MEDIA RELEASE:
AUCKLAND – Friday, 17th June 2016 – Networking organisation Business Network International (BNI) New Zealand has announced a partnership with The David Awards, the only non-industry-specific national awards programme specifically targeting SMBs throughout New Zealand. The Awards recognise and reward the small, ordinary “David” businesses which are doing sometimes extraordinary things as they take off, and often outperform, the “Goliaths” in their industry.
BNI New Zealand will also sponsor the Most Outstanding Established Business Award. This will be for a standout business, which has moved beyond the start-up phase and is two or more years old, has a proven track record and recognises business planning for and/or coping with the changes required to take a business through expansion and significant growth.
“Partnering with The David Awards on this event presents BNI NZ with the opportunity to engage with owners of SMBs and aligns perfectly with what we do in supporting grass roots and start-up businesses in New Zealand,” says Graham Southwell, National Director BNI New Zealand.
Numerous BNI members have been finalists and winners at The David Awards over the years. 2015’s Supreme Award went to Heat Pumps NOW, a BNI member from Christchurch who was also awarded Most Outstanding Fledgling Business and Most Community-Minded Business. In 2013 The David Awards Supreme Award went to another BNI member, search engine experts, Pure SEO.
Heat Pumps Now Team at The David Awards 2015
NZBusiness Cover Pure Seo December 2013
Heather Douglas, Managing Director of The David Awards, notes, “The Awards, now in our ninth year, recognise those unsung heroes at the smaller end of the business scale. They were specifically created to recognise businesses which may be operated by only a few people, or at most, with a very small team. These businesses often do amazing things with the very limited resources they have. With the 2600 plus business members that are part of BNI NZ, and the fact that many of them are SMBs, the organisation is an ideal partner for the Awards.”
She continues, “Following last year’s event, we asked entrants what they thought the most important benefits of being named a finalist or winner were,” Heather says. “81% of respondents cited the credibility the business gains as a major benefit of entering. Other benefits included:
- getting individual feedback from the judges,
- gaining a profile for the business, and
- having to think objectively and write down information about the business.
To enter see http://www.thedavidawards.co.nz/
About BNI
BNI New Zealand, established in 1999, is the country’s largest structured business networking organisation for small to medium businesses. With over 2600 members and 120 groups around the country in 2015 they generated near $60 million in business.
As a business community, BNI helps create business opportunities through a structured system of referrals and reciprocity, based on trust and giving. Business owners from all types of industries (only one trade representative per group) meet weekly. They build sustainable relationships with other businesses, develop new networks and take BNI’s underlying philosophy of ‘Givers Gain’ to grow their businesses. www.bni.co.nz
Media contacts
Graham Southwell, National Director, BNI NZ, 021 606 146, Graham@bni.co.nz
Heather Douglas, Managing Director, The David Awards, admin@thedavidawards.co.nz
Nimita Morarji, Serum, 021 950 058, Nimita@serum.co.nz
