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Speaker 1: Something that got local lips moving. The results of the

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Speaker 1: A and Z Business of the Year Awards that were

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Speaker 1: held at the Aviation Museum in front of a sold

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Speaker 1: out crowd a couple of weekends bank, Rural co was

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Speaker 1: recognized highly Commended in the Retail and Hospitality categree, and

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Speaker 1: the boss of Rural cot Tony Aiken, was recognized with

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Speaker 1: Excellence in Business Leadership.

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Speaker 2: The award is very big for us in terms of,

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Speaker 2: you know, it's been a hard grind the last two

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Speaker 2: or three years. We yea we came close to not

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Speaker 2: having Rural COO. But you know, when there's such a

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Speaker 2: good purpose of why we exist, then it's really easy

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Speaker 2: to focus on that. And a big part of our

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Speaker 2: society was refocusing a strategy back on can we be

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Speaker 2: farmers about lowering prices and then you know pony on

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Speaker 2: that and when you talk about that all the stuff,

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Speaker 2: their eyes light up there they know what we're here,

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Speaker 2: and that really helps because we all know these people right,

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Speaker 2: little part of our.

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Speaker 1: Community sixty years and just you know that cooperative structure.

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Speaker 1: Do you feel there's that real sense of ownership among

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Speaker 1: the community. I kind of compared to a school right

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Speaker 1: where you know, you've got so many different stakeholders who

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Speaker 1: will feel like they own a piece of the puzzle.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, absolutely, that's exactly right. We are and we

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Speaker 2: are the last one. We are the last we're regional based,

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Speaker 2: cooperative of ourselves all the rest of our nationals. So

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Speaker 2: you're very much And it's part of than this award.

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Speaker 2: It's a team award, right, So you know we have

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Speaker 2: a team of shareholders, we have a team of directors,

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Speaker 2: a team of submergants and suppliers throughout drash burden that

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Speaker 2: they could all happen and everyone working together, all for

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Speaker 2: the good of the community, which is great, which is

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Speaker 2: why you know, whenever we can, we make sure we

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Speaker 2: give him back to the community and adding value, whether

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Speaker 2: that's through our spend for Schools program or or either

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Speaker 2: events that we hold where we can make sure help

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Speaker 2: help other businesses.

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Speaker 1: How big is that team of yours?

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Speaker 2: Certainly certainly we have a heap kind of sixty one currently. Wow,

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Speaker 2: that's down about twenty five percent from what it was

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Speaker 2: three or four years, so you know, there's been some

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Speaker 2: rough times for us to get to being lean and efficient,

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Speaker 2: but yep, we're very lucky that most of that was

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Speaker 2: done by attrition. As people resign for other opportunities, were retired,

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Speaker 2: we were able to just not fill those roles, but

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Speaker 2: for some people we had to let them go. And

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Speaker 2: really there's about about keeping focused on why and where

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Speaker 2: we're going and what the direction is and what it

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Speaker 2: means if we don't do it, and so you know

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Speaker 2: the why and what are lots like going forward is

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Speaker 2: really a big part of what I need to play

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Speaker 2: and be talking about that all the time. Yeah, and

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Speaker 2: we get there. So you know, with the team's going

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Speaker 2: really well. The culture is great now, we're seeing really

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Speaker 2: improved metrics around that, and you know the team are

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Speaker 2: all on board with what we're trying to do.

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Speaker 1: You find that leaders earn their keep when times are tough.

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Speaker 1: But with that comes a lot of pressure. How do

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Speaker 1: you manage stress, Tony?

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Speaker 2: I do a couple of things. Actually I have I

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Speaker 2: have a passion of traili adding my sailing, so that's

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Speaker 2: my in the summer time, that's my I get out

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Speaker 2: and go sailing as when I can, usually a couple

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Speaker 2: of times a week.

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Speaker 1: Are we talking open ocean, open seas or lake could No.

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Speaker 2: We're talking at twenty five and only twenty five foot yacht.

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Speaker 2: So I'm talking over to Littleton, holding out to Littleton

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Speaker 2: and sailing there sometimes down the lakes or in the

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Speaker 2: case of this weekend, off the Tornga for our national championships.

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Speaker 2: I tend to race, so I don't sell for a

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Speaker 2: pleasure or races might go to.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and what was the other one?

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Speaker 2: Well, the other one, more recently is actually I have

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Speaker 2: discovered this wonderful thing called a network center, and I

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Speaker 2: go and swimming there every day.

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Speaker 1: Is that an early morning thing? Is that how you

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Speaker 1: start your day?

