From Vero to Hero - Dunedin wins Business Support award

The Prime Minister Hon John Key presented the Economic Development Unit of the Dunedin City Council with a Vero Excellence in Business Support Award at a black-tie gala dinner in Auckland tonight.

The awards dinner, attended by 600 business leaders, celebrated organisations and initiatives that support business. The local government award won by the Economic Development Unit recognised the effectiveness of a unique fund developed by the Unit. This fund helps organisations apply for research funding and has spent $80,000 to help secure $18,000,000.

Peter Harris, manager of the Economic Development Unit, expressed delight with the award, "This win recognises the innovation and dedication of the EDU team, and Graham Strong's work in particular. Not only this, but it shows how supportive the Dunedin community is to its researchers and business people".

Dunedin had four finalists in the Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards this year including the UPSTART Business Incubator, the Otago Chamber of Commerce, and a joint venture involving the EDU and Chamber.

Entries for this year's Vero Excellence in Business Support Awards were stronger than ever said Bizzone managing director Sarah Trotman. "New Zealand businesses are being well supported by organisations that are not buying into the doom and gloom mentality," she says. "The evaluators were thoroughly impressed by the quality and higher number of entries, choosing winners this year has been extremely difficult."

Dr Graham Strong, who led the winning project for the Economic Development Unit believes the project has highlighted the talent in Dunedin, "Dunedin people can sometimes be a reticent our research support fund helps researchers promote themselves and the results show that our best and brightest can compete for funds nationally and internationally" he said.

Contact details

Contact Peter Harris on 474 3463.

Last reviewed: 29 May 2009 11:43am