Be. Institute chief executive, Minnie Baragwanath, features in the latest issue of Next magazine as the ‘Change Maker’ of the month.

Ms Baragwanath sat down with Next magazine to discuss the development and goals of Be. Institute, a new social change enterprise that is making a difference in the lives of disabled Kiwis throughout New Zealand. Be. Institute is a national programme that aims to highlight accessibility issues within New Zealand and inspire and enable a 100% accessible society for all people.

The initiative started to develop after Ms Baragwanath was asked to manage the Rugby World Cup 2011 access programme for Auckland. As a major sporting event, Ms Baragwanath and her team identified the Rugby World Cup as key opportunity to create new conversation about accessibility and to leave an access legacy for the country.

Diagnosed with Stargardt disease, a condition that causes progressive vision loss, Ms Baragwanath who is legally blind, can personally relate to the challenges surrounding accessibility. “Being partially sighted has actually given me vision. It has affected the way I see the world, made me passionate about social change and led me to develop Be. Institute”.

Ms Baragwanath describes starting Be. Institute as a “dream come true”. She says becoming the chief executive of such an amazing organisation and working with an extraordinary is her proudest career moment to date.

Click here to read the full article.

Tamlyn Stewart from Christchurch Press interviewed Ted Jordan about trends around Cloud adoption amongst SME’s.

The survey, commissioned by software firm ActionStep, found nearly half of the 250 businesses surveyed did not even know what cloud computing was.

Ginger Group, a leading support services company for financial services organizations and advisers, has recently appointed a new industry professional to its team.

Leighton Langley joins Ginger Group as the new National Sales and Distribution Manager from a role at Sovereign, where he was credited for the creation and growth of Sovereign’s aligned distribution channel, Sovent.

Mr Langley brings with him more than 30 years’ experience in all facets of financial adviser sales and development business. He has worked in a variety of distribution models and complementary management roles and as a result, has a comprehensive understanding of exactly what advisers seek and need.

David Whyte, CEO of Ginger Group praises Mr Langley as great asset to the team and says, “He is driven by a desire to help advisers operate productively and fruitfully as they grow their own businesses, which accords with Ginger Group’s goals.”

Mr Langley’s new role will involve assisting advisers to adjust their businesses and services to the new regulatory environment. He says, “I welcome the new regulations and believe they present tremendous opportunities for forward-thinking practitioners. Helping to foment all this will be part of my work with Ginger Group.”

Find about more about Mr Langley’s appointment on goodreturns.co.nz and btob.co.nz.

Law firm Lowndes Associates received a mention in the Herald on Sunday, 01 May, regarding the ‘Secrets of the Silicon Valley’ seminars that will be held in New Zealand later this month.

Lowndes Associates is working in conjunction with David Smith, the founder of the Silicon Valley Business School, to conduct a number of seminars which aim to unlock the secrets of the Silicon Valley for New Zealand businesses.

Smith believes that high-tech Kiwi firms aiming to make it big in the United States often don’t understand the ‘basic rules’, but is confident that his ‘Seven Silicon Secrets’ are the key to helping New Zealand businesses enter the US market successfully.

To read the full article and find out more about the Silicon Valley seminar details click here.

Kerryn Downey and William Black of McGrathNicol, as receivers of the SCF Group are pleased to announce that a conditional agreement has been entered into for the sale of the business and assets of its wholly owned investment company Helicopters (N.Z.) Limited (“HNZ”), to international helicopter operator Canadian Helicopters Limited (“CHL”).

HNZ is a leading provider of helicopter services and operates in New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia and Antarctica. HNZ was founded in 1955 with one helicopter and has grown significantly, now operating a fleet of 37 helicopters.

CHL is the largest helicopter transportation services company operating in Canada and is also one of the largest in the world based on the size of its fleet. With over 35 base locations across Canada, CHL provides helicopter services to a broad range of sectors, including infrastructure maintenance, utilities, oil and gas, mining, forestry, construction and emergency medical services and provides military support. With over 60 years of experience, CHL is an industry leader in establishing safety standards and operating procedures. CHL is a public corporation trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX).

