11 December 2018
The inaugural New Zealand King Salmon Aquaculture Excellence Awards (AEA) were held at the Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim on Friday evening.
Over 170 guests from our Aquaculture division and beyond were dressed to impress and ready to celebrate the team’s success and achievements.
The theme of the evening was ‘Life Underwater’ – UN Sustainable Development Goal 14; an appropriate choice for the division so critically involved with that area of our business. The venue decor wowed guests with blues, whites and coral-like flower arrangements.
Local Chef Mark Diu prepared Ōra King TYEE sashimi for guests to sample on arrival – many of the team having never had the opportunity to try this prized fish before. A sumptuous three course feast followed, served with wines from local Marlborough vineyard Allan Scott.
Thirteen awards were given out over the course of the evening, some awarded to individuals and others to entire teams within the Aquaculture division. There were substantial prizes associated with each award, with finalists and winners receiving a monetary reward in addition to their trophy.
Over 250 award nominations were received from all corners of the business and the AEA organising team were blown away by the inspiring nominations and examples of teamwork and best practice.
“The future of our Aquaculture division and therefore our business is in very good hands” says Grant Lovell, Aquaculture Production & Planning Manager for New Zealand King Salmon.
These internal Awards were created to recognise and reward the best of the best within our Aquaculture Team and to place Aquaculture in its rightful place at the very core of our company. After all, without the amazing efforts and commitment of this division, we would have no fish and therefore no business.
CEO & Managing Director of New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS), Grant Rosewarne stated in his welcome speech: “The Awards recognise that Aquaculture, more than any other division within New Zealand King Salmon, literally has to ‘invent the wheel’ because, in the world of the King salmon species, there is no one more advanced than them to forge the path forward. Aquaculture must ‘write the book’ whereas the rest of us in our chosen professions, tend to have the luxury of reading it.”
These Excellence Awards will be an annual event which will roll out to other divisions within NZKS and we expect them to grow in stature and gravitas over the years. Each year we will adopt a different theme in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we have commit to.
Click here for a full list of the AEA categories and winners.