Export NZ

ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards 2026

Mar 23, 2026

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  • ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards 2026

ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards 2026

ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards 2026

The ExportNZ ASB Hawke’s Bay Export Awards is returning in 2026 to celebrate the successes of local businesses on the world stage. The Export Awards is a celebration of outstanding exporters in the Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne regions and their contribution to the wider economy.

These awards are a recognition of the incredible mahi of exporters across the Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay region, who continue to deliver excellence in spite of several challenging years. They also provide an opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing among exporters and other businesses in the export eco system.

The awards are a great way to not only celebrate businesses making their way on the world stage but to also acknowledge the people who make a real difference to the export community.

Enter the Awards


Key dates

  • 25 March: Category entries open
  • 10 June: Category entries close
  • 22 June – 3 July: Judging period
  • 6 July: Finalists announced
  • 30 July: Gala Dinner

A word from 2025’s ASB Exporter of the Year winner

Winning the ASB Exporter of the Year 2025 year was a huge recognition for the ABB team in Napier. We’ve tripled our throughput and built something genuinely impressive. Now we’re hungry for more. What excites us most? This award has put a spotlight on the weightless export sector and the real economic impact we’re driving across New Zealand – at both regional and national levels. And we just got started!  We’re poised for much further growth, and with it comes tremendous opportunity for NZ businesses up and down the supply chain. The momentum is real, and 2026 is going to be even bigger. Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Sander Stork, GM Local Product Group Manager – ABB

Our 2025 category winners

Award categories

ContainerCo Best Emerging Business

ContainerCo Best Emerging Business Award recognises success by net return to the New Zealand economy for businesses with a total annual revenue under NZD $7 million.

Detailed Entry Criteria:

1. The businesses eligible to enter will have been engaged in generating significant export earnings for that business and New Zealand up to NZD $7 million.

Examples of businesses that ARE eligible include:

  • Any manufacturer and exporter of products
  • Any marketer who exports someone else’s products
  • Any exporter of services. This includes bringing people to New Zealand, e.g., tourists or

Examples of businesses that ARE NOT eligible include:

  • Importers of goods or services
  • Unrelated companies which supply product(s) for someone else to export
  • Traders who solely buy finished product(s) in one offshore country for sale in another

If unsure of your company’s eligibility ask—

Is this business receiving a significant part of their turnover in foreign currency and are they doing at least one of the following:

  • Marketing overseas?
  • Travelling offshore to promote the company?
  • Appointing offshore representation?

2. The business must administer and manage the export operation from within the catchment area detailed on the Administration of export operations include:

  • Any export business owned and operated in the catchment area
  • Any business exporting products produced in other regions providing the trading is managed from the catchment area
  • Any subsidiary of a business located elsewhere provided that the catchment area subsidiary manages its own exports

3. ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay has sole discretion to accept or decline an entry.

T&G Global Best Established Business

T&G Global Best Established Business Award recognises success by net return to the New Zealand economy for businesses with a total annual revenue of over NZD$7 million.

Detailed Entry Criteria:

1. The businesses eligible to enter will have been engaged in generating significant export earnings for that business and New Zealand over NZD $7 million.

Examples of businesses that ARE eligible include:

  • Any manufacturer and exporter of products
  • Any marketer who exports someone else’s products
  • Any exporter of services. This includes bringing people to New Zealand, e.g., tourists or

Examples of businesses that ARE NOT eligible include:

  • Importers of goods or services
  • Unrelated companies which supply product(s) for someone else to export
  • Traders who solely buy finished product(s) in one offshore country for sale in another

If unsure of your company’s eligibility ask—

Is this business receiving a significant part of their turnover in foreign currency and are they doing at least one of the following:

  • Marketing overseas?
  • Travelling offshore to promote the company?
  • Appointing offshore representation?

2. The business must administer and manage the export operation from within the catchment area detailed on the Administration of export operations include:

  • Any export business owned and operated in the catchment area
  • Any business exporting products produced in other regions providing the trading is managed from the catchment area
  • Any subsidiary of a business located elsewhere provided that the catchment area subsidiary manages its own exports

3. ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay has sole discretion to accept or decline an entry.