CHL was selected through a competitive sale process that commenced following HNZ’s shareholder, SCF, being placed into receivership in late August 2010. The sale price is approximately NZ$160 million. The sale is subject to a number of conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to complete in the coming months.

Kerryn Downey commented “This announcement is the culmination of a significant amount of work by the company and our advisors. This has been a very robust process and we are very pleased to have identified such a credible purchaser and achieved what we believe is a good price for the business”.

“Helicopters New Zealand has grown from a local NZ based company to an internationally respected operator involved in all aspects of helicopter operations. We welcome the opportunity to continue to maintain our high level of quality services and continue to grow and enhance our business for all stakeholders, including our clients and staff in the future with Canadian Helicopters” said HNZ’s CEO Brian McDonald.

“We are very pleased with the acquisition of HNZ”, said Don Wall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Helicopters. “HNZ has excellent people and a very strong brand particularly with respect to safe operations, and will be a significant part of CHL’s growth plan as we look to the future. Like CHL, HNZ operates in challenging environments and positions itself as providing “excellence in the extremes”. We look forward to supporting the employees in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere in the region in continuing to provide “best in class” service.”

Goldman Sachs & Partners New Zealand Limited acted as financial advisor to the receivers of the SCF Group.
Ends

For media enquiries: Kate Alexander, Alexander Communications 09 524 4957 / 027 244 6094

AMPCSC Senior Centre Manager Jennifer Andrews was featured on NewstalkZB Christchurch, 02 Wednesday 2011 in an interview regarding The Palms Shopping Centre, Shirley, Christchurch.

In her interview she discusses the structure of the shopping centre and projected plan of assessment.

To listen to the full interview follow this link and select 10.00 TRN-NEWSTALK-ZB-CHCH; Jennifer appears on the air at 19.15minutes.

Today, it has been advised The Palms Shopping Centre has developed a remedial plan for the centre following the devastating earthquake on February 22.

Assessments by geotechnical and structural engineers have determined that the structural and liquefaction damage will necessitate remedial work in several areas of the centre.

AMP Capital Shopping Centres (AMPCSC) senior centre manager Jennifer Andrews said: “Our centre is ‘bruised but certainly not broken’ and despite circulating rumours, the centre will not be demolished. Compared to so many other buildings in Christchurch we are fortunate that our building can be safely repaired to stringent standards.

“Our primary concern since the earthquake has been for the safety of our retailers, customers and our own team, many of whom have also been personally affected.  We were very fortunate that there were no serious injuries within the centre or the centre’s car parks.”

“We are working through a robust, flexible and sequential remedial plan in consultation with our retailers. This will take time; however we are fortunate to have their support during this very difficult time.  Our thoughts and condolences are with everyone affected by the devastating earthquake and the ongoing aftershocks.”

Anyone who wishes to make a donation in support of Christchurch can participate in the earthquake appeal at collection points in-centre at the two other AMP Capital Shopping Centres, Botany Town Centre in East Auckland and Bayfair Shopping Centre in Tauranga.

Nick Smith interviewed Tom Bowden for The Business Herald on the recent successes for Healthlink. The online link to the article below can be found here

Healthlink , led by Tom, has had significant success in recent years including a few milestones such as:

• Technology Swap (Denmark)
• Acknowledged by US Based Commonwealth fund as world leader
• Processes 65 million items of clinical info per year.
• NZ is Guinea pig for world leaders
• Steady growth in turnover
• Australia and Canada now following NZ’s lead
• Healthcare IT is NZ’s largest single software export category, now worth $100 million

Kiwi small business owners may have the opportunity to write a book with American SME guru Michael E. Gerber. Maria Slade interviewed Michael about his February trip to Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.

The article was published in the Herald on Sunday. You can find the link to the online story here

Upstart fund manager Mike Taylor speaks with Sunday Star Times Rob Stock three years on from the inception of Pie Funds; the boutique fund management business he launched in 2007.  

He also spoke with Niko Kloeten from the National Business Review and revealed he had written an opinion piece exclusively for the NBR called “A greying economy: how the investment landscape will look in 2050”.  To read this subscriber only content please logon at www.nbr.co.nz

17 December 2010

Australian-based Suncorp Group announced that it has today entered into a conditional agreement to sell Guardian Trust to leading Australian independent trustee The Trust Company for NZ$42 million, as part of a focused strategy by Suncorp Life to grow its core life and income protection business in New Zealand.

