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November 2015

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Chch development 36-page liftout - inside

Coast stays positive despite drop Hugh de Lacy It may be the only region in the country to have experienced a decline in population this year, but the figures mask a major shift to sustainability on the South Island’s West Coast, Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says. “It was a [population] drop of only 128 people – 0.4% of the 32,000 who live here,” Kokshoorn told Business South, “and that’s a very small number if you put it against the huge adjustments we’ve been making over the last five years.” Most of the decline in population occurred in the Buller District, which has been haemorrhaging coal-mining jobs since the Pike River Mine Disaster in 2010 and the subsequent collapse in global coal prices, while the Grey and Westland Districts both recorded slight increases.

“We’ve lost about 1500 jobs all up in the [regional] coal industry and the associated trickledown in other industries associated with mining, yet experienced a population drop of only 128, and if you look at it in that vein we’re holding our ground.” Kokshoorn said he was not expecting a recovery in global coal prices to reignite the industry which has been a major player on the west Coast for most of the last 150 years. “It’s hard to see coal ever getting back to what it used to be, so we’re doing a lot of renewal work, such as infrastructure building for the tourist industry.” Forward tourist bookings for the coming summer were the highest yet, while agriculture, led by dairying was in growth mode despite the recent volatility in milk prices. “The [Hokitika-based] Westland Dairy Company

is just concluding a $120m value-adding expansion that bodes well for the whole region, and in Greymouth we’ve recently finished a new $12m fish processing factory that’s employing well over 100 people,” Kokshoorn said. The expansion of the agriculture, tourism, fishing and service industries had come within a whisker of completely offsetting the near-collapse of the coal industry, the shrinkage in gold-mining and the close-down of Westport’s cement manufacturing industry. “We knew the writing was on the wall for a lot of our extractive industries, so we’ve made a tangible shift to other industries which will hold us in good stead. We might have had a small decline in the face of one of the toughest patches in our history, but we’ve seen the worst now, and we’ve got a strategy in place to re-build the West Coast,” Kokshoorn said.

Tourism, which has shown rapid and consistent growth over the past decade, has been bolstered by environmentally sensitive refurbishing of sewerage and water services in Greymouth, while more than $10 million has been spent developing cycleways throughout the region. Te Tai Poutini, the Greymouth polytechnical institute, was also continuing its long-term expansion, work was expected to start in November on a new $68m hospital in the town, and a new $11m sports stadium was nearing completion to complement that recently built $11m aquatic and spa complex. In the context of a net immigration gain for New Zealand of more than 60,000 in the last year, every South Island region other than the West Coast recorded rises in its population, these were led by Canterbury (2.1%), Otago (1.6%) and Nelson (1.3%).

Kiwi Rail signs contract with Solid Energy Chris Hutching Kiwi Rail and Solid Energy (in voluntary administration) have signed a new contract to move coal over the Midland Line for export through the Port of Lyttelton. Solid Energy has refused to provide any further details about the contract in response about whether the deal would have any constraining effect on its forthcoming sale of assets. The arrangement came to light recently when Kiwi Rail chief executive Peter Reidy told West Coast staff the company had secured a 10-year contract. Reidy said the contract also included a penalty clause should Solid Energy quit the contract. Kiwi Rail’s public relations department says the new contract is “good news” for its staff and the West Coast, which has been hit by the downtusrn in the extractive industry sector. “While the terms and conditions are confidential, signing a new contract means that it can be re-assigned to any potential buyer of Solid Energy or its assets,” Kiwi Rail says. It also means that Kiwi Rail would be able to work with any new operator to meet its freight requirements, the company says.

