On Wednesday 25 September, the NZ family business community came together at the Family Business Insights NZ Conference in Auckland.
It was a fantastic day, starting with our Family Business Excellence Award NZ winner announcements, an afternoon of powerful speakers and finishing the day with a networking event.
Family Business Excellence Awards
The Family Business Insights New Zealand Conference started with a presentation to NZ awards winners of our Family Business Excellence Awards.
The Family Business Excellence Awards are presented to an outstanding family business demonstrating excellence and achievement in the core business principles of Governance, Entrepreneurship and Stewardship, and exhibits how family ownership and involvement has helped the business to achieve a competitive advantage.
New Creation were the winners of the 2024/25 Founder's Family Business Award for NZ. The award was accepted by Robin Davis.
Robin shared an anecdote about how life can throw you curve balls - large and small - but it is how you approach them that matters.
“We saw the ferry drive off without us this morning! But that's life, you can do business, you can do the work. It's life that can get in the way. It's not the mistakes or the problem though, it is about how you handle those mistakes or problems that make you a good business."
New Creation blends design expertise with traditional craftsmanship to create high-quality, bespoke products. Showcasing the family’s values, strategy, opportunities, and risks, its smaller size highlights its family ethos, and demonstrates a strong competitive advantage, core strengths, and commendable sustainability initiatives.
The 2024/25 Established Family Business Award for New Zealand was awarded to Tuatara Structures, and accepted by Jordan Frizzell.
"I want to give a shout out to the Tuatara team. There are only 3 of us here today but there are 25 of us back in Christchurch as well. I couldn't have done it without the hardwork and support of everyone who has helped us to get to where we are now. Thank you very much."
“I want to thank Family Business Association, it's a wonderful association and I think it is awesome what everyone is doing in family business. Family businesses have that heart, they have that culture that you can't buy. That's what is so strong about family business."
Tuatara Structures' core strengths —Outperform, Outlast, Outplan, and Outwork—have driven remarkable progress in just 10 years. Fueled by their passion and commitment of the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, the business upholds strong family values. It excels in quality and customer satisfaction, and demonstrates a strategic focus that sets a high standard for future initiatives and global Sustainable Development Goals.
Finally, the 2024/25 Legacy Family Business Award for New Zealand was awarded to Partridge Jewellers, accepted by new CEO, Nicola Owbridge on behalf of the Partridge family.
"The business has been carried through six generations so far, the growth has been steady and that is something to really marvel. Grant's work, his wife Heather, the three boys and their daughter make up the sixth generation. Really humbled to be here, thank you."
"It makes you feel proud to be a New Zealander when you look around this room at all the family businesses that really keep our economy going."
Established in 1864, this sixth-generation business continues to excel under fifth-generation leadership with a robust succession plan for future success. Their motto, 'Where we have come from plays as big of a part as where we are going' emphasises the importance of their history. Partridge Jewellers effectively pass down skills, knowledge, and values, fostering a people-focused environment. Their family ownership provides a competitive edge through stable relationships and a long-term perspective, supported by strong sustainability and ESG commitments, including industry accreditation, all aligning with the long-term legacy of the business.
Family Business Insights New Zealand Conference
For our keynote presentation, Rae-Lee Fleming, Director, and John McLean, CEO, shared the rich history of Bundaberg Brewed Drinks, a family business that stands out for its perseverance, innovation, and generational continuity.
Rae-Lee and John took the audience through their family business story, from its modest beginnings in 1968 in Bundaberg, Australia, to becoming a global player. What started as a local soft drink business has evolved into an international enterprise, exporting to over 60 countries. While Bundaberg Ginger Beer is its most iconic product, the company offers a range of brewed non-alcoholic beverages.
"Back then, the Flemings had a vision, to be bigger, to do better and ultimately get our product out to the world- because they knew the secret to BBD - we had acquired a great product yes, but when combined with great people, we have a great business."
They shared the importance of remaining true to your roots while embracing growth. Quality and craftsmanship are central to Bundaberg’s ethos, guided by the principle: 'If it’s worth brewing, it’s worth brewing well.'
"Our values aren’t new - they are built on years of foundations by those who may have sat in your seat before you."
This dedication has driven significant growth, with profits soaring over twentyfold in 24 years. "The growth didn’t just happen – it came from our family investment to believe in the brand – and then our amazing team to execute the plans."
Rae-Lee and John left the attendees with this nugget of how they operate: "Setting big goals and not being afraid to chase them down, but also accepting changes to the plan for what isn’t working."
Anihana's Founder and CEO, Sophie and Aden Cooper, welcomed attendees into their entrepreneurial story.
Sophie purchased a soap manufacturing company that she had been working in for 2 years and poured her passion into soap and bathbomb making.
The pair explained the positive impact on both the business and their relationship after Aden joined Sophie in the business in 2020. They shared how their relationship grew stronger because they could talk about business at work and then be able to switch off at home.
Aden's respect and admiration for his wife's entrepreneurial spirit shon through when talking about joining the business and taking up the role as Managing Director, "Sophie is the visionary, and I am just here to help her execute her vision."
Sophie and Aden also highlighted the significant growth experienced after choosing to rebrand the business from 'Ahhh' to 'Anihana'. Renaming the business was a big deal for Sophie, so the new name had to be something meaningful and special to them both to celebrate the next step in their business journey. In the end, they decided on Anihana which in itself has a rich meaning and a very strong link to whanau. Since rebranding to Anihana they have gone from distribution to around 300 stores in New Zealand to 8,500 with export to Australia and the US.
The team from Service Foods, Aneil Balar, Managing Director, and Ross Buckley, Chairman, joined us for our third session of the afternoon to discuss how strong governance can help to build a successful family business and a legacy with future generations in mind.
Service Foods is widely recognised as one of New Zealand’s largest privately family-owned and operated food service distribution businesses. With a product portfolio that includes over 14,000 items sourced from over 20 countries and locally produced offerings, the company is committed to delivering quality, innovation, sustainability,
and differentiation to its customers.
The family business is known for being ambitious and has a long-term big vision, this was evident in their story shared.
Service Foods was founded from a family superette in 1983 in Christchurch by Stan Balar. Since then the family business has grown significantly, currently employing over 800 team members and operating a fleet of more than 220 trucks, under the collaborative leadership of Stan and his son’s, Aneil and Nikul Balar.
With this growth, the family determined the need for strong corporate governance and shared with attendees how important this is - open communication and providing an open forum in all meetings to ensure that everyone has a voice.
Our last presentation of the day, Ranjna Patel from Tamaki Health and Gandhi Nivas invited us into her journey as a wife, mother, businesswoman and patron.
Motiviational and inspiring, Ranjna exemplifies her dedication to empowering future generations and driving positive change. As a visionary entrepreneur and philanthropist, her commitment to social equity and community well-being continues to inspire.
Ranjna explained how her business Tamaki Health and her experiences in healthcare, led her to start a not-for-profit, Gandhi Nivas, which provides early intervention and prevention services for New Zealand men identified at risk of committing harm in the family home.
She shared some key lessons for all attendees, including, "Turn your obstacles into opportunities" and "Look at life with an outcome-based approach rather than an output-based approach."
If you want to learn more about Ranjna's work in preventing family violence, access her content slides and research data below:
Thank you to all those who attended, presented and made the event such a success.
Photo Gallery
Thank you to our event Sponsors and Supporters:
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Thank you to our Speaker Gift Sponsor and Printing Sponsor
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Thank you to our National Gold Partners
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Thank you to our National Silver Partners and Banking Partner
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