Trimax Mowing Systems, a manufacturer and exporter of premium mowing equipment, has won the ExportNZ ASB Bay of Plenty Exporter of the Year Award at a gala event at Mercury Baypark Arena, Mount Maunganui.
Trimax has sold more than 33,000 mower decks worldwide from its base in Tauranga, with revenue having tripled in the last five years. Its mowers are trusted by groundskeepers from Windsor Castle in the UK to multiple PGA golf courses in the US.
Oasis Engineering won the Excellence in Innovation Award. Known for its high-pressure control devices, Oasis rose to fame in the 1980s for its ball valve for CNG tanks – now an industry standard. The company exports to over 40 countries and is recognised for its use of automation, robotics and product development.
Carepatron won Best Emerging Business for its cloud-based healthcare workspaces, which support US clinicians to manage clients, appointments and payments. Founded in 2021, it is rapidly scaling in the US.
Two individuals received the Export Achievement Award: Sarah Webb of LawVu, a founding leader now COO helping take the legal tech platform global; and Karl Stevenson of Bluelab, a design thinking champion and precision tools innovator in agri-tech.
The Services to Export Award went to Steve Saunders, co-founder of Robotics Plus and other exporters, for 12 years of service with Priority One. He champions Māori investment and co-founded the Newnham Park Innovation Centre and Mount Pack & Cool.
The awards celebrate export success across the Bay of Plenty, supported by ASB, Air NZ Cargo, Zespri, NZTE and others.
EMA chief executive John Fraser-Mackenzie says, “These awards showcase the inspiring businesses and individuals from the region who are succeeding in offshore markets. Well done to all the winners.”
Infrastructure: $6 billion stimulus must be just the start
Infrastructure New Zealand has welcomed the Government’s $6 billion infrastructure investment as a much-needed stimulus.
“This is good news for a sector that’s been doing it tough,” says chief executive Nick Leggett. “We see this as the beginning of a pipeline that must endure beyond political cycles.”
Infrastructure investment, he says, boosts economic activity and enables faster, more efficient services and long-term productivity.
Projects expected to begin by year-end are creating renewed confidence. “After a year of layoffs, we’re seeing some signs of momentum,” Leggett says – but warns the sector can’t survive another false dawn.
“Our industry can’t switch capacity on and off like a tap. We need a visible, bipartisan pipeline.”
A recent survey found 65% of infrastructure firms had reduced staff over the past year, and nearly half had lost workers overseas.
“New Zealand has an infrastructure deficit, and we need our skilled workforce here to close it.”
Infrastructure New Zealand will monitor the announcement’s impact through 2025 to assess whether it’s truly shifting the dial.