
President’s Post – April 2026
There’s a real buzz building at the moment – and if you’ve been anywhere near the conversations lately, you’ll have felt it too.
Sign Expo is coming, and the stands are nearly sold out.

There’s a real buzz building at the moment – and if you’ve been anywhere near the conversations lately, you’ll have felt it too.
Sign Expo is coming, and the stands are nearly sold out.

Positive Signs has become the first sign company to achieve Master Sign Maker accreditation in 2026, an achievement that owner Amanda Cookson says reflects her commitment to quality

Getting to know the judging panel means you can tailor your entries to align with their specific expertise and know what techniques and details they might be looking out for. Read on to see the 2026 judging panel.

The main focus for the NZSDA in March is preparations for the upcoming Sign & Print Expo. We are delighted to have secured 47 awesome exhibitors, with a few more in the pipeline. It is shaping up to be our biggest expo yet

From 1 April 2026, an important KiwiSaver change takes effect that employers need to be ready for. The default KiwiSaver contribution rate will increase from 3% to 3.5% for both employees and employers.

To acknowledge both the history of the business, a recent move into a new space, and the work that happens behind the scenes, Wilsigns recently held an Open Day

I had another topic ready to go. Staff retention. Pay rises. Backing your people well. Knowing when to let go. I’ve had some honest, thoughtful chats with friends in the industry about it lately and was keen to unpack it here.

2026 seems to have started strong, with reports coming in from around the country that everyone is under the pump with too much work on their hands. Hopefully this is an indicator of the direction the economy is going to take this year!

If you run a business, you’ll already know that a bad hire costs more than an empty role.
Between rework, missed deadlines, unhappy clients and your best people picking up the slack. Recruitment isn’t about just attracting a person it’s about getting the right person for the team.
The good news? You don’t need fancy HR systems to hire well. You just need clarity, honesty, and a repeatable process.