A crowd gathers at Aratoi on Monday night for the announcement of the finalists in this year’s Wairarapa Awards. PHOTO/MARCUS ANSELM
Twenty-two businesses were named on Monday night as finalists in five categories for the second annual Wairarapa Awards, launched last year by Business Wairarapa.
Winners of each category – Innovation, Vibrant, Emerging, Service and Team – will be eligible for the Supreme Award, first won by Tranzit Group.
Many of the finalists will be familiar to readers of the Times-Age, itself a finalist in the Innovation category, where it is joined by the likes of Rebel Bakehouse, whose use of innovative ingredients such as crickets has made the news, and the familiar Wings over Wairarapa.
Elsewhere, Carterton’s 3Mile co-working space is again a finalist in the Emerging category, along with Wairarapa Eco Farms, and classic bike outlet Blackwell & Sons.
The winners will be announced on October 3 at the Copthorne Solway Park Hotel.
Business Wairarapa general manager, Catherine Rossiter-Stead, has been overwhelmed with the response to the awards.
“Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the Wairarapa Awards have quickly become established as our annual celebration of the outstanding business community here in Wairarapa,” she said.
“We have been inundated with nominations this year and our independent judging panel have certainly had an unenviable task in choosing the finalists and winners.”
Five businesses are finalists in two categories – Wings Over Wairarapa, Wairarapa Eco Farms, 3Mile, Carterton Events Centre, and Featherston Booktown.
Staff from To the Coast with the Post, Printcraft + Design Hive, Melissa Garrity Naturopath, Aspect Architecture, and Saunders Shoes feature in the new Service category, which recognises exceptional
long service.
The Wairarapa Awards finalists are …
Harcourts Hamill Realty Innovation category – businesses exploring new ideas, services and products, and who are thinking outside the box:
The Drunken Nanny [award-winning Goats cheese]
Printcraft + Design Hive [Graphic design, print and packaging]
Rebel Bakehouse [unique baking ideas]
Wairarapa Eco Farms
Wairarapa Times-Age
Wings Over Wairarapa [one of New Zealand’s largest air shows]
Tranzit Vibrant category – for businesses who are leaders in Wairarapa hospitality and tourism sector:
Wings Over Wairarapa
Carterton Events Centre
ConArt Gallery and Studios Inc
Featherston Booktown
To The Coast with the Post [tour with rural mailman Gordon Wyeth]
Rahui Coastal Loop [65km cycle ride loop along Wairarapa’s coast]
ANZ Emerging category – for up and coming businesses:
3Mile [entrepreneur academy]
Wairarapa Eco Farms
Nectarine [Wairarapa Web and graphic design]
Blackwell & Sons [classic bicycle retailer and maintenance]
Under The Stars [astronomy tours]
Ohnyx IT Solutions [networking solutions]
Gibson Sheat Team category – service to the community, wellness and well-being, and investment in people:
3Mile
Carterton Events Centre
Clareville Bakery
Eastwood Motor Group
Featherston Booktown
Rival Wealth [financial planning]
Service category – for individual someone who has demonstrated exceptional long service to a Wairarapa business:
Gordon Wyeth [To the Coast with the Post]
Lance Johnson [Printcraft + Design Hive]
Melissa Garrity [Melissa Garrity Naturopath]
Victoria Read [Aspect Architecture]
Sally Summers [Saunders Shoes]
Sally Smith Sanders Shoes is a Masterton icon.
This lady sooo deserves to be acknowledged.
Clareville Bakery
Culminary delight