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Businesses going global

What is APEC?

APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) brings member economies together once per year to tackle challenges, and help each other prosper. 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. In New Zealand, MFAT is the lead Government agency, find out more about their plans here.

APEC describes itself as a space to connect and strengthen relationships and it has grown to become a dynamic engine of economic growth and one of the most important regional forums in the Asia-Pacific. Its 21 member economies are home to about 2.9 billion people and represent approximately 60% of world GDP and 48% of world trade in 2018. 

As a result of APEC’s work, growth has soared throughout the region, with real GDP increasing from US$19 trillion in 1989 to US$46.9 trillion in 2018. Meanwhile, residents of the Asia-Pacific saw their per capita income rise by 74 percent.

APEC ensures that goods, services, investment and people move easily across borders. APEC’s 21 members facilitate this trade through faster customs procedures at borders; more favourable business climates behind the border; and aligning regulations and standards across the region. APEC implements a wide variety of initiatives to help integrate the region’s economies and promote trade while addressing sustainability and social equity.

APEC 2021 will be one of the largest ongoing events held internationally of 2021 and is the first ever virtual APEC. It will involve hundreds of meetings over multiple time zones from December 2020 to November 2021, organised around three themes:

  1. Economic and trade policies that strengthen recovery, with a focus on the right macroeconomic, microeconomic and trade policy choices;
  2. Increasing inclusion and sustainability for recovery by building a better society for all people and generating a green recovery; and
  3. Pursuing innovation and a digitally enabled recovery by accelerating the APEC region’s work in these areas.

Topics include food security, women and the economy, small/medium business growth, market access, consumer protection, sustainable development and innovation. 

There are other moving parts to APEC:  The ABAC

The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) is an independent group of business leaders that advises APEC leaders on priority issues for business in the region.

ABAC’s primary function is to provide advice to APEC leaders each year on the implementation of APEC’s work programme from a business perspective. It is made up of three private sector representatives from each APEC member economy. Kea is proud to share that two of New Zealand’s representatives are Kea Board member Anna Curzon, and previous Kea World Class Award Winner Rachel Taulelei.

Advice is given through a range of avenues including to APEC Senior Officials and directly to APEC Economy Leaders at the annual Dialogue with APEC Leaders.

There are other moving parts to APEC:  CEO Summit

The APEC CEO Summit is one of the Asia Pacific’s premier business forums, attracting influential CEOs from some of the largest companies in the region

The summit will address the biggest challenges and opportunities of our time, providing a forum to develop solutions for the region’s future.

The virtual APEC CEO Summit will showcase New Zealand as a place of business inclusion, digital creativity and sophistication.

Chair of CEO Summit 2021 is Kea community member Barbara Chapman CNZM.

For more information on APEC:

And follow: Twitter @APEC2021NZ Facebook @APEC2021NewZealand

HOW KEA CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

Kea Connect

Kea Connect is a free service that will help your business grow offshore. We connect you personally with regional, sector-specific experts and peers.

READ MORE

Resources

Kea is here to help New Zealand businesses grow offshore. Be inspired and hear advice from businesses who have created their export path.

READ MORE

Jobs Portal

Looking for the right talent for your team? Reach our global Kiwi community through the Kea international job portal. 

READ MORE

How did Diligr come about?

When I was in New Zealand, I co-founded a business that helped Kiwi businesses get investment-ready and raise capital from investors offshore. In this time, I worked with so many interesting companies, and was blown away by both the quality of the companies, and their founders,  who hit it out of the park when it came to innovation, determination and drive. As time went on, I started working with more high-tech growth startups. The continuous feedback I received from offshore investors was how Kiwi entrepreneurs consistently punch above their weight, and that they wanted more access.

After living in this part of the world for six years, I know how geographically isolated New Zealand is particularly now with COVID-19 and the inability to travel. As a result, habits have and will continue to change, and businesses need more ways to be connected with investors. 

Also in the post-COVID-19 world, there will be a surge in new startups. We have seen this pattern in other economic shocks. We are about to enter an exciting time for startups. So, the idea behind  starting Diligr was to help startups get to a point of investment readiness where they are confident raising from investors domestically and globally, and act as that connection or access point to investors. 

