{"id":618968,"date":"2026-10-03T01:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T01:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618968\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T01:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T01:02:09","slug":"donovan-group-named-supreme-winner-at-2026-northland-business-excellence-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/618968\/","title":{"rendered":"Donovan Group named supreme winner at 2026 Northland Business Excellence Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"

The company faced strong competition from the 50 entries, with finalists and winners making a big leap in overall quality in the last two years<\/a>, said senior judge adviser Pauline Rose.<\/p>\n

The black-tie awards ceremony at Whang\u0101rei\u2019s McKay Stadium brought together 356 guests from around the region to recognise the achievements, ambition and resilience<\/a> of businesses and individuals from Tai Tokerau.<\/p>\n

NorthChamber interim chief executive Tim Robinson said the awards gave an important opportunity to celebrate exceptional local businesses<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur winners set high standards and show others across Northland what is possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBusiness is not for the faint-hearted, and we are immensely proud of every entrant for stepping forward and contributing to a stronger, more capable and resilient Northland.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Whang\u0101rei-basedWhang\u0101rei-based construction solutions company Donovan Group won the supreme award this year.<\/p>\n

Donovan Group also won the Visual Tech Northland Excellence in Business Large Business Award and the WorkSafe Work Health & Safety Award.<\/p>\n

It won the top Northland Business Award in 2015<\/a> but had developed considerably since then, including expanding into Australia and North America.<\/p>\n

Another key winner was Walter \u201cWally\u201d Yovich, who was posthumously inducted into the Northern Advocate Business Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

At the other end of experience, Nike Rosenthal and her employer, Roof Bay of Islands<\/a>, won the Ministry of Social Development He Poutama Taitamariki Award (Youth Employee and Employer of the Year Award).<\/p>\n

The judges said Rosenthal showed courage, adaptability and a willingness to learn as a young mother entering a traditionally male-dominated industry, with Roof Bay of Islands\u2019 flexible, family-friendly approach enabling her to flourish.<\/p>\n

\"NikeNike Rosenthal and her employer Roof Bay of Islands won the youth employee and employer of the year award.<\/p>\n

Whang\u0101rei cafe Hello Pickle<\/a> won the More FM Customer Choice Award for the second year in a row, with an \u201coverwhelming number of votes\u201d from customers, the judges said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom their great coffee and delicious handmade kai to their friendly service and unmistakable personality, Hello Pickle continues to make every visit feel like more than just a coffee stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Artisan sauce and relish company Wild West Gourmet<\/a> won two awards: the tlc4u2 Excellence in Business Micro Business Award and the Northland Regional Council Excellence in Sustainability and Climate Action Award.<\/p>\n

Dargaville-based non-profit Greenways Trust<\/a> was named WRMK Employer of the Year, with the judges impressed by the trust\u2019s dedication to fostering inclusion and support within their Greenways wh\u0101nau.<\/p>\n

The NorthChamber Best Emerging Business Award was awarded to Jansen Flooring.<\/p>\n

\"WildWild West Gourmet owners Debbie McQuillan (left) and Graeme Bratty won awards for best micro business and excellence in sustainability.<\/p>\n

Whang\u0101rei community performance space OneOneSix<\/a> won the EMA Excellence in Business Small Business Award.<\/p>\n

Kerikeri company Flood Roofing won the Northport Excellence in Business \u2013 Medium Business Award.<\/p>\n

WADPA (Whang\u0101rei Academy of Dance and Performing Arts)<\/a> won the Creative Northland Excellence in Creative Industries Award.<\/p>\n

The Northland NZ \u2013 Jeroen Jongejans Innovate Northland Award was awarded to North Interiors for its innovation, NorthApps, which could have application beyond the business.<\/p>\n

The One NZ Best Digital Adaptation Award went to Criminal Defence Investigations New Zealand<\/a> for its purpose-built case management platform.<\/p>\n

The Business Coaching New Zealand Voucher was awarded to Northland Mobile Windscreens for help with its 2027 awards entry.<\/p>\n

Denise Piper is a news reporter<\/a> for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The company faced strong competition from the 50 entries, with finalists and winners making a big leap in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2246,1975,10779,1558,138,1853,1656,53055,16417,209,374,10136,111,139,1067,69,384,30617,3502,30246,1361,31090,6123,10508],"class_list":["post-618968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-2246","tag-at","tag-awards","tag-been","tag-business","tag-central","tag-company","tag-donovan","tag-excellence","tag-group","tag-innovation","tag-named","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-northland","tag-nz","tag-people","tag-striving","tag-success","tag-supreme","tag-that","tag-treats","tag-while","tag-winner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=618968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/618968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=618968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=618968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=618968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}