I know that good news is not news. But last night’s Wellington Gold Awards were inspiring so I’ll post on them anyway. A massive affair, at least 60 tables of dinner suited men and glittering women ate and drank to success. This is the 11th show since John Terris of Lower Hutt promoted the first one and they’re always educative as well as inspiring.

For example, I learned about Wedgelock, an Upper Hutt company founded by the Calvert brothers Matthew and David with their father Graham. They won the the Global Gold (exporting) award. They build excavator buckets and world leading ‘quick hitches’ that allow an operator to change buckets without leaving the cab. I’d never heard of  Wedgelock though I’ve got an old 10 ton Hitachi excavator, and can’t imagine anything more satisfying than 10 hours on a heavy machine maintaining my tracks.

Yet Wedgelock expects to be recognised as first or second in the world in the next several years in their specialty business.

When Sam Knowles collected the overall winner awards be seemed genuinely emotional. As the last head office functions of other banks head north, or across the Tasman, Kiwibank’s success becomes massively important to Wellington. With over  600 jobs here, Kiwibank has offered some great people their chance to stay in their industry, in Wellington.

The Prime Minister would have been delighted too, with the perfect photo-opportunity presenting the prize to Sam Knowles. Jim Anderton, the political father of Kiwibank, should have been there. He was recognised in the wit of the MC and the DomPost representatives in the quiz, listing the people and groups he’s fallen out with in his long public career.

The awards were also reassuring. Walking home through Courtenay Place I often wonder where the money comes from that keeps the place humming. The awards remind me that not everyone in the region makes their money thinking up new ways to tell other people how to live their lives. We still have people making new things that others buy voluntarily.

I must, for example, get out to see The New Dowse in Lower Hutt, find out more about 4RF Communications and Plan HQ, all category winners.  Silverstripe was a category finalist. I first noticed them only last week, as the builders of  Deputy Mayor Ian Mckinnon’s website.

Lawyers spend too much time with people in trouble, though as a business lawyer I get plenty of compensating contact with success. But a whole evening of success is inspiring. Thank you to all responsible for the Awards.