The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Hon John Key will present the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards on 28 May in Auckland at a black-tie gala dinner attended by 600 business leaders. VIVA-LITE is a finalist in the awards and will be attenting the Auckland Business Expo as well.

“Our small and medium businesses play a critical part in our economy, the Prime Minister told Bizzone managing director Sarah Trotman, organiser of the awards. “They provide Kiwis with the essential goods and services they need. They help drive innovation across our economy. And they can become – with good leadership and support – our large businesses of tomorrow.

In these challenging economic times he said it’s important that we do what we can to help small businesses succeed. “That’s why the Government has introduced a Small Business Relief Package aimed at reducing red tape and making it less expensive for small and medium businesses to manage their cash flows and pay taxes,” he says. “It’s also important to acknowledge and celebrate the organisations and individuals who help our small businesses maximise their potential. I’m looking forward to presenting at the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards on 28 May. I hope to see you there.”

The Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards are sponsored by Vero, BDO Spicers and National Business Review and are a key event during the annual Bizzone Business Expo, New Zealand’s largest event for business.

Entries for this year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards were stronger than ever says Bizzone managing director Sarah Trotman. “New Zealand businesses are being well supported by companies that are not buying into the doom and gloom mentality,” she says. “The evaluators were thoroughly impressed by the quality and higher number of entries – choosing winners this year will be extremely difficult.”

Finalists were spread throughout New Zealand and include VIVA-LITE with five others in the category one-to-many.

To see this year’s finalists, go to www.bizzone.com/awards/2009-finalists.aspx or to get tickets for the awards dinner call 0800 249 397.
To get a free ticket for the Auckland Business Expo, please follow this link: www.bizzone.com/guestof/viva-lite

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Tips on how to be an excellent organisation were shared at a breakfast for this year’s Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards finalists on 11 February where Viva-Lite is a finalist.

Vero CEO Roger Bell, who hosted the breakfast, told guests that the awards are getting stronger every year as businesses get more competitive.

“People have seen their competitors enter and have followed suit,” he says. “Business people now realise that if New Zealand is to be world class they need to follow a framework that engenders excellence. And with these awards you don’t end up just being be excellent in one area alone like customer services; excellence goes right across leadership, strategy, your people, your processes and the way you handle knowledge and information and of course the results from all of those elements.”

All 49 finalists agreed that being “excellent” is vital for the growth and prosperity of their organisations; providing excellent business support is key so that businesses don’t just compete on price but on the quality of their offering.

BDO Spicers’ National Chairperson Judith Stanway said: “Growing a business requires excellence, dedication, tenacity and great partners. BDO Spicers is the leading national accounting and business advice firm for New Zealand’s mid market and SME businesses. We know what it takes to grow businesses and our passion is supporting others in business to achieve their potential. That’s why we are proud to be a sponsor of the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards.”

The winners of the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards sponsored by Vero, BDO Spicers and the National Business Review will be announced at a gala dinner held during the Bizzone Business Expo, New Zealand’s largest event for business on 28 May.

Keep your hopes up and your fingers crossed for Viva-Lite!

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