FROM ‘DAVIDS’ GIANTS GROW
decade, The David Awards have been recognising the unsung heroes in home and small businesses throughout New Zealand – the Kiwi ‘Davids’ taking on the Goliaths of the New Zealand business landscape.
A business which focuses on saving lives, Heart Saver NZ, took out the top spot in this year's David Awards (see our cover story – Ed). Overall, this year's Awards attracted some great entries. Judge Glenn Smith commented that with a record number of entries this year in the Triumph over Adversity Category, it was a particularly challenging category to judge.
"Many of the stories of triumph were harrowing. However, a small number stood out to the judges as truly inspiring," he enthuses.
With the David Awards having completed ten years, organiser Heather Douglas says it’s exciting to see the way the Awards have grown in terms of recognition and credibility over this time.
“It's also inspiring and humbling to see how previous award recipients have continued to grow, with some entrants returning over a number of years and ‘growing’ though the categories – and in this year's case, even taking out the Supreme Award.
“We've also had several past David Award winners going on to achieve tremendous, sometimes international, success.
“One of the things which really sets The David Awards apart is our determination to celebrate ordinary small businesses which are doing extraordinary things,” adds Douglas.
“We try not to let the entry process become a deterrent, and the judges don't look at businesses from a corporate perspective as sometimes corporate criteria aren't applicable to those with ten or fewer employees.
“What we really hope to do is create an environment in which the real little gems can be seen to sparkle, sometimes in spite of some flaws, and we can hold them up to the light and celebrate them.”