Congratulations to Mission Bay Café, who took out the Supreme Award at the first ever Ōrākei Local Board Business Awards, held last night at the Ellerslie Event Centre.
The public cast an impressive 6325 votes, helping secure their favourite local businesses a winning spot in the six main categories.
"Ōrākei Local Board was very impressed by the quality and depth of entries from businesses in the awards. Congratulations to all the finalists and especially the winners of the major categories," says Ōrākei Local Board Economic Development lead Ros Rundle.
Ōrākei Local Board Chair Kit Parkinson says Mission Bay Café holds a special place in the Mission Bay community.
“The winner, Mission Bay Café, is a fantastic example of a long-standing business thriving through its customer service and engagement with the community,” he says.
Almost 300 businesses were nominated for the awards by the public, from which 53 finalists were selected. The final winners in each of the six categories were chosen based on the results of a visit from a mystery shopper, votes from the public, and an assessment of their written entries by local business identities.
“We were keen for the awards to not only be about celebrating local business success but also to assist businesses in some way,” says Ms Rundle.
“With this in mind, we passed on all the feedback from the mystery shoppers to each of the finalists. Six businesses got 100 per cent on their mystery shopper score, which is pretty impressive.”
Mr Parkinson says the board decided to hold the event to bring the business community together.
“We wanted to bring the four big business associations together – Mission Bay, St Heliers, Ellerslie, Remuera – but also make sure we reached out to the businesses outside these areas. This has been a really valuable event, and has really helped our local businesses to build their networks,” he says.
The event was initiated by Ōrākei Local Board and sponsored by local businesses including Gold Sponsor Barfoot & Thompson Remuera and Silver Sponsor Urban Partners.
Full list of award winners
Barfoot & Thompson Supreme Award
Winner: Mission Bay Café
Business & Professional Services
Winner: Lets Talk! Mortgages & Insurance
Highly Commended: AML Loans
Highly Commended: The Business Alliance
Health & Beauty
Winner: Mortimer Hirst
Highly Commended: Simply Fit Gym
Hospitality – Licensed
Winner: Mission Bay Café
Highly Commended: Ampersand Eatery
Hospitality – Non-Licensed
Winner: Movenpick Mission Bay
Highly Commended: Sebastians Boutique Café & Catering
Recreation & Leisure
Winner: YMCA at the Ellerslie Recreation Centre
Highly Commended: SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s
Retail
Winner: Maman Boutique
Highly Commended: Crisp Home + Wear
Highly Commended: Hedgerow – Gift and Homewares
Special Awards
Environmental Excellence Award: SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton’s
Community Excellence Award: Ellerslie Jewellers and Engravers
Excellence in Business Culture Award: Simply Fit
Remuera Golf Club People’s Choice Award: Sebastians Boutique Café & Catering
