Economic Recovery

A key focus for New Zealand in 2022 is to refresh and strengthen our global trade relationships, and to not only reconnect our country to the world but also the world to Aotearoa. And it is here that our offshore and returning Kiwi community should play a vital role.

One million Kiwi live offshore. This community offers New Zealand an incredible resource of skills, knowledge, connections and experience. Harnessing the power and inspiration of this community is key to ensuring a smooth and successful recovery and navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead as we work to re-energise our economy and show our trading partners we remain competitive on the world stage.

Research shows 18% or almost a fifth of Kiwi live offshore, many of them in countries which are several months further down the track with their opening up strategies. These Kiwi have already navigated various reopening challenges and are keen to share this knowledge particularly with the business community. The recent discovery of the Covid Omicron strain is a timely reminder that the pandemic situation will continue to shift and evolve. This is yet another reminder of the huge potential to be gained from learning from the ongoing experiences of this community.

Ganesh Nana, Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission – Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa, recently urged New Zealand to “be proactive in ensuring the distinctive skills, knowledge, experience, and connections of our offshore and returning Kiwi community are used to lift innovation, productivity, and the wellbeing of all in Aotearoa.”

Utilising the power of a country’s offshore community or diaspora, is not a new phenomenon. In fact many countries around the world are actively engaging in research on how best to leverage this growing opportunity.

The International Organisation for Migration predicts that over the next decade, governments, multilateral organizations and corporations will be drawn to the diaspora sector, with investment in it growing substantially. The sector will be seen as a “whole-of-government” issue that needs time, attention and resources.

IOM spokesperson for Asia and the Pacific, Itayi Viriri, says diasporas have a huge potential for leading sustainable development in their countries of origin and this potential is often most evident in island nations with large diaspora communities such as New Zealand.

“Members of a diaspora can help open doors for their country of origin politically, through public diplomacy and economically, through nostalgic trade and their own commercial activities. These opportunities would otherwise be difficult for the country to achieve due to limited visibility on the international stage, lack of connectivity due to geographic remoteness, and/or limited resources for formal diplomatic or trade promotion activities. This bridging role of diaspora communities is an invaluable resource for countries of origin, however it cannot be assumed as a given. Institutions in the country of origin must work to build and maintain the trust of their offshore community who may easily feel neglected or disconnected if there is a lack of proactive outreach.”

Across the world we can see inspiring examples of how connecting with a country’s offshore community has a positive impact on the growth and development of a nation.

For example, the Institute for International Economics found that Koreans living in the United States have generated an increase of trade between the two countries by around 15-20%.

The Korean Government considers offshore communities to be valuable sources of global talent and potential investment. By leveraging its overseas population with an eye towards enhancing national economic competitiveness, Korea trades more with countries where a larger number of ethnic Koreans reside. In 2017, more than 600 small and medium-sized companies in Korea signed deals with Korean entrepreneurs living overseas to further enhance Korea’s economic profile.

Further research this time into offshore Indian communities in the US further supports this economic advancement theory. Indians living and working in Silicon Valley in California, showed 27% regularly exchanged information on jobs or business opportunities and technology with people back in India. 46% had been a contact for domestic Indian business and 23% had invested their own money into Indian start-ups.

There is no reason why New Zealand shouldn’t be able to harness similar benefits from our offshore community. Our Kea Future Aspirations Survey showed 25% of Kea’s offshore community are interested in being a brand ambassador for New Zealand, 18% are interested in New Zealand board and advisory positions and 17% are interested in giving time and mentorship to NZ businesses. The opportunities that this community presents are there for the taking.

As we look ahead to 2022 and focus on reconnecting with the world we must make sure that we are not wasting an opportunity to harness the power of our offshore community. Next year will represent a key turning point in our battle against Covid and it is vital that we all work together to ensure the best outcomes for the productivity of all Aotearoa.

Kāhore taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini – we cannot succeed without the support of those around us.

If you’d like to enlist the ideas, experience and networks of our offshore Kiwi to support your business, get in touch with Kea and let’s engage more of our global explorers for a more productive New Zealand.

CONTRIBUTOR

Toni Truslove

Kea Global CEO

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

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The report builds on Kea’s Welcome Home survey released in November last year when we sought to understand the timeframes, skills, industry experience as well as needs – of our returning Kiwi.

With the world continuing to evolve and adapt to the Covid-era, we saw the need to reconnect with our Kea community – to understand how the last 6-12 months have affected them, and how that could be impacting their decisions for the future. We wanted to understand what’s changed for offshore and returning Kiwi? How can Aotearoa make the most of this moment in time?

