Businesses going global

Sarah and Steve were first introduced to each other by friends who knew they would hit it off because they were both curious and loved bringing people together to start a conversation. After meeting, the duo knew their shared passions had the beginnings of a business, and Sarah says they wanted to create something that was impact rather than profit driven. 

“We started Wonder and Wander seven years ago and we kind of approached it with a bit of patience. We both had experience in innovation, human-centred design, travel and events and we knew we wanted a company which would bring people together to solve problems in a different way, but creating a company that was more about impact and purpose rather than profit, was at the time, not the norm, so we had to build things slowly.”

The couple spent a lot of time defining the values of the business and being inspired by the sustainable development goals of some of the companies they were working with within their current roles. It was also important for them to focus on raising their blended family of five young children. 

As the company grew so did people’s perceptions. Steve says these days impact driven businesses make a lot more sense to investors and clients alike. 

“We believe that travel can be a catalyst for change. Whether it’s walking around Tasmania and gaining new perspectives or embarking on transformative experiences, travel has the power to get you away from your day-to-day routine and create a new perspective, and when you bring the right people together this can be really powerful.”

The couple’s dedication to creating purpose-led experiences caught the attention of big corporations like Australia’s Commonwealth Bank and Energy companies AGL and Energy Australia and now the Kiwi arm of their business is catching on with companies here as well. 

Steve says the rise in interest comes mainly from the fact that Wander and Wonder doesn’t just talk about changing perceptions and thinking, it creates experiences that back that up. 

“We take people through these experiences that create real ‘a-ha’ moments. We’re not asking people to completely change their lives or give up everything they know, instead, we’re inviting them to explore and unlearn fixed ways of thinking and adopt a ‘dragonfly’ mindset – nimble and agile, capable of changing flight mid-air.”

While some might see the impact as a grandiose concept, the Pirie-Nallys believe it can manifest in various ways, from small incremental shifts in thinking to profound transformations. Sarah says many people think of impact as an overnight revolution when in fact most of the time change starts small and can come from something as simple as a single conversation. 

As the company expands the couple are looking to expand their impact even further. Next March, they plan to lead an extraordinary stewardship expedition to Antarctica, an opportunity for travellers to engage with the challenges of climate change and conservation firsthand.

“The trip to Antarctica is a unique experience to bring together thought leaders and change-makers from across Australia and New Zealand together with some incredible expedition leaders like Peter Hilary and Sir Graham Henry and get all these people on a boat and facilitate some incredible conversations around climate change and allow these business leaders to share their ideas and create a sense of connection to what is possible. We want people to have richer conversations that ripple back into their communities, countries, and the world.”

Sarah says issues like climate change can seem too big to tackle, but being in a place where you can see first hand the effects something like this is having can have a transformative effect on people.

“I think there is a lot of fear around a conversation around climate change, and people don’t really want to talk about what it could mean, can I still travel? Can we ship things across the world? Can I drive to work – there is a lot of unknowns. The curious part of my mind goes to, well, what’s the problem we’re actually trying to solve? And ultimately at the end of the day, that problem is how do we ensure the survival of our species and the survival of our planet? Those two things don’t need to be solved with a knee jerk reaction, instead, we need a whole lot of innovative solutions, and so rather than never jumping on a plane again or selling your car it’s actually about connecting with ideas and people around the world to come up with more innovative solutions.”

Some of the Kea World Class New Zealand community are taking part in the Antarctic expedition and there are limited spaces left for you to join us, to find out more please visit https://insiderexpeditions.com/stewardship/
If you book a discovery call please mention Kea to receive a special package deal.

Matariki celebrations were popular before the arrival of Europeans, and continued into the 1900s. At the beginning of the 21st century Māori began to revive the practice of celebrating Matariki as a time of remembrance, joy and peace. This year Matariki will be marked for the first time with a public holiday in New Zealand. 

Matariki is an important time for Māori and returning Kiwi Adrian Smith says honouring the indigenous holiday is a really positive reflection of New Zealand’s cultural evolution.

“When I lived in London the Māori and Polynesian community would celebrate Matariki together. We would teach our kids the songs so they knew what all the stars were. To come home and discover that it is now a public holiday is really affirming, and once again, sets New Zealand apart on the international stage by showing our cultural uniqueness.”

Matariki is named for the cluster of nine stars that appear just before dawn during the mid-winter months. The first star, Matariki, is known as the mother of the eight stars in the constellation. Matariki is connected to health and wellbeing. The second star Pōhutukawa, serves as a reminder of those who have passed on, encouraging us to take the time to remember them and acknowledge their impact on our lives. The next four stars Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waitī and Waitā are connected with food that comes from the ground, the sky, freshwater and the sea. The seventh star, Waipuna-ā-rangi is connected to the rain, and the eighth is Ururangi connected to the wind. The final star is Hiwa-i-te-rangi, a wishing star, helping us to realise our hopes and aspirations for the coming year.

