January update from Kea

Kia ora, 

Welcome to Kea’s first monthly report for 2021. The year is already ramping up with the World Class New Zealand Awards just a couple of months away, the team are very much looking forward to the year ahead. 

This month we talked to Bridget Scanlan, founder of KYT Bags, who worked with Kea Connect to gain expert advice to expand her business. We also highlight a new capital raising venture founded by Kea Community member Elizabeth van Rooyen, and feature Cognizance’s journey with Kea Connect to gain essential UK market insights.

New Zealand’s host year of APEC has officially kicked off, our Global Director of Government and Industry, Saya Wahrlich discusses the details and the positive future impact on Kiwi businesses.

Finally, our Kea Regional Directors give their monthly insights, including the impact new administrations and widespread vaccine campaigns are having on Kiwis living around the world. Did you realise that China’s box office surpassed the US for the first time?

• GROWTH THROUGH KEA CONNECT
• INSIGHTS FROM OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY
• KEA CONNECT: SPOTLIGHT ON CAPITAL RAISING AND TECH CONSUMER INSIGHTS
• IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
• TRENDING AT KEA
• CONNECTIONS THIS MONTH
• HOW KEA CAN HELP

Global growth through Kea Connect

Beautifully designed and award-winning KYT Bags has had global expansion in their sights from day one, with their mission to redesign what diabetes looks like and to empower and revolutionise the lives of people living with diabetes.
The team engaged our Kea Connect service in 2019 to gain advice on how to best approach upscaling production and expanding their already sell-out range.
Founder Bridget Scanlan spoke to Kea about the support gained through our Kea Connect community, the story behind KYT Bags and her experiences as a business leader. READ MORE

USA

It was an uncharacteristically quiet close to the year for Kea North America. With spiking Covid-19 cases and further lockdowns across multiple states, many of our North America members have taken the chance to escape the winter and enjoy extended trips home to New Zealand. The US looks to 2021 as a year of change with a new president and the rollout of mass inoculation to combat the pandemic. Hopes are high among exporters and the wider North America community that there will be a growing sense of normality for travel and business opportunities as we approach the summer.

Ryan Mulcock, Kea USA Regional Director

UK & EUROPE

2020 finished with more last minute changes, leaving us all trying to navigate what we could and couldn’t do, who we could and couldn’t spend the festive holidays with, and adjusting to life under new lockdown tiers. There’s added uncertainty of how long this next lockdown would last for, alongside the fear of the numbers we receive each day and the devastating news that goes with this.  

During these first weeks at the Kea UK/Europe desk I have been blown away by the time and energy people are willing to share and contribute for Kiwis, to give back to New Zealand and New Zealand business off-shore. Although we can’t jump on a plane home when we want, the need to connect with what is happening at home has never been greater.  We are extremely proud of what New Zealand has achieved, but there are frustrations at the negative sentiment of those who have remained offshore, perhaps amplified by ‘UK Variant’ headlines in some New Zealand press. 

Vaccine rollouts bring a ray of hope. This will take time, so the opening of the markets, face to face events, and a return to life as we knew it here will be slower than we wish for. In the weeks ahead we look forward to positive ongoing NZ / UK FTA discussions and working together as we navigate Brexit (more on that next time).

Sara Fogarty, Kea UK/Europe Regional Director

Read more personal insights from our UK & Europe Kea Community in our new Voices of the Global Kea Community series, with our January edition: Living life through lockdown.
READ MORE

CHINA

China’s GDP rose by 2.3% percent in 2020 (101.5986 trillion), showing a steady recovery from the global pandemic. While the global luxury goods market shrunk by 23%, sales in China increased by 48% (totalling RMB 346 billion).  Online sales (of physical commodity products) increased by 14.8% (totalling RMB 9.76 trillion). 

China’s online education market has grown by 20.2% (totalling RMB 485.8 billion) and K-12 (kindergarten through twelfth grade) online education companies have raised more than RMB 50 billion of capital in 2020. This proposes an opportunity for NZ’s education providers (eg. schools & software developers) to offer online courses and programs for the Chinese audience. Start-ups in this sector may also consider financing themselves through China’s capital market. 

