Poutama Newsletter
Subscribe | View archive eNewsletters
May 2010
- Kiwa Media – Roger Shakes
- Velvet Stone Media - Lara Northcroft
- Len Grace - Director Koru Group Transport Ltd
- Maori Entrepreneur’s Virtual Community - Ka Pao
- The Big Six - Department of Labour
- Contacts
Kiwa Media – Roger Shakes
Kiwa Media is headed for the London Book Fair this month where international publishers will be able to see the New Zealand company’s e-books and visualise their own work on the iPad using Qbook’s touch-enabled interactive text.
The award winning media company is developing e-books for publishers on multiple digital devices including the iPad.
QBooks are touch-enabled interactive digital colour books for children which are available from iTunes for the iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch devices. Many international publishers, including Penguin, are publishing QBooks.
Kiwa Media VP Business Development Roger Shakes said the gold rush to have e-books ready for the iPad was well underway and it had announced the completion of its Content Universal Tool (CUT).
Shakes said the content migration system gives book publishers an easy route to produce content rich e-books that are fully interactive and optimized for the iPad.
“We have a tool that allows us to establish a media framework and manage the production, design and layout of e-book content for the iPad. When we receive the assets it only takes a few days to create an e-book that is fully interactive and ready for the iPad.”
 |
|
The CUT allows producers to design and layout the fonts of an e-book using any style, color or outline that one would expect to find in a design programme.
The text is fully touch-enabled with Kiwa Media’s Swipe-to-Read, Touch-to-Hear and Touch-to-Spell features.
Using CUT an e-book can be assembled on the iPad simulator before a final build is assembled. The CUT identifies any errors leaving the producer to make changes to the specific file without having to rebuild the entire application.
What is displayed on the screen is a reflection of the final output.
The CUT’s high-resolution media framework creates a consistent user experience across multiple platforms from iPhone to iPad and soon Android and Window’s 7 Mobile.
“The Content Universal Tool removes the need for a developer to be involved in the production of a content rich e-book,” says Shakes. “We can let our creative team design e-books for the iPad without ever reading a line of code.”
The first catalogue of e-books to use CUT is QBook, Kiwa Media’s interactive touch-enabled digital books for children. These QBooks are available in multiple languages and include games and puzzles all designed and built using CUT. Penguin, Huia Publishing and Milly, Molly Holdings are among the first publishers to work with Kiwa Media in producing QBook titles using CUT.
“Publishers were looking for a solution for children’s books that was far more compelling than a black and white PDF,” explains Shakes, “We’ve used CUT to deliver publishers an engaging children’s books with added games in multiple languages. We can now do the same for books in other genres for the iPad.”
Kiwa Media have over 15 years experience in broadcast television production, dubbing and translation and audio production. They are well placed to incorporate these elements to enhance the production of interactive e-books on multiple platforms including the iPad.
The company is opening offices in the USA and UK to meet the demand and growing interest from publishers.
Shakes said Kiwa Media’s partnership with Penguin was a reflection of the ‘new world order’ in digital publishing and signaled the growing importance of the relationship between developer and book publisher.
“The objective with Penguin was to achieve easy entry into the digital arena and be fully prepared for the iPad. We quickly established a business model that was relatively low risk, but with the potential of significant financial returns for both parties,” says Shakes.
“We wanted to offer the consumer an exciting and engaging experience with a product that is high quality. QBook has delivered all this and more. The partnership is working well and I see no reason why Penguin shouldn’t have a range of interactive e-book apps on the iPad in a variety of genres in the months ahead.”
 |
|
Recently released Penguin titles 'Wheelbarrow Wilbur' and 'That’s Not Junk' are followed by two new QBooks from the Milly, Molly series; 'Milly, Molly and Alf' and 'Milly, Molly and Betelgeuse'. The introduction of the Japanese language versions opening the way for more Asian character scripts for release in future QBook titles. The unique spelling functionality of the QBook opens up very exciting possibilities for the Asian languages.
“In the digital world there are no territories so you have to offer consumers content in their localised language to maximize sales,” he says. “We’ve now recorded QBooks in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Maori and Japanese. Next on the list is Chinese where we believe the market for QBooks is going to be huge.”
Kiwa Media will also be at Book Expo America in New York in May.
To learn more about Kiwa Media’s Content Universal Tool visit www.kiwamedia.com
Velvet Stone Media - Lara Northcroft
Iwi: Te Arawa, Tuwharetoa & Tainui
Lara Northcoft says she fell into the business of film and television in the beginning but more than a decade on her passion for the industry, her culture and her hometown have inspired the continued growth of her own successful business.
Based in Rotorua Velvet Stone Media Ltd is a Maori owned and operated independent Film and Television Production Company.
