Editorial: Cheers to more success

OPINION: There was a common and positive thread through yesterday's Waikato Times.

On Page 7 we profiled Wintec chief executive Mark Flowers, who is credited with lifting the performance bar there. The main business page discussed the latest venture of a Wintec business graduate, while our business tabloid The Biz looked at the impact our tertiary institutions have had in helping Hamilton take a lead role in the digital revolution.

Wintec old boy Luke Howard-Willis' latest innovation is alcohol fuelled: he has taken his 1-day.co.nz site to another level by offering wine online in the same way he markets other products – at discount prices for just 24 hours. So popular has been the launch of 1-day cellar that on its first day 24,000 bottles of Marlborough wine were sold online in just two hours. After yesterday's offering was put up, the site was getting about 1000 hits an hour for the first four hours.

1-day cellar is a spin off of 1-day.co.nz where, at noon, three items are put on the market at a cut price. The concept has proved so successful that the 1-day site is among the most viewed in the country. The company from which it grew, online bicycle and cycle equipment seller Torpedo7, has been among the fastest growing companies in the country. Howard-Willis says the 1-day site is New Zealand's second most visited website behind Trade Me, and that it overtook Torpedo7 late last year in sales and visitor numbers. Not bad for a company which was formed just six years ago by Howard-Wills and his father Guy. The three arms of the company have created hundreds of jobs.

The Biz made the point yesterday that while the Waikato was famous for it cows, the potential of its digital business was not getting the same recognition. Not that this is an entirely new phenomenon. Telecommunications company Endace was established almost 15 years ago at Waikato University. It is now a world leader in network traffic capture and analysis, valued at around $300 million, based in Auckland, listed on the London Stock Exchange and turning over $50 million a year.

The story also told how another Hamilton-developed company, Enlighten Designs, which specialises in web and software design, has bucked the recession trend by taking on more staff and looking for bigger premises. That company was also founded by a Waikato University graduate, Damon Kelly.

Last December more than 100 of Hamilton's digital entrepreneurs and businesses attended the first Digital Industry Forum to be held in the city. The digital industry is shaping as one with the greatest potential for growth in the Waikato and it is getting a boost thanks to the combined efforts of the Hamilton City Council, Wintec, Waikato University, Soda Inc and Opportunity Hamilton. The Waikato is a leader in using internet for business, and a reason for that is the talent at our tertiary centres and support provided by business groups. Here's a toast to the movers and shakers responsible.

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