John West, EIT|Te Pūkenga Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Technology, presents the Hospitality Star award category at the Napier CBD Star Awards to Teresa Cocktail Bar owners Andrea Marseglia and Sarah Mitchell. Photo by Ruby Bloom Photography

EIT | Te Pūkenga is continuing its investment in local communities by sponsoring two prestigious business awards this year –  the 2023 Napier CBD Star Awards and the Datacom Hawke’s Bay Business Awards.

Local businesses were honoured at separate events earlier this month and EIT | Te Pūkenga was one of a number of sponsors at each event. The Napier CBD Star Awards, with Spark Business Hawke’s Bay as the main sponsor, celebrates the best businesses based in the Napier CBD. The finalists were judged by a panel of business owners and industry experts and were scored on written entries, and site visits where they each had to pitch their business. EIT|Te Pūkenga was sponsor of the Hospitality Star award category. This year’s winner was Teresa Cocktail Bar. The Supreme Award went to Market St.

The Datacom Hawke’s Bay Business Awards is a prestigious awards process that celebrates successful businesses across the region from Wairoa to Central Hawke’s Bay. At the recent awards, EIT|Te Pūkenga was the sponsor of the Excellence in Innovation award, which was won by Wayfinder.

The Supreme Winner of this event was Topline Contracting Limited who won the Outstanding Social Impact award. EIT|Te Pūkenga has a connection with Topline, in that it supports the Topline Academy, an initiative to introduce cadets into the infrastructure industry, by delivering the Infrastructure Works level 2 programme three times a year and engaging their students in other life skills throughout the programme.

 EIT|Te Pūkenga has been supporting the Academy since its inception in July 2022 and have seen more than 60 graduates qualify in the level 2 programme.

John West, EIT|Te Pūkenga Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Technology, said that the sponsorships were an important part of the institute’s involvement in the local communities.

“We are part of our communities as we live and work in them, so we are proud to show our commitment by sponsoring categories in these prestigious awards.”

“Congratulations to all the winners. Hawke’s Bay can be proud of the calibre of businesses that we have in Napier and the rest of the region.”

“These businesses play an important part in our economy and we should all support them and wish them every success.”