Celebrating Business Excellence
Showcasing our members success as they are recognised on the national and international stage.
H G Morsink Ltd
H G Morsink Ltd won 2 Gold Awards and the Commercial Master Painter of the Year title at the 2024 Master Painter awards!
Te Rourou One NZ Foundation
The Invercargill Initiative winner of the 2024 TUANZ Community Initiative of the Year. In recognition for their work supporting rangatahi to thrive across Murihiku.
RealNZ
RealNZ won the Award for Large Allied Operator of the Year 2024 at the Tourism Export Council New Zealand Inc Conference.
The Bluff Distillery
Bluff Distillery has won Australia’s Best Dry Gin, and the prestigious Best in Show award at the 2024 Australian Gin Awards. They stood from over 400 entries across seven categories. Co-founder and Distiller Chris Fraser summed it “It’s such an honour to be recognised on the international stage for a gin that represents the ruggedly beautiful spirit of Bluff.” They are first distillery in New Zealand to win both of these awards.
PowerNet
Finalist at the 2024 New Zealand Excellence Awards
- Low Carbon Future Award
Leading decarbonisation and electrification efforts in the south - The Innovation in Energy Award (in partnership with Digital Stock)
Innovating installation control point billing management – Compliance made easy
E Hayes & Sons Ltd
Amalgamated Builders Ltd (ABL)
2024: Amalgamated Builders Ltd (ABL) has won big at the 2024 New Zealand Commercial Project Awards for its work on the Invercargill Central development.
The ambitious urban redevelopment project was honoured with a prestigious Gold Award, the National Category Winner award for Retail, and a Special Award from the judges.
Invercargill wins National Awards
2024: Invercargill wins two major honours at national landscape awards.
Invercargill’s City Streets Upgrade project and the Sandy Point Domain Masterplan both received an Award of Excellence, at the NZ Institute of Landscape Architecture Awards at The Beehive in Wellington.
“To have received an Excellence Award for the City Streets Upgrade is testament to the work of Council, Waihōpai Rūnaka and our partners in this project.” The Sandy Point Domain Masterplan also received an Award of Excellence in the Master Planning and Urban Design Strategy category.
The Fat Duck
2024: Chef’s Josh & Cameron Davies won two awards at the Estrella Damm Top 50 New Zealand Gastropubs Awards – Best in the Lower South Island, and Estrella Damm Best Paired Meal.
2023: The Fat Duck, chef owner Cameron Davies has earned respect as one of New Zealand’s top chefs.
He secured that reputation by winning the prestigious Global Chef Pacific Rim Semi-final at Fine Food NZ in Auckland. The win means Cameron will now go on to represent New Zealand at the Global Chef Final in Singapore in October 2024, taking on some of the best chefs in the world.
Aquila Sustainable Farming
2023: Aquila Sustainable Farming have been looking after six organic dairy farms in Southland since 2017, and this year have been recognised for their sustainable achievements by Environment Southland and the German New Zealand Chamber of Commerce.
The German New Zealand Chamber of Commerce at their 40th anniversary gala dinner awarded ASF with the Responsibility for the Future award. Recognising ASF’s German ownership and their business in New Zealand, the Chamber were impressed at ASF’s values led business and understanding of their numbers. With a willingness from ASF and every farm under their care to always do their best and aim for continual improvement, the carbon reductions and sustainable farming practices highlighted the positive that can be achieved whilst still running an efficient business.
Great South
2023: Great South won the best practice for integrated strategy award at the Economic Development New Zealand Best Practice Awards.
This Award recognised Great South’s work facilitating the Beyond 2025 Southland Regional Long Term Plan, which was launched on 30 June 2023. It was recognised for demonstrating long-term benefits, an innovative and robust approach, and providing inspiration for other regions across New Zealand. As the Regional Development Agency for Murihiku Southland, and with its focus on economic diversification, Great South was contracted by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to lead the long-term planning work for the region as part of Southland’s Just Transition.
Kiwiskips
2024: Daniel Butterfield was awarded the Waste and Resource Recovery Young Professional of the Year at the WasteMINZ Awards for Excellence.
