Success celebrated at Ignite Wānaka Business Awards

Structural and civil engineering firm Batchelar McDougall Consulting took out the top award at the recent Ignite Wānaka Business Excellence Awards.

The local firm was acknowledged for its impressive company growth, strong customer relationships and R&D investment and its focus on staff and robust governance at the Awards, run by Ignite Wānaka Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Milford Asset Management.

Batchelar McDougall also won the Outstanding in Professional Services category.

WAI Wānaka chair and Criffel Station co-owner Mandy Bell was awarded the Outstanding Individual award (sponsored by Cardrona Alpine Resort).

More than 200 people attended the awards gala dinner, which took place at Rippon Hall.

Winners were selected by an independent panel of local judges: Wayne Hudson (convenor), Ann Lockhart, Charlie James and Meg Taylor.

“It was good to see a large number of entries, despite some negativity resulting from the lockdowns in the past two years,” says Hudson. “We also appreciated the honest comments from entrants about how hard Covid had affected them and how they were dealing with the impact on their businesses. Congratulations to everyone who entered. Just putting in an entry form would have helped them to look at their business instead of being lost in the business. And hopefully they will have learnt something positive during the process of entering.”

Ignite Wānaka chair Jo Learmonth says the past two years have been particularly challenging. “It’s important that we take a moment to celebrate all that we have achieved as a local business community. We’d especially like to thank our sponsors – without their support, this event would not have been able to happen.”

In addition to the category sponsors and principal sponsor Milford Asset Management, the following businesses donated their time, products and services: Scope Media, Radio Wānaka, Wānaka App, The Messenger, The Film Crew, Rippon Winery, Mitre 10 Wānaka, Entertainment Solutions, Wānaka Marquee & Party Hire, Metalworks Wānaka, Pacific Linen.

The category winners:

•           Milford Asset Management Supreme Business Award: Batchelar McDougall 

•           Outstanding in tourism (supported by Lake Wānaka Tourism): Lavender Farm  

•           Outstanding in professional services: Batchelar McDougall

•           Outstanding in hospitality (supported by Drive Accounting): Pembroke Patisserie 

•           Outstanding in infrastructure/trades (supported by Findex): Dunlop Builders           

•           Outstanding in retail (supported by LOGIC1): Ocula

•           Outstanding not-for-profit (supported by Queenstown Lakes District Council): WAI Wānaka

•           Outstanding in sustainability (supported by Queenstown Airport): Wild Wire

•           Outstanding young enterprise (supported by Air New Zealand): Village Gift and The Next Chapter (joint winners) 

•           Resilience and Diversification Award (supported by Todd & Walker Law): Wild Wire   

•           Outstanding in innovation (supported by Aspiring Law): The Film Crew

•           Outstanding employer (supported by EASI NZ): Ocula

•           People’s Choice Award (supported by the Wanaka App): The Village Gift