Kea Future Aspirations Survey Results Returning Feedback

We continue to see strong intentions of our offshore Kiwi planning to return to Aotearoa.

Kea Future Aspirations Survey Results Permanently Staying Feedback

Of those intending to return, 69% intend to do so permanently. Returning Kiwi are wanting to develop their roots in Aotearoa and invest.

Kea Future Aspirations Survey Results Experience Feedback

While their choice to return is primarily lifestyle-driven, our returning Kiwi bring significant expertise and skills. 40% of people who have Senior, Director, VP, C-suite or Board experience, indicated they have 10+ years experience in this space.

Kea Future Aspirations Survey Results Contributing Back To NZ Feedback

While many Kiwi choose to remain abroad, their connection to home and willingness to contribute remains

Now is the time to act to unlock the potential of our exploring Kiwi.

Click here to access the full #KeaFutureAspirations report

If you’d like to enlist the ideas and experience of our offshore and returning Kiwi to support your business, please get in touch and let’s engage our global explorers.

New Zealand needs to ‘work smarter, not harder’ is the implication – and an injection of smart, skilled, internationally experienced Kiwi and their capital could certainly help New Zealand improve this statistic.

But that opportunity currently hangs in the balance as thousands of talented offshore Kiwi reassess their place in the world, and if there is a better life for them ‘back home’.

The Kea Future Aspirations Survey of offshore Kiwi and those recently returned, suggests a large group of these global citizens still plan to return, but the landscape is rapidly changing.

Sir Peter Gluckman recently said, “The window of opportunity for New Zealand to attract talent is evaporating as the developed world becomes vaccinated. Other countries, like Singapore, have moved swiftly, turning Covid-19 into opportunities to their advantage.

“Start-up and scale-up are very different, and scale-up requires globally orientated expertise we are short in – we need to work with these returning Kiwis or risk being left behind,” he said.

A key issue for returning Kiwi is satisfactory employment. While local businesses talk about skill shortages and a desperate need to attract international talent, our Kiwi explorers are expressing a growing disillusionment about the return home, with an issue of feeling valued front and foremost.

In fact, there is a significant mismatch between what Kiwi employers say they are offering and the experience of returnees.

On the positive side, the report shows that 64% of Kiwi businesses are proactively seeking internationally experienced Kiwi to fill positions.

Yet, while 46% of businesses indicate international experience is highly desired and a plus, only 38% of returnees expect local businesses to fully understand and value their overseas experience.

And while local employers suggest that returnee wage expectations are too high, returnees say they’ve already discounted themselves to meet the market.

In fact, 52% of returnees indicate that they expect to earn less, or significantly less, in New Zealand – a financial set-back, coming on top of the many issues of getting through MIQ, finding somewhere to live, getting visas for partners, school for kids and more.

The ongoing call for the careful opening of borders to allow more skilled migrants essential to business and exporters, is getting louder by the day. NZTech CEO Graeme Muller said recently there could be as many as 10,000 open tech roles in the market this month alone. Are we missing the opportunity to engage Kiwi who have, or are about to return home?

It seems that New Zealand employers are underestimating the total package that internationally trained and skilled expats present.

Ganesh Nana, Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa recently commented that: “Internationally experienced Kiwi contribute to Aotearoa through distinctive skills, knowledge, and connections that can help lift innovation and the governance of our businesses and industries.

“We should look to capitalise on the strengths of returning and offshore Kiwis to deliver productivity lift and improvements to the wellbeing of all New Zealanders,” Nana said.

However, returnees are only half the story. The offshore Kiwi community is telling us they want to proactively contribute to New Zealand’s post-Covid recovery and ongoing success – if we give them the opportunity. The Kea report shows that of the 59% of Kiwi choosing to remain offshore, half of these are wanting to contribute to New Zealand in some meaningful way – with 18% of these interested in board and advisory positions. Their understanding of international business, the latest in technology, business processes and importantly their networks all serve to give our businesses a distinct advantage – if utilised!

The race is now on – with other nations starting to emerge from lockdown, vaccinating their populations and opening borders, the post-Covid talent grab has begun.

With New Zealand having one of the highest offshore populations in the OECD, the time is now if we are to take the opportunity to leverage their skills, knowledge and networks.

So, more needs to be done – urgently – to engage with our most talented Kiwi explorers whether they are remaining offshore or coming home, to help them with the hurdles they face and to properly value their skills and experience for the benefit of all.

This means as a nation we must recognise the value of our offshore population and better factor their potential into our planning and policy decisions.

