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Riding the milk roller coaster

Dairy farmers are being urged to take a second look at their budgets against the background of a plummeting payout. Fonterra now is forecasting a $3.90 payout per kg of milksolids, $1.75 below the average cost of production, and there's fears that next season may be just as bad. Farmers, who have already gone through their budgets to make savings, are being urged to get together with one another and farm consultants, to see what else they can trim. Dairy farmers who move now stand more of a c...

New trustees appointed to Dairy Women’s Network board

Matamata and Atiamuri based dairy farmers Tracy Brown and Karen Forlong have been appointed to the Dairy Women's Network trust board. "My vision is to provide support to women in the dairy industry, in order for them to reach their potential," said Tracy who farms with her husband Wynn at Tiroroa Farms near Matamata. The Browns milk 700 cows producing 260,000 kgs of milksolids per year. They were 2010 Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards Supreme Winners, leading Tracy to become Regiona...

CTC Aviation seeking aspiring flight instructors

CTC Aviation has wished 14 flight instructors 'clear skies' in the last six months as they take up new airline jobs, so the Hamilton flight training organisation is launching a national recruitment drive. "In the past six months 14 of our experienced flight instructors have secured jobs with airlines," said Peter Stockwell, Chief Operating Officer for CTC Aviation in New Zealand. Such departures are part of the normal flight instructor career path and something CTC Aviation is proud of. "They h...

Waikato Innovation Park contribution increases by 66 per cent

The combined turnover of Waikato Innovation Park's 33 tenants has risen by 66 per cent to $300 million in the last year. The tenants of the Hamilton City Council owned initiative in Ruakura Road turned over a combined $300 million in 2015, the latest tenant survey showed. That figure was up from a $180 million turnover in 2014. Waikato Innovation Park chief executive officer Stuart Gordon said: "These numbers reflect the feeling of the place of growth and the opportunities that we have. A lo...

Rapid growth for New Zealand Educational Trust

Six years ago, and at just 24 years old, Rick Fourie's dream of owning and operating an early childhood centre (ECE) was just budding. Today the 30-year-old Waikato man is founder and managing director of Creators Educational Trust, a not-for-profit organisation which boasts roughly 600 kids and 60 staff in centres and home-based childcare programmes across the Country. Such swift growth in just a few short years spurred by someone so young is rare in the New Zealand early childhood indust...

Milestone for aircraft manufacturer

Pacific Aerospace has manufactured its 100th P-750 aircraft - a tough, reliable, high performing aircraft for the world's toughest environments. The P-750XSTOLIII, with extremely short take-off and landing capabilities, is the latest flagship model to take off from the Airport Road, Hamilton, manufacturer. The new aircraft will be on display at the Singapore Airshow, Asia's largest such event, from February 16 until 21. The P-750XSTOLIII has a long lineage. The first P-750 model was develope...

November was highest month in 2015 for million dollar house sales in Hamilton

Lodge Real Estate's managing director Jeremy O'Rourke, today said six (6) houses sold above the million dollar mark in Hamilton during the month of November 2015. This was a record month for sales at this level for 2015. "Throughout 2015, the Hamilton market has averaged just over two homes a month sold above the million dollar mark. Last month there were six. "That's a significant jump and is a good reminder that the Hamilton market is quite strong at both ends of the property scale –...

CTC Aviation grows to train aspiring pilots from 25 nations in New Zealand

Hamilton, New Zealand - When world-leading airline pilot training company CTC Aviation opened its Hamilton Crew Training Centre in 2005, it trained primarily UK and European airline pilots. However, with the recent recruitment of its first-ever Kosovo citizen, the airline training organisation now has 25 nationalities in training in New Zealand. "Our New Zealand Crew Training Centre has grown from strength to strength with new major airline partnerships being signed regularly over the past t...