INSIDE

A taste of London in Queenstown.... New basement bar The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar has brought a taste of London nightlife to the heart of Queensown. The Shotover Street venue has proved a hit with locals and visitors alike since it opened in mid-June. General manager Peter Robertson says the simple doorway off the street adds a sense of mystery to the venue, and customers have

Farmers slow on environment plans - PAGE 2

I Port gathering momentum - PAGE 3

been “wowed” by what lies beyond. “People come through the door and are hit by a big vibrant entranceway with music posters plastering the walls, neon signs and a stairwell which has been designed to resemble an underground tube station. When they reach the bar downstairs they are blown away by its size and atmosphere.” See story page 6

Tax changes for holiday homes - PAGE 4

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EDITOR Nick Gormack nick@waterfordpress.co.nz Journalists Jo Bailey, Karen Phelps, Chris Hutching, Kelly Deeks, Sue Russell, Hugh de Lacy

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Waterford Press Limited Christchurch Office 112 Wrights Road, Addington, Christchurch Phone 03-983 5500 PO Box 37 346 www.waterfordpress.co.nz Queenstown Office 70 Glenda Drive, Queenstown 9300 PO Box 2581, Wakatipu These conditions are prescribed for the sake of understanding between the Company and its clients. Advertising is charged for on the basis of space taken up using a standard tabloid page. Actual space may be reduced during the printing process but this will effect all advertisers equally so no credit will be given for any reduction in size due to processing. The Company reserves the right to alter, change or omit entirely any advertisement or article that it considers to be objectionable or which may contravene any law. In the event of a failure on the part of the Company to insert advertising as instructed the Company may publish the advertisement at the first available subsequent reasonable date unless the advertisement features date sensitive material. Every care shall be taken to publish the advertisement in accordance with the advertisers instructions as to page and position but the Company reserves the right for whatever reason to place advertising in a different position and in doing so shall incur no liability whatsoever. Advertisers must advise Business South immediately of any error or omission in advertisements and shall work constructively to remedy the situation which in the first instance shall be a rerun of the corrected advertisement in the next available issue of Business South. Where advertisement proofs have been faxed or mailed to the client 48 hours prior to the nominated printing cutoff time acquiesce shall be taken as confirmation and acceptance. Corrections made by telephone shall be accepted but the Company reserves the right to decide whether a further proof should be faxed or mailed to the client. Accounts for advertising are due for payment within seven days of publication of the newspaper. Accounts not paid within this time may incur a penalty of 3% per month until the account is paid. Any debt collection costs incurred by the Company will be added to the account of the debtor. Views and opinions expressed in Business South are not necessarily those of the editors, Waterford Press Ltd or publisher. Business South welcomes contributions from freelance writers & journalists. All articles published at editors discretion. Business South accepts no responsibilty for loss of photos or manuscripts.

BS5 2015

November 2015 Business South

NEWS »

Farmers slow on uptake Chris Hutching Only 16 percent out of 500 Canterbury farmers surveyed have a farm environment plan in place. The environment plans will be required where an application for consent to farm is required under the proposed Land and Water Regional Plan. The Land and Water Regional Plan is the primary delivery mechanism of the Canterbury Water Management Strategy, according to Environment Canterbury Chief Executive Bill Bayfield. Environment Canterbury’s public relations team carried out a survey of farmers in July. They found just 16% had a plan in place, 29% had started the process, and 56% had not begun. Three quarters of respondents (78%) were aware of the need for farmers to prepare a Farm Environment Plan under the new planning rules. The majority of respondents (81%) were aware that every farmer in Canterbury is required to capture nitrogen loss data from 2009-2013.