New York based Kiwi Maia Nuku says honouring Matariki is an important event for Kiwi all over the world. 

“The observation of Matariki as an official holiday is a welcome and wonderful opportunity both in Aotearoa and overseas. It gives us a chance to share our Maoritanga – our culture, ideals, and practices – in an expansive way so people can understand our connections to cosmology and the stars, and their impact on our ocean and landscape in terms of seasons and planting cycles. It’s an exciting development.

There are a number of ways offshore Kiwi can celebrate Matariki. One of the easiest is by sharing kai. Food gives people a connection to the harvests that lead up to the Māori New Year and brings people together to share entertainment, hospitality, and knowledge. Why not check out some of these recipes. Matariki is also an important time for reflection and to remember those who have passed during the year, and honour their memory.

If you would like more information on Matariki please visit this page from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage, or for information specific to children you could check out online resources such as this one from Christchurch City Libraries which includes a link to download and print your own Matariki activity book.

Most importantly for our offshore community, Matariki offers the perfect opportunity to connect with friends and whānau either in person or online. It’s a chance to celebrate the unique culture, people, and stories that connect us all as Kiwi no matter where we live. 

Mānawatia a Matariki, celebrate Matariki!

Goodwins is an independent, family-owned full-service real estate agency that has been working in the Auckland market for 30+ years. The company works across the buying, renting and selling market for the wider Auckland area. 

Kea CEO Toni Truslove says Goodwins will be trusted advisors and offer quality service to the Kea community. 

“Advice on the ever changing property market is something that our community are often searching for. Goodwins are a family owned firm who pride themselves on providing support for Kiwi moving offshore who want to rent their homes, and also returning Kiwi looking for rental or permanent accommodation in the Auckland area.”

Goodwins Managing Director Catherine Goodwin says the company looks forward to helping the Kea community in all areas of their move home.

“We are thrilled to announce our exciting partnership with Kea, expanding our collaboration with clients worldwide. Goodwins is committed to providing specialised tenancy services, expert property management, acting for both sellers and buyers of Auckland property, while fostering lasting relationships and accessing premium third-party services.”

Those Kea community members wanting to contact Goodwins to discuss their full range of services can do so here. 

Grant Caunter gave up alcohol but that didn’t mean he wanted to give up beer. This wasn’t an issue in Europe where there was a wide selection of non-alcoholic craft beers on offer, but proved to be more problematic when the family moved back to New Zealand. Having seen the growth in the global non-alcoholic market and seeing a similar opportunity in New Zealand Grant set about launching State of Play – the country’s first non alcoholic brewery.

Grant had plenty of experience running a multi billion Euro beer category with a team of people and a powerful brand behind him, but when it came to starting a small business he had a lot of learning to do. 

“I had to be open and honest where I needed help, then go out and find it and then accept that help. Growth for a New Zealand small business owner is all about connection and networks. In Amsterdam I would present the growth strategy simplified to a plan on a page, I would get it signed off, and off we went. As a start-up in New Zealand the network had to be built from the ground up,  connecting directly at every stage from supply and manufacturing to the consumer.  The story and purpose of State of Play was picked up early and a few favours given to build brand momentum. I have a lot to thank those suppliers, store owners and webstore shoppers that took a punt early.” 

Grant says he also experienced the challenge of keeping costs in check while being competitive and growing distribution fast in the market. In the beginning he had his eyes on scale, so the value chain just didn’t work. Especially with a few unexpected challenges – the brewery which brews his beer is based in the Hawkes Bay could not operate after the cyclone meaning shipping costs went up 50%, all while New Zealand continues to suffer a CO2 shortage. 

“In the past 12 months I have bootstrapped the operation myself so that’s been a big learning curve in managing cash flow, especially with the weather events and resulting supply chain issues. I have survived the first year, grown each month and launched a new variant every 6 months. The good news is the non-alcoholic market is growing faster than even I expected.”

Despite having to learn the small business lessons from scratch Grant says there are plenty of global learnings he has taken from his time at Heineken that have helped him navigate the past 12 months.

“The great gift I got from working for Heineken is to have the consumer needs at the centre of all  brand decisions. If I had put supply chain at the centre of all my decisions, I wouldn’t have gone past the first brew because it wouldn’t have made any sense. Other markets also give a window to the future. There are patterns that each market follows depending on the growth stage of each category, so I totally believe the growth will come, the only question is how fast.”

