Wine Industry Extrodinaire, Innovative Tax Guru and Childcare Pioneer inducted into The New Zealand Hall of Fame For Women Entrepreneurs

Wine industry pioneer, Erica Crawford, WooHoo NZ Tax Refund founder Cilla Hegarty and Kindercare founder Glennie Oborn were all inducted into the prestigious New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs, championed by business support organisation, Co.OfWomen, at a cocktail function held earlier this evening.

Theresa Gattung, leading businesswoman and Chair of Co.OfWomen explained that the Hall of Fame initiative celebrates and honours women who have had a significant impact in a specific sector and in turn to the New Zealand economy.

“The high calibre of this years inductees is testament to the depth of talented female entrepreneurs we have in New Zealand. Erica, Cilla and Glennie have all achieved incredible success in their chosen industries and we applaud their achievements,” said Theresa.     

The women inducted were selected in an open nomination process launched by Co.OfWomen during Women Entrepreneurs Week in March.  Chosen by a panel of their peers, these women were selected for their significant achievements in business, their support for other women and for the philanthropic activities.

Co.OfWoman founder, Tara Loragan said; “Co.OfWomen is all about helping to cultivate successful female entrepreneurs and enabling them to harness their potential. Tonights inductees, Erica, Cilla and Glennie are wonderful examples of business success that other ambitious business women can aspire to.”

Background on the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs  2016 Inductees:

Erica Crawford

Erica’s work has spanned the sciences, global marketing, exporting, education and the arts. She has a passion for creating and building companies with a particular love of the wine industry.

As co-founder of Kim Crawford Wines, Erica created a new business model – the virtual wine company. She managed and grew the company from a small family owned business run from the spare room of their inner city home to a significant international organisation that is now represented in over 50 countries. After seven years in business, Erica and Kim sold the company to Vincor International of Canada. Erica now manages the Loveblock Wine Group, representing the Crawford Family interests. Her focus is on organic farming, producing certified organic wines and building an organic grass fed beef operation focused on export. After just three years, the Loveblock wine brand exports more than 90% of its production at an ultra premium price point.

Cilla Hegarty

Cilla Hegarty is the Founder and Chief Executive of Christchurch based WooHoo NZ Tax Refunds (NZTR). Since 2008 her company has processed over 300,000 tax refunds and is regarded as one of the largest tax refund companies with more Kiwi taxpayers on its database than anyone else. WooHoo has 80 employees across the globe offering services in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom.

Cilla is now disrupting the donations industry with a new service offering recently launched in New Zealand called Easy Giving. Easy Giving provides people an easy way, through their mobile phone, to make donations of as little as $5 to a charity of their choice and retain their donation receipt on their phone, enabling them to claim their donations tax credit very easily. Easy Giving’s partnership with WooHoo NZ Tax Refunds service provides its users with a one stop service experience enabling them to give, get back so they can give again easily.

Glennie Oborn

Glennie’s working life started as a Primary School teacher but at 24 years of age and three months pregnant she quit teaching and opened an early childhood centre in Milford. Over 44 years later, her company Kindercare Learning Centres has enabled thousands of New Zealand women to further their careers and provide for their children, secure in the knowledge that their children are Safe Loved and Learning.

In 2005 a charitable arm of Kindercare, the Living and Learning Foundation was established. This foundation funds individuals and groups in various fields and aspects of education and wellbeing and as well as operating two family Centres – one in Mangere and one in Henderson. The latter incorporates a teen parent unit and provides programs and support to young mums in their personal and parenting journeys.

Kindercare and Living and Learning have a combined staff of over 1100 – mostly women – and the centres care for over 4200 children on a weekly basis.  There are 22 centres in Auckland, 3 in Hamilton, 7 in Wellington and 12 in Christchurch.

In 1982 Glennie established the Kindercare Early Childhood Teachers’ College. The Kindercare Early Childhood Teachers Certificate was the first program in NZ to be accredited specifically for early childhood teachers. And that designation has become the industry norm. 

Now known as NZ Tertiary College [NZTC] and an independent entity under the leadership of Selena Fox, the college now offers 2 undergraduate degrees, a graduate diploma, a post graduate diploma and 2 masters programs.  It employs over 100 staff and has approximately 1500 students and also runs teacher education programs in India and China. To date, 5837 students have graduated through NZTC.

Erica, Cilla and Glennie join 12 other highly esteemed New Zealand business women in the New Zealand Hall of Fame for Women Entrepreneurs.

Hall of Fame Inductees

2015 inductees

Dr Lee Mathias, ONZM

Annette Presley

Julie Christie

2014 inductees

Ranjna Patel, QSM

Dame Trelise Cooper

Diane Foreman, ONZM

2013 inductees

Anne Norman

Naomi Ballantyne

Linda Jenkinson

2012 inductees

Colyn Devereux-Kay

Anita Finnigan

Sharon Hunter

Co.OfWomen is a business support organisation that launched in 2012 and has quickly grown to a community of more than 2,000. The organisation is developed and lead by experienced, successful entrepreneurs in order to champion success, and is distinguished by a real world focus.

For further information on Co.OfWomen visit http://coofwomen.biz