With investors, the landscape is changing as well – the market in the USA and UK for instance has become so competitive. Capital is a commodity at the moment, and investors are starting to look globally to differentiate their sources of deal flow. They need to generate alpha for the investors in their fund, so they can better position themselves to raise their next funds. A lot of this is driven by sourcing deals that other investors in their sphere aren’t finding. Diligr will aim to be that access point to help them find those ‘needle in the haystack’ deals.

Can you tell us a bit about the platform?

Diligr was created to shorten and improve the capital raising experience so founders can spend less time on the process and more time where it really matters. 

To date, we have launched our first version  of the startups side of the platform. 

A key problem Diligr aims to solve relates to the time and resources a founder will spend  creating pitch deck, or other early pitching materials. A lot of the time, it’s difficult for a founder to know what information an investor will want to see, how much detail they should provide, and in what format – much time gets wasted in inconsistencies within the initial pitching phase. 

Diligr aims to allow  founders to understand what information an investor will need to make their initial evaluation, and easily create a company profile to streamline getting that first meeting. It’s important to understand that an investor will always want to look in the eyes of the founder, and Diligr isn’t designed to replace that human interaction. It will however provide a snapshot to a potential investor, to allow them to quickly assess whether the company fits their investment mandate. 

The process begins with the businesses uploading their investment-relevant information as guided by the Diligr format. 

Once all the information has been uploaded, Diligr automatically creates their shareable profile. Essentially this works like a Google Doc, where the founder receives a unique link to their profile which can be shared with the investors of their choice. 

Once their profile is completed and their profile is ready, the business jumps on to ‘Matchbook’ which is where the matchmaking piece of the platform comes to play. We have collected investment preferences for each investor on the platform, so the company then can search by filters for a shortlist of their ideal investors. 

Once a founder has made a decision on who they want to connect with, they can request an introduction to those investors, and Diligr will facilitate a connection if there is appetite on the investor’s side as well. 

A key aim for us is to reduce the time spent to get to that first meeting, and allow founders to manage this process in a much more efficient way.

Beyond match-making, we also have built in a curated resource library which aggregates content we have found particularly helpful for capital raising. At any point throughout a founder’s time on the platform, if questions arise or they want to upskill their capital raising skills, they can access these resources for support.

What are your goals for 2021?

We are building out the platform in a series of stages. The first, as mentioned above, is the single-player version for startups. Next will be the investor version which we hope will launch in the first half  of 2021. This version will allow us to automate the connection process, and connect investors and startups more easily. A huge focus for Q2 will be getting smarter with our matchmaking, by getting feedback and learning from users about what makes a good match, and what doesn’t.

By the end of 2021, we want to build Diligr to a point where the platform is the meeting place for startups and investors. To a point where we are so highly reputable, that if we are making the introduction, it’s just as good as an introduction from a peer within the industry. 

We hope that in not only improving and shortening the capital raising experience for founders, but we are also creating valuable data to help make better capital raising decisions. 

Why New Zealand, Australia and Singapore?

We wanted to start with these geographies as there is already an established level of capital flow and appetite for deal flow between the three countries. In starting with these three regions, it also means we have a small enough market to test well, get right, and create meaningful connections.

We are giving Kea members priority access to Diligr’s private beta, so if you are a founder looking to raise capital within the next 6 months, you can sign up here.

CONTRIBUTOR

Elizabeth van Rooyen

Founder

Diligr

Kea member

HOW KEA CAN HELP

Join

Join the Kea community, and stay connected to New Zealand, its people and businesses wherever you are in the world.

READ MORE

Jobs

Post job opportunities and attract internationally experienced Kiwi talent.

READ MORE

Kea Connect

Help Kiwi businesses explore their global potential through our worldwide community.

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China

Our largest trading partner, China, continues to be an attractive market for New Zealand exporters this year and we are already seeing some key trends begin to emerge. New Zealand businesses should keep a close eye on these as they look at their China market strategy for 2022.

