Businesses going global

Like many Kiwi Ben Appleton set off to the UK to do his OE with plans to return after a couple of years. Seven years on he now calls London home, although tries to return to New Zealand regularly to visit his Rotorua based Whānau. Ben is a kaiāwhina (tutor) with Ngāti Rānana and has been involved with the group since his arrival in London, although he admits his initial introduction was somewhat accidental. 

“When I moved to London a friend who was previously part of the group said to me you have to go along to the New Zealand Embassy on a Wednesday night, you will meet a whole lot of mates. So I went and I remember feeling quite shy about it but I got there and immediately you’ve got 40 to 50 friends, who eventually become whānau.”

Ben was brought up in Rotorua and admits while he was surrounded by Māori culture it wasn’t something he took an active role in. He didn’t speak a lot of te reo or grow up on the Marae, and prior to joining Ngāti Rānana he hadn’t done a lot of Kapa Haka. 

“I think I didn’t realise how important the Māori culture was to me until it wasn’t there anymore. When I moved to London I was homesick and I think you sort of look for familiarities and band together with people who remind you of home. I just found Ngāti Rānana was an incredibly safe space to learn and to grow. There is no judgement and I was able to really connect with my taha Māori (Māori identity), in a weird way I left Aotearoa to learn more about my Māoritanga.”

That feeling of a safe space to learn and grow is something that Ngāti Rānana still maintain as the heart of their group today. The group isn’t just limited to Māori or even to kiwis, Ben says the group is currently made up of around 150 people from places like the Caribbean, the UK, Europe and of course New Zealand. 

“We’ve got people who join because they want to be part of the performances, that’s probably about 70-80 people, then we’ve got those that help out behind the scenes, help on the board, committees and with governance, that’s probably another 40 people and then importantly we also have our kōhanga reo and that consists of parents and children who meet up once a month in London to learn te reo Māori, tikanga and everything that encompasses Te Ao Māori and whānau.”

Ngāti Rānana also plays an important role when it comes to educating and explaining Te Ao Māori to cultures outside of New Zealand. Last year the group put on 33 separate live performances for events such as the Dubai Expo, Museum exhibition openings, the signing of the Free Trade agreements at 10 Downing Street, and the London Kea World Class New Zealand Award event. Ngāti Rānana is a not-for-profit organisation and Ben says the group has strict requirements for who they will partner with. 

“We align ourselves with organisations that align with our tikanga, our morals and our values of kotahitanga (unity), whanaungatanga (kinship) and manaakitanga (generosity). We will appear at events where we feel that we uplift Māori and the mana of New Zealand in general. These appearances provide an incredible opportunity for our members but we hope they also project to the people back in New Zealand that you can travel and have these cultural exchanges through the medium of Haka and Te Ao Māori. When we appear at an event we never want to just be performers, what we really try to do is educate people and have more of a cultural exchange. We explain the deeper meaning behind what we are doing, what the world of Haka means and the ancestral story that comes with it.”

Ben says for every event they accept there are just as many they turn down. The group gets a lot of requests from TV producers who are looking for something to entertain or distract audiences and they turn these requests down while making sure to explain why it’s not appropriate to use Haka merely for theatrics.

“Over the past decade or so there has definitely been a growing awareness of Te Ao Māori across many cultures – this is in part thanks to the All Blacks who have done a great job of putting haka on the world stage. For us it’s really about being true to ourselves and our values, we try to apply the same tikanga as we would at home. We always make an effort to do things in the right way – for example some people want us to do a pōwhiri at the end of the night and we have to explain that it’s only done at the beginning and why. When you explain this most people are really respectful and will work with you, a lot of it is about education and explanation and that’s a really powerful thing to be able to share a culture with people and give them a deeper understanding.”

Upholding the mana of Te Ao Māori offshore is a big responsibility and Ben says the group take that very seriously. However it’s not a role they do alone. He says he would encourage anyone, Kiwi or otherwise to learn more about Te Ao Māori and he is incredibly grateful for the knowledge and confidence Ngāti Rānana has given him to gain a deeper understanding of tikanga and Haka to the point where he can now perform in front of several hundred dignitaries. 

