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Businesses growing at home

To inform those wishing to return to Aotearoa and to the infrastructure sector, Kea and Holmes Consulting hosted a webinar which touched on:

  • How technology, sustainability and culture can all work together to increase the productivity of the sector. 
  • Where the skill shortages are within the industry and why offshore talent is important
  • Understanding the infrastructure industry has changed over the past decades when it comes to embracing cultural and tradition

A huge thank you to Wayne Juno, Senior Leader in the Civil Structures team and Lidia Cooper  Team Leader of the Structures team at Holmes Consulting, Jane Henley Founder of Growthlines Limited and Amos Kamo Director of Policy and Performance at Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities for joining the conversation!

Watch the full webinar recording below.

*This content was created in partnership with Holmes Consulting

Opportunities aplenty in Aotearoa

Filed Under: Businesses growing at home, Kiwi coming home

Architecture Van Brandenburg is a cutting-edge architecture and design company with studios in Dunedin and Queenstown. For the past few years Damien Van Brandenburg and his team have been focused on building a 120,000m2 corporate campus for Chinese fashion giant Marisfrolg in Shenzhen, China. Supporting thirty thousand employees, Damien says the campus is like a mini city and it’s design aims to mimic the natural world. 

“The design of Marisfrolg is based on nature and how nature can inspire architecture. We have the ability to learn from natural networks and use these to enhance our lives. For example the roof of the campus is created from leaf life shapes which form canopies, they collect rainwater and push it down a ‘stem’ to be collected and reused much like a plant or a tree would. There is a lot to learn from the way in which a forest, for example, will grow and adapt to look after all the species within it. We can learn from this when we think about the planning and architecture of our future cities. 

Marisfrolg corporate campus in China takes its design cues from nature

Damien’s designs aim to use as many recycled and sustainable materials as possible and he says the ability for New Zealand cities to adapt and evolve particularly when it comes to sustainability needs to be a key consideration for Aotearoa. 

“Nature is constantly adapting and evolving and changing to make things more efficient for trees and plant life. People have had to adapt a lot recently in response to the pandemic, and I think in future we will see that adaptation be applied to the growth of cities. For example could the cities of the future be grown entirely from trees? Could all our homes come from renewable materials such as mass timber construction which is all digitally fabricated? I think the challenges and opportunities are in adaptation. There is a huge amount of data out there to influence city development so cities of the future can really be learning from the cities of today.”

Making sure Aotearoa’s future cities learn from others is something which Professor Anthony Hoete (Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Ranana) is passionate about. Anthony recently moved back to New Zealand after thirty years of practising architecture in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. These days he’s working for the University of Auckland using his expertise in optimal density housing to research ways to make Aotearoa’s cities more compact. He feels New Zealand has a number of opportunities in this space but it’s going to require a big shift in thinking. 

Professor Anthony Hoete

From Northern to Southern boundaries Auckland is 120km, whereas if you look at a city like London with almost four times the population it’s around 50km from one edge to the other. We have to optimise our density of living as we move forward, it’s the one major means to tackle the housing crisis. We have a lot of opportunities for infill within our cities, a lot of places where we can build up or create more compact living particularly around transport hubs. A lot of houses with empty roof voids. We need to move away from the quarter acre dream and get used to living closer to each other, yet living closer doesn’t necessarily come at a detriment to quality as we can design buildings for sunlight and daylight, for privacy and overlooking, to make the most of shared spaces.”

“There is nothing wrong with a backyard but let’s get rid of the side yard. Moving into the future we need to look at arrangements like terraced housing. High density housing doesn’t mean ugly cities. Paris, Barcelona and Berlin are all seen as beautiful cities and with citizens living side by side and above and below each other. We also need to question the relationship between house and car, we need to look at parking on the street – maybe walking 20, 50 meters to our front doors and I know that’s a bit of a pain-in-the-rain but accommodating the car onsite is really impeding our livable space.”

Along with the ability to increase density, Anthony says New Zealand also has a real opportunity to create less suburban sprawl and more sustainable cities of the future given our unique environment and our culture of embracing technology. 

