This weekend we celebrated with the finalists and winners of the 2019 Network NZ Business Awards sponsored by The Common at The Common Event Space in Parnell, Auckland.
The calibre of the entries was extraordinary this year and the competition was incredibly tough! Our great NZ-based businesses are putting New Zealand on the map on the global stage. New Zealand has over 500,000 small to medium-sized businesses doing incredible things, and these awards were to celebrate the amazing SME’s we have in our midst.
If you missed coming along to the Awards Ceremony, it was also streamed live on our Facebook page and included below is a run down of the amazing businesses who were celebrated.
Our Sponsors
A big shout out to our incredible sponsors, it takes a large community of businesses to pull off something like this.
The 2019 Network NZ Business Awards were brought to you thanks to our wonderful sponsors who came on board to back the awards and celebrate all those who enter them.
These businesses have contributed financially, with amazing prizes, products and services, and with expertise that together all make it possible to put together an outstanding awards program designed specifically for SME’s in New Zealand.
We are extremely grateful and want to say thanks to:
- The Common
- Ventell
- Receipt Stash
- The Heartspeak Collective
- Indigo Moon Films & Photography
- Admin Army
- Veronica and Me Embroidery and Designs
- The Marketing Baker
- Gemma Knight Writes
- Show & Tell Video
- Career Insights
- Calibrate Legal
- aRc Intellectual Property
- Creative Web Designs
- Domain Hosting
- Pinc
If you’re interested in joining us as a sponsor when the next Network NZ Business Awards rolls around, let us know so we can keep you in the loop!
Our Judges
We had two panels of judges, the first panel judged every entry in order to choose our finalists.
Thank you to:
- Irene Bennetts from Admin Army
- Tamara Liebman from Calibrate Legal
- Ali Hunter from Career Insights
- Talita van Rooyen from Domain Hosting
- Debra Chantry from Ventell and The Common
- Kate Wright from Intentio Business Design
- Mandy Chamberlin from Network NZ, Veronica and Me Designs and Echidna Sewing
- Candice Baker from Network NZ and The Marketing Baker
- Gemma Knight from Gemma Knight Writes
- Kat Soper from The Helpful Brand
After we announced the finalists, we had a panel of judges meet with every finalist to find out more and we tasked them with choosing our winners.
Thank you to our finalist judges:
- David Rouse
- Colart Miles
- Debra Chantry
- Lisa Dudson
- Lydia Katopau
- Mandy Chamberlin
- Candice Baker
The Trophies
Special thanks to Jill Matthew New Zealand Glass Artist who custom designed and hand crafted our stunning glass trophies. We asked Jill to tell us more about her inspiration for the glass trophy design (or masterpieces, if you will!):
“Thanks to Mandy and Candice for the opportunity to design and make the trophies for the 2019 Network NZ Business Awards! With my signature bubbles sandwiched between two layers of glass, I have designed this award to be a free-standing curve and to incorporate the NNZ brand colours. Each award has been fired in my kiln twice, and although all the same style, the nature of the bubbles means no two are exactly alike.”
So every award is created with love and is something really special to cherish forever, and recognise your amazing achievements. Thanks Jill, for bringing these to life!
The Winners of the 2019 Network NZ Business Awards
Receipt Stash Most Innovative Business Award
Sponsored by Receipt Stash who are on a mission to provide bookkeeping software that’s fast, cost-effective, and with a heavy focus on our home-grown New Zealand market, allowing businesses to focus on growth, rather than the manual data entry often associated with managing the books.
The finalists were:
- Tracey Topp from Cosy Toes
- Jaime Brown & Victoria Lessing from Merge NZ
- Robyn Viljoen from Modlettes
- Todd Welling from Overdose
THE WINNER IS: Todd Welling from Overdose
Veronica and Me Embroidery and Designs Excellence in Marketing Award
Sponsored by Veronica and Me Embroidery and Designs where they are all about converting your custom pictures into embroidery stitches! Offering a unique, one of a kind embroidery service where your designs or ideas are turned into an embroidery design which can be stitched onto various fabric items. From embroidery patches to business logos, Veronica and Me Embroidery and Designs can help.
