ADVOCATE COLUMN 4th WEEK MARCH 2012

The Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards provides an opportunity to celebrate business excellence and the role it plays in our community. Through business, countless individuals can apply their talents to achieve their own aspirations and provide service for others. If we can celebrate and respect these people, and foster a better understanding of the contribution business makes to the wider community, then this will go a long way to inspiring more young people pursue their own aspirations. Business is a competition between various enterprises vying with each other to give the customer better a service or product for their money. Their main function is to be efficient producers of goods and services responding to market demands. In the process of doing this there are often other benefits to society and the community. Business assists in the provision of an economic environment that allows us to live and work where we chose. Many businesses support a wide range of community and not for profit initiatives. Preparation for this year’s Westpac Northland Business Excellence Awards is now well underway and Northland businesses can register their expressions of interest to be part of this event. Many of Northland’s prominent business people past and present have played an active role in shaping the region through both their commercial enterprises and through their civic activities. These awards provide a great opportunity for Northlanders to celebrate those amongst us who have made significant contributions to making our region a better place. Unlike in the marketplace, in the awards businesses are not so much competing against other entrants but against a set of performance indicators. An entrant’s performance will be rigorously tested against a number of key criteria and that business’s vision and strategic plan. Success cannot be measured without a business first having set clear goals. In many cases these are closely aligned to the personal aspirations of the people and families who own these businesses. For administrative purpose past entrant categories have been grouped around sectors and the products or services they provide. A major change in this year’s awards will see entrants grouped together based on the size of their workforce. This will mean that entrants within each category will be of a similar scale and should in theory be doing similar things in relation to business excellence. If anyone wishes to know more about the awards or the changes we are making this year please feel free to contact our office at info@northchamber.co.nz.