Staff Conference 2018 – Hinewai Reserve and Akaroa, Banks Peninsula

The Enviro-Mark Solutions team spent a wonderful two days in Banks Peninsula for this year’s staff conference.

The conference included a guided trip to the Hinewai Reserve, a social evening with dinner and a strategy and future planning session for Day 2.  Here are the highlights of the two day conference -

Day 1: Hinewai Reserve

The team assembled at the Hinewai Reserve on Thursday morning and we were adamant at leaving no one behind, so even Sue (who away) joined us as a cardboard cut out .

Receiving us was none other than the legend himself, Hugh Wilson, the reserve manager. Hugh gave us an insightful peek into the ecology of Hinewai Reserve, how the project came to be, and what they have achieved over the last 30 years.

The team then went on a guided walk  with Hugh leading the pack.

We witnessed the viewpoint of Mikimiki Knob and took in the gorgeous sights along the way.

After a pleasant 3 hour walk the team was enthused, rejuvenated and ready to take on the rest of the conference in Akaroa.

Day 1: Social evening in Akaroa

We were fortunate to be able to use the boatshed in Akaroa as our venue for the rest the conference.

We gathered at the conference venue to begin the evening with light beverages, canapes and some good old-fashioned team building, followed by a much awaited team dinner.

Day 2: Down to business

After a fun start to the conference, now was the time to get to work as a team. New ideas, perspectives and strategies emerged as our senior leadership team guided the  us through the various sessions..

So what was our take-home from the conference? Let’s hear it from the team -  

“I had a great time over the two-day conference! Hugh was a delightful host at the Hinewai Reserve and we couldn’t help but be mesmerised by the brilliance of the native forest regeneration project.” – Ashish Kundalkar, Marketing & Communications Executive

“It was great to gather the team in one place, I really enjoyed spending some social time with my colleagues. The other highlight was seeing how Hinewai has evolved over the years” -  Josephine Rudkin-Binks, National Sales Manager

"Excellent staff conference - exploring strategic opportunities at such a magical place! So privileged to be part of such a cool and inspiring team!" - Ronja Lidenhammar, Technical Account Manager

“Our recent staff conference was a really gratifying experience to be involved in the strategic direction of our company! I am very grateful to have been involved and to be working with such inspiring colleagues coming from a variety of background, with amazing experiences” - Helene Pacalin, Technical Account Manager