New Zealanders, particularly those in the south of the South Island, are not good at talking themselves up when it comes to business endeavours.
While there is collective pride in the achievements of sporting teams, there seems a reluctance to praise success in business.
The annual release of New Zealand's richest business people, for example, often draws derisory comments. The question needs to be asked: why?
Without economic success, New Zealand turns into forgotten islands at the bottom of the globe, reliant on the goodwill of others.
Successive governments have pushed the high technology, added value, side of the economy, but it has taken more than a generation for this mantra to even begin to take hold in the public psyche.
So it was refreshing last week when the Westpac-Otago Chamber of Commerce OBiz awards were celebrated in Dunedin and the community was able to see just what the province offers in a business sense. (What many people will obviously not see is the number of entries received from which the judges could choose. There are always winners, of course, but in the case of the business awards, finalists and other entrants often come through in later years to claim major regional awards.)
This year, Whitestone Cheese, from North Otago, won the supreme award. Whitestone Cheese was formed out of the need to diversify a farming operation to counter a downturn in farming and a harsh drought.
From setting up in a garage and producing one variety, Whitestone now has a new purpose-build manufacturing facility employing 50 people and producing more than 20 varieties of cheese - some of which is exported.
Whitestone Cheese's Simon Berry, son of founder Bob Berry, who oversees the business management, cheese-making team, marketing and production of the business, told those in attendence at the award presentation he was humbled by the win, paid trubute to the company's excellent staff and explained they work hard to add value to an already quality product.
Whitestone's win was not only recognition of a clever company with quality staff working hard to climb to new heights and find new markets, but also demonstrated how important the regions are to the economic success of the province.
And who could argue the choice of Michael Stedman as business personality of the year? His work in keeping television and documentary production alive and well in Dunedin is inspiring.
He took a group of television employees who most expected to be made redundant and formed them into a world-beating unit. The success of the high technology enterprises now operating out of Dunedin owes much to the groundwork he laid from 1987 onwards.
Mr Stedman says he knew if he wanted to live in the city of his birth and choice then he needed to create a job for himself. Fortunately, he did just that and helped create jobs for many others in the city.
There is also a future business leader category in the OBiz awards. This year it was won by Zoe Hobson, a driving force in film-making in the city. After surviving producing I Survived a Zombie Holocaust, Ms Hobson is now negotiating internationally on sales and distribution deals. (Incidentally - and encouragingly - the three finalists in the future business leader category were all young women.)
Like Mr Stedman did in the past, the latest generation of business leaders now need to turn their attention to how they grow their own businesses while looking ahead for job creation opportunities.
We often hear stories relating to the difficulties of business life in the South, but many regional concerns have survived tough times of late and emerged with stronger balance sheets.
The South can and does generate millions of dollars for the New Zealand economy and is a place in which many first-rate people choose to call home.
With good people and a physical environment second-to-none, there is no reason Otago cannot continue to produce world-beating business endeavours in the future.
