Our Story.
Business Torque Systems grew from Peter Allen's desire to help improve his clients' board decision-making. With an established accounting firm and a large client list, Peter noticed many of his clients were unable to reach their full potential, held back by their own ineffective board decision-making skills.
Experience had taught Peter what to look for in his clients' businesses. Growing up in a family business, Peter lived and breathed the challenges and successes while seated around the kitchen table. It was a time of significant economic growth in New Zealand and to his young mind, success was guaranteed.
In 1987 Peter and his wife Alex went out on their own and started a rural business, looking after racehorses. Horses were streaming in, and Peter borrowed heavily to create the necessary infrastructure without any return on investment calculations or understanding of the market. Six months later, the bubble collapsed with the 1987 financial crash, and Peter's business failed.
Peter recognized the ineffective board decision-making that led to the business's failure. He sold the property and repaid the debts, leaving him with enough money to buy a car and two computers. That's when he started again, building an accounting practice from the ground up, all with the aim of helping others make better board decisions than he did.
Ten years later, Peter's accounting business was thriving with a rich, client-focused culture. To reach his clients even more effectively, Peter designed a business development group that incorporated a learning cycle and brought business owners together in a board-like setting. Peter launched the first group in 2000 and set about teaching them the skills needed for effective board decision-making.
The businesses thrived. Empowered by these new skills, the participants supported each other through group problem-solving and accountability for change. This was a decisive result that exceeded Peter's expectations and reinforced to him the strength of good boardroom governance practices. Energized to help people on boards experience similar results, Peter immersed himself in the study of governance development:
"When I saw what was happening around the board table at these meetings—people's willingness to be accountable and the positive impact it had on their performance—that's when I realized the power of governance and decided to pursue it." – Peter Allen
Peter's BTS Governance Development Programmes grew and evolved. Since then, BTS programmes have been delivered to organizations throughout New Zealand. Peter's wealth of business and financial knowledge and academic research have improved many people's lives and businesses. Peter Allen is now a respected thought leader in board and business development, with strong roots in the New Zealand rural sector.
Business Torque Systems offers board development training that is the best in its field.
"On the course, I was personally challenged more than I expected. As a result, I have grown in a number of areas, particularly in regard to some elements of self-awareness and interpersonal relationships. For me, it was one of the best overall learning experiences I have had."
Farm Governance Advising Training Programme Participant
Our Clients.
-
DairyNZ: Rural Governance Development Programme (RGDP)
In collaboration with Dr. James Lockhart (Massey University) and Justine Kidd (JMK Consulting), BTS developed a governance-training programme for farmers and their trusted advisors. The programme was designed to sharpen the decision-making practices of rural directors. Using a strengths-based approach, the programme maximizes the contribution of each director and brings thought-diversity to governance.
Offered initially through DairyNZ, and now through BTS, this customized programme has been successfully delivered to over two hundred farmers and advisors. Within this programme, BTS also designed and delivered specific advisor training that focused on strengthening their capacity to support the ongoing learning of governance by their farming clients.
Built on the foundation of the Seven Practices of Governance, BTS now offers RGDP to any kind of rural business, as well as Māori Trusts.
-
Māori Trusts and Entities
BTS works with Māori Trusts, Post Settlement Governance Entities, and other Māori entities to enable the boards to constantly develop their governance using the board learning practices. Typically BTS runs one-day workshops and Board Evaluations for the boards.
-
Not-for-Profit Entities
BTS works with not-for-profit entities of many kinds, including faith-based entities to establish sustainable board practices that can last beyond the current board members, by embedding continuous learning/developing practices. BTS typically holds a one-day workshop for a group of not-for-profit boards together, and then supports/coaches one person from each board (as their appointed development coordinator) while they embed learning/development practices in a learning-while-doing approach.
-
SME's: Professional Firms, Family-Owned Businesses
BTS works across all sectors to offer expert guidance to boards. Equipped with assessment tools, BTS analyses the effectiveness and needs of a business's board. BTS consultants attend board meetings to support the board in maximizing the contribution of each board member, and to develop good governance practices that enable directors to make better decisions.
We also offer a strategic advisory service to boards that are developing learning systems. In particular, BTS can assess the learning needs of directors and trustees and provide recommendations on the delivery of training resources that achieve defined learning outcomes.
-
OneFarm: Farm Governance Advisory Training Programme
Working with John Tucker (Institute of Families in Business, UK) in a joint venture between Massey University and Lincoln University, BTS developed and delivered a training programme for rural professionals. This programme focused on governance-advising and the facilitation of ongoing client learning in rural governance. Offered as part of a postgraduate diploma, the programme involved learning modules followed by a formal assessment.
-
Department of Conservation (DOC): Ngā Whenua Rāhui
Driven by the need to future-proof their board through a learning strategy, Te Rawhiti Trust, in partnership with the Department of Conservation, approached BTS to design and deliver a customized programme. Guided workshops helped participants formalize their plans for learning/developing good governance practices over time.
“Thank-you for facilitating the amazing wānanga (workshop). There were good learnings as an outcome, and it was fun. Excellent content!”
Ngai Tamanuhiri, PSGE
“Peter takes faith and governance seriously. It was a delight to experience governance training that on one hand is rooted in quality New Zealand research and practice and on the other is informed by deep reflection on the Christian tradition.”
Mark Grace, CCCNZ
Our Team.
Peter Allen
DIRECTOR, ADVISOR, FACILITATOR
Peter is the Principal of Business Torque Systems Limited. He has specialist expertise in how boards develop their effectiveness. His passion is working with board members who want to learn how to make their board more effective and maintain that effectiveness.
Based on his research and insights of the practical steps required for directors to grow in their governance capability and backed by data he has collected from more than 6,000 interviews with business owners, Peter has developed The Board Torque® Report, a type of Board Evaluation, a Governance Capability Development Model, and the Seven Governance Practices.
In addition to working with a range of sectors, for-profit and not-for-profit, including farming, growing, and exporting, Peter is one of the creators of the Rural Governance Development Programme. Peter also works with Maori trusts and SMEs and sits on the boards of several businesses. Peter and his wife live in Taupo, New Zealand, and have four adult children and a growing band of grandchildren.
Alex Allen
DIRECTOR, ADMINISTRATION
Peter and I have been married for nearly 45 years and we have four adult children. We have enjoyed doing business together for all those years, it is an interest that we share. It has been a journey of discovery and challenges but has been worth every moment to get to where the business is now, and to see how Peter is enriching the lives of many both corporately and individually. My function in the business is that of a sounding board, problem solver, encourager and general 'gofer'.