“We can grow pinus radiata and spruce relatively quickly in this country given our soil conditions. Reforestation is a real opportunity. It’s surprising to me that given we have the capacity to plant the second-largest man made forests in the southern hemisphere (Kaingaroa) we cannot socio-economically exploit locally-grown exotic forestry more. We need to shift the entire housing supply model, embrace off-site manufactured processes with a lot more digital fabrication technologies. By doing so, we could minimise waste and upskill and increase the labour market and disrupt housing supply chains. 

Founder of the New Zealand Green Building Council Jane Henley says our building sector is one of the last sectors to innovate and when it comes to cities of the future, innovation and factory manufacturing within the sector will be key. 

“Currently the building industry is very bespoke, we need to look at how we can drive a manufacturing mindset. Innovation is key to sustainability and cost effectiveness. The more we can drive computer technology and bring that into the market, we will be able to reduce waste and reduce design cost wastage. If you build better buildings you in turn will have better cities.”

Another key consideration for New Zealand is how we incorporate our culture into urban planning. Deidre Brown has a background in Māori and Pacific architecture and says the cities of Aotearoa’s future must celebrate their place within the pacific. 

“Right now the University of Auckland is working on a project looking at how Tāmaki Makaurau would have developed into a modern city without colonization. If we can imagine that and build a model of that then we can start to think about how we could bring some of that back. I think cities of the future have to reflect the people living in them and also reflect the heritage. When they are able to do that they can better adapt to their environment.”

But perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to the cities of the future is making sure they are spaces people want to live in. Damien says he’s optimistic we can create future cities which are not only kind to the planet but also kind to people. 

Damien Van Brandenburg

“If you start imagining what future cities might look like, many people will have this idea of sci-fi futuristic cities which are often portrayed in movies. But I think more of an optimistic solution which I think is achievable. Future cities should have spaces, environments, and cultures that we want to be in, that are inclusive and fair. From a design perspective I want the foundations of these cities to be as welcoming as possible, I want people to be able to move through cities without huge congestion, to be able to make the most of things such as small-scale aero transportation. I’d like to think future cities will have buildings which can generate their own power and can be adapted to grow food, to allow farming to take place within a city environment. But overall I think the cities of the future need to be inclusive and welcoming, to allow people to feel safe.”

Filed Under: Businesses growing at home, Global Kiwi, Kiwi coming home

Alice Shopland learnt the hard way that deciding to make vegan cheese and actually making it are two very different things. Despite this, the pioneer of New Zealand’s vegan cheese market has never taken her eyes off the prize. Last year her company ‘Angel Food’ produced 150 tonnes of dairy-free cheese, which can be found on the shelves of big supermarkets and in fast food outlets across the country. 

Dairy free cheese

“A friend called me “pathologically optimistic” and I think that’s probably true. I had a ‘how hard could it be?’ attitude. And it turned out to be very very hard. You’re creating a dairy-like product that contains no dairy and it has to be flowable during manufacturing and then firm enough when set, to be sliced or grated and then after that it needs to melt again when the customer cooks it. The texture is the biggest challenge.”

Angel Food started in Alice’s kitchen and for a while she and her husband tinkered around with different recipes before admitting defeat and hiring a food technologist to help out. After a few years of perfecting the recipe they began working with fast food chain Hell Pizza, using their pizza ovens to test the performance of the cheese. 

“I still remember the day our final product went on the menu at Hell Pizza. I ordered a vegan pizza to our house and the delivery boy saw our business logo on the gate and on the pizza box and he did a double take. That experience was really special.”

Alice’s journey to construct the perfect dairy-free cheese came from a desire to create a more sustainable food ecosystem not just for herself but for anyone who was interested. 

“One of the things people always said to me was, ‘good on you for going vegan but I could never give up cheese.’ I realised that one way I could make a difference was to help people make better food choices, ones that have less of an environmental footprint. Although veganism isn’t just about food, food is important. We’re choosing options three times a day so we can have a massive impact.”

Even though Angel Food is a success story these days, it was a long hard journey for Alice and her husband who put everything they had into the business. Alice says she has learnt a lot of hard and sometimes expensive lessons along the way and there were definitely times she was ready to give up. 

“The day of our 10 year anniversary of the business, was actually one of the days that I wanted to give up. I was exhausted, and that was just part of working too hard, trying to do everything. In hindsight there were definitely times I should have worked smarter not harder.”

Alice and her husband Colin Woods

But it was Alice’s self-proclaimed stubborn nature and feeling she owed it to her shareholders that kept her going. 