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't call it too early, but I'm down there

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Speaker 2: about seven normally years. Yeah, it's keen enough, not like

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Speaker 2: some of those that rock up accord to sixth in

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Speaker 2: the morning. But no ye before before work each morning.

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Speaker 1: Explains the heady smell of chlorine that wafts from your office. This,

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Speaker 1: of course an organization that backs Ruble mid Canterbury and

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Speaker 1: was keen to get his read his layer of the

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Speaker 1: land on things at the moment. Because it seems like

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Speaker 1: a real mixed bag out there.

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Speaker 2: I think it depends what your farming would have got.

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Speaker 2: Some farmers who are saying it's fantastic. I put my

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Speaker 2: arrogators in twenty twenty five years ago and this is

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Speaker 2: the first time I haven't used them in January, you know.

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Speaker 2: But we've got eral farmers who have had a rough,

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Speaker 2: rough season in between Haile and this weather. You know,

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Speaker 2: it's tough. So I think we have a real mixed

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Speaker 2: back and you know for some some are saying some

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Speaker 2: won't make it through, and some are looking to change

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Speaker 2: what they do, and others are sudden back going. This

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Speaker 2: is a great season. So you know, if you think

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Speaker 2: land land prices, be prices, wall prices, the area all

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Speaker 2: all going very strongly.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, must be a tough gig for Robert Co.

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Speaker 1: As a supplier to our local farmers. Responding to all.

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Speaker 2: That is and what we talk about. We can be

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Speaker 2: there by being on farm, so our team are out

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Speaker 2: as much as they can, and we have we have

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Speaker 2: one of the biggot on farm teams now, a reps

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Speaker 2: and acronomous that go around so be actually going up

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Speaker 2: drivers and talking to people is very important this time

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Speaker 2: at this time, and of course our whole purpose of

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Speaker 2: lowering prices as much as we can do that that

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Speaker 2: helps farmers. Two takes pressure off and then we try

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Speaker 2: and run events where you know, we can actually give

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Speaker 2: people connect and if there's a chance to come off

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Speaker 2: farm and catch your breath and maybe sketch up with

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Speaker 2: some mates and you know we've got the gold glade.

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Speaker 2: This week is one of those.

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Speaker 1: What a wonderful segue and into something I wanted to

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Speaker 1: finish on the Rural Co Golf Classic. It's back on Friday.

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Speaker 2: It is, it is. It's our second event. Last year

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Speaker 2: we did just to feel what it helped go. We

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Speaker 2: had a great weather last year, great day, great turnout.

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Speaker 2: This year on Friday we have nearly sold out, so

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Speaker 2: we've only got a few spots team spots left, so

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Speaker 2: there is a chance so people farmers are looking going

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Speaker 2: you know what, actually I could make that work. They

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Speaker 2: can give us a call and booking. We've got been

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Speaker 2: very well supported by a lot of merchants and suppliers

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Speaker 2: around town. There are forty six raffle prices starting starting

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Speaker 2: at a television and toolkit sets and give factors, so

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Speaker 2: some really decent prizes and all the profits from go

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Speaker 2: to Mid Cannibury. Real support trust and there's probably never

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Speaker 2: a bit of time.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Absolutely last year you raised an excess of ten

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Speaker 1: grand wasn't it.

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Speaker 2: We did, Yeah, we did. It was pretty exciting it was.

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Speaker 2: And not sure who all this year. But you know what,

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Speaker 2: let's give.

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Speaker 1: The so playing golf that's not on your list of

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Speaker 1: you know, stress reducing exercises.

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Speaker 2: Well it's not. It probably is a stress creating.

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Speaker 1: We sing from the same hymn sheet there on the

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Speaker 1: same tea block.

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Speaker 2: Maybe. Look, I'm not even going to be there unfortunately

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Speaker 2: the class with my SALIN National championship. But you know,

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Speaker 2: the team are all over it and they will run

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Speaker 2: another Eastland event, I'm sure. And the weatherforg has looking

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Speaker 2: pretty damn good too.

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Speaker 1: Sure is. And it's on the brink of selling out,

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Speaker 1: I'm told, just a few spots remaining. If you can

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Speaker 1: find a way of weaseling your way out of work

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Speaker 1: tomorrow and supporting that somebody who, by all accounts is

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Speaker 1: hitting it straight down the fairway. In terms of business leadership,

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Speaker 1: congratulations on your recognition. It's the Business Awards a couple

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Speaker 1: of weeks back, and appreciate the chat cee of Ribble

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Speaker 1: Co Tony Aiken