It should also include:

Closing the gap between returning kiwi and employers – encouraging employers to see the longer term, bigger picture implications of employing, valuing and retaining internationally experienced and skilled talent.
Looking further afield for board appointments, advisory positions, hard to fill roles or investment with our offshore Kiwi a great place start. A gift from the COVID-era is a new appreciation for distance working, let’s set this in motion.
Recognising that while the world’s borders remain closed now, the Post-Covid era will come, and with it, new opportunities and a need for fresh ideas and capital. Let’s foster our relationships with offshore Kiwi now and plan to be part of that future.

At Kea, we engage with our offshore and returning Kiwi every day. We field constant emails offering support and connection, we match offshore Kiwi with those on the ground who need them and we celebrate every successful integration we participate in.

Click here to access the full #KeaFutureAspirations report

CONTRIBUTOR

Toni Truslove

CEO

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

COMING HOME?

Join

Join the Kea community, NZ’s online home for returning Kiwis.

READ MORE

Resources

We’re here to support returning Kiwi. Here’s our list of resources to help you plan your return and next steps.

READ MORE

Jobs

Looking for a new role in New Zealand? Visit the Kea job portal and find your next career opportunity.

READ MORE

Kea press release for the results of the Welcome Home Survey

This report builds upon the Kea Welcome Home Survey data published in November last year which showed a significant number of offshore Kiwi in regions including the UK, Australia, US and Canada had intended to return within the next two years. It was hoped this return of exploring Kiwi might deliver the skills and experience we desperately need to plug talent shortages and boost our nation’s productivity.

Almost nine months on, despite personal and professional obstacles, return intentions remain high – albeit somewhat delayed from earlier expectations. And, of Kiwi remaining offshore, the desire to support New Zealand from afar has never been stronger.

“We are still amidst an amazing opportunity to benefit from the skills, experience and investment of returning and offshore Kiwi, but frankly, we need to do more as a nation to engage them,” says Kea CEO, Toni Truslove.

“With many of our favoured nations for expats starting to move out of Covid-19 related lockdowns and personal restrictions, there is growing urgency to make the most of this enormous injection of human capital,” she said.

Ganesh Nana, Chair of the New Zealand Productivity Commission Te Kōmihana Whai Hua o Aotearoa agrees, adding “Internationally experienced Kiwi contribute to Aotearoa through distinctive skills, knowledge, and connections that can help lift innovation and the governance of our businesses and industries”.

“We should look to capitalise on the strengths of returning and offshore Kiwis to deliver productivity lift and improvements to the wellbeing of all New Zealanders,” Nana said.

Key findings of the Kea Future Aspirations survey show that:

31% of respondents intend to return to New Zealand, 25% of those within two years.
11% of respondents are waiting until there is no managed-isolation required before they will return.
69% of those planning to return are doing so permanently.
15% of those who have already returned to NZ are considering moving offshore again when borders reopen, if they can’t find the right employment.
45% of Kiwi remaining offshore express strong willingness to leverage offshore experience for the benefit of New Zealand.

Kea World Class New Zealand alumni Rob Fyfe also welcomes the report, saying that the frustration of returnees and the difficulty posed by a closed border and managed isolation system, is a key message coming through loud and clear.

“New Zealand is currently experiencing acute skilled labour shortages across a number of industries and roles. As this survey demonstrates, there is a long queue of highly skilled, experienced and motivated Kiwi expats keen to return to Aotearoa, as soon as the current border and MIQ requirements can be safely reduced. This expat talent pool will be immensely valuable to New Zealand’s Covid recovery, we should be doing everything possible to maximise this opportunity,” Fyfe said.

In relation to skilled returnees, the report indicates we are far from fully utilising the opportunity in front of us with a distinct mismatch between what Kiwi employers are seeking and the experience of offshore candidates. While 46% of businesses indicate international experience is highly desired and a plus, only 38% of returnees expect local businesses to fully understand and value their overseas experience.

And while local employers suggest that returnee wage expectations are too high, returnees say they’ve already discounted themselves to meet the market.

In fact, 52% of returnees indicate they expect to earn less in New Zealand than they did offshore.

Yet, of those who have returned, and who remain offshore, a very high proportion still hope to ‘give back’ to our nation, with 45% expressing strong willingness to leverage offshore experience for the benefit of New Zealand.

Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, director of Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures and president-elect of the International Science Council, applauded the findings of the Kea Welcome Home survey in November and spoke of the huge economic and cultural potential of these returnees. Now, he’s saying that we need to move fast to welcome our expats home or the opportunity may be missed.

