2016 is the seventh year HITO, Kitomba, and NZARH have come together to celebrate the Industry Awards. Each year is bigger and better than the last, with more awards, fantastic venues, and exciting entertainment.
But the Industry Awards weren’t always this glamorous. We’ve scoured the archives to bring you some of the best bits of Industry Awards history and show you how they grew into the event we have today.
The HITO Training Awards
The HITO Training Awards have grown immensely since the first Apprentice of the Year award in 2003. In 2003 the winners were announced at the NZARH Supreme Awards, with one overall ‘Top Apprentice of the Year’ and winners from each of the NZARH regions.
HITO soon started offering awards in each of the HITO regions – and there were only four regions at the time! The winners were acknowledged at their NZARH regional AGMs or the Supreme Awards.
In 2008, HITO celebrated 40 years of hairdressing qualifications. They also celebrated the first Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship recipient, Joel Hornell. Jasmine was a hairdressing apprentice (and 2006 HITO Apprentice of the Year) who passed away from cancer shortly after gaining her qualification. The scholarship money comes from the money Jasmine saved to open her own salon.
Over the years HITO has added more awards, including Tutor of the Year (added around 2007), Training Salon of the Year (added in 2009), and Trainer of the Year (added in 2011). HITO also opened up the awards to beauty entrants in 2014. These days HITO gives out five main awards – Apprentice of the Year, Jasmine McBeth Memorial Scholarship, Trainer of the Year, Training Salon of the Year, and Tutor of the Year. They also changed the name to the HITO Training Awards in 2016.
The Kitomba NZARH Business Awards
The Kitomba NZARH Business Awards started eleven years ago in a tiny room on Waiheke Island when a group of 30 salon owners came together to celebrate the first awards ceremony. They were there to start something new – building a culture of recognising and celebrating hairdressing business excellence.
The Kitomba NZARH Awards have grown a lot since then, with new awards and sponsors on board every year. Last year saw a new award for Best Salon Design, expanding the meaning of business success beyond just the books.
Now the Kitomba NZARH Business Awards are seen by many as the leading national distinction that recognizes top performing salons. The awards are particularly known to help entrants’ gain better understanding of salons as businesses.
The Industry Awards
HITO, Kitomba, and NZARH came together in 2010 to celebrate the Industry Awards. The first Industry Awards was a massive weekend full of celebrations, including the awards dinner, NZARH competitions, Supreme Awards announcements, and a series of seminars. Entry to the whole weekend cost $400! The event took place in Christchurch, which caused some last minute stress when the September 4 earthquake knocked the original venue out of commission.
In 2011 the Industry Awards headed to Auckland’s War Memorial Museum. The event was huge, with over 300 guests coming together to celebrate the winners and dance the night away to DJ Dane Rumble; a far cry from the tiny room on Waiheke Island or the NZARH AGMs.
The next few years saw the Industry Awards move between Auckland and Wellington. Earthquake damage meant a lack of venues in Christchurch, but we’d love to have the awards there again one day.
2014’s event at Shed 6, Wellington, saw the highest number of guests ever. Nearly 400 people attended the event, which included the awards dinner and the NZARH Oceanic competitions during the day. It was an incredible feat to organise, but it was fantastic to see so many people come together to celebrate hair and beauty in New Zealand.
It’s been an amazing journey so far, and we can’t wait to see it get even bigger and better. We look forward to celebrating with all of you in Auckland this year (remember to get your tickets before they sell out!).
