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A bit of nous to combat resourcing challenges. Business Profile – Development Nous

Many professions have struggled with skill shortages in recent years but local land development consultancy business, Development Nous Limited has taken a new approach that works for all parties – the business, their clients and their remote team members based in Sweden and South Africa. Development Nous, which first started in Hastings in 2016 with six staff and two directors,...

Unearthing the SharePoint Goldmine: How Microsoft Copilot Supercharges Data Discovery

A few years back, my friend Johnathan, who was working as a Principal Solution Architect for AWS, visited EIT to spend some time with our students. He told me about this new thing called Alexa for Business. What he told me was futuristic ... imagine a CEO in a board meeting orally asking Alexa for financial projections based on data...

Unison – 100 years of powering Hawke’s Bay business

In the early days of electricity, power generation, and supply were managed by local Councils or Municipal departments. Hastings first gained electricity in 1912. The Electric Power Boards Act of 1918 allowed Power Boards to provide electricity to areas not served by local governments. In 1923, backed by Hawke’s Bay County, a committee formed a Power Board to manage electricity...

First harvest of table grapes – the ‘king of fruit’

Divine table grapes that herald the start of a brand new industry in Hawke’s Bay have been coming off vines in Maraekakaho. It is the first harvest of Greencollar, an innovative Japanese company determined to expand the currently tiny table grape industry in New Zealand. Greencollar featured in The Profit in early 2023. The harvest follows a complex and intricate...

Keeping technology simple for 40 years – Richie Richards – Tech Group

Forty years on and Electrotech founder Richie Richards hasn’t changed his philosophy when it comes to technology – “keep it simple…you should be able to ignore the user manual and just turn it on”. A visit to Richie’s art deco Kennedy Road premises, once the heart of the business he founded in 1984, is now a historical journey of how...

Positive mood to the fore in Hawke’s Bay real estate market – Fraser Holland

Our Napier and Havelock North teams are feeling good, armed with knowledge, skills, and terrific marketing tools they are performing really well in a property market that is active and transacting an increasing number of properties. But you won’t read that in the media. I can bet you a dollar that as the May real estate statistics are released in...

Pro Q&A with Tony Martin – Performing at your best

Tony Martin is a high achiever that’s keen to support other locals to enhance their own performance. Tony featured in the November 2023 issue of The Profit in his capacity as chief executive of Prevar, the organisation at the forefront of innovation and commercialisation of new apples and pears from New Zealand to the world. Tony has also qualified as...

Lift in 2024 possible for commercial property activity – Danny Blair – Colliers Hawke’s Bay

The number of commercial and industrial property sales was subdued in 2023, as both vendors and purchasers adopted a cautious approach after a record-breaking couple of years. Uncertainty regarding the level at which interest rates would peak, given the inflationary backdrop, and concerns about a cooling economy, all weighed upon sentiment surrounding the property market. Sales data tracked by the...

RMA gets another overhaul

The election of the coalition government in late 2023, together with proposed District Plan changes relating to medium density housing in both Napier and Hastings, has created an environment of uncertainty for urban development in the Hawke’s Bay region which may continue for the next 12-18 months. At the central government level, a set of rolling amendments is proposed to...

How Hawke’s Bay business leaders can navigate economic and financial pressures

New Zealand business leaders and owners are encountering a variety of challenges in the current market, from economic pressures and financial concerns though to workload issues. Unfortunately, business leaders are now feeling more negative than ever when it comes to their business performance – so what can they do to navigate the challenges facing them right now? The latest BDO...