She said after nine years of freelancing, mainly in Auckland because that was where most of the industry was based, her own business was a natural progression.
“I wanted to be in Rotorua, I had a young family and it just made sense.”
Although she said it wasn’t easy.
“You know there’s lots of meetings and more meetings and presentations of ideas and it might take a year or two before an idea reaches fruition.”
She said she always had to keep at it, if she wasn’t working, she was constantly networking and meeting with others in the industry in order to keep relevant and know what was going on.
“We’ve haven’t really got an industry here but we’ve got a number of people in the industry and we all work well together.”
For the four years Velvet Stone Media has been in operation, it has contracted services to a number of Film and Television companies in the roles of Producer, Associate Producer, Production Manager and Researcher as well as being involved in a number of initiatives locally, nationally and internationally.
Velvet Stone Media are also directors of Rotorua’s Magma Short Film Festival www.magmafilm.org.nz which starts on Thursday April 29.
The company was instrumental in setting up community television station – TV Rotorua and were involved with the organisation of the Te Arawa Matariki Festival and trustee of the regional film office – Film Central of which Lara Northcroft is the chairperson.
She is also an executive board member on Nga Aho Whakaari – Maori in Film and Television.
Lara has been part of the production team on a number of short films including the Winter Boy, The Medal, Hawaiiki and Shadows.
Velvet Stone Media has also produced promotional DVD’s for local tourism ventures, filmed special events and provided support in event management for small events held in Rotorua.
Lara said the company was committed to the development of Rotorua and of the wider region.
“We are youthful yet experienced; we are passionate about our craft and strive to create a high quality product. We are bi-cultural with networks in both the mainstream and Maori media. We are passionate about our Maori Culture and capacity building our rangatahi.”
The company is active within the community with fresh innovative ideas and access to a dynamic group of industry practitioners also passionate about working and living in Rotorua and about sustaining a thriving Screen Industry in our region, said Lara.
Currently she is producing a documentary for Whakarewarewa Charitable Trust – The Guiding Legacy. She also has a number of projects, including a couple of international prospects, in the pipeline but because of the confidential nature of them…it’s a case of watch this space.
Len Grace - Director Koru Group Transport Ltd
Koru Group Transport is a unique company representing the bond between tangata whenua and their resources.
According to director Len Grace it underlines the strength that can come from uniting expertise from different lineages for the benefit of people.
The company was formed in April 2008. The name Koru was chosen by one of the group members, a name representing the beginning of a new venture and the unification of its members.
Len said initially their were only five group members.
“We were looking at establishing Maori businesses within the Forestry industry, in particular Log transportation.”
|
He said although there were current Maori owner operators, none of these individuals, or those that were part of existing consortiums, were prepared to offer any opportunities to new businesses.
Murupara, Len’s hometown was in the heart of the Kaingaroa Forest. Many of the group’s families have been involved in this forest since its first plantations and continue to be today.
This is currently part of the Central North Island tree lords deal. Len said he the remainder of the group were fortunate enough to be beneficiaries or part of this collective deal.
“When we first put this idea together, none of the above had happened. Nor did we know about this deal. However, we had an idea that if we put something together that was based on our land shares that were tied up in forestry, just perhaps that may give us a bit of leeway regarding entry into this industry, and looking ahead, with the aim to be part of that forest.”
He said next they had to figure out how we were going to put this venture out there.
“I had recently completed my business plan, and wasn't till I had a good look at the contents of my business plan I realised it actually provided the basis from which we could present something to someone.”
They decided to do a presentation to the trustees of these forestry blocks that they had affiliations, including locals that they invited who would help put the idea out there, by simple conversation.
“The presentation day was held at our marae where an estimate 100 plus people attended. We provided for the day. The presentation was a success with the trustees actually supporting our venture.”
Te Manawa o Tuhoe Forest, in particular Ruatoki Valley was the first place to provide opportunity to four of our members, said Len.
“Fortunately for us part of the process had been partially set up for us. We eventually had to do the final negotiation, with the forestry company that manages the trees.”
He said because the land belonged to Tuhoe and the trees to another partner, this was what was to provide the catalyst for the group.
The negotiation process was a stop start affair and it was proving to be a difficult industry to gain entry into.
“One of the reasons was that this forestry company was not prepared to start new businesses and they had their preferred cartage contractors, and no way were they prepared to take the risk, and give us that opportunity.”
But common to most leases which have forestry invested on Maori land that their first and foremost be contractual or employment opportunities to share holders.
“All this happening and we didn't have trucks! To make matters even worse, we were n the middle of the recession, and we were finding it hard to get finance.”
They were fortunate to have legal representation that prepared the group for negotiation.
“That was our strategy prior to meeting with these companies. We were required to provide our Health and Safety, Policies and Procedures, Sufficient insurance cover for this industry, a business plan and a feasibility study.”
