Businesses going global

Where has the rise in inflation come from?

Explaining the rise in inflation isn’t straightforward or simple. A number of factors have combined over the past few years to create the current environment facing businesses, an environment which is very different to the one we saw pre-pandemic. Over the last couple of years, most western Governments, through their respective central banks, have made large amounts of money available at record low rates to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic, which has seen demand increase and supply struggling to keep pace. When combined with global supply chain issues resulting from ongoing lockdowns (such as those in China) and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine resulting in increasing energy costs, we’ve seen growing inflationary pressures as a result. Now central banks are looking to get inflationary pressures down and back to a more even keel, by reigning in that spending using interest rates as a lever. This means a shift in interest rates back to more historically normal levels.

What effect has this had on our export businesses?

A key challenge for Kiwi businesses is that many have struggled to get their raw materials at the right time and or ship out to market finished goods on time due to supply chain constraints. These supply chain issues have added additional costs as freight rates have gone through the roof, businesses have had to ship products through alternate routes of trans -ship and through shipping irregularities have required them to hold additional stock as they are unable to source goods in a normal, timely manner. On top of this, staff attraction and retention to meet rising demand has been a real challenge, and this has all added to business cost structures and the stress level of owners.

What can businesses do to best position themselves for this current environment?

Over the next 12-18 months factoring in these additional costs is going to be really important for businesses. And while the current supply chain impasse will correct itself in time, we’re unlikely to see costs go back to the levels of a few years ago. It’s the same for interest rates. While the current rates will come down eventually, we are unlikely to see interest rates in the 2% range like we experienced over the last couple of years. The global paradigm has changed and it’s important that businesses reflect those changes in their cost structures. The positive news is that it’s a supply side problem and demand has remained robust. We haven’t seen substitution, for example, such as offshore customers choosing the domestic option because goods from New Zealand are more challenging to get or too expensive. That would be the worst-case scenario, and fortunately to date we haven’t seen examples of that..

Six pieces of Key advice

1. Look at your cost structures – Consider the levers you can pull to lower your cost of supply. Make the assumption that prices over the next 12-18 months will be increasing, so factor that into your shipping, production and raw material costs. Review your cashflow, interest rates and what your business cycle looks like now and whether the debt structure you have to support that is still appropriate.
2. Communication is critical – Ensure you’re constantly engaging with your customers, suppliers as well as your bank or financial advisor. That’s been a real learning for many businesses during the pandemic. For example, giving updates on delivery schedules to customers so they have some certainty y about when your goods are going to be in market. We’ve seen some businesses extend six-month customer contracts to 9, 12 or even 15 months, simply because they haven’t been able to get the raw materials to produce the finished goods. We’re of the view that bad news delivered early is good news. Of course, some conversations are going to be challenging, but it’s better for customers to be aware and plan for those goods at a later stage, rather than simply having them not turn up.
3. Consider holding more inventory – It used to be just in time, but now it’s just in case. Over the past six to eight months, we’ve seen more businesses actively increasing their inventory because they’re not sure when their next shipment might arrive, and if you’ve got no product to sell, you’re not in the market. Obviously, this can create challenges for working capital and cashflow, which is where constant communication with your bank or financial advisor can help.
4. Be creative when it comes to staff retention – In a rising inflation environment, the desire for more money in people’s pockets is very real. But post Covid, people are looking for more than just higher wages, so think about what you can do to make your employees feel valued, whether that be through flexible working or development opportunities – it’s hugely critical at the moment. Also think about what you’re doing to look after yourself as well as your employees. Many businesses understandably have been operating with all hands to the pump, with owners and employees working crazy hours. This is an unhealthy long term option, so looking at ways to manage stress and fatigue should be front of mind.
5. Explore ways to premiumise your products – With discretionary incomes coming under pressure, its prudent to identify the intrinsic characteristics of your product and position it so that it’s got a premium attached to it, that is defendable that can go some way to mitigating the fact that people will have less discretionary income and more discerning about how they use it.
6. Review how you show up in-market, both physically and online – The current environment is a catalyst to explore not only what you’re doing currently, but what you could be doing and how you’re reaching into those markets. For example, the recently concluded Free Trade Agreements with Europe and the UK, will, once ratified, be almost immediately advantageous for a number of New Zealand exporters as tariffs are reduced and in some cases eliminated The FTA’s also provides an opportunity for all businesses to consider markets, they haven’t considered previously.