“We did two rounds of equity crowdfunding so we have 260 shareholders who have all invested various amounts of their hard-earned money, and I take that responsibility very seriously. I also believe in the business and the fact that we genuinely are making progress and having an impact.”

The vegan movement in New Zealand has come a long way since 2004 when Alice says it felt like you knew every vegan in Aotearoa. Nowadays Angel Food caters to the dairy intolerant, people on plant-based diets and even those who continue to eat animal products but want to cut back. She credits an awareness around the environmental impacts of dairy to the growth of the market. 

“That awareness of how dairying was contributing to our water quality and the swimmable rivers campaign created a big shift. Before that it was hard to get people to understand why you would be making a dairy-free version of dairy cheese. There was also the point where one of the major petrol stations added a vegan pie to their regular offering and in that same year you could get vegan ice creams which was amazing to see.”

Alice says the future of the company looks bright and there’s a secret project underway at the moment that she’s looking forward to revealing soon. In the meantime she’s happy focusing on her goal of giving Kiwi more sustainable choices. 

“I want to continue to help show that NZ doesn’t have to be so reliant on animal agriculture and there are smarter ways to eat.”

Alice and her team recently engaged with Kea Connect to explore the possibilities for exporting into the US market. While they decided not to pursue the opportunity at this time Alice says talking to other Kiwi in those markets has been extremely useful in setting the scene of decisions to be made.

Filed Under: Businesses going global, Businesses growing at home

Lockdowns place our Kiwi export businesses under different types of pressure and this lockdown is no different. Many of you will be working out not only how to best continue operating, but also how to operate across different alert levels. Added pressures such as supply chain disruptions, working from home and making sure you are looking after your own, and your employees’ wellbeing, can make this a challenging time. 

However, the ongoing pandemic also presents opportunities. We have seen some export businesses successfully adapt or reposition themselves, and for others, a forced slow down has given them unexpected time to take a step back from the day-to-day operations and focus on other aspects of their business. Remember that while New Zealand may be in lockdown, at varying times other markets are experiencing a resurgence.  Unrealised offshore opportunities may lie in wait for you.

If you’re a business who has the breathing space to take stock, then here are 5 suggestions on how this time could be well spent.

  1. Revisit your ‘big picture’

Lockdown gives a lot of businesses the opportunity to take a step back, and reassess their bigger business goals. Look at the backend of how your business is operating offshore – identify pain points and find opportunities to improve and streamline your operation. This may involve revisiting your business’s strategy or purpose, or revisiting your to-do list and focusing on aging items. You could also use this time to look ahead and focus on new initiatives, research, and planning. 

Once you have identified the areas where you can make some changes then prioritise. Break it down into manageable chunks with your team, and build a plan for the coming weeks. 

  1. Network with purpose

If one of your key challenges is around gaps in your network, this is a great time for your business to revisit current relationships and create new ones. Think about the relationships you want to establish across your key export markets in 2022 and beyond. It’s never too early to start introducing yourself, and when the time comes it’s a whole lot easier to connect with people who already know your name. 

Think about partners, investor relations, governance, and channels to market. Who are the key people you could speak with? What kind of individuals could help build your knowledge and understanding? 

Kea Connect is a great place to start and myNZTE is another excellent place for resources and information that can help with planning across key markets. 

  1. Assess your people power

Along with thinking about who you could connect with, also examine your internal capabilities. Think about any gaps you may have in skill sets either now or in the future. This is a good time to think about opportunities to upskill your staff or work with them on their personal development. 

If you are looking to hire, take this time to work out what sort of skills your business needs. A Kea survey revealed 31% of offshore Kiwi intend to return to New Zealand. Think about how your business could capitalise on the strengths of these returning Kiwi. 

To access the full report and learn more about this opportunity to leverage returning Kiwi talent for your business, click here. 

  1. Drive home your digital strategy

Are you using the right channels to engage with your customers? And are you engaging with them in a way that’s relevant? Use this time to really drive home your digital strategy and make sure there are no obvious gaps and that you are getting the maximum value from your digital spend. When done correctly a strong digital strategy can be invaluable for your export business.

If you are looking for support on building your digital capability, check out MBIE’s Digital Boost programme which covers a range of different tools and resources to help you digitise your business. This includes a range of categories including digital marketing, website design, social media and digital tools that make business easier.

