Business Award Judges
The calibre and independence of our judging panel, combined with their wealth of business knowledge and expertise, maintains the credibility of our Awards.
Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce sincerely thanks our panel of judges for making themselves available to judge our business awards.
Our judges are highly professional and sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that all entry information remains private.
THE BUSINESS AWARD JUDGES FOR 2025 ARE:
Ali Boswijk
Ali was appointed as Chief Executive of the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce in February 2019. Prior to that she spent over six years with World of WearableArt as Head of International Projects and Business Development. She was a councillor on Nelson City Council and Deputy Mayor from 2010 – 2013. Prior to moving to New Zealand from England, she worked in the commercial television production department for London-based news agency APTN.
Lester Binns
Lester Binns is an online entrepreneur who enjoys doing business from his hometown Nelson. He is a founder in a range of web ventures including easyfile.co.nz, willtolive.co.nz, and powerdirect.co.nz. In 2008 he founded MyTax.co.nz, which received the Chamber Large and Supreme Business Awards in 2016. He is currently a director of a range of businesses and is passionate about supporting our region.
Nikki Neate
Nikki Neate is General Manager of Sublime Coffee Roasters and leads Bridge St Studios. She spent twenty years working in PR for London television before returning to New Zealand, where she held marketing roles at Pic’s Peanut Butter and Proper Crisps. At Mahitahi Colab, she supported founders with regional innovation and helped launch Mahitahi Tasman. Nikki has also supported our next generation of entrepreneurs as a mentor and judge for the Young Enterprise Trust.
Paul Mackay
Paul is a registered financial adviser and insurance broker who led his previous company to win the NPI Chamber of Commerce Large Business Award in 2018. Paul has over 20 years of experience working in insurance, banking and finance roles across the UK and New Zealand. In 2023, Paul founded Waimea Insurance Brokers. He enjoys working with local businesses and advising them on their insurance needs.
Peter Pattullo
Peter has been involved in a range of small businesses since making Nelson his home over twenty years ago, including owning Tasman Bay Backpackers and UBike Cycle Hire, before becoming owner and Managing Director of The Smokehouse in Māpua in 2014. After selling The Smokehouse in 2026, Peter is now establishing a new enterprise, Flightpath Honey. He also served on the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce Board from 2015-2026, and is a keen advocate for our region and local businesses.
“Use the entry to tell the story of your business. Don’t focus on hitting word limits or overly worry about what to write. Tell us what you are proud of and what makes your business awesome.”
- Lester Binns