Business Success Stories
Success grows here.
From tech innovators to tourism trailblazers, the Eastern Bay of Plenty is home to businesses that consistently punch above their weight - grounded in community, driven by purpose and reaching well beyond our shores. These are the stories of bold thinkers, makers and entrepreneurs building the future right here in Whakatāne.
Looking for inspiration, a spark of partnership, or the next big idea? You’ll find it here.
Mānuka Performance is a Whakatāne-based, global-facing R&D, manufacturing and export company producing high-value nutraceutical products targeting sports performance and recovery, human health, pets and other high-growth segments. Founded by locals Tristan Vine (Tūhoe, Ngāti Kuri) and Jeremy Gardiner (Ngāti Awa), Mānuka Performance is redefining the honey sector through science-backed, research-led innovations that address global needs. What began as a local idea has become a global brand, with exports now scaling into the USA and several Asian markets. Their values-based ecosystem creates a strong value proposition rooted in mātauranga Māori, led by data and supported by science. Mānuka Performance proves that modern innovation and traditional knowledge can work hand in hand, right here in the eastern Bay.
Curious? Read about Manuka Performance here.
Crafted for the sea, anchored in Whakatāne
From a small boatbuilding operation to New Zealand’s most awarded aluminium boat manufacturer, Extreme Boats has always kept its home base in Whakatāne. Established by Glenn and Diane Shaw in 1998, the company has become a major industry force, now producing over 200 boats per year with a highly skilled team of around 90 staff.
All aspects of a build are carried out on site, from design, cutting, and folding of the material, through to fabrication, painting, upholstery, and fit-out, ensuring each boat is completed to the highest standards. Known for their industry-leading innovation, Extreme Boats has over 20 models in the range from 5m right up to 10m in length and has established a dealer network across New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Europe.
Extreme Boats has also created Legacy Marine, a division of the business to undertake larger commercial and custom builds with comfort, durability, and ultra-high-quality finishing at the core of every design. One of their latest creations, Te Kauika – a 10-metre harbourmaster vessel – was designed and built specifically for local maritime protection and environmental response. Te Kauika is more than a vessel - it’s a floating symbol of local pride, innovation and what’s possible when world-class craftsmanship stays close to the water. Read about Extreme Boats here.
Tourism with purpose and heart
Born from the vision of Nadine and Karl ToeToe, Kohutapu Lodge and Tribal Tours is more than a business - it’s a living expression of manaakitanga (hospitality), kaitiakitanga (guardianship) and whakapapa (genealogy). Built on the ancestral lands of Ngāti Manawa in Murupara, this whānau-led venture uses tourism as a powerful platform for storytelling, cultural revitalisation and positive change.
What sets Kohutapu Lodge apart is its unwavering focus on authenticity. Visitors are welcomed not as tourists but as manuhiri (guests), invited to experience the richness of Māori life, contribute to the local community, and leave with a deeper understanding of te ao Māori worldviews. It’s a business grounded in legacy - created not just to support livelihoods, but to raise tamariki with a strong sense of identity, pride and connection to the land.
Guided by the whakataukī “Kāore te kūmara e kōrero mō tōna ake reka” (“The kūmara doesn’t speak of its own sweetness”), the team lets their mahi speak for itself - and it has. Read about Kohutapu Lodge and Tribal Tours here.
Tiny homes, big change
From a bold idea to one of New Zealand’s most trusted portable home companies, Podlife is proof that big impact can start small - and local. Founded by Ahna and James Brownlee, this Whakatāne-based business began as a response to the growing housing crisis, but quickly evolved into a national leader in flexible, smart living solutions.
Operating from the Eastern Bay of Plenty, Podlife designs and builds modular homes that offer affordability without compromise. Whether it’s a compact home for a growing whānau, a stylish bach retreat, or essential worker housing, their pods are reshaping how Kiwis think about home.
What makes Podlife truly stand out is its heart. Rooted in the community they live and work in, Ahna and James are driven by purpose - showing that housing innovation doesn’t need to come from a corporate tower. It can grow right here in Whakatāne, with vision, grit and a commitment to making life better for everyday New Zealanders. Read about Podlife here.
With over 35,000 traps across New Zealand, a kiwi innovation is transforming the fight to protect Aotearoa’s native species. From their factory in Whakatāne, NZ AutoTraps is leading a revolution in predator control with smart, self-resetting traps that save labour, increase efficiency and protect our precious wildlife.
It all began in 2016, when inventor Kevin Bain was out tramping and saw too many traditional manual-set traps triggered but empty - their bait taken, their purpose unfulfilled. Determined to do better, Kev spent 12 months designing a solution: a trap that could dispatch a predator, re-lure, reset, and repeat up to 100 times automatically.
His prototype AT220 launched at Fieldays and won multiple innovation awards. It also gained the attention of conservationists nationwide.
Since then, AutoTraps has continued to innovate. The AT230 ChipCheck features a microchip reader to prevent activation around chipped pets, while still targeting predators. The AT520-AI uses cutting-edge AI-enabled cameras to identify species before activating, protecting curious native species like weka and kea. It also produces a wireless, connected network, sending real-time updates that allow comprehensive monitoring of each trap and the trap network to the owner, ideal for landscape-scale projects. The AT520-AI has been featured in MOTAT’s Hautū Aunoa Autopilot exhibition, which showcases innovations in aviation and environmental protection.
NZ AutoTraps continues to grow from their Whakatāne factory, supplying traps to the Department of Conservation, private landowners, horticulturalists, and iwi and community trapping projects across the motu. It’s an example of engineering with purpose, proving that world-class environmental solutions can be built right here in the Eastern Bay. Read more about NZ AutoTraps here.
Quietly powering Aotearoa
You may not always see their work, but its impact resonates across New Zealand’s water, energy, and industrial sectors. Based in Whakatāne, Control Tech Ltd. has been owned and operated by Karam and Julia De Lacey since 2004.
Specialists in customised electrical and automation solutions, the team designs and builds everything in-house, from switchboards to sophisticated telemetry systems, delivering dependable service for local councils, regional water infrastructure, growers and processors. Their flagship project? The automation of radial gates for the Rangitāiki Spillway, a national flood-protection landmark that showcases their technical excellence and community focus.
Through dedication to innovation, hands-on craftsmanship, and deep community service, Karam and Julia have quietly built a powerhouse. From humble Whakatāne beginnings, they’re keeping essential systems in Aotearoa running smarter, proving world-class engineering can thrive right here at home. Read about Control Tech here.
If you’re a local business making waves - big or small - we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and help us celebrate the people shaping the future of our region.