The Team business award winners say the community were part of their success.
Masterton-based financial advice company Rival Wealth took the Team Award at the Wairarapa Business Awards last month.
The judges said they were impressed with the focus on workplace wellness.
“Their business is renowned for having an excellent work-life balance as well as providing support and sponsorship to many areas of the community highlighted by their recent cancer fundraiser.”
Financial advisor Rox Carlsen said they were super stoked with the award.
Rival Wealth was started in 2008, and serves advice nationwide with 23 staff based in Masterton, Auckland and Wellington.
Managing director Tim Fairbrother said they had a proud community spirit.
“We focused our team around working together and looking after our own.
“It’s been a difficult couple of years with covid. We pride ourselves on being tight-knit.”
He said they collaborated with other wider businesses.
“Wairarapa has such a special community. It makes such a difference.
“I travel around the country, and I found they don’t have the same community feel that Wairarapa has.”
This was the first year winning at the Wairarapa Business Awards, but were recipients of national business and finance awards.
“It’s not a competition, it’s a collaboration. When other businesses become part of the wider team,” Fairbrother said.
Co-founder Carissa Fairbrother said it wasn’t just their own team but the business community.
“It’s more enjoyable when the business is bigger than you. That way you can celebrate others.”
Fairbrother said the current economic situation brought him back to the days when the company was founded.
“This time it feels like 2008, with inflation going up and talk about a recession.
“As a community, we need each other even more.”
He said they would mark tough times by gifting to food banks before Christmas.
“This year, instead of giving presents to our clients, we asked how they felt about us donating to the food bank.
“The foodbank said they have heaps of bread, so we will be gifting sandwich spreads and toiletries.”