Koru Group Transport Ltd finally signed its first contract in December 2008 on Christmas Eve!
“And we still had to get a truck for a January 6th start, 2009.”
They all ended eventually getting finance through a Company in Auckland and commenced their first contract in March 2009.
Our second contract started the following month of that year with another forestry company in Waiohau Valley, providing work for the remainder four contractors.
“We now have a fleet of 13 trucks.”
Koru Group Transport has seven shareholders with no fixed price to it.
The Governance of this group is collectively decided with one Director.
There are two shareholders who are included in, and are part of their negotiation team with a further two as co - coordinators for the two contracts that it currently holds. They are the groups contact and communication links between the forestry companies for Koru.
Koru meets once a month and this ensures consistency in the company’s operations.
All of its managerial and administration duties are done on a voluntary basis. All its contractors pay a standard monthly fee into an account which is distributed back into the community.
Len said Koru Group Transport was about to commence a small woodlot job, which was on the small scale compared with our other contracts, nevertheless, it was such small blocks that made up the greater proportion of Forestry.
“We have recently been offered another work opportunity that we are still investigating. If this comes to fruition, then our group will expand outside our rohe, which will include and create opportunity for other Maori businesses outside our area.
Len acknowledged the financial assistance that the group had been given, and the support it had been provided.
He said this support had ensured that dreams like theirs were made a reality.
It is hoped that with the growth and expansion of this group that further opportunities will be created.
“We took advantage of something that had been sitting dormant and under our noses for a long time, so rather than let someone else do the work, we now are,” said Len.
Maori Entrepreneur’s Virtual Community – Ka Pao
Phil Broughton, Te Kupeka Umaka Maori Araiteuru (KUMA) – Project manager
Ka Pao! It means to strike and that’s the name and impact it’s hoped a new Maori website aimed at Maori entrepreneurs and business people will have once it’s released to the market.
Phil Broughton and Te Kupeka Umaka Maori Araiteuru (KUMA) was contracted by Poutama to assess the feasibility of developing a centre for Maori entrepreneurship. KUMA engaged Polson Higgs to undertake project management, and a core Reference Group was established. The Refernce Group contained representatives from Ngai Tahu, the University of Otago, the Dunedin City Council and NZTE.
The aim of the Maori Entrepreneurship Centre was to address the recognised need to provide better support and assistance to emerging and established Maori entrepreneurs, and to tap into the internationally high levels of entrepreneurship among Maori.
The exact nature of the Centre was not specified in the original project brief, but it was expected that, because of the wide geographic distribution of Maori entrepreneurs, the Centre would be located in a “virtual” environment utilising on-line resources, rather than being a physical centre. It was agreed that the project would have much wider applications if a virtual centre was developed i.e. a web based community for Maori entrepreneurs.
The research began in November 2008 with a series of meetings between parties to agree to the scope, infrastructure, stages and timeframes. Once a project plan was finalised a contract between one of the project partners Taylormade Media Ltd, who are one of New Zealand’s leading multi-media companies, and KUMA was signed.
Phil said the project included two stages. Stage one involved researching the content and features through wider stakeholder entrepreneurs.
Stage two involved refining the content and features through wider stakeholder input, and development of a business case for ongoing sustainability of the Centre.
The development of Ka Pao was an interactive process over five months, with the site constantly changing to reflect input from the representative key stakeholders including the interviewees, the working party, Taylormade personnel and the reference and focus groups.
Ka Pao was initially loaded on to a dedicated laptop to be reviewed outside the Taylormade environment, and then went online in a limited capacity for further comment.
Terry Perkins from Taylormade Media Ltd was the developer of Ka Pao.
He said intent of Ka Pao was to provide a social networking website for Maori entrepreneurs.
It intended to provide an easy signup process, a degree of personalisation and a feeling of community.
“It should also provide a central place for normally disparate information that is of interest to the target audience. Important also is the ability for the site to allow opinion, discussion and debate to take place in a secure environment.”
New members can create and edit their Profile page (which includes fields for an avatar, overall description, personal details, interests, member connections, etc) and start their own Blogs and/or join a Blog Group. The Blogs supports images, sound and video as well as text - and can also be shared out to other social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Blogs are a major feature of the site.
Private Messaging between members is accessible through the Profile pages.
Terry said there were also Members' Forums where topics can be freely discussed – the Forums also support images, sound and video as well as text. There is an Editorial section for more in-depth coverage of people/issues and this content allows for more bells and whistles than the Blogspace.
Ka Pao supports RSS which is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries.
“We bring in NZ and International News, Maori related news, Companies Office News, Parliament News, NZ Business News and International Sharemarket News in our NewsFeeds section. Blog and Editorial content from the site can also be fed out. Our Weblink categories presently include Government Departments, Planning and Investment, Maori Media Organizations, Maori Business Groups and Research Resource links, said Terry.