Ben urges anyone interested in Te Ao Māori to look up a Maori group in their area, especially if they are offshore and wanting to connect with home. Ngāti Rānana’s next live event is at Westminster Abbey for King Charles, and Ben says that while visual events like this are the things that pick up the media coverage, what’s just as important is the space that the group hold for those wanting to interact with the Māori culture.

“Ngāti Rānana meets every Wednesday, 6:30 PM at the New Zealand High Commission in London, and we always welcome people in. We ask visitors to introduce themselves and we hear some really special stories from those people. Some are on a flying visit through London and have heard about us from an Uncle’s cousin, others have maybe lived in the UK for 20 years and they are feeling really homesick and this is the first time they have engaged with something that feels truly like home. It’s quite tear jerking to be honest, a lot of people just want a bit of connection back to Aotearoa and if we can give that to them and help those people on their journey, then that’s just as important as any performance for a king.”

North America

This month saw the conclusion of the WTO Ministerial Conference held in Abu Dhabi, with some significant outcomes for Kiwi export businesses looking to expand their market presence in the United States. An agreement to prohibit customs duties on digital trade, is expected to create favourable conditions for Kiwi exporters. The extension of the e-commerce moratorium also represents a significant win for small and medium-sized New Zealand businesses, offering them greater transparency and predictability in their trade dealings with the US. This agreement not only enhances prospects for exports but also reinforces the rules-based trade system, thereby strengthening the overall trade relationship between New Zealand and the United States.

Kiwi exporters are also seeing favourable conditions in California this month as the state’s economy continues to perform strongly despite challenges including high living costs and housing shortages. California is a crucial gateway for New Zealand-US trade, with nearly one-fifth of New Zealand exports to the US passing through or ending up in the state and its continued strong growth in the face of a challenging economy provides opportunities for Kiwi businesses. Traditionally growth has been underpinned by agriculture and manufacturing and in more recent decades has received a boost from innovation in key sectors, including AI, space exploration, and clean tech. California’s economy is set to reach an impressive value of $3.89 trillion by 2023, solidifying its position as the largest economy among US states.

Finally this month we celebrated International Women’s Day in the US, celebrating the remarkable achievements and leadership of Kea World Class New Zealander Kirsty Graham, the newly appointed CEO of Edelman U.S. Kirsty’s illustrious career spanning over two decades has been marked by her relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation in the global communications arena. From roles at Pfizer Inc. to her transformative leadership at Edelman, Kirsty’s journey serves as an inspiration, embodying the values of perseverance and dedication to excellence. Joining Kirsty as interviewer for the event was Kea World Class New Zealander Kirsten Neville Manning, a distinguished New Zealand expatriate and globally recognized HR professional, who led a compelling conversation highlighting the power and influence of Kiwi
leadership on the global stage.

Gary Fortune, Kea North America Regional Director

UK and Europe

In the UK all eyes are on the economy and this year’s pivotal elections The Government has recently released a Spring budget which would see proposed tax amendments aimed at bolstering economic resilience and equity across various sectors. Key points for Kiwi business owners include;

• Main rate of National Insurance for employees, cut to 8% from 6th April. 
• Non-UK Domicile tax rules to be replaced with a residence-base regime.
• Over £1 billion of new tax relief for the UK’s creative industries. 
• VAT registration threshold to rise to £90,000 from 1 April 2024.
• Fuel duty rates will be maintained at current levels for further 12 months.

For those considering expansion or export to the UK, it’s essential to contextualise these developments within the broader global landscape. The outcomes of the UK elections and tax reforms may have far-reaching impacts on those Kiwi living here, business strategies, market entry plans, and workforce management for exporters. Further details on the Spring Budget can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spring-budget-2024/spring-budget-2024-html 

Finally this month, we proudly collaborated with the NZ Business Women’s Network to host our annual International Women’s Day event celebrating the remarkable achievements of wahine toa while delving into this year’s theme of ‘Inspiring Inclusion’. Our esteemed panellists, including Chantelle Nicholson, Kea World Class New Zealander and author, chef patron of Apricity; Kiri Haggart, MD & Founder of Feed Me Light; and Lisa Miles-Heal, CEO of SilverFin, shared their inspiring career journeys, emphasising the importance of embracing uncertainty and relinquishing rigid plans in a dynamic world. Thank you to all those who attended. 

