Photo: Stephen JaquieryAt Port Otago, chief executive Kevin Winders gets the final interview for every potential staff member joining the company. For Port Otago, it was a $3 million project to benefit the community and it involved a great group of advocates passionate for their beach to be reinstated. In some continents like Europe and Asia, there were dedicated ports that were a long way from communities, whereas at the likes of Port Otago, the community was the port. The company tried to be "the big neighbour who [was] well respected in the community", rather than the noisy neighbour who threw its bottles out after parties and continually made a mess, Mr Winders said. Owned wholly by the Otago Regional Council, Port Otago is made up of four business components; container business, bulk business, property business and cruise business.
