Business awards finalists announced

Media release – 6 September 2013

Business awards finalists announced

Sixteen businesses, from Westport to South Westland, have today been named as finalists in the 2013 West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards.

DWC CEO John Chang says he would like to congratulate all the finalists as it is a wonderful achievement to make the top three in each award category.

“It is really encouraging to see so many businesses from different fields participating, the West Coast business community has really embraced the awards which is wonderful,” he says.

This year all the finalists will also be considered for two new awards, the Hairy Lemon and The IT Team Leading Light Innovation Award and the Radio Network Leading Light Rising Star Award. The culmination of the awards night at Shantytown will be the announcement of the overall Grey Star Leading Light Super Nova Award.

“These new awards are very exciting as they highlight the excellent skill-set that exists on the West Coast. The business awards are a vehicle to demonstrate and highlight our innovation to the outside world and also an opportunity for the business community to celebrate success together,” says Dr Chang.

A team of independent judges, from a wide range of backgrounds and including some of the Gold Sponsors, spent three weeks assessing award entries. Each judge disclosed any conflicts of interest that they had and worked independently of other judges and their individual decisions were collated to determine the finalists.

Event Manager Karen Mercer says she is delighted with the calibre of both the entries and the judges.

“We received entries from the length and breadth of the West Coast and were very pleased to see that every category had good numbers competing with many entering the Leading Light Business Excellence Awards for the second time,” she says.

“All finalists were excited to learn that their business had been selected. They are looking forward to the gala event and sharing the celebrations with all finalists and the business community.” Dr Chang says he would like to thank all the sponsors for their support of the awards and commitment to the West Coast region. The platinum sponsor is the Greymouth Star. Gold sponsors are Westland Milk Products, ACC, Duncan Cotterill, NZ Institute of Management (Southern), Tourism West Coast, PWC, Crombie Lockwood, The Radio Network and Hairy Lemon and The IT Team. Silver sponsors are Buddle Findlay, ANZ, Monteiths, New World Greymouth and BDO. CMP Kokiri, The Heartland Hotel and Fox Glacier Guides have provided in kind sponsorship.

Judges will now spend another three weeks determining the winners of each of the seven categories plus the three additional awards. Winners will be announced at the West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards gala event at Shantytown on Friday 11 October 2013.

The finalists in the 2013 West Coast Leading Light Business Excellence Awards are:

Duncan Cotterill – Leading Light Enterprise Award

• MBC Contracting Ltd
• WestReef Services Ltd
• DOC – Franz Josef Waiau & South Westland Weheka areas

PWC – Leading Light Retail Award

• Greymouth Showcase Jewellers
• Styliz Hair Salon
• Lake Brunner Service Centre Limited

NZIM, Southern – Leading Light Service Award

• Pure Beauty and Massage
• Hahana Day Spa
• Riley Build

Crombie Lockwood – Leading Light Trades/Manufacturing/Primary Producer Award

• CYB Construction Limited
• E-Quip Engineering Ltd
• Riley Build

Tourism West Coast – Leading Light Tourism Award

• West Coast Wildlife Centre
• Shantytown Heritage Park
• Hahana Day Spa

Westland Milk Products – Leading Light Community/Charitable Organisation Award

• The Buller Gorge Marathon Trust
• Westport Kindergarten Association
• West Coast Riding for the Disabled

ACC – Leading Light Workplace Health and Safety Award

• MBC Contracting Ltd
• WestReef Services Ltd
• Westport Kindergarten Association

ENDS

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