Otago is a great place to do business. The gold rush in the 1860’s gave the province a prosperous start, and the education focus that was so important to early settlers of Dunedin continues to underpin the regions ongoing success.

We have everything here – from a large primary agricultural sector to unparalleled scenery on which we’ve built New Zealand’s premier tourist destination and a world leading tech sector… the list goes on.

Sometimes we forget to celebrate this; we have a tendency to not want to put our heads above the parapet in fear of the kiwi affliction – tall poppy syndrome.

The Westpac Otago Business Awards is about having the courage to turn the tall poppy syndrome on its head and celebrate the incredible number of innovative, passionate, creative and downright gusty people and businesses, whom call Otago home.

Held biennially, the Otago Chamber of Commerce is proud to deliver the 12th awards, in what marks 22 years since the awards first began. Otago is home to many great businesses and the Awards are an opportunity to showcase their stories to a wider audience.

Any Otago-based business can enter the Awards as long as they have a story to tell about their business and why they deserve recognition. In 2020 we are acknowledging the “journeys” of our businesses from those starting out to those that have reached their destination.  We know that the journey is not always straight forward, that there are road bumps along the way, changes in plans, and possibly a few storms to weather.  2020 has been a challenging year for business and we feel that at the end of a tough year we will want to celebrate business successes and look towards a brighter future.

Businesses entering the awards gain extensive publicity during the awards programme. The entry process also provides a great opportunity to focus on your core strengths and competitive advantages plus review and document achievements and milestones; analysis leads to knowledge which leads to understanding which leads to improvement.

If you would like to nominate someone for an award, please email: [email protected] and we will make contact with them to inform them they have been nominated and send them the entry form to fill out.  Nominations are confidential, but you are welcome to let the organisation know you’ve made the nomination and encourage them to enter.

We will give you guidance to help you determine which categories you should enter and provide any other assistance you may need.

After the awards, the Otago Chamber of Commerce provides an opportunity for ongoing business mentoring assistance.

If you have any questions please contact Sarah Rickerby, phone (03) 479 0181 or email:[email protected]