Waikato Innovation Park given Government’s vote of confidence

The Government announced today that Waikato Innovation Park's contract to provide support and assistance to Waikato-wide small and medium-sized businesses is renewed for a further five-and-a-half years. From 2016, Waikato Innovation Park will add the Business Mentors NZ programme to its portfolio of services. This was previously administered regionally by the Waikato Chamber of Commerce. The Park is one of 14 regional business partners, which are centres of business development know-how and ...

Waikato farmer’s trust contributes $3 million to students’ study

36 of the region's secondary school leavers have each been awarded a $6000 scholarship to put towards their tertiary fees or accommodation costs at the University of Waikato or Wintec next year. Their windfall comes from the David Johnstone Charitable Trust, which awards scholarships to Waikato secondary school students embarking on a science or teaching qualification at the University of Waikato or Wintec. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the scholarship programme with over $3 milli...

Two new major appointments for Hill Laboratories

New Zealand's largest privately owned analytical laboratory, Hill Laboratories, has made two new appointments as part of a recent restructure, and welcomed aboard new operations general manager Anita Worrall and human resources manager Stuart Brown. Worrall replaces Matt Glenn who has recently taken up the position of chief executive. She started with Hill Laboratories last month as an external appointment from Aotea Pathology Ltd. (now Wellington SCL Ltd.) where she was general manager of t...

DWN partners with software gurus

Dairy Women's Network is excited to announce it has signed on two new professional partners who have the potential to revolutionise its members' accounting systems and overall farming businesses. Online accounting software companies Xero and Figured have just signed on as Network partners and DWN chief executive Zelda de Villiers said the Network is excited by the potential benefits members will receive through the partnership with workshops offered to its membership. "We are very excited t...

'Golden nuggets' from Meet the Media event

In October HMC Communications joined PR practitioners from all backgrounds at the annual PRINZ Meet the Media event. Some 'top tips' we took away from the journo panelists include: Think big: As news moves online, this means journalist are writing for a national audience. Your story needs more than a local appeal. Make 'clickable' content: Robots are in control of what you read. Stuff and the Herald, have computer algorithms that choose which stories appear on its home page and other pages a...

Dame Malvina Major to star in Hamilton’s Mary Poppins

Hamilton Operatic Society has this week announced that Dame Malvina Major will play a cameo role in its upcoming rendition of Mary Poppins. The internationally famous New Zealand opera singer will act as the Bird Woman when Mary Poppins comes to Founders Theatre from Friday 6 May to Saturday 21 May 2016. Chairperson Fiona Bradley said the Society, which is set to be the very first of nine musical theatre societies around New Zealand to stage the show in 2016, is thrilled to have Dame Malvina...

Hamilton’s Christmas Tree to shine brighter this year

New Zealand's biggest Christmas Tree, located in Hamilton's Garden Place, is expected to shine extra bright this year with over 3,000 new lights hanging on its branches. Hamilton Christmas Charitable Trust events manager Karen Watkins said the new lights have been added to ensure spectators get the "very best viewing experience this Christmas." "Families come year-on-year to see the Hamilton Christmas Tree light-up. It's a regional tradition for countless people, and it's very important to u...

New Zealand bus company celebrates 75 years

New Zealand bus company Pavlovich Transport Solutions and Services is celebrating a major milestone this month, having reached 75 years of business. And it's safe to say the business has come a long way from small beginnings as the provider of the first school bus route between Whatawhata and Hamilton. Today, 75 years on, Pavlovich has grown to operate a fleet of more than 70 buses and coaches nationwide. Its major Hamilton bus routes, The Orbiter, the free CBD Shuttle and Northerner, carry...

KCE Tree to ‘shine a light’ on hundreds of causes

Te Kuiti will this year become home to the first tree in New Zealand to 'shine a light' year-round on multiple special occasions and awareness events. Local energy retailer KCE has secured approval from the Waitomo District Council to hang hundreds of LED lights among the branches of a Norfolk Pine on Te Kuiti's Rora Street. The purpose of the tree, which will be dubbed the 'KCE Tree of Light', is to highlight special occasions and awareness events throughout the year which are important to...

