The name Christie tied itself to the electrical business in a small way 29 years ago.
Back then it was just Les, a Mazda ute and a garage at home. Today the company is son and daughter in law Brent and Megan and a staff of 30.
 

Small business is a critical part of New Zealand's economy and the constant challenge facing many of our small businesses is how to grow into world class companies.

Changing Gears: How to Take Your Kiwi Business From the Kitchen Table to the Board Room by David Irving, Darl Kolb, Deborah Shepherd & Christine Woods (Auckland University Press)

At last, a practical guide to one of New Zealand’s biggest business problems: How can we grow our small to medium sized enterprises [SMEs] into world-class companies?
 

With David Irving, co-founder of ICEHOUSE and honorary professor of enterprise and management at the University of Auckland, and Bernie Crosby, founder of ProLife Foods. (duration: 21′44″)

David Irving is one of four Business School academics to produce a new business publication (to be launched next week) called Changing Gears. This book is being described as the essential introduction to growing your Kiwi business.

Mike talks to David about anything and everything to do with business.

For Andrew McClurg it was a case of ‘third time lucky’ getting on The ICEHOUSE Business Growth Centre’s Owner Manager Programme.

Farmworks Precision Farming Systems was named the 2009 winner of the New Zealand Agritech Inc. Commercialised Innovation Award for their cutting edge Feed Reader at the organisation’s recent Fieldays Annual Dinner.

"On reflection I think it was a really sensible, safe and solid plan that gives me a lot of confidence," says Andy Hamilton, chief executive of business growth centre The ICEHOUSE.

New Zealand is the nation built on number eight fencing wire. It's the country that runs on the smell of an oily rag, that prides itself on punching above its weight on the world stage. Heck, once upon a time, one of us split an atom.

HOW MANY globally competitive companies do we have? How many more do we need? How do we help them become so?

Opinion piece: There's an expression from Britain's distant past class system, "Noblesse Oblige". I've often wondered how it should be pronounced, but I am very clear on what it meant...

Gilpin Travel was recently confirmed as the official travel sponsor of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards for 2009.

Managing business in recessionary times calls for a combination of robust management skills and a positive attitude in the face of adversity.

For Waikato farmer David Peacocke, attending the ICEHOUSE agribusiness programme three years ago changed him from being a manager or worker in his business to being a leader of a growing organisation.

How do you design a retirement for yourself while at the same time ensuring the future of the business? Who do you turn to for advice?

This is the third part of our series on how firms can improve their performance.

Back in 2000 when the idea of The ICEHOUSE was hatched as a business growth centre to help more New Zealand companies succeed at home and internationally, I had no idea of the goldmine we had discovered.

Kiwi ingenuity has long been a hallmark of New Zealand farming life.  Agribusiness owners have no excuse for putting off their ideas and dreams if they are willing to invest in themselves.

Farmer Nick Whisker has been thinking laterally about his business.  Jill Galloway talked to him about farming and the course that helped him see sense.

The first lesson you might learn in Dr Christine Woods' classroom at the University of Auckland Business School's ICEHOUSE Agribusiness programme is not to try the "I'm just a dumb farmer" routine.