Thumbs down for high country irrigation plans Chris Hutching Environment Canterbury staff have recommended that resource consent commissioners decline an application for two irrigation and hydro electric dams in Canterbury’s high country. A decision is due out. The Kakapo Brook hydro and irrigation scheme is located in the Lewis Pass near the Hope and Boyle Rivers, at the margins of viable farming. The application is from Rooney Farms and Mainpower NZ, a north Canterbury electricity company. Rooney Farms owns Glen Wye Station comprised of 20,830ha of Crown pastoral leasehold land and 4780ha of freehold with about 800ha of developed flat land. The applicants are seeking 1600L/s from Kakapo Brook, which would result in “flat-lining” of Kakapo Brook downstream of the take, for nearly 80% of the time, contrary to the Waiau/Hurunui district plan. The water abstracted from Kakapo Brook would be stored in two out-of-channel storage dams capable of holding up to 700,000 and 300,000 m3 of water. The recommendation from Environment Canterbury staff identify the following issues; • The water take does not comply with the environmental flow and allocation regime outlined in the proposed Hurunui Waiau River Regional Plan and is subsequently a prohibited activity under both the proposed and operative versions of the plan. • However the water take is treated as discretionary because the application was lodged before the plan became operative • The overall activity status of the proposal is non-complying • The proposal is contrary to the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management (2014) as the proposal will result in the over-allocation of water resources and may compromise the ability to meet freshwater quality objectives • There is insufficient information to determine that the effects of the proposal will be minor. The applicants say the low flow would only affect a 750m stretch of water; vegetation loss would be restricted to 1.5ha of mountain beech on the leasehold land and 5.3ha of matagouri and other indigenous vegetation; a dam break would not affect any dwellings and water would flow into the Hope River; ecological effects such as algae growth would be monitored; low numbers of black fronted terns which would be affected and the vulnerable banded dotterel is a versatile and mobile feeder.

Only a fifth (18%) of respondents stated that they were very familiar with the Canterbury Water Management Strategy but half of respondents (48%) stated that they were somewhat familiar. Two thirds of the respondents (67%) felt that they had the opportunity to contribute their views to the development of water management plans in their area. Eighty seven per cent were aware of the local Zone Committees established to facilitate community contribution to water management. Nearly a third of respondents (30%) were distrustful that the Water Management Strategy would achieve a fair balance between water use for recreation, urban supply and the needs of farmers. Nearly half (47%) gave a neutral response but 23% did trust that the strategy would achieve a fair balance. Fifty seven per cent believed the strategy would be somewhat effective and 10% believed it would be very effective in terms of protecting water quality and keeping decisions about water use out of the courts

While 29 percent % felt that farmers would be treated fairly, 40 percent thought that they would not. Nearly all of the respondents (92 percent) were aware that there are new planning rules in Canterbury governing nutrient loss. A high proportion of respondents had heard of the Land and Water Regional Plan (89 percent). The survey has been circulated in the same month as the first reading of the National-led government’s Bill denying full democratic representation at Environment Canterbury in Parliament. Environment Minister Nick Smith claims Ecan commissioners have made “huge progress” by continuing the water management strategy set up by their elected predecessors. However, Ecan’s own recent evaluation of lakes and rivers in Canterbury shows water quality continues to deteriorate. “Commissioners have successfully shifted ECan from being a laggard on water management to being a leader, according to Mr Smith.

Partnership model for health sector Hugh de Lacy So-called redevelopment partnerships seem to be the way the Government is choosing to manage major South Island hospital construction contracts, with Dunedin joining Greymouth under such a structure. The Ministers of Health and Finance, respectively Jonathon Coleman and Bill English, have announced terms of reference for the Southern Partnership Group (SPG) that will oversee the $23.4 million redevelopment of Dunedin Hospital. In concert with the group which has lately let a contract to Fletcher Construction for the preconstruction phase of the new $68.1m Greymouth Hospital, the SPG has been charged with governing the Dunedin work and overseeing the business case for the redevelopment of Dunedin Hospital. Up to five members will be appointed to the SPG by the Health Minister, while others will be appointed ex officio from the Southern District Health Board, Treasury and the Ministry of Health. The tasks that the group will undertake include services plans for both the district health board and the hospital, and reports on existing assets’ age

and condition, the feasibility of refurbishing them, and on expansion zones on board-owned land. The longer-established West Coast group has brought Fletcher Construction aboard in an advisory capacity because of its expertise in developing other hospitals around the country, including Christchurch Public and Taranaki Base. Fletcher’s appointment does not include the actual building of the new Greymouth facility, for which tenders have yet to be let. The chair of the West Coast Hospital Redevelopment Partnership Group, Cathy Cooney, told Business South the group structure was “a way of assembling the expertise available for district health boards to assist with projects so as to get the best outcome for the community”. Cooney herself is a director of Kowhai Health Associates, a Rotorua-based consultancy offering services to the public and private health sectors. A fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management, Cooney is a registered nurse and midwife. The chairs of the partnership groups are paid a daily fee of between $500 and $1062, while members receive between $375 and $800. The groups’ operating costs are met by the Ministry of Health.