This article is solely for information purposes. It’s not financial or other professional advice. For help, please contact BNZ or your professional adviser. No party, including BNZ, is liable for direct or indirect loss or damage resulting from the content of this article. Any opinions in this article are not necessarily shared by BNZ or anyone else.

Ben Gleisner knew that environmental outcomes around the world needed to change but felt it was happening too slowly, so not one to sit back and watch, he launched COGO. The company started out as a charity but pivoted to a business model in 2016. Today they provide data to help small businesses measure and reduce their carbon footprint. 

From an original core team of five, today the business employs over 100 people and its products are available in Australia, Singapore, Japan and Europe, with North America next on the list. Ben says by using technology to provide consumers with information, they are empowered to make faster changes to live a more sustainable life. 

“Originally, we started out with an app, you would scan a QR code at a café and it would tell you the sustainability credentials of the business, but as we’ve progressed the carbon footprint became the core proposition with a focus on banks. Banks integrate our technology into their core banking app so when you open your banking it shows you your carbon footprint with suggestions on how you can improve.”

COGO could operate from anywhere in the world, but Ben says being based in Wellington provides a number of advantages. 

“The culture in Wellington is built on people working in the public sector in order to create public good, so the city has real energy which is focused on creating a better New Zealand. There are a lot of people that have those types of values, lots of like minded – New Zealanders building businesses which are good for the world, which is why it works for us, plus being in the same city as the Government helps as well. 

East By West Ferries Managing Director Jeremy Ward shares a similar view. 

“What makes Wellington a great place for sustainable businesses is that everyone has got a can-do attitude. We’re not saying, oh we’ve got to have the Government or big business behind us. We know what we want to do, we know where we want to go – that’s the psyche of Wellington to me.” 

In 2021 East by West Ferries launched Ika Rere, the first zero emission, fully electric fast passenger ferry in the Southern Hemisphere. Recognising the need to phase out diesel-fuelled ferries operations, Jeremy says East by West Ferries formed the Wellington Electric Boat Building Company (WEBBCo) with the specific aim of getting Ika Rere built. 

“Our ferry is built purely from carbon fibre which is unheard of for the size of the vessel. When we were building her we put up a big sign in our warehouse which says ‘weight is everything.’ Fraser Foote, Managing Director of WEBBCo weighed everything down to the kilogram because the heavier the boat the more power you need to get across the harbour.” 

Jeremy says the ferry had energised his company’s vision of Wellington as a sustainable, smart city. 

“The amount of carbon we save in one year is huge as we’re not using any carbon whatsoever with the electricity, which is powered by Meridian Energy. Our little diesel ferries presently cost roughly $128 in fuel per return sailing, compared to $28 in electricity costs for the Ika Rere which takes a third more passengers and goes a third faster. That’s not the reason why we did it, but it’s certainly another reason for others to follow suit.”

Another Wellington company leading the way in sustainability is Upcycled Grain Project, which crafts crackers and snacks from rescued grain leftover from beer production. 

Already named by Forbes as one of the world’s top 50 healthy snacks, a big part of Upcycled Grain Project’s ethos is creating great tasting food that benefits consumers, be it sustainable, health-focused or supporting New Zealand producers and growers.

Owner Jan Meyer says they were looking for another grain to use in the crackers when one of their team members who loved brewing beer, suggested they use the leftover brewer’s grain. 

“We did and we loved it,” says Jan. “And as we delved into it, we began to understand what upcycling was, what it meant and realised these grains needed rescuing. Brewers usually use up to 7kg of grain to produce 21 litres of beer, and the spent grain either becomes animal feed or goes into landfills, now instead we get it delivered to our factory to go through a drying process before being ground into a flour and made into food products. I love that we’re using it twice!” 

The business sources all their grain from local brewer Garage Project who are also on their own sustainability journey so it works for both companies. Upcycled Grain products are available in New Zealand, Australia and the USA and Jan is looking forward to the journey ahead. 

“The whole upcycling arena is an exciting area to be working in. We love our product, we love the whole upcycling concept and there are so many opportunities in this space.” 

Ben feels the same with his company quickly becoming a world leader in the climate fintech space. 

“If the world wants to solve climate change it needs products like ours to be able to do that. In five to ten years, we’d like COGO to be one of the larger NZ tech companies and a key part of NZ’s export story which is helping 500 million people go to sleep at night knowing that they have done their bit or a little better to improve the environment.”

For Jeremy and East by West Ferries, the ambition starts closer to home. 