1. E-commerce
The pandemic has dramatically changed the way consumers interact with brands and make purchases. Unsurprisingly, e-commerce continues to boom: as of June 2021, the number of online shopping users in China reached 812 million, accounting for 80.3% of total internet users. 2022 will be another year of innovation for China’s e-commerce market and there are some key features to focus on this year.

a). Livestream sales continue to grow but brands are seeking greater autonomy. Livestreaming continues to gain popularity as a way to connect with consumers, but more brands are shifting away from using expensive KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) to running promotions in-house. This means Kiwi brands don’t necessarily need to pay an arm and a leg to KOLs any longer. Instead they can better tell their unique stories by investing more in their own marketing/livestreaming capabilities. 

b). WeChat, especially WeChat mini-programs continue to be essential in brands’ marketing strategies. 

While very few Chinese consumers engage with brands via websites, around 450 million Chinese consumers were active on WeChat mini-programs every day last year, an increase of 50 million compared to 2020. Rather than developing their own apps and wasting energy building fancy Chinese websites, New Zealand companies are likely much better off utilising the WeChat eco-system. 

c). Short video platforms are taking a large share of the e-commerce market.

The pandemic has led to a surge in the number of active users of short video platforms. New Zealand brands should be aware, in 2022 short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou are likely to capture a larger share of the e-commerce market as they now actively support users to sell and market products through their apps. 

2. The rise of Gen Z as well as millennial middle-class families.

Gen Z is considered to be China’s rising consumption powerhouse. Unlike consumers of previous generations that placed emphasis on brand name or product practicality, these post-95 consumers often pay a premium for highly emotive products. For Kiwi companies better serving this group could be as simple as having a really cute brand mascot. 

Millennial middle-class families are often willing to spend much more on products that they view as healthy, safe, high-quality or high-tech. The point for many Kiwi firms focused on this age group is not to try compete on price, but on both provenance story and product quality. 

3. Silver economy

Products targeted to silver-haired people (the elderly) are going from strength to strength, especially health and well-being related products. In 2020 alone China’s silver economy was worth over $1 trillion NZD. The elderly are becoming an important group for online shopping.  The pandemic saw this traditionally hard-to-reach demographic suddenly come online and two years later they have only grown in confidence.

However, this rising demand in the silver economy is not just driven by the elderly themselves. ‘Post-80s’ and ‘post-90s’ children frequently buy daily necessities, health products and holiday gifts for their parents. This “digital filial piety”, showing care for parents through e-commerce, is a way many children seek to make up for the regret they feel about not being at home to take care of them. For those New Zealand companies that can show how their products are good for the elderly, this is a key strength to market. 

Zoe Wang, China Marketing specialist, Kea member.

UK & Europe

The spread of Omicron means Covid-19 numbers in the UK and Europe remain high and frustrations around travel continue. However despite that, the UK and particularly London does seem to be just getting on with things.  Adjusted to a new normal? Or accepting of uncertainty being a part of our day to day lives? Whichever it is there is plenty to keep us busy in the coming year. Some of the key dates on the calendar which will be highly relevant to New Zealand businesses are;

  • The signing and implementation of the UK FTA
  • Completing negotiations of our European FTA
  • Birmingham hosting Commonwealth Games – headed up by our very own Kea community member Katie Sadleir who has recently landed in London to take up the reigns as the CEO of Commonwealth Games Federation. 

We have the joy of in person events on the near horizon (Covid-19 willing), including Waitangi Day celebrations, a return of the NZ Society Waitangi Day Charity Ball and announcing the UK New Zealander of the Year award. Plus we are looking forward to our annual International Women’s Day event in March in conjunction with New Zealand Business Women’s Network (more details to come). 

This year the UK will also come to a halt as the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee marking 70 years on the throne – officially this is February 6th.  We are all looking forward to marking the occasion in June.  Included in the festivities is Kea WCNZ’er Monica Galetti, who will be judging the Jubilee Pudding competition alongside Dame Mary Berry and Buckingham Palace Head Chef, Mark Lanagan. We are also looking forward to welcoming the international business community from New Zealand when travel is less cumbersome, as well as friends and family. 

