Homegrown's $10m haul for city economy

There’s something magical about walk­ing down a lane­way in a city any­where in the world.
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It makes you feel like you’re dis­cov­er­ing a space that not every­one knows about. More often than not, a lane­way devel­ops its char­ac­ter through word-of-mouth, the col­lect­ive vibe cre­ated by the sum total of offer­ings down the lane.
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When places with indi­vidual per­son­al­it­ies sit along­side each other, they cre­ate something new: a des­tin­a­tion and a feel­ing that you need to be part of what’s on offer.
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While main streets tend to stay fixed in their char­ac­ter, lane­ways are more change­able. They move with the times, adopt­ing a chameleon approach, attract­ing like-minded or com­ple­ment­ary busi­nesses, shift­ing from one vibe to another almost seam­lessly. Casa­bella Lane is the per­fect case study.
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In the early years, around the mid2000s, this slightly tucked-away treas­ure was Hamilton’s go-to for fash­ion and brands. Names such as Bella Boutique, Annah Stretton, and Red Cur­rant graced the shop­fronts, draw­ing shop­pers seek­ing designer cloth­ing, shoes and home­wares. It held this repu­ta­tion for sev­eral years before becom­ing a more cul­tur­ally cur­ated space with the rise of the artists.
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The lane trans­formed into a cre­at­ive sanc­tu­ary. Already anchored by Gor­don Har­ris, sup­plier to bud­ding and estab­lished artists, new ten­an­cies The Art Stu­dio and The Pot­tery Stu­dio moved in, bring­ing with them the smell of paint, the whir of pot­tery wheels, and an entirely dif­fer­ent energy. Same loc­a­tion, com­pletely new vibe.
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Today, Casa­bella Lane has evolved once again, this time into a hos­pit­al­ity haven. Recent addi­tions include Iris Cafe, where the grab-and-go options are just as tempt­ing as the stay-and-linger menu. Then there’s Scran, serving up homemade local and Scot­tish fare in a retro fit­out that’s as charm­ing as the food is hearty. For those nav­ig­at­ing diet­ary require­ments, Hello Rosie deliv­ers glu­ten-free meals and sweet treats that don’t com­prom­ise on fla­vour, while Bam­boo Sweets provides those lux­uri­ous chocol­atier moments we all deserve. Add long-time favour­ites Kino Sushi, Basil Thai and Viet­namese Kit­chen into the mix, and you’ve got your­self quite the inter­na­tional din­ing exper­i­ence.
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Of course, hos­pit­al­ity isn’t the whole story. Still keep­ing true to its retail ori­gins, Zebrano, Sills, Par­lour and Rent­ing with SB carry on the designer wear tra­di­tion, while Poppy’s Book­shop offers that per­fect browse-and-relax atmo­sphere. Health, beauty and well­ness are well rep­res­en­ted with Natures Spa, Heidi Chris­tian Hair, Blush Hair, Spa & Co and Varda hairdress­ers. And let’s not for­get the jewel in the crown, Midas Jew­ellers, adding genu­ine sparkle to the lane.
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If you haven’t vis­ited recently, we recom­mend pop­ping in and recon­nect­ing with the fab­ulous vibe and ten­an­cies at Casa­bella Lane.

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Ducky Chinese Restaurant have completed their beautiful new fit out and are now open! (Located next to Nan Hotpot)

Ducky specialise in duck dishes and a whole lot more!

Some of the dishes on the menu include:

• Roasted Duck with Rice
• Peking Duck
• Cantonese Style Barbequed Meat Platter
• Roast Pork
• Roasted Duck with Noodles
  

Visit the friendly team and enjoy a great evening out!

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Hamilton punters looking to head out for dinner and drinks could be rounding off their meal with a tipple - of fuel, that is.

In a case of “locals supporting locals supporting locals” Waitomo Group and Overproof - the group behind a number of Hamilton venues - are offering diners a $10 fuel voucher when they spend $100 at Reggies, Mr Pickles, Everyday Eatery, or Hamilton Hotel.

It’s an initiative to get diners into the CBD and show them a good time amid fuel prices putting a squeeze on people’s discretionary spending, hospitality heavyweight Mat Pedley said.

In turn, it also supported local hospitality venues.

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Hamilton-based tech innovator, Lance Bauerfeind, of Company-X, has been recognised at the Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry for his role in transforming how New Zealand Navy divers train using virtual reality technology.

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Bauerfeind received the Auahatanga – Innovation Award for leading the development of an immersive training system that allows Navy divers to practise complex rescue scenarios in a virtual underwater environment, augmenting traditional pool and open water training with portable VR simulation.

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Lieutenant Commander Nick Davey, Programme Manager Maritime Simulation, said, “Navy Divers experience some of the biggest risks within the NZDF and it’s our job to reduce those risks as low as reasonably possible.”

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In a first for the Royal New Zealand Navy, this multiplayer simulation capability allows instructors to enter training scenarios alongside trainees in real time, helping monitor performance, correct poor habits immediately and improve preparedness in a controlled environment.

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"This is the first time that we’ve used virtual reality in a multiplayer environment”, said Davey.

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“Navy divers operate in some of the highest-risk environments in the NZDF, so having an instructor/trainer alongside you in simulation to immediately course correct your mistakes rather than wait until after the training session is a game-changer. It’s another step toward managing safety,” Bauerfeind said.

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“You can’t always recreate dangerous or complex scenarios repeatedly in the real world, but people still need to be prepared for them.”

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Company-X Co-founder and Director, David Hallett, said the technology reflected growing demand for simulation and immersive training tools across a range of industries.

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“Simulation technology is becoming increasingly important in environments where organisations need people to train safely, repeatedly and at scale,” he said.

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“The same technologies being used in defence training can also be applied across industries, including emergency response, manufacturing, agriculture, and infrastructure.”

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Speaking at the awards ceremony at Parliament, Defence Minister Chris Penk acknowledged the important role New Zealand companies play in supporting Defence capability, resilience and innovation.

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Hallett said Company-X had already delivered multiple immersive training solutions for the Royal New Zealand Navy, including virtual reality flight deck officer training that allows personnel to practise the procedures, communication and coordination required to safely land helicopters on a frigate.

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Company-X continues to develop immersive simulation and training technologies for defence and adjacent industries.

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The recognition follows Company-X’s signing of an agreement with global defence company Babcock International at the Indo Pacific maritime exposition last year, aimed at taking New Zealand-developed simulation training technology to defence forces around the world.

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The Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence to Industry recognise organisations and individuals delivering exceptional service, innovation and support to New Zealand’s defence sector.

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