“From our point of view, we’ve always said Wellington first, then New Zealand, then the world. We’ve built a Southern Hemisphere first with our Ika Rere ferry. Now we need to show the world that our team in Wellington can build more, more efficiently and get them behind us, as it’s not only good for the environment but good for New Zealand and the world!”

This content was produced in partnership with Wellington NZ who have teamed up with local businesses in a campaign to attract skilled people to Wellington Te Whanganui-a-Tara, as a destination to come work, live, and play. To see more from the campaign and hear stories of how other businesses embraced the ‘Wellington effect’ visit Only in Wellington.”

Auror operates a platform for retailers that is focused on reducing the harm and impact of organised retail crime. Essentially the company provides a place for things like shoplifting incidents or acts of aggression to be reported and gathered in one place. Keeping this information together allows patterns and trends to emerge, giving stores visibility on the size and scope of their loss. This enables them to work better with police, and create action plans to keep their own team members and customers safe

At the beginning of 2021 the company had 40 staff but now has more than 100. Most of the team are still New Zealand based as all the company’s engineering, design and product management is done here. However over the past few years they have experienced strong growth in their key offshore markets resulting in the hiring of customer facing teams in Australia, the US, the UK and Canada.

Vice President of People Experience Kirsti Grant says while Auror did have some remote working practises in place, like many companies, the pandemic accelerated their journey.

“The pandemic showed everyone how remote working could work, but lockdowns were a particular environment. I think to make remote teams work successfully long term requires a really deliberate focus, particularly if you are a company in the growth stage which we absolutely are.”

“We knew we couldn’t go completely remote, as a part of what has made us so successful is the culture that we have built and the connections we’ve built with one another. So if we are growing and adding people to the team, but we’re not being really deliberate about making sure those new people are connected and building those relationships and that Auror knowledge, then it’s not going to work. We’re not going to be as effective.”

The team tackled this by building their remote teams around hubs in different markets. They currently have hubs in Auckland, Melbourne, Denver and London. Kirsti says these hubs allow people to work in a hybrid way but still allow teams to be connected to the company values.

“Most people work from the office two or three days a week, some less. Some will be out in the regions, but they’ll come together every quarter to a particular location. When we hire people they have to be able to travel to their closest hub. We are not going to hire someone that’s not ever going to be able to come in at least once a quarter. So the company is borderless, but it is quite deliberate and focused on making sure that we can still put emphasis on the culture and bringing everyone together.”

Being able to develop a strong remote working approach has allowed Auror to not just attract talent but also to retain it.

“I think companies need to be exploring how talent moves through their organisation. When you’ve got younger talent looking to do their OE, you need to make sure you’ve got these relationships and connections with them, to allow them to talk to you about those plans and give you the chance to support them. For example, we have got a couple of members of the team that are ready to go overseas. We would love for them to stay at Auror and work from our other locations, so we are working with them on this. It’s about being really open and flexible while still doing what is right for your business.”

Kirsti says having strong remote working policies in place which mirror global trends has also allowed Auror to attract returning Kiwi who might be more used to a remote working environment and want to continue to balance their lifestyle when they return home.

“We’ve seen incredible benefits from hiring Kiwi who have come back to New Zealand. If you’re an international company or you’re exporting then having that returning X Factor is incredible. Hire that person immediately because you’re about to get talent that is familiar with the markets that you’re exporting to but also understands your Kiwi business proposition.”

Above all else, Kirsti says that the key thing for any company looking to fill skill shortages by hiring remotely is to make sure whoever you hire is experienced at working remotely, has a strong and proactive approach to communication, and is going to add to, and enhance your culture.

“For quite a few years now we’ve been working on building our employer brand and making sure that people know Auror as a great place to work and as a place where great people work. We are lucky because our business does have a really positive effect on communities and people get quite excited when they realise the change it’s making. We’ve been really quite deliberate and focused on going out and looking for people who might be the best talent for Auror and then really just building relationships with them and showing that there is a reason why we want them. We have been really fortunate in that we have continued to be able to hire quite effectively. Sometimes things do take a little bit longer and you have to be prepared to wait but it’s been worth it. We’ve been able to get amazing talent and that talent is also diverse, but you have to do the work.”

For roles that can be undertaken in a globally remote capacity, this shift provides New Zealand with an incredible opportunity to utilise the experience of our offshore community, particularly in talent-challenged industries such as technology. It offers a solution to address skill shortages in our workforce while also utilising offshore perspective to increase productivity and innovation for businesses. A recent Kea study showed that 16% of our offshore Kiwi community are working in the technology industry and many would welcome the chance to work with a New Zealand based business. 

