Three Tauranga businesses are in the running to be named ‘best workplace in New Zealand' according to the JRA Best Workplaces Survey 2010.


Sonia Lynds, David Mortimore, Vicki Semple, Dave Clarke and Kirsten McLeod from Bay of Plenty Sport, a finalist in the Best Workplace Survey 2010.

Brookfields New World, Footsteps Education and Sport Bay of Plenty are all finalists in the competitive survey that has a nationwide total of 35 finalists across four different categories.

These categories are based on business size; small workplace, small-medium workplace, medium-large workplace and large workplace.

Sport Bay of Plenty is in the small workplace category and in a cruel timetable clash, won't be attending the awards ceremony being held next week at Auckland's Langham Hotel.

Sport BOP community manager Heidi Lichtwark says the organisation has a meeting with stakeholders that day creating the clash, but the team is still hopeful they will win the prize.

She says they are not surprised they're finalists because Bay of Plenty people enjoy what Bay Sport does.

'There's a variety of reasons we think we're finalists but the main reason is because the Bay of Plenty is such a great area and we're about getting people active and a lot of people enjoy doing that too,” says Heidi.

The nationwide survey is of employees who are given the chance to anonymously give feedback on where they work and their employers. It's from these results that the finalists were picked.

In the small-medium category is Footsteps Education, an early childhood education service with a support office based in Tauranga.

Director Clyde du Toit says the company is honoured to be made a finalist.

'It's fantastic. We have our national conference next week, then we'll drive to Auckland for the awards.

'It'll be a fantastic culmination of our national conference.

'It's amazing just to be recognised and anything more would be a bonus.”

The awards are nothing new for Brookfields New World which is returning to the ceremony for the fourth time.

Personnel manager Heidi Allen says the supermarket has a strong workplace culture and the people who work there are what make it unique.

'We're not perfect. The reason we do the survey is for a reality check to see how we're going and where to improve.”

The awards ceremony is on Thursday, November 11.