Focusing on whānau and their local community has seen Kaikohe Scrap Dealers take out the prestigious Māori Business of the Year Award at the inaugural Te Hiringa Tai Tokerau Māori Business Awards 2012.

Gavin Robertson’s and Tahu whānau business also won the Excellence in Environmental Awareness and Management Award for their respectful management and sustainable care for the environment.

Tahu says it’s been important to make every effort to be sustainable and to have a long term presence for the sake of their whānau and their Tai Tokerau community. Seven of their nine staff members are over sixty and most are whānau members.

Convenor of the judges’ panel, Steve Bennett of Steve Bennett Associates, says the company is a regional market leader, with excellent business systems, that contributed greatly to its returns.

“Gavin and Tahu have developed a winning formula based on manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and aroha ki te tangata. They embrace values of integrity, respect and honour in the way they do business which has won the admiration of its peers and confidence of the Tai Tokerau hapori.”

“Along with the love of people, they have achieved a level of financial success that is particularly commendable given the current economic climate – in six months the business was already achieving their year three business plan goals. Their significant growth is fantastic for any Māori or non-Māori based enterprise,” Mr Bennett says.

Other award recipients included directors of Kaitaia-based Kaitaia Food Distributors Ltd trading as Cavalier Wholesalers, Carol Berghan, Rachelle Spanhake and Christine Snelling which won the Best Emerging and Newly-created Māori Enterprise Award. Wayne and Frances Stokes of Kia Tūpato Security received the award for Most Outstanding Māori Enterprise.

“Te Hiringa Trust, in collaboration with 2012 sponsors Te Puni Kōkiri, Mai FM and MediaWorks Radio, Poutama Trust, Whangārei District Council, BNZ, Steve Bennett Associates Ltd, BDO Bay of Islands and the Indigenous NZ Cuisine Cluster, celebrates and recognises the huge impact that Māori small and medium business owners and Māori collective asset holders make to our regional economy, communities and whānau,” says Te Puni Kōkiri Regional Director Walter Wells.