The finalists were:
- Noriyo Epps from Bento Ninja
- Tracey Topp from Cosy Toes
- Angela Muni from Creation Station
THE WINNER IS: Noriyo Epps from Bento Ninja
HeartSpeak Socially Conscious Excellence Award
Sponsored by Heartspeak. As a business that helps people from all walks of life from the affluent and women in business to the at-risk and vulnerable with a focus on ex/incarcerated young people and ex incarcerated/women on probation, the Socially Conscious Excellence is particularly close to their hearts. Heartspeak is a movement and brand that provides a platform to share engaging, inspiring heart-felt stories that anyone can tell. They do this by embellishing and up-cycling pre-loved clothing, homewares and art, then sell their bespoke pieces using their international online auction, stockists, exhibitions and live events to help raise visibility, funding & support to organisations, people, charities & projects. Both Mandy and Candice were wearing their bespoke HeartSpeak pieces at the Awards Ceremony.
The finalists were
- Tracey Beard from Career Matters
- Gill Bredl from Charity Tea
- Denise Canihan from Helping Hand African Tours & Safaris
- Amanda Compton from Lady Blue
- Hamish Coulter from Ready To Eat
- Geraldine Tew from The ReCreators
THE WINNER IS: Tracey Beard from Career Matters
The Marketing Baker Best Start Up Award
Sponsored by The Marketing Baker who helps purpose driven entrepreneurs with effective marketing strategy services to help build your irresistible business by marketing with the right ingredients for success.
The finalists were:
- Noriyo Epps from Bento Ninja
- Amanda Compton from Lady Blue
- Natalie Coombe from Natalie Coombe
- Natalie Richards from Prep
- Brien Keegan from SproutNZ
THE WINNER IS: Natalie Richards from Prep
Admin Army Fastest Growth Award
Sponsored by Admin Army, Virtual Assistants and Bookkeepers waging war on business admin by taking care of the things you don’t want to do to bring you the life balance you need.
The finalists were:
- Zinnia Manchanda from Aims Global Immigration & Education Services
- Noriyo Epps from Bento Ninja
- Todd Welling from Overdose
- Karen Yang from Syrene Skincare
THE WINNER IS: Karen Yang from Syrene Skincare
Indigo Moon Films & Photography Most Outstanding Established Business Award
Sponsored by Indigo Moon Films & Photography whose core focus is corporate photography, business headshots and professional portraits. Their services also business brand stories and promotional video. Their main point of difference is their ability to make you feel at ease in front of the camera and to capture the imagery and stories that make brands stand out.
The finalists were:
- Angela Muni from Creation Station
- Hamish Coulter from Ready To Eat
THE WINNER IS: Hamish Coulter from Ready To Eat
The Common Outstanding Solo Entrepreneur Award
Sponsored by The Common, an exclusive Entrepreneurs playground that helps you drive your business to the next level. Explore new possibilities, new ventures, meet like-minded people and watch ideas grow through sharing, connection and support.
The finalists were:
- Tracey Topp from Cosy Toes
- Rosalind Potter from Imagine Box
- Kate Wright from Intentio Business Design
- Amanda Compton from Lady Blue
- Roslyn Ryan from Online Marketing Group
THE WINNER IS: Roslyn Ryan from Online Marketing Group
The Network NZ Community Contributor Award
The Network NZ Community Contributor Award is an award that is a little bit special.
We strive to make Network NZ the most amazing place for business owners to be in New Zealand and there are amazing people who help us to do that in the most spectacular way which we value immensely.
This award comes with its own amazing prize pool, worth over $6,600!
The finalists were:
- Angela Muni from Creation Station
- Beverley Caldwell from Quarter Turn Marketing
- Amber-Pixie Rose from The Wonky Pixie
- Karen Platzer from African Encounters
- Irene Bennetts from Admin Army
THE WINNER IS: Angela Muni from Creation Station
Pinc People’s Choice Award
Sponsored by Pinc, a boutique graphic design and printing studio specialising in foil printing. With a love for quality print finishing and beautiful paper stocks, they specialise in producing premium quality items such as business cards, wedding invitations and more.
All our wonderful finalists were in the running for the Pinc People’s Choice Award. Once the finalists were named, the voting was opened and ran until this past Sunday.
There were thousands of votes, and we commend the efforts of everyone! It was so inspiring to see how much support you all have.
THE WINNER IS: Natalie Richards from Prep
Network NZ Business of the Year Supreme Award
The overall winner of the awards walks away with a prize package valued at over $18,000!
THE WINNER OF THE NETWORK NZ BUSINESS OF THE YEAR SUPREME AWARD IS: Noriyo Epps from Bento Ninja
Final Thoughts
Thank you to everyone who was a part of the awards this year, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you!
If you aren’t yet a member of Network NZ, come join us!
If you'd like to get involved as a Sponsor for the next Network NZ Business Awards, get in touch with us now to secure your spot.