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NEWS »

Business South November 2015

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Strong interest in industrial port The Carter Group, the developer of the new $500 million Industrial Port (I Port), an industrial and logistics park located on 122 hectares of prime industrial-zoned land at Rolleston, says it is buoyed by the interest the project is attracting.

“The fact that we share a boundary with the Lyttelton Port Company’s (LPC) MidlandPort and provide direct access to that facility is proving a key attraction for a range of potential clients, especially in the logistics and warehousing sectors,” says Carter Group’s I Port Director Tim Carter. “Rolleston is now clearly positioned as the key transport hub for not only Canterbury, but also the whole of the South Island,” he says. The presence at Rolleston of both the LPC MidlandPort and the Port of Tauranga’s Metroport facilities, alongside the I Port and iZone business hub, is a huge boost for the efficiency of transport for businesses involved in exporting, importing, logistics, industrial and agriculture Carter says. The Canterbury region remains one of the country’s top performers, posting 16 consecutive quarters of economic growth. Commodity exports such as dry and refrigerated dairy, frozen meats and vegetables are forecast to keep rising due to new irrigation developments. In Central Canterbury alone 60,000 hectares of mostly dryland farms will be transformed by the Central Plains Water Irrigation scheme, increasing agricultural output by an estimated $264 million per year. By late this year, MidlandPort will have a road shuttle service to the Lyttelton sea port. Direct rail access to Lyttelton Port, commencing in early 2016, will be a key feature of the MidlandPort service unmatched in the Canterbury market, providing customers with efficiencies and cost savings by reducing container handling. Lyttelton Port of Christchurch chief executive Peter Davie says “MidlandPort will improve container freight efficiency, travel time, reduce road congestion and costs for our customers. It will act as a hub for receiving, storing and

The developers behind Rolleston’s $500 million I Port, The Carter Group, have been buoyed by the interest the project is attracting.

consolidating containers and as a distribution point where containers are transferred between trucks and trains.” Davie says over the next 30 years Lyttelton

Philip Carter, LPC Chair Trevor Burt and Tim Carter, I Port director, at the proposed I Port site.

“MidlandPort will improve container freight efficiency, travel time, reduce road congestion and costs for our customers. It will act as a hub for receiving, storing and consolidating containers.” Port of Christchurch will implement its Lyttelton Port Recovery Plan which will see the company develop land and facilities to cater for long-term international trade growth. Carter says the experience of large companies in places such as Auckland who have channelled their operations through an inland port proves the potential for supply chain efficiencies. New Zealand Appliance Company Fisher and Paykel (F&P) found that the move to the Ports of Auckland (POA) inland port at Wiri in South Auckland provided flexibility with the management of containers on its own site, as well as improving container utilisation for the business. “Previously we had a micro-port onsite,” Richard Driver, F&P’s Global Logistics Project Co-Ordinator, says. “But changes to our facility meant we lost the use of that space. The move

to the inland port allowed us to remain efficient in our container movements while taking advantage of the other benefits inland ports offer.” F&P had been looking to future-proof the logistics component of its business, Driver says. A change in the import/export balance of F&P’s operations brought about by increased offshore production reduced flexibility on the company’s own site and they decided to adopt the Wiri inland port solution. More than 60 percent of F&P’s freight is now inbound. “Using the inland port did mean we had to place more emphasis on forward planning,” Driver says. “The result, though, has been improved container utilisation as well as transport efficiencies.” Carter says the proximity of I Port to LPC’s inland port makes staging of containers easier and reduces handling delays.


