The North Harbour Club and Charitable Trust has been playing a part in the community since 1995. The organisation is made up of more than 190 members, all leaders in business, education and the community. These members, who are all residents or have their businesses and places of work in the North Harbour region, have, among other stated aims, the desire to promote excellence by encouraging and providing financial assistance to the young people of the region who are achieving excellence in their chosen field. This support is provided through the annual AIMES Awards programme which has resulted in over $2m worth of grants being made to young people since 1995. To qualify for the AIMES Awards, recipients must have shown excellence in the areas of the Arts; Innovation; Music; Education; Sport and Service to the Community.
In June the North Harbour Club launched a younger membership sector. Called North Harbour Club ‘NeXt’, this initiative seeks to introduce new members, aspiring business and community leaders, aged between 25 and 40 years of age.
Blake Noble is the young North Harbour Club member driving this initiative. Former North Harbour Club President and long-time Trustee Aidan Bennett put these questions to Blake during July, just as the first group of around 20 ‘NeXt’ member’s had been approved.
AIDAN BENNETT: Blake, tell us about your background. I understand you are a Shore lad through and through?
BLAKE NOBLE: Yes, I’m a born and bred ‘Shore boy’ having grown up in Takapuna and attended Takapuna Grammar. Having lived away from the area, I moved back to Takapuna 18-months or so ago and am loving it.
Not long out of school I joined our family medical device business, Allied Medical, a proudly North Harbour-based organisation, and spent the following 15 years working closely with my sister, father, and the team spread across the country. That was an immensely rewarding business to be a part of, but from a relatively young age I’d harboured an interest in owning a fleet of trucks at some stage in my life. That opportunity came after a brief stint at the University of Michigan and a realisation that there was never going to be an easier time than then to pursue my dream.
I subsequently purchased Transcon, a Warkworth-based container and general freight carrier, about 18-months later. Four years on I’m definitely living the dream – it’s been immensely challenging, but in the best possible way, and I’m very thankful I took the leap when I did.
AB: How long have you known about the North Harbour Club?
BN: I’ve been exposed to the North Harbour Club for the last 10 or so years, having attended a raft of events as a family. My father Ken has been a member for some time, and more recently was inducted as a North Harbour Business Hall of Fame laureate.
The AIMES Awards events in particular are something I’ve found an immensely humbling, motivating and spectacular. The talent is mind-blowing, and I love seeing the spotlight shone on a range of individuals who are so busily working away on their own endeavours and giving them due credit and encouragement. I love the way it brings together the best of business and community in such a philanthropic form, to ultimately assist in generating a greater North Harbour region for us all.
AB: What attracted you to the club and the idea to approach the trustees to create this new membership group?
BN: I’d looked at a range of other organisations as potential ‘vehicles’ to enable us to get NeXt off the ground, but the North Harbour Club just made so much sense. I loved the make-up of the club, the range of industries and endeavours the membership came from, and the collaboration that existed between business and community.
I saw the North Harbour Club as the ideal conduit to help us foster that next generation of community awareness and leadership, and at the same time gain invaluable learning and insights from those that had gone, and continue to go, before.
AB: I understand the North Harbour Club NeXt initiative already has a much-valued sponsor?
BN: Yes, we are thrilled that Smales Farm has come on board as our inaugural sponsor. They have a long association with the North Harbour Club and are a great fit with NeXt, having developed the innovative B:HIVE shared space concept in the past couple of years.
We had our launch function at The B:HIVE in June and it was a superb venue. Perfect to kick-off this initiative.
AB: How many members are you aiming at for North Harbour Club NeXt in this first year set-up phase.
BN: Our initial objective was to hit 25 members in the first year. Based on the overwhelming response we’ve had, I’d be surprised if we didn’t double that. Around 20 founding NeXt members were due to be approved in July.
AB: Who should be looking to become a North Harbour Club NeXt member?
BN: It’s a pretty simple equation really. We’re looking for people, aspiring leaders, who have a strong affinity for the North Harbour region, be that personally or professionally, is in the 25-40 age bracket, and wants to get involved in understanding and participating in the community around them and be involved with a network of likeminded individuals.
The North Harbour Club membership is wide and varied. They are leaders in education, in business, and in community organisations. They are people who own their own businesses or play leadership roles in the respective organisations.
To date those who have applied for this younger North Harbour Club NeXt membership include a range of professions: lawyers, accountants and bankers, and a range of business owners spanning all sorts of industries – retail, web development, a food-related start-up, insurance, recruitment, and so the list goes on. We’re looking for people on their way ‘up’ who want to learn and develop, and what better way is there to do that than from members of your community who’ve already trodden the same path?
AB: What sort of activities/events will there be for North Harbour Club NeXT members?
BN: It’s a combination of engagement in the existing suite of events that the North Harbour Club runs at present, paired with a host of more tailored events of greater appeal to the different age/career orientation of our younger NeXt membership. There are events we’ve already got lined up that provide access and insight into some remarkable members of the North Harbour Club and their individual and collective achievements, and then there are some more interactive events tailored at NeXt members building strong relationships with the other members.
AB: What should people do if they want to apply to become a North Harbour Club NeXt member?
BN: Becoming a part of North Harbour Club NeXt is a breeze – you can simply jump online to https://northharbourclub.co.nz/webpages/next/ and make an application. There is an approval process that is pretty straight forward.
Alternatively, people can get in touch with me personally via blake@transcon.co.nz and we’ll get them along to an upcoming event to get a feel for what NeXt is all about.