2023: A homegrown Southland business took home $20,000 for innovation and sustainability from Xero’s inaugural funding awards. Kiwi Skips won the national category of innovating for sustainability.
Robbies by Mrs Pickles
2023: NZ Food Awards – Finalist
2023: Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Gold. Peach + Ginger Chutney
2023: Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Silver. Std Pickled Onion
2023: NZ Artisan Food Awards – Silver. Noir Garlik (three) medals
2022: Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Gold and Free from Special Champion Award. Noir Garlik
2022: Outstanding Food Producer Awards – Bronze. Honey Balsamic Pickled Onion
SBS Bank
2023: SBS Bank was named the Cooperative / Mutual of the Year at the Cooperative Business New Zealand Awards, celebrating excellence among customer-owned businesses. Photo credit: Stuff NZ
SBS Wealth
SBS Wealth’s Lifestages KiwiSaver Scheme is a front-runner on fund performance. Their High Growth Fund has placed 1st in Morningstar’s Aggressive category over 1 year and 2nd over 3 years, both to 31 December 2023.
Rent South
Rent South are honoured to have been awarded the 2023 PMC Small Agency of the Year award.
This was awarded for the most outstanding contribution to property management over the last financial year. This award was for a small agency who delivers a combination of quality, service, and performance.
Malloch McClean
2022 Xero Awards Winner – Large Accounting Partner of the Year
2022 Xero Awards Finalist – Advisory Partner of the Year
2021 Xero Awards Winner – Large Accounting Partner of the Year
2021 Xero Awards Finalist – Advisory Partner of the Year
2020 Xero Award Finalist – Large Accounting Partner of the Year
2019 CAANZ / Sunday Star-Times Top 30 Accounting Firm
2019 Xero Awards Winner – Large Accounting Partner of the Year
Blue River Dairy LP
2021 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Master of Growth
2019 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – 5th fastest growing company (968%)
2019 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Fastest Growing Exporter
2019 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Fastest Growing Manufacturer
2018 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – 4th fastest growing company (938%)
2018 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Fastest Growing Exporter
2018 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Fastest Growing Agribusiness
2017 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – 10th fastest growing company 445% growth
2017 Deloitte Fast 50 Awards – Fastest Growing Exporter
(Harold) William Richardson
1940 – 2005. Inducted in 2005.
Southlander Bill Richardson’s sudden death in 2005 left a gaping hole in the region’s business community. He was governing director of the family-owned holding company, H W Richardson Group, a diverse empire employing more than 1000 staff and turning over about $400 million a year.
The group’s 26 companies operated from more than 70 locations throughout New Zealand.
The Richardson empire started in 1878 in the small Southland township of Wyndham with roots in the building industry. Its activities expanded to include ready-mix concrete, transport, fuel distribution, roading, sand, gravel and lime. Allied Concrete, Southern Transport, South Roads and Allied Petroleum featured among its better-known brands.
Leslie Hutchins
1924 – 2003. Inducted in 2011.
Les Hutchins’ South Island tourism operations began modestly back in 1954 with an 18km walking track, two mall old boats, two huts and a dilapidated lodge at Doubtful Sound. He went on to purchase Fiordland Travel, the Te Anau Glow-worm Caves and the Milford Track lake transport operations. A few years later he bought the vintage steamship TSS Earnslaw in Queenstown and in 1970 began running cruises on the world renowned Milford Sound after gaining the governments tourism monopoly there.
Hutchins had a life-long dedication to conservation. In 1973 Les Hutchins was named one of the founding Guardians of the Lakes and held that position for 26 years and spent 12 years on the New Zealand Conservation Authority. He was a founding patron of the New Zealand National Parks and Conservation Foundation and was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to conservation and tourism.
Annie Millar
Inducted in 2015.
Born in Scotland in 1855, Annie Cleland Millar founded the business which ultimately became Quality Bakers Southland. Annie married John Millar and managed the Prince of Wales private hotel, which gained a reputation as ‘the main eating house in Invercargill’. Annie and her sons then spent more than 30 years building their own bakery and dining business. Annie founded a thriving local business and dynasty, with her family continuing their involvement until 1993.
