What a day and what a great group of people in one room. The annual Family Business Insights NZ Conference, held in Auckland last week, celebrated family businesses and was a great opportunity for our existing members to reconnect and welcome our newest members to the family. Our speakers entertained and inspired the audience with their stories and actionable strategies. There was a real sense of energy and optimism in the room, despite the challenges and craziness of the last 12 months, both here in New Zealand and globally. Nicole Pluck, the NZ Manager of FBA, opened the conference by highlighting the growth in membership over the last year. With over 200 members and strong growth in Canterbury and Wellington, the association is well placed to continue supporting family businesses. Catherine Sayer, FBA CEO, talked about the growing influence of FBA on policy decisions in Australia. She also highlighted the new title of ‘Minister for Small and Family Business’ in South Australia which reflects a growing appreciation for the role family businesses play in the Australian and New Zealand economies.
The first of two awards, the Founder’s Family Business Award, was presented to Sang and Susan Cho from Annabelles Restaurant on the Bay in Auckland. Sang’s speech honoured his mother who bought the restaurant mainly because she loved the name Annabelle. “My mother was an immigrant from Korea who knew nothing about the restaurant business," said Sang. "I grew up as a little kid watching her work hard to build the business. She’s my hero. She taught me that sometimes you have to push through and get things done." Sang also thanked everyone who supported the business over the last 27 years, “customers who have become our friends." The Legacy Family Business Award was accepted by Jenna Snelgrove on behalf of the Tranzit Group, a 4th-generation family business that celebrates 100 years in business in November. Tranzit Group started in 1925 as a small regional bus service and today it is one of New Zealand’s largest family-owned transport and tourism providers, operating thousands of vehicles across the country. Jenna illustrated the level of commitment and drive that typifies so many family businesses by telling the story of her sister, Renee, who was the youngest woman to receive her bus driver’s licence at the age of 18. Both Annabelles and Tranzit will represent New Zealand at the Family Business Excellence Awards at the 2026 Family Business Conference: Asia-Pacific in Hobart, Tasmania, from May 19-22.
Angus Raine, the first speaker of the day, travelled from across the Tasman to share his wit and wisdom about Corporatising the Family Business. Raine & Horne is one of the oldest and most successful real estate franchises in Australia and recently acquired the Mike Pero business in New Zealand.
Raine noted that, "Family businesses work harder than any other businesses, but that means we don't always have time to look up." He emphasised how important it is to put systems in place so you can get outside input and expertise, whether that’s in the form of a board or working with consultants. “Run your business like a company, not a family picnic,” and when hiring for senior roles, he suggested it is best to "take the surname out of the equation." Angus spent 15 years working for other real estate companies before joining the family business at the age of 35. He suggested that it’s a good thing for the next generation to work outside the family business first to build their expertise and their networks and bring fresh ideas to the business.
Multi-generational family businesses were a big focus of the next panel discussion featuring some of New Zealand's leading wine families. David Babich from Babich Wines, founded in 1916 by his great-grandfather, said that legacy "transcends generations" and is "all about the experiences and values that guide the current or next generation."
David told the story of his Croatian great-grandfather coming to New Zealand with "no money and no language." He planted his first vines when he was 16 and he liked to tell his family that “the first 30 years of building the business was the hardest.” David said he remembers that line when he’s having a bad 30 minutes. "For any business owner, if you think you’re doing it tough, there’s always someone doing it tougher." Karen Fistonich, from Čuvar winery said her job is to “honour what my father created." Sir George Fistonich founded Villa Maria Wines in 1961 and her advice for any families tackling the challenge of transition is to “Start now. Don’t leave it too late.”
Marijana Brajkovich from Kumeu River Wines pointed out that a successful business can make it "very easy to kick the can down the road,” when it comes to succession planning. Regardless of who takes over the business “letting go of the reins and trusting someone else” is key.
Jon Holmes from KPMG discussed strategic restructuring and family governance with Hamish and Simon Plimmer from Plimmer farms. Their father Warren, at the age 59, challenged his sons — both qualified accountants who had shown no interest in farming at that stage — to find a way to leverage the farm's assets to keep the farm in the family. Both Hamish and Simon praised their father’s foresight and vision and explained how they rose to the challenge and grew their asset base. They talked about how helpful it was for their business to establish a board and how their sister Sally was the driving force behind a family council that involves their 11 grandchildren in business and family decisions from the age of 18.
The family worked with an author to write ‘The Plimmer Legacy’, a book that celebrates the family history and heritage. Hamish and Simon said it was a great way to preserve the family values and it was really satisfying to see their children reading the book regularly.
Sacha Coburn provided a rousing close to the conference, focusing on resilience in an unstable world and the mindset required for growth. She shared the humble beginnings of Coffee Culture, started by her husband selling coffee from a small gift shop. Sacha joined when the business had two coffee shops and she has helped grow it to 20+ cafes around the country. She thanked all the taxpayers in the room for helping fund her grant to study in Harvard, a life changing experience. Sacha explained that VUCA is OOC or Out of Control. VUCA stands for the Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous environment that businesses are currently operating in. “When things are hard is when family businesses can thrive," she said because they have a legacy to cling to, while other businesses may feel a bit lost and avoid the hard decisions. She encouraged family businesses to focus on team members' superpowers, not their weaknesses.
Her final call to action was to escape the cult of the average. You can't be a little bit ambitious, Sacha said. “Be Ambitious.” Agility, agency, accountability and action are the keys to driving change and growth in your business. Make quick decisions and stop picking the scab of the past. "We're all capable of so much more,” she reminded the audience. “Celebrate your progress and let the music move you,” were Sacha’s final words. It was a fitting way to end the formal part of what was a wonderful event. The networking drinks and conversation flowed well into the evening as our members reflected on what they’d learned and made plans for what comes next. Thanks to everyone who made our Family Business Insights Conference such a memorable event.