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NEWS »

November 2015 Business South

Taxing the holiday Commitment, can-do home or boat .... BUSINESS SERVICES » Bonisch Consultants

Holiday homes and boats can tie up a lot of capital. There are weeks and weeks where they sit there idle. Because of this a lot of people will make them available for others to hire to help cover some of the costs. In addition to the revenue coming in there are also tax deductions for some of the costs. The tax rules in relation to assets which have both a private and a business purpose (such as holiday homes, boats or even aircraft) changed a couple of years ago. Under the old rules you could claim some of the costs (interest, depreciation, maintenance) as a tax deduction and offset any overall loss against your other income. Costs were split between private and business by looking at the number of days in a year that the property was being used for private purposes and the number of days the property was available for hire regardless of whether it was actually used This meant that significant deductions were claimed for assets that were mainly used for private purposes (the argument being that when not being used privately they were available for hire). Not any more. If you are still applying this approach then you are doing it wrong! The new rules are known as the mixed-use assets rules. The apportionment is no longer based on how many days the asset was available for hire, but how many days it was hired relative to the total days used. This is a significant change. Essentially the rules can be summarised as: • Expenses directly attributed to renting out the property are deductible • Expenses directly attributed to private use (including where the property is rented to the owner or associated persons at market value!) are not deductible Other expenditure is apportioned based on a formula which essentially prorates on the above two categories based on actual usage – rather than the old approach which was based on available for use

attitude focus for firm

Don MacKenzie

In addition to the apportionment rules, there are also rules that limit the ability to offset any loss resulting against other income. In other words you can’t use these losses to reduce your overall taxable income. The losses are effectively quarantined and carried forward to offset against any income from the asset in future years. This applies where the income is less than two percent of the assets value. There are complex rules to quantify interest deductions available to companies that hold the assets subject to the mixed-use assets rules. If the amount of income from a mixed-use asset in an income year is less than $4000, you can choose to treat the income as exempt and effectively opt out of the apportionment rules. This would mean however that all expenditure will be non-deductible. Under this approach you can essentially ignore the tax implications of owning a mixed-use asset. There are helpfully some further exemptions from the rules: - the asset is a residential property and is being rented out long term - the private use is minor - the main use of the asset is in a business (excluding a rental or charter business) The mixed-use assets rules apply to all holiday homes or land. The rules also apply to boats and aircraft with a cost of more than $50,000. If you have a holiday home and earn more than $4000 from it then you need to consider the above rules when calculating your tax liability for the year.

Karen Phelps Just five years ago, Bonisch Consultants was only involved in the surveying component of land development. Now, the company offers the in-house capability to take a block of land from greenfield to a completed subdivision. One of the company directors, Boyd Wilson, says it has been a natural evolution as the company has sought to take advantage of opportunities in the market. It now assists clients with everything from redefinition surveys for new houses to multimillion dollar infrastructure projects for government and companies. “Changes in land use saw the industry become increasingly multi-disciplinary and, in recognition of this, our services were broadened to include a whole range of professional land development consulting services,” explains Wilson. A privately owned multidisciplinary firm, Bonisch Consultants had its beginnings in 1973 when it was founded by surveyor Noel Bonisch. In 2010 long-term employees Wilson and Craig Ireland took over the reins when Bonisch retired and registered Bonisch Consultants Limited. Based in Invercargill the company also has offices in Te Anau and Christchurch, which opened in 2012, to support the rebuild. Bonisch Consultants employs a skilled team including fully qualified engineers, environmental planners and dedicated project managers. The company’s services include land subdivision, resource management and planning, surveying, land development, building and construction set out, project management and civil engineering. Wilson says that the company focuses on quality and accuracy, using the latest technology to

