Latest News

 

Helping businesses grow in
Auckland South 

 

   

 

 

Find out what's happening regionally:

 

 

FAQ’s

 

Key Dates 2011

 

24 February                Official launch - Entries open
10 June                        Entries Close
June                           Judging Process
30 June                      Westpac Finalist Function (finalists announced)
July                            Judges Site Visits to Finalists
12 August                   Awards Gala Dinner (winners announced)

 

 

What are the Conditions of Entry and Eligibility?

 

Any registered business of any size with its premises (place of business) located within the following Wards, and has been established and trading for at least 12 months, is eligible to enter the awards;

 

Manukau Ward
Manukau, Mangere, Otahuhu, Favona, Papatoetoe and Otara also parts of East Tamaki.

Manurewa-Papakura Ward
Manurewa, Papakura, Drury, Weymouth, Takanini and Wiri.

Howick Ward
Pakuranga, Bucklands Beach, Cockle Bay, Howick, Botany, Highland Park and East Tamaki Heights.

Franklin Ward
Karaka, Opaheke, Happy Valley, Pukekohe, Hunua, Brookby,  Clevedon, Maraetai, Kawakawa Bay and Awhitu Central, Waiuku and Wairo.

 

If your organisation is part of a larger organisation you must be able to demonstrate that you function as a separate business unit, within these boundaries.

 

If your entry relates to a specific project, it must have been completed and fully implemented during the year ending 31 March 2011, the organisation is a legal entity, with either the project or entity based within these boundaries.

 

If your business has previously won a Westpac Manukau Business Excellence Award or a Franklin Papakura Stevenson Business Award you must demonstrate that your organisation has significantly improved its performance.

 

If you are a past Supreme Winner of an Award, you are not eligible to enter for three years.

 

The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

 

The Awards are not open to employees of Auckland Council or Auckland, Tourism, Events and Economic Development.

 

Each business may enter up to three categories plus ACC plus nominated categories.

 

All entries must be received by 5pm on 30 June 2011.  Send your entries to the Awards Coordinator.

 

If you have any questions concerning Conditions of Entry or Eligibility, please call the Awards Coordinator on 09 262 2244 or email claudine.murray@em.org.nz

 

 

When are the finalists announced?

 

Finalists will be announced at the Finalists Function held at Villa Maria Estate on 30 June.

 

 

When are the winners announced and the Gala Dinner held?


The grand finale to the Westpac Auckland South Business Awards 2011, where winners will be announced, will be held at TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre on August 12.  The black-tie event will be hosted by the Mayor of Auckland, Len Brown. 

 

 

How are the Westpac Auckland South Business Awards 2011 judged?


The judging panel for the Westpac Auckland South Business Awards 2011 are experienced in the judging process (approximately 30 judges are involved).  Entries will be scored in accordance with the Baldrige Quality Model that align our awards with the global quality award system.

 

 All judges sign a confidentiality agreement prior to judging.  Judges decisions are final on all matters relating to the Awards and no correspondence will be entered into.

 

Each Judge is bound by a strict Code of Ethics and may not participate in any scoring or recognition decision where there may be, or could appear to be, any personal, professional, financial or other relationship or potential or perceived conflicts of interest.

 

 Each Judge has volunteered their time without compensation and is committed to assist with the success of the Westpac Auckland South Business Awards 2011and to providing objective feedback to the entrant.

 

 During the judging process, the judging panel may carry out site visits, or make contact with some applicants to clarify aspects of the application, or to seek further information. This contact should not be taken as an indication of being a finalist.

 

 All entrants in the ACC Workplace Safety Award will receive a site visit related to this category.  If you enter this category and another Award category you may receive more than one site visit.

 

 

What is the Baldrige criteria?

 

The Baldrige performance excellence criteria are a framework that any organisation can use to improve overall performance.  Seven categories make up the award criteria:

  • Leadership: The leaders are the people in your business that are responsible for guiding and managing the business. This section asks you to describe how the leaders set business direction, performance expectations, behaviours and how they monitor the performance of the business. It also asks you to describe how the business ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, public responsibility and how ethical behaviour is encouraged.

 

  • Strategy and Planning: Strategy and Planning is the process by which the future direction of the business is determined i.e. strategy. Planning involves determining the actions, responsibilities and resources that will ensure the business achieves its short - and long - term strategies. In this section you are asked to describe how you establish strategy and plans, communicate these and monitor your performance to plan.

 

  • Customer and market: Customer and market focus asks you to describe how you determine the market requirements and expectations, determine the requirements and expectations of your customers, acquire new customers, build relationships with your customers, monitor customer perception of your success and develop future opportunities.

 

  • Information and Analysis: Information and analysis of this information is the foundation of a performance-oriented business. It means having a fact based measurement system with the use of information and data (knowledge) to support key business activities, to make decisions based on fact, as well as analyse the performance of the business. In this section you are asked to define the key information and data used by the business, how this is analysed and made available to others both inside and outside the business.

 

  • Workforce: Excellent businesses encourage their people to develop and use their full potential while contributing to the achievement of the business' short and long term goals. In this section you are asked to describe how the work and jobs are organised, how training and education provides the skills and knowledge required and how the employee work environment is measured and improved to ensure satisfied committed employees.

 

  • Processes: Processes are the way things are done to carry out the business. Key Processes are those processes that "touch" the customer and may include the design, development, manufacture and delivery of products and/or services to customers or suppliers.

 

  • Results: The results are the outputs from the business activities. In this section you are asked to describe the business' performance and improvement in five key areas – products and services, customer, financial and market, workforce and business effectiveness. You are asked to provide the actual results and where possible the trends (performance over time).

 

 

The Awards Entry is time consuming, is it worth it?

 

Yes. Past winners agree the entry is well worth the effort. It enforces investing in quality principles and performance excellence pays off in increased productivity, satisfied employees and customers, and improved profitability—both for customers and investors.

 

 

Is it tougher for small organisations to receive an award?


The small business recipients have proven that any organisation can improve by using the criteria’s performance excellence framework. Given the importance of smaller businesses to the New Zealand economy, Westpac Auckland South Business Awards have found that using the Baldrige criteria as a basis for the Awards has actually strengthened the awareness of the awards programme among these local businesses and benefits gained are cited in their testimonials.

 

 

Can only Auckland south businesses enter these awards?


Yes. Only businesses with their premises located within the boundaries specified are eligible to enter these Awards.

 

 

Do the award criteria take into account an organisation’s financial performance?


Yes. The criteria include many factors that contribute to financial performance, including business decisions and strategies that lead to better market performance, gains in market share, and customer retention and satisfaction. Organisations are urged to use financial information, including profit trends, in analyzing and reporting on improved overall performance and to look for the connection between the two.

 

 

May an organisation hire a consultant to help prepare answers for the Westpac Auckland South Business Award entry application?


Applicants for the award are asked to supply facts and data to substantiate their claims concerning their management practices. You may provide the facts to a hired consultant to assist you to complete your award entry application. An organisation must show through facts and data that it has an excellent management system in place and that it is continually looking for ways to improve (for details or consultants/writers available, contact Claudine on awards@em.org.nz).


Copyright Enterprising Manukau 2009