ZIWI Excellence in Innovation

The ZIWI Excellence in Innovation Award recognises success in developing and commercialising innovation in international markets; incorporating intellectual property, strategy, processes and monitoring.

Detailed Entry Criteria:

1. The businesses eligible to enter will have been engaged in generating significant export earnings for that business and New Zealand.

Examples of businesses that ARE eligible include:

  • Any manufacturer and exporter of products
  • Any marketer who exports someone else’s products
  • Any exporter of services. This includes bringing people to New Zealand, e.g., tourists or

Examples of businesses that ARE NOT eligible include:

  • Importers of goods or services
  • Unrelated companies which supply product(s) for someone else to export
  • Traders who solely buy finished product(s) in one offshore country for sale in another

If unsure of your company’s eligibility ask—

Is this business receiving a significant part of their turnover in foreign currency and are they doing at least one of the following:

  • Marketing overseas?
  • Travelling offshore to promote the company?
  • Appointing offshore representation?

2. The business must administer and manage the export operation from within the catchment area detailed further below

Administration of export operations include:

  • Any export business owned and operated in the catchment area
  • Any business exporting products produced in other regions providing the trading is managed from the catchment area
  • Any subsidiary of a business located elsewhere provided that the catchment area subsidiary manages its own exports

3. The business must demonstrate a product, pathway, positioning, promotion or pricing approach that is innovative in the way in which it has been applied in the business.

4. ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay has sole discretion to accept or decline an entry.

NZME Service to Export Award

 

The NZME Service to Export Award recognises and honours an individual, who may or may not be directly involved with exporting, but in the view of the judges has made a significant contribution to exporting success of others in the region.

This individual will have:

  • Made an outstanding contribution to exporting success within Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne (or both).
  • Assisted or is assisting in developing international recognition for Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne (or both).
  • May have provided mentoring or assistance to other exporters
  • Entry into this award is through nomination only.

Detailed Entry Criteria:

  • Entry into this award is through nomination only, you can nominate yourself.
  • Entrants in the ‘Best Emerging Business’, ‘Excellence in Innovation’ and ‘Best Medium to Large Business’ categories may also enter this award.
  • A nominee may come from any Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne/ Tairawhiti based company and hold any position within that company.
  • Nominations are confidential.
  • ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay has sole discretion to accept or decline an entry.
  • Email your confidential nomination, outlining why this person should be considered for the Services to export awards to [email protected]

Napier Port Unsung Heroes Award

Every successful enterprise has a visionary leader to whom the accolades normally fall, but the committed people who implement their vision through growth, often go unnoticed.

The Napier Port Unsung Heroes Award provides an exporter the opportunity to recognise an individual within their own business who makes a huge contribution to their export success. These nominees are often the unsung heroes of your business and may sit at any level within your organisation.

The information to be provided by the Nominator is designed to provide judges with insight into the individual Export Achiever Nominee’s contribution to export processes, products or technologies, team dynamics and ultimately result in export growth and profitability.

Detailed Entry Criteria:

  • Entry into this award is through nomination only, you can nominate yourself.
  • Entrants in the ‘Best Emerging Business’, ‘Excellence in Innovation’ and ‘Best Medium to Large Business’ categories may also enter this award.
  • A nominee may come from any Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne/ Tairawhiti based export or related services company and hold any position within that company.
  • Nominations are confidential.
  • ExportNZ Hawke’s Bay has sole discretion to accept or decline an entry.
  • Email your confidential nomination, outlining why this person is an unsung hero to [email protected]

Exporter of the Year

The winner of the ASB Exporter of the Year award will be one of the winners from the previous four categories and will have demonstrated sustained and outstanding performance and results in terms of:

The business will have demonstrated sustained and outstanding performance and results in terms of:

  • Earnings, growth and profit
  • Leadership and direction
  • Excellence in marketing
  • Strategy and business planning
  • Commitment to quality management
  • Governance

 

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