deliver results with maximum efficiency. Over the years, the company has been involved in many high profile projects throughout the Southland and Otago regions including the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter and Fonterra developments at Edendale, rural subdivisions in the Gibbston Valley and large-scale residential developments in Te Anau, Winton and Invercargill. Wilson says that a can-do attitude and a commitment to personal service has seen Bonisch Consultants build a strong relationship with a number of national clients and today, the company works on a diverse range of projects. For example, the company has been actively involved with Bupa retirement villages up and down the country undertaking all of the land development to the point where construction is ready to begin. The company recently completed the design and earthworks for the Canterbury Soccer Academy and has been involved in the Christchurch CBD verticality surveys for insurance companies, as well as construction set out for new buildings. Wilson says that the company has to be extremely innovative to make projects stack up in Invercargill, which has benefits for clients around New Zealand: “We don’t have the huge population growth and demand here of a city like Auckland, for example. Time is money in land development so we have to look at ways to minimise the cost and stage out the development. This mind-set when transferred to projects in other parts of New Zealand means potentially more profit for our clients.” Bonisch Consultants employs a total of 27 staff and Wilson says the aim is to continue to grow while still providing clients with personal service. “We are very client focused and clients have direct access to the company directors. This is important because accountability is key for our clients.”

Don MacKenzie is a specialist tax partner at the Christchurch Office of Deloitte and can be contacted on 03 363 3819.

Brad and the team are proud to partner with Bonisch Consultants, delivering specialist advice to help them succeed in business.

“The apportionment is no longer based on how many days the asset was available for hire, but how many days it was hired relative to the total days used.”

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HOSPITALITY » The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar

November 2015 Business South

A taste of London in Queenstown Jo Bailey When Pete Jefford was shown into the basement of the old Outside Sports building in the heart of Queenstown late last year, he knew he had found the space for his new hospitality venture, The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar. “It was a unique and sizeable space that provided the opportunity to create a cool, underground vibe, like bars that you would find in some of the world’s bigger cities.” Pete immediately started throwing around some ideas with Chris Stevens, of Aucklandbased design firm CtrlSpace that specialises in the hospitality sector. By the time he signed the lease for the basement space in February this year, his concept for the bar’s fit-out was gaining traction. Originally from the UK he was keen to incorporate some of his heritage into the design, but with the more industrial feel of an underground tube station rather than replicating an English pub. “The design had to reflect that most of the action would happen between 4pm and 4am, although the venue has also been open for lunch.” He is pleased with the transformation of the space, (formerly a bike repair shop) which was completed by Alpine Construction Group under extremely tight time pressure. “We had a deadline of June 18 so we could start trading on opening night of the Winter Festival, which along with New Year’s Eve marks the two biggest dates of the year in downtown Queenstown.” Alpine Construction had already completed the building conversion works for the owners of the building, which included the removal of a large central staircase going through the heart of the structure.

“The design had to reflect that most of the action would happen between 4pm and 4am, although the venue has also been open for lunch.” These reconfiguration works included the construction of a new staircase and entranceway for The London. By early April, the Alpine Construction team had moved onto the bar’s fit out, and with a “can do attitude” managed to meet the deadline. “It was a great effort that included a massive push in the last two weeks, with a lot of extra manpower brought in on site. By that stage we had recruited 20 odd staff who were being trained partly in the business and partly off site. It was a pretty full on period.” Pete says the opening went well, given that “half of Queenstown” was out on the town for Winterfest. “We had some wide exposure in the first couple of nights, which was great.” Response to The London’s menu of “comfort style” food cooked in front of guests in a large, central open kitchen has been positive. “I didn’t want anything too complicated on the menu, as it had to be able to transition easily from early evening offerings into late night.” Since opening The London has introduced its own signature three-foot pizza which is “amazing and sure to be a crowd pleaser”, he says. Pete first got into the hospitality sector in Queenstown when he developed Brazz

The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar has a big vibrant entranceway with music posters plastering the walls, neon signs and a stairwell which has been designed to resemble an underground tube station.