Samuel Nichol
1840 – 1924. Inducted in 2019.
Samuel Nichol was a prominent businessman in the Southland area, whose business skills were critical to the establishment of Bluff and Invercargill during the 1800s. Through his development of the railway between Invercargill and Bluff, as well as his ventures in whaling, shipping and coal hauling through the Nichol Brothers company. Samuel was unstinting in him promotion of, and fundraising for, the development of the Bluff harbor and the Southland region’s infrastructure, and in doing so, Bluff became a thriving commercial centre.
Sir Robert Anderson
1866 – 1942. Inducted in 2020.
Sir Robert Anderson was a notable businessman and philanthropist who founded the mercantile firm J.G. Ward with Sir Joseph Ward in 1898. J.G Ward continues to operate today as PGG Wrightson. For many years he served as a board member of the New Zealand Shipping Company, being appointed chairman in 1941. Sir Robert’s financial and industrial interests were manifold.
He held numerous directorships including the boards of the Bank of New Zealand and the New Zealand Insurance Company and was chairman of Nestlé and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company, New Zealand Milk Products and Stewart Island Oyster Canneries. Sir Robert and his family are remembered today through Invercargill’s Anderson Park.
Photo Credit – Invercargill Public Art Gallery.
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John Jones
1809 – 1869. Inducted in 1999.
Sydneysider Johnny Jones saved sufficient money from working on sealing and whaling ships and as a waterman ferrying people across Sydney Harbour to acquire interests in three whaling ships by 1830.
Starting with a whaling station at Preservation Inlet, Southland, he gained control of the South Island whaling industry.
In 1838 Jones bought a whaling station at Waikouaiti Bay, Otago, and established settlements at Matanaka on the northern end of the bay. As whaling declined, he moved to farming, introducing sheep, cattle and horses, and providing food to Dunedin settlers after the town was founded in 1848.
Jones also formed the Harbour Steam Navigation Company, which became the Union Steam Ship Company.
Elspeth Kennedy
1931 – 2017. Inducted in 2018.
Pioneering businesswoman Elspeth Kennedy was born in Invercargill and began her career at the Invercargill City Council and teaching music. Kennedy was the first woman to become a member of the New Zealand stock exchange and also the first woman to run her own broking business.
After a successful career as a stockbroker and director of various companies, Elspeth turned her energy to improving the care of the terminally ill. As chairwoman of the Nelson Tasman Hospice Trust from 1998 to 2014, she was instrumental in building the first hospice facility in Nelson which has since grown to a 10-bed palliative care inpatient unit.
Elspeth was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1990, and a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order in the New Year honours for her valuable voluntary service to the community.
Bendix Hallenstein
1835 – 1905. Inducted in 2010.
German-born Bendix Hallenstein was the son of a mill owner who made shoddy – woollen yarn from rags with some new wool added. It was a inauspicious start to what would become a stellar business career.
Moving to New Zealand in 1863, he opened a store in Invercargill but moved the business to Queenstown in 1864. With sawmiller James Robertson, Hallenstein opened Otago’s first inland flour mill in 1867 at Kawarau Falls.
Hallenstein succeeded Robertson as mayor of Queenstown in 1869 but in 1873 he moved to Dunedin where he established the New Zealand Clothing Factory, the basis of a business that became the highly successful nationwide chain known as Hallenstein Bros.
Sir Clifford George Skeggs
– OSTJ QSM. 1931 – Inducted in 2000.
Southland-born Cliff Skeggs started a fishing business in 1953, creating the largest private inshore fleet in New Zealand.
He was a pioneer private investor in deepwater fishing and extended his interests into the transport industry, serving as chairman of Pacifica Shipping, which operated its own airline, Pacifica Air.
But to many Skeggs was better known for his involvement in local politics. He was a member of the Otago Harbour Board from 1965-77 (chairman from 1973-77), a Dunedin city councillor from 1971-77 and mayor from 1977-89.
He assisted the community in a number of ways, not least his backing of the Skeggs Foundation to promote sporting endeavour.