Spark Business Hub Wairarapa Awards 2024

Unforgettable Wins and Wairarapa Pride

The Spark Business Hub Wairarapa Awards, hosted by Business Wairarapa, delivered yet another dazzling evening at Matahiwi Winery on Thursday night. With Hilary Barry as guest MC, some 330 attendees toasted the region’s most inspiring and impactful businesses. The night sparkled with sophistication and celebration, setting a perfect tone for honouring innovation, resilience, dedication, and community spirit.

Madison Lincoln Hair & Nails took the first award of the evening, winning the Gibson Sheat Team category for its outstanding story of growth, a commitment to employee development, and an unwavering focus on creating a positive workplace for staff.

South Wairarapa enterprise Tora Coastal Walk earned the Business Wairarapa Diversification Award, demonstrating an impressive ability to adapt and thrive. The judges praised this enterprise’s resilience and agility, in successfully pivoting and creating a sustainable business model; whilst Pipiri Consulting was honoured with the Kahungunu ki Wairarapa Pakihi Māori Award for their vital role in growing Māori enterprise through meaningful Tiriti-based work.

Martinborough Pharmacy shone in the Kloeg Family Collective Experience category for an unwavering commitment to improving customers’ quality of life and becoming a beacon of genuine care and community focus; and Waiwaste Food Rescue received the Masterton Trust Lands Trust Not-for-Profit Award, for rescuing and repurposing nearly 150,000 kg of food in only a year, their invaluable contribution making a tangible difference in the lives of many in Wairarapa.

South Wairarapa Rotary – Martinborough Fair took home the Tranzit Group Vibrant Award, a fitting recognition for their nearly 50-year role in drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors to boost the local economy over that period; and it was Digital Cactus that clinched the WBS Emerging Award, impressing the judges with their empowerment of local businesses to reach their full potential in the digital space. 

Scotty’s Meats was awarded the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs Youth-Friendly Award for providing apprenticeships and entry-level roles for local youth, in an otherwise dying craft.

The night’s biggest winner was Farman Turkington Forestry, which claimed both the Harcourts Hamill Realty Innovation Award and the Trust House Supreme Award for their ground-breaking approaches to environmental standards and land stewardship.

Of winning the Supreme Award, the Judges commented: “This significant employer is recognised for its ground-breaking approaches to enhancing environmental standards, demonstrating a deep respect for the land and the wider ecology. Their commitment to setting new benchmarks in their industry reflects a genuine dedication to both innovation and community engagement”.

Business Wairarapa also paid tribute to two outstanding people for their commitment and contribution to Wairarapa’s business landscape. Shane McManaway, was acknowledged for both a holistic vision for regional development and a deep understanding of community needs, while 96-year-old Geraldine Inder was lauded for her remarkable contributions to dance and performing arts, having founded the Geraldine Inder School of Dance in 1949.

Marie-Claire Andrews, chair of Business Wairarapa, praised this year’s finalists, noting, “The quality of entries for the Wairarapa Awards continues to impress. Every year, the Judging process gets harder as every finalist deserves to win. We encourage all Wairarapa businesses to keep entering this annual event and to keep telling their story”.

Special thanks was made to Spark Business Hub Wairarapa for their role in making the event possible, alongside Gallagher Insurance, Rose & Smith, Matahiwi Estate, and Festival Hire, for creating yet another memorable night of glamour for Wairarapa.