Entries now open for 2024 business awards
August 10, 2023
A veritable who's who of local businesspeople gathered at the Ashburton Event Centre last Thursday to celebrate the launch of the 2024 ANZ Business of the Year Awards.
The awards were developed by Ashburton District Council in partnership with Ri Ra Events to celebrate the innovation and success of Mid Canterbury's businesses. Entries
are open now. The award categories have been expanded for 2024, following feedback from the 70 entrants in the inaugural awards in 2021. Some categories break down into small or medium/large businesses.
Category winners and a supreme winner will be announced at a gala dinner on Friday 23 February, at the Ashburton Aviation Museum’s huge super hangar.
The awards acknowledge diversity in business, as well as recognising new businesses and emerging business leaders of the future.
Categories:
- Excellence in Primary Industries
- Excellence in Export
- Excellence in Technology and Innovation
- Excellence in Customer Experience
- Excellence in Environmental Sustainability
- Excellence in Workplace Wellbeing
- Emerging Business Award
- Excellence in Community Impact
- Emerging Business Leader Award
- Excellence in Business Leadership
- Excellence in Manufacturing
- Excellence in Retail and Hospitality
- Excellence in Tourism
- Excellence in Professional Services
- Supreme Business Excellence
Mid Canterbury’s event management and promotions company Rí Rá Events, working in partnership with the Ashburton District Council has picked up a prestigious New Zealand Events Association (NZEA) award for, “Best Local Government Event” for their production of the ANZ Business of The Year Awards 2024. Rí Rá Events attended the NZEA awards gala dinner in Palmerston North on Tuesday 27 th August to collect the award. The event also received “special mention” in the “Best Business Event” category on the evening. The ANZ Business of The Year Awards was held in February 2024 at the Ashburton Aviation Museum and 375 guests attended the gala awards dinner. The overall objective of the event was to promote the Ashburton District as a great place to do business. Rí Rá events have already commenced work on the 2026 Business of the Year Awards event welcoming ANZ Bank onboard once again for the journey. Speaking about the awards, director Colm McGrath said, “We’re delighted to win a New Zealand Event Association Award for this event. We believe it proves that Mid Canterbury can and does deliver great events. It was a pleasure to work with the economic development and events team from Ashburton District Council on this project” Rí Rá events & Ashburton District Council were shortlisted as finalists in July and competed against the following events, Local Wild Food Festival, Whakatāne District Council, Taste Hastings, Hastings District Council , TSB Festival of Lights Winter Pop Up, New Plymouth District Council and Waitangi Day 2024, Porirua City to win this award. Founded in 2019 by two Irish kiwis, Gary Manning & Colm McGrath Rí Rá Events produces and promotes events predominantly in the Mid Canterbury region. It’s key clients include The Embassy of Ireland, The Ashburton District Council, ANZ Bank, Ashburton Toyota and The New Zealand Law Society. The phase Rí Rá roughly translates from Gaeilge to English as ‘fun’.
The ANZ Business of the Year Awards, a joint venture between Ashburton District Council & Ri Ra Events has been shortlisted as a finalist for Best Business Event and Best Local Government Event in the New Zealand Event Industry Awards 2024.
Ōpuke Thermal Pools and Spa, sourced by the mountains and powered by the sun, has been crowned the Ashburton District's supreme winner at the ANZ Business of the Year Awards 2024.