Sara Fogarty, Kea UK/Europe Regional Director

North America

It was a wild end of the year here in the USA. There was a sense of optimism for many industries heading into December. Christmas sales were strong, the hospitality sector was buoyant, and most people were looking forward to finally spending time with family. The travel industry saw unprecedented levels of people moving around the country, reporting close to pre-pandemic levels. Times Square was going to see the return of the 60K strong crowd to welcome in the new year. Then a curveball. Omicron was first detected in the USA on December 1st, 2021 and since then the US has seen rapidly increasing Covid numbers including a record single-day number of more than 1 million new infections.

The recent wave has affected every part of daily life here, from school bus drivers to mass transit staff and the airline industry, particularly hard hit. Retailers and restaurants are experiencing disruptions due to lack of staff, and schools, who were set to return to in-person learning, are arguing with state officials about how to do that safely.

However, there is light ahead. This new strain seems to be proving less dangerous to those who are vaccinated, and data from other countries have authorities hopeful that we will see this spike and decline sooner than later. I guess this will be our lives worldwide for a few years to come, as we are learn to live with Covid-19.

Regardless 2021 saw many Kiwi businesses entering the market. Much talked about Kiwi brand, Allbirds, known for its eco-friendly wool sneakers, started trading on the Nasdaq exchange in November and new startups and established companies also expanded and increased their presence in this market, with Kea providing connections to our community. 

Last year, Denver featured in the news as a destination hub for N.Z. tech startups with a very supportive global business development program and its geographical location attracting over 25 companies to the city alone. Xero relocated to Denver in 2014 and has paved the way for other companies to follow; more information about their Global Business Development initiative here. 

Trends we saw in 2021 will continue to be a key focus for businesses this year. Governments and companies will be under pressure in 2022 to tackle climate change, despite persistent pandemic and economic challenges. Product and supply chain sustainability, green manufacturing, and design practices are significant drivers in product development. Consumers are looking for credible and authentic products and services, and that trend will continue to grow this year. 

Gary Fortune, Kea North America Regional Director

Auckland city landscape picture

New Zealand

A New Year ushered in the halfway milestone for Expo 2020, with the show entering its fourth month. The team also celebrated a huge milestone, marking 700,000 visitors so far. Listen to WCNZer Leigh Flounders speak with New Zealand at Expo’s Nicola Garvey about his perspective on what Expo 2020 is really like, and his top takeouts from his time at the event. 

The big focus for the Government this year will continue to be the ongoing response to the pandemic, particularly with the Omicron variant causing so much disruption offshore. Along with that other significant programmes include;

  • Continuing negotiations on several Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). As well as the cabinet review, signing, and implementation of the NZ-UK FTA, further rounds of negotiations on the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) upgrade, New Zealand is one of more than 80 World Trade Organisation (WTO) members launching negotiations on e-commerce. The WTO e-commerce negotiations are even more vital with the exponential uptake of digital trade during the COVID pandemic. The negotiations will cover paperless trading; customs duties on electronic transmissions; authentication and security; openness and market access, including the flow of information and data; trust and digital trade and infrastructure gaps (the digital divide)
  • Health system reforms and the launch of the Maori Health Authority. The Ministry of Health will be focused on policy, strategy and regulation while a new body, Health New Zealand, will take over the planning and commissioning of services and the functions of the existing 20 District Health Boards to remove duplication and provide true national planning. The new Māori Health Authority will work alongside Health NZ to improve services and achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori, and both new bodies are expected to be established by July. This reform signals a major digital transformation for healthcare in New Zealand, and an opportunity for the country to benefit from the expertise and experience of other nations leading the way in digital healthcare systems. 
  • The hosting of several major sporting events including the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in March, the Women’s Rugby World Cup in October and November. Hopefully these events will give a much needed boost to local businesses.

Saya Wahrlich, Global Director, Government & Industry

HOW KEA CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

Kea Connect

Kea Connect is a free service that will help your business grow offshore. We connect you personally with regional, sector-specific experts and peers.

