Scholarships for success

Win a Fiji business retreat

Corporate wellness event Nurture Change Business Retreat is giving away four fabulous opportunities to get up close and personal with some of New Zealand’s best business minds.

Now in its second year, the fiveday event, held at a luxury retreat in Fiji, is designed to help corporates recharge, learn, network and be inspired.

Founded by Sunday Star-Times columnist and business coach Zac de Silva and lifestyle entrepreneur Steve Pirie, Nurture Change has 13 confirmed speakers including top business people, an Olympic gold medallist, authors and health experts.

The organisers are hoping to attract 250 guests to this year’s event, being held at the five-star InterContinental Golf Resort & Spa from November 2-6.

Nurture Change is giving away four ‘‘scholarships’’ worth around $4500 each. Each scholarship includes airfares for one person, four nights’ accommodation, including breakfast, lunch and dinner (excluding drinks), access to the speaker, health and wellness and morning fitness sessions, and question and answer sessions with business leaders.

To enter, applicants needed to explain in 250 words why they deserve a scholarship.

De Silva said scholarships will be awarded in the following categories: under-25s, education, innovation and general.

Speakers at Nurture Change this year include businesswoman Diane Foreman, Icebreaker founder Jeremy Moon and Olympic champion Hamish Carter.

Foreman is the founder and owner of the Emerald Group. Last year it sold its subsidiary, Emerald Foods, which included brands such as Killinchy Gold, Movenpick and New Zealand Natural, to an overseas company.

Foreman was 2009 E&Y New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, was named by Forbes magazine in 2014 as one of the most powerful women in Asia and was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business in 2011.

Last year she released her book In the Arena – a guide for what it takes to succeed in business. Her Nurture Change presentation will focus on how to build a company that takes on the world.

Moon will present on how to succeed as a New Zealand exporter – something he is wellversed in, having built merino clothing company Icebreaker from the ground up.

The company now has more than 450 employees worldwide, with offices in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Moon now works as Icebreaker’s executive chairman and creative director, focusing on product innovation, brand and marketing.

He was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2008 for his services to business and chairs the Government’s Better By Design group.

Carter will discuss how to reset the clock when things don’t go to plan.

The gold medallist from the 2004 Athens Olympics competed on the international triathlon circuit for 15 years. He also won 13 world cup races and a bronze medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

He was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005. De Silva said a long list of speakers had been lined up for the event over the next three or four years. ‘‘They’re quite varied in different topics so you get a good sprinkling of stuff,’’ he said. Pirie said speakers were open about the mistakes they had made, which provided useful learning for guests. ‘‘We wanted people with runs on the board who have experienced the ups and downs,’’ he said. This year Nurture Change has released an app, which allows guests to know who was attending the event and include their contact details. It also allows guests to submit questions to speakers and message other guests. ‘‘It’s just a way to know who’s there, communicate, give feedback and be more well informed on what’s happening,’’ De Silva said.