Other features of the site included tag clouds, sitemap, site search and member search.
Phil said Ka Pao’s point of difference was that it would be the paramount web community and business networking specifically targeting the needs for Maori entrepreneurs. It would be created for and by Maori entrepreneurs through their active participation in providing content, support and mutual inspiration.
He said the project had now been handed back to Poutama and his hope was that someone would take it to the next level.
“I’d like to see someone own it and implement it. We’ve proved it is feasible, now we want to see someone run with it.”
During the course of this feasibility study Phil said offers had been received for the hosting of Ka Pao from both the University of Otago and University of Auckland. These offers were likely to remain on the table and should be explored by a new governance or management group.
He also said it was important to acknowledge the Ngai Tahu origins of the whakatauki from where the name Ka Pao was derived, and ask that the governance group who progress the virtual entrepreneurs’ community seek the formal permission of the iwi before this name is used within the public domain.
Maori Entrepreneur’s Virtual Community – Ka Pao, is one of the Maori Participation in Regional Economic Development projects. For more information on the projects view the February newsletter
The Big Six - Department of Labour
The Department of Labour has produced a new resource called the Big Six. This resource assists small and medium businesses manage employment relations and health and safety.
WHY SHOULD I READ THIS?
The Big 6 covers areas which employers commonly seek information, and as well as checklists detailing the main things employers need to know, there are also links to information and areas of further support. The Big 6 is divided into the following key areas:
Health and Safety
Businesses with good health and safety management practices encourage staff retention and increased productivity and efficiency. Safe and healthy work environments assist to avoid costly and tragic work accidents. The Health and Safety Guide will take you through the key steps associated with good health and safety management.
Recruiting
Businesses recruiting and hiring new employees, whether full-time, part-time, permanent, casual, or fixed-term employees will find this guide a useful resource. It will help with finding the right person for the job, and providing a base for building a good employment relationship. The Recruiting Guide will take you through the four main stages involved in hiring new employees.
Pay
Businesses employing staff will find this resource useful in understanding minimum pay entitlements, ensuring the correct calculation of wages, keeping accurate records, and minimizing employment relationship problems. The Pay Guide will take you through the three main steps in paying wages.
Holidays and Leave
Businesses which manage holidays and leave and ensure employees have time to rest and attend to personal and family matters, often find an increase in employee loyalty, reduced staff turn over, and increased productivity. The Holidays and Leave Guide will take you through the five main steps in managing holidays and leave for employees, whether they are full-time, part-time, casual or fixed term employees.
Performance Management
Businesses which manage performance using a fair and clearly defined process may avoid problems later. Ensuring employees understand what is expected of them will enhance their contribution to your business, helping you to achieve your business targets. It is also more likely to result in higher productivity and motivation through increased job satisfaction. The Performance Management Guide will take you through the four main steps involved in performance management.
Ending Employment Relationships
Businesses have a core requirement to act in good faith and to follow fair and reasonable processes. Employment relationships that are ended fairly by following a correct process helps to avoid costly mistakes. The Ending Employment Relationship Guide will take employers through ways of ending an employment relationship by way of: resignation, retirement, restructuring and redundancy, and dismissal.
The Big 6 helps employers, particularly those with small and medium businesses, to understand the law relating to employment relations and health and safety. For further information on these guides visit; www.dol.govt.nz/big6
Contact Us
Tom Manaena, Commercial Manager ( 021 538 838 or 04 495 1132) – Tom is responsible for the finance, investment and accounting side of the business and also spends a lot of time out on the road covering the lower North Island, Auckland, Hawkes Bay, Central and Upper South Island regions. He also deals with clients at all levels and in all sectors.
Oscar Nathan, Business Adviser ( 021 801 559 or 07 348 8903) – Oscar covers the wider Bay of Plenty and East Coast regions and deals with clients at all levels and in all sectors.
Vonese Walker, Information Manager ( 021 683 681) – Vonese covers the Northland, Auckland and lower North Island regions. She deals with clients at all levels and in all sectors.
Gail Maxwell, Office Manager ( 021 375 090 or 04 473 2652) – Gail is often the first point of contact for Poutama clients. She also supports Tom with the accounting function and provides back up to all of the team.
Kylie Stafford, - Communications, ( 021 494 977 or 03 570 5333) – Kylie is responsible for Poutama’s newsletter and communications. Feel free to make contact with her with any relevant information or networking events for publication in the newsletter.
Richard Jones, CEO ( 021 619 075 or Skype richtj) – Richard looks after the national and international stuff, strategic issues/relationships/development and also deals with clients at all levels and in all sectors.