READ MORE

Resources

Kea is here to help New Zealand businesses grow offshore. Be inspired and hear advice from businesses who have created their export path.

READ MORE

Jobs Portal

Looking for the right talent for your team? Reach our global Kiwi community through the Kea international job portal. 

READ MORE

CASE STUDY

LESSONS FROM A PANDEMIC

The tourism industry has been hard hit by the global pandemic so can New Zealand businesses survive, revive and thrive? This month we talk to several of our Kea community including Air NZ CEO Greg Foran and Jucy co-founder Tim Alpe about the lessons they have learned over the past two years and hear why they remain positive about the future of New Zealand’s tourism industry. READ MORE

INSIGHTS FROM OUR GLOBAL COMMUNITY

CHINA

China is experiencing an e-commerce boom as the pandemic dramatically changes the way consumers interact online. As of June 2021, the number of online shoppers reached 812m, accounting for 80.3% of total internet users. 2022 looks set to be another year of innovation. China marketing expert and Kea member Zoe Wang looks at the key trends for this year. READ MORE

London

UK & EUROPE

2022 looks set to be a busy year for the UK and Europe. Work will continue on several free trade agreements and there is hope that major events like the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Commonwealth Games could bring some much needed respite for those in the hospitality sector. Our Europe Regional Director Sara Fogarty looks at the key dates for Kiwi business owners and those offshore. READ MORE

USA cityscape

NORTH AMERICA

Omicron continues to cause havoc in North America with supply chain delays and closures of key services and businesses who find themselves unable to operate as too many of their staff have contracted Covid. North America Regional Director Gary Fortune, looks at how the year is shaping up and what Kiwi in New Zealand need to know about the disruptions. READ MORE

GOVERNMENT UPDATE

NEW ZEALAND EXPO TEAM CELEBRATE MILESTONE

A New Year ushered in the halfway milestone for Expo 2020, with the show entering its fourth month. More than 700,000 visitors have so far passed through the pavilion, a great outcome for the team. Listen to WCNZer Leigh Flounders speak with New Zealand at Expo’s Nicola Garvey about his perspective on what Expo 2020 is really like, and his top takeouts from his time at the event. 

The big focus for the Government this year will continue to be the ongoing response to the pandemic, particularly with the Omicron variant causing so much disruption offshore. Along with that other significant programmes include;

  • Continuing negotiations on several Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). As well as the cabinet review, signing, and implementation of the NZ-UK FTA, further rounds of negotiations on the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) upgrade, New Zealand is one of more than 80 World Trade Organisation (WTO) members launching negotiations on e-commerce. The WTO e-commerce negotiations are even more vital with the exponential uptake of digital trade during the COVID pandemic. The negotiations will cover paperless trading; customs duties on electronic transmissions; authentication and security; openness and market access, including the flow of information and data; trust and digital trade and infrastructure gaps (the digital divide)
  • Health system reforms and the launch of the Maori Health Authority. The Ministry of Health will be focused on policy, strategy and regulation while a new body, Health New Zealand, will take over the planning and commissioning of services and the functions of the existing 20 District Health Boards to remove duplication and provide true national planning. The new Māori Health Authority will work alongside Health NZ to improve services and achieve equitable health outcomes for Māori, and both new bodies are expected to be established by July. This reform signals a major digital transformation for healthcare in New Zealand, and an opportunity for the country to benefit from the expertise and experience of other nations leading the way in digital healthcare systems. 
  • The hosting of several major sporting events including the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in March, the Women’s Rugby World Cup in October and November. Hopefully these events will give a much needed boost to local businesses.

Saya Wahrlich, Global Director, Government & Industry

THIS MONTH IN NUMBERS

42

Number of Kiwi businesses assisted

88

Number of connections made

574

Number of connections made year to date*

BUSINESS CONNECTIONS MADE IN MARKET THIS MONTH**

SECTORS KEA CONNECT SUPPORTED THIS MONTH

*Year to date reflects financial year commencing 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022
**Some businesses were provided connections in more than one market

GROWTH THROUGH KEA CONNECT

Each month Kea Connect helps Kiwi businesses grow by connecting them with Kiwi experts in markets all around the world. Here is an example of two businesses we helped this month.

