Catching up with a few of last year’s winners
Last year, The Industry Awards saw the biggest turnout in entries and attendees in its history, and the addition of NZARH’s Creative category brought lots more winners to the table!
We thought we’d take a trip down memory lane and have a chat with some of last year’s winners. It was particularly nice to see their Industry Awards winner stickers proudly displayed in their windows.
We asked Natasha Bird, M>PHOSIS, how it felt to win the title of Industry Trainer of the Year:
“I’d say it’s the proudest I’ve ever been of anything I’ve won. It’s about taking care of the next generation. It’s not 100% about me, it’s about the future and that’s why we were all so excited!”
Natasha said: “The most amazing thing has been the impact on the clients we already have. They’ve always loved the fact we have apprentices. For them, it’s amazing to see that the people taking care of them and their hair are being trained well.”
Natasha was so proud to be named Industry Trainer of the Year, she had a bespoke sticker made to fit the window at M>PHOSIS. Go Natasha!
Diana Beaufort, Reds Hairdressing, winner of Workplace of the Year loved having all the team at the Awards. “It was such a big buzz for them to be part of that team. It was a win for everyone – you can’t have the Workplace of the Year without a fantastic team and fantastic clients, now can you?”
When asked about the effect the win had on her salon, Diana said:
“Winning just showed that we are doing the right thing and it just makes you want to get better at what we’re already doing. We’re never going to let our standards drop!”
When we asked Patreece Corban, Mancraft Barbers, about her win, she said:
“We were extremely proud to be awarded Best Salon Design Winner 2018. We achieved our vision by not compromising on the fit out. We spent months planning and wanted to create an authentic customer experience.”
She went on to tell us what the win meant for the business: “Our innovative, new age barbershop has only been open for 14 months and our win has given our shop a lot of exposure. We have clients that travel to Mancraft just so they can have the ‘boys club’ experience with a grooming den.”
When asked about the ongoing benefits of winning at The Industry Awards, winner of the New Zealand Hair Salon of the Year, Dave Rogers, Fox Hair Blonde Bar said:
"It has strengthened the Fox brand and also supports our vision of where we want to be in the market place. Most of all it has given our team a sense of pride and ownership of their success, which has resulted in consistency and demand for appointments in the salon."
The introduction of last year’s Creative category gave our industries the opportunity to show off their originality. Kylie Hayes, Moha, winner of last year’s Colour Concept award said:
“To be recognised amongst your industry peers is always such a rewarding feeling. We’re so fortunate to be in such a fabulous industry, built on trust and relationships”.
Another Creative winner was Courtney Taylor, Buoy, who won with the Derek Elvy Visionary Award. Courtney said:
“Being one of Derek’s apprentices, I had a lot of pride in entering this category and winning was the icing on the cake. I think it’s inspired some of the younger apprentices to try and do something different when they enter this year.”
We can’t wait to see the creativity, hard work and style this year’s competition brings!