17 September 2023
2023 Southland Business Excellence Awards
More than 600 people helped to celebrate as several Southland businesses were awarded for their contribution to making the region a great place to work, live and start business in, none more so than H W Richardson Group.
The 2023 Southern Green Hydrogen Southland Business Excellence Awards on Friday night, were touted as the biggest ever, and celebrated the achievements and contributions of local businesses to the growth and success of Southland.
Sweeping up multiple awards, HW Richardson Group bowled its employees and supporters over by winning the Southern Green Hydrogen Supreme Award, the Findex Rural Sector Excellence Award, the ACC Workplace Safety Award and the Fi Innovations | Innovation Award for its hydrogen project.
The Business Excellence Awards selects winners in 13 categories, and a supreme winner is picked from the finalists.
Morrifield Greenhouses picked up the newly introduced Invercargill City Council Small Business of the Year award, with the judges giving a special mention to the Kennedy School of Music.
Sourdough baker and FlourBro business owner Brit MacDonald picked up the PowerNet New and Emerging Award for FlourBro.
Earlier this year, MacDonald was also awarded the first ever Scott Richardson Scholarship to travel to Europe and San Francisco to learn more about the world of sourdoughs.
Kiwi Skips won the SIT | Te Pukenga Excellence in Trades Industries Award, while Windsor Architectural Hardware was given the Highly Commended business in the same category.
The Plant Store won The Southland Times Consumer Service Award, while the Number 10 Youth One Stop Shop won the ILT Not for Profit Award.
Digital Stock won the Woodside Energy Professional Services Award in the main category.
This year, the Southland Business Chamber also celebrated 10 years of the Southland Business Excellence Awards, since their introduction in 2013.
The Chamber received 137 applications across 13 categories, while receiving a record number of applications in the Consumer Service Category.
In specialist categories, the winners were:
- Fi Innovations Innovation Award – HWR Hydrogen
- ACC Workplace Safety Award – H W Richardson Group:
- Blue River Dairy Workplace Wellbeing Award – Macaulay Motors
- Meridian Energy One to Watch Award – Rakiura Distilling Co.
- 2degrees Employer of the Year – Malloch McClean.
- Air New Zealand Cargo Individual Excellence in Export Award – Murray Brown.
Last year, 3D technology trailblazers Fi Innovations cleaned up the Southland Business Excellence Awards, taking home the Supreme Award, and this year, the company sponsored the Excellence in Innovation award.
Source: The Southland Times -15 September 2023