KIWI ENTREPRENEUR TAKES ON ICONIC ITALIAN BEVERAGE

LemonYello will be at a bar near you this year! A  bitter twist on a Limoncello, and made with Manuka Honey, the product has been created by one of our Kiwi returners. Born from the shores of Waiheke Island, the business also serves a social purpose and donates profits to planting trees for bees. While they haven’t officially launched yet, their team are experts in the drinks and marketing industry with Global Advisors and a UK distributor already committed. With the hefty goal of disrupting the Aperol drinking market globally, the Founder sought support from Kea Connect to build New Zealand industry connections, and seek investment. Kea has supported with an introduction to well-known New Zealand beverage brand, as well as helping promote LemonYello as an investment opportunity.

GOOD COMMUNICATION SAVES LIVES

Celo was born from a simple belief that good communication has the ability to save lives. The company’s founders previously worked in the medical field and noticed that in order to connect with each other, colleagues were often were ignoring contractual obligations to use compliant platforms. Additionally,  they often had to share personal contact details which blurred the lines between their professional and personal lives. Celo sets out to solve that problem, its secure app makes it easy for teams to communicate, enabling compliant and efficient messaging for better patient care. It is compatible with iOS, Android, web, desktop, and described as “The LinkedIn, Facebook and WhatsApp for healthcare”.

After having built connections in Australia and the UK through Kea Connect, Celo has once again reached out to connect with experts in the USA in order to help shape their market entry strategy.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY MAKES NZ FIRST APPOINTMENT

A co-head of the School of Māori and Pacific Studies, Associate Professor Jemaima Tiatia, has been promoted to Acting Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific at the University of Auckland, becoming the first Pasifika women to hold this role.

DLA PIPER SIGNS CORPORATE SOLAR POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT

DLA Piper has initiated the construction of a UK solar farm by signing a corporate power purchase agreement (PPA) with NextEnergy Group. Under the agreement, 15 of DLA Piper’s European and UK offices taking part in the project will be supplied with renewable power from the new solar farm. 

TRENDING AT KEA

ADIDAS x ALLBIRDS – A COLLABORATION OF KAITIAKITANGA

When Kea Connect introduced Allbirds co-founder Tim Brown to fellow Kiwi and President of adidas North America, Zion Armstrong, a collaboration between the two companies was the last thing on his mind. In fact Tim says he was just honoured the ‘bloke would have lunch with him’. Fast forward a few years and the two companies have just released a ground breaking low carbon running shoe which Tim says highlights the power of the ‘New Zealand network in full force’ READ MORE

QUEEN HONOURS KIWI BRINGING COMMUNITY SPIRIT TO LONDON

Emma Rigby has just become the first New Zealander to receive a British Empire Medal for services to the community. Her organisation ‘Love Your Doorstep’ was founded after the London Riots when Emma realised she needed some Kiwi community atmosphere in her North London borough. 11 years on her organisation is one of the largest of its kind in the UK and has changed the lives of thousands of people. READ MORE

CRICKET COVERAGE THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE

James Gemmell may be a familiar face to offshore Kiwi mad about sport. He built his reputation fronting rugby, including the 2019 World Cup for Sky UK. Now he’s back in New Zealand to take up a role behind the camera. He spoke to us about the challenges of relocating a young family, how it feels to be back on Kiwi soil and why he thinks this is such an exciting time for those seeking opportunities in Aotearoa. READ MORE

UPCOMING EVENTS

WORLD CLASS SPEAKER SERIES: Our next World Class Speaker Series features Jucy Co-founder Tim Alpe. Tim and his brother Dan built the Jucy group from scratch over 20 years, only to lose 90% of their revenue overnight when borders closed. Over the past two years Tim has had to make a series of difficult decisions including dividing up and selling the business to ensure the brand has a future. He talks to us about the unprecedented challenges the tourism industry has faced during the pandemic and his offers his advice for other business owners. He also explains why he believes the New Zealand tourism industry can survive, revive and thrive. Join us on March 17th to hear Tim’s incredible story of grit and determination. ATTEND

VIRTUAL RETURNER MEETUPS: Every month Kea holds returner meetups to build our community of recently returned Kiwi. It’s an important way for our community to build their personal and professional networks and share their experiences with others. The next event will take place on Wednesday the 2nd of March. If you know someone who has recently returned to Aotearoa please encourage them to come along. ATTEND

HOW KEA CAN HELP

Join

Join the Kea community, and stay connected to New Zealand, its people and businesses wherever you are in the world.

