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The Public Trust Building hosted a lavish awards ceremony for the 2012 Audacious student business plan competition, in which Ryan Everton took out the top honour with his sustainable plastic cup. Everton received $8,000 to put toward his company Globelet, which aims to reduce waste in New Zealand.

Critic spoke to Everton, a third year law student, following his win. He remarked that Globelet was “trying to make a difference”, a goal he is already confident about achieving given that “so many people are behind it”. Impressively, Everton has already secured a one-year supply contract with Forsyth Barr Stadium, which took effect in August, as well as a commission with an Australian client.

When asked where the idea came from, Everton told Critic that sustainable plastic cups have already proven successful internationally, and have “been used in France for about the last five years”. After deciding there was a market for it in NZ and sourcing a local manufacturer and recycler, Everton initiated production, and after 6 months of hard work, he has welcomed the win that is “finally paying off”. Though we don’t want to criticise Everton’s success and determination, Critic wonders whether importing a well-established idea from overseas qualifies as an “audacious” business plan.

To celebrate his success, Everton is currently taking a seven-day tour around the country to plan Globelet’s introduction to the backpacker market. Already in discussions with Nomads Backpackers in Queenstown and Auckland, backpackers will receive a Globelet on arrival accompanied by a mobile phone app that allows the user to locate the closest reliable tap water sources.

Second place in the competition was awarded to David Booth and Harrison Uffindell for their subscription-based meat delivery service, Meatmail. The company already has 86 customers in Dunedin, with plans to extend their meat supply to Christchurch and Palmerston North. Third place went to Kevin Smith (Otago University) of Sgt Apples cider with his inexpensive single serve cider in a can.

As well as naming a “Top 15” list recognising the hard work and achievements of those competing in the program, a number of special prizes were also awarded. Tom Maguire (Otago Polytechnic) was awarded best design for his Soft-Hit Hand Guard, William Austin Maccabee (Otago Polytechnic) was awarded Best Small Business for his arborist business A1 Tree Care, Eleanor Parker (Otago University) was awarded best Social Entrepreneurship for Plastication, a closed-loop recycling plan for New Zealand, and Carl Crawford, Fiorenzo Rutschmann and Daniel Hampton (Otago Polytechnic) were awarded Best Technology for AquaFORCE, an aquarium data recording application.

Keynote speaker, Haydon Breese of Myth website branding and design, remarked that “no one will love your business as much as you”, an apt phrase for most Audacious competitors with the exception of Meatmail, whose meat delivery service undeniably makes getting a bit of meat in your mouth easier than grooming your prey in the pit at Monkey Bar.