“The window of opportunity for New Zealand to attract talent is evaporating as the developed world becomes vaccinated.

“Other countries, like Singapore, have moved swiftly, turning Covid-19 into opportunities to their advantage. Start-up and scale-up are very different, and scale-up requires globally orientated expertise we are short in – we need to work with these returning Kiwis or risk being left behind,” Gluckman said.

However returnees are only half the story. The Kea report shows that of the 59% of Kiwi choosing to remain offshore, half of these are wanting to contribute to New Zealand in some meaningful way – with 18% interested in board and advisory positions. Their understanding of international business, the latest in technology, business processes, and trading in foreign markets all serves to give New Zealand organisations a real head start – if utilised!

Truslove says that the report reflects an enormous opportunity for New Zealand.

“The talent, creativity and experience of our offshore Kiwi is outstanding and would be transformational for our economy providing they can be effectively engaged,” Truslove says.

“Their experience overseas means they can bring new perspectives and insights to our businesses, giving us the ability to continue to innovate and produce world-class products and services. It is up to the employers, trustees and entrepreneurs to engage with these exploring Kiwi, to make them welcome and to recognise the potential they present.

“New Zealand won international respect for its pandemic response, but now we need to make the most of this ‘once in a generation’ opportunity, and act now!” she said.

For more information contact:

Ele Quigan 027 773 7779 [email protected]

If you would like to see the full results of the Kea Future Aspirations survey please email [email protected]

Kea World Class New Zealand Awards 2021 Press Release

The Awards ceremony inducted six new Kea World Class New Zealanders and one Friend of New Zealand, attracting an impressive crowd of past and present alumni who gathered to acknowledge this year’s winners and to welcome Supreme Award winner, Peter Cooper.

These winners join an inspiring community of Kea World Class New Zealanders including Rocket Labs’, Peter Beck; Choreographer Parris Goebel; All Birds founder, Tim Brown; Former Prime Minister; Helen Clark; and Actor, Cliff Curtis.

Kea chief executive officer Toni Truslove says that taking time to recognise and thank these Kiwi was a timely reminder of the incredible power and influence of our nation’s talent.

“The Kea World Class New Zealand Awards were created to recognise a diverse range of Kiwi who through the impact of their work, leadership and philanthropy raise New Zealand’s mana globally,” Truslove says.

“Now more than ever, we need to acknowledge the enormous impact our exploring Kiwi make to our nation, at a time when their breadth of knowledge and valuable skill-sets are most needed to boost New Zealand’s productivity and support our economic recovery.”

Handing over to 2021 Supreme Award Winner is 2019 winner and recent returner Peter Gordon. He says that the awards are an important way to say thank you to those who through their efforts and talent have helped put New Zealand front and centre on the World’s stage.

“It is really exciting seeing what New Zealanders are doing around the world. We need to shout a bit more about our success, and the awards are a great way of saying thank you, spreading the aroha and celebrating everyone’s mahi,” Gordon said.

Picking up the Kea Supreme Award, California-based businessman Peter Cooper was a unanimous choice for judges. Cooper’s many acts of philanthropy and support of the arts is well-known.

Only son of a truck driver and devoted mother, and with Ngati Kahu, Ngati Kuri and Te Aupouri heritage, Cooper’s journey has taken him from humble Kaitaia beginnings to the pinnacle of business and philanthropy, both here and in the US.

Cooper’s focus is on projects that establish and build communities while valuing and preserving the heritage of the places and the people. He is best known in New Zealand for developments such as Auckland’s Britomart Restoration project and Northland project, The Landing, which involved the extensive creation of wetlands, native bush and preserving areas of high archaeological value.

Judging Panel Chair, Phil Veal said that “Peter’s absolute commitment to heritage, quality and authenticity in everything he creates makes him the very embodiment of a World Class New Zealander”.

Other winners include journalist and author Anna Fifield, who became the editor of the Dominion Post and the Wellington editor for Stuff in October, returning to New Zealand after 20 years abroad. She was a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times and the Washington Post during those years, posted to Seoul, Tehran, Beirut, Washington DC, Tokyo and, most recently, Beijing. She was a Nieman journalism fellow at Harvard University and was awarded a Stanford University prize for her reporting on Asia. Her book, “The Great Successor: The Secret Rise and Rule of Kim Jong Un,” has been published in 24 editions.