Rotorua Trust lends a helping hand to SPCA

The Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust is again digging deep into its pockets to help out a local charity – this time in the form of the Rotorua SPCA and helping to fund a de-sexing programme through the animal shelter. As part of their mission to ensure the numbers of unowned or uncared for animals are minimised, every cat and dog rehomed through the SPCA is de-sexed as part of its adoption process – but this comes with a cost. Rotorua SPCA manager Eve Johnson says ensuring every cat or dog...

Child speakers to hit home Buddy Day messages

"Every week there is some story on the news where a child has been hurt or neglected. "That makes me feel sad – and sometimes mum has to turn the TV off because I get so upset. But as grownups you shouldn't turn the TV off. You should be saying, "No, this shouldn't be happening and how are we going to stop it? "You can all make a difference and take responsibility for growing happy kids. It costs nothing. It starts with having conversations and changing your attitudes towards how children...

Hamilton market comes off ‘fever pitch,’ fewer Auckland investors vying for homes

Hamilton, New Zealand – Lodge Real Estate's managing director Jeremy O'Rourke, today said October saw fewer Auckland investors in the Hamilton residential housing market which affected volumes sold. "Just 375 homes were sold in Hamilton during the month of October, a sharp decrease from 463 sold in September. September was an unusually large month and it was expected that the market would return to a more sustainable number after such an aberration. "However an additional factor contri...

Prime Minister visits Southwell School for Buddy Day

This morning Southwell School was proud to host Rt. Hon. Prime Minister John Key to help raise awareness for the upcoming Buddy Day, on 13 November 2015. His visit was in response to a touching letter written to him by Southwell student Jack Austin, who may well be upcoming awareness event's youngest and most passionate ambassador. "All I want is to make everyone aware of how important kids are,'" Jack wrote in his letter to the Prime Minister. "Kids matter. We are special, we are tomorro...

Canterbury AI tech still on the job after 56 years

Fifty-six years is a long time to stay in any one job, but it seems an especially long amount of time to spend working with your hand up a cow's rear end. At the ripe old age of 80, it's no surprise that Kevin Bell has outlasted the original farmers he worked for at the beginning of his AI career all those 56 years ago. The original farmers may have handed over their farms, but Kevin is still working – not as fast as he used to, he admits – but he's still working. Due to turn 81 in Jan...

‘Peachy Princess’ teaches important lessons at Hamilton playcentre

The children and parents alike at River Downs Playcentre in Hamilton have immersed themselves in New Zealand's annual awareness event, Buddy Day. These Hamilton tots have joined children and youth from across Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga, Ruapehu and Wellington to decorate Buddies in preparation for adults to 'care' for them on Buddy Day (13 November, 2015). 'Buddy Day' revolves around life-size cardboard 'Buddies' that are decorated by children and then adopted by adults, taken into communi...

Locals to name Hamilton Christmas Elf

The Hamilton Christmas Elf needs a name, and children at Fairfield Kindergarten were the first to have their say this week. The friendly life-sized elf has been introduced to Hamilton this year by the Hamilton Christmas Charitable Trust in an effort to make Christmas in Hamilton "even more magical" for local children and families. In the coming months, the elf is set to attend three renowned Christmas events: Carols by Candlelight, New Zealand's Biggest Christmas Tree and The Hamilton Christ...

More than $11,000 raised for chopper at KCE fundraiser

Members of the Waitomo and Otorohanga communities rallied together to raise a whopping $11,200 for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter last week. The money was raised at a quiz night and auction fundraising event hosted by local electricity retailer King Country Energy (KCE) at the Waitomo Club on Thursday 29 October. KCE community relations manager Helen Peacock said more than 120 Waitomo residents attended the event "for a night of fun, laughs and goodwill". "Overall, 29 team tickets ...