“The other thing Heinkein focuses on is building brand trust and being top of mind for the category as it grows. The work done early will pay off when a wider audience is entering this new beer segment. I am the only brewery exclusively making only non-alcoholic beer, and a lot of craft breweries are bringing out non-alcoholic options, because the market growth in New Zealand is so strong right now. So I am always thinking how do I stay visible and connect? How do I stay at the top of this category, how do I make myself stand out?”

His advice to those at the beginning of their journey is to think big and focus on what makes you famous in your markets. 

“My whole business model was to skip the ‘small business’ part and act big from the word go. So I am always juggling things but being agile is one of the benefits of being a small business, my supply agreements need a month’s notice. The brewing is a month’s notice, so that allows me to juggle my cash flow and grow according to demand.”

“I have a master plan to grow outside New Zealand, but I need to win at home first. New Zealand is the perfect market size and maturity to innovate and learn fast, and get to enough scale that the value chain works and affords the cash to enter a new market that will require even greater investment as an import with no brand awareness.  When I export I already know the consumer in that market will be different, the competitor landscape will be different and they will be at a different stage of category maturity.  

All going well Grant is eyeing the Australian market later this year but says he still has some things to work through with local partners and export costs. Long term he believes the New Zealand non-alcoholic beer category will become around 6% of the New Zealand beer market – it’s currently sitting at 2% and will really kick off this summer as the social value of a good zero arrives at every backyard bbq. Grant is already planning on how his business will adjust and who will help him to keep up with these rapid category growth phases. 

My biggest advice is to use New Zealand’s best asset – clever Kiwi with a growth mindset.  A brand with a solid DNA, rich in purpose and story requires people who know their stuff and can share their knowledge of the next growth phase and challenges to keep you focused. Bringing in the right people at the right stages of growth, not only will help you, they will also open you up to all sorts of other amazing connections. New Zealanders willingness to connect and share wisdom is the most valuable part of being a Kiwi business owner. 

If you would like to hear lessons from more global Kiwi about advice for your export business make sure you join Kea in Auckland on July 5th 2023 for our ‘Global lessons for Kiwi businesses‘ event.

The EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year is an annual competition which brings together visionary founders, CEOs and business leaders from around the world to celebrate the accomplishments of leaders whose vision and innovation are transforming the world for the better. The event takes place in Monaco over three days and entrepreneurs must first take out their national title before making it through to the final global rounds where they will be assessed by a diverse panel of independent judges who assess the achievements against four criteria, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact.

CEO Phil Thomson says the trio will be asked questions about Auror’s global reach, the positive impacts the company is having on the world, and their focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. To help prepare for the competition the team spoke to Kiwi who have gone through the process in the past. 

“As part of the preparation for the judges’ questions in Monaco we were able to meet with some former NZ winners like Phillip Mills (Les Mills), Diana Harrington (NZ Natural), Rod Drury (Xero), and Dan Radcliffe (International Volunteer HQ) which was a real highlight. We also had fantastic input from the NZ-based competition judges – Vaughan Fergusson (Vend), Cecilia Robinson (Tend Health and My Food Bag), and Jeremy Moon (Icebreaker). We’re excited about doing the same for EOY winners in the years to come – there’s so much knowledge to pass down to ensure the next generation is putting their best foot forward.

Phil says the competition has been a great opportunity to meet people who are also making a positive impact on the world and to also share with a wider audience the work that Auror is doing. 

“Being able to work with some of the world’s biggest and best retailers to stop crime and understand the complexities and impacts is a huge undertaking, but being part of the solution is something we’ve never wavered from. We will always be looking at ways in which we can work with both retailers and law enforcement to make an impact for good together.”

“There is naturally pressure when you’re put in front of 3 global entrepreneurs (all former country winners) with only 20 minutes to tell your story.  However, when you get to talk about your own company and share what you’re doing, the pressure quickly makes way for enjoyment. Having the chance to share our views with the judges on building an exceptional place where great people come to do their work, connecting communities to stop crime, and using tech for good, is a real highlight.”

The trio join a prestigious list of well-known New Zealand entrepreneurs including Peter Beck, Mohammed Hikmet, Nick Mowbray, Diana Harrington (also Diane Foreman), and Rod Drury who are all previous competitors. 

Sarah is a Kea World Class New Zealander, published author and CEO of EXOS, a company which provides human performance coaching to everyone from elite professional athletes to corporate executives. She describes her current roles as the perfect combination of work and passion but getting to this point wasn’t always a linear journey. 

