Business South Waitaki navigator Rebecca Finlay said she felt proud to be part of the region, as she reflected yesterday, on the celebration which took place in Oamaru on Saturday night.
More than 200 people associated with local businesses attended the 2022 Waitaki Business Awards at St Kevin’s College auditorium, with precision cutting firm AcuCut taking out the Supreme Award, along with Best Manufacturing Business of the Year.
This was the second year the awards had been held, but the first under the Business South banner, after the Oamaru Business Collective and Business South merged earlier this year.
The evening was more than just a celebration of business, but also showed how businesses built community, and how they "give back", Mrs Finlay said.
"Looking at the diversity of people in the room was really, really cool.
"So many of the sponsors and the winners talked about the community as the setting for the success of their business, and that was pretty special as well," she said.
AcuCut owner/operator Matthew Melton said the award was "completely unexpected", even though his company had made the trophies for the winners and runners-up in each of the eight categories.
AcuCut graphic designer Kathryn Swann had the final task of lasermarking the winners on each one the day before the event, and had kept his win in the Manufacturing category a secret.
The winners of each category were eligible for the supreme award, which was decided on the night by public vote.
All the suppliers for the event were local, Mrs Finlay said.
"They were all exceptional to work with, and generous with their ideas and their time. I felt proud to be on a table with my colleagues and board, from Dunedin that attended. I felt really proud of our vendors."
Business awards
| Winner | Runner-up | |
| Manufacturing | AcuCut | Whitestone Cheese |
| New / emerging | Jessica Flora | Awamoa Sanitation |
| Hospitality / tourism | Valley Views Glamping | Nest Treehouses |
| Trade / logistics / distribution | Plunket Electrical | McBrimar Homes |
| Professional / community service | Snap Fitness Oamaru | McKenzie & Co Ltd |
| Agricultural | The Natural Dairy | Topflite |
| Shop | Hyde Boutique | Delectables Bakery |
| Customer service personality | Bevan Smith at Riverstone Kitchen | Mandy Wong at North Otago Pharmacy |
| Supreme | AcuCut | The Natural Dairy |