To help support more businesses to engage with offshore Kiwi talent from home, Kea are proud to announce a partnership with leading global HR solution company Deel. 

Kea CEO Toni Truslove says the signing of this partnership provides an exciting opportunity to help connect offshore Kiwi into New Zealand companies looking to fill talent gaps.  

“By embracing remote working we are able to utilise the skills of those living overseas who we know want to stay connected to New Zealand and support business growth. Hiring offshore Kiwi allows companies to tap into a community of people who understand the New Zealand culture and business landscape, but also understand the landscape of the market they are based in. This is a huge advantage when it comes to growing a team offshore.”

Shannon Karaka, Head of Expansion for Australia and New Zealand at Deel, says working with the Kea network provides an opportunity to accelerate the number of Kiwi success stories both offshore and at home. 

“With talent shortages in New Zealand at the highest level in decades, our focus is on making it simple for businesses to remotely hire contractors or full time employees to help fill this gap. Deel’s easy to use self-serve platform, means that companies can compliantly hire, onboard and pay workers in over 150+ markets, in minutes. By using remote hiring, New Zealand businesses can access ambitious talent pools, expand more quickly into international markets or to retain key staff that want or need to move offshore, without having to worry about substantial set-up costs or complex international tax regimes.”

Shannon says Deel is thrilled to be able to offer our services to the Kea network to help build a stronger New Zealand by providing entrepreneurial Kiwi with the support they need for their businesses to thrive.

ENDS

Kea Global Communications Director: Kellie Addison 021897548 [email protected] 

Director of Communications, APAC: Antonia Sanda [email protected]

North America

The debate around lab-grown meat, also known as cell-cultivated and cell-based meat is heating up in the US with industry members watching with interest. Lab-grown meat is developed from cells drawn from live animals, combined with a nutrient mixture of proteins and vitamins, and cultivated in vats that look similar to beer breweries. Currently a time-intensive and expensive process, lobbyists and trade groups are working to shape the pending 2023 farm bill hoping to secure funding traditionally allocated to agriculture for research to scale volume and reduce price. Two cultivated meat products were approved by regulators for public consumption in the US this year, but major technological, cost and scientific hurdles exist before the technology can feed a meaningful number of people and guarantee lower emissions than traditional meat production processes. Kiwi meat exporters should keep an eye on the debate and future developments with the The US representing Zealand’s second largest red meat market, valued at $2.3 billion in 2022.

Social media platforms have been taking a hit in North America recently. Effective 1 June the stat of Montana banned Tik Tok, WeChat and Telegram on all state-issued cell phones, laptops, tablets, desktop computers, and other devices that connect to the internet. The ban doesn’t just apply to government employees, but also to any third-party firms conducting business for or on behalf of the State of Montana. Plans are underway to ban Tik Tok statewide from 1 January 2024, or app stores will face hefty fines of up to $10,000 for each illegal download. In Canada lawmakers recently passed the Online News Act which is expected to come into effect by the end of the year. The Act requires social media platforms and search engines such as Meta and Google to negotiate with news publishers to license their content. Meta’s response to block all news links was widely criticised as dangerous as it coincided with Canada’s worst wildfire season on record.

Gary Fortune, Kea North America Regional Director

UK and Europe

Kiwi businesses using Facebook and Instagram to target customers in Europe may see organic reach and targeted ad performance start to change in the coming months. The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) came into force on 25 August. The DSA requires 19 specified larger platforms and search engines, like Meta and Tik Tok, to provide users in the region with the ability to switch off AI-driven personalisation, the feature which selects and displays content based on tracking and profiling individual users. Under the DSA, users must be offered a choice of a feed where content sorting is not based on tracking. For example, on Facebook and Instagram, users will have the option to view Stories and Reels only from people they follow, ranked in chronological order, newest to oldest. They will also be able to view search results based only on the words they enter, rather than personalised specifically to them based on their previous activity and personal interests. This option is not available to UK users, who will start to see a growing privacy rights gap compared to their counterparts elsewhere in Europe.

New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreements with the UK and the EU include commitments to take steps to prevent modern slavery in our supply chains and to promote responsible business conduct. Since the pandemic, modern slavery ballooned globally. Last month the Government announced New Zealand is working to deliver on its commitments to the FTAs by introducing new legislation requiring organisations and businesses to be transparent about their operations and supply chains through a new public register. Kiwi organisations with over $20 million in revenue will be required to report and outline the actions they take to address exploitation risks in their operations and supply chains. This proposed legislation and public register will be among the world’s strongest reporting systems for tackling modern slavery.