  1. Discover your export potential

This one is for businesses that haven’t started their export journey yet. Now is a great time to consider the export potential of your business and ask yourself some key questions to help clarify your thinking. Both myNZTE and business.govt.nz, along with myNZTE’s tools can help you in this area. 

Whatever your export goals are, remember that you are not alone. Kea nurtures a vibrant community of over half a million Kiwi offshore, many of whom are keen to help. Connect with us today.
Read more about how Kea Connect can help your business, our process here, and reach out today.

CONTRIBUTOR

Shivana Pemberton

Senior Global Connections Manager

Kea New Zealand

Kea member


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

Filed Under: Businesses going global, Businesses growing at home Tagged With: Export Strategy, Kea Connect

Is Kea Connect right for you?

Kea Connect is for any New Zealand business that wants to or is already exporting offshore. It does not matter where you want to export, what industry your business is in, or the size of your business.

We have helped small businesses that are taking their first steps offshore, through to larger enterprises looking to scale in existing markets. These businesses span all industries, many different export markets, and all have benefited from connections to our global community. 

How Kea Connect can help

Deciding to take your business to the world is a big step. It’s exciting, and a little daunting. We get that, and so does our community of global Kiwi. 

Introducing your business to our extensive, international community will allow you access to market intelligence and exclusive insights to grow your business offshore. 

Our members include thousands of industry experts, thought leaders, and fellow peers who have personal insights from their own journeys. They share a passion for seeing Kiwi businesses succeed, and through Kea Connect, will help make the process a lot less daunting. These exclusive connections at this scale are unique to the Kea Connect service.

Kea Connect FAQ’s

There are no limits to the types of questions we can help you answer, but here are a few examples. For specific case studies, take a look here. 

  • What distribution channels are available in the UK for my product? 
  • What are the consumer trends in my industry in Singapore? 
  • Who are my key competitors in Germany, and how can we make our brand stand-out ? 
  • What does a good pitch look like for prospective USA investors? 

Kea Connect process

Step one: Become a member and fill out the Kea Connect request form

Your journey with Kea Connect starts with our online request form. Here we ask you to answer basic questions that will help us get a baseline understanding of your business, where you are looking to export, and the kind of support you need. 

Step two: Meet with the Kea team

Within 5 working days, you will hear from a member of our team to set up a 30 – 60 minute call/meeting. The purpose of this is to dive more deeply into your business needs, ensure we are clear on your goals, so we can find the right people to introduce you to.

For this, we ask that you come prepared with key questions, an idea of the type of person or business you would like to be connected to and what areas you need advice on. 

Step three: We find connections for you

Once we are confident we have the information we need to find the right people, we explore our community and identify individuals we believe are best suited to help. 

Once identified, we will approach these individuals on your behalf, provide a brief on your business and the kind of support you need, ask if they can help and are happy to be introduced.

Step four: Get connected

As and when we hear back from our community and have their confirmation they can help, we will make an email introduction. We’ll then hand it over to you for further discussion.

We often get asked how long the introduction will take. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this. Introductions can take as little as 2 hours from the time we approach these individuals, to a couple weeks or more. You will receive updates from us throughout the process no matter how long it takes, and our team is always available for any questions you have along the way. 

Welcome to the Kea community

Your journey with Kea doesn’t stop once you are connected. Once you engage with us, you join a global community of Kiwis who are passionate about New Zealand and the success of its people and businesses. As part of the Kea Connect service, we offer ongoing support through our Kea Connect newsletter, interactive events, first-hand stories and essential resources that will help in your export journey. We also love to follow up with Kea Connect businesses to showcase the incredible efforts of our business community.

We hope this provides you with a good understanding of Kea Connect. If you’re ready to connect please get in touch here.

Ignite your export journey with Kea Connect

CONNECT MY BUSINESS

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

Filed Under: Businesses going global, Businesses growing at home, Kea Connect success stories Tagged With: guide, how to, Kea Connect

How does ABAC work with the public sector to clarify and agree on APEC 21’s driving priorities?