This June Kea will be involved in London Tech week, if you are planning to travel to the UK for this event, please get in touch so we can support you and share details of our activity on the ground. Contact [email protected] 

Sara Fogarty, Kea UK/Europe Regional Director

China

This month China aired its first fully AI-animated program on TV. The animation showcased ancient poems and verses in 26, seven-minute episodes. The AI was fed historical CCTV poetry content, streamlining the animation process. Chinese audiences are seeing more and more AI presenters on both recorded TV and live streaming shows this year, with some AI streaming presenters streaming 24/7. This exponential growth in the industry and adoption of technology creates some interesting opportunities for Kiwi businesses. Later this year China is expected to release controls around the use of AI which may have global effects on the use of the technology. 

Another rising trend for Kiwi businesses to be across is increasing popularity of Wet markets. Similar to a New Zealand farmers market, the ‘wet market’ trend is being driven by Chinese youth who are increasingly placing value on community and neighbourhood connections. Many well known brands such as Prada have staged takeover of entire markets wrapping fruit and vegetables in Prada themed paper, generating millions of shares on social media and drawing huge crowds to the markets. During the 2024 Spring Festival, Dating app Qingtenglove, launched a marketing activity themed with anti-marriage pressure in a Wuhan wet market. This holiday is when young people return home to shop for New Year goods with their parents, a time where extended families commonly badger returning kids about getting married. 

The market featured areas decorated with cards and banners displaying light-hearted, witty messages about anti-marriage pressure. These messages reflected young people’s desire to find a life partner worth spending a lifetime with naturally, rather than rushing into marriage. Just like delicious fruits and vegetables don’t need to be rushed to ripen, a healthy relationship shouldn’t be ‘hurried’ either. This market ‘exhibition’ attracted many local youth to visit and voluntarily share photos on social media. . Events like this are not only budget-friendly but also connect at a timely cultural expectation sore-spot and have the potential to generate social buzz and increase brand visibility and are definitely an option for Kiwi brands to consider. 

Finally this month Kea hosted the International Women’s Day Panel events in downtown Shanghai. We invited 4 outstanding women leaders from different career backgrounds to share their insights on the topic of Count Her In: Accelerating Gender Equality through Economic Empowerment. We were honoured to have Mr Ardi Barnard, Consul-General of the Consulate General of New Zealand to Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui to address the speech for the event. There were 40 guests from the local Kiwi community and friends of New Zealand joined this once-a-year event celebrating the 111th International Women’s Day.

Rebecca Bao, China Regional Director

New Zealand

It’s been a busy month for NZ trade talks with Foreign Minister Winston Peters visiting a number of countries as he works to increase relations. The minister visited several countries in the South and South East Asia region, including Singapore and India. The Government is focused on increasing trade with India and following his meeting Minister Peters said the ‘India-New Zealand relationship is entering a new phase.’ The minister has a list of items New Zealand and India could work together on including kiwifruit, Antarctica, and coastal shipping. New Zealand is also keen to see international education with India return to pre-Covid levels. 

In Singapore Minister Peters met with Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Mohamad Maliki Osman to discuss global challenges and how to develop a stronger New Zealand-Singapore relationship. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister said the country was a tech and innovation leader and an ideal partner for collaboration on new and emerging areas, such as the digital economy and the green transition. Singapore is New Zealand’s fourth largest trading partner and a critical transhipment hub for New Zealand goods. 

Back home and Minister Peters hosted Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Wellington during the first stop on the Chinese foreign minister’s trans-Tasman diplomatic tour this week. Wide-ranging talks touched on trade, security, China’s engagement in the Pacific, the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts. They also resolved that Prime Minister Chris Luxon would visit China this year, following a trade mission led by minister Todd McClay in May. New Zealand was the first developed country to sign a bilateral trade deal with China, in 2008, and extended that partnership in 2014, to great economic benefit.

Kellie Addison, Global Director Stakeholder Affairs

To support our webinar we have also provided a list of helpful links based on the information provided by our panelists.

