Ashburton District Council today announced a partnership with ANZ for its inaugural Business of the Year Awards. The awards will be held in February 2022 and seek to celebrate excellence, innovation, and business success within the region.

ANZ Senior Manager Michael Royston said ANZ was proud to partner with the Ashburton District Council to support the awards.

"The Ashburton District is home to innovative, world-class businesses and these awards are a fantastic way of acknowledging and celebrating their achievements.

“The business community has shown incredible resilience as we’ve managed through Covid-19. ANZ has been proud to play a part in supporting our customers with services, products and lending to help them manage challenges and continue to grow.

“We know many business owners have found the last year tough going and taking time to celebrate success in our local community is really important,” Mr Royston said.

Entries for the awards are open now and close on 30 November 2021.

The awards are open to any Mid Canterbury-based business and offer an opportunity to showcase their success to a wide audience.

There are six primary categories which businesses can enter. They are Excellence in Primary Industries, Export, Tourism & Hospitality, Manufacturing, Not-for-Profit and Technology and Innovation.

In addition, there will be a Future Business Leader Award, Supreme Business Excellence Award, and a People’s Choice Award for Retail.

Category finalists will be announced in December 2021 and the category winners will be revealed at a gala evening to be held on 18 February 2022.

Voting for the People’s Choice award runs from 1 August until 30 November 2021 and is by free text to 4196. This category is open to any business in the retail sector, including store, online, and franchise operators.

The entry process is simple and provides each business with an opportunity to focus on its core strengths and competitive advantages, plus review and document achievements and milestones.

For further information visit the ANZ Business of the Year awards website (businessoftheyear.nz).