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Business South November 2015

HOSPITALITY » The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar

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The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar has a cool, underground vibe and a large, central open kitchen which offers “comfort style” food cooked in front of guests.

Steakhouse & Bar in 2002, which is still going “great guns” and has firmly cemented its place in the hospitality scene. “I’ve learned a lot over the last 13 years about what works and what doesn’t in this market. “Our audience in Queenstown is fairly wide, as we have a broad mix of transient workers, locals who live and work here, and tourists who stay on average two or three nights.” Three months after it opened he says The London is “evolving nicely”. “Because it is an underground venue, and has some concealment to the recessed entranceway, it is going to take time for the word to spread.

“You can’t buy time as they say.” Bookings for functions and events are growing steadily, which is helping to build awareness and The London’s client base. “We will continue to evolve and do our part well, which is to consistently provide good hospitality by way of service, offerings, attention to detail all in a unique venue. ‘It’s not rocket science, but doing that every day of the year is the challenge and key to what keeps a well-run hospitality businesses at the top of their game.”

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• New bar a popular spot - page 8

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Hospitality » The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar

November 2015 Business South

Bar offers big city, late night vibe Jo Bailey New basement bar The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar has brought a taste of London nightlife to the heart of Shotover Street in Queenstown since it opened in mid June. General manager Peter Robertson says the simple doorway off the street adds a sense of mystery to the venue, and customers have been “wowed” by what lies beyond. “People come through the door and are hit by a big vibrant entranceway with music posters plastering the walls, neon signs and a stairwell which has been designed to resemble an underground tube station. When they reach the bar downstairs they are often blown away by its size and atmosphere.” A mix of steel, concrete, wood, exposed brickwork and wall and floor tiles have been cleverly combined to provide a “funky, industrial” aesthetic and break the vast 400-plus sqm space into attractive zones for dining or catching up over a drink. Seating options include tables, leaners and booths, and even bar stools for those wanting to get closer to the action behind the bar. Services in the cavernous ceiling are fully exposed, with hanging lanterns and lightbulbs further enhancing The London’s industrial flavour, along with an open kitchen area. “A lot of work has gone into the design and lighting, which provides the venue with a cosy, comfortable feel rather than being cold and clubby,” says Robertson. He says The London’s name is in keeping with the bar’s “metropolitan, big city vibe” and has an underground late night venue feel. Food is a “major focus” at The London, with the menu full of items designed to share such as pizzas, flatbreads, sharing boards, London plates and salads, which are available from lunchtime into the evening. A late night menu continues into the small hours. This is when the lights go down and the venue

The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar’s mix of steel, concrete, wood, exposed brickwork and wall and floor tiles provides a “funky, industrial” aesthetic. really comes into its own, says Robertson. “Being in the middle of town gives us the opportunity to trade a bit later. The nights are busy, especially at the weekend. It’s a big place so when it’s full there is no other place like it in town in terms of atmosphere.” Entertainment is provided by a combination of bands and DJs, and The London also hosts other events and themed nights, such as beach parties, ladies’ nights, hospo parties, and a Fiesta Latina event. The venue has a capacity of 275 people and

is one of the few in Queenstown other than the convention centre that can fully cater for over 250 people. “We have already attracted a number of bookings for large groups in excess of 100 people, as well as a ticketed event for NZSki for 250 guests,” says Robertson. There are seven kitchen staff and 18 front of house staff at The London, excluding DJs and security. “Between The London, and owner Pete Jefford’s other Queenstown offering Brazz Steakhouse & Bar,

we employ more than 50 people, which is quite significant,” he says. With the busy spring/summer visitor season underway, Robertson expects more locals to start making The London their regular haunt. “There are so many hospitality options in Queenstown, and new places popping up often, so it can often take a bit longer to build the local market. “However, with our fantastic venue, great food and friendly team we’re definitely attracting a lot more local people.”

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Hospitality » The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar

Business South November 2015

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When the lights go down, The London Flatbread Pizza Co & Bar really comes into its own.

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