For more information about Ōtautahi Christchurch Resources for those looking to do business, invest, study and live ‘Move to Christchurch’ resources – house, job, lifestyle resources plus testimonials from locals  Resources for people looking to bring a business to Christchurch or establish a new venture  For shipping advice Crown Relocations NZ | International and Domestic Movers and Storage Mobility contact form: Contact Our Global Mobility Team | Crown Relocations NZ Furniture hire info: Short Term Furniture Hire | Crown Relocations NZ Home finder / accommodation assist: Destination Services For Global and Long Distance Moves | Crown Relocations NZ Settling In: Relocation Settling In Services | Crown Relocations NZ

At just 26 years of age Emily Blythe is tackling the big problems. Her company, Pyper Vision, creates safe visibility at airports by dispersing fog using a specially designed drone. The drone distributes a non-hazardous powder which, as it falls, kickstarts the natural dispersal process within minutes. 

As far as Emily knows, it’s a world first solution, and one that’s very close to her heart. Growing up in an aviation family – her mum is an air traffic controller and her dad and grandad are both pilots, she saw first-hand the problems fog can create for airports and decided to do something about it, but she couldn’t solve the problem on her own.

“The beauty of being based in Christchurch, surrounded by such a strong aerospace community is that from day one Pyper Vision was able to lean into the expertise that exists, whether it is setting up an advisory board of airline regulators, pilots and passengers, or being able to access staff who have the training and skills to help us grow. To have that ongoing support has been invaluable.”

The Christchurch aerospace community has grown substantially over the past decade or two with industry body Aerospace Christchurch, set up in 2018. President Mark Rocket says when it comes to industry growth, Canterbury has a distinct advantage over many other cities both in New Zealand and around the world. 

“Christchurch has open skies, variable terrain, we’re close to the coast, plus we’ve got the second largest manufacturing capability in the region and a good international airport. We can also offer great lifestyle benefits for people with the ocean and the mountains. We’re also New Zealand’s only gateway to Antarctica so we have hundreds of researchers that go through the city every year. I think there is real potential to set Christchurch up as a real global R&D hub for space and advanced aviation work.”

Mark knows a thing or two about the global space industry, aside from his work with Aerospace Christchurch he was a seed investor of Rocket Lab and served as the company’s Co-director from 2007 to 2011, he’s worked with the Government to develop a space strategy for New Zealand and is also the founder of Kea Aerospace, a company which is building a solar power aircraft that flies in the stratosphere and captures high resolution aerial imagery for applications such as environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, disaster management and maritime awareness.

Mark sees huge opportunities for the future of New Zealand’s aerospace sector and wants to attract more companies from around the world to set up in Aotearoa. 

“We have a lot of world leading projects going on in Christchurch right now, we need to sell the concept better so that people fully understand the scope of the industry, the speed at which we can get things done and the opportunities that presents. When we started Rocket Lab, people thought we were a bit crazy starting a rocket company in New Zealand and going up against the likes of America, China and Russia. But we can do things in a different way here, we’ve got a lot of innovation and ingenuity and we just seem to be able to get things going quickly and cost effectively.”

One offshore Kiwi who was impressed by the opportunities Christchurch offers was Jenny Blackburn. Jenny did a degree in Mechanical Engineering in the US, before completing a masters in Turbo Machinery in Sweden and Greece she then moved to Germany and did some travelling around the UK before deciding it was time to return home. She applied for a role as a mechanical engineer in the propulsion team at Dawn Aerospace, a company which provides in-space propulsion technology for satellites, and is also flight-testing a spaceplane technology demonstrator, the Dawn Mk-II Aurora

“As an offshore Kiwi, I never knew there was an aerospace industry in Christchurch until I got the job here, but even just at Dawn there are so many opportunities. I’m a mechanical engineer, we have structural engineers, electrical engineers, mechatronics engineers, we have roles in aviation etc. The thing with start up companies is that you have to know a little bit of everything. We are designing something that’s never been designed before so there are lots of little things that crop up all the time and you need to be able to apply problem solving skills in lots of different ways, it’s one of the things I love most about the job – all the different ways you can really be part of something so new and exciting.”

Jenny says for those who are new to Christchurch or to New Zealand’s space sector there are plenty of opportunities to connect with other passionate people, something which makes a big difference to returning Kiwi like herself. 

“Aerospace Christchurch holds meetups regularly, Canterbury university has rocket clubs and last year we launched Women in Space, a network for women working in the aerospace industry. We also have mentorship programmes working with people who want to get involved in the sector, so there are so many opportunities to get involved and bounce ideas off people and grow your networks. 

