When Best Baits owners Tane Zanders and Rachael Gibb cast a line to Te Puni Kōkiri’s Business Facilitation mentoring programme, they got the support they needed to grow their business and run it more efficiently.

Best Baits in Mangere Bridge, Auckland sell fresh and frozen fish bait, fishing products and accessories and have recently opened up an adjoining fresh fish shop called Ikanui Seafoods selling fish caught from the shop’s own commercial fishing boat and crew.

The business is owned and operated by partners Tane, who is from Ngāti Maniapoto and Tainui, and Rachael from Tainui.

Tane, a former commercial fisherman of 15 years, entered the bait business in 2004 by establishing Best Baits at 1 Coronation Road, Mangere Bridge. He describes the shop as the perfect site with easy access for trailer boats, plenty of off-street parking and even an adjoining petrol station to fill up the boat.

“There was a gap in the South Auckland market for a shop specialising in quality bulk bait and fishing nets with the specialist knowledge to back it up,” says Tane.

The business has grown to the point that Rachael has recently left her corporate job to work full-time with Tane, utilising her valuable experience in marketing and sales to further build the business.

“Business has been booming and we have followed our strategic plan to open a fish shop, which has been incredibly successful and has a growing reputation as the freshest fish in town,” says Rachael.

Te Puni Kōkiri’s Business Facilitation mentoring programme helped Best Baits and Ikanui Seafoods prioritise the things they needed to do most to expand the business. “It was really helpful to get some objective external advice and Jarred helped us to develop long-term strategies to ensure we will continue our success.”

For more information contact Tane and Rachael at Best Baits on
09 636 7103 or email bestbaitsltd@xtra.co.nz.