READ MORE

Jobs

Post job opportunities and attract internationally experienced Kiwi talent.

READ MORE

Kea Connect

Help Kiwi businesses explore their global potential through our worldwide community.

READ MORE

Building on recent nation branding efforts and featuring a line-up of talent diverse in both thought and sector, the Ingenious Together films promote innovative Kiwi businesses and well-known ‘friends of New Zealand’ with ties to Kiwi business, exploring why such homegrown thinking attracts the world’s attention.

There is a 1-minute film for five key markets including the USA, Australia, Singapore, Japan, and China, with each film bespoke to the region. The Singapore and the USA films are the most global, so can be used for other markets.

The films will be used online across New Zealand Story’s social media channels and will be supported by paid media in their key markets to showcase New Zealand’s ingenious way of thinking to a global business audience.

They are also available to download from the New Zealand Story Toolkit and use within business meetings, events, and presentations to reinforce the unique way of thinking that sets New Zealanders apart.
 
At a time when our borders are closed growing perceptions of New Zealand as an ingenious nation is critical as our weightless export sectors such as technology, gaming and the creative industries are still very much open for global business.

Find out more about the campaign here.

HOW KEA CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW

Kea Connect

Kea Connect is a free service that will help your business grow offshore. We connect you personally with regional, sector-specific experts and peers.

READ MORE

Resources

Kea is here to help New Zealand businesses grow offshore. Be inspired and hear advice from businesses who have created their export path.

READ MORE

Jobs Portal

Looking for the right talent for your team? Reach our global Kiwi community through the Kea international job portal. 

READ MORE

December sees the UK coming out of Lockdown and into a revised 3 Tier system, although perhaps not a lot of change in day-to-day life. As well as navigating the ever-changing world with Brexit negotiations.  There is a return to some high street shopping and hospitality, venues who have been able to adapt to open with winter friendly outdoor seating are seeing steady traffic but are still challenged by working within new strict limits of serving alcohol with a substantial meal (although a scotch egg counts!) and mixed household limits. 

UK Shoppers have continued to dial up their online purchasing and we have seen Christmas shopping starting early and may be longer. Key categories are in steady growth, tracking at 12.4%+ vs. last year, this is a trend that will look to continue as online becomes more of the day to day purchasing shopping habit. 

Within the grocery sector, consumers shopping choices have seen massive increase in those wanting to cook at home, winter has seen an emergence of posh coffee at home as well as slow cooked meals and winter barbecues.  The entire supermarket industry is up 13.2% which is an opportunity for NZ businesses with strong relationships to see continued increase in demand. 

Private Label offering and share is declining to 33.9% in the last quarter from its 52 w/e figure of 34.2 as consumers resonate more with brands.  This is potentially good news as people trust brand New Zealand and may also trade up and treat themselves in this super premium sector over the festive season. 

Positive vaccine developments and the first vaccinations given on 8th December, have helped to drive FTSE 100 growth, however the government is forecasting that unemployment will be back to levels seen in the last recession in 2009.  Closures of high street retailers like Topshop and Debenhams are adding to this. 

As the snow threatens to make an appearance, yearning for a bit of joy from home has never felt so needed, especially at this time of year.  With the difficulties of limited opportunity to connect ‘in real life’ with home, sharing the amazing initiatives like Whānau – Voices of Aotearoa far from home at the Royal Albert Hall gives a well needed warm boost.

CONTRIBUTOR

Sara Fogarty

Regional Director, UK & Europe

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

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