Guardian Trust is currently part of the New Zealand-based arm of Suncorp Life, which also manages specialist life businesses Asteron and AA Life. 

Suncorp Life New Zealand Managing Director Sean Carroll said that Guardian Trust has been a very important part of Suncorp Life New Zealand to date, and that the decision to sell the trust business to a like-minded trustee parent company is part of its strategy to ensure both Suncorp Life New Zealand and Guardian Trust can continue to grow in their respective industries. 

“Asteron and AA Life, Suncorp Life New Zealand’s flagship brands, are specialists in life and income protection, while Guardian Trust is a trustee company.  Asteron, AA Life and Guardian Trust are all strong performers and are well-placed to pursue growth in their respective markets, and it makes commercial sense to ensure that each is aligned with a parent company which specialises in its respective market“ says Mr Carroll.  “This has been a joint effort and we are all very pleased with the outcome”. 

Mr Carroll confirms that the new owner was selected carefully in order to ensure Guardian Trust is well-positioned to continue its strong performance. The Trust Company is publicly listed and Australia’s largest independent trustee company. There are strong cultural similarities between Guardian Trust and The Trust Company, and both companies are pre-eminent providers of personal and corporate trustee services in their respective markets.

The Trust Company Chief Executive Officer John Atkin said that Guardian Trust’s brand and existing resourcing levels will be maintained, with further investment for future growth in the coming years. “We are delighted to have reached agreement with the Suncorp Group to acquire Guardian Trust, which is widely regarded as the pre-eminent trustee company in New Zealand.  The strong alignment between our respective trustee business models, our similar dedication to client service, our market positions as leading trustees and advocates for our industry and our common heritage makes Guardian Trust an ideal fit”.

John Botica, Managing Director of Guardian Trust, said the purchase was “extremely good news for all parties. This is an exciting opportunity for Guardian Trust and our customers, and one that we have achieved by working closely together with Suncorp Life and The Trust Company”.   Mr Botica will continue as Managing Director of Guardian Trust. 

The conditional sale and purchase agreement was signed today, with the sale process scheduled for completion in the first quarter of the 2011 calendar year.

ends

For more information:

Kate Alexander
Alexander Communications
+64 (0)27 244 6094
kate@alexandercomms.co.nz

 About Guardian Trust

Guardian Trust, with origins dating back to 1882, has been serving New Zealanders for generations and is a market leader in personal and corporate trusts. Through its network of offices Guardian Trust manages approximately NZ$3.3 billion of assets on behalf of some 4,500 trust, estate and agency clients, and provides corporate trustee services for the issue of securities, with over NZ$56 billion under supervision.

 About The Trust Company

The Trust Company is one of Australia’s longest serving financial services companies with over 125 years of experience.  The Trust Company provides a wide range of financial services including:

• Personal Services offering Wealth Transfer Planning, Lifestyle Care, Health & Personal Injury services, Funds Management, Financial Planning, Estates & Trusts administration to intermediaries and the wider retail market.
• Corporate Services offering Property & Infrastructure Custody services, Responsible Entity services, Superannuation Compliance & Trustee services, Structured Finance Trustee services and REIT Trustee services to institutions.
• Philanthropy Services include setting up charitable structures, advice on taxation and charitable vehicles, funds management and assistance selecting charitable projects.

The Trust Company has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville, Perth and Singapore with over 230 employees and a market capitalisation of approximately A$190 million.

About Suncorp Life New Zealand

Suncorp Life New Zealand manages life risk companies Asteron Life and AA Life.  It has over NZ$1.1 billion of funds under management and looks after the financial protection needs of 203,000 clients.

Suncorp Life is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest financial service providers with key business activities in life assurance, superannuation savings, funds management and trustee services. A member of the Suncorp Group, Suncorp Life is part of an entity with approximately 9 million customers with over NZ$935 million of life insurance premiums and in excess of NZ$30 billion funds under management.