On 31st Dec, China’s box office reached RMB 20.417 billion. It is the first time that China’s box office has surpassed America’s, making China the world’s largest film market (America’s box office dropped by 80% in 2020). 

SOE Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine has been approved for roll out in China. Stats from ongoing phase 3 clinical trials show that it is 79% effective. It is reported to offer over six months of immunity, meeting the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. The Chinese government announced that the vaccine will be offered for free, with a priority to people in high-risk groups.

Ciara Liu, Kea China Regional Director

What does APEC mean for the growth of New Zealand businesses? Hosting is a once-in-20-year opportunity for New Zealand and there is no other event on the calendar with such potential to shape our region’s future. Saya Wahrlich, our Global Director Government & Industry shares a few insights into APEC, its key programmes and Kea Community involvement. READ MORE.

SUPPORTING CAPITAL RAISING VENTURE WITH A FOCUS ON KIWI TECH STARTUPS

Kea spoke with Kea Community member Elizabeth van Rooyen about her exciting new venture tasked to shorten and improve the capital raising experience so founders can spend less time on the process and more time where it really matters. In an increasingly remote world, Diligr’s mission is to increase data-driven connectivity between investors and startups and provide them with the transparency they need to build meaningful relationships for long-term funding solutions. With a focus on Kiwi tech startups, we at Kea are excited to see this platform take shape and open up new opportunities for New Zealand businesses. Read more here.

AUDIENCE INTELLIGENCE & AD PERSONALISATION PLATFORM ZEROING IN ON THE UK

Kea Connect helped Cognizance obtain crucial digital and tech consumer insights on the UK market to help shape their market strategy. 

Cognizance is an audience intelligence platform that provides advertisers and marketers with unique, actionable guidance for personalizing display ad creative. Display ad design guidance is delivered in human or machine readable formats and integrates with creative workflows. Their vision is to enable advertisers and marketers to achieve significantly better results by identifying the purchasing mentality of individual website visitors and directing suitably crafted display ads to each visitor.

With a focus on the UK market, Cognizance sought to tap into the expertise of our community for digital and tech consumer insights. Kea Connect introduced Cognizance to both a Consumer Insight Director and a Business Growth expert, each who have extensive knowledge of the UK market. 

Director of Cognizance reported back and said very practical advice was received, which extended into further introductions to our member’s broader network. “Our conversation was one of the most helpful that I’ve had”.

CHINESE OUTLOOK FOR 2021

China Skinny’s latest report ‘China 2021 Trends‘ showcases how some of the great minds of China view the year ahead. The white paper covers the perceived opportunities, challenges, and key focuses in 2021 for senior leaders from some of the most successful brands in China.

SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS IN 2021

Xero have released their Small Business Trends report for 2021, which looks at how small businesses behaved in 2020, and predictions for the coming year. This year’s report highlights in particular the growing resilience of businesses and their ability to adapt.

GLOBAL AND ECONOMIC TRADE UPDATE

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade have released their Global Economic and Trade Update for New Zealand Businesses. The report includes regional updates from the Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

KEA COMMUNITY VOICES OFFSHORE: LIVING LIFE THROUGH LOCKDOWN

As the pandemic continues to have far reaching effects in 2021, we reached out to our UK and Europe Kea Community to share their personal experiences of living life through lockdown. READ MORE

KEA GLOBAL KIWI PIE AND FLAT WHITE DIRECTORY

We reached out to our global community and asked where they get their local pie and flat white, and the response was astronomical. Find out where your local is, wherever you are.  READ MORE

KIRI NATHAN ON BUILDING HER TRIBE

We caught up with Kiwi fashion powerhouse Kiri Nathan on how she’s fared through Covid-19 and what’s next for the Kiri Nathan brand.  
READ MORE

NZ MORTGAGE RATE PREDICTIONS FOR 2021

Kea Independent Economist Tony Alexander shares his insights on mortgage rates, and how banks and everyday Kiwis are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.  READ MORE

SECTORS KEA CONNECT SUPPORTED THIS MONTH

*Year to date reflects financial year commencing 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021