After moving to the US in the 90’s to take up a role at Virgin, Sarah thought her career trajectory was on track. She has just been promoted to Lead Marketing Manager for a huge global brand and she was charging into her new role with a sense of purpose. However things were about to take a turn. 

“Within a year of my promotion I was fired from Virgin for being cocky, unwilling to ask for help, out of my depth and ineffective. The loss of my job meant I was also in danger of losing my green card, which would mean I would have to leave the US. Knowing I wasn’t ready to go home, I started desperately searching for another role.” 

The job Sarah eventually landed was with video gaming company Atari, unfortunately she had overlooked the fact she had zero understanding of video games and not a whole lot of passion about the industry. 

“My time at Atari can only be described as an epic fail, I couldn’t grasp the product, the consumer or the business and ended up getting side-lined to run ‘non core projects’ and then laid off.”

After losing two jobs in six months, Sarah took some time to take stock of what she wanted and refocused on her ultimate goal which was to work for Nike. Getting her foot in the door of one of the biggest sports brands meant taking a job a few steps back from where she had worked her way up to, but Sarah says that decision turned out to be one of the best she ever made and working at Nike gave her the opportunity to learn a big lesson, the importance of mentors. 

“I think having strong mentors is so important, these need to be people you work with who can

see you in action, see you in the ring. I had some fantastic mentors at Nike, people who were so giving as to make the effort to take a young kiwi like me under their wing.  I can’t actually believe how lucky I was to get up close to some of the great legends of the industry like Howard White, the now VP of Jordan Brand and Coach George Raveling, Nike’s director of Basketball, both of whom have just been portrayed in the recent film ‘Air’. The fact that they made time for up and comers like me had a huge impact on how I wanted to show up as a leader. They

were leaders who knew what they wanted and they had the courage to go after it.”

“Another of my mentors was former Air New Zealand Deputy CEO Norm Thompson. I started my career with Air NZ and Norm was the reason I moved to the US in the first place. To this day he’s one of my greatest mentors. When you find people you really admire you should never let them go. I find as I’ve gotten older in every chapter of my career, Norm was there 20 years before me, so his advice is invaluable.”

After five years at Nike, Sarah was headhunted to take on the CEO role for Gatorade, at the time the business was losing significant money and the company was looking for someone to turn it around.

“When I took the CEO role at Gatorade, the job that had to be done was huge. For the first two years I was convinced every day that I was going to be fired. However because of my experience at Virgin and Atari I realised that while being fired wasn’t what I wanted, it also wasn’t the end of the world. I think this allowed me to take bigger swings, to think outside the box and really go after some crazy ideas – some of which worked and some of which didn’t. It ultimately showed me the value of resilience.” 

Sarah says those crucial resilience skills were once again put to the test when she started her current role with EXOS, a company which among other assets owns 400 gyms around the world. She was appointed CEO in February 2020, a month later the world went into lockdown.

“One of the biggest lessons I think people need to understand is that ‘Shit happens’ If you are not well prepared for this as an executive coming into the workplace then you are going to have a really rough ride. When the global lockdowns started I had an incredible sense of calm, I knew I had been in some really rough spots of Gatorade and like I got through that I would get through this. I think this is something we need to prepare the next generation of executives for, especially those who up to recently have been working in pretty favourable global environments. If you learn to accept adversity then you can learn how to navigate it and in business sense that is incredibly important, particularly if you want to be a good leader.” 

The other thing Sarah wants the next generation to understand is the incredible value of building face to face relationships. 

“These days it’s all digital first and people are so obsessed with using data to make decisions that sometimes we lose our sense of intuition, we forget to talk about what we feel and what our gut is telling us. I think in this next chapter we are really going to value young people who have learned to build very human relationships and can have a face-to-face conversation.”

“I think as Kiwis. We’re oddly good at networking, we seem to be able to build really deep relationships with very influential people. We travel around the world, and we are really interested to learn about people and I think that’s something resonates with coming from a small country, the relationships we build are a lot more real.”

Alongside her career, Sarah is also a mother to three children, all who over the next few years, will embark on careers of their own. While she acknowledges the incredible changes the world has gone through since she started out, she says she feels the secret to them succeeding still centres around two key things.

“I am a big believer in trying a lot of things. I tell my kids don’t worry if you feel like you’ve made a bad decision because everything always leads to something. Try as much as you can and you’ll learn quickly where you shine and where you thrive. And secondly make your own passion, don’t just expect to ‘find’ it. I feel like we keep telling people they should have found their passion by 20 when in fact a lot of research says once you find something that really grabs your attention and you work at it and develop your craft, that’s what leads to passion. It’s so important to love what you do, because that’s what’s going to get you through the hard stuff that will inevitably come your way.”