Finally it has been a big few months for sport in Europe with Spain and England going head to head in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup this month, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia. As UK sports tourists head home from the Southern Hemisphere, the UK has seen an influx of Kiwis in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, with many Kiwi exporters timing trips to market to coincide with matches. The opening match between France and New Zealand take place on 8 September.

Sara Fogarty, Kea UK/Europe Regional Director

China

This month we have seen a continued growing interest into the food and agriculture sector with Alibaba founder Ma Yun, launching his new investment company “One Metre eighty centimeters”. The company aims to invest into agriculture and food businesses, with the goal of ensuring Chinese children reach an average height of 1.8 meters through good nutrition. Kiwi exporters will not doubt watch these advancements with interest as they look to continue to compete for a piece of the China market.

China is also looking to increase it’s focus on recycling ad sustainability driven in part by the effect of continued extreme weather around the country. The’Recycling Rewards Program’ is seeing more housing compounds receive a paper recycling vending machine. Residents simply feed their cardboard into the machine and in exchange receive an instant cash transfer to their digital wallet. The current price is 1KG for CNY1.2 (NZD0.28). This practice was first adopted in 2014 but is currently being pushed out to more cities.

Finally this month, to celebrate the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Consulate General of Australia, New Zealand and Kea hosted a joint event in Shanghai. Thanks to the local expat community who came together at El Santo in downtown to watch the game and cheer both teams on.

Rebecca Bao, China Regional Director

New Zealand

This month saw the announcement that the Government has worked with BlackRock, one of the world’s largest investors in climate infrastructure and clean technology, to launch a $2 billion fund with the goal of making New Zealand one of the first countries in the world to reach 100% renewable electricity. The fund will provide access to greater pools of capital for New Zealand businesses, supporting the creation of highly skilled local jobs. It is expected to accelerate green energy options like solar, wind, green hydrogen and battery storage to fuel a low emissions economy.

On 11 August Minister for Trade and Export Growth, Hon Damien O’Connor, met with his Australian counterpart, Senator Don Farrell, for the Closer Economic Relations (CER) Trade Ministers meeting. Ministers released a statement outlining priorities for advancing economic collaboration under CER in its 40th anniversary year and also signed the Australia-New Zealand Sustainable and Inclusive Trade Declaration, supporting our transition to more inclusive, sustainable and resilient economies fit for the 21st century. This includes ensuring that the rights and economic interests of Indigenous Peoples are reinforced by international trade and investment policy and activities. It also demonstrates our commitment to work together on issues such as modern slavery, biodiversity loss, plastics pollution, and climate change.

The impact of the dairy sector on New Zealand’s economy was illustrated this month with lower milk prices expected to wipe out nearly $2 billion from dairy industry revenues and take $5 billion off the country’s GDP. Fonterra lowered their forecast per kilogram milk solids price by approximately $1, and economists estimate a reduction in industry revenue of $1.9 billion. This will have a flow-on effect on government tax take and domestic spending on things like capital items and fertiliser,

Finally, the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023 wrapped up on 20 August, with the title going to Spain. As co-host with Australia, New Zealand hosted 29 games which were attended by over 700,000 spectators and attracted over 20,000 international visitors to our shores, a whopping 15,000 estimated to have visited from the US alone.

Saya Wahrlich, Global Director, Government & Industry

1. What does Te Ao Māori mean? 

For me, Te Ao Māori means Māori language, it means respect and acknowledgement of Māori customs and protocols, it means embracing the Māori story and identity and, embracing what that means, not just for Māori, but for all Kiwi both in New Zealand and around the world. I think for our people coming home from overseas, in a way they’ve got that sort of broader appreciation. Many people living around the world aren’t just monolingual, they speak two, three or even more languages and many countries recognise more than one language, so you know embracing Te Reo, it’s not that unique. For returning Kiwi I think they will notice that change more than perhaps those of us at home do. What the country looks like today versus say 10, 20, 30 years ago. I think it’s a very different Aotearoa New Zealand.

