Te Awamutu Business Chamber

We're excited to launch a new section in our Chamber newsletter called "Member Spotlight"- dedicated to celebrating our members and their business stories. We'll also feature your story on our page! If you're keen on being featured, email a brief blurb and photo to [email protected].

We're celebrating Member Spotlight by introducing some of our Chamber team - and what better way to start than with our Chamber Chair, Maria Heslop.

Born and raised locally, Maria has deep roots in our community. When she isn't leading the Chamber, she supports clients across the Waikato-King Country as an Investment and NZX Adviser with Craigs Investment Partners.

Through her work, Maria proudly gives back to local sports, environmental projects, the arts, charities, and women’s organisations.

She truly believes the Chamber is the heart of a thriving business community - a place where people come together to learn, collaborate, and grow.

We are so lucky to have her passion and leadership!

Photo credit: Ryan's Daughter Photography by Kate Ryan. Kate is your go-to for incredible business branding and personal photography!

A massive shout out to Letitia and Maia from IRD for the awesome session on tax for small businesses. They kept it simple, relatable, informative and interesting - and we're certain our members got a lot out of it.

We're keen to get IRD back for more practical sessions, so please let us know what topics you're keen to learn more about by emailing [email protected].

Special thanks to our Chamber photographer Kate from Ryan's Daughter Photography by Kate Ryan for taking yesterday's snaps, we'll share them soon. For now you can enjoy our amateur photos!

And last, but certainly not least, thanks to our members for coming along. We appreciate the energy and enthusiasm you bring to our events.

A massive congratulations to FreshChoice Te Awamutu for such an incredible achievement!

Last week they attended the Annual Fresh Choice Conference 2026 in Melbourne, and they didn't win one, not two, but THREE awards! 🏆🏆🏆

🥖 Bakery Department of the Year
🥗 Ready to Eat Department of the Year
📱 Social Media Award

On top of that, they were also nominated for:

⭐ Service Deli of the Year
⭐ Local Community Award
⭐ Customer Service Award
⭐ Store of the Year

Congratulations to James, Vanessa and the team for such a remarkable achievement!

You've made us here at the Chamber, and I am sure the rest of TA proud!

🎉 AMAZING. INCREDIBLE. WE WON!!! 🎉

Last week, we attended the Annual Fresh Choice Conference 2026 in Melbourne, and what an unforgettable experience it was!

Guess what? We didn't win one, not two, but THREE awards! 🏆🏆🏆

🥖 Bakery Department of the Year
🥗 Ready to Eat Department of the Year
📱 Social Media Award

On top of that, we were also nominated for:

⭐ Service Deli of the Year
⭐ Local Community Award
⭐ Customer Service Award
⭐ Store of the Year

Eight years ago, we started a journey to make Fresh Choice Te Awamutu the very best it could be. To be standing here today with these awards and nominations is beyond our wildest dreams.

We could not have achieved this without our incredible team. Every single person who turns up each day, works hard, cares for our customers, and takes pride in what they do has helped make Fresh Choice Te Awamutu what it is today. These awards belong to you. Thank you!

To our customers, thank you for your loyalty, friendship, and support. We appreciate every one of you, and we're truly grateful to be part of this amazing community.

And the celebrations aren't over yet... we have something planned for next week, so stay tuned! 🎉

THANK YOU! ❤️

A massive thanks to Jarrod and Melissa from Findex for the interesting and informative Link Lunch today.

Melissa Vining, Partner at Findex HR and H&S Solutions, was an incredible guest speaker and she kept our members captived the entire time. Her passion and knowledge of HR & Health and Safety is phenomenal!

It was a great practical session that covered the latest legislative changes, recent case law, and strategies to keep our business compliant and competitive. We're certain our members got a lot out of today's lunch.

Also, a big shout out to the team at Peach and Porker Bar & The Long Acre Grill Restaurant for the awesome venue and yummy food.

And last but certainly not least, our fabulous event photographer Kate from Ryan's Daughter Photography by Kate Ryan for taking some great snaps. Note, the pics in this post are from amateur photographer Fran 🤣

Stay connected to your local business community by subscribing to our newsletter. We will keep you informed on upcoming events, networking opportunities, and the issues that matter most to you. Click here to subscribe - https://tinyurl.com/chamberupdates

Huge thanks to our incredible local businesses for supporting our recent Beer + Banter + Better Business event! We couldn’t have offered such wonderful prizes without you. A massive shoutout to Noel Leeming TA, Wright Fishing & Outdoors, Get Out Escape Rooms NZ and The Regent Theatre Te Awamutu for the awesome giveaways!