Christchurch’s aerospace sector is vast and encompasses aviation, space flight, rocketry, manufacturing, engineering, geospatial mapping, data analytics, education, training and services. The scale of growth in the sector has been incredible and Emily has some parting words for any offshore Kiwi wanting to return home and be involved in global, cutting edge projects

“While there has been a huge amount of work to build the aerospace talent pipeline in Christchurch we still need more people. There is a real need to bring more experience back home. A lot of these companies have deep aerospace knowledge, but there is a real opportunity to combine that with business expertise. For example bringing in people who understand how to scale into different markets, how to scale manufacturing processes, or how to get better product iterations going. There are enormous opportunities to bring in people with that global viewpoint, who can help support the narrative as these companies grow. We are also at the stage where we’ve got the training capability to bring in people who don’t necessarily have an aerospace background and train them into new roles, which is pretty cool. The opportunities are endless.”

This content was created in partnership with ChristchurchNZ. To discover more about Christchurch’s aerospace industry here

What was it that originally appealed to you about this new role? 
I spent nearly 40 years working as an MP, a Cabinet Minister with portfolios including Foreign
Affairs, Trade and Defence and most recently as Mayor of Auckland. In that time I gained a
wide range of skills and experience, and I saw this role as a one where I would get the
privilege and opportunity to put all of that to good use, at an important time in the UK-NZ
relationship.
     Our relationship with the UK is embedded in our history, our institutions, our values and our
people-to-people relationships, but is contemporary and dynamic. We have a new trade deal
which will enter into force this year, a new research, science, and innovation arrangement
which will support UK and New Zealand scientists to collaborate on solving some of the
biggest challenges the world faces, and a soon-to-be-enhanced Working Holiday Visa
scheme, which will enable even more young New Zealanders and Brits to experience each
other’s’ countries.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing as you take on this role? 
One of the biggest challenges in the role at this time is to ensure we make the most of the
opportunities offered by the UK reorienting its role in the world. This means expanding our
trade with the UK, the world’s sixth biggest economy and a fellow voice in favour of free and
sustainable trade. It means continuing to support the UK as if focuses more on our region as
part of its Indo-Pacific tilt. It means maximizing our cooperation in science, technology and
climate change as we strive to respond to global warming and achieve a sustainable
environment. And it means working alongside the UK in support of the multilateral rules
based system at the many global challenges that we face.

What value do you hope to add during your time in United Kingdom?
Working with a very good NZ Inc team in London and the many talented New Zealanders
living and working here, my goal is to be an effective advocate for New Zealand’s interests, to
build as strong as possible a relationship to the benefit of both countries and to learn from
the innovative things the UK is doing which may have relevance to New Zealand.

Why is New Zealand’s relationship with United Kingdom so important?
The importance of the relationship with the UK is in part our shared history, our strong
people-to-people relationships and the closeness of our two countries in terms of our
commitment to democracy, to freedom and to upholding human rights and the rule of law
domestically and internationally. The UK brings a huge resource base in terms of its
economy, population size and international influence to our joint pursuit of these principles.
While New Zealand is proud of having an independent foreign policy where we form and
hold our own views, it is nevertheless important that we work with likeminded countries
such as the UK to tackle international problems whether in reducing trade barriers,
advancing climate change action or opposing aggression.

What value can strengthening ties between NZ and United Kingdom bring to Kiwis? 
With the UK being the world’s sixth largest economy, one of the world’s largest aid donors
and contributors to climate action, a member of the P5 with significant international
influence, there are real benefits to us working strongly and collaboratively with it.

What opportunities are there for growing Kiwi business in your market? 
The UK represents a market of almost 70 million people with a large GDP and high per capita
income. In key areas like wine, honey and onions, it is a critical market for some exporters. In
other export areas like dairy products and meat, reductions in tariffs and other barriers
provide new opportunities. Technology, niche manufacturing, services and investment and
tourism are all potential growth areas. New Zealand will need to leverage its reputation for
high standards and environmental sustainability to gain competitive advantage. The new FTA
opens the door for our exporters and now with the support of groups like Kea and NZTE our
exporters have the opportunity to take advantage of it.