ABAC is in the business of influence. We develop thinking and ideas related to APEC’s priorities (and related to our own priorities) and we present them to APEC Ministers, Leaders and senior officials in the form of reports and letters. We use opportunities for direct dialogue to promote our recommendations. The most important direct dialogue is the one we have with APEC’s Leaders at the end of the year. We keep in close touch with work level officials who are preparing the decision-making for Leaders and Ministers. And individual ABAC Members liaise with their host governments to encourage attention to our work. So we work at all levels.

Why is it so important for the private sector to have the ability to consult with the public sector on intergovernmental forums such as this?

It is important that all APEC’s decisions are grounded in the reality of the real world and business. ABAC brings that perspective. Our job is to make sure that APEC’s decisions can work in practice. ABAC’s role is quite unique in that we have a direct line to those making the decisions. They’re not always able to take on all of our advice so then we recommend again. This is a long term game and we are very…..tenacious. But also patient.

Are businesses beneficiaries of APEC policies or do they play a key role in helping to bring them to life?

There is no doubt that business benefits from APEC policies which make doing business easier, cheaper and faster. But business also has a key role to play in ensuring APEC economies implement policies that benefit not just business but our communities as a whole. APEC’s traditional agenda is focused on trade – removing barriers in the form of tariff and non tariff barriers and putting in place better trade rules. Today APEC’s agenda goes far wider in ensuring the benefits of trade are shared, enabling women’s empowerment, addressing sustainability and now also promoting Indigenous economic development.

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JUNE 10: APEC 2021 Live With Business on June 10, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand.
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for NZTE)

What are the steps that are taken afterwards by ABAC representatives to action the outcomes of New Zealand’s host year?

There is continuity in APEC and ABAC so next year when we are no longer in the Chair we will still be part of ABAC’s governance structure and we will be watching to make sure that the things we recommended are being put into action. New Zealand has always played a leading role in ABAC even when we are not chairing – for example by assuming the role of chairing ABAC Working Groups we will be looking to hold various positions of influence as we move into Thailand’s year and beyond.

How might ABAC and ultimately APEC empower and enable indigenous populations to benefit from their member state’s involvement in these forums?

I believe there are four primary approaches.

  • Implementation and resourcing of dedicated work streams to build the policy architecture needed to support the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives across APEC priority areas;
  • Elevating the success stories of Indigenous businesses to shift perceptions of Indigenous business and economies as underdeveloped;
  • Creating opportunities for Indigenous peoples to participate independently in the many activities these forums host at a senior leadership level to ensure that Indigenous perspectives are not diluted or filtered through officials-only channels;
  • And fundamentally keeping it on the agenda as a standing item of importance.

What can New Zealand’s business ecosystem be doing better to support the enablement of Māori business?

This is a big question and one that could be an article in and of itself! But here are four points as a starter:

  • Greater commitment to diversity and inclusion in business networks and forums so more Māori business leaders have exposure to the wider suite of opportunities available across the business community.
  • Deepening its understanding of the structural and systemic barriers that impact the ability of Māori businesses to scale or grow.
  • Building stronger relationships with Māori business leaders and Iwi Asset holding companies to better understand the rights and interests of Māori in a Treaty context and to strengthen cohesion across the business sector between Māori and non-Māori businesses.
  • Ensure relevant capabilities and lived experiences are included in the governance of leading New Zealand businesses – it’s the diversity of thought and perspective of partnership that will benefit the nation.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND – JUNE 10: APEC 2021 Live With Business on June 10, 2021 in Auckland, New Zealand.
(Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images for NZTE)

What does success look like for you in your role?

It looks like purposeful action and meaningful deliverables. Some of those will be immediate, and others will have medium to long term impact for our businesses in the APEC region. A degree of the work we do is slow moving and policy setting in nature – but that makes it no less relevant than the immediate results we can harvest. They all build towards a sustainable, dynamic, seamless, resilient and inclusive future for Aotearoa. And if we enjoy moving about the world in an open, transparent, rules based trading environment; which arguably is every exporter in New Zealand, then this work is deeply relevant.

For more information on APEC:

  • APEC 2021 site
  • MFAT’s page on APEC

And follow: Twitter @APEC2021NZ Facebook @APEC2021NewZealand

Listen to Rachel Taulelei’s Radio New Zealand interview on ABAC here.

CONTRIBUTOR

Rachel Taulelei

CEO

Kono NZ

World Class New Zealander



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

Filed Under: Businesses going global, Businesses growing at home, COVID-19 recovery

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