Most Sustainable Business: Dawn Engelbrecht The winner of the Most Sustainable Business Category is Dawn
Engelbrecht of Safe Kids In Daily Supervision (sKids). "I was honoured to have been nominated for these awards and to
win is just a reassurance that our brand is strong and sustainable. It is really good to take time out to review how you are doing as a business – and to see whether you achieving what you set out to do." sKids provide quality out of school hours care for primary school
children throughout New Zealand onsite at their local school via a network of passionate franchisees, enabling parents to work/study full- time knowing their children are in caring and nurturing environment. sKids care for approximately 3,500 children each day from Whangarei to Queenstown and the business is structured so that any parent can use its services irrespective of their financial circumstances. "My personal vision and goals are closely intertwined with our
business vision. This is essentially what gets me out of bed each day. This may sound corny to some people, but I truly have a passion to make a difference for the children in New Zealand. I love the fact that we can be the bridge between home and school for hundreds of children each day across the country." www.skids.co.nz
Best New Business: Sachie Nomura The winner of Best New Business is Sachie Nomura of Sachie's
Kitchen. Judges appreciated Sachie's vision of creating a debt-free business that included television appearances, branded products and tours. "Winning this award was a milestone for myself and Sachie's
Kitchen and was confirmation to us that we were doing the right thing. It was amazing to receive this award and be recognized. Entering was a check for us to see how well we were doing compared with others. Being a finalist was one thing but to win was a big step. It motivated my staff members as well as myself. As business owners we were so busy that we didn't have time to stop and look back on how the business is doing. Entering these awards is time consuming but definitely worth it." Sachie's Kitchen was established in May 2011 in the Axis building
in Parnell, Auckland, offering classes teaching students how to make Japanese food. As host and teacher, Sachie is positive and bubbly, with a sly sense of humour that immediately puts all at ease, allowing her to show students that Japanese food doesn't need to be difficult. Single classes or whole courses are available. Sushi has long been the preferred lunch option for the health conscious urbanite on the go, and to make this and other seemingly difficult Japanese dishes achievable in an average kitchen is a goldmine. "I have a dream to inspire women both locally and in Japan in that
if you have a dream follow it and take it all the way. Tragic events such as the Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami have shown that life is too short to not take passionate action or have regrets." www.sachieskitchen.com
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