Entries open May 7th - Watch this space!

Entering the Main Awards has never been easier!

The Awards are here for 2025, ready to champion the businesses that are embracing today and leading tomorrow.

Whether you’re established or emerging, this is your chance to put your business forward for the recognition it deserves!

Our simple entry form is quicker than ever to complete - answer a few questions about your business and what you’ve achieved - then send it in!

Entries are open from May 7th until the 29th of June, 2025.

For all key dates, please see - About The Business & Innovation Awards Page.

We can’t wait to get into our 31st season of celebrating innovation and those who are shaping the future of business excellence across our districts.

This year the Electra Business & Innovation Awards are FREE to enter!

Award categories

Industry categories

  • Manufacturing, Production and Processing

  • Hospitality, Entertainment and Tourism

  • Construction and Trades

  • Retail

  • Professional and Business Services or Technology

  • Not for Profit, Community and Public Services

  • Consumer Services

Sub-categories

  • New/emerging (Less than 3 years in operation)

  • Small business (0-11 FTE’s)

Special Awards

  • Innovation

  • Environmental Sustainability

Electra Business of the Year

Hall of Fame

For full category definitions - click here

Why enter the Main Awards in 2025?

✨Validation for your business

✨Marketing opportunities

✨Industry expert feedback

✨Free to enter

✨Simple entry process

Profiling for your business in 2025!

Entrant profiling

Added to the BKH website

Added to an email campaign

Social post on Facebook and LinkedIn

Press release out to media

Entrants event – attendance and opportunity to speak

Finalist profiling

All entrant profiling plus..

Social post on Facebook and LinkedIn

Added to a finalist email campaign

Added to our website

NZME – pull out feature on finalists; they will be approached potentially for editorial and for paid advertising opportunities

Press release out to media

Awards Night – inclusion in the programme, Emcee mention and AV inclusion.

Winner profiling

All entrant and finalist profiling plus..

Social post on Facebook and LinkedIn

Added to a winners email campaign

Added to our website

Press release out to media

Awards Night – Same as finalists with the addition of a stage speaking opportunity, further AV inclusion and winners’ photos.

You’re invited to the 2025 Launch event!

May 7th, 5.30pm at Māoriland Hub, Ōtaki.

Click here to register now. Nibbles, drinks, and all the info you need to enter for 2025 awaits!

  • Heather Hutchings has been business coaching for 28 years, her specialty areas being strategy and focus planning, objectives, goal setting and implementation. As Heather puts it, business is what she does business is all she knows.

    Heather started her journey with the Electra Business Awards as an assessor in 2015 and in 2019, Heather became lead assessor. Heather has been on the BKH board for 6 years and has been very involved with the establishment of the new Business and Innovation awards alongside Antony Young and Chris Barber. Heather took on the position of the business awards mentor in 2022.

    Now, Heather is excited to be the Lead Judge of the 2025 Electra Business Awards and looks forward to working with her fellow judges to support and celebrate local business excellence.

  • Steve is an experienced corporate executive and has worked across a range of industries and different-sized businesses. He has been on the board of BKH for over 8 years and previously worked for Electra—our naming sponsor—for 8 years as the Deputy Chief Executive.

    Steve is CA qualified and is a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand professional body.

    Steve recently joined Chapman Upchurch Accountants as the Director and Principal.

    Steve has a real passion for business growth and excellence and really enjoys working on mergers and acquisitions

    Steve has a keen interest in cycling both on road and off road and is a strong supporter of the local cycling clubs.

Click here for the 2025 Terms and Conditions for the Electra Business & Innovation Awards.