Frequently Asked Questions

Entry is open to any sole proprietor, partnership, incorporated society, Limited Liability Company, educational institution, government organisation, charitable or not for profit organisation with its principal place of business based and trading in the Taupō district.

You can nominate a business through our event website or at the launch event on 23^rd February where a nomination form will be available. We will contact the nominee to discuss them entering the business awards.

You are welcome to make more than one nomination. Making more than one nomination does not increase the chances of the nominated business becoming a finalist. Finalist selection is based on the judged entry submission.

No, entering is free

Two categories are compulsory but then you are welcome to enter as many categories as you like. You must enter at least ONE other.

Answer the questions and provide accurate and concise information. Draw upon examples to support your claims. Remember that judges often have a lot of entry submissions to consider, so make it entertaining and informative. Supporting documents are also looked upon favourably to strengthen your entry provided these are relevant. Judges do not want to spend a lot of time reviewing information that is not relevant to the questions. Don’t be shy in contacting your colleagues and clients for testimonials and references.

An opportunity to audit your business. The application process itself can be a wonderful opportunity for carrying out a critical analysis of your business. By carrying out the information gathering and evaluation required to complete the application, you may well highlight some areas you excel in or may need to work on.

Share your story. As part of the process to enter business awards, you’ll need to tell the story of how you started the business, the essence/soul of your business, the products or services you offer, the market/s you cater to, and your “Why”. Your story should be one which others can relate to and which draws the interest and attention of the judges AND your target customers. The awards provide a platform where you can share this story, so you need to make it as compelling as possible while sticking to the truth.

 Boost your profile. If you’re looking to raise your profile within your industry, entering a business award is a great way to achieve this. Those businesses who become winners will receive the greatest recognition and subsequent promotion, but the only way to reach that point is to enter! Even if you don’t win, you can leverage the benefit of being able to call yourself a nominee or a finalist in your marketing.

Increase your credibility It’s well known that customers buy from people they know, like and trust. If you want to increase the number of people who know, like and trust you, the awards are a great vehicle, as they show that a third party (the judges) have scrutinised your business and deemed it to be credible and successful.

Expand your opportunities Those who enter business awards have a greater chance of increasing the opportunities available to them. These may include new business, mentoring or forming mastermind groups among contestants. By networking at award events, you may meet other like-minded individuals with whom you can form a strategic alliance or potential customers, suppliers, and distributors for your business. 

Benchmark your business. When you enter business awards, you have the opportunity to benchmark your business against others in your industry, providing valuable information to assist with future direction and potential growth strategies.

 Its free and You can WIN great prizes! There are fabulous prizes on offer when you enter business awards. Irrespective of the judge’s decision, entering these awards are an opportunity to grow, excel and leverage your business as an award participant

The official deadline for the close of submissions is 5 pm 29^th May 2023

There are two stages to our judging process. Stage one is undertaken by a panel of judges who follow an official entry guidelines manual and a judging matrix to determine our finalists from the entry submissions. Stage two is undertaken by 3 independent, out-of-town, business leaders who conduct finalist interviews and decide the winners and highly commended businesses. These judges will then convene to decide the BNZ Overall Business of the Year winner. We’re proud of the level of business expertise our judges bring to the judging process which provides a robust process and scoring system to determine our 2023 winners.
There will be constructive feedback from judges to all finalists. The feedback is where the gold is – How could you improve? What is missing? Where should you put your focus in the next few months?

We are also adding opportunities to learn, network and celebrate.

Create a login online, go to box on home page HOW TO ENTER. There are some conditions of entry that you need to read and then fill in your contact details, select your categories and you are away!

If you have any questions about criteria and eligibility, please get in touch with our team.

Yes, you are welcome to make your own entry submission or a submission on somebody else’s behalf. Please ensure that permission is granted before making a submission on somebody else’s behalf.

You can log in anytime to amend or add to your submission. A draft is automatically saved but do not SUBMIT until you are sure you have completed.

Supporting documents are not required as part of your entry but will assist the judges. They can include references, testimonials, statistics, and/or video – max 4mb. There is a max 500 word count for each question. The entry must include a ‘financial liability statement’ plus you will be asked to upload three photos and a logo. Supporting documents are looked upon favourably by the judges, so consider their content, relevance, and format.

All information is highly confidential and is only shared with the convenor and the judges for that category. The information is not published, and any permissions would be sought if required.

This is impossible to answer. Follow the tips above to increase your chances. Some categories have many entries, and determining finalists is a very difficult process. We do limit the number of finalists, so if you don’t make it, don’t be discouraged as you may have only just missed out. Remember that you do have to be “in it to win it”!

Sit back and wait, then join us on the 4^th July to learn if you are a finalist. In the meantime, we will:

• Review all submissions against the set criteria.
• Send all submissions to the judging panel for scoring.
• Finalise the scores
• Announce the finalists on 4^th July Finalists Function

There will a Finalist Function at the Great Lake Centre on 4^th July when all the finalists will be announced.

The grand Gala Event where the Awards Ceremony takes place will be on 11^th August at the Great Lake Centre – Formal Attire.

If are a finalist, we will make contact to find out if you are attending the awards ceremony. If you are unable to make the event, we will ask you to provide us with contact details of someone who will attend the event and collect your award on your behalf if you win.