Jane Henley joins the ranks of Kea World Class New Zealanders, acknowledged for outstanding work globally, shifting the thinking of the building and construction sector towards sustainability. As global CEO of the World Green Business Council, Henley worked on setting standards for the sector, focussed on reducing energy use and waste. She returns to New Zealand to continue that work, focusing on the challenges New Zealand faces around affordability and cost of housing, and how to incorporate sustainability into that equation.

Neil Ieremia’s Black Grace Dance Company and its critically acclaimed productions have been thrilling crowds throughout the US, Europe and Asia since 1995, telling our stories, exposing our creative talent and exploding stereotypes about New Zealand and its place in the world. Ieremia took Samoan culture and rugby’s intensity and gave the world a new movement that is explosive, dramatic and an expression of soaring athleticism.

Producer/Director, Chelsea Winstanley is well known for her work as co-producer of Oscar-nominated Jojo Rabbit and vampire hit, What We Do in the Shadows, but is most passionate about telling Aotearoa’s stories. From her 2005 documentary on activist Tame Iti, through to Media Peace Award winning 2018 documentary, Merata: How Mum Decolonised the Screen, Winstanley has been winning recognition for her courage, humility and aroha in her storytelling.

The work of Prof Graham Le Gros, Dir. of Research, Allergic and Parasitic Diseases Programme Leader, at The Malaghan Institute has never been more topical, nor as important. With breakthroughs in the treatment of CovID-19, along with ground-breaking research in therapies that harness the power of the human immune system, Prof. Le Gros is devoted to changing health outcomes for people, both here and all over the world.

The Kea Friend of New Zealand Award, which recognises the significant contribution made to our country by someone who is not born here, was presented jointly to Film Director James Cameron, and Suzy Amis Cameron – who’ve made New Zealand their home and the base for their international movie empire. They’ve been outspoken about their love of New Zealand and its people and have seen the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars into the economy here through the creation of the movie Avatar and many other projects. Their love of our environment is also reflected in their passion for Predator Free New Zealand, which has seen the Miramar Peninsula become part of an ambitious plan to create the world’s first predator-free capital city.

“Kea was established to connect and engage with our global network of exploring Kiwi and it is exciting to see how this network continues to grow and prosper despite the challenges the world is facing’” Truslove says

“New Zealand benefits from these incredible Kiwi, whose strong work-ethic and compassionate values win them access to the highest levels of business and achievement around the world, and then are prepared to share their knowledge and influence with those of us back home”.

“New Zealanders everywhere continue to pursue their dreams, but they’ve made it clear that no matter where they go and what they achieve, their hearts and minds are still firmly home in Aotearoa,” she said.

Sea freight continues to be a challenge for both exports and imports, exacerbated by the hold up of an estimated USD9.6B goods per day during the stranding of the Ever Given mega-container ship in the Suez Canal and the critical shortage of refrigerated containers affecting food exporters. Earlier this year import delays at Ports of Auckland and the Chinese New Year holiday period further impacted retailers and manufacturers alike.

To safeguard New Zealand’s international connectivity Transport Minister Michael Wood announced last month the extension of support for the aviation sector to the end of October 2021, with the possibility to extend further to March 2022.

“Airfreight capacity is at 90 per cent of pre-COVID levels thanks to the International Airfreight Capacity (IAFC) scheme, which has meant our exporters have been able to get their products to market and time-critical goods like medicine have been able to come into New Zealand.

“The scheme has also maintained a critical lifeline for our Pacific partners – there would have been no flights to Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands and Niue without it.”

The original IAFC was allocated $372M of the $600M aviation relief package to support airfreight continuity. The extension of the scheme to October 2021 is estimated to be worth an additional $170M.

From April 2021 IAFC has a name change to Maintaining International Air Connectivity (MAIC), to more clearly reflect the focus on recovery and its broadened objectives.

retain air connectivity with New Zealand’s principal trading partners,
enable continued essential passenger movements,
retain important air connections to the Pacific,
retain air connections to key routes and hubs important for tourism recovery,
maintain core capability, capacity and competitiveness within the New Zealand aviation sector to provide a platform for an efficient and competitive market when international air travel recovers.

Since May 2020 the IAFC scheme has:

Enabled over 6000 flights
carried over 120,000 tonnes of air freight
worth $8 billion and
returned over 60,000 people to New Zealand
who made up around 60% of all MIQ stays.

NZTE Focus customers may be eligible for a Supply Chain Review advisory service. Talk to your NZTE Customer Manager for more information.

For more information read Beehive release, Ministry of Transport announcement and MFAT’s report, The Importance of the Suez Canal to Global Trade.

CONTRIBUTOR

Saya Wahrlich

Global Director Government & Industry

Kea New Zealand

Kea member

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