KVC entrepreneurs find colour of success

Kaikorai Valley College pupils Phil Wilson (16), Michael Turner (16), Niam Chronican (17), Ethan Duff (17), Curtis Beaumont (16) and Chris Berry (17) who won the top award at the Otago Region Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme for creating a colouring book with pictures of Dunedin tourist attractions. Absent: Damon Reid (17). Photo by Linda Robertson.

The Kaikorai Valley College Young Enterprise team has created The Colourful Dunedin Book - a colouring book featuring selected Dunedin family attractions and discount coupons for visiting those attractions.

The pupils' initiative won them the top award at the Otago Regional Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme prizegiving ceremony last week.

NAMCAP NZ personnel director Curtis Beaumont said the initiative was inspired, in part, by the economic recession which gripped the nation earlier this year.

"In this time of recession, we thought it would be a good time to boost tourist numbers in Dunedin.

"We made it a colouring book so that kids could twist their parents' arms to visit the places in the book.

"It's interactive and everyone benefits - children who colour it in, the clubs who sell it for us to raise funds, the businesses who have it in their shop's toy box to keep kids occupied while their parents do business, and it also helps the tourist attractions which appear in the book."

Curtis said the secret to their enterprise success had been good teamwork, meeting deadlines and a genuine love of their product.

The team will now represent Otago at the New Zealand Young Enterprise Scheme national final in Wellington on November 4. Although they are well prepared and looking forward to representing Otago, they will be going into unknown territory.

"This is the first time Kaikorai Valley College has reached the national final. We're not really sure what to expect or how well we will do, but we are confident," he said.

The boys were delighted with their success so far, based on the high level of competition they had experienced. In Otago this year, nine secondary schools were represented by 109 pupils who formed 15 companies creating products ranging from fudge to socks.

It has been a successful year for Kaikorai Valley College with another of the school's Young Enterprise teams - Etched Icons - winning the Sustainable Business Award at the Otago Regional Lion Foundation Young Enterprise Scheme prizegiving.

Company directors Allison Wallace (17), Anna Benjamin (17), Ashley Rogan (18), Nick Garner (17), Kellie Walker (17) and Tim Lungley (16) won the award for producing etched glass and wood coasters using recycled glass and rimu.

The Young Enterprise Scheme is a learning experience for senior secondary school students who form a company; become directors; develop products and services, which they market and sell; and keep any profit they make, within a single school year.

Curtis said their venture had been so successful, they hoped to continue their company next year and produce another colouring book featuring different Dunedin landmarks.

The enterprise could be expanded to cover landmarks from other areas around Otago and New Zealand, he said.

The prizes presented at the regional awards this year were: sustainable business award: Etched Icons (Kaikorai Valley College); best annual report: NZatp (St Hildas Collegiate School); best marketing plan: NAMCAP NZ (Kaikorai Valley College) 1, Lucrative (Columba College) 2, PRO 2009 (Mount Aspiring College) 3; most innovative product: Pause (Otago Girls High School); best financial performance: Lucrative (Columba College) 1, NZatp (St Hildas Collegiate School) 2; excellence in business award: NAMCAP NZ (Kaikorai Valley College); best oral presentation: NAMCAP NZ (Kaikorai Valley College); most potential for investment: Pause (Otago Girls High School); best business plan: NZatp (St Hildas Collegiate School); 2009 overall Otago winner: NAMCAP (Kaikorai Valley College).

- john.lewis@odt.co.nz