2. In what ways will returning Kiwi encounter Te Ao Māori? 

Think of it in terms of all the different sensory aspects. You’ll definitely see more Māori influence in stories, design and thinking. You’ll hear more Māori in mainstream media, in social media, in schools and in the workplace. You’ll taste more Māori in terms of  New Zealand cuisine and that Māori influence, and you will also feel and experience more Māori every day including in the workplace. So for example Whakatau. Whakatau is a welcome, similar to a Powhiri but perhaps not as formal, not as guided by the rituals and customs that you’d associate with the Marae, but no less significant. More and more we’re seeing Whakatau become part of everyday workplace practice in terms of welcoming people when they begin a new job. But it’s not just about welcoming people to a place of work. Specifically, when we look at those Kiwi who may have spent 5, 10, 20 years, even a generation or more overseas, it’s a really lovely way, I think, of connecting people back to New Zealand and welcoming them home.

3. How are Kiwi businesses being guided by Māori values? 

Right across the board, right across industries, spectrums and generations, we are seeing businesses embrace Māori values and it’s really fantastic. When we look at Kaupapa (principle or policy) like Manaakitanga, manaaki in Te Reo means ‘to care for’ and when we add tanga it becomes the overall practice of caring for people and that’s a really common value we see in most businesses today. It’s a great value because it makes our businesses step back and challenges them to think about when we talk about caring for people. What does that actually mean? So for some businesses, it could be about Whakatau, about how we welcome people and our onboarding programme. It could be something that comes through in our leave provision, so how do we support our parents when their kids are sick? or when they need to go on parental leave? We are seeing Manaakitanga really starting to challenge and change workplace practices. 

Kaitiakitanga is another common one. I think sometimes people make a bit of a mistake by trying to narrow the meanings of Māori and give them one direct translation, so we often see Kaitiakitanga translated to sustainability, which is true but it also a bit like Manaakitanga – so it’s also about how we care. It’s got a very fundamental place in terms of how we think and how we act and how we behave in terms of our natural environment. Kaitiakitanga has also got a place in terms of our home, education and work environments as well. 

It’s important that people realise like all languages there is often no direct word to word translation. For example, if we look at another common concept like Whanaungatanga. The key word in there is Whanau which is family, so Whanaungatanga really captures all the essences of what a family might be, the connections we have and how we respect each other. Family isn’t just the people you live with, it also plays out in the workplace. So Whanaungatanga captures the relationships we have with our colleagues, and how we manage our employers and interact with our people, managers and stakeholders and how that influences the way we communicate with each other. 

4. What benefits are businesses seeing from this growing incorporation of Te Ao Māori? 

We’re starting to get real momentum going in Aotearoa and I think that’s pretty cool. It’s quite beautiful and it’s really showing the maturity of the country and that perhaps we’re starting to lean into a lot more than what we have in the past. For Fonterra, like most corporate organisations we are still working our way through and finding our feet on what exactly our Māori story means to us. Even though we are based here in New Zealand, like many businesses we have a global footprint, so we are considering how our Māori story back home resonates with our offshore markets and how does it contribute to people’s understanding on our brand and who we are not just as Fonterra but for the country. And I think that’s a journey that many of our export businesses are on. I think we have made some great progress but there is a long way to go for us as a country. But it’s really exciting to think about not just what New Zealand looks like today but what it will look like for the next generation and the one after that.  I think as we open ourselves up to Te Ao it provides a richness and a diversity which makes us unique 

5. How should returning Kiwi embrace Te Ao Māori?

The most important thing people can do is to really embrace this, embrace their curiosity and their uncomfortableness. For those who are returning, think of it as similar to visiting another country and the way in which you embraced that culture and language and the respect you pay it. It’s about a learning mindset, don’t worry if you make mistakes, we all make mistakes. Use the language – learn a few words, sign off an email with Ngā mihi nui (thank you very much) or say Kia ora when you enter a zoom call. You don’t have to be Māori to embrace the culture. Learn a handful of words, let people correct your pronunciation and realise they are just helping you learn. Māori don’t expect people to be fluent but the idea that someone is making an effort and trying is what will be appreciated. After all, when we travel overseas most of us will try and learn a few words to get us around – this is the same thing. Te Ao Māori belongs to everyone in New Zealand and that’s the beauty of Aotearoa today. It’s multicultural and diverse and Te Ao Māori plays a big part in bringing that sense of inclusion, bringing us all together.

We have a saying in Māori “He waka eke noa.” This literally means we are all in the waka, the canoe, together. But before we can all get in the waka we need to understand who’s in? What direction are we going? What sort of leadership do we need? And are we all going in the same direction? I get the sense that Aotearoa is very much on this journey and it’s a pretty exciting space and time to be in.