Travel clothing company named regional finalist in grants

Tauranga-based travel apparel and accessories company, Pacific Collections, has been named as one of six regional winners of the Westpac Business Growth Grants, and will compete for a chance to win $50,000.

Now in their fifth year, the Growth Grants were set up by Westpac NZ to help upcoming Kiwi businesses reach their potential. The overall winner will be announced in Auckland on July 25.

Pacific Collections manufacture, sell and distribute a range of travel apparel, from t-shirts and jackets to backpacks and towels, travel accessories and skin care products. The awards judges praised their emphasis on quality, design and customer satisfaction, along with their exciting plans for future expansion and sustainability.

“The team are passionate about the great outdoors and bring their love for New Zealand to our international visitors,” they said.

“They also sponsor Sustainable Coastlines in their mission to clean up beaches and plant trees to protect waterways, as well as the Otanewainuku Kiwi Trust.”

All regional winners attend a business retreat in Fiji in September, and will also receive expert mentoring including legal, HR and accounting advice.

Westpac NZ Head of Commercial and Agribusiness, Mark Steed, says the Growth Grants are a way of celebrating and supporting up-and-coming businesses, regardless of their industry, location, or whether they’re a Westpac customer.

“Every year we’re blown away by the passion, ingenuity and work ethic of regional Kiwi enterprises,” he says.

“When a business is growing in a sustainable manner, it contributes not just to the local community but to a better New Zealand as well”.

The six regional finalists across New Zealand are:
• Dive! Tutukaka – Auckland/Northland
• Pacific Collections – Waikato/Bay of Plenty
• Zeffer Brewing Limited – Central North Island
• Fix and Fogg – Wellington and Lower North Island
• Jeuneroa – Canterbury Tasman and West Coast
• Hunter & Craig Building and Design – Otago/Southland

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