ltd Eldon Solomon, and Soy Works Ltd Mike Kirkwood.
The winner of the 2005 Te Puni Kokiri Business Awards for “Increased Profit” is Full of Beans Ltd Stephen Potaka based
in Lower Hutt.
Full of Beans first engaged with MBFS back in September 2004 for advice on expanding his current business.
When Stephen purchased Full of Beans it catered for organic Fruit & Vege and Bulk Bin foods. The business had better days. In addition to turning it around Stephen has now incorporated a
Heath Store and Café.
This business is situated amongst the Naenae Shopping Centre and employ’s 5 staff including a qualified Homeopath.
In addition to the MBFS service, Poutama Trust has provided assistance too.
Increased Employees
The nominations for the “Increased Employee Numbers” are Carrolls Joinery Richard Carroll, Nursing Solutions Marie
Markenstein and Te Kupenga Mahi Taku Parai.
The winner of the 2005 Te Puni Kokiri Business Awards for “Increased Employee Numbers” is Nursing Solutions Marie
Markenstein based in Upper Hutt.
Maree Markenstein is the Director of Nursing Solutions Limited.
Maree contacted Te Puni Kokiri for assistance to develop a business plan for her new business idea. Maree identified a
gap in the market for a Nursing Bureau that could provide temporary nursing and care-giving services to cope with demand
from large aged-care organisations.
Maree started her business in September 2003 with just herself and now employs up to 24 part-time and full-time staff
having secured contracts with three major retirement villages in the greater Wellington area.
Commitment Award
This next award is in recognition of a client that has shown consistent dedication and commitment towards their
business.
The winner of this award is Mike Kirkwood and Gabrielle Thorpe from
Soyworks based in Motueka.
Mike and Gabrielle bought the Soyworks in February 2004 Soyworks produces Soy products like sausages, Tofu etc.
The business was in recession when they bought it, which meant they have had to make tough decisions. They have
repositioned their products through re-branding with the assistance of Poutama Trust.
Through a specialist mentoring intervention, TPK, BFS has assisted them in increasing efficiencies and controlling
costs. This has meant investing in better equipment, and aligning costs to sales.
They have developed their markets and extended their product line to organic products. In the New Year, they are looking
forward to developing more innovative vegetarian products, which they hope to eventually take overseas.
Coupled with their full time commitment they have to manage a young family.
ENDS